Newspaper Page Text
THE CHRISTIAN INDEX.
JOSEPH WALKER, EDITOR?
lILieSAPH PO* TMMBB.
IvlAPOlsr, Q-A..
Wednesday, March 30, 1869,
Notice.
All communications intended for the INDEX or
Its EDITOR, must be addressed simply “CHKIb-
TIAN INDEX,” Macon, Ga.
Dr. Pierce’s Sermon.
The Doctor’s final accusations of the
Baptists are stated as follows:
The principles and policy of the Baptist
Church are selfish. This selfishness ap-,
ST”ob in Z. h
a member of it but Baptist testimony.—j
It is evident from the fact of close com
munion, they being, I think, the only
‘Church in this day that claims such marks
of Divine caste. There is, however, no
i one thing in which this principle of sel
fishness develops itself more clearly than
in the joy displayed at the reception of a
member from any other Church, and a
professed union with the Baptist Church*
to get immersion Baptism.
To the illustration of these propositions
he has devoted the last ten pages of his
“ tract,” but there is really nothing in
them but a re-statement, in a somewhat f
varied form, of what he had said before
and to which we have replied in former
articles of this review. It would be a
waste of time, therefore, to pursue his va
garies in detail, and we shall dispose of
his rare production with some comments
on the above extract.
Acquainted as we been for vea rc
the Methodist polity, and ythehnan- |
Element of Methodist ministers on their
circuits and at camp-meetings, it sounds
strangely in our ears to hear a Methodist
minister charging the Baptists with “ sel
fishness !” Here is a minister of a Society
which does not try or discipline its mem
bers before a general meeting of its body
at all, but has located the whole power of
trial, acquital or condemnation, in the
resident preacher or a small fraction of of
ficials, gravely accusing the Baptists of
selfishness.
“ 0 wad some power the giftie gie us,
To see ourselves as others see us,
\ Frae many a blunder wad it free us,
I \ And foolish notion.”
How does our Methodist censor make
good his charge of selfishness against the
Baptists? Why, “he thinks there is a
rule in the church, that no testimony is
. good against a member of it but Baptist
testimony.” But such a man as Dr.
Pierce ought not to have hazarded so
<rave an assertion on his own simple
“think.’’ The transfer of this “ think,”
however, to print, shows how willing he is
to believe that Baptists have such a rule.
To what cases the rule is applied the doc
tor’s “ think” does not inform us, but we
f(STexamination in order to the ex
Bto allow us # to think, that his “think' 5 is
BveryTWicjLof the facts in the case under
not previously misrepresented the
Hptists, our astonishment at this ground-
would be much greater than
for even great-
from him in relation to
Kt he supposes to be Baptist customs,
■■lied by hisPedobaptist prepossessions
„ Bus been too ready to pen down the
idle rumors current among the op
-■ts of Baptist faith and practice,
1. Bffit pausing to inquire whether the
were weU founded.
Hkhis credulity can be in the least sus-
what may come from a Baptist,
‘ \ve now inform him that Baptists do re
ceive testimony against their brethren from
\ others than Baptists. They not only re-
testimony from all reliable sources,
but if a rumor is afloat involving the mor
al standing of a church member, they at
once inquire into the truth or falsity of
the report. Can Dr. Pierce say more
than this for the Methodist Society ? The
Baptists do more than this. They con
duct their investigations and trials of mem
bers openly —that is, before the world, that
the world may see how a man has been
tried and for what. Can Dr. Pierce say
. as much for the Methodists ? As Baptist
conference meetings for the reception of
members, and their administrations of bap
ftism are public—that not only the whole
church, but the world also may see and
i believe, so are their trials, and if necessa
ry, exclusions of members, public. The
Baptists have ever gloried in concealing
nothing which relates to their faith and
practice. They derive their principles of
Inaction from the Scriptures, and why should
they fear the gaze of man ? You have,
JRev. Sir, mistaken “ the rule of testimony,’
and as a Christian and a man of honor,
VHjgJp, 1 fb retracT IfuT'eaying, and this we
. hope you will do as speedily as possible.
IjyT The next proof the Df> gives of Baptist
selfishness” is close communion. On
■ this string he harps through the last ten
r pages of his tract, though he frequently
attempted its discussion in the preceding
f pages. That Baptists should place “the
Hfeembers of other churches under disabili-
in reference to communion,” he calls
p “supremely sectarian” —yea, he thinks
this “ downright partyism’’ “ cherished
bigotry.” He maintains £hat this close
communion’ is based on the sup-
that there can “be no Gospel
church without immersion for baptism,”
“that immersion must become one of the
mediums of communication with God,”
and, he remarks, “if all these claims are
admitted, all the rest of us are nonsuited.”
v He further’ and for the fifth time, perhaps,
charges the Baptists with dividing the
r Christian denominations. This is his line
illustration of t;j u ro tiunn tho
that immersion is a pre-requisite to com
munion—that Pedobaptists are debarred
the privilege of communing with Baptists
because they will not obey their Lord’s
command and be immersed —but we deny
that these sentiments make the Baptists
either “selfish or supremely sectarian.”
Haviqg, however, fully responded to this
•charge of causing divisions among Chris
tians in a previous number, ’tis useless to
reply again.
But we must devote a little attention to
“think” secondly. The Dr. is a great
thinker, and if his thoughts were but in
harmony with historic fact, they might
do to publish ; but he “ thinks ” things that
no one else has ever dreamed of,and shapes
his thinking for the -
.qpwfiSAf-e as 1f tDhresufts ofms Think-
Ling apparatus would be received as infal
lible truths. “ The Baptist,’’ as he thinks,
the only church in this day that claims
smSfctDiymg caste”—that is, close-commu
nion. • Close-comfhunion, in Dr. Pierce’s
vocabulary is “Divine caste. 5 ’ If we
thought such phraseology appropriate to
a discussion of this kind, we ifiight say,
if close-communion is “caste” at all, it is
“ Divine caste” since God himself gave
the law which limits communion to bap
tized believers, but Dr. Pierce, (we are
sorry to say,) evidently intended to be fa
cetious at the expense of close commu
nion. If wit is the only argument he cam
oppose to strict communion, the custom
will last while the world stands.
But is it a fact, as Dr. Pierce “thinks,”
that the Baptist Church is the only church
that practises <clos§-commuiuon ? We
are of the opiniokthmt she is the only open
communion chu**J* on, Perhaps.we
may explain how she isVso in the sequel of
article. At present we would simply
ask Dr. Pierce if the Episcopal and the
Protestant Methodists are in the habit of
communing together ? Would an Epis
copalian bishop or rector commune with
any other professing Christians ? Would
Catholics commune with Christians of any
denomination f We do not ask if indi
vidual members of different persuasions
occasionally commune with each other, but
is it a general custom with any of the de
denominations which we have mentioned ?
There is certainly no reason why all Pedo
baptists should not commune together,
and it is very unfraternal in them not to
do it, but do they intercommune ?— that is
the question. There may be no “ canon
law” —to use a phrase of Dr. Pierce—to
prevent intercommunion, but there is that
which is virtually a prohibition—namely,
the discountenance of pastors, bishops,
Presbeteries, Synods, Conferences and
Conventions. None of the Pedobaptists
will commune with the Catholics, though
the former are indebted to the latter for
sprinkling and infant baptism ; and the
Catholics will not commune with them,
because though they retain and sustain
this “ pillar and ground of popery,” they
have renounced the mother church. Nor
would, as we have once before stated, an
Episcopalian minister receive the Lord’s
supper from a Methodist, or any minister
of what are called the Protestant denom
inations. The statement then that the
Baptist is the only strict communion
needs confirmation.
There is yet another vs*v of this ques
tioivwhich claims a few remarks, namely:
The Baptists commune with all of their
members who are in good standing. No
other denomihation does this. The Meth
odists do not commune with one half of
their members. It k fair to suppose that
them are as many small children in Pedo
baptist churches as there are adults. Why
are not they allowed to commune ? In
former ages of infant baptism infants re
ceived the communion with adults, but
now they are excluded. Why is this?—
Surely if they have a right to baptism,
they have to the Lord’s supper. And if
they may receive the former without
faith, why may they not the latter? —
Wherein is their disqualification ? The
Methodists tell us that “ Christ blessed
little children,’’ and so he .did—that the
Savior said, “ suffer little children to come
unto me and forbid them not,’’ and yet
they do forbid them the Lord’s supper!—
They tell us moreover that infants are “ho
ly’ s —“fit for heaven,” and yet they are
not fit for the Lord’s supper! Who can
explain this mystery ? The fact is, Pedo
baptist churches neither commune with’
one half of their own members, nor with
each other, therefore, they are strict com- <
munionists. They clamor loudly against
close communion, and at the same time
practice it. The Baptists commune with
all of their members —with all who have
been scripturally baptized on a profession
of their faith —therefore they are free com
munionists. Will Dr. Pierce accept of
these amendments, or rather corrections
of his close communion report ? They
put the shpe on the other foot,(but~he will
have to wear it, though it may pinch a
little. ‘ * “
One more charge, in thistract for
family use,” remains to be met —the
charge of “ proselyting. ’’
The Dr. “ thinks,” in fact says, that
“ there is no one thing in which this prin
ciple of selfishness develops itself mop
clearly than in the joy displayed at the re
ception of a member from any other
church.” *
Well, if disobedience is a sin, then those
who disobey are sinners, and if “ there is
joy in heaven over one sinner that repent
eth,” surely there may be a little joy on
earth for the same reason—therefore,
there is joy in the Baptist*Church when’
believers of other persuasions, “arise and
are baptized,'and wash away their sins.”
The case reasons out itself by scriptural
declarations, and plain logical deductions,
and the wonder is, that the joy manifested
by the Baptists on baptizing occasions
should have appeared at all strange to Dr.
Pierce. yaffil
But he says, the joy is not because ‘there
is another soul converted, but simply an
other Baptist made.’ How Dr., how do
you know this ? How do you know who
has been converted, and who haanot been?
You know very well that a large ntuaber
of Methodists do not stay converted.—*
pearly all those who are converted by
tfie preachers —and they are not a few —
“fell from grace,” or perhaps we would
better say, for the want of grace. Now,
although the man who comes to the Bap
tists may have been nominally a Metho
dist for years, it does not follow that he
was ever converted. Nor, if he had ever
been converted, does it follow, according
to Methodist views, that he w r as convert
ed shortly before the time he left the
Methodists and went to the Baptists.—
He may have been one of those unfortu
nate disciples who had fallen from grace,
and if on his second 3coßvi#eion he #ent
, was there less cause for
joy than when he was converted the first
time ? There was more joy over the re
turn of a certain sheep that had gone
astray, than over the ninety-nine that had
never strayed away. And since every
truly converted Methodist who goes to
the Baptists is as the return of a stray
sheep to the true fold, of course, the Bap
tists “ hail it as a triumph of truth.” It is
certainly never a triumph of error. The
Baptists have not time to ask when the
person coming to them had been conver
ted, they only rejoice over his coming,
and we are not aware that their joy over
returning prodigals, is in the least modified
Jby the sect out of which, or the place from
which, he comes. Their joy is manifested
over his coming.
But Dr. Pierce insists on it that “ the
best Methodist or Presbyterian church in
Georgia, is ground
for
sense iti\is. gave
lists tfcfinr onmrpioottm —and he never gave
it to any but Baptists —he said, “Go ye in
to all the world, and preach my Gospel
to every creature, &c.” He did not say
to them preach a Presbyterian Gospel in
this city, and a Methodist Gospel in that,,
but preach my Gospel to every creature*
The Lord must have foreseen that there
would in the course of time be both a
Methodist and Presbyterian gospel, but
why he did not place them on an equality
with his gospel, we cannot tell—it may
have been because neither had a scriptu*
ral baptism. Nor did he say, “Let those
who shall live fifteen hundred years hence,
when Presbyterian churches shall spring
up; or seventeen hundred years,when John
Wesley shall build up a Society, be care
ful not to preach their peculiar notions of
baptism on Presbyterian or Methodist
grounds,” —but he sirilply said, “preach
my Gospel.’’ Consequently, since Pres
byterians and Methodists are as much en
titled to a pure , and a whole gospel as oth
er people, therefore, their churches are
missionary ground for the Baptists. This
case is logically made out.
But Dr. fierce still “thinks’’ that Meth
odists ought to be allowed to commune
with the Baptists, because the Baptists
are so willing to receive them into their
churches, and remarks:
“There is not a member in our church,
although denied the inherent right to the
Lord’s Supper as a Christian while a Meth
odist, who would not be joyfuUy admitted
into the Baptist church upon exactly the
same experience of grace he had *isja
Methodic, and, after immejjflpn, *aanW
Lord’s Table With mellow de
light; not however as a Christian, but as a
Baptist.”
Well now, Rev. Sir, we are not so sure
of that. One thing is certain: The Bap
tists never receive a Methodist on his
“Methodist, experience of grace.” The
Methodist experience, while a Methodist
has no immersion in it, and it is quite cer
tain that no one could get into, the Bap
tist church with sprinkling in his expe
rience. Instead of saying that a Metho
dist would notbe admitted to the Lord’s
table in a Baptist church “not as a Chris
tian, but as a Baptist,” we would suggest
to Dr. Pierce to say, that he would be ad
mitted both as a Christian and a Bap
tist.
We have now replied to every definite
proposition je&tbis “tract for family use,”
that animadverted on Baptist principles
and practice, or misrepresented Baptist
customs and church polity. But for its
loose style, wild grammar, bad logic,
and technical terms, we might .have re
viewed it with a degree at least, of regu
larity and order, but we had not proceed
ed far before we hopelessly despaired of
finding between its extremes even the
?sign of a connected argument. Either
end or the middle, as it appears to us,
might have answered either as an intro
duction or peroration; and having a little
law, a little philosopy, a little anatomy, a
little gospel without ordinances; a little
baptism without a mode, together with a
sprinkling of new words without signifi
cancy, it is as various in its composition as
was Joseph’s coat in colors. The author
evidently aimfed at making a display of
his reading and acquaintance with many
branches of human science, but in attempt
ing too much, he has mystified and marred
the entire sermon. We take leave of
him here with the best of feelings, hoping
that his forthcoming tract on “the design
of baptism ,” may be the means of leading
him, by its preparation, to a knowledge
of the truth.
For Secretaries.
In our review of Dr. Crawford’s let
ter, we did not deem it. necessary to
elaborate the argumentby statistics to
skowH;hat our present mission plans
have not been a failure. We gave his
torical proqfs,'ajid stated a few facts
which are known -to all Baptists who
have watched the progress of mission
ary t evange)ization. If Rev. A. M.
Rb'mdextS? of Richmond, and Rev. R.
Holman of Marion, will prepare and
send us statistics of the success of Bap l
tist missions in the Foreign and Do
mestic Departments, dating back if
they choose to the time of the origin
of the Southern Baptist Convention, or
the Triennial Convention,we will glad
ly publish them in the Index.
Was the like ever kown before ?
Surely the SoutWJjfet deserves a pre
mium for the origin cfe issues and new
movements in Behold
the Mississippi Texas Bap
tist, the Western and last,tho
not least, the canvas
sing for the the Southern
Baptist like ever
known before during hun
dred year’s history of, denom
ination? We shall hear next
of these brethren stump.” —
In fact nothing these days
of loose principles Can
n °tbrethren
without trying to opinion in
their journals? of the come
dy have been playeti jjit, aQ d this is a
part of the farce. Andjn harmony with
these editorial we un
derstand that partisans beholding corres
pondence ahd the view of
making a *n this election
question ib Richmond. ‘Unless we great
ly mistake,, these imprudbt acts of theirs
will precipitate on their astonished ears
the very thing they would io gladly avoid.
All that we have to sajris, simply this :
we hope that the Presi|ent of the Con
vention may be, not onlya friend to Mis
sions,but to the Conventiokind its Boards.
We will add the hope jlnjit the Gonven
tion will be careful to a Committee
on Credentials. In thqdast Convention
Kentucky had eighty (delegates. “ We
think that she could nob have been, enti
tled to more than forty, qrJßps%j/r/ty. —
Ilf the approaching
te n ngVio boos let
ft'f&dairly organized on re
quisitions. •
Out of the Hands o£j£e Doctors.
A facetious friend of ours was wont
to say, that two doctors arfe enough un
der favorable circumstanc*s*to kill any
patient, and hence our fnerds gener
ally will congratulate cl our safe
delivery from Dr. Pierce on the inside
of the Index, and Dr. Crawford on the
outside. We have paid our rejects to
both those ‘gentlemen, mid now on
taking leave of them, we jwi say sin
cerely, “the Lord bless th^Py-
There is alittleold
iness still remaining in thej^n 1 of men,
which in our case, is re
straint when untenable are
addptejj by great intellects.
tation was very strong to indJge. a lit
tle irony at certain points re
view of Dr. Crawford’s but it
we have said anything not eMctly to
his taste, we shall cheerfully Btract it
on its being pointed out. Jjj® Craw
ford’s views are entitled to a \rcm>ectful
review, and if we have criticised his
production freely, we have studied to
avoid being offensive.
The Convention."’
The South westernkßaptist
the ti/tue of the Georgia
Ba&ist lts llotice of
las^[rt^v^heßi|k^i 011 meet
Baptist uflTise make the'correction ( ’
“ Battists versus the Sects,” has ar
rived; and I would respectfully announce
to all those who subscribed for the book
at Rehoboth Association, and elsewhere,
to send rap, their names and the money,
at Macon, immediately.
Prices. —The Muslin copy, handsomely
bound in black —65 cents. *75 cents by
.mail. The paper-bound copy —50 cents.
60 cents by mail. A
If the brethren knew the state olßro.
Baker’s finances, they would or
der a copy.
Three cent postage stamps may IBsent
to me, put loosely in an envelope fu pay
ment. Tee book contains 225. pages
chapters. .
A Correction.— “ The Young Reaper”
and not the “ Child’s Paper’’ was meant
last week when Bro. Haygood was an
nounced as Agent to obtain subscriptions
for me. I simply wish to introduce a good
Baptist paper into our Sabbath Schools.—
I receive the paper and remail it to my
friends. Send on large orders.
The Christian Review. —ls any of the
brethren wish this sterling. Review, now
published by Sheldon ArCo., I will fur
nish it to them at $c3.00. For $4.00 I
will send the Review afld Index to one
address. k
“Pedo-Baptist immersions,” by Joseph
Walker, gratis, with one stamp sis-pay
postage. Samuel Boykin,
Dep. A*’t.
Sole Agents—^'-i.
FOR THE SALE OF “THE gECTSW BAPT^TS?
In Georgia—Rev. S. Boykin, Macon,
agent B. &. C. Society.
South Carolina—J. C. Smith,
ton, agent S. B. P. Society. *
Virginia—T. J. Starke, Richmond,
Pub. & S. S. Society. W’’
Tennessee Graves, Marks <fc Cos.,
Nashville.
Alabama — Henderson & Taliafero, Tus
kegee.
All who desire a copy of the above
named book, and who have not subscribed
to the author, will please order through
the above named agents. ts
* Prices : ™
In paper covers 50 cents.
“ muslin and lettered.... 65 “
13-3 t ’ THE AUTHOR. ‘
Ordination.
Bro. Wm. M. Janes was ordained
.the'work of thp Gospel ministry®®*
Baptist church at Benevolence, llandß
county, Ga., March 18th, 1859.
by Elder J. F. Dagg; examination
Eld. A. P. Mitchell; ordination prayer B
Eld. R. Thornton; charge and preseß
tion of the Bible by Eld. Thos.
right hand of fellowship by Elder
Crawford, followed by the presbytery A
church.
• CONTRIBUTIONS.
* ——
Letter from Dr. Mallory.
* For the ludex.
Dear Brother Walker: Allow me
through your (beg pardon) our paper
to speak a word or two of friendly
cheer.
1. And first, a word of encourage
ment and cheer to our brethren who
are in the habit of contributing to the
missionary cause. It has so happened
that a warm discussion lias sprung up
with reference to our missionary plana.
Some are for destroying our old mis
sionary machinery; and others are go
ing forward with it, believing that so
far from having been a failure, it has on
the whole worked well and produced
immense good. The battle is waxing
warm, but if it is conducted in the tear
and love of God it will, I trust, result.
finally in good, nay, if nothing of the
wrath of man should unhappily min
gle in the strife, God who loves his
son with an iniinite affection, will cause
this wrath to praise him. But here is
the danger. When the war is waxing
“exceeding hot,” many of our brethren
may be tempted to draw up their
nurse-strings and withhold the needful
aid from the missionaries which have
.been sent out upon the field. It is
sometimes the policy of worldly states
men when they wish tod’* A>‘j^||jg£ver
brethdjl^miffowt
governed by a rilotive oFtfiis*sort; yet
through the distrust that some may
entertain with respect to our present
plans, and in hopes of some better ar
rangements by and by, they may feel
at liberty to step back for a time, and
await the issue of present agitations. —
When the more excellent w r ay is un
folded, then, perhaps they say to them
selves, we will come back to our post,
and with far more cheerful and munifi
cent gifts. But, beloved brethren, let
us be careful that we be not deceived
at this very point. Must our mission
ary work be given up or crippled even
for a season, because peradventure,
some better machinery may be invent
ed next year ? Will the farmer throw
aside his old sickle and refuse to reap
his wheat, because next year, or the
year after, he hopes to have a sharper
sickle?* Or cast his old plow into the
corner of the fence, and refuse to break
up his ground, because peradventure,
he hopes the active genius of the times
will bring out a better plow by and
by ? Our missionaries must not be left
to suffer, nor driven from the field.—
Our China mission needs ’funds; our
African mission needs funds; bur In
dian missions, now vigorous and hope
ful, need our continued aid. And there
are now upon our hands many impor
tant mission stations which
kwe caimot_n£id£ct^willuMii^MiaM
out great sinF” Ws a denomination ,iwe
are sacredly pledged to ply our mis
sionary work upon these extended, ri
pehing fields —and we must not cut
off the supplies. Down here in our
Bethel Association we have promised
to take care of our beloved 81-o. Clark;
we must not forsake him. At our last
Association, we promised as-a body to
take up a missionary for the Indians,
Bro. Hogue; we must see that food
and raiment hre not wanting to him,
nor to that native Indian mission
ary, Bro. Perryman, whom we have
promised to support. And then we
must hold ourselves ready for our
second foreign missionary, for we know
miL_bxi3L i soon God may answer our
Sprayers, and send us along the man we
have been looking for. Whatever,
dear brethren, may be your individual
opinions about old and new r schemes,
remember that our beloved mission
aries upon the field must eat and
drink, and that they need the presence
and help of the divine spirit; there
fore let your bounty flow and your
prayers ascend, and still more freely
and fervently than ever in their behalf.
11. And now, dear Bro: Walke-r, a
word of hearty cheer to you in your
Christian, vigorous, manly defence of
our missionary plans as they are. You
have made a good beginning; go on.
I know not that I may assent to every
argument you may present in support
-of our present organizations. I mean
our convention and its Boards—yet
your general position in -relation to
these matters I feel is excellent and
wise. To run into the hasty abandon
ment of our present arrangements, as
recommended by our Bro. Crawford,
would, in my judgment,,l)o‘ attended
with most disastrous consequence’s. —
Bro. C. has given us a most excellent
book in his “Christian Paradoxes.” I
thank him for that good book; I thank
the Lord for endowing his head with
the wisdom, and his heart with the
grace to prepare that book. I would
that every Baptist in the land, and ev
ery Christian, would get it and read it.
But his advice with reference to our
Convention and Boards is not to my
mind of a piece with his book; it is in
deed I think a paradox, and as to the
motive, no doubt Christian; but as to
the wisdom, I cannot say quite so much
in its favor. If my good Bro. C. will
pardon me, I think I will quote as
somewhat applicable to the present
case, some remarks once made by El
der Brantly about a position one e ta
ken by our venerable Bro. Mercer on
the temperance question. Bro. Brant
ley was then editor of the Index in
Philadelphia. Bro. Mercer, (who for
a while stood back somewhat from the
great temperance movement of the
day,) forwarded a communication to
the Index, which was rathej latitudin
arian. On this the editor, in a good
natured strain commented as follows:
“We can never dissent from any opin
ion or practice of our dear Mercer,
without inspecting and scrutinizing
the accuracy of our own views. He
is so uniformly right and good,/that
w r e might be almost tempted to* pick
up and preserve the errors which he
lets fall', but in the present case he has
dropped from the rear wallet, more of
this commodity than we can honestly*
pocket, and more we apprehend than
he himself will, on reflection, think
worth preservation.” How Bro. Craw
ford’s book I can in the main “honest
ly pocket’;nay, I can lay it I have laid,
near my heart as a refreshing cordial;
but his recent advice which he has let
fall I cannot pocket, and so far from
soothing my heart, it ha# caused it no
little pain. Ido not contend that our
present missionary arrangements are
pei feet; they have grown up as
the restilt of so much anxious, prayer
ful thought, and have been the means
of doing so much good ifi our own
country, and in foreign lands, as you,
Bro. Walker,, in the continuance of
your discussion will be able -so abun
■pMTto show, they should npf be sub-
any radical amendment or
change, except with the greatest care.
Least of all should they be smitten
down and laid aside till we we’ll under
stand what is to take their place. —
Will a man pull down his old dwelling
till he has properly considered where
his wife and children are to find shel
ter from the peltings of the storm ?
Will a man, who has with great labor
and pains dug out foundations and con
structed machinery to irrigate his gar
den, demolish his old preparations till
he has considered in what other way
the refreshing streams may be conduc
ted to his plants, and shrubs, and pre
cious fruit trees ? If a more scriptu- 1
ral plan were already demonstrated,
and in hopeful readiness to lay hold of
our missions and push them forward
more vigorously, we might be content;
or any plan indeed that might offer
equal good, and no fewer imperfec
tions. ilut what is it, where is it ?
I see it pot. It is not ready to our
hands. We may put a torch to our
old barns and burn them down in an
hour; but where are the new ones to
protect the ripening grain ? Dissolve
our Convention, and what then ? Who
to come forward and take hold of our
missionary interests in China? who are
will come forward and steadily guide
the fountain upon our Liberian gar
den, our beds of budding spices in
Yoruba ?p Who will water our Indian
and keep them in healthful
have not for-
past history of our Indian
missions. They were overrun with
the weeds of debt, and all manner ©f
discouragement, (your memory Bro.
Walker, is fresh on these points.) Our
Domestic Mission Board assumed the
culture, hoed out the death weeds, and
10, the garden blooms in hope and beau
ty. Are all these precious beginnings
that have cost so mhch labor, and
prayer, and pious anxiety, to be"thrown
into peril by rash experiments? I
trust not. I beg brethren to consider
well before they commit themselves to
such serious changes as are proposed.
Our Bro. Crawford says: “I would
have each man, each church, each as
sociation, realize its own individual
responsibility and duty, and never re
sort to joint effort where individual ef
fort can accomplish the result.” Ido
not particularly object to this position;
indeed the first part of the sentence is
most excellent. And is not this sense
of individual duty the very thing which
our Boards, by their agents, their cir
culars, their periodicals are constantly
urging ? And is not this spirit gradu
ally and healthfully extending in our
churches, and evidently to a great ex
tent as the result of those very influen
ces which we are asked to set aside ?
And where there is most of this whole
some feeling, is there not (I do not say
in every individual case,) felt a very
high appreciation of the importance of
4ur Boards ? I cannot speak for “all,
but I am confident that down this way
-we should have gotten along very bad
ly in our missionary operations, if it
had not been for the fostering, pater
nal aid of our Foreign and Domestic
Boards. We may get to feel very
strong by and by, there is no telling;
-but I apprehend that for many years
we shall need greatly the support of
that “joint effort,” which is now cheer
ing and helping our tottering infancy.
But I am getting to be prolix and
will stop. May the Lord give wisdom
to his people. C. D. M.
Since’writing the above, I have re
ceived the last Ho. of the Index, and
upon glancing at the paper (I have had
time to read but a few paragraphs,) I
see that we are to look lor a pretty
full discussion of the great questions at
issue. In the midst of such counsel
lors I trust we shall all find out the
safe and proper way. I also notice the
“Hew Law,” and in conformity there
to I give my name a little more in full.
C. D. MALLORY.
We learn that Rev. E. W. Warren has
baptized three persons since his pastoral
connexion with the church at Fort Gains.
A Proposal. / _
Who will join Bro. Edgeliims endeav
ors ? His proposal is iff easy one; and
one which will doubtless meet the appro- -
val of many. Let me hear Boon. S. B.f
Rev. Samuel Boykin, Macon, Ga.: K
My Dear Brother—Yours of recent date
is received, which will doubtless prove
satisfactory to all concerned. I will take
two copies of Rev. Jos. Walker’s “Re
view of Dr. Pierce’s Sermon.’’ Will
“Truth’’ be as charitable to the B. & C.
Society, and to the Baptists of Georgia,
as brother Walker? If so I will be one
of fifty OT inake up a club of ten subscri
bers eapb, or of one hundred to form a
club ass five, for “Baptismal Discussion’’
put/up in book form, like to the proposed
**Review.’ £ Can the thing be done?
We need such books. We must have such
books. Why not commence the good
work now ? Our book cases should al
ways have such invaluable jewels fronting
the fireside; that our children may have
principles of truth, implanted in their
hearts, and not permit them, as they grow
up to prefer the sayings of men, to the
doctrines of Christ, causing us to blush
with shame, in after years; at their vain
efforts to establish a false faith upon su
perstitious rites. I would again propose
to my brethren, that every Pastor make
himself a “Domestic Colporteur,” en
gage books, and then send their orders
to you. It is only by disseminating
truth that error falls to the
Whenever an order is sent for books, let
at least.We flew subscriber be sent to the
Index. Let every brother know that
whenever he sends two dollars for the*
Index, he gives two dollars for mis
sions, and gets the best Baptist paper in
the world free. - Yours truly,
H. X. EDGE.
Dear Bro. Walker: Permit me to ac
knowledge through the Index the follow
ing subscriptions towards making brother
J. H. Campbell’s salary:
Merrill Calloway $25 00
A friend, (cash) 10 00
S. C. Hitchcock, (cash)..:... 5 00
A friend, (cash) 10 00
Wm. M. Janes* 10 00
James Clarke.. .> 20 00
Scientific Paradoxes.
The water which drowns us as a flu
ent stream, can be walked upon as ice.
The bullet which, when fired from a
musket carries death, will be harmless
if ground to dust before being fired.—
The cryetalized part of the oil of roses,
so grateful in its fragrance—a solid at
ordinary temperatures, though readily
volatile—is a compound substance,
containing exactly the same elements,
in exactly the same proportions, as the
gas with which we light our streets. —
The tea which we daily drink, with ben
efit and pleasure, produces palpitations,
nervous tremblings, and even paraly
sis, if taken in excess; yet the peculiar
organic agent, called theine, to which
tea owes its qualities, may.be taken by _
itself (as theine, not*tea,) apy
appreciable effect. The water JjWck
will*allay our burning thirst, augments
congealed into snow ; so that
Captain Ross declares the natives of
the Arctic regions “ prefer enduring
the utmost extremity of thirst rather
than attempt to remove it by eating
snow.” Yet, if the snow be melted it
becomes drinkable water, neverthe
less, although if melted before enter
ing the mouth, it assuages thirst like
other other water, when melted in the
mouth it has the opposite effect. To
render this paradox more striking, we
have only to remember that ice, which
melts more slowly in the mouth, is
very efficient in allaying thirst.
Blackwood.
Muck.
The value of muck in agriculture,
is now universally recognized, and ve
ry few farmers who can obtain it at
reasonable cost, are so neglectful of
their interests as to be without a sup
ply. On most farms, there is more or
less low ground, where accumulations
of muck, or of rich vegetable mould,
in a state of perfect or partial decom
position, exist, and which, when haul
ed out and composted, or prepared by
mixing with it a quantity of lime or
ashes, acts as a most powerful and sal
utary stimulant to every description
of crop. Asa general thing, muck,
in its pristine condition, is too strong
ly impregnated with acids to admit of
its being applied directly to vegeta
tion; but the action of frost, or of alka
lies, neutralizes these, and renders it,
in a very short time, a most invigora
ting article to be used in the cultiva
tion of almost every variety of plant.
By filling our cow, hay and sheep
yards with good muck, we may make
almost any quantity of dressing, and
at an outlay merely nominal. Farm
ers pursue different methods in the pre
paration of materials for dressing; yet
the difference is in most cases so slight
that the final result is rarely in any de
gree, affected by the discrepancies.—
The great desideratum, as I conceive,
in preparing the article, is to deprive
it of its acid principle. When this is
accomplished, the application of the
mass will be. safe and salutary under
any circumstances. By placing it in
a condition to receive and absorb the
rich liquid voidings of domestic ani
mals, it will of course, be increased
greatly in actual value; T and in this
way it should be always ..used, when
practicable.— Germantown Tel.
“$S
Lqss of the Jasper.
New York, March 20. —The British war
steamer Jasper was wrecked off Jamaica, on
the night of the 14th inst. Only the captain
and nineteen men are known to be saved. : ||f