I felt, however, that inward composure, from a consciousness of having acted uprightly and sincerely in the whole affair, that even caused my countenance to appear easy and cheerful.

The vote was then publicly read, and I stood up, and declared my readiness to comply with what was required. The worthy gentleman who was chosen to dispute with me, then rose up, and said these words, "I am not prepared to dispute with Mr. Winchester, I have heard that he says that it would take six weeks to canvass all the arguments fairly on both sides; and I suppose he has been studying upon the subject for a week or more, and I have not studied it at all; and therefore I must beg to be excused."

When I found that he, and all the rest wholly declined disputing with me, I begged liberty to speak for two hours upon my sentiments, and lay them fairly open, and the ground upon which I maintained them. But this was denied me; I then desired them to give me one hour for this purpose; but this was also refused, One of the ministers got up, and said, that their business was not to debate with me but to ask me, whether I believed the Restoration of bad men and angels finally, to a state of holiness and happiness, &c.

But if they did not come to dispute with me, why was the vote passed by their party, as well as by my friends, that I should dispute with them? This speaks for itself. The ministers insisted upon putting the question to me, do you believe the doctrine of the Universal Restoration? My friends objected to my answering the question, unless I might be allowed to vindicate my

sentiments. But I said, that I did not fear any use that could be made of my words; that I had always freely confessed what my thoughts were when asked; and, therefore, I told them, that I did heartily believe the General Restoration, and was willing to defend it. The gentleman that was chosen to dispute with me, then asked me, whether I thought it strange, considering my change of sentiments, that there should be such a noise and uproar made upon the occasion, &c. I told him that I did not think it strange at all and gave him a little history of the affair, and how the matter came abroad, through the treachery of some, whom I had esteemed as my friends; that when I mentioned it to them I was not fully persuaded of it myself, and perhaps never might have been, if I had not been opposed and threatened; that I never had intended to trouble the people with my sentiments, but was willing to live and die with them, if they could bear with me; but that I could not use so much deceit, as to deny what I believed, when asked by any one; that I never had yet done so, and by the grace of God never would, let the consequences be what they might. What I said was in presence of all my accusers, and none of them could contradict me, nor had aught to lay to my charge, except in this matter of the gospel of my Saviour. My discourse took such an effect upon him, that he then publicly declared, that my haviour in the whole affair had been as became a man and a Christian, and that no one could accuse me of any improper conduct. I stood some time, and as none appeared to have any thing farther to say to me, I took my leave and

be

went out. He accompanied me to the door, and told me that he would write to me upon the subject; but whatever was the reason, he never did, nor have we spoken together since.

The ministers then advised the people to get another minister ; but my friends being numerous, insisted it should be fairly determined by the subscribers at large; but this the other party would not agree to. Several very fair offers were made by my friends to them, but they refused them all; and finally, by force they kept us out of the house, and deprived us of our part of the property, which was at last confirmed to them by law, though I think unjustly, as we were the majority at first; but they took uncommon pains in carrying about a protest against me to every member of the church, both in the city and in the country, and threatening all with excommunication who would not sign it; by which some were intimidated, and by these and other means they strengthened their party. But on the other hand, I took no pains, either to proselyte people to believe my sentiments or to make my party strong. But I believe near an hundred of the members suffered themslevs to be excommunicated rather than to sign the protest against me, and the doctrine that I preached. When we were deprived of our house of worship, the Trustees of the University gave us the liberty of their Hall; where we worshipped God for about four years, until we purchased a place for ourselves. But to return. After this meeting of the ministers, the whole affair was open, and I found myself obliged to vindicate the doctrine which they had condemned unheard, not

only in private but in the pulpit. Accordingly, on the 22d day of April, I preached a sermon on Gen. iii. 15, in which I openly asserted the doctrine of the Final and Universal Restoration of all fallen intelligences. This was published by particular desire, with a list of the plainest scripture passages in favor of the doctrine; and a number of the most common and principal objections, fairly stated, and answered. This was my first appearance in the world as a prose writer, which was what I never expected to be, and probably should never have been but for this occasion; still less a writer of controversy, to which I had naturally a great aversion.

After I had preached this sermon, I had the Chevalier Ramsey's Philosophical Principles of Natural and Revealed Religion put into my hands; I read the same with great pleasure and advantage, and I must acknowledge it to be a work of great merit, and I have reason to bless God that ever I had an opportunity of reading it. I can heartily recommend it, as one of the best works in our language; and I must say, that in most things I fully agree with that very intelligent author. On the fourth of January, 1782, I preached the sermon called, The Outcasts Comforted; from Isaiah lxvi. 5, to my friends who had been cast out, and excommunicated, for believing this glorious doctrine. This was soon after printed, and the next year it was republished in London, by the Rev. Mr. Richard Clark, and was the first of my works ever printed here.

I have thus given a brief, plain and simple account of the means that have brought me to think and write in the manner that I have done, and

which account may be considered as an historical sketch of nearly four years of my life.

I have every year since printed and published something which I judged might be useful to my fellow creatures; but as my works are in the hands of most of my friends, it is not necessary to give a particular account of any of them here, except this book of Dialogues on the Universal Restoration. I have had many discourses with various persons upon this subject and many objections have been proposed to me, which I have endeavored to answer; and I can truly say, that these discourses, their questions and my answers, their objections, and my solutions, form the bulk of these dialogues. I have endeavored to give all the possible force to their objections, and if any of them are weak I can assure the public, that I have not made them so (as some have insinuated)merely that I might be able to answer them, but the weakest of them have been proposed to me, and I have fairly set down the most powerful that I ever heard, generally in the very words in which they were addressed to me, whether in conversation or by letter; and

am willing, if stronger objections can be made, to put them in the place of those things which I have set down, or add them to the number; and I have in this new edition added a few, which I have heard since the work was first published, and especially one which was sent me by a venerable minister from America, and which I have largely answered.

I have the satisfaction of knowing not only that these Dialogues have been well received, but that they have been the means of bringing