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were not signed by the person whose name they bear, please to publish the evidence by which you are thus convinced, in the Gospel Herald, and Universalist Magazine, respectively; but if the fact should be otherwise, and you still suspect that they were signed by Mr. M'Calla, be so good as to send the original letters, enclosed by mail, to the Editor of the Gazetteer, that the fact concerning them may be known. A. K.

No. 16.

FROM THE FRANKLIN GAZETTE, OF SEPT. 9TH.

DEBATE ON UNIVERSALISM.

The Universalist Magazine of August 28, was lately sent to me from Boston, by some one who rightly supposed that such a favor would be a gratification. It contains a publication of Mr. Hosea Ballou concerning certain letters, purporting to have been written by me to him, and to Mr. Mitchell of New York. Of the former he has given us a copy, and the latter appears to have been "read in Hartford," Connecticut, for the edification of the "faithful brethren," then encamped in that memorable city. As it was a challenge to a polemical encounter, they seem, from Mr. Ballou's account, to have called a council of war, composed of himself, "Mr. Mitchell, and others of good judgment" in such matters. The subject of deliberation was momentous, and much depended upon the course which they might adopt. To fight, or not to fight; that was the question. Mr. Ballou was not so presumptuous as to attempt doing perfect justice to the talents displayed in this illustrious conclave. This work should belong to none but that genius, who has celebrated, in imperishable lines, the grand Universalist Council which met before the fall of Adam. None but Milton should attempt to say or sing the wisdom displayed on this important occasion, by the faithful brethren, Mr. Ballou, "Mr. Mitchell, and others of good judgment," in this Universalist Hartford convention!

For these faithfuls to resist the daring assault of this infidel invader, required much greater resources than Patrick Henry believed necessary to a successful revolt of the colonies. No wonder, then, that these choice spirits did not, like the Virginia senate, unfurl the banners of war. The lion of their forest had been bearded in his own den; or, to speak more plainly, their controversial champion had been publicly refuted in his own desk." After having lived by challenging for many years, he was at last met so successfully that he showed his antagonist the door before his argument was closed, and has ever since refused to meet him again. When the man of Gath has fallen, who can censure his faithful brethren of Askelon for turning their backs?

Notwithstanding my indulgent disposition, the council have, through their spokesman, expressed an apprehension that I would publish uncharitable "insinuations that Mr. Mitchell of New York, and Mr. Ballou of Boston, have neither of them confidence or courage to meet this man in public debate respecting the doctrine of universal salvation." Without, therefore, recurring to the trite excuse of Hudibras for their flight, they exerted all their powers in manufacturing a feasible apology. The challenge of this monster gave him, in their eyes, a distracted and hostile aspect, much more unequivocal than that of the great wooden horse before the walls of Troy. This did not prove that he had come from the moon; but, in their opinion, such enmity to Universalism proved that his understanding was under the influence of that planet.

Christians fight with spiritual weapons. As Unitarians, Universalists, and false professors do not covet spiritual gifts, they have generally, and in some cases successfully, adopted the plan of impeaching the intellectual character of those who stand in their way. This is usually accompanied with professions of disinterestedness, and often with compliments to the moral excellence of the intended victim. Mr. Ballou says, "the reason why I publish this letter, and give the foregoing information, is by no means to injure Mr. M Calla." Messrs. Ballou and Kneeland endeavour to deceive their neighbours by insinuations against my character, and yet would be thought to do me no injury. "As a madman who casteth firebrands, arrows and death. so is the man that deceiveth his neighbour, and saith, am I not in sport?" When Solomon's madmen are reputed for integrity and worth, their firebrands and arrows are calculated to produce death. The reason why they are often harmless, when coming from such men as that brace of writers who have assailed me in Boston and Philadelphia, is, that in their case such insinuations are well known to be the dernier resort of disappointed ambition, error and imbecility.

Although the public were correctly informed on the 31st ultimo, that I "never wrote, indited or addressed one line on any subject" to Mr. Ballou of Boston, or to Mr. Mitchell of New York, in my life, Mr. Kneeland, with this declaration before him, republished Mr. Ballou's communication the next day, and accompanied it with approbatory remarks of his own. He condescends to acknowledge some internal evidence of forgery; but, under a pretence of great uncertainty, expresses a feeble wish to see the original letters." As they have never yet saluted my eyes, I can join him in the wish. There is at present strong proof that their author is the same person to whom many similar epistles have been lately traced in this city. Let it be distinctly understood that this person is claimed by the Universalists.

Let Messrs. Ballou and Mitchell send his letters in company with a request for his name. Some of his letters were signed with the names of departed saints and sinners, male and female, and others with the names of living citizens of Philadelphia. The following brief specimen is inserted, omitting nothing but the address:

"DEAR SIR: The following is the best way to get a name to live according to the doctrine and Christian behavour of M'Calla, the fire and brimstone chaplain of bloody Jackson.

Learn three mile prayers and half mile graces,
With well spread hands and long wry faces;
Grunt up a solemn lengthen'd groan,"
And damn all parties but your own.
I'll warrant then y'e're no deceiver,
A steady, sturdy, staunch believer.

CALVIN, 1824."

This universal letter writer was probably among those who thought that these eastern favorites would make a better defence of their cause than Mr. Kneeland had done, and therefore adopted a plan to which he was accustomed for bringing us together. He has only elicited from them an uncalled-for refusal to meet me. So true is it that "the wicked fleeth when no man pursueth." Although when Providence calls, I am willing, in his strength, to encounter a ranging bear or a ravening wolf, I am not so fond of knight errantry as to go in search of such adventures. If these Hartford worthies or any one of them had published in my neighbourhood, as Mr. Kneeland did, that "he therefore, once more respectfully invites and entreats the clergy of other denominations, or some one of them, the more learned the better, to discuss this important subject with him," I should have been as willing to accept their challenge as his. It would have savoured more of a sound mind if Mr. Ballou had postponed his publication until he could ascertain that I had really sent him a private invitation, or until I had issued some general challenge like that of Mr. Kneeland. But if I had been madman enough to blow such a trumpet of defiance as he has done, I hope that I should not, like him, be so unsound as to deny it afterwards.

In the paper in which Mr. Kneeland has copied Mr. Ballou's communication, he has also devoted more than one whole page to a publication of Mr. Morse, his moderator in our debate, against the Rev. J. M. for having advertised, as he insinuates, that I would preach in his chapel "on Universalism." As the notice was given after the debate, and in a presbyterian place of worship, every one would have expected, after such a notice, to hear a sermon against universalism, just as they would expect Mr. Morse to preach against presbyterianism, if they received notice from a universalist pulpit that he would preach on that subject; and just as Blair's sermon on intemperance is known

by every one to be against that vice. Yet this universalist grammarian is prepared to prove that nothing less than insincerity or insanity could have induced Blair, that unparallelled rhetorician, to say that he preached on intemperance when he preached against it. The privilege which Mr. Morse has enjoyed, in the instructions of so great a linguist and translator as Mr. Kneeland, may be in some measure estimated by his own words in the following extracts: viz. "When you gave the notice of his meeting, were you not sensible at the time, that he [Mr. M'Calla] intended preaching against universalism, and not on that doctrine; which last expression, according to common usage, necessarily presupposes he did intend preaching in favour of, and not against, universalism ?" Preaching on a doctrine is what signifies, agreeably to universal [he ought to have said universalist] custom, an intention to advocate or endeavor to support such doctrine, whatever that doctrine may be !" These extracts speak for themselves. It only remains for me to request Messrs Ballou, Mitchell and others of good judgment,' that when they hold their next inquest over subjects of delirium, they would examine the intellectual condition of these faithful brethren, one of whom has written, and the other countenanced and published, such an unmerciful assault upon the English language and common sense.

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Mr. Kneeland, apprehensive of the doctrine of his universalist letter-writer, founds his impeachment of my understanding upon three new allegations, all of which have no bearing at all, except against my veracity and if a violation of truth will constitute a madman, our public hospitals must be greatly enlarged, or the faithful brethren of good judgment will have to build asylums for themselves. To prove this we need not go one step. farther than Mr. Kneeland's first interrogative allegation. It is as follows: "How could a man of sound mind denounce a discussion as being altogether spurious, to which the testimony of hundreds could be obtained, if it were necessary, of its being as faithful a report as ever was made; so faithful that no one has yet been able to point out a single error affecting the arguments on either side ?" Mark the language of Mr. Kneeland and his hundreds of universalist witnesses: "As faithful a report as ever was made." Out of the millions of reports that ever were made, these persons have seen but a small number. They must be very willing and well trained witnesses, who will swear to what they know nothing about. Although they have never seen many more translations and grammars than reports, I have no doubt that they would be as ready to swear that Mr. Kneeland's is as faithful a translation as ever was made, and that Mr. Morse is as great a grammarian as Dr. Blair or any other man that ever was made. Let it be remembered also, that some reports

have been correct, and this one, Mr. Kneeland confesses, is, in the language, deficient in accuracy. It may be asked then, how could a man of veracity, or, to use his own phraseology," how could a man of sound mind," attest, as he has done, that a record of a twenty hours debate, not written by himself, and confessedly inaccurate, is "as faithful a report as ever was made?" I do not inquire what judges and lawyers will say to such testimony: I ask what man on earth, but a lunatic, would believe such a witness? It is no wonder that they are rejected by our courts of justice, for they have not the tear of God before their eyes. But notwithstanding the hundreds that he pretends would come at his bidding, I do not believe that he can find one wit ness who will give such testimony, except Messrs. Jennings, Kneeland and Morse. As to the latter character, we have already given his criticism upon an alledged notice of the Rev. J. M. that I was to preach on Universalism." This was published to convict Mr. M. of deception. What shall we think of the veracity of that man who can do this, after he knew that it was a notorious and well attested fact that on the occasion referred to, Mr M. did not leave the people in doubt, but stated at large that I was to "answer Mr. Morse's sermon, delivered on the Friday evening previous, in favour of Universal salvation ?" This will appear by the following certificate.

"On the sabbath evening the 1st instant when John Magoffin notified the congregation at Union Chapel, that Mr. McCalla would preach there on the following Thursday evening, he stated that Mr. M'Calla would then answer Mr. Morse's sermon, delivered on the Friday evening previous, in favour of universal salvation; and he then stated some erroneous sentiments taught in his books by Mr. Kneeland, such as this, that God was the author of sin; and said that Mr. Kneeland founded his sentiment of universal salvation on this notion; but he held no book or paper in his hand from which he quoted nor did he say that he then used Mr. Kneeland's own words.

Chesnut Hill, 13th August, 1824.

Christopher Yeakle,
Jacob Lentz

Jacob Lentz, Jr.

William Smith,

Jacob Cress,

George Rex.

Jacob Dutwaler,

Henry Cress,

Jacob Waas,

Francis Markoe.

The above include the signatures of the most respectable men on Chesnut-hill, and of a lay elder of this city, well known for education, piety and good sense.

Mr. Kneeland's lumping attestation of the voluminous report of his promising disciple, who, it seems, has now become an Universalist preacher, so abundantly illustrates the texture of his

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