The Personal Letters of John Alexander Dowie

Iflnrrwnrh .
A few men—o f all the m i llions born in their day

and generation— leave an impress upon their age
“
W hen o n e does this it i s the part o f wisdom to mark

,
such study h i m and note wherein he di ff ered from

, ,
the commonalty— for along this path lieth truth and

p rogr ess .
T h J ohn A lexander D owi e was such an o n e is

T at
c onceded b y foe as well as fri end .
’
T o discov er the inner springs whence a man s ac
tions flow is to know the Man— and i s rarely vouch
,
safed to his comrades along the way .
The world first began to hear o f J ohn A lexander

D owie in A ustralia where after receiving ordination
,
t o the ministry in the Congregational bo dy he repu ,
d i at e d th e organi z ed church and b ecame an In d ep en

dent H e quickly assumed place as a leader in the
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fight against the liquor traffic and in p ursuance o f ,
his methods was arrested fined and served a p rison

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sentence of thi rty four days rather than surrender hi s

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principle ; stoo d for P arliament was defeated by the ,
liquo r interests founded a F ree Christian Church

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taught the doctrine of D ivine H eal i ng p reached ,
constantly and prayed for physical hea l ing fo r many

hundreds wh o testified to receiving the same founded ,
a D ivine H ealing A ssociation started a maga z ine as

,
a vehicle o f propagation and when h e left A ust ralia

,
fo r a world tour in 1 8 88 he had gained many ad,
h e r e n t s to hi s religious faith and possessed a strong

personal following throughout that continent and th e
I slands Contra he had made many enemies
.
, .
A fter a few years o n the P acific co ast in A merica

he located near Chicago ; then in 1 8 93 b uilding a , ,
“ ”
tabernacle j ust outs i de the W orld s F air grounds ’
—o f s o poor and flimsy a character it was dubb ed

“ ”
by the p ress an o l d wooden hut .
FO RE WO RD .
A fter a period o f comparative inaction he awoke ,
over night to find his name known The p ress ridi .
c u l e d and fought him I ncidentally it told o f cures

.
,
bein g wrought The big wooden structure became

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al l t o o small to hold the crowds o f sick and maimed

—
and halt and blind body sick and sin sick souls wh o - -
gathered from every point o f the comp ass and every

stratum o f society E ver o n e indisputable fact e x
.
i st e d : cures were wrought A nd th e O pposition o f .
p ress pulp it medical fraternity state and civi c au

, , ,
t h o r i t i es were b ut avenues which spread abroad the

new propaganda and recruited th e ranks o f J ohn
’
A lex ander B owie s following .
H is strong p ungent denunciatory words and ag

, ,
g r es s i v e methods concerning the practice of medicine
and surgery aroused the S tate B oard o f H ealth to ac

tion in which they were defeated The city author
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ities then instituted action under the Hosp ital ordin

ance causing the arrest o f himself and wife o n more
,
than o n e hundred separate charges .
H e fought this fight which lasted nearly a year , ,
t o a finish winning success in the upp er courts which

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declared the o r d i n an ce u n d e r which the arrests had

'
b een made invalid ,

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F rom this time his rise t o great power influence ,
and wealth was phenomenal H is following grew .
into the thousands he engaged and filled t o over ,
flowing each S unday the largest auditorium in

Chicago founded a church in 1 8 96 sent o u t
, ,
his pap er and other almost innumerable literature

from a printing plant which he owned and op erated ,
“ ”
bought a large downtown hotel as a Home and
headquarters rented another established a college
, ,
with full equipment and faculty started a b ank e s , ,
t ab l i s h e d in A meri ca a new industry— lace making ,
the machinery and lace makers being imported from

E ngland and in 1 90 1 founded Z ion City forty
, ,
t wo miles north o f Chicago which within a few ,

FO RE W O RD .
years reached a populatio n o f p eople all ,
adherents of the faith and living under the rules and

regulations prescribed leases taking the place of the
,
ordinary deeds to property— the land “

acres b e , ,
“
i n g dedicated to G od ” and practically held in per
e t u i t the talents of o n e o f the best corporation
p y ,
lawyers in the country being expended upon these

leases .
A bout this time he made p u b l i c d ecl ar ati o n to his ,

“
church and the world that his mission was to r e
”
store all things spoken by th e holy p rophets and
“
that he came in the power and spirit o f E lij ah ac ,
cording to B iblical prophecy to do this .
M illions flowed into h i s hands and h i s power and ,
activities multiplied H e sp ent himself pro digally

. .
B esides his ecclesiastical educational and political

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work he kept his hand upon and gave p ersonal at

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tention to no less than thirty sev en industries all a -
p art of the Zion undertaking W ide reaching plans

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world wide in their character oc c upied h i s tireless

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mind These embraced the Christianizing o f China o f

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colonization i n various countries and questions of ,
state which p residents conferred with him over some ,
op enly others secretly H e believed with all his being

, .
, ,
that a n e w order w as to b e ushere d in H e preached .
a wi de and all emb racing brotherhood o f man know

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ing n o distinction o f race o r color H e heralded a .
pure Theocracy and gave that name to his political

,
party Though men m ay n o t have agreed with him

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,
they reckoned with him .
H i s life was o ften endanger ed by reason o f mob s ,
and through secret agencies .
J ohn A lexander D owie made application for citi

z en s h i
p in the United S tates A p ril 1 7 ,1 903 Th e , .
oath o f allegiance was administered by J udge J o seph

Gary the N estor o f the Illinois bar who o n this occa
, ,
“
sion added : I think I may s ay that since the days o f ,
the revolution this country has never had a b etter ac

FO R E WO RD .
q ui s i ti o n ,
nor has a more W holesome citi z en b een added
to th e United S tates ”
.
A t the zenith o f his power and success after a ,
trip around the world he su ff ered in 1 905 a st r oke o f

, , ,
paralysis from which he never recovered

, .
F inancial clouds which had been darkly hovering

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assumed portentous shap e and on A p ri l 1 1 906 the , , ,
m anagement of aff airs passed into other hands .
The large p roperty known as Z ion E state with ,
value var i ously estimated into the millions was i m ,
m e diately thrown into litigation The contention .

,
p r o and co n h as no place h ere

, It is n o t at this writ .
,
ing an interim o f s i x years yet ended

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I n the midst of complicated conditions in both

church and finance J ohn A lexander D owi e passed
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away M arch 9 1 907 ,

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Hi s mortal remains lie bur i ed in a corner o f a

little country grave yard in L ake county I llinois , ,
within the boundary o f the city he founded .
Th ese cold bare facts constitute the skeleton o f a

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life s history made rich glowing p alpitating with
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life as revealed through th e p ersonal

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intimate ,
l etters left by him Th ey tell their o wn story and are

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given without interpolation o r interpretation this b e ,
ing the first volume .
In those long last days when diseas e had clouded

, ,
his mind and battled fo r sup remacy the writer was ,
associated with him almost daily .
A s the life forc e s visibly ebb ed th e immortal ,
S pirit looked fo r th from the dim sunken eyes —clear , , ,
undaunted triumphant comp elling

, ,
.
On of these days he sent for me and after

on e ,
some instruction con cerning certain matters his ,
features relaxed and his closed eyes b etokened sleep .

FO REW O RD .
S uddenly opening them h e fixed his ga z e upon me , ,
“ ”
and earnestly said : W rite write tell it -
, .
I shook my head negatively but again he insisted ,
commanded : W rite you will find some lette rs

,
I give them to you— th ey will tell the story .
A few weeks after he died ,

.
My work took me to another state and in other ,
scenes the incident passed o ut of mind .
By a strange chain of circumstances some ,
months later I agai n found myself in Zion City which ,
I had never exp ected to see again W ithout know .
ing why and against my j udgment I remained

, , ,
month after month .
Yielding o n e day to an impulse without purpose ,
o r plan ,
my step s led me to an attic filled with rub ,
,
bish and old papers I s at down beside a heap and

.
idly yielding to this stra n ge whim began turning ove r ,
the piles o f debris fit only fo r the as h heap It was

, .
there I turned to the light a numb er o f o l d yellowed ,
letter p ress books The peculiar hand writing at once

.
arr ested my attention I recogni z ed it as that o f

.
J ohn A lexander B o wi e and turning to the i n s c r i p

,
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tions found they were indeed the letters he had
,
referred to which I now remembered he had said I

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“
would find and which it was his desire sho uld tell
the story .
I gathered them together and p reserved them as a ,
sacred trust A few days later the attic was cleared an d

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the rubbish burned If there i s any incompleteness

.
in the story which these books give it is n o doubt ,
—
due to my over sight in rescuing them .
Thus do I keep the trust imposed upon me in ,
the publi cation o f two volumes the first o f which i s ,
here presented and covers that p eriod o f hi s life p re

,
ceding his career i n A merica .
E D NA S H E LD R A K E .
T HE P ER SO NA L L ETT ER S
J O H N A L EXA N D ER DO W IE
( E xplanatory )
kn o wn of th e an ces try of J oh n A lexan der D o wie H
B ut l ittle is .
f a th er J oh n Mu rray D o wie wi th
, you n ger br o th r es cap d a cholera , a e , e
e p idemic in A llo a S c o tl n d wh ic h s wep t a way th eir f a th r on e J oh n

, a . e ,
D o wi n d o th r m m b rs f th f mi ly
e, a e e e o e a .
J oh n A l x n der D o wi wa born in Edin b ur gh May 25 l 847 h is

e a e s , , ,
m o th r b in g A n n M cf ar l n e M Har di
e e a wi do w wh o p r evi ou s to h er
a a -
c e, , ,
m rr i g to h im g ve lo dg in gs t J oh n M urray D o wie th en a you th of

a a e , a o ,
twen ty a ta i lo r by tr de
, Sh was c o n s idera bly old r th an h e n d is
a . e e a
r ep u t d to h ve b e n a wo m n
e f tr n g c h arac ter tho u gh i ll i tera te
a e a o s o , .
C er t in f ts c o n c rn in g h is b ir th l d J oh n A lexan der D o wie in h is

a ac e e
la ter y rs ( th s e c o m in g t h is kn o wledge o n ly a t th is la te da te) to

ea e o
d n y th is p a t rn i ty an d was th ca us e f a b i tt r
e e , s tran gemen t be e o e e
tween h im s e lf a n d J oh n Mu rr y D o wi e wh ic h las t d to th day of h is a e e
d a th
e .
A s con d n wae bo rn Nov 29 18 49 an d th e b ir th s of bo th ar

so s . , , e
r g is t r d in th
e e e s m e o ffi e a so n s of J oh n Murray D o wie an d h is
e a c s
sp ou s A n n M cf r l n
e, a a a e.
O f h i c h i ldhoo d h e wr o te :
s We were p oo r 1 wa o f ten sick my
, , s ,
lif b ei g m o r th n o c d sp a ir d f For s o m e tim b f o r w lef t

e n e a n e e e o . e e e e
Edin bu rgh ( wh i h w did wh en I m s th ir t n ) I wa q u i te u n a bl t go

c e a ee s e o
t s c hool p r tly b
o us f th c o n di tio n f my c lo th s n d p ar tly
, a eca e o e o e , a
b c us m w r p r p r in g t go to A us tr li an d p ar tly b ecau s e I was

e a e e e e e a o a a,
'
s ti ll s ick I h d j oyl ss ch i ldhoo d f r th m os t p r t s o f ar s cir

. a a e , o e a , a
c um t n s a w r c o n c rn d
c es n d i t wa e e o n ly my in ten s e lo ve f r G d
e e , a s o o
a n d Hi wo r k th t g v m e n y j y
s I cco mp an i d my goo d f a th er
a a e a o . a e
as of t n I ould in h i p r ch i g j ourn y s t k in g lo n g wa lks wi th h im

e as c s ea n e , a
t C r gi
o o n d Ha wtho r c a d ci tt n di g th
a s tr et p r each in g of H n ry
ne n e n e e e
Wigh t whos w r d firs t b r ough t p ac to my lo n g in g h r t

, e o s O f ten e e ea .
did I lo n g t be f s rvic t th e p oo r a d mis rab l

o o n d b i tter ly did
e e o n e e, a
I suff r f r o m th e o s q u
e s f th e in t mp r n c f s o me I d ar ly
c n e en c e o e e a e o e
lov d Th is l d m t s ign th e p l dg wh en I wa o ly ix y rs o l d
e . e e o e e s n s ea .
I g v mys e lf t G d wh en a ch i l d
a e n d a l though so p oo r
o o n d h avin g , a a
so li ttl op p o r tu n i ty f or g ttin g a r a lly goo d du catio n I w di ligen t

e e e e , as
13
T HE P E R SO N A L L E T T E R S OF JO H N ALEXANDER DOWIE
an d ob edi n t d p eop le k in dly h e lp d me l n din g n d g ivin g m e goo d

e an e , e a
b k wh ich I r ea d
oo s, g r ly ea e .
Upo n th rr iv l f th f mi ly in A d l id
e a a S o u th A u s tra lia th e
o e a e a e, ,
you n g boy a t o w t t wo r k f or h is u c l A l x n d r D o wi wh
n ce en o n e, e a e e. o
wa th n l y in g th f ou n d ti o n f wh t b eca m e la ter a p r o sp r ou s boo t

s e a e a o a e
an d s ho e b us in ss d whos da ugh ter h e l t r m arr ied

e , an For h is s ervices
e a e .
you n g J oh n A l x n d r c ived h is f oo d an d eigh teen s h i llin gs per w ek

e a er e e e .
A ft r f w m o n ths h l f t to b tt r h ims lf
e a e dv n cin g f r o m tim
, e e e e e , a a e
t tim
o n d i n v r i ous pos i tio s u n ti l wh i l e s ti ll i n h i
e a a m i o r i ty h e c m n s n o
m nd d
a ec o s i d r bl a s l ry an d wa
n e aou n t d m o r th o r di ry
e a a s ac c e a e an na
p r o m is i g bus in ss m
n e an .
A t th a g f tw ty h l f t c o mm er i l pu rsu i ts
e e o en d took u p s tu dy
e e c a , an ,
u n d r th gu id n c f tu to r to p rep are h ims e lf f or th e Ch r is tian m in

e e a e o a ,
is try .
A f ter fif teen m o n ths tu te la g e h e en ter e d Edin bu r gh Un ivers i ty as an

A r ts s tu den t wh er e h e r e ma in e d f or th r ee y ear ta k in g volu n tary c ou r e
, s , ss
in th e Fr e e Chu r c h S c hool .
Wh i le in th e m i ds t ho m e by o f s tu dy an d wo r k h e was ca ll e d a
ca b l gram f r o m h i f th r th r so n b in g u k o wn t h im H soo n
e s a e , e ea e n n o . e
f ou d upo n x m i tio
n , f th b k of th p r tn r sh ip firm f wh ich
e a na n o e oo s e a e o
h is f th er w s th e s en io r m m b r th a t an a ss ign m en t was in evi ta ble

a a e e , .
A f t r th wi di g up f afi ir th you g m an h an dicapp d by th
e e n n o a s, e n , e e
d b t in u rr d i
e br i g in g h im out f r o m S o tl n d e t h ims lf to h i
c e n n c a , s e s
c hos n lif wo rk—th m in is try

e e e .
It w t th is tim h b ga n to k p th e r ec o r d f h is c o rr sp o n d n ce
as a e e e ee o e e
wh i h x t n ds o v r th whol
c e e f h i l if e an d t wh ic h p o i t th is volu m
e e e o s , a n e
b gin s
e .
Th firs t th r e l tt rs re d t d t A lm S ou th A us tra li h is fir s t
ee e e a a e a a, a,
fi ld f l bo r M y 18 72
e o a , a , .
My D ear R
Yours o f M arch 2 n d reached me duly ; but I de
laye d an answer until I could s ay something definite
as t o my position .
The Committee o f the Congregational Union passed

a resolution in F ebruary last pledging themselves to
support me in op ening up a new sphere o f labour in
any part o f the colony This I declined Then other . .
representations were made to me in reference to vari

o u s places to none o f which I felt any special inclina
,
tion and s o spoke .
S till undecided as to returning to S cotland o r n o t ,
14
TH E PERSONAL LE TT ERS OF JO H N AL E XAN DE R D OWI E
I came here towards the end o f F ebrua ry o n a visit to

i
a friend .
This place was without a minister I was asked to .
receive a call and at first declined ; but eventually feel

ing that God s providence had been removing d i ffi cu l
’
ties and clearly indicating my way I accepted o n ,
A pril l s t a call to the pastorate o f the C ongregational

Church here A t the annual meetings o f Cong Union
. .
I was admitted o n 1 6th a ministerial memb er by a

, ,
unanimous vote and three days since ( 2 1st ) I was

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“
in presence o f a large assembly publicly ordained a ,
minister o f the gosp el in connection with th e Con ,

”
g gr e at i o n al o r Indep endent body o f S outh A ustralia .
R evs F W C ox ( A delaide ) J C M c M i c h ael ( G o n

. . .
,
. .
der ) J R F erguson ( S alisbury ) J Gibson ( A ngas

, . .
,
.
B arr ( Turo ) M W illiams ( Kapunda ) and

, .
,
W O ldham ( l ate A lma ) all took various parts in the

.
,
ordination servi ce .
N o w you know the position to which G o d has led

me in ways o f H is o wn
, .
My district i s quite an agricultural o n e divided -

, ,
for the most p art into very large holdings o f from

,
o n e t o f our and five square miles o f splendid land .
Consequently it is sparsely populated and that p o p u

l ation widely scattered There are about .souls
in 90 s quare miles My central church i s about two
.
miles from the little post town called A lma and my

house is two miles farther north being twelve miles ,
from the nearest railway station and about 60 miles

north of A delaide It i s a level country bounded o n
.
,
the east by a range ( I live in a gully at the foot o f

this range ) and o n the west by a dense scrub about
2 5 miles broad b etween us and the sea
, N orth and .
south the country is flat I have preaching stations

‘
at L ower A lma ( W ednesdays ) about seven m iles ,
south S alter s S prings about s ix miles north ( S ab

,
’
,
bath afternoons and Tuesdays ) and D alkey P lains

( Mondays ) about 1 2 miles west The last named i s
15
TH E PERSONAL LE TT ERS OF JO H N AL EXANDER DOWI E
being established The others with my central work

.
,
at A lma ( Morning S chool and twice on S abbaths

and meeting o n Thursdays ) are fully established G o d .
gives me the most cheering tokens o f success The .
people are above the average in morals and intelligence .
There is only o n e wine shop within ten miles o n every

side and I have entered opposition against its license
,
at the forthcoming B ench o f Magistrates o n J une l 0th ,
and hop e to b e successful My health i s b etter than .
for the last five years I have much time for study
. .
P rep aration fo r four original sermons every week ( six

sermons are preached by me weekly in full work ) and
keeping up in certain studies fully occup ies me .
I have furnished my house nicely and God has

p rovided me with a model hous ekeeper— a p erson about
50 years of age a widow no children o f quiet lady
, , , ,
like ways a goo d cook and a prudent manager

, .
W he never you visit S outh A ustralia I give you a

hearty invitation to come and S p end some time with
me You can have a horse and scamp er over all the
.
country I shall be right glad to s e e you

. .
M ay y increase daily in Christ likeness exp er

o u -
i en c i n g gr eater p eace and j oy in the S p irit .
Your a ff ectionate friend in Christ ,
J ohn A lexander D owie .
D ear F ather and Mother

This is the first letter written from my house— I
shall soon doubtless get to feel it is my home .
O n W ednesday evening after writing to vou I rode

to J o seph S mith s farm and opened my L ower A lma
’
P lains preaching station It was a terribly stormy night

.
— wind rai n and darkness— and yet there were about

,
twelve persons p resent . I firmly believe it will be on e
o f my b est stations .
16
at th e b gi
e i
nn ng
A s P a s to r in S i dn ey .
TH E PE R SONAL LE TT ERS OF JO H N AL EXANDER DOWI E
and spoon i n tumbler ) and three o r four wine glasses ,
evidently used ; and more a b rother minister lying ,
b ack in an easy chair legs crossed hands folded head , , ,
reclining face flushed talk quick and thick at inter

, ,
vals courtesy forgotten :

,
H a ha ! D owie how are ,
y o u A nd this man has only come ten miles o r s o

’
o f a pleasant drive across country to do the M aster s
work and seek the lo s t drunkards and pleasure seek

ers— the sinners p erishing in Truro A nd the work .
there seems as also at A ngaston and Kapunda in a

, ,
very bad condition Th e R ev R L Coward ( fine . . . .

,
goo d o l d Christian and an ab stainer ) with whom I

stayed told me that there were n o t more than four
,
’
regular hearers at M r B arr s out of the township o f .
,
Truro and there seems to b e a pop ulation o f at least

,
two o r three hundred there .
B ut I could write fo r a day about it The result .
with me is to cling more firmly than ever to my o wn

way o f working looking only to God for clearer light
,
and help M ay H e enable me to do s o incessantly

.
,
humbly and p rayerfully and actively , .
L ast evening S abbath a man o f about thirty fi v e

, ,
-
from S alter s S prings was in my room here for several

’
hour s under deep conviction o f s i n I trust the S pirit .
i s leading him into rest i n C h r i s t ; in fact I b elieve ,
it i s s o D rink was o n e o f h i s b esetting sins and I told

.
,
him he must b efore God forever renounce it

,
H is , .
name i s in mv pledge book .
There are many p ainful discouragements but the ,
work i s going o n and will if I am only faithful L ove

, , .
t o all .
Your a ff ectionate s o n ,
( T wo m o n th s l a te r —J u ly 5 l h— fin ds dis c o u g ra em en t s in ne w fie ld ) .

M any discouragements —o r are they , encourage
18
TH E PERSONAL LE TT ERS OF JO H N ALEXANDER DOWI E
ments ? A month ago when writing to you I said , ,
they were and that P aul thought s o ; and now al

, ,
though I have felt bowed down under them if I am ,
preaching by Go d s power p eople into the church

,
’
and this bless i ng l s gi ven me— there can b e no doubt

that in the process I am preaching some out
, ,
.
My church here has b een cruelly neglectful from ,
the b eginning though I would not even to you say

,
it and now I fear there is something like op en opposi

,
tion imp ending o n account o f the too searching char

,
acter of my preaching D issimulat ion wicked hypo .

,
c r i c y and P harisaic f o r m a l i s m h av e b een unmasked ; o
and only D ivinely given wisdom can help me through .
D etails it would be almost impossible to give in

a letter N ever have I felt more keenly in all my
.
,
lif e anything li k e the anxious sharp sorrow that I

, ,
have during thes e past few days B ut thanks to the .

,
L ord I b egin to feel now the consolation of H is

,
gracious S pirit aiding enlightening and strengthen ,
ing me A ll must be well

. .
Conscious o f my integrity ( not that I claim p er

f e c t i o n o f action very far from that ) I will not fear
, ,
though an host should encamp against me ; for God

knows my sp ee c h and action have b een from a loving ,
earnest heart for the welfare o f the souls a round me ;

,
and my most searching examination fails to show any

thing i n either contrary to the W ord o f God ( I sp e ak
regarding my feelings and actions in my ministry ) nor
can anyone even allege the opposite My only fault .
—
is too great faithfulness and diligence mo t sleepy half
heartedness in preaching o r action S o they seem . .
B ut I know full well that I shall never attain to the

honour o f such a charge b eing wholly true while I ,
thank God it is partly so ; for if ever I worked for H im

it has b een here .
Thursday evening was appointed for my church

meeting b efore which at my house here i s held the
,
deacons meeting M r F
’
is now sole deacon
. . .
19
There were only two memb ers o f the church pres

ent. I quietly announced to them that there b eing ,
n o quorum no m eeting could b e held

,
.
D oubtless all this must app ear very sudden and

puzzling to you esp ecially as I cannot trust myself to
,
details j ust n o w It cannot app ear more so to y o u than

.
it does to me It seems a p erfect mine o f evils sp rung

.
in the midst of the nominal church here O h how it .

,
has p erplexed and grieved me .
B ut in the midst o f all I have the cheering tokens ,
o f God s blessing a mong the unsaved in all p arts o f

’
the district under my ministry O f memb ers o f my .
church there are some I trust thoroughly sound , , ,
while of thos e Christians attending and b eing evidently

most deeply interested there are men who would doubt
less stand by me in th e event o f any wicked attempt
by an unfaithful maj ority in the church— not to sp eak
o f worldly men whose souls seem attracted by the
truth B ut in all such supports is not my trust

. My .
grace is su fficient fo r thee ; f o r my strength is made

”
p erfect in weakness These words o f God strengthen
.
me F o r weak in myself indeed do I feel ; but I feel

.
I am right and therefore s trong in God H is promise

, .
can never fail N ow do p ray for me I value much

. .
-
your symp athy and fervent prayer to G o d for me .
A nd n o w I scarcely like to tell you o f what hap

p ened to myself o n W ednesday night lest it should ,
needlessly alarm you B ut it is o n e o f the many

.
tokens o f God s care which I am now receiving that

’
I really dare not keep it b ack R eturning late from .
L ower A lma ( roads awful night very cloudy and ,
dark ) i t w a s only safe to amble along at a little more

'
than a walk W hen nearly a mile o r more from home

.
,
my feet seemed benumb ed and cramped with the cold ,
and as riders often d o when similarly a ffected I took ,
my feet o ut of the stirrups and let them hang loose

fo r a minute My horse was walking quietly and
.
steadily I had j ust replaced the right foot when sud

, , ,
20
TH E PERSO NAL LE TT ERS OF JO H N ALE XANDER DOWI E
d en l y , something which I could n o t s e e caused the

“ ”
mare Clem to shy and bound some yards to the right
,
side o f the road O f course with o n e foot out of the

.
“ ”
stirrups I came o ff flying ; but excepting a little
,
shake n o w nearly ge n e there was not a single scratch

, ,
to my body Clem stood like a guilty thing quietly

.
, ,
for the good part o f a minute but when I went to ,
wards her s h e s et o ff at a trot which quickened into a

half canter and in less time than it takes to write she ,
was o ff into the darkness I followed down the road .
fo r some distance soon s aw m y folly and walked over , ,
dark paddocks and arrived home feeling my cup o f

trouble full— new mare and s h e lost ! In the m orning ,
at dayb reak I dispatched J ohnnie to M r D — s for a

,
.
’
horse to begin the search fo r Clem b ut b efore he r e ,
turned Clem was here S he had turned into M r Kel . .
’
ley s p addock they found her there and sent her home
,
to me ; neither horse n o r saddle was in the slightest

degree inj ured Today I rode her and found her bet
.
ter than ever I can s e e n o w quite a mark o f Go d s

.
’
goodness in not letting me come home upon her Had .
I done s o I had intended making a visit which if

, ,
made would tonight only b e a bitterly regretted

,
memory N o fault in the horse B ut my gratitude for

. .
life p e r s e r v e d is great to God .
It i s a long time since y o u had s o long a letter I ,
think Tomorrow I hop e to hear from you L ove to

. .
all .
( S ep t 2 5 th —m o ve d to
. ac ti o n by h avo c wr o u gh t h o u gh
t r in temper
an ce . )

I enclos e 1 4 pounds which is almost every p enny ,
I have to meet bill due tomorrow If you can get

, .
’
Murray s p eople to retire it fo r me I shall p robably ,
21
p ay the balance 1 1 pounds within a week o r two for

, , ,
I have 1 2 pounds d u e for second quarter n o w ending

“
of Union grant to church here .
This comes very hard upon me j ust n o w and causes

me to b e in debt for various small current accounts
'
store b utcher blacksmith etc which b rings a co n

, , ,
.
,
“ ”
s c i o u s n es s of owing very worrying E conomical and
,
.
“
c areful a s I am this is o n e of the things which
,
ought
”
not s o to b e .
However I will doubtless get through though de

, ,
pression is more present than hop efulness I must ,
confess I trust there will be no di fficulty made about

.
retiring the b ill .
It is very uncertain whether I shall b e down at

“ ”
half yearly meetings o f the Union or not I f I do I .
have fully made up my mind to tab l e the following

notice o f motion for the annual meeting in M ay 1 8 73 : ,
“
That this Union deeply deplores the great evils r e
“
s u l t i n g from the licensed tra ffic in intoxicating li quors ;
and earnestly calls upon all memb ers o f associated

churches to endeavour by every p rivate and p ublic ,
e ff ort within their power to diminish and eventually ,
—
supp ress s o man destroying and Go d dishonoring a
-
”
trade . Y o u know that I have for years past deter
mined to work from the i n s i d e o f the church fo r the ,
most p art in regard to that worse than slave trade

,
.
The time h as come for action W hat could possibly .
b egained by delay ? I am sick at heart with the cool

indi ff erence with which the church regards great
moral evils such as this traffic p roduces
,
.
I fores ee something of the oblo quy which would

be heap ed upon me by the worldlings inside and o u t
“
side o i o u r com munion ; the sneering satire o f youth
”
ful enthusiasm ; the trimming and time serving o h -
s t a c l e s which for years might hinder the passing o f
such a resolution ; and the insinuations as to s eeking

public prominence etc , .
S hrinking from such an ordeal i s only natu ral B ut .

when I think o f the mighty moral forces which the

destruction o f that fearful trade would lib erate f or the
destruction of ignorance crime disease insanity and
, , ,
destitution when I think that the cutting of that o n e

cord would undo a thousand more o f S atan s weaving ’
—
surely that would b e a triumph the grace o f G o d
which bringeth salvation .
D runkards clothed and in their right minds ;

homes made happy ; children cared fo r clothed fed , , ,
and seated in the house o f God— surely the S aviour

would b ecome more precious were these blessings
brought about by the instrumentality o f the saved
the true Church o f Christ .
E ffects b eyond the most uncontrolled imagination s ’
power to conceive a r e b o u n d up i n the salvation o f

,
even o n e soul W hat mighty hindrances have we r e

.
moved n o w absolutely preventing the salvation o f

,
thousands when we even p artially crush this tra ffic

, .
It is worth bearing were there a hundred fold more

,
to bear than will have to be encountered Quickening .
power from God and the conversion o f thousands may

b e looked for by th e chu r ch when it go es out against
the mighty social evils which S atan has established ,
o f which , none can dispute successfully the L iquor ,
Trade is o n e .
My work i s moving slowly along A ll the energy .
o f mind and body and soul which I can apply scarcely
moves the lethargic souls around me few as they are , .
I trust G o d will give more grace and manifestly bless .
D uring the last week or two I have been frequently

.
feeling unwell The season is very trying I hop e

. .
y o u are well in every way L ove to all . .
Your a ff ectionate s on ,
23
T HE PERSONAL LE TT ERS OF JO H N ALEXANDER DOWIE
( N o v.l s t—r es i gn s f r o m h is firs t c h r ge —r s ign a tio n

a e a cc e pt d )
e .

Yours o f W ednesday recei ved T his will find y o u .
,
I hop e quite well

, .
M r s Mc D. brought the helmet today and the ,
vegetables etc for which I thank you The helmet

, .
, .
was too small b ut with some sharp stretching I have

, , ,
managed to wear it today It is a very nice o n e and .

,
the cover i s esp ecially neat O n such a hot day as this .
h as b een it was most welcome

, .
Today I have made three V i s i ts and ridden probably

more than thirty fi v e miles four o r five hours being
-
,
“ ”
sp ent in the s u n at N ellie s b est sp eed ,
’
.
’
L ast night s exp erience o f A lma has quite filled up
the measure o f my discontent ; and my mind is now
fully made up to leave
O nly think usual service and monthly church
,
meeting announced : How many p resent ?

T wo men who were c a mping o u t o n the ro ad near
, ,
whom I invite d M r D Mr F M r M cD
, and . . .
my b o y J ohnnie— six in all F ancy a full s ervice and .

,
discourse and my riding five miles and losing three

, ,
o r four hours b esides the preparation time

,
O nly .
f —
think o the church two members ! It would be a
sinful waste of my life when s o many would gladly ,
hear elsewhere o f my time and o f whatever talent

, ,
G o d has given longer to u s e ( o r abuse ) them thus

, .
S p iritual results are utterly disp roportionate God .
can not bless apparently , .
A nd b esides material results are utterly disgrace

,
ful S ince A pril 1 to O ctob er 28 ( leaving o u t my

.
,
F eb ruary and M arch labour ) my chur ch h as raised

3 6 pounds and including some received from Home
,
Mission 58 pounds which magnificent sums have not

, ,
even paid my exp enses S urely after this it would .

, ,
—
b e monstrous to delay i t will be utter ruin almost ,
24
TH E PERSONAL LE TT ERS OF JO H N ALE XANDE R DOWI E
souls I trust there to meet you where pain is unknown

,
.
“
Until then may the G o d of p eace make y o u perfect
,
”
in every good work to do H is will .
I am faithfully yours in Christ

, ,
This letter I laid upon the table after conducting ,
all o rdinary business and retired , .
The following resolution was the only formal de

c i s i o n O f the after meeting It was moved by Mr D . . .
McD seconded by M r G F and carried unanim . .
“
o usl y : That this church hereby with profound sor ,
r o w accepts the resignation O f the R ev

,
J ohn A lex .
ander D owi e a s pastor , such resignation to take e ff ect

on S abbath D ecemb er 2 9 1 8 72 The church desires
, , .
to express their very high sense of his ministry in the

L ord to them most reluctantly accepts his resignation
, ,
and earnestly prays that God would b less him in all

his future work abundantly crowning it in the salva
,
”
tion and strengthening o f many souls .
The above comprises all the formal results o f

Thursday evening s meeting I nformally much was
’
.
said before and after my retirement from the meeting ,
which I am to o tired to venture upon writing now .
This at least seems clear that financially nothing from , ,
them is to b e exp ected .
Tomorrow I hop e to h ear from y o u I hop e you .
are well L ove to all

. .
Your aff ectionate s o n ,
( Ne w fie ld at M lyan B eac h , n ear S idn ey Ne w S ou th

, Wa les—wr i tes
f r i en d u n der da te D ec 3 , l 8 73
. .
)
My D ear F ri end
S ince writing to you on N ovemb er 22 I have t e
c e i v e d— indeed O nly yesterday— your letter dated N ov
26
TH E PERSONAL L E TT ERS OF JO H N ALE XANDE R DOWI E
ember 1 8 ; and though time is by no means plentiful

with me yet I wish to let y o u know how things are
,
o n wi t h me here
' ’
.
I was glad to get a letter from y o u—the first since

leaving— and to know from it that y o u were well and , .
that s o far as y o u could then see y o u were likely to

, ,
have a good harvest The grasshopp ers are b ecoming .
yearly a serious source o f danger and it is only by I , ,
suppose a good supply o f grass provided fo r them that

,
they condescend to h op past the wheat B ut what .

!
when gra s s is scarce ? ,
There seems in prosp ect o f a dry seaso n to be

, ,
serious grounds for apprehension owing to thei r i n ,
creasing numbers .
I am sorry that from o ther causes the crops in

many plac es will fall short B ut I am quite s u re that .
'
what is g ven will b e far in e x cess o f the deservings

i
o f the reap ers ; fo r God never deals o ut t o us th e full
deserts o f o u r sins n o r rewards us according to o u r

,
transgressions either individually o r nationally W e

,
.
are however s o used to H is overflowing bounty that

, ,
we demur and b itterly complain as if e nged when , ,
H e ch ecks its superabundance

H o w foolish and wicked that i s ! Yet it is a folly
o f which thousands are daily guilty and that folly i s ,
also the basest ingratitude E v e ry moment comes .
’
laden with God s goo dness to all men and that whether ,
they are j ust o r unj ust yet n o t only does it p ass o n ,
ward laden with human indi ff erence o r repining but ,
only to o O ften with sins o f deepest wickedness through

’
man s m i s u s e o f God s gifts and through his turning ’
,
those gifts into engines of destruction It ama z es me .
daily more and more as I ext e n d m y actual knowledge

o f man when I reflect upon God s fo r e b ear an ce and ’
,
continued goodness to s o rebellious a creature W h e r .
ever I turn the same facts continually meet me— i n

myself and in the world o f men around me —there are
mighty and rebellious passions continually leading to
27
TH E PER SONAL LE TT ERS OF JO H N ALEXANDER DOWI E
disobedi ence o f God A nd th e struggle is so hard

.
,
needs such continuous watchfulness and strength

while too O ften there are friends within us o f the
—
enemy which from without assails u s traitorous de
sires that would have us surrender the fortress o f o u r
hearts to sin and S atan W ell may we sing in the
.
“ ”
words o f the bairn s hymn
’
My home is in heaven my rest is not here, ,
Then why should I murmur when trials appear ?
B e hushed my sad spirit the worst that can come

, , ,
B ut shortens my j ourney and hastens me home .
It is n ot fo r m e to b e seeking my bliss ,
A nd building my hop es in a region like this ;

I look fo r a city which hands have not p iled ,
I p ant for a countr y by sin u n d e fi l e d .
DO you not find that the more you know o f the

Christian life leads yo u to s ee more clearly to feel ,
“ ”
more keenly the fact that rest i s not here that
, ,
life fo r Christ is a j ourney onward ever onward a con , ,
fl i c t ever raging o r imp ending a scene where to live ,
purely and Go dly means O ften to live far from o ut ,
war d l y p eaceably ; but with all that is it not blessed

, ,
t o find that this is the path which J esus trod and ,
every step the story O f H is life reveals to us as more

painful and terrible than it can ever b e to us while ,
H i s words come b ack to us as we j ourney o n in thes e ,

“
H is footsteps : These things have I spoken unto
y o u that in m e ye m ight have p e a c e I n t h e world y e .
s hall have tribulation ; but b e o f goo d cheer ; I hav e

”
overcom e the world A nd as these words o f the
.
S aviour the Captain o f our S alvation come down to

, ,
us they fall upon our listening ears like a soul stirring -
- —
fear destroying melody sweet and strong causing o u r ,
hearts to chant back Yea L ord Thou hast over

, ,
come the world and following Thee so m ay w e— for

,
28
TH E PERSONAL LE TT ERS OF JO H N ALEXANDER DOWIE
‘
who is he that overcometh the world but h e that b e ,
f
l i ev e th that J esus is the S o n o God ?
Yes We can s o sing as we pres s daily forward

, , ,
with calm undaunted confidence in the p ath which

, ,
G o d appoints ; and as o n e by o n e the Christian p il

“
’
grims sink and fall to the world s eye j ust as others
,
o n its p ath do we not hear the angel hosts o f heaven

,
“
r e echo o u r song in theirs
-
saying W rite B lessed , , ,
are the dead that die in the L ord from henceforth :

Yea saith the S pirit that they may rest from their
, ,
”
labours ; and their works do follow them .
Thes e are glorious songs for such as we to sing and

hear they are among the songs o f the redeemed and
, ,
among them are not we ?

By the way you must tell me how y o u like S pur
,
“
geon s Morning by Morning
’
There i s a companion
volume entitled E vening by E vening wh ich you
“ ”
,
could probably get from some A delaide bookseller

easily if you wished
, .
Thanks many thanks for the way in which y o u

, ,
write O f the portrait which the sun drew of me in

S outh A ustralia for a photograph means literally a
,
“
”
thing drawn by the light It i s goo d fo r me to feel
.
,
when my heart is craving for some human sympathy ,
to remember y o u and such as you who do sympathise

with and p ray fo r me that I may b e kept faithful and
,
blessed in th e work o f the B lessed M aster O ften and .
often my memory recalls your face your words your , ,
deeds and all the unuttered and perhap s unutterable

,
u n —
desires y o have had o my behalf these things are
”
things drawn by the light true photographs upon , ,
my heart .
Is it n o t astonishing when we place a photograp h

O f a dear friend before us look straight into the eyes , ,
mark all the well known hidden to others exp ression , ,
which rests upon every part O f the countenance h o w ,
memory after memory rushes in upon us like a high ,
S pring tide filling all our hearts and causing us to feel ,
29
TH E PERSONAL LE TT ERS OF JO H N AL EXAN DER DOWIE
even a keen sense o f p ain as well as pleasure co m ,
pelling us sometimes to put the picture b ack again o r ,
to turn away from s o close a scrutiny ?

This O ften happens to me and that with whom I ,
most love Yet it is a pain which is only in many

.
,
cases produced by to o keen a remembrance o f form er

recollections which comp rise a treasure of pleasure
, .
S trange that p ain and pleasure should b e s o inter

mingled .
F rom th e enclosure i n my hasty letter o f N ovem

ber 22 y o u will know the circumstances connected
with my coming he f e and to that I have only to add
the fact that the work O f Ch rist continues t o prosper
under my ministry The church is filled t o o v er fl o w
.
ing with a mo st earnestly attentive audience every

S abbath esp ecially in the evening — a S abbath S chool
, , ,
which I only organized three S abbaths ago h as co n

s i d e r ab l y over 70 scholars o n the roll 1 1 O f whom ,
were y o u g men b etween 1 5 and 3 0 years O ld wh o form ,
a B ible class My p eople are very enthusiastic about

-
.
their new minister and I have been most honorably

,
treated by my brother ministers who have S hown me ,
every kindness and welcomed m e to their gatherings

,
o n a footing o f p erfect equality N ext S abbath I leave .

,
my pulpit here for the day and preach in S ydney two ,
sermons o n behalf o f Camden Congregational College

funds ; and it i s o n e of the good signs that even for the ,
day the p eople are very unwilling to have m e r e

,
placed even by one O i o u r most successful city minis

,
ters These things and many others more indeed

.
,
than I c a n put o n pap er are very cheering and every

, ,
thing seems bright and prosp erous ; the necessity fo r

increased reliance upon G o d the Giver i s more deeply
impressed upon me The frail tenure by which all .
human happiness is held can never b e forgotten I ,
trust by me ; and often do I seem to hear the voices :

,
“ ”
W atch and p ray lest ye enter into temptation
, .
There are indications o f higher blessing too in , ,
30
TH E PERSONAL LE TT ERS OF JO H N ALEXANDE R DOWI E
manifestations o f spiritual awakening among rich and

poor educated and ignorant in this small communi ty ;
, ,
and while o f n ecessity it is evident more in general

, , ,
wide spread desir es after holiness o f life yet I am n o t

-
,
without cheerin g cases o f distinct decision These .
’
have happ ened very recently It is the L ord s doing .
,
and marvelous in my eyes .
I know how truly you sympathise with me in my

work i n j o y o r in sorrow ; and I say again it does me
, ,
good to tell you how it is with me assured that I have ,
your prayers for increased wisdom and guidance .
Therefore I have written

,
.
W hen I next write you I w i sh to g i ve y o u a short

description of the beauties o f the natural scenery here ,
which surpasses everything I ever saw in my life a —

sort o f te r r e s t i al para dise ; and I cannot help saying
how much j oy it w ould give me to s e e y o u here Now
S outh W ales app ears to me a very much finer country
than any of the other colonies ; and the accounts which
I receive O f the interior lead m e to b elieve that y o u
can find in many parts of it almost an E nglish climate
for coolness and an A ustralian one for clearness
, .
I am invited to visit B athurst about 1 50 miles from ,
S ydney westward b eyond the mountains about the

, ,
beginning o f the year A new Congregational church

.
i s to b e commenced there and a large numb er are going

from S ydney to assist at th e meetings in connection
with the laying of the foundation stone I f I go I .
,
shall be able to sp eak of the country as an eye witness

and will tell you my impressions .
Yo u s e e what a long lett er I have written to y o u

with mine o wn hand It is a pleasure and n o t a toil ;
.
and I could only wish that it was more carefully writ

ten W hen I look over it I shall b e sure to wish I
.
,
had written many other things ; but it is quite i m p o s

sible to please oneself in these matters .
I hop e soon to h ear from y o u and meanwhile say

good b y again praying that the A lmighty F ather
-
31
TH E PERSONAL LE TT ERS OF JO H N AL E XANDER DOWI E
would guide y o u in all your ways making y o u by His , ,
S p irit more fully to know and to follow J esus Christ

,
as your only S aviour and E ternal F riend ; and

I am in H im , ,
A fi e c t i o n at el y your friend
‘
,
( Th r ee m o ths l
n )
a ter .
D ear F riend :
You will rememb er that I promised more fully to
reply to your last letter .
Your account o f a ffairs at A lma is a very saddening

one ; but j ust what my exp erience O f those nominal
Christians warranted me in xp ecting e .
It was quite clear to me long b efo re I left that the , ,
institutions O f a Christian church could not b e carried

o u t by thos e whose lives and actions exhibited nothing
o f but o n the contrary were sometimes diametrically

, ,
opposed to— Christ s life actions and precepts’
,
.
This is still my op inion and therefore I deeply , , ,
symp athise with y o u as a memb er of the church whose

sole desire I know i s to walk by our S aviour s o wn
, ,
’
right line O f life : for those most p rominent in church

matters troub led by no such scruples are only desir
, ,
o u s to carry out their o wn will —c rooked ignorant , ,
selfish and worldly as these wills are Consequently .

,
your power to do right in the church seems to me t o ,
b e only limited to a p rotest against wrong ; and such

protest it is your duty to make s o long as you remain
in fellowship there .
Go d s way with sinners is known only to H imself

’
.
I would not anticipate H is dealings ; but this I

know that though hand j oin in hand yet shall the
, ,
wicked not go unpunished O nly a true p enitence deep .

,
humiliation o f self and faith can avert that stroke of

D ivine wrath .
Christ s work in this city i s in a s ad state Church

’
.
32
have dropp ed the rubbish po etry from L uck

now . I could imagine Carlyle pointing to it with a
fierce chuckle D O try and get your cynic
.
“ ”
— D i o ge
nes o r A ntisthenes would not o w n —
him to follow
“ ”
L ucknow into the realm o f S hades Get some strong .
,
pithy sense in short p ungent clear sentences into

, , , ,
you r writing M en have n o time o r patience with

.
stupid rodomontade You are engaged in ve r y i m

.
portant work Go in hard for it Give them glimpses

. .
into B ritish social life in every way you can : for gen
e r al l y S peaking colonials are dreadfully ignorant o f
,
these matters A im high in thought ; but express

.
yourself more and more in volleys of words which

sweep low enough to hit the meanest cap acity L et .
a glorious sense of doing D ivine work sweep all p altry

ideas away and ever stimulate your endeavors W hile .
’
writing I am reminded O f quaint o l d George H erbert s
,
“
words in that wise O l d poem o f his The Church
”
P orch
“
P itch thy b ehaviour low thy proj ects high ;
,
“
S O sha l t thou humble and magnanimous be :
S i nk n o t i n s p i r i t : w h o a i m e th at the s k y
S hoots higher much than he that means a tree .
A grain of glory mixt with h u m b l e n e s s e ,
”
Cures both a fe ver and l e th ar gi ck n e s s e .
A nd n o w that I have the v dl u m e b efore me I ,
shall for your e d ifi c ati o n and my own quote anothe r

, ,
—
verse greatly needed to be O b served by all pen and
voi ce preachers
“
B e calm in arguing : for fi er c e n e s s e makes
E r r o u r a fault and truth d i s c o u r t e s i e .
W hy should I feel another man s mistakes ’
More than his sicknesses o r p o v er t i e ?

In love I should ; but anger is not love ,
N o r wisdom neither ; therefore gently move , .
These words will bear five minutes earnest r e fl e c

tion and we will be the better for getting them into
,
daily realization B ut ho ! a truce to sermonizing !

.
34
TH E PERSONAL LE TT ERS OF JO H N ALEXANDER DOW I E
H o w easy it is to glide away into essay writing in -
letter wr iting s B ut it is not the most inter esting nor

-
,
perhaps instructive way o f writing L et me ask y o u .
to look up friend Herbert though There i s true piety ,

.
,
rich spiritual exp erie n ce sweet thoughts o f J esus and ,
His love and a deep fresh manly well o f true and

,
'
, ,
cool an d c l ear Christian philosophy in his poetry .
“
Take for i nstance his poem M an It is a grand c o n .
c ep ti o n though oddly expressed R ead it and tell me

,
.
,
what y o u think o f it .
“
O h m i gh ti e love ! M an i s o n e world and hath
, ,
“
A nother to attend him
E ff ectual c alling by God s gracious S p i r i t i t is
,
’
~~
a glorious do c trine— i s a blessed experience To .
Him b e all the praise fo r H i s marvelous work in lead

ing y o u to a ccept the gifts o f pardon reconciliation and ,
eternal life in J esus It rej oices me to know that y o u .
are growing in grace O h keep very near to J esus al .

,
ways Get down very often in prayer and you will

.
,
rise in power to do and bear H i s will in al l things .
0 that we loved Him more and looked to Him more ,
stead f astly ! B lessed L ord E ternal S aviour F riend , ,
o f sinners Intercessor fo r u s and in u s shed ab road

, ,
the fi re o f s i n c ons u ming love in o u r poor hearts !

-
J esus L ord come quickly ; visit us with reviving

, ,
gra c e and power !

M ay G o d bless all your scholars D O you pray for .
your class daily by name and exp e ct a blessing ?, ,
W hat a j o y if G o d saves them and by your means !

, ,
A Christian e ff ectua lly called can always exercise if

‘
,
he will e ff ectual fervent prayer M ay G o d bless you

, .
in that work P repare well P ray earnestly b efore

. .
going to teach L et prayer be your spiritual atmos

.
p h e r e . Y o u w ill reap n o t now misery but the fruits

, ,
o f the S pirit if o u a r e w illing

y , .
My work i s steadily maintained A bout 1 4 p er .
sons h av e b e c o m e abstainers within the last two o r

'
three weeks and have signed my book In other

“
, .
35
TH E PERSONAL LE TT ERS OF JO H N AL E XANDER DOWI E
’
ways there are S igns of God s presence ; b ut how I
long to hear O f decisions for Christ ! N O doubt we are
“
being blessed but God s promise is to bless us until
,
’
”
there shall n o t be room enough to receive W hat a .
blessed time will come when we have faith to t r y Him

with that promise !
I sadly feel that I want more room more p o p u l a ,
tion to work upon ; and c annot stay much longer here

,
.
L et us meanwhile do what lies to o u r hands to do

, ,
with all our might Keep up your weekly letter and .
do not b e surprised if I am a little irregular I have .
such h e ap s o f work b efore me .
M ay the L ord very graciously strengthen comfort , ,
guide and establish you in all your thoughts and ways .
E ver yours in J esus ,
( O c t 29. , 1 8 74—deeply im p r ess ed wi th st a te o f so i

c et y bou t
a h im
f ee ls h is o wn wea kn e ss )
.
D ear C
Though I have neither married nor died— and
sometimes it h ad b een better to die than to marry for
not a few sons o f A dam— yet my delay is capable of
explanation I have b een overworking and have
.
,
really not found time to write t o y o u A ll yours have .
duly rea c hed me and gladdened me I look now quite

, .
regularly fo r your weekly letter .
I am glad y o u had a goo d communion time and

that M r W s eems to b e growing in yo ur esteem
. .
Truly it is a glorious thing to know the oneness of all

f ollowers O f J esus and I am in c reasingly desirous to
,
manifest this practically My present position tO O : as .

, ,
S e c retary O f the Monday M id day United P rayer

“
-
”
M eetings enables me to do this in some measure ; and
I have also in a fortnight s series of united evangelisti c
,
’
meetings been able to bring together in a work among

, ,
the masses o f S ydney ministers and people of all de ,
36
nominations o f Christians The work has been blessed .
but has invo lve d prodigious labour and my presence ,
and help for the greater part Of both weeks The awful .
sights and sounds which I s aw and heard in the neigh

b o r h o o d O f the A ustralian Hall and elsewhere have , ,
deeply impressed me with the conviction that there i s a

terrible amount o f misery and evil in this city The .
hal f could not b e told O f what i s known and it i s my ,
fi rm belief that n o t o n e tithe O f the wi c kedness i s ap "
parent to the onlooker I n all classes there is a terrible

.
flood O f moral evil and while men are discussing mere

,
metaphysics on th e o n e hand and mere externals on

'
the other in religious matter s vast numbers o f souls are ,
hardening in vice and wholly S laves to bodily and c or i
rupt passions N ine tenths O f infidelity in all classes

.
has in my O p i n i on its roots in immorality ; fo r i n

, ,
s t i n c t i v e l y the human soul cr i es out for the living G o d
until it is silenced by sins consc i o usly opposed to all

i deas O f H i s purity and only then does the fearful and
,
guilty heart question God s existence deny His laws ’

,
‘
rej e c t H i s S on and flee from H is presence

, .
Therefore to destroy all S in and infidelity the

, ,
Gospel o f mercy and pardo ning love with its c o ns e ,
quent life O f Christian truth and pur i ty must b e

pressed upon men in all conditions as a complete pan ,
ac e a f o r all human woes and ne c essiti es .
S mart telegraphy snorting rail trains d e l i c ro u s

, ,
c ookery , witty and silly literature e xplorations into ,
fossils o f the earliest p eri od floods O f lip talk oceans , ,
of newspaper talk with news —these things will not

,
“ ”
lead to more pea c e o r j oy in the soul B ut a living .

,
Christ like love fo r an inward reality and an outward

-
unceasing self s a c r i fi c i n g life o f true charity will speed

-
the day along the track O f a D ivine life such as would

speedily solve all earthly problems by carrying men ,
away onward into such conceptions O f the life b eyond

‘
as would lead them to a more and more perfect life

here .
37
N either Caesarism n o r Ultramontanism n o r M a

t e r i al i s m nor any revised E cclesiasticism in any church
will ever raise the human family to a D ivine life and
true loving unity B ut true C hristianity will ; and
,
.
b efore true religion can reach its power it must b e

freed from the sins in which social and political and
even c hurch organizations have bound it A pure .
,
clear firm trust in the words o f J esus ; and a fearless

,
and thorough endeavour to reali z e them fully in every ,
step and moment O f the daily life— thes e principles

must op erate B ut ere they c an there must be fo r the
.
,
whole Ch urch o f Go d a more thorough belief in the ,
presence and power o the Holy S pirit and n o do c

f —
trine and fact is at present less prominent than a
simple reliance upon the Holy S pirit The baptism o f .
R ep entance rather than the baptism o f the Holy

,
Ghost is too much insisted upon A nd the r e c o gn i

, .
tion that all true progress must be the work o f the

S pirit is most sinfully ignored o r forgotten O ften times
‘
W hen floo ds of S piritual light and life are poured

down in copious S howers of quickening inward grace
, ,
upon the churches O f J e sus th e n shall we see sinners ,
flocking to the Cross and finding pardon there— then

shall we s e e saved ones b earing the Cross in all its
glorious attractive power as the B anner O f L iberty
, ,
from all oppressions among all nations N ow there .

,
are flocks of miserable creatures squabbling as to wh o

S hall carry and h o w they shall carry and wh e n they
, ,
S hall carry and wh e r e they shall carry and f o r wh at

, ,
they shall carry to a ruined and lost race the restoring

grace o f Christ s eternal power in His glorious Gospel
’
.
Is it n o t d e s te s t ab l e ? W h o ? A ll ! H o w ? I n every
possible form ! W h e n ? N o w and at all times !
W h er e ? E verywhere ! F or w hat ? N othing fo r -
’
Christ s p eople will o r ought to see al l Christ s fo l
, ,
’
lowers their b rethren fully supplied by a true and

, ,
faithful Christ like communism in material thing

,
-
Think of al l these things and pray over them , .
38
TH E PERSONAL LE TT ERS OF JO H N ALE XANDER DOWI E
God will grant true liberty and comprehensiveness o f

soul and fire your heart with the grandest and holiest
,
aspirations whi l e you make His will your onl y guide

,
.
O f course y o u will b e saying what is really ,
true—O ff again into a pulp it discourse However you .

,
know my frailty L ike Carlyle a firm believer in the

.
,
grandeur o f S ilence and yet at all possible times t h e

,
most inveterate O f talkers and scribblers .
O h h o w miserably weak and empty of

,
goodness and power do I feel ! My heart fairly aches

with its weariness and langour ! God give me more
strength and fill me with grace ! My p hysical h ealth
is good despite my having taxed it most s everely ; and
,
I am deeply grate ful to G o d fo r this and H i s other i n

numerable mercies .
N ow remember that you are ever in my prayers ,
that the L ord may p rotect and direct you in all your
ways ever enabling y o u to adorn the doctrine of G o d
, ,
your S aviour in all thi ngs EV e r pray for me L et

, . .
us continue to fi ght the good fight o f faith let us amid ,
fier c e storms o f fearful temptation hold fast to J esus , .
“
A nd we o n divers S hores now cast
, ,
S hall meet our perilous voyage past

, ,
”
A ll in o u r F ather s house at last ’
.
N ever again shall we then mourn over s i n marred -
days W ith sincerest love

.
,
Yours in J esus ,
J ohn A lexander D owi e .
( Exp ress es vi e w s on S p ir i tis m .

)
My dear M r L .
E nclosed I return the pamphlet on S piritism

which you kindly lent me .
P ermit me to say in reference to it that it is more

, ,
ingenious than ingenuous and deals with criticism ,
most unfairly by withholding the main arguments .
The trumpery stu ff which is appended as illustra
39
tions of spirit manifestations and especially the emi ,
“ ”
n e n t l y silly angelic ministrations stamp the whole ,
a ff air at once as foolish and unchristian nay more— .
—
anti Chri stian from whatever source it proceeds
,
.
N ow I have striven for the greater part of my life

,
t o regulate my thoughts and words and actions by the

teachings of the L ord J esus Christ as I find them in ,
the B ible Therefore I can exp erimentally testify that

.
,
there can be no comp arison between the two systems ,
Christianity and S piritism : fo r separate and O pposed

systems they certainly are and every day multiplies ,
evidence O f thi s assertion E xperience has proved to .
me that there is o n e mighty omniscient Holy S pirit

, , , ,
and that there i s n e ith e r n e e d n o r r oo m fo r any other

teacher and guide into the way o f all Truth than that ,
S p irit who to every faithful follower o f J esus gives

, ,
strength p urity love and eternal peace all through

, ,
life here to immortality hereafter

, .
’
W hen I find God s revealed will insufficient fo r my
spiritual guid ance ; when I find nobler precepts and
greater principles O f truth than J esus has declared ;
when there directly comes t o me a more blessed C o n
soler and Guide than the S pirit which daily helpeth “
”
my infirmity and teaches me how to pray as well as ,
“ ”
pleads with unutterable groanings within me when
I am weak and err — then and n o t till then when I
, ,
-
S hall have lost all faith in the eternal and loving

F ather whom the B ible reveals— t h e n I shall listen to
these childish fables and devilish lies O h what u n .
,
utterable misery is coming down upon this wretched ,
blasphemous vicious drunken S in cursed world o f

, , ,
-
ours by wandering away from a simple faith in

,
J esus ! H is grand and yet tenderly compassionate

wo rds H i s clear unmistakable directions and Hi s
, , ,
atoning life and death here and intercessory reign

above are still n o t the Gospel o f glad tidings — but
, ,
-
,
“ ”
the words o f foolish n ess to them wh o are p erishing .
M ay G o d in His mercy grant us deliverance from the
40
TH E PERSONA L LE TT ERS OF JO H N ALEXANDER DOWI E
the main j ust ; but attentive observation always r e

,
veals S p ecial dangers and defects in all human sys

tems which j ust leads up to the conclusion that in
,
regard to all church organization it is simply a choice ,
O f imp erfections which is a ff orded us I am more .
inclined than ever to maintain a very observant at

t i t u d e in regard to church matters here and yet o f , ,
course wish to b e helpful as well as watchful which

'
, ,
is a desire di fficult to realize .
A bsorption if n o t identificati on is almost a n e c e s

, ,
sary consequence o f anything like e ff ective help an d ,
in that case critical— I u s e the word in a good sense

observation is trying to the strongest mind H o w .
ever I must try d o do both

, .
“
To think o f retiring from it all is not what a ’
Christian should s ay K e b l e s verses often occur to

.
’
me when tempted to think as you have expres sed

yourself :
I j ourney — but n o step is won ;

,
A las ! the weary course I run ;

L ike sailors S hipwrecked in their dreams
, ,
”
A ll powerless and b enighted seems .
Then comes the revulsion :
W hat wearied o u t with half a life ?

,
S cared with this smooth unbloody strife ? ,
Think where thy coward hop es had flown ,
”
H ad heaven held o u t the martyr s crown ’
.
W e dare n o t think of retiring from it all much ,
less o f doing s o W hat a terrible commentary upon

.
that sort o f thing i s a ff orded by the histo ry of P ly

mouth B rethrenism A merican S hakerism R oman , ,
“
Monasti cism etc N O let us not b e weary in well
, .
,
— h ere a n d hereafte r — we
” “
doing : for in due season
shall reap if we faint n o t
,
”
O ld words ever true .
, .
42
TH E PERSONAL LE TT ERS OF JO H N ALEXANDER DO WI E
If W comes I shall have as little as possible to do

,
‘
with him fo r in temp erament and thoughts and

,
c hur c h action W e are an exact contrast

— i n fact I
feel antagoni stically opposite ; because it seems to me
,
that it is j ust such men as he wh o hinder Christ s i

’
work in at lea st some important respect s In an

,
.
earnest restless busy age they are listless lethargic

, , , ,
and idle— sometimes obstructive L et him at least .
n o t hinder If he do es I for o n e will n o t have any

'
.
,
di fficulty in refusing to go into the traces with him ,
or any who are like him for ti m e will soon b e all gone
,
.
N othing is b ecoming more deeply impressed upon

my mind of late than the principle o f absolute n on
r e li a nc e upon one s fellow men no matter h o w good
’
, .
It is well when I and others can thoroughly c o

’
operate in any portion o f Christ s work ; but I feel
that o n e must b e ever ready to part company with
even the most valued c o op erator who strikes o ff t o -
p u rsue some other path or plan i n which we either

c annot o r dare not share This feeling ought to draw
.
u s c lo s e to G o d as workers together with H im

,
and ,
thus cause u s more fully to rely upon H im .
The work O f God in my c hurch i s still steadily

progressing ; attendance notwithstanding very i n c l e m
,
ent weather is large o n S abbaths and there must have

, ,
been b etween sixty and eighty persons present at my

meeting tonight though it is a windy rough night
, , ,
and has rained heavily today .
My health h as n o t been all that could be desired .
P ains in head and sleeplessness have caused me much

trouble and rather reduced me in physical vigor
,
making all s tudy and pulpit work to b e a very heavy

bu rden sometimes .
A most painfully interesting c ase i s n o w o c cupy

ing much o f my attention here :
O ne evening more than three weeks ago I was
, ,
walking alone through George S treet o n e of the prin ,
c i p al streets in S ydney from an anniversary meetin g

,
43
at W aterloo near S ydney A young man very shab

, . ,
bily dressed came close up to me and in a voice which

,
gave me a thrill o f pain to hear h e implored me to ,
give him money fo r food and a bed that night H is .
clear S cotch accent and app earance at once impressed

,
me and I quickly discovered that he was an E din

,
burgh man and that drink had caused his plight R e .
lieving his immediate wants I gave him money to ,
—
pay his fare to Manly o the Thursday i t was a Tues
n
day eve I saw him— when I would more fully talk

with him and s e e what co uld be done H e came down .
here o n the Tuesday and I asked him to tell me who he

was and what his former position It fairly astounded .
me when he with tears replied that he was the young

,
e st s o n — 2 l —
h e s 6 years o d o i the late R ev C
i E din .
burgh and that he had b een a saloon passenger in

,
the L och L omond to M elbourne which reached

there S eptemb er last ; but that though he had got a
goo d situation he had fallen again through drink as
, ,
he had several times b efore at home .
A shamed and disgraced he shipped as a common

,
seaman in a vessel to N ew Castle N ew S outh W ales , ,
an A merican ship which owing to contrary winds

,
was about a month in reaching that port There he .
could get no employment and sold his clothing ex ,
c ep ti n g that in a bag which along with his letters

, ,
etc were detained by a lodging house keeper fo r

.
,
money owing S towing himself away in a steamer

.
sailing late at night for S ydney he managed to get ,
here and o u t o f the steamer unperceived B ut in S yd . .
ney week after week passed without his getting work ,
until fo r the first time he b egged and in that deepest ,
depth o f his degradation G o d had led him to me H ere .
he was fairly crying now telling me that it was he

,
who had broken his father s heart an d caused hi s

’
death and that n o w even hop e had almost completely

,
“ ”
forsaken him and that it was to o late My answer .
“ ’
was By God s help n o ! W e S hall at least h ave a
, ,
44
TH E PERSONAL L E TT ERS OF JO H N ALEXANDER DOWI E
fight with the D evil fo r you s o n o f many prayers ; I ,
shall ask God to answer them and help y o u all I can .
—
There and t h en I fed and clothed him angels work
’
i s sometimes given to man— and go t o n e of my p eo

ple to take him and keep him comfortably in return
fo r God s blessing an d the work he could do about
’
the place That day he signed the pledge and ever

.
since has wholly ab stained .
P my e r fu l l y penitent he h a s n o w fo r more than

,
three weeks given me every encouragement O h h o w ,
cunning and strong the demon is ! but Greater i s ,
H e that i s with us than al l that can b e against us

and in the L ord s name and strength we shall measure
’
sword s with this enemy o f souls In many ways my .
hands are full P ray for me May all needed grace

. .
be yours from a merciful an d gracious F ather .
Your aff ectionate so n ,
( Wr i tes g g la tter s wo rk )
'
to f r ien d r e ar din th e .
—
The press h as fast b ecome the newspaper
press I mean— so wholly secular that it i s fast develop
,
ing into a fo e to all that is sacred It i s s o unsectarian .
that it often becomes unchristian and often anti Chris -
tian It i s s o thoroughly devoted to material things

.
,
an intellectualism devoted merely to materi al and

temporal things that it ignores and sometimes de
,
nies the importance o f spiritual and eternal things ‘
i t talks as if merely humanly framed economics and

ethics were to b e all mens guide and as if C hristian ,
ity were to b e adapted to them rather than that these ,
sciences o f mind should b e adap ted to the mind and

will o f Christ B eware 0 P re ss o r else the place
.
, ,
which n o w knows y o u will know y ou n o more ! L earn

the awful responsibility which G o d imposes along
with your power : fo r if your power does n o t run in
the true rail tracks O f D ivine D irection then y o u ,
46
T HE PERSONAL LE TT ERS OF JO H N ALEXANDER DOWI E
are like a steam engine o ff the track and rushing o n ,
wards t o depths unfathomable !

O J ohn my friend do what y o u can in preventing
, ,
a c ollision between the truth sp eaking W ord of

Christ from pulp it o r otherwise and the press — the
, , ,
newspap er press I see both in many places and n a

.
,
e
tions tearing along in opposite ways not directly o p

, ,
o s i t e it may b e always —but acros s the line o f truth

p , ,
”
the p ress train is S peeding L ook o u t fo r the train !
.
is all I can s ay Y o u s e e I doubt n o t that my anxiety

.
, ,
i s to s e e y o u and myself o n the right and true track ,
which is the only track and which it is wo e to u S and

,
yet more awful woe if we willfully get O ff it L et us

, .
rememb er t o o that all who aspire to b e thinkers and

, ,
sp eak ers and writers are intellectual locomotives who

have trains b ehind them— alas some o f us have only ,
c oal wagons and turnip s atta c hed with here and there ,
a man ; and there are some ( may we b e among these )

—
who have noble freights of men ay men in all classes ,
—and they have attached themselves to said engines .
Most men do n o t keep o n think think thinking

'
, ,
they li n k on to some thinker ; and pu ff pu ff pu ff ing , , ,
away they go after him liking the motion ! ,
Th e re is no doubt a great tendency in lo c al papers

t o magnify the importance of local magnates and to
throw them all sorts of little sop s and every now ,
and then to wave as incense in their nostrils exp res

“ ” “ ”
sions such as Most worthy c itizen o u r R esp ected ,
“ ” “ ” “
or Highly honoured o r Greatly esteemed o r W ell
—
known fellow townsman Get rid O f it It is the
. .
quintessence of snob ism prevents the use o f thor ,
ough going wide embracing writing and the store

-
,
-
,
” “ ”
keep er and the country attorney element have the
app etite o f the horse leech and her daughters for this
sort o f fl a tt e r
y
— and when it is with held are greatly -
o ffended . D iscontinue at once and forever unless — ,
v o u can get an entirely new language for local flat
t e r i e s alone
46
TH E PERSONAL LE TT ERS OF JO H N ALEXAND ER DOWI E
D o n o t yi eld to the dep ressing i n fl u e n c es ar o u n d ,

.
The robust vigorous thorough going piety o f o u r

, ,
-
S cotch religious life i s far more preferable ; and with

a little more O f the s un s h i n e o f love is by far the most ,
beauti f ul I know
The L ord has b een very gracious to us and con ,
t i n u e s t o give evi dences o f H i s presence and bless

‘
ing Yet there i s n o t that evident result fo r which we

.
naturally s o long ; but when I think o f my sinful and

unworthy heart I wonder n o t O h to b e wholly true
,
.
,
and faithful and loving ! Mighty indeed is the S pirit .
O h that we s aw evidences o f Go d s saving power

,
’
among our p erishing masses in all classes o f society !
( Ju ly 28 ,
’
74— wr ites o f h is wo r k—dep r eca tes slo th f uln ss e in min

is ters )
.

Yours o f 1 3 th duly reached me and terminated ,
all my fears as to whether my letter had m i s car

ried I am greatly pleased to find y o u are all well
. .
,
and that you are beginning to write longer letters .
This i s written in good average health ; but after a

very great deal o f work and indeed in the midst O f
w
, , ,
ork However work is pleasing when it is fo r

.
,
Christ and i s still pleasanter when we know that it

,
is not labour in vain b ut manifestly owned by H im in

,
i t s e ff ect upon souls around Humbling and self de .

-
stroying as all p rosperity in the S avior s work is it ’
i s calculated greatly to impress the worker with a

solemn sense o f God s presence ; and these things I ’
have recently exp erienced .
E verything i s prosperous in outward things in

my work and increasi ng signs o f deepening and
,
awakening interest are seen o n every hand My work .
seems to b e steadily consolidating and strengthening

in all directions and since it i s fo r an d I trust with
, , ,
Christ I labour that is the greatest o f blessings

, .
47
TH E PE R SONAL LE TT ERS OF JO H N ALEXANDER DOWI E
S ince writing to you I have had much in hand ,
much an x i e ty m u c h exertion : for though I sp eak grate

,
fully o i much b l e s s m g it is s c arcely necessary fo r me ,
to s ay that there has b een much di ffi c ulty and toil that

i s inevitable : for labour is the D ivine road to all s u c
cess .
A t the close o f Monday I begin this letter after a

very hard day and night s work and trust to fi nish ’
it tomorrow W hen once the fi rst procrastination is

.
overcome then I feel writing a r e lief ; but it i s hard

,
to b egin However after this rambling preface I

.
, ,
thro w down the p en and give up the task fo r tonight ,
hoping tomorrow to write more pointedly and con

n ec te dl y
A bout my housekeep ing : I am do ing quite co m

fo r t ab l y all things considered My housekeep er s ’
.
,
name is Mrs Taylor ; about fi fty fi v e years old ; a

.
-
widow ; tall dark strong and active quiet and

, , ,
kindly in manners ; a good cook and laundress ,
economical in her ways A ll these treasures are S O .

,
far as money goes procured fo r ten s hillings a week ;

,
and if I were a cynical ba c helor ( into which state

teasing drives one speedily ) I would say that it would
take more than that to keep most wives in gloves and
ribbo ns every week— to s ay n oth i n g o f gowns and
'
frills and feathers and fl o u n c e s and parasols and

, , , ,
bonnets and boots and laces and scents and

, , , ,
brooches and bracelets and ca rpets and a new house

, , , ,
and a servant and a washerwoman and perhaps a

, ,
boy and often a cat and perhaps a nurse maid ; and

, ,
the awful prosp ect o f b eing relegated to the smallest

room in the house fo r a study and an end to all book ,
buying and e nvious eyes n pt i n g the minister s wife s

,
’ ’
new raiment with calculations of cost and c o n fi d e n t

, ,
ial communications of the minister s most p rivate af ’
fairs with notes as to visitors and— well what

, , ,
would all these t h ings cost in money ( which I have

n o t) in peace of mind ( of which I need more ) in loss
, ,
48
of time and influence ( o f which I have to o little ) ?
Thus might the cynical b achelor ( do n o t confound

me with him i f y o u can charitably help it ) argue when
driven to bay by a chorus of mammas his own i n ,
cluded L et those who read try to understand It is

.
.
a painful truth that many a true word is spoken in

,
a j est .
W ere I t o speak s e r i o u s l v about what a fter all , ,
i s a most serious matter to all men and e s p e c ral l y to a ,
“
minister I would say that seeing a good wife is from
,
the L ord I had better j ust keep o n waiting until I

,
can s e e some o n e clearly sent by H im in my way and ,
i —
if n o o n e comes then s o be t and that is final
,
.
Therefore let mother j ust b e content to leave it where

I d o and not to let her loving desires fo r my welfare
;
run counter to what may be the D ivine plan There .
“
are worse thi n gs far than a tim hoose and auld ser
”
vant and a cat : fo r a bad wif e seems a gift from the
D evil and would make a hell of what might b e a
,
heavenly home —and a foolish p eevish silly wife i s , ,
only a shade less trying In many ways I am u n .

,
fi tt e d for ordinary h ome life and n o t merely my pres ,
ent habits O f Christian action but those which an ,
altered sphere of labour would impose are n o t likely

to be congenial to any o n e who had not the same
mind o r at l east the fullest confidence in the general
,
course o f my thinking and doing ; and I s ay it seri ,
o us l y ,it would require to be o n e w h o made up her

mind to leave the reins entirely in my hands .
A m I at last clear ; and will you kindly therefore , ,
rather aid me with your symp athy and prayers than ,
disturb me with kindly most lovingly meant advice

, ,
which at present c annot possibly b e taken ?

A fter all this is Of very minor importance to the
,
great importance o f my work fo r the R edeemer ; and

I ask y o u to pray that it may ever rema 1 n s o to me .
P oor M r W hite I am sorry to hear o f his illness

.
,
and that the doctor says it i s incurable I f any words .
49
THE PERSO N AL LE TT E RS OF JO H N ALEXANDER DOWI E
of mine will cheer him h e shall have them ; and I have

,
j ust entered his name in my diary fo r Monday next

at latest .
There is O ne w h o healeth all o u r diseases wh o ,
he knows c an most e ff ectually cheer him and on Him

, ,
doubtless he trusts , .
L ately I have b ent over several dying beds and ,

“
have seen h o w sweet the name of J esus sounds in a ,
”
believer s ear ; and more and more do I feel how
’
precious it i s to thrust H im and how gloomy and ,
ch eerless it is to distrust H im W eary and s ad and .
labouring and sorrowing where can the soul find rest

,
“ ”
but in H im who wearily s at down O ften in H is toil
some j ourneys through a world which hated and ‘
scorned Him W h o bore o u r sins carried our sorrows

, , ,
bowed H is head poured out H i s soul unto death and

,
wrought out by a life o f labour and pain and by a

death o f ignominious shame o u r redemption o u r , ,
salvation ?
H e i s the glorious Intercessor H e is the eternal .
S aviour the continual A dvocate ; and H is s y mp ath y

,
“
is as complete as H i s pow e r : F o r in that H e H im
self hath su ff ered b eing temp ted H e is able to succor ,
them that are tempted A nd the old p araphrase comes

.
sweeter and more consoling as all human help d i s

app ears and eternity alone is before u s but the S av
, ,
ious beside us
In every pang that rends the heart ,
The M an o f sorrows had a part ; ,
H e sympathises with o u r grief ,
A nd to the su ff erer sends relief .
A nd b elieving th at h o w comes it that prayer is

,
restrained b e fore G o d and that the next words of the

,
?
p araphras e are o little acted upon If we cast away
s
all garments o f s i n and weights which oppress o u r

souls then we can s ay
,
50
W ith boldness therefore at the Throne , , ,
“
W e come to make our sorrows known ;
A nd ask the aids o f heavenly power
To help u s in this evil hour .
a s p e c1 m en
A S way o f looking at his
S
'
of W — ’
work take the following a s an almost verb atim report

o f a short conversation at the S chool o f A rts in S yd
“ ”
ney t h e o t h e r day where we happ ened to meet D
'
.
,
“ ”
represents mysel f and W o u r friend .
A fter the usual greetings and inquiries for each

“
others health the c onversation proceeded : D
’
,
How .
are you getting o n with the work at P etersham W .
“
O h pretty well fairly y o u know
,
They have had so , ,
.
”
many changes you know and the population i s thin , ,
.
( He has four o r five times the population to work upon

“ ” “
that I have ) It will take time D . I suppose y o u . .
” “
begin to s ee things improving ? W W ell a little .
, ,
you know ; but it will take time a great deal o f time ,
and patience I told the deacons when I came that.
”
it would take about two years to do any thing .
A t which wondrous exercise o f faith and pa tience

and Divine energy among dying men and peri shing
souls I fairly c ollapsed
, .
I c a nn o t understand su c h a man Coming to a .
c hur c h whi c h has been u nder a well sustained minis
try fo r years t o a chur c h fully c onstituted and ready

,
fo r work it a m az e s me ,
.
H ad I looked at M anly 1 n the same S pirit I would ,

“
have fled from it in ab solute despair ; fo r here there
was a small population a congregation o f about ,
twenty fi v e and no church while the chapel had

-
, ,
b een often ine ffi ciently supplied for ten years by lay

, ,
preachers and even now there is only one thorough

,
o l d Congregationalist among the whole audience and
workers .
’
Tis very sad to s e e this A nd sadder still to hear .
the choru s o f resounding praise over this mature ,
51
TH E PERSONAL LE TT ERS OF JO H N ALE XAND ER DOWI E
richly stored powerful pastor ! D oubtless the man i s

,
a Christian but in him there are little enough evi

,
d e n c e s to my mind o f the right sort o f power at a

, ,
time when the energy the intelligence the power the , , ,
position the influence and the numbers o f the E vil

,
O ne s emissaries amazes the thoughtful Christian

’
.
S uch men as W have their place and a most i m ,
po rtant place to o in the r an k s of a church ; b ut cer

, ,
tai n l y all the great qualities o f a l ead e r — strong faith ,
undaunted courage catching enthusiastic passionate , , ,
love for souls keen watchfulness quick decision , , ,
prompt action hard hitting 1 9 th centu r y sp eech and

,
-
, ,
high Christ like P auline daring— these seem all want

,
-
ing in o u r friend with a wondrous lack o f tact and ,
adaptation o f the highest source and a gradually ac ,
quired consciousness o f matured wisdom talk and - -
self app reciation which he was never born to never

-
, ,
acqu ired b ut which has nevertheless b een thrust

, , ,
upon him and which he has naturally enough appro

,
p r i a t e d The
. L ord knoweth and I know h o w in writ , ,
ing these words I have neither conscious ill will to ,

-
VV nor any consciousness of self gratulation in -
thinking o f myself as possessing the qualities O f

which I declare him to be fo r th e most part entirely , ,
lacking D oubtless there may b e many points in which

.
he is as a Christian and scholar immensely my super

, ,
ior ; but he is o n e o f those m i n i s ter i al s l o th s I was ,
going to s ay and it may as well stand to whom I

, ,
have an instinctive antipathy which i s yet without ,
sin I trust
, .
I feel sadly my shortcomings in the great

and responsible position in which I stand ; but if I ,
thought I app eared to many a s he appears to me I ,
would relinquish my ministry without a pang tomor

row : fo r I would b e clearly unfit .
R eally I ought to apologi z e

,
fo r my long d i gr e s
52
sion but it seems inevitable that W

,
should always
—
appear my ministerial b et e n o i r not the man so ,
much as h i s n ature
Hodge s O utlines are highly spoken o f and y o u
’
,
will greatly ben e fi t by their perusal IS it not S ing .
“
ular that the terms System and S ystematic Theol
“ ”
a
”
Ogy are n o w s o generally and I think deserv edly , ,
disesteemed and therefore disused ? It is a suggestive

“ ”
fact .
“
O utlines seems a better term than S ystem
”
.
P lease tell me what you think o f Hodge as you p r o

c ee d .
A rchbishop Manning is very boldly taking up the

gauntlet thrown down to him by F itz J ames S tephens
in the R eview an d after answering him in the Romish
,
way has I s e e assumed the O ff e n s 1 v e i n an article o n

, ,
“ ”
Christianity and A n ti c h r i s ti an i c s in J un e issue I .
mo st unhesitatingly s ay that Romanism has b een

greatly strengthened b y German interference with the
principles o f religious liberty to the full privileges o f ,
which all men may claim a right O vert act s o f force

'
and conspiracy against civil liberty from any source ,
whatever may be met by the firm execution of j ust

,
civil laws ; but no civil law 1 5 j ust or right which i n

t e r f e r e s with conscience and demands that I , if a ,
theological student shall study in accordance with the

‘
,
state enactment That is what the great physical force

.
tyranny o f Germany has imposed ; and it is a cruel

e ng ,and a s ad blow to the spread o f true Gosp el
light and lib er ty S ince it gives an enemy of Gosp el
,
liberty a vantage ground which ought never to have

b een given I have little hope o f good in Germany
.
until k i ngly and aristocratic and military tyranny shall

give way to a truly natio n al government in which ,
the corrupt L utheran S tate Church S hall h ave n o

political sway .
Manning has seized his vantage and fights with ,
o u r weapons the cause o f R omanism and brings O ut ,
the undeniable D ivine truth which alone has kept
53
TH E PERSONAL LE TT ERS OF JO H N ALEXANDER DOWI E ‘
R ome alive which is the most skillful way o f weak

,
e n i n g the attack upon his c hurch at a time when all ,
men thought that the infallibility dogma and the loss

o f the temporal power had sealed its doom .
B etween German political tyranny and Roman

Catholic ecclesiastical tyranny there is no choice— i t
is simply at it were a c ho ice between S atan and B eel
, ,
zebub Go d grant that Christ and H i s conquering

.
,
men and nation sub duing Go sp el may prevail ! ,
S urely this letter is long enough yea to o long but , ,
it h as b een a pleasurable toil .
M ay every needed grace be ever with you .
Your a ff ectionate son ,
( O ct . 12 ,
'
74 — o s id
c n er n i g h an g e
c o f fi l d—
edecides to r ema in in
A u s tr li )
a a.
D ear C
The quiet evening hour has come and I s i t now to ,
answer yo ur last two letters while the rain and wind ,
and heavy swell of the s e a outside all mingl e in o n e

moaning sound as if the elements were weeping over,
darkened ruined nature ,

Tis cold dark wet and .
’
, ,
windy without and inside though light and warm and

, ,
quiet y et my mind s eems to sympathis e more with

,
the storm and darkness outside H o w strange a .
thing is mind and i t s various moods .
’
I have b een doing a long hard day s reading and ,
have n o t once gone outside my door Truly much .

,
study i s a weariness to the flesh and there is no end ,
to reading .
W hat an awful age we live in !

W hen I look at the piles of unread literature even
around me in this room and the H imalayas o f thought ,
which lie within sight I am saddened Toiling wear , .
ily o n down in the valleys and then standing o n some

,
little hill I get now and then glimpses o f the Know

,
54
b efore y o u can analyse your impression the fountains

o f emotion are touched the tears flow and now y o u
, ,
see t i s J esus love an d sympathy which have b een

’ ’
guiding the writer s p en until y o u to o are ready to

’
, ,
weep with her as you look upon the sins and sorrows
o f the city .
Y e s it is a sweet an d stimulating thought that we

,
are partakers of Christ s holiness B ut i n the com ’

.
“ ”
mand B e ye holy implied in M atthew
, ,
and ,
many other places there are calls to p erfection in that

,
which we only n o w realize in part It is o f Hi s o wn .
holy nature b y H i s o wn Holy S pirit that we partake ,
in living by faith and love in H im always .
Go o n with a B and o f Hop e by all means and try ,
to interest others in aiding y o u There is much trashy .

,
but there is also much b eautiful Temperance litera

ture .
A s to the Communion I am often p erplexed '
about the way in which it is viewed by Christians E x .
treme views are dangerous here The Via M adia .
seems sa f est The ordinan c e is not an eucharistic tran

.
substantiation sacrifice nor a usel ess optional ,
ceremony There i s a deeply S piritual meaning ;

.
and the commemoration may b e a very bl essed

time when the union b etween the saved and
,
S aviour may b ecome more consciously blessed .
The memory and i magination and reflection

, , ,
and all the emotional powers find fitting ex e r ,
cise at the L ord s table D o not undervalue

’
.
it S trive to realiz e in it somet h ing o f the depths of

.
Christ s sympathetic love in view of H i s awful su ff er

’
—
ings o that most awful of nights the midnight o f
n
the world The Romans and we b e gin th e day after

.
the midnight hour The dawn o f Christ s eternal day

'
’
.
was in that darkest hour o f human misery O ften do .
we realize that our brightest hop es begi n when all ,
o u r human hop es seem t o expire A t the same time it .
i s true we must b e in a c tive and daily communio n
56
T HE PERSON A L LE TT ERS OF JO H N ALEXANDER DOW I E
with J esus 1 n private d e vo t l o n and in public devotion

—adorning His doctrine in all things .
“
A bout your question were not the su ff erings of ,
”
Christ complete in themselves ? That question shows
’
a misapprehension o f the meaning of the A postle s
words in Collossians Christ s o wn atoning suf
,
’
f e r i n gs were complete in themselves ; but H e did not

from thenceforth make the path which H is followers ,
H i s Church should tread in this temporal world a

, ,
path painless and sinless The path is yet one of temp .
t at i o n ; the su ff ering still awaits all who will live

godly ; and the Christian has ever to contend against
sins which would s educe or crush him In all the .
su ff erings of the Church ( H i s body ) even l n 1 t s me an

e s t members Christ ( the head ) feels the most p erfect
,
sympathy— even as when say o u r little to e is trod , ,
den upon our countenance at Once expresses the pain

,
o u r h e a d feels s o in the highest spiritual sense with

,
Christ I n every persecution o f H is m emb ers H e i s

.
persecuted ( S aul S a ul why persecutest thou m e

“ ’
, ,
’
hence the su ff erings o f Christians for Christ s cause
“ ”
becomes the su ff er i ngs of Christ The whole of the .
age long trials o f the Church are the su ff erin gs o f

-
”
Christ wrought o u t in the persons o f its members ;
,
and in fact constitute the training and preparation of

’
—
the L amb s W ife the whole redeemed Church fo r -
the consummation o f her union with her lord in that

day which ushers in her eternal happ iness This is .
t o me briefly the meaning of the passage

The prospect seems fair and clear and no dangers ,
appe ar ; b ut si nce we do not know what a day may

bring fo rth we can o n ly watch and pray and labour
,
on leaving it all to G o d who se wondrous forbearance

, ,
and favoring love and constant guidance call fo r my ,
most perfect confidence and devoted consecration .
W hen I have such an A dvocate and R edeemer as J e

sus , such an E nlightener and Comforter as the Holy
S pirit and such a F ather and God ought I not to be
,
“
,
57
calm and free o n any shore since God is there It ,
’
is at such a time as this that L ady Guyon s beautiful
’
hymn recalls the wondrous fullness of God s thoughts
toward u s and I have b een feeling th e third verse
, ,
lately to b e especially true :

,
“
W hile place we seek or place We shun ,
The soul finds happiness in none ;

B ut with my Go d to guide my way ,
”
T i s equal j oy to go or stay
’
.
This i s indeed j ust as I am wishful wholly t o feel

, , ,
“
and s o that I may b e ready to say fully F ather Thy , ,
”
will b e done I s ay ( slightly altering M adam Guy
, ,
o n s last verse )
’
’
Therefore I will to God s Throne now rep air ,
A nd p lead in Christ I am no Stranger there ;

F rom hence that love D ivine shall come forth as my
guard ,
A nd p eace and safety b ecome my reward .
Yo uwill I know even while y o u read pray that

, , ,
’
I may be faithful and fitted to d o and suff er God s
will in all things and to find therein my highest pleas
,
ure In any event I shall need strength and wisdom

.
,
fo r special trials soon .
T o go to N ewtown is a most important step should ,
I b e asked to take it ; and S hould God place no hind

rance I feel I would be likely to go It is next to P itt .
S treet in importance in the O pinion o f many It stands .
in the midst o f a rap idly increasing population a ff ord ,
ing room for the exercise O f a many sided ministry -
and c hurch work The demands for a high order o f

.
p reaching and yet fo r that adapted t o a large work

,
ing population t o o will call fo r special gifts and

,
graces— when you remember that the young gentle

men boarders at Camden College the theological ,
students with a highly cultivated professional and

,
merchant class attend there and also that it is the

, ,
58
only Congregational church among a population n o w

numbering about and rapidly increasing .
The in crease in pastoral and p erhap s p ublic work ,
will require a large increase o f strength and adapta

tion in every sense B ut if with all I have a united .
and loving people throughout loyal to Christ and H is

,
truth and having confidence in me ; and above all

, ,
the sense that it i s the way wherein God would have

me to go then in that event what can I fear S urely
, ,
?
,
G o d w h o leads will give me grace to follow ; and

s u r e l v G o d who calls me to feed t o lead and guard o n e , ,
portion o f his flock will give me power to guide into ,
the sweet pastures o f D ivine truth courage to p ress ,
o n with the sheep through every danger and t e m p t a
tion rep elling every assault o f the insidious fo e ; and

,
with patient love and wisdom to call the wanderers

home who are pining with hunger and consumed with
,
thirst in the enemy s country striving to feed o n filthy

’
, ,
sensual o r empty intellectual husks and drinking

, ,
deep o f the naphthaline rivers to which the enemy

leads their wrecked souls .
A gain I s ay I am desirous to b e quite p repared to

,
go o r stay ; but I also feel I ought to s ay if God make ,
the way clear I will n o t dishonour H im by any u n

,
worthy fear .
( Wr i tten to h is f a th er an d m o th er—D ec . IO 7 4 ; dis c

, uss s p oliti l
e ca
an d re ligious o
m ve m en t s—f ls ee n ee d o f a wif e )
.
Yo u
ask about o u r United R eligious Move
ments in S ydney of which I am the clerical secretary
, .
W ell we are in the midst of an election and the most

, ,
inflamed and bitter political passions are raging

throughout the land and in S ydney specially ; and I ,
am sorry to s ay that ministers and more particularly ,
Congregational ministers are fighting away with ,

“
,
“ ”
coats O ff metaphorically sp eaking in the thickest
, ,
o f the fray .
59
W hen I tell you that it is a contest precipitated ,
first by a contest b etween the o n e half o f the L egis

lative A ssembly the Government of the astute and
,
able H enry P arkes and the gambling horse racing

, ,
-
Governor in consequence of whi ch the House was

dissolved after the Governor escap ing severe censure
by the S peaker s casting vote only ; then second that
’
, ,
it i s emb ittered by the action of two L eagues —

“ ”
on e
o f whi c h defends in t o to the present P ublic S chool
S ystem and the other o f which wishes to abolish it

, ,
s o far as would b e necessary in introducing a system
o f education which would b e

“
N ational S ecular C o m , ,
p u l s o r y and F ree ; then third ,

when you know that ,
I rish and E nglish O rangemen and Irish P apists and ,
R oman Catholic and E piscopalian Clergymen and

N o n conformist M in i sters are along with the usual
-
herd o f political harlequins c lowns assassins and , ,
quacks all making as much n 0 1 se as their lungs and

, ,
a s much mischie f as venom tipped tongues and p en -
c an create— when I tell you that all this yelling p ande
m o n i u m is in full force now in S ydney you will not ,
wonder that there are many who do n o t feel they can

c ome o n M o n d av to the c alm mid day hour o f sacred
,
-
prayer and communion and conference in reference

’
to Christ s Kingdom and p erishing souls .
There is much that i s most pain f ul in the con

t r o v e r s y ; and many ministers of o u r o w n body who
have pleaded want o f time t o attend t o p rayer meet

ings ministerial con f erences and evangelisti c services
, , ,
have found plenty o f time fo r months past to stamp

and talk o n politi c al plat forms far away into the night
, ,
in and around the city and suburbs .

‘
I do not wish to press in an unduly hard way upon

brethren ; but while the Christian Church i s s o cold ,
and the world with its education and vice s o aggr e s

—
sive while Christians are pining for food and the ,
Christless masses lep rous in their social condition

, ,
are dancing and laughing in their chains o f infidelity

‘
60
TH E PERSONAL LE TT ERS OF JO H N A LEXAND E R DOWI E
immorality frivolity 1 n d i ff e r e n ce and greed— while

’
, ,
the wailing cries o f perishing souls are ringing in our

ears from the passio n tossed s ea o f human de s pair -
while the yo ung are S liding away from the church to

the world it is time that those wh o ought to be keep
,
?
ing the waning light b right should awake to a sense

o f their neglect My firm c onviction i s that at this
.
,
time the cunning Tempter has thrown ari A pple of

D iscord into the race o f Christian runners and I for , ,
o n e am asking o f G o d grace to run onward convinced

, ,
more and more as I am that the solution o f all social

, ,
problems o f ignorance and s i n is to b e found i n Christ

alone— i n loving H im ah d all men and in living t o ,
Him by bringing all men the Truth wh i ch can alone

truly free men from all oppres sions L from the o pp r e s - -
sions o f Ignorance o f H atred o f F ear and above all

, , ,
from the chie o all o ppressors S elf —

f f — sinfu 1 S elf .
, .
I could s ay much but writing is to o clumsy a v e ,
’
hiele fo r expression and takes more time than I can
devote in defense o f the faith that i s in me in this
,
matter M eanwhile it seems b est to keep out alto

gether fo r some time to co m
.
,
,
e from public expres ,
sions o n this matter s o far as I am concerned , .
The Church of E ngland are holding this as a week

o f special mission services in and around S ydney and ,
I am looking with interest to s e e with what apparent

results though apart from that I feel it must b e
,
blessed when I consider the truly pious men who

,
have to d o with it I never wa s less inclined to E pis

.
p y and E nglish Churchism ; but I never s o ad

c o ac
mired E piscopalians before They comp el your ad .
m i r ati o n by their simplicity and truly evangelical ac

tion and the apparent p urity and elevation o f their
,
motives O f course there i s a ritualistic set but they

"
.
,
are very weak having both B ishop and D ean against

,
them and there i s a sort o f rationalistic element

,
whi c h bitterly opposes the evangelicals and which ,
61
T HE PERSO N A L LE TT ERS OF JO H N ALEXAN DER DOWI E
is ranged j ust n o w under th e banners o f the E ducation

L eague .
M inisterial freemasonry and all oth er sorts o f ,
freemasonry are abominable to me ; and as fo r the

,
secret j ealousies and whisperings y o u mention I have ,
some evidence that they exist B ut I have learned a .
lesson : it i s useless and noxious to follow a polecat

into i t s lib l e ; f o r the creature when heated o r e n ,
raged emits it is said an intolerable stench while

, , , ,
even dogs will not eat their flesh .
N either will I unless it b e ab solutely necessa r y

, ,
follow the whisp erer and S landerer into their loath

some darkness : fo r they , too emit a vile stench L et , .
them b e L et my lif e give the lie to the backb iting and

.
insinuating tongues L et my w o rd s b e so und and .
timely and loving sp eech L et my work go o n u n .
interrupted by frivolous defenses against frivolous

talkers .
I c anno t c omplain : fo r I receive honor and rewards

”
enough even now in all my poor endeavors ; and if

, , ,
someone does wrong let me take it patiently answer , ,
ing softly as far as in me lies G o d i s my j u dge an d .

,
n o t m an L et me live rightly in Go d s sight and then

.
’
indeed will I find through loving O b edi ence the , ,

“
blessed exp erience that H e doeth all things well
May God give me grace to rememb er and do as I
now write and to pity and try to save even the human
,
“ ”
polecat
I am glad y o u are happy in working fo r J esus the ,
Christ and L ord I am t o o with all my longings and .

, ,
c ries and tears o n account o f sin f ul self S urely H e .
will bring us quite through B ut do n o t let us b e u n .
j ust I am afraid dear father you were when you

.
, ,
”
wrote all men are after self It reminded me o f .
’ “
D avid s words I said in min e ha s t e all men are
,
liars . Truly that i s o u r temptation and infirmity ,

“ ”
when we like him are greatly a ff licted
, , .
B ut th e charge i s n o t true There are multitudes .
62
TH E PERSO N AL LE TT ERS OF JO H N ALEXANDER DOWI E
dancing upon attenuated legs and leeringly charging

me with an innumerable number of teaspoons while ,
b uns and cakes and sandwi c hes and plates o f butter

came flying at my head in every direction and hissing ,
teapots p u ff ed up and down while h o t water ran in ,
every direction around my feet and shower baths o f ,
tea came from above— while to crown all a chorus , ,
“ ”
o f mammas and maidens pouted and cried shame !
in fashionable musical discord ,
.
O h tell it n o t in Gath else the P hilistines will r e

, ,
j oice ! If only the dear creatures in M anly who have ,
“ ”
engaged me at least s i x times to widows and maid
, ,
ens o i all sorts c ould look over my shoulder now it

, ,
would b e su c h fun B ut I am like A esop s frogs who

.
’
app ealed to the boys who stoned them calling o u t , ,
“
what is f u n to you is death to fi s ! ”
There i s only one way out o f the d i f fi c u l ty — as the ,
foxes who had tails were told by o n e who had lost

his in a trap but who had convinced them o f the s u
p e r i o r i ty o f being tailless — “
O nly o n e way to be as
” ”
handsome as I O ff with your tails l A h you s ay , ,
“
j ust the opposite it is adding a tail ,
W ell never .
,
mind if I live I am afraid I will prove the auld maid s

,
’
“ ”
saying true and gang the way we ve a tae gang
,
’ ’
.
S eriously though I am now feeling that if I am to

, ,
settle in N ew S outh W ales or elsewhere I ought to

marry and if I do I mean to
, ‘
“ ”
, N o w that i s plain
, .
,
” “
you s ay .B ut who ? How can I tell ? B ut do y o u
”
n o t know ? N o I do n o t know ; but the B ible tells
,
“
m e that a good wi f e i s from the L ord and sin c e I ,
want a good o n e at all risks I will as k the Lord to ,
send her to me .
O f course i f o n e is looking out for the answer one

, ,
may s e e her coming P erhaps if like Isaa c when .

,
sitting by th e well L ahai r o i ( the well o f the quicken -
ing vision ) I get up and in the eventide walk o u t

-
, ,
into the fields to meditate I too may o n lifting my , , ,
eyes with their qui c kened vision ( they will need to
64
THE PERSONAL LE TT ERS OF JO H N ALEXANDER DOWI E
be washed with the waters of L ahai r o i ) — I to o may -
“ ”
see the camels coming across the lonely fields o f ,
my bachelor life B ut my R ebekah alas is closely .

, ,
veiled and even if I s e e the camels I c annot s ee her

,
.
’
You s e e I have b een studying I saac s story
,
.
S trange coin c idence though that the poor fu gitive , ,
Hagar S hould find that G o d pitied her at probably

the same well o f quickening as that where Isaac s at
meditating o r praying j ust before he arose and found
that G o d had pitied his loneliness and sent him a wife
to com f ort him fo r the loss of his mother A h but .
,
R e b e k ah s and Isaacs are scar c e n o w— even the nam es

are found to be unfashionable .
N ow are y o u n o t— I am — amazed at the length o f

this letter all written during twelve hours Of which
, ,
it h as o c cup ied a good p art ? The weath er was hot

in the morni ng s o I thought I woul d write and in the
, ,
afternoon it rained s o I thought I would keep o n and , ,
between the two I have b een at home all day and ,
produced this Getting weary towards the end I s e e

.
,
that the end is seriously funny but the letter a s a ,
whole i s seriously s erious .
D ear parents pray fo r me It i s a relief to chat

, .
away t o y o u f reely with the pen fo r an hour o r two ;

but it i s a j oy beyond all to think y o u ever pray with
and fo r me H ere b elow I trust we shall yet meet but
.
,
hereafter and above we shall i f we truly trust wholly ,

-
to G o d in Christ M ay that trust deepen widen and .

,
heighten till it fi ll all o u r souls with a glorious co n

,
fi d e n c e of the regenerate children o f G o d who never ,
die .
( D a te d at D vo sh i
e n re H ous e , N e wto wn , S idn ey , N ov 2 5 . , 75
te lls f h i lov f r h i ous i J
o s e o s c n ean e i — make s plea f or h e r— ar gu es a a n g i st
b loo d r l tio sh ip b i g b r t m
e a n e n a o a rr a i g )
e.
D ear F a t her and Mother :

S ince my last I have re c eived on e short letter from
65
TH E P ERSONAL L E TT ERS OF JO H N ALEXANDER DOWI E
y o uwritten 1 n very laconic fashion but containing

, ,
—
some very interesting items and news one item being
of very painful interest .
I symp athize very deeply with H and A in their

great disappointment for I had quite looked forward
,
to being an uncle long ago and my hop es were r e ,
v i v e d by your information o f some months since It .
must be a great sorrow to them and I trust they have

'
carried it to H im wh o can alone mitigate its bittern ess ,
to Him who bore their sins and carried th eir so rrows ,
and who can lead them to dwell forever where sor row
and sighing c annot enter I who am alone as to h u .
,
man near ties can feel for them God has made us n o t .
for solitude but to b e s et in families and when by

, ,
reason o f special trials and disappointments we dwell

in silent lonelihood in o u r homes there are few sor -
rows heavier to bear H o w o ur hearts long fo r som e

.
p erfect visible love and sympathy ever seemingly

,
denied — nay it is only deferred and its fullness shall

, , ,
b e realized hereafter in purer sweeter fo rms than was ,
possible to u s here .
They still have each other and though i t is a trial ,
to be almost p romised a great gift and then lose it ,
yet love remains and these trials borne together make

love stronger and purer .
N ot with meSO I am alone as to such a .
love and p erhap s it i s destined by God that I

'
should ever remain so It may be yea it is H is .

, ,
way s o far as I can see to draw me closer t o Himself

, , ,
the S our c e O f L ove and to find in His work obj ects

,
of love which shall lead me to look forward to the life

hereafter for the realization o f my longings in pure
and per f ect scenes o f heavenly intercourse Hence .
my soul strives to enter more into loving faithful ,
union with God in Christ and praying for more o f His ,
spirit in m y heart I trust to be upheld and led o ut at

,
last into the light There are grand and glorious

.
66
enterprises need ed o n earth fo r the reclamation o f

men in the glory o f G o d and to these I must with ,
‘
more entire devotion give myself and all my powers .
It may b e G o d may have more comfort here fo r me

even in human love than I can n o w conceive to b e
possible .
B ut however that may be I must n o t allow human

, ,
trials to crush me and by God s grace I must do my

,
’
part as bravely as I can L ast night I was greatly .
comforted and strengthened preaching from the text

which h a s b een in my mind with S p ecial force all day .
It is in that glorious S ong o f D eliverance which I saiah

composed o n the occasion probably o f th e d e s tr u c
, , ,
tion o f S enna c herib s army and the raising o f the siege

’
o f J erusalem and the invasion o f J udah D oubtless .

,
to o it i s a M essianic prophetic song and indeed it

, , , ,
was s o applied by the J ews themselves in after ages .
Then we may surely use it .
F or does it n o t become u s thus to rej oice when

“ ’ ”
God s anger is turned away and when He strives to
“ ”
comfo rt u s ? The words o n which I discoursed an d ,
whi c h have given me much c o m r t are :

B ehold G o d is my salvation ;
,
I will trust and n o t b e afraid

, .
Oh , com forts ! H o w good H e is to me

h o w God
today ! My heart h as b een made very sore— yea it i s
n —
sore o w but amid my tears of sorrow I s e e the rain ,
b o w o i God s eternal love spanning the heavens with

’
brilliant hues o f hope and though dark days may come

,
when the rainbow o f promise i s n o t s o clear yet I pray ,
that then I may still be able to s ay — I will trust and

“
”
n o t be afraid .
L ast night after my service three o r four persons

were waiting to speak to me concerning various mat
ters and o n e came home with me fo r a few minutes
, .
W hen I had finished my business with him ( it was a

case requiring much care and has given me a good deal
67
already ) the house felt very hot and close

,
.
O utside it was cool and pleasant so feeling a quiet ,
walk in the starlit night would do me go o d an d help ‘
to soothe my troubled mind I took my hat and walking ,
sti c k and went o u t not intending to c all upon any o n e

,
.
The road I happ ened to take led me by M r C lark s .

’
house and seeing the door open and a light b u r n 1 n g I

, ,
wen t in I found M r and Mrs Clark were both o ut but

. . .
.
—
w as welcomed by M r s Clark s mother an elderly lady
’
who lives a mile o r two from h e r e an d w h o occasionally ,
h as attended my ministry S he was quite alone—only

.
a servant be 1 ng in the back premises I sat down for .
a minute o r two and spok e to her about her family and

,
then ventured to make some few remarks to her about

her spiritual c ondition to w hich she Only made at first
,
a very slow response L et me here say I had attended

.
her daughter frequently upon her death bed a very —

fine Christian young lady who died last y ear I was ,
.
about to rise and go when she suddenly made an o b

,
servation whi c h induced me to remain and soon I ,
f ound s h e w a s in a very deeply anxious state of mind .
S he told me s h e had long wished to s e e me fo r S h e was ,
deeply c on c erned about her soul s salvation and longed ’
to realize p ea c e with G o d S o then we had a long and .
interesting conversation and having b een myself s o ,
c omforted by trusting and n o t fearing I f ound that the ,
W ord o f G o d was dwelling in me j ust then with power .
I esp ecially impressed upon her the S aviour s own ex ’
hortation— B e n o t a f raid ; only b eli eve

“ ”
and the e f
f e c t of o u r quiet talk was marvelous— verily it was the ,
L ord s doing S he said I will trust Him and n o t be

“
’
.
,
afraid ; and we knelt in p rayer and tol d it to God I .
left her M r Clark had n o t then returned and wended

, .
,
s
my way home full o f hear t f elt love an d gr ati t u d e to

G o d that H e had not only c omforted me but anoth er
who had been long seeking ; and with her last words
ringing like quiet j o y b e l l s in my heart in beautiful har ,
mony with the stillness and the starry sky 7— God sent“
,
68
” ?
you s i r ! God sent y o u ! W as it not true
,
I asked
myself How co uld I doubt
.
? E very little circum
stance surroun ding the scene convinced me it was true ;
and something of the awe of J acob the wanderer and ,
lonely friendless man cam e into my heart which ages

, , ,
ago came into h i s whe n he wakened up from his dream ,
under the eastern s k y exclaimed S urely the L ord is , ,
in this place and I knew it not ! ,
I to o then shall raise here in a pile my strong griefs

, ,
and call that p illar an altar of sacrifice in my B ethe ! .
This little incident has cheered me and since it has b een

much in my mind this morning I have b een imp elled ,
to narrate it God i s good . .
A nd now I c an imagine you are somewhat surprised

to read all that I have written as to my sadness and
pain o f heart and wonder why I do not tell y o u plainly
,
wh a t has happened W ell I really do n o t s e e h o w I .

,
can keep it from y o u and yet I do not know h o w to

,
,
tell it E ven n o w I feel strongly tempted to tear up

.
all I have written and n o t add to your troubles any

anxiety about me B ut yet you are my nearest and my .
so rrows are yours and I will n o t longer hide my sever,
est trial f rom y o u I do n o t s e e h o w it will help me to

.
tell you but it will at least relieve y o u and me from

,
something : y o u f rom suspense and surmise me from ,
b earing the burden quite alone I know o n pap er it .
will look very little and perhap s y o u may rej oice or be , ,
inclined to at things b eing a s they are— but it is a

,
matter great beyond exp ression to me and a very gr i e v

ous affliction j ust n o w and fo r I know n o t h o w long ,
p erhaps ever D O try to look at it from my point o f

.
view and give me your symp athy and counsel

, .
W ell it dates back in its beginning to nearly three

, , ,
—
years ago I had the shall I call it misfortune — to
.
,
“ ”
what the world c alls fall in love with my cousin ,
J eanie and I must c onfess it bothered me fo r not a

,
—
little unused as I was o t i t— until I found o u t the
nature o f my complaint .
69
TH E PERSONAL LE TT E R S OF JO H N ALEXANDER DOWI E
B ut what was I to do ? I was in a whirl o f m ind

and blamed myself severely B ut that did n o t alter the .
matter O ur relationship which in th e o r y I had al

.
,
was considered a bar to any marriage I n o w found

‘
.
,
a practical difficulty and other d i f fi c u l t i e s — h o w she

,
th ought how uncle and aunt thought my unsettled

, ,
condi tion etc etc S till all these difficulties did n o t

,
. .
remove the stubborn inward fact that I had gone and

, ,
lost all I had to give o f true first love to any woman .
I did not say m uch I felt I must wait indeed I never , , ,
told her B ut a circumstance occurred where I thought

.
h
s e was r u n n rn g i nto danger — H enning s B all — and I ’
spoke and wrote to her about it in the letter letting ,
”
the cat out o f the b ag in plain language telling her ,
my ac tion proceeded from a very deep and special care

for her welfare and herself .
That letter was not well received I feared it was ,
t o o plain my a ff ection w as n o t reciprocated and there ,

‘
fore I p ressed o n the correspondence with S ydney ,
and left A delaide in less than six weeks from that time .
My hope was that distance and time and oth er asso

,
c i at i o n s might work a cure and hence I hurried away , ,
too proud and to o pained to try again o r to thrust m y

self u pon her yea and caring too much for her to wi sh
, ,
her to do o r say anything n o t spontaneous fo r true ,
happiness must depend upon mutual and equal love .
I came here threw myself into work for God finding

, ,
in that my only happiness and care but as time rolled ,
o n and friends increased I did not find though some ,
times I fancied my thoughts regarding her s u b s tan

,
t i al l y altered Indeed my anxiety to absorb myself

.
,
in work and to crowd my hours o f home So l itude with

,
'
occupation o r to find it outside caused me to neglect ,
my health and my spiri ts were often very l o w H ence

, .
my illness o f last year and fu y sudden trip to M el

bourne . This a ff air wa s indire ctly the cause o f
that illness whic h was much more S erious than I was
,
.
willing to confess to y o u W ell I returned threw .

, ,
70
”
Then uncle b eing very weary retired early and

, , ,
‘
J eanie who had been with me to o u r p r ay e r meeting

, ,
sat chatting with me N ow though we had never b e

.
fore spoken a word to each other about our old inter

esting and painful little e p 1 s o d e yet it w as quite ap ,
parent to us both that it was in our minds I how .

,
ever wished to act with most scrupulous fidelity to

,
un c le and though I had ample opportunity I h ad

, ,
until now never used it to a s k her how s h e was

disposed toward me Fo r 1 n s t an c e o n e whole day
.
,
Thursday last — J eanie and I were away together for

the day up the P aramatta R iver by steamer over the
D omain there and back h ere by train in the evening
uncle keeping at hom e owing to h i s su ff ering from a
scorche d face O n the particular evening to which I
.
n o w allude it all came o u t b etween J eani e and I and ,
that without the slightest premeditation on eith er

side I am quite certain— indeed almost b efore we
,
were both aware we had gli ded into it and qui te as ,
much was s h e to blame as I if indeed there were any ,
blame to b e attributed in the matter — i f there is I , ,
am willing to b ear the whole responsibility It came .
o u t through o u r comparing notes upon o u r conditions ,
and we found we were both free which was apparently ,
a little surprise on both sides F rom that came o ut a .
reference to my letter two years ago which s h e kindly ,
a n d f rankly a c knowledged n o w w as quite right in its
advi c e to her .
Then we naturally an d on my pa rt too quickly,
fo r my j udgment to pass more than a very h asty ap

proval glided o n to the deep question underlying
,
my letter and as to whether we loved each other I

, .
told her j ust what I have narrated to y o u in substance ,
and s h e told m e that though s h e had not thought o f

,
it as much as 1 y et s h e knew s h e cared very much fo r

,
me and could wholly as s h e ought in such a case as

, ,
being my wife implied but for o n e fact that we were

, ,
c ousins This was the substance of what she said

. .
72
Of course this barrier o f relationship has) b een ,
throughout the great o n e and yet is it a real o n e or

, , ,
only a seeming o n e ? i s the question I ask myself S he .
f eels it to be o n e and s o did I ; but that was more the

,
result o f nameless fears o wm g to feelings which I

,
cannot find such real grounds for in reason and in f act ,
as I could in many other marriages n o t op en to this

charge This was the o n e obstacle and it had evi
.
,
d e n t l y been impressed by someone o r other upon her

mind with an almost sup erstitious shadowy dread W e .
found no other difficulty I b elieve S he loves me and

.
,
I do her with a strange intensity n o t the g rowth o f a ,

’ ’
day o r with passion like a b eardless boy s o r a fool s
,
devotion W e parted f o r the night and I do n o t k now

.
,
—
which was the most sorrowful i t was a strange woo
—
ing I only know that fo r some time b efore and since ,
sleep h as been dif fi cult and but fo r God s love and ,

’
goodness work would have b een impossible

, .
In the morning I arose early Uncle and J eani e .
and I had p romised to go down the harbor in a steam

launch for the day and J eanie was to o unwell to come
down to breakfast Uncle had to go in to S ydney and
.
,
was to meet u s at the wharf ; and after he went I found

how J eanie had been crying bitterly about it all W e .
had a little talk about it again and I asked her to allow ,
me to sp eak to uncle but s h e asked me not to E vent

, .
u a l l y we agreed that she would think over it all and ,
then when she go t home she would write and tell me

,
whether I should write to uncle asking h i s consent .
Thus deciding we went with the party for the day

, ,
b eing driven into town in the barouche o f o n e of my

deacons whose wife and some o f my Newtown folks .
and others accompanied us W ednesday yesterday

.
morning came and they were to leave at half past

four in the afternoon I stayed here to see the luggage
.
sent O ff and to attend t o some pressing duties and ,

’
they left here about eleven o clock I arranging t o s ay ,
good b y o n board the steamer I was very sad and

-
.
,
73
premonition o f more sorrow was shading my mind ,
when I went to see them away W hen I go t to the .
steamer and after having said goo d bye to some

,
-
friends who had come to see them J eanie and I went ,
aside at her request and had some talk Then s h e

, ,
.
told me that after leaving me that morning uncle ,
asked her if I had said anything to her and said he ,
knew about my O ld letter .
S he told him I had and what she had promised to

,
—
d o write when s h e go t home and so forth Upon .
this he expressed h i s disapp roval o f the matter as b e ,
ing wrong b etween cousins and to l d her she must ,
write at once and tell me that it could n o t b e S he pr e .
ferred to tell it to me and did s o in this conversation

,
.
That is all .
A nd now what c an I s ay S o far as I know this

?
,
will exercise n o w more than ever a most important

, ,
influence upon my future though it would b e quite ,
premature to say in what particular ways O ne thing .
has b een growing clearer and clearer that however ,
easy it may b e for any p erson in private life to live

singly p ermanently it is as society is at present c o n
, ,
stituted a conditio n full o f vexations and difficulties

,
for a minister o f the Gospel and interferes with the ,
thorough discharge o f his duties N ow you may say .

,
“
There is no reason to reali z e the supposition fo r you ,
may yet marry some o n e else .
I do not think so and I think I know myself better

.
,
than y o u can .
In almost any other position my condition would

be comparatively easy to what it i s now for often it ,
i s almost intolerable and that in ways impossible to

,
express in writing or even in S peech Then at my age .

,
and with my temp erament in these matters it is dif ,
fi c u l t to conceive any likelihood of a d i ff erent disposi

tion o f my a ff ections .
Had this visit n o t revived my love it is possible , ,
and indeed not unlikely that my strong conviction

,
74
of what was necessary in my work might have led me

to seek and possibly to secure a pious and intelligent
, ,
Christian young lady o f my acquaintance wh o would ,
have made me a good wife I am sure B ut seeing what ,

.
I d o n o w more clearly than ever o f my o wn heart s feel

’
ings th at i s n o w impossible H ence the question i s

,
.
o f vital moment to me .
N o w here is the p oint at which I as k your sym

pathy and counsel and if you could do anything
, , ,
your help .
W hen I began this letter to y o u it was with the ,
full intention that i t S hould be quite private and with ,
out desire that other eyes S houl look upon it B ut .
n o w when I b egin to consider how y o u could aid me

,
in this vitally important matter it occurs to me that ,
it might best be done by a calm conference with uncle

upon its subj ect and by showing him this letter as a
, ,
candid history and a permanent statement o f my feel

ings regarding J eanie Yo u might put b efore him my.
views o n this matter and asking him to consider

.
,
whether her future p eage and happ i ness may not b e

bound up in my getting her even as mine appears ,
to be .
I know that he i s a reasonable man wh o loves his

child greatly and he will b e ready I think calmly to
, , ,
review the whole matter should it be prop erly laid b e

fore him Unl ess I am greatly mi staken he is well
.
inclined and friendly toward me and upon n o other ,
ground but that o f our relationship has opposed this

matter L et me then address myself as briefly as
.
possible to that subj ect and state a few facts and co n ,
“ ”
siderations b earing upon the physical question to
'
which he very j ustly attaches considerable importance .
I have studied it and with a full view of all the risks

,
supposed by some to exist I am quite prepared to face ,
them since on me they will pr incipally fall should they

,
ever become realities The stress which he attaches to

.
this V Ie W o f the subj ect must be my excuse for going
75
into details which would without that reason be u n

necessary and undesirable ; and I rely upon his fairly
and dispassionately viewing the matter as o n e o f vital
moment to me upon whom the future troubles were ,
there any would chie fly rest

,
.
W hen uncle was here he spoke to me about an

“
a r ticle which he read in my study in The B ritish
Q uarterly R eview for J uly l s t o n S in and M adness
”
,
F rom a P hysicia n s P oint o f View

’
H e referred to that arti cle with approval and as it ,
did n o t occur to me at the time as having any length

ened allusion to the question of cousins marrying— fo r
I had read it many weeks ago and considered it alto ?
gether a rather weak production which had made n o “
deep impression upon me H e subsequently referred

.
to it conversing with J eanie as containing r easons

,
adverse to o u r wishes .
The only s entence bearing fairly upon cousins mar

“
r y i n g therein is as follows : How far cousins may
marry with safety is a disputed point ; some maintain
w
that they can do s o ith p erfect safety provided both ,
families are free from disease but it i s generally ac ,
knowledged that there is much risk .
This r i s k it is understood applies only to the o ff

, ,
sp r ing O f such a union— o n e do ubtless sufficiently great

—but o n e principally a ff ecting the parties themselves ,
“
b e it obs erved B ut I contend that the disputed
.
point o f o u r reviewer must be decided rather in favor

“
o f those who contend cousins may marry with p er
”
f e c t safety , subj ect to a provision which is I am sure , ,
true to both families .
My conclusion is based upon the following facts

v iz. T hat through o ut th e wh o l e r e c o rd of J e w i s h l aw
an d hi s t o ry thi s pr a ctic e w as n o t o nl
y p e r m i tt e d b u t
e s p e ciall y p e rmitt e d an d app r o ve d i n th e m os t i ll u s tr i
o u s e xa mpl e s ; a n d t h at n o s trict e r o r s e v e r e r m a rri a ge
co d e e v e r e xi s t e d th a n th a t o f t h e J e w s w h i c h m o r e
,
o v e r w a s O f D i v i n e au t h o r i t T o take an instance
y . .
76
TH E PERSONAL LE T T ERS O F JOH N ALEXAND ER DOWI E
J a cob married R achel and L eah his full cousins ,

.
—
daughters o f h i s uncle L aban his mother s b rother
’
and from these were descended th e founders of the

J ewish natio n and through t heir line cam e Christ ac
, ,
cording to the flesh E sau lik ewise married M ahalath

. ,
’
daughter o f Ishmael his uncle and father s b rother
,
.
The Mosaic law famous fo r its model purity con

'
, ,
tains n o prohibition of the sort ; and even after the r e

turn from captivity when ceremonial d efi l e m e n t s were
,
innumerable the R abbis we are told by D r Ginsburg

, ,
.
,
“
held interma rriages b et w een cousins are quite l egi
’
e
”
timate . N o legislation o f modern times in the world
except in Roman Catholic countries h as p roscribed it ,
and it i s sanctioned in E ngland and h ere b y law and

cu stom .
N o ill consequences to o ff spring are traced through

o ut S cripture o r to p arties themselves ; and I feel
certain that the whole a ff air has only a Middle A ge
o r 1 g1 n
,
and has some o f the superstition yet around it
which was imparted to it by the c unning o f a P apacy
for the purpose o f acquiring a more spiritual o r rather ,
superstitious hold upon the people R ememb er the

, .
Church o f Rome has done much to weaken the mar

r i age tie and has subordinated it like every oth er to
, , ,
priestly aggrandizement The prohibition therefore o f .

, ,
anything by it sh ould be vi ewed with suspicion A s .
far a s I can trace the obj ection it rests upon the p ro ,
h i b i t i o n only Of the Church o f Rome and was first ,
formulated at the Council o f Trent which taught tha t

the Church hath power to annu l an y of th e i m p ed i
m e nt s mentioned in L eviticus o r by the A postles add , ,
”
n ew o n e s or di s s o l v e an y n ow i n u s e
, It was this .
arrogant and blasphemous Council which first enacted

the prohibition and all history proves it was only fo r
,
the purpose o f oppression and gain as in the case o f ,
Indulgences D r Croly a great authority o n marriage

.
, ,
remarks : T h e C h u rc h o f R o m e also p roh i b i t s th e

marriage o f first cousins ; but s h e gr an t s a d i s p en s at i o n
77
( a good round sum o f money being first paid ) f o r the

marriage and ,
thus relaxes the practice fOr the
sake o f r ev e nu e A t the same time as thi s horrid p r o
.
h i b i ti o n was made creating a purely imaginary sin

,
fo r gain it also imposed upon E urop e

, ( and B ritain ,
was then Romanist ) other i m p e d i e n t s to marriage

,
arising from spiritual kindred such as godfathers and

godmothers whilst o n the other hand ( for money ) it
, ,
t h r e w w i d e the door to marriages between uncles and

_
“
n 1 ec e s . D r E lliot in his D elineation of R omanism
.
( 14 3 7 ) remarks — “
It is unlawful f o r the Church o f
R om e to restrain other degrees than those which are
commanded in S cripture ” “
T o for b id he continues
.
, ,
“
more degrees in m arriage than what are either di
r e c t l y or indirectly by necessary consequence p r o
h i b i t e d by law is presumptuous as the Most High
, ,
best knew what persons were fit for marriage and how ,
far the line of marriage was intended to reach I .
charge the entire responsibility for my part o f p r o , ,
h i b i t i n g such marriages upon the Church o f R ome ,
and especially in its D ecrees at the Council o f Trent .
I believe there is not an atom of truth against such

marriages in D ivine law o r ancient Christian and J ew
ish practice I b elieve t h e imp ediment was i n ve nt e d
.
,
like many others as a likely pecuniary speculation

, ,
and I fo r o n e repudiate altogether the imposition o f

, ,
such an impediment from such a source as being o f

any value whatever L et the light of truth reveal the
.
baseness of its origin and let the fresh breezes o f ,
D ivine law d r 1 v e away the mists o f traditionary i g

n o r a n c e from our minds which only P apal fi l t h i n es s
,
invented and w h ich i s one o f its c h a i n S n o t the only

,
A
. —
one by any means from which we are not yet free .
This is my honest conviction as in the S ight o f God-

,
and I believe the whole weight o f reason and truth

as shown in experience and D ivine law— will suppo r t
me in it whatever the event may be as to J eanie and I
, .
N O thi s question of our marrying must now be

,
78
T HE PERSONAL LE TT ERS OF JOH N ALEXANDER DOWI E
gra c ious assurance that God s blessing is with m e in ’
my very conscio u sly unworthy endeavors to do H i s

work to pro c laim His will and mercy and to save
, ,
many from eternal ruin .
Un c le knows a little about all t h es e things L et .
him give me as I have h op e he will an indulgent hear

, ,
“ ”
ing and see whether he cannot give me a guard to
,
all my treasures here f ar m ore precious than the

,
golden o n e with which h i s kindness fettered me upon

.
leaving— that guard is J eanie— I need taking care

“ ”
o f and s h e can do it ; and if he will I will promise to ,
value and wear with loving care and p reserve with ,
undimmed brightness that guard — yea hoping that

“
,
we shall shi n e brighter in the life b eyond fo r having

trod life s pathways here in union hand and heart to
’
gether .
N o w why not ? I plead as for that most precious

,
to me ; and p ride or shame are alike cast behind whilst

I think of h o w precious it i s to me to succeed and ,
h o w bleak and barren and stony w i l l t h e way through .
l i fe app ear should I fail D o not think my fe elings

.
are running away with my j udgment in this matter ,
for that is not so There is a calm intensity o f convi e

.
—
tion about my b eing right in this and I have sought
D ivine guidance earnestly to write every word in
simple truth w i thout exaggeration and my reason my , ,
c on s cience my will my love and my j udgment ( five

, ,
inward causes ) all agree in app roving my plea Indeed .

,
“ ”
I h ad almost given in and left M elbourne full of
—
gloom and something like desp air S ydney seemed a
stony heartless desert and every man a floating ice
, ,
berg o n a sea of misery fo r the moment— when there

,
rushed into my mind suddenly while whirling along ,
to N ewtown words which seemed to be accompanied

by the softest o f musical voices thrilling my heart with
fresh hope and trust in new determination— I will “ '
”
trust and not be afraid
, F rom that time the convi e
.
tion h as steadily grown in my mind to try again and ,
80
H a n d wr i tin g o f J oh n A l e xa n de r D o wi e a t th e a g
e o y f ou r
f twe n t - .
Ten y ea r s l a te r .
n ot until I li f ted my pen and began to write to y o u ,
did I begin to s e e that through y o u I might make a

new appeal and enter the lists with my stammering
pen .
No w father I c onstitute y o u my ambassador to

, ,
u ncle mother w i ll d o her part in a loving way I

‘
, ,
know should opportunity o ffer and I beg y o u as early

, ,
as y o u can to have a l On g c hat with uncle about it

all presenting this letter as your c redentials and as
, ,
my plea O n e thing d o — excuse it s not b eing shorter

.
’
and more coherent but both o f y o u will cover that ,
sin with your char ity seeing h o w difficult it is fo r me ,
under the circumstances .
E very word I have written i s my most solemn c o n

v i c t i o n o f what is true and I send thi s letter o n to you ,
wa fted by my fervent prayers fo r its success .
“ ”
A nd now this very long brief b egun on Thursday
closes o n S aturday ; and as I wish to post it in time -
fo r the P and O mail this a fternoon and then proceed

. .
with my preparations fo r tomorrow I must close ,
without re f erenc e to many topi c s o f in t erest to which

we are having our minds dire c ted here in impending ,
changes et c I am very busy and am glad for it help s

, .
, ,
me to get through without f retting There are many .
thi ngs which are making heavy demands upon every

power and the little lull which existed while uncle
,
and J eanie were with me has ended in a gre at pressure ,
of work o f all kinds involving me in much anxiety ,
—
and care sometimes but it i s fo r a gracious M aster I .
’
have three sermons fo r tomorr ow an d they are all
s p e ci a l t wo o r three meetings o n Monday
, two o n ,
Tuesday two on W ednesday o n e o n Thursday are al

, ,
ready o n my list besi des m an y p as to r al duties T oo

'
, .
much y o u say W ell this shows the need for an ad

, .
,
viser and reprover as well as a helper Try to secure .
me this .
I will write again early and meanwhile shall look ,
eagerly for your reply to this , whi c h I do hop e will

'
81
TH E PERSONAL LE TT ERS OF JO H N ALEXAN D ER DOWI E
lift me up and n o t otherwise Indeed if y o u have any .

,
thing especially good to announce let it come over by

the lightning .
.
I hop e this will find y o u and mother well Tell me .
all about her Try and get aunt o n my side I used

. .
to think s h e was ve r y kind and friendly t o me B e a .
good ambassador and I will decorate y o u with another

,
S tar o f L ove and send y o u thanks immeasurable I

,
.
cannot revise this letter W ords may b e missing o r .

,
the sens e obscure but I must leave it ,

.
W ith earnest prayers fo r y o u both ,
I am
(Ju 75— s e ttled in N e wto wn N S Wa les )

'
ne 18 , , . . .
My D ear F riend :
I feel quite ashamed when I look at my letter book
,
and s e e that my last letter to you w as written o n

”
A ugust 2 6t h in last year “
O ut o f S ight y o u have
.
b een but never o u t o f mind and I question whether

,
your name has ever been o u t o f my thoughts and

prayers for a S ingle day D o es it n o t seem strange .
that I have not written for s o long and h o w can I ac ,

“
count for it ? These words— p rocrastination and i n

cessant occupation N o man is too busy to write a
.
few lines and hence I do not excuse myself o n that

,
ac c ount but you know I do not content myself with

,
short letters and put o ff writing therefore until I

, , ,
could fi nd time to write a long o n e Then I have lived .
a very busy li f e sin c e coming to N ew S outh W ales and ,
my work i s now very arduous and important ; but I

felt that I could no longer delay and must find time ,
to write and tell y o u h o w I stand knowing how glad ,
you are to hear always about me P ardon then my .

, ,
past shortcomings and with this assurance at the o u t

,
s e t I S hall the more confidently proceed with my let

,
82
ter which must needs be written in snatches o f time

,
between numerous engagements .
A bout the time I wrote to y o u I also wrote to ,
D onald and mentioned curi ously enough the expres

, , ,
sion o f the minister wh o was then here w h o telling ,
me that he was possibly going to Q ueensland said he ,
was sure that the people o f N ewtown would call me

to the pastoral oversight here and s o it happened and , ,
I accepted .
D oubtless y o u heard from father the details con

c erning this matter and the success which G o d graci
,
o u s l y vouchsafed me at M anly I was ena b led to build .
up a church materially and spiritually there and there ,
are not a few whom God hath brought t o H imself

under my ministry there It was hard to part with .
them after having wrought fo r them s o and they ,
manifested their love in many tokens o f a ff ection in ,
words and little gifts .
I closed my ministry at Manly o n the last S abbath

J anuary and commenced that at N ewtown
on the first S abbath in F ebruary There were months .
of negotiation in various ways before I could feel it ,
my duty to a c c ept the call to N ewtown ; but the formal

call was presented and accepted within a week H ad .
I wished there were many who were prepared to

,
guarantee me fully as good a salary as I am getting

and build a church in a new district o f S ydney named ,
W oolloomooloo n o w o n e o f the most important divi

,
sions o f the city N o doubt it i s necessary and the

.
,
work o f building up a new cause is precisely that which

I love but then N ewtown seemed to have still str onger
,
c laims . The c hurch w as more united in calling me

than it had ever been in i ts history ; and there seemed
to be no one h ere o r in the other colonies wh o b eing ,
available would b e likely to secure so unanimous a

,
call at least prominent men here said s o Then the .
cause was drooping greatly through the vacancy in

the p astorate and n o church in this colony is mor e
,
83
TH E PERSONAL LE TT ERS OF JO HN ALEXAND ER DOW I E
im p ortant to us denominationally from a variety o f ,
reasons .
The population 18 large— generally considered the “
largest suburb o f S ydney— and there are many educa

t i o n al establishments in the vicinity The University .
o f S ydney S t A ndrew s ( S cotch ) C ollege S t J o h n s

, .
’
,
.
’
( R oman Catholic ) College S t P aul s ( Church o f E ng , .

’
land ) College and o u r o wn Congregational College

, ,
“ ” —
named Camden are all in and about N ewtown .
The students both lay and clerical w h o attend

, ,
Camden College are attendants upon my ministry and ,
that i s one reason why o u r church is looked upon as

important Then it i s a large church—over 1 20 mem
.
bers — and seats easily 8 50 p ersons— n o doubt nearly

1 000 p ersons at a pinch The building h as galleries .
“
on three sides ; and there is a large separate building , ,
which we u s e as a schoolroom There are about 3 50 .
or 4 50 on the S abb ath S chool rolls ; and a large staff

'
o f most efficient teachers W e have also a consider .
able lib rary for the children .
The p eople are i n t e l l i ge n t a few rich m any m -

‘
middle class an d a few poor —but the b est o f all many

-
, ,
godly earnest and kind amongst all classes

,
Indeed
, .
,
I have received nothing b ut the gr e atest kindness from

deacons teachers church and congregation ; and also
, ,
warm words Of welcome from the ministers o f other

churches here .
This seemed to me the call o f G o d ; and n o t with

o u t much anxi ety and thought did I accept it I have .
never fo r o n e moment S ince regretted doing so D uring .
my stay the extension and renovation o f the church

,
was completed and paid f o r b etween 500 and 600 .
“ ”
pounds a communion roll ( now a church ) was
formed many o f these members b eing converted under
,
my ministry ; a S abbath S chool and library class ,

’
rooms built and a Young Men s A ssociation formed
.
, ,
were also results with B ible classes etc and from a

, ,
.
,
congregation o f about 20 it s o increased that we were
84
TH E PE R SONAL LE TT ERS OF JO H N ALE X AND ER DOWI E
L ast year you thought o f coming to see me ; and

n ow,
surely y o u will com e this yea r L et me tell y o u .
that n o o n e will b e more heartily welcomed than y o u

will be and all that I have is at your disposal W e
,
.
have money matters to settle between us ; and I should

h op e to b e ready then Hitherto it has been a hard
.
,
str uggle ; and Manly did not really pay my expenses .
N ewtown gives me 3 00 pounds per year ; but my e x

penses have been very high indeed and it will take a ,
very strong pull to get through with the furnishing .
However I have a strong conviction that all will be

,
well ere long an d that I am seein gth e beginning o f an

end t o all financial troubles .
N ow when shall I exp ect you to come

,
? I have
been telling you all about my new home hoping to
attract y o u thither ; and I am sure you will prefer this
to S outh A ustralia in every way
Y o u will of c ourse have heard a great deal about
, ,
the great work of grace going o n in the o l d country ,
in the doing o f which God has s o signally owned the

labours o f M essrs Moody and S ankey
. In letters .
which I have received and still more through news

,
pap ers I learn that the work i n S c otland has attained

,
solidity and p ermanent blessing has followed

, .
The work in E ngland i s truly wondrous L iver .
pool B irmingh am Man c hester a n d L ondon— the

, ,
greatest city in the world— have all been deeply

moved ; and still the work goes on and will I trust , .
W e are praying that great wave o f revival blessing

may cross the mighty deep and overflow o u r lands
,
with i t s blessed influence ; and though it seem to tarry ,
yet I feel often a very strong conviction that times o f

blessing are coming to us also May we be found .
ready to make full use o f the glorious opportunity .
A nd now let me ask you about yourself How .
goes on the work of grace in your o wn heart ? D o

you find much c lo seness t o God in prayer and daily
86
life and more power to speak and act the L ord fo r ?

,
W rite to me fr an k l y f as we used to talk to each other

'
,
and as we s h al l y et again I trust W hy should we n o t .
write as freely about these things as o f less important

things ? N othing can b e more important to o u r
eternal int erest than to know by examination the
“
state o f a ff airs in o u r souls ; and men know right
well the statement i s true in regard to temporal a ff airs .
That morbid fear to sp eak which is often in us is ,
even more dangerous in some resp ects than an over , ,
anxiety to talk of these things In the latter case that .

,
tendency in every reflective mind is corrected by the

nece ssity for reducing things to practice ; and when
men b eg 1 n to pr a ct i c e religion they are careful only ,
to t a l k as much religion as they are p repared to try

to put into practice There is consequently little
.
, ,
danger of o n e w h o is truly Christ s talking too much ’
o f H im and his ways ; and it is indeed a mark of a true
Christian that he i s ever ready to talk with a fellow

“
Christian In the o l d time we read that they that
.
feared the L ord spake O ften one to another and ,
the L ord hearkened and heard it and a b ook o f t e

, ,
m em b r an ce was written b efore H im for them that
feared the L ord and that thought upon His name

, .
“
A nd they shall be mine saith the L ord o f hosts in , ,
that day when I make up my j ewels ; and I will spare

”
them as a man spareth h i s o wn s o n that serveth him
, .
W e read too that while the two disciples were talk

, ,
ing to each other o n the way to E mmaus the L ord ,
Himself drew near and talked with them in words

, ,
that burned within their hearts S o too with us .

, , ,
while we write o r talk to each other o f Him and His

work in us H e listens H e records H e comes near
, , , ,
He talks with u s though unseen and we long to

, ,
s e e the face o f Him whose voice is to us s o sweet .
87
Come then let u s talk about the King

, , ,
O ur great E lder B rother ,
A s we were used often to sp eak ,
O n e to another .
The L ord will stand quietly by ,
In the shadows dim ,
S miling p erhap s in the dark to hear

, , ,
O u r swe et sweet talk o f H im ,

.
These words I have adapted from a b eautiful little

poem o f which you may rememb er me to have been
,
very fond when in S outh A ust ralia and they represent

“
what I mean Come and hear all ye that fear the
.
,
“
L ord wa s the o l d cry and I will tell y o u what H e
, ,
hath done for my soul Thus it is that the world .
will b e won for Christ when we s ay , ,
N ow will I tell to sinners round ,
W hat a dear S aviour I have found ;

“
I ll point to H i s redeeming blood
’
A nd s ay B ehold the way to God

,
‘
.
A nd while we tell others all we know we shall b e ,
increasing o u r knowledge : fo r when you clean o ut

and deep en a well the more does the water flow into it
, .
R ememb er me to all Give all the children assur .
an e c s o f my love I remember all their little faces as

it were yesterday their di ff erent dispositions and ,
ways to o I rememb er the hymns we used to sing

, .
’
together in the little white house on Carter s farm at
A lma P lains It seems only yesterday since I used to
.
,
“
sp eed along on your N ellie under the hills o n my ,
way to L ower A lma preaching station ; and meet you

or D onald sometimes at the slip p anels O ur long .
rides and talks and happy hours together come back

, ,
to me sometimes as memori es laden with p recious

things wafted though they sometimes are upon sighs
,
88
of regret— regret that these opportunit i es were n o t

more valued and improved an d regret that though , ,
years are n ow p ast since then I have lived to s o much ,
less purpose than I might .
W rite to m e soon ; but above all come and see me

soon D on t think I am too grand I am j ust the
.
’
.
‘
’
same ; ay and more radical than ever Y o u know I m
,
.
n o t proud God forbi d when I have so m uch to

.
humble me A nd n o w . the L ord bless thee and keep ,
thee ; the L ord make H i s face to shine upon thee and ,
be gracious unto thee ; the L ord lift up H is co u n te

nance upon thee and give thee p eace ,
is the earnest
,
-
prayer of
Your a ff ectionate friend in Christ J esus ,
J ohn A lexander D owi e .
( Wr i tten to h is be thr o the d—A p ri l 1 ,
I know I wish to do all I can to secure your

happiness and make you a good husb and S ometimes .
I fear lest I should even partly fail through lack of

power o r qualities which many possess ; but then I am
reassured by rememb ering that the will to be brings
the power to do in this as in other things A nd I
, .
know I have the will to b e true and loving to you W e .
shall as k God every day to cha s e all self love and s elf -
will away from o u r hearts and lives S hall it not b e

, .
-
true ? N ever until our wills are in accord with God s ’
can we be happy truly and p ermanently ; and it is a

j oyous thing to live the life God s will appoints My ’
.
griefs and my trials have all sprung from self will -

,
w hich after all is only another name fo r self love or -

,
self worship and G o d h as found me a dull scholar in

-
learning pr acticall y how completely every life must

,
fail in whi ch the first principle is n o t an entire renun

c i at i o n o f self It i s a fearful delusion to imagine that
'
the gladness and beauty of living can be found in a

self pleasing feverish li f e of pleasure Or ease T o do
-
, .
89
quietly as may b e cheerfully and with a light footstep

, ,
the work to which God has call ed us must b e— and s o

far as I have exp erienced it i s the happiest o f lives ,
.
N o t knowing o r forgetting this leads many away into

,
worldly b y p aths into meadows which look cool and

-
,
green into paths o f sin which bring the soul into

, ,
dangers o r dark D oubt and into the hands o f Giant ,
D espair— as B unyan would say— into the H ighway o f

D eath .
W hat a blessing that every Christian carri es in his

bosom the key called P romise ! H e w h o pleads that
in p rayer which G o d hath p romised shall b e delivered , ,
’
and s o get back again to the King s H ighway .
Yo u remember the quaint song which B unyan p uts

into the mouth of Christian and Hopeful when they
were delivered :
O ut of
the way we went and then we found ,
’
W hat twas to tread upon forbidden ground
A nd let them that come after have a care ,
L est heedlessness m akes them as we to fare ; , ,
L est they for t r es s p as s m g his prisoners are

, , ,
W hose castle s D oubting and whose name s D es

’
,
’
”
pa 1 r .
A nd he adds then they went o n till they came

t o t h e D electable Mountains Immanuel s L and ’
.
,
and within sig h t o f H is City A nd s o may we . .
’
R everse the weaver s beautiful silken bril , ,
liant and almost perfect fabric It is all a tangled .
mass o f confused disorderly threads on the side from

,
which he wrought very diff erent indeed to the beauty

,
—
upon which y o u look S o with life the side from .
which we work looks tangled indeed and without ,
’
plans ; but it is n o t s o E very man s life is a plan o f
.
G o d in o n e sense
, O that we could rise o n the wings
.
o f faith and love and vi ew o u r lives from the heavenly

,
S ide which God looks upon !

,
If we wrought out in our lives with the ever
90
TH E PERSONAL LE TT ERS OF JO H N ALEX ANDER DOWI E
pres ent consciousness that H e was working in o u r

‘‘
souls H is o wn good will and pleasure we should ,
n o t fret o r murmur because all the threads did n o t
seem straight an d b e c ause we could n o t quite see

,
H is design .
It is only to b e shown at the Great E xhibition o f

the E ternity when the prizes are to b e accorded to
,
disclose ! A t a great bazaar once I saw

h i b iti on ,
a great crowd o f people pressing eagerly around and

loudly praising an O bj ect o f artistic S kill and b eauty .
A fter a time I got close enough to s e e and I admired

, ,
it too— i t was the most b eautiful obj ect in all the

exhibition and I was told by some one that it had
,
been pur c hased by a great p erson fo r a princely sum .
S uddenly I asked W h o did it

“
? ”
A nd I was told it
was the work o f a poor deformed unknown man who , ,
lived in obscurity and neglect and p overty in a

wretched part of the city B ut he was a true artist . ,
’
and a most wonderful genius Twas strange . .
It seems to me it will be s o at the Great Ex h i b i

tion o f heaven H o w many w h o were O bscure and
.
despised on earth will the n be seen t o have done great

,
and glorious work of E ternal beauty N obody knew .
them here O r if s o they were counted fools and

.
bunglers mayhap knaves and dece i vers o r perhaps

, ,
they were extended a si c kening tolerating patronage ,
which is as degrading to him who would receive it ,
as to him who b estows it .
'
W onderful lives a r e b e i n g woven by patient sub

mission and love to God o n earth Ho w much we have .
spoiled b y sin and folly ! L et us quickly do better to

gether ; and we shall b e blessed in our doing and o n e ,
day God will show us all T 0 get the spirit and tem
per w
.
, e need much prayer and retiring from the ,

-
bustle need to seek God in the stillness I find it s o

, .
amid my many failu res and frailties and I s ay to y o u , ,
J eanie dear get often alone with G o d

, .
91
TH E PERSON AL LE TT ERS OF JO H N ALE XAND E R DOWIE
H ere are a few verses which I wrote some time

ago They may tell you b etter what I mean B ut
. .
do n o t think that I am all my words would make y o u

suppose I am very frail and very faithless often it
.
,
seems to me but the words breathe my desires a n d

,
hop es and strivings to b e what Christ would h ave me .
H o w good to leave the world awhile ,
H o w good to seek o u r S aviour s smile

’
A nd follow in H i s way ;
O h could we but our hearts resign
,
A nd fully trust God s o w n design ‘
W e soon should find it day .
Though night encompass us around ,
Though foes despoil o u r holy ground

A nd cause o u r hearts to fear ,
O ur S aviour from the Mount of P rayer

, ,
T h e feeblest cry doth b end to hear

A nd quickly doth app ear .
The stormy seas H i s feet can tread ,
They hear the Voi ce that wakes the dead ,
“
Commanding P eace b e still , , ,
A nd guided by o u r P ilot s hand ’
—
O ur storm tossed souls shall reach the land ,
P reserved f rom every ill .
I am s o glad y o u c ame here though y o u did not ,
s e e us at o u r b est and brightest Y o u will be heartily

.
welcomed by a p eople among whom today there is not

a j arring note and who are loyal and good to me ;
and y o u will fe el I am sure that this i s hom e I want
, ,
.
y o u to feel that Y o.u are leaving but yet y o u are going

,
—
home to o u r hom e I too have a home once more
.
, , ,
when you ome o make it o

c t n e — hitherto it has been
,
“ ”
my house .
I was very sorry indeed to read what y o u wrote
92
TH E PERSONAL LE TT ERS OF JO H N ALE X AND ER DOWI E
p i l 7 76—w it s f h i pp o h i g m
(A r
'
r e o s a r ac n arr ai ge—r e ligi ous ac t fir s t

—ivi l s o d—m i g f vo bl o s io f
,
c ec n a rr a e a ra e c ca n or m irac le of gr ce ) a .

It seems quite a long time since I had a letter from
y o u ; and I dare say y o u are thinking the same thing
regarding me A re y o u n ot the transgressors this
.
time ? I think I wrote y o u last ; and I am sure that

’
I wrote you longest However if it b e God s will I .
, ,
shall s e e you soon and be able to say more in ten

,
minutes than I could write in ten hours Y o u will .
have long strings o f questions I exp ect My catecheti ,

.
cal instr uction has been entirely suspended since I

s aw you ; and it will b e quite a new experience to be
questioned largely S till my letters have kept y o u s o

.
fully informed as t o my personal history as to leave

little to add ; and then
“
There s always something in th e heart
’
,
W e canna tell to o n y .
T h at which cannot b e told , is that gen erally , ,
which w o rd s could n o t adequately express Indeed .
which w o r d s could only darken and b ecloud There .
” “
runs deep waters in eve ry soul which n o sounding ,
line o f human insight has fathomed— n o t even o u r

”
”
own ; and there are quiet under currents whose
existence is often for long years unrecogni z ed These .
influence unconsciously o u r life in i ts most moment

, ,
o u s i ssues ; but they defy definition : and their power

de fi es arithmetical o r m e t h ap h y s i c al cal c ulation This .
i s an almost new truth to me .
B ut instead o f a letter I seem to be beginning a ,
discourse The ruling passion is strong y o u s e e Y o u

.
, .
have known o f me through J eanie lately I daresay

, ,
.
A s far as I can s e e n o w I will leave here o n F riday , ,
“
M ay 1 2 by P and O branch steamer A voca tran
, . .
,
shipp ing into the Galle steamer at M elbourne and ,
will thus get to G l e n e l y about Thursday M ay 1 8 I , .
suppose the marriage will take place about ten days
94
TH E PERSONAL LE TT ERS OF J O H N ALEXANDER DOWI E ‘
later . J eani e fixes the exact date somewhere between

2 5t h ( my birthday ) and 3 l st .
I hop e there will b e no great fuss made over it .
O f cour s e it will awaken interest in a few an d some ,
excitement —h owever mild— is inevitable ; but such a

quiet and insignificant being as I was amongst y o u in
A delaide may surely claim immunity from making his
private aff airs a public spectacle J eanie wants it in .
the church ; but whilst I of course agree I have ex

, , ,
pressed my desire that the day should be kept secret

as far as possible .
D o not think however that I am nervously ap

, ,
prehensive : for as yo u know I am used to being

, ,
gazed at and am n o t likely to lose my self possession

,
-
in a ceremony with which I am s o practically familiar

from the minister s point o f view
’
.
I only desire to feel that neither J eanie n o r I are

”
on exhibition and every glance and tone under
,
severe scrutiny .
I thoroughly approve o f the idea that marriage is

a religious act fi rst and a civil act next I have n o
, .
sympathy with those who would degrade it to the

“
level o f a civil contract for whilst I admit it is
that and such a contract as the state i s bound to r e
,
cord and recogni z e since it lies at the foundat ion o f

all government yet I co n tend it is much more It is
, .
—
a great mystery a type o f the highest mysteries o f
o u r spiritual a ffinity with Christ— and is the only i n
s t i t u t i o n which ordained in man s innocency in E den

’
, ,
h as been perp etuated unbrokenly since S uch being .
my feeling you can s e e that whilst I should like the

,
brightness and j oy o f P aradise and Cana to ring in

sweetest harmony o u r marriage chimes yet I want to ,
“ ” ”
feel Christ is here today Christ smiles upon us
— Christ transforms o u r 1 n s i i d earthly water into
“
p
sweetest richest heavenly wine — Christ sees us take
,
” “
the cup o f salvation and call upon the name o f the

”
Lord . I am very weak I am very unworthy th e
,
95
honour but H e has himsel f en c ouraged m e by His p as t

,
c ondes c ension t o do i t — I have invited Christ J esus

, ,
my L ord to come to the marriage ; and I expect there-
”
fore to see J esus there I do n o t want the crowd
, .
—
to shut o u t my view of Him then I can see them -
any day ; and b esides I want J esus to do great things

,
“ ”
for u s then and manifest forth H i s glory so that
, ,
the wh i te raiment o f D ivinest brightness may shine

upon J eanie and I A marriage is a favorable occa
.
sion for a miracle o f grace and S ince the House o f ,
the L ord i s to b e o u r marriage pla c e su rely we may

'
exp ect many bright and cheering tokens of H is pres

ence and transforming spiritual power A ngels sung .
A dam s marriage hymn in the abode of human i n

’
nocence and love and all sentient nature from air

, , ,
and earth and s e a j oined in grandest orchest ral

, ,
chorus .
W h o S hall s ay that Christ s o w n children s j oy ’ ’
“
shall be less gloriously attended ? W e are o f the sec
o n d A dam
”
—the L ord from heaven and claim the
sympathy of a more glorious throng than even that
whi c h sung the marriage songs o f E den .
W e know there i s an E den above and i s there not , ,
t o o an E den here ?
,
Thus y o u s e e why I O bj ect to mere fuss B ut per .
haps all my warnings are vain and needless showing ,
t o o much sel f consciousness about that which will

-
create n o widespread inte rest such as would ca use

people to flock to s e e P ossibly this severe self r e fl e c
.
-
tion is j ust and true I will b e very glad ind eed if it

.
proves s o I must get o n quickly now with this

letter fo r there are many interruptions and the mail ,
closes in an hour at N e w to w n W e hav e had a ter .
rible time o f si ckness— since I came here I have bur

i e d twenty fi v e persons— twenty o f them from my own
-
chur c h and congregation ; and I have b een very much

exposed daily amongst fevers o f every sort My health .
is notwithstanding this and my heavy work very

, ,
96
( S ep t . 18 ,
'
—
s l
76 i
e tt n g do wn to m ar r i e d l if —d p lo r
e e es l n gu id
a
st
a te o hu r h s )
f c c e .
D ear F ather and Mother :

You are no doubt getting quite amazed at my long
silence and yet I am quite sure you would n ot deal
,
too hardly with me even in your thoughts However .

,
I have not kept y o u waiting nearly so long as you did

me an d there is thi s also in my favor that I have a
, ,
g reat deal to do B ut I have reason after

. all to b e
greatly ashamed of myself A nd can only say I will .
try to b e a b etter boy in future .
W e are well and very thankful to God for that

b less i ng S ometimes I feel anything but well and so
.
,
very weary both in mind and body There is such a .
constant strain on every faculty an d s o many contra ,
d i c to r y sorts of mental constitutions to deal with that ,
“
I am ready to s ay any work would b e better than
”
this . Then some cheering prospect will unfold itself
and all will be hop e in a moment again God is very .
goo d and p atient toward me .
There are s o many things to tell that I scarcely

know where to begin A t home may b e best : so I will .
tell you about ourselv es and our p ersonal concerns ,
and then go on from that to our church matters and

a ff airs generally .
W e are quietly settling down to our married life ,
and we do not fi n d— contrary to all the cynical phil

osophy o f unregenerate b achelordom— that when the ,
first excitement is over o u r love grows colder and our , ,
perception o f failures keener O n the contrary we .

,
love each other more and understand each other bet ,
ter and do not find that we have any disposition to

,
magnify little points o f di ff erence J eani e is now b e

’
ginning to feel her feet as it were and to fill her posi , ,
tion with more ease and pleasure every day S he is .
n o t at all fussy and forward— two qualities u n fo r
t u n at e l y found in some ministers wives as to their

’
sorrow some ministers and churches know By and .
98
TH E PERSONAL LE TT ERS OF JO H N ALEXANDER DOW I E
by s h e will be able to do many little things and al

‘
,
ready is v e r y u s e f u l at o u r W orking M eeting for L a

—
dies and in o u r D orcas S o ciety which held its last
meeting for three o r four hours work in o u r dining ’
room o n F riday last .
W e are getting th rough a good many o f o u r r e

turn visits and hop e in a month o r two to get through
,
all I am sure J eanie is making quietly an excellent

.
impression and will grow to be greatly b eloved as s h e

, ,
deserves to b e S he by no means neglects her home

.
,
and her husb and h as reason to b e grateful to G o d fo r

a good wife O u r home is ever so much brighter and
.
,
we hop e it will b e brighter still in the days to come .
W e find plenty o f needful discipline in the cares and ,
anxieties inevitable to all in some way o r other and ,
fo r that to o we should be thank f ul for G o d knows

, , ,
what i s b est fo r us .
O u r home begins to look more homelike and little ,
’
evidences here and there of a lady s presence and taste
are taking away the look of sti ff ness which used to
pervade it .
R egarding our church there are many things t o,
cheer ; but it is rather a time o f sowing and tilling than

o f reaping .My great desire is to sound and strong
work .
There are many who are awaking to more earnest

prayer and e ff ort than ever before and what with ,
those who are engaged in S abbath S chool work in d i s ,
t r i ct visitation and in other ways it may b e said that

, ,
nearly t wo thirds o f the actual communicants are

-
working directly fo r Christ There a r e drones o f .

,
c ourse , and there are hinderers but there are a ma ,
j o r i t y of workers in o u r —
vineyard o r rather this part
of the L ord s vineyard By and by when we have
’
.
drunk o f the wine o f spiritual success we shall see that ,
we have n o t laboured in vain n o r S p ent o u r strength

fo r naught Come what may every day convinces me
.
,
that I am engaged in the grandest and noblest work
99
fo r G o d , and as long as H e keep s me in it I shall keep ,
right o n working fo r H im in the great harvest fi elds ,

“
of life P ray fo r me that utterance may b e given unto
.
me that I may op en my mouth boldly to make known

, ,
”
the mystery of the Gosp el Men around me who love
.
the L ord are praying for me thus and I believe that ,
devils too are working with their might to try and

, ,
hinder the work o f the L ord in our midst .
D O keep on praying for me I never needed prayer .
more than now : for never more strongly than n o w w as

I tempted to think I had erred in entering upon the
ministry at al l and require all the sympathy and sup
,
port I can get to uphold me in this great warfare .
S ometimes I feel overwhelmed with the vastness o f

the work with the terrible weight o f my responsibility
, ,
and with my weakn ess ignorance and sin There are

,
.
none who can love the L ord and who can love the
souls o f men without meeting the malice of men and ,
I am no exception This is my condition j ust n o w

.
,
an d I have recently b een exposed to malice in a p e
c u l i ar l y bitter an d painful form .
E nough o f that I must go on doing what seems

.
to b e right in God s sight and I can only do that by

’
,
ob eying H i s W ord and the teaching of His S pirit in

my conscience .
O ur district work has aroused the Roman Catholic

priests to vigorous action amongst thei r flock I am ~ ,
told and th ey are warning against the heretics who

,
are weekly going from house to house A s regards .
the liquo r dealers I have done little b eyond what I

,
have said i n the pulpit concerning their action and ,

’
I don t think there are any such who sit in my church .
B ut we are preparing fo r them .
The committee o f the Union have unanimously

requested me to read a paper o n Intemp erance at the
next annual meetings to be held next month I have .
agreed I shall take strong ground and deal plainly

.
,
with the whole matter N o w has arrived my time .
1 00
How thankful I feel to God who has protected and ‘
p reserved me in my j ourneyings to and fr o ; and when

I think o f o u r passage from A delaide a few months
ago I often wonder we escaped H ad it b een j ust a.
little rougher the greed of the overloadin g port

agents would have b rough u s to a wa tery grave ;
fo r as it was the s ea was breaking over us and in ,
weather like the recent hurricane the ship would not

h ave lived three hours .
The correspondence I have referred to arose o u t o f

“ ”
a leader published in the H erald and is a case o f
“ ”
the pot and the kettle The H er ald devotes whole
.
columns o f betting business at T atte r s al s spicy ,
a c c o u n t s o f the stakes and morning canters etc

a
with
,
.
,
“ ”
long s ensational accounts o f the S port at R and
,
—
wick where every blackleg and scoundrel wh o can
get from S ydney and M elbourne assembles to in
i
“ ”
d u l ge in the noble p astime which occupies the at
,
”
tention O f the gentlemen O f the country whose names
are enrolled in the scroll o f sporting fame by the so
called first gentlemen m it .
It w as therefore a merited rebuke when o u r h o r

“ ”
sey Governor charged upon the H erald the chief
responsibilities o f the impetus given to the o p era
tion o f the b etting ring who like vultures with a
,
taste fo r putridity scent a race and its abominations

afar O ff and hasten to plunge their foul b eaks and u n
,
clean talons into the hearts o f the foolish and g reedy

throngs o f f ools A r a c1 n g week in S ydney is a car
.
nival o f all abominations— i t is said p ersons

attend— and leaves deadly results It has been
.
shown that the race s are held upon part o f o u r wa

ter reserves and as a gathering area and that the
, ,
filth and garbage ad n au s e am is carefully carried

down into the B otany D am from whence S ydney is
supplied with its water thus carrying dirt disease
-
,
and death into every house through every tap A nd

, “
this is the work encouraged by a wise statesman ,
l o2
TH E PERSONAL LE TT ERS OF JO HN ALEXANDER DOWI E
and a Christian philanthropist The moral results .
of the race course are like the physical : it carries a

mor al death into every part of o u r social system and ,
is proving the ruin o f thoughtless thousands .
A nd this is the man whose treasury is swollen by

,
the proceeds o f the race course who is to be elected ,
our chairman for 1 8 77 8 if some can carry o ut their

-
,
plans W hat a spectacle ! I am ashamed o f the

.
wh ole a ff air ; and it seems to me quite certain that

the L ord J esus o r P aul o r any N ew Testament sai nt
, ,
would roundly condemn any man w h o claimed to be

a Christian having a business— n ewspaper o r other
wise— the profits o f which were deriv ed from adv er
t i s i n g operas theaters falsehoods about medicinal
, ,
pills horse races betting etc etc These are the

, , , . .
things that do more to disgrace and hinder the cause

o f Christ than any number o f infidel attacks upon D i
,
vine revelation How can we wonder if the Gospel

.
does not spread when leading professors are making

,
“ ”
o f God s temple only
’
a den o f thieves ? H o w can
we wonder when instead O f b eing living e pi s tl es
, ,
known and read o f man many are read only

t o o plainly by all men who are not born idiots ,
to b e mere M ammon worshippers ? I do not

wonder at the spread o f secularism and material
’
ism amongst those who do not study Christ s char
acter but wh o only j udge o f Christianity by many
,
o f the sp ecimens with whom they c ome c losest into
contact I s o l e m l y declare I will never sit under the

.
presidency o f J ohn F airfax— never !

A nd now I must close this long screed hoping ,
that I shall hear from you soon good news as to the

health o f body and S pirit M ay G o d give y o u much .
o f His lov e in your heart to draw you close to His
comforts and j oy in Christ of His faith to see and ,
grasp the unseen realities beyond earth s shadowy ’
passions o f His light to make the path o f your life

,
all clear an d at eventide clearest o f all and o f Hi s

, ,
1 03
p eace to keep your heart calm and confident amid all

!
the vicissitudes o f all i ts trials Yet a little while .
’
and we shall rest from earthly toil Ti s worth all .
the agony a thousand fold to win a crown more e n

, ,
—
during then earthly gold the Crown o f L ife will
then replace the Crown o f Thorns and the welcome
.
o f Christ will far outweigh the rej ection o f men M ay .
I b e faithful unto death and whoever passes through

,
the portals first let him o r her find that we are each
,
fo llowing o ne by o n e into heaven s rest ’
( D evo n sh ir e Hous e N e wto wn S idn ey N S Wa les Mar ch 16 1 8 77

, , , . . , , .
Th is le tter was a ckn o wledge d by Mr G la ds to n e wh o exp r ess ed h is ap

. ,
pr ec ia tio n of th e sa m e an d sy mp a thy with th e wr iter s a im s )

,
'
.
To the R igh t H o n W E Gladstone M P

. . .
,
. .
R ight Honorable and D e ar S ir :

In this remote portion o f the B ritish D ominions ,
we are not without o u r share in the great controversies

which are profoundly agitating our F atherland and
E urop e generally .
N ot least of these i s that concerning the present

asp ect of P ap alism towards the consciences and the
liberties o f men everywhere and since you have taken , ,
a foremost place amongst contemporary men in laying

bare the real nature o f the great conspiracy against
all progress and freedom now embodied in the P apacy ,
I have taken the great liberty o f forwarding to y o u

by t h is mail a p amphlet written by myself exposing ,
the f al ac i e s and the fictions o f the champion orator

o f P ap alism l n A ustralia D r R oger B Vaughan ,
. .
,
R oman Catholic A rc h B ishop of S ydney .
Y o u will s ee from pages 3 7 how he has dealt with

“ ” “
your late article in the Contemporary o n The Cours
”
es o f R eligious Thought which very e ff ectively i l ,
lustrates I think the truth o f your eight charges

, ,
“
against Ultramontanism vi z its t endency to sap ver
,
ac i ty in the individual mind .
1 04
caus es I b elieve there are no Chairs either o f H is

,
tory o r M etap hysics o r Moral P hilo sophy in o u r

, ,
University s o that A ustralian born and educated

,
p eople are very largely a prey to any orator w h o

has impudence o r unscrupulousness enough to p al m ~
O ff o n them fables fo r facts o r rhetoric for r easons ,

.
'
Third the sorrowful fact that the s i n e qu a n o n of

,
that mighty power the N ewspaper P ress i s here as

, ,
“
elsewhere that P luto shall b e prop itious so that will ,
”
it pay ? is the primary question in every case and ,
consequently the fanaticism o f P apalism is skillfully

,
deferred to fo r purely commercial reasons .
A s an illustration I may state that D r Vaughan s

, .
’
address o f O ctob er 9 last delivered to little more than

,
p ersons I am informed w as p ublished in ext e n s o

, ,
the next day in the S unday Morning H erald o u r

“ ”
,
only morning pap er occupying about 1 3 c o l u m s o f

,
small typ e whilst my lectures delivered first in thi s

, ,
s uburb to nearly a thousand persons and then to ,
audiences which fi lled the largest publi c hall in S yd

ney — s a in all to over persons — did n o t receive
y ,
in all the paragrap h notices more than half a column , .
I s ay this from n o feeling of p ersonal annoyance ,
I trust but simply as a fact b eyond dispute which

, ,
"
aris es either f rom the cause I name o r an even less ,
creditable o n e Y o u will therefore s ee the nature

.
,
‘
,
and importance of some of the diff iculties with which

we are surrounded in dealing with such subj ects in ,
this colony .
O n the other hand there are many things in this

,
land f avorable to the extension o f the truth and there ,
are hundreds o f thousands o f good men who in every ,
dep artment o f A ustralian life are labouring in a hope ,
that true liberty and r i gh to u s n e s s may prosper and

exalt the rising nations of this continent .
F orgive me if I have trespassed to o long upon your

,
attention but the subj e c t is one in which I feel a deep

,
interes t n o t only as a citizen but as a Christian con

, ,
1 06
v i n ce d as I am that the P apal system i s not only

dangerous to true political freedom but is oppose d to
the extension o f the R edeemer s Kingdom in the hearts ’
of men Knowing that this i s also your conviction I

.
,
feel sure o f your sympathy with me in my imp erfect

endeavors to follow in a contest where y o u have s o
nobly led .
M ay I then hope that you will be pleased to accept

my pamphlet as a trib ute o f my most profound respect ,
and my admiration for your noble work as a statement

and author ?
Very sincerely d o I regret that it is not more

worthy o f your acceptance and I can only hop e that ,
y o u will look upon it as the fi rst e ff ort in this direction

o f a man still young and almost without literary ex ,
p er i e n c e S ince I am about it I may as well state

.
, ,
since it may give y o u even a moment s pleasure that ’
my fi rst born child j ust given to me is named by us, ,
A lexander J ohn Gladstone as a memorial of my grati ,
tude for your noble services and that reverent regard ,
fo r your character with which your life s work has i m

’
,
pressed me .
A gain I solicit your forgiveness fo r my long tres

pass o n your attention and praying that o u r A lmighty ,
G o d and F ather may bless you and yours for His dear ,
S on s sake with peace love and j oy o f S pirit now and

’
, ,
forever ,
I am with resp ectful esteem

, ,
( D a te d f r o m C am den S tre e t Ne wto wn

, , S idn ey N
, . S . W O c tob er
22 ,
My dear W ife :
Your most welcome letter o f 1 5t h reached me this
morning and I was glad to know you were stronger ,
and that our wee p et was well excepting the slight ,
c old you mentioned and from which I trust he i s ,
1 07
TH E PERSONAL LE TT ERS OF JO H N AL EXAN DER DOWIE
who ll y recovered now I thank G o d fo r H i s me r cy and

.
care over y o u i n your j ourney .
Y o u know already from my previous letters that the

letter y o u mention as having been written f rom S cotts ’
Hotel M elbourne never rea c hed m e and that I am

, , ,
quite igno rant o f the events which happ ened up t o t h at ~
time o r h o w it wa s that y o u came to b e there P lease .
tell me all about that p art o f your j ourney and to

whom y o u gave the letter which never reached me .
I am thankful to the M e a do wcr o ft s fo r their kind

ness t o y o u and sorry that poor M
,
has such hard
ti m es You did right about the money though I will
.
,
never ask them for th e balance until they seem more

able to pay it but will leave it to their own time : for
,
with s o many children it seems to me they must b e

only o n e removed from positive need and though I ,
am poor I will not verify S olomon s proverb — A poor

,
“ ’
man that oppress eth the poor i s like a sweep ing rain
”
which leaveth no food .
A bout your question as to h o w I go t o n upon the ,
W ednesday evening after y o u left the evening upon ,
which the stars shining o u t overhead in the S ky

, ,
seemed to raise your heart t o thoughts o f God and by ,
H is conscious p resence make you t o trust H im with

a fi rmer faith and a p urer love— a p resence which
c aus ed y o u r d e p r e s s i o n to fl y— and no wonder fo,r ,
darkness always flees b efore D ivine L ight in the soul .
W ell I must thank you for p raying fo r me then :

,
f o r j ust about that very time p rob ably from what you
,
s ay a quarter o f an hour later I had an especial bless

, ,
ing at my meeting where without a single note I

, ,
prea c hed a most comforting and strengthening dis

course t o a very mu c h larger audien c e than usual A nd .
this i s more remarkable still when I ment i on the text ,
whi c h c ame to my mind with mu c h force j ust about

o n e quarter p ast seven o clock in the second chapter
’
,
o f M atthew ,
l ot h vers e — “
W hen they s aw the star ,
”
they rej oi c ed with ex c eeding great j oy I have seldom .
1 08
T HE PERSONAL LE TT ERS OF JO H N ALEXANDER DOWIE
Yes and we shall know H im in many ways yet

,
more b eautiful than these when we get nearer to Him ,
and lose sight of the Star in the cons ciousness at last

that we are in the P resence of the S on o f R ighteous
ness who is the L ight u n c e as i n g o f the home o f life
,
‘
i n H eaven itself M eanwhile we must j ourney on

.
, ,
and when clouds and darkness seem to veil the heavens

above u s s o that we cannot s e e the S tar let us have
"
the L ight o f it within us which assures t h at there IS

a S tar b ehind these clouds S ays one : .
I rememb er well
O n e j ourney how I feared the track was missed
,
S o long the City I desired to reach

L ay hid ; when suddenly its S pires afar
F lashed through the cir c ling clouds ; conceive my
’
F o r soon the vapours closed o er it again .
B ut I had s een the City and o n e such glance ,
N o darkness could ob s c ure .
S ometimes darling I am ready to say to myself

, ,
Yo u have missed the track— you are going without

c lear guidance — y o u will stumble and fall in the dark
ness and woe to him that falleth when he is alone

,
v o u s e e everybody thinks s o and even E gypt though , ,
y o u were bound was better than the D esert

,
where you
are sure to die for there i s meat flesh and wine there
, , ,
in abundance and what though all are S laves there

,
is it not better to b e a slave and fat rather than be free

and die besides what good can y o u do going out to
-
conquer armed foes in Canaan ( call it S ydney ) who

are strong and don t c are for your J oshua ( say J esus )
’
and can easily beat y o u w h o have go t no money to

carry on a war with and no big cannons to break down ,
the walls o f prej udice in thousands o f hearts— go back ,
”
go back before you are ruined !
,
A nd then to make matt ers worse I seem to hear

, ,
the elder brethren add their sneers— I have heard

”
110
T HE PERSONAL LE TT ERS OF JO H N ALEXA NDER DOWI E
them before— and some E liab saying W hy comes t .
t h o u down hither ? and with whom hast thou left thes e

few sheep in the wilderness ? I know thy p ride and th e
naughtiness o f thine heart ; fo r thou art come down
”
that thou mightest s e e the battle T o all which I .
can only s ay as D avid said long ago — W hat have I

“
”
n o w done ? Is there n o t a cau s e ?
Then turning to my o wn heart having first turned ,
my soul to G o d I rebuke my faithless fears and

, ,
silence the cunning whisp ers o f the Tempter Fo r I .
can s ay — I kno w I m o n the right track— I kn o w wh o

“ ’
guided me to enter upon it and that it was fo r H i s ,
glory I begun to tread it fo r H i s glory I intend to ,
continue in and to finish i t— I know I may stumble ,
but that will b e my o wn fault and I know at the sam e ,
time that I am not alon e fo r G o d i s with me and for m e

,
s o that even I can s ay R ej oice n o t against me O mine

,
‘
,
enemy ; when I fall I shall arise ; when I s i t i n darkness

'
the L ord will b e a light unto me — I don t care what ’ ’
‘
everybody thinks o r says if that is contrary to God s
’ ’
‘
thoughts and ways : fo r I will hear what God
the L ord will sp eak — I don t believe it would ’ ’
be b etter to go b ack to E gypt I hate its ,

’
wine a n d flesh I don t murmur for
, quails ‘ ’
,
’
and there s p lenty o f manna fo r today with a promi s e
’
o f plenty tomorrow I don t b elieve I shall die in the
,
D esert and even s o I had rather starve and die there

,
where G o d calls me than live f at and a slave under any

P haroah either in church o r state ; fo r I would b e sure
to get to heaven from the D esert a more than doubt ,
ful matter if I died in E gy pt I can conquer without .
money in S ydney ( Christ and P eter and P aul and all

H i s fi rst followers and many o f H i s best in all ages
had none— they became poor yet they conquered J eru
‘ ’
salem Rome A thens— the world ) and those who

, ,
don t c are n o w fo r my J oshua will soon if I am faithful

’
, ,
fo r H e makes Hi s victorious p resence and power felt ,
and men m u s t listen even if they are H i s enemies

,
!
111
‘
fo r N ever man spake like this man is always their ’
verdict now as it w as long ago ; and as for money to

c arry o n the war with I have God s P r o m i S O r y N ote
,
’
pa y able o n d emand o f f aithful P rayer at the Throne ,
‘
the Treasu r y of Gra c e for all things ( i s it n O t written ’
G o d s h all s upp l y al l yo u r need according t o H i s riche s

‘
in glor y in C hri s t J e s u s and w h o goeth a warfare at ’ ‘
any tim e at h i s o w n c harges and H e is my B a c ker ,
ay ,
and H e c a n open the hearts o f men to s e e that all
my prop er wants are supplied in H is service fo r all ,
men are H is and all they have they hold as stewards

o n a short lease t o be employed for H im — I can get
“
plenty o f cannon to batter down the W alls o f P rej udice

in human hearts fo r the whole A rmory of H eaven is
,
at my disposal if I am true to G od and I know a Trum ,
pet before the sound of whi c h no J ericho W alls of

P ride can stand — the gosp el Trumpet when breathed
,
into by the S pirit o f Truth and L ove I know I shall .
not b e killed outright and I am certain to conquer even

,
if I die in the fight and I w on t I won t go back an

,
’
,
’
in ch s o l o ng as G o d ple as e s t o s ay go f o r ward A nd
,
‘ ’
.
‘
why ? f o r though I am a worm and no man yet to all ’
‘
who are convenant with Christ God h as said F ear , ,
n ot ,thou worm J acob and ye men of Israel ; I will ,
help the e saith the L ord an d thy R edeemer the Holy

, , ,
O ne o f I srael B ehold I will make th ee a new sharp

.
,
threshing instrument having teeth : thou shalt thresh

the mountain s and b eat them small and shalt make
, ,
th e hills as chaff Thou shalt fan them and the wind

.
,
shall carry them away and the whirlwind shall scatter ,
them : and th o u s halt r ej oic e in t h e L ord an d glory ,
in th e H oly O n e o f
N ow this is my strength these are my resources , ,
these works are my purposes and in the L ord— the ,
S tar that never sets— i s my rej oicing and H i s victory ,
—
is my glory W ith all humility and prayer for deep
.
e n i n g within and all fo es without for knowing from ,
my heart that I neither covet worldly wealth nor h o n
112
THE P ERSONAL LE TT ERS OF JO H N ALEXANDER DOWIE
ours knowing that I am p ersonally content with such

,
things I have and relying upon Him who has said

,
“ ”
I will n e v e r le ave th e e n o r f o r s ak e th e e I too may , ,
boldly s ay The L o r d is my h l p er and I will not

“ '
f ear what man shall do unto me

e”
.
,
A nd J eanie my love this is my answer to th e

, , ,
’
words o f your f ather s o r my f ather s who instead ’
, ,
o f giving sympathy sneers at f aith ,

I do n ot .
need to be told that my life has been full o f

sins and errors o f j udgment an d certainly when I am ,
su ff ering do n o t need any o f my nearest to j oin in the ,
“ ”
cry H e saved others himself he cannot save which , ,
c omes to me now as to many S ince Christ heard it in
H i s hour o f darkness— thoug h then it came f rom His

enemies I have confessed my s i ns to a fo r g1 v 1 n g and
.
gracious God I have even confessed to man a n d I

, ,
have done am do rn g and shall do what in me lies

, , , ,
aided by G o d to s e e that no one suff ers p ermanent loss

,
’
through my errors and t h rough my o v e r co n fi d e n c e i n
,
men who S hould have b een trustworthy .
B ut I f ail to s e e any one s right to reproach me ’
'
,
simply be c ause I did n o t burden them with my

troubles ; and I n o w s ay without an y anger b ut with
calm deliberation if y o u find yourself and o u r pet
,
looked upon thus in the slightest degree y o u are to ,
come back to me at once for I will not have that no , _ , ,
n o t f o r a moment I c an keep y o u here as y o u know

.
, ,
and I would a thousand tim es rather submit to any

privation than have y o u there o r anywhere
“
looked upo n as o n e o f my troubles thrown upon
other p eople fo r y o u t wo are my g r eatest earthly com
,
forts whom it was hard to part with even for a time

, ,
whom it is harder still to do without as I daily find ,
and whom I want b ack the first day they ceas e to b e

happy in A delaide Indeed even more than y o u kno w
.
, ,
it was for your sakes I let you go B ut come b ack at ’
once I c harge you if you are unc o mfortable o r u n

, ,
welcome i n the smallest degree D on t think that I .

’
TH E PERSONAL LE TT ERS OF JO HN ALEXAND ER DOWI E
have misread your letter ; your father i s kind to y o u

“
and wants you to eat well sleep well and live o u t , ,
in the op en air — all ve r y goo d— and s o do I— but you

”
could have done all that without leaving N ew S outh

“
W ales B ut that does n o t make kindness if I am to
.
b e sneered at for surely my sorrow will b e yours and

, ,
I am hurt and s ad to get these words from him— h e

S hall yet s e e that God s p eople are a s richly fed as
’
ever they were when manna fell from heaven for every ,
day H e gives them daily b read ; and though he is our

father and I desire to treat him as y o u know I have
, , ,
with all due resp ect in word and deed yet he shall not ,
sneer at the p romis es o f my F at h er in H eaven with

impunity whilst I at least can sp eak a word or write
,
a line to protest— fo r that is really what h i s words

“ ”
amount to in my opinion A s for quails from
,
.
heaven I never asked for them never sighed for them

, , ,
and don t want them— th ey are game which the

’ “ ”
world s eeks after and are emblems o f that food which

,
i s desired by the unfaithful Christians who murmur at

the food G o d p rovides— M anna and Truth— and get
“ ”
quails b ut with a curs e from the lip s o f G o d while
,
“
the flesh fo r which they have lusted is still within
their teeth — no I don t want quails from heaven
“
,
’
,
“ ”
in case I may get the p lague too .
N o w a s fo r writing again and arguing the matter

a s y o u suggest I will d o nothing o f the kind
,
I have .
written one letter whi c h c ontains all t h e facts and

arguments which i s n o t answered and I can add
, ,
nothing t o i t —a letter which had I thought such com ,
ment would b e made o n the writer I would never have ,
written ; fo r a s you know it was pain f ul t o write and

, ,
a p ain that might have been sp ared as I n o w s e e The , .
absurd telegram f o r more in f ormation pained me too ,
becaus e it was sent to me after reading two letters

to whi c h I could scar c ely by any possib ility add an
other fact I thought if anything could b e full it was
.
1 14
TH E PE R SONAL LE TT ERS OF JO H N ALEXA NDER DOWI E
arrows fo r many a year as th ey both know to their ,
mutual co st ; b ut I am determined if possible that they , ,
shall n o t even thoughtlessly do this to me .
O ctob er 2 3 r d .
L ooking b ack this morning over what I wrote

yesterday I find a good many things r ather more
strongly expressed p erhaps than I would care for any
, ,
o n e else t o s e e b ut y o u to whom alone I write ; and yet
there i s n o substantial alteration in my views therein

expressed a fter a goo d deal o f refle c tion S o you will .
please my lo ve consi der them as exp ressing my

, ,
thoughts and wishes in substance even though were ,
I to rewrite them it might be in a milder form How .
ever you know me now too well t o imagine that there

i s anything o f p ersonal rancor in my apostrophes for ,
y o u know my tendency t o forcible expressions regard

ing what I s e e to b e dangerous things Y o u will not .
’
need that I should s ay that I don t hate your father
fo r what he sai d though I very heartily hate and strike
,
at what he did s ay as wrong in itself and not very

, ,
kindly o r tenderly con c eived so far as I w as concerned ,
b ecause my present position vi ewed from the human

.
,
standpoint is not very enviable and very hazardous

, , ,
I fully admit Wh en a man is climbing up the face of

.
a p recipitous cli ff with stormy s e a and sharp rocks

,
far b eneath him it would scarcely b e kind no m atter

, ,
h o w strong and sure footed he might b e f o r any o n e ,
“
t o shout G O back ! Y o u will fall and kill yourself if
”
you go a single step further ! A nd though I will not
s ay that is really my position f o r viewing it from the ,
D ivine side I would s ay that even were I which is

, ,
likely enough in a dangerous human position ( fo r I

,
carry my li f e and all as every o n e does with but a

, ,
step b etween me and death ) there is no reason to fear .
P salm XC expresses my highest exp ectations and ,
its promis es ful fi ll my highest longings and still my

clamorous fears into quiet con fi dence I do not intend .
t o c ast mysel f down to prove the 1 l th an d 1 2 t h verses ,
116
any more than o u r L ord did in the Temptatio n fo r my ,
aim is to get higher by doing work to which G o d ap

points me and I know that j ust s o long as I am faith
,
ful to G o d and H is work— and that I want to b e H e

knows— j ust s o long may I safely s ay o f disaster or o f
” “ ‘
death It shall n o t come nigh me and H e will .
be with me in trouble and deliver me and honour me

, ,
.
D id y o u ever ob serve a bird— o r even a fl y— cling

ing to the f ace o f a p recip ice ?
I am sure when y o u did you were n o t concerned
, ,
about the fl y s safety o r fear that the rock was giving

’
,
way and that the fly was about to b e plunged into the

,
gulf N either may you fear i f y o u and I are clinging

.
,
t o the R o c k and hiding in some little cleft o f Him for ,
H e can keep us where life would seem to b e impossible ,
because H e Himself the Ro c k o f A ges must b e torn

, ,
away from H i s everlasting foundations o f O mni

poten c e ere the we akest believer that hangs upon Him
can perish Is n o t that a firm foundation for us to
.
build upon ?
I had rather though I am myself o n e o f the very
,
weakest o f His children build my house there though,
it made but a very poor appearance to the sneering

f —
fools o earth yea I h a d rather do this ten thousand
, ,
times rather than own all the palaces and treasures o f

,
the world built o n the shifting sands o f Time for they ,
shall fall and with all who cling to them b e swept

, ,
“
,
away into the s e a o f D ivine W rath whilst the soul on

’
Christ s foundation shall behold with j oy the morn
ing o f a N ew H eaven and a N ew E arth wherein
dwelleth righteousness alone .
If I give up that hop e then I should turn to the,
world and fi ght fo r and enj oy to the full pleasure it

,
a ff ords and sail with its current and wear its ho n ours
, , ,
“
and win its applause and cry L et u s eat and drink for
,
“
tomorrow we die S oul take thine ease eat drink
, , , ,
and be merry ! Come I will fetch wine and we will

, ,
fill ourselves with strong drink and tomorrow will be ,
117
TH E PERSONAL LE TT ERS OF JO H N ALEXAN DER DOWI E
as this day and mu c h more abundant !

,
Yes this ,
.
would b e o u r b est alternative— fo r it would b e co n

sistent with the rej e ction o f a R esurrection L ife and ,
i f I did that I would not be such a fool a s to imagine

a middle course pre f erable f o r I know that the attempt ,
to serve G o d and Mammon i s a most miserable failure

‘ ’
,
f o r he who tries it will fi nd that he h as lost eternal hap
p n e s s in heaven and even temporary j oy o n earth

i
and deserves to fo r he i s the worst o f all sinners a
,
—
hypocrite and a sham The most miserable wretches o n .
earth are thos e w h o b uild palaces in an d enj oy all the

W orld can give whilst they vainly imagine that by
,
some money gi ft S unday observance o r lip service

, , ,
they are going to secure a P ala c e in H eaven where all

i s P urity and L ove They are at heart desp ised on
.
, ,
earth by man ; they are rej e c ted in heaven by God ;

and they are sneered at even in hell I should imagine , ,
—
by the D evil they are fools as well as knaves .
W ell n o w dear I must s ay any how resolved I am

, , , ,
t o leave N ewtown and though I can s e e how I c ould

,
-
do good work f o r Christ in S ydney yet I do not feel

a s i f I had yet go t the command — “
G o f orward into
that c ity ! E very day kind friends in all ranks o f
society and in all denominations sp eak regretfully o f
,
my leaving N e w to w n and t h e more s o b e c ause they

,
have go t it into their heads through your going to ,
A delaide that I am either going to M elbourne or

, ,
A delaide o r t o E ngland— the rumors are many

,
.
A nd when I s ay that I have n o t yet decided when I

will leave S ydney there are immediate and hearty
,
“ ”
responses of I am glad to hear it and I hop e you ,
”
will remain there s lots o f room and we want y o u
,
’
”
here etc E sp ecially i s this the case among city men
,
.
,
and it is strong among many brethren in the ministry

o f other denominations but esp ecially strong is it ,
among Temperance and A nti L i q o u r Tra ff ic men and -
pronounced P r et e s tan t s .
D oes no t all this represent some c onsiderable i n
118
p urest and happiest li f e o f all —I want to leave it all

with J esus .
O u r Congregational meetings began l ast night with

a p rayer meeting in P itt S treet school room and when ,
y o u think that the ministers an d d e l e gat es numb er

'
about a hundred and fi fty and that all o u r c hurches ,
were c losed and that the evening was moonlit and

,
very mild y o u will then understand h o w much they

value united prayer among us when I tell you that the
do zen o r more c hurches and delegates could not muster
two hundred at the outside M r S has returned . .
f rom N ew Z e al an d l oo k i n g worse than when he left

‘
i n h e al th that i s and delivered a wordy and wearisome

_
address Yesterday afternoon w as the first session

.
,
—
and three fourths o f the time went in twaddle M r . .
H o f M i s Ch airman — a man who is p astor o f a
church in o n e o f the most thriving towns o ut o f S yd

ney h as a building nearly as large as mine and though
, ,
more that a dozen years th ere has only a handful of peo

ple and lives o n a stone breaker s wages or less H e
,
’
.
deli vered the address last night but I was not there , ,
fo r several matters demanded my attention here and ,
’
c oul d n o t though I don t think I was very sorry
go ,
.
Today they continue and o n till S aturday B ut I do , .
n o t think much good is c oming o u t o f them for three

.
,
fourths o f their talk ends in a fo g and the other fourth ,
f o r the most p art in resolutions which e ff ect next to

’
nothing o f a p racti c al sort for the extensio n of Christ s
‘
Kingdom whilst c l i q u e i s m is triumphant and that most

,
narrow denominationalism called Congregationalism

i s much more potent than the interests of Christianity ,
than the claims o f p erishing multitudes outside who

” ”
want bread and n o t theological stones True
regard for Christ s work should make that the first
’
question I have come to consider that as o f the fi r s t

. .
i m portan c e and everything else as o f only auxiliary

,
value— whether Creeds o r Theories o r B alance , ,
S heets L et us attend to the fi rst thing first and then

.
,
1 20
TH E PERSO NAL LE TT ERS OF JO H N ALEXANDER D O WI E
we won t find thousands going to certain damnation

’
through the D evil and his wiles fo r hundreds who ,
are b eing saved through Christ and H is Church .
—
There i s no lack o p ower in Christ i n H im is all
f
“
” “
power and all fullness ”
—the lack i s m His people
and because the re is with them a mixed multitude ”
w h o are strongly numbered among Hi s p eople and

who suppose that gain is godliness There lies our
'
weakness B ut oh fo r the purify ing and strengthening

.
,
p o we r ! It i s the S pirit we need .

,
W e n eed Love and S elf s ac r i fi c e and Courage to

‘
-
,
look at things as they really are in G o d s s i gh t and ’
‘
,
S trength to go o n without fear and do the right My

‘
darling I am crushed into th e ve ry dust o f self abase

,
-
ment to think O f h Ow wretchedly unfruitful my l ife

h as been a n d how fearful and weak my heart is now
, ,
when I shrink from the Cross the pain and the shame , ,
which will surely come if 1 fo llow J esus fully— and yet

H e kno ws H e knows I want to My heart is sick
,
.
and faint when I b eho l d the desolations o f sin among

men and the coo l self complacency o f those who look
,
-
upon them p erishing without apparently O n e heart

, ,
pang o f grief or th ought o f relief— who j ust pass by

“
o n the other side and leave the robb ed and wounded

and naked to die in their sins O h my God fill my .
, ,
heart with mo re faith in Him in His word and in H i s , ,

“ ”
S o n who is mighty to save and ready to save ! I ,
am empty sometimes it s e e m s fi o f all strength and

, , ,
have only f ear f ul void in my soul where D oubt and

_ ,
F ear and S orrow flit like dark specters and where ,
hated S in lurks and wants to drag me down in D e '

‘
spair M ay G o d empty m e o f all evil fill m e with

.
,
L ight and endow me with S trength fo r elsewhere I

, ,
know not where it is— fo r God hath spoken once ;

twice have I heard this that p o w e r b e longeth u nt o ,
”
God . I feel so powerless and so empty even with this
O mnipotence and F ullness there fo r me l n G o d and ,
the ancient myth o f Tantalus surrounded by tempting
1 21
food and water which yet fled from him when he

,
stoop ed to take o r to drink seems my case only too

,
often Yet I have better times though I confess with

.
,
shame and sadness that today the S tar seems veiled

in darkness to my soul O come Thou S pirit o f L ove
.
,
a n d L ight— come to my soul .
Tell my f ather and mother I want to hear f rom

them— I s eem to be forgo tten by them altogether .
Y o u should all remember that a public man s life is

’
often a very lonely life for meetings and committees

,
etc etc no more make a man s happiness than if he

. .
,
’
were a b u s driver or a railway guard— and sometimes

in a crowd one i s more lonely than in a wilderness .
B and A s eem to have grown much and I hop e ,
th ey have grown more helpful to our mother whom ,
I always rememb er with gratitude fo r all her goodness

t o me and mine even though we could not see alike
regarding o u r ideas o f alcoholic poisons and their

right place H er love to you and our wee pet will
.
more than cover any hard things she ever said to me ,
and I hop e she does not quite look upon me as a hard

man o r kind of hedge hog— you at any rate did not
find me s o .
G and N are no doubt running their fi rst races

“
in the b attle of school li f e and with success I hope , ,
and if as a reward f o r labour they can only both secure

,
the prize Knife o f Knowledge it will b e something of

great value to them always fo r with its corkscrew ,
they will b e able to draw the corks o u t o f the bottles

( books ) which contain the precious W ine of W isdom
and instruction ; they will b e able with the S harp little
blades o f A rt to trim what they acquire into more
beautiful forms and remov e the rough j agged corners
, ,
with the file of Care ; with the hoof blade of S ympathy

they will b e able to remove stones o f misery from the
weary feet of burdened men and women ; and with the
large blades o f S trength they will b e able to cut down
the plants of Ignoran c e and Iniquity which flourish
1 22
T HE PERSONAL LE TT ERS OF JO H N ALE XAND ER DOWI E
their Crowns at th e King s feet as they came back from

’
the B attle m ore than conquerers—o f A braham and

,
N o ah who got drunk and lost it for awhile— and the

-
grand o l d P rince M oses the ancient warrior J oshua

, , , ,
the mi ghty prop hets I saiah J ere miah E lij ah E lisha

, , ,
and others the great A postle P aul— who once laughed

at th e S word and t ri ed to kill those that wore i t—P eter
,
w h o once tried another sword which cut o ff a man s

’
ear fo r which the King rebuked him and said it was

the wrong kind o f sword altogether which was never ,
again to be worn by H is servant— J ohn whom the ,
King loved so much— J ames who was killed by P eter s,

’
o l d s word at last— A ndrew A p o l l as B arnabas and

, ,
many more ; b esi des whom y o u could name Martin

L uther and J ohn Knox and the M artyrs of all ages
, , ,
and Charles S purgeon and D eW i tt Talmage and

, ,
D wight L Moody and Ira D S ankey— whose S word

.
,
.
can S ing— and Thomas Guthrie— who took hundreds

o f poor starving children from a cruel enemy j ust with
h i s S word— and J ohn B Gough— who killed a great

.
many o f th e King s enemies destroyed their fortresses

’
where they p ut p eople t o a cruel death ( P ublicans and

P ublic Houses ) and saved more p eople from death
than there are in all S outh A ustralia and of Robert ,
Mo ff at— who saved many poor negroes from despair

and D avid L ivingstone who by h i s S word cut the
,
bonds o f many thousands o f slaves in A frica and o f —

all the hundreds o f good men and women who are
doing the same kind O f glorious fighting every day all
over the world .
Then tell them last o f all o f the b eauty o f the Great

, ,
King who i s the Captain of S alvation of how H e s u f

, ,
fe r e d h o w H e wore t h e S wo r d always when a b oy and

, a
,
when a man when H e fought and conquered H is great

,
enemy and when H e saved poor trembling S laves ,
wh om that enemy had bound for many years ; h o w He

wears the S word now and leads on His great army
with it ; how H e is bent upon de s troying everything
1 24
TH E PERSONAL LE TT ERS OF J O H N ALEXANDER DOWI E
wicked and wrong everywhere A nd tell them what a .
grand R eview H e is going to have one day at the end

“ ”
o f the world when e v e r y ey e shall b ehold Him
'
, ,
when every ear shall hear H is voice when every ,
” “
knee shall bow b efore H im when every heart shall ,
adore Him when all the Royal Guards o f H is Palace

,
who have always been faithful to H im will b e there ,
when all the Great H eroes o f H is A rmy o n earth will

be there with all their honours when all the S weet ,
S ingers with S word H arps will pour forth their glorious

music ; and when the whole A ssembly th roughout
,
—
all His wide D omain shall break forth into song fi r s t
the A rmy of the Royal Guards and then the whole ,
”
A rmy o f Kings and P riests w h o o n ce were the lost '
souls o f this E arth and p erhaps O f other worlds where

,
—
the King s enemy might have gone the great H ar
’
mony will be complete an d the King and H i s A rmies ,
sing the Song of Universal Victory A nd there will .
“
come a voice from the Th rone saying P raise o u r ,
G o d all ye H i s servants and ye that fear Him both

, ,
”
small and great !
A nd then immediately the Mighty Hosts will reply
as the voice o f a great multitude and as the voice ,
o f many waters and as the voice of mighty thunder

,
ings saying A lleluia for the L ord God O mnipotent

, , ,
”
reigneth . A nd then the King ( J esus ) will marry the
Queen ( the Chur c h— y o u will read all about this in
the 1 9 th o f R evelation ) and then the last enemies will
,
“ ” ’
be destroyed and the King s Great E nemy and all
,
h i s servants will b e cast into the bottomless pit and

D eath and H ell to o : for the King s S word which
,
“ ’
”
goeth forth o ut o f Hi s mouth will do all these things .
“
A fter that you will tell them of the new heaven and
the new earth — the B eautiful City and the L oving
”
King in i t — the P ure R iver of L ife— the rich fruits o f

the Tree o f L ife— the D ay that never ends— the i n
habitants who are never sick nor weary nor d i s ap , ,
pointed nor sad— the glorious occupations o f the

,
1 25
King s servants w h o serve H im j ust as H e may de

’
sire them always wearing H is S word that they wore

,
o n earth and love more and more in heaven — and thus ,
my love you will b e a B lessed S hining O ne to them to

, , ,
me to all around and to o u r precio us one whom G o d

, ,
has given us So that h e m ay serve the King in this

,
glori ous army here and serve H im in heaven forever ,

.
You understand m y parable I am sure Good b y ,

.
-
fo r a little while G o d knows it is the sweetest ser

.
vice Of all to O b ey H i s W ord which I covet M ay H e

, ,
.
bless y o u both and give you all y o u need always for

'
, , ,
the King s dear sake ’

.
Your loving husband ,
( C a m den S tr e e t , N e wto wn , S idn ey , N . S . Wa les , O c t 29 . , 77

s s l tt r f r o m
r e en t e e f a th er in l a w
- - i is in g h is
cr i t c co n du c t an d en do rs “
e d
by h i wif — t lls
s e e o f in ten ti o n to f ou n d a Fr e e Ch r is ti Chu r h )
an c .
D ear W ife :
Your letter o f 22 n d received today .
It c ertainly needed the assurance which y o u added

/
in a t a dy a d brief postscript
r n — “
D o not think me hard
in this for I do love y o u s o
:
”
— b ecause there was no
other trace o f love anywhere in the letter .
“ ”
I do think it hard and more I think it full o f ,
unkindness and inj ustice to me and written in quite ,
an impudent manner There i s an utter absence o f .
all true sympathy and a hectoring tone such as y o u ,
only once b efo re adopted and that was before we were ,
—
married a tone which y o u will rememb er caused me
to write an d leave y o u free to withdraw from o u r e n
a e m t— a tone which I never could nor would use
g g e n
toward y o u and which y o u will please never again

,
employ to me It do es n o t b ecome y o u at all I won t

. .
’
reply to i t— I will ignore it altogether else my vexa ,
tion might c ause me to s ay more t han would be pleas

am for you to read .
1 26
little poorer than we thought and that n o w my heart ,
is burdened with a fresh sorrow in you .
H o w very kind you were in your condescension

“
t o my supposed craven spirit when y o u throughly
”
endorsed your father s e pithets which could scarce
’
,
'
have been more utterly abusive had I b een a low thief ,
in some p arts o f h i s letter and which are insu ff erably

,
i m p e r t i m en t throughout ! J ust look at a few o f the .
“ ”
things y o u have thoroughly endorsed I am said to .
“
have caused you to go through an ordeal mortifying
in the extreme to all concerned but more esp ecially in
her who is your wife and who has su c h a fine s ensitive ,
” ’
natur e . D on t you think that I was surprised to fi n d
y o u e ndorsing the s entiment that selling o ff o u r fur
n i t u r e was such an ordeal wh e n you never once ex
,
pressed pain at our decision but said y o u felt we were

,
doing right up to the last hour I s aw y o u W ill you ?

”
kindly explain h o w y o u came to thoroughly endorse
”?
that more esp ecially to your wife s m o r t i fi cati o n ’
S urely either you deceived me or your father utterly ,
“ ”
misrepresents y o u Then y o u thoroughly endorse
.
“ ” “
that I have made a bad b eginning o r rather sh e
has had such a bad b eginning — ( meaning you )

”
.
“
also that under the circumstances ( I J ohn A lexander ,
“
D owie your wicked and cruel husband ) y o u ought
,
t o make a clean b reast o f the matter and show M E a

”
statement o f your assets and liab ilities How kind ! .
W hat a dirty b reast it must be that can only b e

c leansed by this p rocess and h o w com f orting to know
,
“ ”
th at my wife thoroughly endorses such a kindly
estimate o f all my unceasing devo tion and love as to
“ ”
dub it all fo r a year and a hal f as a bad beginning .
“
T hen to follow thi s request to make a clean
”
breast as if I were a monster o f iniquity is it not
, ,
“
pleasant t o read the very next words as being thor ,
”
oughly endorsed by you ? vi z : an d f o r t h e fu tur e tru s t
your wi f e with the s pending of th e m o n ey D on t y o u .
’
think I ought feel honoured cheered and comforted ,
1 28
,
by all these kind things s o very flattering are they , ,
not ? W hy i f I were the meanest human cur that ever

,
yelped I would not submit to such all round kicking

,
without o n e last dying bark o f protest B ut being .

,
such as I am I am conscious that I would be only

,
fooli sh to regard such a mixture o f misrepresentation

and l o w bounce H o w d are any man s o insult me— if
.
I have wronged anyone to them am I responsible and ,
t o my o ffended G o d ; b u t to this man I o w e nothing

but a forbearing love which he is trying to its utmost
,
.
I had rather break stones tomorrow o n the highway

than even turn a thought to him as my help er .
A nd I feel I would indeed b e a distruster o f God

to think that I should ever b e left to h i s t ender mercies .
R ememb er that I th ought it only a duty to tell him

my a ff airs as your father and that I never asked him
, ,
for any help at any time nor gave him any warrant
“
for thus abusing me A nd what right or reason have

.
y o u t o e ndor s e these s entiments ? I s it likely that this
will strengthen our bonds o f love o r fit u s to train up

our child fo r G o d ?
B ut come there are other things which you have
,
”
t h oroughly endorsed which it may be well for y o u,
to look upon again and reflect upon my happy

,
thoughts o f you tonight in my utter loneliness here

worse n o w than ever before in my li f e perhap s : fo r I ,
feel as i f I had n o t a single o n e o n earth who loved me ,
as I want aye and a s y o u should love me M ay God in

, .
H i s mer c y ke ep me from f alling in this dark hour for ,
I am sorely tempted t o f eel all my hop es to be but

desert mirages .
H ere are some of the things y o u have thoroughly

”
endorsed . I will put them in the o rder they come
in the letter o f your father .
1
. Y o u s ay I am a deceiver : fo r I am charged with
concealing the matter from u s all even from your ,
”
o w n wi f e until o u were obliged Is this a true and
, y .
fair way to write ? D id I c o nc ea l like a guilty thief ,
1 29
or did I simply with h old what I had a perfect right if

, ,
I c hose to withhold a statement o f my a ffairs from one

, ,
who never asked for it and who certainly would have

,
g ot ,it had he asked me either at my marriage or afte r

ward ?
W hen did I refuse to reveal that which I am
c ha rged with concealing and h o w could I imagine his
,
int erest in my money a ff airs to be so keen when he

almo st never spoke o f them ?
Then as to you— did you not know only when
faith was broken with me by others in money matters ,
which had it b een kept would have never necessitated

my speaking of such matters as would only have need
lessly troubled y o u ? A nd surely your subsequent and ,
I mean esp ecially your present conduct j ustifies my ,
thoughts that you could n o t bear much ; B esides I ,
must remind you that very shortly after we were mar

ried I o ff ered to tell you all if y o u really wished
,
D oes all this p rove me to be the deceiver you en

”
dorse me W ho i s the deceiver o r rather who is the
?
,
traducer ?
2 Y o u call me a cheat : fo r I am charged not only

.
with havi ng managed my financial a ff airs badly ”
( which i s possibly true enough fo r money getting does,
n ot , and please God never will occupy my whole

.
,
energies as it does some f olks ) but I am also charged

“
that knowing I was heavily in debt I h ad it in my
power during that time to p ut myself right — o u t of
”
,
my salary that i s N ow i f a man can pay and does

,
.
,
n o t— h e is a cheat Ho w dare y o u endorse that false

.
c harge ?
N o o n e knows better than you how when I found ,
h o w it was I scraped and saved and paid s o far as I

, ,
c ould consistent with living where I was and with our
position .
You know I sp ent nothing almost fo r eighteen

months o n my c lothes and that I had no expensive
,
1 30
may be possible fo r a perfectly honest man to make

s a d mistakes and yet neither b e a deceiver n d r a c heat .
P ossibly you will learn the lesson to o , .
3
. Y o u s ay I am guilty o f that worst o f human
“ ”
crimes ingratitude : for you endorse the charge
,
“
Y o u app ear to have not been thankful enough for
your mercies
N o w if ever you endorsed a falsehood against
anyone you did it then against me : for y o u know that
, ,
unless my whole life and words have been a living

li e my thankfulness to God fo r all H is M ercies is ex
,
pressed every day in fervent prayer and in grateful

p raise to H im and that I d o not value even my life
,
itself as an adequate return to my S aviour and my God ,
fo r all H is mercies to me .
Y o u know that my habit i s to take even a ff lictions

and wrongs as b eing filled with goo dness and mercy .
I wonder if your father i s as thankful to G o d as I am

fo r all H i s mercy ? I should rej oice t o think it but I ,
c a n scar c ely b elieve it when I read his unmerciful and

,
c ruel c harges against me God knows how much I

.
love Him for all H is goodness and mercy which have

followed me all my life and which sustains me now in
,
as dark an hour a s ever I s aw— but I b elieve it i s a

dark cloud full o f mercy .
Tell me how you came to call me an embodiment

o f shameful ingratitude ?
B ut I am tired o u t with the enumeration and ex

p o s u r e o f your endorsements though I, have by n o
means exhausted the list Yet there is o n e I must

.
noti c e It is o n e which has cut deeply into my heart

. .
4
. Yo u s ay I have left you destitute : for you e u
dorse the charge your father makes in these words
“
Yo u have no other place to go to an d y o u have nothing
,
whatever to provide fo r your wife and child which is ,
yo ur first duty as a Christian man and there are no ,
miracles p erformed to p rovide for ministers wives and ’
children .
1 32
TH E P ERSONAL LE TT ERS OF JO H N ALEXANDER DOWI E
N ow how c an y o u grieve my heart with such a

c ruel unwifely and untrue charge as this is
, ,
? Am I ,
then that lowest o f all wretches a worthless heart

, , ,
less deserter o f my wife and child How do you think

?
I sleep with such charges for my pillows ? W hy I ,
can t sleep at all I s at down after a long exhausting

’
. .
,
day and yet could n o t think o f rest till I had answered

, ,
’
these charges It was half past eleven o clock o n Mo n

.
’
day night when I began to write and now it i s past ,
five o clock o n Tuesday morning— J have sat the whole

’
time at my d esk writing this most painful letter and

feel now that I throw myself upon my b ed that I
, ,
never felt more sadly about you than I do now Yet .
m ay G o d bless you an d my boy and make y o u happier ,
than I can be .
a m O ctober 3 0th , 1 1 . .
”
T o continue regarding endorsement number four
“ ”
It i s asserted I have n o place to go t o 4
W hat do you and your father mean ? A m I then , ,
indeed a homeless wa n derer ? W here do I live ? W hy ,
my p resent quarters are as convenient as ever my

quarters were anywhere and I could take y o u to a ,
score o f homes where they would esteem it an honour

to have me live with them .
N ever yet have I been without a home and I do ,
not b elieve G o d will fail me now : fo r I have a mind to

work and God has given to such a faithful promise to
,
provide A nd if you were here tomorrow I could take

.
, ,
as good care o f you as ever I did aye and better : fo r ,
the cankerworms which ate into my p eace will soon

trouble me no more .
“ ”
O h yes you s ay but what is meant is that y o u
, , ,
have no church y o u could go to ; there is no certain

prospect of your getting an income anywhere and in ,
”
that sense y o u have no where to go to N o w to bring .
the case quite within the logical powers o f my ac

c u s e r s let me put an illustration
,
1 33
S uppose a good workman in a boot factory earn ,
ing good wage s in a time when work is plentiful and

,
good workmen scarce resolves to leave his employer

, ,
w h o worries him terribly ; is it an awful prospect f o r

him when he leaves the factory and goes out to seek
work at factories where they will b e glad to get him ?
W ould not th e workman if he was sober and a ,
good hand laugh at you if y o u told him that he had

,
“ ”
n o place to go to ? D o you s e e the point ?
W hen I left S outh A ustralia an unknown— and al ,
most by my friends despised— young minister four

,
“ ”
, ,
“ ”
years ago I had no place to go to and when I came
, ,
here they said there w as no place fo r me —all the

“ ”
open spheres o f work had j ust b een filled .
M en laughed when God led me to M anly ; but with

H is good hand upon me they changed their tune in
less than a month : f o r unknown and unpraised I ,
opened my mouth to S peak for Christ in a place where

there were only a handful o f dispirited people who ,
had no money and no hop e and the place filled and ,
o v e r fl o w e d and was extended and flourished many ,
sinners were awakened many hearts were comforted

, ,
many souls were everlastingly saved and— though I ,
s ay it it i s true
,
—,
there was n o t a more popular minis
ter in o u r body in less than a year from the day that
I entered M anly an unknown weak and s a d hearted
, , ,
-
man— a popularity fo r which I c ared little in i tself ,
but whi c h i s not less strong today even in o u r o wn

body among the peopl e e s peci ally ( I never was p o p
, ,
ular anywhere with our m i ni s t e r s a s a whole ) and , ,
which i s certainly not less p owerful but far more s o .
among the Christian community generally as is proved ,
by the many flattering enquiries which I have received

from eminent leading men in the Church o f E ngland
and P resbyterian c hurches as to whether there is any
prosp ect o f my j oining their ranks Th e n when I de .
t e r m i n e d t o leave M anly— where I could have go t 3 00
pounds a year at least and a house if I had cared to

, , ,
1 34
approved a step than H e n o w does every day this

step o f leaving N ewt own C an you understand me .
,
o r are y o u without that S pirit o f G o d which I have

b elieved dwells in your heart ? The W itness is th e
same where hearts are alike open to hear H is Voice ,
and if y o u can t s ee with me then I fear for o u r hap

’
,
p ines s in the future ; fo r either you o r I must in that

-
event be wholly wrong and o u r h earts will b e s p e e d i

,
l y wide a s th e poles asunder .
Yet there are outward evidences as well as an i n

ward W itness that I am in the right course and that ,
t h e hearts o f many men are prepared to receive me

in the city of S ydney though I have by no means de
,
cided to go there yet ; for unless God guide me clearly

to the very place to go t o I shall not go— and it
”
might b e even yet that H e should guide me to the

City of L ondon and i f so I shall j ust as gladly go
, , ,
’
there as stay here D on t b e afraid ; y o u need n o t go
.
with me unless y o u choose I have never forced and .
never will force y o u inclinations I will reason with .
y o,
u and show y o u the way so far as I can and if y o u ,
wont do a thing heartily b ecause it is right I am sure ,
y o u will never b e able to love to live with and t o aid , ,
and comfort me ; n o r shall I b e o f any good to y o u .
I will provide fo r y o u as largely as I can if y o u elect ,
to stay where y o u are and I ll have my b o y as soon

,
’
as I think right but I won t have you destroy my ’
life— n o n o t if it costs m e my earthly life I married

, .
“ ”
a helpmeet n o t a hinderer nor an endorser o f
,
cruelly false accusations ; and I s ay this not loving you

less but s o far as I can as much as ever though I
'
, , ,
have s e t my heart supremely upon God as I have al ,
ways told you and I will n o t allow even you to keep

,
“
me back from the right o r cause me to pluck the ,
forbidden f ruit to me o f worldly conformity t o

, ,
whi c h you and your f ather s words would lead me if ’
I followed your course I will die rather than violate

.
my conscience again by cringing in fear o f any co u s e
1 36
T HE P ER SO N A L L ET TE R S O F JO H N A L E XA N DE R DOWI E
q u e n ce s the world can inflict .
B ut what ev i d e n c e s are there o f am outward sort ?

'
S imply three will I mention though I might many ,
more and reme mber that as yet my intentions are

,
only dimly guessed at and even the fa ct o f my resigna

,
tion— fo r I made it last night practically a r es i gnat i o n

at our deacons meeting when I wa s asked if I had in
’
“
any degree c hanged my mind and replied n o I will ,
leave o n the fi rst S ab b at h i n F ebruary a t the latest , ,
I s ay even my a c tual res i gnation i s n o t known s o

,
“ ”
very widely yet : fo r o f course the H erald ignores
it altogether W ell the three are first I was asked
.
, , ,
to allow my name t o be put b efore a church in B ris
bane by the R ev E Robinson ( I declined ) ; second

. . .
,
my intimat ion that I might come into S ydney has ‘
been hailed with delight by scores ; and third last , ,
night after my deacons meeting there was a deputa ’
tion o f three gentlemen waiting to s e e me who said

they came and I know them well— from the Congre
-
g a t i o n al c hur c h at W aterloo to s ay that if I would ,
give them but the slightest hop e o f a favorable recep

tion the dea c ons o f that chur c h were sure that I
,
should receive a cordial and unanimous call— and a

position at least equal to that I hold at N ewtown could
easily b e guaranteed s o far a s money was concerned
, .
“
D o y o u not s e e that it i s not true that I have no
”
pla c e to go to when I leave N ewtown ?
I must tell y o u though that I declined W aterloo
, ,
at on c e ; and a fter explaining why in the frankest

manner possible to the deputation they n o t only s aw ,
the force o f my reasoning but applauded my i n te n =
“
tions and in n o roundabout way one said The day
, ,
y o u begin in S ydney my five guineas are ready to put

into your treasury although I am n o t rich and as
‘
, ,
much more a s I can give to carry out your aims

“
another said If I am within five miles o f y o u sir I
“
, , ,
” “
will come to hear y o u and the t hird Its the noblest
, ,
resolution I ever knew any minister holding your
137
positi on to make .A nd what did I s ay in declining

their intended call o r whatever y o u may care to term
,
it ? I told them that if I remained in the colony S yd

, ,
ney wa s the place I had to go to I told them the

light in which I regarded i t s c l ai m s upon me ; I told
p
them that o n the day I left N ewtown would b e the

day o n which I should leave the denomination to all
p ractical purpose— fo r I inte n ded to found by God s ,
’
help a FREE CH R I S TI AN CHU R CH either in

,
S ydney o r elsewhere ; I told them that it was there

,
fore my intention never again to accept the pastorate

o f any church now in existence in any denomination ;
I told them that my views upon fundamental Chris

tian truth were n o t only unchanged b ut more assured
than ever s o that whilst I would plead for freedom
,
in interpretation I would more firmly than ever pro

claim the infallibility o f the B ible as the W ord o f God ;
I told them that my views upon fundamental church
policy were quite un c hanged and that in l eaving and
“ ”
disowning allegiance to C ongregation al i s m I would
“ ”
not cease to b e an Indep endent n o r cease to teach ,
the indep endent rights and responsibilities o f the

churches but that I was determined to b e independent
,
“ ”
in ev ery way o f the Congregational Union which ,
w as in i t s corporate cap acity an aggregation o f ciphers

s o fa r as S piritual power was concerned b ecause M am ,
m o n seemed to b e P resident and mean C l i q u e i s m

,
seemed to b e the standing Committee which managed ,
i t s a ff airs ; I told them that I held in high esteem and

loving sympathy very many whom the denomination
contained and that my withdrawal was not o n account
,
o f want of confidence in the men— though I had no
confidence in many— s o much as a radical want of

confidence in a S y s tem which asserted liberty of creed ,
but fettered men in the bondage o f tradition and do m

i n an t C u s t u m s a system whi c h asserted the liberty
,
o f memb ers ministers and churches but which real

, , ,
l y killed individual ener gy made denominational tools

,
1 38
TH E PE RSONAL LE TT ERS OF JO H N ALE XAN DE R D OWI E
yet ; that p robably I p rovide fo r you b etter and have

, ,
the power to do s o even temporally b etter than he did

o r could do f o r your mother when he was my age that ,
God s promises cover my family as well a s myself and

’
they have never b een kno wn to fai l a f aithfu l man and ,
that though I dep end upon no unnatural interventions

“ ”
with es tab lished law s I b elieve that miracles are
wrought every day by the op eration o f sup ernatural
l aws and that G o d would if I were to die tonight
, ,
f —
and I am not a raid to die H e would if necessary , ,
ra i se up f rom the very stoniest hearts means for my

wife and child even i f a m i ra c le w a s needed ; fo r weak
,
and unworthy a s I am yet I am His minister and go ,

!
forth to H is services at H i s charges .
_
r
The e are other o f your endorsements which I
might mention whi c h are equally obnoxious and
,
wrong but I will pass them by : fo r I have dealt with

,
-
n o small for c e
y o u will s e e with the principal ones
, , ,
and as I said b efo re I cannot trust mysel f to examine

, ,
“
your o w n letter Y o u s ay at the end D o y o u think
.
,
me hard in this letter for I do love you s o — you ”
“ ”
might have added little : fo r s o little love and s y m
pathy and s o much blame and distrust is in it that
,
I almost wonder wh ether y o u can possibly love me

s o very much a fter all I know that I never felt any
.
doubt about it until now and y o u know how preciou s

’
the thought o f at least o n e h eart b eing wholly mine

was and wholly I gave y o u mine ; but when I s e e d i s
,
trust f ear and reproach wrong fully how can I but

,
'
question whether your heart i s wholly mine — for

such things exist generally only where love IS selfish
and weak H o w d i ff e r e n t f rom all this were y o u wh en
.
we were together ; but y o u have never during t h e last

t w o years I have noti c ed b een the same to m e when
, ,
some home influence h as b een brough t to bear upon _
o u and your c onduct n o w is a c rowning illu stration

y ,
o f the truth o f that obs ervation N o t a single mater .
ial fact i s altered since y o u left full o f con fi dence in
1 40
me and my action ; and yet your opinion and c o n fi

dence seem entirely to have gone against everything
which y o u b e fore approved Y o u will see from my .
last letter that I had feared this would take place from
"
what your father was po uring into your heart against

-
me— fo r it i s against m e that he h a s spoken and writ

ten B ut my letter c ame to o late the deed was done
.
,
even while I was writing the blow had fallen ; and

,
y o u w h o had stood up for me against an unj ust father

and an untr ue brother write me a letter to please the
,
o n e and te l l me y o u are going o n a vi sit to please the

,
other N o doubt y o u will disob ey me also and n o t

.
,
leave where y o u have allied yourself to my censors ;

and i f y o u d o what am I to do ?
,
I will never b e a tyrant and I will n o t allow you to

,
make me a slave .
If y o u do n o t fulfill my request at once do not b e ,
surprised if my letters are brief and few : fo r I shall

n o t feel j usti fi ed in writing much n o r shall I exp ect
,
y o u t o care to hear much from me In the event o f .
your refusing to c ome to me in S ydney I may feel ,
that it is my duty to think o f going home to L ondon— T
either with o r without you a s y o u may decide Y o u .
“ ” “
s ay ,
h o w can you go ? I answer the L ord will ,
”
provide if H e wants me to go ; and I have never yet
b een fi n al l y kept back from attaining an obj ect o n
’
whi c h my heart h a s b een fully s et Go to L ondon I .
will if the L ord s o wills it and y o u know I speak

, ,
what I believe O n the other hand please understand

.
,
y o u are n o t t o return t o me unwillingly and with fear
and distrust and reproa c h in your heart towards me :

fo r i f y o u do that I s ay plainly that I would rather
,
never s e e your fa c e again much as I love you than

, ,
that I should re c eive y o u estranged and cold in heart

-
i f y o u c an only come thus by all means stay where
,
y o u are amongst thos e w h o have succeeded s o well in
changing your heart toward me B ut if y o u can come .

,
back to me right willingly and with true love c o n fi ,
1 41
dence and sympathy then y o u are c oming back— and

, ,
c ome at once— to o n e whose heart is most willing to
receive you and w h o h as never distrusted or r e

,
p r o ac h e d y o u until n o w but fro m whose heart every

,
tra c e o f distrust and reproach will flee the moment

he knows you are once more wholly true to him in
heart .
It i s fo r y o u t o decide I have express ed myself .
f ully and I should hop e quite unmistakably and much

‘
, ,
'
as it may pain y o u to hear o r r e a d these words yet it ,
would b e wrong for me to trifle with s o vast a question

as our true relations to each other and my solemn
responsibility to A lmighty God Yo u know I cannot .
c ontent myself with half mea s ures when eternal issues
are at stake ; and you must choose b etween me and my

prin c iples o f a c tion and your father and his principles
,
o f action .
0 J eanie y o u don t know h o w deep l y y o u have

’
wounded my heart and when I read fi rst your letter

,
’
bristling with its unkindness and th en your father s ,
“
f alse accusations and abuse with your thoroughly
”
endorsed app ended to it I felt fo r a few hours that ,
the world was empty o f all love and was hard and ,
cruel indeed ; fo r from the b eginning o f that letter to

,
the end there was n o t a line o r word o f encourage

,
ment o r sympathy with me nor the slightest gleam of ,
kind ex pression in it toward me and if ever a man ,
needed a little love and tenderness from his friends ,
I did.
G o d i s good in sustaining me fo r my first thoughts ,
“
were very bitter and my feet were almost gone
,
“ ”
my step s had well nigh slipp ed for the time ; but
blessed b e God I have over c ome the dark thoughts
,
whi c h tempted me .
It will take time to heal a wound like this ; and it

will need love t o o o f unmistakable genuineness
, , .
W hen I think o f the sweet face o f o u r little darling

amid all thi s sad trouble which has come b etween us
1 42
hidi n g f rom my eyes my tw o b eloved ones wh o are ,
s o c onstantly in my thoughts and prayers Yet again .
I pray may God bless y o u and my b o y and make you

happier than I c an be .
O ctober 3 l st , 1 0 a m . .
D ear W i f e :
I have j ust r e read all that I have written and
'
-
though I feel that n o mere words ever can cor re c tly

o r f u l l y convey what one wishes t o s ay
/
yet I have ,
nothing to alter or withdraw stern though it may ,
seem to be in some parts and imp erfect in expression

,
in others I have prayed t hese last two days duri n g

.
,
which I have had many duties to attend to that G o d ,
would guide me to write as I should a faithful h u s ,
band s letter to y o u— and you have it N ever in our

’
.
life have we had su c h a det ermined attempt of th e

Great E nemy to p ut a great gulf o f estrangement b e
tween u s and it is all the more painful when t h e means
,
used are the bitter words which have been written and
endorsed by those w h o are nearest to me It i s a sin .
gular coinciden c e that I have almost never taken any

step forward in my life but I have had to walk alone
‘
either with scant symp athy or positive hindrance o n

“ ”
the p art o f friends w h o have forgotten that fact
,
c onveniently wh en I have succeeded But I did think .
that the days of walking alone had passed when y o u

“ ”
p romised to love honour and obey me before G o d
, ,
“ ”
and w hen I took y o u to love and to cherish until
“ ”
death should part us for better o r worse W e are .
yoked together n o w but it will be aw f ul if it shall

,
“ ”
turn o ut fo r worse .
W ill y o u n o t right heartily stand by me now and

always ? W hy not trust me until I have proved u n
trustworthy and have the faith that still trusts and
,
.
loves even where the eye cannot pi erce and the mind
cannot fully comp rehend ? Therein consists the true
love which binds true hearts forever W hy make it .
1 44
G r a ve o f j oh n A lx e an de r D o wi e in L a k e C ou ty Illi o is
n , n , wi th in
th e bou d ry
n a of th e i ty
c h e f ou n de d . Th e t ry p lo t i
c em e e sow ne d by
th e cou ty
n .
to Him who alone can help this very moment and pray
that y o u may receive this power and many have His ,
p erfe c t L ove in your heart to p urify strengthen and ,
com fort you . I have prayed : may I b e answered

no w .
The text f o r the middle o f the day in my book is

R eceive my instru c tion and not silver ; and know
,
”
ledge rather than choice gold D oes it not seem
.
appropriate to u s at a time when we are sorely tempted

t o prefer the silver and gold we s o much require to ,
the Truth which seems to bring with the love of it

such painful sacrifices o f all worldly goods sometimes ?
“
Y e s but Truth is the good part and whatever else
,
we may los e it shall not be tak en away from us fo r it ,
“ ”
i s the o n e thing needful which must b e our guide
and strength o n earth an d o u r passport to H eaven W e .
shall n o t b e allowed to tread the W ay unless we p o s ,
sess the Truth ; but with the Truth we shall by ,
infinite L ove be p ermitted to enter into the L ife

, .
My text this morning conta i ns I trust what will , ,

“
be o u r motto and aim in life It i s N ay but we .
,
W I LL serve the L ord !

N eed I s ay more ? A re you willing to render with
me a loving s ervice to God ? Can any service have j oy
s o pure o r reward s o great or a M aster s o gracious ?
, ,
N o ! Then let u s turn neither to the right hand nor to

the left in the way wh erein G o d i s leading u s unse ,
d u c e d by s i n and unawed by man .
W hat well advis ed ear regards

W hat earth can s ay ?
H er words are gold but her rewards
,
A re paint ed clay .
it not
Is I am sure Chri st and H i s inspired
so ?
ones were right and they declare that everything

,
s
, ,
—
earthly will fade decay and pa s away tis b ut ’
painted clay .
1 46
’
my S aviour I would live ;
T i s to
To H im w h o for my ransom died ;
N o r could untainted E den give
S u c h bliss as blossoms at His side .
'
W ith more s c rupulous c are than ever in my tem

poral c on c erns ; with stri c ter c are to keep in a condi
tion the moment I attain it where I shall o w e n o man
, ,
anything but t o love him ; with e c onomy without

parsimony and c areful prevision without dishonoring
,
anxiety ; and with a more entire consecration o f my

sel f and you and o u r precious o n e and all o u r talents
, ,
and energies— I desire to go o n in the noble st service

known to men o r angels— the servi c e o f G o d in the
glorious Gosp el ministry o f His S o n among men fo r ,
whom he died and fo r whom H e lives an E ternal

,
.
,
F riend .
Though I ought to c lose this letter still I linger ,
over it and f eel I d o n o t know h o w t o write the last

,
words though j ustice to myself and the work which

, ,
must be done today and tonight would warrant me ,
in closing it at once .
B ut I must add this There ar e two thing s I wish .
t o leave quite clearly upon your mind concerning thi s
letter
The first i s it conveys my wish that y o u should
,
return to me as sp eedily as po ssible ; but that such

return must be quite a willing o n e o n your part and ,
with at least as true a love and trust toward me as

was in your heart when y o u left .
The se c ond i s that whilst it conveys in most

,
emphatic and on the whole unregretted language my

, , ,
most stern repudiation o f your father s right to treat ’
me in the way and spirit in which he has written ; that

whilst I deny the charges which he has made and
which y o u and my father have most unkindly thor
oughly endorsed tha t whilst I trample upon the senti
ments which seem to me to be the staple o f the letter
1 47
-
especially as I had myself done and said all that man
could in reversing my impolicy and errors and con ,
fessing ( quite nee dlessly to him ) my folly and stating ,
my heart f elt anguish and regret ; that whilst I blame

him therefore as doing me a great wrong in writin g
, ,
thus and a far greater wrong in putting as s u n d e r you

,
—
and I whom G o d had j oined together which I feel
more than all the rest— y e t notwithstanding all I can , ,
s ay f r o m my heart that though I was angry I cherish ,
no anger regarding o r against him that I am ready to ,
forgive and would like to forget h i s words and that I ,
p r ay as heartily fo r him and all his today and more s o-
, ,
as I have done fo r many long years o f my life every

day A nd what I s ay regarding him I s ay regarding
.
,
y o u ,
and my own father whose ki n d letter i s in strange
,
contradiction and o f opposite spirit to the unkind one

“ ”
he endorsed .
I will write if spared a short letter to y o u next

, ,
Monday in case y o u may not leave A delaide as I wish

,
y o u to do ; and under any cir c umstances my letters

,
must b e few and short n o w if y o u stay longer away ,
from me for two reasons : first b ecause y o u wont do

, ,
what is right if y o u s o stay and therefore can have ,
little real love for o r interest in m e; and second y o u ,

'
k n o w t h at long letters are a very great toil and take ,
t o o mu c h time and are never at the very best satis

, , ,
f actory .
Now good by good by May G o d b e with y o u and

,
.
lead y o u in Hi s o w n right way M ay H e b less our i n .
nocent and unconscious little l am b w h o is always in ,
—
my heart kiss him n o w for me M ay H e bring good .
o u t o f all this and keep me f rom s i n in my thoughts

,
and deeds and open up the way and give me strengt h

, ,
t o pursue it enabling me to work humbly fo r Him

, ,
and to maintain and c om fort y o u and o u r darling .
148
but it w a s left b ehind by me many years ago ten -
—
years fully when I took a new departure for my life .
—
If I go ba k to that then m y whole life si n ce has been
c
,
f —
a huge a miserable ailure then I must throw up the ,
plow and go back .
D o y o u wish it ? N o Then what do your com .
parisons and arguments amount to ?

J ust this— you want m e t o try a j u dicious mixture
o f serving God a n d M ammon and I won t —I can t ’ ’
I will serve God o r M ammon— nay I will s er v e G o d ,
a lone though I be as poor as the L ord J esus who had

,
n o home or P aul w h o had not a second coat and was

,
out o f writing pap er or many other o f the heroes o f ,
God s Kingdom who now inherit the promised riches

’
o f heaven B ut if fall from that service is possible

.
, ,
then it will b e w h en I f ail to believe in G o d in J esusfi

.
,
Christ in the B ible in a heaven of E ternal B lessed

, ,
—
ness and o n that day I will s e rv e M ammon and
, , ,
throw into that service all my energy and p ersever ,
ance and b rains heart body and soul with unceas

, , , , ,
ing toil to gain the smile o f the world to ensure i t s

, ,
honors and rewards and enj oy them to the full I ,

.
won t be a fool to think that I can combine suc h ser

’
vices for if t h e God o f the B ible the God and F ather

, ,
o f o u r L ord J esus be n o t God alone then I can see ,
no reason why every natural desire should not be

gratifi ed for there are n o guarantees for another ex
,
i s t e n c e and a nobler life either here o r hereafter .
B ut if H e b e—a s H e i s— God alone then nothing

“
can b e clearer than that L ove n o t the world neither ,
”
the things that are in the world i s a D ivine command ,
illustrated by D ivine example to be obeyed upon peril ,
of b eing S hut o ut o f H i s love for If any man love the ,

”
world the love o f the F ather is not in him
,
N o no .
, ,
“
my darling let us remember the world passeth away
, ,
and the lust th e r e o thank our God for that for it -

,
has a desire to possess my heart— but he that doeth

“
”
the will of God abideth forever .
1 50
B ut all these thoughts o f mine are now before y o u

in my letter o f O ctob er 3 1 which you had received I ,
suppose before you sent the telegram which reached

,
me o n Thursday eve It may b e y o u did right to send

.
that telegram and to stay where y o u are until you and

your father wrote to me in reply ; but none the less
clear is it that y o u have disob eyed me and my desires ,
’
as to your actions are thwarted by your father s desires
and your o wn Y o u have b roken your marriage v o w
.
—y o u promised to love honour and t o ob e y me The

, ,
.
threefold cord i s n o t easily broken ; but if you untwine

o n e cord y o u destroy union I care n o t what threats
.
were held o u t I care n o t what hopes were held out I

, ,
care n o t what gifts were held o u t before your eyes

y o u S hould have ob e y e d m e and left at once God .
made y o u dependent and you assert indep endence It .
“
matters n o t that y o u promised to do whatever I may
”
desire a fter I read what your father writes and con
,
—
S iders it ; you are meanwhile divorced self divorced
from me in one o f the essentials of true marriage— and
your father n o t me is your head H e has put u s
, , .
”
—
asunder thus far money won t mend that breach ’
,
fo r the links that bi nd hearts are not of gold H e gave .
y o u —
to me God I b elieved gave y o u to m e and now
,
— ,
he keep s you from me H e has sinned for he had n o

.
,
right to come b etween u s ; and y o u have sinned for ,
y o u had n o right to allow him t o do that A gain I .
s ay money o r advice o r rebukes o r anything he can

, , , ,
d o will never mend that breach

, O nly G o d can mend .
it but God would have b een better pleased I am sure

, , ,
—
had it never been made and I am sure I would .
It does n o t mend matters to tell me it i s only a

breach for a week or t wo— h o w can we tell whethe r
it is not forever— the breach i s made the cord i s u n ,
twisted ob edience as a principle i s broken between y o u

,
and I the vow i s broken L ove and Honor are now

, .
disunited from that O bedience which can alone pre
1 51
serve them from destruction and give them p erman

ence .
H o w long do you think will o u r F ather in Heaven

, ,
look upon us as l o v 1 n g and honouring H im whe n we ,
disob ey H i s exp ressed d esires ? N ot a moment after ,
it seems to me fo r o u r love and honour dep ends upon

,
o u r obedien c e to Hi s will as expressed to u s by His
S o n and S pirit
“
If ye love me keep my command
.
,
”
ments are H i s word s again and again W e may be
'
.
, ,
and are still H i s children though we often disob ey ; ,
but we are none the less sinful— yea all the more sin ,
f u l because inexcusable— when we thus trampl e upon

H i s love and most plainly d i shonour H is by a dis
, ,
ob edience no m attt e r how S hort o r in what matter

, .
Christ is o u r P attern and H i s life w as a life o f obedi

ence to H i s F ather s will and thus H e S howed H is ’
,
love and honour of that F ather whom a false friend

had traduced and a reb el world h as scorned
, .
A nd Christ and H is Church are o u r pattern in our -
marriage bond — “
as the church i s subj ect unto Christ ,
s o let the wives b e to their own husbands in every

”
thing . This is a loving and a willing subj ection to a
wise and loving D irector and a true Church obey s at ,
once like the true wife

,
.
I have expressed no desire that c an possibly be con

s i d e r e d oppressive and I desire never to b e obeyed
,
wherein what I wish is contrary to God s W ord in ’
principle ; but if y o u are to b e really my wi f e y o u

must S how me your love by your obedience or else ,
we shall be miserable and in a state o f sp iritual divorce

-
the sense by the way in which I use that word on
, ,
the previous page .
—
G o d knows I have striven no not s triv e n— have ,
done W i llingly from my heart from my great love

, ,
“
for you my part Of the bond s o far as I could
,
to , ,
”
love honour and comfo rt y o u since o u r marriage
, , .
A nd you are still my wife if y o u will have it so in , ,
the fullest sense of that term ; but you must not break
1 52
to pray a lon e ; and when it was past H e d i d n ot n e ed

th em for H e had overcome Yet was n o t the C up o f
, .
S u ff ering more bitter that H e drank it without the

sweet sympathetic love for which even H e craved ?
,
H o w much more a S inner like me needs that then ,

.
A nd yet when I s ay Come with me— tarry with me

“
,
“
watch with me I am answered L isten to what this ,
o n e whom I trust and think over i t— perhaps y o u will ,
s e e that it will b e b etter fo r me n o t to come— but ,
well— if you S hould think i t— well then when y o u ask , ,
me again I ll come then ,

A sk y o u again ? N o Yo u
’
. .
have been told what I wish and n o letter from any ,
o n e can alter it and you must act upon that,

A nd yet .
“
as k y o u again I S hall n o t s o long as y o u have ,
“ ”
that word of mine Come at once in your hands and , ,
memory .
I f y o u are really wholly mine in your heart y o u ,
w i l l come without delay This is a test of your love .
’
which I had never designed ; but you don t b ear it
well it s eems to me thus far D ep end upon it n o let
, , .
,
ter will alter my opinion as to your duty

w
.
A mongst the many portions o f Go d s W ord hich ’
claimed my attention b efore I asked y o u to be my

wife was l s t Corinthians chapter 7 It is o n e which .
is in its way a most mysterious utterance—and

,
, ,
seems to be in parts only semi inspired ( see verses -
6 2 5 40 ) and in other parts fully inspired ( s e e verses

, , ,
1 0 1 7 etc ) therefore it must b e read with care and

,
.
appli ed with c aution A nyway it kept me from caring .

,
for marriage fo r a long time and made me rather ,
afrai d o f it B ut I go t over it rightly as I thought

.
, , ,
when I found y o u had such a place in my heart ; and

the three verses ( 3 t o have acquired S ince that
,
time fo r me a meaning which they could not and did ,
n o t have b e f ore
, W hen I see how S atan has tempted
.
and d estroyed many around me thus then I desire the ,
wish I have expressed to be obeyed .
—
A nd do o t misunderstand me I do not say I am
n
so tempted but I am very human and S atan is not

, ,
dead as I find to my sorrow every day The ex h o r

, .
t at i o n at the same time has its meaning and lesson
and those wh o are wise will learn it Verses 2 9 to 3 1 .
are very serious and needed words fo r who can say ,
how short the time may be for o u r life here at all

I always seem to have the thought that my time may
’
b e very very S hort ; and but for Christ s work and you
,
and my darling boy I really do n o t care h o w S hort it

,
may be fo r my own part My life seems to b e s o o u t

.
o f gear with things around and it is so hard to fight ,
on alone for truth and purity as sometimes I seem to

be doing that I could sometimes wish
,
I could s e e Christ s face in the City ’
O f everlasting strength ;
A nd S i t down under the shadow
O f H i s smile ,
W ith great delight and thanksgiving ,
T o rest awhile .
Yes only fo r that se nse o f an unfulfilled mission

, ,
sometimes I think an un begun mission I could say -
,
“ ”
Make room fo r me and take me home ; but remem
’
bering the poor day s work my life would S how I am ,
filled with shame and sorrow almost with despair and , ,
at times
So
The thought of my S hortcomings in this life
F alls like a S hadow o n the life to come
, , .
S carcely a word of
cheer seems to come j ust now
t o help me onward in my path from anywhere ; yet
I have laboured hard fo r others good but it is a toil ’
which h as almost no reward but su ff ering and weari

ness here— loss and p ain neglect and contempt
, .
A nd yet right certain am I it i s the noblest o f ser

,
vices with the best o f M asters and richest reward

, , .
1 55
TH E PERSONAL LET T ERS OF JO HN ALEXANDER DOWI E
B ut yet I s eem to cry in vain, H ave pity upon

me have pity upon me O ye my friends ; for the hand
, ,
”
o f G o d hath touched me ! B ut I am wrong to cry thus
at all— I turn to God whos e hand h ath touched me
H e i s my F ri end were there none other and there is
, ,
love in all H i s ways The hand that permitted affl i c .
tion to come can send consolation— that touch is life

,
and peace .
I S hall wait with such patien c e as God can give me ,
an intimation of your intention to ob ey me at once

o r n ot .I exp ect it at once to b e given and for your ,
sake fo r o u r child s sake for— perhaps since I know

,
’
, ,
n o t what is best— m o w n sake — I say more fo r the

y ,
f
sake o the work Christ th e L ord hath given me for —
all these reasons I expect to hear from you at once
,
that y o u have taken your p assage for M elbourne u n ,
less y o u have any request from me to the contrary by

’
telegram It may b e that your father s letter which
.
,
will reach me I suppose either this week o r on Monday

next will cause me to alter my desires ; but if so it
, ,
will b e because I s e e from it that your heart i s changed

still more and that some other cord is broken in
, ,
which case you had b etter stay where you are until
your heart i s right f o r I could n o t wish y o u back again
,
i f that were so .
My p erplexities are many but the greatest o n e of ,
all i s yourself I can b ear anything but the continu

.
ance o f your absence ; and I will not write one word to

y o u concerning my p rosp ects o r intentions while you
are under your father s roof unless something totally ’
,
unforeseen S hould happ en and this letter is only as ,
long as it is by reason o f the importance I attach to

your course o f action and the actual consequences ,
o f it already Your place is here now I can bear n o

. .
more o f this strain upon my heart and mind for it , ,
will render me entirely useless should it last long .
R ememb er me t o my father and mother Y o u say .
that I do not understand my father and that he loves ,
1 56
TH E PE R SONAL LE TT ERS OF JO H N ALEXANDER DOWI E
to me ) I would n o t a sk him to come b etween me and

that— I would drink my cup t o its deepest dregs rather
-
and I would rise again with an untarnished name : fo r
if I lived no man should su ff er loss through me P lease .
keep him back f rom m e if y o u can I want no more .
letters from him o f th e last kind .
A nd if you are coming to me c ome at once ; and ,
bring nothing but what y o u took back with y o u again ,
f o r I won t have his gifts at all and I do n o t want to

’
have any c ontroversy with him I have never cringed .
b efore any man and never will I love all men ( I .
don t love all their ways by any means ) b u t I f e a r

’
no ne .
B itte rly a s I have felt what it i s t o be poor I have ,
never had the wor se infinitely worse bitterness which

, ,
consists in the meanness o f soul Which dwells in many

who are called rich ( poor poo r indeed are they ) and
,
can kick and trample upon a man b ecau s e he is po o r ,
o r delight to see him grateful fo r their wasted crumbs

,
as he lies at t h eir gates full o f sores .
O ften and often have I given my last S hilling to the

hungry and needy during many years ( and if ever ,
I gave what was n o t mine it was unconsciously ) and

“
I never regret that I did fo r even I can s ay I delivered
,
the poor that c ried and the fatherless and him that
, ,
had none t o help him The blessing o f him that was

.
ready to p erish came upon me and I caused the wid ,
”
o w s heart to S ing for j oy
’
I h ave not lived for self
.
,
and never will by God s help A nd whilst I exercise

,
’
.
more care and wisdom in my money matters yet I ,
will not c ease to live for God and to live fo r men and , ,
to live fo r the B lessed Inheritance a bove .
N eed I as k y o u to acquit me o f self righteous boast -
ing in all this ? S urely not fo r y o u know I trust not

,
in my works for any acceptance with G o d ; but it is

well at this time o f reproach to remind one s self that ’
“ ”
the past has n o t been all a bad beginning and to ,
1 58
f eel
that I may say with that grand old man D r ,
.
Guthrie that ,
I live for those that love me ’

,
F or those that k n o w m e true ,
F or the he aven that smiles above me ,
A nd waits my coming to o ; ,
F o r the cause that needs assistance ,
F or the wrongs that need resistance ,
F or the future in the distance ,
F or the good that I can do .
A nd I will not surrender an atom of my i n d e p e n d

ence to your father in the slightest degree I have .
never received a word of encouragement fr om him

when I have been in a conflict and sorely need sym
pathy and I have no confidence in the love that is
,
S imply represented by a pai r o f taws o r as you hav e , ,
called it a tonic,
It is a farce to treat a man and
Christian minister o f over thirty years o f age w h o ,
has b een fighting the battle o f life alone for ten years
of no ordinary temptation trial and toil and who
, , ,
fought it very much alone in many ways fo r a good

many years before— I s ay it is a p erfect farce to treat
him as a nau ghty child o r bully him as a compound
,
’
of fool and knave and ne er do well - -
.
The fact that I have got o n thus far with at least ,
some measure of success and with as bright prospects

,
as ever in some respects and certainly with larger

,
powers than ever b efore augurs something di ff erent

, ,
and deserves better treatment My life is far from .
what I could wish it to be ; but I would not fear to

leave the j udgment o f its usefulness to compare with
that o f my self constituted inquisitor and j udge H e
-
.
is your father and I d o not forget it ; but the time has

come for me to say that in becoming his s o n i n law I - -
did not give him the control of myself or o f my aff airs ,
and I accepted a s o lemn trust in receiving y o u as my
1 59
wi f e which I have n o t in the slightest degree consci

o u s l y failed to perform If he interferes any more
‘
with that trust by your acquiescence then he has n o ,
sense o f his true position towards G o d and us in this

matter and y ou will place me in a most serious position
,
toward y o u .
O h my love d o not place me by your action in

, , , ,
—
that position for who can tell what may follow ?
My hands are stil l very full of work and yesterday ,
was a very trying day fo r me to p reach E ver since .
receiving your telegram I had much depression o f

heart and my mind reverted to the words of the L ord
,
to P eter — “
S imon S imon b ehold S atan hath desired
, ,
to have you that he might sift y o u as wheat ; but I h av e

pr ay e d f o r th e e that thy faith fail n o t and when thou
, ,
art converted strengthen thy brethren ”

O ut o f the .
”
abundance o f the heart the mouth S p eaketh and I ,
find I comforted oth e rs with the precious thoughts

which are contained in these deeply mysterious and yet
—
assuring words thoughts which h ad comforted me
not a little
There is much S ickness A ltogether it seems to be .
,
setting in very mu ch as it did about two years ago ,
—
and from similar causes I fear a defective water
supply a n d the want of drainage etc N ewtown is by
, , .
no means earning a goo d name fo r its healthfulness

we are higher sometimes in o u r death rate than any
. f
other suburb I dread a time o fever again amongs t .
u s — though it may b e that the symptoms will pass
away A ll this adds to my work and anxiety

. .
Kiss again and again my little darling fo r me H e .
and you are ever in my heart and many times every ,
day in my prayers that G o d will bless y o u and keep

,
y o u
,
and bring y o u to me so o n in safety agam D o .
n o t f ail me this time .
I am ,
E ver your a ff ectionate husband ,
1 60
bosom — —
m y o w dear wife will not be enticed away
n
again either by cunning foxes o r roaring lions .
N othing could be more complete than your resto

ration to my heart after receiving your letters ; and my
only regrets were first that there was ever any cloud
, ,
b etween u S— though even that we S hall yet s e e was

overruled for good and second that there was a ,
letter o f mine u po n t h e way which wa s written and ’

,
sent b efore I received either o f yours that might pain ,
y o u needlessly .
However I dispatched a telegram ahead o f it

, ,
which h as I trust taken away its sting I only wish

, , .
it could have b rought it b ack to me unknown to you :

for it is the letter I least like in all I have written in ,
some parts at least which I need not now particular ,
ize J ust l o o k u p o n it as another S hot fired by me into

‘
the body o f the aforesaid lion which my fi rst S hot ,
had killed outright though I knew it not ; and forgive

,
me if I have borne too hardly upon y o u as fully and

, ,
freely as I forgive you .
W hen I wrote that letter I was very weary in heart

and in body and had to b egin late o n Monday night
,
a fter a heavy day s work The S hadow o f death to o

’
.
, ,
seemed to rest upon me and I finished it you saw , , ,
after leaving a death b ed .
Your letters have driven my wearines s o f heart

away as the sun drives away the mists o f the night
,
— and p roved a true comforter from G o d T o see y o u . .
so truly o n e with me again and to know that even your ,
father had been s o f avorably a ff ected by what was I ,
must confess rather stern handling in some parts

, ,
was s o unexpected and complete a change of the

whole situation of a ff airs that it seemed too goo d to ,
be true and my heart found relief in what you women

,
“
call a good cry and a very grateful trib ute o f p raise
,
and prayer to G o d .
_ Thus strengthened I wrote my notes and went o ff t o ,
“
t h e Convention and made what D r S called a first .
1 62
class S p eech and at the end of the day when we all

, ,
le ft the Exhibition B uilding together he took my arm ,
and walked down the stree t with me telling me that ,

“
my little address was the most finished and able
S peech at the Con ven tion .
—
S o y o u s e e your letter help ed me greatly i t was
a L ove Cordial and that is a million times better than
,
all the Critical Tonic that was ever manufactured .
I had been drooping very very much ,I wa s .
strengthened and filled to overflowing with suitable

,
thought fo r my spe ech— wifely love and ob edience

and trustfulness and prayer was rewarded by G o d ,
and I j ust struck a few notes o f truth o f which more

will b e heard
A t the sam e time I cannot help feeling very sorry
to s e e this S pirit among the b rethren ; and
while I am quite conscious that I was saying the
thing which was right and true and trying to s ay it in
,
a right way as I am quite sure I was saying it with a

,
loving spirit and the highest motives yet I often ques ,
tion my o wn heart S harply as to why I never seem to

get along w ith some classes o f minds— and these not a
few in the Christian Church— to whom my words seem
to act like a red rag does upon a bull which until it ,
sees the colo r i s feeding quietly in the meadow N oth

, .
ing could have b een further from my desire than to

give needless personal o ff ense— there was n o p ersonal
antagonism in my mind at all— but yet the application
seemed to b e made .
“
I hate strife amongst the herdsmen for I know ,
the enemy rej oices ; and I make none so far as I can ,
prevent it o r avoid it without sacrificing principl e ;

but that I cannot and dare n o t do : fo r every good prin
c i p l e i s j ust a D ivine truth and it i s not mine to sur
,
render if I would but God s gift which I must use

, ,
’
as a talent and account fo r when the L ord and Chi ef

,
S hepherd o f all the S hepherds S hall app ear— for when

“
H e cometh H e reckoneth with them ”
S till I am .
,
1 63
but human and would fain avoid wounds like these ,
even though I may b e quite right if only I could ,
without s i n ; and I am sorry most of all to think that

those whom God has sent to b ring in the outcast ,
weary wanderers o r foolish prodigals o r defiant reb

, ,
-
e l s— who are ye t God s children though far away

’
I s ay I am sorry to think that those who go out to

,
seek or bring them in seem to be so careless in their

'
mission and so angry S hould o n e o f their number

, ,
S how how very far it i s from b eing accomplished .
W hat will the L ord s ay to y o u and I if we leave ,
undone the great work H e has given us to do work —

whi c h s o far as we S hall be concerned in the doing o f
,
it will remain forever undone

,
? O nly think o f what
G o d would do by u s if we were wholly consecrated to
H im ; and when I think what a wasted life so much
o f mine h as b een and how poor and miserable i s its
,
b est I am overwhelm ed with S hame and almost filled

,
with heart S ickening despair Very far am I from feel .

“
ing holier than others even though I point o ut where

,
in we have erred and S hould now labour

B ut really my digression has carried me quite far
enough and I must return to the subj ect from whence
these remarks about my work has sp rung— and that
'
‘
i s your last letters .
I have already said how much they have cheered

me and espe c ially the first of the two an d h o w fully
, ,
your frank admission and loving trustful exp ressi ons ,
have wo n my heart and comforted it B ut no words .
can exp ress how much I needed that comfort : fo r I

’
had an awful fear sometimes tempting me to doubt

what the issue would b e ; an d the picture o f o u r
wrecked lives would force itself upon my imagination
in unrefreshing sleep at night and interfere with me ,
in every engagement by day My nerves seem to have .
been a goo d deal S haken during the past month and ,
I have f elt that until I could s e e exactly how your

heart stood that I coul d determine noth i ng concerning
1 64
towards m e in your confession that your letters and

, ,
especially the one accompany i ng h i s was written at ,
hi s distinct command— f o r y o u say H e to l d me to

“
,
write more decidedly upon the matter and I j ust s at ,
down and wrote that letter without thinking a bit

what it was about o r h o w you would take it and in ,
fact I do not know w hat was in it ; — S urely a most

foolish thing to do and a wrong thing to requi re
,
.
Candidly then you must admit and you do that I put

, , , ,
upon his letter its apparently correct interpretation ;

and desirous as I am not to b ear too hardly upon him
— for I do love him and them all very dearly— are
they not my nearest next to you to whom I o we and
, ,
fee l respect and love ?— I s ay that thou gh I wish to ,
spare him you must permit me to say that he not only

,
failed in a correct conception o f my whole position

( for which my imp erfe c t letter t o him may b e in some
degree to blame ) and worse still he failed to reali z e
, ,
his changed position towards y o u now that you are ,
my wife ; for though he can never change in his rela

tion to you as your father yet his power to direct y o u
,
has passed away by h i s o wn consent and God s ordina ’
tion into other hands That is the cardinal mi stake

.
which he made ; and n o w that he sees something o f

these mistakes— from what you have written I infer
that— surely I can overlook them : fo r after all they
sp rung from h i s great love for you his child and he , ,
evidently thinks with me and there we fully agree , ,
that we cannot love you too much .
W e too may o n e day need to take care that we

, ,
do not interfer e with the p rerogative o f some fi r e eater

'
-
o f a s o n i n la w ; and looking forward t o that extremely

- -
questionable future occasion had b etter n o t s o w r e ,
gr et s that we were not more considerate In short .

,
you know me too well to think I would wilfully pain

any one much less o u r father and mother wh o love
,
you even if they do n o t me with so true and strong

, ,
a love ; and I only wanted to preserve my prerogatives
1 66
without infringing upon theirs and my right to dispose ,
of my life a S G o d might direct without wishing to t e

I
,
fuse their right to advise i n a proper way— not in the

way o f the man w “
h o had a donkey that wouldn t go
” ’
’
-
.
T h e n t h ey must n o t think that they are not respected

,
because their advice is not al w ays taken : fo r if I were

to take a tithe o f the contradictory advice which h as
been given me during the last ten years I should ,
come to a dead stop and do nothing I would b e like .
the captain of a steamer who stopped his engines b e

cause o n e passenger was S ick and could not b ear the
vibration o f the screws ; o r reversed them b ecause
some one wanted to go back to port ; o r send at high
p ressure all the way to please another passenger wh o
wanted to see what could b e done without bursting ;
o r pulled up and lowered a boat because a child de ,
m a n d e d that his toy which had gone overboard S hould

b e got back for him .
W hen do you think that captain would accomplish

, ,
his voyage ? N ever !

’
A nd even s o it is with every man s life The p ath .
each man has to tread i s before unknown and untrod

den : for the tim e that lies in the future n o eye b ut
’
the E ternal God s hath seen ; the circ u m s ta nc es o f
every man di ff ers from every other and from all that
ever preceded him in many important matters ; and
,
though the ex p e rienc e o f the past and p resent must b e

studied and n o t ignored fo r it is o f very great value, ,
’
yet it can never b e a guid e for any man s future o r fo r
another man s path entirely— only G o d wh o knows
’
all can b e a safe Guide into the unknown ( and that i s

life ) and His W ord i s the Chart and the S pirit is the
, ,
Guide which leads u S into the path which Christ h as

,
trod before u s— the only safe and true W ay o f L ife .
Therefore with all love let me say it I will take n o ad

, ,
vice from any o n e which di ff ers from the Chart ; and

I desire to give none but what agrees with that This .
is my o n e answer regarding advice .
1 67
T HE PERSONAL LE TT E R S OF JO H N ALEXAND ER DOWI E
Go d is loving to leave u s without sailing di

to o
rections They di ff er doubtless from those o f the
.
, ,
go d o f this evil world j ust in the same way that the

,
“ ”
Trinity House charts di ff er from unauthorize d and
erroneous maps ; and if we want to be G o d directed -
we S hall go by the B ible and if we want to b e D evil,
directed we shall go by the world Tis a most serious .

’
matter to give o r receive advice from any man ; and

’
tis a yet mor e seri ous matter to follow or to rej ect
i t— I never d o either lightly B ut see i ng I have been .
le ft s o much with G o d and H is Chart fo r my only

advisers during many years I have b ecom e accus ,
t o m e d not to commune with flesh an d blood but to go ,
straight to G o d with every difficulty and trust Him

in every danger Then when I get into the world I
.
, ,
do not run about asking every o e to advis e m e I go

n —
right o n with the thing that s eems to me to b e right ,
and that i s by no means always o r often the thing

which seems pleasantes or safest I find it comes
‘
t .
o u t right always and if ever it does not come o u t s o

, ,
it is because I have allowed men s opinions and ad ’
vi c e to over rule my serious convictions This habit

-
.
o f mine n o d o ub t makes it sometimes appear that I am

'
impulsive when I a m only earn est l y working o ut

,
previously matured decisions— and gives a color to the

charge of egoistic isolation ( I do n o t think it i s a gen
er al charge against me though
) when I am only deeply ,
conscious of my individual responsibility to obey clear ,
D ivine direction .
E xplain this to your father and tell him that ,
though I am deeply conscious o f being but a poor

“
exponent o f m y sailing directions and make many
very stupid mistakes yet I am determined to sail more
,
closely by them in future and that all the trouble ,
which I now have in earthly matters i s o f my o wn

making to a certain extent and arises from my fo l , ,
lowing human advice rather than the Trinity House

Chart o i the B ible .
1 68
and relied upon s o puny a creature as I s o poor an am —

interp reter o f Go d s love and power B ut I am sure
’
.
you exaggerate and wrong yourself .
O ur union was indeed sweet and unbroken and I ,
did try to sustain y o u but y o u greatly helped m e my

, ,
love and by your patient gentleness bound me more

,
than ever to you and esp ecially from the time when
,
we fi rst knew Go d was going to send u s o u r little _
S unb eam Yet dear we must take care of idolatry :

.
, ,
for G o d will give us sorrow if we place any creature

b efore Him L et us both love H im more an d we
.
,
shall love each other more purely ; let u s lean o n H im

fo r strength and we S hall b e strong to help each other ;
,
let u S seek H i s S pirit to b e o u r interpreter and we

-
,
—
S hall b e wise to instruct each other and o u r darling
one to o and s o S hall we walk aright and walk in ,
the light trusting in H im who is our life

,
.
H elp us O L ord with p atient love to bear

, ,
’
E ach other s faults to su ff er with true meekness ;
,
H elp us each other s j oys and griefs to S hare ’

,
”
B ut let us turn to T h e e a lon e 1 n weakness .
S ome day —who can tell how soon it may

, b e— I
may b e taken from y o u and oh it would b e dreadful , ,
if I were your only gui de and strength ; yea and I ,
might fall— may God forbid it in H is mercy and how ,
awful to have only a b roken r eed as your stay— n o ;

let u S trust in H im whom neither D eath nor S in can
a ff ect ; and then we S hall b e strong to help each other ,
and our love will b e sweeter and purer and o u r child ,
will live to b less th e world yet and we shall meet ,
again in the B eautiful City o f our B eloved King I .
am sure my dearest love that at bottom y o u and I

, ,
s e e alike in this matter only I thought it was right ,
for me to re f er to the only thing I did not like in your

loving letters because it would o ff end G o d fo r me to
,
even seem to r o b Him o f His glory .
1 70
A t the same time I will always give you and y o u ,
know it all the help I can and when we come together

,
again if the L o rd S pares us we must pray more to

, ,
gether and read God s W ord more together and talk

’
,
over it at regular ti mes B ut my love when I think .

, ,
of h o w imp erfectly I have discharged my duties to

you in many ways and when I know h o w weak and
,
foolish and sinful I s o often am and have been I can ,
only wonder at God s mercy in giving m e s o comfort

’
ing a love as yours is to me My heart longs fo r the .
time when we S hall prove to each other h o w true it

is that o u r love never was broken and that n o w it is ,
stronger than ever M ay we live s o goo d and pure a

.
life that we shall n o t fail to get through all o u r dif

fi c u l ti e s see the work o f the L ord prosp ering in o u r
,
hands and leave to o u r children the legacy o f a good

,
—
name and the memory of a good life I have no higher
wish and no other except to see them well cared fo r
, ,
so far as I can in worldly things if G o d pleases , .
Oh how poor all speech is to express one s ’

,
thoughts and how especially poor is written S peech !

,
There are a thousand things I want to s ay to y o u ,
there i s nothing which I would withhold from y o u ,
were you only here to look in my face and hear my

words and as k me what you needed to understand
, .
How it would give relief to my full heart and weary

head ! B ut I cannot attempt to express some things
at all : especially some things which I am greatly
tempted to b e anxious about and indeed concerning ,
which there is room for reasonable anxiety in o n e ,
sense Troubles shared are half solved I b elieve ; and

.
,
a lonely man s heart has a terrible tendency to feed

’
upon itself and in unsatisfied hunger to gnaw and

,
wear itself away to ease its pain— thereby only i n

creasing it .
I had the other night a half waking dream— I can t ’
recall it all but it was something like this : A lion from

,
the j ungle through which we were traveling rushed

, ,
1 71
T HE PE RSONAL LE TT ERS OF JO H N ALEXANDE R DOWI E
forth and with a roar seizing you in its mouth dashed

, ,
back again into th e dense forest ere I could even raise ,
my hand o r utter a sound Immediately I grasp ed a .
rifle an d followed on but lost sight of y o u soon How

,
.
’
ever I toiled o n and o n to reach the lion s den through
,
the damp slimy bog and thick undergrowth until at

, ,
last I came to a place — where I was told by some o n e

that the lion would have to pass that way to r eac h its ‘
den There I stood and carefully laid my gun across

.
a little withered branch and placed it to my S houlder

prep ared to fire a s the lion passed S oon it came .
,
walking slowly carrying y o u along i n i ts teeth I fired

, .
— i t fell dead—and y o u cam e towards me with a cry

o f j oy . B ut j ust at that moment when I would have ,
run to meet y o u I felt myself held back and at the

,
same time a pressure upon my breast and a choking

sensation in my throat The gun fell from my hands
.
as I looked and s aw t h at a gr eat s er p e n t h ad co i l e d

,
i t s e lf a r o u n d m y l e gs an d b o d y ; and there was its h o r

rid head raised to strike and the coils were tightened
,
around me— with a shriek I grasped the monster

around the neck j ust b eneath its head with both my
hands— and awoke !
’
Twas n o t a pleasant dream and it abides with me
—
,
despite my self c h i l d i n gS at least at times B ut I j ust

-
.
feel the best way to interpret it is that the lion was

your fear , from which you are now thank Go d free , , ,
and that the serpent is my cares which have b een coil

ing around me while I was anxious about y o u ; and
n o w I j ust ask G o d fo r strength t o grasp them firmly
and crush them by as prompt action as I can W hen .
’
I get your father s letter I will act at once to settle
the best I can at the bank and wit h others anything
rather than that serp ent even were I left with bare ,
life ; but G o d will see me through I believe and then , ,
y o u must come back as soon as you can and we S hall ,
live in S ydney quietly With o u r pet whilst I begin

the new work in the city to which I feel more and more
1 72
A nd think i ng thus I felt comforted with thi s ,
thought that the darkness of: death would only b e the

,
introduction to the revelation fo r us both o f that

—
ampler love which we long for now and I felt I could
wait if need were till then for y o u to love me fully
, , .
Co mforted with God s peace I went to S leep— as I

’
d o now at the midnight hour p raying that H e whose ,
watchful care never S lumbers may guard and bless

you both through the night .
I feel rather b etter today and a good deal more ,
hop eful in S pirit ; b ut yet I am n o t what I ought to

b e with s o many precious p romises My passage for .
“ ”
noonday is : Thine expectation S hall not b e cut o ff .
Though thy S ky b e over clouded

Though thy path b e dark and drear ,
Though thy soul with do ubt b e shrouded ,
O h let F aith still conquer F ear

,
”
.
A nd really it is s o —
with me I trust only that when
o n e is n o t over well o n e is apt t o look at the darkest
S ide o f things esp ecially when much alone N o doubt

, .
days of darkness ha ve their good side b ut I can get ,
—
along b est with spiritual sunshine and I know I S ha l l
get it soon again L et your heart b e at p erfect rest
.
concerning o u r future fo r it is in the b est of hands

, ,
come what may I can s e e th at futur e far more clearly

.
than I can solve the mysteries of the immediate pres

ent.
I seem like a man who has his goal in S ight o n

some mountain side but there lies between a m isty
,
valley where the fogs cover all from his eyes as he

, ,
p asses through them across the little river from ,
whence they rise Going o n going o n watching pray

.
, , ,
ing and working is all I can do certain that whatever

, ,
happens I shall get out o n the right S ide ; but I won t ’
’
turn b ack b ecause I can t s ee all I would like o f the '
road b efore me .
D earest love there have been s o many interrup

,
tions to this letter and it is so incoherent and such a

,
thing o f shreds and patches that I am ashamed o f it

’
.
W riting is s o cum brous and unsatisfactory a mode

o f exp ression and I do s o long to have you s o near me
,
that y o u can s ee what I mean as y o u used to without , ,
roundabout S peech I have quite lost all conceit o f

.
my powers as a letter writer to y o u : fo r what I have

written i s s o imperfect an expression of what I mean .
“ ’
L anguage is slow Yet there s a lore
.
,
S imple and su r e— the language o f the soul ,
Told through the eye— fo r o ft the stammering lip

M ar r e t h the perfect thought .
But the heart s lightning hat h n o ob stacle ;

’
Quick glances like the thrilling wires transfuse

, ,
The telegraphic look !
Fo r instance all through these letters I seem to

,
h ave said very little about o u r darling little b oy ; and

yet he h as such a large place in my heart and thought .
I woul d find speech here very inadequate ; and yet I

read all y o u s ay about him— as indeed I do all you r
letters— over and ov er and over and over again , .
Y o u must tell him that father does love him o h s o , ,
much ; and that when he comes b ack I will sing to

him and make all sorts of sp eeches to him and play
, ,
bop eep and give him rides upon my head and laugh
, ,
until h e laughs again and steal him from mother fo r

,
ever s o long A nd o h I do s o long that he m ay be a

.
,
good noble hearted man if he lives— free from all

,
pride an d meanness and self seeking an d filled with

, ,
-
,
gentleness and generosity and coveting earnestly th e ,
best gifts above all the gift o f D ivine love the greatest
, ,
o f God s gifts
’
.
S ometimes I feel that G o d has given to us a very

esp ecial mark o f Hi s favo r in o u r darling whose futur e ,
will be a blessing to thousands and tens o f thousand s ;

and I pray that even n ow the foundation o f that light
1 75
may b e wisely laid by us Y o u have my darling a

.
, ,
glorious work in hand— to you God has given the i m

planting o f those first p rinciples which a ff ect the whole
formation o f character and conduct— and let your eye ,
my l ove b e clear and without cloud o r doubt— fo r h i s

,
will reflect yours ; and let your heart go o ut as I be ,
lieve it does i n all your looks and acts t o o u r dear s o n

, .
There are three songs my love w hich I think

, ,
every mother wh o wants to see how God s S pirit can ’
fill a mother s heart wit h j oy and strength and hop e

’
S hould S ing J ust look them up and sing them in your

. .
soul today The first is H annah s song ( 1 S amuel

.
’
2 : l — l o) ; the s econd E lizab eth s song ( L uke l : 4 1

’
—4 5) and the third is M ary s song ( L uke 1 : 46 ’
Y o u will s ee in all these many b eautiful thoughts '
o f inspired motherly hope and exp ectation that will act
like guiding stars to you in your wishes and e ff orts

for o u r little gift from God .
A nd now even while writing this page I have

, ,
—
received quite an unexp ected jo y a letter from y o u ;
and I am delighted my darling with a p icture which it
,
.
,
gives me o f the little scene you describ e when y o u .
gathered the little ones around you with our darling ,
listening o n your knee and read to them the parable

,
o f the S word and the King and the P alace I fear .
it was rather deep for them ; but I feel we often err in

thinking o f the capacity of children w h o because they , ,
fail to develop when young often grow up with all ,
“
their chambers o f im agery closed up darkened con , ,
tracted and empty .
A nd this reminds me of a little poem which y o u
and I have read together but which I will copy

, o ut
here fo r you I feel it i s in season now : for I s e e many

.
beautiful and most lovable girls S poiled through their

foolish pride and a ff ectation .
1 76
o wn again D earest I want home comfort and love

.
,
to strengthen fo r the public service to which I am

called and it is a service which will tax every power
,
I possess There i s only o n e thing lacking to make

.
my life when you are with me the happi est o n earth

and that is enough money to set me free from care ;
but G o d sees b est I doubt n o t and if I have only faith
, ,
to cast o n H im my every care and go on wisely

“ ”
,
doing H is work then I h av e the happiest lot o n earth

,
.
I b elieve all will b e well— the happiest days are yet in

store and I feel that if spared there is better work by
,
far in me than h as ever com e o u t o f me I am young .
yet ay and on the whole a strong man ; and with y o u

,
p erfectly trusting and loving G o d and me—why I

S hall feel fit for anything my darling love , .
Tell M I w as very glad to hear S he was well and

keeping well and I hop e the new arrival is also well
,
( i s it the seventh o r eighth ? I really forget ) W hy .

,
what a thriving family tree we are getting ! P erhaps

centuries hence we S hall b e looked upon as the stem
o f a noble race M ay G o d grant that every generation
.
S hall become b etter and purer and nobler than its

predecessor W ho would have thought that those
.
t wo poor A lloa boys and that quiet calm almost

, , ,
mythical man o u r grandfather who died s o young

, ,
I s ay wh o would have thought seeing them that they

, , ,
would have b een th e roots o f this fair family tree ,
which seems to be entering upon a far S preading life ?

I have often thought of that grandfather o f whom s o
little i s known —except j ust o n e thing I now remem
,
b er nothing — It is that o f a calm quiet faced rather , ,
tall fair young man walki ng o n a S abbath morning

, ,
with a little boy s hand in his around the works where

’
he w a s employed to see that all was safe ere he went

,
to worship in God s ho use — reverently I doubt not’
, , .
That was all my father remembered .
B ut do y o u n o t think o f that grandfather s father ’
“
and mother and think H o w did y o u look with your
,
1 78
”
little boy and h o w did you train him ? I expect they
,
were a thoughtful pair and if our family crest a dove , ,
with an olive leaf flying across a dark s ea and P a

”
tience as the motto had meaning to those o f o u r race
,
who first chose i t— then the dove means P urity o r

Holiness— the olive leaf means P eace and Victory
and the motto P atientia means P atience o r P ersever
, ,
ance D id they n o t hope— these first D o wi e s long ago

.
in auld S cotia— that all their race would b e pure mes

s e n ge r s,
patiently b earing the Gosp el of p eace across
the troubled s ea o f life to S inking hearts and did they ,
not hop e that they would be victorious over all ill ?

I do not and no one knows b ut I like to think it some
, , ,
times ; and what a glorious thing it will b e fo r u s to

find in heaven some o f them w h o can tell about it ,
and S how h o w we fulfilled in this A ustralian land the

thoughts God put in their hearts long ago B etter is .
the O live o f P eace than the E mblem of W ar . .
R emember me with love to all and be especially

good to my dear dear o l d mother Kiss her fo r me
, .
,
and tell her how sorry I am that S h e is not stronger .
A ssure her o f my love and constant prayer fo r her ;

and tell her that I have been often tempted to think
‘
I would like to b e rich if it were only to make her ,
more comfortable I wish I had been more o f a co m

.
fort and help than I have been S he was always good .
to me and I fear I was sometimes impatient and fret

,
ful — for which I know she has long ago forgiven me .
D uring the last nine years from home my life has b een
very busy but I have never forgotten her and my
,
father for a single day in prayer and loving thought .
Tell her s o and say too that I am glad my little boy

, , ,
’
has b een folded in his grandmother s arms and that ,
S he has seen h i s face and blessed the child I hope .
to s e e her yet again o n earth but I feel sure by God s ,

’
mercy I shall s ee her in heaven — not o l d but young ,
fo r eve r— where no hearts ache where no tears dim ,
the eye where the inhabitant is not S ick and where

, ,
1 79
S in and death cannot enter Kiss her for me my dar .

,
ling an d tell her I love h e r more than ever M ay the

, .
L ord sustain her and when heart and flesh fail be her , ,
strength and her portion forever .
A nd n o w good b y love ; f o r a little time only I -
, ,
hop e I feel as if we c a nn ot do without each other

.
for much longer I pray G o d to comfort and strengthen .
y o u my dearest
, love A nd as for o u r little gift from .
G o d j ust give him father s love in ever s o many kisses

’
,
and S how him my portrait when y o u do it L et us .
p ray and believe God answers L et us watch and

, .
p ray A nd may o u r loving God fill us with H is p eace

.
and love .
( Wr i tten in an sw r
e to a p rs o l l
e na e tter f r o m th e S ecr e ta ry f th e
o
Mi is t r i l
n e a A sso ci a ti o n , f da te Nov 28
o . , l 8 77 ) .
My D ear S ir
'
Yours o f 7t h with its enclosure duly reached me .
A s to the resolution o f the A ssociation I have

nothing to s ay at pres ent .
B ut as to y our letter there are several observa ,
tions upon that extraordinary production which I n o w

feel myself comp elled t o make : n o t that I deem any
’
defense o f m y ac ti o n s to be due to y o u in the slightest

degree b ut that you may s e e what you r letter really
,
amounts to and to what extremely absurd results

,
the p rinciples s et forth in it must inevitably lead y o u .
A nd since p erfect candor o f exp ression is your evident

motto I will not waste words in useless apology fo r
,
adopting a S imilar mode o f writing but S hall deal at ,
once with your lett er in the plainest and most candid

fashion A t the same time I very deeply regret that
.
,
such a task i s forced upon me ; but my longer silence

might b e misinterpreted to my damage and what I , ,
care infinitely more about to the damage o f the L ord s ,

’
work .
Your letter is m eam n gl es s o r pern icious nonsense ,
1 80
no reason to be ashamed comparing it by human

‘ ,
standard I yet feel very much ashamed of when

,
—
’
j udged as in God s sight Yet more your letter is .
,
contrary to fact .
There can b e no facts within your knowledge

enabling y o u to speak and write— for y o u do both
of m y c onduct in resigning the pastorate of this church
.
as if it were t h e u n avo i d ab l e result o f some pressure

.
of some concealed external or internal kind for the ,
very conclusive reason that there are no such facts

as y o u insinuate Your insinuation i s veiled in cloudy
.
verbiage in many places and i s almost expressed when ,

“
you write o f my b eing in a present apparently pain
”
ful position surrounded by difficulties etc and when
, , .
, ,
you demand to know w h ether I have not in great

“
”
measu r e b rought myself into that alleged position ,
yo u seem clearly to presuppose the fact that my posi

tion was b rought about or that I was compelled in ,
some way to resign by other means than my o wn ,
voluntary act o r through some failure to fulfill my o f

,
fi ce .
N ow such suggestions are in every sense o f the ,
words wholly false : fo r my position in this church

,
was never stronger than when I intimated my i n t en

tion to resign and that intimation was wholly u n ex
,
p e c t e d w as
,
made at a time when various inherited
difficulties and di fficulty creators had been mos t com
p l e t e l y o r,
very largely overcome and was I venture , ,
’
to s ay a source o f real regret of nineteen twentieth s o f
,
-
those under my ministry o f which I had many touch ,
ing proofs W hatever such p ersons as you who are

.
,
almost wholly igno r ant o f me o r my position , m ay

i mag i ne— and ignorance is the parent of credulity and , ,
notwithstanding what you may have h eard from three

“ ”
o r four miserable dead flies who have caused the
church here to b e very off ensive fo r years there is ,
not an atom o f foundation fo r such insinuations— and

my hop e fo r the Church in future days is very l o w
1 82
unless these said dead flies are got o u t A nd the .
spiteful character o f these unfounded and off ensive

remarks i s very app arent when you inquire from me , ,
”
with all the bumptiousness of a pedantic S ir O racle
“
“ —
whether it is n o t your ext raordinary self co n fi d en c e ,
”
always willing to give advice and never to take it
—
which has brought me to this position m y only r e
mark upon which i s that I have n o confidence in m y ,
self whatever and that I am only confident when con

,
s c i o u s l y trusting in G o d and I hop e you are not j udg ,
ing me in this matter by your o wn measure Then .

,
apparently unsatisfied with this flight o f genius you ,
soar to prophetic heights and from th e giddy summit ,
of your self conceit y o u behold my future misery and

-
, ,
“ ” “
warn me that I shall bitterly rue it if I plunge into ,
fresh schemes and fresh expenditure A nd then you

meekly descend to communicate to me the interesting
results o f your p rofound inquiries conc erning that
”
awful question in your S ight o f my disp ensing with
, ,
your sympathy and support— I never had it by the ,
way and never missed i t— for o f course y o u were

,
doubtless in your opinion o n e o f the charmed of right

, ,
minded men with whom I have b een publicly ass o

c i at e d .
S ummarizing therefore your own sum total

, , of
gifts and graces as well as mine you find yourself in

, ,
a position to announce with an air of final certainty

all the depths and even the possibilities o f o u r respect
ive ministerial powers— wondrous b eing ! A nd link
ing me to yourself with quite a touching humility in ,
so p rofound a creature assumed no doubt to let me , ,
down a little more easily from my supposed over am -
“
b i t i o u s aspirations y o u s ay that it i s only men o f rare
,
talents and who to a remarkable degree command the

,
popular ear wh o can a ff ord to stand alone ; and—o h

”
,
marvelous co n d e s e n s i o n — y o u add these words :

“
neither y o u n o r I can I am sure boast o f such gifts , ,
as to make headway against the opinions o f the men
1 83
TH E PE R SONAL LE TT ERS OF JO H N ALE XANDE R DOWI E
of p iety z eal and learning about us

, , A ma z ing di s
co v e r y ! W orthy of the days when the P h arisaic c o n
cluded that unlearned and 1 m p 1 o u s fools like J esus and

H i s followers must fail because they were none o f
—
the m wh o were all prop erly submissive and learned
who would go with H im H o w awful then must b e
.
, ,
“ ”
o u r fate i f these tremendous men o f pi ety
,
etc , .
,
S hould turn their formidable artillery against us D oes .
your timorous little soul tremble b efore even the

thought o f such a catastroph e ? W ell if s o I must , ,
pray you to S lip your imaginary cable and sheer o ff , ,
and leave me to my doom : fo r even if it should ,
happ en that these awful e c c l es i as ti c i al great guns

,
S hould fire away their broadsides at poor me— surely

now they could scarcely be so cruel— y e t I shall very
“ ”
certainly disp ense with their sympathy if I am to
pay your price for it and without fear incur their
,
antip athy which y o u prophesy will surely follow

-
since my mind is wholly resolved to assert my lib erty

by going out of the Congregational Union .
A nd I can do all that the more easily that with

very brief and unsatisfactory intervals I have had to ,
“ ” “ ”
disp ense with that sympathy throughout my
whole connection with the said Union and have dur , ,
ing that p eriod developed a very profound contempt

,
fo r their antipathy which did its poor best to keep me

,
o u t of N ewtown when the p eopl e were unanimously
for me That antipathy also did its poor best to damn

.
, ,
me with a faint praise and hinder me with open sneers

in most o f my public e ff orts That same antipathy .
did i t s poor b est for over four years in keeping me

, ,
out o f all pub lic po sition s o far as was in the power

,
—
of the clique wh o managed the Union and y o u were
a sp ecially active o ff ender in that matter for you are ,
th e M ercury o f that ecclesiastical O lympus That .
antipathy did its poor best in the e ff orts o f a deceased

leader who like a modern J ove tried to crush with the
, ,
lightnings o f his fierce anger and the thunderous
1 84
TH E PERSONAL LE TT ERS OF JO H N ALE XANDE R DOWI E
kind appreciation of my services I have b een placed , ,
almost S ince my entrance a lone stranger into N ew ,
S outh W ales in positions where I have taken and

, ,
still take a fair S hare o f work in religious and philan

,
t h r o p i c a ffairs and in public questions o f great i m

,
portan c e— fo r all which I give grateful thanks to G o d

who p ermits me to labour in the Gosp el ministry o f
Hi s So n
, B ut to the support of Congregational mini s
.
ters in m y work I owe next to nothing to the funds ,
o f Congregational organizations I never was indebted
o n e p enny and my work has b een b lessed in propor

,
tion to my e ff orts b ein g apart from them i n a S piritual

sense Indeed I may fairly say that instead of b eing
.
, ,
“
publicly associated in labour with C ongregational
” “
”
ism ( what is that ism I wonder ?) my connection ,
therewith has been largely a nominal one as I now see , ,
and my real asso c iation h as b een with men of earnest ,
catholic Christian sentiment in every denomination

.
whose kind sympathy I hope to preserve and do highly

value .
Then as to my third assertion concerning the mean

i n gl e s s and also p erni cious nonsense y o u write in your
“ ”
letter about the wrong which you s ay I am about to
,
inflict upon myself upon my wife ,

and upon the ,
church by not fleeing for refuge to the only hop e y o u

,
“
can s ee fo r me whi c h is found in the many brethren
,
who are willing to help y o u if y o u will but only trust

”
th em ; and also th e further farrago o f nonsense which
o u have scribbled in support o f thi s — why to answer
y ,
these would b e to accomplish the feat o f proving the

existence o f the non existent -
.
Utterly ignorant as you cannot but b e o f my i n

, ,
tentions or resources your impudence in building such

,
painful charges upon the b asis of your fancies is only ,
excelled by the audacity with which you transform

your imaginations into facts— and looked at thus y o u
are an interesting and curious p sychological study I .
have in S ho rt made such a study o f y o u in return

, , ,
1 86
TH E PERSONAL LE TT E R S OF JO H N ALE XANDE R DOWI E
fo r the candor you have S hown and I am sorry sin , ,
c e r e l y sorry the result is n o t very flattering to you

, .
It i s quite ap parent to me that all through your

_
,
ministerial life the folly o f your Gawler escapade

,
when your were nearly frightened o u t of your wits ,
and frantically sought advice from D an to B eer

sheba o f Congregationalism in S outh A ustralia I say — ,
it appears to me that has haunted you till this day

,
.
The ghost o f that o r some other aff air still manifestly ,
exerts a very potent influence over your mental con

ce p t i o n s and you are evidently accustomed to ob ey
,
its mandates with much devotion— the first o f which

“ ”
is L ook always fir s t to the b rethren ! A nd the
second it utters in mournful tones under the very
, ,
shadow o f the ecclesiastical gallows tree O b ey al

way s the brethren !
”
S uch night and day and year
, ,
by year with sad cadence and ghostly ac c o m p an i

, ,
ments i s the cry which your ghost utters in your

,
ears .
A nd indeed this seems to b e rather a serious ghost

,
fo r y o u my poor deluded
, b rother b ecause this
, ,
wretched Gawler and B urwoo d spectre o r ghost ,
seems to interfere with your confidence in the d i r ec

tion and promised helper o f G o d the Holy Ghost in , ,
answer to the prayers o f b elievers This 1 5 beyond .
question when y o u counsel me n ot to place reliance

,
“
upon the fact that I have p rayed over the matter
”
and that God has S hown me t h e p l ai n p ath of duty ;
and further inspired by this said ghost you utter this
, ,
sublime dictum for my guidance : I s ay do not trust

”
your o wn impression fo r answers to prayer A nd .
then y o u go o n by a puerile illustration to assure me , ,
with your usual modesty that my j udgment as ex

“
,
”
e m p l ifi e d by my
“
whole career — how much do y o u
”
know o f that— i s quite unsound j ust as your ear is ,
u n m u s 1 c al ; and upon this most redoubtable piece o f

,
assumption y o u arrive at the astounding conclusion

, ,
fo r my special guidance at this and all future times
187
THE PE RSONAL LE TT ERS OF JO H N ALEXANDER DOWI E
viz : N o p rayer will give y o u the right conclusion

”
on whi ch t o take important steps in life C on se .
q e n tl y it follows that b eing in this awfully hel pless

,
“
condition I must recogni z e m y need and trust those
”
who can supply the want A nd in case I o r anyone
.
,
should ask O h wondrous being do reveal to my i g

“
, , ,
fl or ance and w oe where these glorious guides are t o

”
b e found ? The answer is with prophetic instinct
“
provided by you in the very next words : There are
men whose long useful and p eaceful career in the
, , ,
churches ( Congregational o f course you mean ) should

en c ourage y o u to seek from them ( wonderful ! ) the
”
counsel they are willing to give W hat a stupid .
creature I must have been to think my brother minis

ters were mortal creatures like myself !
H ere is ghostly counsel and ghostly conclusions
with a vengeance ; but my poor haunted friend b e
, , ,
fore I can believe t h at is the direction o f the Holy

Ghost y o u will require to produce another R evelation
,
a s well attested as the B ible s— nay it must b e a R ev

’
elation o f higher authority which shall expose the

falsehoods o f and wholly sup ersede the B ible as the
, ,
rule o f faith and practice ; for such principles o f prayer

and practice as y o u have laid down are not only n o t to
b e found there but hundreds of passages prove such
,
p rincip les to b e wholly opposed to it and the whole ,
teaching o f Christ as well as the whole exp erience of

the Church i s exactly contrary to your directions It .
is rather too much— I hop e you will allow that— for

’
me to s et your miserable dict a b efore God s inspired
’
W ord .
B ut further permit me to say that if y o u will only

, ,
logically carry out your convictions you w ill eithe r

require to p ro clai mthe discovery o f infallibility in the
“ ” “ ”
p ersons o f the pious etc etc brethren you have . .
decided upon ; o r will it not be easier and quite as

,
logical fo r you to find your infallibility where P apal

,
i s m places i t in the Infallible P ope at R ome

,
?
1 88
the Union and either then o r later I shall probably

,
state the reasons why though I had hoped to have ,
found that to b e unnecessary ; because my whole

’
heart s desire i s t o work with all my powers in the ,
most direct and constant manner possible fo r the s al ,

~
vation o f the p erishing thousands in this city fo r whom

Christ died and fo r whom H i s Church is doing s o little .
A nd I shall only strike a blow at your Union if it

stands b etween me and that w o rk I hop e for many .
,
reasons that may n o t b e required ; but if it i s I S hall

, , ,
do my b est to make the blow a destructive o n e ; for I

S hall regard the Union with as little reverence in that ,
cas e as I do the R oman Curia and count it only an

, ,
other tyranny and anti Christian imposture which -
ought to b e swept away without hesitation by every

honest Christian man .
I am ,
Very truly yours ,
( A ddress ed to th e Edi to r of th e S idn ey Mo rn in g Hera ld , an d pu b

lish e d by h im i n t h a t p ap er , j uly 2 7 18 78 , , as a p o t st g i st
r e a a n a pr o
p os e d a ddr e ss to th E r l
e a o f B eacon sfie ld ) .
S ir :
one o f many I desire to raise an emphatic p rotest
A S
against the design o f the promoters of the meeting

convened by the A cting Mayor fo r Monday next -
.
A t that meeting it i s intended to adopt an address

to the E arl o f B e ac o n s fi el d congratulating him upon ,
the wi sdom and success o f his foreign policy .
There are many reasons why no such meeting

S hould be held and why no such address S hould be ,
adopted The whole o f the facts are not b efore us

.
regarding the recent Congress at B erlin and it will ,
form an inconvenient and dangerous precedent should ,
an irresponsible public meeting in S ydney express i t

self rashly upon any act of B ritish foreign policy and ,
1 90
p resu me to forward that expression as the deliberate

j udgment o f the Colony of N ew S outh W ales as seems ,
to be the intention Moreover the act would not only

.
,
be presumptuous but I am convinced it would be e n

,
t i r e l y opposed to the vie w s held by very large numb ers

o f most thoughtful colonists A nd I will venture to
.
lay respectfully b efore the public my reasons fo r s o

thinking with some proofs that these reasons rest upon
,
a solid foundation o f facts .
My obj ections to this proposal are three .
F irst— the E arl o f B e ac o n s fi e l d s personal and p ol ’
i t i c al antecedents do not j ustify such an expression o f

admiration .
—
S econd the facts alleged to b e the fruits o f hi s
labors are not facts but illusions resting upon a mi s ,
conception o r m i s p r e s e n tat i o n o f recent events in

, ,
E urope and the E ast .
Third— instead o f app roval the E arl o f B eacons

,
’
fi e l d s policy merits o u r severest censure s 1 nc c i t has ,
largely caused the recent horrible R usso Turkish war -

,
S ince it has sown the dragon s teeth o f future inter’
national strife by the Treaty o f B erlin and the Turkish

Convention S ince it has seriously inj ured the c o n s ti tu
,
t i o n al rights o f the B rit i sh P arliament and create d a ,
p recedent full o f danger to every province o f the B rit

ish E mpire .
These are very grave charges I am aware and they , ,
a r e not lightly made I shall endeavo r to j ustify their

.
accuracy and the necessity for making them .
A s to the first o f my assertions a really candid and ,
careful investigation o f B enj amin D Is r ae l i s political ’ ’
life will most certainly prove its soundness .
F rom the day ( J une 3 1 8 3 2 ) when he deceived

,
J oseph Hume and D aniel O C o n n el into the writing

’
o f letters approving and recommending him to the

electors as a R adical candidate for the representation
o f High W ycombe until the last general election in
,
“ ”
1 8 75 when B eer and the B ible was practically the
,
1 91
watc h word which he gave as Tory leader there ,
s t r e c h es an uninterrupted record o f politica l ch ar l at
an r y impudent impostur e and unsc rupulous procedure

, , ,
such as 1 s quite unexampled in modern times Hi story .
has constructed fo r this man a pillory although at ,
present he stand s re warded with a trump ery Coronet

and a l ady s Garter O C o n n e l s b rand placed there in
’
.
’ ’
1 8 3 5 still stands ,fo r those who h av e ey es to see upon

, _ ,
D Is r ae l i s b row
’
— “
H i s l i f e i s a l i ving l i e
’ ”
A nd when .
“
the I rish orator s hand went to nail him to The cross
’
“
o f the impenitent thief whose name he said I verily , , ,
”
b elieve must have b een D Is r a el i he expressed in ’
,
terms perhap s coarse b ut n o t to o strong the detesta

, , ,
tion which such a character and career inspires The .
treachery with which h e ever stung the hand that fed

him the p ersistency with which he rep eated unfounded
,
charges the fulsome flattery with which he b esmeared

,
“
the E nglish Tory squires the skill with which he hoo d ,
winked the B entincks and all that genus until he c o m , ,

'
passed by their aid the downfall in his leader and

, ,
benefactor S ir Robert P eel are they not all recorded

, ,
in his sp eeches o f that memo rable time preserved in ,
that P arliamentary record which is D Is r ae l i s p illo ry? ’ ’
H is subsequent abuse and misrepresentation o f

E arl R ussell M r Gladstone and a host o f noble men
,
.
,
wh o have led the van in all the great measures o f r e

form and progress i s to o well known to requi r e more ,
than this allusion whilst the recent retirement from his ,
Cabinet of high minded and able Tory statesmen like

the E arls o f C ar n am o n and D erby with their p ublic ,
statements of h i s political untrustworthiness S how ,
t h at he i s still unchanged .
The numberless instances in which with most b e ,
wildering audacity he has stolen the policy o f the ,
L ib erals after denouncing it fo r y e ar s and has then

,
.
,
“ ”
paraded it dressed up in true blue in quite an orig
inal style declaring that the little dear was his o wn
,
legitimate o ff spring proves him to b e a habitual and ,
1 92
TH E PERSON A L LE TT ERS OF JO H N ALEXANDER DOWI E
its Christian subj ects whom Turkish troops has o p

press ed and massacred in R o s n i a B ulgaria A rmenia , , ,
and the Greek provinces with impunity as they were ,
fully warranted in doing by the Koran the b rutal ,
P achas the p ecuniary necessities of the S ultan s harem

,
’
,
“ ”
and other sublime things R ussia stepped in to en
.
force the said p ublic law by declaring war and Great ,
B ritain did not then p rotest nor has she S ince that
, ,
'
the Czar was without j ustification seeing that the ,
oppressed B ulgarians and others undoubtedly regarded

him as the head o f the S lavonic R ace upon whom the ,
Turks had exercised their skill in fiendish activity .
It matters not to the question that the R ussians

had an eye to their own aggrandizement in what they
—
undertook though B ritain had s e t them many ex
—
amples for the matter b efore us is o n e o f law and ”
, ,
o n the face o f it it is clear that not B e aco n s fi el d but

,
the Czar was the only one o f the lawyers b rave enough
to serve the writ o f public law decreed at Constan
t i n o p l e acting therein as a kind of Inspector o f Turk
,
i s h N uisances P ersonally I am ag ainst war in every

.
,
“
form ; but since war is recognized by the public law
”
o f E urop e as a legitimate thing no o n e can say that
, ,
l ooked at from the legal aspect of the case D epu ty ,
I nspecto r N icholas d i d an illegal thing in p r e s s m g o n

to Constantinople at the head o f the A llied A rmies o r ,
in doing h i s utmost to reap the fruits of victory by the

P reliminary Treaty of S an S tefan o A nd the n as to .
“ ”
the question o f Treaty R ights W hy if the expres
.
,
S ion has re f erence a s I suppose it must to the Treaty

, ,
o f P aris ,
then Great B ritain has so modi fi ed that
Treaty fo r example by the B lack S ea concessions to
,
R ussia a few years ago and Turkey had by her viola

,
“ ”
tion o f public law s o forfeited the protection which
that Treaty guaranteed her that it is a screaming
,
f arce to talk o f h er Treaty R ights and n o other were ,
endangered To put it plainly if an adulteres s has

.
,
’
still a wife s rights and a thief an honest man s rights
’
,
1 94
and a murd erer a philanthropist s rights then Turk ey

,
’
,
“ ”
has also still intact her Treaty R ights though her ,
crimes have been greater far . .
.2 Then we are further to assure the E arl o f

B e ac o n s fi e l d that he has w o n fo r us by h i s diplomacy ,
“
the blessings o f peace whilst resolutely maintaining
,
the interests and honor o f the B ritish E mpire in which ,
the A ustralian Colonies as integral portions o f the

”
E mpire are deeply intere sted The mantle o f D is .
r ae l i t i s h style fell upon the writer o f that magniloquent
sentence I am sure A nd b efore dragging down his

, .
piece o f empty rhetorical rubbish I wish to draw at ,
tention to the fact that here we have a fair specimen o f

modern idolatrous worship— for therein there i s no
g o d but D israeli
.
This is n o w known in E ngland as the worship

”
o f J i n go e . It seems to flourish here in some minds .
In my S implicity I had thanked the A lmighty God and

,
“
F ather o f all men fo r securing the blessings of
”
peace s o far as we have them B ut H e did not seem .
to b e in the thoughts o f the J ingoes and s o they ,
ascrib ed it all to D israeli ; o r perhaps they are more ,
ashamed to o w n G o d as the p eace maker than they -
are to own this su c cessful tri c kster .
B ut let u S examine these idolatrous ascriptions more

closely .
Is it not rather to o soon to S p eak of the blessings of

“ ”
peace as being secured ? P erhap s L ord B eacons
fi e l d will find that to S ign a Treaty o f P eace at B erlin
is o n e thing and to get everyone concerned to accept
,
its provisions i s quite another as D uke N icholas and ,
General Ignatie ff found it to b e at S an S tefano E ven .
already o u r meagre cablegram information p roves that

scarce anyone seems satisfied except D israeli and hi s
kinsman the Turk W e have overwhelming proof that
, .
the whole o f S outh eastern E urop e and A sia Minor are

-
greatly agitated by the proposed territorial changes ,
and fo r this very good rea son among others that the , ,
1 95
TH E PERSONAL LE TT ERS OF JO H N ALEXANDE R DOWIE
populations of these countries have never been con

s u l t e d by the diplomatic p ers o ns who at B erlin coolly
handed them over like sheep o r cattle to whatever

'
,
power their a ugu s t p e r s o n age s pleased This kind o f .
work does n o t last .
W ith Italy dissatisfied with Greece indignant at ,
being cheated with fair wo rds and empty performances ,
with A ustria gloomy and troubled with the chaotic

“ ”
disorder o f its mixed multitude with R ussia h um i l i ,
ated but full of pride and passionate desires for r e

venge and with all the difficulties and dangers which
,
B ritain has incurred by practical T urkish protectorate ,
does it n o t seem a farce with such a m ass o f combust

,
ible elements and such a political L ucifer sporting

,
“ ”
amongst them to talk o f p eace as being secured ? If
,
I lock up a very mischievous boy in a gunpowder store

with a plentiful supply o f matches at his disposal I ,
would b e a fool indeed t o go about flourishing the key

”
in my hand and telling everyone o f h o w secure
,
things were in that store I exp ect that there would .
b e a very general stamp ede at once from that vicinity ,
by all who valued their lives .
E urop e i s that store D israeli is that b oy and the

, ,
key is th e Treaty o f B erlin .
B ut we must yet further examine the assurances

in question and see how the E arl of B e aco n S fi e l d has
,
“
maintained the interests and honor o f the B ritish
E mpire in which the A ustralian Colonies as an integral
”
portion o f that E mpire are deeply interested E ve r y .
o n e of these assurances except the last I will venture

, ,
to dispute as enti rely contrary to fact .
“ ”
B ritish interests have never b een threatened by
R ussia and let thos e w h o assert that they have prove
,
thei r assertio n by facts if they can N either the moral

,
.
nor material interests o f Great B ritain would have been

entirely b roken up and R ussian influence become
,
supreme upon the B osphorus for there is not a S ingle ,
inch o f B ritish territory to which that famous channel
1 96
T HE PE R SONAL LE TT ERS OF JO H N ALEXANDER DOWI E
B ut now I p ro ceed to deal with my third obj ection ,
that instead o f app roval the E arl o f B eac o n s fi el d s

,
’
policy merits o u r s everest censure .
“
1 . It has largely caused the recent R usso Turkish -
W ar .
Can any o n e doubt that war would have b een

averted if Great B ritain had made a tithe o f the naval
and military display employed to coerce R ussia e n ,
forcing Turkey to carry out righteous measures o f i n

ternal reform— reforms upon whi c h al l E urop e was
agreed ?
F acts p rove that L ord B e ac o n s fi e l d s s elfish policy ’
i s more largely the cause o f the p res ent miseries o f

Turkey and the late horrors than any other known ,
influence In 1 8 75 serious insurrections against Turk

.
,
ish oppression arose in Bosnia and H e r z ego v n i a W hen .
Germany F rance A ustria Italy and R ussia drew up

, , ,
the B erlin memorandum o f M ay 1 8 76 pledging them , ,
“
selves to support their diplomatic action by the sanc
tion o f an agreement with a view to such eff icacious ,
measures as might b e demanded in the interests o f gen

eral p ea c e to check the evil and preve n t its develop
”
ment it w as B ritain alone which stood aloof and
, ,
b roke up the concerted action o f the Great P owers ,
which might have led to a p eaceful issue The i m .
mediate eff ect o f th e B ritish rej ection o f these p eace

ful proposals w as the extension o f the rebellion in the
Turkish provin c es the declaration o f war by S ervia
,
and Montenegro and the in f amous atrocities by the

,
"
Turks in the then p eaceful capital B ulgaria Then ,

.
,
once more proposals o f intervention were made by

,
!
E uropean powers and rej ected by B ritain until at

, ,
last the famous capital conference at Constantinople ,
to which I have already referred was held at the end ,
o f 1 8 76 In the decisions o f that Conference Great

.
B ritain was not only a consenting party but o n e ,
responsib le for their execution to a larger degre ethan

almost any of the other c apital powers A nd for a .
1 98
’
TH E P ER S O N A L L E T T E R S OF JO H N ALEXANDER DOWI E
time it would seem as i f B e aco n s fi e l d did intend to

“
prevent Turkey from further violation o f the public
law o f E urope ”
and L ord S alisbury warned the
,
Turks that the very existence of the O ttoman E m

“
pire was threatened if these decisions were n o t car ,
ri ed o u t and he added this significant expression

, ,
“
the responsibility will rest solely with the S ultan
”
and his advisers B ut the P orte did rej ect them al
.
most with contempt and encouraged by the protection ,
which D isr aeli had hitherto always extended to them

'
they went boldly into the war with R ussia believing

that even if they were b eaten he would n o t s e e them
greatly su ff er Turkey was deceived o r miscalculated
.
, .
B e ac o n s fi e l d dared n o t attempt to draw the sword on

her behalf for the grand e ff o rts of Glad s tone B right
, , ,
F reeman R ichards and a host o f our noblest men had

, ,
thoroughly aroused and instructed the E mp ire as to

the iniquitous misrule o f the foul and cruel Ma b om
medan tyranny which has for centuries disgraced
E urope .
Yet though Turkey had defied the p ublic law of

,
E urop e had trodden b eneath her feet in wholesale

murder the common r 1 gh t s o f mankind and had ,
“ ”
broken her treaty engagements B eac o n s fi e l d r e ,
fused to take any steps to act with the other powers

and prevent war The p rO p o s al which w as made by
.
R ussia and backed by all th e other powers to send ,
a united fleet up the Constantinople and demand the

reforms in Turkey upon which all were agreed was ,
rej ected by B e ac o n s fi e l d although doubtless without ,
firing a shot such intervention would have acc o m p

,
l i s h e d its obj ect and pr e s erv e d the blessings o f peace .
N o it did not suit this J ewish statesman wh o in o n e

, , ,
o f hi s novels has dwelt pathetically upon the a ffinity

,
o f race and even religion between the Moslem and the
J ewi—a thought which dominates his policy toward

Turkey it would seem
, .
H e preferred the chances o f war and with true , ,

D i s r ae l i ti s h
cunning he calculated that he could deal
more e ff ectually with that R ussia whom he has always
hated when it was enfeebled by terribly exhausting
, ,
even if success f ul war However that may b e when

, .
,
the presence o f half a dozen B ritish ironclads at th e

Golden Horn would have averted war h e would n ot ,
s o much as lift his finger B efore the b ar o f human

.
j ustice and o f D ivine I verily b elieve that L ord

,
B e ac o n s fi e l d stands today more guilty than any other

statesman in E urop e o f the half a million lives which
have b een sacrificed in b attle by famine and by ex , ,
p o s u r e on the desolated land and ruined towns o f

B ulgaria and R oumelia and o f the awful mi s eries -
which still afflict the homeless starving thousands o f ,
refugees A nd S hall we praise him then ? A S soon

.
would I chant the praises o f J uggernaut o r Moloch .
2 . I have asserted further that E arl o f B eacons

fi e l d s policy has sown the dragon s teeth o f future
’ ’
international strife by the Treaty o f B erlin and the

Turkish Convention .
The details o f neither document have had time to

reach us b ut already we hear an angry tide o f dis
,
content indignation and alarm P assing over all the

, .
dangers which that Treaty has created in E urope to ,
which I have already briefly alluded it must b e evi ,
dent that the B riti sh occupation o f Cyprus the expo ,
sure by the E arl o f D erby o f the unscrupulous design

upon E gypt meditated by B e aco n s fi e l d and the awful ,
responsibility which B ritain undertakes by the semi

p rotectorate of Turkey in general and A rmenia in ,
particular constitute unavoidable dangers o f a most

,
serious nature It brings Great B ritain fo r the first

.
,
time in its history face to face with R ussia upon a

,
frontier line in A sia at a period when both nations are

greatly irritated to s ay the least and when there i s at
, ,
the head o f a ff airs in E ngland a man whose persistent

hatred o f R ussia has b een the most consistent thing in
his crooked career S uch a position is altogether u n
.
2 00
n ot need the prior consent o f the House o f Commons ,
until a fter the taxes have been decreed and c ollect ed

by R oya l authority— a thing which was once tried ,
which ended in civil war and in the loss to a foolish

,
Kin g not only o f h i s throne and crown but o f his

, ,
head There c an b e no doubt that S p eci fi c law has

.
b een violated by B eaco n s fi el d and a most dangerous

,
precedent has b een established N o r h as it b een j ust i

.
fi e d except by a mere assertion of th e necessity for

'
’
the action This is in every age the tyrant s plea
.
“
necessity .
B ut this precedent is especially dangerous to the

most sacred lib erties o f every province o f the E mpire .
L et it b e rememb ered that those native troops

which have b een sent into the M editerranean from
India were raised fo r the defense o f B ritish India and
that they have been maintained by means o f taxes
levied upon the p eople o f that territory N o w it i s for .
a S imilar p urpose that our P ermanent D efense F orces

have been raised and they are maintained precisely in
,
the same way Then if the B ritish Cabinet can by a

.
,
stroke o f the p en remove the Indian A rmy to fight

Great B ritain s b attles in E urop e what i s to hinder
’
,
them from overriding all lo c al authorities here and ,
removing our D efense F orce to fight in China or any

where else ? A nd if the reply is that su c h an attempt
, ,
would not b e tolerated here for a moment I ask ,
and have not Indians equal rights with A ustralians ?

B ut a still more serious case may b e presented as
possible .
I f this absolute power continues to be exercised ,
what i s to hinder L ord B eac o n s fi e l d S hould these ,
colonies displease his victorious party— for example

by a p eaceful and constitutional agitation fo r separa
tion and indep endence— I say what i s to h inder him ,
from sending S epoys and several ironclads

down from India to bring us back again to obedience
,
to B ritish rule ? S ome may answer that the ill s uc
2 02
cess of a S imilar attempt o f an E nglish Tory Govern

ment a century ago wi th the then United Colonies o f
,
A merica might p rove a hindrance B ut this is by no

,
.
means certain : fo r the To ries are like the B ourbons ,

“
They forget nothing and learn nothing and L ord
B e aco n s fi e l d o r S alisbury may prove as wicked as
Lo rd N orth did whilst A lbert E dward P rince o f
, ,
W ales o n the Throne might prove as foolish as

, ,
George I I I w h o was undoubtedly the b est man o f the

,
two s o far as we c an yet s e e B ut suppose all these

,
.
dangers to be merely and always imaginary— are we , , ,
“ ”
as an integral part o f the E mpire to allow such a ,
claim to b e asserted without c hallenge ?

A ssuredly we would not i f the attempt to enforce ,
it were made : fo r twenty four hours would n o t p ass -
ere the cry would ring throughout the whole continent

o f A ustralia — “
Cut the cable : send b ack the G over
”
nors : at all risks let us be free ! A nd L ord B eacons
fi e l d knows this .
Yet this claim is enforced o n India and we raise ,
no voice against it W e are foolishly guiltily S ilent

.
, ,
and we may live to repent o u r silence aye o u r want , ,
o f brotherhood .
The fire which is burning my neighbor s house a ’
few doors o ff concerns me : fo r if I go n o t to his help ,
the flames may destroy my dwelling A nd what is .
India s case today may b e o u r o wn ere long But so me

’
.
may s ay that the cases are n o t alike fo r India i s not ,
a self governing dependence such as A ustralia is

-
I .
admit the fact the cases are di ff erent ; but the di ff er

,
’
ence aggravates L ord B e aco n s fi e l d s o ff ense .
B ecause much enduring India is gagged and her ,
people cannot speak in free assembli es through their

representatives S he is to be wronged with impunity ;
,
and because o n the other hand A ustralia is free to

, ,
speak aye and i f need be to ac t s h e is n o t to be

, ,
touched her rights are not to b e violated fo r s h e h a s

, ,
the power to make them inviolable How does that .
2 03
view of the matter look ? N o t very favo rable fo r the

cowardly policy o f L ord B eaco n s fi e l d I s it fo r this .
that B ritain rules India, fo r this that the poor toiling

millions of India labor ?
S hall their poverty b e made yet harder to b ear ,
when they are told to pay taxes to create an army o f

their sons and brethren who S hall shed their blood i n
foreign lands in qua rrels which are n o t theirs but
, ,
their conquerors ? Verily nay : for the question comes

,
t o be as M r Gladstone has eloquently expressed it in

.
“ ” “
the N i neteenth C entury for J une : IS i t po ssible
that this can work ? W ill India be content ? Can
Indi a b e content ? O ught Indi a to b e content ?
In di stant and to her children uncongenial climes
’
, ,
in lands of usage tongue religion wholly alien the

, , , ,
flower o f her youth are to bleed and die for us and ,
s h e will have no part b ut to su ff er and ob ey This is .
inj ustice gross and monstrous inj ustice ; and those w h o

,
are parties to its preparation must prepare f o r the

results to which inj ustice leads .
Thes e are momentous and true words which will ,
fly far and b e heard o f agam S ome b rewer of beer

, .
who h as as i s fit a place among the D i s r ae l i te s in the

, ,
House o f Commons named H anbury is about to

, ,
distinguish himself by calling th e attenti o n o f P arlia

m ent to thes e words in censure of M r Gladstone It ; .
i s well : for the stupid act will make them yet more
widely known and the j ustification which the debate
, ,
if it comes on will supply will make their truth and

, ,
generous brotherhoo d more apparent to the world It .
will also preserve the brewer s name from an Other ’
wis e inevitable oblivion and make it notorious if not

, ,
famous .
N o, India cannot b ear her wrongs always in silence .
W e seem almost to hear her S peaking to us by the

voice o f her b rave defender saying ,
2 04
THE PERSONAL LE TT ERS OF JO H N ALEXANDER DOWI E
duty as a Christian minister and c i t i z e n I shall S ign ,

~
mysel f ,
Yours Very R espectfully ,
( D a te d Nov 2 18 78 in wh ich work s In dep en den t Min is ter f

’
. , , a an o
th e G o sp e l is r evi e we d ) .
My D ear F ather :
It is j ust six months since I last wrote you and s o ,
quickly h as the time passed that it scarcely seems to

me to b e a s many weeks B ut when I strive to recall .
in detail the many things which have happ ened and ,
the work in which I have been engaged it seems to b e

fully that time That p eriod too has b een one of severe
.
, ,
trial but God h as b rought us through and today we are

, ,
stronger in body and more truly prosp erous than ever

b efore J eanie thinks S h e is b etter n o w than ever S h e
.
w as in her li f e b e fore and works away steadily and,
c heerfully in a way that would surprise you whilst ,
o u r dear little Gladdy grows stronger and more intel
l i g e n t every day .
A nd as for o u r work I feel sure of o n e thing that

, ,
it h as b een f ar more largely blessed in the highest ,
asp ects o f it during the past eight o r nine months

, ,
than ever b efore in N ew S outh W ales N o minister .
in this city has around him a more loyal and devoted

p eople than around me at the M asoni c H all nearly ,
three fourths o f whom are the fruits o f my own min

-
i s t ry under G o d and the large numb er o f men f rom

, ,
twenty to forty years o l d espe c ially is a striking and ,
rare f eature in o u r audiences .
.
1 o ften feel myself as o n e who i s being led onward
step by step in an utterly unknown way and were ,
it not fo r my confidence in my unerring L eader in

this path o f faith and the strength which H e gives
, ,
I could no more face the P resent and the F uture than

-
,
I could without H is grace have come through the
206
P ast There can b e no doubt that H e has concealed

.
—
purposes and it i s H i s glory to conceal a matter as”
well as to revea l i t— w h i c h I do n ot dream o f This f
I am sure o f 1 am w
.
here H e would have me to be

‘
, ,
so far as I c an honestly j udge and the proo f s of that ,
conviction lie in the facts wrought o u t already in the

work .
A t the outset rememb er that humanly speaking

, , ,
I stoo d alone W hen I stood forth to preach my first

.
sermon in this city in the Theatre Royal I knew not ,
who would gather around me nor what the result would ,
b e B ut in a month I had in the evening considerably

.
over o n e thousand to hear the W ord of L i f e from my

—
lips and it was cheering indeed to s e e the rapt
earnestness with which it w as received—4 a J ew th e ,
lessee o f the Theatre listening eagerly night afte r

,
night in his private box i s a S ight not often seen A .
choir gathered rapidly and many o f the young men ,
from N ew to wn helped at the doo rs B ut the cost w as .
to o much fo r me in money and we made what I now ,
—
think was a mistake w e removed o u t services to the
e
P rotestant H all A t first we carried our congregations

.
,
it seemed with us and at o u r first service that H all

, ,
w as filled .
A bout the middle o f A pril we b egan to think o f

more permanent work and after many conferences I ,
expressed my ideas as to the formation o f a F re e

Christian Church which were unanimously approved
, ,
and it was determined to go o n with the work with

the view o f ultimately forming a church It was to .
wards the end o f A pril that a Committee was formed ,
and the sum o f 1 0 pounds a week guaranteed for al l

expenses .
The month o f May went o n fairly p rosperously but .
my Committee after a good deal o f consideration with

, ,
my co n c u r r an c e unanimously resolv ed that it would

,
b e better to transfer o u r work to the M asonic Hall ,
which was taken accordingly fo r S ix months and we
2 07
TH E PERSO N AL LE TT ERS OF JO H N ALE XANDER DOWI E
hop e to fi n d a resting place there o f a more permanent

kind E very o n e was hopeful apparently ; but we little
.
,
knew what a trial was in store .
W e entered into our new home from whenc e I ,
write this o n the day b efore my b irthday and I

,
p reached o n the next day for the first time in the

.
M asonic H all W e were waiting daily to hear that y o u
.
had concluded the arrangement with the bank and ,
were keeping o u r exp enditure well within our income ,
from the time that we had a regular income .
B ut the S unday was o n e o f the stormiest and dark

e s t days o f the past winter ; and for three o r four more
it was almost i ncessantly wet—during more than o n e

o f which there were n o services in many churches
at night .
In the midst o f these dark days without a word o f ,
warning the guarantee totally failed me ; at the ve r y

time w hen we needed it most B ut I felt that I dared .
n o t go b ack and relying upon the collection

,
I deter ,
mined after receiving your telegram o f J une l oth with

,
your most kind draft fo r 100 pounds advanced

fo r our furniture to go o n and depend upon
,
the L ord to revive the work and enable me ,
to reorganiz e my fainting and sorrowing little

band ; fo r they were sorry indeed ; and once
more in the depth o f an unusually dark and wet winter
,
went right o n I p aid at once over 90 pounds fo r

.
the furnishings and had paid about eight o r ten pounds

,
of it b efore your draft came— i t cost me o ver 1 1 5— and

it is all p aid but a b alance of about eight pounds A nd
,
.
then came the struggle to live and yet go o n with the ,
work I never passed through a darker time and

.
,
light came b ack very S lowly indeed I was tempted ,
at last almost to gi ve up the struggle The wet S un .
days at the b eginning had greatly checked o u r prog

ress and the continuance o f winter weather j oined
, ,
to the disheartening e ff ect upon those who knew o f

’
the failure o f the Committee s guarantee a ff ected o u r ,
2 08
ho m e and rej ecting

, braver men that the glory ,
“
might b e given to the 3 00 whose battle cry was the
”
sword o f the Lord and of Gideon ? Tis worth reading ’
closely l have b een struck with it quite lately and

.
,
its appli c ability comparing a small man with a great

,
on e,
to my o w n circumstances W e have all been .
tri ed in many way s and may yet b e tried more s e

,
v e r e l y but we are really stronger now with the f e w

,
hundred earnest working people around us in the

M asoni c Hall than we were with the great audiences
in the Theatre R oyal I am stronger far than I was
“
then and steadily we advance o n a surer line than we

,
“ ”
could with a mixed multitude many o f whom might ,
grumble and want me to lead them back into the

E gypt o f D enominationalism and the grinding tyranny
o f the P haraohs o f Mammon .
W ith them I am done forever come what may I , .
had rather learn tent making like P aul and preach , ,
and work as freely as he than fill the B ishop o f S yd ,
ney s seat o r the pastorate o f the fattest S leepiest

’
, , ,
richest and most self complacent church o f the other

-
“ ”
sections o f the L aodiceans whom I s ee thriving ,
’
in their own eyes though I b elieve in God s sight many
,
“
o f them are wretched and miserable and poor and
”
blind and naked The vast maj ority o f the
.
“ ”
souls are utterly untouched by the lukewarm ch u rch
es around who seem to return indi ff erence by taking
‘
care for th e most part not to touch them and very ,
gingerly do they gather their robes together close ,
their eyes and their ears— their hearts b eing closed

already— and p ass by the dying miserable thousands
“ ”
,
in all classes .
O h it 1 s p i tiful to s e e how the name o f the L ord

,
J esus has b ecome a shame in many quarters through

the poles asunder inconsistency b etween the p r o f es
-
sion and the p racti ce of the members o f Christian

churches I f eel my o wn life to b e far from the stand
.
ard ; but I do not in the lives of thousands o f p r o fe s
21 0
sors s e e any endeavour mad e to fulfill the blessed

will o f the Lord wh o loved them and gave Himself
for them in pa i n i n poverty in toiling in dying
, , , .
B ut c o n s i d e r ab l e a s these pecuniary difficulties

have been they are really less trying than many others
,
which are more difficult to express in words .
The city is one p roverbi ally unimpressible in things

whi c h are n o t o f what I might call a spectacular order .
“ ”
The p eople are greatly taken by big S hows o f any
kind and ob j ect s interest them generally much more
,
than s ubj ects .
P eople w h o are pursuing a round of sensuous

pleasures with their leisure time money and strength , ,
are not drawn at first by the mere announcement o f o n e

minister more in the city o f whom they know c o m
'
p a r a t i v e l y little seeing that

,
there are already s o many
in the city of whom they alas know t o o muc h in many , ,
“
cases A n o l d Greek saying was A gainst stupi dity
.
,
”
even the gods are powerless It is this dullness and .
insensibility whi c h i s the most formidable b arrier to

‘
the faithful preachers o f the Gospel and I have felt ,
i ts dish eartening unconcern and i t s tendency is to ,
stup efy and deaden one s mental and spiritual sen ’
s i b il i ty .
A nd d o n o t think I am murmuring at these

difficulties and O ppositions as if I were specially ,
hardly dealt with fo r I d o n o t think any such thing

, .
I only state facts as they stand I believe the trials .
are good fo r me in every way ; and that they are among

“ ” “
the all things which work together fo r g o od for
”
them that love G o d .
The work exi s t s is a real power despite all hin

, ,
drances and surely that i s a proof which appeals to

,
reason and to faith alike Therefore I will look upon .

,
these very hindrances as proofs of my being in the

right place The Great A dversary does not waste
.
ammunition upon those Whom he thinks are to o con

t e m p ti b l e fo r him to bother greatly about I know .
21 1
TH E PERSONAL LE TT E R S OF JO H N ALE XANDER DOWI E
many ministers who are o ccupying positions s o thor

oughly to the advantage o f the K i ngdom o f D arkness
that S atan would be a fool to disturb them : for they
are j ust as I saiah descr i b ed them twenty fi v e centurie s -
ago — they are blind watchmen ” “

ignorant dumb ,
dogs they cannot b ark S l e ep i n g l y i n g down loving

,
“
, , ‘
,
to S lumber yea they are greedy dogs which can never

, ,
have enough they a r e S hepherds that cannot under

,
stand they all look to their o wn way eve r y o n e fo r

, ,
”
his gain from hi s quarter
, .
Aye and the last verse o f that chapter ( 56 ) is true

,
to the letter o f many o f them wh o are around us in

“ ”
this city D o y o u think the R oari ng L ion growls
.
at them ?
O h no they are o n friendly terms with him and
, ,
under their very noses he drives a thriving trade he ,
d o v o u r s the lambs and S heep with p erfect impunity

from among their very flocks P aul found his ministry .
for Christ a very different kind o f thing— and eve ry

faithful man since has found the same I can say .
truly that fear has never influenced me largely at any

time ; and I will n o t allow it j ust n o w P aul once
'
“
wrote to his friends at Corinth B ut I will tar r y !
at E phesus until p entecost fo r a great door and efQ ,
f ec tu al is opened unto me and there are many ad ,

”
v er sa r i e s .
A nd I will by God s gracious help tarry here as

,
’
long as the L ord wills it ; and since I may like P aul

measure my opportunity by my difficulty as a high ,
tower may b e measured by its S hadow then I can ,
truly say a gr eat doo r and e ff ectual i s O pened unto

“
me fo r n o o n e can doubt the fact that there are
”
many adversaries .
A nd n o w what other reasons are needed to p rove

,
my conviction well founded N 0 other than that given

?
,
so far as I am concerned ; and yet G o d in love has
given me many more Ins tead o f o n e key to open .
my lock o f D ifficulty H e has given me many T r ue , .

,
21 2
when I am ready to give up the c o n fl i c t— for my

natural heart is j ust that o f an arrant coward s— I use ’
this key and b ehold all i s c hanged within around

, , , , ,
above me In my heart there i s P eace the storm is

.
,
at once a calm and as I meditate o n the unchanging

,
L ove I am at rest and strong again O n things around .

,
t i S j ust as when th e mists which sometimes enwrap

’
all the b eauties o f o u r H arbour and its surroundings

are lifted up in the mighty arms o f the wind and
carried away o u t to the ocean and dissolved Then .
the sunlight streams over ro c ks and trees and blue

dancing waters and all th e city o n its many hills
,
stands o u t as in a picture o f D ivine and imp erishable

b eauty S o around me I s e e all things in new lights
.
, ,
and even o n the darkest scenes o f s i n and sorrow and ,
o n my darkest paths I s e e that the S un of L ove i s

,
S hin ing .
A n d to crown all there is the S un itself always

,
“
S hining by day and when it is night I know H is
,
banner over me i s love : fo r streaming over the whole

”
S k y there are ten thousand suns which the daylight ,
concealed that are n o w S hining o n me i n the Cross

, ,
and the W hite W ay and endless galaxies A re not

,
.
these emblems o f the ever S hining works o f D ivine

L ove in R edemption and in R estoration to God whose ,
inspired W ord S pecially bids the weary o n e to look

up and know that He made them by H is hands that ,
“
H e preserved them by H i s strong power and that
“
n o t o n e faileth
A nd then there i s another which I shall call

Brotherly L ove .
G o d never gave a man kinder f riends I sometimes ,
think than H e has given me in those around me in

,
“ ”
my work They are not golden keys p erhaps
.
, ,
’
beautifully ornamented to men s eyes ; but to mine ,
their hearts are like gold tried in the fire bright as ,
shining silver and true as fi nest steel

, .
They are good keys indeed M ay the L ord increase .
21 4
their number and graciously use them to unlock many

,
hearts n o w closed to the R edeemer ! It is beyond tell

ing what they have b een to me and o ften they have ,
cheered me by the S i ght o f their pleasant f aces— and

esp ecially the ki nd faithful manly look which shines
, ,
with con fi dence and love in the faces of my young

—
men who count it an honour to b ear a name which
semi j ocularly i s given t o them o f D owieites —
-
a
name which I want to see hidden behind the O ne

’
Great N ame o f Christian which alone God s p eople ,
should b ear Y e s this key o f B rotherly L ove is very

.
,
pleasant in i ts e ff ects fo r it opens up the way for me

,
to be useful in many places and to many p ersons ,

.
A nd besides the keys above named there are yet

ot h ers .
There i s a key o f Generous Human Con fi dence ,
which I sometimes find very useful I fi n d that there . .
are in all parts of the city and among all classes some, ,
at least w h o know little of me personally who yet con ,
fi d e in me very generously— o f which I have lately

had various proo f s This is S hown at ge neral public
.
meetings where I am always well received and I

, ,
find this key enables me at once to get i n to sympathy

with my audien c es and therefore I can speak more e f
fe c ti v e l y Indeed this key op ens sometimes fo r me the
.
,
doo r o f a very dark gate o f D iffi c ulty and that is

Unpopularity fo r as long as there are some in every
,
class who confide in me I do n o t fear yet through ,
them to find a way to the hearts o f many more who

know nothing o f me or wh o are prej udiced by false
,
rumors o r mistaken imp ressions such as are sure to ,
gather a round those whom it i s to the interest o f many

to mi srepresent B ut this key of Generous Human
.
Confidence will work wonders yet ; and time is the

great destroyer o f those lies which are born like blow ,
flies to live but fo r a day and to die forever , .
W ith such a S plendid collection o f keys o f all sorts

and S i z es do y o u n o t think that despite the adversarie s
,
21 5
TH E PERSONAL LE TT ERS OF JO H N ALEXAND E R DOWI E
there i s a great door and e ff ectual opened for me in

this E phesus o f S ydney which it only needs patience, ,
exp erience faith hop e and love to rightly use ?

, ,
S uccess is certain unless I faint and grow weary

, ,
which I d o earnestly pray the L ord to hinder : A nd

I long fo r the success o f winning for the L ord thou
“
sands who are p er ishing in s i n This is the o n e .
”
thing I want to do and to make all else subserve this
,
great aim The L ord has said and I believe that H e

.
, ,
will provide all that is needful I often think there is .
true Christian philosophy in the words o f a simple

hymn which says
A t some time o r other the L ord will provide

It may n o t b e m y tim e ,
It may not b e thy time ;

A nd yet in H is o wn time
Th e L ord will provide
. .
D espond then no longer the L ord will provide

, , ,
A nd this be the token

N o word H e hath S poken
W as ever yet b roken :
The L ord will provide .
M arch then right boldly the sea shall divide

on , , ,
The p athway made glorious

W ith S houtings victorious ,
W e ll j oin in the chorus

’
‘
The L o rd will
I f leaving the denomination S hould be a cause

of o ff ense I can only s ay s there not a cause
,
i ? I am
,
sure that is a step I am never likely to regret and it ,
is one I S hall never retrace : fo r it was taken after more

than a year s meditation and p rayer and has b een
’
confirmed daily S ince in every way I am free to .
preach what I was prohibited from doing by my
21 6
F ebruary then my first year s work in S ydney will b e ’
more blessed than were the previous four and a half

years s o far as man can j udge S urely this alone
'
.
,
ought to p revent your making my leaving the d e n o m i

nation a cause of o ff ense else y o u may be otherwise ,
fighti ng against the L ord .
The work i s His H e knows I do fully consecrate .
myself t o H i s servi c e .
H e knows I did not incur this h eavy financial

burden by my o w n wilful extravagance and that much , ,
if n o t al l o f it i s a fair charge against the work

.
,
.
H e will not su ff er me to b e put to S hame ; nor do

I feel H e desires the matter longer now to rest upon
my heart and cripple my energies This is H is matter .
,
and I leave Him to deal with you my dear father c o n , ,
v i n c e d that H e will guide you however it may b e or , ,
will p ermit what happens B ut it must be arranged .
n ow. These delays are great hindrances to m e for I ,
need not tell you t h at t h e incessant toil o f brain and '
heart in my work are quite as much as I can well b ear ,
without the added burden o f thi s confused money

matter .
F o r over two and three quarter years I have toiled -
o n without a paus e and thank God I am i n fairly good ,
health B ut I cannot tamp er with myself j ust now

.
,
especially O ccasionally when worried I su ff er from

.
, ,
a p eculiar and p ainful S ickness which D r N eild tells ,

.
me i s cerebro S pinal and caused by an undue exite

-
ment o f the brain and I vomit a pure and sometimes,
frothy water at such times with all the feelings o f ,
seasickness I do not get over it for an hour or two

.
at least B ut I never have it with mere work to any

.
extent It i s the produ c t o f anxiety I want to stop

. .
it : fo r sometimes it makes me feel a little apprehensive

’
o f worse A nd fo r this and my dear ones sake and
.
,
the work s sake I am dt e r m i n e d to do what I can to

’
get this money matter into manageable S hap e .
There fore I earnestly p ress you kindly to write me

, ,
a candid clear letter telling me de fi nitely what y o u

, ,
think and will o r will not do I hope y o u will n o t

,
.
think me rude if I urge you to write wit h in two o r

,
three days o f receivin g this Y o u will confe r a real .
favor o n us both whatever your determination is if , ,
y o u will kindly do this .
N ow let me again thank y o u fo r your most kind

dee ds towards us and please tell o u r mother that
though I seem by some misdeeds to have b een placed
in her black books fo r awhile that I hop e she will rest ,
assured I never can forget her many acts of goodness ,
and that I have not a S ingle thought but what is r e

s p e c t fu l and kind in my mind concerning her .
The fact i s I sometimes think she covets my wife

,
and b aby and i s hard towards me for keeping them

,
here ; and with her love for thos e I love how can I ,
quarrel ?
S he really must forgive me and restore me to her
love again and then p erhaps I shall tell her a secret
, ,
I am sure s h e would like to know .
A nd now I must close J eanie sends h e r sweetest .
love to you all and we both desire our loving remem

b r an c e s to our ot h er father and mother and to every ,
memb er o f the family tribe whom may God bless , .
I am ,
J ohn A lexande r D owie .
( R ep lies to a m in i te r s wh o wr ites p r o t s tin g ga i s t

e a n th e i
c rc u l tio
a n of
s
tr ac t in h is p ish
ar .
-
May 22 ,
D ear S ir
In reply to
.
your rude note of yesterday I have , to
I do n o t recogni z e your r i ght to request any in

1 .
'
formation from me concerning any o f my actions o r ,
as to what instructions I give to those wh o are kind

enough to cooperate with me in Christian service .
219
2 A t the same time I may say that your exist

.
,
ence much less your S abb ath S chool has never been
, ,
mentioned by me fo r I should s ay over a year and , ,
that whilst I leave my p eople entirely to their o wn

,
discretion as to where and to whom they distribute

my weekly tract I gave them no instructions to dis
,
.
tribute them i n P and was entirely ignorant that

‘
they were distributed there un til I received your note .
3 . H ad I any resp ect for your j udgment o f any

thing I might S ay o r do or write I would feel that
, , ,
your assertion that my tract o f last S abbath was “
calculated very seriously to unsettle th e minds o f the

”
young and inj ure their moral tone to be a statement ,
demanding instant explanation ; but as I consider ,
your j udgment to b e as feeble and incapable as your

ministry I do not reckon it to be of the slightest value
, ,
and it would b e foolish to b e angry o r vexed about it ,

“ ”
much less to b e filled with indignation as you say ,
“ ”
y o u were with my obnoxious paper .
4
. It may interest y o u to know that n o fewer than
“ ”
o f these very obnoxious p apers have been cir
c u l at e d and that the liquor dealers and modern P har
,
i s e e s generally agree with y o u in your opinion but that ,
there are many thousands o f p ersons w h o hold a dif

f e r e n t opinion and have actually said they did good ,
which is o f cours e quite a mistake in your p rofound

j udgment A lso that. similar tracts written
by me have recently b een circulated in Sydney .
“
5 I wish I knew w h o distributed these obnoxious
.
tracts among your flock I would certainly commend

,
his choice o f a field and will certainly do nothing to

,
“ ”
hinder perp etuating s o gross an impertinence n o t ,
withstanding your awful ( ridiculously so ) threat to

“ ”
take very vigorous step s to put a stop to it .
W ith p rofound p ity fo r y o u I am , ,
Truly yours ,
J o h n A lexander D owi e .
22 0
shall destroy the works of the d eVi l wherever he

finds them s e t free the captives b ind up th e broken
, ,
hearts and homes around him and extend th e King ,
dom of R ighteousness and J oy and P eace o n the earth ,
and then go to b e forever with the L ord .
Y o u will s e e that p age five of this letter

b ears date S eptember 2 6 o r more than a month from ,
its beginning I nterruptions cares toils di fficulties

.
, , , ,
dangers temptations weariness sadnesses victories

, , , , ,
conflicts watchings studies deaths births burials

, , , , ,
baptisms marriages writing sp eaking and employ

, , , ,
ments o f all kinds have intervened within that month

enough if written to fill a volume I know you would
, , .
like to know and I to tell more than time and pen and ,
ink will enable me to express H o w gladly would I .
sp end an hour with y o u every day if you were near

and tell y o u o f the way the L ord has led me o f how ,
good and merciful H e has b een how H e has sustained ,
me when ready t o faint and delivered me from despairs

“ '
and doubts doing great things fo r me w h ereof we

,
are glad He h as given me victory over devils i n

.
“
visible and very visible too ; and in p erils amongst
,
”
false brethren H e has brought me through This day .
I stand amid many dangers but my feet are o n the ,
R ock and my head is above the waters nor can I dare

, ,
to despair : for the L ord will bring me through .
“
W hat shall we s ay then to these things ? If G O D
b e for us W H O can b e against us
,
H e that spared
n o t Hi s own S on but delivered H im up fo r us all how
, ,
shall He not also with Him FREE L Y GIV E U S A LL

TH I N G S ? W ith such assurances to doubt i s to dis
”
,
honour God and with such provision as A L L

,
TH I N G S needful fo r life and work I am ashamed to

reflect upon my weariness and discouragement W h o .
can b e against me since God is fo r me ? ,
W hat is the cha ff when the breath o f God s S pirit ,

’
can in a moment drive it away ?

There is not a shadow o f doubt in my mind that
222
my way would have been a thousand fold brighter and

more successful had I feared none and nothing but had
trusted constantly and fully in the L ord S o that .
though I have to record triumphs yet it is my disgrace

,
that with such promises and such unemployed powers

, ,
I should have done s o little where there was s o much

,
to b e done .
Y o u would see from th e tracts which I have sent

to y o u from week to week that I have preached every
Lo rd s D ay in the Victo ria Theatre P itt S treet since
’
, ,
the second S unday in this year O ur audiences in the

.
morning have b een small from many evident causes ;

but I am sure th at in the evening I have had the
largest regular congregation of men to b e found in
any building fo r C hristian worship in this city not ,
excepting P itt S treet Congregational Church and its

“
fo und wanting minister H e has n o t dared to at
-
.
“
tempt a word o f reply to my lectures o n The D rama ,
”
the P ress and the P ulpit and to other severe critic
,
isms o f his foolish sp eaking o n the Roman Catholic

and E ducational questions The press and he form
.
“
a mutual admiration society and flatter each other
,
in fine style ; but the people are b e gi n n m g to get free

from being press ridden as well as priest ridden from
- -
,
“ ” “ ”
the tyranny o f the scribe as well as the P harisees .
I often launch o u t against o u r corrupt p ress but ,
though there are reporters there every evening they ,
dare not print what I s ay nor dare they attack it ; for

“
like other scribes long ago they are saying we fear
, ,
”
the people : fo r all hold J ohn as a prophet .
I dare say you will laugh as I do whilst I write

, , ,
and doubtl ess the quotation does not exactly fit though ,
it is not without force since friends are pretty well

,
agreed that the people generally have a general respect

fo r m e o f which I have many evidences— not the least
,
being that thousands of them hear me gladly and that ,
f o r months past I have b een asked to b ecome a can

d i d at e for their rep resentation in Sydney at the ne x t
2 23
general election a fact which seems to b e widely

,
known and which I am sur e very largely accounts for

,
the comparative silence o f the press against me j ust

now B ut enough about the press which i s o n e o f my
.
,
abominations as at p resent conducted : fo r its deity

-
is M ammon .
O ur audiences have often filled the theatre to its

utmost capacity with even the standing room occupied ,
and I think that fo r the last thirty S undays our aver

age has been fully 1 000 W e have written 20 tracts
.
and printed and distributed copies— thousands

o f which have been sent to all p arts o f the Colony ,
to other Col o nies o f A ustralia and t o many lands .
The results of this preaching G o d alone knows and

only eternity will disclos e but we have b een p rivileged
,
constantly to s e e results to some little extent and I ,
do not know o f a single fruitl ess service in the theatre ,
o r a tract from which some good has not come W ere .
I to go into details it would b e too much for my time

and p erhaps your patience D runkards reclaimed
.
,
i n fi d e l s converted sens ualists purified homes made

, ,
happy an d sinners in various conditions reconciled to

,
God in Christ .
W e have also fought a good fight against the foe s

o f the L ord w h o rule in thi s city and land — especially
against the L i q u o r o cr acy and S nobocracy o f S ydney
who are such a curse to the people generally In poli .
tical and social life these are ser i ous hindrances to real
p rogress in spiritual life They who despise the L ord
.
are the honoured o f the land and false and foul and ,
devilish principles are t h e laws o f their lives There .
are few w h o do n o t worship the golden calf and there ,
—
can b e no more debasing idolatry none more cruel
o r h eartless V i ce 1 8 under high patronage and money
.
,
covers a multitude o f sins There are hundreds o f

dens of ini quity in this city where a wful deeds are
done su c h as lands sunk in barbarism and ignorance
,
could not exceed in horror brutality and shame D i s, .
22 4
to promote righteousness in o u r Government and laws ,
fo r triumphant iniquity everywhere opposes the spread

o f the Gosp el and sows future harvests of awful sin
and sorrow O ur young men are decaying fast and

.
,
a kind of dull despair o f all change for the better is

s eizing upon many who s e e things as they are whilst ,
’
the great maj ority walk about as in an O pium eater s
dream s o far as acute perception of p resent danger s is
,
concerned N othing but God s o wn S pirit can revive

.
’
them I look fo r a revival in politics family life

.
, ,
’
social intercourse business pursuits etc where God s
, ,
.
,
truth shall purify and bless the people so that they toil
n o t in vain This revival will not proceed from the
.
c hurches as they are now constituted They will need .
t o b e p urged ere they can bless others .
’
The work i s the L ord s and wondrous in my eye s .
B ut I know it might b e b etter done I ndeed were we .

,
free from money care I am sure it would b e W ould

, .
that the L ord s time were come to favo r us in that

’
way ! It would take long to tell y o u all about these

matters and only worry you needlessly ; fo r I am sure
,
if y o u were rich in earthly treasures y o u would b e

fo r ward to aid u s I feel s ure of that and I therefore
.
,
d o not care to bother y o u about these matters .
S ome day ; I am certain the L ord will remove this

,
trial and meanwhile I go on n o t doubting His promise

, .
I would rather b e poor and in need than r i ch and ,
h eartless .
W hatever will some Christians say when they see

the L ord and give an account o f their meanness to
wards H is work ? They spend thousands o n houses ,
l ands and luxuries and grudge shillings to extend the

,
Kingdom o f H im to whom they owe all If I were .
engaged in establishing a business I might get a ,
thousand pounds t o help m e far more readily than I ,
would n o w get a thousand p ence to save immortal

souls from death and ruin .
But d o not let us f orget that the Christian Church
22 6
never owed i t s origin to the rich o n e arth ; but to the

“ ”
poor even to H im who for our sakes became poor
, ,
and the A postolic Missionary S ociety had probably n o

n —
bala ce at its cre dit anywhere o earth and yet what
n
S ociety since h as done s uch work for the L ord ? Go d

,
“
hath chosen the weak t h i n gs o f the earth ‘

.
A mong those present at o u r servi c es there are

frequently several ministers —indeed there are always ,
o n e o r more present They are —o f course p rincipally

.
, ,
ministers from other Colonies o r from another country .
My sermons are I know constantly discussed and are

, ,
evidently not without inter e st to the sermon makers -
who visit the city In my a fternoon addresses I have

.
,
seen city ministers o f various denominations present .
I tell you these things that you may know that my

work is an obj ect o f at least curiosity to the churches ,
an d I am afraid o f distrust t o many who dislike its

, ,
nonsectarian character and what i s more felt fin d

, , ,
that there are sheep from all their fol ds who are get
ting to o much attached to us fo r their liking .
O f course humanly speaking the task has alway s

, ,
been to o great fo r me and I gladly acknowledge that

,
only God s o wn power could have sustained me and

’
made me thus useful to many ; and to G o d ther e ,
fore I very sincerely give the glory B ut it i s a satis

, .
faction full o f cheer that should the work cease tomor

row i t will n o t b e that m y work has b een unsuccessful
,
in every sense as a preacher but b ecause it has not ,
been financially supported as it ought to have been .
Yet that reproach would fall upon others n o t o n me , .
My hope is though that it is being wiped away and

, , ,
that G o d will carry the work through and n o t let such ,
reproach fall upon any N ow even o n e year and eight

.
,
months have p roved my part o f it and I look back and ,
s ay gratefully that it has covered the ablest and most

“ ”
fruit ful period o f my ministry G o d has sealed it in .
an unmistakable way ; and if we can only overcom e

p resent difficulties there lies b efore us a glori o us future
, ,
22 7
i f spared to labour in this city Yet I am n o t an x iou s .

,
a bout the matter assured that it is God s o wn hand

,
’
that leadeth me There must always b e wo r k fo r m e

‘
s o long as the world is b efore me for my pari sh and ,
a fiel d for labour whenever there is a man who knows

n o t the L ord I want to go o n here if it b e God s will ’
.
, ,
and I think i t is ; but most o f all I want to do right

.
,
“
a n d to go o r stay as the L o r d m ay decide A goo d '
”
soldier must b e ready to fight any enemy at any time '
, ,
a n d anywhere I want to be such a soldier There

. .
fo re ti s fo r me to ob ey and fo r my L eader to direct

,
’
, .
I bless God I have come to that I am sure it is right . .
I shall work as if I were to stay all my life in S ydney ;

b ut I shall hold myself ready at any time to go to L on
“
d o n or anywhere T o do that will is my increasing
.
delight and that I only care that I bear to thos e around

,
may do it in every relation that I b ear to those around

m e and to those whom God has given A nd my
'
.
,
“
k eenest sorrow is to err from the way that will s o
l ovingly appoints .
B ut I daresay y o u will b e wanting to know about

o u r great International E xhibition There is no doubt .
i t is a grand display of manufactures from E urop e

A merica and even A sia ( for J ap an and the S traits
S ettlement and Ceylon are well represented ) There .
i s a good display too from the other Coloni es ; but I

, ,
am sorry to s ay that S outh A ustralia is about the

poorest and shabbiest court in the building I am sure .
y o u could have done b etter had y o u tri ed N ew Zea .
land app ears well and s o does Vic toria B ut in my .
op inion Queensland has about the most inte r esting

,
display o f i ts natural products arranged with great ,
taste and skill o f any , .
The b uilding is very finely decorated within and .
o ccupies t h e fi n e s t position in S ydney The vi ew from

‘
the towers is indescribably b eautiful even to us who ,
have it before u s s o constantly in part ; fo r it is most ,
comprehensive— the city the su burbs o n every side , ,
22 8
make men to wonder and ponder ; H e has defeated my

foes and disappointed t h e i r ev il desires and predic
'
tions ; H e has encouraged the drooping h earts o f some

whose faith had well nigh failed ; H e h as filled with
alarm and fear the souls o f evil men and evil spirits ,
w h o would fain have destroyed me long ago ; H e has

op ened up b efore me such far reaching harvest fields
o f labour and filled me with such desires and sup
, ,
plied me with such powers to do good that I am some ,
times lost in wond er love and praise as I s e e all H is

, ,
mercies which form s o glorious a crown to His good

,
ness.
—
How can I praise H im m y tongue cannot ,
find words to express my imperfect conceptio ns o f H is

great grace to me in all my past in all my present and , ,
in all I hope by H i s grace to be and d o !

, ,
S ometimes my inexpressible thoughts God s of

’
goodness and care for o n e s o unworthy as I am fill me

with awe and a deep sense of responsib ility lest I
, ,
should prove u n ab l e o r unstable and s o bring reproach ,
upon the glorious name I b ear as the redeemed and

’
regenerated obj ect o f J esus love and power .
Fo r I am utterly weak in myself— neither body ,
nor mind nor spirit are strong enough to b ear o r do

,
His will unless H e strengthened me at every point

, ,
in every moment o f my life I lean then and I desire

.
, ,
“
n o w and ever t o d o s o upon Him W ho not in vain
,
”
experienced every human pain and there I find it ,
true that H is strength i s made p erfect in my weakness ,
and H is grace i s su fficient for me .
The future is solemn the present is full o f perils

, ,
and of golden opportunities too ; but I need p rayer

from praying hearts o n earth who love me well and—
w h o can tell how much I owe under G o d to the faith , ,
ful prayers of humanly obscure but divinely powerful

souls who have unceasingly prayed fo r me since I
,
came into this city a l o n e in a human sense to do

, ,
battle for the L ord ?
23 0
( Wr i tten h is f a th er d mo th er . tu M h 18 79 S idn ey N 3
'
to an ar c , , , . .
How the world turns at the very words

H e s rich ! B ut it need not try its blandishments
’ ”
rich o r poor I am against all that is wrong in the

,
world I will still b e the foe o f its vices the friend of

.
,
all whom it oppresses I value my p robable power in .
a money sense most o f all for the good it will n o w

enable me to do and the evils I may now resist check
, , ,
and s o far as I can destroy I look forward to my ,

.
church my house my control o f a newspa per my

, , ,
seat in the L egislature my increased and strengthened ,
influence upon th e public mind as s o many possible ,
talents to b e employed fo r my L ord I hear Him s ay .
— O ccupy till I come — and in His name I shall make

“ ”
these means for extending H i s dominion amongst men

and seizing s o far as I can upon the fair provinces
, ,
which S atan now rules over in social ecclesiastical , ,
” “
and political a ff airs I want to occupy these p ro.
vinces with p ermanent garrisons— armies o f occupa

“
tion in fact— fo r the L ord J esus Christ and glad will

”
,
I b e if life is S pared to hand over my sword to my

, ,
son and noble men yet to arise that they may carry
, ,
o n yet more fully what I have b egun B ut wh o can . 1
tell what may happen ? L ife is very uncertain T o .
morrow s sun may never shine o n earth fo r me I may

’
.
never s e e the desire o f my heart There is often but .
a step betwixt o n e and death .
This was the case last W ednesday night I fell .

,
when crossing the railway line alone on a dark night ,
about five miles from town as I was running to the ,
station in ti m e fo r an approaching train the rumble

'
of which I c ould hear in the distance I came down .
with a terrific thud upon my face right on the rail ,
over which the coming train must pass and fo r a few ,
seconds lost consciousness or nearly s o ; but remem ,
b ering my peril I managed to roll o ff in some way

, ,
23 1
TH E PERSONAL LE TT ERS OF JO H N ALE XANDER DOWI E ‘
and got to my feet In less than a minute o r s o the

.
train dashed up to the stati on to which I was close , ,
and j ust reached as the train did Then I found that .
I was bleeding profusely from a rather deep cut o n

my le ft eyebrow I bound up my head with my
.
handkerchief j ump ed into the train and when I go t

, ,
to S ydney drove home in a cab feeling very faint , .
’
B ut by God s mercy I go t over it qui ckly and the
, , ,
wound is no w nearly quite healed up .
W as this n o t a providential escape ? I was quite

’
alone the night was very dark it was past ten o clock
, , ,
I had been conducting a marriage near P and after

wards spent a few hours in the house o f Mr S on e .
of my o l d N ewtown deacons about a mile and a ,
half from the station H ad I remained unconscious .
for two minutes I wo uld have been without doubt

,
cut to p ieces fo r n o eye o f man saw me fall s o far as

, ,
I am aware B ut Go d s aw me and H e in His mercy

.
,
rescued me from so sudden and terrible a form o f

death .
I have a good hop e though that to die f o r me is, ,
gain ; yet it may b e f o r the sake of others and my ,
L o r d s work best for me to live awhile yet o n earth

’
, .
Indeed it must b e since H e delivered me ; fo r I am

,
sure H e did This nearness to death has m ade me

.
realize more deeply how serious it is to live

Your most welcome letter o f various dates reached
me o n M arch l s t W e exp erienced a very great
.
pleasure i n reading it and I thank you for your kind

,
words which are in such marked contrast to those we

,
have received from S outh A ustralia but o f which I ,
do n o t intend taking any notice whatever— I would

scorn to defend myself against charges which would
fain place me o n a level with a liar a thief a hypocrite
I , , ,
and a fool My only observation to you concerning

.
these wicked and foolish K e n tto wn letters is that ,
they are as untrue as they are unkind and unchristian .
232
exercised long ago My o n e regret is that I am under

.
temporary monetary obligations to one who h as acted

in such a way and my consolation therein is that I
,
never incurred such obligation by my o wn action but ,
that it all sprang f rom h i s o wn fi rst origination as ,
I can easily prove M eanwhile my hope and faith are

.
,
strong that ere long the L ord will deliver me o ut o f

the hands o f this P hilistine who i s also s o closely , , ,
related to me I cannot doubt that the L ord J esus is

.
a stronger friend to me than this man can prove a foe

,
.
I know them both and G o d knows whom I trust H e

, .
has delivered from all my fears and it sometimes ,
makes me smile to s e e how weak and powerless men

are to hurt me s o sa f ely and tenderly does the Chief
,
S hepherd keep and care fo r me .
However this is the first reference which I have

,
made to this matter in my correspondence with you ,
and I have done it not to vindicate myself— for G o d

,
“
is my j udge — not to condemn others— fo r to their

”
~
own M aster they Stand o r fall— not to give anyone

p ain needlessly— for that would b e sinful— and not to
invoke comment upon the matter from you— for that
would lead to endless letter writing without good r e
sult I have only written what I have because I am
.
your s o n w h o does n o t wish that any shadow should

,
rest upon your thoughts o f me and because I am sure ,
you will believe me without further proof when I ,
solemnly declare to y o u that the charges which have,
b een made against me are utterly b aseless in fact so ,
far as they reflect upon my character and u p rightness

in conduct .
There i s at th e same time another obj ect which

, ,
may be obtained by this reference an d it i s this that ,
you may use your discretion in communicating the

position which I take in this matter resp ecting ,
further intercourse I may say that after long medi

.
,
~
t at i o n and prayer I came to the conclusion that I

,
would not write another line nor hold any further

‘
234
correspondence fo r if I had answered o r were n o t to ,
answer his last letter as it must b e dealt with if I

,
replied at all I would in h i s present state o f mind

, ,
and heart fail to do good s o far as I now see There

“
.
, ,
fore I shall hold no intercourse with him whatever

, ,
and neither wish to s e e him nor hear from him any

more unless he is prepared to re c all the sh ameful i n
,
s u l t s he has heaped upon me He has vexed my heart

’
.
,
and hindered my work more than all my di fficulties

put together ; and if men generally had dealt with me
in anything like the same spirit I must have failed ,
long ago There is n o t one kind word o f encourage

’
ment or of hope in all h i s writing H ad I been

, ,
.
living the life o f an abandoned prodigal he could not ,
have employed harsher terms o f reproach H e classes .
“
me with those who have denied the faith and are
worse than i n fi d e l s he tells me that I have incurred
God s curse by bringing to H im robb ery fo r a burnt
’
”
o ffering ; he declares to me your ( that is my ) con ,
du c t has been simply disgraceful he says I have '
“
shown an ungovernable temp er ; he tells me that
“
it n o w appears that your work in S ydney i s a failure
“ ”
he calls me a fool in half a dozen places ; ignores
all I have written misrepresents facts which were set
,
be f ore him with the utmost clearness and abuses me ,
from b eginning to end without exception through a , ,
letter o f eight pages The only pause in this raging

.
is when he pauses to contemplate by w ay o f c ontrast , ,
h i s o wn spotless virtue and his exalted position as a,
prosperous man To g1 v e y o u an instance take the

.
,
“ ”
following words which suc c eed the epithet pauper
,
as applied to me which word doubtless suggested the

,
”
remarkable sent ence : I firmly believe ( this then is
“
his true creed ) that the secret o f my prosp erity in
,
A delaide is the fact that I leaned upon n o o n e what

ever fo r help in money matters ; but trusted entirely
in my o wn energies and good management I s not .
this a most astounding creed fo r a professional Chris
235
TH E PERSONA L L E TT ERS OF JO HN ALE XANDER DOWI E
tian man H as G o d n o p art in that which this man

?
possesses ? Then though I am no prophet I may, ,
prophesy that unless he repents quickly G o d will

, ,
write sp eedily his epitaph as H e did o n the tomb o f ,
the rich man in Christ s parable in t wo emphatic ’
,
”
words Tho u F ool I s ay to him h e should read
'
.
,
these words — W ho mak eth thee to di ff er from an

“
,
other ? and what ha st thou that thou didst n o t receive ?

N o w i f thou didst receive it why dost thou glory as
, , ,
if thou didst not receive it

L et him take c are lest th e angel of the L ord smite
“
him as he did king H ero d b ecaus e he gave n o t God ,
”
the glo ry That p roud fool was eaten up with worms
.
,
and I fear me the loathsom e worms have b egun their

“
work o n thy proud heart that sayest my prosp erity ,
is my o w n doing ; I leaned on no one I trusted e n ,
”
t i r e l y in my own strength and my o w n wisdom !
“
D idst thou never read Trust in the L ord with all ,
thine heart and lean not to thine own understand

,
”
ing ; o r H e that trusteth i n his riches i s a fool ;
“
,
“ ”
or,
H e that trusteth in his o w heart i s a fool
n ?
These words are D ivine and will last long after thou ,
hast in body mingled with the dust ; long after thy

, ,
ledgers have vanished into the smoke of the last fire ,
should they last s o long ; an d th ese words will appear

aw f ul to thee at the j udgment seat of Christ unless ,
thou dost rep ent O miserable boaster : ,

“
L o thou ,
trustest in the staff o f this broken reed in E gypt ( the ,
world ) ; whereon if a man lean it will go into his ,
hand and p ierce it

,
Yea and it will go deep er still
.
,
“
it will pierce thy heart through with many sorrows ,
“
and then fling thee overboard to drown in s i n and
p erdition unless thou hast a care for thy soul s true
,
’
welfare .
’
Tis in these words that I would reply to such
blasphemous boasting and pride .
A s to the c harges o f which I have quoted a few ,
in this boaster s own language I am under n o n e c es

’
236
They were p ainful but n o w I sing already the ,
”
conquerer s song ; fo r the L ord h as delivered me o r
’
i s delivering me o u t o f them all : ,
W hy should I complain o f want or distress ,
Temptation o r pain ? H e told me no less :

The heirs o f salvation I know from H i s W ord
'
Through much tribulation must follow their L ord .
’
I dare say when Gideon s host melted away from
,
men to 300 he was not witho ut temptation to

, _
fear that he would b e crushed by the M idianiti sh foe .
“ ”
B ut the L ord took the fearful and afraid away ay ,
“
and thousands beside lest Israel vaunt themselves ,
”
against me saying M ine o wn hand hath saved me
, ,
-
H e did that too with me H e emptied my ex

, ,
.
c hequer often ; H e reduced my congregations to a very
small numb er often ; H e diminished my help ers and ,

’
took away all my trust in m an u n ti l I leaned on H im

s elf alone ; He pointed the way to bolder enterprises
i n the face of an utter want of apparent resources ;

and then when I obeyed H e pro ved H is faithfulness ,
by giving me the most glorious victories I have ever

wo n in this battle which is the L ord s
’
.
,
Tomorrow will be the tenth S unday o f preaching

in the Vi c toria Theatre and I can s ay that every S un ,
day has shown a steady and large increase in the at

tendance an increase in spiritual results and an i n
, ,
c rease i n material resource s A s to the last o f these .

,
I will only mention this fact that last Tuesday eve ,
ning in the Temp erance H all a meeting o f my p eople

was held at which the s u m of 1 5 pounds p er week for ,
all exp enses was guaranteed for the next three months
,
certain and a committee was formed to relieve me

,
entirely o f all p e r o s n al responsibilities .
The expenses o f Theatre handbills advertising , , ,
etc come to 7 pounds per week which will leave me

.
, ,
8 pounds for my p ersonal income and if our pros ,
23 8
p e r i tincreases then I shall s e e my way to more

y ,
.
O f course I shall need to have to p ay up what I

,
am behind n o w b ut if the L ord spare my life and give

, ‘ ,
me health and succ ess it will n o t b e long ere I shall ,
“
owe n o man anything but to love them as God r e ,
quires and as I d o I feel I o we love to all men when

,
-
I remember Go d s love to me ’
.
D oes it look like failure o r does it l oo k like some ,
thi n g very di fferent even from a temporal point of ,
view ? O f course I do not exp ect that it will please ,

’
my traducer even though it i s the L ord s doings ; for
,
I fear that he imagines God s way o f dealing with me ’
could be greatly improved upon if application fo r ,
advice were only made to him B ut I b elieve in the .
”
L ord s doing in fi nitely better fo r me than if I lean
’
,
” “
on n o on e or trust entirely in my o wn energies and
,
”
good management In fact I have such confidence .
in the L ord e v en in money matters O m

,
”
,
ine enemy , ,
that I am determined H e shall b e my B anker and my

sole E xecutor should I die tonight or should I live ,
for forty years ; and fo r this reason H e has never failed ,
“ ”
those who have put th ei r tru s t in H im which can -
b e said o f no other .
I would reckon it to be a sham e ful insult to G o d

were I to s ay I could trust H im with my eternal
sp irit and yet would hesitate to entrust Him with
,
the care o f my body ; and I know o f nothing which

can be meaner o r more detestable than such a course
would be '
.
I am af r a i d that many men are treating Ch ri st as

if H e were a kind o f spiritu al A ssurance A gent who
takes the risk o f insuring their souls fo r a small
premium o f money o r lip service s o that in case o f , ,
accidents heaven may in this way be bound to make

,
things all right O h what a terrible awakening await s

.
”
those who make a house o f merchandise of God s ’
“ ”
Temple and who reckoned their prosp erity and that
,
o f others to depend o n pounds shillings and pence , ,
23 9
and that Go d had no part in even that !

I have had very keen trials in money matters ; b ut
I and J eanie have no p ersonal extravagance with
w hi c h we can rep roach o urselves Tis the work .
’
w hich h as demanded o f us heavy sacrifices A ll the .
w ay through I have believed that it would be blessed .
A nd Go d has rewarded the faith which His S pirit has

sustained in my heart .
The work which I am now doing I think is quite

unique in i t s character s o far as I know in any o f the
, ,
A ustralian Colonies Connected with none of the

.
denominations aided by none hindered by man y and

, , ,
looked askance at by all I have gathered o n e o f the

,
largest congregations o f men to b e found in this city

-
and largely o f such men as never enter a Christian
church edifice N ine tenths fully o f those attending
.
-
are men from twenty to fifty years of age with some

—
o lder and younger there are also not a few gray
h eads This kind of congregation is rare here and
.
,
mo st o f the churches are three fourths female in their -
c ongregations .
B ut most striking of all I have won the resp ect and

,
confidence o f F ree Thinkers in no small numb ers and ,
I never preach at night without seeing among my

audience numb ers of men who have b een connected
with the F ree Thought and S piritualistic S ocieties o f
this city I have the j oy of knowing that some o f
.
them are free thinkers now of the righ t stamp made ,
free by Christ the Truth

,
.
B ut I could fill pages with the stories o f strange

p eople we have drawn up in our deep sea fishing net .
P erhaps one o f the strangest j ust now is a giant look

—
ing gray headed old Mormon I believe he was an
—
E lder o r something of the sort wh o has been in this
c ity for many years — “
generally known as Mormon
J o e. H e i s a most singular man and I cannot say , ,
that he would pass muster anywhere as an orthodox

Christian b ut he is an acute thinker a fluent earnest
, , ,
24 0
employment he becam e very despondent

, H e had .
had very little food and had only four pence left and
,
was utterly without hop e A s he wandered through .
the streets o n e o f our young men accosted him and

gave him o n e o f our handbills and go t him to promise
t o come to the service
. B ut when he came to the door
.
,
h i s heart failed him and h e was shrinking back when

, ,
he heard my voice and some words fell o n his ear

, ,
and into his heart which c aused him to go in at once

, .
E verything s eemed intended for him O ld memories .
o f a Christian home in Glasgow were awakened and ,
new thoughts to o in h i s despairing heart and ere the

, , ,
sermon had closed he h ad given his heart to God

, .
D eeply moved he went o ut with the crowd A s he

, .
app roached the door he s aw the co llection plate and ,
was regretting h i s poverty when suddenly h e remem ,
bered that he had four p ence left H e put the fo ur .
pennies in the p late and passed o u t into the night

, ,
knowing that he would need to sleep in the streets o r

in the park B ut he scarcely slept at all he prayed
.
,
a good deal and asked as a token o f mercy that he

,
might get work the next day The morning came . .
H e got work early that day and since then more ,

-
than a month— h e has procured decent clothes I have ,
had long conversations with him and dres sed so ,
resp ectably with a pleasant countenance and calm

, ,
manner it i s di ffi c ult to imagine him as he has b een

, ,
until y o u hear him sp eak of his past when the tremor ,
o f his speech and the emotion which fills his eyes with
tears shows y o u how he h as sinned and su ff ered

,
.
B ut it would not b e right for me to leave you to

think that o u r congregation solely consists o f such
classes as are repres ented by the two I have named .
There are many in it who have been c onnected fo r

many years with every denomination in the city I ,
think There are others b esides who come i r r egu

.
, ,
'
l ar l y and whose p rej udices are passing away

,
N or .
must I forget to name the no b le b and from my late
242
T HE P ER SO N A L L ET T E R S O F JO HN A LEXANDER DOWI E
c hurch at N e wto w n who have stood by me with a ,
splendid c ourage and self— s ac r i fi c e which is b eyond
praise c oming in three miles fai r o r stormy weather

, , ,
alike nearly all o f whom are the fruits o f my mini s

,
-
try there and all o f them coming without a word of

,
solicitation o n my part ; for ex c ept the outcast and

c areless I have n ev e r s o l i c i t e d a s 1 n gl e human being
‘
to attend my ministry .
In the front o f that noble band who are t h e very ,
heart center o f my people there stand two men ,
F rank A llum and Thomas S Hutchinson and under — .

,
G o d it i s to these two men we o w e very much o f o u r

,
success In point o f honour they stand equal in my

.
love and confidence and in the resp ect they receive ,
from every one w h o comes into contact with them .
They are both the fru its o f my ministry at N ewtown .
S uch men as they are rarely found amongst men on

earth ; and fo r real goodness of heart cheerfulness of ,
manners coupled with simplicity o f faith and per

, ,
f e e t consistency o f life they have never b een s u r ,
passed i n my exp erience These two men are rep .
r e s e n t a t i v e s o f not a few w h o are attending my minis
try S urely there never was a mor e s i n gu l ar c o m p an y

. .
banded together to sustain a Christian minister .
’
W e are by God s mercy building up a church
, ,
which shall yet do great work fo r the L ord in this

c ity and land I do not fear either the dangers o r
.
”
di fficulties which stand like lions in the way if ,
God give me only bodily and mental health added ,

“
to the grace su fficient which H e has never withheld
when I have gone for ward with the r o d o f faith which ,
is mightier even than Moses and A aron s rods ’ ’

.
B ut there is need fo r every virtue and every grace ;

and were I not sure that I am where the L ord would
have me be the great burden o f this work would b e
,
to o much fo r me Yet as it i s loads which seem as

.
,
mountains to many outside are feathers light as air

to me since God puts in me the strength o f H i s own
,
243
T HE P E R S O N A L LE TT ERS OF J O HN ALEXANDER DOWI E
S p irit to bear them I d d humbly hope that I am n ow

.
,
at th e end o f the di fficulties as to the finances o f the

wo rk and that we are about to enter upon a p eriod
,
where the only concern will b e how b est to do it .
My rather bold u s e of the p rinting press has been

fully j u stified by the results and I am now sp eaking ,
weekly through my weekly tracts to many thousands

, ,
of homes in this city P eople send them to their

.
friends in the country distric ts in the other C olonies , ,
and in E ngland ; and y o u will find them here and there

pasted up on th e walls o f offices in the cabins o f ,
sailors etc O n the S undays I o b s e r v e many p er

'
.
, ,
sons reading them i n the p arks and on the streets and ,
many p ersons s t0 p o u r di stributors n o w and a s k for

on e
. The Theatre is situated in the very center o f
all the traf fi c in the city and many p assers by to whom
,
they are given under the gas lights o f the front

entrance stand and read them and often afterward
, ,
turn and go in I shall keep on therefor e writing a

.
, ,
new o n e every week .
My successor at N ewtown has b een telling h i s

“ ”
audience that amusements s o called ought to b e ,
-
indulged in and that he would as soon die playing a

,
game o f b illiards as in a prayer meeting etc N ot to ,

.
b e outdone by h i s neighbors M r J followed suit , .

,
and made a great pane gyric upon the Theatre and

i t s n o ble cap ab ilities .
I can stand it n o longer s o I have now entered the ,
field and shall lecture if God will o n S unday eve

, , ,
ning next on The D rama th e P ress and the , ,

”
P ulpit I am esp ecially provoked by the gross
.
ignorance and daring untruth of his representations

,
c oncerning the a n cient Greek drama H e says — The

“
.
,
tragedies of A e s c h y l a s and S ophocles contain high

moral and religious teaching They represent men .
as they ought to b e not as they were B ut the theat

, .
r i cal assemblies o f the ancient Greeks were no more
satisfied than theatrical audiences o f modern E nglish
2 44
THE
-
PERSONAL LE TT ERS OF JO H N ALEXANDER DOWI E
brot h er s throne Then remember too that th e go d s

’
.
, ,
are at the bottom o f all this abominable crime ; and

“
now here M r J says tha t these tragedies are ideals
. .
o f a nob l e li f e These are strange words from a

Christian prea c her o r o n e wh o professes to b e such , ,
and I fo r o n e think that an ignorance s o extreme must

, ,
be dealt with in plain language If the modern drama .
i s capable o f puri fi cation certainly the filth of S o p h o c ,
les and A eschylus are poor purifie r s I had rather the .
worst o f modern dramas than that A nd if Christi a n .

,
ministers are to aid in that talk t h ey m u s t have clearer

‘
“ ” “ ” “ ”
ideas o f morals religious tea ching and ideals
'
, ,
of noble living than this man who talks o f writers ,
of whom it i s charity to suppose he is wholly ignorant .
I shall do my b est to deal fairly and plainly with the

whole subj e c t and in such a way as shall show that
,
I have no sympathy with dramatic p erformances as a

rule n o r can I s e e in what way the drama is to b e
,
made a b e n e fi c e n t and progressive power which it ,
never at any time h as been s o far as I can fi nd and let , ,
those w h o say the opposite prove the contrary .
Your o ff er to se n d me a black suit as a present

touched me and seemed most kind ; but I feel almost
,
ashamed to accept s o c ostly a gi ft My present frock .
coat is rather o l d and shabby and I have only got ,
through the summer by getting trousers and vest and

wearing my dress coat whi c h you made in 1 8 6 7 under , ,
a yellow silk dust c oat I need it i s true a fro c k c oat .

, ,
immediately fo r the p resent o n e is more thoroughly

,
worn o u t than any o f i t s p redecessors There f ore I will .

,
accept upon condition that you will ac c ept in return

,
a f e w books it is in my min d to send y o u and a little ,
money when I can I assure you money h as been very .
tight indeed often with me and I have with J eanie

, , , , ,
b een most p arsimonious in personal expenses— i t is

the establishing of our work which has taken the
money I often regret my inability to provide help for
.
mother who should rest more than she does I fear

, , ,
246
and I hop e I may yet fo r the future looks brighter ,

.
My measures taken j ust easily without straining

, ,
the tap e are chest 40 inches— waist 3 9 inches Y o u

, ,
.
may b e surprised at my corpulence I do n o t under .
stand i t myself : fo r I am a moderate eater and a hard

worker B ut I sleep well and live regularly as to
.
,
meals etc I weighed two o r three weeks ago n o

,
.
, ,
les s than eleven stone and s i x pounds and yet I do ,
n o t look the weight : f o r I flatter myself I am n o t
disp roportionate in fi gu r e— although I d o not s ee m y

sel f a s others s e e me .
To all o ur fri ends r ememb er u s with kind wishes .
P ray for u s daily yet more and more— i t strength

ens me to know y o u and many more do— and remem
ber that y ou are always in o u r hearts and in o u r
”
prayers that you may b e supplied in all your need
’
o u t of the fullness o f God s infinite love in the L ord .
I am ,
(A n s w rs e an o y m ous
n wr i ter wh o i ss
cr i t c i e wo r k —f an . 8 ,
My D ear Mr E ditor : .
W hen I read today in your issue of J anuary 2 ,
the spiteful misrep resentations o f some correspond

ent signing himself S p ectator I was reminded o f
“ ”
,
a story told of o n e o f my brither S cotts

“ ”
H e was .
f o r some reason o r more probably fo r the want o f

,
reason a subj ect o f many unpleasant gossiping

,
tongues and at last in cynical defiance he wrote over

,
“
h i s gate M en s ay ; what s ay they ? W ho cares what
,
'
”
they s ay ? N ow although n o cynic and by no means
, ,
regardless o f the opinion o f my fellow men I al ,
ways treat anonymous attacks as I do anonymous let

ters with both o f which I have fo r years been largely
,
favoured with the utmost contempt ; and seldom do

,
I n o w bestow a second thought upon them D uring .
24 7
T HE PERSONAL L ETT ERS OF JO H N ALEXANDER DOWI E
more than s ix years residence and public life in this

’
city and for the last three years bitterly opposed by

,
‘
all sections o f the P hilistine P ress which curses this

city and defends the grossest iniquities o f o u r social
and political life I have only once app eared in print
,
in self de f ense
-
F requently I have b een attacked
.
,
“ ”
by all four newspap ers in o n e day The H erald .
would sneer loftily in its 1 gn o r an t purse power i m ,

-
,
“ ”
portant way at my fanaticism concerning the
“ ”
’
L i quor T r affi c and Intemp erance ; its evening E cho

“
would virulently stab at me through its F unny M an
“ ”
in its Zigzag P ap ers column where roundabout lies ,
a bound o n every subj ect ; the vile sheet called the

“ ”
E vening N ews would follow suit a paper which ,
feeds o n garb age and exists to glorify vice and liquor

“
dom generally ; and then the new pap er The D aily ,
”
Telegraph must needs have its little fling to please
, ,
i t s pro li quor editor and prop ri etors

-
A nd now my .
,
friend y o u must s e e it would never do to b egin at

,
“ ”
tempting to fight these valiant we p eople on their
own midden heap s : fo r there would b e nothing gained
worth the e ffort n o r would I be wiser in pursuing
,
these critical flesh flies into their mal o do r i n g dens .
In this city I leave my daily life and work to answer

thes e cowardly anonymous p ersons but it is a dif ,
f e r e n t matter when they cross to your city where my ,
work i s less known and endeavour to needlessly

,
blacken me t o a p eople among whom I lived without ,
reproach fo r nearly o n e fourth o f my life and where ,
slanders against me are but cruel wounds to the hearts

of my nearest kindred who have lived in your city
for twenty years F o r their sakes principally I feel
.
, ,
it my painful duty to make an example o f S p ectator

“ ”
.
and since I shall need to sp eak of myself and my a f

fairs i n doing s o let m e ask y o u and your readers
,
to do me the j ustice to keep in mind two facts first that , ,
I do not willingly write concerning myself but o f n e ,
c e s s i ty imposed upon by my t raducer ; and second , ,
24 8
fact entirely condemns th e slanderer A nd as to th e .
other portions O f the paragraph I do not know wh o ,
wrote or inspired them but at the time they were ,
written they were literally true in every p articular

, .
I challenge S pectator to p rove a word in the para

”
graph to b e either fals e or exaggerated and I further ,
demand that he will not sneak b ehind the coward s ’
c loak O f anonymity but write boldly under his real

,
name .
N o t content with d i s p u t m g the truth of the p ara

graph he propounds h i s first false assertion that my
work has collap sed when my work is going o n and
, ,
in the opinion O f some qualified to j udge is more likely ,
to b e firmly established than ever P erhaps the fact .
that the S unday p revious to the late election for E ast

Sydney and fo r the S unday after I did not preach ,
a s usual made this ignorant traducer to say the M i s

,
sion had virtually collap sed B ut let me tell thi s .
“
S pectator that the M ission was all the while in full
”
working order and had regular weekly business meet

,
ings during my brief absence and actually arranged ,
for a twelve months lease O f a new hall— the Inter

'
national i n a central situation in P itt S treet

-
I .
preached there o n the day appointed when I left S yd

,
ney fo r resuming work vi z : D ecember 2 8 th and the

, ,
place w as comfortably filled on that first S abbath

evening although the weather was unprop itious the
, ,
H all almost unknown for it has not b een finished a

,
month and it was only advertised the previous day

,
.
L ast S unday I preached there to a large audience ,
and had what I fear S pectator cannot appreciate the

“ ”
,
j oy O f b eing followed to my home by enqui rers w h o ,
“ ”
are ask i ng with tears W hat must I do to b e saved ?
,
S O far as man can j udge many received the blessing ,
they acknowledged to have desired I was delighted .
’
to find G o d thus signally blessing my O ff er o f Christ s
’
glorious salvation as a N ew Year s gift and I take it ,
as a loving token o f His continued approval on the
25 0
work O f whi c h I and the faithful band O f Chri stian men

and women associated with me have b een engaged for
nearly two years W eek evening services are held in
.
the same hall by me work among the young is begun

,
with good promise an d it i s quite possible that my

,
committee may secure the Hall during the whole week

for my various operations and indeed I may say that ,
p ending that possibility the lease fo r which they have

,
agreed has not been signed M any are of the opinion .
that fo r o u r evening services the H all i s too small ; but

it i s a most convenient building and more liked by ,
my people than the Victoria Theatre .
These are the simple facts D oes not their mere .
statement completely demolish the slander O f S pec “
tator that M r D o wi e s work in S ydney has virtually

” “
.
’
collap sed ”?
S urely the wish was father to the lie .
A t any rate the probabilities are you will see S pec

, , ,
”
’
t at o r s statement is in a state o f actual collapse .
B ut I proceed to examine another statement of

S pectator s which is O f a retrosp ective character
” ’
.
“
H e says that while s o m e good has b een e ff ected it
, ,
”
has been an utter failure p ecuniarily .
I will deal at once with the first portion of that

“
remark that seems to contain half a sneer as to some ,
”
good being done by o u r evangelistic services It .
will lead me to give you a brief outline of the o rigin

and progress o f the Mission which may interest your ,
readers an d be O f some service to my friends and foes

,
alike .
In the fi rst week O f F eb ruary 1 8 78 I retired e n , , ,
t i r e l y O f my o wn free will from the pastorate O f the ,
N ewtown Congregational Church whic h I had held ,
for exactly three years and from all formal connection

,
with the Congregational and all other denominations .
This I did fo r reasons which then and now seem to b e

sufficient reasons entirely O f an impersonal character
, ,
not the least powerful o f which w as as it seemed to ,
me the absolute necessity O f reaching the utterly

,
25 1
Godless maj ority O f this city by means of an entirely

free Christian organization where n o Talmud O f tradi ,
tion nor fetters O f unbeli evable c reed would sta nd ,
b etween the preacher and h i s expression O f what he

believed to b e the truth o f the W ord O f God I believe .
that it was the will o f God that I should take that

position and that confidence was the result O f more
,
than a year s dire c t prayer and thought upon the mat

’
ter Th erefore I came into the city took the Theatre

.
, ,
R oyal ; I did not then and never have at any time

, ,
asked any o n e to j oin me and at once set to work The

, .
L ord gathered around m e devoted friends and larger

congregations than any I had ever p reached to before
for over four years in S ydney .
The work has gone o n ever since without the inter

mission O i a single S abbath service excepting the ,
month s rest wh ich it was agreed I should take in

’
D ecember and during that p eriod my fellow workers

,
met together every week and kept up their co n tr i b u,
tions A nd what has b een the goo d done ? W ho can

.
tell o r dare to estimate ? I cannot and dare not , .
E ternity alone will declare the results o f these two

years o f unremitting and delightful work B ut O f .
what has b een apparent I may b e allowed to sp eak, ,
and tell to the glory o f G o d alone from W hom the

, ,
power and blessing came some O f the work done and ,
its results .
S evere trials disappointments and temptations I

, ,
have had and do exp erience ; but these are what I ex

p e c t. True they have been
,
severe and sometimes o f a ,
ki n d unexpected but I have not murmured nor will I

, ,
murmur at that I humbly hope I have learned that

.
Go d s will is alway s b est ; and my confidence that H is

’
love has never permitted aught but what was for my

highest good and that o f those whose welfare I sought
, ,
has b een my constant strength and j oy .
D uring 1 8 78 the servi c es were conducted in the

Theatre I have mentioned and in two o f the largest ,
252
tracts some O f whom j oined churches o f various de

,
nominati o ns and it has b een my j o y to hear many

,
“
s ay , I yield myself to Christ and trust Him a s my
S aviour o r I will drink n o more or I doubt n o
“
,
”
,
“
, ,
” “ ”
more o r I have done with the Church O f R ome
, , .
In my Committee I could find some of each class

named and whilst I would not wish through i n adv e r t
, , ,
ence to overstate in s o solemn a matter as the conver

,
sion of souls yet I think I should b e within the mark

,
if I said that about 200 p ersons have given

_
themselves to the L ord under my ministry during

these two years N early one half O f these are with us
.
,
and the remainder in the country or divided among ,
the churches— some are now in other lands and a few ,
are safe over in the b etter land above Very heartily .
do I recognize the noble help and prayerful sympathy

O f my devoted fellow servants O f the L ord in this work
as the secret spring of many a soul being wo n from

s 1 n 1 n my ministry and I do wish again to most ,
humbly ac knowledge al l the blessing is from the L ord .
W ill you permit me then to give this necessa r ily , , , ,

“ ”
most imp erfect outline O f the some good to whi c h
“
S pectator so sneeringly alludes as having been done
”
in the work which I am afraid he will b e disappointed

,
t o s e e has not collapsed It is a duty I o we to my .
gracious L ord and M aster to record thus gratefully

my testimony as to H is faithfulness in blessing s o ,
richly the mission whi c h I entered upon alone b e l i ev ,
ing that I was simply obeying His will and I b elieve

now still more fi rmly that this work is O f God and ,
that it will n o t cease until H i s O bj ects i n it are ac

c omplished .
”
A nd n o w what O f S p ectator s statement It has ’
been an utter failure pe c uniarily ”

S uppose it true .
what then ? W ho claimed that it had been a pecuniary

su c c ess ? Certainly I never did for it h as b een a very ,
great pecuniary loss to me B ut P aul could say the .
same and much more ; and I am afraid that S pec

,
“
254
T HE PERSONAL LE TT ERS OF JO H N A LE XANDER DOWI E
tator would have been comp elled to pronounce the

“
R edeemer s o wn earthly ministry an utter failure
’
p ecuniarily as did H is treasurer J udas Iscariot wh o

, , ,
could only make money out o f it by selling his M as

ter fo r silver That was the only pecuniary success
.
I read o f in that M ission Yet wh o would dare to even .
mention the fact O f its imp ecuniosity as a charge

against the L ord ? I s it not indeed o n e o f Christ s ’
“
glories that for o u r sakes H e became poor that we
”
through H i s p o v e r ty m i gh t be made rich ? A nd if
’
I am poorer through my ministry I am n o more dis ,

.
“ ”
po sed to write failure upon it and ab andon it on that ,
account than I am to brand P aul J ohn B unyan o r

, , ,
“ ”
J ohn W esley as failures b ecaus e they cared more
for the souls O f Christ s sheep than for their golden
’
fleeces B ut it would b e a shame to me were I to

.
“
allow the M ission to b e b randed an utter failure
p ecuniarily More money has b een raised and spent
upon it during the tw o years than was raised and
sp ent in actual work apart from ministerial salary
, ,
in any church O f which I know in S ydney— f o r the

actual sum paid to defray the Mission exp enses apart ,
from anything to me has averaged nearly 10 pounds

,
per week That work i s not an utter failure p e c u n i

.
a r i l y which h a s done that The burden and anxiety .
concerning means has fallen entirely upon myself ,
and I do not doubt that the L ord will take care

that I do not lose in H i s work - H e is .
“ ”
good pay even although He keeps His servants
,
waiting long as it seems to them W e have made

,
.
no appeals fo r aid outside the circle O f o u r immediate

friends and b eyond the money given by o u r o wn
,
hearers the outside help has been a trifle compara

, ,
ti v el y
. I have a shrewd s u s p 1 c 1 o n that S pectator
“ ”
knows nothing about the matter except from idle gos ,
sip f o r which I am a fair target and I think it very

, ,
p robable that notwithstanding even he admits we have

,
“ ” “ ”
done some good he has b een no good pecuniarily
,
25 5
TH E PERSONAL LE TT ERS OF JO H N ALE XAND ER DOWI E
or otherwise to o u r M ission B ut let me tell him this .
is an O ld story O f his and has been O ften rep eated by

,
h i m and others doubtless in the hop e that the fact

,
might be s o This is a fair specimen o f much O f the

.
pretended Christian charity with which my work is

regarded by many denominationalists whose church ,
es are doubtless p ecuni ary successes but at the sam e ,
time huge spiritua l failures O ff e n s we m their pride , ,
laziness and worldliness both to God and m an , .
”
“
S pectator may yet b e found to be o n e o f the gr eedy
”
shepherds who feed themselves with whom I am no ,
favorite y o u may be sure

, .
A nd now in a word I desire to say this : that com e

,
p ecuniary failure o r success this M ission will go o n , ,
whilst God preserves my strength and gives me souls

for my hire This work does not dep end upon money
.
,
“
but upon God s grace ; and I have learned that powe r
’
”
b elongeth unto God alone I say I will tarry at .
,
Sydney fo r the same reason that P aul once said he

“
would at E phesus for a great door and e ff ectual is
,
-
”
O p ened u n t o m e and there are many adversaries
‘
.
,
O ne of the clearest signs that I ought to continue here

”
lies in the very fact that p eopl e like S pectator abound
“
here and are very bitterly opposed to me That is a

,
.
clear proof that the great A d versary does not like me ,
and therein I rej oice ; fo r as the song o f the S alvation

A rmy h as it s o also s ay I :
,
’
The D evil and I we can t agree , ,
I hate him and he hates me .
P erhaps S pectator may turn out to be a p ar tak e r l
O f or a trader in those poisons which the state has
established by law as a tra ffic to destroy and which ,
“
have b een called b y R o b e r t Hall liquid fire and distilled
”
damnation which is an apt description N ow all men
,
.
know where I stand upon that question and that I ,
have contracted with the L ord to sp end my life in
25 6
I am glad to s ay that tw o days ago I received your

letter from A uckland dated A ugust 1 7th and was de ,
lighted to get it and all the dear loving words con ,
”
t ai n e d in it It was like cold water to a thirsty soul
.
for it was truly good news from a far country I had .
almost given up all hope of getting it and s o it was ,
the more welcome I have read it over and over again

.
,
and carry it about with me in my breast pocket to

r e read when I am quietly sitting somewhere outside
-
.
S urely our love h as b een D ivinely given : for it is b e

yond all ordinary love of men my b est beloved I , .
thank y o u fo r the nice letter— no eye but mine has

read it as y o u desired ; but I have read from it to
,
J eanie and when G

,
comes tomorrow I will read
p art o f it to her You may b e sure that every letter
.
you write to me will b e appreciated W rite freely .
all that i s in your heart s o far as that is possible and, ,
I will guarantee that your letters will but strengthen

the ties which b ind us to each other ties which —
neither earth nor time n o r distance nor every evil
, , ,
power can weaken— for our love is from God I believe , ,
and that kind O f love never faileth .
Y o u will now b e getting near S an F rancis c o and ,
are I trust well my beloved My prayers are unceas

,
.
’
i n gl y fo r you and I have a sure belief that they are

,
b eing graciously answered You are safely e n co m .
“
p ass ed by Go d s hosts and no evil can hurt y o u The
’
,
.
angel O f the L ord e ncampeth round about them that

”
f ear h i m an d delivereth them
'
A nd wh o is that angel .
,
“
but J esus w h o s ays L O I am with you alway M ay
, , ,
.
you rest secure in H i s loving promise .
The meeting o f the electors of S outh S ydney w h o

were favorable t o my c andidature w a s held on Tuesday
night F or a first meeting it was large and very e m
.
t h u s i a s t i c My supporters are growing more and more

.
n umerous and confident daily They anticip ate that .
I c ertainly will get in as o n e O f the four to be elected

f o r that constituency and that I may even head the
258
poll I am neither to o hopeful nor to o fearful I shall

. .
d o my best to win and I shall n o t b e disgraced even i f

,
I am de f eated The elections do n o t come o ff until next

.
month and perhap s n o t until N ovemb er s o that it will ,
not b e ne c essary fo r me to sp eak much upon politics

‘
for a month A s you know I do not seek to enter

.
,
P arliament e i th e r fo r i ts honours o r rewards I simply

'
.
desire to initiate legislative reforms o n social matters

such as the liquor tra ffic the whoredom tra ffic and , ,
the O ffi cial corrupt tra fficking I want to put legal .
hindr an c es in the way of immoral and destructive

pursuits I want to do something to elevate the tone
.
o f public life and to get the rising generation e s p e c i

, ,
“ ”
ally to s e e that politics a r e n o t synonomous with
,
lying trickery and successful P arliamentary corrup

, ,
“ ”
tion I want the p eople to know that politics rightly
.
understood mean patriotism self sacrifice high moral , , ,
“
inte l ligent action and purity O f speech an d life
, Sa .
”
l u s populi suprema est lex w as the nobl e O l d L ati n
—
motto that s i — “
The safety o r welfare O f the p eopl e
”
i s the supreme law A nd s o every Christian man must
.
hold The people Christ lived fo r ; twas the p eople

.
,
’
whom H e taught ; fo r them H e su ffered ; fo r them H e

died ; fo r them H e ever liveth to make intercession ;
fo r them H e bids H i s followers live su ff er and if needs , ,
b e die ; and fo r the pe ople therefore in this spirit

, , ,
“ ”
I desire to labour H ence politics i s an essential par t
.
o f my ministry and o n that point I am glad y o u and I

,
agree as indeed I b elieve we do o n all matters fo r I do

, ,
n o t rememb er anything o n which we seriously di ffer .
I have taken fo r mysel f a room in S tephen Court

i n 99 E lizabeth S treet where I will place my library ,
“
and study fi ttings and a sofa bed I will stay at Cool
,
.
”
abah as much as possible o f the week and get th e
, ,
good air and rest O f the B lue Mountains to prepare m e

f o r the Hill D ifficulty whi ch lies b efore me 1 n th e ,
”
shape O f politics which when climb ed will I doubt , ,
“ ”
not lead to the House that is called B eautiful as
, ,
259
well as to the House of L egislature .
I am not v ery well my best beloved and friends , ,
are b eginnin g to say that lately I have looked worn

and weary—and they must be right for I feel w eary , .
I have had a very distressing cough day and night fo r

weeks past and a pain in my chest and languor very
,
unusual to me B ut during the last two days I am feel

.
’
i n g a good deal easier and I hope if it b e God s will , , ,
I shall continue to improve The contemplated change .
gives me hope and I thank G o d it has come at this

,
time .
S tephen Court where I intend having my room is , ,
next to Temple Court only that it enters from E li z a ,
b eth S treet round the corner from King S treet It

,
.
i s most convenient and central in situation .
1 —
R ent is 2 5 6 ( 1 per week 2 s 6 d for cleaning
. . . .
,
—
etc extra and I can get my meals at the Co ff ee P a
.
lace and even sleep there if I please I think I have , .
done right To have boarded with anyone would have

.
b een expensive and inconvenient I avoid both evils .
and get cheap and good quarters .
You will I know forgive all that is amiss in this

, ,
letter N O doubt it will be chargeable with faults o f

.
omission if not O f commission ; but y o u will know o n e

thing surely that every word O f it is wr 1 tten by the
, ,
hand o f o n e whose heart is full of true deep and , ,
strong love for y o u L ook upon every word in that .
light and then y o u will s ee that which I s e e in your

, ,
letter love shining like the sun with its radiant beauty
,
i n every line ; fo r love is the light O f life and nothing ,
that is un c lean or false can b e concealed in its presence ,
whilst every thought and word and deed and memory

i s clothed with b eauty and filled with sweetness and
gladness by its presence L ove never faileth it ever .
,
groweth it cannot die

, .
H o w comforting to know that come what will love ,
c annot fail .
2 60
O f the Government treat me with much personal r e

sp ect and from what I have heard I have reasons to
,
-
believe that S ir H en ry P arkes desires to have my sup

port very much o r that at least I shall not go against
,
h i s Government at the approaching General E lection .
The c ase O f which I have b een speaking has caused

me mu c h toil and anxiety and hindered me from the
w
,
pleasanter task O f riting to you my dearest b oy , .
B ut you will I know not complain because o f my

, ,
—
doing this good work for if I save a soul from death ,
and I have every reason to b elieve that by Go d s grace ’
I will and save aged and pious parents from going

,
down to the grave with broken hearts I am engaged ,
in work wherein I know you are heart and soul with

me work which it will be o u r j oy to do much o f to
,
gether in days yet to come .
My dear ones are I hear getting on well at Cool

, ,
abah in the Mountains I hop e to see them all o n .
Monday night and to s e e them getting fat and rosy

cheeked They like J ean 1 e says the place well only
.
, , ,
they miss me very much and want me there— fl atte r y ,
y o u know .
B ut to keep me humble here is an antidote in the

“ ”
unflattering impudence O f a poem from the comic
organ O f the S piritualists from whom by the way I , , ,
have re ceived several new abusive letters since y o u

left .
The B ulletin also h as b een at it again .
I will cut o ut a f e w O f their would b e funny para

graphs and send to y o u
,
.
B ut wait W e Shall have our turn some day in the

.
press and meanwhile it does not hurt me I laugh

, ,
.
and pass on and as p eople tell me I am growing fat

, ,
—
upon t hard work no sleep sometimes and all
i , , .
I am wondering today whether you are in N ew York .
D ear b r o t h e r I do feel for y o u in your visit there ; as y o u

,
stand beside your dear one s grave I seem to be with ’

.
262
y o in spirit
u B e O f good c h eer there i s much to live
.
for L et your dear ones all live so that when they

.
end this life those they have left b ehind may bless the
world through ages y et to come I shall with y o u o n e .
, ,
day s e e them : for
Bye an d bye we shall b e standing ,
Bye and bye bye and bye , ,
A t heaven s shin i ng landing’

,
Bye and bye ;

A nd o u r frien ds will round us gather ,
S aying W elcome fo r the F ather

,
‘
,
’
,
”
L oves to have His children nigh .
B lessed thought— s o shall we b e forever with the

L ord and with all these dwell with Him in the many
,
mansions above B eloved I must close or I will

.
,
miss the mail F orgive me for being s o hurried B ut

. .
'
y o u know how y o u are ever in my heart in my prayers , ,
and in all my plans .
A fter posting my l etter to you last night I returned ,
home to write my tract I was interrupted by a visitor .

,
and did not get to it until late .
However I stuck to it ; and finished it about three

,
this morning It i s entitled S educin g S pirits and Do c

“
.
trines o f D evils and is the second against S piritual

”
,
ism I think it will be good : for it goes straight to

.
the proof of most serious charges against this ab o m i n

able sup erstition T h e F reethinkers and S piritualists
.
are getting very angry but that is a good sign I hear , .
from many o f good b eing done to many who were o n

the brink O f the abyss o f A theism and only yesterday ,
I received a letter from a workingman cheering me

on ,and saying that I was o n the right track as to hi s
class .
I have had a good long sleep and am now fresh ,
again in a quiet house with time for at least two hours

, ,
’
263
T HE PE R SONAL LE TT E R S OF JO H N ALEXANDER DOWI E
writing—and fo r that time pu r pose have a qui et to

talk as it were with you although it won t be nearly
, , ,
’
s o pleasa n t as were o u r long night conversations in the
r oo m above me .
E very minute I expect to hear the bell ring and the

,
telegrap h b o y appear with a message from y o u telling

of your safe arrival in A delaide D ay and night I have .
besou ght the L o r d to take y o u s afely t h er e an d to

strengthen y o u in bod y and soul I expect a gr ac 1 o u s .
answer : for I am sure that the L ord has preserved y o u

fo r H is o wn gracious purposes and these will it seems , ,
“
to m e be best fulfilled by your life being Spared
,
The .
fields ar e white unto the harv est an d ere your d ay , ,
declines and the sun o f this life b e set y o u may labor ,
with me to bring in and fill with P urity and P eace and

J oy those who are weary amids t the world s m ad mo c k
’
,
ing mirth and groaning amidst the unrest the unclean

, ,
ness and the sorrows o f sin in the city and throughout

,
the ot h erwise b eautiful land I want to have y o u with .
“ ”
me to s ay to the wanderer : Come in ! and then to
seat them at the B anquet O f L ove I want to see your .
hands spread the first communion table in o u r new

Tab ernacle which the eyes of faith often see L ast
,
.
night or rather t h is morning I dreamed that I was

, ,
passing a stranger 1 n the city through the streets

, , ,
when I came to a large well lighted comfortable even , , ,
cheerful looking building The b rilliant light from the .
street lit u p t h e whole front and above the wide door

‘
way O n a white marble slab I s aw carved in large , ,
“
letters whi ch shone like gold the words H ave F aith ,
”
in God I entered the door thrilled to my heart by
'
.
,
these words and saw a sight which stirred my soul

,
with deep emotion The building was full— tier upon

.
tier the seats rose upon every side from the platform
‘
down to the farthest end o f the building E very eye .
w a s turned toward and every ear w as listening to the

“
speaker who was saying O my beloved b elieve me
, , , ,
God is L o ve ! ”
A n d above the speaker s head o n a
’
,
26 4
( P rotestant ) votes are concerned as I shall show y o u , .
B ut I was to o s ad and disappointe d to write to y o u .
’
God s goo d ness to me was very g r eat and I was won ,
d e r fu l l y supported amid the con fl ict B ut the strain

‘
o f rapid traveling t o and from A delaide and the toil O f
brain and voice and bo dy from my ar r 1 v al here the

.
1 l t h until the following W ednesday told upon me

, ,
ve ry heavily and i ndeed I have not yet recovered

, ,
from th ee ff ects Then it is s o difficult almost i m p o s s i

.
,
ble indeed fo r o n e to write or even sp eak in such a

, ,
way a s clearly to put b efore y o u at a distance the

'
w h o l e fa c t s con c erning S O intricate and deceitful a

batch O f lies as for the most part an election here is .
However I will try to give you some idea O f the facts

,
in this letter O r else I fear I will never be ab l e to give

,
.
y o u my version of the a ff air E very o n e in S ydney .
w h o knows anything about this election knows that

I was not d e f eated I wa s s a cr i fi c e d in a p an i c th r o ugh
.
, ,
'
greed and fear wh i c h i s not an u n c o m m o m thi n g and

, ,
shows u s yet more clearly than ever b efore that money

and alcohol are the slaves and yet the tyrants Of men
who are the destroyers of the people and dishonorers
of G o d .
M amm on and B acchus a r e t h e supreme rulers in

the political ar e n a h e r e and unless God prevents they '
will enchain and drag down fair A ustralia into the

depths of an awful political hell A pproved by the .
p ress applauded by society smiled upon by the

, ,
‘
churches and placed in th e most influential positions

‘
by a deluded p e o p l e th e high pr 1 ests o f Bacchus and ,

'
“
Mam mon are the rulers and they love to have it ,
”
so. N othing c an b e clearer than that awful fact .
God help A ustralia ! God awaken a slumbering

Church to s e e the serpents and adders which are being
no urished in its bosom ! G o d help the bruised and ,
bleeding and dying multitudes who are wailing in their

despair and struggling amid the seething blood dyed ,
-
waters O f the aby ss o f Intemperance Whose cries are ,
2 66
being drowned by the drum beat O f vicious pleasure

which Mammon and B acchus keep ever sounding to
stifle the sounds o f the perishing crowd O f souls whom
they are pushing below these dark waves having de ,
stroyed for them all h uman hop e !

G o d he l p the faithful few who are found am 1 d a ,
faithless world and a hypocritical Church and who w ill ,
not bow the knee to B aal ! G o d help m e to o I cry , ,
this day ; for I am sorely tri ed and diabolically tempted

to fight no more ! O Thou blessed L ord who did say
, ,
to one when he in vain self c o n fi d e n ce boasted that

,
-
.
he would n o t fail Thee I have prayed for thee that ,
t h y f a ith f a il n o t ; pray Thou too fo r me and deliver , , ,
me from S atan w h o desires to have me that he might

destroy me and destroy my power to serve Thee ! O
blessed S aviour I would have a part in the restoration
,
of the world fo r which Thou hast died ! If I may but

see Thy love in my trials Thy strength in my weak ,
ness Thy light in my darkness Thy good purposes

, ,
in my crushing disappointment I will be able to bear ,

“
the load and s ay Thy will b e done .
H o w hard t o s ay when all is dark above my head

, ,
when dreary is the p ath I tread ; h o w hard to s ay ,
amid the triumphs O f the E vil O ne ; but though I die

“ ”
I yet say In me my G o d Thy will b e done !
, , ,
I am very full O f prayer tonight : fo r I do want to

know and do the right and I am surrounded by many ,
dangers .
B ut I must tell y o u about the election and then ,
about o u r work fo r the o n e is connected with the

,
other and y o u will understand o u r present position

,
better if I tell you how we were aff ected by the p o l i ti c al

contest The contest lay between myself and R enwick
. .
Knowing the c laims I had upon the Temperance and

P rotestant voters with the support o f the working
,
classes I went into the contest with every hop e o f

,
winning although I knew that my opponents had

,
spent a great deal o f money in carousing for weeks .
2 67
TH E PERSONAL LE TT ERS OF JO HN ALE XA N DER DOWI E
My first meeting was a great success and gave m e a

unanimous vote o n the evening O f the day I arrived
at A delaide The next evening I had a splendid
.
hearing at my principal address in the Temp erance

H all and a unani mous vote .
That night I s at up and finished my address to the

electors which w a s p ublished in the p ap er o f the next
,
“ ” “ ”
day and in the H erald and Telegraph O f Monday
and Tuesday Ten thousand cop ies of it were printed
. .
It did me a lot o f good and every one seemed to have ,
a goo d word to s ay fo r it The meetings on S aturday .
— —
were S plendid I had three and had unanimous
votes W hen the week closed I had addressed about
.
s ix thousand p ersons The R enwick party were in a .
dreadful scare B ut S aturday night brought them

.
their O ppo rtunity and the unp rincipled rogues b egan

,
their game o n the husting .
A very influential dep utation from R enwick s ’
Committee sought an interview with me D ibbs an .

,
influential m erchant was S pokesman H e b egan by , .
“
p raising my address and said W e know y o u are the , ,
ablest and best man o f the two B ut why not split _

.
th e votes ? Y o u are to o late in the fi eld R etire in .
favor o f D r R — n o w and we will p ay your expenses

.
,
”
and help y o u all we can the next General E lection .
“
I said Gentlemen y o u have brought your answer
, , .
“
They asked me what I m eant I replied If you tell .
,
the truth I am in your opinion th e b e st man Then

, .
why as k me to retire ? Gentlemen the b est man who , ,
ever he may b e should go into the House : go and

,
as k the next b est to retire ; and like honest men give
your votes B ut whatever y o u do s ay no more to me

.
,
about paying my exp enses : that means dishonour it ,
means brib ery to my mind I had them fairly i n a .
corner but O f course they were n o t to b e moved by

,
logic I knew they were insincere and unreliable

. .
They tried then t o brib e my Committee to get me to

retire Two did fall into their hands i f no t more
.
, .
2 68
H all an hour b efore their mass meeting e ff ectually

, ,
p revented a declaration on b ehalf O f D r R enwick by .
the Temp erance men B ut still the p oison told and .

,
with a P rotestant Hall meeting of which I have written

a bove ,
it fairly frightened my supporters Then the .
n ext morning the pap ers came o u t with strong leading ,
articles for R enwick o f course and whilst they for , , ,
’
policy s sake refrained from attacking me to any great
,
extent yet they warned the electors that there was a

,
danger o f Tooth going in if they voted for me Lying .
rumors o f my retirement were then circulated b ills ,
were printed and posted about which stated the fact ,
that I had withdrawn and paid touts hung around ,
the polling booths and rep eated that and similar lies .
They did this with a thoroughness and success which

surprised themselves and left me far away o u t of the ,
r u nning They sp ent money like water and beer

.
_
,
flowed freely at Hodges Hotel their Central C o m ’

,
m i tt ee rooms while scores and scores O f vehicles drov e

,
about the voters and the unclean political vultures ,
who swarm about o n every side at such times doing

a l l kinds o f dirty work .
O f course we did nothing of the kind and every ,
vote cast fo r me w as in my eyes worth a score O f

’
R enwick s who was I knew deceiving the p eople and
, , ,
esp ecially the Temp erance an d E ducational R eform

P arties— if indeed there exist such P arties where s o
many are rogues o r fools Thus was the disgraceful .
victory w o n .
H ad t h e T emp e ranc e m e n v o t e d o n principl e t h ey ,
w o uld hav e vot e d f o r m e

'
I was a lifelong abstainer— R enwick was a mod

”
e r at e drinker .
I had led in many movements against the L icensing

system had advo cated every plank in the Temperance
,
P latform had preached constantly against it delivered

, ,
over forty sp ecial s ermons and lectures against In

temperance and written printed and circulated from
, ,
2 70
to tracts upon the subj ect within two

years had been chosen a s spokesman to Government
,
after Government at the head O f large deputations ,
and never had I once fl i n c h e d o r failed t o do my duty

~
in the matter in p r 1 v at e o r public life

,
.
R enwick had done absolutely nothing was relying ,
fo r support upon the publican ex mayo r R ob erts wh o -
, ,
was his first advertised chairman and though the false ,
Temperance men s aid h e had adopted the Temp erance

P olitical P latform I did n o t b elieve it for he cunningly
, ,
avoided saying s o himself and hi s notorious actions ,
in the House since he took his seat have fully proved

before the whole country that I was right .
Had the P r o t es tant P a rty v ot e d o n pr i ncip l e ,
e s p ecially t h e L e agu e the y would ha v e v o t e d f o r m e

, .
Three years ago I fought that battle in my reply

to D r Vaughan ( Rome s P olluted S p rings ) and in
.
“
,
’ ”
“
my p reface I warned the country that the true fri end s
o f N ational E ducation should arouse and look to th e
guardianship O f the N ational Treasury upon which

P apalist leaders have dangerously a ffectionate designs ,
”
at present artfully veiled u n d e r l i b e r al phrases On
‘
pages 8 2 — 4 O f my pamphlet I announced the views I

hold today and exposed the falla cy O f the cunning
,
scheme which D r Vaughan had advocated in his

.
“
Hidden S prings under another name I had d el i v
”
, .
ered s i x lectures in S ydney N ewtown and N ewcastle ,
at that time and had p rinted

,
pamphlets at a cost
of time and strength and mon ey su c h as D r R enwick .
never has dreamed o f giving to such matters Then I .
delivered a series o f six lectures upon the Roman

Catholic P astorals in the Victoria Theater to crowded
audiences from J uly 1 3 th to A ugust 24 th last year ,
and o n e o n S eptember 1 4 t h o n the R oman E ducational

A greement which I denounced and exposed ; besides
which I wrote printed and circulated over
,
tract s
in connection with these lectures I also delivered the .
series in the Temperance H all o n week evenings .
271
W here was D r R enwick then ? H is voice was never

.
heard he never ut tered any p rotest he never exposed

, ,
the P apal plots he never sought to enlighten the

,
p eople he was busily making money and doing well t o

,
h imself in worldly things and no o n e ever heard his ,
n e w born zeal in those days when my pen and b rain

,
a n d voice were found in the forefront of the stern cOn
fl i ct
. N o he reaped what I and others sowed and he
, ,
reaped it by fraud deceiving the p eople into the belief

,
that he was their champion when he was only maki ng ,
them tools for h i s ambition In his written address .
h e expressed no O pinion on the E ducati on question

and it was only at the last moment that he adopted
the r o l e o f P rotestant champion an d hoodwinked the ,
L eague into a pretended belief o f their platform as ,
he has shown by his votes upon the B ill n o w under

discussion in the House A ssembly .
B ut in the panic and whirlwind o f lies which swept

over the city within two days like o n e o f o u r dust ,
storms my services were forgotten and hundreds ad

,
m i tt e d that th ey voted fo r R enwick only to keep Tooth

o u t whereas had they voted fo r me who b elieved in
,
me and in my principles neither Tooth nor R enwick ,
would have gone in I verily b elieve but I should have

, ,
won the seat .
This is now admitted by many who intensely r e

g r e t t e d their votes when they saw how they had b een
tricked and who regret them still more when they
,
see how h e v otes in the House .
B riefly I will tell you h o w he has already voted

and acted .
H is first public act after he took his seat was to

introduce a deputation o f wine and spirit importers
and O f brewers and distillers to the Colonial Treasure r ,
Mr W atson whose O bj ect it was to p rotest against the

.
,
proposals O f the Government to increase the duties

upon imported intoxicants and to impose an excise
duty O f 3 d p er gallon upon all beers manufactured in
2 72
TH E PERSON AL LE TT ERS OF JO H N ALEXANDER DOWI E
ment as it is called cannot with its large maj ority

,
carry taxation upon beer you may depend upon it ,
their successors will b e chary ere they attempt such

p roposals in days to come H ad I represented E ast .
S ydney then we should have carried the tax and

, ,
driven in the thin edge O f the wedge o f further r e s t r i c

tion if not O f prohibition
, .
This however would n o t have been the new Temp

, ,
e r an ce p rinciples I suppose
,
.
A nd now the fourth and latest act is o n the E duca

tion question It was proposed t o amend the B ill now
.
before the House by introducing o n e o f the principles

of the L eague which did s o much to put R enwick in
, ,
and o f which both he and I are members— the principle

that there should be no fees that education should b e ,
like police protection f ree to all since it was to be

, ,
provided by the state from the taxation O f all D r . .
R enwick voted again s t that p roposal and voted for ,
3 ( 1 p er week b eing paid by every S tate S chool scholar ,
arguing that the Treasurer could n o t a ff ord to lose

the pou n ds which that fee would bring H ere .
again you s e e the traitor s footprints O f course the

’
.
Treasurer could a ff ord to lose pounds duty

from b eer but scarcely a third O f that sum from E duca
,
tion H eigh for the N ew R eformer s et this b right

.
,
boy up in the corner he ll muddle the brains and rivet

,
’
the chains of children and father and mother !

H aving reformed the liquor tra ffic by restricted
taxation he reforms E ducation by imposing taxation
,
.
“
H urrah for stunting the mind and muddling the
”
brai n ! should b e the rallying cry O f these new
re formers .
N ow do you n o t think my epithet upon the hust

“
ings was most j ust and that R enwick won a disgrace
,
ful victory ? H e c ould n o t gi ve clearer proof o f i ts

”
truth than is supplied by these indisputable facts B ut .
do y o u think o u r M am m o n i z e d P ress notice these

facts or would insert this summary O f them ? N ay the ,
2 74
taberna c les o f robbers prosper by their aid and woe ,
to him w h o would root out the nest of social and pol

i ti c al pirates w h o prey upon the p eople in a thousand
forms Ou r P ress i s their shield for it i s m their
.
,
pay and those who write therein must O bey o r

,
—
away they must go .
A nd now having given y o u this long account o f

,
R enwick and h o w I was de f eated for E ast S ydney I ,
return to tell y o u h o w that defeat h as affected the work

in which I am engaged for Christ o r rather its i n ,
'
fl u e n c e upon my f ellow workers and upon my personal

“ ”
a ff airs The work cannot be aff ected fo r p ermanent
.
inj ury by anything except s i n and I do n o t b elieve I ,
sinned in standing fo r E ast S ydney However the .

,
e ff ect upon the workers is another matter and this has ,
been a time O f the severest testing H o w f ar they have .
stood the test will app ear from what follows .
You will rememb er that I told you when I left A de

laide that it was the telegram from my p eople here
which decided me to accept the nomination for E ast
S ydney in the firm belief that they would n o t have
,
impressed it upon me without good reason and a pretty

sure prosp ect O f success .
Knowing that M r H my S ecretary a man of

.
,
nearly sixty years of age was an old s to ge r politically

, ,
having been S ecretary O f S ir H enry P arke s Committee ’
for E ast S ydney I reli ed largely upon his j udgment

, .
Then the letter f rom the P olitical R eform Union and

the subsequent adhesion o f their P resident and a large
numb er o f their Coun c il to my Committee was O f
im portance .
I am bound to say though that my friends were not

, ,
su ff iciently cautious .
They failed to make certain inquiries which would

have shown them that there would b e a strong o p ’
position to me amongst the rulers O f the O rders o r

“ ”
S ecret S ocieties and relied more upon my general pop

,
u l a r i ty with the body o f the p eople and my personal ,
2 75
T HE PERSONAL LE TT ER S O F JO HN ALEXAND ER DOWI E
influence through my sp eech es during the contest

than upon pledges o f support by prominent persons .
This would have b een all very well had it not b een fo r
t wo facts the first O f which they should have susp ected
,
!
and ferreted o u t and the other was plain enough for

,
thos e O n the spot to see These were the fact that the
'
.
,
leaders O f the S ecret S ocieties were pledged to vote

for R enwick b efore I app eared o n the field and also ,
this fact that he had made most extraordinary progress

,
with his canvass and through dint O f a plentiful use ,
O f money in p aying canvassers he had compiled a
list o f promised votes which included large numb ers

O f my friends ere ever I left S outh A ustralia Und er .
these circumstances it wa s not important to bring me ,
over where there was s o much to be risked I certain

,
.
l y would n o t have come had I known the real state O f

a ff airs and I am sure that it would have been s o far
, ,
as man can s e e better fo r myself and my a ff airs had

, ,
I done what I p urposed to do when I left S ydney for

a month B ut as it i s I fear it h as proved disastrous
.
,
to me in a fi nancial sense and that it is by no means ,
the remote cause O f that which will no doubt greatly

surprise y o u my determination to close the Mission
,
.
in S y dney fo r the present at least on S unday week

, ,
next .
A nd now I must explain how this comes about and

h o w it i s connected with this E ast S ydney a ff air though ,
O f course there are other contributing causes towards
this result which I shall not fail to lay b efore y o u

, ,
yet chief o r rather to speak more correctly the most

,
important i s the political one ,

.
Yo u will rememb er that I told y o u the understand

ing with whi c h I left my p eople as t o what w as to be ,
c onsidered by them and accomplished during my ab
sence if I was to go o n with the Mission when I r e

turned It was decided at a large meeting o f my
.
friends held the evening b efore I left that whilst I

was away they were to consider and decide upon a
2 76
TH E PERSONAL LE TT ERS OF JO HN ALEXAND ER DO WI E
the danger to the M ission if I failed ; and second the , ,
di fficulties which really existed to my being success

ful and which I p articularly mentioned to you Hav
, .
ing failed y o u will s e e at glance the blow it was to

,
the Mission True I b egan again on the very date

.
,
arranged but it w as without the guarantees I had

,
required and would have had I b elieve had my people

, , ,
b een working for the M ission instead of toiling for a ,
week at the ele c ti on with such discouraging results .
True we secured a place f o r our services the Inter

,
-
national H all but it has pr o ved too small for our even
,
ing audi ences is b adly ventilated and has proved u n

, ,
suitable in many ways ; n o r c an we secure it for the

year if we would the p arty w h o lets it to u s having
, ,
misled u s as we find he h as no power to sublet for

,
any term besides he uses it o n other nights fo r a danc

,
ing saloon B ut the p r e s tige o f the work h as su ff ered

.
by my defeat M any butterfly fair weather fri ends .

,
-
have forsaken me and some o f my apparently fi r m e s t ,
fri ends have lost mu c h o f their courage and faith the ,
sure result O f rashness and over co n fi d e n c e It took -

.
u s a good many weeks to see this at all clearly : for
we resumed work in the holidays and have had a good

many wet o r threatening S undays and s o could n o t
b e sure o f things P ublic interest in o u r work i s n o t
.
,
I think at all diminished ; but our building b eing so

,
small and unsuitable we cannot possibly get our ,
Th eatre audien c es B ut the fact i s indisp utable enough.

,
we are much weaker .
I have n o t changed there have b een n o diff erences ,
o f O pinion nor reason why any o f our regular s u b
scribers should fall away s o far as the work i s con ,
cerned .
B ut they hav e fallen away and in considerable ,
numbers within the last few weeks and consequently ,
our small income has b een smaller still and quite i n ,
su ff i cient for o u r suppo rt I therefore called our .

, ,
p eople together to consider the state O f a ff airs and ,
2 78
made the condition o f my going o n to depend upon ,

.
their giving me a sum o f at least 6 poun ds p er week ,
independent O f all exp enses which are at present s ay , , ,
3 pounds p er we ek ; and that a number O f p ersons , n o t

more than 1 5 or 20 in numb er should b ecome r e s p o n ,
sible fo r the regular payment O f that s u m to me weekly .
M any faithful ones were willing to do this if it were

possible and four o r five meetings were h e l d wi t h o ut
,
‘
the result b eing attained .
A t la st o n W ednesday evening a final meeting was

, ,
held to s e e if it could b e done ; fo r I was getting deeper

and deep er into the mire O f debt ,and it was imperative
upon me either that the M ission should b e self support
ing o r that it should cease forthwith at least for a
, ,
tim e The meeting was held I attended it before it

.
,
c losed by arrangement and it was found that the

,
average collecti ons in addition to sub scriptions there ,
were only about 6 pounds available and even with ,
that there w a s no absolute guarantee There was

,
.
,
therefore n o alternative but to give up the M ission

,
fo r it did n o t leave me enough to live upon and I ,
consequently said s o O f course there was general

.
,
sorrow and regret Those present had fo r the most

.
'
part done what they c ould but t h e d e f e cti o n was too,
strong : for many had q u 1 e tl y dropp ed O ff and amongst ,
them o u r secretary Mr H wh o had b een loud in my

,
.
praises up to the very day o f my defeat who had really ,
wrought hard in the election and through the whole O f

the M ission had done finely though by no means ,
active as an organizer and irregular and impulsive ; yet

,
he was a most faithful friend in my private di fficulties ,
and indeed it is to him that I am at this moment

chi e f ly indebted which makes his defection now the
,
more serious and painful to me That i s o n e O f my .
severest trials I have had and lost troops o f what

.
“
are c alled friends and who have really for a time
been friends but who have gone back and walked
,
with me n o more .
2 79
TH E PERSONAL LE TT ERS OF J O H N ALEXAND ER DOWI E
O ften do I search my heart and conduct to see

‘
whether the caus e b e n o t in myself ; but though it ,
would b e o f course untrue and absurd in me to

,
s ay that I am wholly without blame in my work o r
m ethods I do find myself comp elled to conclude that it

,
generally arises from some prej udice against so me

unwelcome truth o r from mere love O f change and
,
inconstan cy O f mind o r from the lies and slanders O f

,
my numerous enemies in the Church and the world .
W hat an entire change h as p assed over the whole

state O f my aff airs as describ ed in the previous p art
o f this letter ! Ten days have passed since I wrote
the above words which show y o u how desperate
seemed the very existence O f the M ission and my p er ,
sonal a ff airs looked equally black Truly Go d is good .

, .
Ev e r y t h i n g i s changed The M ission i s to go o n

‘
. .
A reliable guarantee i s given Very substantial help .
has b een given me in my private a ff airs .
There are di fficulties but we do not shrink from

,
and will overcome them ; there are dangers but we do ,
not fear them : for we s e e more clearly that God is i n

deed fo r us and we cannot b ut b e victorious If we
,
.
wanted a motto fo r our work we might find an ap ,
p pr o r i at e on e in E xodus — “
A nd the bush
burned with fire yet the b ush was not consumed
,
.
O ur fiery trials p rove to me more than any other test

could that the L ord i s with u s and our Mission stands
, ,
therefore o n holy ground My faith may have some .
times varied in i ts strength ; but it has never from the

fi rst failed con c erning my call to do this work b eing
f rom G o d and that H e would see me through
,
I .
b elieve n o w more than ever that this is inde ed the ,
fact A nd we have reason to bless the L ord fo r the

.
trials we have passed through— and they have b ee n

indeed severe—for it is quite app arent to us all that
they have brought us every one nearer to the L ord and ,
developed a more prayerful spirit o f dependence upon

Him alone .
28 0
sure O f a sp eedy increase I accepted it and from that

.
,
moment o u r winter h as turned into a glorious spring .
I nstead O f the intended final sermons last S unday

O i which however no public press notice was given
I preached two of a totally di ff erent kind— and in the

evening we had an after meeting fo r prayer and e h
q u i r e r s which was most encouraging
, W e had in the .
afternoon about 40 children to b egin o u r new S unday

S chool and J eanie and I are forming B ibl e classes fo r
,
you ng men and women which are likely to b e well

,
attend ed There is such a fine sp irit among the people

. .
W e hop e to form our church and establish the ,
ordinance o f the L ord s S upp er in about s ix weeks

’
, .
A n evangelistic choir in the city has O ff ered us a ser

vice O f song to aid o u r funds W e think O f having a
.
social gathering soon again to celebrate the entry O f

the third year O f our work and its formation into an
,
organized church I in tend to lay aside entirely fo r

.
t h e n ex t three months all dealing with political o r

’
social aff airs in my sermons so far as possible and ,
concentrate my whole e ff orts upon the comforting and

edifying o f the church and direct evangelistic e ff ort
,
to rescue the p erishi ng souls around .
O ur friends are rallying Mr H i s I am glad to

. .
,
say as fully with u s a s ever and last S unday eveni ng

, ,
he was much a ff ected by the after meeting H e and .
Mr A
. and a M r M c I— have stood by me most nobly
.
in money matters during this last week ; an d fo r th eir

kindness I feel no words could express my gratitude .
N O men could have b ehaved better or more gen er

o us l y . They knew well h o w I had wrought and i n
curred these liabilities and they have nobly aided me
,
.
W ill you j oin with me in praising God for these friends ,
and in praying that the L ord may prosp er them in

their families and a ffairs and in their spiritual health ?
,
W e have had sent to u s a young man who is a very

good organist and who will throw himself heartily
,
into the work o r reorganizing o u r choir Good singing .
28 2
is in every s ense a gr e at h e l p and I hope soon to see , ,
o u r choir stronger and more e fficient than ever We .
have quite a number o f good voices in o u r congrega

tion W e aim at congregational p r al s e m s 1 n g1 n g It
. .
is however as needful that the choir be prepared in

, ,
heart and voice to lead the voices o f the people as it ,
is for me to b e prepared to lead the prayers and

thoughts o f the people .
I attach t h e r e fo r e gr e at importan c e to the organ

, , ,
i z at i o n O f this c hoir and pray that we may get the right

,
people in it S atan often makes discord among those

. ,
who should most O f all be in accord both in spirit and ,
—
.
voi c e I pray it may n o t b e s o with o u r choir n o r

.
have any reason to think otherwise .
W e will go o n for the present in the International

Hall and take God s time for a b etter place The idea
’
.
is gaining strength that a building O f o u r o wn i s

needed and that the success O f o u r church will b e
,
largely a ff ected by delay in getting it H ad we a . .
roomy plain well arranged hall in theatrical form

, , ,
with class rooms and built in an unpretentious style

,
in a central position we could get two thousand per ,
sons to hear as readily as we can now a f e w hundreds

,
.
O n several occasions lately o u r Hall has b een far too

small fo r those in it the heat has b een very distressing
, ,
and h undreds more might have b een p resent had it

been larger This is a very deplorable fact B ut I will
. .
’
not worry about it The matter is in the L ord s hands
. .
“
H e will p rovide I will do my utmo st to raise The
.
”
F ree Christian Tab ernacle whenever the L ord sets it
before me an d raised it will b e I believe ,
.
B ut E xcept the L ord build the house they labor ,
in vain that build it I know that we must wait until

.
H e h as fi rst found the p eople and then H e will give

us a house where we can w orship Him and into which
we can welcome the rich and poor diseased and dying ,
souls who are S piritually starving in the streets and

,
28 3
TH E PERSONAL LE TT ERS OF JO H N ALEXAN D ER DOWI E
the lanes O f this city for whose salvation I hourly long .
W ill y o u pray esp ecially for me in this matter ? W e

want the L ord to send us some o f His silver and gold .
H e can d o it quickly and I am sure H e will if we are

, ,
faithful in seeking it fr o m H im al o n e if we desire to ,
use it only f or H i s gl o ry and if th e t i m e h as c o m e fo r

,
H im to entrust us with it for this p urpose S urely we .
have n o w come to the place where we should say L et ,
us build a house for the L ord ”

S urely we shall have
.
grace to b e faithful and unselfish I really do think .
“ ”
we are ready or nearly so to go forward exercising
, , ,
faith in this matter F rom this day I intend to spend

, .
,
half an hour daily in prayer for the Tab ernacle for the
’
L ord until H e grant me the desire of my heart

, ,
o r make me c learly to s ee that it i s n o t in accordance
with H is will .
If y o u will j oin m e in this I b elieve we shall n ot ,
p ray long ere the first money will be sent for this p ur
pose and all the rest in due tim e L et us especially
, .
keep b efore us in this matter the L ord s o wn promise ’
“
A gain I s ay unto y O u that if two O f y o u s h al l agr ee
,
o n earth as touching anything that they shall ask it
shall b e done for them o f my F ather which i s in

”
heaven .W hen we get the building we will carve ,
upon a stone above i t s central doorway this i n s cr i p

“ ”
tion : H ave faith in G o d N ow do j oin me in this
.
matter and tell me how you are impressed concernin g

,
it R ememb er it i s to give a half an hour each day to

.
,
this matter alone W e shall not ask without receiving

. .
A nd now I must draw this letter to a close : for I do

n o t wish to b e any l onger silent W rite me very soon .
,
if y o u please in reply and it will help me to write the

,
qui c ker in return I desire to write O ftener but h o w to

.
,
p erform I know n o t I need reforming in the matter

.
O f letter writing It would b e better doubtless if I

.
, ,
wrote shorter and more frequently B ut I always .
dread to write what may b e misunderstood and brev ,
ity has that danger .
28 4
TH E PERSONAL LE TT ERS OF JO H N A L E XA N DE R DO WIE
ing , on Monday next .
J eanie prim u s i s in good average health and is ,
still my good patient industrious and prudent wife

, , ,
.
S he is increasingly useful to me and much liked in

the work S he h as quite th rown her heart into the
.
school and will doubtless become a very efficient

teacher I wish s h e had less domestic c are but she
.
,
bears up well and will get through splendidly S h e .
has a treasure o f a servant A nnie Macy who never , ,
c ounts anything s h e do es for us a trouble .
J eanie s e cu nd u s that i s J eanie M acfarlane is j ust

‘
, , ,
the sweetest little pet you ever s aw S he is .
always a picture o f content and b eauty S h e i s al .
ways ready to smile with her eyes B ut I wish she .
were stronger S he does not seem to su ffer and never

.
,
gives any trouble sleeping all night through an d ,
never rej ecting her food Yet she does not seem to .
keep hersel f up her head seems almo st too large for

,
her dear little neck— they s ay it i s l i ke mine and mine ,
i s h e av y enough sometimes I can tell you

,
However , .
,
we have n o cause for any alarm only that she will ,
need care and we are hop ing that the fresh breezes
,
o n the D arlinghurst H eights will give a little more
color to her p ale sweet face and strength to her little

body .
A s for Gladdy he is p erpetual motion embodied

,
.
H e is growing every way and says and does the most

a s t o m s h i n g things H e never does and never will
.
,
do things by halves If he is naughty he i s naughty

,
.
, ,
”
and it needs father to put down the reb ellion W hen .
he i s good he i s good and no infant J esus artist

, ,
pain ted ever had a sweeter expression than he .
H is imitation O f me is said to b e very exact O c .
c a s i o n al l
y he delivers a sermon to goats and naughty
boys wh o m h e sees from our back window This is
'
an exa c t repo rt O f one the other day and y o u will ,
perceive the theology is quite original even if it b e

‘
“
scarcely orthodox according to D wight ,
Goats ! .
28 6
you are nasty B ut goats you should be good B e .

, ,
.
good go ats and p erhaps God will make you little lambs
,
”
o f J esus .
O n another occas ion he startled his mother by ,
climbing o n a chair then he O pened a little book and ,
gravely addressed an imaginary audience as follows :

N o w all you little children who have b o o k s f t u r n
“
,
“
to the fi fth hymn A nd then he went o n Take the .
,
name of J esus with y o u etc The other day when , .
she sent him for someth ing he must have found a ,
blind stick loose and pulled it o ut W hen he appeared .
in the presence O f his mother with it the inquiry was ,
immediately made as to where he got it W ith great .
“
earnestness he said God gave it to me mother That , , .
assertion being at once contradicted he fell back on ,
another Grandfather sent it to me mother — which

“
, ,
w as too much for o u r gravity although we di d not fail ,
to bring him to a full confession and due rep entance

concerning his having become unlawfully possessed O f
the said blind stick .
“
He adores dear little J eanie Macfarlane o r dear
”
little sister H e firmly believes she never gets
.
“ ” “
naughty and that no goat or naughty spirit has
,
“ ’
ever got into sister s heart although he will freely ,
confess that is not the case with himself .
( Da ted f r o m N o r th Terrace A de la ide Fe b 9 18 8 1 wh en ce af ter

, , , , , ,
b re kin g up
a h is ho m e a n d leavin g h is wo rk in S idn ey h e h a d go n e en , ,
r o ute t E gl n d t m t
o n s ou dr l by th e n m e of H oldin g wh o un d r
a o ee a c n e a , e
the gu is f r e lig io n an d f r ien dsh ip h d ga in d h is c o mp l te c o n fiden ce

e o a e e
an d wh h d p r o m is d h im
o a lar ge um f m o n y with wh ich to b u i ld a
e a s o e
ch u r c h Th s to ry i told in th su ce din g gr oup f l tters th las t on e

. e s e c e o e , e ,
d t d ix y rs l t r th an th e p r es en t d t b in g pub lish ed in Th e Ch r is
a e s ea a e a e, e
tian Co lo is t ) n .
My D arling W ife
I today received your sweet letter O f l s t with o u r
“ ’
dear little son s letter to me enclosed full O f thick
love and indeed t h e both cheered me very much
,
v
.
28 7
I now s i t down to write the firs t o f the long letters

which I promised yesterday in my telegram ; and I
sincerely hop e that I may b e able to tell y o u O f money
o n the way even b efore o u r ead these lines
y .
W hen I wrote to y o u my last letter I was with o u r ,
dear f r 1 e n d s the M c D — s at B irnam W o od and I am

’
sure that I very narrowly escaped a severe illness by

going there : fo r I never rememb er to have felt more
brain weary and pained in all my life than I did when
I went there A n d yet I could not sleep until after
.
dawn for a long t ime and found myself quite unequal

.
to any long sustained mental or physical exertion and ,
after the services which I wrote to you about at Crystal

B rook were finished I su ffered a relapse from h av 1 n g
overtaxed my head However I was by God s good
.
,
’
nes s amongst the very kindest of friends and M rs , .
M c D—esp ecially deserves every good thing y o u could

think o r say o f her : f o r she counted no trouble o r
l abour too much to give me ease o r comfort Had I .
b een in a palace I could n o t hav e had more willing

servants o r more tender care ; and I must get you o n e
day to tell o u r friends in your o wn sweet way h o w
deeply y o u value their kindness .
It is indeed a mercy fo r which I cannot be to o grate

ful to G o d that I am spared to you and to my dear
ones if indeed my poor weak life i s aft e r all O f much
, ,
'
u s e to anybody fo r sometimes I get to questioning -
very much if it i s and wonder whether after all I would

,
b e much loss if I were removed from ea r th— even fo r

your own dear sake I have sometimes b een tempted to
ask whether it would n o t be b est B ut that feeling .
does n o t last long when I think of you an d your true

heart s love fo r me and o f my dear little s o n and
’
daughter— to whom I never can b e replaced : fo r even

though it might not be difficult for you dearest to get , ,
.
a better husband —and I s ay it with sincere humi l ity

, ,
yet they c ould never get another father A nd I do .
love these children very dearly and wish it were in

.
,
28 8
TH E PERS O NAL LE TT ERS OF JO H N ALEXANDER DOWI E
cause it has resulted in my determination that whethe r

I go to E ngland after Q — comes or not y o u and my ,
dear ones shall go with me o r stay with me wherever ,
it may be I now feel that it would have been wrong

.
for me and not goo d for you fo r us to have been o n

, ,
other sides of the world Circumstances have made

.
u s to be very dependent upon each other for sympathy
in an unusual degree and I feel that we must never

,
l eave ea c h other fo r s o long again if it b e possible to

avoid it .
B ut this is b eginning at the wrong end of my letter ,
and telling you first what prop erly comes last as to

arrangement though indeed it is first in point of i m
,
'
portance Y o u will want to know however what has

.
, ,
happened to me since my last letter O f nearly a fort

n ight— indeed to my amazement I see it is sixteen
days— ago when I wrote to you from B irnam W ood
, .
’
W ell don t b e alarmed if I tell you that much of it
,
seems like a horrid dream which I only dimly remem

—
b er and would find it impossible to write for my head
,
was more qu e e r than an y one knew and had my bodily

strength not kept pretty fairly up I would have gone , ,
down never to rise o n earth again B ut I never en .
t i r e l y lost faith and courage and consciousness and ,
kept my deep est troubles to myself fo r the most part .
My severest trials arose one half and now arise f rom-

, ,
the extraordinary attitude which my fathe r has taken

up toward me in this whole matter ; and the utter
shattering at o n e blow o f the confidence o f a life time in
his integrity and f earless courage and sup eriority to
, ,
all low views o f self seeking A nd I know that it will

-
.
b e impossible for me even if I were willing to put

, ,
into any letter o f mine words to describe what he has

said and done against me in M r H s matters or the .
-
’
strange position in which we stand towards each o t her

n o w by that conduct .
I came down from B irnam W ood late on W e dn e s

day last and hoped to find my father in a frame O f
,
290
'
mind ready to pursue a more straightforward and

kindly course towards me ; but it was entirely the r e
verse H e had received another O f those extraordinary
.
letters from M r H.
— r e fl e c ti n g upon me and seemed ,
rather to glory i n the fact although the matters upon

,
which he remarked were entire misunders tandings

o n his part which a few minutes could s e t right with
,
an honest man any day when face to f ace .
H e asked me to tell him my plans and to hear and

take h i s advice I said I would only tell him my
.
thoughts and intentions if he would promise not to

tell A —O ne word O f what I said H e refused to give .
the promise and became very angry and abusive B ut

,
.
I refused to s ay any more o r to hear or take his a d

vise telling him a few plain truths as to h i s position
,
towards me H e w as in a most extraordinary condi

.
tion o f mind ; but I had recovered my strengt h to some

extent— though this scene threw me back for a little
and was strong enough to keep from getting very i n
d i gn an t with him ; because painful as it is to s ay it
, ,
he seemed deliberately to provoke me with a view to

getting me to commit myself to the use o f expres
sions o f which he might hereafter make some use
against me with M r H — as he h as now threatened to
.
do. This was o n Thursday .
I left him as quickly as possible and had no more ,
conversation O f any kind with him until Mo n d av

waiting to s ee what news the E nglish mail which was
delivered o n S aturday night would bring M ean .
~
while I was very little in the house and o n S unday

, ,
evening I went to H indmarsh and preached fo r my
o l d friend J ohn M e E coming back to the city with

him after service O n Monday morning my father cam e
.
into the room with a letter in his hand which he flung

down be fore o n the table — “
R ead that 1
,
”
It was a letter from M r H— and was certainly a very

.
strange production and a fitting climax to thos e

,
which had gone before It seems someone had written

.
29 1
TH E PERSONAL LE TT ERS OF JO H N ALEXANDE R DO WI E
f rom A ustra l ia ( fathe r volunteered the information

that it w a s not him and was sure it was n o t A and
i f the o n e is as sure as the other then neither assur ,
ance is reliable ) —this

“ ”
someone had written last N o
v e m b e r s ay m g that I had stated to many p ersons that
h e (Mr H . was quite unfit to do anything fo r him

s elf and that I would require to go home and do
everything for him etc —all which you know is quite
,
.
a s true as the other fact which someone sent him ,
n amely that I had gone to M elbourne to plead for the

,
life of the bush ranger N ed Kelley B ut b elieving

, .
,
at once this malicious invention O f someone and ap ,
p a r e n tl y forgettin g every thing he ought to have r e

m emb ered j ust at that moment of numb erles s lies
which he knew to have been invented concerning me ,
’
h e writ e s in a most angry an d I must s ay foolish

fashion concerning me H e says he will still give me
,
.
the pounds and even pray G o d to bless m e but ,
h e does n o t trust me I am a bad b usiness man and

,
n o t discreet and n o t like father and wishes I was n o r

, , ,
—
like A i n whom and in father he expre s ses l u l l con
fi d e n c e and winds up by saying that he has been oh
,
l i ge d t o S how all my letters to his trustees who hav e ,
requested him not to write to me to which he has

'
agreed and tha t he i s coming o ut to A ustralia by t h e

,
“ ”
Cotopaxi which leaves E ngland ( o r has left now )
o n F ebruary 5th .
This is a fair summary O f his letter and is th e

st rongest proof ( if he i s as I will still hop e and believe
, ,
an honest man ) that he has been for a long time co n

t i n u o u s l y subj ected to a strea m O f evil influences .
The only other conclusion is that he is a rogue and a

fool which I will refuse to b elieve unless it i s proved
,
b eyond a doubt .
B ut will your ears o r eyes credit what I am now

, ,
'
goi ng to tell you ? W hen father saw I had finished

the letter I looked o n his face and there was a smile
,
o f quiet satisfaction .
TH E PERSON AL LE TT ERS OF JO H N ALEXANDE R DOWI E
know you are crooked in this matter and are afrai d ,
o f my staying here ; y o u try to frighten me f o r the
loss of all but I don t care for that compared to the

,
’
loss O f my character ; and you s ay M r H— will never

.
.
change but that i s the worst o f all : for that would

,
be to wr i te r ogu e o n his face since if I have been mis ,
represented and am unchanged then there is n o need

fo r him to change if he i s good— and your bad thought
that he will never change towards me i s fathered by
a bad wish in your heart S O spoke I and I was .
,
angry but spoke coolly and slowly letting him feel

, ,
the force o f every word .
“
W hat wish d o you mean he said boiling over , ,
with rage .
I said The wish to get as much O f the money as

,
y o u can for yourself I s e e that has

. been your aim
for a long time ; and long ago you conspired with
A — that he should give H—money and that y o u would ,
make it pay him and y o u well .
“
W hat he roared
,
“
—
I conspire with A to get
,
money o u t O f H Take care what y o u s ay S i r ; it is ,

”
false.
“
O h no I said the money was to be go t o ut
, , ,
”
O f me ; and what I s ay is true .
“ ”
H o w out o f y o u ? he said looking very uneasy , .
” “
This way I replied y o u were heard by one
, , .
whom I can trust to say to A when M r H—needed

— .
money in A delaide j ust after making the will in my

favor leaving me nearly all o r about pounds , ,
I s ay you were heard to say— Yes give him the ‘

,
money give him all he needs he has made a will in

, ,
J ohn s favor and if he dies as he thinks he will I

’
, ,
will make J ohn drop pounds .
How dare you say that you mean contemptible , ,
”
f ellow ? he asked when he got voice .
“ ‘
I answered Tis n o t I who am mean and con
,
t e m p t i b l e but the man who could u s e such words ; and

,
29 4
TH E PE R SON A L L E TT ERS OF JO H N ALEXANDE R DOWI E
y ou cannot deny saying them : fo r I can produce the

”
man who heard them .
“
I d o deny saying them he said ,
.
O h your answer is a mere quibble I said ; but

, ,
y o u used words co n veying the same meaning I am ,
sure ; and I tell you more : y o u hope he will live n o w ,
and that you and A —can do b etter without me ; A

knows he has nothing to hop e fo r now if the money
’
should ever come to me and y o u fear y o u won t get ,
so much from me if it does as y o umight and therei n

, , ,
y o u are quite right H ence you are anxious

. t o get
me o u t o f the way B ut I should n o t wonder if y o u
.
were terribly disappointed yet : for s e e him I will if I ,
live when he arrives and unless he is anoth er man

, ,
than my o l d friend and brother he will not allow base ,
less lies to alter his a ff ection and purposes B ut he .
can d o what he pleases H e is a free agent and I .

,
never did aught to bind him and never will A nd ,

.
but for the good i t might do in my hands I could

curse the money and wish none o f it might ever come
,
t o A ustralia and perhaps that will b e the end o f it :

,
fo r God sees what a curse it has already b een to y o u

and A even in anticipation and what a heart b reak
-
,
”
it is to me
'
—
W it h these words or similar I have tried faith , ,
fully to preserve and record this conversation— I left

him That was on Monday forenoon I am now writ
. .
ing these words o n W ednesday night B ut we have .
never uttered even o n e word to each other since al ,
though living i n the same house W e by mutual co n .

,
sent I suppose avoi d each other ; never eat together ;

,
and in short keep entirely apart My dear mother .
is most kind and very wise S he sees the trouble is .
too deep for her to meddle and s o s h e j ust quietly ,
goes about her work and 1 3 very good to me but says,
nothing O f course this state o f a ff airs is most u n

.
natural and cannot long continue B ut I leave it

, .
with the L ord H e only can put things straight

. .
295
TH E PERSONAL LE TTE RS OF JO HN ALEX AN DE R DO WIE
This only I can s ay I did not make them crooked : ,
for y o u kno w my father has b een all my life until

n o w the very embodiment O f integr ity and courage
to me and that I relied upon him ab solutely

,
.
J udge then how deep m y so rr ow my mis e r y to

, ,
-
, ,
fi nd my idol to melt away when tried like a sn o w m an ,
i —
when the s u n shines o n t ay and that man my father ,
whom I had ever honored and as far as h e had ri ght , , ,
obeyed .
My whole nature seem s to b e torn asunder in this

trial and every ne r ve o f body and soul seems to have
, .
b een s ep arately tort ured b y it — and these words but

f aintly exp ress what I feel and have felt .
A nd the worst i s I s e e no remedy for this in the

,
future O nly G o d and tim e can heal this sore heart

. .
B ut I am sure your sympathy and love and p resence

here would help me tonight B ut alas a thousand .
, ,
miles divide u s Yet in spi rit I am with y o u always

.
,
“
and b ending over you n o w I s ay G o d bless y o u and ,
good night ; and God bless our three little loves fo r

ever and ever .
D earest : af t e r a rather restless night I feel very

weary but still am decidedly improving N O o n e to
,
.
look at m e would think there w as much th e matter ;

,
but it is not the body but the mind from which I , ,
su ff er s o much However I feel I am getting stronger

.
,
daily and I doubt n o t that G o d will restore me to

,
you again I find it s o very very hard to write and

.
, ,
it takes m e s o long : for I have to rest every few lines .
It s eemed to me a s if I could not wri te until I began

this letter and G o d only knows how p ainful it has
,
been fo r me to write what I have done .
It has taken me a very long time indeed and y et ,
I have not told y o u all my sorrow n o nor the half , , .
Had it not b een for my awf ul troubles I might have ,
b e en further forward in money matters b ut I have ,
b een almost a f raid to move about much too soon : for ,
“ ”
my head h as been shaky and dizzy with st r ong
296
TH E PERSONAL LE TT E R S OF JO H N ALEXA N DER DOWI E
tive to me and their love and esteem is evidently

,
greater than ever The harvest has b een very poor

.
owing to red rust and as they have been adding to

,
their farms by large purchases last year they find it ,
rather hard to pull through this year I have told ,
them well nigh all about our a ff airs and they will ,
help me all they can I am sure I exp ect in t wo days

,
.
to know what that i s and will then return to town

,
and remit to y o u all I can .
I am grateful that my reason and life are yet spared ,
f o r your dear sakes very largely .
I love you all very very d early and it is an i n

, ,
creasing trial to p art from y o u for my still contem

plated j ourney to E ngland B ut God will help us to .
bear it and to do Hi s bless ed will .
Kindly remember me to S— and A

'
I am sure
they will do their b est to help you until I can s en d .
O nce o r twice I feared you would never hear from

me any more on earth ; but G o d has been good in spar
ing me
L ast night I preached for an O ld friend at Crystal
— “
B rook to a crowded chapel su b j ect P eace ”
Crystal
’
,
.
B roo k is about seven miles from this farm to which I

have been asked to give a name and have accordingly ,
“ ”
baptized it B irnam W ood from the b eautiful scrub ,
b elt around it ; and the romantic name is very much

appreciated .
B ut my head i s at it again a little and I must stop

-
,
.
L ove love love to all Kisses to my dear little s o n

, , .
and daughter .
My darling fo r y o u every prayer and wish is fo r

,
your good sweet love o f my heart and I shall coun t

, ,
it long till I emb race y o u and tell you all I never can
write The L ord bless y o u and all our dear ones al
.
ways .
Your a ff ectionate husband ,
2 98
My D ear Mrs M .
I return herewith that arch liar and hypocrite -
H — s letter to you of J une 9 and thank you f o r your

’
,
kindness in permittin g me to copy it .
The am az i n g d ar i n g O f this scoundrel in writing

_
such a letter within ten days o f his c Om p l ete exposure

by your relatives in L ondon and hi s confession to the ,
detectives astound me beyond measure

,
.
However as he has in his later letter o f J une 30

, ,
announced h i s intention O f departing this life it is ,
quite possible that your next letter will b e o n e from

some o f his confederates in this little game giving ,
y o u a touching account o f h i s pious death It will be .
1 n te r es ti n
g to O bserve the handwriting o f that epistle
should it arrive I have a p erfect recollection O f the
.
style O f writing in the tw o forged letters O f Holding s ’
which he placed in my hands— o n e from N ew York

and the other from W ashington Both must have .
b een the work O f criminal confederates as must also ,
have been the letter forged in your name which he

showed to M r S .
P robabl y he is o n e O f a gang O f thieves and

forgers .
Y o u will remember that two o r three days were e

nough to enable him t o get the letter forged in your
name so that his accomplices could not b e far away
, .
I confess that the conduct o f his relatives appear

strange to me ; and I cannot think they are without
blame F o r instance h i s uncle knew where to address
.
,
a telegram to him concerning his sister i n law s death - -

’
,
and p robably his father and brother also knew w h ere

, ,
he was staying— at a rich gentleman s house— an d ’
yet though they knew he w a s a penniless adventurer

,
’
and thief O f a widow s savings in their own neighbo r
hood they never s ay anything until it is too late
, .
This does n o t look well o n the face of it B ut there .
may be some explanation possible which can free
299
TH E PERSONAL LE TT ERS OF JO HN AL E XANDER DOWI E
them from blame o r guilt I sincerely hope s o S till

. .
,
the matter looks suspicious until that is given .
The e ff ect o f H— s heartless deception will be

’
felt by y o u for many a day and my o wn s u fi e r i n g ,
and loss through him makes me to feel all the more

,
sympathetically fo r y o u and your sons .
T O them it is not merely a temporal loss but a

S piritual danger : fo r the hypocrisy of the villain was
o n e o f the most powerful help ers in his nefarious ,
diabolical schemes B ut I earnestly trust that they

.
will look at this matter in its right light and see in it , ,
not a reason fo r keeping their hearts from Go d but ,
an awful reason for fleeing from s i n and S atan which ,
this wretched man proves can tie a soul hand and foot
, ,
and cast him into a living hell even on earth , .
I have long b eli eved in demoniacal possession O f

those who give themselves willingly to the service O f
S atan ; and I s e e in H— a striking confirmation o f what
“ ”
I s e e round me every day The spirits o f devils
.
,
you will read in R evelation 1 6 th chapter and 1 4 th verse

,
“
are to go forth and I am sure they have come and ,
are possessing the hearts o f those w h o are sleep ing

in Z ion and careless about having o n their souls the
,
spotless rob es O f Christ s righteousness ’

.
“
B lessed i s he that watcheth and keepeth his gar ,
”
ments lest he walk naked and they see h i s shame
, , .
A nd to do the opposite is to b e cursed and de ,
”
c e i v ed by the spirits o f devils N ow if there is a .
,
man o n God s earth today who has lost h i s garment

’
wh o i s walking a naked liar in all h i s vileness and ,
whose sham e is seen it i s H ,

held and led as he is in
chains o f s i n by the D evil at h i s will It is an awful .
warning .God have mercy upon that damned soul ,

“ ”
and though he h as made his bed in hell may the
“
right hand o f an O mnipotent God O f L ove draw
“
him up out O f the horrible pit into which his sins ,
have c ast him I recall most vividly this afternoon

.
the awful terror which used to possess H —whenever
3 00
M ay you all be guided and blessed by God H i s—

“ ”
blessing maketh rich and addeth n o sorrow with it ,
an d that cannot be said O f any other kind of blessing :
f o r every rose has a thorn except the R os e o f S haron ,
every c rown is a b urden ex c ept the Crown O f L ife ,
and eve r y death has a sting except where G o d gives

the victory .
My D ear M adam
It h as been in my heart for some weeks that I
should write to you concerning the work O f the L ord
in this city with a view sp ecially to enlist your
,
sympathy prayers and help in the eff orts now being

,
put forth by the S alvation A rmy B ut I have been .
deterred by several causes o n e O f which w as my o wn

,
indecision as to my O fficial relations to it and the ,
di fficulty nay the impossib ility of writing all I would

, , ,
wish to s ay and o f answering the numerous enquiries

,
which would v e r y prop erly arise in your mind con

cerning its op erations .
Therefore I have determined to write and ask

,
you i f it is convenient and agreeab l e to you fo r me

t o visit you o n Monday next If so it will give me .
,
p leasure to come and plead the cause o f this great

work and i t s claims upon the L ord s stewar ds O f
,
’
whom y o u are o n e .
I have given b etween three and four months dili

gent study to the history and organization o f this mar
v e l o u s association and to an active c o op eration with
,
-
it in A delaide L ast night was held the anniversary o f

.
the formation O f the F irst A delaide Corps and the

opening of the second b uilding The S alvation A rmy
“
,
A cademy n o w occupied by the A rmy here

,
.
E leven souls professed to find peace with God

through J esus at the prayer meeting which makes ,
about twenty saved in the last three days G o d i s .
working mightily amongst u s ; and I reali z e H is

S pirit s guidance in my long and wearied detention
’
3 02
in A delaide through business and the entire b reak ,
u p o f all my plans O f work consequent upon the dis
c o v e r y that my supposed great benefactor an d f r i end

"
—W G Q H— i s only a great swindler and hypocrite

. . . .
You were good enough to express the desire to know

the sequel t o what I told you about him in May last ,
and if I have the pleasure O f seeing y o u I p romise ,
you a story which is fit to rank in clever audacity with

the most romantic O f swindles his career in E ngland,
being a most extraordinary s eries o f adventures and

impostures .
It has bee n a most painful and trying experience .
It is a melancholy satisfaction however to know , ,
that he deceived clever business men O f high stand

ing in E ngland f o r months a s to his alleged but really ,
mythical wealth : fo r it can n o longer be said if it

, ,
ever has b een that h e p racticed upon most immoderate

,
credulity in my case seeing that for many months he

,
lived with p ersons such as I have referred t o without

detection o r suspicion It has b een a m . ost mysterious
affliction and produ c tive o f much anxiety to me and
, ,
t o many .
D ear B rother In Christ

E nclosed I hand you three clippings from o u r local
papers which are fairly correct reports o f the case
,
which is o f some interest to many O f your readers ;

and I shall b e glad if you will find room fo r them in
your next issue O f the C hri s t i an C o l o ni s t which I al ,
ways read with much interest .
Yo u can imagine my surprise to find H dressed

in full S alvation A rmy uniform selling all sorts o f ,
things with radiant smiles and coaxing words to ad

, ,
miring customers at the Trade Tent O f the S alvation

,
A rmy at their A nnual D emonstration o n the S outh

M elbourne Cricket Ground I had j ust been convers
.
ing with Commissioner Howard and after a few word s ,

with him again my long lost and according to a fu

, , ,
neral c ard now in my possession— once deceased de ,
c e iv e r was conf r onted with me

,
.
W hat a change ! S miles vanished and fear and ,
guilt and shame c hased ea c h other over his ash colored -
face A few minutes served to m ake his real character

.
s o cle ar that he was at on ce removed from the T rade
Tent and dismissed from the ground I advised him

,
.
t o get away by sea as quickly as possible failing

, , ,
which he would certainly b e arrested ; and I spoke

earnestly to him in urging him to abandon his miser
able course O f deceit and seek God s mercy A nd so
,
’
.
we p arted o n F riday— N ew Year s D ay ’

.
B ut the fo llowing Monday he came to my house

on ,
looking most u n happy and said I can t go away— I

“
, ,
’
want t o make a full confession to you and give m y ,
self up to the police o r do whatever you tell m e ,

”
.
A fter consideration and in the presence o f witnesses

, ,
I to ok down with many cross questionings a most ex

, ,
t r ao r d i n a r y story o f crimes b eginning in 1 8 77 with ,
m inute details O f a band O f about thirteen clever as

s ociates amongst whom are two solicitors a doctor
, , ,
a n d men o f various p r ofessions .
These swindlers had offices in N ew York and other

parts O f A merica in P aris and M entone in F rance and
, ,
in L eicester B ath and L ondon in E ngland By their

, , .
aid fraudulent correspondence and forged legal docu

,
ments with al l sorts O f skilful plans fo r swindling

, ,
were employed ; and H — app ears to have only b een

in the outer circle O f this long firm o f swindlers—as
they are called by the detectives who s ay that it is ,
v ery rarely that they extend their operations to these
colonies L ong before he came to A ustralia he had

.
help ed in some of their villainous schemes ; and he

g i ves minute details of a funeral in D erbyshire at ,
which he was chief mourner where the whole thing ,
—
was a sham stones and packing taking the place o f
3 04
ment upon the need o f F e d e r ati on it was found that

the Courts here had no j urisdiction since the O ff ense ,
had been committed o n the other side o f the R iver

M urray ; and although he had pleaded guilty and all
, ,
the parties were here th e poli c e magistrate was com

,
p e l l e d to discharge him unless I would

,
incur the cost ,
time and trouble o f going to S ydney t o lay an informa

tion get a warrant fo r h i s apprehension wait for a
, ,
writ O f extradition and then remain to go o n with

,
the prosecution before the police court there ; with a ,
probable p rosp ect o f having to return to S ydney in a

month o r two to give evidence at this trial before the
court t h ere . I therefore viewing these facts and
, , ,
above all having the conviction that he was really

p enitent b e fore G o d fo r his wickedness declined to ,
give any promise that I would go to N ew S outh W ales

and initiate the proceedings afresh there It was the .
most p erplexing position in which to b e p l ac e d and '
I b elieve that I was rightly g uided in my decision .
W ill y o u then kindly publish this letter in the

, ,
s o that the many su ff erers through H— s

”
C oloni s t
’
,
deceptions in your colony may know the facts c o n

n e c t e d with this matter ; and probably this will be
, ,
reprinted f rom your columns into some O f the papers

here and in the colonies O f N ew S outh W ales Q ueens
, ,
land Tasmania and N ew Zealand fo r the poor

, , ,
wretched fellow has committed acts o f fra ud in all o f

the A ustralian colonies except W estern A ustralia
, .
It i s due to my many Christian friends in these lands

that I shou l d make these explanations ; and it may
possibly put an end to the further circulation O f o n e
o f the numerous falsehoods O f my enemies namely , ,
that I received a large s u m O f money from this ad

venturer with which to build a tabernacle in S ydney .
S trange to s ay a Christian brother from B allarat

, ,
M r E lias Hoskins was visiting me on the day when

.
,
H — came to make his confession and at my request , ,
he with two others witnessed every word he spoke .
3 06
A fterward M r Hoskins told me that only a few days

.
before a p r o m m e n t Christian worker in B allarat had

taken him aside ; and with shrugs and whispered co n
fi d e n c e had warned h i m against me b e c au s e I h ad ,
n e v e r a ccount e d f or th e p o u nd s w h ic h I h ad
o nc e r e c e iv e d b y d ee d o f gift t o b u ild a ch u rc h .
E xcuse the length of this letter and let me add ,
that with the exception of a few words in the Intro

,
duction to my pamphlet on S piritu ali s m U n m as k e d ,
published here in 1 8 8 2 I have made no public explana ,
tions concerning this matter which nearly six years

ago caused me to break up my home and leave my ,
dear people and work in S ydney en route fo r E ngland ,
to meet this adventurer whose letters detained me at ,
A delaide fo r many months until authentic news

reached me o f his imposture W hat I and mine have
’
.
, ,
su ff ered and lost through that God only kno ws ; but ,
since His love and mercy have sustained me amidst

all I rej oi c e to have had an opportunity O f showing
,
mercy to my enemy and with that act closing this

‘
page O f my life s history ’

.
I am ,
E ver yours in J esus ,
(D a te d f r o m th e ori
Vi c t C ofl ee H ou
a
’
s M h
e, a rc 29 , 18 8 2—a lm os t
desp a ir s—s ufi ers f or f oo d— r e a dy to die o r liv — tr u
e e to th e s ervic e f
o
h is L o r d ).
B eloved W ife
It i s hard and bitter fo r me to have to write to
y o u today ; but it would have been impossible fo r me
to write to y o u two days ago .
O nce more I have to write the discouraging word

, ,
”
failed .
B ut I live and G o d lives and it cannot b e that

, ,
the night will long endure and that o n e who strives ,
to do His will shall always fail .
3 07
T HE PE R SONAL L E T TE R S OF JO HN A L EXA N DER D OWI E
I will try again in anothe r direction— indeed I ,
a m alr eady at it and will ho p e o n : fo r there is still

,
a guiding S t ar which shines o n through the dark

nes s although f or one long night I almost doubted
,
“ “
that B ut when I s aw th e star again I rej oiced
.
, , ,
as did th e wise men O f O ld as di d the true sons O f G o d

,
in every age and I am sure it is the Morning S tar

,
“
.
O nly fo r this comfort I would die and I have seemed ,
to b e near dying many time s It is and has b een .
“ ”
hard to bear ; and my feet were almost gone into
ways o f doubt and fear and sin and death : for that
“
, , ,
i s the way o f the backslider and forsaker o f his L ord .
B ut He kept me .
L ast F riday evening the E xecutive Committee

met and d ecided to make no appointment fo r the pres
This was done a fter M r M the S ecretary had .

,
employed every measure to delay a d ecision a n d to ,
thwart D r S —s action H e failed to find any means

.
’
.
o f pre j udi cing the E xecutive against m e directly ; but
he su c ceeded indire c tly at a small meeting in whic h ,
he go t a maj ority to support him H is point was that .
D r S— w as thrusti ng me upo n them and that it was

.
,
taking all power o ut O f their hands to make his O ff er ,
to raise 1 00 pounds dependent upon my appointment .
This was w r o ti gh t with success upon a maj ority who

were attach ed to h i m for various reasons .
B ut it was a farce : fo r they had in their letter ex

”
p ressed their deep regret that they could not comply
“
with my esteemed proposal and we were informed
that the only diffi c ulty was the want o f means .
D r S— removed that by gu aranteeing the fi r st

.
,
quarter o f my salary fo r a year at 400 pounds ; and this

then bro ught o u t Mr M— i n h i s tr ue color s H e fe ared
. .
loss O f prestige and O f position and determined to r e ,
sist the p roposal H e tri ed to weary me o u t and dis

.
gus t me by delaying a m eeting and when th at failed , ,
he excited the unworthy and u nfo unded prej udice
3 08
rather than a s k M r D— o r any one for money help

.
again and I j ust lived upon what I ate at the house

,
O f Dr T — when he invited me there and at that O f

.
,
Mr C
. a Christian bookseller with whom I am well
acquainted I did n o t average one meal p er day up
.
to yesterday and sometimes I have gone forty eight

,
-
hours without breaking my fast—o n o n e occasion I ,
had only o n e meal tea fo r seventy two hours B ut

, ,
-
.
I did n o t cease to pray fo r deliverance and watch fo r ,
an opportunity o f doing something to earn money I .
was asked to write something for printing which I ,
did and yesterday I received 5 pounds from the gentle

,
man to whom I read the M S and it i s to b e printed at

h i s exp ense very soon I am to get by and by a little
.
, ,
’
more money from it This money was Go d s direct
.
gi ft : fo r I did not tell this gentleman my necessity ,
although I intended doing s o at the last extremity .
B ut I did not need to do so H e gave it to me without .
a single word from me in the ni cest way It seemed, .
a little fortune to me a f ter my distress and I praised

, ,
”
and thanked God and took courage I had to pay .
away at once a large portion of it on account O f what

I o w e the manager of this place for my lodging ;
whic h should have b een paid in advance which is the ,
rule .
SO that I saved very little O f the money ; but I

shall b e very care f ul with it and watch fo r ways O f
getting more I am a good deal thinner a little paler
.
, ,
and there are a few more gray hairs in my head but ,
this is no doubt due to my fasting added to my sad ,
thoughts and disappointments But I do n o t think any .
permanent inj ury has resulted .
DO not let this trouble y o u I beseech y o u The , .
L ord will not su ff er me to b e tempted b eyond my

stren gth .
Oh fo r
the end o f all this sense O f p ain and sin in
,
thi s false and c ruel world which S atan rules !
31 0
’
The Church o f today is as unlike Christ s example
a s it w as eighteen hundred years ago when it crucified
“ ”
Him P erhaps we may b e nearer the midnight than
.
we have hitherto belie ved ; and it may b e we shall soon

“
hear the cry at midnight B ehold the bridegroom , ,
”
cometh : go ye out to meet H im ! L et us be ready .
L et u s keep o u r light burning o u r lives shining fo r ,

’
the L ord and filled with all the fullness O f God s
S pirit .
D O n o t let us be found slumbering and sleep ing ,
” “ ”
when the Cry comes with lamps gone o ut as , ,
also seems to be the case with many whom we lov e !

,
w h o have a name to live and are dead and who mock ,
me in their folly b ecause I love and serve the L ord

,
.
O h what an awakening it will b e fo r them should

,
J esus come now and find t h eir hearts empty O f love

,
to Him and their lives dark and cold like burnt o u t

, ,
lamps I feel as if I wanted to warn and entreat them all

.
to awaken o u t o f their sleep lest they should awaken

”
only to find it to o late and they shut outside the gate
, .
I d o pray fo r them all from my heart : b ut I feel I ,
should do more O h it i s terrible to think of t h e

.
,
long night the darkness the sighing and gnashing O f

, ,
teeth the company o f th e damned who have sat down

,
n o t having o n the wedding garment and t o think that ,
many O f o u r friends will b e bound hand and foot and

cast o u t there I know God s mercy never dies and
.
’
that H e will receive at the end all unto H imself B ut .
Oh, what long and weary ways amidst the torments

and fears o f an existence where they continue to de
c e i v e and enslave their souls in the service o f S atan
’
as they did o n earth My heart is s ad and sorrowful

.
when I think of it ; an d I only h O p e that they may

“
really be converted ere it is to o late : for the night
cometh and the last storm may so on rage around us
,
whi c h will prove if o u r souls are built upon the Rock

and o u r names written in the Book O f L ife .
G o d knows me and he knows ( despite many short

.
,
31 1
comings mistakes and sins which H e has pardoned )

,
that I am true to the service O f my L ord and S aviour ,
and true i n my love to every soul O f man for every one ,
O f whi c h H e tasted death .
A nd n o w— B e of good cheer : it is the L ord

“
w h o calls me o n ; and I will follow H im wherever He

doth lead I f it b e for H is glory and your good may
.
,
H e spare me yet awhile .
I do n o t fear either for y o u dear ones or myself .

, ,
should the L ord call me hence by H is sweet messen

ger D eath wh o but op ens like a porter the gate O f the
, , , ,
City O f G o d : for H e who in H is wisdom takes me will ,
care fo r y o u b etter than if I lived

,
.
“
B e O f good c heer for the morning is coming O f
the endless day I do n o t fear to live : for life can have
.
no bitterer cups in store or if there are then His love , ,
will sweeten them since I can trust H im n o w more ,
“
fully than ever and can s ay : I am persuaded that
,
neither death n o r life nor angels n o r principalities

, , , ,
nor powers n o r things p resent no r things to come nor

, ,
height n o r depth n o r any other creature s h all b e ab l e

, , ,
t o s epar at e m e from the love o f G o d : which is in Christ

”
J esus o u r L ord .
“
B e o f good cheer I am not ill or apprehensive
.
,
o f any immediate danger to my life B ut I am want .
ing to be more than ever ready either to die or live .
I have sent by this post two b eautiful c ards which ,
I go t from my friend Mr C this morning . .
O n e is for all the children It is an E aster card . .
I h ave address ed it to Gladdy ; but he is to give it to

y o u to keep Y o u will tell
. him about the R es u r r e c
tion to which it refers— fi r s t to Christ and then to us ,
through H im the R e s s u r r e c t i o n and the L ife

,
The .
other with all the cupids is for y o u

, ,
.
A ll thes e sweet angels are but emblems o f the

sweet thoughts O f love for you in my heart Gladdy .
may look at it b ut must not soil it for I want mother to

, ,
keep i t .
312
S till I , s ay from my heart ,

Thy will ,
n ot mine ,
be done .
A nd n o w I close The night is far spent and I .

,
am getting tired P ray for me with increasing faith

.
, .
“ ”
F aint not at my tribulation G o d will show y o u .
“
yet it is your glory The L ord ever bless and keep .
y o u .
( o ry
S t f ho u h
o r e cam e to pr ea c h D ivin h lin g—l t r pu b lish ed in
e ea a e
tr a c t f orm — l though a i t was n ot . un ti l ix y r s l t r—1 884 —

s th a t h e
ea a e
e n ter e d f ully upo n th at m in i tr s y) .
in my study in the p arsonage o f the C o n

I s at
g g
r e a t i o n a l Church at N ewtown a suburb O f the b eau
, ,
tiful city o f S ydney A ustralia My heart was ve r y , .
heavy for I had b een visiting the sick and dying beds
,
o f more than thirty o f my flock and I had cast the ,
dust to i t s kindred dust int o more than forty gr aves

within a few weeks W here oh where was H e wh o .
,
used to heal H i s su ff ering children ? N o prayer for

healing seemed to reach His ear and yet I knew His ,
hand had not been shortened S till it did not save .
from death even those fo r whom there was so much

in life to live fo r God and others S trong men fathe r s .
, ,
goo d citi z ens and more than all true faithful Christ
, ,
ians sickened with a putrid fever su ff ered nameles s ,
agonies passed into delirium sometimes with con

, ,
v ul s i o n s and then died A nd O h what ach ing voids

, .
,
were left in many a widowed orphaned heart Then .
there were many homes where one by o n e th e little , ,
children the youths and the maidens were stricken

, ,
and after hard struggling with the foul disease they ,
t o o lay cold and dead

,
It seemed sometimes as if I .
could almost hear the triumphant mockery o f fiends

ringing in my ear whilst I spoke to the b ereaved ones
the words o f Christian hope and consolation D isease .
,
the foul O ff spring o f its father S atan and its mother , , ,
S in was d efi l i n g and destroying the earthly te mples o f

,
314
God s children and there was n o deliverer

’
,
.
A nd there I s at with sorrow bowed head fo r my a i -
fl i c t e d p eople until the bitter tears came to relieve my

,
burning heart Then I prayed fo r some message and

.
,
oh h ow
,
I longed to hear some words from H im w h o
wept and sorrowed for t h e su ff ering long ago the M an ,
o f S orrows and of S ympathies A nd then the words o f .
the Holy Ghost insp ired in A cts 1 0 : 3 8 stood before

me all radiant with light revealing S atan as the D e ,
fi l e r and Christ as the H ealer My tears were wiped .
away my heart was strong I s aw the way o f healing

, , ,
and the door thereto was opened wide and so I said , ,

“
G o d help me now to preach that word to all th e dy
ing round and tell them h o w tis S atan still d e fi l e s
,
’
,
‘
and J esus still delivers for H e is j ust the same to
,
’
day .
A loud ring and several loud rap s at the outer door ,
a rush o f feet and then at my door two panting mes

,
s e nger s w h o said
“
O h come at once M ary is dying ;
, , ,
”
c ome and W ith j ust such a feeling as a shep
pr ay .
herd h as who hears that h i s sheep are being torn from

the fold by a cruel wolf I rushed from my house ran, ,
hatless down the street and entered the room o f the

,
dying maiden There s h e lay groaning grinding her

.
,
clenched teeth in the agony o f the conflict with the de

stroyer the white froth mingled with her blood o o z
, , ,
ing from her pain distorted mouth I looked at her

-
.
and then my anger burned “

O h I thought for “
.
, ,
some sharp sword of heavenly temper keen to slay

this cruel fo e who i s strangling that lovely maiden
like an invisible serpent tightening h i s deadly coils,
”
fo r a final victory .
In a strange way it came to pass ; I found the sword

I needed was in my hands and in my hand I hold it ,
still and never will I lay it down The doctor a goo d

, .
,
Christian man was quietly walking up and down the

,
’
room sharing the mother s pain and grief P resently
, .
he stood at my side and said S ir are not God s ways

“
, ,
’
31 5
”
mysterious ? In s tantly the sw ord was fl ashing in my
h and — ,the S pirit s S word the W ord o f God ’ “
God s , .
’
” “
way ! I s aid pointing to th e scene o f conflict h o w
, ,
dare y o u D r K call that God s way o f bringin g ’

'
.
,
H i s children home from earth to H eaven ? N O si r , ,
th at i s th e d evil s w o rk and it is time we called o n

’
,
“ ”
H i m w h o came to destroy the work o f the devil to ,
slay th at deadly foul d estroyer and to save the child , .
Can y ou pray D octor can you pray the prayer o f faith

, ,
”
that saves the sick ? A t once o ff ended at my words , ,
my friend was c h anged and saying You are to o , ,
much excited s i r tis best to say God s wi l l b e done

, ,
’ ‘ ’
,
’
he left th e room E xcited ! The word was quite i n .
adequate fo r I was almost fren z ied with D ivinely i m

parted anger and hatred o f that foul destroyer D is .
”
ease which was doing S atan s will
,
“
It is not s o I ’
.
,
exclaimed n o will o f God sends such cruelty and I

, ,
shall never s ay God s will b e done to S atan s works

‘ ’ ’ ’
which Go d s o wn S on came to destroy and this is o n e

’
of them O h how th e W ord o f God was b u r n 1 n g 1 n

”
.
,
“
my heart : J esus o f N azareth went about doing good ,
and healing al l th at w e r e o p p r es se d of th e d evil ; fo r

”
G o d was with him A nd was not God with me ? and .
was n o t J esus there and al l His p rom ises true ? I felt

that it w as even s o and turning to the mother I i n ,
“ ”
quired W hy did you send for me ? T O which she
answered D o p ray o h p ray for her tha t God may ,
raise up A nd s o we p rayed W hat did I say ? It

. .
may b e that I cannot now recall the words without

'
mistake but words are in themselves of small import

,
’
ance The prayer O f faith may b e a voiceless p rayer

.
,
a simple heartfelt look o f confidence into the face o f

Christ A t such a moment words are few but they
.
,
mean much fo r G o d is looking at the heart S till

,
.
,
I can rememb er much o f that p rayer unto this day and ,
asking G o d to aid I will endeavor to recall it I cried : .
O u r F ather help ! and Holy S pirit teach me h o w

“
, ,
t o pray P lead Thou fo r u s O h J esus S av i o u r H e al

‘
.
, , , ,
31 6
b ed and went to the next room wh ere her brother and

sister also lay sick O f the same fever W ith these .
two we also prayed and they were healed ,

The fo l .
lowing day all three were well and in a week or so they .
brought to me a little letter and a little gift o f gold ,
two sleeve links with my monogram which I wore for ,
many years A s I went away from the home where

.
Christ as the H ealer had b een v i c to r i o u s I could not but ,
have somewhat in my heart o f the triumphant song that

rang through H eaven and yet I was not a little amazed ,
at my o wn strange doings and still more at my di s ,
c o v e r y that H E I S J U S T TH E S A M E T O DA Y -
.
A nd this i s the story O f how I came t o preach the

Gospel O f H ealing through F aith in J esus .
( Wr i tten N ov . 9 , 1885— te lls o f th e dea th o f h is li ttl e da u

gh t er ,
j ean ie ) .
B eloved F riend
A gain I have stood over the open grave and laid ,
“ ”
aside the earthly garments of my little A ngel whose ,
spirit quietly stole away j ust as the day was dawning

o n L o rd s D ay morning last I can scarcely reali z e
’
.
it yet : fo r it was so sudden and unexpected ; but I

b o w with my dear wife in resignation though in
, , ,
“
grief and s ay It is the L ord let H im do what
, ,
”
seemeth Him good .
W hen we returned this day week from S ydney we ,
found Gladdy almost entirely recovered and o u r two ,
little daughters apparently well— o u r littl e J eanie—the r
“
A ngel ”
— b eing esp ecially delighted to s e e us clasp ,
ing us around the neck and kissing us again and again .
The following day F riday she was toddling about

, ,
the house stronger as we thought , than ever we h ad

, ,
seen her and our hearts were glad to look upon her
,
sweet pure f ace and happy smile That evening how

, .
,
ever we noticed o n e o r two little spots which looked

,
like measles o n her face and the following day S atur , ,
318
day s h e slept a good deal— i t was a very h ot day

,
.
In the evening s h e seemed very bright and when ,
I came in to tea I found her sitting o n o u r maid s ’
lap being fed I lit the gas in the dining room as it

.
,
was getti n g d ar k and w hen I did s o she laughed and

'
clapped her little hands together .
“
I said Y o u dear little A ngel father is s o glad
, ,
to s ee y o u bright and happy ; upon which she looked

up into E ttie s face and smiled W e then sat down
’
.
to tea and had scarcely commenced when Mr s ,

.
“
D owie who was sitting near her said Come here
, , , ,
’
J ohn and look at J eani e s eyes
,
I immediately went .
over and s aw she was insensible and in a fit I took

,
.
her up at once and b esought the L ord for h er ; but,
she was by that time in strong convulsions I then .
carried her into her o wn room and kneeling down ,
with her alone besought the L ord again fo r her that

,
the fit might cease ; and it seemed almost as if a voice

,
“
replied Y e s the fit will cease ; but the L ord w i ll
,
take her n o w .
I then called M rs D owie and told her O f the .

,
answer and shortly after the fit did cease and o u r

, ,
little p et lay utterly exhausted T o avoid an inquest .

,
I sent for a neighboring doctor who took the same ,
view as myself namely that there was an e ff usion , ,
o n the brain and n o hope o f her recovery

, F rom that .
hour she slept op ening her eyes at intervals in r e

,
s p o n s e to o u r loving words and at times br eathing ,
heavily but entirely without pain

, A bout four .
’ ’
o clock on L ord s D ay morning the end came and ,
‘
, ,
o p e n m g her eyes wide s h e looked O h so b eautifully , , , ,
upon the faces o f the unseen angels and without a , ,
sigh her sweet spirit went away with them to dwell

,
forever with the L o rd The daylight saw only a .
b eautiful white marble like form lying with closed

, ,
-
eyes and hands gently folded o n her breast and a

, ,
look o f holy p eace upon her little face which looked ,
s o calm with the dark hair parted from her placid

, ,
319
TH E PERSO NAL LE TT ERS OF JO H N AL EXANDER DOWI E
broad b row E re the S abb ath songs of earth swelled

.
from shore to shore she was singing above in the

,
p resence o f th e King where there is no night but o n e

, ,
endless day .
E arth h as o n e angel less but heaven o n e more , ,
since last L o rd s D ay O ur home h as lo s t its purest

'
’
.
,
holiest child—o u r hearts are torn and bleeding— l i ght

h as gone in some degree from everything around
, ,
but heaven i s nearer Christ i s nearer and our dar

, ,
ling has gone where we shall one day gO —O ften I care

n o t h o w soon— and we shall meet her there with all ,
our loved ones gone b efore and never never p art , ,
again W e know where to find her and although

.
, ,
we weep we rej oice : fo r it i s well with the child

, .
A lthough I had n o t slept I went through all the ,

’
work o f the L ord s D ay preaching in the mo rning ,
from 2 S amuel 1 2 : 23 — B ut n o w she is dead where

,
“
,
fore should I fast ? Can I bring her back again ? I

”
shall go to her ; but s h e shall not return t o me H o w .
I preached I cannot tell except that it was O ften with

,
tears streaming from my eyes ; but I did and God ,
blessed th e word In the evening I went o ut i nto

.
the op en air with o u r wo rkers ; and after wards

preached to a l arge audience .
M any remained to the after meeting and I am sure ,
”
we shall s e e good fruits B ut the evening H er al d .
,
an organ o f the li quor dealers at tacks me eve r y issue ,
since f o r my u tterances and gives utterly false reports

,
o f what I said T wo leading articles and many para

.
graphs have app eared in its columns this week It .
fi rst invents a lie and then proceeds to comment upon

it as an accepted fact It s obj ect o f co urse is to
.
, ,
render me ri diculous and unpopular ; but it does n o t

succeed in really i n j u r m g me p ermanently although ,
it gives many wh o never s aw me false impressions .
“
-
B ut all this draws me nearer to Him wh o was

”
despised and rej e c ted when H e taught and wrought
the will o f G o d o n earth— and I rej oice to b e counted
3 20
e ntitled Vetus Testamentum Cum A po c G r aec e .
i e
. The O l d Testament with the A pocrypha in
.
, ,
Greek It is a little volume which fo r many reasons

.
, ,
I much value— I purchased it in A delaide thirteen

y ears a go O ur late visit has. drawn out our hearts
very much to our S ydney friends and there are times ,
w hen we could wish it was our earthly home again .
B ut G o d appoints our habitation and our work and '
w here the S pirit leads we desire only to follow .
S O with my God to guide my way

”
Tis equal j oy to go o r stay
’
.
A nd now b eloved friend o n the eve of the L ord s

, ,
’
D ay I close this letter L et G o d comfort thee ; fo r .
t h e Holy S pirit is the Comforter

“
A s thy days s o '
.
,
s hall thy strength b e The E ternal G o d is thy .
r efuge and un derneath are the everlasting arms

,
I .
a n d my dear wife can and do symp athize with y o u , ,
—
more than ever w e have both new treasures in ,
h eaven : L et us go forward and upward— we ll soon

’
a l l meet again in the happy home above .
( Me m o by h ims lf r g r din g th
m a de s C am r o v D o wie
e e a e ca e e n .
tr i d i
e nFi t r oy P o li
z Cour t A p r i l 20 188 5 f r vio l tio n of bye l w
ce , , , o a - a
p r oh i b i ti g s tr t p r ch i g
n ee d f wh ich h w
ea n f o un d gu i l ty fin ed
an o e as
—
, , ,
a nd fl
su r e d i mep r iso n m n t f r th i r ty f o ured ys r c ivin g u c o n di ti o a l
o - a e e n n
r l e eas e by go v r o r ) e n .
B efore the c ase w as tried M r Marsden o n e o f ,

.
,
the oldest lo cal magistrates stated that he was c o n ,
s c i e n t i o u s l y convinced that I was right in conducting
religious processions in the streets an d that the Bye ,
l aw I was charged with breaking was u ltra vir e s and ,
contrary to the f undamental B ritish principles of civil

a n d religious liberty H e o ff ered therefore to the .
, ,
s olicito r f o r the plainti ff ( M r L ewis ) that he would .
r etire if he wished M r L ewis said that he thought

,
. .
M r M arsden s position was akin to that o f a j uryman

.
’
w h o had a bias in o r had already prej udged a case , , .
T hereupon M r M arsden said he would not take any

, .
3 22
part in it and s at aside ,

.
The case was tri ed before four magistrates M essrs ,

.
R obb ( chairman ) Cow l e R owe and B est

, , , ,
.
The Town Clerk and M ayor having given formal

evidence as to Bye laws and no permission ha ving been -
,
asked o r obtained I in cross examination elicited from

, , ,
both the f act that I had o n Tuesday evening M arch 3 , ,
attended a meeting O f the Council at which I had shown

cause why the Bye law should not b e con fi rmed and -
,
had declared that as I c onscientiously believed it to ,
be ultra v i r es and a direct i n f r i n gm e n t o f my c i vil

,
rights and an attack upon my religious liberty and

,
conviction o f duty it would in the event o f its passing

, , ,
become my duty and that o f many others to meet it

, ,
”
with the most determined passive resistance within
o u r power .
The plainti ff ( a constable named Cameron ) then

proved the alleged O ff ence and admitted that the p ro ,
cession was orderly and caused n o obstruction t o traf

fi c nor had he ever seen o r heard O f any of o u r pro
,
cession s being otherwise .
M r L ewis ( plainti ff s soli c itor ) then said that wa s

.
’
h i s case ; and resting upon the decisions in the case s

o f R ider V P hillips and B annon V B arker aw
.
( L, Re .
,
ports fo r 1 8 8 4 ) he claimed that the magistrates must

uphold the violation o f the Bye law and fine me a c -
co r d i n l
g y .
I then c alled M r R obt S mith as a witness simply . .

, ,
to prove that the procession w as orderly and produc ,
tive o f no O bstru c tion o r disorder , .
I then endeavored to address the B ench fo r the de

f e n s e and had s c arcely b egun when a M r Lyons solici .
,
to r rose and in a most insulting manner interrupted

, ,
me and addressed the B en c h and asked them whethe r

, ,
I was to be allowed to preach there etc M r L ewi s , . .
( plainti ff s solicitor ) protested against the interrup

’
tion and demanded that I should be heard

, .
S omewhat ungraciously the B ench concurred an d , ,
323
TH E PERSONAL LE TT ERS OF JO H N ALEXA N DER DO WI E
I proceeded to S how ( 1 ) that I was exercising what

I b elieved to be my rights to the u s e o f the common
highways ; ( 2 ) that I did that in an admittedly orderly
way ; ( 3 ) that I did so n o t for any private gain n o r ,
from any wilful desire to come into collision with the

municip al authorities but to do good to my fellow
,
men in O bedience to distinct commands o f S cripture

,
( S ee L uke Mark 1 6 etc ) ; ( 4 ) that I had d one

s o in this city fo r more than two years previously with
o u t interference or complaint ; and that for more than ,
thi rty years I had taken p art in similar work in many

, ,
p arts o f Great B ritain and the A ustralian colonies ; ( 5)

that the Bye law therefore had created a crime o f that
-
, , ,
which had never b een attempted to b e sho wn t o be a

c rime ; and ( 6 ) that fo r reasons which I would then
give I held the Bye law to be u ltra v ir es

,
-
.
H ere I was again interrupted by M r Lyons ; and I .
again claimed the protection O f the B ench who were ,
m o st evidently n o t in sympathy with me .
The chairman here said that it was not within their

power to hold the Bye—law to b e u lt r a vires in the face ,
o f the decision quoted by the plaintiff s solicitor ;

’
I contended it was within their power to do s o if ,
I was fo rtunate enough to convince them by the argu

—
ments that I was about to adduce and I went o n to
say th at L ord Chief J ustice Coleridge had decided upon
app eal f rom the magistrates o f H astings E ngland that , ,
a similar Bye law w as u l tra vir es ; that the Hon W B

-
. . .
D alley A ttorney General o f N ew S O W ales had last

, .
,
year given a similar O pinion in conse quence of which

,
religious street processions are at the present moment , ,
p rotected in S ydney N ewcastle etc and that recently

, .
, ,
the Court o f A pp eal in A delaide S outh A ustralia had

, , ,
upon appeal from the magistrates o f Kapunda and

S trathalbyn decided that similar Bye laws in these -
municipalities were ultra vire s .
M r B est here blurted out in a most angry man

.
,
ner that I had broken the law and must be punished

, , ,
3 24
The explosion was heard by many living around

"
abo ut an d m any cam e o ut of their h ou s e s ,
amongst them t h e F ire B rigade p eople near ; but see
i n g n o fire o r smoke they c ould not tell where it had

'
happ ened W hen o u r caretaker opened the place fo r

.
the m eetings today she found my room a wreck .
The flooring boards b eneath had b een broken and

had smashed in the drawer O f my writing table ; my
“
chair had been thrown up to the roof and was lying

with the other chairs in a confused heap ; and had
I b een sitting there it is very l ikely I would have
,
b een in heaven ere this The side walls were partly

.
blown out some of the planks being broken into small

,
fragments and generally the room is damaged through

,
o ut ,
the window sill being partly torn o u t It was .
my intention to have remained in my room until p ast

1 1 with candidates for fellowship ; b ut about quarter
to ten I asked four w h o were waiting if it would b e
,
equally c onvenient to s e e m e this evening and as ,
they said y e s I went home for I felt weary— an

“ ”
, ,
unprecedented thing fo r me to do .
A ll day however I had felt the shadow o f death

, ,
around me and I had actually filled up fo r the fi rst

, ,
time in my life a proposal fo r L ife A ssurance telling

, ,
M rs D owie that I felt well but had a feeling that I

.
w ould at some time perhaps soon be called away

, ,
suddenly .
S o you s e e the D evil i s busy and wants to kill ,
us outright by violence failing his being able to

,
“
c over us with disease B ut none O f these things move
.
me neither count I my life dear unto myself so that

, ,
I might finish my course with j oy and ministry which , ,
I have received o f the L ord J esus to testify the ,
”
Gospel o f the grace O f God .
H e has cast us into p rison and now h e wo u l d , _
“
k i l l us ; but we cannot fear : for to us to live is
”
Christ and to die is gain
,
B ut for my dear ones
.
’
sake for my dear people and fo r the work s sake I

, ,
’
3 26
am glad the L ord delivered me o n this occasion .
The polic e and detectives under Insp ector B rown , ,
have been working at the case all day they have ,
found remnants o f dynamite cartridges and they have

some clues as to the p erpetrators O f the outrage .
O f course this broke up our H ealing meetings

today : fo r which I was sorry as I understand many ,
came from long distances ; but doubtless I shall see

them again or rat h er if the L ord be willing I shall
, , ,
.
A s k all the friends to pray for us W e shall the .

,
L ord willing go to S ydney for two o r three weeks

,
about l t ins t and we hope to proclaim the L ord ,
as H ealer there .
188 6— p o t s ts g i s t li k i g D ivi
‘
( S ep t 6 . , r e a a n n n th e do c tr in e o f ne h e lin g
a
wi th S p ir itua lis m , Mi d u s t )
n c re , e c.
D ear B rothe r in Christ :

I very much deplore the article in your issue o f
”
2 7th ult entitled M ind H ealing
.
,
based o n D r B uck ,
.
ley s article in the Century fo r J une last : and I am

’
sure the day is n o t far distant when its writer w h o ,
ever he may b e will deeply deplore the evil which ,
i t will work .
D r B uckley errs not knowing the S criptures n o r

.
”
the power o f G o d as I will G o d helping me e n , , ,
d e av o u r to mak e plain in a pamphlet which I intend

to write during this month before starting upon a ,
tour o f D ivine Healing M issions in N ew S outh W ales ,
N ew Zealand and Tasmania , .
I therefore write simply to enter my p ublic p r o

test against linking the Christian do ctrine o f heal
ing by the Holy S pirit through faith in J esus with , ,
the diabolical p erformances o f evil men and evil

S pirits who today as in apostolic times worked mir
, , ,
acles and deceived mankind .
The design o f S atan h as eve r been to destroy b e

lief in the reality and D ivine nature o f Christ s work ’
3 27
TH E PE R S ONAL LE TT ERS OF JO H N ALEXAN DER DOWI E
by producing diabolical counterfeits and that Mother

of H arl ots the Roman Church has manifested its
, ,
S atanic character by jo ining hands with its sister i m

pos tor Modern S piritualism in showing myst e r i ou s
, ,
pow er and signs and lyin g wonders It ill become P ro

, , .
t e s tan t s and evangeli c al Christians t o confound the

pe rmane n t gifts o f healing in the one S pi rit which
”
o u r L o rd p romised to g 1 v e Hi s tru e Church with the
magneti c mesme r ic an d psychopathi c mockeries o f

, ,
ancient and modern heathe n ism b y whatever na me ,
that heathenism may b e disguised I do n o t wr it e .

,
like D r B uckley w h o boast s O f his skill in making

.
,
people fools ; and seriously inj uring them b y the way , ,
in the process as his article abundantly proves H e

, .
is a con fessed practical mesmerizer : and I have the

greatest horror and detestation o f such p ractices ,
knowing that they are i n j urious to all concerned and ,
“
are always the primary method s adopted by seducing
”
S pi ri ts i n leading man y to fall away from the faith ,
gi ving to P aul s p roph ecy a very practi cal fulfillment

’
.
B u t I write as o n e who m the L ord has used fo r

fou r years in the M ini stry O f H ealing an d fo r n ea rly ,
twenty y ea r s in the Ministry o f S alvation through

faith in J esus I know in W hom I have believed an d
.
,
that all who have bee n healed and they number many ,
hundred s to my certain knowledge like all w h o have ,
been saved and I believe these number thousands i n

,
Great B r itain and A ustralia were healed and s aved ,
b y g r ace throu gh f aith in Him O f whom it i s written ,
The chastisement of our p eace was upon Him and ,
”
with H i s stripes we ar e healed .
Thi s testimony o f practi cal experience added to ,
th e published public testimony of large numbers o f

p ersons such as thos e you published in your i ss ue o f
,
F ebruary 2 6 o f this year ought to go fo r something

, ,
as against the mere assertions o f D r B uckley s article .

’
,
“ ”
and the M ind H ealing echo o f it in your columns .
B esides the whole world i s full o f living rej oicing

, ,
3 28
insult and wrong which links me to Christ s enemi es ’

,
a d brands me as an e ff eminate coward

n — and all this
in the name O f philosophy science and Christianity , ,
.
I would be unwo rthy of my L ord in H is great

goodness to me did I not feel warmly and repel ,
warmly the attack made upon the Gospel and Ministry

,
’
o f D ivine H ealing : fo r the progress o f Christ s King
d o m is in no small degree dep endent upon their

triumph in the world .
"
B ut o f the final issue there can b e no doubt .
“
f —
O ppositions o science falsely s o called have , ,
in all ages led Christian professors to swell the ranks

“ ”
o f those who have erred concerning the faith B ut .
“
the faith cannot b e S haken by false science— i t is n o t
”
“
only un c hangeable but imp erishable Fo r that faith .
”
once delivered to the saints I will earnestly contend
“ ”
and will guard that which is committed unto me .
S u ff ering millions from b eds O f pain shall not for

ever app eal in vain to a Church which h as alas for , ,
gotten s o long that H e who went about doing good

”
and healing all who were oppressed o f the devil is
“
still the same H ealer and D eliverer : for J esus Christ
”
i s the same yesterday and today and forever , , .
The doctrine O f D ivine H ealing is not new o r it ,
would not b e tru e .
T i s the O l d time religion

’
A nd tis good enough for me

’
.
( Wr i tten f u ll; 10 1 8 86
, ,
—
f o r e c a s ts pol i ti c a l s i tu a ti o n — e x ho r ts to f a ith
f uln e ss )
.
B eloved W ife
A fter my long letter of W ednesday you will n o t
expect mu c h today .
God i s very good to me in many ways recently ,
and I feel sure H e is leading and it will b e in a way ,
to still b etter work fo r Him If H e would but graci .
o u s l y grant us incr e as e d m e a n s we could do s o much ,
330
more even with o u r present opportunities

,
.
“
A ll I ask for is enough ; and although the answer
is sometimes delayed to the last moment i t a l way s
co m e s .
A mongst my recent letters I have had o n e from ,
Mr O
. who went down to A uckland N ew Zealand ,
.
,
lately as you will rememb er

,
.
H e sent me a photo and some lithographic views

o f the recent eruption ; and it seems t o me that they
are o f a very s erious nature and may be followed b y

volcanic outbreaks o n this continent .
E arthquakes are among the l atter day signs ; and

in every sense there are earth tremors about — who can
tell the moment when the unquenchable fires o f hell ,
underlying the R o to m ah an a O f Modern S ociety here

and in E urope will b urst forth into the c o n fl agr a
,
tion ?
M any in power are now making great display O f
”
their riches b efo re the eyes o f E urop e It is like dis .
playing diamonds b efore the covetous hearts and

greedy eyes o f armed b rigands A ll men are worship .
ing in society the A ustralian Golden F leece ; and

B ritish society from the Queen down are doing it
, ,
daily reverence W hat if the B ear of R ussia and the

.
,
E agle of F rance and possibly other powers combine

, ,
to try to steal these j ewels and fleeces ? They will

sweep down upon A ustralia and India if they can ,
and then ? W ar i s almost as disastrous to the victors

, ,
as to the vanquished— historical facts prove it O ften

to have b een ruinous to a people to have b een succes s
ful in war F ran c e in this century and S pain in
.
, ,
modern ages comparatively are illustrations ; and in

, ,
an cient times Rome and Greece E gypt and B abylonia , ,
are proofs that empires built o f blood must p erish .
Gladstone is b eat en l what next ? A Tory Govern

-
ment holding power fo r s even years as it may do , ,
will probably plunge the E mp ire into war after war

in every part o f the world and make reforms and r e
33 1
TH E PERSONAL LE TT E R S OF JO H N AL E X ANDER DOWI E
formers throughout all i ts p r O V 1 n ces to b e in its eyes , ,
criminals and r ebels O h wh at S eas of B l ood th e n a

.
,
tions are nearing ! God will preserve H is I srael ; but

“
th ey wil l s u ff er wh o s i n I feel R edemption draweth .
nigh fo r the Kin g o f kings whom kings dish o n or ,
and p eo ples disown is coming Therefore the terrible

, .
“
d ays are c o m m g N o w let us continue the cry
. Be -
,
”
hold the B ridegroom cometh ! W e must tell men
everywhere to b e r eady — s pir i t s ou l and b o dy— fo r
“ ”
, ,
H is coming ; and we must be sure we are ourselves .
“
The time is sho r t and we must well employ i t .
G o d willing we shall spend the last three months o f

,
this year in revisiting N ew S outh W ales and in N ew ,
Zealand and Tasmania in a S alvation H ealing and

, , ,
Holiness M ission ; and I can see plainly Go d is s o lead

ing W e are b eing thrus t ou t as well as led out and
.
, ,
called o u t ; and perhaps the permanent establishment

, ,
( humanly sp eaking : for nothing here is permanent )

o f the work in F itzro y will depend upon o u r going o u t
‘
This i s b ecoming very clear to me O n Thursday .
night last I had a similar experi ence to tha t which

,
we had in O ctob er 1 8 84 b efore we went o ut o n o u r

, ,
—
first F aith H ealing M ission to B allarat y o u need no
“ ”
description : f o r we can never forget the light s .
Had you any sp ecial exp eri ence o n the same night
’
s ay about 1 O clo c k o n F riday morning last ? My b ed
’
room was full O f glory and there s more to follo w ,
.
P ray over all this matter and look upward with i n cr eas ,
ing faith go forward with brighter hop e and let us

, ,
work with more self denying sel f consuming l O V H -

,
-
God s faith God s hop e God s lov e W e are working

’
,
’
,
’
.
f o r God and fo r eternity —what higher calling can =
there be than this which we have in Chri st ? H e has

a work fo r u s such as we hav e never dreamed o f if ,
we a r e only faithful .
Q uite unusua l has been the leisure hour which

h as enabled me to write the foregoing which is but ,
a little o f what I would like dearly to talk to y o u
332
T HE PERSONA L LE T T ERS OF JO H N ALE XANDER DOWI E
s leep o u t o f every twenty four ; but I am n o t only well -
b ut look it and feel stronger in every way than during

,
a n y former p eriod of my life It i s a f resh baptism .
O f P ower from o n H igh ; and I am sure it is given

m e fo r witn e s s and f o r s ervic e I am so firm cool .
, ,
c alm but s o changed in feeling W ave after wave O f .
H oly P ower h as come upon me and it r e m a in s A l l , .
else seems trivial compared to this Christ i s unsp eak .
ably dearer clearer and nearer to me in all things

, ,
.
A braham s God is mine ; and I will God help ing me

’
, ,
b e f a it h ful as h e w as P ray fo r me for yourself fo r

.
, ,
a l l whom we love and who love u s If y o u are like

, .
S arah o f O l d we shall have a glorious future here and

,
hereafter .
A braham and S arah were the F riends O f God

are we ?
Christ says we are D O n o t let us fear but love .

,
.
W hen you return I want to tell you all that has

,
—
h app ened since F riday week I cannot write it .
E xternally work h as gone o n very busily during

,
t h e days and early parts of the nights

,
I have had a .
continued rush of visitors and ran away from them

y esterday — ye t I s a w nineteen yesterday forenoon and
e vening .
I have been praying f o r your healing and I am ,
s ure y o u have got i t — is it not so ? Come b ack strong .
I am ,
F orever yours in love D ivine ,
( Wr itten to an a uld Co v en a n ter .
Many thanks f o r your kind message from an auld

” ’
Covenanter and your kind gift the Treasurer s r e
, ,
c e i p t for which I in c lose herewith I too am of the .

, ,
S cotch Covenanter sto ck and our family su ff ered ,

”
with patience fo r Christ s Crown and Covenant in ’
the days o f Claverhouse and earlier S ome o f my .
3 34
TH E PE R SONAL LE TT ERS OF JO H N ALEX AN DER DOWI E
ancestors devised in dark days the crest and its mott o

, ,
which i s at the head o f thi s page and from my child ,
hood I have asked God to enable me to carry like the ,
dove ( emblem o f the Holy S pirit ) with unwearied

,
c onstancy the olive b ranch ( emblem o f Gospel P eace )

,
o f God to weary hearts over the s ea of life A midst .
many dangers and trials this i s o u r o n e great aim ,
and I am grateful to all whom God moves to help us

in our work fo r Christ .
M ay the grand and holy fire o f o ur fathers burn

—
more brightly in our hearts and lives the fire o f zeal
fo r God s glory and o f love for o u r L ord and King ;
’
and may y o u and all your dear ones j oin above that
glorious company o f all who have faithfully witnessed
fo r J esus throughout all the ages as did o u r fathers ,
who sealed their testimony with their bloo d in th e

hills and glens o f dear o l d S cotia .
( Wr i tte n to a f r i en d ) .
“
. In
default o f news I will give y o u anoth er ,
hymn which I wrote o n S aturday evening last My .
”
favorite tune P raise will go to it .
A pproach my soul with reverent love

, , ,
Gather the manna from above ,
R ained daily down for thee

E ternal food so freely given , ,
Gives sweetest an ti p as t o f heaven ,
W herever thou mayest b e .
D ost thou the weary d esert tread ,
Thirsty with scorching s u n o er head ?

,
’
B ehold Him at the well !

A rt tempest tossed o n wintry s ea ?
S tilled are its waves ; O mystery
H e doeth all things well .
335
TH E PERSONAL LE TT ER S OF JO H N ALEXANDER DOWI E
D ear S aviour cast out all my fear , ,
B e Thou m y only comfort here

My A nchor firm and sure ! ,
D aily renew my strength in Thine ,
L et all Thy will b e wholly mine ,
Thus shall I b e secure .
(O n bo ar d S . S . R o to r ua at sea f r o m Ta ran ek to Ne lso n , Ne w

Zea l a n d A , p ri l 2 5 1888 —L eaves
, of He a lin g l u ch
a n e d)
.
D ear B rother in Christ :

Your very wel c ome letter reached me on 1 6th inst .
,
o n my return to A uckland with M r s D owie after a .

,
j ourney O f abo ut fifteen hundred miles down and up

the e ast coast o f these islands during which we had ,
very interesting important and successful meetings, ,
with the A ssociations which we formed by the grace ,
O f G o d last year
, .
W e found much need for our visit : for the work

h a d go t into unholy hands and the A ssociations were ,
being used to s erve personal interests by some few

misguided p ersons B ut they are now all o n a healthier .
footing and the evil leaven has been removed s o far

, ,
as men can s e e at present M any new me mbers have .
been added— thirty on Monday evening last in A uck

land alone and the A s sociations are unanimously with
,
us .
A new magazine L e av es o f H ealing o f which , ,
I enclose a prospectus is about to be published for all ,
the A ustralasian A sso ciations and I want you and all

the friends to subscrib e and get as many subscribers
as po s sible .
W e hop e the L ord will greatly u s e the magazine ;

and all o u r friends will keep in constant touch with
u s through its pages as well as with each other I , .
hope to get the first monthly issue nearly ready by

the time I leave Christ Church on M ay 1 4 th for A uck
336
I have gone o ut entirely without financial r esources ,
and have undertaken work which has cost me ten

times any ordinary minister s salary every year B ut ’
.
“ ”
he who excuses accuses s o says the F rench p r o
, ,
verb and s o I will not excuse my course o f life and

,
ministry neither can I expect others to understand

,
it since they have no knowledge o f the inner as well

,
as the outer facts which vindicate that course I have .
learned to leave personal vindications with the L ord ,
and I never defend myself against the countless at

tacks which have app eared against me in the press ,
having only written once to a newspap er in five years

to correct misrepresentations I have d efended the .
truth committed to my charge but at no time have I ,
ever cared to defend myself as a personal matter God .
is my J udge H e never makes mistakes and H e cor

.
,
r ec t s all the false and mistaken j udgments of men

, ,
.
O h it is good to know that H e alone sits on the

, .
Throne !
M any p ersons cannot understand that a man does
n o t need to belong to a denomination to b e a Christian ,
o r to b e a sworn member o f a secret o r semi secret s o -
c i e ty to b e a good citizen and a social reformer My

,
.
faith in Christ i s broader than the limits o f a sect and ,
my love for humanity forbids my being narrowed

down t o a mere spoke in a social o r political wheel O f
fortune turned to and fro at th e pleasure o f clever
,
men o r women who talk o f the wi deness o f their

,
chari ty but limit it to the cut of their clothes in some

,
cases or to the grip o f their hand o r to their uttering

, ,
some S hibboleth There is very little real i n d ep en d

.
ence o f thought and still less O f action in the things

, ,
o f t o day and both church and state and reform move

-
,
ments have come to copy the German A rmy R egula

tions too clo sely and have got a good way o ff from
,
the liberty wherewith Christ has made H is p eople

free .
D o n o t imagine that I am averse to organi z ation ,
338
for i t i s the great need of the church and of the world .
I would go right back to the organization i n I Corin

t h i an s 1 2 and have every p article of it and all the
, ,
gifts once more in harmonious ecclesiastical orderly

, , ,
O peration ; and there i s none other that will do
( Wr i tten in l SSB— tr ibu te to h is wif e— lo gs

n f or o ld a pos toli tim s
c e
deplo r es l k f u tho r i ty i m o d rn
ac o a n e c h urc h esf —
mould no t r tu rn t
e ld o o
"
way o f
“
s ttli g f ull f o n fid n
e n -
o c e ce an d hop ) e.
J eanie is invaluable in seeing the sick with me ,
and i s an excellent helper in every way W e are very .
goo d friends and don t have any serious difficulties

,
’
for we are the L ord s servants as well as husb and and

’
wife I have every caus e to be grateful to G o d for my

.
wife .
W e shall rest at home bye and bye and will b e able

‘
to talk with you on the deep things o f God and the ,
pra c tical things concerning H i s kingdom o n E arth ,
whi c h i s now becoming c learer and clearer to me and ,
yet there is much that we do n o t know O h for the .

,
old apostolic times when the Timothys and th e T i tu s e s

,
could find their P auls and be led by D ivinely ap ,
pointed men I love the thought of the old apostolic

.
rule and would rej oi c e to s e e it established once again ,
for what is needed above all things is first L O V E and ,
then A UTH O R ITY o f the most absolute kind in mat

ters o f church work There is no real authority any .
where R ome is apostate and the churches are all

.
,
split up apart from ea c h other and divided within

, ,
themselves The attempt to settle things by confer

.
e n c e s and synods and c ouncils is failing for no o n e ,
has any real consciousness that these are any real

power at all or that the Holy S pirit i s owning them
, .
Come from the F our W inds O h B reath and breathe , ,
”
upon these slain that they may live .
“
If I desired to settle as it is called I could , ,
do so in any one of a score o f places to say th e least , ,
389
and there are f riends and correspondents in E ngland

wh o are pressing m e to go there and wh o offer me a ,
’
headquarters free in o n e o f the b est parts o f that co un
’
try near to H alifax W e are in the L ord s hands e n
, .
t i r el y as to the future a s we have b een in the past

, .
W e have had many temptations and not a few severe

trials o f faith indeed we have them all the time in
, ,
o n e form o r another but I would not return t o the o l d

,
way o f settling for all the gold of O phir W e have

“ ”
.
the ent i re freedom and i n dep endence which would be

impo ssible if we were to b e dependent on the caprices
,
o f small — minded deacons o r impudent and ignorant ,
purse pr oud memb ers o f churches who look upon

-
the minister as a salaried servant not o f the L ord J e,
s u s Christ but o f their little s yndicat e which it might

, ,
be more app ropriate to S pell with an i rather than y .
The L ord never sent forth H is servants in this way

when H e w as here o n earth and H e has never left any
,
other way o f sending them o u t but at H is charges .
It would b e a strange thing for an A mbassador to b e

sent forth by any Government with the declaration
that he was to b e dep endent upon the p eople of the
country to whom he w as sent for a living ,
E very . .
Government p rovides fo r i t s A mbassador from its own

resources ; and s o does G o d P aul lived o f the Gospel
.
,
but he never was dep endent upon the p eople and ,
rather than be that he laboured with h i s o wn hands .
The L ord provided and all th e Messengers went

,
forth in simple F aith that H e would s o p r ovide .
W hen they returned they were able to say that they

“ ”
lacked nothing If we are faithful we shall b e able
.
,
to s ay th e same and if not then we have failed some

, , ,
“
where and in something : for God is faithful .
3 40
and that alone fo r me and for all the world b eside

,
.
W hosoever s ay s o t h e r wi s e is a fool or a scoundrel

‘
,
and perhaps both I never di d have any faith in what

”
Tennyson calls honest doubt for I have always ,
felt that to doubt o u r L ord J esus Christ for a moment

was a mean and dishonest thing and now I never ,
give it any quarter It always arises from S in and .

,
oftentimes from very filthy forms o f S in The Church .
needs to rememb er that N O W G o d commandeth

men everywhere to REPEN T G o d i s with me as .
I p reach R epentance a s the foundation o f the Gospel ,
and this i s the fundamental in all o u r preaching S al .
vation th rough F aith are all impos sibilities to an

impenitent si n ner P eople do not like to b e told this
.
,
and that only confirms i ts truth and the necessity for

preaching it Tens o f thousands o f p ersons are en
.
tering into fellowship with the Church who have never

entered into fellowship with G o d for they have never ,
rep ented o f S in and G o d never forgives those who do

,
n o t repent It is an impossibility
. .
( Fr o m th e
fi s t c opy
r f L v s f H l i
o g i ssu
ea d l u n
e l ol BBS— J ea n , e e ,
"
m o n thly A us tr l i a m g i
an f r th p r o m o ti o n f h li g an d holi ss
a az n e o e o ea n ne
th r ough f i th in I sus — t lls

a e f f r w ll m ti gs
e o f t r s ix t e y e r s of
a e e ee n , a e e n a
m i is try in A us tr li
n upo h i d p ar tu r f r A m r i )
a a, n s e e o e ca .
It seems fi tting that this re c ord o f our present and

future work should have for a link with o u r past work ,
for the L ord some account of the closing scenes o f

,
o u r nearly sixteen years o f ministry in A u s t r a l i a T h e r e . .
fore I will refer to o u r F arewell M eetings in the

,
F ree Christian Tabernacle in F itzroy M elbourne o f , ,
which I had charge from its erection i n 1 8 84 and I

'
, ,
may add the Church meeting therein had recognised

,
me as its p astor from its formation by myself in F eb ,
r u ar y 1 8 8 3
,
It was no little grief to part from the dear
.
people whose love and loyalty to me had stoo d the se

v e r es t test s which S atan c ould devise and who had ,
never failed in unswerving fi delity to Christ s laws ’
34 2
TH E PER SONAL LE TT ERS OF JO H N ALEXANDER DOWI E
even to bonds and imprisonments seeking to save ,
the perishing o n every side But their love to God .
stood the strain o f my resignation in N ovember 1 8 8 7 ,
and after long meetings for prayer o n e an all night ,

-
with J esus both amongst the o ffi c e bearers and the

,
-
p eople a resolution amidst many tears was unanim

, ,
o u s l y passed o n the evening o f N ovemb er 4 1 8 8 7 , ,
agreeing to accept my resignation with expressions o f ,
loving regard similar to thos e afterwards embodied

in an address herea fter referred to but requesting that ,
I should n o t retire for at least three month s A ccord .
i n gl y I yielded to the i r wish and my resignation

, , ,
although ac c epted was arrange d n o t to take e ff e c t

,
until F ebruary 1 9 1 8 8 8 o n which date I announ c ed

, ,
I would preach my farewell sermons M eanwhile .

,
many precious seasons o f spiritual communion were

vou c hsa f ed to u s ; and opportunities o f witnessing to
gether fo r Christ O ne o f these seasons was the Fifth
.
A nnual Commemoration o f o u r M inistry o f Healing

through F aith in J esus which was held in the Taber ,
n a c l e o n L ord s D ay 4 t h three public m eetings and

(
’
) ,
on Monday 5th D ecember last ( o n e meeting )

, .
F ull reports o f these four meetings have been pub

l i s h e d ( M L f H u tc h i n s o n 1 5 Collins S treet W
. Mel , , .
,
bourne ) in the form of a R ecord which contains over

, ,
seventy testimonies from those healed taken down ,
at the moment by a shorthand writer o n the sta ff of

o n e o f th e M elbourne morning daily newspapers whose ,
name i s given This R ecord has been much used of

.
G o d and as nearly the whole o f the first edition of

, ,
copies have been disposed o f it is o u r intention ,
to reprint it ( D V ) in A merica W e thank our

. . .
L ord and o n e o f H is servants who bore the entire

,
cost o f printing and publishing it that our last A n ,
nual Commemoration in A ustralia was s o graciously

used ; for many have been led to the L ord as S aviour .
H ealer and S an c ti fi e r through its pages wherein

, ,
witness after witness declares that H e is h ealin g
343
every manner o f sickness and every manner of disease

”
among the p eople .
Then o n the eve o f the Centennial D ay of A ustralia ,
J anuary l t last we had an O rdination o f E lders at

,
midnight and a most solemn and impressiv e A ll night

,
-
of P rayer and Teaching in the ever to b e remembered - - -
H ealing room attached to the Tab ernacle when two

-
,
b eloved ones E lders J osep h Grierson and J ohn S W al

,
.
l i n gt o n were ordained having b een most manifestly

, ,
“ ”
separated fo r this work fo r some time by the Holy
S pirit wh o had used them to many o f God s sick ones ’
in my frequent ab sences during the last two years .
It is important to notice that the Holy S pirit first

calls then s ep arat e s and then ordain s Christ s s e r
, ,
’
vants to the various o f fices in H i s Church— S ee A cts

i 1 5 2 6 and A cts xiii 1 —
.
-
,
4 concerning the call to the
.
,
fi rst and most important o f all offices in th e Church

“ ”
( 1 C o
. r xii the .office o f apostle .
N o greater mise r y can ever happ en to a man than

to b e rashly ordained o f m e n to any office in the
Church to which the Holy S pirit has not already
c a lled and s eparated him and it i s a source of endless ,
’
confusion among Go d s p eople and a stumbling block ,
-
to the world w h o mo ck not without j ustice at the

, , ,
impotence of man made elders whom foolish o r de

-
signing men have ordained .
’
O n L ord s D ay F ebruary 1 9t h last j ust five years
, ,
from the date o f my forming the Church in th e F itzroy

Town H all I preached my three last sermons in the
,
Tab ernacle and closed my pastorate there with t h e

,
blessed ordinance o f the L ord s S upper the most ’
glorious o f all the Church s memorial services look ’
ing b ackward to the Cross looking upward to the ,
Throne and looking forward to the B lessed Hope o f

,
H i s Coming O h how sweet and rich in heavenly

.
,
blessing i s it to meet with the L ord at H i s Table W hy .
do s o many o f H is b eloved ones neglect it or i n f r e ,
quently appear at it ? Is it n o t b ecause s o many po r
3 44
T HE PERSONAL L E T T E R S OF JO H N ALEXANDER l 3o e
prayer o f faith and raised up many in some case s

, ,
more than ten thousand miles distant Truly the .

,
L ord has made you a chosen vessel in leading hun ,
dreds by your teaching from His Holy W ord to the

, ,
s an ct ifi cat i o n o f spirit soul and body W e cannot , , .
even estimate the numb er blessed under your min

i s t r y — eternity alone will reveal them— but we kno w
,
that h undreds who have b een both saved and healed

, ,
regret as we do your departure from these shores

, ,
.
The loss O f your sp i ritual exhortations your kindly ,
counsels and your faithful prayers will be deeply

, ,
felt throughout A ustralasia ; but your Church and

p eople have felt from the date o f your letter o f the
,
l 6 t h A p ril 1 8 8 5 to the L ondon International C o n

, ,
ference o n D ivine H ealing held at the A gricultural ,
H all L ondon J une l s t to 5th 1 8 8 5 till now that

, , , , ,
the Holy S pirit was leading you to visit A merica and

E urop e to preach Christ as the S aviour and San cti fi e r
,
of the sp irit soul and body and we submit to the

, , ,
will o f o u r H eavenly F ather and pray that you may ,
be used and blessed to a far greater extent than y o u

have b een and that if it be H is will you shall return
, , ,
again to this land .
“
W e herewith subscribe our names o n b ehalf o f ,
the above ,
J O H N S A MU E L WA LL I N GT O N ,
J OS EP H G R I ER SO N ,
E ld er s .
W e shall never forget the kind words thus spoken

to u s and will treasure the beautiful illuminated ad
,
dress i n i t s handsome covering whi ch s o fi tt i n gl y en ,
folds them .
B ut loving words came from all sides and when ,
many had spoken a gentleman left his seat and ad ,
v an c i n g t o the chairman asked him t o present us with ,
a very b eautiful R evised Version B ible as a token o f ,
love and gratitude H e had been bless ed in the Tabe r .
3 46
n ac l e ,and healed o f a deadly cancer in his face It .
was nearly midnight ere we could le ave the building ,
where large numb ers o f eager friends crowded aroun d

us not for the last time fo r one more season was to
, ,
b e gi ven to us o f still deep er and sweeter communion

with th e L ord and o u r dear p eople there .
The next few days were largely spent in all the

many duties and toils inseparable from the private
a ff airs o f this life in disposing o f o u r few worldly
, _
“
goods in doing things honestly in the sight of all
,
”
men and in preparing O u r L ittl e P i lgrim B and o f
,
F iv e for our long j ourneys and voyages I may b e .
p ermitted here to s ay that our two little ones ac co m

pany us o n o u r travels my s o n aged 1 1 years and my , ,
daughter aged 7 and I would earnestly ask the ,
prayers O f all o u r friends in Christ everywhere for

these dear children and that we may be enabled to ,
educate and train them up in the admonition and

”
fear o f the L ord amidst the many special difficulties
,
which will attend this important duty W e felt it .
was quite impossible to leave them b ehind us fo r

s o long and uncertain a p eriod O f missionary j ourney
ing and therefore we felt led o f the S p irit to take

, , ,
them with u s believing the b eautiful words of J oseph

,
( Genesis 1 2 1 ) find a sweet fulfillment in J esus and are

.
,
His words to u s— N o w therefore fear ye n o t : I will

“
, ,
”
'
nourish y o u and your little ones .
“
A gain I say beloved P ray fo r us daily
,
It ,
will b e an inexpressible comfort to know that you are

s o engaged n o t only in your gatherings together but
,
in your homes around the family altar : for your faith

,
ful prayers shall be answered by o u r faithful God .
F riday March 2 n d we held in the Tabernacle

, , ,
F itzroy o u r last meeting with o u r dear people and

,
many Christian friends from other Churches It was .
a F arewell C on s ecration an d C ommuni o n S e rvic e ,
and a time o f great searching power and O f holy fire , .
D uring three hours from 8 to 1 1 p m we sought , . .

,
3 47
TH E PE R SO N AL LE TT ER S OF JO H N AL EXANDE R DOWI E
the L ord fo r wisdom an d knowledge spreading ,
Thessalonians 1 : 5 b efore us ; an d expounding it to those

wh o m we were now so so on to part from many of ,
whom are o u r own children in th e faith Verses 22 to .
24 forme d o u r closing exhortation ere the Table o f th e

,
L ord was broug h t forth : The n we gathered around ,
and sou ght to s e e H is face and hear H is voice A nd ,

.
not in vain : fo r in eternity we shall praise Him fo r

the parting bles sing then received .
“ ”
T ill H e come was then s u n g and as we went ,
homeward in the stillness and the starlight o f the m i d

night hour we could hear the loved voice s still sing
,
ing the words

—
S weet memorials till the L ord ,
Calls us round His heavenly board ,
S ome from earth from glory so me, ,
S evered only T ill h e com e !

,
‘ ’
H o w often we have read the wo r ds an d wh en ,
th ey ( the L ord and H i s first apostles ) h ad s u n g a

”
h y mn they went out unto the Mount o f O lives
, How .
we have longed to hear the voice and see the face o f

Him wh o l e d that song ere H e went forth to su ff e r
,
and to die D own through the ages its echoes still ar e

.
“ ” “
r inging and ,
the ransomed o f the L ord still come
”
with s m gm g unto Zion A s we looked up ward in
.
“ ”
that b eautiful night we s aw the many mansions o f
,
l ight shi n ing in the boundless vault of the heavens

a bove They seemed to us like heavenly si lent
.
,
s i ngers forming from the S outhern Cross a glorio us

, , ,
p ath way o f stars through all the M ilky W ay with

'
j ewelled steps upwards and onwards to the centre

,
of all things— the Throne o f God A nd then D aniel s .

’
words o f p rophecy came to us poor P ilgrims of the

N ight who were about to go forth to all the earth
,
with W ords o f L if e and L ight and L ove to countless

su ff erers who are fainting an d groaning in p ain on
their earthly j ourney to Z ion above — “
They that b e
34 8
southern suburbs o f S ydney itself we sai l ed close ,
under the high rocky steep s which front the ocean ,
and hide the great city b eyond them Then onward .
to the H eads which O p en out that wondrous channel ,
a narrow gateway of divine grandeur into a harbour ,
of surpassing loveliness stretching away north ,
west and s outh o n every side for miles into

,
bays and coves where it seems as if all the

,
navies o f the world might ride at anchor in

p erfect p eace More than o n e thousand mi les o f water
.
frontage lie I am told within these H eads

, ,
A nd .
then h o w wondrous the e ff ects o f s u n and sea upon

these scenes of b eauty which unfold as we pass o n
wards to the city The green slop es and smooth lawns
.
’
of rich men s homes embowered amidst trees and,
flowers mingled with views o f virgin forest still t e

,
maining on the shores are passed swiftly by as we ,
thread our way onward past the pretty islands whi ch

are scattered over the lake like waters B ut n o w the -
.
city flashes forth from every height crowned to their ,
summits with houses the homes and business places o f

,
hundreds o f thousands o f busy men and women .
W harves crowded with ships o f all nations app ear .
S pires and towers and domes o f great public build ings

meet the eye in every direction A great commercial .
city i s before u s where a hundred years ago the silence

,
O f nature reigned save fo r th e cries o f a few savage

,
aboriginal tribes— a wondro u s tra n s f o r m a ti o n .
B ut our vessel i s soon berthe d at the Grafton

wharf and we hear salutations of kind friends greeting
,
us who have b een watching fo r o u r coming

,
.
350
T h e Se c o n d V o l u m e of L e tte r s
J O HN A L EXA N D ER D O W IE,
w i th a h i s to r y of th e Z io n Mo v e m e n t , is n ow in c o urse
of p r e p ar at i o n .
O n e V o lum e In c o m p l e te w i th o u t t h e O t h e r .
L IMIT ED ED IT IO N S .
S EN D IN YO U R O R D ER NO W .
Th e Wi gh am Publ i sh i n g
Mi n n e ap ol i s , Mi n n es ota

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Iﬂnrrwnrh .

A few men—o f all the m i llions born in their day

W hen o n e does this it i s the part o f wisdom to mark

such study h i m and note wherein he di ff ered from

the commonalty— for along this path lieth truth and

T h J ohn A lexander D owi e was such an o n e is

safed to his comrades along the way .

The world ﬁrst began to hear o f J ohn A lexander

t o the ministry in the Congregational bo dy he repu ,

d i at e d th e organi z ed church and b ecame an In d ep en

ﬁght against the liquor trafﬁc and in p ursuance o f ,

his methods was arrested ﬁned and served a p rison

sentence of thi rty four days rather than surrender hi s

principle ; stoo d for P arliament was defeated by the ,

liquo r interests founded a F ree Christian Church

constantly and prayed for physical hea l ing fo r many

a D ivine H ealing A ssociation started a maga z ine as

a vehicle o f propagation and when h e left A ust ralia

fo r a world tour in 1 8 88 he had gained many ad,

h e r e n t s to hi s religious faith and possessed a strong

A fter a few years o n the P aciﬁc co ast in A merica

—o f s o poor and ﬂimsy a character it was dubb ed

A fter a period o f comparative inaction he awoke ,

over night to ﬁnd his name known The p ress ridi .

c u l e d and fought him I ncidentally it told o f cures

bein g wrought The big wooden structure became

al l t o o small to hold the crowds o f sick and maimed

gathered from every point o f the comp ass and every

i st e d : cures were wrought A nd th e O pposition o f .

p ress pulp it medical fraternity state and civi c au

t h o r i t i es were b ut avenues which spread abroad the

H is strong p ungent denunciatory words and ag

g r es s i v e methods concerning the practice of medicine

and surgery aroused the S tate B oard o f H ealth to ac

ities then instituted action under the Hosp ital ordin

than o n e hundred separate charges .

H e fought this ﬁght which lasted nearly a year , ,

t o a ﬁnish winning success in the upp er courts which

declared the o r d i n an ce u n d e r which the arrests had

b een made invalid ,

F rom this time his rise t o great power inﬂuence ,

and wealth was phenomenal H is following grew .

into the thousands he engaged and ﬁlled t o over ,

ﬂowing each S unday the largest auditorium in

his pap er and other almost innumerable literature

with full equipment and faculty started a b ank e s , ,

t ab l i s h e d in A meri ca a new industry— lace making ,

the machinery and lace makers being imported from

t wo miles north o f Chicago which within a few ,

years reached a populatio n o f p eople all ,

adherents of the faith and living under the rules and

ordinary deeds to property— the land “

lawyers in the country being expended upon these

A bout this time he made p u b l i c d ecl ar ati o n to his ,

cording to B iblical prophecy to do this .

M illions ﬂowed into h i s hands and h i s power and ,

activities multiplied H e sp ent himself pro digally

B esides his ecclesiastical educational and political

work he kept his hand upon and gave p ersonal at

tention to no less than thirty sev en industries all a -

p art of the Zion undertaking W ide reaching plans

world wide in their character oc c upied h i s tireless

mind These embraced the Christianizing o f China o f