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THE CHRISTIAN INDEX,
PIBLISURD EVERY WEDNESDAY MORNING
AT MACON, GEORGIA.
BY A COMMITTEE OF BRETHREN,
FOR THE
GEORGIA BAPTIST CONVENTION.
TERMS OF SUBSCRIPTION..
Two Dollars in advance : or paid within the year.
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one-half will be charged in all cases.
E. W. WARREN, Editor.
VOLUME XXXIX. I
TJcwSeries—VolumeXXVlll. j
CONTRIBUTIONS,
Corrective Church Discipline.
NUMBER NINE.
Deductions from previous principles
—Chukcii Sovereignty and Inde
pendence.
Deduction 1. Local Churches have
exclusive jurisdiction over their mem
bers. This proposition asserts two
things; First, a local church has juris
diction over its members ; Second, this
jurisdiction belongs to it exclusively.
But they can both be proved by the
same process. Here, then, is no room
for abstract reasoning. The only proof
admissible, is that derived from the
New Testament. To the New Testa
ment alone, then, let the appeal be
made. To the churches belong exclu
sive jurisdiction over their i. .v|ers,
because—
1. The Savior gave them such ju
risdiction. This is clearly implied in
11 is directions to the offended brother,
“Tell it unto the church ; but if he
neglect to hear the church, let him be
to thee as a heathen man and a puo
licau.” Mat: 1: 17.
2. Paul acknowledges this jurisdic
tion when,he exhotts the Corriuthians
to discipline the incestuous man. “Do
n t judge them that are within [i. e.
your own members.] Therefore put
away Iroua among yourselves that
wicked person.” Cor. 5: 12, 13.
3. In the Revelations, the Savior
commends one chinch for exercising
it. To the church at Ephesus, lie
commands John t > write, “l know thy
works and thy labor, and thy patience,
bow thou canst not bear them which
are evil; and thou hast tried them
which say they are apostles, and are
not, and hast found them liars. Rut
this thou hast, that thou batest the
deeds of the Nicolaitanes, which I also
hate.” Rev. 2: 2, 0.
4. lie condemns other churches for
not exercising it, and enforcing discip
line. To the church at Pergamos, lie
says, “Rut 1 have a few things against
thee, because that thou hast there them
that hold the doctrine of Balaam, who
taught Ralac to cast a stumbling block
before the children of Israel, to eat
things sacrificed unto idols, and to
commit fornication. So thou lni3talso
them that hold the doctrine of the Ni
colaitanes, which thing I hate. Re
pent, or else I will come to thee quick
ly,” &c. Rev. 2: 14, 15, 10. To the
church at Thyatira. lie says, “Not
withstanding 1 have a few things a
gainst thee, because thou sufibrest that
woman Jezebel, which calleth herself a
prophetess, - to teach and seduce my
servants to commit fornication, and to
eat things sacrificed to idols.,’ 2: 20.
Now, jurisdiction implies supremacy
and power. If “that woman Jezebel”
could have refused to be tried, or in
other ways to acknowledge the juris
diction of the church over her, then
the church at Thyatira could have
pleaded that it lacked the power to
call her to account; or if others, eith
er churches, church officers, or com
mittee, had joint jurisdiction, the
church might have shifted the respon
sibility, and pleaded that she had been
disabled by the opposition or indiffer
ence of others. No. It was the duty
of the church to restrain or to put a
way from the professed followers of
Christ, wicked persons; and the church
was vested with the power to do so. —
Hence the condemnation passed by
the Savior upon her and her alone. —
Under Christ, every local church has
supreme jurisdiction over its members.
It can, without permission asked of an
offender, or of any other individuals
or organizations in the world, arraign
him, try him, condemn him, and if
need be, expel him. This jurisdiction
is commonly expressed by the term,
sovereignty. Against the use of this
term of late, strenuous objection has
been urged. This objection may be
leveled either against the appositeness
of the term to convey the idea; or else
against the idea itself designed to be
conveyed by it.
First-Why is not the term an appro
priate one? It is answered, “It is ab
surd to call that a sovereign body
which is subject in all things. Christ
is the only King in Zion, and therefore
the only sovereign.” This objection is
urged by those who grant and main
tain that every church is independent.
The so called independence of the
churches, and the consequences drawn
from it, constitute the main ground of
their arguments against church sover
eignty. Now, upon the same princi
ples upon which they repudiate sover
eignty, how easy will it be to show
that there can be no such thing as in
‘dependence. If the church cannot be
sovereign because it is subject to Christ
then it cannot be independent either,
because it is dependent upon Christ in
all things. So you see, it is as broad
as it is long; and if there is no sover
eignty, then is there no independence
either. Upon the principle of the ob
jection, there is not now, and never has
been, a sovereign State in the world ;
for God reigns supreme, the only ab
solute sovereign in the universe. In re
lation to God, all nations are subject
and dependent; but in relation to their
subjects and to one another, they are
sovereign and independent. So gospel
churches, in relation to Christ, are
both subject and dependent in ail
things ; but in relation to the'r own
members and to one another, they are
both sovereign and independent. So it
will be seen that not absolute and inhe
rent,but delegated sovereignty is claim
ed for gospel churches. And all that is
meant is, that under the law of Christ,
in the enforcement of discipline, they
have supreme jurisdiction over their
disorderly members.
Second—But it may be that the ob
jection is leveled at the idea legitimate
ly conveyed by the term sovereign.—
Will any one maintain that a church
has no right to arraign, try aud expel
an offender —that in these things, her
members are not subject to her? Will
any one maintain that it is optional
with the member, whether or not he
will submit to a trial, when arraigned
on charges before his church, and that
a church, when endeavoring to put a
way from her number a wicked per
son, cannot succeed, unless she obtain
bis concent, and the consent of those
that are without? If so, then is there
no such thing as corrective church dis
cipline. Members may withdraw from
the church ; but there can be no such
thing as withdrawing fellowship from
t.em ;and excommunication will mean
nothing more than that the disorderly
member lias given his consent to re
lieve the church from any further re
sponsibility for him. If churches have
not the power to deal with aud excom
municate disorderly persons without
their consent, then, when Savior in
structed the offended to carry the of
fender before the church, lie but mock
ed him; when He praised the church
at Ephesus for trying the false apos
tles, lie gave them credit for that
which was but temerity and presump
tion ; and when He chided Pergamos
and Thyatira for tolerating wicked
persons, lie unjustly held them ac
countable for that over which they had
no control. It was their misfortune,
and not their fault that these disorder
ly persons were retained; since, ac
cording to the supposition, they had
not the power to put them away.—
Surely, on reflection, it must be grant
ed that, under Christ,” every local
church, in enforcing discipline, has
supreme control of its offending mem
bers—that, in administering the laws
of Christ, it has the power to discipline
its members without asking the con
sent oi them or of any body else.
Sovereignty and independence are
n>t synonymous terms. In an earthly
kingdom, sovereign, as a term, is the
correlative of subject, and implies tiie
power to govern either under law or
without it, as the sovereign may be
limited or absolute in power,: Inde
pendence in a State, marks its rela
tions not to its own people, but tooth
er States; and signifies freedom from
control by other States. So church
sovereignty marks the relation the
church bears, not to other churches,
but to its own members ; and signifies
her power to govern them, under the
laws of Christ. Church independence
marks the relation that the church sus
tains, not to her members, but tooth
er churches; and signifies her freedom
from their control. The sovereignty
of a church is subverted when her
members successfully rebel against her
authority; as when a member under
charges refuses to be tried, and suc
cessfully tears himself free from her
jurisdiction. The independence of a
church is infringed upon, when other
churches, Associations, or Councils,
either volunlarily, or at the instigation
of her recusant member, interfere with
her discipline, or otherwise attempt
forcibly to control her. Under Christ,
a local church is both sovereign and
independent. It is not claimed, how
ever, that she has the powder to make
laws. It is granted and maintained
that Christ is the only lawgiver ; and
that all that is left for the church to do,
in the case of offences, is to adminis
ter and execute the law. It has no
legislative ‘power; but Christ has in
vested it with judicial an executive
powers.
First—The church is invested by
Christ with the power to arraign and
try its members.
Question 1. “But may not a member
refuse to be tried ?”
Ans. —lie may say he refuses ; and
so may a citizen under the jurisdiction
of our own courts, say he will not heed
a citation. But wnat will be the re
sult ? If the suit be a civil one, and
he refuses to appear either in person
or by attorney, it goes against him by
default—if it be a criminal one, then
one of two things will inevitably hap
pen—either lie will fall into the hands
of the power he endeavors to elude,
and be tried anyhow, or he becomes a
fugitive from bis country. A church
member in disorder may say he refu
ses to be tried ; but if the church be
true to Christ, to herself, and to the
culprit, he will be tried notwitstand
ing.
Question 2. “Suppose he does actu
ally refuse to be tried, what then ?”
Ans.—He only adds to his other
sins those of contumacy and rebellion.
“He neglects to hear the church” in
its citations, and if he were innocent
in all things else, persisting in this at
titude, she is bound to make him bear
the relation to her of “a heathen man
and a publican.” There is not a church
in Christendom that would not feel it
selt in duty bound to expel one main
taining this attitude, whatever may be
his characteristics in other respects.
Ques. 3. “But suppose the arraign
ed differs from the clufrch in regard to
the kind of offence, and the method of
proceedings!”
Ans.—The church is the only judge
of the law and the fact; and her deci
sion is final. Either the church or the
arraigned is to decide all questions
raised. If the arraigned, then no guil
ty person could be punished ; for he
would always quash proceedings on
some plea. In the language of Bro. J.
- MACON, WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 15, 1860.
S. Baker, in another connection, “Sa
tan and his subjects are ever fruitful
in inventions. An offender, therelore,
will seldom want lor a plausible objec
tion to every rule of discip’ine that is
applicable to his case, even though
such be expressly given in Scripture.”
p. 270. In a previous number, it was
shown that, in no event conld injustice
be done to an innocent man, if the
church rule his offence to be ‘public,’
when he thinks it to be strictly ‘pri
vate.’ But it may be asked, “Is not
something due the cause of Christ from
an innocent man accused—and does
he escape responsibility aud sin, if he
permits the church to go on in viola
tion of the law of Christ ?” To this it
is answered, that if he raises the point
of order, and the church overrule him,
not he but the church is responsible.—
Whatever sin there may be, in the
sight of God and man, he is free from
it. But besides, what else can he do to
stay proceedings, without himsell com
mitting a greater sin than that he so
conscientiously protests against?—
Shall he conscientiously attempt to ar
rest proceedings by rebelling against
the authority Chiist has committed to
His church, and refusing to be tried
any further? Strange conscientious
ness that, which attempts to prevent
another from committing a sin, by per
petrating a greater sin itself. Aud be
sides, conscientiousness in this connec
tion can* with difficulty be distinguish
ed from an attempt to evade justice.—
This is precisely the eeurse a wicked
man would pursue —one who is fight
ing for victory, or to thwart an adver
sary in the church —if he dared tu do
so, and was convinced that he had a
sufficient number outside of the church
to sustain him. A man does not show
his conscientiousness by acting on the
prinicple, “Let us do evil that good
may come. ’
Ques. 4. “But does not a church that
rejects the law of Christ as laid down
in Mat. 18, cease to be a church of
Christ—and is not the menber releas
ed from all obligations to it ?”
Ans.—Please stick to the original
proposition. The cabe before us is
this ; On a point raised by the arraign
ed, the church thinks the offence comes
under 1 Cor. 5; while he thinks it
comes under Mat. 18. Here the church
rejects not the law, but the offenders
interpretation of it. The most that can
be said, then, is that the church has
wilfully or inadvertently misapplied
the law. The latter will always, in a
judgment of charity, be ascribed to
to her. In “mixed offences” f see No.
1 of this series,) where the act is a
crime against religion and morality
and the object of it a brother, it is al
ways easy for an offender who is a de
signing man, or whose head is confused,
to mystify the minds of others by rais
ing a point of this kind. Bear in mind,
however, that according to the suppo
sitiorn the church does not avow r edly re
ject the law of Christ; but only com
mits an error in its application. If
then the objection contained in your
question has auy force, see to what it
brings us. See what is the general
principle that must be deduced for the
offender to stand on, and be sustained
in his rebellion against the church.—
It is this : Whenever a church com
mits an error, it becomes annihilated.
On this principle, there is no church
now in the world ; forallhave, during
their existence, made mistakes and
committed errors. We are happy, how
ever, to know from the Scriptures that
sirch an effect does not follow from
such a cause; and that the world is
not in this sad and irretrievable con
dition. The at Corinth, fora
long time, permitted an incestuous
man to remain quiet and undisturbed
in her communion ; ami division and
party spirit raged within her borders.
Some were for Paul, and some for Ap
polioß, and some for Cephas, and some
for Christ. Here were grave errors,
serious omissions of duty, and repre
hensible sins. Was the church at Co
rinth annihilated ? Paul did not seeni
to thime so. And we no where read
that the incestuous man, when arraign
ed, raised this point, and \ trred off
the infliction of the penalty cftfe to his”
crimes, by declaring the church anni
hilated. Against the majority of “the
seven chuiches which are in Asia,”
Christ brings serious accusations. To
one he saj’6, “1 have somewhat against
thee, because thou hast left thy first
love ;” two others He chides because
they retain among themselves disor
derly and wicked persons; to another
He says, “I have not found thy works
perfect before God.” “I know thy
works, that thou hast a name, that
thou livest and art dead ;” and to an
other still He brings the charge of
lukewarmness, threatening to spew it
out of his mouth. Yet, His Apostle,
in addressing these very things to
them, styles them “the seven churches
which are in Asia.” It cannot be true
then that when a church commits an
error in the application of the law in
Mat. IS, or in auy other way, it be
comes annihilated.
But suppose we grant for the 6akeof
the argument, that the commission of
an error by her will annihilate the
church —then the question comes up,
who is to decide that an error has been
committed, and that the church has
been annihilated ? The arraigned man?
If so, what designing and wicked per
sons can be tried ? How easy will it
be for an unscrupulous man to join is
sue with the church on some point he
may raise, whether pertineutly or not,
and thus annihilate the church, and
ward off from himself the retribution
due to his crimes. How many crimi
nals, arraigned before our courts of
j justice, would be condemned, if it was
j the prerogative of the prisoner at the
i bar to decide all the points of law
raised by the counsel with whom he
is in collusion ? Nay, more ; what pros
pect would there be of enforcing the
criminal laws of the country, if the
prisoner at the bar had the power to
disband and annihilate the court,
whenever it differed from him in the
interpretation of law ? Whenever one
arraigned before a church makes such
a plea as this, it proves nothing more
than that he has no better plea to urge.
On the subject of the right and du
ty of a church, whenever a purely ‘pri
vate’ case has been informally brought
before it, brother Joseph S. Baker
speaks conclusively and forcibly as fol
lows :
“A. charges B. with trespasses committed a
gainst himself, before he pursues the course pre
scribed by the Savior. B, in return, charges A.
with a violation of the rule to which we have re
ferred, aud pleads, perhaps, that the church has no
right to deal with him, as the case was informally
brought before it. Such a plea is evidently in
valid. The truth is, they are both offenders, aud
the church is bound to investigate and to act on
the cases of both. But as she cannot act on both
simultaneously, the question may arbe, which case
should be first takeuup? We answer unhesita
tingly the case of 8., and that for two reasons ;
Ist, because the offence of B. was committed pri
or to that of A., and was first brought to the no
tice of the church. 2d, because A,’s offence rew
out of that of B. Properly, therefore, to adjudi
cate the case of A., we must acquaint our.-elves
with those circumstances in the conduct ot 8.,
which tended to aggravate or palliate the offence
ot the former. But to do this; it would be noces
sary to enter fullv into the investigation of the
conduct of B. The ease is as clear as the sun in a
cloudless sky at noonday.
“We have frequently known churches to dis
miss cases indefinitely, because thete was some ir
regularity in the manner in which they were bro’t
before them. These generally prove, too. final
dismissions. If we are right in the views express
ed in the preceding part of this article, that
church is wrong which pursues either of these
courses. ‘lie that knoweth to do good and doeth
it not, to him it is sin.’ By party of reasoning,
that church which knows of the existence-of an
evil in it, and neglects to correct it promptly,
must be viewed as guilty before God.
“When au iudividual is charged with criminal
conduct, if instead of replying to the charges
brought against him, he endeavors to criminate
others, he affords strong presumptive cvideuce of
his own guilt. lie acts upon the same principle
with the thief, who, when the officer of justice
and the mob are at his heels, raises the cry, and
cries loudest of all, ‘stop thief! stop thief!’ His
principle is to evade justice by diverting attention
from himself to some other individual. To pre
vent your pluckiug the beam out of his own eye,
he would set you to picking at the mote iu his
brother’s eye.” Periodical Library, \ 01. 1, No.
IV. 1.1847,] pp. 264-6.
It must be granted that ti e church
possesses judicial power —that it has
the right to arraign and try its disor
der] v members.
P. IE MELL.
University of Georgia,
The Early Christian Church.
The voice of authentic history in re
gard to its organization, officers,
practices and ordinances.
Whenever an occasion offered itself,
the Apostle Paul made use of Jewish
synagogues for promulgating the gos
pel. Aud it was his endeavor at first,
not so much to organize nevj churches
as to convert or christianize existing
congregations,, namely Jewish or Ilel
enistic synagogues. And when this
was effected, the government and con
stitution of the converted ecclesia was
left unaltered —the gospel ordinances
only being added.f Nor is it doubt
ful but that when churches were form
ed out of gentile converts, that they
were modelled after the synagogual
form ; for the Greek name of the syn
agogues, ( ecclssia ,) the appellation of
officers, ( presluteroi,) are the same as
those applied to Christian churches and
their officers. The method of proce
dure in the services of both were, also,
strikingly similar.
The conclusion deduced is that the
government and constitution of the a
postolic churches were founded upon
an existing state of circumstances. —
That Paul’s course of conduct was not
only de-dgned hut authorized, we are
persuaded from A-cts 13: 46; and, if
so, the churches he q’eruted, anjd the
government he assigned tßsjri, the of
ficers ha mentioned|fn cOnueeNion with
them and the rites they are bid
den to perform, when all taken
together, be esteetned the divinely ap
pointed mddenor church organization
and government.
Let us now, for* a brief while,."con
sult the.divine oracles and examine
the pages of histdMc lore, for a few of
the chief characteristics of the apostol
ical churches..
These, when established, shall serve
as so many landmarks by which to es
tablish our own correctness. That each
apostolic church was independent oi all
others, the united voice of history bears
witness. Says Mosheim, “Neither in
the New Testament, nor in any an
cient document whatever, do we find
anything recorded from whence it
might be inferred that any of the mi
nor clmrcho3 were at;all dependent on,
or looked up for direction to those of
greater magnitude or consequence. —
On the contrary, several things occur
therein, which put it out of all doubt
that every one of them enjoyed the
same rights, and was considered as be
ing on a footing of the most perfect e
quality with the rest.” Again he says,
“AU the churches in those primitive
times, were independent bodies; or,
none of them subject to the jurisdic
tion of any other. For though the
churches which were founded by the
Apostles themselves, frequently had,
the honor shown them to dp coiiWlted*
in difficult and doubtful cases; yet they
had no judicial authority, no control, *
no power of giving laws.” Robert*
Robinson, in his “Ecclesiastical Re
searches,” says, “Writers of all denom
inations affirm, and a strict adherence
to truth compels them to do so, that i
the churches of the earliest times were
—
IWhately.
j small, independent societies, who as
sembled at least once a week, on the
first day, each iu its own place, to wor
ship God.”
• One quotation from the Bible will
suffice to prove this independence:
“Moreover, if thy brother shall trespass
against thee, go and tell him his fault
between thee and him alone: if he
shall hear thee, thou hast gained thy
brother. But if be will not hear thee,
then take with thee one or two more,
that in the mouth of two or three wit
nesses every word may be established.
Aud if he shall neßeet to hear them,
tell it to the church: but if he neglect
to hear the church, let him be unto
thee as a heathen man and a publican.”
Nothing is said of any higher authori
ty. And Paul’s requiring the church
at Corinth to excommunicate the in
cestuous person, exhibits the applica
tion of the rule.
Robinson, in his Ecclesiastical Re
searches, says of the ancient Christian
assemblies, “In them prayer and praise
were offered to the Deity, by one at a
time, in the name of the rest: the Ho
ly Scriptures were read, expounded
an enforced—giving instruction was
open to all: the doctrines taught were
few, plain and simple, taken immedi
ately from t lie gospel: the ceremonies
were baptism of adults by immersion,
and the Lord's Supper : the morals of
the pe pie were irrepioachable.”
‘*ln those primitive times,” writes
Mosheim, *‘each church was composed
of the people, the presiding officers ,
and the assistants or deacons .”
The principal voice was that of the
people , or of the whole body of Chris
tians; for even the Apostles them
selves, inculcated by their example,
that nothing* of any moment was to be
done or determined on, but with the
knowledge and consent of the broth
erho and. Acts 1: 15, G: 3, 15: 4, 21: 22.
Among all members of the church,
of whatever class or condition, there
was die utmost equality, which they
m nifested by their love feasts, by
their use of the appellatives, brethren
and sisters, and in other ways.”
“Tiie assembled people elected their
own rulers and teachers, or by their
free consent received such as were nom
inated to them. They also, by their suf
frages rejected or confirmed the laws
that were proposed by their rulers,
in their assemblies; they excluded pro
fligate and lapsed brethren, and re
stored them; they decided the contro
versies and disputes that arose; they
heard and determined the causes of
presbyters and deacons. In return for
all these rights, the people supplied
the funds necessary for the support ot
the teachers, deacons and the poor, for
the public exigencies and for unfore
seen emergencies.”!
“The rulers of the church were de
nominated sometimes presbyters or el
ders—a designation borrowed from the
Jews —and sometimes, also, bishops j
for it is most manifest, that both terms
are promiscuously used in the New
Testament, of one and the same class
of persons. Acts 2:17; 28. Phil. 1:1.
Titus 1: 5, 7. 1 Tim. 3: 1.
From the words of St. Paul, 1 Tim.
5: 17, it has been inferred that some
elders instr ucted the people, while oth
ers served the church in other w’ays. —
But this distinction between teaching
and ruling elders, if it ever existed,
was certainly not of long continuance;
for St. Paul makes it a requisite quali
fication of all presbyters or bishops,
that they be able to teach and instruct
others.” 1 Tim. 3: 2,* &c.
“At first, and for sometime, church
governors were of two ranks only, pres
byters and deacons, at least this ap
pears to have been the case in particu
lar instances, as at Phillippi atid at E
phesus; and the term bishop was con
founded with that of presbyter.” 2
“The bishops and presbyters—two ap
pellations which, iu their first origin,
appear to have distinguished the same
office, and the same order of persons.”3
“The office of the Presbyters w T as to
watch over the particular church in
‘which they ministered, in all that re
garded its external order and internal
parity;‘they were to instruct the ig
norant (1 Tim. 3 : 2,) to exhort the
faithful, to confute the gainsayers, (Ti
tus 1: 9,) to warn the unruly, to com
fort the feeble-minded, to support the
weak, to be patient towards all.” (1
Thess. 5: 14.) They were “to take
heed To the flock over which the Holy
Ghost had made them overseers, to
feed the church of God, which he had
purchased with his own b100d.”4. —
l Acts 20: 28.) “To the deacons was
entrusted of the poor, and in
course of tii&e, by a natural, though
not the order
ing its (tfie church’s) general tempo
ralities.”siP
1 Mosheim. * Mosheim. 2 Milner’s Ch. Hist.
3 Gibbon’s Decline and Fall. 4 Conybeare and
Howson. 5 Miall.
(Concluded next week.)
——
Rev. Jos. C.- —This gentle
man, though a of one ot the
new-school ol New r York,
and for inaqy a Congre
gational church in|Bw Haven, Con
necticut, has been csosen professor of
theology in the theological seminary to
be established by thoAlnited Synod of
the South near Charlottsville, Virgin-
and he has just been chosen as an
evangelist by the ohWchool Synud of
“Shis |%tter ? :election was by
a unanimous /bCi o#*tlm bydy. Dr.
Styles lias thus a qpasf connection with
tbur ecclesiastical bodies. 4
Virginia contains more Baptists than j
any other State in the Union ; they :
number 115,126.
Letter from Bro. Reid. Fruits AP
PEARING.
Away from home to buy cowries—
pleased with prospects —many hear
ers—“we want to take him with both
hands”—a convert —some account of
him—tearful gratitude—h ope to
baptize him soon—another baptism
—not left without hope—more la
borers wanted.
Abbeokbta, Africa, \
November 24, 1859. \
Dear bro. Wart'en. —By the last
mail 1 received three of the August
numbers of the Index, from which, I
learn that you have taken upon your
self the responsible position of Editor
of our beloved Index. My earnest
prayer is that you may have the co
operation of your brethren, and the as
sistance of God in your labor* to do
i good. As we have no one at this sta
tion to whom we can entrust impor
tant business, I had to leave my sta
tion in Oyo (pro Awyaw) and come
down here to buy a lot of cowries to
continue the improvement of the sta
tion at Oyo. 1 had hoped to get the
station all done during this dry season,
but circumstances will not admit. I
am much pleased with the prospects
of success at Oyo. Each Sabbath that
I have had services there, I have had
many hearers ; some of whom are be
coming much interested in the gospel.
A few days before I left to come here,
I visited two families who told me
they had given up their hope of sal
vation in everything else but Christ,
whom they were now seeking with all
their power. 1 endeavored to explain
to them how they should come to
Christ. To use their own reply, “we
want to take him with both hands.” —
Ayoungmau about twenty years of
age, who has been living with us sev
eral years, has recently professed con
version. lie is a native of Ogbomi
shaw. He has learned to read the
translations very freely, and sing ma
ny of our hymns which have been trails
lated. During the two years that he
has lived with me, he has been a very
attentive listeuer to the gospel, and
during this year he has been peculiar
ly attentive. About six weeks ago he
was sitting in his house singing, when
suddenly he laid down his book and
commenced weeping aloud. On be
ing asked the reason, he refused to
give any reply, but continued weep
iug.
After his distress passed off, I sent
my interpreter to ascertain the cause
of his crying. He told the interpreter
that hehad,sometimepast, been think
ing much about the conviction of his
father and family, and his own convic
tion, and the goodness of God in send
ing the gospel to this country, and how
little regard was had to the word of
God. These things were more than
his heart could bear. Some days af
ter this, I examined him very tho
roughly in regard his true condi
tion. I was much astonished and de
lighted at the clearness of his views of
Christ as the Savior of sinners, and es
pecially as his Saviour. When done,
I wa3 convinced that he had found
Christ indeed, and his conduct since,
has been that* of a Christian. 1 hope
ere long to baptize him.
The young man of whom I wrote
sometime since, who gave me his wish
and desired to believe in Christ, has
been sometime, now, in Ijaye, and has
satisfied the brethren there of his con
version, and they expected to baptize
him last Sabbath. Thus you see we
are not left without some hope that
thje good Lord is blessing his word in
Yoruba to the salvation of some poor
souls who have been raised in heath
enism. These encouragements from
the Lord, help us with the more ease
to bear the arduous labors which are
incumbent upon the few T missionaries
now in the field. If we do not have
more laborers, those now in the field
will have to surrender the field before
many years because of physical inabili
ty to perform the necessary mission
labors.
This climate is not healthy for a
European, consequently he is not able
to live here and perform so much la
bor with impunity, as our missionaries
have to .perform now. Certain con
stitutions, with care and light labor of
both body and mind, can, I think, live
here mariy years.
Yours affectionately,
T. A. lIEID.
We have two other very interesting
communications from Bro. Reid, which
shall appear regularly. —[Ed.
Glances all around.
What Bro. Shuck did as Missionary
to the Chinese in Sacramento, Califor
nia :
lie has established an efficient and
working church in Sacramento C'ty.
Built a chapel for the use of the Chi
nese congregation, and baptized many
into the fellowship of both these
churches. Several of the Chinese con
verts have been licensed to preach the
gospel to their fellow countrymen, and
have furnished substantial aid in pro
moting the cause of Christ in that Pa
cific State, whither thousands of Chi
na’s inhabitants have flocked in pur
suit of the treasures of this world—
blessed be God many of them have
found the pearl of great price.
He has,however, resigned the charge,
of his church and become
missionarj” to look after the feeble
churches, gather into church organiza
; tions the scattered Baptists, aud eu
j courage the pastors in their soul-sa
• ving work, as well as to look out aud
I bring into efficient operation the young
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NUMBER 7.
men of talent who might, under God,
bo made instruments of doing much
good.
The Change. — There was no one in
California that our brother could re
gard as his co-laborer when lie landed
in Ban Irancisco, 1554. llow greatlv
has God blessed this Mission, now un
der the appointment of the Board of
Domestic Missions of the Southern
Baptist Convention, can be found, Gil
bert, AV est, Davis, and Hopps, all
good and true men, whose labors the
Great Master is pleased to honor aud
bless to of precious souls.
Besides these are found several Chi
nese converts preaching Christ to the
willing hearers. Two church edifices
are now in process of erection under
the supervision of our missionaries.—
The money has not been spent in vain,
the labor not without the most cheer
ing results.
The following pleasing intelligence,
we also obtaindrom the Home & For
eign Journal.
Chinese Converts. —Two of the Chi
nese'con verts, Ah Mooey, and Leofig
Chak, who have been engaged for some
time in preaching to their countrymen,
in California, have roturnrd to China
and are now in the service of the For
eign Board as Canton.
The same paper remarks,
“ The Baptists in California are evi
dently increasing in numbers, and I
have reason to believe in love and good
works.”
Brother Shuck, Nov. 18th, 1859,
says : “ On last January evening, at
the close of ,a Missionary discourse to
a large audience, I baptized another
interesting aud intelligent Chinese
convert, named Ah Kee. There are
still other inquirers. Indeed, this man
is not the one I supposed would he
the next to avow Christ openly. It is
the Lord’s doing. Praise to his name!”
Brother S. further says, “The Chinese
brethren are again refitting their
“chapel,
and have in hand nearly all the money
needed for the expense. They are ac
tive and co-operative Christians. One
of the great hindrance! to ministers in
this country is the lack of co-operation
on the part ot members of the church
es. Chinese brethren set an example
worthy ot imitation by our American
members. These good Chinese breth
ren, too, make it a point to share in
the
“expenses,
necessary in sustaining the preaching
of the gospel.”
Creek Translation. —Bro. Buckner
is revising his Creek translation of
John for the press, and hopes to finish
it in a few weeks.
Return of a Chinese Missionary. —
Rev. A. B. Cabiniss, one of our most
devoted and useful Missionaries, is ex
pected to arrive in the United States
from China, in a few weeks.
Four Good Men Needed- The Board
of Foreign Missions makes renewed
application for Missionaries to Yoru
ba, asserting that there has not been
more sickness among the brethren of
that Mission than was to be apprehen
ded.
The Board recommends free colored
men , as suitable co-workers with the
brethren now in the field.
A Nation Born at Once-A remark
able display ot the power of divine
grace among a heathen people, has re
cently taken place in the island of Cel
ebes. Some Missionaries of the Neth
erlands Missionary Society have labor
ed there for some years with but little
apparent success. One of these mis
sionaries, however, now describes the
wonderful shower of mercy with which,
they are visited. A native preacher
was passing through a village on Sat
urday to his preaching appointment on
the Sabbath, when he saw the priest
who had been bitterly opposed to the
gospel and the Missionaries, with a
large crowd about him. Trembling
with fear he inquired what they want
ed, when he was told, greatly to his
surprise, that he and the people had
resolved to renounce idolatry, and be
come Christians. The movement spread
from village to village, the people cast
ing away their idols, and seeking in
struction from the missionaries, The
people say that they had come to the
knowledge of the truth chiefly by the
instruction their ehUdren had received
in the mission-school. The missiona
ries mention three districts, containing
at the beginning'.of the year, not less
than 10,000 and adds, “ But
to all appearance,Vmd with the help of
God, by the end of the year, these will
be not one left there.”
The last annual Report of the Bap
tist Missionary Convention of N. York,
just published, gives a total of 837
churches, 781 ministers,llo licentiates,
and 91,755 members in the State. —
The additions by baptism were 4,202,
and forty-two ministers were ordained,
and nineteen new churches recognized
within the year.
Siam. —Dr. Bradley, of the Ameri
can Missionary Association, reports
the baptism of eleven Siamese, and the
hopefui conversion of two other young
men. ,
An Irish child being commanded By
the Priest to burn his Bible, reluctanr
ly complied, but at the same time said,
“ I thank God that you can’t take from
me the twenty chapters that I have in
my mind.”