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    his opponents challenged him to stand upon his defence ;* or to fulfil his promise , that if ever he discovered his deception he would

    retract his error . He resolved however to keep a prudent silences " To this uneandiri , unjust and cruel attack on Mr . Robinson ' s integrity , I could , in complete refutation , produce ample evidence ; but I

    have no occason to refer to any other evidence than that , extraordinary as it may seem , presented by the biographer himself , in the very page last quoted . u I do not intend / ' says Mr . Robinson in a letter to a friend , * to answer

    the anonymous examiner . He IATH NOT TOUCHED MY ARcwm ents : his faith stands on criticisms ; and my argument is , that if the doctrine require critical proof , it is not popular , and therefore not divine . Yes , they will have the last word * and let

    them have it . —Is this , I seriously demand , the language of a man * stupg to the quick , " suffering under the severe 4 C rebukes of conscience ? " of a man , according to

    the injurious statement of Mr . B ., possessing neither sufficient courage to defend his widely circulated opinions , nor sufficient honesty to fulfil his promise to the public " to retract his eirors whenever he

    should be convinced of them ;" and , therefore , with sneaking cowardice " prudently resolving to be silent ? " No ! such language is , on the contrary , that of the man ^ M M ¦ I . . i ¦ i 1 iI

    —I . .... - -. m . . ^ , „„ ,, , , m ummmmmmmm p ——¦ * Who wer # these <* challenging opponents ? " If their challenges were in print , they are , by this time , hurried down the stream of oblivion . As Mr . Beltham does not mention them , some may be inclined to think they were , with the exception of Mr . Lindtcy , Falittrfpt « mep u » buckram /"

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    unstung even at the surface , and whose conscience was without rebuke , I appeal , therefoie , with

    confidence to every reader of common sense and common candour , whether I have not a right to pronounce Mr . Belsham ' s assumptions , so deeply affecting Mr . Robinson ' s moral character , entirely groundless , contradictory to the

    very plainest evidence , and , of course , most unwarrantable and inexcusable ! They are , indeed , utterly inconsistent with the terms of respect , 4 C ingenuous , worthy , excellent , &c / ' applied by the

    biographer to Mr . Robinson , and which are scarcely to be regarded , as he is at the very moment endeavouring to rob him of that character which ought ever to be

    deemed the most important , by the Christian more especially ; a character of divine origin , — the noblest work of G&V , AN HONEST MAN . "

    There are other parts of the chapter I have noticed , in which I conceive there are mistakes respecting Mr . Robinson and his admirers , too material to pass unconnected ; but I fear I have al «

    ready intruded on your limits , if not on the patience of your readers . I must , therefore , defer the remainder of my strictures to another letter .

    I conclude by observing , that whatever may be thought of my conduct in the present instance , I am conscious of having no other motives tban the love of truth , and

    respect for the memory of a great and good man ; of one whose character was thus briefly summed up by the friend of Mr . Lindsey , so often referred to by his biographer : — " Robert Robinson , pne of the ablest and honestest

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    22 On Mr . Belskmtws Account of R . Robinson *

• Citation
  • Monthly Repository (1806-1838) and Unitarian Chronicle (1832-1833), Jan. 2, 1813, page 22, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse.ac.uk/periodicals/mruc/issues/vm2-ncseproduct2424/page/22/