They loved me and
esteemed me, and sympathized with me in many of my views; but to have
attempted to save me from the fury of my opponents, would have been to
risk their own reputation and position. One of them had already suffered
in consequence of the freedom with which he had expressed his views on
certain anti-christian doctrines, though he had written with far more
caution, and acted with much more prudence, than I had done; and he no
doubt felt, that if he could not, without so much difficulty, save
himself, it would be vain to attempt to save another, who had spoken and
written with so much more freedom, and acted with so much more
independence. So the storm was left to rage and spend its fury on my own
head.
I cannot give an account of all that followed during the last two years
which I spent in connection with the Church; it would make my story too
long. But things got worse and worse as time passed on.
In 1840 I brought my _Evangelical Reformer_ to a close. In the last
number I declared my unchanged belief in the sentiments set forth in my
article on "_Toleration, Human Creeds, &c._" I also contradicted the
reports that had been spread abroad by my enemies, to the effect that I
had, at the preceding Conference, retracted certain expressions used in
my writings with regard to justification, the witness of the Spirit,
&c.
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