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apology to make on the occasion With a firm persuasion that ^ Christianity bears the stamp of divinity , that to it we owe every thing that can ennoble our nature , and render us truly happy in this world and in eternity ,. —that here alone is
" Solid rock , and all is sea beside : ' — with the firm persuasion of these truths , I beheld with mingled sentiments of pity and indignation those who would deprive us of such a system of moral excellence and " strong consolation . " I have said nothing
expressive of hatred of the persons of individuals ; but if the gospel is what it pretends to be—a divine revelationit demands the serious , impartial examination of every one who has an opportunity of so doing ; and I have no doubt but a divine revelation has
sufficient evidence to convince every honest man of its divinity . This I conceive to be the opinion of every consistent Christian ; of every one who ac know ledges Jesus Christ to be a divine teacher sent from God . He
expressly informs us that " light is come into the world ; " that men " love darkness rather than light because "their deeds are evil ^ " and that this will be the cause of their condemnation . ' * These opinions may not jbe agreeable to such writers as Chiron , Thomas * or Candidus , but I cannot
imagine how they can possibly give offence to any true Christian . Caudidus charges me with endeavouring to persuade your readers that a man ' s being ic unjustly imprisoned in Newgate for two years , and
paying a fine of 100 £ . " is no cause of lamentation ; and by way of proving his charge , mutilates a . paragraph from my former letter , stopping short with an etcetera * Now , Sir , tarfiis disingenuous ness , to give it the softest terr a , I reply , that so far from
insinuating that this was no cause of complaint , I made it matter of complaint and that repeatedly in the very letter which lay before your correspondent ! I quoted the u lamentable wailing , " the subject of my ridicule : " all infidels had their hands bound behind
their backs , and were threatened with 'fine , tortures , perhaps death if they uttered a syllable , "— " that a great gag was put in their mouths /' followed with the exclamation of the gger , " Now let u # hear what you
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have to say ? " This was the « j mentable wailing ' which I ridiculed and which I shall continue to ridicul e ' so long as Atheist * and Infidels mav write as they please , with the accidental exceptions of two or three in , stances in the course of half a century .
When ; I used the term " miserable individuTab , " it must surely have been evident to every one of your readers except Candidus , that I did not apply it to the merely distressed , but to the
ignorant , the prejudiced , the bigoted , or to those of a still worse description ; those who . are justly chargeable with « wilful misrepresentat ion , abuse and ribaldry " but as
Candidus does not appear to have had any idea of the meaning of the terra di ferent from that to which he has confined it , I beg leave to refer him to any common dictionary j —a most useful book * and which if writers
would sometimes consult , would prevent their errors and misconceptions , and save them and their opponents much time-and many words in con troversy . Candidus adds—* - " I should be glad to know , whether a certain gentleman did not think it cause of wailing ,
when he was in prison for what I suppose some persons would call his ignorance , or wilful misrepresentation , his abuse and ribaldry tif Mr . Pitt ' s administration . "— -That " certain gentleman" begs leave to inform him , that he never was ^ in prison for any
statement , or language used respecting either " Mr . Pitt , or his admmis trationj" ajid , that " < £ rtaiii gentleman ' hopes Candidus will excuse him for hinting , that writers will do themselves no harm if they are acquainetd a little with the nature of their
subject , before they enter on ita dkcu * sion > But why , Mr . Editor , permit me to ask , did your correspondent mutilate the paragraph I have quoted ? The reason * s obvious ! : hadthe whole been given , hd could not possibly have panned his insinuationsy- ^ that j *¦ . - >« i A— on / I
am an enemy to religious iinenyt «»» that I only wanted the power to p «* secure . The most complete new * * tion of such gross insinuation * is c 0 ° * tainedin the remainder of the liar * graph * " The iguorance ot wj « £ n ^ represeiitation r the ^ ribusi ^ a ^ J baldry C * T < odrtaita pertr ^ ns ] w **
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30 O Mr . B . Flower in Rfyfy to « Candidus , " mt Treatment of"Ivfidel
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Citation
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Monthly Repository (1806-1838) and Unitarian Chronicle (1832-1833), May 2, 1815, page 300, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse.ac.uk/periodicals/mruc/issues/vm2-ncseproduct1760/page/36/
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