Bellevue gazette. [volume] (Bellevue City, N.T. [i.e. Neb.]) 1856-1858, 1858-04-01
A FRIEND.

II is with pleasure that we give room
for the preceding communication, sltho'
from an honest conviction Of what we
consider justice and right, we must differ,
but in so doing, we trust that we shall be
the last to deny the anne privilege to
others.
We did not defend Mr.. Goss wholly on
the ground of friendship but because we
considered il an act Of downright coDdrd.
ice and di, honoru bic to any man, much
less in Mr.. C~hiyington, a professed min
lister Of the gospel, in taking advantage Of
Mr.. Goss' absence, to accuse him in al.
most unqualified language, as we UNDER
stood it, o. preaching doct ines that would
send him and his hearers TO an endless
hell saas .... ....f .Hf ri .Ie.
Mr.. Chivington was well aware what
Mr.. Goss was preaching last summer
when he was here attending the Quarter.
~ Meeting, and if il was az imperative
duty to warn Mr.. G.'s hearers of the err
~roneous doctrines that he alleges that
Mr.. G.. was preaching, why did he no, do
it at that time, in the presence of their
ministers AYE, that's the rub" Why
did he not speak to Mr.. Goss in private,
about what he was preaching 7 instead of
telling other preachers in the conference
that Goss, way down in Bellevue, is not
exactly sound,-he breaches in6delity
We repeat, because he did not dare to do
it he was fearful that he could not sus-
tain the charge, and like a shrewd man,
kept silent. .,r
1t was this simple act alone, that "stir-
red us to mu,iny;" and in no case will we
keep silent while the strong attempt to OPP
press the weak but If Mr.. G.. had been
presen, when those charges were made,
Mr.. Chivington would have been spared
by us, as we should, under those circum-
stances, considered him an honorable man.
The quotation that we made from Mr.
C.'s remarks, was read 10 several. before
they were published, that agree with him
on the subjec, in question, who heard it ut.
tered, and allowed it to be correct in sub.
stance. We e~ndeavored 10 give a correc,
quotation, bu, il we did not, 1t certainly
was not intentional. ,i..ra3 .u ,sr
We make no mans religious creed our
own, farther than we can conscientiously
adop, it, ana we will not defen1 MI. Goss'
or any other clergyman's theological doc
trines, unless we consider them to be true
and of vital importance to the human race.
We did not take especial pains to ascer.
tain Mr.. G.'s theological views; but sup
posed him to be a Methodist, as he was q
member of that church, in good and reg
ular standing but we did know that he
preached many practical truths, with
which we had sympathy. Ii is more i'm
portant to us to know how men iipe rather
than what they believe. O. .-a aE
As soon as a man leaves private life
and assumes the office Of teacher, he be-
cones a public man, and all public mel
, are public property, subject to criticism
and it is the duty Of an honest and faithfu
! editor, whether of a country or city, secu'
lar or religious Journal, to keep a faithful
: watch of their doings.
In what respect we aimed a blow q
christianity, we are not aware. 1t is GER
: tain hat none was intended. We oanno
consider a mere minister, or the doctrine
of hell fire and damnation, a part or par
b eel of The christian religion. A minister
s is but a man, and subject to all the %frailtie
of the human race. and the doctrine o
d hell FIRE and damnalion, is to US, a mon
s,rosi,y, Fl, only to Cover those that arr
n but one remove from the brute. II is true
l. however, tina, in the same proportion tina
! mankind depart from right, will they re
ceive punishment bat ,hat we, who ar
not responsible for our existence. shal
atone for the errors of heart. Sommilte,
centuries ago, does not seem rational
IS The beauties Of heaven instead Of th
terrors of hell, should be the great motiv
n power to actuate mankind to do right. H
s. that seeks heaven only because he fear
A. hell. has We, to learn the first principles q
a the christian religion.
is The man that cheats and wrongs his fe