It would appear that these gentlemen have been desirous to produce upon the public mind an unfavourable impression, _à priori_, of my reverend brethren, and of myself in particular, because of our having declined, on their proposal, to enter upon a course different from that which we had originally contemplated. “You will not, we trust,” say Messrs. Martineau, Thom, and Giles, “incur the reproach of inviting a discussion _with us_, and then changing it into an indictment _against us_.” Now, we never invited any discussion with these gentlemen; if we had, we should have addressed ourselves to them personally. But, while we would not, and do not, shrink from any discussion with them into which we can consistently enter, we cannot allow ourselves to be diverted from the pursuit of our original purpose, _viz._, to deliver a course of lectures upon the various points of Unitarian doctrine, which we believe, and think we can prove, to be not only _unscriptural_, but _fatal to the souls_ of those who embrace them, and which cannot be maintained (as appears from the published works of the most learned Unitarians) without a virtual surrender of the inspiration of the Bible. Believing, as I do, that your best interests for time and for eternity are involved in the momentous questions at issue—questions affecting the very vitality of true religion—I inserted a letter in the daily prints, expressed, as I had hoped, in terms of courtesy and affection, inviting your presence and soliciting your attention. I also caused a notice to be published of our intention to print the lectures, separately and in a collective form, for extensive and immediate circulation, so that the amplest opportunity might be afforded for replying to our arguments on the part of any who might feel disposed to the task. That is, we proposed to employ the instrumentality of the _pulpit_ and the _press_, (an instrumentality, be it observed, _equally at the service of those who differed from us_,) in order to promote the best interests of a portion of our countrymen, whom we believe to be “perishing for the lack of knowledge.”