168] ANNUAL REGISTER, 
voured to procure the repeal of 
those statutes in particular, that 
were levelled at the Unitarians. 
_ This sect was remarkably odious 
at the time when these statutes were 
enacted; which was towards the 
close of the last century. The peo- 
ple of that persuasion were then not 
mumerous; but since that period, 
their number had been gradually 
increasing. Favoured by the general 
spirit of religious tolerance daily 
gaining ground in the enlightened 
world, they ventured to avow their 
doctrines more openly, and to claim 
that indulgence which was granted 
to other persuasions iv this country. 
But the opinion which they main- 
tained of the incommunicable es- 
sence of the Deity, and of his abso- 
lute unity in every respect, raised 
an alarm in the rigid professors and 
defenders of the Trinitarian doc- 
trine, that incited them and their ad- 
herents to treat those persons who 
were not of that belief, with all man- 
ner of indignation and obloquy. A 
prelate of the church of England re- 
presented them as the worst of here- 
tics; asserting with aviolenceand te- 
merity unworthy ofa man of any li- 
berality of sentiments, that however 
they might serve God, live in cha- 
rity with mankind, and relieve the 
distressed, all this was sinful, on 
account of their heresy. 
These particulars were strongly 
enforced by Mr. Fox, in a motion 
he made in their favour, on the 
11th of May, He shewed the im- 
propriety of continuing to keep 
useless statutes in existence, andin- 
sisted on the propriety of commit- 
ting to the flames obsolete acts of 
parliament, framed in the days of 
‘bigotry and persecution, and ob- 
noxious to every person of under- 
standing and humanity, 
1792. 
He was answered by Mr. Burke 
and Mr. Pitt; who contended that 
no bad consequences could result 
from these statutes remaining unre- 
pealed, in a country where the mild- 
ness of the government would al- 
ways restrain their severity. Much 
caution was requisite in matters 
wherein religion was concerned ; 
and policy did not call for the abo- 
lition ofa statute which was not put 
in force while the general idea of 
its tendency carried no longer any 
terror. Some restraints were ne- 
cessary as wellon religious as on po- 
litical innovations. The Unitarians 
especially were not free from the 
imputation of being secret enemies 
to the actual constitution of the 
kingdom; and in that light it would 
not be safe nor prudent to grant 
them any particular marks of favour. 
In consequence of these argu- 
ments, the motion in their favour 
was rejected by a large majority. 
The disapprobation expressed by 
the legislature on various occasions, 
of the attempts made inorder to ex- 
tend the benefit of universal toler- 
ation to all sects of christians, was 
not generally approved of by the 
great and daily increasing numbers 
of those who looked upon all re- 
straints on religious opinions as in- 
consistent with true liberty, and re- 
pugnant to the interest of the com- 
munity; which they maintained 
ought not to be fettered in their 
conscience, while they willingly 
submited to all the injunctions in 
civil affairs, laid upon them by ga- 
vernment. Severity of this kind 
tended infallibly to indispose them 
against their rulers, and no less a- 
gainst the religion these endeavour 
ed to extend the professon of by 
such coercive methods. Persecu- 
tion, it was alleged, was of two. 
kinds ; 
