JAMES MARTINEAU,                       Minister of Paradise-street Chapel.                 JOHN HAMILTON THOM,                       Minister of Renshaw-street Chapel.                 HENRY GILES,                       Minister of the Ancient Chapel, Toxteth Park. Liverpool, Jan. 26, 1839. --------------------- _To the Reverend James Martineau, J. H. Thom, and Henry Giles._ Gentlemen,—As Christian courtesy seems to require a reply to your address, published in the _Albion_ of this day, I hasten to furnish it, though unwilling, for many reasons, to enter into a newspaper discussion with you on the important subjects which just now engage our attention. I shall, therefore, (without intending any disrespect,) pass by unnoticed your critical remarks on certain portions of my recently published invitation to the members of your body to attend and give a patient hearing to the lectures about to be delivered at Christ Church, and confine myself altogether to those points of inquiry to which it is but reasonable that you should receive an answer. And, 1. You ask, whether I will recommend my congregation to attend (I presume, in your respective chapels) to hear the replies which you intend making to our proposed lectures. To this I am compelled to reply in the _negative_. Were I to consent to this proposal, I should thereby admit that we stood on the terms of a _religious equality_, which is, _in limine_, denied. As men, citizens, and subjects, we are doubtless equal, and will also stand on a footing of equality before the bar of final judgment; I therefore use the term “_religious equality_” in order to convey to you the distinction between our relative position as members of the community and as religionists. Being unable (you will excuse my necessary plainness of speech) to recognize you as _Christians_, I cannot consent to meet you in a way which would imply that we occupy the same _religious_ level. To _you_ there will be no sacrifice of principle or compromise of feeling, in entering our churches; to _us_, there would be such a surrender of _both_ in entering yours, as would peremptorily prohibit any such engagement. 2. You next inquire how early an appearance of our printed lectures may be expected. In answer to this I have only to say, that arrangements have been made for publishing each lecture as soon after its delivery as may be practicable. Within what time this practicability may be found to coincide, it is of course impossible precisely to determine. It will be obvious, that I cannot answer for my brethren upon this point; but shall only observe for myself, that I should hope a week or ten days will be sufficient for the necessary revisal of proofs, arrangement of authorities, and other business connected with a careful and correct publication.