DELIVERING THE TRUTH IN A "BAD SPIRIT"? 1

These kinds of questions have been around practically since time began.  How should it be handled - a case study. - ed.Burdett, N.Y., December 12, 1839

Dear Brother Beebe: I have for some time been wanting to write to you a letter and request you to publish it in the Signs of the Times, but two things have operated against it, and one of them is or has been much business, and the other is my inability.  I have wanted to publish on account of your correspondents as well as on your own account.

You are aware that there have been many complaints against the Signs of the Times, on account of the bad spirit in which it contained the truth, but a bad spirit; and your replies to such have generally been as if such a thing could not be; but dear brother, I think you are mistaken; a preacher may speak the truth as it respects the "letter of the word" but it may be delivered in a lifeless manner, or it may be delivered in a very offensive manner.  I think that you must have witnessed such cases yourself. and there is so much sarcasm in some of your editorial remarks that I am often to the heart.  Indeed I cannot find language to express to you my feelings on the subject; sometimes I do know not what to do; I have been at times almost tempted to abandon the paper on that account, as many others have done.  Now I do entreat; you for the Lord's sake, to do differently, I am sensible that I could obtain twice the number of subscribers that I now do, was it not for your very evil; it no credit either to you or your paper, to be called the keenest blackguard in America.  We are not only willing but wish you to declare all the truth, but we want it in soberness.  It is often the case that we have nothing to say when your paper is condemned for the above-mentioned evil.  I have looked for one number from the 17th number, but I cannot find it in which it seemed that you must have done about all you could, I forgot the subject, or who you was a dressing out; but I must confess that I was surprised when I read it; for I am aware that much has been said to you on the subject, besides, it must be that you know better yourself.  It is true that Christ and his Apostles when they met with an opposer or a false teacher, or hypocrite they treated them differently, and their language to such was quite different from what it has to a weak brother that had fallen out by the way; but we cannot find such language among their remarks, as we often find in Gilbert Beebe's - there is also a communication in the 22nd number of the present volume, singed I.T. Saunders that I think is very far from gospel-rule, very far indeed, I think that you did very wrong to publish it, allowing that all he says of Jim Osbourn* (as he calls him) is truth; his communication is foreign from the spirit of our divine Master; and yet he says there is more coming; but if it is like that that has already come, I hope it will get vetoed before it gets into the Signs of the Times.  And now I have probably said enough for this time, do try to do better.  I have often said that the Signs of the Times was the best paper in the world; but that it ought to be better.

Yours respectfully,
Reed Burritt

Elder Gilbert Beebe's response:

"Let the righteous smite me." - This letter from Brother R. Burritt on page 13; requires a remark or two from us.  We would not willingly justify in ourselves, or in our correspondents an improper course.  If ours has been such as to lead our brethren to suppose us ambitious for the honor of being "The Keenest blackguard in America," we sincerely regret that we should have been left to act in such a manner as to justify such a conclusion.  Sensible we are of our inability to conduct the publication of the Signs, in such a manner as not to betray human frailty.  None of our subscribers can more easily feel, or more deeply regret that weakness and pollution belong to us; yet coming as it does from a brother, we cannot help thinking the rebuke rather severe.

When we commenced our labors, as publishers of this sheet, we flattered ourselves we were not actuated by ambition, had felt ambitious, it really appeared to us, there a greater prospect for worldly applause among the popular New School Baptists, than among the despised few who remained on the Lord's side.

A "Bad Spirit" truly must have misguided us, if our labors have only secured for us the persecution of enemies, and from friends the unenviable distinction of blackguard.  Well, we are glad that we have some brethren who can write under the influence of a good spirit; if such smite us, it shall not break our bones; it shall be an excellent oil.   If by a letter preacher, our brother means, what the scriptures evidently do, a minister, or scribe of the law; we do not know that our labors will come altogether under the classification of letter preaching; for we sometimes try to preach Christ Jesus, and him crucified; but even in this, we find a stumbling block for the Jews and folly for the Greeks.  As to a cold "lifeless manner of preaching, we are acquainted with a few individuals who, like the editor of the Signs, cannot pretend to so much unction and heavenly dew, as some have boasted of in latter times.  For ourselves, it is only once in a while when Jesus designs to smile on us, that we feel all those lively and pleasant feelings that are so desirable; often we have to preach, when our soul is like a wilderness, instead of being a like a watered garden - Would brother Burritt have us to stop preaching on this account?  As to speaking the truth in a lifeless manner, we have hitherto believed God's words were spirit and life; if the truth itself has no life in it for the saints, but depends on the lively frame or manner of the preacher, we have been mistaken.  Nor have we ever learned how to preach the truth without giving offense.  With us, the offense of the cross has not yet ceased; and if we please men we are not the servant of God.

In regard to the discernment of spirits, we have been led to the conclusion, referred to by our brother, that as no lie is of the truth; so the truth comes not of a bad spirit.  The prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now works in the hearts of the children of disobedience; this must be the devil;' and sensible as we are of our imperfection, we are not willing to think we are altogether left as the mercy of his satanic influence; nor that such an unhallowed influence would betray itself by publishing the truth.

It may not belong to us to defend the spirit in which some of our correspondents have written; but ourself we will say that had we been aware that all communications published in our paper which were calculated to give offense, were written in a bad spirit - or in other words, that their writers had a devil, we should have suppressed nearly all that we have published.  The letter of Brother Saunders was now written without provocation; there were some unguarded expressions in which he requested to correct; but being unavoidably called away, when his letter went to press, we failed to comply with his request.

Sorry as we should be to lose from our list of patrons one for whom we entertain so much esteem as we do for Brother Burritt; yet it he can discover in us a bad spirit, and a desire to excel in blackguardism, and feeling, as he does, scruples of conscience, in supporting is; we must leave him to act according to his own judgment on the subject.  As we have hitherto aimed to set forth truth and oppose error, and in doing so, to bear the reproach necessarily connected with the offense of the cross, so we feel a disposition still to move onward.  Meantime we wish Brother Burritt, and all other brethren, to watch us, and in Christian faithfulness, correct us when they discover that is wrong, or when they think that we are wrong.

In our next post tomorrow, we shall post this continuing correspondence with Elder Reed Burritt.