article were accurate, his
religious instructors had been either knaves or fools--knaves, if they
taught what they did not believe, and fools, if they believed what
they taught," p. 101. I have only to say that the statements of my
article are, in all important respects, accurate, explain the rest as
he may; nor has Mr. Kidder shown that they are not accurate, except in
one particular, not affecting the main question. This will be noticed
in the proper place.

It is often true that men "of great ability" are men of hasty
judgment, especially when they are "much disquieted"; and the doctor
is certainly mistaken in supposing that his instructors were either
knaves or fools. The men who teach eternal punishment are in the main
honest, and of fair intelligence. The doctrine came into the church in
a dark age; and for centuries it was dangerous to believe or teach
anything else. When the human mind was set free, and it was no longer
dangerous to teach what one believed, the doctrine had become so
firmly established by a false system of interpretation, that it was a
long time before much impression could be made toward its removal. But
the Gospel leaven has been working in all these ages since the
reformation to the present century; so that now there is little faith
of that kind in the Orthodox church and none out of it.

I have not intended to admit that all the teachers of eternal
punishment in the church have been honest. Some have been dishonest,
in order, as they claimed, to do the more good. There was a class of
ministers in the ancient church who had two sets of opinions, one set
for the congregation, and another for the private circle. Dr. Edward
Beecher mentions several venerable men, who preached eternal misery,
but who had not a particle of faith in the doctrine, as he believes.
They are Chrysostom, Gregory Nazianzus, Athanasius, and Basil the
Great. See Historical Retribution, p. 273. These were great men; but a
greater than these had taught that it is right to lie for the good of
mankind, namely, Plato. Who will say there have been no others since
that day? For the honor of humanity, I trust not many.

I would say here that all Mr. Kidder has advanced, may be admitted,
without the least detriment to the main purpose of my article. The
greater part of his paper is devoted to incidental topics that are not
essential to the main subject, and what he says on the main point
utterly fails to invalidate my argument,