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sponsibility of the people!! IJovv careful’
should they be not lo exert upon the
preacher in improper influence !
EPISCOPOS.
For the Christian Index.
The Psalmist.
A good Hymn Book is a most powerful i
auxiliary to the spiritual improvement ofl
Christians. It would be difficult to estimate j
its beneficial effects upon their faith, their
hopes, their comforts, and tbeit pious efforts, j
From the great variety of Hymn Buuks ;
which have denied abroad from the press I
from time to lime, it might seem to be a i
very easy matter lo get up a Book for the i
use of singing men and women ; and so in- j
deed it is—hut a good Book of this de- j
acriptkm, one combining correct sentiment,
poetic excellence, and holy unction in all
its parts, and so arranged as lo render it
convenient and suitable for a worshipping
assembly under all the various circumstan
ces which may attend their coining togeth
er, is not so easily arranged. This would
’require that sound, discriminatingjudgmrnt,
thatcorrect and well cultivated taste,
in matters of this kind, very few persons
■possess. It would also require of such as
were best qualified for the task, no small
amount of earn and toil.
A standard Hymn Book, such an one as
would he well adapted to the wants of our
entire denomination, and worthy of univer
sal circulation, has long been greatly need
ed. This demand has at last been met in
a very satisfactory manner by the compilers
of the Psalmist. The Book is not, indeed,
beyond criticism. Every person that uses !
it mighldiseover something which he would !
deem a defect. Some might complain that
a few of their favorite hymns wcrcomilted. !
Olliers might suppose that some of the
hymns inserted had been too much abridg-!
cd, or needlessly altered. (fibers again j
might think that some of the new hymns I
found in the compilation, though uncxccp-|
tmnable as lo their poetic structure, were \
somewhat deficient in spirituality and for- |
vor. \ et, alter all, whatever may he urged
against the Work as defects, we are conli- !
dent that in the view of the. most discrimi
nating and judicious, they will he regarded
as of a minor character, and that on the
“’hole the Psalmist comes nearer to the
characterol a perfect Hymn Book than any
which has yet been published. The wri
ter of this hasty article anticipates foi this
Book the settled verdict of public opinion,
that it contains a larger amount of ttnex
reptionah/e. Lyric. Poetry suited lo the
wants ot worshipping assembles than any
other similar work known to the religious
P'cfr/,,. Wirt, ism addition, afier some ten
or liltoeu years, of an appendix which may
embrace a lew new choice hymns that may ;
from lime to time make their appearance, j
the Book will meet the demands of the
churches of our denomination for at least)
hall a century. A few of the excellencies
of the Book are the following: 1. Item-!
braces a greater vaiiety of subjects than j
most Hymn Books in use. 2. The gener-!
al arrangement of subjects is clear, natural
and convenient. 11. A large number of
most excellent Hymns are inserted not
loiiml in other Books that have been most
generally used. 4. The poetry of the !
Hymns is good, the sentiment evangelical,;
and all the ilynms, upon the occasions for !
which they were designed, may be sung j
without doing violence to good taste, and j
correct religious feeling. 5. The Hymns are
uniformly short; not one exceeding 0 stan- ■
zas; many ol them consisting of 2,3, and j
4 stanzas. Other excellent features of the!
work might be specified if it were needful.!
It is needless to dwell upon the great im
portance of having a standard work for the
whole denomination in the U. States.
Gieat inconvenience and perplexity have!
been the result ol the almost endless varie
ty of Hymn Books which have been used
m different sections of the country. If any :
Book is to secure universal patronage, it
can be none other than the one whose mer
its we arc urging; if wo cannot unite on |
this, we must still go on as we have been
doing with our llyinii Book jargon, agreed
in mulling hut to pationi/.o endless con fu
sion, change, and discord.
The-writ.cr is in coirespondcitcc with the •
enterprising Publishers, Gould, Kendall
Lincoln, of Boston, and would with great
pleasure order the Hymn Book to Augusta, I
Penliehl, or any other convenient places, if
he knew it were the desire of Ins brethren,
lie lias already ordered a quantity for .Ma
con, which will he deposited withbro. John
11. Ellis, or some other hiothcr there who!
would be willing to give some little atten
tion to the circulation of the work. For
the accommodation of brethren near, lie will!
keep a supply at his own residence.
Will not those Associations who employ
Colporteurs, encourage the circulation of ‘
this valuable Book ! The work can he ob
tained on such terms as would allow the
Colporteurs to sell them foi a moderate
profit; and thus a portion of the expense of I
the colporteur system amongst ns might be I
very conveniently met.
C. I). MALLARY.
For the. Christian Index.
Ifural Ih trent, 18 th March , 1841.
Inukx. Vol. 12. No. !) of M vuch 1.
Dear Brother —Under the above date is
a well timed, well written article, from
some hand, on the “Abuse of the Press.”
As they were coeval, I hope they will
lie coextensive—i. e the freedom o( the
Press and the trial by Jury—l wish them
both lo be untrummelcd, and great success
attend them—hut it is not doubled but what
the Legislature can and does regulate the
j latter ; and why not the former also ! ! If
there ever was a cause for their silence du
ring the infancy <>r the type, (in the bauds
!of a few high minded men,) these causes
have now ceased. It is said, and said tru
| ly, that the press is a mighty engine, and
surely the Legislature should guard it, so
lar, at least, as to see who works in it, a
1 man or a dog.
Perhaps this is too uncouth for those
who are not rife on the subject. My apol
j ogy, however, shall he a single case (or two
i at most,) viz : All in less than 12 months,
j young Printer arrived in our village and
set up a parlizan press, and has done great
business for the length of time. Ist. He
soon married a worthy girl. 2d. Shot down
a man. 3d. is now in jail awaiting his
trial.
1 In some of his spoujfings, he said offen
’ sivc words ol a certain lawyer of another
village, who was about lo call upon him for
satisfaction, when he drew a concealed pis
tol, at the distance of 6 feet, and scattered
his brains in the street. He at once gave
security in SIO,OOO by his parlizan friends
: and was released—who but him. Things
: remained so for some weeks, until some
gentlemen of gooil cloth, came on and sla
| ted that they had seen this identical printer
j (in another name) receive 30 lashes on his
| bare hack, by the sentence of a Judge, lor
horse stealing—and if these were not facts
they were willing to give a lie Bill il'found
! in defect.
Upon which his securities called upon
him in his former name and character.—
j I’heir inexorable frowns extorted the con
fession of all that was reported by the
strangers; so they learned nothing new
! from him, only that he stated that the Gov-
I ernor remitted his fine, hut the whipping
he would not remit, that he took it like a
i man and then left. Dear Brother, there is
an old man in our country who says that
most ol the Eastern Printers iiave a small
hoy attached to the office who they call the
Devil ; and lie thinks that some of those
little D—ls have become grown and emi
grated to the west—he that as it may, a few
such eases ass, and one more about
the same time, where that printer fell (to
i iso no more) —(though there may he splen
did talent) will soon render (lie press con
j Icinptible.
j I hope the Law-makers of our States will
do something to purify the press, or at least
throw wholesome guards around its dignity.
Yoms affectionately,
.MISSISSIPPI.
We publish the above by request, and
assure our readers that we are entirely ig
norant of the party to which the culprit al
; Imh'd lo in the ajiove was connected ; nor
do we know any thing of the individual—
i not even so much as his name. Wc may
j add that wo are equally ignorant of the po
! lilical preferences of the writer.
The Principles of Church Government.
’ I.—OF COVENANTS.
Church covenants should be brief, but
comprehensive. Those uniting in them
should concur in their views of the funda- j
mental doctrines of the gospel. Without
such an agreement they cannot covenant
together in good faith. To unite in a com-!
, iiioti covenant, persons ol diflVrent senti
ments, would be productive of more evil
than good. It is in the moral as in the na- 1
j lural world, the repulsive power of antag
onistic principles is increased by being
Inought into contact with each “other.—
lienee the explosions that are almost daily
occiiiring in political parties, and in ehris.
tian societii s. But the necessity of unity
will be further apparent, when we notice,
more particularly, the several articles of a
greement which should enter into a church
covenant.
1. There should be a pledge to continue !
iu, (Acts xiv. 22—xvi. 4—5.) and “earn-!
csly contend for the faith which was once !
delivered to the saints.” (Phil. i. 27, Jude j
3.) The apostles esteemed it all impor
tant, that the disciples should be well es- ■
lablished in the faith, and not to be “tossed
to and fro, and carried about by every wind
of doctrine by the slight of men,” (Eph.
iv. 1 1.) We learn from Zepperus, Voettis,
and others, that iu the churches of Holland,
those uniting with the church made a pub
lie profession of their faith, and covenanted,
that they would continue in it, and regulate i
limit lives in accordance with it; and such
was the custom of the primitive Christians,
as wc shall se hereafter.
2. They should pledge themselves to I
keep the ordinances as they have been de-1
livered to us by Christ and his apostles.
(1 Cor. xi. 2,j The importance of this
duty may he inleired from the commenda
tions bestowed on those who keep the or
dinances ol God. (Ps. xc. 7—ls. lvii.— Lu.
i. 6.) (Mai. iii. 1 I,) and the reproof of those
who neglect them, (v. 7,) or change them,
(Is. xxii. 18, 19.)
3. They should obligate themselves to
labor lo promote each others spiritual edi
fication. (Eph. iv. 11—13—1 Thes. vii.—
1 Cor. xiv. 5, 12, 20—Rom. xv. 2.)
4. To co-operate with God and each j
other in their endeavors to communicate;
the blessings of the gospel. (I Pet. iv. 10
—2 Cor. vi. 1. and viii, and ix.)
o. I’o abstain from whatever would
bring reproach upon the cause of Christ, *
ami in all things, endeavor to conform to
the precepts of the gospel- It certainly
cannot be necessary to refer to particular
passages of scripture to prove this. On
every page in the bible we are taught, ei
ther directly or indiiectly, that we should
love God and keep his commandments,
that we should deny ourselves “ungodli
nesss and worldly lusts,” and “live soberly,
righteously, and godly in this present
world. Pliny, in his letter to his sover
eign, written while he was acting as Gover
nor of Ly thy nia, represents the Christians as
of that age binding themselves by oath, in a
most solemn manner, that they would not
be guilty of theft, or robbery, or adultery,
or break their word, or deny a pledge: (ne
furla, ne. lalrorinia, ne adulteriu, nejtdem
fillcrent, ne deposit urn übnegarenl;) and
Justin Martyr, in his Apology for Chris
tianity, represents the Christians of his day.
as agieeing to coniform strictly to the stan
dard of God’s word.
0. l! may be. moreover, important to in
troduce into a church covenant a pledge to
assist in enforcing the rules of the gospel,
am! preserving a due discipline in the
church. Tertullian, in his apology, rep
icsents the Christians assembling ad con
foederandam disciplinam; which implies,
that they confederated, or covenanted to
gether, for The preservation of discipline.
In his description of a church, also, he rep-j
resents it as a body united in a conscien’
tious discharge of religious duties, in a uni
formity of discipline, and in a covenant of
hope (corpus sttmus, de conscienlia reli
gionis, et disciplinw, el spei fa dere.)
The above articles embrace all that al
present occur to us as important to he in
troduced into a covenant. They may be
compressed into a very few lines.
It is desirable, that a day of fasting and
prayer should beobseived, by those pro
posing to enter into anew constitution.
This may be on the day of the public re
cognition of the church, or on the day im
mediately proceeding it. The day should’
ho spent in devotional exercises, and the a
doplion ol their covenant should be under
taken, while the-ir hearts are enlivened and
their moral perceptions quickened by the
salutary influence of those exercises, and
while impressed with the solemnity of the
undertaking in which they are engaged.
VII.— OF RULES OF DISCIPLINE.
Rules ol discipline are designed to an
swer a two-lold purpose; to point out the
path of duty, and to hedge it in. They
servre as palisades on either side of it, to
keep the young and inexperienced and
wayward from sallying out into the wil
derness, They should rim parallel with
that path and never across it. If they en
croat h hut a little on the path of duty, they
are sure to turn the flock out of if, Thosc\
who construct them, therefore, should be’
careful to note the boundaries fixed by hea
ven. They should never lay down a rule
without recurring to the admeasurement of
God’s word, lest they make the path either
too narrow or too broad.
As all disciplinary rules have reference to
duty, it may assist in drafting such rules,
to give a general summary of the duties of
such as unite with a church of Christ.
VII. —OF THE DUTIES OF CHURCH MEM
BERS.
1. Positive Duties. —lt is the duty of
every church member to attend regularly
oil the preaching of the gospel, on the ad
minstration ol its ordinances, on conferen
ces and social party meetings—
To contribute for the relief of the needy' 1 ,
for the support of the pastor, for the inci-\
dental expenses of the church, and for
spreading abroad the glad tidings of salva
tion through Christ—
To pay due respect to the duly author
ised and regularly appointed officers of the
church—
To cultivate Christian intercourse with
his fellow disciples, especially with young
converts, and with those who have but re
cently removed within the bounds of his
church: to interchange with them acts of
j brotherly kindness; to watch over them for
] good, and .mt lor evil, lo seek their spirit
ual edification, counsel and admonish, with
j gentleness, the erring, bear the infirmities
of the weak, and cast over their weak parts
the mantle of charity; to love and serve
his brethren, with all fidelity, and implore
in their behalf the blessings of heaven—
To submit to the rules anil decisions of
t e church, when not repugnant to the
word oi God, and to submit, not by con
straint, but willingly and cheerfully; to ear
ly out its resolutions, maintain its honor,
vindicate its doctrines and practices, so .at
as they accord with the word of God—
To encourage and assist in sustaining ‘
Sabbath schools and Bible classes—
To exetcise his spiritual gifts in the
cause of Christ and his chutcli, and con-!
tiuue unwearied in every good word and ;
work—
To walk orderly, not only in his inter- ■
course with his fellow disciples, hut also in
his intercourse with the world; to lead a
peaceable, quiet, godly life, and give no ‘
just ground of reproach to the adversary.
2, Xegative Duties —He should be <
careful not to evince a discontented spirit or
ajearping disposition—
Not to expose to the world, what he con
ceives to be inconsistences in his brethren,
or errors in the action of the church—
Not to exalt his private judgment above ‘
the collected wisdom of the church, and
thus set himself up as a standard for the 1 :
church— ; i
Not to aspire after dominion in the 1
church—
Not to leave for others to do that which
should be done by himself-
Not to require others to pursue a course
towards him, or, iu any instance, to regu
late their conduct by rules by which he is
unwilling to regulate his own—
Not to neglect the meetings of his own
church, in order to gratify his friends, or
his itching ears, by attending the meetings
of other churches,
Not to countenance any brother in the
neglect of any of the above duties.
One hundred persons have joined the h
meihodist church in Hannibal, Mo., si ice !’
the first of January last.
From the Biblical Recorder.
Dear Bro. Meredith: —lt i3 known lo
many in various parts of our country, that,
a few years ago, I was standing in the front
rank of opposition to the plans designed
for the spread of the gospel, and for the im
provement of the moral, intellectual, and
physical, condition of mankind. It is like
wise known to a number of that many,’
tltat l now am considered a warm friend to’
those plans. And having had it suggested
to me by’ President Wait of Wake Forest
College that it would probably lie produc
tive ol good to lay before the public through
the Recorder, ihe reasons which have
brought about this change ill my views;
and as it may be gratifying to otheis as
well as brother Wait, and, tinder provi
dence, may result in adding a little strength
lo the cause which is deemed so well wor
my of alt the aid it can receive, 1 proceed
to give iliein in detail.
I will begiu with naming the causes
which led me to a patient examination of
the mission question.
In the summer of 1835, I was consulted
by bro. Joshua Lawrence, to know wheth
er I would edit a religious ncwspapei, to be
printed in I arborough, N. C. 1 consented
fci ll ‘lo so; hut not until 1 had slated to Elder
that I should claim the full exercise of
editorial discretion; that, whatever I should
judge adapted to promote the Old School
cause and the cause of truth generully.
might be published, but all else I should
suppress: that, if necessary, 1 should trim
the communications of our cm respondents;
and I should not hesitate to apply the pru
ning knife lo his writings, sooner than to
any other’s. This course appeared at the
time to receive his cordial approbation.—
But the first acts of elision upon his wri
ting were met with complaints from him
and censures against the editor.
“x Early in the third volume of the I‘riin.
Bap- ive published Elder L’s “Baptist As
sociations proved from Scripture.” Short
ly thereafter we received a communication,
in which the writei proposed to show the
insufficiency of Elder L’s proofs. I was
about to publish the communication, when
Elder L. expressed his high displeasure
thereat, pronounced the correspondent un
worthy of his confidence as an Old School
baptist; and used language whicfl strongly
questioned the fidelity of the editor.
Towards the close of that volu ;.e. Elder
L. gave us his first of two at tides on “The 1
two seeds.” In the front of fhefinnlh vol
ume, stands his second- The sentiments !
contained in those two articles met a dis
sent in and some strictures from “The
Signs of the Times.” For this, h ■ denied
.‘the editor of the “Signs” an identity with
Old S. Baptists, and rejected him from
their confidence.
These things led me lo regard with a
more inquisitive eye, the prevailing spirit
of our correspondents. And, although I
had, in die first vol. first mint. Prim. Bap,
requested all writers for the paper “to ab- j
|Stain from abuse and ridicule of every kind;
as ill comporting with the design of this
[Prim. Hup.] paper; and although it ivas
proclaimed iu the very introduction that the
Print. Bap. was “principally intended to
defend the Old School United Baptists from
the many aspersions cast upon them by de- J
luded persons professing their own frith;”
and, although I was to sit out with the uni
versal and impartial pruning knife; yet,
borne along by the stiong current of oppo
site views and sentiments, t had at length
unintentionally and unexpectedly iound!
nivselfat die “head; (or rather at die fool.)
of a paper which was celebrated lor assail
ing and abusing other principles and other
men.
I felt the awkwardness of my situation,
and that of the denomination to which l be
longed. To a discerning public wc must
have appeared in the outset, either to have j
been wanting in purpose, or else in firm-!
ness lo carry it out. 1 stdl thought, how
ever, that my brethren aimed well, and
were injudicious and indiscreet only iu
their mode of opposition. But 1 could not
resist the force of this truth, that good aims
cannot justify unlawful means,
These facts added lo those named in my
valedictory, fixed my determination to be
no longer editor, after the 3d vol. was
closed. They led me also to examine
more closely into the state of our Ministry. 1
The result of this investigation was, a con
viction that wc had departed in several im
portant points from gospel ground. As the
correspondents of the Frim. were unwill
ing to be contradicted, and to have their o
piuions thoroughly investigated, under the
pretext that all controversy with each oili
er must be avoided, so the ministry. If
one of our ministers contradicted or differ
ed with us, we straight regarded him with ‘
jealousy and suspicion. What we ourselves
said in opposition to other denominations
we viewed til the light of sacred duty;
whatothets said against us, we did not hes
itate to pionounce persecution.
I found that wc had abandoned the idea
of fixing the standard of our practice by
the precepts and commandments ol the
New Testament. We considered human
nature too depraved for ehristains to be ca
pable of living exactly and precisely up to
the requirements of the gospel. The idea
prevailed generally that the scriptures a
batc considerable of their strictness towatds
saints, and “taking the will for the deed.”
do not expect them to show in their lives a
facsimile ofall Christ’s commandments.
From this impression, we went a step
farther. We attached increased importance j
to faith or belief, and less to works; until
almost all practical religion or good works !
seemed to us like self righteousness. We
became afraid to preach up and insist upon
practical piety; and our discourses or ser
mons became almost exlusively doctrinal.
This step was followed by another.—
Those who attached great importance to
works, and preached their necessity, were
thought by us to be false professors and
self righteous hypocrites.
Wc stopped not here. We opened an
offensive warfare upon all other denomina
tions, and that Irom the pulpit, which was
carried to such length that half our sermons,,
many a time, was taken up in censuring
them. A censorious spirit by this means
; pervaded our whole sect. And when all
the rest, of course, condemned such a prac
tice, we exclaimed that all oilier denomina
tions were opposed lo the O. S. Baptists.
We claimed their objections as evidence of
our orthodoxy. We published from the
pulpit that all Christendom was against tis,
in orJer to enlist public sympathy.
From being always doctrinal ill our
preaching, we came to dwell almost entire
ly on the decrees of God. The believing
ol election was made indispensable to salva
tion. If a professor did not believe in that
doctrine we did not scruple to dispute bis
gracious slate. We preached it lo the im
penitent and unbelieving i,i the same man
ner as if their salvaliuu depended on be
lieving in that single point. We often ap
i peared to preach it of spite, telling the peo
ple we did notcare whether they believed
!it or not. It was the tiutli and help them
j selves if they could.
As if we had not gone far euough yet,
we tacitly contended for perfection in our
ministry. It was declared as our belief,
that God never sent a man lo preach the
truth, and then sent another to contradict
i him: that any who contradicted the truth
| was not sent of God. The consequence
of which is, a man must he perfect iu doc
! trine, or not divinely sent.
We sirongiy intimated that, we preached
by inspiration. Our o’ j c. lions were poin
ted and strong not only against reading ser
mons, hut also against notes lo assist the
memory in preaching. We did not wish
! our congregations to think we had niedita
j ted upon our subjects; nor that we preach
ed hy chance. Ami as there is but one
more way that of inspiration, we must
have left them to! infer that we preached in
that way. Hence it was common lo say
we would preach fiom just such texts as
! God gave us, and no other. We wished
to impress men with ‘lie belief that, learn
ed ministers prea bed Irom ilieir knowledge
j of books; but we had a surer guide.
Finding the Ministry in this condition, I
j was naturally led to inquire more patiently
1 into that of the church. The hitler I found
‘tobe as deplorable as the former. Long
| accustomed to hear works ridiculed, she
; had become afraid of them, lest she should
j be liable to tli ■ charge of being hypocritical.
She thus had a fair opportunity of indulg
! ing in sloth, lukewarmness, sleep, and eve
! ry thing else, that shrinks from the cross.
She had not been reproved for uueven
j ness, nor admonished for disobedience, un
! til she would not hear reproof or admoni-!
! lion. She would not tolerate a Minister
! who would describe her true state to her.
! She was prepared to hear him speak onlv
! of hci purity, her orthodoxy, and steadfast
! ness.
She had not been reminded of the un
hallowed passions, tempers, and desires,
: which rage within, and war against faithful- j
j ness and piety, until she had almost fogot
ten to expect their attack, or to s aadi with-!
in for them. This maxim srrmn^fefcML r
ohta nnl mi hen. Sound iu belief, sound in
Christianity.
Healing her watchmen all the time cry
ing the alarm of remote danger,—from Ai
miiiians, from missiouaiics, &c., she forgot!
!to watch at home. By having her atten
tion so long diverted IVoin herself, and bv i
I the consequent neglect of the culture ol j
the heart, appetite and passion gained a!
dangerous ascendance and hurtful inflururc
ovcrhei. The churches were prayerless,
i negligent ami indifferent. Virtue, know!-:
i edge, temperance, patience, brotherly kind
ness. god mass, charity, were daily slight-’
ed; woildly-miiidnes-, coldness, and covet
ousness prevailed; little communion an t
fellowship of the spirit, little enjoyment in
fellowship with the Father and with his’
Son Jesus Christ, was hit or sought.—
They saw theii condition was had yet did
not consider it their duly to attempt to al
ter it.
Among other vices, intemperance in the j
use of ardent spirits held a powerful sway.
There were lew churches in my knoyvl-j
edge but that were infested with this evil
And what was worse, where members of
the churches had from long habit, nearly or
quite lost the power of governing them
selves, and needed a brotherly hand gently
to draw them hack, they were still encour
aged and incited both by the example and
arguments of their ministers. We were
become a reproach and a by-word to the i
world. Mine eye affected my heart; ami
1 mourned for Zion.
I believed something must be done,—and
should be done, and 1 determined to act
though l should ad alone. In 1810, my
Association, the Conlenmca, requested me
to write a cireulai letter to attach to her
minutes for 1811, In discharging this du
ty, I wrote on practical piety, and dwell
at some length on temperance. This eir
eular advocated a total abstinence iu all
cases, provided spirits might lie used as a
medicine only. The circular passed and
was printed, but proved to be very unsatis
factory to the churches, and the next circu
lar was actually designed as anjanswer, and
warmly advocated the use of spirituous li
quors. It was, however, rejected by the
examining committee and was not printed
Subsequently to this, a word was carefullv
mingled with pulpit discourses to justify
and encourage the use.
I detetmined to make one more effort,
though it should cost me the loss of fellow
sliid—but I hoped 1 should not lose that.—
1 could not help peisuading myself that 1
could approach my brethren in so humble
and affectionate a manner as not to incur
ilieir displeasure, if 1 did not gain their ap
probation. I therefore wrote and had pub
lished at a cost of $25, “An Essay on the \
use of spirituous lipuors, .fee.” and distrib
uted it giatuitously.
It is true, 1 was afraid I should lose my
brethren. I knew the rage of appetite
when upheld by the power of habit. I
knew also the deep and abiding prejudice
against Temperance Societies; and that
jealousy which was constantly awake
would be apt to identify the present move- 1
incut with that Society. Notwithstanding
all this. I still hoped to gain them. I thought
they were compelled to see and consider
the universal mischiefs of drunkenness;
and that they would yield to the fact that
all abstaining persons testify to ihe unpro
fitableness and danger of die habit of dram
drinking. Thus 1 hoped on, and wrote
on.
Ihe pamphlet, it is hoped, did much
good. But the power of habit over that of
resolution, soon evinced die necessity of a
pledge; and warmly recommended to my
reason, my approbation, and my active aid,
die Temperance Society. Where the man
is immersed in weaker than infant inibe
| cility, and decision has long lost all its lone
in him: where he possesses no resistance
against invitation, no remedy against deii
sion; the pledge, the stake “of his honor,
| I'i* veracity, his reputation, conies in to his
relief.
Thus the uncomfortable and relaxed state
ot our Ministry, and of our churches, weak
ened iu my mind, die claims of our oppo
sition; and my reflections on the necessity
and benefits of the temperance cause, led
me to question the righteousness of our
cause, and to admit the question of Mis
sions to candid hearing; when I reasoned
with myself in the following manner:
Is it right or is it wrong- for other na
tions, and the destitute parts of our own
country, to hear the gospel, and read the
Bible?
I could not say it is wrong. For though
the light ol the gospel may be now extinct
in many places where once it shone, yet
we have nothing lo show that it shall not
|be rekindled in the same places. Indeed
we arc assured it shall be the ease to some
! extent: for Jerusalem, whose house is now
left desolate, shall yet say, blessed is he
‘•that comet hin the name of the Lord.
And yet if I should decide that it is right, I
saw plainly I should lose considerable, if
not the whole ground I occupied. Recol
lecting we had all along admitted it to be
right, and seeing no cause to dispute if
! now, unless it was impliedly prohibited in
the commission, go ye into alt Ihe world,
f>'C.; or rather in the fulfilment ofthiscom
j mission, 1 turned to examine it after]this
method.
Was the commission carried out to its
full extent during the day of inspiration,
or during the Apostles’ life-time, or not?
If it was, then under what authority
! does any man now preach? If that com
mission ceased with the Apostles, then we“
have no right or authority to preach under
it. But if the obligation of that charge
rests in all its force upon us, then is the
space still defined into all the world. I
answered, it is right, and proceeded to con
sider.
Will other nations over receive the gos
pel in any way, except either through niir.
aeles, or by the reading of the Bible and
preaching?
Lt is not expected they will receive it
through any miiariilous means. For mir
acles, though they began ihe present dis
pensation, have long ago ceased, (unless we
regard conversion as a miracle, but no one
who unricrstogMMßHpt*, t wonls ~wiTl
confound that term with miracles.) Again,
if miracles were to pre ede the gospel, or
accompany it to every nation, they would
have coma with it to America. The gm
pel. then, must go through the Bible and
prwelling. This is the only way in
which it has spread for eighteen hundred
vears. The gospel dispensation, there
fore, is going on without miracle or in
spired m< n. It spreads its limits to all na
tions, and stretches out its dmalion always
corn to the end of the world. But
Is it God’s time to send the gospel lo
heathen lands, or not?
The scriptures arc silent, except they
answer. Go. In vain shall we expect
them lo specify licit it is now God's lime
lor America, Imt not for Asia and Wrica.—
In vain shall we search for the passages
that tells us the difference between his lime
lor North {Wina and for IBnrrnah. The
gospel dispensation rings in everv candid
oar. and sinks to every honest heart. Be
hold SOI! is/he accepted time; Behold
,\OJI is /he of salvation- More
over, I felt it incumbent upon ns who de
nied its being God’s time to tell the people
when it would he God’s time; and how
they might know it. Lastly,
Are the plans now in opcratinmfor spread
ing the gospel, justifiable mcaii according
to the scriptures?
If the gospel were to he spread hy mir
acles only’, then were the missionary In
s'itntions unjustifiable. Thev would then
be substituting human agency for divii e.—
But as it is to he spread by simple methods
anil human instrumentalities; as it is to go
by printing and preaching; hy wa'king, ri
ding. and eating, ami
praying; hy crossing rivers, mountains,
seas and lakes: by buying food and rai
ment, and means for travelling; by singing,
praying, preaching, and hearing; hv build
ing meeting houses, and buying ground for
that purpose; by communicating to him that
teacheth in all good things; bv allowing
the minister of the gospel a living, and
giving the laborer his hire; and seeing that
these means were in requisition in apostol
ic times, they are not only justifiable but
commendable; nay, more, thev are obliga
tory. I yielded my hearty assent to mis
sions, ns heaven’s instruments, and ceased
my opposition.
MARK BENNETT.
Edgcombe, 13th Feb. 1844.
The subscription list of the Western
Macedonian numbers within a few copies
ol 5000. The editor inquires, who will
aid to increase it? What more economical
and effective way is there to awaken and
cherish the Missionary spirit in our church
es than the circulation of the Macedonian.
Mr. Oncken was baptized at Hamburg,
Germany, in 1835; since which more than
twenty Baptist churches have been formed
in that country,—none of them as yet hav
ing a chapel in which to worship. Among
the means of disseminating truth, Mr.
Oncken says: “We circulate annually be
tween two and j three hundred thousand
Tracts,