Newspaper Page Text
7, 1848.1
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and not until then, may we expect to see the daughters of
Zion leach forth their hands end pluck their harps from the
willows, when their notesshail be attuned, and their mellow
ing accents shall be heard through all this country. Glory
to God in the highest. For this, mv brethren, let us all lilt
up our prayers to God unitedly. P. A. L.
as ib-xhi tir eta 1 ra/ t&sS
PEN FIELD, DEC. : . 1 848.
Efficient Members.— A brother, in a private letter,
writes, ‘ I have very little help here, in the way of efficient’
members. 1 have to be. deacon, pastor, and almost church!
too.”
Ay, ay ; that is too often the case with Baptist pastors. —
They have to do all tho cooking—and bring the water, and
cut the wood, and clean the skellet, and lay the table, and
spread the repast to boot, and then live on the ‘leavings’—if,
any there be. Dear brethren, it is bal, miserable bad policy’
to make pack horses of your pastors. If you \vi h them to
pull witli power, to move fleetly, or amble grac; fully, do not j j
over load them—lo not saddle them with the duties of den- :
con, clerk, chorister, treasurer, and—hearer too. Do not,;:
if you value your own weal; fir as sure as you do, they will
become broken-winded, and get you into a si luglt one of these
days, when they will have no power to g. t you out again.—
Instead of saddling every body’s duties on him, you bad,:
better come together and resolve to take of? a part of their own
burdens and divide them among you. The burden of pro
viding for their families is a very heavy one—that you ought
to bear; you are bound by the laws of heaven to bear it.—
The burden of pastoral visitation is one you may greatly ;
lighten. So is the burden of arousing tho church to nets of
benevolence, tho burden of keeping up and conducting pray- j
er meetings, of admonishing the neglectful, &c. Ac.—we
cannot enumerate the half of the burdens poor pastors arc
called to boar. Go, brethren, and look at these burdens with j
eyes enlightened from above, and you will no more be will
ing to add to their burdens. Christian love will prompt you
rather to extend a helping hand and lighten their burdens
and alleviate their cares.
Efficient Members! —Ah! how few are the efficient mem
bers in our churches! We knew a church which number
ed some 400 members, and there wore not more titan ten,
(one in forty!) who could make any pretensions to efficiency;
and but one of that ten that really merited the appellation of
‘an efficient member.’ We have visited many churches, j
too, that numbered from 50 to 150 members, in which it was
about as difficult to find a truly efficient member, as to find
a needle in a haystack on a murky night. Many probably!
will be slow to believe this—but let us see. What is an
effeient member ?
An efficient member is one who is ever on the ‘look out’
for an opportunity to advance the interests of the church, the
interests of each member of it, the interests and influence of
tho pastor, the interests of the congregation, and particularly
the interests of the young anil rising race. lie is one who
prefers the luxury'of doing good to all worldly luxuries;
who believes that his true interests never conflict with Zion’s,;
and is therefore as ready to discharge his Christian duties
when they require an apparent sacrifice of his time, money
or talents, as when they evidently require no such sacrifice, i
He is one that docs not wail for others to do what ho can do
himself; nor does ho regulate the amount of services he r. ri
ders by the amount rendered by others. Like the faithful
pointer with the game before him, lie keeps his eye fixodj
steadily’ on the object that it is desirable to secure, and the
moment he is free to act he is down upon it. No syren songs
lull him into a forgetfulness of duty, no worldly blandish
ments entice him from his field or labor, no guerdons can cor.
rupt him, no craven heart lends him to shrink from the con
sequences of right doing, ‘Duty appertains to nm, conse
seqtiences to God,’ is his maxim. No praise sounds half so
sweet in his ear as that which is given to God and his faith-’
fill ones. In short, it is bis meat to do, and Ids pleasure to
suffer the will of God. Such is tin; character of an efficient
member of the church. Christian reader, are you such ?•
If not—pardon its —are you what you ought to be? Can
you be content not to he what conscience, as well as the word
of God declares you ought to be? God requires of every
member of his cliurc-h to ho an efficient member—a ‘lively
stone’ in his spiritual tempi-’. He does not call us into his ,
vineyard that we may recline at ease on mellifluent parter- {
res, or siumix r the live long day in shady groves. He calls
us to labor not to lounge. —“Go into my vineyard and work.’’
’ (
What excuse will vou render in, vo inefficient members, vo
slothful servants, ye lazy drones that live on honey made by
others—what excuse will you render in, in the day of final (
reckoning, for not being what you ought to be—w hat God .
requires you to he—efficient members ? Prepare your ex-[j
?!>C iHtKir*
cuse, draw’ it up in writing, scan it well, see if it be such as’
you would accept from a neglectful servant —such that God (
will say of it, as “in the beginning” he said of the works of
his own hands, “It is good.” If it be not such, away with
it—waste no more time in weaving gossamer robes where
with to cover your sins, but give all diligence to become
” hat you ought to have been, from the first day you united
; with the people of God—efficient members of the church of
Christ, help meets to your pastors and co-workers with God. 1
“Imputed Righteousness. ” —Wo stated, a few weeks
!,ago, that the Baptists oftlie South geuerally, and of Alabama
in particular, did not intend, bv the respect they paid to our
aged and venerated fathers in the ministry, Rev. Drs. John
son and Hartwell, to. sanction their rejection of the doctrine;
of “imputed righteousness.” We are confirmed in our
opinion, by letters recently received from brethren, (observe,
“e use tho plural!) in Alabama, and from a brother in a!
more distant State. The former express the hope that we|
will continue our connexion with the Index until this doctrine’
is “better understood,” and the latter expresses his approba-j
lion of our protest, against inferring the faith of Southern Ilap-!
lists from the Christian courtesy which they extend to aged
ministers. It does not appear to us that either the age or the i
honorary titles of our brethren to whom we refer, have con-;
ferred on them any extraordinary powers to understand what;
either Fuller, the Geneva Confession of Faith, or the Bible;
teaches on this subject. By tho way, the interpretations’
that have been given to Fuller’s writings by some, oflate,
remind us of an anecdote related to us, some years ago, by
our old friend and brother, Rev, Wm. Southwoed, of Eng
o
land, whoresided and labored several years in Virginia.
■i He reported that a high toned Calvinist, who interpreted
it Fullers views on this subject, (when they were first pub
! fished,) ascertain ofourown ministers have done, was much
displeased with what lie erroneously conceived to he the au
thor s vows. Happening to be in London on one occasion,
he strolled into a Baptist church, and heard the subject dis
cussed fully, and to his entire satisfaction, by a minister un
known to him. As lie was returning from the house of wor
ship, lie expressed his gratification to a friend, at the able and
: faithful exhibition oi the subject that had just been made,
and concluded with saying—“O, how l wisli Mr. Fuller had
! been there to hear it!” “Why sir,” replied his friend, to
his no small surprize, “It was Mr. Fuller himself you
heard.” The prejudices ot some, and the preconceived no
tions of others, lead them to misinterpret Fuller’s writings,
“as they do also, we think, the sacred scriptures.
To our Alabama correspondents we would snv, we be
lieve our successor elect to he as sound in the faith as we
are. Wo hope they will extend to him the favor they have
ever shewn to us.
Tho editors of our weekly papers are placed in a very
delicate situation. It is a lamentable fact, that a large por
tion of their patrons arc but balms in spiritual understand
ing. Ifthe editor serves up much of the doctrines ofgrace,;
unless they have been so thoroughly macerated as to lose all,
their peculiar properties and distinctive characteristics, his,
strong meats are ejected from the weak stomachs of many of,
his readers, 1 hesc conclude, of course, that the fault is in
the food administered, and not in their digestive organs.—
Hence they arc for unceremoniously dismissing their stew-j
ard and calling in someone that will provide more palatca-
Ide fare,—This is the only way in which wc can account
for the great increase in the amount of water gruel dished;
‘out, oflate years, by religious editors. We do not doubt
but that the brother who is to succeed us will act like a ;
faithful physician and consult the necessities more than the
inclinations of a sin-affected public.
The Southern Presbyterian and the Baptismal Con-|
trovkrsv. —Our Presbyterian friends, while unwilling to
meet us in a fair, open discussion, seem resolved to keep up
a Guerilla warfare against us. The last number of the!
Southern Presbyterian* contains another long article contes-i
ting the truth of something that some “one prominent Baptist,
minister” bus somewhere said, at some time and place; but
neither time, nor place, nor name of the minister is given,l
and, indeed, the writer seems half ashamed of what he has,
done; for lie keeps in the bushes—conceals his own name, j
It is much easier to excite prejudices against Baptists than
it is to combat their arguments in favor of believers’ bap
tism, and it seems that the Southern Presbyterian is aware
of this, and is determined to bo the organ of onslaught on
* a o (
Baptists in the South. It is one of tho most sectarian of all
our religious exchanges. Scarcely a numb* ris issued with
out having something in it to extol—not the gospel of Christ
—but Presbyterianism! Some time since, several long ar
ticles were published in it, the whole object of which ap
* This article was prepared for last week’s paper.
pea red to be to produce the impression on its readers, that we
are indebted to Presbyterianism— to its Confession of Faith,
,or Constitution, or some thing else—for our republican gov-
| eminent! A claim so arrogant and absurd, and evincive of
such puerile vanity, we thought at tiie time unworthy of re
futation, and we think so still. It excited more sneers
against Presbyterians themselves than against any other body
of believers. It did us good. It reminded the intelligent
ot the part Presbyterians had played, in the past drama of
human existence; of their warm advocacy, in Europe, oi lib
erty the liberty to imprison and banish and burn all who
refused to bow the suppliant knee in acknowledgment of their
sovereignty !—of their advocacy, in the United States, of the
liberty to compel men to make pecuniary offerings for the
j support of their creed.
I Presbyterians talk of liberty ! Presbyterianism is but des
potism in the garb ol Republicanism. It has exchanged the
robe of royally for the peasant's doublet: its dress is changed,
i but not its character. The claim of absolute sovereignty,
„and of the right to enforce obedience per vim, nolens volens,
is an essential part and parcel oi Presbyterianism. This so
i vereignty is exercised on the new-born babe and on its pa
j rents. Tho little infant may struggle in its parent’s arms, —
jit ntay raise the cry of rebellion, —but it must be forced to
[receive the mark of Presbyterianism from the hands of the
parish priest; and the parents must aid in this work of coer
cion, or subject themselves lo tho anathemas of the church,
and be “delivered over unto Satan for the destruction of the
flesh.”
Presbyterians themselves are sometimes made to feel the
j weight of the oppression under which they live, and to
j groan under it, as is evident from a circular issued by a
committee appointed by the Synod of Georgia in 1842. The
Synod, at a subsequent meeting, yi< ided to the demands
made in that circular, and therefore virtually acknowledged
the facts charged in it. The Committee affirm, in their cir
cular, that “the majority that has governed the most impor
tant interests of the Presbyterian church throughout South
* nrolina, Georgia and Florida, has been not more than about
, one-sixth purl of tlinse who were entitled to be represented.”
I'hoy further appeal to the Synod and ask, with great pro
priety, “Would this state of things be tolerated by a free and
intelligent people, in their civil and political concerns? If
not, why should they tolerate it in their ecclesiastical con
ice rns?”
i
; That this oppression of which the committee complained
jis an evil inherent in Presbyterianism, the “Form of Gov
ernment” and the “Confession of Faith” adopted by the
Presbyterian Society, prove most conclusively. In Chapter
IX. Article VI. tho powers of a church session are de
fined: “ The church session is charged with maintaining
the spiritual government of tho congregation ; for which
purpose they have power to inquire into tho knowledge and
Christian conduct of the members oft he church; to call before
them offenders and witness’s, being members of their own
congregation, and to introduce other witnesses, when it
may be necessary to bring lint process to issue, and when
they can bo procured to attend; to receive members into tho
church ; to admonish, to rebuke, to suspend or exclude from
I the sacrament those who are found to deserve censure ; to
concert the host measures fir promoting the spiritual inter
ests of the congregation ; and lo appoint delegates to the
highest judicatories of the church.” The church session
is composed of the pastor and ruling elders, (Art. I.) and it
appears, from Art. 11. that the pastor and two elders aro
fully authorized to act far and govern a church consisting of
[any number of members whatever. And from the clause,
“two elders, if there he as many,” we infer, that if there be
but one elder, the pastor and that one elder is vested with all
the power that properly belongs to tho church.* But to three
men, it is certain, the church is required to yield all its rights:
flte right to say who shall he admitted to its privileges—who
shall bo excluded and for what, offences, and who shall make
rules for its government. Talk about the government of the
church being confined, by the extent of your Synodical dis
trict to one-sixth of those who are entitled to bo represented 1
Why, brethren, look at your constitution and then look at
your Bibles, atiJ you will find that the governmental power
.
* VVe have known all the power of the church to bo exer
cised by the pastor alone. The writer of this article in 1818
was admitted to membership irt the Presbyterian church, by
‘the pastor alone. He had never had any religious conver
sation with any other member of the church with which
lie. united, previous to his admission. That the anti-repuh-
Heart institutions of former days and foreign lands should
lie retain; and by so runny religious societies in this enlightened
land ol liberty, is a matter of just astonishment. The pre
val i rice of such societies must exert an unfavorable influence
on our future libi rtb s. Let men be taught, from week to
week, patiently to submit to an ecclesiastical bondage, and,
in process of time they will be prepared to bow to a civil yoke.
389