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Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software. The text has not been manually corrected and should not be relied on to be an accurate representation of the item.
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aii&td inditefc Mm tcr reason iviittfiHe upon terms of eqttatity , : in iwhtefe ^ tempt , however , as tipon ati fdrm&Y occasions , I totally f&iled . My let * ters wefe written at a place and at times when I felt that I ought td be attending to other matters , I can
assure you that 1 never dreamt of giving publicity to our very desultory correspondence ; but , after it had proceeded- to a considerable length , ftnditig that he attached no value to my arguments , I requested him to return my tetters ; and on receiving them From hiin , I Ctfiftrnutiicatied the
whole of the cofrrespbndence to a nz&t and d £ ar relative who took the trouble of inscribing it , &nd , \ vithout saying & word to me , forwarded the copy to you . I was by no means pleaded with his zeal , being coiiscious that , in point of composition , otir letters were trot suited to the public eye : but it Was too late to recall them , and
accordingly they st&nd , with all their faults , in the pages of your Repository . Yon , Sir , can hefti * witness - to the fact of their having reached you all at the same time . Your American friend appears hot to have been aware of this circumstance , and accordingly mariy of his obsietvations are
monitory , und 6 r the erroneous supposition that the correspondence was still going on . If this had been the case , I should gladly have attended to his hints- Should he , after this explanation , still continue sceptical , as to the personality of my antagonist 1 shall be most willing to send nim some of
the original pieces . He is right in . saying , that the correspondence ought to have been designated as between a Universalist and a Calvinist . When my object was to come to an understanding with the Calvinist upon one gtand point of
difference , it would have beteh very injudicious on my part to have offended his pTejudiceg b y agitating a distinct question on which , if possible , We are still more at issue than upon that to which our correspondence related .
I regret to find , that your friend thinks that I ended •* the controversy Jn a somewhat pettish style . " I certiainly had become we&ry of labouring in vain . Finding chat I c <> ufcl no more tsxak 6 dft ftwpressitfn upoii the
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mind of my excellent opponei \ tfitban I icould ui& kudttf ^ in ¦ * tto vflrtfeAiir M the air , I tvas anxious to bring tm argument to a close . » T have reason to know that lie hiiaeelf did not dcirisider me as having broken off in a pet . j
With regard to my young friend W . W ., I beg to say , that althoagh his partiality to me > naturally einotigii 5 led him to speak favourably of my views * he loves the other party too We , M to off ^ r him an insult . The
Calvinist has never seen the fcorr ^* spondfcnce in print , Mid wottld pefr t ^ fy little what yoa ao 4 y&wt readers Inay think of his opinio ®^ . ? fte ^ l . as * Sttfed that he does no * consider any of ufe to be capable of judging li * the c&ie *
I must say that I am rather disappointed to find that our Americaa critic is not absolutely ail Utsivetsalilt himself . I cannot wish him better than that he may speedily * befcbme one . 1 \> toe it is quite incomprehensible hovv any man of ^ deeply reflective habits can be at ease > so ^ long
as a doubt hangs Upon Ms mind as to the happy destiny of the human raice . Evtery family of mail is , we ate asstired , to be blessed through the ageticy of Abrnham and his seed . Tlii 3 assurance is full of comfort ; it is one Upon which the mind can obtain perfect repose . I shall add but one further observation . If God be infinitely
powerful , wise and good , he either is so in the satne sense as men are powerful , wise and good , or he is not . If goodness in God be of the same nature as goodness in man , ( and how else can men be imitators of God ?) then we are sure that he wil-L without
partiality , employ his wisdoai fciid power hi promoting the happiness of all men . If goodness in God be in its nature different from goodness in man , then it may be absolutely
contrary to all our ideas of goodness , and , for aught th&t We can ttellyit ihay cdnsist with Divine goodne ^ sai mid tntth to bneak his promises , and tt ) itiflic * en < Hes 8 evils tipon those who have flattered ihemseWca with ... * the hope of finding heaven a place * oi perfect h ^ ipprni 3 &s . ' ,- -I .
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84 On the C < frfi * zpon < hnce ^ $ ^ & ( &t&M& M& $ fe IMeqrian .
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Citation
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Monthly Repository (1806-1838) and Unitarian Chronicle (1832-1833), Feb. 2, 1826, page 84, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse.ac.uk/periodicals/mruc/issues/vm2-ncseproduct2545/page/20/
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