er not merely to his personal abuse, his use of foul
names, his insolence of manner, his malignity of spirit; but to the way
in which he has misconducted the argument. He was pledged to prove the
Bible of Divine origin and authority. He was bound to bring out, as
early as possible, what he thought his strongest arguments, and afford
me an opportunity of meeting them. But he did not do this. To judge from
his proceedings, you would conclude that he had no faith in any of the
popular arguments, such as those employed by Paley, Horne, &c. He sat
watching, like an animal we need not name, for some stray thought to
pounce upon. He tried every device to draw me from the question, and
showed, not only the greatest reluctance, but a fixed determination, not
to come any nearer to it himself than he could possibly help. He has
shown nothing like courage, nothing like confidence in the goodness of
his cause, nothing like openness, candor, or generosity; nothing but
craft and cunning. He has never fought like a soldier, but dodged like
an assassin. Honorable men _give up_ a cause that can't be honorably
maintained. For myself, ye are witnesses, I came out openly, boldly, and
at once, and gave my opponent the best opportunity he could have of
grappling fairly with my arguments. But he would not meet them. He slunk
behind his mud-battery, and instead of firing shot and shell, spurted
forth filth. By-and-by he took my old deserted battery, and began to
play upon me with my worn-out guns and wooden shot, till his friends
compelled him to give up. He complained that I had taken up my position
on Mount Horeb, and pattered him with grapeshot from the old Jewish
armory, and besought and urged me to plant myself on Mount Tabor, or the
Mount of Olives, and try what I could do with Christian ammunition. I
did so; but even that did not please him. He stared and squalled, as if
it had been raining red-hot shot, as thick as it once poured hailstones
and fire in Egypt, killing every beast that was out in the fields. And
thus he has gone on. He never seems to have been satisfied, either with
his own position or mine. I might have pleased him, no doubt, by giving
in before the battle, and surrendering at discretion; but that is not my
custom. Well, now the battle draws near its close; and no one, I trust,
has lost anything, but what is better lost than found. I am satisfied
with my own position, and nearly so with my share of the fight. With a
manlie