To the Editor of the "Norti-Cuina Dairy News."
Sir,—Mr. Coates wisely ignores Paul's nasty remark that "'his fellow missionaries do not believe in this advent."
What on earth does it matter whether or not lither missionaries, or, for all that, anybody else believe in his prophecies? To be disbelieved has been the lot of most advent-predicting prophets in the past and it'will probably be so in the future, but this fact does not justity Paul in insinuating that Mr. Coates has been -inspired by the devil (he clearly means this by accusing Mr. Coates of "reading the Bible backwards').
Every good Protestant knows that the Spirit moves different people in different ways, to give differing testimonies to the truth, and there is therefore nothing extraordinary in a man being. inspired, by the spirit of truth, to prophesy events which do not eventuate. That this spirit, and not the Evil One, moves people in many d{ffering ways is best shown by the results of the glorious privilege of private interpretation of the Scriptures. Would any good Protestant dare to say that the numerous differing opinions which this privilege has led to, are not due to the working of the spirit of Truth? The same principle holds good in connexion with Mr. Coates' prophecies. There are, I know, people who hold that truth cannot contradict truth, but such people may safely be ignored.
I cannot, however, understand how Mr. Coates can find, in Paul's letters, any denial of his right, as a layman, to teach the Bible. Since the Reformation, every member (Jayman as well og clergyman) of the reformed (i.e. Protestant) churches has the right, or rather duty, to teach the. Bible in any Way the Spirit moves him; no matter should his method of expounding the Scriptures be diametrically opposed to his neighbours' methods. Some impious coffers, whom nobody listen to, maintain that; logically nobody is justified in teaching others the Bible, as teaching implies expounding and. expounding influencing the pupil, thereby im—puiring the freedom of his (or her) private interpretation.
Mr. Coates says that the apostle gloried in being a layman and did not care a fig about "the laying on of hands and official con-secretions." That the apostle had hands aid on him, that he imposed. hands -on others, and
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.