II
TEX.\S ST.\TE Lrnn.\ n 1
34
of the Gospel's lrnring hi$ charge & goin~ into 111ilitary dnty·· :·H~or_tl~- niter this he snvs "I told )[r. )loselv with the franknc;;;; o[ a chr1st1nn brother, that I· consicleml it a de-r'rtion o[ the :-!Hilliard of his ~rent Captain & )lnster to whom he had promi$el1 the first alleg-iancc to take up arms at the expense oi the disC'ontimwncc of hi::: l'l'~nlar min- istry, and that. howeYer (!ear my country was to me, the cau:::e o[ christ wns still dearer. He wns ofienclcd at my plaim1e;;s anc1 on the ~ext day, which was Sabbath, whilst we were togethel' nt the same mcetmg, whrre we both preached, he told some of his friemh, that he consid- ered me an enemy to the measures of thr Gorernment and raisecl much odium against me before I knew anything o{ the matter." Now the preposterous doctrine contained in the aborc quotation that a )[inister of the Gospel forsakes the cause of Christ in doing military duty for his country, cannot fail to excite the disapprobation of every real pa- triot. His aYowal of it to :Mr. :Mosely excited his abhorrence, and when it became gl'nerally known that he entertained such a sentiment the indignation of the people rested upon him. His name became odious to the puhlic. And it is in ,ain that he now attempts to wipe off that odium by $ti;nnatizing the memory of the dead. .He insinuates that it was creimd hy the false representations of )[r. ~losely. This pa.:- triotic man no longer lh-es to answer to the charge, but his well-earned reputation for piety and trnth, forbids the idea that he would speak falsly on any occasion. We do not pretend however to k11ow what repm('ntations he may ha.\"e given of the conversation that took place betwixt them, but we know this much that )fr. Brantly's disappro- bation of the serdce rendered, argues no very ardent attachment to the cause or his country on his part. Indeed as muc:h as he may affect to beli('Ye otherwise, the doctrine inculcated in his own statement abO\·e, ampl~• justifies the unfavorable conclu$ions which were drawn against him at that time. But those days arc paf:t. When t.he war was orer his objectional principles, was generouslv forgot or forgiYen. The rrturn of peace relaxecl resenhuent, all(\ ,n• ;-ould have been the last persons to recur to past events C'alculatecl to wound his feelings, hacl not hi~ friends endeaYored to place him in a 8tation, where it is most important to guard against the introduction of i:entiments iu- c-ompalible with patriotism- To such of our readrrs (if there be any such) who think that we hare hre11 1111justlr serere in a sinale remark that we ha,·e m.ide, • C, we will appeal to their consciences, and ask, If it doth not appear to them i:trn11~1' and moH lmaccotmtahle how au iudivic1ual pro-fessing to f rel 11<.'('ply concerned for the salrntion of the souls of men, cnn object to a preacher of the Gospel's accompamina his fellow citizen- Sol<lir.r!s in a ministerial capacity, preachin~ to·and pra?in~ with them in thrir mnrch against n common foe, with the full convic:tion that to man~- of tlwm tl1(' Raitl('firld mni;t he their bmial plnc·r. Thi$ i~ an 1·--..:len~irl' n111•11in!! for a Jlrrnc-1,er to do rrood mid he ,;·ho o·enerou:::h· & • ~ ,. M • r. . :11·) ('1<:-ly ,;t(•p~ fonrnnl ;;lo lahor in the Yin~·ard"' mu:-t render nn U(Tl'PI t lahle ~crri1·r to ihr ca\\~l' of Chri:,t. ~urch· if am· srnn11 in 111•t'cl of. ur !ll'I' ,.11tith•1l to the prayer:: a111l t•xhortati<>n:; uf .1 'pious min- i~t!'r it rnn,;f l1r nw11 plnn•cl in :md1 a :;ituation: & ho\\" n faitltl' ul & zenlou:-: JWl'fonnmw(' < 1 ( :-:nc·h ~rrric-e c:an be consiLleretl a dcf:Prtion of the ~ta11clar1l uf Chri~t i~ altogether iuexplicahle to u:::, unlesi: it pro-
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