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the odious name of heresy, and denouncing its propagators as subverters of the truth of God?

There is not a heresy in the church that may not thus, on this plea, shield itself from censure. They do not, any of them, profess to be deviations from the facts or doctrines of revelation. They are only philosophical statements or theories of those doctrines or facts. Nor is there, on the other hand, a solitary fact or doctrine of Christianity that this principle may not be made the instrument of totally misconstruing and denying.

The term philosophy is, obviously, used by Dr. Taylor in this instance, synonymously with metaphysics; and the questions, accordingly, which this philosophy is authorized and employed to determine, are questions that relate to the nature of God, of intelligent creatures, of moral agency, the causes that influence beings in their choices, moral relations, obligations, holiness, sin, and all facts, doctrines, and statements in which these are in any degree concerned ! If, therefore, as he assumes, it is compatible with a full title to the charity and confidence of the orthodox, to adopt any speculative theory whatever on these subjects that any one may choose, there clearly is not a fact nor truth of the word of God, that may not thus innocently and instantly be wholly misrepresented and denied!

No questions, therefore, more vital to Christianity can be propounded, than those which this controversy involves, nor any on the decision of which more momentous interests depend. If the theory of the reviewer and his associates is scriptural, the doctrines of the orthodox on these subjects indisputably are not. If the doctrines of the orthodox are coincident with fact and revelation, the scheme of these

gentlemen is not; but is directly and palpably subversive of the whole system of Christianity.

The only method, it is equally clear, of settling the question respecting the truth or falsehood of these systems, is that of faithfully developing the principles on which they rest, tracing them to their legitimate results, and comparing them with the decisions of reason and revelation. If the reviewer, accordingly, and those who act with him, desire to sustain their views, and shield themselves from the charge and conviction of having departed from the truth, they have no other method than openly and directly to meet the objections with which they are assailed.

The stale and impotent expedient to which Dr. Taylor has chosen to resort, of protesting that he is not heretical; of wondering why he is suspected of having abandoned the orthodox faith; of professing that he still believes the doctrines which he openly or impliedly denies; without a solitary effort to show how his doctrines and professions can be consistent with each other, or in what manner the objections that are alleged against his theory can be successfully answered; may serve temporarily, indeed, to hoodwink the ignorant and credulous, and assist a few reckless partisans in continuing the cry of persecution ; but, to all intelligent and upright minds, it only carries a deeper conviction that his protestations are unworthy of confidence; and that it is a consciousness alone of his inability to give a satisfactory answer to the allegations against his scheme, that leads him to adopt so weak and unmanly a method for his vindication.

Will the reviewer, then, deem it due to himself, to the bonor of the institution with which he is connected, to the anxieties and interests of the church, to the well-being of

souls, to his responsibilities to God, openly and thoroughly to meet the questions at issue between us, in the method I have recommended, if he chooses any further to discuss them? I trust he will: through what medium I care not, or in what mode, let truth but be his object, as I doubt not it will, and pertinent and manly argument the instrument of its discovery and demonstration. He will enjoy, he may assure himself, the certainty of numerous and attentive readers. The eyes of not only a great proportion of the clergy in the nation, but of multitudes of others also of the intelligent, both without and in the church, will trace his pages with a keen and anxious scrutiny; and should he accomplish a demonstration that the objections are unfounded that are offered against his views, and the fears that are entertained of their pernicious tendency, causeless and unjustifiable, it will be hailed with cordial congratulations to him, and fervent thanksgivings to God.

A LETTER TO

REV. JOEL HAWES, D. D.

ON DR. TAYLOR'S THEOLOGICAL VIEWS.

DEAR SIR,

THE Letter lately addressed to you by Rev. Nathaniel W. Taylor, D. D. of New-Haven, professing to exhibit a statement of his opinions on the topics that have so long been in controversy between him and the orthodox, and published with the Letter from you to him to which it was a reply, in the Connecticut Observer, for the purpose of calming the prevalent apprehensions respecting his doctrinal views, has not proved the means to me of that entire satisfactiou on the subject which it appears to have yielded to you; nor does it seem to possess any such adaptation as you impute to it, to produce those results with respect to others, which it was his object to achieve. The interest you manifest in the subject, and the readiness you exhibit to lend your aid in the removal of doubts and misapprehension respecting it, induce me to offer to you a frank exposition of some of the inadequacies as they appear to me, of the method which he has chosen to shield himself from the suspicion of heresy, and the difficulties

which still perplex his claims to be ranked among the orthodox; and to solicit from you, if consistent with your judgment, a public exhibition of the means, if there are any, by which those difficulties are to be satisfactorily

overcome.

The first topics to which I take leave to invite your attention, are the ends themselves which it was the object both of his and your Letter to accomplish. Of these, the chief was to counteract and remove the impressions that exist, that he has become the adopter and propagator of a set of theological views, that in the judgment of the churches of New-England, are erroneous, and fraught with danger to the cause of truth and piety. Your language to him is

"You are quite aware that there are not a few in the community who, from some cause or other, are apprehensive that you are not sound on those doctrines; and much alarm has been expressed, lest as a teacher of theology, you should introduce heresy into our churches." "I cannot but feel that you owe it to yourself, to the Institution with which you are connected, and to the christian community in general, to make a frank and full statement of your views of the doctrines above mentioned." "A clear and full expression of your sentiments on this point cannot fail, I am confident, to relieve the minds of many who are now suspicious of your orthodoxy."

Dr. Taylor likewise remarks

"For some reason or other, an impression has been made to some extent, that I am unsound in the faith. This impression, I feel bound to say, in my own view, is wholly groundless and unauthorized. You think, however, that I owe it to myself, to the institution with which I am connected, and to the christian community, to make a frank and full statement of my views of some of the leading doctrines of the gospel, and that this cannot fail to relieve the minds of many who are now suspicious of my orthodoxy.'

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