REVIE W OF E. F. HATFIELD'S "UNIVERSALISM AS IT IS.' BY T. J. SAWYER. NEW-YORK: P. PRICE, 130 FULTON STREET BX 9947 $3 Entered, according to act of Congress, in the year 1841, BY P. PRICE, in the Clerk's Office of the District Court of the Southern District of New-York. 2504 67-2 TO HIS FRIEND AND BROTHER IN THE GOSPEL, REV. S. R. SMITH, is this little volume respectfully inscribed, as a token of longcherished esteem and affection, by THE AUTHOR. EPISTLE PREFATORY. To Rev. Edwin F. Hatfield : Dear Sir-I can not allow the following Review of your "Universalism as it is" to go forth in its present form, without availing myself of the opportunity it offers me, to say a few words to you personally. And first, let me thank you, in the name of the Universalist denomination, for your "Text Book"; for although you can not but know that it is far from being what it professes; although it contains very many things which are altogether incorrect, and are adapted, however they may have been designed, to give a false impression respecting both our faith and character; yet we are permitted to say to you as Joseph said to his brethren in Egypt, "You meant it for evil, but God meant it for good." Your brethren, who read your work, can not but greatly suspect its truth and fairness; at least, none can fail of doing so, except that portion of your readers, who yielded an implicit credence, a few years ago, to that disgusting humbug, the "Awful Disclosures!" Such persons, it is to be hoped, will never be damned for their "little faith." All others, who peruse "Universalism as it is," will be led by it to think more favorably of a cause which can be assailed, with any hope of success, only by such means and in such an unchristian spirit, as are exhibited in the work before me. Besides, you have made many references to Universalist authors, and thus given your readers a knowledge of several works of which they have hitherto been profoundly ignorant. Some of them, I know, are disposed to read for themselves rather than to rely implicitly on your representations. The result you can foresee without a spirit of prophecy I regret, therefore, to learn that your volume meets with so slow a sale, and threatens to burden the shelves of your publisher for a long time to come. It does not speak well for the ze intelligence, or taste of your brethren in the faith. In the next place, I must thank you for myself; for the ins |