entle or guarded in my utterances than I otherwise might
have been. I retract every expression of unkindness or resentment. I
apologize for everything harsh, offensive, or ungraceful in my manner;
and I am sorry I could not declare and advocate my views, without
shocking or distressing some of your minds. And now, with best and
heartiest wishes for your welfare, and for the welfare of mankind at
large, and in the fall and certain hope of the final, universal, and
eternal triumph of the truth, and in the ultimate regeneration and
salvation of our race, I bid you all farewell."

This man purchased the copyright of the debate, and pledged himself to
issue a correct edition, in accordance with the notes of the reporter.
Instead of doing so, besides making unlimited alterations in his own
speeches, he altered every speech of mine. Some things he left out. In
one case, to prevent an exposure of one of his more reckless
mis-statements, he left out two pages of one of my speeches. By a free
and artful use of _italics_, and an abuse of stops, he altered and
perverted the meaning of quite a multitude of my statements. And when,
after all, he found that the publication damaged him terribly in the
estimation of his friends, he suppressed it altogether.

The conduct of this opponent had a bad effect on my mind, and if
anything short of sound reason could have kept me in the ranks of
infidelity, it would have been the shameless, the outrageous conduct of
such pretenders to Christianity as this bad man. But I thank God, such
horrible and inexcusable inconsistency was not allowed to decide my
fate. Better powers, sweeter and happier influences, were brought into
play to counteract its deadly tendency. And even other opponents, of a
worthier character and of a higher order, came in my way, who, by their
Christian temper, and high culture, and by their regard for my feelings,
and their manifest desire for my welfare, obliterated the bad
impressions produced by the unscrupulous and malignant conduct of Brewin
Grant, and all but won me over to the cause of Christ.

It happened that while I was yet in England, an arrangement was made for
a public discussion between me and Colonel Michael Shaw, of Bourtree
Park, Ayr. Colonel Shaw was a kind of lay minister, who preached the
Gospel gratuitously, and spent his time and property in doing good. He
was a Christian and a gentleman out and out; a Christian and a gentleman
of the highest order. Fi