American Watchman And Delaware Advertiser

NO. 4.-FOR THE CHRISTIAN REPOSITORY.

Mr. Porter-I was not a little surprised, yesterday evening, upon reading the Repository, to find that you had not published my piece-I mean my first piece; and equally surprised at the reason assigned :- That you cannot form a satisfactory opinion of its object." --My dear Sir, do not the following words, contained in my last piece, plainly shew my object?—" These men (P. and A.) had gone but little length, in their controversy, you know, before I told you they would never bring it to any profitable conclusion; but that they would bring disgrace to the sacred cause, which they pretended to advocate. And have they not done so ? they have mutually given the lie to one another, in as sly and Christian like a manner as they could. And it is evident to me, that they are becoming more obstinate and inveterate, and departing farther from the truth and love of the gospel, every day. And I think it is high time, that some Christian method should be devised to put an end to their squabble."

These words shew one of my objects: namely, to put an end, to the not only useless, but also pernicious controversy of P. and A. because it is most clearly evident by the demonstration I have laid before you, in my last piece, and which I wish you to lay before them and the whole world, that if they were to occupy your whole paper exclusively to themselves, and an hundred papers more, larger than yours, that neither they nor any others, managing as they do, could ever bring any religious controversy to a profitable conclusion.

I wish you to look at that demonstration again and again. I conceive it to be as clear and as profitable a demonstration, as any contained in Euclid's Elements of Geometry.

But, my dear Sir, I have a higher object in view, than to shew the errors of P. and A. My great object is the Glory of GOD-and in order to this, to promote truth-rational Christianity-the advancement of the Redeemer's Kingdom among men.

I hope you do not wish to see religion separated from truth :A zeal without knowledge, is not agreeable to God. " If the blind lead the blind, they will all fall into the ditch and dirt together." There is no knowing true Christianity, by the zeal of its professors, in making proselytes-our blessed Lord said :—" The Scribes and Pharisees compass sea and land, to make one proselyte ; and when they have made him, he is two fold more a child of hell than themselves."

Is it so that God is pouring out his Holy Spirit, at this time, not only on all denominations of Christians ; but also on many of the heathen nations, as your Repository and many other religious publications, would induce us to believe ? This, if so, is great cause of great joy and thanksgiving. But certainly it is not the design of God, by this display of his grace, to confirm the various denominations of Christians and the heathen too, in their manifold errors and sins; No!-but in order to bring them out of them, to the knowledge of the truth, as it is in Jesus. For, what is the Grace of God, given to a human soul, but a divine nature, a heavenly genius, implanted therein, enabling it to see and learn and love heavenly truth and heavenly goodness ? And what greater blessing, next to the possession of this divine principle, can a human being enjoy, than such a Teacher, as will place and keep both natural and divine truth and goodness, in a proper light before him ? And is not this "calculated for the advancement of the great cause," for which, in the 27th number of the Repository, you have " invited Christians of all denominations to furnish any matter ?"

I hope, my dear Sir, you are not at a loss now to see my object :-that it is not only to shew the erroneous way of P. and A. and multitudes of others, in managing religious controversies : but also, as I have said, in the close of my former number, that I hope, before I shall have finished, to shew you a better way. You will proceed then, my dear Sir, as you are a friend to truth, and publish my numbers. Fear not, no evil can come of the truth.

My immediate object, in my next number, shall be a review of the whole controversy, commencing where it began, between P. and J. with a view to shew the erroneous and inconclusive manner, in which it has all along been handled :--and, as I said, I hope before I shall have done to shew you a better way. But whether or not, I shall be able to display truth, to your satisfaction, you may rest assured, that there is no writer for your paper, animated with a more sincere love of it, than he who calls himself

A SUBSCRIBER.