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CHRISTIAN INDua AND SOUTH-WJ
VOL 48-NO. 38.
A RELIGIOUS AND FAMILY PAPER,
PUBLISHED WEEKLY IST ATLANTA, GA
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The Scene of Calvary*
Lo, darkness rules the present hour,
This night appears infernal power;
Behold the coming band;
See, one disciple leads the van ;
Another dares deny the Man,
Nor does the strongest stand.
One friend betrays—the rest have fled,
JVus to Calvary is led—
Nor is he led unbound;
Elders, and priests and, people cry,
Away! away! yea, let Him die!
Though not a fault is found.
Servants, rise up, and smite the Lord ;
They mock Him with insulting word;
Speak blasphemies aloud;
Spit on llim, buffet, blind His eyes;
And false accusers round Him rise,
Sworn to persuade the crowd.
Hail mystery sublime, unknown !
And only fathomed on the throne,
Where Jesus reigns adored.
Ob 1 may we count Thy pains as ours,
And wake the soul’s impassioned powers,
To praise and bless the Lord.
John Barton Gii-bert.
Protracted Meetings.
Ii is not the object of the writer to elabo
rate an argument upon this subject, but to
present such views as may be suggestive to
pastors and churches. A religious meeting
grow ing out of the healthy spiritual condition
of a church, is not the kind of meeting to
which he refers. To such a meeting, it is not
probable any one will object, if conducted
judiciously and on gospel principles. To
secure such a spiritual condition, the proper
organization of the church is necessary.
The pastor and other officials are in po
sition, and in the regular and syste
matic performance of their respective du
ties. Added to this, every member is a
regular “ soldier of the cross,” and has
his or her respective duties to perform.
The pastor is the executive and keeps this or
ganization at work. Under such an adrninis
t,ration we have reason to expect a continued
outpouring of the Spirit of God, because it
is the. legitimate use of the Divinely appointed
means of grace. Such an organization, work
ing in its legitimate sphere, never fails to
reap a continued harvest of spiritual blessings.
It is not. a protracted meeting that such a
church propoees, buL it is a constant use of the
means of grace, and a constant effort to pro
mote “ daily growth in grace, and in the
knowledge of the Lord.” The whole tenor
of gospel teaching and apostolic example,
points to a constant effort on the part of the
church as a whole, and of the members indi
vidually. It is compared to a “ race,” to a
“ fight;” it is called a “ struggle,” for which
we are to “ gird on the whole armor of God;”
that we are “to work out our own salvation
with fear and trembling.” It is needless to
refer to passages, to show that the work of a
Cnrist.iun church is a constant work, for such
passages will rise unbidden by the score to
the mind of every Bible reader. Nothing
nvjw: is .tec. sburi . to allow that such an'Or
ganization and such an administration of its
affairs, are in accordance with Scriptural au
thority and apostolic example ; and it is
equally obvious that a different course is both
uuscriptural and unapostolic.
That there are examples of such working
churches and working members in modern
times, the reader need only refer to the
churches under the administration of Spurgeon
and his compeers ; and there are hundreds of
chnrches this side of the Atlantic, to whom
the “ Sun of Righteousness” never goes down.
They have taken the gospel and the apostolic
example as their guide, and hence they reap
a constant harvest.
I now wish to place in contrast with this,
the operations of the system of protracted
meetings, as general)y existing among our
churches. Evens in this, 1 am happy to
say, there are some noble exceptions. As
usually practiced, a protracted meeting is
agreed upon and appointed in each church, at
sometime between the first of July and the
last of September, annually. No question is
asked as to tiie condition of the church,
the spiritual condition of the several mem
bers, their relation to each other, whether
members are living up to their duties, etc.;
indeed, nothing is considered but the time of
the year. The time is appointed, the pastor
comes with some “helps,” consisting of other
pastors, whom he usually proposes to help in
their turn. A series of sermons, with the
usual religious exercises—first, appeals to
tfie members to feel, and to pray, and to try
to “get up” a revival; secondly, appeals to
the unconverted ; then an invitation to the
mourners’ seat. If any com *, they are ex
horted by personal appeals, in the midst of
singing by the congregation, to repentance
and faith. This curriculum continues for a
series of days, according to the length of time
the members can from their business,
and in some proportion to the physical en
durance of the preachers. A greatei or less
number, in the midst, of this excitement, pro
fess con version and are baptized, the meeting
adjourns, the people go home, and the preach
ers congregate at some other church, t,o go
through the same pound, until about the first
of October, w hen.the protracted meeting
season has passed, and other matters must now
claim the attention of pastor and people for
one more year.
All must admit that this is a simple state
ment of fads. Enough has been said to show
that such a system is inconsistent with Scrip
tural teaching and practice, though a volume
might be written to unfold this fact in every
conceivable light.
I now propose to suggest some of the ten
dencies of those periodical, spasmodic, cut
and-dried protracted meetings. Let us con
sider lh it* effects upon tile church members.
They are taught by this practice, sustained
as they are in their spiritual teachers, to re
gard the Christian religion as a periodical
affair. Practice teaches in defiance of precept.
The pr< may occassionally talk to the
contrary; But he is simple iudeed, if he
supposes that an, occasional sermon can up
root errors which all the practice of divines
mas been so successfully implanting for a
quarter of atcehtury. Trie members are sat
isfied to maintain a moderately moral exterior
through the year, provided they can manage
to meet their pastors in a glow of religious
enthusiasm in fodder pulling time. They are
taught by this practice to recognize the leisure
time of the year, or when all branches of
business relax to some extent, as the time
to get pious. As it is only through the in
fluence of the active, growing church, in union
witu their pastor, that the unconverted can
be reached and brought to the Saviour, what
church, whose light shines only for a
days in the sacred period” be
against tie strongholds
his lhe way to keep our lamps
i Our Saviour taught
B place their candle on a candle-
give light. This modern
the candle under a bushel
FRANKLIN PRINTING HOUSE, ATLANTA, GA., THURSDJ
until “dog days,” when their Sirius appears to
enlighten the world for a “ little season.”
But I turn to its effects upon another class.
A number of persons at these times, profess
conversion, and are brought into the church.
After they are baptized, the meeting adjourns,
and these young converts, so far as the church
and the pastors are concerned, are left to
themselves. The “ big meeting,” and its ex
citement belong to the past. No special intruc
tion, no special prayer, either with or for them
—no systematic plan of instruction, of watch
care, or anything else, is ever talked of, oreven
thought of. Experience, as well as Scripture,
teaches that such young converts are young
plants that require tender nursing. But we
are taught by this periodical system practi
cally, that faith is all that is required. This
doctrine will do for the Campbellite, but not
for the Baptist. The apostle teaches, “ add
to your faith, virtue, and to virtue, know)
edge, and to knowledge, temperance, and to
temperance, patience, and to patience, godli
ness, and to godliness, brotherly kindness, and
to brotherly kindness, charity. For if these
things be in you and abound, they make you
thatye shall be neither barren nor unfruitful''
The reflecting mind often looks w r ith pain
upon the truly awakened, at these times, in
view of the confusion and jargon through
which they must get the light to guide them
to eternal life; and when a hopeful convert
appears, it is melancholy to reflect through
what spiritual darkness he must pass, unaided
and untaught, by those very people who now,
in a spasm of excitement, are manifesting such
great interest in his spiritual welfare. Equal
ly painful is it to reflect upon the members
who ’re misled and deceived, and left either
to be cold, indifferent members of the church
through life, professing to have a name to
live while dead, or to abandon their profes
sion altogether. Alas! how fruitful a source
of apostacy and infidelity, is this human ma
chinery.
It is needless to dwell upon the effect upon
the people of world. To their minds, in
their soberest moments, it is irrational and
unscriptural; and the most valuable material
are often driven off to Ritualism, Catholicism,
indifference or infidelity.
We turn, lastly and briefly, to its effect
upon the pastors. It is painful to admit that
pastors have been led, to s > great an extent,
to ignore their pastoral duties, in their de
pendence upon these annual outbursts, that
thousands of church members, having grown
up under this system, do not know' that a pas
tor has any other duties to perform, but to
preach. The holy, sacred influence of the
pastor upon the individual members and upon
the whole community, his pastoral visits, his
attention to the sick, indeed, all the influences
in the varied relation of pastor, are lost
Contrast an active, spiritual, praying, work
ing membership, having a qualified pastor in
their lead, with a church led on by their
elected pastor, who fires a blank cartridge oc
casionally along during the year from his
pulpit, and raises a little fox-fire in the fall,
by way of variety.
Let us follow the practical workings of this
system. The pastors begin their annual work
by preaching a sermon to their respective
churches once or twice a month, (as agreed
upon) ignoring alf other pastoral duties (ex
cept to marry uncouple occasionally) until
some time in May or June, wheu they coip
mbt wrran results in an
agreement to help one another carry on their
protracted meetings. Accordingly, about the
first of July, they, to a great extent, leave
their churches, even without their preaching,
to attend these meetings, proposing as a “ val
uable consideration” to make up for lost time
at the protracted meeting. This is illustrated
in the ease of a stock-minder, who neglected
to feed the stock for three months, proposing
to crowd them with a surplus during the week
succeeding. Or rather it is a moral improve
ment drawn from medical science. In lieu of
large and frequent drafts of a noxious drug,
the chemist succeeds in extracting the essence
of the article, and administers it in smaller
and more agreeable doses.
We may imagine the condition of a church
and congregation upon w’hom such a meeting
is precipitated. They have been irregular
attendants upon his occasional preaching ; the
Sunday school, if it has any existence, is in
a dying condition ; the weekly or Sabbath
prayer meeting is unknown ; pastoral visits
are so utterly neglected, that such an inter
view with a family would take all parties by
surprise ; the pastor is never known to con
verse, even with his members, upon any re
ligious subject, except, perhaps, some contro
versial point; the dissensions between church
members, which, with Scriptural measures,
might have been healed in an hour, are allow
ed to rankle and fester in rememberance ; the
celebration of the Lord's supper has prob
ably not been attended to for a year or more,
the direct command “ do this in remembrance
of me,” is utterly ignored, the soul reviving
influence of this holy ordinance is lost to the
membership ; and such a church, living in
neglect of known duties, living in the sight
of the world in sin, shrouded in spiritual
darkness and apostacy, with a pastor at their
head who utterly disregards nearly all the
duties of his pastorate, whose influence, as a
pastor , is no more felt (because of duties un
discharged) than if he had no existence; it is
such a church that proposes to come forward
an,l iu a blaze of excitement persuade others
to forsake sin and come to Christ! Such a
condition of things needs no comment. If this
were an isolated case, there would be some
relief. But every candid observer knows that
this is generally the “ plan of operation,” in
most churches who propose to live and flour
ish on th* j se annual arousernents.
It is painful, during the progress of these
meetings, to read the multiplied accounts,
heralded forth in our religious periodicals, of
the number of conversions and baptisms, as
the trophies of these unscriptural and irra
tional proceedings: They trumpet to the
world their successes; but do they ever bal
ance the account by a subsequent recital of
their losses, of the unsanctified material drawn
into the churches, of the apostacy and infidel
ity which results? This is a record which
they cannot make out. Many of its most
painful realities are concealed from human
vision. But, alas! the day will come when
“ the books will be opened.'' Tile idea is sug
gestive. Let wise men be warned.
It is needless to pursue the subject farther.
A thousand evils suggest themselves to every
reflecting mind. 1 entreat our ministers to
look upon this matter, not in the spirit of
controversy. Who could not write a plaus
abie argument on the opposite side of this
question? Who cannot prove, with pen and
paper, that a horse-chestnut is a chestnut
horse ? lam not aiming to draw you into
a controversy. This matter concerns the
dying souls of millions. I exhort you
to investigate this subject in vour closets, and
debate the matter with that God to whom you
will soon have to render your final account.
1 exhort you, if >ou are an evangelist, to be
an evangelist. If you accept the position of
of pastor, with God’s help, be a p&stor. If
God has called you to be a pastor, perform
your vows. He does-not hold you respons
ible for work outside of that which he has
assigned you. Do not leave your own charge
to attend district meetings, or union meetings,
to discuss abstruse points of theology, which
God has never revealed, and which he never
intends you shall, in this life, know anything
about. If in the discharge of your pastoral
duties your people are in a healthful, spirit
ul condition, actively engaged in their respec
tive duties, a perpetual revival will grow out
of your church. It will be “as a well of water
springing up unto everlasting life.” And I
will say to our churches, elect your pastor,
and expect him to act as a pastor, and not as
an evangelist. If your churcj) cannot employ
a pastor, let it employ one who will simply
preach. But if you need a pastor, (as you
do) employ him as such, and expect him to
organize the church for the great work which
God has assigned to you. A. Layman.
Baptist Consistency: What is it?
Brother Editor : There are many things,
more especially two or three, I am exceed
ingly anxious to have settled. 1. Is there
but one, or are there- many ways to serve
Christ? 2. Is there one, oV are there divers
baptisms? 3. Is there consistency in the
general rule or rules governing the points
raised in the above questions? 4. Is there
such an organization as the church of the
Lord Jesus Christ? 5. If yea, what is its
composition, as to material? And how, or
in what way is admission gained into it?
So anxious am I know the exact requisi
tions laid by Christ on His followers, that 1
entered into a solemn agreement with a Meth
odist lady, of high culture and general pru
deuce, to go with her, if she would show New
Testament authoiity for any water baptism
other than the baptism of believers. If she
fails to find authority for baptizing infants,
and the unconverted, then she is to come
with me. And I will make this same bar
gain with any Pedobaptist, whether Doctor
of Divinity or otherwise.
As Baptists, we say that the Church of
Jesus Christ, according lo New Testament
teaching, is composed of regenerated persons,
baptized, voluntarily, upon a public profes
sion of their faith in Christ, by one authorized
to administer the ordinances of Christ and
His Church. Now, do we believe as above
stated, and do we practice what our faith de
dares? Let us see. A member with us,
for some reason, unites with a Pedobaptist
church, and refuses to recant. Our rules
charge him w>th heresy and exclude him from
our fellowship, declaring him a heathen man
and publican. His church at length ordains
him to “ the gospel ministry,” and he seeks
an opportune day to visit his old church and
brethren. Now, what are they to do? What
can they do? Why, as a matter of courtesy,
the deacon suggests, “Invite him into the pul
pit, that he may preach us a good sermon.”
Now, brother Editor, what effect docs this
church act nave upon the expulsive act ?
Does it annul it, and thereby restore him ? or
is he recognized as a member of both church
es? Or does it simply raise an honorable
way of getting out of the Baptist church?
Or is it merely a rule of convenience? Will
you explain our conduct, so tha twe and Pedo
baptists can understand exactly what we do
believe and mean by such practice?
Again, we, as Baptists, believe immersion,
and immersion only, Scriptural baptism.
Now, please tel! us the difference between the
excluded member and all Pedobaptists, so far
as Scriptural rule and right is concerned, if
ours is Scriptural and right ? Re simply
adopted their views and practice, and that
was enough to exclude him from the church,
and brand him as a heathen and publican.
As Baptists, we would not think of asking a
regenerated man of the world to preach; in
deed, I have never known one called upon to
pray in public, or at the family altar. Yet
our practice is to preach them and pray them
when they visit us. Is our practice predica
ted upon what we believe? or is its predicate
deference to our good Pedobaptist neighbors ?
I am anxious for the information sought.
Is there such a thing as consistency taught in
the word of God? and does it bind our con
sciences, and will God hold us responsible
for all departures? If Scripture teaches
sprinkling and pouring as well as immersion,
then we ought to practice its teachings. We
ought not to hinder the progress of Christ’s
kingdom by adhering to immersion alone, if
other modes are taught. If others besides
believers are entitled to places in the church,
then is it our duty to bring them in? We
ought not to oppose any of these things sim
ply as Baptists, or as a convenience, or be
cause we were raised in the faith. A creed
is not sanctified simply by believing it, nei
ther does God accept it because it apparently
works and takes well with the masses. The
Roman Catholic church, by her Popes and
priests, claims the highest sanctity, and wields
a tremendous sceptre of influence, not only
in the old, but also in this new world of ours.
Lastly, brother Editor, does the New Tes
tament teach anything on the points raised ?
Or, as Mr. Beecher says, is it silent?
If my good Methodist sister brings for
ward a “thus saith the Lord” for her prac
tice, then 1 shall cease to be a Baptist, and
will let my brethren know it. On the con
trary, if she fails and comes to us, then all
shall know it. B. L. Ross.
Fort Valley , August 14 eh, ’69.
We cannot answer the enquiries of our corres
pondent at length—but will attempt to do so in
outline.
1. There were no diversities of church-build
ing in apostolic times. Those inspired men or
ganized churches upon one model only.
*3. In our own day, there is but a single class
of churches conformed to this primitive model.
These churches, if we rightly interpret the Scrip
tures, are such as have been contra-distinguished
from others by the name, “ Baptist,” because they,
recognize no title to membership short of regen
eration, in credible profession at least, with its
symbolic exhibition through immersion into the
name of the Trinity.
3. As this model is divine, it is, for that reason,
authoritative, and must control the action of Bap
tist churches, in the investiture of their members
with the ministerial office. They cannot right
fully place in that office such of their sons as by
doctrine and practice depart from this model in
any of its elements: for that would be, to em
power them to assail and overthrow what is of
divine appointment, in the name and with the
sanctiou of the churches. And when a son of
theirs commissioned to the ministry, embraces
and persists in such practice and teaching, they
must withdraw official position and ecclesiastical
fellowship from him.
4. In thus absolving themselves from all re-*
sponsibility for the errors of such a minister,
Baptist churches do not pronounce hitn a “ pub
lican,' 1 if free from charges of immorality, nor a
“ heathen,” if he still holds those truths of Chris
tianity which save the soul. Dr. Johnson argues,
in “The Gospel Developed,” that in cases of an
“honest difference of opinion,” if the life has
been upright and the spirit Christian, “a disso
lution of membership without censure may be
allowed,” and suggests the addition of another
column *o our statistical tables for the record of
instances of that kind. But even those who hold
giat censure should be inflicted in the customary
forms of excommunication, must concede thaf
this action docs not preclude confidence in the
character of the exscinded minister, as a faith^l
man—a believer in Christ (according to the vital
sense of that term)—and one able to teach oth
ers, ns regards the fundamental truths of revela
tion.
5. A wordV&en, as to the consistency of per
mitting a minister separated from the communion
of a church uMer these circumstances, tp occupy
its pulpit after connecting himself with another
denomination :? (a case, by the way, scarcely more
likely to occur than the admission of a regenerate
man, from all denominations.)
Assuming that he enters the pulpit, not to broach
the questions on which he dissents from the faith
of the church,‘but to confine himself within (he
limits of the confidence which the church enter
tained towaifffUim when he was cutoff, —this
may be done without inconsistency, as regards
Baptist princsj|bs, on two suppositions. First:
If it be true that preaching is not an official act;
in any such as being created for the office,
or restricted tevit. Secondly: If there be, both
in churchship fnd the ministry, a moral as well
as a positive element —the former not shut up
within the the latter, but capable of ex
isting without i&.--and if when the church meets
to worship, apa; t ’from the observance or the or
dinances, and tt/fl minister appears before the peo
ple to preach the Glad Tidings, omitting
the points in dilute as to the primitive model of
church building, they are, alike, acting within the
sphere, not of tee positive in its rigorous limita
tion to the lette-, but of the moral in its larger
liberty of the spirit. These are suppositions on
which our correspondent is abundantly able to
pass judgment, f; himself; and we will only say
that our mind bans to the latter.
To conclude: The New Testa meg t is not silent
on those of belief and practice which
make up the peculiarities of Baptist churches.
On the contri.ryGt is most full and explicit. As
to the proper line of action toward other denomi
nations, of course, it says nothing; for the canon
of Scripture wa-B*closed before these denomina
tions had come into existence, through departures
from the apostolic model in matters of external
order. Clearly, in this state of the case, the
wiser (not to say safer) general rule , on the part
of Baptists, is, to jdo their own work, in their
their own way, and by their own men —following,
in all things, the pathway oi the word, with sin
gleness of eye, uijer the illuming of the Spirit.
—Ed.
Reverses.
0
When mirt’j is full and free,
Some sudiiAa gloom shall be;
When haughty power mounts high,
The watcher’s axe is nigh ;
AH growth has bound; when greatest found.
It hastes to die.
When the rich town that long *
Has laiu its huts among,
Uprears its pageants vast.
And vaunts—it shall not last!
Bright tints it at shine are but a sign
Os summer past.
And when * une eye surveys
With fond i/Joriug gaze,
And yearn.'g heart, thy friend—
Love to its jrave doth tend ;
All gifts befSTfsave truth, but grow
Towan j.au end.
— John, U«nry Ne'^nan.
. '
4 ¥ir>lit
I used to hoar a good old preacher, gone
to heaven long ago, preface his discourse, with
painful confessions, damping and puzzling all
about him, for we knew him to be a good
man. Now, the effect of such tilings is that
ailudod to in a passage of Macaulay, found
in his review of Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s Progress.
“ Mr. Ivimey calls him the depraved Banyan,
and the wicked tinker of Elstow. Surely
Mr. Ivimey ought to have been too familiar
with the bitter accusations which the most
pious people are in the habit of bring against
themselves, to understand literally all the
strong expressions which are to be found in
Grace Abounding.” Confessions of a griev
ous character are often heard in prayer meet
ing talks, and especially in the prayers made
on those occasions. The effect is merely
damping and depressing. We know the text
of these things : “Confess your faults one
to another, and pray one for another, that ye
may be healed.” But the meaning is, rather,
do so privately, in the case of personal griev
ances. There may he occasions for public
confession, but not often. Even these, for
the most part, ought to he general.
I will append a couple of anecdotes, one of
them, perhaps, invented, and leave whom it
may concern to make tiie application.
The first is a story of a class meeting. A
brother had been quite ingenuous and profuse
of confessions not greatly to his credit. The
next brother that rose, expressed his gratifi
cation at the heartiness and fullness of the
expose, and added he could hear testimony that
it was all nothing but tiie truth. Whereupon
brother number one whispered huskily, “ I’ll
thrash vou for that, when we get out of this
place!”
The other story is retd, as reported to me
by one who was on t in; spot. An old preacher
had labored with a cohi-ntai ted church two
years without apparent fruit. Fie became
distressed —proposed a protracted meeting as
a resource. The brethren obstinately insist
ed the circumstances did not invite it—any
thing else. They could not be persuaded to
make preparations. But the old man went
on. Announced a day to begin a brush arbor.
On the day appointed no one came to assist.
However, the old man having two strong,
well grown sons/and a wagon and male ser
vant, began the work. The labor proceeded
several days, and was nearly completed, when
the members of the church, stirred up with
the old preacher’s earnestness, began to drop
in, one by one, to apologize and assist. But
the old man said to them, sternly, “ Don’t
come to me and tell me how mean you are—
I know all about it. Go off into the woods
and t<;)l God and so would not hear a word.
The day for preaching to commence arrived.
The people turned out en mafse. The Spirit
of the Lord clothed Ilia servants with power,
a great revival commenced, and forty were
added to the church, sthe sequel is sad.
The body, now grown numerous and “re
spectable,” turued.out the old rnau and called
a learned and eloqui-nt man. There is an
•old adage, Let well enough al >ne.
But 1 have.,transcended my text.
Qui Vive.
Learn to Wait. —Of all the lessons that
humanity has to learn in life’s school, the
hardest is to learn to wait. Not to wait with
the folded hands that claim life’s prizes without
previous eflbrls, but, having struggled and
crowded the slow years with trial, see no such
result as effort seems to warrant —pay, per
haps, disaster instead. To stand firm’at such
a crisis of existence, to preserve one’s self poise
and self-respect, not to lose hold or to relax
efforts, this is greatness, whethe? achieved by
man or woman, whether the eye of the world
notes it, or it is recorded in that book which
the light of eternity shall alone make clear to
he vision
Carnal Enmitt. —Lady Byron oQce said
significantly to a friend* who spoke of some
causeless dislike in another: “My dear, I have
known people to be hated for no-other reason
than because they impersonated conscience.’*
Reply
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particles. It.
particles in such
ill*- .-ii
s id*- ration.
Liddell & Scott
rious uses of kai haHH
plained. Their lirstH’j
words and sentences]**
clitic te ans wci\- to qu^Kk
a speech, kai must
before, which it lakes Hj
is used after
English letters for tH|
likewise after an
is “ iisej after its «’j
to connect the
loose of nut*
I dred.
The same authors rem
a conjunctive particle, ua
to the fact, that the worqi
it stands is to be elistinaU
preceding; and UstuLfl.
or adversative ! hiv-*j|
.■.-•{.>*t-i;ilv in^H
Jig ,
. "It ;y
J*' “
I
A
- I-* ’ ~f BHB
w
4.,2jNram|
dialogues.A*?@¥aMߧ|
the 19th c^B
between ,MS - jjiS^H
In tur;
cnee t<> /^B
Wj
ill ust rate 'ffl^|a
B|| '. ; ,'\ m
m
.is'
■’''./-iv;'-’’
l|
-■ *■. ’’.^'■j-j
in bir;sdlil, alternately,
beginning of each speech.
this remark.
In the conversation of Jesus and Zaccheus,
ihe narrative is continuous (with ini) until
Zaccheus speaks, in the Bth verse, and then de
is used. It (de) is used again when Jesus re
plies to Zaccheus. (Luke Bth chapter.) In
the conversation between Jesus and the ruler,
Luke xviii, 18, “And (de) Jesus said to him,”
“And (de) le said,” “And (de) Jesus, hear
ing it, said.” Examine, also, Luke xvi, 24 ;
Luke xv, 27; Matt, xii, 1; Matt xiv, 15;
also verse 27 ; Matt, xv, 23, etc., etc, Apply
this same rule to Acts xix. It is a conversa
tion between Paul and the disciples, and
r. u < ; TANARUS! —^.’a-,-..,,
determines the connection of the thoughts of
any one discourse. The writer (Luke) is the
speaker in opening the chapter, and closes his
first remark with the words, “he said to
them.” Paul now speaks, and simply asks
a question, “Did ye receive the Holy Spirit
when ye believed?” De now marks the be
ginning of the answer of the disciples. Then
te , equivalent to de, designates Paul. De
then points out the disciples. Then de brings
in Paul. Then de, at the beginning of the
6th verse, designates Luke as speaker, “And
when they heard this, they were immersed in
the name of the Lord Jesus.”
The, conclusion is clear, to my mind, that
Paul does not utter the 6th verse. It is, be
yond all question, tire language of Luke.
I would remind brother Cooper that I am
not discussing classic Greek. The New Tes
tament is not written in such. Neither am 1
discussing the uses of kui, de and te when
combined in meaning with other particles, as
qe, men. gar, ei, and others.
G. T. WILBURN.
Forgiveness.
Night. Imd spread her dark curtain round
me, as I sat watching the gathering storm.
Nearer, nearer comes the rushing whirlwind
—the mighty monarchs of the forest bend
tiieir heads before the blast—the house is
shaken to its foundations—all nature trem
bles; but what is this ? My soul, that has be
fore, in the’ midst of tempests exulted its
mighty King— fears?
Before—the rolling of Ilis chariot wheels,
the lightning of Ilis glance has called forth
awe and adoration at the glory of His power.
Now I can see but the onward rushing of an
offended, avenging God.
Why is it ? Why do I tremble at the ap
proach of my King'? Adam feared and hid
himself at ’the voicetif God because he had
obeyed the suggestions of the Evil One. 1
harbor an enemy in God’s temple; one has
injured me, and I cherish resentment. Now
the unholy feeling looms up before me in all
its deformity, and beneath the searching eye
of God I sink in fear. “ Forgive,” whispers
the voice within.
“I have done her no wrong; she has with
out cause injured me; I justly feel angry,”
answers inclination.
“That is naught, and you Aim done wrong
to her, to your own soul, and to God, by
hard and unforgiving thoughts. Forgive!”
“ I am willing to do what I can for her; I
have not, nor will t treat her otherwise than
kindly, but she has not, in word or deed,
manifested any regret for her treatment of
me. Why should 1 forgive?”
“‘Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive
them that trespass against us’ Can you
pray thus? You dare not, and call down on
your soul the curse that you cherish in your
heart; but ‘if ye forgive not, neither will
your Heavenly Father forgive you.’” Thus
with heavy lashings does conscience punish
the sinning soul, and for all its shrinking she
stays not her hand.
“But hark! ‘My Father!’ Oh, now the
spirit melts within me.' Am I not acting
rather as a child of Satan than of God ? My
Father, I yield, I forgive ! Oh, forgive me !”
“If ye love me keep my commandments.”
“ Lord, what wouldst Thou have me do?”
“ First, be reconciled to thy brother, and
then come and offer thy gift.”
The struggle is ended, and now 1 bear a
kiss of peace to the one who has injured me.
“ Why do you kiss me? because I am wick
ed?” “No; because 1 am.” So, by words
of love is reconciliation made complete, and
with God’s peace in my soul, 1 go again to
watch the storm. Now is no f«Ajr t but with
joy 1 witness the triumph of His power.
“ Love casteth out fear, but fear hath torment.”
How often do we suffer because love is not
in us perfected, and how jamall an object qf
earth do we permit to mde from us our
Father’s face? “If we love not our brother
whom we have sehu, how shall we love God
whom we have not seen?” “ Wherefore let
him that loveth God love his brother also.”
So shall wo be Sis disciples. Augusta.
unit.tion of His example, whenever the spirit
of strife and contention as to which shall be
greatest in the church is manifest, just come
together and wash each other's feet.” He
holds it, then, not a stated religious ordinance
as a part of our religious wqjrship, but a spe
cial command of an exceptional character.
EPISCOPAL.
Fuee Sittings in CiiUßCif.—Bishop Little
john rejoices that there are five churches in
his diocese, Long Island, with free seats. He
argues for this plan on the ground that “ one
*of the loudest notes'announcing that the
Messiah had come into the word was that to
the tmor the goswL.Mitj.% preached ; and what
Vverclni i est *s‘lTn tus door against the poor,
whether by design or as the result of its sys
tem, is a tree already smitten with the cause
of death, and ready only to be cut down as
cumbering the ground.”
Powder. The renowned Ritualist of
Brighton, Eng., Rev. Mr. Purchas, has intro
duced into his church, the ceremony of “rub
bing black powder on the members of the
congregation.”
ROMANIST.
Spain.— The London Christian World
says : “ Upon the very spot where lie the re
mains of 36,000 of our fellow-creatures who
suffered martyrdom during the time of the
Spanish Inquisition, and which has lately been
excavated, stands the man of faith with the
Bible in his hands, and offers one of the Gos
pels of the New Testament for half a penny.”
Priestly Arrogance —“A Berlin court
has fined a Roman Catholic priest heavily for
having, while performing the marriage cere
mony, boxed the bride’s ears.”
The Jesuits. —There were 4,138 members
of this order in 1854; now there are 8,554.
The Virgin Mary. —Tne Romanists of
Burlington, Vt., have elected the Virgin Mary
as the patron of the city ; the choice has been
confirmed by the Pope; and Burlington is
henceforth to be known as the City of the
Mother of God.
Sorcery. —An old woman from Benevento
has been cast into prison at Rome as a sor
ceress, and will be immediately prosecuted
for magic.
UNITARIAN.
Bridging the Gulf. Offended by the
style of the Zion's Herald (Meth *dist) in
speaking of the “intense anti-Christianity”
of Harvard University, (Unitarian,) the
Christian Register savs : “ It is several years
since Unitarians have been denounced as Ue
ists, or their best men compared to Judas
Iscariot. In fact, Orthodox men have frank
ly exchanged civilities with Unitarians. Bow
doin; College has recently given a degree of
D.D. to HoratioStebbins; Colby has invited
Mr. Alger to deliver an oration; one of the
most popular of the Orthodox writers, the
author of ‘The Philosophy of the Plan of
Salvation,’ has just dedicated a religious wot k
to a Uniiarian minister. Dr. Bellows, Dr.
Hedge, Andrew Preston Peabody, have been
welcomed into many Orthodox churches.
Dr. Gannett has just been invited to meet
with an association of Or%>dox ministers in
Milwaukee. The long-expected era of good
feeling seemed indeed to haee arrived.”
DISCIPLE (“CAMPBELLITE”).
Baptismal Remission.—A writer in the
American Christian Review argues that Bap
tist immersion is not valid gospel baptism,
because it does not convey remission. He
says: “ If 1 have been correctly taught, man
cannot believe the gospel until he understands
it; he may understand it and not believe it;
but to-believe it, and at the same time not
understood it, is something I do not under
stand. Then' for us to claim remission for
what we did in the Baptist church, before we
understand the gospel, is something that 1
cannot receive. 1 think it right in all cases
to rebaptizo all that have not obeyed accord
ing to order and knowledge.”
SPIRITUALIST.
Explanatory. —A Spiritualist, whose name
“carries great weight, ’ to explain the phe
nomena of spiritualism, says that the “ mys
terious rappings proceed from the sub de
rangement and hyper-effervescence of small
conical glandular bodies situated heterogene
ously in the rotundusof the inferior acephalo
cysts; which, by coming in unconscious con
tact with the etherization of the five superior
processes of the dorsal vertebrae, also result
in ‘tipping,’ by giving rise to spontaneous
combustions with certain abnormal evacua
tions of multitudinous echinorhyncus bicornis,
situated in various abdominabls orifices. The
raps occur from the ebullitions of the former
in certain temperamental structures; and the
thieves anu receivers of stoiß^BHl
# PmjßiT Themes. —The Chicago correspon
dent of the Christian Observer says: Last
Sabbath, on one side of Wabash Avenue, in
a dancing acaderijy*.saloon, Balch, the Free
Religious hierophant, held one of his instruct
ive “ conversations” on Dree Trade. On the
other side of the street, Evarts, the embass
ador of Christ, was discussing “ The Religious
Uses of Travel.” With a large body of sin
ners before him, many of whom might never
be in a church again, he gave a sort of cyclo
paedic abstract of the wonders of the sea.
He discussed currents, and tides, and rivers,
and fishes and light. andjih.ade ,Tq the
server, where wai the difference between the
two teachers? There was Free Trade—
without Christ —and “Religious Uses of
Travel,” with a few moral reflections, which
Balch or Frothingham would append. Tho
world wants something very directly opposite
to itself, to startle it into conviction —and the
Gospel of Christ is just that opposite thing
which can rouse it to a sense of the real sit
uation.
Our Colleges. —At the recent meeting of
the Philological Association, at Poughkeepsie,
N.Y., President M’Cosh, of Princeton, stated
that he was “ prepared, from a pretty exten
sive acquaintance with the Universities of
Great Britain, and with some of those on the
Continent, to say that the average attainments
of College graduates here and there are about
equal.” •
Unhealthy- Taste.— -A newspaper quotes
President Finney, as saying, in a prayer :
« O Lord! we so abominate ourselves that
we could spit in our own faces and kick our
selves into hell.”
Woman. —The ladies of a Congregational
church recently prevented the choice of a
minister as pastor, because, preaohing as a
candidate, he was “so unfortunate and short
sighted” as to utter the following statement:
“ when women become degraded through sin,
they suffer less from remorse aud compuno
tion of conscience, than men.” The Conyre
gationalist thereupon says: “Had these
‘ladies’ enlightened their minds by a little
study of the Amazonian denizens of the Five
Points, and North Street, and reflected upon
the proverb that ‘ the sweetest wine makes
the sourest vinegar,’ they might nave been
saved from any folly like that here reported,
if indeed it occurred —which we vin much,
doubt. We do not believe the ladies of the
beautiful town referred to, are prepared to
vo.e down the equator, or array themselves
against any of the stubborn facts, either of
life or revelation.” We incline to side with
the ladies in this matter.
Dress and Credit. —“ The New Bedford
Standard says, a lady in that city recently
appeared in church neatly dressed in calico,
and concludes that it would not be dangerous
to lend the husband of such a woman money.”
A Bad Sign. —The Watchman and Re
flector says: One certain Sabba'h at a
“ watering-place,” among forty church mem
bers one Bible was found ; a little text that
preaches its own sermon.
J> The Pulpit and the Bar. —Set a barrister
to expound an act of parliament eighteen hun
dred years old; let him address the jury upon
it twice every week in the year; let each juror
pay five shillings a quarter for a seat in the
jury box ; let the barrister call upon the jury
tor a monthly collection to enable other bar
risters to expound the same act of parliament
to other juries; when the court room falls
out of repair let the jury be called upon to
pay for its restoration; and when the barris
ter has thus put himself upon an outside
equality with the minister, let him have five
years’ work, then five more, let him double
the ten and add five, and then we shall see
how he compares for freshness, variety, and
power with a pains-taking minister of Jesus
Ohrist. — Canadian Baptist.
Prating for a Pastor. —Not many years
since, a certain Vermont church was in need
of a pastor. One Sabbath, the minister sup
plying the pulpit, well known for his eccentric
turn of mind, prayed for a “ man from the
Lord,” in this fashion: “Send us not an old
man in his dotage, nor a young man iu his
goslinghood, but a man with all the modem i
improvements." A
Pretence of Popularity. —lt is said top
be a common practice in Paris to hire pooA
people to attend the fashionable churches, so
that the preachers may say that they always
have crowded houses. Two or three sous
pay for a worshipper.