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JOSEPH S. BAKER— Editor.
VOL. XII.
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For the Christian Index.
An Essay on the Christian Religion.
Section 11 - — The Temple of Christian
ity;—lts Foundation.
In order to take up the subject with some
appearance of method I shall here compare
Christianity to a Temple, of which the
Scriptures are tho foundation, Christ the
•Chief Corner Stone,” God the Builder,
and 11 is people the instruments with which
He works in rearing the structure. Each
of these parts will receive a brief notice.
The Scriptures are the foundation of
Christianity, and if they be true, it follows
.that the Christian Religion must be true.—
That the scriptures,—both the Old and the
New Testament, are true, may be establish
ed beyond dispute by the following consid
erations.
1. There is an entire want of evidence
of any highei antiquity than the events re
lated by Moses; and if the world and the
human race had existed prior to the time
mentioned in the book of Genesis some
evidences of the fact, either oral ot written,
would certainly have survived the lapse of
six thousand years. We may add to this,
‘that Moses had the best of opportunities foi
ascertaining the history of man previous to
his time. He wqs skilled in all the kuowl
.edge of the Egyptians, then the wisest na
tion in existence, and had, besides, the ad
vantage of oral instructions coiieerhTrig for
mer events, even from the creation. “Mo
ses was the son of Amram, the son of Ko
hath. the son of Levi. Shem, the son of
Noah, lived near to the birth of Jacob; and
Methusaleli had lived many years cotempo
rary with Adam, and also many yeais with
Sliein. It will hence follow that Adam
conversed with Metlmsaleh—he with Shem
—Shem with Isaac; and Moses might have
semi persons who had conversed with
Isaac.” He, therelore, had peculiar ad
vantages of learning whatever was known
of Ancient History. Do we not receive as
true some traditions that have been handed
down through as many generations as here
enumerated?
2. That the Prophets were men inspired
with wisdom from on high, needs no proof
here; the point is fully established by the
fact that their predictions have been fulfill
ed, and are still being fulfilled, in the very
tnannet and at the very time, in which they
teach us to expect them.” We see, “says
Bishop Newton,” the descendants of Shem
and Japhelh ruling and enlarged in Asia
and Europe, and peihaps in America, and
•the curse of servitude’still attending the
wretched descendants of Hain in Africa.—
We see the posterity of Ishmael ‘multi
plied exceedingly,band become ‘a great na
tion’ in the Arabians; ‘their hand against'ev
ery man. and every mail’s band ‘ against
them;’ and still dwelling an independent
and free people ‘in the piesence of all their
brethren,’ and in the presence of all their
enemies. We see the family of Esau to
tally extinct, and that of Jacob subsisting
at this day; “the sceptre departed from
Judah,” and the people living no where in
authority, every where in subjection; the
Jews still dwelling alone among the nations,
while “the remembrance of Amalek is ut
terly put out from under heaven”—&c.”
3. Those books of the Old Testament,
which are neither strictly historical nor
prophetic, as the Proverbs, Psalms ic, c,
bear the stamp of Truth upon themselves.
The profound wisdom of Solomon and the
deep piety of David, as shown from both
the matter and manner of their writings,
are testimony sufficient for a reasonable
mind.
4. The tiuth of the books of the New
Testament is established clearly when we
consider that the events narrated come
nearer to our own times; that the writeis
were mostly engaged in. or witnessed those
events; that they were men, generally, in
humble stations of life, and therefore, not
able to lay the foundation of a stupendous
machine of deception; that they were men
of deep piety, as their style and faithful
ness es composition will show; and that
THE CHRISWAN INDEX.
the same events are recorded by other his
torians, proven by various occurrences in
nature.
5. The Truth of the scriptures is estab
lished by their character. They are alto
gether consistent with sound, rational Phil
osophy; with their Great Author; and .with
themselves. No other book is so excel
lent, so well adapted to the \yaois (JT man,
or so pregnant with the means of console,
lion and joy.
6. The extraordinary preservation of
this Holy Volume goes far to establish its
claim to a Divine Origin. It has passed from
generation to generation, from land to land,
■ amt from language to language, without al
teration in its original meaning. Man in
his blind zeal for idolatry, and reckless en
thusiasm for the prevalence of ignorance,
has attempted to destroy it by fire and
sword; and yet that God who gave it has
preserved it for the guidance and consola
tion of His creatures. It is now read in
every land, and in almost every language
in the known world.
For the Christian Index.
Thoughts on the Sovereignty &c. of Rod.
Dear bio. liuker —As one of your read
ers, I think, I hail the reappearance, in the
Index, of our beloved, though personally
strange brother Episcopos, with as much
delight as yourself, or any of your readers.
Will not that brother become a regular con
tributor to tlie Index ? He has pointed out
a way to “make our paper more interest
ing I hope lie will excuse me, if I make
a short addition thereto, viz : Let our bro
ther E. become a regular contributor, and
I will insure that “our paper” becomes
more interesting, Ido not mean to insin
uate that he is the only good writer, that
contributes to that rich treasury ol Christian
information, no, but that he is one amongst
many
You say, you hope that I will not desert
you. Do not believe, for a moment, that I
will voluntarily, and willingly, desert the
ranks of your many valuable contributors,
though I often wonder, to myself, if my
poor contributions do not appear to your
readers, as rubbish amongst the many lich
geiirt that garnish your Christian treasury ;
“The Christian Index.” lam fearful they
do: but, I recollect that as my Lord and
Master, once, sat over against a certain
treasury, and beheld the rich, of their abun
dance, casting much into the treasury ; a
certain poor individual came and threw in
two mites, which make only one farthing.
He called his disciples unto him, and told
them that, that individual had cast more into
the treasury, than ail the rest that had cast
into it, for they, of their abundance, had
east in only what they had to spare, but
this poor individual, of her want, had cast
in all she had. I do not believe that he
intended to impress on the minds of liis dis
ciples, that (humanly speaking) those two
mites, enriched the tieasury, more than all
the rich contributions that had been made,
but, that the Lord knowing that those two
mites did proceed from a willing and anx
ious heart, determined to make them a
blessing of more value than all of those rich
presents which had been added to the treas
ury.
Amoitgst die-many, that of the fruitful
ness of their r.ic!t imaginations, contribute
■to the tieasury of the Lord ; as found; in the
“ Christian Index if I can cast in only
.one mite, from apure and disinterested mo
tive, Iroin a pure heart, and the Lord, in His
sovereign will, and free, giace, determine to
make that one mile qn instrument in his
own hands, to bring one human ‘soul'to’
Christ for eternal salvation, I am sure I
shall have reaped a rich reward at last,
though I may have labored on with pain,
through life, and made a thousand move
ments, that one purpose only’ to gain.’ T
have, oftentimes, been fain to dwell upon
the frailties, the follies, and the imperfec
tions of my fellow man, and when I have
contemplated the manlier of his creation,
and the manner of his fall from the dignifi
ed station in which lie was placed at'his
creation, I have been almost tempted to em
brace the philosophy of the Gnostics ; and
also, to believe, that man is subject to the
influence of two seperate and contending
powers. But, when I consider the regular
ity of the heavenly bodies ; the regfilar suc
cession of seed time and harvest, together
with all the magnificence of, and symmetry
attending on, the great fabric of the mighty
maze of the unbounded universe! lam
compelled to abandon from my mind, the
idea, that any power, known or unknown,
can conflict with the power of the Great
God, besides whom, is no other.
The sovereignty of that God, even when
incorporated in a body of human flesh, and
his sympathy for, and benevolence to our
race, wilt form the subject of our present
pleasing contemplations.
FOR THE BAPTIST CONVENTION OF-/THE STATE OF GEORGIA.
PENFIELD, Cps, APRIL 26, 1844.
When we speak of God being incorpaj
ated in a body of human flesh, we do ifot
mean to say, that that body of flesh atjd
blood is, bona fide, God Omnipresent, OrV
niscient, and Omnipotent, but that God flf
termining to bring himself, in a stiflieiLjt
degree, within the coniDr‘* J ’' ::fISI ° n ~nul *
look upon liimocTTV a body of flesh and
blood, as an organ thiough which he could
speak to man face to lace, and through
which, he eould make man more sensible
of his obligations to him, and of the opera
tions of his Almighty power. Man caimbt
comprehend God in the essence of liis di
vinity, for though his imagination can bound
from earth to heaven, and from heavehfto
earth, in the twinkling of an eye, yet, >wu
what can lie reason, but from what he sees,
hears, feels, tastes or smells ! he is finite,
and he must have something of a finite ap
pearance, as a boundary for his thoughts.
Reader, have you ever tried to comprise
or comprehend God in your imagination ?
If you have not, I must acknowledge, that
I have often, I have often considered liis
sovereignty, in the management and control
of the innumerable hosts, of wonderful ob
jects, which are presented to my sight, the
least of which, is too wonderfully made,
and 100 mistcriously sustained, for my com
prehension. 1 have often contemplated the
heavens when the sky has been clear and
serene, and has presented to my view,’ my
riads of bright and shining stars, each of
which I have supposed to be a sun, sur
rounded by an unknown number of prima
ry and secondary planets or worlds. 1
have then taken a flight, in my imagination,
to the farthest star or sun, that twinkled in
my vision, and looked beyond, to the ut
most stretch of my sight, and behold anoth
er firmament, thickly set with sunsmnd
worlds, is presented to tny iniagii’ Ton,
and so from flight to flight, 1 have
ed to my mind, the same sublime sciSnery :
and not only that, but I have thought, that
perfect harmony, and symetry characteriz
ed the whole. I have then tried to imagine
a boundary. The htind of man, I think, is
naturally disposed to fix a boundary—to
seek put the length, breadth, and depth, of
every thing that falls under its observation.
I have, .for experiment, imagined a dark
circumference thrown around all those sub
lime objects, within which, to confirm my
thoughts, but the mind, in spite of restric
tion, will still seek to know whi: is be
yond that circumference, and, of course, it
still finds God. God is Uniirnitable and in
comprehensible. If I ascend up into hea
ven, he is there; if I descend into
hell, behold, he is there. I have some
where read, that a philosopher having been
asked, “What is God?” desired tq have
one day to think of him, hefoie he aliempt
ed to give an answer. When that day had
passed, he desired to have two more days
allowed him, to deliberate on an answer !
they were granted him : when they had
passed, he again desired to have four! but
being asked why he wished to delay so
long to answer? said, why sir, because the
more I think of him, the more unknown to
me, he seems to be. But God ha* been
graciously pleased, to make himself known
to us in the character of his Son Jesus
Christ, who is flesh of our flesh and bone
of our bone, and, nevertheless, is God equal
with the Father in sovereignty and power.
I have said that man could not compre
hend God in the essence of his divinity ;
neither could God, in that character, affect
a pardon for the sins and transgressions,
which man had committed against Ins sov
ereign will; for, in the essence of his di.
; vfnity, lie is an infinite God, and, as such,
would require an infinite sacrifice, to ap
pease infinite offended justice; which sac
rifice (in that character) could never have
been made, though in order to accomplish
that purpose, lie became, as in the charac
ter of his soil, both finite and infinite.—
“Himself took our infirmities, and bear onr
sickness but still had the power to re
buke disease, to cast out devils, to restore
the blind to sight, to cause the deaf to hear,
the lame to walk, the dumb to speak—to
cleanse the * leper, and, indeed, to heal all
manner of disease, to which the sons of
Adam have become subject.
Ilis sovereignty, as both God and man,
is indisputable, for the devils and unclean
spirits were not only obedient to him, but
the elements were ever prompt in render
ing obedience to his command. When he
rebuked the wind, it ceased to blow, when
he commanded the waves of the sea, they
speedily became calm; and at his command,
the bands of death were loosed, and the
dead arose to life ; and all things were, un
doubtedly subordinate and obedient to his
command. But he is not only sovereign,
he is infinitely go od and benevolent to
liis creatures.
Only reflect for a moment on his good
ness and benevolence to man! He, who
was almighty; he, whom the
ligftv to honor and glorify ; he, who created
all things, for the redemption of man, took
“i —| hiipsclfjjic form of a servant, and, in,
mat form, became a spectacle to”iJevTls-smf
angels ; he, who treated all things, both in
heaven and earth, and who had the power
to speak worlds into existence for man, ac
knowledged himself so poor, that he had no
where to lay his head : and though he had
the power to command twelve legions of
angels, (each of which, probably, possess
ed power sufficient to extirpate all the race
of Adam by one single blast of the breath of
his nostrils,) submitted to be crucified, by
the puny arm of that being, for the redemp
tion of whom, he suffered the ignominious
death of the Cross.
His sympathy for, and benevolence to,
our race, is limited only by his justice. He
willetli not the death of the sinner, but, ra
ther, that he return and live, for, saith he,
“As I live, I have no pleasure in the death
of the wicked but if the sinner will not
return unto him, acknowledge his sover
eignty, and receive salvation as a gift, un
merited, at the hand of his Son Jesus Christ,
he must surely die. Reader think of that.
KIDRON.
Thomson, April 16, 1844.
For the Christian Index.
Titc Sacrifices of God arc, &c. —Is. 51: 17.
Sinner, I will suppose that thou hast seen
some iff the evils of thy fallen nature, that
some rays from the divine Spirit have shot
athwart the darkness of thy soul, revealing
to thee some of the abominations that have
long been undisturbed there. But after all
that thou hast seen, and terrified as tliou
hasrjuslly been at thy own vilenness, thou
mavest still be assured that the half has not
been told thee. Should a full illumination
from the Spirit enter unto thy soul, light up
its horrid caverns and reveal fully to thee
the deptli of thy own depravity, depend up
on it a miracle of grace would bt necessary
to keep that soul and body of thine in union,
or thy affrighted spirit would fly from its
clay tabernacle through very terror at its
own corruption.
Where then, oh man, cans', thou find re
fuge ? How wilt thou appease the wrath
of a justly incensed God ? Wouldst thou
bring thy houses and lands, thy gold and
thy silver and with the fervor of eastern
idolaters or stupid papists hope to buy ex
emption from the mighty vengeance of hea
ven by such offerings as these? Wouldst
thou make long pilgrimages to far distant
shrines and there immolate thy offspiing
with cruel rites upon the altar of some ra
pacious deity in hope of escaping the tooth
of the undying worm and the flames un
quenchable. Wouldst thou gird thy sword
to thee and cut thy way through embattled
hosts to rescue some sacred spot from the
possession of the infidel 7 W lien tliou hast
done one, yea, all of these superhuman
acts, then miglitest thou return front thy la
bors, and smite upon thy breast and say,
‘God be merciful to me, a sinner.’
Any or all these works, could they be
multiplied a thousand fold, if done in a self
righteous spirit, would only render thee fit
ter fuel for the everlasting burnings. Learn,
then, oh man, that the sacrifices of God are
a broken spirit and a contrite heart, that
these when performed with the merits of
the immaculate lamb of God are acceptable
in the sight of a holy God.
Give then to the winds thy vain hopes
the delusions of the tempter of obtaining a
pardon of thy sins by works of righteous
ness of thy own. But rather in the exuber
ance of grateful emotion call upon all the
inward powers of thy soul to bless and a
dore that wisdom and grace that has brought
life and immortality to light in the gospel.
And thou trembling mourner, who like a
stricken deer, hast left the crowd of men
and retired to the stillness of thy own cham
ber oi the silent grove and there poured out
to the mild pale moon or the stars of night,
the sorrows that burden down thy weary
sin-sick spirit, look, poor trembler, to those
bright and blissful mansions. Take faith
as a perspective glass and prying unto
those unseen worlds, discover their hitherto
undiscovered glories. Especially direct
thy vision to the “ right hand of the majes
ty on high, and thou shall see him who
bore thy sins in his own body on the tree.
And as his powerful intercessions rise ac
cepted before the mercy seat, behold how
that flaming throne which but now shot its
lightnings towards thy guilty spirit, be
comes calm, and mercy, and truth, and love
bending from the skies beckon thy sorrow
ing spirit away to the regions of eternal
day. Wondrous mercy ! Wondrous mer
cy !
Pee it shines in Jesus Blood.
MARCUS.
For the Christian Index.
Christian Union.
JiHxy-ia it Uieie cannot be a union among
the professors of the Christian Re/igidnT
Is it not because denominations, like indi
viduals, are too ambitious? The follow
ers of every profession and calling in life
contend for supremacy in usefulness and
distinction; the Lawyer, the Physician,
the Merchant, the Farmer and the Mechan
ic, each hold the opinion and advocate the
idea that theirs is the most honorable and
useful business, and most conducive to hu
man happiness and the enjoyment of life.
In the same way, each individual in these
several professions and callings believes
and contends that his practice or workman
ship is superior to that of others in the
same business. This is a piinciple in the
human bosom for which it is difficult to ac
count: perhaps ambition is not sufficiently
expressive to convey the principle to the
mind, and, perhaps tyranny expiesses too
much. It is evident that the several occu
pations of usefulness to which men devote
themselves are dependent upon
each other for life and action, for support
and success, May not the same things be
said of religious denominations? Does
not each one contend for supremacy in use
fulness and in virtue? Does not each ad
vocate the idea that its particular tenets are
most in accordance with Divine Revelation?
Is not each individual member of every de
nomination too apt to look upon his life
and actions as being more devoted to the
cause of Christ than the lives and actions
of others? And are not the several denom
inations of Christians, and the members of
these denominations mutually dependent
upon each other for support and success in
things both temporal and eternal? And is
not the term ambition or (yranny equally
as applicable to religious contentions,j as to
the contentions of the different professions
and callings in life?
It is frequently the case that individuals
of the same household, and membets of the
same family profess different opinions in re
ligious matters, and attach themselves to
different denominations—the husband may
be a Baptist, the wife, a Methodist, a soil
or a daughter, a Presbyterian, and still they
all worship together, commune with God
together, and live and labor together in love
and harmony: they all aim at one end
the salvation of their souls, —and though
there may be a difference, and, it may be, a
wide difference, in their opinions as to the
forms of worship and the mode ofentiance
into the Church of Christ, yet each one re
spects the sentiments and convictions of the
others, and is satisfied to leave them unmo
lested. So should it be with the different
denominations of Christians, which are but
different members of the same household
the Family of God: they should worship
togethei. laboi together for the enlargement
of the vineyard of their Loid; love each
other as the children of the same Father;
have respect for each other's peculiar tenets,
satisfied that all have but one end in view;
and live and work together in haimony end
peace. §
For the Christian Index.
“As ye have therefore received Christ
Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him.” In
noticing the conduct of some, how often do
we see this imperative command broken;
and we not unfrequenlly find professing
Christians associating with the wicked ex
pressly for their company; preferring it to
that of those who they have every reason
to believe are the children of God, and
when at the same time they have it in their
power to act otherwise; we naturally infer
that they are very lax in their morals. That
they have not come out from those who
blaspheme God! That they’ are denying
Ilim whom they have vowed to serve, and
in whose service they have promised to
spend their remaining days. That they arc
not setting their brethren a good example,
much less their wicked associates They
must necessarily imbibe their principles,
and are led by them almost imperceptibly
to think their thoughts, and to act like
them; and when this becomes the
case, they rejoice at theirsupposed victory',
and thus grow more wicked, until they can
exultingly point to the conduct of their bo.
som friend and justify their own folly, can
now take occasion to deride the religion of
the cross; —point the finger ol scorn at the
pious believer in the merits of a crucified
risen and triumphant Hedeemer, Fellow
professor, I pray thee to “take heed to thy
ways.” Hemember the great God will
have you in judgment, and that he sees all
your secret sins, but many of yours are
not secret, they are perpetuated before sin
ners! How many will appear in the great
day of accounts and from shaping their
conduct by you!3 and thinking you were
Publisher— BENJ. BRANTLY.
what you professed to be here on earth,
wtll now be compelled to condemn you in
the presence of Angels and. the spirits of
just men wasbedun the blood of the Lamb,
in the presence of Almighty God.—
Proiessor can you stand in the presence of
the Judge of the quick and dead iff this
condition? answer this question to your
God, Remember that “this night thy soul
is required of thee.”
Look now for a moment at the minister
whcfcprofesses ’to have been called to de
clare the whole counsel of God, and who
assumes to point sinners to the “Lamb who
taketh away the sin of the world.” Hi*
bosom friend is the curd player the gam
bler and the midnight reveller, pause O un
thinking man and consider your reponsi
bilily to your fflloir men, and your accoun
tability to your Creator. Among the joyful,
you are the gayest of the gay, you parti
cipate in their jestings, and join in their
sports; you are not teaching them the way
of salvation but of damnation! Recollect
that they sctitinize your conduct and that
they have the liberty to be as wild as you,
but you are the wildest of the wild. You
ate not following the example of your hea
venly master, you are taking liberties >vhich
the Author of your being never gave to liis
servants; neither are you “covering a mul
titude of sins” nor pointing your fellow
creature to the balm in Gilead; bnt'you warn
them faithfully by your conduct to remain
in their sins, Is there no hell for the Hy
pocrite?
Again, we follow this minister to the
company of the pious and we find none
like him, he is so holy, so sellrighteous.—-
Many sinful ones think how happy they
would bo, were they so nigh perfection as
lie. We next see him in the social prayer
meeting, and here he is the most sanctified
of all in the divine presence. We hear
him exhort, and ho enjoins upon otlieis
that which he does not practise himself, he
is very zealous in the good cause, and now
seems to—have forgotten that his associates
saw ltis conduct but a, few moments before
he left their .company. They now exclaim,
he certainty must be a hypocrite, or there
is no true religion. We next hear him
pray and lie appears to be more eloquent
and fervent than any of his brethren, he
prays very tong and very long, yes until
all arc wearied, and in the language of one
of old, he “prays his hearers into a good
frame and then out of it.”
Again, we see him enter the house of
the living God to proclaim the unsearcha
ble riches of the gospel to those whom he
so lately joined in all manner of evil speak
ing, whom he tells when acting thus that
there is no judgment to come. We cannot
follow him farther in this responsible sta
tion. Next he is excluded from the church
lie is now in anew field of action perhaps
seeking a seat in the councils of the nation,
or perchance on the bed of sickness, under
the afficting band of him who has prom
ised to punish the false teacher and is
sure to fulfil his promises, but we must
leave you and the consequences to him whs
is the judge of all the earth and will and
right. Obsertck.
Penfisld, 15th April.
For the Christian Index.
Miaistesial Education.
Some of our brethren in the ministry who
have not had the advantages of education,
are known to entertain prejudices against
the education of ministers. And perhaps
they have seen things in those who profess
to be educated that are enough to create
some prejudice. Instead of railing at those
brethren in whose minds these prejudices
exist, if suitable efforts were used to explain
to them the benefits of a liberal education,
both to the individual and to the cause of
Christ in general, there is every reason to
believe that their prejudices would give way
and these same brethren would soon be
found wondering that they'could ever have
entertained them. One view of this sub
ject is now before me, which appears tome
calculated to impress ns rather with grati
tude than otherwise, that God has always
kept in his church men of learning and pi
ety, who have been able to combat error in
every form, and contend earnestly for the
faith once delivered to the saints. To show
how ruinous to the church a general igno
rance of the original language, on the part
of ministers would be, let us suppose that
in the early history of our country when
there wore such efifurts made to transplant
Fiench Infidelity here, none of our minis
ters had been educated men, what may wo
imagine would be the condition of the coun
try at tire present time. Again, suppose
you banish all educated men from our ranks
as Baptists—of course we cannot banish
them from other religious denominations
and from the world—what errors, what cor
ruptions of the word of God, would he the
NO. 17.