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JOSEPH S. BAKER— Editor. VOL. XII. ‘TERMS PER ANNUM. EMT The Christian Index, published •li Friday in each week, (except two in the year), will be furnished 10 each subscriber at #2 50 cents, in advance; or $3 if not paid within the year. HCT* Post-Masters, where the Index is taken, are requested to forward remittances for subscribers at their respective offices, according to a decision of the Post-Master General as to their right to do so. All pa trons and agents are requested to notice this. Every Agent (and ail Baptist Ministers are particularly solicited to become agents) who procure and pay for five copies ol the Index, shall he entitled to a sixth, as a com pensation for his trouble. Letters on business, or communications, must be addressed to the Editor, post paid. Advertisements may be inserted on usual terms, at the discietion of the Editor. Selected For the Christian Index. The Christian’s Directory. Continual. 5. As you expect to live with Christ in heaven, study to live with him on earth. Make his honor the ultimate end of all your designs and actions. Aim at a universal conformity to his laws and precepts, and cleave fast to him in a way of holiness, whatever it may cost you. think not the worse of Christ and his ways on account ol the reproach and persecution they may bring upon you. Join with the little flock to whom the kingdom is promised, which will abundantly compensate all vour suffer ings for Christ. Never follow a multitude to do evil, but ever cleave to the Lord with purpose of heart, however few join you. 6. Draw all your strength for work and warfare from Cluist, and never let your du ties take the place of his righteousness. — Christ himself tells us, that without Him we can do nothing, (John 15 : 5.) that is, nothing aright, or, nothing that is accepta ble to God. While you seek altet holi ness, never let it take the place of the right eousness of Christ. Holiness is to he lov ed, hut His righteousness only, is to he trusted ; for though holiness be a necessary onalilicjdon .for,heaven and salvation, and our evidence’ teousness ol Christ alone is the foundation of it, and ol our title to it. Let Christ’s name be dear to you, “ the Lord our righteousness." — The Apostle Paul (2 Cor. 3 : 5) owns, that of himself he could not so much as think a good thought; hut (Phil. 4: 13) that he could do all tilings through Christ that strengthened him, and hence lie exhorts us lobe strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. Let us think before we go to duty, from whence our strength for it must come, and study to fetch it in by faith and prayer; and when we are assisted, let us ascribe the glory to Jesus. Be assured that your most costly sacrifices are unsav oury, if they he not petlumed with the Iragrant incense of Christ’s merit and in tercession, and that your fairest righteous ness are but as filthy rags in God's sight, il Christ’s righteousness do not cover them. Let it therefore be yout constant language, In ihc Lord (Jesus) have “I righteousness and strength,” (Isa. 45 : 24.) 7. Begit and end every day with God. (Ps. 5 : 3, 4. 8.) Let prayer be the key to open the heart to God in the morning, and lock it against all his enemies at night. Let no cliiistiaii say he cannot pray, for prayer is as necessary to hint as breath.— (Sam. 3: 50.) Let none say, they have not lime for it, better take time from sleep than want time for prayer. Think il not enough to say your prayers; hut pray in prayer, i. e. pray with sincerity and fervor. Tflinlnvitfryoursel/, this morning may tu rn y last morning, or, this night my last night; for certainly that morning cometh of which you will never see the night, or that night of which you will never see the morning. Let-lhe conclusion of every day put you iu mind of the conclusion of ah your days, and that the long night of death will put an end to all your work, and bring you to a reckoning with your great Master fer all you have done. O! to lie down ev ery night reconciled to Hint! O that we could lie down and leave our hearts with Cluist, and compose our spirits so as if we were not to awake till the heavens were no more! 8. Sojourn in this world as travelers through it to another and a better country. “ For here have we no continuing city.” This is God's command. “ Arise and de part for this is not yottr rest.” And re member if we would be riirlit travelers to wards Zion above, we must have Christ in our hearts, heaven before our eves, and the world under our feet; \Ve must take God’s Spirit for our guide, word for our rule, his glory for our end, lear for our guard, his people for our companions, his promi ses for our cordials’ Religion must be our business, prayer our delight, holiness our way, and heaven our homfr. THE CHRISTIAN INDEX. Let Zion’s travelers distinguish them selves from the nteu of the world. Let Christ always be ptecious to you, the word sweet, sin hitler, the world a wilderness, and death welcome. Let Christ’s will he your will, 11 is cause your concern, His suc cess yout glory, His sufferings yottr medi tation, His wounds your refuge, His blood your balnt, 11 is righteousness your clothing. Let your hearts burn with love to Christ: let it be your delight to think of Christ, to hear of Him, to read of Him, to speak ol Him, and your highest pleasure to converse with Him. 6. Improve the talents God gives you (or his service and gloty. Remember you were not made for yourself only, but for society and the benefit of others. Study therefore to be useful. Employ your gifts, your substance, and whatever God has be stowed upon you, for the good of yout fel low-eieatur. s ; teach the ignorant, relieve the poor, strengthen the weak, comfort those that are cast down. Commend Christ as an excellent Master, and a loving Saviour, and invite poor sin ners to come and see that the Lord is good. Pity those that are strangers to him, and pray for them. C. To be Concluded. For the Christian Index. I’tXEVH.LE, Gu. Feb. Ist. 1844, Urn. Hakcr. —You published, in the In dex of Bth Dec. last, an extract from the report of the Executive Committee of the Columbus Association, made to that body tit its last session, in the following words: “Bro. J. S. Deavours lias been continued as the domestic missionary of your body through the year. The committee take pleasure in saving that they belive he lias been given to the work, and has done what lie could to promote the interest of vour body, in promoting the spiritual interests of the people in the destitute parts of the Association. 11 is labors have been mostly performed in Macon, Marion, Sumpter, Stev(-7>’ and Muscogee Counties; all of ~<Ae!j^l Kp|ll interesting field for mis sionary IVhor.” And after stating, in de tails, the labors he performed, and the a inount of money they paid him; the com mittee go on to say, that “great destitution, we are informed by your missionary, ex ists on much of your Southern boundary. Churches without pastors, some without regular discipline; and many settlements destitute of any regular preaching. Truly the harvest is plenteous; interesting fields already white, hut alas! none to cast in the gospel seed, that these immortal souls may he reaped to the glory of God*” Reports similar to this have been made for a year or two before, by the same mis sionary to the same hotly, and published iu their minutes; in which is described, more particularly, this “destitute” region to be, (as well as my memory serves me.) the lower part of Muscogee, Marion and Ma con and the upper part of Stewart and Sumpter Counties; extending from the Chattahoochee to the Flint river. These reports, Bro. Baker, present a doleful picture of this County. According to them, this is one of the darkest places of the earth. Much stnnger language, fit seems to ine, could hardly be used, if they were describing the Central parts of Africa; and those who know nothing of this Coun try, but what they learn from these reports, might be almost as much afraid to trust their persons here, as there. Knowing hut little of the lower part of Macon, and that part of Sumpter immediately South of it: I will only say of them, that t have newer heard of any great “destitution” there hot by these reports. But having resided, sot the last nine years, near the center of the balance of the territory described; rnmpn sing about three fourths of the whole, and being about 45 miles long by about 16 or 17 broad; and being no inattent’ ’ e obser ver of men and things here timing that time; I think 1 have some right to know something about them. And I protest a gainst the correctness of these reports, so far as they describe the condition of things here. For Ido verily believe that the God of all grace has been much more mindful of this Country than “your missionary” would seem to have the people believe.— And that lie has here, iu this “destitute” region, hundreds, not to say thousands of witnesses, who if need be, would hazard their lives for the truth of the gospel. I will not assert, however, that we are as good as we ought to be, for I don’t think we are: there is much room for amendment; we may be. and I believe we are somewhat more old fashioned than they are in snittp other places; though I don’t know that we are much worse for that; I don’t think we are; hut I am confident that the people of this “destitute part,” as a whole; in point of quietness, sobriety, hospitality, good FOR THE BAPTIST CONVENTION OF THE STATE OF GEORGIA. PENFIELD, GA., APRIL 12, 1844. neighborhood and love of the truth, would not suffer much if they were compared to any other part oT the association of the same extent; and that there ureas feW ex ceptions. 1 deny that there is any compar ative “destitution” here, I speak what 1 know and testify what I have seen, for the most part, when 1 tell you that there is, on an average, one place where public wor ship is statedly held, at least two days in every month; and one settled preacher f< r less than every five miles square—Tin places being about as equally distirbuted as is the population, and the preachers nojj much less so—besides a goodly number ol other places where public worship is occa sionally held, and of other preachers who labor here statedly a portion of the time, without including “yottr missionary;” a bont two thirds of these places and preach ers being baptist. If it should hereafter seein to he necessary, I will send you the names of the preachers, and designate the places of worship. 1 doubt whether there is one family here, that does not live with in five miles ol at least one place where worship is statedly held; ami by the great er number, live within that distance of two or three. This state of things too has gra dually grown up with the settlement of the country. As to “churches without pas tors,” I have not been able to learn that there was one such at, and for some time before the last report was made. “Some without regular discipline.” This will not apply to any church within my knowledge; and 1 will atlil here that the old baptist churches keep up the ordinances as they were delivered, not forgetting the injunction “Ye ought also to wash one-anothers feet,” That this whole country “presents an interesting field for missionary labor.” 1 shall not deny. Nor shall object to its be ing occupied as such; but what I object to, is, that when “your msssionary” goes back to give an account to those that sent him and to receive his reward, lie should mis represent those amongst whom he lias been. Such a course, Bro. Baker, is not at all calculated to bring tis together, hut widen the breacli between us. Am! be. sides it tends to lessen our confidence in missionary reports generally. I trust l have said none of these things because I am glad to have opportunity to find fault; for when good is done, no mat ter by whom, lam glad. Nor have I said them to provoke controversy; (or that is un pleasant to me. Nor by way of boasting; though if we were to boast u little, I think we should have the excuse that we have been compelled to tt. Nor of commending ourselves; for I have not forgotten that “it is not he that cominendelh himself that is approved; Imt whom the Lord eomnieii detli.” But I have said them because I thought the cause of truth demanded the correction of the erroneous statements no ticed; which l think not only hold tip the people here in a false light before the ■•orltl; hut undervalue if it does not deny the work of God. As to the motives that influenced the re port, I know nothing, and I say nothing a bout them. I speak only of what it con tains. But as others have undertaken to describe our condition 1 thought it only fair that we should he allowed to speak for ourselves through the same medium. I send you this therefore with the request that when convenient you will give it a place in the Index, DANIEL 11. HALL. Brother Deavours, we presume, had ref erence in his report only to destitution of missionary Baptists. Bro. Hall is fully a ware that all religious bodies speak of des titution aceoiding to the extent to which their views of gospel truth are proclaimed and churches of their order multiplied.— We have nothing to say, at present, in ref erence to either the propriety or impropri ety of this course, hut simply remind broth er Hall of ihejact. We presume he will not deny the correctness of the report, if its references be confined to Missionary Bap tists. The neighborhood of Pineville is far more thickly settled than otlipr parts of the described district', and its inhabitants are wealthier and more intelligent. We have passed through the district several tunes and the impression made on our nnm! was that parts of the district were very destitute of any religious privileges. We may have been deceived by the appearances along the highways. Our impression relative to the neighborhood of Pineville, however, was altogether favorable to the morality of its citizens. For the Christian Index. The Doctrine of Annihilation Confuted. SSorne time since 1 met with six Sermons, by George Stnrr, entitled “An Inquiry: Are the wicked immortal ?” As the doc 'rine of annihilation is not n now one, I did not at first consider these ser non* worth* of much attention. Recently, however, several circumstances have led me to a care ful examination ol'tlie subject. The result is that 1 am thoroughly convinced of the lallacyofMr. Storr’s arguments. 1 have therefore determined to review his first dis course that readers may see the arguments on both sides of the question; The question at issue, says Mr. S., is this, “ Is the punishment which God has threatened to sinners an eternal’state ofeon sciotts being in misety ?” This question, lie s-:ys, involves the subject of the iintnur tality ol the soul. For if the immortality of the soul can be proven the punishment o. the wicked is of course eternal. He ar gues, however that the soul is not immor tal, anil attacks several arguments frequent ly used by his opponents. Through his remarks upon these arguments, where no thing is gained or lost, I need not follow him. I proceed to the main question, and affirm that the soul of man is immortal. Mr. S, commences his argument against the immortality of the soul by declaring that man before the fall was a probationer, not for happiness, nor for life merely, because these he had—he was a’ probationer for eternal lije. According to the terms of this probation, if man remained holy lie should live forever; if he sinned he should die, and become utterly extinct, both soul and body. The tree of life was a sign, and a means of life not only to the Imtly but to the soul also. The tree of knowledge was a sign of death. Man sinned, and in con sequence his body became exposed to dis solution, his soul to annihilation. But il he could have had access to the tree of life both soul ami body should have lived. God did not will that man should he immortal i: sin, therefore he drove out the man from the garden, and placed a flaming sword to keep the way of the tree of life. In this statement are several things wlrch Mr. S. cannot prove. One thing I notice. The design of removing Adam from the tree ol life was not to prevent the immortality ol ; his soul, hut of his body. For to sav that both soul am] body might have escaped death by means of this tree is to declare that man might thus have avoided wholly the penalty of sin. The law might have been violated with impunity. This absur dity alone should lead us to reject the iloe trinc of annihilation if we had no other ar guments. But the truth is, the penalty of sin had been suffered, so far as the soul was concerned, before Adam was driven from the garden. The sod was dead—not an militated—but dead in unholiness from the moment of the transgression. And now the salvation of the soul depended upon the mortality of the body ; for if die hotly had been immortal how could the man Christ Jesus have died for sin ? But M.r. S. says if the penalty related oo.!y to the hotly there is no evidence in tile transaction that any penally was threat ened to the soul or inflicted upon it. I have shown above, however, that the penalty did not relate to the body only.— The soul lost holiness and the favor of God in the moment of the transgression. That this penalty was inflicted upon it cannot be denied even by those who contend that the real penalty was annihilation. He continues, our Saviour in his address to one of the seven churches of Asia, says, “ To him that ovptcometh I will give local of the tree of life.” Immortality depends upon the eating of this tree. If then the words of our Saviour relate to the body on ly, impenitent sinners will not have immor tal bodies, whatever may become of their souls. Truly this is a wild flight. The immor tality of the body does not depend upon eat ing of the tree of life, but upon Christ who is the resurrection. Through him the-un jost will rise from their graves equally with the just. But Mr. Storr’s strong argument seeins to be btiefly this. The penalty ol's in, was death. This penalty related to the whole man, both soul and body. According to a well known rule of construction, words mmit be taken in their pi unary, literal sig tification, unless there is a manifest neces sity for giving them a figurative sense. In this case there is no such necessity, and therefore the term death, when applied to the soul, signifies total extinction of being or annihilation. In reply to this 1 contend that there is an absolute necessity for understanding the terms death, destruction, &e. in a figura tive sense, when applied to the soul. To prove this necessity I offer the following arguments : I. The signification and use of the word everlasting. The righteous are to enjoy everlasting bliss; the wicked are to suffer everlasting punishment. lienee it is evi dent that the wde of the latter roust be as perpetual us the joys of the former. But il the wicked ate to be annihilated then pun ishment cat.not last forever. They cannot sillier the vengeance of eternal fire; where their worm dieth not and the smoke of their torment asteitdeth up for ever and over. — It is liters equivocation to assert that the term everlasting is applied to things which have an end. It cannot be shown that the word is ever used in this manner when ap plied to things beyond the resurrection.— After the end of time all things will be the things of eternity. 3. In the scriptures death is used figura tively to denote separation from several tilings. When men are united to Christ they are dead to sin, are separated or di vorced from it, Rom. G: 2,7, 11. When redeemed from the curse of sin they are dead to the law, being no longer under the law but under grace, Rom. 7: 4, Gal. 3: 19. When we put on Christ we die to the world, Col. 3: 3. Front these examples we de rive the rule that separation from a tiling is death with lespect to that thing. When the sinner is condemned in the judgment and separated from all good how natural and appropriate to call Ins situation tl< (dll. But we ure not left to prove by argument that separation from Christ anil holiness is death. The position is proven by the word of truth, as will fully appear from the follow ing passages. Ejdi. 3: 1-5. You hath be qttickeil who were dead in tresspasses and in sins -jr ” Even when we were thad in sins,” &r. 1 Tint. 5: 6, “She l\\ai livelh in pleas ure is dead while she liveth.” Rev. 3: 1, “I know thy works, that thou hast a name, that thou livcst and art dead.” Malt. 8: 22, “ Let the dead bury their dead.” The persons here spoken of were dead because destitute of the life and power of godliness. In like manner the death of wicked souls is figurative, consisting in se paration from holiness and happiness. 3. The death of the soul cannot bo liter al because man is not like the beasts that perish. The spirit of the beast goetli down ward but the spirit of the man gneth up ward, and returns to God who gave it. Ee rie. 3: 21 —12: 7. Then it is adjudged to everlasting joy or to everlasting sorrow. 4. I consider that the death of the soul is figurative from the natute ol'tlie penalty of sin. “In the day that thou ealest thereof thou shalt surely hie,” Adam ate the for bidden fruit, and in that day, according to the truth of the tliteatning, he died. Yet his body did not die on that day, neither was his soul annihilated. Il is evident then that the death, which lie died oil that day, was figurative, consisting in the loss of ho liness. 5. I prove that the death of the soul is figurative by the resurrection of the wicked. Mr. S., I suppose, would say that the wick ed are raised from their graves to he pun ished according to the deeds done in the body. This seems to be a very plausible reason according to his hypothesis, but let us notice the conclusion to which it lends. Fm.ishment is of three kinds. First for the amendment of the offender, hut if the soul is mortal, or is to be literally destroyed, the punishment inflicted upon the wicked after the resurrection cannot be of that kind. Secondly. Punishment is often the ne eessmy result of immutable laws and is not designed sot the amendment of the sufferer. Thus it is an immutable law that heavy weights will crush the human body if thev fall upon it. If a man should violate this law by permitting a millstone to fall upon him from a height, he would be punished with loss of life, though he could not be made better or wiser by the punishment.— I believe the future punishment of the wick ed to be of this kind—lt results necessarily from the violation of an eternal law, viz : the law that unholiness produces iniseiy. If men violate this law and trample it under foot, by rejecting Christ, endless punish ment is the awful penalty. But if the soul is nioital no law is known which would re quire the wicked to be raised from the dead and again destroyed. Thirdly, among men punishment is in flicted merely for the sake of causing offen ders to feel pain. But can we suppose that God will inflict such punishment us this? Yet if we declare that the soul is mortal, and that the wicked will be raised from the dead, we are obliged to admit that this is the kind of punishment which they will suffer. But the wicked will be raised, there fore they will he raised to a necessary end less punishment. Hence I maintain that there is an absolute necessity for conclud ing that the death of the soul is Aginative. It follows of course that the soul is immor tal, and that the punishment of the wicked will he an eternal state of conscious being in misery- Publisher— BENJ. BRANTLY. The remainder ol the first discourse is taken up with facts, criticisms, &c. which I need Hot notice, •, . , T. J. BOWEN. Stewart co., Ga. March 21, 1814. For the Christian Index. Exposition. Like people like Priest.— llos. 4. 9. This prophecy is often quoted incorrect ly ; thus, “like priest like people,” as if the Prophet designed to teach that the peo ple assimilated themselves to the Priest; so that, as it was with the Priest so it would be with the people. The meaning of the passage is the reverse of this. Israel was at this lime exceedingly corrupt, and llosca moved by the Holy Ghost denounced the judgments of God against them ; and in these judgments he informed them that the Priest would share equally with the people. The reason of this is obvious. The Priests were like the people in wickedness and why should not theii punishment be like that of the people. This interpretation of the prophecy naturally leads to some ieflec tions upon the influence of the people upon their Teachers, causing the latter to he like themselves. It is not material, whether the Teacher be called Priest or Preacher, the principle is the same. Let us then see if the sentiment can be maintained that the in fluence of the Church upon her Ministry is such, that the preacher often becomes like the people. Let me premise that by the term “ people” I intend to designate the church. The relation of the people to the Preach er n similar to that of the wife to the hus band. The wife should conform to the views and manners of the husband; but if she should not do it, there must be an as similation on his part to her. So in the present case, if the church (the people) shall not become like the preacher as she ought, the preacher almost necessarily be comes like the people. Then “there shall be like people like preacher.” It may not he amiss to point out a few particulars in rulvronco t>> u’JiioJi tliO ootuintcnl v<? aro <Si*r cussing holds good. The people have an influence upon the literary character of the preacher, making him like themselves. An old opinion still cherished by a few churches renders litera ry attainments unnecessary in the preach cr. “If a inau is called to preach he is di vinely qualified without the aid of Litera ture and Science,” Seek out the church that now maintains this opinion, and you will iu almost every instance find her preacher an illiterate man, and pet haps an enemy to the cause of education. On the other hand, most churches now. without at all setting aside the doctrine of a divine call to the Ministry, believe that those who art called should give attention to reading and study, so as to become able ministers of the New Testament. These churches gener ally have Pastors, who are either learned or friends to learning. So that in this case we find like people like preacher. The people have an influence over the preacher affecting his doctrinal views and rendering them like theirs. Upon this point it would seem that the ministry ought to he so far removed from the influence of extraneous causes as to be unbiassed by the sentiments of others. But it is not so.— Let the people be Arminian, Antinoniian or Calvinisiic in their creed, anil if he shall not succeed in bringing them over to his views (il differing) he will almost impercep tibly glide into theirs. This must be the case, or a disruption of the ties that unite them ensues. Hence in this case we find • like people like preacher.” But in no respect is the influence of the people over the preacher mote distinctly felt than upon his spiritual character. By this I mean his character for zeal and devotion. Let the people he full of faith and good works, let them abound in prayer and in efforts to promote the glory ol God—the preacher proclaims the gospel with Zealand energy, and sinners are converted unto God. But suppose the people are cold and lifeless, evincing no zeal for the glory of God and ihe welfare of sinners and such is the preacher. Once more lot its notice the influence of the Church upon the pastoral character of die preacher. The relation of preacher and people involves reciprocal duties. Let the , people discharge their duties and he can, and in most cases, will discharge his. But let them neglect theirs, and in most cases he must and will neglect his. For exam ple, let the people fail to support the preach er and he neglects to visit, to study, &c. — Hence the saying “Poor pay, poor preach.” On the oilier hand, let them meet his tem poral wants and lie supplies their spiritual wants. “ And there shall be like peonju like priest.” If these things be -o h.v.v last the r:. NO. 15