Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1891-12-23
A LENGTHY OPEN LETTER READ
At Meeting Of the Local Adherents of
the Belief in Curing the Ills Of the
Flesh Without Medicine.
THE TROUBLE CAUSED By A SERMON
All of the Statements Made BY the Birthstone Church
Pastor Strongly Denied.

the National Association Oh DlV1ne healeTs
was present. Rev. Dowie is a mild man.
nered gentleman. He wears long gray
whiskers and his head is bald. He is a
pleasant, agreeable talker while preaching,
but he appears an untamed lion when ne de-
votes his eloquence to his own defense or
to attacking an enemy.
"Charles Edward Locke is liar," Rev.
Mr.. Dowie shouted last night, and his 300
hearers sat silent and trembled. He held
both hands in the air while he shouted and
his rotund form quivered with passion. His
face paled and his big eyes rolled in his
head. After this violent charge Mr.. Dowie
stood for moment hesitating. He seemed
uncertain whether to retract or to continue
the assault
An Open Letter to Locke.
He had just concluded reading an open
letter to the Rev. Charles Edward Locke,
pastor of the Smithfeld Street M. E.
Church. He threw the letter upon the
open Bible which had been placed on a
stand beside him. Then hitting the sacred
book violently with his left hand, he con-
tinued: isn't Mr.. Locke valiant shep-
herd to hunt the wolf after it has flown? He
dare not face me with the charges he made
after my leaving Pittsburg. He dare not
face me and answer the questions asked in
that letter"
The letter from Rev. Mr.. Dowie to Rev.
Mr. Locke is, N substance, as follows:
Rev. Charles Edward Locks, Smithfeld Street
NJ. E Church, Pittsburg, Pr.
DEAR SRA number of Christian friends,
some of them members of the denomination
Of which you are a minister, have sent to
me copies of the Pttsburg papers of No
vember 16, containing report of your SER
mon of the previous day, entitled: False
Prophets; Ancient and Modern" 1t has
been generally understood by the press and
attack upon those whom you say "call them
selves Divine Healers." This is a term
which we have never used, seeing there is
only one Divine Healer-God himself. There
is little doubt that you do refer to us since
you speak OF "these so-called teachers who
tell of blind eyes being opened in Aus
tralia." l write, however. to formally ask
you concerning the reports in The DISPATCH
of November Is. and also ask you to either
affirm or deny that you intended to refer to
US in the statements which you have made,
and which are wholly false so far as we are
concerned
Especially ask you to give me your sup
posed proofs for the following charges:
First-That we are false teachers" Please
particularize, if you can, any of our teach
ings which are contrary to the Word of God.
second-That we are "perambulating im-
posters Give instances, if you can, where
we have been guilty of imposture.
Third-That our religious profession is a
pretended piety." Please tell us, if you
can, in what way our lives and actions give
the lie to our prayers and teachings.
Fourth-That we practice "dIabolical de-
ception for the sake of the almighty dollar"
In this connection l will defy you to find
single person in Pittsburg or Allegheny, or
in any city of America or Australia or else
where, whom we have ever deceived, or
have ever bargained with to pay us single
cent for our services as ministers of our
Lord Jesus Christ.
Fifth-That We are "ravening wolves,
rapacious, greedy, devouring: and are mali
cious, not hesitating to malign the church,
the ministry, and the doctrines and sacred
institutions of Christianity" Please to par
ticularize any fact which would identify us
with wolves" any act of rapacity or greed,
any instance in which we have maligned
and vill1fied the church, any minister whom
we have falsely accused, or any doctrine
and institution OF Christianity that we have
injured.
There are other expressions in the report
of your sermon the whole OF which brand,
so far as we are concerned in it, as utterly
false, but these seem to me to cover the
principal points. If you are a child of God
and a brother in Christ, You will not hesi-
tate to bring forward your supposed proofs.
1t is needless to remind you that an asser-
tion unsupported by proof is utterly value
less, and would remind you tnat YOU have
not attempted as yet to bring forward one
single fact in proof of your scandalous ibels.
Going to Brand Him Publicly.
If you fail to give me your supposed
proofs in reply to this demand, I shall
brand you publicly as willfrl deceiver of
the people, and as having invented a series
of falsehoods for which you knew that you
had not one single fact in justification.
If you desire private interview with me
shall be glad to give it to you at the resi-
dence OF my friend and brother, Mr.. j. W.
Mcfarland, 81 Washington street. Allie
as an old citizen of high standing and as an
official member of one of the Oldest NJ E
churches in your city. 1t would give me
pleasure PIE to meet You and prevent. II posi-
recklesslv provoked. The cause of our Lord
and Savior, Jesus Christ, is infinitely dearer
to me than all besides, and if you could see
1t to be your duty, i'll manly and Christian
spirit, to withdraw these charges as pub
licly as YOU have made them, it would he a
most desirable termination to this matter
Should you desire to bring any persons with
you, shall be glad TO meet them Also and
WILL in that event, ask several of my friends
to be present also.
Believe me that 1 write in no unkind
spirit, nor with any desire to avenge myself,
but, as you are aware, nv character and
reputation as a Christian minister is dear to
many thousands of sincere followers of
whom am associated as President of the
International Divine Healing Association,
and to multitudes of faithful members of
the Church of God in many lands, dare not
permit your public libels to remain un-
noticed.
Neither True Man Nor Christian Min lister
fou will allow me to say that your con.
duct in attacking me in my absence, when
you had abundant opportunity to do SO dur
ing my nearly five weeks residence in your
city, is in itself an act of which no true man
or Christian minister ought to have been
guilty. Awaiting your reply, and trusting
that God will, by His holy spirit overrule
this painful matter and prevent further in
jury to the cause and kingdom of our Lord
Jesus Christ.
In the report of your sermon in THE DIS
PATCH the following passage occurs: '1f
they would remove suspicion, and remove
themselves out of the role of impostors,
they (of Australis) must open some blind
eyes in America We have never in Aus
tralia nor America opened the ewes of the
blind, or performed any work of healing
and there is not line in all our writings, or
word of all our utterances, in which we
have made any such claim. But the Lord |
has used US in opening the eyes of the blind, |
both spiritually and physically, and in the |
send you herewith two pamphlets entitled |
American First Fruits" and "Our Second |
Years Harvest" in which have marked a |
number of testimonies of those whom the |
Lord has restored to SIGHT, after suffering |
from total, and in some cases from partial, |!
blindness. At least three of these cases
were blind in one or in both eyes from birth |
also enclose with them a copy of Divine |
Healing Vfndicated,'' which contains the |
teaching by which we stand so that Won |
may have something authoritative on which |
to base your examination of our doctrine,
and compare it with the word of God
At the conclusion of Rev. Mr.. Dowie's
reading and talk, 20 minutes were spent in
s. WAY RI PHI