If you can allow me space this once in your good paper, I would love to write one more letter to the dear saints scattered abroad. Wife and I left Los Angeles for Houston on Saturday, July 17. We are with our children here and the dear Baptists for a few weeks, and to be in the Primitive Baptist Association. I was privileged to be at the Southwest Texas Association, in Gonzales, embracing the fourth Sunday. I have never attended a meeting in all my life that I enjoyed more. The brethren who preached were blessed with liberty, and it seemed to me that the congrega­tion was blessed with liberty to enjoy it. The singing was just excellent. In fact, I believe the dear Lord was in our midst. I think there were about fifteen ministers in attendance and I was the oldest in point of age. They were so kind to poor un­worthy me. It seemed to me like the entire congregation manifested unusual love for each other. There were quite a num­ber of young members present, and they seemed to enjoy the meeting so much.

I feel like I want to say a few words to my dear brethren in the ministry, and I trust that the only motive I have in saying what I want to say is for their good and for the good of our dear cause. Let us all shun confusion and have nothing to do with it. My dear old mother, who is now at rest, taught me from childhood to never trouble trouble until trouble troubled me. Brethren, watch your own post and see that the enemy does not get to your flock. Do not be too quick to think the brotherhood needs regulating and undertake to reg­ulate it. Do not meddle with strife not belonging to you. There has never been a division in the dear old church that some man was not responsible for it, and it is generally some preacher. The divine injunction is, "that ye withdraw yourselves from every brother that walketh dis­orderly." Let us remember that preachers are just men and are fallible. They can and do make mistakes, as other folks. I think that if we preachers behave our­selves and try to serve and not rule our brethren, keeping our­selves unspotted, we are worthy of honor; but do not forget that when we disregard the sacred laws that we are under, to keep ourselves unspotted from the world, to shun the appearance of evil, to flee fornication, we are, right here, headed for destruc­tion. "God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap."

Let me say further, be careful never to get it into your mind that the brotherhood just cannot get along without you, for when you do, you are in a dangerous state of mind. To me, there is nothing more detestable than egotism, and I have seen a few cases of it in my life. I love my ministering brethren, and want to help them in the way of en­couragement in every way that I can, but do not expect me to en­courage egotism and too much self-esteem. The Lord said, "To this man will I look, even to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit, and trembleth at my word." In conclusion, let me say, dear brother preachers, let us attend to our business, and what does not concern us, let it alone until it bothers us.

Your poor old servant in bonds,
J. A. MOORE.
5042 E. Leonis St., Los Angeles Calif.

Submitted by Elder David Montgomery

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