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JOSEPH S. BAKER— Editor.
VOL. XIII.
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For the Christian Index.
AN ESSAY.
In Defence of Strict Communion. , by J. L. Dago,
Professor of ‘Rheology, Mercer University, (la.
Section 2.
Baptism a Pre-requisite.
Baptism has been made , by Divine, appointment, et
pre-requisite to fusible Church membership.
The Cos inmission given by the Redeemer, just before
his ascension, establishes this order. “Go disciple all
nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and
of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: teaching them to
observe all things whatsoever 1 have commanded you.”
Baptism, in which discipleship is professed, is made the
first duty. The disciple thus initiated, is to he taught
to observe all the commands of Christ. It is not the
inquiry, here, w hether no instructions are to be given to
the unbaptized. Christ's ministers are to preach the
gospel to every creature; in doing which, they must
instruct the ignorant, nnd them that are out of the way
—warning every man, nnd teaching every man, in all
wisdom, that they may present every man perfect in
Christ Jesus. The commission to preach the gospel to
nil men, does not require that all should be baptized,
or that all should be admitted to Church-membership,
ot the table of, the Lord. Men must be addressed as
unbelievers, or as disciples. If as unbelievers, they
must be addressed with a view to make them disciples;
if as disciples, the commission requires that their disci
pleship should be recognized by baptkm, and that,
having been tlfus'recognized as. leurners,-they should be
taught to observe all things that have been enjoined on
the disciples of Christ. Nor is it the question here,
whether, if baptism be postponed, other duties obligatory
on the disciples of Christ, may not be enjoined. This
is-n separate question. Our present inquiry is not, how
disobedient disciples should be treated, but how the obe
dient are required to walk.
The practice of the apostles was conformed to the
commission as we have interpreted it. Baptism, in
their practice, immediately followed conversion.—
“They that gladly received the word were baptized;
nnd were added to the Church—and continued in the
apostles’ doctrine, and fellowship, and in breaking of
bread.”
It follows, as a necessary corollary from the preced
ing reasoning, that Baptism is a Pre-requisite to
communion at the Lord’s table. Whatever is a
pre-requisite to visible Church-membership, must also
be a pre-requisite to a regular participation of the Lord’s
Supper, which is an ordinance designed for visible
Churches.
This inference, respecting the proper order of the
sacraments, is coincident with the doctrine nnd practice
that have prevailed in all ages of Christianity. Mr.
Hall uses very decisive language on this point. “We
know of none who contend for the propriety of invert
ing the natural order of the Christian sacraments where
they can both be attended to —that is, where the nature
of each is clearly understood and confessed.”—page 314.
Whether, in any case, an inversion of the proper or
der of the sacraments ought to be tolerated by the
Churches of Christ, w ill he considered in the next sec
tion. We may here premise, that it seems never to have
been tolerated in the primitive times. Though great
pains have been taken to prove that John’s baptism was
not Christian baptism, it is not pretended that the disci
ples whom John had baptized, and who partook of the
Lord’s Supper on the night when it was ursl instituted,
Were afterwards baptized with Christian baptism.* Bui
unless they were baptized after having partaken of ihe
Supper, their case furnishes no precedent for inverting
the proper order of the sacraments. No man, whose
duty it was to be baptized, and who neglected that duly,
was admitted to the communion. Mr. Hall says: “It
is not difficult to peree ve that a primitive convert, or
rather pretended convert, who, without doubting that
baptism, in the way in which we practise it, formed a
part of the apostolic commission, had refused Compli
ance, would have been deemed unworthy Christian com
munion.”t If all such persons were repelled, whether as
unbaptiied, or as “ contumacious schismatics,” the or
der of the sacraments was, in no case, inverted in the
Churches of those times.
* “ My deliberate opinion is, that, in the Christian sense of
the term, they were not baptized at all.”— -Hall, vol. 1,
page 30:!.
fVol. 1, p. 311.
V Stcliort3.
Toleratiotf. -
The joined on the followers of Christ,
will not justify ~a Church in admitting unbaptized
THE CHBISftAN INDEX.
persons to its membership or communion.
It is a difficult attainment in rdjigion, to preserve!
one’s purity untarnished, while the t s ,
of the world, nnd exercising towards themHjllMß
benevolence and forbearance which the
Our duty to mankind requires that we
from the world, nor cherish a morose and
temper; In avoiding the error on this ha#d,
danger of falling into the opposite one, and
much conformed to the world. Vice is apt to anj&ar
less hateful in those whom we greatly love ; nfjjfeven
the frequent sight of it, if we are not on our gum, will
make its deformity less in our view. a
great need qf mig;h watchfulness and those
who practice that pure and undefiled religion, which re
quires them, on the one hand, o’ RHt the fatherless and
the widows in their ■£ -5 ‘to go about doing
good to all ttien ; and, or. c ihe other hand, to keep
themselves unspotted from the world.
There is a still severer trial of Christian principle.
We meet it. in oqr intercourse with Christian brethren,
who love our Lord Jesus Chris!, and in genetdl obey
His commandments ; but walk disorderly in some mat
ters which are deemed of minor importance. If these
brethren are supposed, by us, to have more spiritual
knowledge than ourselves, there is much danger, lest,
through the confiding nature of Christian love, and the.
readiness to esteem othcr9 better than ourselves, we be
betrayed into their errors; Had their violations of duty
been greater, a suspicion of their piety might have been
awakened, nnd we might have been put on our guard.
T he man of God, who prophesied against the altar at
Bethel, could not be induced, by the wicked king of
Israel, to eat bread, or drink water in the place ; yet
the old prophet, who came tohim inJlhqr® m<r °TTfie
Lord, found it easy to prevail: Had even he proposed
some deed in itself highly criminal, the truth of his pre
tended message from God would have been suspected.
But to eat bread nnd to drink water were things in
themselves lawful; and the man of God too readily
yielded to the old prophet, as his superior in the know
ledge of the Divine will, and ate and drank in violation
of God’s prohibition.
If we ought to guard against being led into error by
our intercourse with good men, when no wrong is sus
pected, much more ought we, when the existence of
wrong is known. But toleration implies wrong ; and, if
mixed communion be defended dh -the plea of toleration,
the very defence udmits that there is wrong somewhere.
It becomes us, therefore, to take good heed, lest we be
implicated in the wrong. The very names, toleration,
forbearance, are commended to us by our sense of God’s
forbearance and long suffering toward us ; and the mo
tives for their,exercise are irresistible, when their object
is a brdtherjin Christ. Towards such an one, how can
we be otherwise than tolerant and forbearing? Shall
we persecute him ? God forbid. We would rather lay
down our lives for him. Sliall we indulge in any bit
terness or uncharitableness towards him? We will
loye him with pure heart fervently. Shall we, in any
manner, prevent him from worshipping and serving
God according to the dictates of his conscience ? The
very thought be far from us. Even if he err, to his own
master, he standeth or falleth. We, too, are fallible
arid ferririg ; and we will fefveffily pray, that the grace
which pardons our faults may pardon his also. What
more do toleration and forbearance require?
When a Church receives an unbaptized person, some
thirjg more is done than merely to tolerate his error.
There are two parties concerned. The actsof entering
the Church, and partaking of its communion, are his,
and for them he is responsible. The Church also acts,
when it admits him to Membership, and authorizes his
participation of the communion. The Church, as an or
ganized body, with power to receive and exclude mem
bers according to rules which Christ has laid down, is
responsible for the exercise, of this power.
Each individual disciple of Christ is bound, for him
self, to obey perfectly the will ofhis Master. Whatev
er tolerance he may exercise towards the errors of oth
ers, he should tolerate nohe in himself. Thopgh he
may see but a single fault in his brother, he oughtfwtfiile
imitating all that brother’s excellencies, carefully to
.avoid this fault. He may not neglect the tithing of
mint, though he should find an example
with a perfect obedience
precept. WMM
In like manner, each Church is
conform, in all its order, to theDiviftp
soever it may respect neigh -hes, which maM
have made high attainments in spiritual excel
lence, it must not imitate them, if they negiect or cor
rupt any of Christ’s ordinances. No argument is need
ed to render this clear.
The members of a Church, who understand the law
of Christ, are bound to observe it strictly, whatever may
be the ignorance and errors of others. For them to ad
mit unbaptized persons to membership, is to subvert a
known law of Christ. Though theretsntmld be Church
es of unbnptized persons surpassing in every spiritual
excellence, and though the ‘candidate foT admission
should excel them ail* yet the single question lot the
Church is, shall its order be established according to the
will of God, orshall it not;
It may be asked, whether the persons whom we ad
mit to membership 1 and communion are not, in many
cases, guilty of omitting duties more important than
baptism. It may be so: and if a Church sanctions
these criminal neglects, it partakes in the guilt of thorn.
FOR THE BAPTIST CONV
PENFIELD, C*
I Shall it, 1 11 is..a| j
i re
“ i ”- >
the ,
K.U been left to cong gate ~
, . these
mg to their spiritual istinct( cp U enct;
to >
ties might be left t< determu. =
merely, who ought be admit - 1 But
seemed good to the ‘hristiun Lawgiver,
rules for Church orgn ./.ation, roles
-served. Each- hoold aim, in its ChtJE£iu4fl ??
to exhibit a model of perfection to the world, thougMt^H
several members may be conscious of imperfections in
themselves. They’ si luld aim, as individuals, to come
up to the full measure of their individual
rind strive, each one, j exhibit a model of
dienoe. If the orgi nization and discipline of nB
Church are not perfec , yet each member Should aim t<r
be pel-fecti If each r ember is not perfect, this lessens
n*t the obligation to Vender the organisation and disci
pline of the Church pitfocl; - ’
But May hc>t edch be left to h!s own con
science, and his own Responsibility ? He may be, and
•ought to be, so far asftt can be done without implicating
the consciences and /responsibilities of others. If each
were left wholly to himself, the discipline of the Church
would be nothing; and the power to exercise it would be
attended with ti.i responsibility. But the Church is fin
der an obligation; which cannot be transferred, to regu
late its organization and discipline according to the word
of God, which enjoins, on the one hand, to be tolerant
and forbearing towards weak and erring brethren ; nnd,
on the other hand; tc/keep the ordinances of God ns they
were delivered. I
The argument fordoleration is founded, by Mr. Ilall,
on Romans, chap. 14 : “ Him that is weak in the-laith
receive ye. * * * For God hath received him.”
It Is a full reply to this argument, that God’s receiving/
of the weak in faith furnishes the rule, as well as t!
reason, for our receiving of them. That God recei J
a man in one sense,-roan be no reason that we
receive him in a sense widely different. God re’f 68
an unhaptized weak believer as a member of hi t ,,rltu ‘
al ClmrjJj, and we ought to receive him in lik' < I*anner,’ 1 * anner ,’
We Slirht to n a brother in !,nd !r
follow heir of the same inheritance. 18 intereß,s
should be near to oif hearts, nnd we < jU ' d welcome
him to nil that spirituil communion wh n belongs to the
members of Christ’s tody. So, whc od * las received
a baptized weak buli/yer to visible ‘h urc h-membership,
we are bound to rec/ive him in KC mann e r> un d allow
him to sit with us at he table -fthe Lord ; a privilege
wjiich, through the ■hperferfion of Church discipline,
the vilest hypocrite jay obrftl'ft.
view this important tstinction.between visible and in
visible Church-memitrship, in- applying this rule for
toleration, it will inecd admit the unbaptized weak
believer to.coremoninbommunion, but it will, with equal
certainty, admit the h-pocrite to that communion which
is spiritual.
We may here notce- the dependence of Mr. Hall’s
argument for toleraton, on his assumption respecting
the nature or constituion of particular Churches. The
argument for toleration is the pillar of his system, sus
taining the whole weight of the fabric ; and its base rests
on the petitio principri which was laid bare to view in
Part 2, Section 8, of the former chapter. “ VVe are,”
says he, “expressly -commancfed\in the Scriptures to
tolerate in the Churchf those diver.ities^^p !n ' on which
are not inconsistent with salvation.” is doubt
less much room for toleration both witliijAftnd without
the Church; but that which is here pleadec\!' or > is “ift.
the Church.” Since the weak believer isT|_ men 7 olf
of the Church spiritual, nnd since the plea for tq||| ,u " lon |
extends precisely to errors riot inconsistent
membership, it is clear that the argument can
particular Churches inly on ttie supposition fIHHr
are parts of the spiritual Church. That
Mr. Hall’s assumption on which mixed
depends; that they are not/so, we have uttHlP’
prove,- *
The reasons which b,tve been additced^^^ l ' ie
admission of unbaptizra persons toj^man®[
preclude themf lso from transient Communion.
may be I3tilied, with proprietyV' V, ' CQrn 11111
Up once, may,/// 8 character remain lE <iarTl(>l * lc
6 o*'-h Proprjgtv, a ,h,rd
tran
t'rff time,
members of t^vtfc^U' Church with which they
unite. It is iri tSL-Jis jW&f .jbtjr admission is recon
ciled with thfe princ^wablished/ in our first proposi-
tion.
_____
Section 4.
Ccnclnsion of the Argument.
I have aimed so to simplify the discussion of the ques
tion, that every thing essential to a right decision of it
might be comprehended in one view. In the preceding
chapter, our review of Mr. Hall’s Essay made it appa
rent that the whole argument for mixed communion may
bo reduced to this : Jill genuine Christians are members
of the Church, and it is required to tolerate in the
Church all errors not inconsistent with salvation
and, of consequence, the communion of such persons,:
though unbaptized. It has been shown that this argu
ment is fallacious, bccauso it assumes that there is but
one species of Church-membership.
to THE STATE OF GEORGIA.
WARY 28, 1843,
The propositions defended in this chapter, rnaintaifc.
that there are two species of Church-membership cor-j
responding to-tffe two senses of the term’Chutch—anjn- 1
visible membership in the Church Catholic Or spiritual,
and a visible membership in a particular Church. They
maintain that Churches are bound to make baptism a
pre-retjui§itfe tb the latter Species of mt-mbership, and al
so to a participation of the Lord’s Supper. If these pro
positions have been fairly , and fully demonstrated, as it
appears to me they have been, the doctrine of Strict
Bbeen incontrovertibly established.
[Z*o be Continued .]
tm the Religious Herald.
SOUTHERN TOUR IN THE YEAR 1844-
BV J. D. JETER.
J^u sti ne is the oldest tow nin the (United States,
tiled by the Spaniards, mrfier Pedro Mert
almost centuryAjcfnre the
‘ ll ’ ‘ s cituated on the South/in |><■ ir:t
■linsiila, formed .by Matanzas Sotin.i.
“Br i* lnl "’ Anastasia Island, and St. St !.,•>-
separates from tire main land. The
IWSTcroMins cat |, other at rirht Annies, are very nar-
of 11 1 em_ ser pc n tit WnTtli ci r course.
SpaiiTslTfrule, waggons and
Ih.rin^hf^BF*^ 8 wefe forbidjW.o come .thin
oilier u,wn# * ‘ ie then covered
.j,„ fiiortar, eal^^KablTy, and the
will, from one end to the other,
belles conhMlf ,I,ei ‘ But in the ...th-
theilw'ibv errist -.vas crushed
Without ..,ra y
the c-oin
aT"pXeS3FJHb|,-v ‘f’ jf r ,n 7 1
meree T\uM ’ g “ llftvm £ :lflord, ' (l
comfortable/* 'To l " , " < n " g T.'”
n f /lief to so ol the same, malady,
eo ior secms likely- to pleasant dwellings,
a few neat The
. ler | e Sos refined and magnifi
l(j j 1 ‘hidings are a Romish GOO worsltip-
b ll ’Sr beauty, capable of sealing and asome
cen<a small Protestant Episcopal to
b’, 1 larger Piesbyterian Church, in
‘Sminodate about as many more—a (-'onbarracks,
.licit the Post-office is kept—and the U.^|^ Pdblii
i which 400 troops are stationed. A sm^|^B^copal
Square, lying between the .Romish and
Churches, contains a stuccoed Monument, 20 on
and of a pyramidal form, with the words
each side, “ l’laza de la Constilucion.” It was
in 1812, in honor of the Constitution granted
Spanish Cortez. The town is built mainly of n f
Spaniards tefriied Coquina; It is a stone fonniJß
small -wen-Kltens, nml ttnmmense beds ’ofT Arin&tasujTST*
and. It is cut from the quarries in blocks and ltartW*.
ed by exposure to the sun. There is neither granite
nor limestone, nor any other kind ol'stone in the vicini
ty, and this supply of Coquina is an instance of the re
markable care of Providence to meet the Ivants of his
creatures in every land.
St. Augustine once stood in a grove of orange trees.
Some of them were 18 inches thick, and y ielded 4,000
otanges in a season. The chief the place
arose from the exportation of oranges. lij Feb. 1835,
(well do I remember the time,) a severe frost destroyed
the groves, then covered with the delicious fruit. This
,\vas asad calamity. It despoiled the place al once of its
pride and wealth. The orange tre/s, however, sprang
up from the roots of the old groves, atftl grew rapidly.
The young trees were beginning M near fruit, when they
were attacked by an insect, r/'iiclt spread devastation
among them. An enemy lu/Acrntly risen (ip to pun
ish the depredators. A *3p?i i feeding oirehem,
.anand hopes ate
gustine will be again fled by groves.
The Florida oranges; 4/ ‘"’g 6 - well fl;i y° led > a™ l com
mand a jL
The a good
but there is(no commerce, either foreigner domestic—
no manufactuite—no improvements^jAprogress —and
no back c|Hto support the'J he United
States garr^ and
(ienr.e
lu rll i/; a l >i.
-I.;’;;'.;-
wo-dNrds die people,
I under Roman Xjalholic, and the
l^ ema under Presbyterian, Jipiseopal,
There is neither Baptist nor
preaching in the place, and the few attached
TOtnese deilominations are mostly colored.
The town was originally settled by Spaniards, and
theii tase is eveiywhefe visible in the form and arrange
ment of the houses, and in the plan of the town ; but in
dress, manners and language, it has been thoroughly
Americanized. But few families of pure Spanish ex
traction are now remaining. The Minorcans are more
nriinerous, and they retain more rigidly their national
peculiarities. I must furnish a brief history of this sin
gular class of people.
In the year 1767, Dr. Turnbull sailed to the Mediter
ranean and engaged 1500 Greeks, most Minorcans, to
return with him to Florida, for the purpose of forming a
new seitlement. They had a long and perilous voyage,
arid many of the immigrants died on the passage.
Turnbull, procuring from the Governor of Florida a
grant for 60,000 acres of land, opened a settlement at a
place which was named New Smyrna. The Doctor
not only failed to fulfil the stipulations on which the
Greeks had been inSticed to accompany him to Florida,
but reduced them by means of a lew Italians, to a state
of abject slavery. They were severely tasked, sparing
ly fed, not clothed at all, and (or slight offences cruelly
punished. They were 75 miles from St. Augustine,
entirely unacquainted with the country, and cut off from
all intercourse with the world. For nine years theii
bitter bondage continued. By chance they heard of St.
Augustine, and deceiving their overseers, v dedpatched
three of their number to tins place. In a short time the
messengers returned, bringing the tidiiigs they were all
free, and should receive aid from the Governor. Im
mediately they appointed a leadei 1 , armed themselves
with Clubs and Commenced their journey to Si. Augus
tine. They had proceeded several miles before their
design was suspected. Turnbull overtook them before
they reached their place of destination, and made them
liberal offers to return ; but they hated the place of their
captivity, and scornfully rejected his olfeis. In three
Pt.rni.isrrJre-B'kNJ. BRA NT LX'.
days tbttj reached St. Aagustine.
Here tltey tvere provis
mns,\ theil ftfeedoM was established,
and ft place north of the town assigned
for tlteiT residence. Tyranny and
disease had greatly thinned their ranks.
Os 1500, and their natural increase,
only 000 were remaining in 1776,
when iheil- bonds were broken. The
Minorcans are now a numerous por
tion of the population ot this place. A
few 61 lltern have risen to opulence,
but mostly they are poor and indolent,
but temperate in their habits, having
few wants and supplying them mainlv
by catching fish and oysters, and culti
vating small gardens. They are of
the Romish communion, and generally
ignorant and superstitious. They
have a tradition among them, I hear,
that when ‘1 tirnbiil), their oppressor,
died, that the devil carried him off
bodily; they arc convinced that he
deserved this fate.
At the north end ol the town stands
Fort Marion, commanding the entrance
to the harbor, ft is built of Coquina,
or shell stone, from Anastasia .Island.
The walls are four feet thick, twenty
one feet high, and sufficiently capa
cious to accommodate a thousand men.
It was forfnerly surrounded by a wide
and deep ditch, which was tilled with
water from St. Sebastian’s. It is said
to be a good specimen of military ar
chitecture. XVithin the walls are ma
ny dark and well secured cells. The
following inscription, under the Span
ish Arms, and over the principal gate,
1 insert from Williams’ llistorv of
Florida, lor the benefit of those who
can tianslate it.
Reynando en Espana el son Don
Fernando sexto, y siendo Goveinador
y Captan General di esla Plaza de sail
Augustin, ije Florida, y su Provineia
el Mariscal deTanrpo Du Alonzo Fer
nandez de Heredia se conduyo este
castillo el ano. de 1756, dirigiendo las
obras el rnpitati ynginero Don Pedro
de Bra2usy Garay.
The fort is not at present, manned.
Some old and rusty cannon are lying
on the walls. A part of the fortress is
used as a common jail. In case of
was it Would prove a strong and im
poitar.t defenee^^^^-
eSllSmJjJ.’ the fori? JSM
used by tlip Inquisition ? On this sub
ject I could obtnin no certain informa
tion. One point must be conceded;
the Court of lnquiaitfon was inauthori-.
ty througliout the Spanish dominions
long after the completion of the fort.
It is reasonable to conclude that it was
organized in St. Aligusline. It need
ed a prison for the confinement
torture of its convicts. The ntuneioits
dark and inaccessible cells of the for
tress were admirably suited to the pur
pose, and no other building fitted for
ibis object is found in the place. The
laet that the fortress was mainlv a mili-
tary jiost wifi weigh but little against
the conjecture in the estimation of
those who consider how closely, un
der the Spanish government, the eccle
siastical and secular interests were uni
ted. Indeed the secular were subser
vient to the spiritual. II the Inquisi
tors found it convenient to use the fort
for their purposes, it was doubtless at
their disposal. It would be quite natu
ral for the Romanists, on the transfer
ol the Territory to the United Stater,
to endeavor to obliterate every vestige
of the Inquisition. They could not
have been ignorant of the .strong feel
ing of indignation which prevailed
among the Anglo-Saxons against the
Institution ; nor were they likely to
provoke that feeling by preserving the
proofs of its existence. Now for the
application of this remark :—The N.
Eastern corner of the fort was suppo
sed for many years to he solid. It ap
peared to have been filled up with
stones oi sand to afford, within the
wall, at the proper height, a firm foun
dation for the play of artillery : elrance
at length revealed the mistake. An
arch suddenly caving irt, brought to
light a number of gloomy passages and
cells, beside those already known to
exist, and which were probably em
ployed for military purposes. The
cut ions then sought to find the entrance
to these criftcealed habitations. Alter
some search they discovered that the
door from within the fort had been
carefully bricked up and plastered over,
so as to conceal it fioni the most ligid
scrutiny. In one of the cells was
found a wooden frame with some cu
rious apperidages, supposed at thetimt
to be a bedstead, but subsequently con
jectured to have been a lack, or instru
ment ol torture. It is said also, a
skeleton was found with shoes on.—
As lo the contents of the celts, I had lo
tely on traditional and not very certain
information ; but as to the existence of
this subterranean and concealed pris*
on, I needed no better evidence than
the sight of niy own eyes. Could
these gloomy cells speak, they migjj*
make startling disclosures ; but they
are silent. No faithful pen recorded
the deeds Os the Inquisition—that mon
strous production of bigotry, despo
tism and intolerance. Its deeds of
cruelty, bfood and licentiousness, tho’
unrecorded on enith, are registeied on
NO. 9-