Chesley, Ont., June 25th, 1923.
My Dear Mr Beaton,—To you as Clerk of Synod and Editor of the F.P. Magazine I hasten to acknowledge receipt of yours enclosing “Extract from Report of Synod in July Magazine.” With all my heart I rejoice that our Synod has been led to make the replies to the questions in my Circular Letter which you have indicated to me. For this I humbly thank the Lord.
Further, I now wish to express my cordial and humble regret for any and all occasions of offence to my brethren, personally or as a Court of His Church on earth, for which I am responsible in my pursuit of this matter. I do confess that I ignored, with a wilfully hardened heart, feelings of myself as well as of others in my unrelenting determination to expose the modern heresy of prohibition. Thus I have no doubt that a more gentle firmness, more beautifully adorned with humility and meekness, ought to have been displayed by me. I rejoice that I entertain no illwill toward any one in the whole matter, and I write this that by its publication, if you deem it wise, in the pages of the Magazine the minds of our people may be at peace on this matter.—Ever yours faithfully,
(Signed) WM. MATHESON.