The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1914-05-30
AGAIN TAKES CHARGE.
Rev. S. "A. Nettles Once More Edits
Tho Advocate.

Rev. S. A. Nettles Once More Edits
Tho Advocate.
Greenville, May 27.-With this
weeks issue Of The Southern Chris
tian Advocate, the South Carolina
Methodist conference paper, the Rev
5. A. Nettles, who laid down the
work when he was convicted, at the
Rock Hill conference, Of conduct un-
becoming a minister, again assumes
the editorship Of the paper. Mr.. Net
ties, who was exonerated by the COM
mittee of appeals Of the general con-
ference at Oklahoma City two weeks
ago, announces his resumption as fol-
lows:
THE court Of appeals Of our chur
has reversed the trial commit.
verdict on every charge and on every
specification on which they adjudged
me guilty. My friends will rejoice
with me in this complete vindication;
and I assume that even my accusers
will be glad, for 1 will not assume
that any Christian, whether preacher
or layman, prefers to believe a min
lister Of God is guilty of gross i'm
morality, rather than to know that
he is innocent, and that he can con-
tinue to serve that Master, whose SER
want he is, without reproach upon
His name.
THE highest court of our church
has unanimously declared that I have
not been proven guilty of any immor-
ality; and if 1 have sometimes acted
impusively, this court has held, also
unanimously, and with the full facts
before them, that my acts in no case
have been grave enough or offensive
enough for the committee to have
Jurisdiction even to place me on trial
for them.
but l. was placed on trial. I was
convicted, and sentenced; and l have
fully carried out the sentence inn
posed-suspension from the ministry
for three long months of humiliation,
OF shame, and Of anguish. That l
should be convicted and degraed
from the ministry for wilful lying
who have loved the truth and hated
q lie from my youth and T,pray the
merciful Father that one of my ac-
cusers, or judges, or any other brother
fothe conference may ever know the
agony Of my Gethsemane. If 1 have
ever wounded the feelings Of any
brother, and he has sought conpensa-
ton or revenge against me, surely !
have made ample atonement!
las to the charges which were
brought against me and the manner
in which they were prosecuted, 1 shall
say nothing. The Jew Zacchaeus said
to the Master, IF / have wronged
any man by false accusation, l restore
him fourfold." believe that the re-
ligion of Christ is no less exacting
in such matters than the religion Df
the Jews. But 1 neither ask nor de-
mand anything of my accusers or
prosecutors. That matter is between
them and their God.
Our conference, at it's session in
November. 1912, gave me and my
management Of The Advocate a full
and Overwhelming Endorsement. A;
it's session in 1913 a majority Of the
same conference requested the bishop
not to reappoint me as editor Of The
Advocate. This action was taken eX-
pressly because Of the charges
against me which were then pending.
Had the conference known that 1 was
not guilty Of any offense against our
church, either in law or in fact, as
found by our highest court, it is in
conceivable that they would have
taken such action on such grounds.
had previously been elected editor
and publisher of the Advocate by the
publishing committee, who had full
power from the conference to do so.