Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1873-01-02

M 6IlN
not sustained. / had no fears on that
score, vet if they had not been sgs-
tanned then, there are those who would
have charged the Conference with being
sPTRTTu ATIsTs.
This / wisheJ . avoid, If possible.
Sooner than have the Memphis Confer
ence in any way indorse what many
people think is Spiritualism, would
greatly have preferred to have been ex-
PEELED from the church. Better one
suffer than many is true maxim. II
the question had been presented to me
thus: " Must the Church indorse modern
Spiritualism as it is understood by some
in this community, or you be cut off ?''
I should have said the latter, by all
means. In the wisdom OF the Confer
ence, a plan was adopted which did not,
in any sense, commit the Conference,
and yet there was no compromise of
principle on my part as | conceive.
They did not ask of me to recant.n
Not one wond of it. This | would not,
could not have done, as an honest man.
They could not have done nor would /
have them do. less than they did. For
until the public mind is informed,
and discriminates between Christian
and infidel Spirihsalists, the Church
cannot commit itself to it. Be
cause a poor unfortunate woman
in a speech expressed herself as a free
lover, and thirty-tWo fanatics elected
her President of y Spiritualist Assoeia-
ton, many people have this detestable
idea, to which I referred in the Confer
enee, and with the City Editor of the
APPEAL, as a part of spiritualism. It is
due to truth TO say that l have never
known, or even heard of any Others,
who advocated such theory. Every
Spiritualist paper, so far as / have ever
i learned, is opposed to any such senti-
ment. Because Professor Hare was con-
verted from Materialist, and wrote an
infidel book, or because some infidel
spirits teach doctrines contrary to the
Bible, the public mind associates all
these with spiritualism. We should
! sEPERATE CHRISTIANITY FROM INFT-
1 DEITY
coming from spirits as well as from NOR
tails. l think the time not far distant
when this will be done, but until this
discrimination is made the church must
stand aloof from it. lam receiving let
ters almost dily, asking if I have re-
canted. I take the liberty Of copying
one received to-day from my native
State:
Ny DEAR Mr.. WATSON Your beauti-
ful, pUre-toned, and apparently truth
ful book has been boon to me-e
boon because it reconciles spiritualism with
the teachings Of the Bible. I confess the mat
! ter has hitherto given Lne trouble in this re-
gard-how TO reconcile the indisputaLle evil
dences and the terrible scepucism both OF
| spirits and spiritualists. Surrounded from
l inisncy by Methodist influences, OF course 1
gave ready ear TO what one 50 loved and
] hOnOred as YOU have been by the Church had
to say IN relation 10 a thing which interests
Us al who come within hearing distance,
which i essential to a proper appreciation
not only Of spiritualism but Of Christianity
itself
4 I think Dr.. Bonds attempt totally unwor-
! thy Of the dignity of his position. Cervan les
! laughed Spain's chivalry away, and no won
der; but you can't laugh away that which
appeals 50 directly 70 what Is most sacred TO
man-the assurance OF Immortality. Oh,
] how like a drowning man do we grasp at a
| word from the spirit land. If We die shall
| There can be no death where there is i'm
| mortality and eternal progression. Spiritual
ism, as you teach, is 1t not infdehJy. 1t is
/ the hRnd-maiden Of the Bible. It must make
| US better Christians. But, my dear sir. have
just read something in the Baltimore sun that
| gives me much PAIN Irefer 10 the notice of
| your apology. Surely there is some mistake.
/ What can IL mean2 A Methodist preacher
] writing book and therein making the most
! solemn assurances that he writes nothing but
what he has experienced; that he believes
| what he has written; to make a full apology
TO his Conference, and promise to withdraw
| the book from circulation. How can you do
| this, when the last words of your book are as
s15 am gIsd oS n baVS lone
Just what I felt I must do, or suffer
mentally, here, If not hereafter. 1 know
! I have been honest in all have done. and am
| willing to meet the Judge OF the earth. / do
| not, therefore, fear what men do, or say. do
| know that, whatever they may think of these
/ hn
! river they will know the truths Of them. l
| leave the book and the reader in the hands OF
my Heavenly Father, praying his blessings
! upon them.' Solemn and beautiful words
| Ii cannot be a Methodist preacher. who viii
recd1t aIter wrllng theIn. II You think II
! worth while, you VIII confer great f8yor by
| writing me Immediately. Please write di-
reetly, and tell me all about i; Very respect
| fully, j. MONROE CREIDER.
| BoonsborO, Washington county. Maryland
/ p. S.-Please write. 1 do not want to give
up the book, neither do desire to
| as il will be, If l find that you have
| recanted. The God TO whom you appeal viii
not hold you guiltless II you have dared to
! trife with the interests Of immortal souls. /
| am very much in earnest.
In my reply to my stranger friend !
will say that no Hrecantation" has ever
been, or ever will be made by me of that
book. Had that been the issue, death
would have been greatly preferable.
NY Conference could not have respected
me, nor could have looked an honest
man in the face had l been traitor to
what knew to be truth.
There were quite a number of the
most prominent members of the Con-
ference who came to nae, after it was
all over, and said, "I always loved
you, but now l love you more than
ever.n
METHODIST PREACHERS
are honorable men, and they knew that
honor as well as truth wouldl be sacri-
iced, 50 far as / was concerned, to re-
can't what l had written and published.
However they might differ with me, as
perhaps every one of them did, they
would not have me sacrifice principle
and truth under any circumstances.
/ There was no sacrifice of principle in
withdrawing the few copies left from
sale This was a very easy request to
grant, one they had a right to make,
and one with which l should have COM
piled. Nor can [ believe there is any
thing wrong in either party to the trans
action. No matter what may be my
future relations to them, l shall always
love and respect them. They acted up
to the light they had, and were cOnsci-
entious in what they did. think some
of them will live 20 look at this sub
iect from a more favorable stand
point than they can at present
/ read this to Revs. VIC. johnson and
A. H. Thomas. l was surprised when
was told that the publication of it would
violate my agreement, and was COM
pietely startled when informed that nay
conduct since the Conference had been
much more Objectionable than it had
ever been before. ] inquired what had
done, and was answered that had gone
to two meetings that were published in
the APPEAL. To this l replied, that l
never thought l was prohibited from GO
ing where saw proper; that had
never, in my life, been to any place, by
night or day, at home or abroad, that /
was ashaiued Of its being known; that
/ 1 had bee invited bya Methodist friend
to his b. use, where ] found several
members Of the Methodist Church, an
account Of which was furnished by some
one to the APPEAL At that meeting |
was told L could see, in the daytime,
some of my
RELATIVES WHO HAD PASSED AWAY.
This was what l had long desired. [
went, and was fully satisfied with the
result, of which the public will know by
and by.
Rev. w. c. johnson said he had seen
a letter of mine published in a Mobile
paper, which he considered a violation
Of what l had signed. had received
two letters from there-one from Brother
G. Barnes, the other from Dr. w. T.
Il Webb each making similar inquiries