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THE CHRISTIAN INDEX,
PUBLISHED EVERY WEDNESDAY MOP.NINO
AT MACON, GEORGIA,
8Y A COMMITTEE OF BRETHREN,
FOR THE GEORGIA BAPTIST CONVENTION.
TERMS OF SUBSCRIPTION,
Two Dollars in Advance: or pfid within the /ear.
*‘lf suffered to overrun the year, Txo Dollar*
and one-half will be charged id all cases.
E. W. WARREN, Editor.
Y OLITME 38. — New Series Yol. 27.
POETRY.
~ Th Parting. ‘
‘BT MRS. L. H. SIGOURNEY.
Is there any healer near ?
Any Balm of Gilead here ? 4 ’
I have journey’d on to se£,’
Wearily—wearily—
That if God should hear my sigh,
I might live, and not die,
For my blessed children’s sake.”
So, the widowed mother-spake.*
Then the Georgian breezes blew
Soft and sweet,
And the flowers around lier-grew,
And the sparkling waters threw
Gifts of vigor at-her feet;
And tlje great Magnolia stirr’d
Its heart-inclhse at the word,
Breath’d by patience, out of pain,
But in vain.
Who are these, that like the Dove,
Toward the window of the Ark,
With the trembling wing of love,
Onward press, through light and daik?
To the mother’s coach they cling
In their bitter sorrowing :
I.o! from its heavenward track
The parting soul looks back ;
One angel-smile to shed,
Though earthly speech hath fled,
One spirit kiss to press
On brows of loveliness;
Doth it listen to their cry,
Seraph tear-drops in its eye ?
Now, all is o’er—they stand
An orphan band.
Oh, Time! - oh, death—oh, Grief!
How fearful strong ye are—
What, to your shafts can bring relief?
Or in your lone home aiuell despair ?
Bereft, and loving band,
He, of the pierced hand
Your woe can understand, —
Turn—turn ye there.
* A lovely Alabamian mother, Mrs. Jane R.
Rtorrs, prostrated by the sudden shock of widow
hood, was induced to seek health from a change of
climate, among friends in Georgia, where she died
in the Autumn of 1856, three of her five children
* ’ f
tween Adam and Eve with their Ma
ker. “Words could but faintly portray
an idea -of the aw/at sublimity of the
scene, for, in imagination, we see the
heretofore bright heavens darkened,
and the sun obscured by clouds of the
most sable vivid lightning
flashing §s it never did before —the
lofld clashing and roaring of the migh
ty thunder —and as Adam and his
wife are driven from the garden to
which they can never more return, the
rain descends in torrents, and the very
earth upon which they walk is shaken
as by a most terrific earthquake.-T-?,
Here a broad and swelling river oo :
structs their path, and there a tearful
and yawning chasm reminds them pi
their most imminent peril. We will
leave them pursuing their fearful jour
ney, hoping that yon, dear reader, will
take warning by their sad fate.
Atlanta, Ha., Sept. 1859.
Missionary Letter.
To the Baptist Church arid Missiona
ry Society, Columbus , Georgia, TJ.
S.A.
Yery Dear Brethren and Sisters :
Month after month has passed and I
have not written to you, not however,
from want of disposition to do so, but
for want of proper time and quietness.
New Missionaries have been with me
to acclimate, (are still here, but I con
sider partly through acclimation,) and
duty demands that I should perforin
the pleasing task of waiting on them
when sick. I have been obliged to
visit Abbeokuta frequently for several
months past, and since Bro. Priest has
gone home all the care of the station
there devolves upon me.
It is now the rainy season, and trav
eling, I am often overtaken in rain,
and sometimes out in the night air.—
I feel no inconvenience from such ex
posure, however, and I believe I am
stronger now than*’
- I >r. f. .. I j —l
the time, and all were doubtlessly
greatly interested. And they
heard of thg love of God in Bending
his son to die for us their amazement
seemed to know no bounds. What
may be the result of such labors I am
not able to say, that word may be hid
in the heart for years and then give
fruit, or God may make me only of
the truth. Many such incidents might
be related.
A few mornings ago a man asked
mo what was sin. I repeated several
of the commandments, viz: Thou shalt
not steal, commit adultery, &c. He
said he could do that. Then I told
him he must not covet anything that
belonged to his neighbor, and that he
must love God with aIT his heart, and
him only must he serve. Then he said
he was a sinner and wanted me to pray
for him.
Such as these, brethren, you will
certainly call interesting, and things
well calculated to encourage me.
In conclusion, dear ‘brethren j I say
there is a great harvest to be gathered
here. Be not discouraged, but pray
earnestly and continually for the sal
vation of this people. No matter
whether Paul or any other planted.-
Pray to God for an increase.
How long it will please God to spare
my life, I know not, but I feel that
Africa is my home. 1 am in good
health, therefore I see no reason why I
should go home. As the Lord has
graciously spared my life, he evident
ly designs for me to stay here. In His
wise providence he has seen lit to place
me alone on life’s pilgrimage, and so
long as He is with me I have strength
aud courage to battle with the storms
and adverse winds.
Pray tor me, brethren, that my faith
and strength fail not.
The God of wisdom and grace be
with and guide you all, is the prayer
of your brother and fellow-laborer.
Affectionate uoVP 9S
I •pouiofqns
MACON, WEDNESDAY,. NOVEMBER 9, 1859.
Young Men’s Christian Associi.-
•* tion. . - s*^.
Bear bro. Warren.—ln our former
article on this subject, we gave as one
of our reasons why obedient lovers ol
the truth should not co-operate with
these Associations, that they are lite
ral or virtual additions to, or substi
tutes for the’ Church of Christ. It is
with the readers of that article to say
whether this proposition was sufficient
ly sDrained. If it was sustained, then
no Christian can require any addition
al argument for declining all agency
in perpetuating these Associations.
But in fulfilment of our promise to
make another contribution for the next
number of the ludex, we otter as an
additional reason for our position, the
following proposition:
No Christian who entertains a firm
ly established faith in the doctrines of
the Bible, can co-operate, with these
Associations without misrepresenting
himself, disseminating error, and <#m
promising the truth. Unfortunately
for the cause of truth, there are num
bers of Christians connected with va
rious denominations who never think
for themselves. They are always ready
to tie their faith to the skirts of their
pastors, or follow, like an unthinking
child, in the footsteps of their grand
fathers. And if a question of difficul
ty, especially if it be one of a religious
character, presents itself and calls for
their decision —if the dictum of Pas
tors, or the example of predecessors be
an insufficient argument —instead ol
going to the fountain head, and inves
tigating the subject closely and atten
tively, and deciding it for themselves,-
they find a satisfactory foundation for
their faith and actions in the views of
great men whose lives
voted to the study /
whose
age to j .jMf! ..L, ,|fc
i 1 ” | f> f ‘flf * Y -
says, saved by faith, which is the
“gift of God.” Now if the Arminian
is right, he withholds a part of the
truth unless he declares faith to be the
act of the creature. If the Calvinist
is right he withholds a part of the truth
unless he says with Paul, “by grace
are ye saved, through faith, and that
not of yourselves, it is the gift ot God.”
Here, for fear of giving offence, he
dare not say that the relative refers to
its nearest antecedent, or that it would
be folly in Paul to say that grace,
which is a giver of free favor from a
third person, can not come from our
selves, since it is self-evident that we
•can not be giver aud receiver; and
therefore the object of donation is faith,
as there was an apparent doubt as to
whether, in its reception, we are ac
tive or passive agents. The two sects
seemingly agree in saying “ye must
be born again,” but does not the Cal
vinist compromise the truth unless he
declares that God alone, and not man’s
will, can raise him,.from the dead, pu
rify his nature him anew
creature. He may cry “have faith,” “be
born again,” but unless he adds these
explanatory clauses he fails to preach
tne truth of the Bible, and leaves the
sinner in darkness and uncertainty.—
So the Calvinist and Arminian can join
in saying, he that believeth shall be
saved ; but when the qualifying clau
ses are introduced, instead of harmo
ny, we again find decided conflict. The
Arminian adds, if you continue in your
faith until your death, you
saved, but you may loose
nally lost ; while the \
“lie that ; 3 .
wlmsiievi-r -A , * f 1V! *
tion, which excludes white men from
a share in her councils. It was a dark
day for the cause, when this exclusive
policy was adopted. After all, Libe
ria is not a failure. The people now
make a good living. Many of them
have grown comparatively rich, and
they are beginning to have a profita
ble commerce. A nation of 9,000 souls
in a savage forest can do but little at
first except to live. But Liberia lias
done better than the first English col
onies in Virginia. Her prospects are
now bright. They are ever glorious.
Her sea coast is six hundred miles in
length; she is penetrating into the fer
tile, healthy interior; she is at peace
with her neighbors; and better than
all, several tribes are advancing so
rapidly in civilization that they must
before long be qualified to become wor
thy citizens of the Republic. Sneer
who will, sneer will never destroy facts.
There is every prospect that Liberia
will civilize millions of native Afri
cans. The work is going on and grows
stronger ds,ily.
In some very important respects, Li
beria is indebted to Missions for all
that she is, or will be. The ambassa
dors of Christ sent forth from America,
stood by and sustained her in the houv
of her darkest trials; in
famine, and in war.
pioneers in the
nients, and
1 m'estii ms Ly-gbil
iv. .
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Number 45#
one of that sort. Talk about honor!—
Is it honorable for a man to trample
under foot the laws of God ? To set at
naught the laws of God and the gov
ernment under which he lives ? Bnt
it is cowardly to refuse to fight. Cow
ardly to regard the laws of God and
mail ? Then let me be a coward, and
let my offspring be cowards, world
without end.
In my judgment, the most effectual
way to put down duelling is at the
ballot-box. Let all law-abiding'men,
and all who fear God, Methodists, Bap
tists, Presbyterians, Episcopalians and
Quakers, set their faces as a flint a
gainst this blot. Let no candidate for
the State Legislature, or for a seat in
the National Legislature have the suf
frage sought on such occasions. Let
candidates know this —let them feel
your power, and let them tremble be
fore it. A man who sets aside and
tramples upon the laws of his country
and the laws, of God that made him, is
unfit po he clothed with legislative
power.
AN OLD >