The Christian index. (Washington, Ga.) 1835-1866, November 11, 1857, Image 1

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JOSEPH WALKER, Editor. Vol. XXXVI. —New Series, Vol. 25. C|t C|risiia PUBLISHED EVERY WEDNESDAY, AT MACON, GA., BY A COMMITTEE OF BRETHREN, FOR THE GEORGIA BAPTIST CONVENTION. ’ TERMS. Fiftv numbers iii the. ye&r are mailed to each subscri ber for $2.50, ‘ or rU advance. Discontinuance may be ordered by the sobscrj -s£rg at the close of any year, provided all arrearages have been paid, or by the Editor, at his discretion, whenever more than one year’s subscription is due. Any person who remits $lO in advance for five new subscribers, may receive the paper for one year. Any minister of the Gospel who remits $8 in ad vance for four new subscribers, may receive the paper one year. Advebtisiments at the regular charge will be One Dollar per square of ten lines or less, for the first in sertion, and Fifty Cents for each subsequent insertion. All advertisements not specified as to time, will be pub ished until forbid and charged Accordingly. A liberal discount allowed to those who advertise by the year. Communications should be addressed to the Chris tian Index , Macon, 6a. Professional and Business Men. Professional and Business Cards will be inserted under this head, at the following rates, viz: For three lines, per annum....... $ 6 00 “ Seven lines, do 10 00 “ Ten lines, do 12 00 “Twelve lines, do. 15 00 No advertisements of this class will be admitted, un less paid for in advance, nor for a less term than twelve months. Advertisements of over twelve lines will be charged pro rata. Advertisements not paid for in ad vance will be charged at the regular rates. Hflg” The Office of the Christian Index is on Mul berry Street, over Baptist Book Store, and next door to the Lanier House. Persons having business with the office will find the Editor ready to receive them during the usual business hours of the city. Cimmitia&tM. For the Index. The Lord’s Supper—No. 4, The design of the Supper is not only a test of individual fellowship (as we show ed iirggr-iaig*) bit* k*-*hc m** ■■ 2d place, it is designed that • each com municant, hold special communion with Christ during the celebration of the Sup per. This commurfion with Christ,, must be by faith- Indeed, there is no other way, by which Christians can commune with Jesus whilst in the flesh, only by faith. “We walk by faith not by sight.” It is not possible to commune with our Savior by proxy ; therefore, each individ ual must commune for himself; and hence, each must be responsible for him self. This view of the subject is sustain ed by God’s word: “Take, eat, this is my body which is broken for you ; this do i/n remembrance of me. After the 6ame man ner also he took the cup, when he had supped , saying this cup is the New Testa ment in my blood : this do ye as oft as ye drink it in remembrance of me.” — Once more : “ The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the communion of the blood of Christ , the bread which we brake is it not the communion of the body of Christ f” O ! how humiliating this scene must have been to the disciples, who communed with their Lord and Master personally. There sits Jesus, breaking the bread with his own hands and pouring the-wine, showing with what freeness his own blood should run ; a<pd alter “ he had supped,” &c. Jesus supped with his disciples personally, to assure them that he would sup with them after he had ascended ; hence we have this language “in God’s word: “ Behold I stand at the door and knock ; if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and I will sup with him and he with me.” What intimate communion with Christ and his children! “LoI am with you always.” “ I will never leave you nor forsake you.” Again, where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I,” &c. Think ye not, when Christ’s little flock assemble around the sacramental board, Jesus is in their mid6t 1 Our faith is strengthenekby the symbols that we see with our eyes upon the sacramental board; and like Thomas, we are ready to cry out “my Lord and my God.” Thus the mind runs back to Jerusalem, and by faith we see Jesus sip ping with iiis little flock, in that upper room that was prepared for them. Nay more, we ascend the hill Calvary, there to behold a scene the most awful of which the mind is susceptible ! A scene, the cause of which angels desired to look ini to. The innocent- suffering for the guil ty. Nature hushed in silence —thick dark ness spread over the scene—Jesus is drink ing the bitter cup ? There must have been silence in heaven for the space ot half an hour! But now, amidst the ■■- - - ■ gloom, a voice is heard—“lt is finished!” The work is done—the law is satisfied ; sinners may he saved ? Now the sweet music begins in heaven, “Worthy is the Lamb that was slain,” &e. j REMARKS. Ist. Whilst engaged in* commemora ting the death of our Savior, we should t may be alLin alL”< “For he that eatefth and drinketh worthily, eateth ana drinketh damnation to himself , not discerning the Lord's body.” 2d. There is an appropriateness in qui etude, during the celebration of the Sup per. There is a time to sing psalms, and a time to be more composed. It seems to us, during this solemn act of the church, in t elebrating Christ’s death, each corn communicant should be left free, to com mune with Jesus whilst eating the bread and drinking the wine. Hence we are opposed to singing, or exciting the mind, beyond that which is produced by indi vidual communion with Christ, lest mu : tual excitement take the place of religious excitement. J. M. S. For the Index. From our Traveling Correspondent. NOTES OF TRAVEL. The Crystal Palaee—Fair of the American In stitute —Rev Henry Ward Beecher. For many years the Annual Fairs of the American Institute attracted thou sands. And they have assisted much in fostering every branch of art and science. The mechanic especially is encouraged by every possible means, by the Institute.— Its Annual Fair is now being held at the Crystal Palace; and two visits to it af forded me much gratification and pleas ure, and I inky add, was the means of im provement. / p — r —- CSvyJfAl is a hngfr gfafij? building, octagonal in shape and sur mounted by a lofty and imposing dome. In comparison with the London Crystal Palace, it is small; but, taken all to gether, I think it a more tasteful building It is more compact, and you are enabled, without confusion, when inside, to grasp a comprehension of the whole. You do not feel in one case, as iu the other, lost, overpowered, bewildered. To say that the Fair was creditable, would be to fall short of truth—it was capital; and I can hardly think of a branch of industry, in which the artist or artisan might not find, such models or illustrations as might greatly benefit, if carefully studied. There was a patent pump for draining mines, a machine to create a tremendous draught for an iron furnace, weaving machines, plaining ma chines, shingle-sawing machines, scroll sawing machines, knitting machines and many others which it is impossible to re collect. The farmer would be interested in the reaping, threshing, grinding and plowing machines ; the dairy maid in the churns j the washer-woman in the wash ing machines ; the seamstress in the sew ing machines; and the printers in the printing machines. Here is a stairway with a steel spring under each step, to as sist in mounting, there a window shutter that can be opened or shut without lift ing the window. Here a man will cut out of a long square block, little tooth powder boxes, s& the rate of fifteen a min ute, there a mah is expatiating upon the virtues of oil made from the Breckenridge coal. Another exhibits an invention by which gas is made to burn without flick ering—-it consists in having an iron circle around the flame, from the top of which five small jets of gas issue, forming five small flames. One man displays anew telegraph machine, another shows his bed steads that be folded up and hid within 1 a side-board. A girl expatiates upon the beauties of a baby-jumper ; a musician points out anew method of printing mu sic—namely, by allowing the letter itself to be printed in the place of the note which usually designates it; a florist and fruitest make a wonderful and magnifi cent display of flowers and fruits ; vege tables, from mammoth pumpkins to green peas, are exhibited ; carriages, sleighs, buggies, statues, photographs, paintings, guns, pistols, swords, carpets, tapestry, curtains, bonnets, jewelry, silver ware, monkeys and birds stuffed —a thousand things attract the attention and claim no tice. As night comes on, a fairy-like aspect is lent to the whole, by the glitter of in ORO-AN OF THE BAPTIST OOIM OF THE STATE OF. GEORGIA. 11l JL .. numerable lights. Soul-thrilling music from Dodworth’s famous band, makes the air -quiver with melodious resonance; five or ten tho%fgmd persons wander hith er and thither agaong the frail-appearing iron columns, sending up a never-ceasing hum of many voices; costliness of appa rel and beauty of face pass before the eye, gi vinffJSk wqnderous charm to the assem blage-; while, beneath *hc mighty “Washington, in a calm dignity looks down from his colossal horsfc, as much as to say, “for all these triumphs of art, for all these evidences of peace and prosperity, for all these proofs of power and greatness, you are indebted to me.” Among the thousand attractions of New York, not the least is the Rev. Henry Ward Beecher. As strangers usually do, I went to hear him preach. He is a man of low stature, well rounded body and limbs, though not fleshy. He has a very intelligent face—a fine forehead, well formed nose and rather large lips ; alto gether he is good looking. There is about his whole face an appearance of lurking humour. In every feature it seems to lie ..concealed, actually longing for an oppor tunity to break forth. His lips especially seem the dwelling place of Mon us ; and when he permits them to relax into the whimsical, mirth and humor seem to riot in every muscle. His neck is large, and when he rises in some of his lofty flights, it will swell and redden, and itself appear eloquent. I was struck with his subdued, unas suming manner in prayer—it gave me a good opinion of the man. His prayers, albeit, are eloquent and exceedingly ap propriate. In his manner, as a preacher, there is a heartiness, a cheerfulness, a healthiness of tone, that wins upon the hearer instanta neously. He seems to speak directly from his with a geniality and vi vacity- aro -attractive. ever may be the idiocracy of his nature— the peculiar status of his mental or moral temperament, his mind must possess a healthy tone. His preaching is fascinating from that fact. You observe no morbid tendencies, what he says comes from his heart as wa ter gushes from an overflowing fountain. He is a good actor, and often raises a laugh in his congregation ; yet the ridic ulousness of illustration that provoked a titter will be followed by a scathing de nunciation or by a soul-stirring appeal, or by a lofty flight of expository eloquence that effectually drown all mirthfulness. He walks backward and forward, occa sionally consulting his notes ; and, I sup pose, would do best if he bad no notes at all. He can preach ©n an entirely metaphys ical subject, and yet enchain bis audience for seventy-five minutes; for no matter what bis subject may be, he illustrates it so fully by common figures, common acts and common incidents, that all is made plain and interesting. Yet for one lioujr and a quarter, he did not once mention the name of Christ; did not once mention tion the sinner; said not even enough to inform an ignorant person that he was id! danger, that there was a way of escape — that hell was to be avoided and heaven gained. That he is a man of talent I can not deny; that he is very eloquent I freely aver; that her can even reach tijfe sub lime, I will confess ; but that he has that” holy unction of manner that sends the sin ner solemnly to his closet I am not willing to concede. S. B. For the Index. Better from Central Africa. Brother Walker :—I am in receipt of a letter from Rev. A. D. Philips, dated Ijaye, Aug. 18,1857, and addressed to the Columbus Baptist church and Missionary Society. In the letter he stated he was taken sick on the 4th day of July, and : was unable to walk for twenty-two days. His attack was bilious, and at the time he wrote he was slowly recovering, after hav ing been laid aside for nearly two months. This was the first sickness he had had since going to Africa, and while he en deavored to submit with all patience, he felt at times impatient to be engaged in his Missionary labors. He was fortunate ly taken care of by one of tbe English Missionaries, which was a great consola tion in that far-off land. After describing the market in Ijaye and writing in general terms of his meth od of preaching , &c., he says : “ In con MACON, WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 11, 1857. elusion, dear brethren, I would say, be not deceived about the progress being made here, towards the evangelization of Afimj We can tell all in few words, viz bNotniiNG has been done. It is true, therf aiie many who have heard the Word, an dive frequently meet with men in re mote plrts of the town who can give a account of the Way of salva their Orishas—the.? godswTflrclr fathers,"as dearly as ever Still there is an influence being exerted, which as wo may naturally expect, calls all the powers of darkness to oppose its progress. This, hrethren, calls for renew ed and vigorous efforts on our part. Fer vent and constant prayer will prevail. I have new been disabled for nearly two itonths,’ and I feel very impatient though I do endeavor to exercise patience at all times. O brethren ! how I need your prayers. Pray especially on my be half. When I look at the missionary work to be done, the difficulties to surmount, and all in the milst of a debilitating cli matej I may truly say, ‘ Who is sufficient for tliese things.’ Your letters ar<j cheering and encour aging, and I wish you not to fail to write me frequently.” j The above will give the reader an out line of the contents of the letter. To publish it entire seems not to be necessa ry, as much of it embraces what has fre quently appeared in your columns here tofore. . J. M. WATT. Columbus, Ga., Oct. 28, 1857. yfcoUtxtisf Adoniram Judson, Lord Shaftsbury, when presiding over the English Baptist Missionary Society last month, paid the following, tribute to the memory of Judson : ) “ Yoa have produced some of the most “CTStttfrar, dev men anO that band of holy men, the’missionaries of the Christian religion. We might spe* cify many names, but they will readily! occur to you. I cannot, However, omit mention one of your denomination,-be cause the and sacrifices of himself and his excellent wife have been brought before me recently in such vivid colors, in this beautiful memoir, that I cannot but give vent to the feelings which actuate me, when I speak with reverence and af fection of the name of Judson. (Hear, hqp-) I believe that name will long sur vive, and I trust it may, when all distinc tions of creed shall have vanished, and e ren when the Anglo-Saxon nation shall h&ve sunk in oblivion. (Cheers.) It is in respect for such operations, in affection. for such names, and a hearty desire to be an humble co-operator with you in these gfgit works, that I have come here to day, to testify in the feeble manner that I dtt to the reverence and affection I have for th© work in which you are engaged, and, the high esteem I nave for all those who conduct it ; and I hope I may say, for fell the denomination of Baptists, who, hoaft and soul, by purse and energy, are contributing to the advancement of this great cause. (Cheers.) The Present Crisis. It seems that almost all the pastors of our churches are preaching on the crisis lin financial matters. The Examiner says that Dr. Wayland has uttered his voice in Providence ; the Chronicle tells us that Dr. Armitage has been at it in New York; the Secretary prints an entire sermon of Murdock’s in Hartford. Probably qflArlyall of the pastors may have referr may be wise. But too this theme in the pulpit does no good. Ministers know but little about the peculiar trials of business men, and they attribute this crisis to anything but the right cause in many instances. Dr. Armitage said in his discourse, hut we do reot agree with him, however, wholly, “the ministers were not the best men to treat such a subject, for although many of them were endowed with as gc od qualities td make merchants as other men, still it was proverbial that they were, as a class, hard ly able to take care of their own purses, 4ot to mind those of other people.” A merchant said to one of our pastors in this city, “Do not preach on money matters, I beg of you ; we hear that all 4he week; we are tired of it, and when we come to church we want to hear the gospel of Christ.” This is doubtless so, though there are lessons to be learned from the present panic, whili the clergy should improve.— Era. Early Rising. I would inscribe on the curtains of your beds and walls of your chamber :—“ If you do not rise early, you can make pro gress in nothing. If you do not set apart your hours of reading, your days will slip through your hands unprofitable, and uii enjoyed by yourself.”— Chatham . The Evangelical Alliance. The meeting of the alliance in Berlin, which had excited for months the hopes of the friends of evangelical religion in Germany, and had stimulated in equal measure the apprehensions of its ene mies closed on the 17th nit. It waa a meeting of great interest, numbering a thousand delegates, nine hundred of whom were from Germany. The King and Prince of Prussia were present at many of the sessions, and .manifested. a/.-yparm personal ip the results \ liberations. One of the most important papers read before the Alliance was an address by Prof. Plitt, of Heidelberg, on Religious Liberty; He advocated this liberty, in its largest sense, as understood in our own country, maintaining that every man had an inherent right to worship God ac cording to the dictates of his own con science, and that it was beyond the pro vince of tire State to interfere with the exercise of this personal freedom. He referred to history in proof of his posi tion that the church needed no support from the civil power, and had always njade most rapid and efficient progress when emancipated from all connection with the State. The paper is to be pub lished, and can hardly fail to make a strong impression in Germany. Its sen timents found many eloquent advocates among the delegates from the continen tal States as well as those from England. The delegates from Great Britain were extremely desirous of adopting an address to all the Continental princes on the sub ject of Religious Liberty, but after a full discussion it was decided to be inexpe dient. Many of the delegates from Ger many felt that such an address would ef fect no practical results, while it might excite prejudices against the Alliance, and alienate sympathy and co-operation. In addition to the regular conferences of the Alliance, a committee was appoint ed to take in charge the interests of Prot estant Christendom, and the sessions of /this committee were among the most in teresting of the whole meeting. As re sults of the deliberations of this commit twf* petition was presented to the Em of Russia wno Ve in Berlin during its sessions, praying clfaj £he recent edict of his father forbidding the -circulation of the Scriptures in mod ern Russia might he repealed. He prom ised to give careful consideration to the subject-matter of the petition. The com mittee also appointed a deputation to vis it Sweden in the coming spring, for the purpose of interceding with the King and the Diet for the relaxation or repeal of those odious laws which permit persecu tion against all dissenters from the Na tional church. The meeting of the Alliance can hard ly fail to be followed by beneficial results to the cause of spiritual religion and of religious liberty. — Watchman and JReflec tor. The British in India. The American Baptist , one of whose editors has long been a missionary laborer in India, expresses doubt as to the issue of the fearful contest for power which is now being waged in that country. Our contemporary says : “ Although victory has crowned the British arms in the defeat of Nana Sa hib, and though India will soon be swept by an irresistible European army, yet the prospects for the future are gloomy. — What shall be done with India ? is now the uppermost inquiry of British states men. A native army can never again be depended upon as a guard for their east ern empire, and to maintain a European force sufficient for its permanent protec tion, would increase the debt of England to an amount that must render national bankruptcy inevitable. Hitherto Jndia has hardly” paid the expenses of its govern ment. The only advantages England has reaped from her numerous acquisitions are the increase of her commerce, and the provision of honorable offices, with high salaries, for the younger sons of her aris tocracy. A few more hundreds of mil lions added to the standing debt mav at length convince her that she is purchas ing these advantages at too dear a rate.” Sacredness of Tears. There is a sacredness in tears. They speak more eloquently than ten thou sand tongues. They are the messen gers of overwhelming grief, of deep con trition, of unspeakable love. If there were wanting any argument to prove that man is not mortal, I would look for it in the strong convulsive emotion of the breast, when the fountains of feeling are rising, and when tears are gushing forth in crys tal streams. O, speak not harshly of the stricken one —weeping in silence I Break not the deep solemnity by rude laughter or intrusive footsteps. Despise not wo man’s tears —they are what makes her an angel—scoff not if the stem heart of man hood is sometimes melted to tears of sym pathy —they are what help to elevate him above the brute- I love to see tears of affection. They are painful tokens, but still most holy—there is pleasure in tears GEORGIA TELEGRAPH STEAM PRESS —an awful pleasure ! If there were none on earth to shed a tear for me I should be loth to live; and if no one might weep over my grave, I couldDever diem peace. The Dead. How little do we think of the dead!— Their bones are entombed in all our towns, villages, and neighborhoods. ‘The lands they.cultivated, the houses they built, the works of their hands, are always before our eyes. We trave 1 s he same road, we /walkAbfc- same path, sr at the same fire sram,’sleep in the saTffe rooms, ride-ia ..Abe same carriage and dine at the same table, yet seldom remember that those that once occupied these places are now gone—alas! forever. > Strange that the living should so soon forget the dead, when the world is full of the mementos of their lives. Strange that the fleeting cares of life should so soon rush in ana fill the breast, to the exclu sion of those so near. To-day man stands and weeps over the grave of his departed friend. To-morrow he passes that grave with cold indifference. To-day his heart is wrung with all the bitterness of anguish for the loss of one he so much loved; to morrow the image of that friend is effaced from his heart, and almost forgotten.— What a commentary upon man ! Immersion and Baptism. A few years ago there seemed to be a a disposition among Pedo-Baptists to as sume the ground that immersion is not baptism ; and that is the only consistent ground for them to occupy, and if they cannot maintain that, they ought to prac tice immersion. But tney are receding again to the old battle ground, that im mersion, sprinkling or pouring is bap tism. Here they are entrenched in fog and mire, not daring to encounter Bap tist arguments on fair and open, ground. They have been beaten so often in oral discussions, and written, that they dread discussion, and are constantly harping on the evils of debate. ’Tis evil to them, for they always get the worst of it in the baptismal controversy ; and they know it ; and they know more—that Baptists have the arguments on their side. Childhood! r “ Good night ?” A loud clear voice from the top of the stairs said that it was Tommy’s “ Good night,” murmurs a little something from a trundle-, bed—a little thing we called Jemmy that fills a very large place in the centre of two pretty large hearts. • “ Good night,” lisps a little fellow in a plain dress who was called Willie about six years ago. *• Now I lay me down to sleop, I pray the Lord my soul to keep, If I should die before I wake—” and the small bundle in the trundle bed has dropped off to sleep, but an angel will finish the broken prayer for her. Prosperity shines on different persons in the same way that the sun shines on different objects. Some it hardens like mud, whilst others it softens like wax. Bamum Himself Again. Many have expressed the conviction that if this deeply “ injured” individual should prove to be really penniless and come off second best in the contest with his creditors, he could not be “ the man they took him for.” The Stamford Advo cate announces, that he has bought all the claims against himself for from five to twenty five cents on the dollar , with the ex ception of some $15,000 held in and about Danbury, which he will probably have to pay in full. The whole of the vast pro perty assigned by him for the benefit of his creditors has again passed into his hands, and he is now re-furnishing and re-fitting “ Iranistan” in good style For his future and permanent residence ! The Rose. I saw a rose perfect in beauty ; it rest ed gently upon its stalk, and its perfume filled the air. Many stopped to gaze up on it and taste its fragrance, and its owner hung over it with delight. I passed it again, and behold it was gone—its root had withered —the enclosure which sur rounded it was broken. The spoiler had been there, he saw that many admired it, and knew it was dear to him who planted it, and besides it he had no other to love. Yet he snatched it from the hand that cherished it; he wore it on his bosom till it hung its head and faded, and when he sow that its glory had departed, he flung it rudely away. But it left a thorn in his bosom, and vainly did he seek to extract it, for it pierces the spoiler even in his hour of mirth. And when I saw that no man who had loved the beauty of the rose gathered again its scattered leaves or bound up the stalk which the hand of violence had broken, I looked earnestly at the spot where it grew; and my soul received instruction. And I said—Let her who is full of beauty and admira tion, sitting like a queen of flowers in ma jesty among the daughters of women, watch less vanity enter her heart, beguil ing her to rest proudly upon slippery- pla ces, and be not high minded, but fear.— Mrs. Sigourney NUMBER 45/