Concerning The Views Of Bro. John T. Lewis
The following letter from Bro. A. M. Plyer is self explanatory.
Parish, Ala.
Jan. 19, 1968 Dear Brother Cogdill:
I have read carefully your article of Jan. 18, in the Gospel Guardian. I appreciate very much the nice things that you had to say in regard to Bro. John T. Lewis. But I am persuaded that you did not know him or what he taught very well. I had been very close to him for forty six years. I knew him as very few men could have known him. Some things that you say are misleading and misrepresent him. Let me quote from your article, and from his own words as to what he believed. In your article you said, "He believed and taught that the only scriptural posture in the prayers of a Christian was kneeling."
In his tract the posture in prayer; page one and beginning with line eight; I quote. "I believe a Christian can breathe a prayer as he works on his job, as he drives the highways, or as he lies upon his bed at night; but when he takes a position to pray in public meetings, or before the public I believe he should kneel before God."
Again I quote from your article. "He believed that the Lord's Day began at six o'clock on Saturday evening." Now in his tract The Lords supper and the Lords day. After quoting many scriptures on page five; I quote one paragraph. "If the sun rules the day, for which it was made, it cannot begin its rule before it rises, and its rule must begin at 6 o'clock or around the rising of the sun, and it must end twelve hours later, at 6 o'clock, or when the sun goes down."
I would like to see this correction.
Faithfully in Christ, A. M. Plyer I am glad to bring Brother Plyer's letter concerning these matters. In connection with it I should like to say that I do not want to misrepresent anyone about anything and would not knowingly do so much less a man whom I knew and respected and loved as I did Brother Lewis. Moreover I do not lay any claim to being an authority on the particular tenets of Brother Lewis' views about anything. I was simply stating the views as I understood them. Even at that I do not regard the "misleading and misrepresenting" statements as seriously as Brother Plyer seems to think they were. I am glad though to correct whatever error there may be in them.
I had in mind the public prayers of the Christians in the assembly of the Saints, though I did not specify that in the article. I was fully aware that Brother Lewis believed that such a posture of prayer as kneeling was not always essential in every petition breathed unto the Lord. In fact in discussing the matter I remember that he contended that the dismissal prayer was not such a prayer as required kneeling. Perhaps I did not make the matter as specific as I should have made it in my statement and I am glad to make it so.
As to the Lord's Day again I did not make myself as specific as I should have for I had in mind a twenty four day — the day and night period as we ordinarily reckon a twenty four day and I had in mind that Brother Lewis believed that the Lord's Day ended on Sunday evening at 6:00 or to be even more specific at "sundown" and therefore the Lord's Supper could not be observed later than that time and it be on the First Day of the week. I did not have in consideration the beginning of the "Day" in the strict sense in which the Bible defines that period in Genesis. I do not know actually what Brother Lewis believed about which period of darkness should attach to the twelve hours of daylight to make up the twenty four hour period our calendar designates as a day. Again I should have stated the matter more particularly.
But I do want one thing understood now and all time to come. I would not knowingly leave a wrong impression concerning anything Brother Lewis did or taught any more readily than would Brother Plyer. I hope these matters gave no offense to anyone.