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    ¦*?** item ( Said to ~ hscverbeea a faviMrrite maxim : x > fj this extraordi * . rfary man at one ti ^ ie ^ o ^ his * life ~ < J ' Ffctf 2 C ^ sw is a good thing in its placey but woe to the system which depends upon if . And from this it has * been weakly inferred by some of Mr . Robinson ' s admirers ,

    whose zeal- - -exceeded their knowledge ^ that a doctrine supported b * y criticism , must be erroneous , because <> forsooth , the common people ? could not understand it . These wise men , it seems , are rot awure that the main object of scripture criticism is , to discover the sense which would be most

    obvious to those for whose immediate use the scriptures were written , which must , no doubt , be the true sense , however contrary to modern ideas and prejudices . That Mr . IU was not serious in this sarcastic

    Reflection upon criticism , or that he afterwards thought more rationally on the subject , is evident from a letter to a friend , " an extract from which , given by Mr . B . is too long for quotation ; the substance is a commendation of

    a sober , just criticism , * and a reproof to those who , although excessively dogmatical and censorious , in their explanation of the phraseology of scripture , " never ktiefiv what critidism was . "

    Here £ f fceg leave to remark , that if Mr . 'Bjr instead of drawing his inferences against a Supposed opi-* rio& ofMr ^ Robih&on ' s , and holding u ^ hW ^ to ridicule , on tti ^ eire r ^ prbrt— "Itls said , " the ihmidn of some John

    v ^ ^ r&bably tQ' $ ? &k #$ > Sbr T % m 0 ''Styles , had -4 &UaiftftF- wh ^ t Mr . Robii ^ oh ^ tos ^ MrfiYritten oii thd stibifec t , 1 ^ kigW hav ^ spared himseU the &&kW& 6 f Mr # « tegthe above p ^ igraph . Indeed , Mr . HL -W 4 o

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    many occasions , fully ^ xpiaineii himself on this topic , that had even the superficial reader of his works not understood him , it might have excited some' surprise , ^ It was a favourite opinion of Mf .

    Robinson ' s , and which forms one of the grahd features of his writings , that the gospel being preached by our Saviour to the poor , and consequently designed ( in cori ,-tradistinction to all the systems

    of heathen philosophy ) for fbemse of the very lowest classes of the people in all ages and covmtries , these classes were- in all matters essential to salvation , propdt ^ judges of its meaning ; and ai ^ though learning and critical * y skili were useful in their proper plaices ,

    that a poor man possessing fie ** ther , might attain to a ^ compe * tent knowledge of the mosHnypotf-r lant truths of revelationw 5 - Had Mr . B . recollected what Mrv R * . had asserted on this very pointy # & the work on which he wasanirnad ^

    verting , he would have peTC ^ fv ^ S that the author had adopted > tb 4 just canon of criticism ^ which , hi this instance , is laid down by Mr . B . and which Mr . R , hdd qUoteH from the Bishop of CkrUsIef ^ CB ¥ . Law ) . <<; Therei can be no bwttfy

    canon of interpretation /* s ^ ys mt-R ., " than that which an > aitifable prelate has given us t- ^ - ^' dfip ^ ture is to be taken in that sense m

    which the common people took ££ ? $ ' This subject is so > frequently ? iltiKTtrated and enforced' in Mfi Rybtnt son ' s ^ vritings , that I am Under souie difficulty , from which to selectvin the volumes now bef 0 re ^ mc . I will , bowever , ; cbnflWe ^ W y ^!^^

    thePleti , in whicfc W mttjkot % - presses bis opinions > jo , language equally j * ftt and bedutifaJ . ? ' ^ < We do aot ^ hi « b ^ i ^ e ^ rry

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    &n ? Mfivl £ eIffiain ^ ytc 0 <> unt « rf * M $ *; RoHrison . £ & ?

• Citation
  • Monthly Repository (1806-1838) and Unitarian Chronicle (1832-1833), April 2, 1813, page 257, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse-os.kdl.kcl.ac.uk/periodicals/mruc/issues/vm2-ncseproduct2427/page/37/