The daily gazette., 1877-06-11
From the West Chester Local News.
A REPLY TO REV. JOHN BOLTON

From the West Chester Local News.
A REPLY TO REV. JOHN BOLTON,
EDITOR LOCAL NEws-Sir In YOU,
issue OF June, 9th, find an article with
the caption. IA Reply 20 Rev. Mr. Hal.
deman." 1t Is signed John Bolton. ]
presume it is the Rev. John. As Inever
wrote a letter to him nor asked his advice
nor sought the benefit of his theological
research, as i was never sufficiently i'm
pressed with his ability to desire to sit al
his feet and learn of him, above all, as
did not direct my discourse to him, mol
challenge him to disprove it, am some
what at loss to understand the force OF
application of the word "reply" to my
name. '-------e.-----..----.....-..--
In tbe conclusion of his Hpiece" be
trusts the sentiments uttered were differ
ent from those reported. From this il
would appear that Brother Bolton is not
quite certain as to what did say. and
yet with this confessed uncertainty, for
getting the courtesy due a brother minis.
ter, (that is to say if the apostolic( )church
recognizes one out side of her pale), for
getting that chivalry which makes it nee
essry to know whether thing be so before
we attack without writing to me to know
whether these views. asreported are mine
with an itching haste he rushes into print
to tell the world my zeal has outran my
Judgment, and with that gentle praise
whose condescension damns man, hopes
the generous public will remember that
my heart is right, If not my head. have
heard OF the hangman expressing sympar
thy for his victim. / suppose the victim
oid not see 1t. However, am thankful
ior any crumbs of good opinion from so
good source. and to be assured, by such
authority, that 1 will yet be taught by
God, IS, to say the least, very encouraging
to one of my teuder years.
For the benefit of those who have lis.
tened to my teachings in the past, and to
whom Mr.. Bottoms statements or arpu.
ments may carry discomfort, pei NIT me
TO say that l never uttered any sentence
like the following: "It is Gods busi-
ness and net mans to raise men out of
the gutter" What did say was this /:
"God alone can give new and divine
life to man, and without that new and
divine life, man never can be saved.
Without regeneration, reformation will
never bring soul into the kingdom of
God" took the ground that man was
not to be made neral first and then
saved first and in Gods way; and where
salvation got in, tue morality must
flow out. quoted Titus, second chapter,
II to IA verses, inclusive; "For the grace
of God that bringeth salvation hath ap-
peared to all men, teaching us, that DENY
ing ungodliness and worldly lusts, we
should live soberly, righteously and godly,
IN this present world; looking for that
blessed hope, and the glorious appearing
Of the great God and our Saviour Jesus
Christ: who gave himselffor us, that he
might redeem us from all iniquity. and
purify unto himself peculiar people,
Jealous of good works."
l held that the great need of the bour
is pure morality, that this morality is
to be received through regeneration or a
new and holy life, that this new life ia
brought to light only through the eospel,
that the gospel is the power of God unto
salvation to every one that belieyeth.
therefore, the duty of the church to the
world is, to preach the gospel. l held
that to give the sinner anything to do
before he accepted life-eternal as the
gift Of God, was crime; to put single
straw between the sinner and the blood
OF Christ, or to give him one moment's
fancied security till sheltered bv that
cleansing blood, was to delude him. and.
it might be, deceive him to his eternal
ruin. That to add anything OF human |
matter how good-to the |
salvation OF God, was to transcend the |
commission of Christ, and showed in |
Gal. 5-23, among the fruits of the saved |
man, or the spirit in him, was "Temper-
ance." That this word temperance was
The last on the list, that it did not merely
mean abstaining from the use of LIQUOR
IS an intoxicating drink, but, i'm the
creek, it signifed self-control, conti-
nence, and thus went, in a large way.
around all evil, and shut a man up with.
n the bounds of pure morality such as
Sod alone could give.
asserted that the church had failed
lot because she lacked the means. but
because she had failed to use them. She
lad gone down into the world, turned
Ter pulpit into reading desk for moral
ssays, and her church building into ice
ream and oyster saloons, a house of ,
fancy bazaar, where Won
ould buy anything from baby's rattle
o bible. That the church had become.
s in Revelations, 18th chapter, a cage .
or unclean birds, the place wherin the | /
7orld could tind a pions shelter for its
aany frauds. l held that the world was
sinking ship, and like the life-boat.
he church was to go forth to take men /
ut of her and get them landed safe on
he Rock of Ages. That the church had G
allied to recognize this relation, and
therefore, the consequent separation 4
rom the world: That in going down to 4
Ae worlds platform she had lost, in a d
leasure, the element of the supernatur.
|, but still claimed her right to dictate
| matters of conscience, and in doing SO.
ad been flung back by the spirit of Il
Iodern progress as too slow for it's j
'ead; even as it is written, "the children
this world are in their generation, Ii
iser than the children of light" LII
To have to explain that 1, a minister Il
Jesus Christ. am in favor of tempe
nee, righteousness and truth, is an in r
lit to the average intelligence of the '
~; and, to my mind, is rather a satire :,
lf-imposed upon the party asking the -
lestion.