Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1876-06-21

Vain were opposing force Thus sure
Fen absence from your principles pure.
Remarkable, you ne'cr'll allure
WE REST sEcrEE.
TO the Hon. Elder Hamilton of
Dukes Pruirte..-I find an article Of
little more than column in the TRl-
BUNE, headed Beardsly Reviewed"
If YOU should find sufficient in this
TO be worth your notice, | shall be
glad to hear from you through the
TRIBUNE or any other pablo medi-
um, as you alone appear to be the
officers of the church, and claim no
one has right to speak in the church
but your honorable self. Don't uu-
delstand that | wish to ridicule or
pelsecute you because you have done
so to me. No, no; the time of per-
scouting men for religion has gone
by. You refused me hearing in
church, so | have been driven to the
present pan of vindicatinS myself
before an enlightened public My
selfrespect, as well as a sincere con-
viction of duty, impels me to this
course, which | cannot avoid and sat-
isfy my conscience as an honest man.
claim nothing for myself that | do
not concede to all others--the right
to think, speak and write indepen-
dently, if not through one, then
through some other channel than the
Disciple Church.
] see Elder Hamilton has the pc
culiar state Of mind to think others
are deluded and heritics, and deny
the bible. If | were to find myself
entertaining that opinion of others
| should certainly try to analyze my
own mind, to see if | were capable
of forming a correct Judgment OF
their intellectual status. Elder II.
says my acts and sayings are witness
enough against me, but fails to prove
them, and ignores human testimony
1t is idle to follow him through his
false stories, for his mere assertions
prove nothing. We must not, we
cannot ignore human testimony. All
the faith we possess depends upon
that and our own experience and
consciousness of what we have re-
ceived through our senses. The
foundation of our holy christianity
rests, to very great extent, upon
human testimony.
If you are disposed to discuss
christian Bible spiritualism, or the
practical and experimental doctrines
as taught and practiced by our
Great Teacher, Jesus Of Nazareth,
| should be pleased to do so. ! will
take your own words, the apostles
and prophets, and let Jesus Christ
be the chief corner stone. Bat let
us not use ridicule or persecution for
a weapon; not any free-lovism or IL
famed women in mine, if you please.
Let Us take the Bible alone for a
standpoint, and then if we are wrong
we will have to blame the Bible for it.
Since | was out to the old Deciple
Church | have been well aware that
you do not believe in the spirit, or
at least you had no good spirit to
lead you on that day /; and by what
! hear since, you are destitute of any
good principle, much less any good
spirit. For the very prosecutions
that have been put upon me by one
who has made great profession for
twelve years, as you say you have,
in your article in the TRIBUNE,
shows how sad it is to have the
form Of Godliness without the spirit.
You say reason is not safe guide.
/ refer you to the Bible--Daniel, !,
81. Read the chapter through. Did
you ever read the history OF the
HiSdoos, how they worship God
without reason? Why the passions
of men, when not held in check by
reason, would lead the world down
ward from the higher standard Of
manhood and womanhood. So let
us have some reason, and do all
thing deeently and in good order.
''By their fruits shall ye know them. -
| trust that | have not been
prompted by any motive that viii!