A Letter to the Rev. William E. Channing, on the Subject of His Letter to the Rev. Samuel C. Thatcher: Relating to the Review in the Panoplist, of American Unitarianism (Classic Reprint) - Softcover

Excerpt from A Letter to the Rev. William E. Channing, on the Subject of His Letter to the Rev. Samuel C. Thatcher: Relating to the Review in the Panoplist, of American Unitarianism

I wish it to be understood, distinctly, that I have no con nexion, or privity in this business, with the writer of the Review, which is the subject of your strictures. I write not in his behalf; but in behalf of the general interests of truth, and justice, and mercy. He probably will answer for him self; and to him I shall leave the particular Vindication of himself, his statements and conclusions, his spirit and style a labour which does not belong to me, and which I should be less disinclined to undertake, were the Review in all res pects exactly such as I could wish it to have been It might perhaps have been better, had the Reviewer been less intent on exciting those whose cause he espouses, and consulted more the conviction and benefit of those against whom his animadversions are directed.

With what justice, and to what extent, a similar remark might be applied to your Letter, you, my dear Sir, and your friends Will consider. It cannot, however, but he regretted,that you should have found it necessary to sit down to write, while breathing an atmosphere to which you were not accus tomed; while purturbed with the feelings which, in spite of all your efl'orts to restrain them, are so copiously infused in to the entire body of your Letter. But all reasonable allow ance should be made for the urgency of the case. Had you waited till the excitement had subsided, your opportunity for preventing or counteracting the impressions which the Re view was likely to make, might have been lost. I frankly Confess. That a similar reason has induced me to avail myself of the earliest remission of other pressing calls of duty, for bestowing some attention on your subject. Could you, how ever, have waited till the cool of the day, though probably your Letter would have been less animated, and less adapted to a particular purpose, it would not, I am persuaded, have displayed less of the meekness of wisdom, or been less cor rect in its representations.

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This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.

Excerpt from A Letter to the Rev. William E. Channing, on the Subject of His Letter to the Rev. Samuel C. Thatcher: Relating to the Review in the Panoplist, of American Unitarianism

Rev. and Dear Sir,

I have read your Letter to your Friend and Brother the Rev. Samuel C. Thatcher, with some pleasure and with much regret. The causes of the one and of the other will in part be laid open in the subsequent remarks, which I have thought proper to address in the form of a letter to you. I need make no apology: the subject is deeply and extensively interesting; and involves considerations of infinite moment to the general cause, to which you and I profess to be sacredly devoted. Nor shall I make any professions of candour, or charity: for I have been taught by the best of books, that "charity vaunteth not itself, doth not behave itself unseemly; from other books I have learned, that high professions too often serve to cover a temper very different from that which "is not easily provoked," but "suffereth long and is kind;" and I am thoroughly convinced, that persons who have the greatest confidence in their good dispositions, do not always know "what manner of spirit they are of."

I wish it to be understood, distinctly, that I have no connexion, or privity in this business, with the writer of the Review, which is the subject of your strictures. I write not in his behalf; but in behalf of the general interests of truth, and justice, and mercy. He probably will answer for himself; and to him I shall leave the particular vindication of himself, his statements and conclusions, his spirit and style: a labour which does not belong to me, and which I should be less disinclined to undertake, were the Review in all respects exactly such as I could wish it to have been. It might perhaps have been better, had the Reviewer been less intent on exciting those whose cause he espouses, and consulted more the conviction and benefit of those against whom his animadversions are directed.

With what justice, and to what extent, a similar remark might be applied to your Letter, you, my dear Sir, and your friends will consider.

About the Publisher

Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com

This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.