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CHRISTIAN INDEX AND SOUTH-WESTERN BAPTIST.
YOL. 46—NO. 15.
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Ctommuauatiottis-
Lights and Shades of Christianity.
BY ELDER M. P. LOWREY.
Christian continues: But first, I would
like for you to give me a clue to the difficul
ties that are in your way. Indeed, I should
be pleased if each of you gentlemen would
give your views in regard to the Bible, that
our investigation may have its proper bearing
on all parties.
Sceptic. As for myself, I have no serious
objections to the Bible that I wish to offer. If
it is a Divine Revelation, I desire the eviden
ces of the fact; and after being fully convinc
ed, I will be ready to receive and obey it.
Give me assurance that it is God s word. If
I have any objections to your arguments, I will
present them as they oecur to me.
Nominal. I am not disposed to question
the truth of revelation, for I have for many
years been a Church member and an occa
sional reader of the Bible. 1 have found some
objections to the Bible, and these objections
have sometimes grdwn into doubts ; but there
may be some errors in the translation, or the
fault may be in me. From the reading of the
Scriptures it seems to me that God has re
quired of the people too much, and has been
too strict. Man is a fallen creature, sinful by
nature, and should not be held so strictly re
sponsible for his imperfections. It seems that
God has made no allowance for him, but holds
him strictly to the line of prescribed duty as
though man were capable of keeping a perfect
law. Ido not mean to urge objections to my
Creator, but I have thought the Bible may be
imperfect, and may not represent Him prop
erly. But as I have said, the fault may be in
me ; yet, as this is to be an honest discussion,
I must speak my thoughts truly. Ihere is
the case of Uzza, as recorded in the 13th chap
ter of 1 Chronicles. He touched the ark evi
dently without any bad intentions, but rather
for a good purpose; and because, in so doing,
hxr a vpinmand of God, even his good
intention did not shield him from death.
Then, there is the case of Saul sent to destroy
the Amorites, of which we read in the 15th
chapter of 1 Samuel. Saul was commanded
to destroy them utterly, and tp destroy all
their substance. But he did not see the ne
cessity of this great destruction, and he saved
the king alive, and preserved the best of the
sheep and cattle and other substance, all for a
good purpose.
Gallio. Yes, Saul was all right; he wanted
to pocket something, just as you or I would
have done. About half the professed servants
of the Lord have always been like Saul. The
commandments of the Lord are all right till
they come in contact with pride or self-interest;
but whenever pride or self-interest comes in,
the Lord’s commands becoule altogether un
important. You see, too, that Saul knocked
up all the little sinners, the common stock ;
but the big sinnner, Agag, he saved alive,
because he was a king. That’s the way the
world goes ! Saul was a man &f‘ cl ' ni J own
heart.
Nominal. But you don’t understand me,
Gallio. Saul seems to have acted from good
motives. He saved the best of the sheep and
oxen to offer in sacrifice to God ; and he re
garded the strict observance of the order of
so little importance, that he met Samuel ex
ultingly, and said: “ I have performed the
commandment of the Lord.” Was not God’s
main purpose accomplished ? And why should
Saul be rejected from being king for such a
small offence ? According to this teaching,
Paul was certainly correct when he said,
“ Our God is a consuming fire.” If the state
ments in the Bible be correct, it seems to me
that God was very exacting with His people.
It appears that He required them to give one
tenth of all their increase for the support of
sbeir religion, besides iimwferaWe otfferiftgft of
property that would have been valuable tb
them. Then the time required to keep all
their feasts, observe all their days of rest, and
to perform their other religious services, was
very considerable. I can scarcely see how
they could have made a living and observe all
these requirements.
Gallio. Well, I perceive friend Nominal
likes an easy religion. That is my notion
too; if they ever get me to serve the Lord,
they will have to make the terms very easy.
The greatest objection I have to the Bible is,
that the service required don’t seem to suit
the subjects ; aud I reckon if God had made
a revelation, He would have tried to suit the
people. 1 don’t see that it w-ould be any
benefit to God for us to serve Him. Why
should God have made a revelation ? Why
would it not do just as well to let man go his
own way ? and if Heaven is any better than
this world, God can take us there when He
wants to. But this is the best world I know
any thing about.
Sinner. It seems to me that there is a want
of reverence in (he remarks of both Nominal
and Gallio. I do not think that any one should
offer an objection to the Bible without suffi-
But I believe it Hfes been said
fools rush in.”
to be offering
Holy Scrip
fe&p: be things.
_. i
FRANKLIN PRINTING HOUSE, ATLANTA GA., THURSDAY, APRIL 4, 1867.
me, strong evidences of the truth of Revela
tion. The strictness complained of comports
precisely with what I would suppose the char
acter of a Supreme Ruler to be. our
civil and military officers are expected to be
strict ill enforcing laws and orders; and if they
fail to do this, we consider them unworthy of
confidence and support. And to suppose that
God would create such a being as man, a
family so extensive, and w'ith endowments so
great, andbeindifferentto their conduct, would
be a perfect absurdity. Who could suppose
that a being like God would be indifferent to
vice and virtue in His subjects? Then if He
is the Supreme Governor, he must necessarily
govern by laws; His laws must necessarily
be revealed, and we must expect them to
be of a pure and holy character, like Himself.
He, as the Supreme Sovereign, has a right to
command. An’d to give commands, and then
be indifferent to whether those Commands are
obeyed or disregarded, would not even com
port with the dignity of a corporal. It is
strange to me that a man like Nominal, pro
fessing to be a subject of “ the reign of Heav
en,” should object to the Bible because it
teaches that the Supreme Ruler vindicated
His own honor, and that of His own law, by
punishing those who disobey Him. But he
says, “ their purposes were good.” A pur
pose to obey God is the best of«tdl purposes.
Samuel in his rebuke to Saul, said: “ Behold,
to obey is better than sacrifice.” To pur
pose to array our opinions, our perferences,
and our carnal desires against the authority
of (sod, is certainly most abominable wicked
ness, for which a certainly be
“rejected from being king” over God’s peo
ple. It may be said that this was a small of
fence ; but to disregard the authority of God,
in any matter, is no small thing. Some have
sacrificed their lives rather than disobey God.
Abraham would not disobey when ordered to
make an offering of his son. Daniel and the
Hebrew children would not disregard God’s
authority to save their own lives; and many
others since their day, of humbler name, and
less favored talent, who
“Lived unknown,
Till persecution dragged them into fame,
And chased them up to Heaven.”
But here is a man, professing to be a Christian,
who objects to tho Bible because it says that
God rejected one man from being king, and
took the life of another for disobedience. If
Nominal objects to the Bible on that ground,
he may find higher ground still for objections.
My understanding is, that those who continue
to disobey will suffer a destruction more ter
rible than that of temporal life. And he
thinks God requires too much of His people.
The Father gave his Son for us, Jesus gave
His life for us, eternal bliss is promised, and
yet, a professed Christian says “ God is ex
acting.” Hear the words .of the “ Christian s
School-book : ” “ Ye are not your own ; for
y<s are befught with a price; therefore, glorify
God in your bodies and in your spirits, which
are God’s.”
Christian. I thank you, friend Sinner, for
your sound and conclusive arguments. lam
glad to hear you advance correct views.
Your theology is sound. I believe you are
an orthodox sinner. lam surprised to see a
man who is so correct in Christian doctrine
“ walking in the counsel of the ungodly and
standing in the way of sinners.” Great will
be your condemnation if you continue in im
penitence.
Sinner. But I intend to be a Christian by
and by ; it has never been my purpose to die
in sin.
Christian. There many a sinner has rested,
alas ! too long. But I must attend to Sceptic’s
request. He desires evidences ot the authentic
ity of the Scriptures. The Bible contains the
evidences within itself. If these are not suffi
cient, to allay scepticism, external evidences
are abundant. But we will first examine the
Internal Evidences.
(to be continued.)
Relations of the Ministry to the Cause of
Education.—No. 4.
ENLARGEMENT OF KNOWLEDGE UNDER TUE CHRISTIAN
DISPENSATION.
It is one of the chief glories of the Chris
tian over the legal dispensation, that what was
suggested in symbols and types in the one is
revealed by the sunlight of the other; what
was dimly seen on the “ mystic canvas” of
prophecy stands forth in full outline under
“ the light of the world.” Take a single illus
tration of this truth that bears upon our sub
ject. I refer to the influence of Christianity
in enlarging the boundary of human thought
and human aspiration beyond all precedent.
In language free alike from allegory or con
jecture—from the subtleties of philosophy or
the refinements of science—Jesus Christ our
Lord distinctly and authoritatively brought
“life SHALLTmortality to light,” thus bringing
to Lar mind anew order of
sentiment and feelings,, which direct man to
the future for his true greatness. Not that
prophets had failed to give intimations of this
in their sublime utterances, but He revealed
and spoke of this great secret in words of un
mistakable import, befitting the solemnity
and awfulness of the subject. From that hour
the soul has “ moved in different orbits, re
volved on different centres, and obeyed differ
ent attractions.” This has inconceivably ex
panded its native powers and increased the
scope of its knowledge. This single fact raises
the presumption, that a ministry ordained
to train souls thus brought under “ the pow
ers of the world to come ” for so high a des
tiny, would find its employment as much ad
vanced beyond that of the Jewish priesthood
as the ministration of the gospel “ exceeds in
glory ” the ministration of the Jaw. An 'jos
tle scruples’not to say that “ even that which
was made glorious had no glory in this re
spect, by reason of the glory that excelleth.”
Both the nature of the office and its relations
to mankind combine to place the ministry of
the gospel infinitely above the order of Aaron,
or of any earthly calling. Never did high
priest, in gorgeous robes, with the “ golden
censer ” in his hand, and the “ Urim and
Thummim ” blazing upon his breast, appear
so glorious .as did the great Apostle of the
Gentiles when he stood before Felix, mana
cled in chains, and “ reasoned ot righteous
ness, temperance and judgment to come,” un
til the royal auditor trembled.
Now, by how much Christianity has stimu
lated the human mind to increased activity—
by how much it has enlarged the boundaries
of our wisdom and knowledge, thus throwing
over the whole science of human life the halo
of a brighter glory—by so much has it in
creased the responsibilities, elevated the posi
tion, and multiplied the labors of those who
have been “ set for the defence ” and exposi
tion of the gospel. In Christ Jesus “ are hid
all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.”
Every truth in the universe, whether of sci
ence, philosophy, or what not, finds in Him
its final source, and may and should be made
tributary to His kingdom. Rightly interpre
ted, the kingdom of nature is but the counter
part of the kingdom of grace. The one an
swers to the other as the symbol answers to
the thing signified. Those “ mysterious har
monies ” which exist between things on earth
and things in heaven are thus beautifully set
forth in the question suggested, by the Angel
in Milton’s Paradise :
“ What if earth
Be but the shadow of heaven and things therein
Each to the other like, more than on earth is thought.
And why, if the earthly tabernacle was
made after the pattern of things seen in the
mount, may not the earth itself abound in
copies of deeper things in heaven ? No : the
similitudes between the natural and the spir
itual worlds are not accidental, but designed.
The parables of our Lord are not simple illus
trations, but arguments addressed to the deep
est consciousness of the human soul.
When it is asserted, therefore, that almost
every institution of learning in Christendom
since the days of Christ, which lives in his
tory, has been mainly under the supervision
of Christian ministers, it is not only the as
sertion of a fact, but a providential vindiea
tion of the truth that God designs to make
learning tributary to religion, and that the
teachings of His providence are but the
echoes of the teachings of His word. The
God of providence is the God ot the Bible,
and we may expect that the inculcations of
each shall be as one on this as on all other
subjects. Our Edwardses, Dwights, and
Way lands, our Maxeys, Manly s, and Ry
lands, have been the divinely constituted ed
ucators of our youth, from whose consecrated
labors there have constantly gone forth multi
tudes of cultivated men to fill every import
ant position of social, civil and religious life
throughout our country. Would any one
seek to change this order of things? It was
attempted to be changed in one instance ; but
let the history of “Girard College” illustrate
the folly and wickedness of divorcing what
God has joined together—the essential unity
of learning and religion in the great work of
evangelizing and civilizing men.
Demetrius.
“Doci- rs Disagree.”
Your interesting Virginia correspondent,
brother Sands, (a distinguished lawyer in Rich
mond, and also, of late years, a preacher,) de
sires an illustration of the above serviceable
saying from one of my articles in the Herald
on the Revised Version, which illustration
does not appear to me to be strikingly felici
tous. In referring to the revised translation
1 John v. 19, “ And the whole world is lying
tn the evil one.” I stated that the form of
expression in the original is ambiguous, and
may mean either “ in the evil [one],” or “ in
the evil [thing],” that is, in evil. In such a
case we must of course decide by the connec
tion, and I showed that the preceding verse
(where there is no ambiguity,) makes it pro
per to prefer here the sense “ in the evil one.”
The remark was added that in Matt. vi. 13,
“ Deliver us from evil,” and in John xvii. 15,
“ That thou shouldst keep them from the
evil,” the same ambiguity exists; but that in
these cases the other rendering seems more
appropriate; that is to say, seems to fit the
connection better. In the last mentioned pas
sage,-Dean Alford thinks otherwise, and bro.
S. takes pains to quote from him, and make
several distinct counts as to the differences
between Alford’s opinion and mine ; the latter
being supported, he says, by Robinson’s Lexi
con. Then he proceeds to some comparison
betw'een the persons thus differing, etc.
Now all this is about a passage in which it
is well known, and was distinctly intimated,
that the Greek is ambiguous, and the decision
has to be made by inquiring which of the pos
sible meanings best suits the connection, and
accords with the general use of the same term
in Scripture. I did not refer to the use in
other passages, because I was making only a
passing remark. But the whole ofthis wonderful
difference is not at all about the original, but
about the general question of the connection,
etc. Is it remarkable that men should differ
on such a point? And is it well to use a dis
ference in opinion concerning the preferable
meaning of an ambiguous expression, as show
ing that these “ doctors,” even the humblest
of them, can not be relied on when they un
dertake to tell what tho Greek does determine
in passages which are not ambiguous? Yet
that is what brother Sands’ prolonged com
parison seems to mean.
I quite concur in the commendation of Al
ford’s commentary, with the reservation, how
ever, that he takes great pains to bring out,
on every possible occasion, those loose notions
of Inspiration, which have become so painfully
common among the Broad church party in
England. The later volumes of his Commentary
are more valuable than the first, the only one
which has been reprinted in this country. The
“ Contemporary Review,” which he edits, is a
highly interesting and useful monthly, though
it is thoroughly Broad Church and exhibits
much of incipient rationalism. A late circu
lating paragraph is altogether wrong in rep
resenting Dean Alford as the foremost scholar
of the evangelical party in England. He does
not be long to the evangelical party, and the
commentaries of Bishop Elliott, as far as they
have gone, (Galatians to Philemon,) are im
mensely superior. Indeed, they seem to me
the most valuable commentaries for a student
of the original that are in existence. They
have been reprinted in America.
J. A. B.
QreenviUfy S. C.
The Sunday School: It and their
Order.
The proper conduct of a Sunday school
during its session, is a matter of sufficient in
terest to claim attention in summing up trie
elements of a good Sur.clay school. I have
been pained and disappointed to see some
schools so completely without order and sys
tem as to threaten dissolution by the mere
force of there own irregularities. At the risk
of being trite and commonplace, I will glance
at this subject.
The school should b!a'*opened precisely at
the hour appointed, and all its teachers and
pupils should be present. Singing is the
most appropriate exercise to begin with, and
care should be taken to sing something in
which all the children can join. I have been
present at many large schools where the sing
ing was done mainly oy the teachers and
larger pupils to the dissatisfaction and chagrin
of the younger for the reason that
pieces were sung that th«y could not sing, and
they were thereby shut -out from a very in
teresting and pleasant part of the exercises.
Os course prayer should occupy its proper
place in opening service jjmd it should be the
prayer of the whole school if possible. Chil
dren and teachers should be encouraged and
exhorted to feel that they are under special
obligations fervently to unite in the supplica
tions made by the superintendent, and he
should remember so to. jame his grayer as
that all can heartily and understand, gly enter
into the spirit of it. If the teachers do their
duty in their classes, it is not important to read
the Scriptures from the superintendent’s desk,
for the very good reason ’hat very few of the
pupils or teachers ever.hjpar or attend to the
public reading, and th« f .ndency of stereo
typed reading with listless hearers is to form
alism and heartless monotony. It is, however,
the business of every teacher to have Scrip
ture reading in his class; and here, in direct
contact with the pupil, Divine truth can be
impressed upon the mind ~ud heart. 1 deem
it of some value to have a& the pupils occupy
the seats near the at the_ open
of the school, so that and con
cert of action can secured.
The singing and piayer altogether may occupy
fifteen minutes —not long;;"; and then, at a
proper signal, the pupils should in good order
quietly go to their respective classes, and the
recitation should engage thitirtie of the school
thirty minutes; then fifteen minutes should
be bestowed in distributii.;g library and pa
pers; then, at a signal jfiderstood by the
school, the pupils should'lUume their places
around the supermtenden.'jp desk and.another
fifteen minutes be given tv the school.
Much profit is derived from' calling the names
of all the teachers aud pup is at the close of
school, and requiring. tVotti each a verse of
Scripture. One siptple illu shows the
'advantage of this—vizi Uj&sTflHission to call
the name of any of the scholars has in my ob
servation often to tears.
This is evidence that they take interest in re
peating a verse in response to their names.
The roll being thus called and responses thus
made, the school should retire in good order.
Before closing this article, I will suggest
(with all respect to your former correspond
ent on this subject) that a small spring bell is
quite an auxiliary in keeping order; for if the
children have learned to respect the superin
tendent, and understand the signals of the bell,
they take pleasure in obeying its warnings;
and it seems to create less confusion than giv
ing commands for the different changes in
school exercises, as “ Silence, u “ Order,” etc.,
etc. One tap brings the school to order, and
such other signals as are understood by the
school produce other changes necessary in the
exercises.
One more suggestion, by way of aiding good
order, is, to prohibit the pupils access to the
library; but have all transactions with that
department executed through the teachers.
W. L. M.
Clifton Ilill, Marietta, March 27, 1867.
Reminiscences of the Sarepta Association-
No. 3.
Rev. Wm. Davis was the first clerk outlie
Sarepta Associati on, and acted in that capaci
ty nine successive years froai the constitution
of the body in 1799. Mr. Davis was born in
the State of Virginia in the year 1765, of poor
but honest parents, who educated him to read,
write and cipher. He was brought up to
hard labor; was the subject of religious con
cern from the age of nine years. The two
first sermons he heard preached within his re
collection, were preached, the one by an
Episcopalian, and the other by a Presbyterian.
The first Baptist he hearA. was Mr. John
Bledsoe. About that time, the ministers of
that order began to hold forth in Orange
county, Va., of whom much was said of a
slanderous character; but, it seems, much
anxiety was felt by the subject of this notice
to hear them, as he had heard that great
power attended theirj Labors. On hearing
them preach he became quite solemn, and
wished himself worthy to be one of them,
which desire he said he never lost. He had
frequent impressions under preaching, and
sometimes retired to pray. When about 14
years old, he became more deeply concerned
and seriously alarmed about his spiritual con
dition, but had little doubt tlkt he should soon
attain to conversion; but to his great mortifi
cation, his case became more hopeless, espe
cially when he saw the exceeding sinfulness of
his heart. This state of things continued
about six months—during which time he
greatly feared it was not a work of grace, but
a work of his own. At length he was made
to feel and acknowledge that if he was lost,
it would be but just, as he felt he deserved se
vere punishment. It was tq him a great mys
tery how a just God coufel pardon such a
sinner; yet he asked for imjircy. But to his
surprise, when he had wellnigh given up all
for lost, his burden of guilt was removed, and
he could see how God could' be just and jus
tify him, a poor sinner; whi<|h made him bless
the Lord with great joy.
He became- a member of tihe Baptist church
at Blue Run in 1779. Ih he commenc
ed speaking publicly. Rennfoved to Georgia
in 1791 ; was <ordained to the ministry in
1793.
He became pastor of the church at Fork
Broad River, Madison county, at the time of
its constitution; served that church 23 years,
became instrumental in raising the church at
Falling Creek, Elbert county, and continued
to minister to them till 1827. Served the
church at Cloud’s creek 3 years; at Beaver
Dam, twelve or fourteen years; the church at
Clark’s Station, nineteen years. AVas instru
mental in raising the church at Davis creek
from a sad decline iu 1824. Continued his
ministrations to them till 1827.
He was the instrument of raising three
ministers at Falling Creek—Rev. E. Shackel
ford, I. Suttle and Elijah Moseley; at Beaver
Dam, Rev. Isham Goss; at Fork Broad
River, Rev. I. Hales; at Clark’s Station,
Rev. Sylvanuc Gibson and Jonathan Davis.
Mr. Davis was married to Miss Nancy Eastin
in 1790, by whom he had 12 children—seven
sons and five daughters. Four of his sons
became ministers of the gospel—viz : Wil
liam, Jonathan, James and Jesse Mercer. In
his latter days, he was a resident of Wilkes
county, where he had removed from Elbert,
and was a member of the Georgia Association.
Rev. Isham Goss acted as Clerk, and then
Moderator, of the Sarepta. He was a zealous,
useful minister. His ministerial labors were
principally performed in the counties of Ogle
thorpe, Clark and Madison. He belonged to
a preaching family. Three brothers—John,
Jesse Hamilton, and Horatio J., —were engag
ed in the work of preaching. John and Jesse
H. were preachers of some eminence in the
State of Virginia; while Isham and Horatio
lived, labored and died in Georgia. The late
Rev. Benj. Goss, of Elbert, was the son of
Horatio J. Goss. He had three sons who are
now engaged in the active duties of the gospel
ministry; two of them, Rev. Wm. Rabun
Goss, and H. J. Goss, Jr., are now members
of the Sarepta Association; the third, Isham !
Hamilton Goss, is pastor of the Baptist
church at Lumpkin, Ga. A. C.
Principle.
In a recent letter, brother Toon says : “ Dr.
S. is complaining of our correspondents, and
wants to know if they have all forsaken him.”
Now, I am unwilling that that complaint
should be made of me, so I send you this;’
“ making,” as some preachers say, another
expression in brother T’s. letter “ the foun
dation of the few remarks which I shall make
on this occasion.” He says: “It is against
my feelings to ‘ keep pegging away ’ to get
money to run the machine, when it ought to
run by the power of principle.”
Before I had finished the letter, 1 found
myself repeating the last clause—“ It ought
to run by the power of principle—it ought
to run by the power of principle.” This so*
liloquy set in motion a tfain of reflections
which led to the general idea of religious
principle ; and I asked myself the question,
Do we, as professors of the religion of
Christ, act from principle as we ought? Are
not most Christians emotional Christians, act
ing rather from feeling and impulse, than from
principle —the principle of faith ? I am re
luctantly compelled to accept the conclusion
that such is the case.
Prof. Upharn says: “ There are two classes
of Christians: those who live chiefly by emo
tion, and those who live chiefly by faith. The
first class—those who live chiefly by emotion —
remind one of ships that move by the out
ward impulse of winds operating upon the
sails. They are often in a dead calm, often
out of their course, and sometimes driven
back ; and it is only when the winds are fair
and powerful that they move onward with
rapidity. The other class —those who live
chiefly by faith—remind one of the magnifi
cent steamers which cross the Atlantic, which
are moved by an interior and permanent prin
ciple, and which, setting at defiance all ordi
nary obstacles, advance steadily and swiftly
to their destination, through calm and storm,
through cloud and sunshine.”
Thefigureis notonly striking, but very appro
priate. There are in all our churches a large
number of sailing-vessel Christians. I think
Dr. Jeter might, with a great deal of propriety,
have put this class in his “ Christian Mirror.”
The events of the last year or two have de
veloped the fact that this class is more num
erous than was formerly imagined. Brother
Toon is now realizing the fact that their num
ber is not diminished since the time of con
ventions and associations has passed. Many
of this class attend these meetings, get their
sails pretty well filled with a good breeze, and
start off at a good speed. They then sub
scribe for the Index, and promise to go home
and work for it; but they are not at home
long before something takes the wind out of
their sails; they collapse, and there is a dead
calm. These brethren wish the paper well,
esteem it very highly, would like to see its cir
culation extended, but they can l tdo any thing
—they can’t move: the wind is wanting to
swell the sails and put the vessel in motion.
But, to drop all metaphor, our blessed re
ligion is a religion of principle. And every
Christian ought to feel that it is like a “ rock
which does not shake nor change, though the
sea may ebb and flow.”
Brethren ought not to put brother Toon to
the necessity of publishing extras, sending
around agents, or visiting conventions and as
sociations for the purpose of securing their
aid and cooperation. They ought to feel and
know that the Index is a mighty power in ad
vancing the interests of the Redeemer’s king
dom ; and this conviction, aud nothing else,
ought to be the motive to assist, by the voice,
the pen and the purse in extending its circu
lation. I like to see men “ show their faith
by their works.”
What a wonderful change would come over
the church if every Christian man and woman
would just determine to act from a calm and
deliberate conviction of duty, and not wait
till their feelings are aroused and their sym
pathies excited by extraneous circumstances !
A minister told me not long ago that one
of his members excused himself for not
holding family prayer, on the ground that “ he
did not feel like it.” The pastor very wise
ly told him that there was the greater need of
prayer.
Men of the world love to talk of their
principle or principles ; one says he acts from
a principle of justice, another of honor, an
other of truth, and so on. With how much
greater propriety qught the Christian to avow
that he constantly and uniformly acts from
religious principle, and then let the life cor
respond with the profession. If such were
the character of all Christians, the car of sal
vation would roll on with a wonderfully in
creased power and velocity ; and our profes
sion would be honored and respected by all
men. B.
Russell County, Alabama.
Our Great Need.
I have never had the pleasure of meeting
you, and as I am unknown “ to fortune and to
fame,” have no right to expect that you should
know much of me. But you are our editor
now, and may be addressed—sometimes an
noyed—by even strangers. I have not been
accustomed to trouble editors much, having
been a reader, rather than correspondent of
the papers. But I believe that the pen is
mighty for good or evil in the world ; and
could I wield it successfully most gladly
would I do so. Dr. Cumming, in the pre
face to one of his books, writes : “ Ships of
small draught may sail up the tributary
streams of the popular mind where vessels of
heavy tonnage can not be admitted.” This
affords me some encouragement to hope that
even a feeble writer may, through your col
umns, accomplish some good —may suggest
some thought which abler pens may discuss
to the benefit of all. But enough by way of
introduction.
My heart is burdened with desire for the
prosperity of Zion. The minds of our peo
ple, generally,'were so entirely engrossed by
the war when in progress, and they have been
so disappointed and perplexed by the result
of it, that coldness and worldliness have in a
great measure possessed the church.
Our pressing need now is, a more elevated
piety among Christians.
Too many now are satisfied with a name to
live , whilst they give but little evidence of
life. As Christians, they breathe, it may be,
but they do not move and act. They are
wide awake as rega'rds the of life, the
wants of the body, but asleep to the interests
of the church, the wants of the soul. How
few appreciate their privileges as children of
God ! Tell them of their honors , their riches,
the inheritance in reserve, and they seem to
care far less about it than for the riches which
perish.
How few Christians seem to understand
their duties and obligations ! When it suits
their convenience they attend church or prayer
raect4i»g or Sunday school but when it re
quires-self-denial or some Sacrifice of time
from worldly business, they put off the Lord
with some poor excuse. Some church mem
bers will even stay away from the house of
God on the Lord’s day that they may exam
ine their books, ride over their farms, or talk
over their worldly business. How few give
according to their ability to the support of the
gospel —even for the support of their own
minister who serves them faithfully. Not one
superfluity do they deny themselves that they
may give to the Lord. If they give at all, it
is so little they do not feel it; they make no
sacrifice. Their religion is cheap ; it costs
nothing. How much is it worth ? These are
some of the evidences that we need a more
elevated piety ; we need more entire consecra
tion to the cause of the Redeemer; we need
the outpouring of God’s spirit upon the
churches.
But how is the standard of piety to be fais
ed among Christians? We must have a con
secrated ministry ; a self-denying, self-sacrific
ing ministry ; a zealous, earnest, laborious
ministry. We need men of one mind—of
one work—who make every thing bend to the
one purpose of life—every thing contribute to
its success. Brethren in the ministry, suffer
the word of exhortation from one younger in
years and experience than many of you. Say,
brethren, are we not somewhat to blame for
the want of vital piety in our churches ? Have
we set the example 1 Dare we say as Paul,
“Be ye followers of me, even as I also am of
Christ”? Remember the words of Hosea,
“ Like people, like priest.” The work in
which we are engaged might well fill an
angel’s heart, and head, and hands: shall it not
fill ours ? “ Who is sufficient for these
things?” Think on these things, brethren.
The Lord bless His people ! James.
Quitman, Ga., March, 1867
Millenarinnism.
A writer in the American Presbyterian,
after stating the considerations which favor
this theory, proceeds to set forth those
which look the contrary way. He maintains
(1) that this view is nowhere in Scripture
indisputably taught. There are passages
which are obscure on any other hypothesis,
but none which necessarily demand it, conse
quently (2), it has never been incorporated
into any symbols of doctrine held by the
church. Besides (3), the details of the sys
tem involve a great deal of fanciful, not to
say sensuous, interpretation of the Scriptures,
of which there are examples from Irenseus to
Dr. Cumming. Moreover (4), it seems to
lie in the way of earnest missionary effort,
since it cuts off the most powerful stimulus
to that work. Hence (5), the drift of the
thought of the church has been against it,
from Augustine down to the Reformers and
the more distinguished of our own day. There
is a score or more of Professors of Biblical
Literature in our country, but we know of not
one who is a Millenariar..— Christian Intelli
gencer.
Infant Baptism as it was. —An odd illus
tration of the habits of mediaeval priests in
England occurs in a treatise now being edited
for the Early English Text Society, Mirk’s
“ Duties of a Parish Priest.” The writer is
instructing the priest how to baptize a child,
and suddenly puts in, “ But if you are
drunk to say the words of BaptismJMH
proper order, what should you <*•._, <
say them, by any menus.
time.” Let us hope Pt
delay did not occur veutfHl
WHOLE* NO. 2335.
Come Uuto Me.
Art thou weary ? Art thou languid ?
Art thou sore distrest ?
“ Come to Me,’’ saith One, “ and coming,
Be at rest!”
Hath He marks to lead me to Him,
If He be my Guide V
“ In His feet and hands are wound-prints,
And His side.”
Is there diadem as monarch
That His brow adores?
“ Yes, a crown in very surety,
But of thorns !’’
If I find Him, if 1 follow,
What Ilis guerdon here ?
“ Many a sorrow, many a labor,
Many a tear!”
If I still hold closely to Him,
What hath He at last ?
“ Sorrow vanquished, labor ended,
Jordan past!”
If I ask Him to receive me,
Will He say me nay?
“ Not till earth and not till heaven
Pass away !”
Tending, following, keeping, struggling,
Is He sure to bless ?
“ Angels, martyrs, prophets, pilgrims
Answer' Yes!” '
Stephen, the Subaite.
Baffling.
The Church rallies arq as complete speci
mens of gambling as the Opera House lottery,
and either of them is as real gambling as the
operations of -the faro bank or the card table.
We deny that good ends can sanctify bad means,
and the affirmation of the contrary is as false
and misleading in an American Protestant
Church Fair as in the Romish Inquisition.
In our Church Fairs, in addition to the
countenance and respectability, as in the
“ opera house raffle,” we give to gambling the
sacred sanctions of religion. We practically
assert that the sacred institution of the lot
may be turned into an amusement, as if one
should play at baptism or the Lord’s Supper,
or that it may be perverted into earnest gam
bling to repair churches or to build them. In
either case the Church is lending herself to
every form of gambling ; is vy-tually spread
ing her hands saying grace over every faro
bank in every “ hell” in the country. If
Crosby’s lottery, with its names of respecta
ble patrons, intensifies the gambling spirit in
the trading and fashionable world, the raffles
of the churches tend to remove religious and
moral scruples, the last breakwater that holds
back the threatening inundation of gambling.
If the Church fiddles, the world will dance of
course. Like priest like people.
The Church’s raffles are felt, however un
consciously, in every bet on every race
at every card table, in every art lottery, aye,
in every prize fight. When the bride of
Christ raffles and pockets her gains amid the
smiles of- gay ladies and flattering beaux,
every gambling hell rises in dignity. I de
clare most solemnly that whatever wrong
there may be in the gambler’s calling, the
Church, in our opinion, shares it in principle,
in her raffles, and the only difference between
her and the regular gambler in this case is,
that perhaps does his part rudely, profanely,
and tg a place set apart to-sin, while she does
her’s'lenteelly, piously, and in the church or
lecture room.
This abuse of holy things, profanity,
this prostitution of the sacred office of the
Church, ought to be stopped, even if it be
necessary to stop the fairs. Fairs may be
made useful, but they are not half so impor
tant as the maintenance of the Church’s puri
ty. The Church has been poor, and can af
ford, if need be, to be poorjagain, but she can
not afford, no matter what may be the bribe,
to be the pimp of worldly lust. We there
fore bow penitently under the world’s accu
sation, and confess that we deserve the scourge
of the old proverb, “ Physician, heal thyself.”
— Rev. Dr. Nadal.
Worship Levels as well as Lifts.
A letter from Nijai, Russia, describing the
annual fair, says: Returning one morning
from the fair to the town, I saw crowds of
peasants flocking into the cathedral from every
direction. I asked what was the cause. “ O,”
said my informant, “ the Czar has come, and
you can trace the Czar anywhere by the hosts
of peasants that follow him.” I went along
in the peasant stream till we came to the ca
thedral. I went in the crowd, and in a few
minutes after the Czar came in; he stood
during the whole service. The Russian
church, in common with the ancient churches,
recognizes no distinction of rank in a place of
worship. I saw several peasants near the
Czar; the beggar and the prince stand on an
equality before God. In the Russian churches
there are no evangelical dress boxes, and few
exhibitions of Sunday millinery. The only
seat I ever saw in a Russian church was one
at Moscow, for the patriarch, but it has been
unoccupied for a century and a half, ever since
Peter the Great abolished the office.
“I Have Done so Little for Jesus.”
Such was the language of a pious young
woman, a victim of consumption, and to all
human appearance fast hastening to the grave.
In the quietude of her chamber she had been
reviewing her life. She called to mind many
opportunities for doing good which she had
not improved, and with sorrow and dismay
she exclaimed : “ I have done so little for
Jesus. Oh !if I could only live my life over
again, how r differently I should act! Now
that my Saviour seems so precious, (notwith
standing my ingratitude) 1 feel how sinful I
have been, and had I strength 1 would em
brace every opportunity, and be on the alert
to recommend to others so great a Saviour.”
Beloved sisters in the church, to you this
dying woman speaks. Have you improved
your time in such a manner as to promote the
cause of your Master? or, in examining your
past lives, do you see along the weary
road many tombstones with these words en
graven upon them in living letters : Lost “ op
portunities for doing good?" Awake, then,
at dnee, to the responsibilities of your situa
tion. You may not have long to labor for
Jesus. How sweet the thought on a dying
bed that you have done something for your
Saviour. Let it be one of your standing
rules, that you will never pass a day without
doing a good deed, or saying a word for Jesus.
Pride. —Pride is a sin that will put the
soul upon the worst of sins. Pride is a gild
ed misery, a secret poison, a hidden plague.
It is the engineer of deceit, the mother of
hypocrisy, the parent of misery, the moth of
holiness, the binder of hearts, the turner of
medicines into ntaladies, and remedies into
diseases.
Waste of Time.—-Ourlive^r^Denfeither
iiMlMfllß