conscience, that I would gladly dispense with every comment upon his moral sanity not imperiously called for by his own publications. These have given to the otherwise insignificant question, "who sent the challenge ?" an adventitious importance. If God has graciously enabled me to receive, profess and defend an essential doctrine of christianity, I care not much to whose invitation the controversy owes its birth. I have said that he gave the first request in his printed lectures. He considers this declaration as not only evidence of moral guilt, but it is the second of his three new proofs of an unsound mind! It is not such desperate idiotisms as this that have given to the question its artificial importance.-It is his publishing to the world an acknowledgement of the fact as coming from me; which acknowledgement has that identical evidence of forgery, which Mr. Kneeland himself has discovered in the letter to Boston. This conduct was in my eye, when, in a letter to him of the 22d ultimo, I promised a further comment upon his views of christian practice. A few days before the debate, the parties, at Mr. Kneeland's house, agreed to a written notification of the meeting, for insertion in some public paper. As Mr. Kneeland was acquainted with the presses of the city, our joint advertisement was left in his hands. I did not suppose that Universalism had so far affected his understanding as to make him alter such an instrument, when exposure was the certain consequence. Yet, without my privity or authority, he did add to it the following sentence: viz. This discussion was first proposed on the part of Mr. M'Calla, and accepted by Mr. Kneeland." To save me the trouble of noticing this conduct in the papers, I requested Mr. Kneeland to correct his own error, and inform the public that this declaration was added upon his sole responsibility. He promised to do so. His failure in the performance of this promise adds to the guilt of the original transgression.

Although this article was understood to be by consent, yet as we had neglected to sign it, it did not fully answer Mr. Kneeland's purpose. He therefore took our rules of conference, an instrument which we had signed, and this infatuated man deliberately prefixed to them a similar declaration, in such a manner, that on the face of the paper, as published in the Saturday Evening Post of July 10, this manufactured preamble of his appears as manifestly to be signed by me, as the title of the rules, or any article which they contain. To show this, we here insert the publication in its primitive beauty, with Mr. Kneeland's unauthorized introduction, enclosed in brackets.

"[PUBLIC THEOLOGICAL DISCUSSION.

"After the interchange of two letters on each side, the first of which, dated July 2d, coming from the Reverend Mr. M'Calla,

and proposing a public debate which, being accepted by the Reverend Mr. Kneeland, led to a meeting of the parties, when the following articles were mutually agreed upon.]" Rules of Conference adopted and signed this eighth day of July, 1824, in the city of Philadelphia, by Abner Kneeland and W. L. Calla. (Duplicates given to the parties.)

1. The proposition for discussion shall be as follows, viz. Is the punishment of the wicked absolutely eternal ? or is it only a temporal punishment in, this world, for their good, and to be succeeded by eternal happiness after death?

2. Each speaker shall be entitled to an alternate address of thirty minutes, unless the other party waive his right.

3. The discussion to be moderated by three men, each of the parties choosing one, and these two a third, who shall be considered the president of the bench,

4. The discussion shall (God willing) commence on the 13th instant, at half past nine o'clock A. M. and continue, if necessa ry, until noon. It shall, if necessary, be resumed at four o'clock, and continue until half past six P. M. and continue from day to day until both parties shall be satisfied.

5. The debate shall be opened and closed by one party in the forenoon and another in the afternoon, and in case of a continuance, the party who relinquishes this privilege in the morning of the first day, shall, if requiring it, enjoy it on the morning of the second; and so on.

6. The conference to be held at the Universalist Church in Lombard street, and adjourned if necessary by mutual consent to some other suitable place. W. L. M CALLA, ABNER KNEELAND."

Without taking time to dwell upon the features of Mr. Morse's grammatical preceptor as reflected in the composition of the above preamble, it may be safely observed that a man, who has, without authority, written over my name, a declaration which is no less untrue than ungrammatical, is capable of writing challenges in my name to Mr. Ballou of Boston, to Mr. Mitchell of New York, to Mr. Kneeland of Philadelphia, or to any Universalist bedlamite whose "good judgment" the "faithful brethren" may celebrate. W. L. M'CALLA.

No. 17.

FROM THE FRANKLIN GAZETTE, OF SEPT. 11TH.

TO W. L. M'CALLA.

In yesterday's paper I observed three columns therein occupied with your signature placed at the bottom. In that communication, you appear to be wrangling, with your accustomed

expertness, with at least five different individuals, some of whom you have never yet seen! Permit me to ask you, sir, what all this is for? Is it because you had proved all or any of them to be dishonest or unchristian in any thing whichthey, or any one of them, have said or done? Or is the whole of that rancorous spirit which your communication breathes throughout against those individuals to be attributed to your hatred of universalism, united with your inordinate love of the doctrine of never-ceasing damnation, not for yourself, but perhaps for your "father, brother or wife?" Is all the litigiousness with which your writing is graced to be accounted for from your fondness to believe that that God who created all will consign a part to a quenchless burning hell? Let me ask, in my turn, what shall we think of that man who can call Mr Ballou's acceptance of what he supposed at the time was a challenge from 66 you an uncalled for refusal to meet me," when Mr. Ballou in his remarks explicitly says: "But before this, (i. e.) before I join these Reverend divines in the doctrine of despair, Í promise to use my feeble powers to the utmost in defence of the Gospel?" The refusal of Mr. Ballou to meet Mr. M'Calla is not unlike what has more than once been called a refusal of the church in Lombard-street to continue the debate, when Mr. M'Calla as well knew he could have had the house longer, as he and others knew, that the weapons used by him against his opponent were, before the close of the discussion, becoming very few and feeble. Again, let me ask, what shall we think of that man, who, making Mr. M'Calla his conservator, draws up a paper, and after stating therein, designing to express Mr. Kneeland's sentiments, "God was the author of sin;" said that Mr. Kneeland founded his sentiment of universal salvation on this notion,' instead of saying, as he ought to have said, in order to be consistent with himself and his former statement, Mr. Kneeland has written in a pamphlet thus: "God is the author of sin, and therefore will not punish it?" Will Mr. Magoffin be able to get the names of ten respectable men attached to a paper, wherein it shall be stated, that he never used the last quoted sentence as coming from Mr. Kneeland, or as exactly expressive of what Universalists believe! Let it be remembered by the opposers of Universalism that the way of the trangressor is hard," and that no sinner has a right to expect, that he shall go unpunished for his sins. Let Mr. Magoffin and the eminent philologist who wrote in yesterday's Gazette turn their thoughts within; view their studied policy in their recent proceedings in relation to Universalists, not forgetting the beautiful allusions which the last has made concerning Hudibras, the wooden horse of Troy, the Universalist bedlamite; or they may with equal propriety bear in mind the conduct of any Presbyterian bedlamite, who hereafter wishes to employ Mr. McCalla as a champion. WILLIAM MORSE.

Philadelphia, Sept. 10, 1824.

:

No. 18.

FROM THE FRANKLIN GAZETTE.

TO MR. ABNER KNEELAND.

SIR In answer to your letter of the 8th instant, addressed to me on the subject of my note to Mr. Ballou, I would state, that I was fully convinced that Mr. M'Calla never, at any time in his life, wrote, indited, or addressed one line on any subject, to either Mr. Ballou of Boston, or Mr. Mitchell of New York, by the simple declaration of Mr. M'Calla himself. His word concerning any fact to which he would testify, is sufficient ground for confidence to all who have any intimate acquaintance with him. I have been acquainted with him for several years, and could certify, were it needful, that he is a minister in the Presbyterian church, in good and regular standing with his brethren, and highly esteemed for his honesty, eloquence, talents, and piety, by thousands in our ecclesiastical communion. His veracity, so far as I know, was never questioned by any before he commenced a correspondence with you; and since, none doubt it but a few who believe in the universal salvation of mankind. These SEEM to me to doubt the veracity of God, and to believe in the veracity of "the father of lies," who said, "ye shall not surely die ;" so that it is no wonder if they should call Mr. M'Calla “ a liar."

The evidence which fully convinced and still convinces me of his soundness of mind, is presented to me by my ears, when I hear him speak on any subject, for he talks like a man of good sense; and by my eyes, when I read any of his writings.

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His debate with yourself CONVINCED ME that he is a man of sound mind," and I think came near to convincing your judgment, sorely against your will, that he is a champion for what the greater part of the christian world calls orthodoxy, of extraordinary polemical abilities and prowess. If he did not conquer You, at least you will admit, that a man of no mean powers of mind could not put him to flight in a contest of four days. In short, by the same kind of evidence which convinces me that Mr. Kneeland is not insane, but has a sound understanding, and other mental faculties, which I deem nearly as much perverted as those of Milton's devil, I am now convinced that Mr. M'Calla, in native energy of mind, in soundness of judgment, clearness of apprehension, accuracy of reasoning, rectitude of conscience, benevolence of heart, and even in the knowledge of Hebrew and Grecian literature, is every way Mr. Kneeland's superior.

Mr. M'Calla's letters to yourself since the debate have not failed to convince thousands who have read them with delight, that you have no need to desire a controvertist of sounder in tellect. EZRA STILES ELY.

Philadelphia, September 11, 1824.

No. 19.

FROM THE FRANKLIN GAZETTE, OF SEPT. 15.

TO MR. EZRA STILES ELY.

SIR-If, in reply to your note of the 11th instant, I do not use all that mildness to which I am accustomed, and which it is always a pleasure to me to observe, unless prevented by a sense of justice to myself, you well know the example I follow, with which you cannot be displeased, since it comes from yourself.

now say,

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In answer to my note, you say, "I was fully convinced, &c." This, sir, you informed the public before, the truth of which I did not call in question; it, was therefore unnecessary to repeat it: the subject of my inquiry was the evidence by which you were so convinced, and which you had not given to the public. You his [Mr. M'Calla's] word is sufficient ground of confidence, &c." If, sir, the public had been informed that you had the "word" of Mr. M'Calla as your authority for the truth of what you stated, and which no one could positively know except Mr. M'Calla himself, I should never have troubled you on this subject. Or if Mr. M'Calla had been as prompt in discovering the letter published by Mr. Ballou, as you were in disavowing the false statements which it contained in relation to yourself and Dr. Wilson, the public would have been set right at once, which would have prevented any groundless suspicions. Mr. Ballou, however, had every reason to suppose the letter genuine, and therefore treated it as such; and I do not see how the public could be fully convinced to the contrary, until it was discovered by the man whose name it bears. I have now in my possession one of the letters in question, and am thereby fully convinced that no part is in the hand-writing of Mr. M'Čalla.

It gives me pleasure also to find that Mr. M'Calla stands, so high among the clergy as a man of honesty, eloquence, talents and piety by thousands in our [Presbyterian] ecclesiastical communion;" for all this adds weight to the importance of the late discussion; and I still hope that nothing will occur to lessen him in your estimation; but that you will still consider him " a champion for what the greater part of the Christian world calls orthodoxy." That he has "extraordinary polemical abilities and prowess," I believe will not be doubted by any who heard, or who shall read the discussion.

But, sir, after all, notwithstanding this high opinion of your friend Mr. M'Calla, you have not had the hardihood to deny that he has made the incorrect statements with which he is charged; neither have you attempted to reconcile the making of those erroneous statements with the possession, at the same time, of a sound mind. He stated, during the discussion, that I had written and