Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: CHAPTER IX DATS OF ACCUSATION Dr. Bushnell wrote few letters beyond those addressed to his family. His friends were near at hand, and his relations to them were, for the most part, direct. But the letters we have are of utmost value as showing the oneness of the theologian and the man. He is reticent as an author, but among friends he was a free talker, hiding nothing, and ready to express his entire thought and feeling. The only extensive correspondence carried on by him was with the Rev, C. A. Bartol, D. D., of Boston, a catholic-minded man of genius, who represented the more spiritual side of Unitarian- ism. A sermon preached in Boston by Bushnell in June, 1846, on " Barbarism, the First Danger," seems to mark the beginning of "a friendship which became one of the most valued of his life, and a source of untold refreshment in the desert of controversy through which he was about to pass." The value of this friendship, theologically, was great. Through it he came into close contact with Unitarianism on its most real and representative side. So far as personal sympathy had weight, its attraction could not have been stronger. Therelation proved to be a fine test of the reality of his opinions. While it begot a charity and respect for the other side, — things greatly needed at the time, — it does not seem to have had much effect in moulding his views. The following letters were written to Dr. Bartol, one just before, the others soon after, the publication of " God in Christ." Haktfobd, October 11,1848. My Dear Fbiend, — I thank you for your very kind letter. It is refreshing to know somebody that dare let out his heart; for I begin to find that I am looked upon hereabouts as a mortally dangerous person. I think I have never seemed to be quite so much isolated as now; no... --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.