THE PREACHING OF THE GOSPEL.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 14495, 12 April 1909, Page 10

THE PREACHING OF THE GOSPEL.

Silt—Tlie last letter of your correspondent Mr J. A. D Adams is another instanco of the fallibility of even able and good men If it had been a legal case instead of a newspaper controversy I think Mr Adams would have brought to it a. good deal more analytical skill If not, J fear that ho would havo been convinced by this timo of his fallibility. It seems to me that anyone who took my letter as a, personal attack is one who is looking for troublo. 1 decline to quarrel; indeed, I decline to continue Iho controversy any further, bocauso it is most unprofitable 1 must reply this time, however, to refuto the charge of '' personal attack " uml " very gross personal inference " Several of out leading citizens havo sjwken to mo about it, and J have asked them whctlict they regarded my letter as a personal attack, and they have answered with a very decided "no." I havo no reason or desire to make such, und I havo had more esteem for Mr Adams than he seems to think

First of all, tho entering into this controversy was not of my seeking My correspondent wrote twice, and made his second letter open to unpleasant inference, botoro he drew mo iulo it at nil. Permit me to quote from his second letter: "Many of your readers will remember Worthing- *««.. who built the ' Temple of Truth' in Christchureh, and some of them may know something of his career; but it may not be, gotiorrlly known that such statement* as those mado by Mr Hay, and others equally beautiful, wore part of Worthmgton's stock-in-trade." Why tin's reference (o bis teaching and career and "stock-in-trade?" Why this reference to him at all, if it were not for tho purpose of pulling a sting into his letter, evidently annoyed l>ccaiis« 1 liad not replied to the first? Is it not clearly open to unpleasant inference? There is no guarding sentence whatever against fillister suggestion That it was rcallv ojien to such suggestion was proved to me wh"n someone rang me up, and said "He (Mr Adams) includes you m a line category'" Now, when 1 snake of men who" were scoundrels and men who were very loud in their profewion of Ohristiauiiy. and very inconsistent in their iife-uiiforfiinatcly this is one of the greatest obstacles lo v'ouns' men becoming t'hrislians-using the' very same phrases thai. Mr Adams does, I carefully _ guarded against, any suggestion of association with himself bv adding: "Though I would not say it in'suc-h a way as to loavo it open to unpleasant personal inference." Could anything bo clearer? My argument is that because someone may have used somo phrase that I have, that is no more a ground for unpleasant association than is tho fact that men whose lives ere anything but consistent with their profession a ground for associating these with Mr Adams because he uses similar words and phrases lo theirs. If his letter had contained a similar guarding sentence it would have saved a lot of trouble and a lot of time being iiuprofiiablv spent. My reference to the " hireling minister" wis more in fun than anything else, for it is with some amusement that wo generally refer to the term

Mr Adams draws Ins own conclusion* rprding my beliefs, ;,ml H u ,„ I)rosents t icm 11.1 mino. It is evidently a cose of the wish being falhor 1.1 th,. t1,„,-l.f. i mt I am sorry T cannot oblige. Mr Adams liv accepting liis concision.-). 1 have .-iwav's taught and preaelH as earnestly as I can, ami always been known for doing so, tlint there can be no real Christian experience iixeopt through salvation by faith in j P3 ,i 9 Christ; but surely that, does not. prevent, the highest Christian experience from being ' possible" to everyone, or else why do wa preach_ the to everyone"? Mr Adamss conclusion that it is "possible lo fol ow mon who have not been born again " i' both Gratuitous and his own—l am' etc Dunedin. April 6. Wii.li.ui Ihy "