V11
                             Vtill

"L on." If you are of God, and led by him as you profefs to be,
my publication cannot hurt you, but will (agreeable to the
Scriptures) work for your good.
  Towards the clofe of your letter, you allow that " I have an
"undoubted right to publlij an account of my own life, and with that abt
" stracedly cot:!dered, you fay you bave nothing to do."  Thefe ex-
preffions are fo vague that I am at a lofs to know what you
really intend by them. If you mean to fay, that in the publi-
cation of my life, I have no right to treat of my experience and
connetion with you, of your faith, c. I candidly think you
are miftaken. Almoft all authors, whofe lives I have read,
have given the religious opinions, c. of the fed or fets they
have been conneed with, and I prefume it will not be thought
arrogance in me to follow their fleps. I would further obferve,
that the propofition I made to you to examine my book, was in
order that you might have an opportunity to point out to me
your objeions, and feafonably teftify againfi whatever might
be found amifs.; and likewife, that you might have lefs plaifi-
bility to cenfure me in future of fpeaking untruths, as you have
others who have feparated from your fociety.
  I fill remain, with fentiments of refpeat,
                               Your Friend,
                                       THOMAS BROWN.
 Cornwall, May IX, I809.

 To this letter I received no reply. A few obfervations will
 conclude this prefatory introducdion.
 In relating the converfations I had with the Elders and oth-
 ers of the fociety, and the difcourfes I heard both in public and
 private, I have given them in their own words, except where
 their remarks were thort, or not fufficiently explicit: to give
 the reader a juft idea of their meaning I have enlarged, and
 wherein they were too prolix, I have abridged them; in every
 particular taking the utmoft care not to mifreprefent their real
 fentiments. if the reader fhould find any feeming contradiafions
 in the feveral difcourfes and explanations of their doatrines and
 faith, given in the enfuing publication, I am not chargeable
with them, having only fcrupuloufly related matters of fat.