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CHRISTIAN INDEX AND SOUTH-WESTERN BAPTIST.
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Life.
Life, truly, is a varied scene;
A web, indeed, of mystery.
A play whose unity is seen
Only in its diversity.
There’s many a joy along its passage gleams,
And many a sorrow which that joy bedims.
Life is a stage, where hopes and fears,
Poverty, wealth, weakness and power,
The smiles of joy, and sorrow’s tears
All meet and pass in one short hour.
Like troubled ghosts, not long with us they stay;
Their bidding done, quickly they haste away.
Wealth builds his palace, weaves his bower,
And decks his grounds, Pleasure to woo ;
But seen on every plant and flower,
la disappointment’s sickly hue.
No care or skill of hoary-headed sage, '
Can beal the blight of man’s sad heritage.
In the proud dome, with gilded crest,
Silk-curtained and ambrosial bed,
Walks many a Lord illy at rest—
Lies many a sleepless, aching head.
Oft shines the diamond in a troubled breast,
And bleeds the heart, wearing joy’s stolen crest.
We see the child three summers old,
Gamb’ling in childhood’s merry mocd;
We turn; then look again. Behold!
An object of decrepitude.
Close to the cradle stooping age does lie,
And rocks the slumbers of sweet infancy.
Behold the blooming, blushing bride!
What pleasure sparkles in her eyes.
Turn o’er a leaf—the husband’s pride
A sheeted corpse before him lies !
O, life! vain life ! such mockery thou art!
Thy smiles delight but to betray our heart.
List! The dread Corsican, whose speech
Shook the affrighted earth and sea,
Does from his rocky pulpit preach
Earth’s deep and hopeless vanity.
Hear, all ye lands ! O hear, thou earth and sea!
For well he knows the truths he speaks to thee.
Mould’ring together are the bones
Os vassal and proud potentate.
Palaces, prisons, scaffolds, thrones,
Compose your history, ye great!
Reproach and glory, crowns and beggary,
Weave the ensign which waves o’er Royalty.
But yet, my soul! with opened eyes
Launch boldly on this troubled sea ;
Across its waves the bright land lies—
The land of immortality.
O rise, ye billows! roar, ye wild winds, roar 1
Ye waft me home! Crowd, crowd the sailß still more!
O, land! bright with the smiles of God;
Sweet land! I stretch my hands to thee.
There sin a id sorrow ne’er have trod,
Or taint is known of vanity.
0, the bright faces of that happy land !
O, the sweet friendship of the white-robed band !
Press on, my soul! each danger face;
Though rough the road, the goal is bright.
Press on ! press on 1 in such a race;
Press on, the City is in sight.
Behold the shining crowd ! They are in view I
Come in! they cry; come in, we wait for you 1
Away, ye joys of earth, away !
I spurn you from my rising heart;
I look for an unfading day
For joys which never shall depart—
A home for which, on earth, we vainly sigh,
Where sorrow never comes—friends never die.
W. H. J.
Oxford, N. O.
Essay on the Eldership of the Churches.
(Read before the Union Meeting of the Second Dis
trict of the Florida Baptist Association, and published
at its request:— Rev. W. B.lbweti.)
In writing upon the above subject, I pro
pose to lay before the Union meeting, the
teachings of the Scriptures upon the whole
Gospel ministry, in order that we may the
better understand that particular class de
nominated Elders. There are four terms
employed in the New Testament to represent
the Ministers of the Gospel, in their various
official positions in the kingdom of Christ,
viz.: Apostle, Bishop, Elder and Deacon,
with their corresponding terms in the Greek,
Apostolos, presbuteros, Episcopos, and Diac
onos. Apostolos, in the Greek Scriptures, oc
curs fifty six times, and is translated messen
ger twice; he that is sent once, and fifty -
three times, Apostle. Presbuteros occurs
forty-three times; old men once, Presbytery
once, and forty one times it is translated
Elder, Eldership, &c. Episcopos occurs
eleven times; translated visitation twice,
overseer once, oversight once, looking dili
gently once, and six times it is rendered
Bishop, Bishoprick, &c. Diaconos occurs, in
all, in its various inflections, seventy times ;
And is translated servant four times, service
three times, serve and serving three times,
office once, relief once, and Deacon four
times; and the balance, fifty-four times, it is
rendered by minister or some of its inflec
tions.
It is worthy of remark, that in the Acts of
the Apostles, the whole Gospel ministry ap
pears to have been included under the terms,
“Apostles and Elderg.” A reference to a
single chapter, (the 15th of Acts,) will abun
dantly show the accuracy of this remark.
Five* times in that chapter are the terms
Apostles and Elders used in connection with,
and in distinction from, each other, as would
seem, to represent all classes of the officers of
the churches. In the 2d v. of that chapter,
we have the church at Antioch appointing
Paul and Barnabaas to go up to Jerusalem
unto the Apostles and Elders, about the
question of circumcision. In the 4th v. we
have the Apostles and Elders coming together
to consider of this matter. In the 22d v.
we have the Apostles and Elders sending
chosen men down to Antioch; and in the 23d
v. we have the Apostles and Elders sending
letters by them to the brethren of the Gen
tiles at Antioch, &c. Let me ask, just here,
if there were no Bishops and Deacons in the
church at Jerusalem at this time? Certainly
there were; for we have the fullest proof of
the existence of both Bishops and Deacons,
at this early period of the history of the
church. If this be so, does it not seem that
both Bishops and Deacons were included and
represented by the term Elders?
It might as well be stated here, before we
go farther, that the Apostolic office, with its
inspiration and miracle working power, sub
sided and ceased with the death of the Apos
tles. This is fully admitted by all, except
Catholics, and perhaps the modern ritualistic
Episcopalians, who, of late, seem to have let
go the dogma of Episcopal succession, and
have fallen back with the Catholics upon the
more tenable dogma, (as they may think,) of
Apostolical succession.
With this hasty disposition of the Apos
tolical ministry, we turn back to pursue our
investigation of the Eldership of the chuiches,
which we have found, so far as we have gone,
uniformly used in connection with, and in
distinction from, the Apostleship. As wc
never find Apostle and Bishop, or Deacon,
used in connection with, and in distinction
from each other, so, (mark you,) we never
find Bishop and Elder, nor Elder and Dea-
FRANKLIN PRINTING HOUSE, ATLANTA, GA., THURSDAY, JULY 29, 1869.
con, used in connection with, or in distinction
from each other. But we do find Bishop
and Deacon together, and in contradistinction ;
for the obvious reason that they are distinct
classes of officers in the churches ; but Elder
is never used in connection with, and distinct
from, either Bishop or Deacon, but always
singly and alone; except when used in con
nection with Apostle. Now, I ask, how can
this invariable and uniform usage of these
terms in the New Testament be accounted
for? I answer, the easy and natural conclu
sion is, that Elders include both Bishop and
! Deacon.
Give us your attention, while we shall en
deavor to bring some other passages of Scrip
ture to your notice, which we think yield ad
ditional support to this view of the Elder
ship of the churches. In Acts xiv, 23, it is
said that “they ordained them Elders in
every church.” This ordination took place in
newly organized churches, where Deacons
were necessary as well as Bishops. The
same may be said of Paul’s direction to Ti
tus, to ordain Elders in every city. See Tit.
i: 5. Again, in Acts xi: 29, we find the
church at Antioch sending relief to the breth
ren in Judea; and they sent it to the Elders,
when Deacons had been appointed in the
church at Jerusalem, for the express purpose
of receiving and distributing such contribu
tions, so that the preaching Elders might be
relieved from such business. And in proof
that the Elders were divided into the two
classes here indicated, we refer to Ist Tim., v :
17, which reads, “Let the Elders that rule
well be counted worthy of double honor,”
&c. Now it must be admitted, that the plain
import of this passage is, that some Elders
preached, while others did not. Now, if it
be admitted that there were but two classes
of officers in the churches at this early age,
except the Apostles, viz., Bishops and Dea
cons, and if it be admitted that there were
two classes of Elders, then we are forced to
the conclusion, that the two classes of Elders
were one and the same with Bishops and Dea
cons. While much more might be said in
support of the views here presented, yet
I think enough has been said to elicit investi
gation and discussion; and I will, therefore,
dismiss this part of my essay, with the ad
mission that I am aware that objections lie
against this view of the subject.
We now proceed to consider the vastly
more important subject of the rights and du
ties of the Elders of the churches. By
rights, we mean the official authority with
which the Elders or pastors are clothed by
the great Head of the church. By duties, we
mean those obligations involved in their offi
cial authority. In approaching the discussion
of this part of our essay, we must confess
that we feel embarrassed by a sense of our
inability to treat the subject as its solemn im
portance demands. And I feel the more em
barrassed from the fact, that I apprehend,
that we as a people, both ministers and pri
vate members, have not, nor do we now, ap
preciate as we should, the official dignity and
authority of the Gospel ministry. I appre
hend that the prevailing opinion among us is,
that a minister is nothing more than a ser
vant of the churches, with no more rights or
authority in the government of the churches
than the humblest private member in them.
I would ask, with qll due deference, Does not
this view dishonor and degrade the dignity of
the ministerial office ?
With these preliminary remarks on this
part of our essay, I proceed to discuss the
following questions: Ist. What are the
powers with which the Elders are invested in
the government of the churches? 2d. From
whence do they derive their authority ?
It is fully admitted that ministers are the
servants of the churches, and that they are
forbidden in the exercise of their administra
tion to “Lord it over God’s heritage.” But
this prohibition by no means implies that
they have no ruling authority, but on the
contrary, admits the authority, and forbids
the abuse of it. We are no advocate of
Episcopacy, &c. For we regard the powers
claimed by Episcopal Bishops not only as
unwarranted by the word of God, but as
criminal usurpations of authority in the
church of Christ. According to the Scrip
tures, one minister has no right to take
Episcopal jurisdiction -over other ministers
and their churches. For nothing is plainer
than that the great Head of the church es
tablished perfect equality among the ministers
whom he appointed. That we may not be
misunderstood in our future remarks, I set
forth the following negative propositions :
Ist. A minister, then, has no right to take
jurisdiction of any church, without the choice
and consent of the same. 2d. A pastor has
no right to pass judgment upon or excommu
nicate a delinquent member. The church
alone has the right to receive discipline and
expel its members. 3rd. A minister has no
power to enforce his authority by any coercive
measures , either civil or ecclesiastical. The
pastor’s authority is moral, as distinguished
from civil or military. He has no coercive
power over the persons or property o'" those
he has a right to rule. This is truly a pecu-
liar authority.
Leaving the negative, we come to the posi
tive side of the question. That Elmers are
clothed with ruling authority, the following
Scriptures abundantly show : Acts xx : 28 :
“Take heed to all the flock over which the Holy
Ghost has made you overseers.” Heb. xiii:
7 ; “Remember them who have the rule over
you, who have spoken to you the word of God.”
In tLe same eh, and 17th v. we have, “Obey
them that have the rule over you and submit
yourselves ; for they watch for your souls,
as they that must give account.” Ist Tim.
v: 17, “Let the Elders that rule well be
counted worthy of double honor” ; and in
chapter iii, we' have, “If a man knows not
how to rule his own house, how shall he
know how to take care of the church of
God ”; thus showing, that in the church, a
pastor should exercise an authority analogous
to that possessed and exercised by a father
over his family and household.
Now, my brethren, what do you think these
passages of Scripture really mean ? Do you
think they teach any real and proper ruling
authority, on the part of ministers, in the af
fairs of church government? Or is it not to
be feared that our opposition to Episcopacy
has led us to depreciate and' practically repu
diate any such thing, as a real and proper
ministerial rule and government in our
churches. But we must not annul and break
the force of God’s word so plainly given.
We must find some way, and some place in
truth and verity, for ruling Elders to exercise
their ruling authority among us; for the
Scriptures saith not in vain, “Obey them that
have the rule over you, and submit your
selves” And again, “Let the Elders that
rule well,” &e. But it may be asked, “how ?
wherein ? in what respects ?” There is no use
to talk about authority to rule, without ade
quate power to enforce the authority. Well,
bear with me, and 1 will try to show some
respects, at least, in which the Scriptures give
ruling authority to ministers—
Without stopping to authori
ty of Elders to preach administer
ordinances, plant churches, “ ordain Elders
in every church,” although of great impor
tance in our discussion, we come at once to
consider, in addition to all these, their author
ity to teach the disciples of Christ. In two
places—l Cor. xii: 28, and Eph. iv : 11—it
is said, God gave to the churches apostles,
prophets and teachers. If God gave the
churches teachers, shall they not teach by
authority? The truth is, baptized believers
are disciples or scholars, and God’s ministers
are the divinely constituted teachers. But it
is asked, what does this divine authority to
teach amount to ? for no one is bound by
their teaching, but each and all are free to
receive or not receive their teaching, as they
may choose. We know that this is the com
mon and loose way of thinking and talking
about this matter. But stop and think more
seriously; '>r.the subject demands serious
thought. Let me ask, When a church calls a
pastor, do they consider him as a teacher sent
from God, or do they look upon him as a
teacher of their own make, possessing no
higher authority than themselves? Does
God give the churches teachers, or do they
make their own teachers ? If they make their
own teachers, then, of course, they may re
ceive or not their teaching, as they please.
But if God gave them, then they teach with
a more solemn authority. Let us try to set
this matter right. It is freely admitted that
each individual Christian, and the church
collectively, have the unquestionable right to
judge and try false teachers, and it is further
admitted, that they are not bound to receive
the speculations and opinions of true minis
ters, but in reference to the plain and settled
teaching of the Scriptures, the pastor speaks
by authority, and the church is bound to re
ceive his teachings. It is sometimes the case
that church members refuse to be governed
by the teaching of their pastors in reference
to the plainest principles of doctrine and
church government. It is to be feared that
it may justly be said of them, that they “de
spise governments, and are not afraid to speak
evil of dignities.” Our conclusion, then, is
that God’s true ministers teach the way of
truth by divine authority, and that this au
thority involves the duty to receive and obey
their teaching.
I come in the next place to notice, that
ministers have authority to reprove and re
buke offenders. In 1 Tim. v: 20, Paul
charges Timothy, “Them that sin rebuke be
fore all, that others may fear.” In 2 Tim.
iv; 2, we have “ Reprove, rebuke, with all
long suffering and doctrine.” In Titus i: 13,
we have, “ Rebuke them sharply, that they
may be sound in faith.” Again, in Titus ii: it
is said, “ Rebuke with all authority.” Surely
these are sufficient to settle the question, that
ministers have authority to rebuke offenders.
It is the right and duty of private members
to rebuke an offending brother in private,
but open and public rebuke is the exclusive
right and duty of the pastor. It should be
known and remembered, that this sort of
public and official rebuke is the highest,
severest and most solemn form of corrective
discipline known to the church, except, it may
be, excommunication itself. This official
form of rebuke is ijieant in that passage in
Timothy, “Them that sin, rebuke before all,
that others may fearand in Titus, “ Re
buke them sharply,” etc. And yet, where is
the Elder or pastor among us, that dares to
exercise this solemn prerogative of his office ?
Or where is the church-member that will suf
fer his pastor to single him out and publicly
rebuke him before all ?
There is one other particular in this con
nection, that is of sufficient importance to
require notice; but which can be, only, bar -
ly mentioned; and that is the right of the
pastor to preside over the church and give
direction to her deliberations; for in this
capacity he is the expounder of the law of
the gospel on all matters of discipline. Yet
it is to be feared that the pastor, in this re
spect, is regarded by some but little more, if
any, than the chairman of a debating society.
We now consider the last head, and that is
the origin or source of ministerial authority.
Among us, we have had a class who have
been called High Church Baptists, who teach
that ministers derive their authority from the
churches, while another class has held that
ministerial authority is not derived from the
churches at all. There is more involved in
the issue between these classes, than appears
at first sight. The question of regular church
succession is involved in it. And this in
volves an unbroken line of ordinations from
apostolic times until now. And this involves
the question of valid baptism. Seeing, then,
so much involved in the issue, we will en
deavor to state the grounds of difference be
tween these two classes as plainly as we can.
The first class named admits that ministe
rial authority may originate in a divine ball
of the Holy Spirit; but without church ac
tion and regular ordination by the Presbyte
ry, his divine call gives no authority to preach
the gospel, or officiate as a minister of Christ,
in any way whatsoever —that a man may be
truly called of God, but his divine oall gives
him no authority as a minister of Christ
without the authority of the church. On the
other hand, it is held that the minister de
rives the whole of his authority from Christ,
the Head of the Church, and that the Holy
Spirit not only calls and qualifies, but invests
the minister with complete authority and full
powers as an embassador of Christ, without
any additional finish or ratification by the
church.
In this essay we shall assume the side of
the completeness of the Divine call. It may
be said that our side has the appearance of
being adopted in order to escape the difficul
ties of a lost succession, etc. Let this be as
it may, we think we shall be able to show,
pretty fully, that God, at no age of the world,
has committed to any organized body of men
an official authority, to be transmitted to their
successors in office, in such a sense as to in
terfere, in the least, with the Divine preroga
tive of calling and appointing ministers to do
his pleasure. The prophetic office, in the
former dispensation, answers, we think, to the
ministerial office under the gospel, and there
was a regular order of induction into that
office; but who will take it upoq himself to
say that no man had a right to prophesy
without that order of induction, or ordination,
if you please ? The truth appears to be,
that a man had just as much right to proph
esy without that ceremony as with it; pro
vided God called him. The case of the
prophet Elijah, to say nothing of Eldad and
Medad, fully warrants us in saying that the
consecration of the Holy Spirit gave full right
to prophesy, without the sanction of any or
der of men on earth. The prophet Elijah
was a prophet of Israel, and rose up among
the ten tribes after their revolt, when they
had not a vestige of the true worship of God
among them, and the prophet was not bound
to regard the existing order of things as he
found them; but his right and duty was to
restore the true worship of God, which had
been lost, and he derived this authority di
rectly from God, without the intervention of
any human authority whatever. And if it
could be proven that from the third to the
seventeenth century, there existed no regular
gospel churches, it would not invalidate in
the least the authority of Roger Williams,
provided he were called of God to the work
of the ministry.
But what shall we say of the apostle Paul?
What church or presbytery ordained him to
the ministry? Here, in the midst of regular
churches, God calls the great apostle of the
Gentiles, and sends him out to preach the
I
gospel, without either church or ministerial
authority. As in the case of the’ apostle
Paul, so, we hold, is it in the case of every
other divinely called minister—ail the au
thority is derived wholly from God. As we
argue about baptismal regeneration, so we
argue in reference to ministerial authority.
In one case we say regeneration is complete
without baptism —that baptism is an outward
sign of the complete inward work. And in
the other case we say, the call of the Holy
Spirit is complete in itself—that church ac
tion or ordination confers—«o authority ; but
simply recognizes the complete authority
which already exists. The ministry, in its
order and nature, stands back and before
churches, and does not o from them,
but comes down from heaven. Thus it is
seen that we hold that the ministry is a dis
tinct class of men, derivh j their authority
directly from the great Head of the church.
Let no one think, from what we have said,
that we think lightly of that regular order of
the churches, which we find established in the
Scriptures by Christ, for the government of
his people. Let no minister think, for a mo
ment, that he is at liberty to disregard that
order, thus established by Jesus Christ for
the observance of his ministers. If God has
called him, He has called him, not to set up
anew order, nor to change in anywise, the
established order; but to ot*Vve in all good
fidelity the institutions of Lie gospel which
Christ has already furnished to his hand.
But, mark you, here is what we say: Sup
pose the true minister, with.the word of God
in his hand, finds himself in the midst of an
order of things very different from what he
finds in the Scriptures, is he bound to observe
that unscriptural order as he finds it? Is he
not, rather, bound, like Elijah, to disregard
the existing church order aqd set about the
work of restoring the Scriptural order which
has been lost? The true minister is bound
to observe the Scriptural order wherever he
finds it, and is bound to restore it wherever
lost. Here we stand.
But it may be said, this is not a supposa
ble case, for the reason that God has prom
ised to perpetuate the its purity. I
deem it sufficient to reply, that God as fully
promised to perpetuate his truth and worship
under the former dispensation, and yet so far
as outward form and visible organization are
concerned, the true worship was repeatedly
lost, and even the ark of tjbe covenant was
lost; so that we must conclude that God’s
promise did not include - seoeHty against ex
ternal corruption in the church.
We conclude in the language of another.
“ In the view which we have takSn, the Chris
tian ministry is an institution of surpassing
importance. It is a gift sent down to‘man
kind from the ascended Saviour. He gave
some prophets, some evangelists and some
pastors and teachers. To these heaven-be
stowed ministers, the Spirit_\vhich qualified
them for their work, gives testimony, And
the ministry and the church become joint
witnesses tor God to the world. Whether
these two witnesses have lived throfigh all
the dark period of papal persecution, I leave
others to inquire, but if they v/gre ever slain,
I doubt not that the spirit of .God "has reani
mated them, and will enable them to con
tinue their testimony to theen,: of the world.”
They Say.
4 WORD TO T A.LE-B E/ AaS. * •
They say, —ah ! well, suppose they do ;
But can they prove the story true ?
Suspicions may arise from nought,
But malice, envy, want of thought;
Why count yourself among the “ they,”
Who whisper what they dare not say ?
They say, —but why the tale rehearse,
And help to make the matter worse?
No good can possibly accrue
From telling what may be untrue;
And is it not a nobler plan
To speak of all the best you can ?
They say, —well, if it should be so,
Why need you tell the tale of woe ? ,
Will it the bitter wroug redress,
Or make one pang of sorrow less? .
Will it the erring one restore,
Henceforth to ‘‘go and sin no more?”
They say,— Ohl pause and look within,
See how thine heart inclines to sin ;
Watch, lest in dark temptation’s hour,
Thou, too, shouldst sink beneath its power;
Pity the frail, weep o’er their fall,
But speak of good, or not at all.
Tire Word, Prevent, in the Bible.
There are many words in our common
English version of the Bible which have
changed their meaning, or use, very materi
ally since the translation was made. Among
these words, none are more prominent than
the vtorA prevent. In some places it sounds
awkwardly, and to one who is only an Eng
lish scholar, many passages make either non
sense, or appear as palpable contradictions.
This is owing to the change in meaning
which the word has undergone since Ring
James’ translation was made. The English
word, prevent, is derived from the Latin pre,
before, and venio, to go ; and meant, prima
rily, to go before. Bat many’ of the old
meanings of that word are now obsolete.
Some of those obsolete definitions are, to go
before, precede, to seize, to take hold on, to
succor, or help.
Let us notice a f ew passages illustrating
these statements. Psalms Ixxxviii: 13, reads
thus : “But unto thee have I cried, O Lord ;
and in the morning shall my prayer prevent
thee,” that is, go before thee. Also, Psalms
cxix: 147, “I prevented, the dawning of the
morning/ that is, I went out before the dawn
ing, &c. Again, Psaltn cxix: 148, “Mine
eyes prevented the night watches, that I might
meditate in thy word.” In both these pas
sages, the Psalmist is made by the translators
to say what ue never thought of saying, nor
claimed the power to do ; that is, to disallow
the breaking of day, and the guards from
holding their positions for public safety, He
simply means that in his devotions, he was
out before the dawn of day, and retired for
private meditation before night fall. Let us
read these two verses with this meaning, and
the sense will appear altogether natural. “I
went out before the dawning of the morning
and cried : 1 hoped in thy word, Mine eyes
went out, (eyes put for the person,) before the
night watches, that I might meditate in thy
word.”
Matthew xvii : 25, affords another illustra
tion, with a different meaning, however, to
the word. Instead of lt preventedf the word
anticipated should be used, as follows ; And
when he, (Peter,) was come into the house,
Jesus anticipated, (not prevented) him, say
ing, What thinkest thou, Simon ? Os whom do
the kings of the earth take'custom or trib
ute,” &c. The object of the Saviour, no
doubt, was to convince Peter of His omni
science, by taking up, or introducing the sub
ject, before Peter could have time to do so.
The propriety of this rendering will appear
more forcibly when the whole subject is pre
sented. “And when they were come to Ca
pernaum, they that received tribute money
came to Peter and said, Doth not your
Master pay tribute ? He saith Yes. And
when he was come into the house, Jesus an
ticipated- him, saying, What thinkest thou,
Simon? of whom do the kings of the earth
take custom or tribute ? Os their own chil
dren, or of strangers ” ?
Ist Thessalonians, iv : 15, affords another
instance, which reads thus: “Forthis we say
unto you, by the word of the Lord, that we
which are alive and remain unto the coming
of the Lord, shall not prevent them which are
asleep.” That is, those Christians who are,
or shall be, still alive in the flesh at the com
ing of Christ, shall not enter into glory with
Christ, before those Christians whose bodies
are in the grave. Oh ! that all the words of
God’s law, (the whole Bible,) were written
very plainly !—Deut. xxvii: 8.
W. M. Howell.
Pleasant Valley, Ga., April 6th, 1869.
Water or Fire.
“ Be immersed in water, or else you shall
be immersed in the lake that burns.” This
is the teaching, substantially, of some calling
themselves Baptists. It is mainly on this
ground that they base their exhortations to
the unbaptized. For this reason, the Baptists
are often placed on the same level with
Campbellites. For this reason, too, we may
suppose that many, tfho have doubts as to
the validity of their sprinkling, refuse to ac
cept Christ’s ordinance, having their bitter
feelings aroused at the alternative of immer
sion in water, or else in fire.
Now, the truth is, that baptism —I mean
immersion—depended on as a work for sal
vation, is not only of no service, but is a sin
before Gcd. Just as far as an ordinance be
comes our Saviour, just so far it takes the
place of the only Saviour—Jesus. It is made
the rival of that only Saviour. It is a false
god, in no wise better than Dagon or Baal.
Away forever, then, with the idea of salva
tion by water, or by any other work or works.
What is the inducement to the believer to be
baptized as Jesus was? It Is that of love.
“If ye love me, ye will keep my sayings.”
“If ye love me, keep my commandments.”
The believer does love his Master; so well,
too, that he would go to prison and to death
for Him. If the Master tells such an one to
be immersed, will he refuse to obey ? Yes,
very often. Can this be possible, when Jesus
says, “If ye love me, ye will keep my sayings ?"
It is. possible. Nor is this all; it is natural !
If the young believer were taught, concerning
baptism, only the plain Scripture, and there
were exerted over him no influence of family
or friends, he would never fail to be im
mersed. External influence controls his ac
tion. The reason why he does not set aside
the example and teaching of others, is that
he is in ignorance of the Divine teaching in
the case.
Once bound to a religious organization, the
religious feelings and prejudices being the
strongest in our nature, as a matter of course
the convert will look for no blemishes in the
church to which he attaches himself, but will
defend her laws and ordinances with the zeal
of a faithful son. He is at once in the situa
tion of an old Methodist brother, of the wri
ter’s acquaintance, who said, “ If i am wrong,
Ido not wish to know it,” Upon such an
one all the logic of the schools, with the
whole Bible as an auxiliary, would prove
powerless to change his principles.
It is to be desired for many and powerful
reasons, that all Christians would accept the
baptism of Jesus, and we should not fail in
trying to induce them to accept it. There
are but two methods to pursue. The one is
to pleac| the love of Jesus to them. The
other is to call them into a candid investiga
tion of the subject, as the Bible—not human
glosses—presents it. W. M. D.
Reading Through. The N. Y. corres
pondent of the Presbyterian says : It is the
boast of the adherents of Emanuel Sweden
borg that no one ever read thoroughly through
all his works without becoming a convert to
the opinions they assert and advocate. Doubt
less this is true*—for, as Swedenborg wrote
seventy folio volumes, he who can hold on in
perusing all the wild vagaries they’ contain,
must have either accepted the position of a
follower of their author, or else have closed
them in despair long before he has reached
the seventieth volume.
The End without End. Augustine, in
“De Civitate L>ei,” (“ the City of God,”)
says; “Ibi vicabimus;, ibi videbimus; ibi
gaudebimus; ibi iaudabimus: et hoc erit in
fine sine fine.” (“ There we shall be at lib
erty ; there we shall see; there we shall re
joice; there we shall adore; and this will be
in the end without end.")
A Hymn with a Moral,
We invite our friends who have any sort of patience
in listening to the slow, dragging singing in some of
the church services, to sing the following stanza, writ
ten by Rev. Alfred Taylor, to the tune, “ Joyfully;"
Dismally, dolefully, downward we drag.
Making our music most mournfully lag ;
Singing the sonjs ot salvation so slow,
Groaning aqd grunting along as we go ;
Painfully poking o’er pious old poem,
Weary, the worshippers want to go home;
Droning so dull they don't know what to do,
Pleased when the plodding performance is through.
The Rainbow.
My heart leaps up when I behold
A rainbow in the sky-,
So wag it when my life began,
So is it now I am a man,
So be it when I shall grow old,
Or let me die!
Tbp child is fa'ber to the man t
And 1 could wish mv days to be
Bound each to each by natural piety.
Wordsworth.
The Old Times. — Rev. A. L. P. Green,
D.D., in some reminiscences of his early
years, at a recent meeting of children, said :
I recollet a long time ago, when furs were
first introduced. The preacher had never
seen any before, and he didn’t know whether
fur capes belonged to meetings or not. The
question had not been settled, and along came
a j a( jy—very likely a good woman—and she
was about to come into the church. The
preacher had no time to make an examina
tion of the question and settle the morale of
the case, and so he looked at her awhile, and
she looked at him, and at last said he, ts Come
in, sister, cat-skins and all.”
Deferred Items.
BAPTIST.
Dr. Baron Stow. —A letter from Boston,
in the San Francisco Evangel, says: I have
heard from time to time for twenty years,
that Dr. Stow was not with the great mass
of his brethren on the communion question,
and his name has been very freely used by
those not friendly to Baptist views and prac
tice. But last fcU he preached before the
Boston South Association, upon the “New
Testament Model of a Gospel Church.” I
never heard a sermon more thoroughly Bap
tistic. 1 said to him after he left the pulpit,
“Dr. Slow, if you were a young man and
preached such a sermon, you would be called
radical.” His reply was, “I am a Radical
Baptist and always have been.” When I re
minded him that sentiments had been often
impjitad to him very different from those of
his sermon, he said, “I know it; but the man
or woman does not live who ever heard me
in public or in private express views differing
from those I have now preached.” I may
add that many of the able editorials in the
Watchman and Reflector on the communion
question a few months ago, w ere from his
pen.
Indirect Influence. —Rev. J. Chaplin,
D.D., writing of a trip iu New Hampshire,
says: The indirect influence of the Baptists
in New Ipswich may be seen in the fact that
during the five years’ pastorate of one “or
thodox” minister of that place, five infants
only were “baptized,” two of the number be
ing his own children.
Household Baptism. —A household of
eight persons was immersed recently, upon a
profession of faith, at Williamsville, N. Y.
“Coming.— -The Chicago Advance says:
“The time seems to be coming when Baptist
churches will modify some of their close
communion articles.” The Examiner &
Chronicle replies: “A German astronomer
predicts, as will be seen, that this respectable
old earth of ours is soon to have two moons.
To him this new lunar phenomenon ‘seems to
be corning .’ When it comes, our friends of
the Advance, or their snccessors, will see it;
and about the same time they may look for
that other lunar phenomenon which they
hope to see in our Baptist churches.”
A Church-Extension Tent. —“Some active
and enterprising Baptists in Kansas have or
dered a large tent or tabernacle from Chica
go, which a corps of efficient evangelists will
pitch successively at various county-seats
throughout the destitute portions of that
State. They will tarry at each place long
enough to preach the word, and if possible,
gather and organize a church, ana inaugu
rate the building of a house of worship.”
Our Fathers. —Rev. R. S. Storrs, D.D.,
Congrei?ationalist, sending to the Watchman
& Reflector a letter of Rev. Dr. Baldwin for
publication, makes the following reference to
the service rendered to the cause of spiritual
Christianity by the Boston Baptist churches,
at the time of the New England Unitarian
apostacy : “It will at least freshen the recol
lections of some as to the state of religion in
your city sixty-five years ago, and inform
others of what they have forgotten or never
knew, of the instrumentality God employed
to save Boston and the Commonwealth from
those -who had seduced His people, saying
peace when there was no peace ; and who
had built up a wall and daubed it with aw
tempered mortar for defence against Heaven’s
threatened judgments on the godless and pro
fane ! Something of vital godliness remained
in Brattle Street and Old South churches;
and their pastors dared to speak for God—
yea, and speak to Him, as a man to his friend ;
all the other Congregational churches slum
bered and slept! Only the two Baptist
churches heard the Bridegroom’s voice, and
obeyed ! 'Honor to whom honor’ is a precept
never to be forgotten by a whole-souled Con
gregationalist.”
Union Movements. —One of our exchanges
writes: “We once heard a brother, accus
tomed to make quaint speeches, say that
‘when Baptists ride the same horse with other
denominations they must always ridebehind ;’
it might also be added, or be thrown under
the horse's feet''
Communion. —The Chicago Standard says :
“There are some important considerations in
favor of restricting the communion to mem
bers of the church where it is administered.
So far as the ordinance is an expression of
church-fellowship, it is an efficient means of
protecting such fellowship from abuse ; while
it is quite a question if the logical conse
quence of the Scripture theory that the Lord’s
supper is strictly a church ordinance is not,
that it is therefore an ordinance to be ob
served by each church, as an expression that
‘truly’ their ‘fellowship is with God, and with
his son Jesus Christ, and with, each other'
Yet we have never, ourselves, taken this
ground. ’
PRESBYTERIAN.
Influence. —The Banner of Peace, (Cum
berland Presbyterian,) says: We say it not
in a vain-glorious spirit, but we are proud of
the Presbyterian church ; and were we asked
to-day what body of Christians is exerting
the most powerful influence upon this conti
nent, we would feel compelled to say the dis
ferent families of the great Presbyterian
organization. And in thus answering, we
venture the assertion we would express the
sentiments of every unprejudiced mind.
Dancing. —At a recent “Grand Ball” at
the Annapolis Naval Academy, George H.
Stuart, of Philadelphia, late President of
the Young Men’s Christian Association of
that city, took part in the dance. He was
suspended last year by the General Synod of
his church, (the Reformed Presbyterian,) for
loose communion. Is he not carrying loose
communion forward to its perfection, i.e., to
communion with tlie fashionable wickedness
of the day ?
Baptism. —The United Presbyterian church,
with 20,525 families, reports for the present
year 4,171 infant baptisms—about one bap
tism for every seven families connected with
the church.
MISCELLANEOUS.
Education. George Peabody, adding
$1,000,000 more, to his gift for education at
the South, says : “l beg to take the opportu
nity of thanking, with all my heart, the peo
ple of the South themselves for the cordial
spirit with which they have received the
trust, and for the energetic efforts which they
have made, in co operation with the Trustees
and Dr. Sears, for carrying out the plans
which have been proposed and matured for
the diffusion of the blessings of education in
their respective States.”
A Strange Lack. —There are in Ireland,
no “religious newspapers,” in the current ac
ceptation of that term.
Learning a Trade.— “lt is stated in the
Report of the Prison Association, lately is
sued, that of 13,496 prisoners confined in
the penitentiaries of thirty States in 1867,
77 per cent., or over ten thousand of the
number, had never learned a trade. It is not
the skillful mechanic who is a burdeu or a
pest to society, but the man who knows no
trade, and must ‘live by his wits.’ ”
WHOLE NO. 2449.
French Protestant LiBERALiSM.-Pressense
writes from Paris to the Watchman and Re
jlecter : One of the journals, Le Protestant
Liberal, in a reply to the Revue Chretienne,
when it demanded of the radicals of the Re
formed church in France whether they ac
cepted the principle that a man could be a
member of that church without believing in a
personal God, declared that “liberal Protest
antism in Germany, France, Holland and
German Switzerland, would not reject Serve
tus under the pretext that he did not believe,
in the orthodox sense, in a personal God.”
Now it is well known that Servetus did not
believe in God in any sense, —that he was
absolutely a Pantheist.
Our Colleges. —According to the Yale
College Courant, “Few are aware of the vast
amount of Rationalism among the students of
American Colleges. Were the facts known
to what proportions such infidelity has
reached among the students of our Colleges,
the Christian church would be startled with
the announcement.”
The Modern Type of Politics. —Not long
since, in the Florida Legislature, in a debate
on a motion to close the session, one negro,
opposing it, sneered at the anxiety of mem
bers to get home to their wives, and said, that
his wife might stay at home and starve if
necessary. ‘l,’ said the sable orator, ‘will
stay here, and protect Ood and the country.”
Now, among the Romish politicians of
France, it is customary to say, “Let us vote
for Jesus Christ," when the meaning is, “Let
us vote in favor of the temporal power of
the Pope.” Which is the more blasphemous ?
The Stage —Olive Logan, for years an ac
tress of considerable repute, says, in a recent
letter, that she “would not advise any woman
to go upon the stage ; for the demoralizing
influences there prevalent are daily increas
ing, and its prizes are won by brazen-faced,
yellow-haired, padded-legged creatures, while
well-qualified and decent actresses cannot earn
a living.” She says that “merely honest,
modest girls, whose parents have left them
the not very desirable heritage of the stage,”
when they apply for a situation, are rejected
unless they can answer in the affirmative, the
following questions: “1. Is your hair dyed
yellow ? 2. Are your legs, arms and bosom
symmetrically formed, and are you willing
to expose them ? 3. Can you sing brassy
songs, and dance the can-can, and wink at
men, and give utterance to disgusting hall
words which mean whole actions? 4. Are
you acquainted with any rich men who will
throw you flowers, and send you presents,
and keep afloat dubious rumors concerning
your chastity ? 5. Are you willing to appear
to night, and every night, amid the glare of
gaslights and before the gaze of thousands of
men, in this pair of satin breeches ten inches
long, without a vestige of drapery on your
person ?”
Church Growth. —The following table
shows the rates of increase of the population
of the United States and of the four princi
pal denominations :
Year Popula- Method- Baptiste. Presby- Episco
tion. ists. terians. palians.
1790
1800 35.02 12.60 85.21
1810 36,45 168.99 46.00
1820 a3.12 48.89 51.63
1830 33.49 83.21 34.05 41.62 26.37
1840 32.67 fe.BB 52.63 22.45 79.31
1850 35.87 13.08 43.33 54.16 62.24
1860.. 31.77 44.20 16.90 43.73 54.93
1865.. 30.32 * 6.55 2.83 19.00.. 51.84
A TAraint iifiJJS .mm 31X0 CI.S4
The Colored People. —“ Every eighth
man in the United States is of African de
scent.” Are we doing our whole duty to so
large a class of the population ?
Puritanism. The Historical Magazine
says: “In the olden time and in the new, the
Puritans have never ceased to destroy the
peace of every community which they could
not control, and to employ any means, no
matter how base their character, which prom
ised them a successful termination of their
undertakings.”
Business and A Chicago busi
ness firm has undertaken the entire support
of a foreign missionary.”
Boston. —The Editor of the Church Un
ion writes from Boston that it holds “cer
tainly the most self-conceited aggregation of
humanity in the country.”
Queer Executorship. —Rev. T. L. Cuy
ler, D.D., of New York, speaks of the mem
bers of the American Anti-sFavery Society
as “the executors of the bones of the late ‘pe
culiar institution.’ ”
Bitterness. —The Chicago correspondent
of the Free Christian Commonwealth quotes
a Northern newspaper “deliverance.” —“The
churches which christened slavery a divine
institution, are no more fit for holy commun
ion than the crucifiers of Jesus.”
Japan. —Dr. J. C. Hepburn, Presbyterian
missionary to Yokohama, speaks hopefully of
the missionary work and prospects in Japan.
A great revolution is going on in the politi
cal, social and intellectual condition ot the
eastern nations, opening avenues to mission
ary effort and promising success in mission
ary labor of which the Christian world
scarcely dreamed a few years ago.
Woman Teaching.-: —As an argument for
Christian girls’ schools in China, Miss Fay,
an Episcopal missionary at Shanghai writes :
“It seems a curious fact, little noticed by
writers on China, that the women are almost
the only teachers of idolatry ; they take their
own children or their friends to the tempies
of instruction ; sometimes even before they
can speak they aro taught to lift their hands,
to bow and prostrate themselves before the
idols. The duty is imposed on the mothers
by the priests, who take a special interest in
the religious education of all the children.
The priests themselves rarely teach, except
classes of boys, who live in the temples, and
are destined to succeed them in the priest
hood.”
England and America. —ln a population
of 23,363,000, Great Britain has 36,200 min
isters, or one to every 673. In a population
of 27,000,000 the United States has 43,600
ministers, or one to every 619.
“Absolute Religion,” Absolute Infidel
ity.—R. W. Emerson, in a recent lecture at
Horticultural Hall, Boston,said: “Buddhism,
Confucianism and Christianity are essentially
the same, differing only in forms, mytholo
gy, rites and miraoles; but the time is com
ing when no man, comparing his own with
another religion, will care to expose these
parts of it. He will let the miracles go, —
their abundance makes them cheap.”
Giving. —“ The native Christians of India
and Asia Minor, give more in proportion to
their means than those of any part of Eng
land or America. The custom of dedicating
a tenth is rapidly becoming universal, and
many churches make it an item of their cov
enant.”
An Exotic. —The Chicagoan, the new lit
erary paper of Chicago, maintains that the
Christian religion, being transplanted from
the shores of Judea, is an exotic plant and
cannot flourish in the western soil, and that
the attempt to make it flourish is like plant
ing in the ground stumps of trees that have
been cut down—“lumber” as the editor calls
it. Christianity an exotic 1 Yes—one trans
planted from heaven, and growing through
heavenly influences.