Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1888-03-29
Testimonials.


recently received from Reedsburg, the
Free Press, contains communication
headed "EvaDgelistlc Services in
which the meetings conducted by Rev.
j. +. Wolfe, in that place, are described
at some length. The reyivalist's
language is admitted to be trough and
coarse" but it is asserted that in this
respect it "bears many points of SINH
larity to the preaching of the sinless
One We are willing to admit that
Christ did not hesitate to condemn sin
in every form, falsehood, hypocrisy,
selfshness, worldliness, aud in plain,
vigorous terms, but to assert that this
language bears any resemblance to the
vituperative, vehement, uncharitablo
style of rhetoric that the Evangelist in.
dulged in while here in Lancaster, is to
make an assertion that few of Mr..
Wolfe's most ardent admirers would be
willing to uphold. Christ taught all
charity and gentleness, the depth of his
compassionate mercy finding express.
ion in the words she that is without sin
among you, let him first cast stone"
Does it ever occur to those who shut
the gates of heaven on all who do not
believe as they themselves believe, that
by such Observation-Disclosures they also
close those heavenly gates upon them
selves?
The article in question goes on to
state, that while Gods spirit has been ut
work in the place, the Devil has not
been idle And the Devil, alas! appears
this time in tho guiso of the GRANT
COUNTY HERALD. We wouldn't mind
being called the Dewitt people
would only give the Devil his dues and
we can't object to the further statement
that the marked copies of the HERALD
contained slanderous and calumnious
articles, since we did publish one of
Evangelist Wolfe's sermons that is quite
worthy of being called ''slanderous and
calumnious. What we don't like, is
that the assertion that God-in the
shape of the Platteville Witness has
met the Satanic attempts to make his
word void. If the support given the
evangelist by the Witness, had been in
the form of one of its editorials it would
have been entitled to little considera-
ton, but when the ''manifesto which
comes to hand, is in the guise of test.
imonial that no one is willing to father,
we can't help feeling that tke support
IS rather shaky. The writer in the Free
Press then gives the so-calIed "testi-
monial," which he says "was drawn up
by one OF the leading lawyers in Lam
caster" Tho first time we saw this
testimonial it was claimed that it
bore the signatures OF 100 OF the lead
ing citizens of lancaster The sigma
lures did not appear. The Free Press
says: The Plattcville Grant county,
Wis., Witness comes to baud with the
following manifesto, which was signed
by about 200 of the best people of Ian
easter, Wis, where Bro. Wolfe last
Iabored; the pastors of the Methodist
and Congregational churches being
among the signerS' Following this
assertion we expected to see the sigma
tures-but were a~sin doomed to dis
appointment "rullia' was willing to
take the responsibility of the Witnesses
article but unfortunately ullia is non,
de plume not sufficiently known to fame
to give much weight to this unsigned and
unfathered Cor mothered) production.
As we remarked in the beginning of
this article, testimonials are good
thing but we really can't see how Mr.
Wolfe's abors in Texas, whittier we
understand he has now gone, can be
materially advanced by such express
sions of approval There has been a
good deal Of blowing hot and cold'
bSi httAii ifDOi'4Nf anu q AtiSiAG " ?
be on both sides of the fence
If the Reedsburg correspondent had /
desired to support Mr.. Wolfe in good
style, it might have quoted from
Lancaster paper which came out on
the Evangeiist's side, but even this sup I
port weakened as time went on. The
only acknowledged, out aud out ex-
preston of entire approval of MIR.
Wolfe which we have run across, is the
testimonial clipped from religious
paper which reads as follows:
LANCASTER, Wis,
The meetings here conducted by Evangelists.
Wolfe and Swayne, are resulting in great good |
THE Lord hath done great things forus, whereof
we now glad Processing Christians have
been searched and deepened in the Divine life
and some fifty to seventy-ive have received and
the Lord Jesus. The meetings are
in interest and power, and this week
(the third we verify believe will bring us mach
larger results than any preceding. To the Lord
be all the praise. S. 5. GRINNELL
Pastor Congregational Church
This is the only kind of testimonial
that the Evangelist can depend upon to
him favorably in his new
fields of labor. We had not supposed