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About Christian index and South-western Baptist. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1866-1871 | View Entire Issue (March 10, 1870)
CHRISTIAN I w.r.v ami SOUTH-WESTERN BAPTIST. VOL. 49-NO. 10. A RELIGIOUS AND FAMILY PAPER, PUBLISHED WEEKLY IN ATLANTA, OA TERMS.—CIubs of Four, ($3.00 e%ch) per annum...sl2 00 Clubs of Throe, ($3.33 each) per annum... 10.00 Clubs of Two, (3.50 each) per annum 7.00 Single Subscriber 4.00 J. J. TOON, Proprietor. The Master’s Presence. Where shall we find the Master? Our yearning hearts entreat; What service shall we render? How wash the sacred feet? A voice speaks out from heaven. With power our souls to thrill, “Ye have the poor and needy; In them ye have Me still I” Our feet spring up to dutv; Our bands to tender care ; The highways and the hedges Reveal the Master there; The Master in His children, Disguised by grief and shame; 0, Christ, ’tis sweet to succor Because they bear Thy name! We rather glean TUv harvest Than reap in earthly spoil; We haste to seek the mourning, For love makes glad the toil; So weak are we ind humble, The precious trust to hold, But as Thou lead’s! our footsteps. We bring them to Thy (old. We gather from Thy bounty, And in Thy name dispense; We lean on' Amman weakness On Thy oifinipotence; And when, discrowned and strioken, Thy royal form appears. We deem it highest worship To wash Thy feet with tears. O, ever-present Master! We find, where’er we tread, Such service for sweet ointment To pour upon Thy head; We bow with deep thanksgiving That Thou our work wilt own ; The jov is ours of serving, The praise is Thine alone. Worldly Conformity —V. In conclusion of my discussion of this sub ject, 1 add the following general rernaiks. One mode of testing the religious charac ter of any principle, or practice, is to com pare it with the views and conduct of those who are admitted to be examples of intelli gent piety. Andrew Fuller applied this principle with effect, in his “Examination and Comparison of the Calvinistic and Socin ian Systems, as to their moral tendencyAs we may safely infer from the character of a good man, that his conduct will be good, so, with equal reason, we may conclude those practices are not good, which he disapproves and condemns. Let us apply this principle to the illustration of the case we are discuss ing. Let us ask whether the devotees of the amusements in question, are found among those w ho are examples of holiness, blessings to society, lights of the world, and the orna ments of the church? Who, among all the different denominations, are those to be found in dancing halls, at card-tables, or in the the atre? Not Newton, or Scott, or Leighton, or Legli Richmond, or Bickersteth, or Ed wards, or Payson, or Wesley, or Summer field, or Fuller, or Pearce. Who Would ex pect to find one of these men at any such places? As soon should we see the empyreal eagle brooding and hooting with the bird of night, or the majestic lord of the forest wal lowing with the sow in the mire. It there has ever been a man or woman of distin guished piety who has been addicted to these practices, it s one of whom I have r*ever heard or read. Who would look in such haunts for Anne Judson, Harriet Newel, Sarah Boardman, Deborah .Wade, or any of that glorious galaxy of women whose names are as odors wafted from a field perfumed with the breath of the Lord, qnd who p<>ur upon our pathway a stream of light., imparting to our souls some sense of the sanctity and blessedness of the heavenly regions? If, on the contrary, we were looking fora professor of religion with “a form of godliness, but denying its power,” having “a name to live, but dead,” are not these exactly the resorts to which we would direct our search ? When ever I shall find persons distinguished for piety, men and women of prayer and conse cration to God, of active and devoted effort in all the plans of Christian benevolence, visiting theatres, mingling in dancing parlies, and addicting themselves to card-playing, it may serve to modify, materially, my views on this subject. But when 1 see ihese things, 1 shall no longer be surprised to find grapes on the thorn tree. Why, then, if those professing the name of Christ, desire to justify their profession, and to “ make their calling and election sure,” if they are not alarmed by the declaration of Paul—“ She that liveth in pleasure is dead while she liveth,” or. by the awful words of Him who will judge them in the last day— “ Wide is the irate, and broad is the way that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat;” why, at least, do they not propose to themselves, as examples, those characters who are of unquestionable and elevated piety, and whose lives illustrate and adorn their profession? Why not enquire into their views, study their principles, and imitate their conduct: If it shall be found, upon enquiry, that the advocates and devotees of the amusements in question, are persons of an inferior, if not a doubtful piety, such a fact will surely be of no small weight in deciding the question of their Scriptural morality. No man fearing and desiring to do His will, would be willing to submit to the umpirage or judgment of such men, a question of Christian casuistry. Religious duties should not be decided by feelings and views, indicating a low state of piety. Such a state forms a very unfavorable element in which to discern the true nature of spiritual objects. Tney only can see the light, who stand in the light: and the Scrip tural propriety of any practice may well be doubted, which originates in a low state of religious feeling, and which is of a nature to perpetuate and increase such a state of spir itual dwarfishness, and this may be stated, as another general principle, applicable to the case in hand. How little does the spirit of the Christian devotee of worldly amusements harmonize with the character of the disciples of Christ, as described in the Sacred Scriptures? “ Ye,” says our Lord, “are the light of the world.” “So let your light shine before men that they rnay see your good works and glorify your Father which is heaven.” “The grace of God that bringeth salvation,” says the Apostle, “hath appeard to us ; teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously and godly in this present world, looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God, and our Saviour Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for us. that He might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify us to Himself, a pe culiar people, zealous of good works.” Such is their character, of whom God has said, “This people have 1 formed for myself; they shall show forth my glory.” For them the Son of God died upon the cross, to “save” them, as “ His people, from their sins.” They are the “elect, according to the fore knowledge of God, the Father, through sanc tification of the Spirit unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ.” In their sahation, God preeminently displays the perfections of the Godhead. When the earth and the heavens shall have vanished away, and every form of material glory shall J have successively disappeared, they will still shine, undimmed, and unwasting orbs of light and glory ; and amid all ages, and among all the bright hierarchies of God’s eternal do minions will be “made known in them the manifold wisdom of God.” Many such heaven-blessed men and women it has be. n my happiness to know, but not one of them have J found in the ball-room, at the card table, or in the theatre. Let roe all those who indulge in the amusements which have been specified, pro fessing a desire, to do the will of God, and to secure His favor, whether these practices are not condemned, as sinful, by an application of the principles by which they have been tried ? and whether they are not sensible of the evils connected with such indulgencies? It seems to me impossible there should be more than one answer to this question. It were vain, I know, to ask those profess ing Christians who are devoted to pleasure, and whose determination it is, regardless of consequences,—“/ will go after my lovers ” whether .they are conscious of any spiritual deterioration, as the effect of such indulgen cies. It would be equally useless to ask such person?. whether they experience any detri ment from neglecting prayer, or the service of the house of God. Without wishing to be unkind—for my feelings for such persons are very different from those of unkindness —1 would, in candor and affection, beg leave to suggest for their serious consideration, the important enquiry, Whether the reason why their piety does not suffer from such cause, may not be, that they have none to suffer ? That cannot be injured which does not exist. A man may escape from the hands of a rob ber, without the loss of his purse, only be cause he has none to lose. The dead do not feel. The solemn issue is before us all. “ Choose ye whom ye will serve." W hether God or the world, each one must decide for himself. But of this let him be sure: that he cannot serve both. The choice must be made, and it must be made soon. While you are hesi tating and lingering, time is departing, and eternity, with its awful realities, is hastening upon you. If, unhappily, you shall incur the folly and guilt of choosing your “good things” in this life, rather than to wait for them in heaven, still, bring not upon your souls the heavier condemnation awaiting those who, professing to be servants of God, shall hear the awful doom, “ Depart from me, )e workers of iniquity, I never knew you.” What will hypocrites obtain In dealh : s tremendous hour?” Oh ! be not deceived ! “If you live after the flesh, ye shall die.” He that loves the world, can never see God, in peace. Re member the words of the Lord Jesus: “if any man will come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.” Encumber not yourselves, votaries of pleas ure, with the religion of Jesus Christ. His “service,” to you, “is vain.” You are out of your element. The world is your place. You drag your bodies to the house of God, but your hearts are in the haunts of worldly pleasure, and in the midst of the vanities of earth. Why should you profess a religion which requires a life of self-denial, of conse cration to God, and a steady direction of our view to “the things which are unseen and eternal ?” Oh! unhappy men and women, why will you deceive yoiwselvev) to vow eternal ruin’? Has not the Lord Jesus already told you, You cannot serve God and the world ? Retire, ye lovers of pleasure, from scenes and connections uncongenial with your spirits, from which you derive no profit, and where you can only remain by contracting the guilt, and incurring the hazards of A FALSE PROFESSION! The religion of Jesus Cnrist is a dangerous thing to trifle with. Your suffering souls cry out, Spare us the heavy injustice of forcing upon us a re sponsibility we cannot meet! Save us from the fearful door, you are preparing for us in pretending to the service of God, while your hearts are wedded to the vanities of earth ! It ought to be remembered, and never for gotten, that the miserable Dives did not lift up his eyes in the torments of hell for any immorality that is charged against him. It vas the love of the world that ruined his soul. From a bed of carnal ease and sensual enjoyment, he sunk into the burning lake. O ! for a Bunyan, or a Baxter, to flash before the eyes of worldly-minded and pleasure loving Christians, the terrors of that doom they are preparing for themselves. W. H. J. Liles v ills, N. C ., Feb. 21, 1870. Christ Coming in His Kingdom. REPLY TO DR. HILLYER NO 111. Now we are better prepared to consider what the darkening of the sun, etc., is. Bro. H.says: “By these figures we are to under stand the powers of civil polity which werestill possessed by the Jewish people,” etc. Be cause these predictions have never been liter ally fulfilled, the “ tribulation ” and “ those days” are believed to refer alone to the time and calamities of the siege and destruction of Jerusalem, and therefore a figurative con struction seemed a necessity. If we could be patient, and remember that a thousand years with the Lord are as one day, perhaps we might understand that the time for those phenomena has not yet transpired, nor will it until the end of Jewish tribulation—the “ tribulation of those days,” and the “ full ness of the Gentiles,” when God shall make an “ end of punishing the nation of the Jews.” “Immediately after the tribulation of those days, shall the sun be darkened,” etc. The adverb “immediately,” here must qualify the verb, “be darkened,” which the “Re vision ” makes appear by the comma after it, and therefore has relation to what shall occur in the sun, moon and stars, and.not to the time between the “ tribulation of those days” and the phenomena in the sun, etc., and as the original is susceptible of the translation, it may be read, suddenly, all at once, the sun ishall be darkened, etc. The figurative ex pressions akm to the one under consideration, most, if not all, have specific meanings at tached. Take Is. xiii: 9, the record points out Babylon, the mighty empire of which is called the world; Is. xxxiv: 4, immediately Idumea is named; Ezek. xxxii: 7,8, here the desolations of Egypt are meant; and so of Dan. viii: 10, and Amos viii: 9. In Joel ii: 10,11, there is an express statement that it means a visitation of locusts. But in Joel ii: 30, 31, we have the same expression which Jesus doubtless had in mind when he used the language of the 29th verse of the 24th chapter of Matthew, the connection of which puts it beyond controversy that it applies to the time of the “ great and terrible day of the Lord;” and when He “shall bring again the captivity of Judah and Jeru salem.” Tnis is the prophecy quoted by Peter in the 2d Acts; but he did not say that the entire prophecy was fulfilled; it only began to be fulfilled, and as the “ last days” embrace the whole period between the two coinings of Christ, so does this prophecy cover the entire dispensation. Bro. H. says: “ Up to the time of the siege, they had their high council, their municipal laws, their high priesthood and their gorgeous tem ple services.” How contradictory is this statement to the record of Josephus of this FRANKLIN PRINTING HOUSE, ATLANTA, GA., THURSDAY, MARCH 10, 1870. very time. If the reader will only take time to examine the 4th and sth Books of the Jewish Wars, or History of the Destruction of Jerusalem, he will Sind that, even before the siege of tho city, there was a state of “ absolute anarchy, in both civil and ecclesi astical affairs—that officers and priests were deposed and overthrownthat the thieves and zealots “kept all the nobles and rulers of country in close custody, slow and consumed the nobdity, and made it their bus iness to leave none >f the men alive." The “ priesthood was overthrown, indeed, th# very families of the high priests by success ion, were abolished , and the “ whole matter managed by a diabolical combination of mur derers and thieves," who “seized upon the temple, defiled it, turned it into a fortress, and even occupied the inner court.” They “trampled upon all laws of men, and laughed at the laws of God ; and for the oracles of the prophets, they ridiculed them as the trick of ju/glers.” And it wiU be found that this state of things was not confined to the city and its precincts; but the whole country of Judea was laid waste by those wretches, and all law and order were at an end. And let it be remembered that all this was little less than two years before the destruction of Jerusa lem ! Again: It is, chronologically, impossible for the sun, moon and stars to refer to the heads of the civil and ecclesiastical polities of the Jews. For if we throw out the account given by Josephus, altogether, then the very language of the verse in question conclusively shows that these expressions can have no such meaning. It is distinctly stated to be after the tribu lation of those days that the sun is to be darkened. If what brother H. says, that everything continued intact “up to the siege,” then these State and Church luminaries must have been darkened during the siege and de struction of Jerusalem, and not afterwards, as the inspired record states. So that we conclude, without much fear of successful contradiction, that there is no referen. e to the heads of Jewish polity; but that the darkening of the suri, etc., are to be actual and visible phenomena, which will transpire in their predicted time, as certainly as the words of Him who spake as never man spake, shall not pass away; and there can be no doubt that common readers everywhere so understand it. I am sure, so far as my ob servation extends, this is certainly true; but while this could not be urged as a proof of the view taken of this verse, it should have its weight in whatever construction is put upon it. Gjso. t. Coopkr. Americus , Ga ., Feb. 58, 1870. Harvest Home. CHAPTER XII. “Soldiers of Christ arise, and gird your armor on, Strong in the strength which God supplies through His Eternal Son.” “ Here is a letter for you, Helen, with a foreign post mark,” said Mr. Montmarie, on returning from town one afternoon, a few days after the wedding; “It must be from Cnristtne Errendorff.” “ It is from her,” replied Helen, after open ing the letter. “ Have the lamps lit and read it quick, Nellie,” exclaimed Hartly ; “we are ail mix ious to hear the news.” . 'j “ It lias been some time since she wrote last,” remarked Lucy. “ Yes,” answered Helen ; “1 was about con cluding that she had entirely forgotten me.” Then, as she continued to read lor a few moments, her bright face clouded. “ What is it, Helen?” asked her fither; “you are disappointed. Am 1 right?” “ Rather,” said Helen, with a sigh ; “ bur you may judge for yourselves. I will read you what she says :” “ I have neglected you shamefully, dear, but if you are at all like the Helen of our Ohildish jays, you will be ready to kiss and iTßlke friends the momeul I say 1 am sorry, wfiieh 1 am, unfeignedly. The truth is, lam over-worked. My Aunt,and Madame Bauhme, our Inverness, have neither mercy nor con science in the tasks they impose on their two victims, Catherine Errendorf and myself. My cousin might rebel, if she would. 1 wonder she don’t. If I werg’ rich and titled, 1 am sure I should never take half the pains she does to become brilliant; but my Aunt says she owes it to her family. As for me, if 1 dared to displease my Aunt and Uncle, of whom i stand in the greatest awe, a look from Mad ame would petrify me in the act of disobedi ence. Besides, Mamma writes, the end we have in view, is worth the greatest sacrifices. Well, Helen, dear! when I have achieved the splendid conquest she means me to make, I shall be at liberty to do as I please, I sup pose, and then you and I will enjoy ourselves together in our own way. I pnwnise myself this. In the meantime, don’t you dare to forget me, nor to have a lover before me. I intend to have as many as I please when l come home. As vigilant as our governess thinks she is, we manage to read what we please. I should die of dullness, if" it were not for this. Fred is off at school, with our cousins, Louis and Henry. They have just as nice a time as they wish. When they make us a visit, it is quite pleasant for Cath arine and me.” “ Poor child !” said Mr. Montmarie. But what else could her mother expect ? sending her to that German family to be educated— nominally Lutheran, wholly ir.fidel ?” “And how much better are the Errendorfs here ?” asked Clara. “ Not much, indeed, but Mrs. Errendorf, from her training, ougnt to be a great deal better; and the children eould not have failed to find a purer moral atmosphere in any of our home institutions, fehe will bitterly re gret sending them away yet, I fear.” “ Even if the brilliant match is made,” said Hartly, with scornful emphasis. “ Yes, even if it should be made, which is by no means certain, a woman, utterly desti tute of religious principle, is ready tor any fate.” “ You don’t think that of Christine,” said Lucy, tearfully. “ What else can I think, from that letter? It is the goal she will surely reach, if she has not already cast the lear of God behind her back.” “And yet,” said Helen, “ there is nothing so very wrong in her letter.” “No, my dear,” said her father, gravely, “ only an absence of everything high and holy, of everything healthy and happy —self the evident centre of all her hopes.” His remarks sobered the little group. They all felt a warm interest in their playmates, Frederick and Christine; even their long sep aration had not chilled it, and the hope ot meeting some day, had been very eagerly cherished; but to meet, aud find them what Mr. Montmarie feared, would be more pain than pleasure. “ Have you ever forgiven Fred for throw ing you over, that Christmas day you speut together here, Lucy ?” asked Hartly at last. “Oh, yes, 1 hope so,” said Lucy, smiling. “ 1 don’t think she resented it much at the time, it was you Hardy,” observed Clara. Hartly colored a little, and was silent. Nothing more was said about the Errendorfs. Occasional visits kept up the intercourse with the elder members of the family, who con- linually reminded the young Montmaries that Fred and Christine would soon be home now, and the house be made as gay as possi ble. Meanwhile, Emile Montmarie was working steadily -ft ’awls the mark he had set for himself, writing frequent and affec tionate letters home,j»>c Jfiokmg forward with repressed but eager anticipation to the Chri't mas hi lidays. The letters from home had a good deal in them, about this time, concern big Mr. Stanley. wrote: “ Mr, Stanley asked roe to take a drive with him, the other day. He’s the cleverest fellow I’ve met in a long tone; don’t put on airs with a greenhorn, bemuse he has seen the world, and knows about a horse as if he had never h»oke. into a book.” Helen remarked •. Stauley has been reading the Lady of fne Lake to us. I be lieve 1 never apprecia and it before.” is making rapid strut s _in the regard of all the family. I thinkthe only one who distrusts him, and I ’*l half ashamed of it; and yet, when he ui ts some noble senti ment, it sounds to Gibbon’s praise of Christianitv —half-iron »ery. ’ Clari was very g-tq “kd : “We have quite an acquisition jjffcie of acquaintances, in a Mr. Stanley—at % east, papa thinks so, and we are all iyclined to agree with him. “I shall be glad,to iave an opportunity to form my own judgement of him, mused Emile. “It is well I Vim going home soon. He seems far too useful, and too agreeable, unless he be equally trustworthy. No wolf shall creep into our toA, my darling mother, if your Emile can guard it.” And the firm lips were pressed closely together. He glanced round the suuibre room, (College buildings are never home like,) and the long ing for the dear, absem scenes grew stronger. With a sigh he bent once more over his books. The weeks flew rabidly round, bringing Christmas nearer. T*o or three evenings in every week found Mr. Stanley domesticated with the Montmaries-i Some how or oth£r. though he was far from presuming, he had unconsciously glided ,ato tho position of a confidential friend—unconsciously to himself, for Richard Stanley wtAvid not have stooped to artifice, and the frank cordiality of Mr. Mont marie, as soon as his claim to consideration was established, was top generous for him to be willing to take advantage of it by delib erately abusing his hospitality. Every time he left the house, the expediency of placing a longer interval between his visits, suggested itself; but it was so io,-.gsince he had known such simple, heart felt njoyment as he found in the bosom of this charming family, that lie scarcely knew how. ro deny it to himself. Clara’s society, especially, grew more and more attractive; yet, even when he exerted all his power to please, he could not perceive that he was making any progress in her regard. It he did, she was heroine enough to hide it successfully. Thus he was tempted on his pursuit, unwilling to believe her entirely in different, curious to kSow the secret of her armor of proof, confident that he would find a weak place sull, in spite of the calm cour tesy which baffled him thus far, and which was as sweet and unruffled with Mr. Drum mond as himself. The.flatter fr-quently at cached himself to affording no small to 11« 1 11 v v *Jp,uey b?mld not enjoy it much, for sympathy with Helen, though the independent young lady assured her it was quite thrown away. “ Now, Helen,” Lucy would reply, “ havn’t 1 heard you ask Clara how she could stand such an infl.ction as Mr. Drummond’s vis its?” “ Certainly, ma chere; I don’t deny that he’s a bore, but then I don’t need to be pitied for being bored.” “ Well, you’re a philosopher,” Lucy re marked, on one of these occasions. “ Or a Christian,” added Hartly, earnestly, w ho happennd to be near. One evening Mr. Stanley was with them when a letter was received from Emile. “Tell me about that brother of yours,” said the former, turning to Clara- “ Who is he like among among you.” ‘ Like papa,” she answered, “and yet not like him in features and figure. The resem blance is striking; but he is the only one of us who is not French at all in manner. In fact, his character is more English than French. Mamma was of English descent, though American born.” “Ah! that accounts for your English firm ness, Mademoiselle, and your practical turn, though you are certainly French in manner. I huve often been struck by the h ippy mix ture you Creoles present, of American enter prise and French gayety.” “ You think them susceptible of flattery, I perceive, Monsieur,” Helen broke in, her color rising, and a little brighter gleam thin usual in the glanc e she directed at the speaker. “You do my good taste and my penetra tion equal injustice, to say nothing of the re flection on my sincerity,” he replied, not at all disconcerted by the sudden attack. The Autobiography of an Old Pilgrim. ( Continued .) So conscious was I of having experienced a radical change in the views, teelings and disposition of my heart, at the meeting of which I have spoken, that I felt, and remarked to a triend, alter returning to my room, that nothing less than an audible voice from hea ven could induce me toifc.’abt the fact of my having experienced a change of heart. lad mitted that, like all ot woman born, 1 was fallible, and liable to be deceived by him who seeketh to mislead, if possible, even the elect of God—that it was possible I might be mis taken as to the nature of the change wrought in me; but as to ih fiact of my having expe rienced a remarkable cha ge of heart, 1 could no more doubt than I could my own corpo* real existence, or the actual ex stence of any ot the material objecisaround me. Hobbes, or some olher philosophizing infidel* has taught that what appear to us as material objects have no substantial existence, but are merely ideas afloat in the mind, or impres sions made on it. I could as soon have adopt ed that creed as believed that all 1 had expe rienced was a delusion, k hallucination of the mind, the effect of an excited imagination. I was as cool and collected in my thoughts as ever 1 was in my life. The studies in which I had been engaged, up to the time of my going to the meeting, were such as I could not have prosecuted successfully with an over heated imagination or distempered mind. There was nothing in the sceues around me to produce an artificial excitement. There was no confusion, no clapping of bauds or stamping of feet, no shouting or boisterous exclamations. A solemn silence prevailed, broken only by the voice of the speaker and occasionally by the sobbing, low moaning and half suppressed cries of dis'ress to which I have already referred. The scene was sol emn, not exciting. The question as to the nature of the change wrought in me, whether it was effected by the operation of the Holy Spirit or by some evil agency, is one that not only occurred to me then, but one that ever recurs and leads to serious reflection and prayerful inquiry, *1 use the terms philosophizing infidel, instead of in fidel philosopher, because a fool may philosophize as well as a wise man. whenever 1 feel within me the lusting of the flo>h against the spirit, of which theaposile Paul speaks, or bewail, as David appears often to have done, the hidings of God’s coun tenance, or experience seasons of darkness, such as even they who fear the Lord and obey the voice of llis servant ate liable to experi ence, as we learn from Is. L:10. That my frail human nature has furnished frequent and abundant cause to justify the in dulgence of a doubt as to the genuineness ot my conversion, will be. manifest to the reader,, if 1 am permitted to complete my report of the records made by the finger of the Al mighty on the tablet of my memory, or my autobiography of my spiritual life. It may not be amiss here to apprize the reader that I do not purpose to report, in this series of articles, the part I have taken in the transactions of the outer world —the world around me—but merely to give some account of w hat has transpired in the inner world— iu my heart; —to report some ot the many struggles that, have occurred within it between the flesh and the spirit, and the triumphs of divine grace in as evil a heart as ever throb bed in the breast of mortal man. Remembrance of the many sins into which I was betrayed, and of the depths of sorrow through which I was made to pass, in conse quence of my ignorance of the nature of true conversion, prompts me to make an effort to elucidate the subj-ct, and to point out some of the quicksands upon w.hich many a voy ager on the ocean of life has stranded, and lost his hopes of heaven, his soul, his eternal all. May that Spirit which guides the believer into all truth, and illumined tHte mind of Lydia and made her willing to receive the truth as it is in Je*u3, guide my pen, arrest the atten tion of the reader, shed the fight of life eter-. nal into his soul, and make him experiment ally and savingly acquainted with the subject of which I am writing, if hitherto ignorant of it. May they who have been taught by the Spirit of God the nature of true conversion, be confirmed in their faith by what I shall write, and be led to string anew their harps to the praise of redeeming love. The subject is one of vast—of incalculable importance. It involves interests as high as heaven, as deep as hell, as wide as the universe. Every son and daughter of Adam’s fallen race has an in terest in it. It involves the glory of God, consequently, involves, to a greater or less extent, the interests of all the subjects of God’s moral government; and, <>e it remem bered, Ills government knows neither end nor bound. It therefore demands a serious, prayerful, protracted attention. The reader will, I trust, permit me to continue the con sider, nion of it through several consecutive numbers. If I spent a life time in discussing the subject, and were thereby made ins'.ru mental in imparting a correct knowledge of it to but one soul, I should not feel that I had lived or labored in vain. To hear, through eternity, the praises of that one soul rendered to G.>d for the light imparted to it through my feeble instrumentality, would be an am ple reward for all my toil. It would afford a pleasure which devils in hell might covet, and for which t,h.ey might envy me; but one which no ransomed soul in paradise, no bright seraph, nor angel there, would be willing to barter away for all the riches, and honors, and carnal enj .yments of earth. As 1 am up willing tojaid in crowdin'/ out in- , teresling articles from the pens of more able writers, or in preventing the editor from pre serving that variety in his columns which is necessary to enable him to gratify the tastes of every class of his readers, I will defer for another number a further discussion of the subject of conversion. I moreover fear that many of my readers are more desirous to learn how to Convert ih-ir sterile lands into fertile fields, than to learn how a soul dead in trespasses and in sms may be quickened into life divine, or translated from a state or spiritual darkness into the marvellous light of the gospel of Christ. To justify the expres sion of such a fear, i will introduce, as an episode in my autobiography, an item from the records on the tablet of my memory. Many years ago, our late venerable and highly esteemed brother, C. D. Mallary, wrote a series of instructive articles for the Index on the subject of “Soul Prosperity,” which were subsequently published in book form. While they were in a course of pub iication, an estimable brother, extensively known as a..scientific and successful agricultu ralist, remarked, in reference to the articles to which l have reference, “I read the first two or three numbers because they were from the pen of brother M.; but there was so much of sameness in them that 1 ceased to read them.” Years afterwards, that brother, in the prime of manhood, was laid upon his dy ing bed, and was lead, by a review of the past, to entertain serious doubts about his spiritual state, and to feel concern about his soul’s prosperity. The author of the overlooked and undervalued articles was sent for to counsel and pray for him. Reader, the voice of God may he heard in history—it may be heard in this brief record of a past event. Study now the subject of the soul’s conversion, and seek to assure your self that you have been born again, or you may find at last, to your ever asting grief, while the scenes of earth are receding from view, and the shores of the eternal world are looming up before you, that you have lost your soul and are undone forever! Alas! how many, with their dying breath, are con strained to testify, “’Tis mv neglect—not Fate—that seals my doom, And sends me wailing to a cheerless tomb.” Abdiel Nekoda. The First Born—The Only Begotten. In an article entitled “ The Sufferings ot ChrioT,” in the Index of February 24th, it is affirmed that the soul of Christ “was the first created of all things;” and several passages of Scripture in which Christ is spoken of as “my first born,” “the first born of every crea ture,” “the beginning of the creation of God,” and “ His first begotten,” are adduced as pr< iof. The writer of that article appears to have overlooked the fact that four times in the gos pel and once in the epistle of John, Christ is spoken of as the “o»/y begotten” Son of God. From these passages, in connection with those cited to prove the affirmation referred to, it would seem that Christ is the “ first born” and “first begottei*" in some other sense than that of precedency to other created beings. He is the “first born” because he is the “only begotten” Son of the Father. In the sense in which Ctirist is the Son of God, He is God’s only son. If this be so, the passages cited do not prove that Christ’s human soul, “corres ponding to ours,’’ was “the first created of all things.” In what sense, then, was Christ the “first born of every creature, ’’ etc.? It will be re membered that in ancient times the position of the first born in every family was that of preeminent dignity, honor and privilege. The rule in every case was “the first born accord ing to his birth-right.” Now of all the crea tion of God, Christ holds the position of the most exalted dignity, honor and privilege, in finitely “higher than the kings of the earth.” Him all the angels of God worship, and to Hun is given all power in heaven and in earth. To Him every knee shall bow, and every tongue shall confess that He is Lord. In this respect—that of exalted dignity and power— Christ is emphatically the First Born. The expression he beginning ol the crea tion of G»d,” (Rev. v:14), as applied to Christ, is usually understood of Hifn as b£ing the Author of the creat'on. All thingSweYe made by Him. John, i:3. A Bible Baptist. Queries to Contributors. I have read the last four issues of the Index <k Bapti-t with more than u-ual interest. Tfiey have been rich in matter for thought. In reading several articles in the last two or three numbers, I have felt a desire to be in speaking distance of the writers, in order that I might propound to them a few- questions. As this is impossible! I propose to interrogate one or two of the writers through tin- same medium in which th<-ir articles appealed. The first that 1 shall “put upon the stand” is bro ther Teague, In his last article lie c!n%s as follows: “Such a scriptural church, with i;s two sets of officers, their spheres clearly de fined, only needs a section of pious and dis erect females to supplement their labor-, and pious families ready to succor and encuiage eiders, deacons and deaconesses, to make it a most beautiful, perfect und efficient organiza tion.” 1 would ask him, Ist, to define more, distinctly ntid fully the Suties of those elders who do not “labor in word and doctrine.” 2. Are those who ;o “labor in word and doc trine” merely coadjutor's of the elder or pas tor in chief, turd, subordinate to him, or do all rank the same? 3. If deaconesses are. re -cognized as officers of the church, should they be ordained by a presbytery, etc.? as the dea cons are? 4. If a body of professed believ ers, baptized on a profession of faith, with the officers named by him, constitute a .gospel church, have we any right to make issue with members. any other points of doctrine? In other words, if a person professing faith in Christ is baptized, have we any right to ask wheiherhe believes in election, predestination, final perseverance or any of the other doc trines held by us? 5. Are all the churches to be regarded as unscriptural and in viola tion of New Testament order that are not or ganized and maintained upon the principles laid down by him ? I do not wish to interfere with brother T’s interesting and instructive series of articles, but trust that he will give us an extra article in reply to the queries above. They are mat ters of vital importance to us as Baptises, and if we have been wrong all this time, it is cer tainly high time that we were put upon the right track. I know that many of our minis ters believe that there is some defect in our organization, but their minds are not fully made up as to what it is. One thing we all know and feel, that our churches are by far too dependent upon what is called the pastor! Take him away, and what church in our coun try would maintain its organization twelve months? Is a church a true gospel church whose very existence depends upon one man ? The next writer that I wish t» interrogate is 11. E. T. In an article in the last Index, he says: “If there were New Testament piety enough among Baptists to propagate the gos pel, as the apostles and their brethren did, I should suggest the demolition of all B >anls, Conventions and Associai ions, as both un scriptural and useless.” I would ask him if theSe iuSlf'u'm entail lies. are iptura! ««mi useless” under the conditions named by him, ought they not to be demolUned anyhow, in order that we might return to the apostolic mode of propagating the gospel? Again, if piety is wanting in our churches, have w e any warrant for adopting any plan that is unscrip tural ? And now, in conclusion, Bro. E litor, I will ask you: If the question is put to me, did the divine nature of Christ suffer? do I not give a scriptural and sufficient reply, when l say that Jesus Christ suffered the just for the un ju-t? B. ISP” The answer which our correspondent makes to the question, ‘'Did ihe divine nature of Christ suffer ?” does not sxhaust the testimony of Scripture in the premi ses. We hardly think it ‘‘sufficient,” therefore. The Scriptures tell uawhat suffered, in the personality of the God-man. They specify the agony of His bu nan body and human soul—the exceeding sorrow of the one and the death of the other. Beyond this point their specification does not teach. Now, here is surely a case to which the principle applies— expre*sio unius est exclusio alterius— the naming of one is the shutting out of the other. The Scriptures mention only the suf fering of the human nature of Christ, because that alone suffered. If his divine nature had suffered, would they not— must they not—have mentioned that also? But ij opr correspondent hesitates to embrace this view, he surely cannot hesitate to say, at least, that if there was a suffering of the divine nature in Chr : st, that suffering is to us as though it were n»t~ for He who ulone could have revealed it to us has told us uothing of it! He has hidden it under the veil ot the silence of Scripture, and it cannot become, therefore, a matter of Christian faith or knowledge. “Pedobaptist Immersions—Apostolic Suc cession.” Under the above caption, I have just read an article from “H.”—one, I suppose, of your editorial staff. That part of the article refer ring to Pedobaptist immersions I regard n<»t only as scriptural, but founded in reason and logic. The second, referring to apostolic sue cession, I regard as equally unseriptural, and illogical. And why ? Ist. (Jnscriptural, be cause the Old and New Testaments have as serted the perpetuity of the kingdom and church of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Dan. ii:44: “And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed : and the king dom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break ill pieces and consume all these kingdoms; and it shall stand forever.” Tne kingdom here spoken of was the gospel king dom ; see Luke, 3J ch., which was in the fif teenth year of the reign of i iberi us Caesar. Christ told Peter, “Upon this rock l will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it:” M it. xvi:s. Brother H. asks, ot the succession of apos tolic churches, “But what is it, afier all? Why, it so happens that the ‘mother of harlots’ has more of it than all the balance of Cnris tendom.” 2d. Brother H’s position is un reasonable in that it awards to the “mother of harlots” a succession before she had an ex istence ; for she was not fully organized until 006 of the Christian era. 3d. Illogical to as sume a conclusion wiihout premises, iter nonexistence in apostolic days strips her of premises. Brother H. quotes the cardinal principle dividing Baptists from other denomi nations: “The WorJ of God is the only rule of faith and practice.” Then, is it not clear, that if the Word of God is the only rule ot faith and practice, we should believe the doc trine of church perpetuity, seeing the Word of God teaches it? As to brother H’s question, ‘What is it?” that is, apostolic succession, we reply : There is this of it, one of two things: either that the Scriptures which teach it are untrue, or that those Scriptures that assert it are interpola tions into the Word of God. The former, brother 11. will not attempt; and the latter cannot be made out, so far as I know. Or, will brother 11. cast anew face upon those texts I have referred to, and show that the usual exegesis is incorrect? Again, brother H. says: “Asa matter of fact , we would not give a fig for it.” Now, this depends upon whether the Scriptures teach the succession of WHOLE NO. 2480. the church; for if the Scriptures teabb it, it would be infidelity to reject it. Again, br e ther Ebsays: “It will not exorci°e a single devil,rtife will it regenerate a single soul.** Be it remembered these are not the uses’to be made of the question. The question is, Does the Bible t**ach the continuation of the church ot Christ from its setting up until the days of tho gflspto dispensation? If there is not a succession <»f churches from apostolic days, to my mind the kingdom of Christ has made a signal failure, which I cannotgrant. The fail ure of all human governments is attributable iu m oi’s fallibility, and want of wisdom and power to maintain them. This cannot be nai4 of a divine government. The church of God •vas not built with hands, but originated and •onliuues by the unchanging volition of the Divine mind. If the ascending Lord, who an nounced the fact that all power in heaven and in earth was given into His hands, has not maintained His government in His kingdom, lie has been slack in the exercise of authority; t'.r the judicial is His as well as the legisla tive. A st rong man keepeth his» palace, and a stronger must come in and bind him before he can destroy his goods, (His church) ; and if He has not kept H s church all the while, a'stronger has come in, most assuredly. In conclusion, 1 lay down this proposition : That if the church which Jesus Christ set up to the world has ever ceased to exist, there is not a church (so called) in the world to-day that has a l ight to execute His laws, nor a min ister that has the authority from Him to preach or administer the sacraments of His church. * W. T. ft. LnFayette , Qa., Feb. 17, iB6O. Penitential Hymn. As Mary knelt, and dropped her tears, So, gracious Lord, would we; And pour the ointment of our hearts, Our choicest love, on Thee. Oh! the sweet joys of penitence I We trust Thee, and adore j We wonder at Thy gracious word, “Arise, und sin no more.” Thou dost forget our sinful past, Thou takest off the staio ; Bathed in the ocean of Thy love, Our souls are pure agaiu. We come with sad, confessing lips, < For Thy forgiving touch ; And Thou dost thrill us with the words, That we have loeed Thee much. We raise our tearful eyes to Thee, And meet Thy smile divine; Where shall we look, O pitying Christ! For tenderness like Thine? We hide our souls in Thee, 0 Lord ! In Thee we seek our rest; Oh I raise us from Thy sacred feet, To lean upou Thy breast. —Zion's Herald. The Working Man. The noblest men I know on earth A-e men whose hands are brown with toil; Who, backed by no ancestral groves, Hew down the wood and till the soil; And win thereby a prouder name Than follows king or warrior’s fame. The working men, whate’er the task, Who carve the stone or bear the hod, They bear upon their honest brows The royal stamp und seal of God ; And worthier are their drops of sweat Than diamonds in a coronet. Qod blesa the noble working men, Who rear the cities of ihe plain, r vVno dig ihe motes, who build ihe ships, And drive the commerce of the mam. God bless them; for their toiling hands Have wrought the glory of all lands. Strong Doctrine. Dr. Thurston was installed pastor of the Central Congregational Church in Fall River March, 1849, about six years after its organi zation, and was its second pastor. There had neier been a revival of religion in the church, and only ten additions on profession since its organization. The effect of his earnest, pun gent. powerful appeals to the understanding and the conscience of the impenitent, soon be came manifest, and a revival of extraordinary power was the result. Nearly seventy -nvfe were received into the church, as its fruits. In the height of the revival he preached from the text : “Thy people shall be willing in the day of thy power,” hi inging out in strong col ors the absolute sovereignty of God in the salvation of sinners, and the utter impotency of the sinner without the aid of the Spirit. One of his deacons, though a Calvinist of the strictest sect, was alarmed at such an exhibi tion of the sinner’s total inability to do any thing of himself, and feared disastrous conse quences. He went to his pastor and remon strated with him. but he replied : “You need not fear the result of declaring the truth. The sinner must know who, and what God is, in order to an intelligent and true submission to Him.” The result of that sermon showed the pastor was right, and his too timid deacon wrong; for it gave anew impulse to the work, and strong men bowed under the hum bling truth —men who had before remained undisturbed, trusting in their morality, and feeling that they were so near the gate of heaven, they could, at their own option, and at any time, step in. The Reformation was a great revival, and it was advanced through the preach ing of these truths by Luther, and Cal vin, and their compeers. The greatest triumphs of that movement were witnessed before the Arminian system was embraced by any Protestants. Two hundred years ago, John Livingston preached at the Kirk of Shotts, in Scotland, on the Monday after a communion Sabbath, a sermon which resulted in the conversion of nearly five hundred per sons. The great awakening of the last cen tury, in this country, was connected with the fervent preaching of these doctrines. Whit field, the flying evangelist, carried them every where; and Jonathan Edwards, in North arnpton, presented them in their baldest and driest form, and yet in a way which stirred the hearts of the people to their depths. He once preached a sermon on the doctrine of election, “which was mighty in the conver sion of sinners. Advance. —The Friend of India, com menting on the progress of missions in the Purijaub—the extreme northern portion of India—says that it spsaks well for the indus try of those who'diave there labored for the industry of those who have there labored for the advance of the people, that, in a land where,, thirty years a«go, there was not a Christia ■, and where, twenty years ago, the great freebooter king could not even write his name, with only 40 missionaries for 17,000,- 000 inhabitants, or one to 400,000, there are now churches with more than 3 000 Chris tians, and schools with over 10 000 scholars. Pulpit Plagiarism. =A w liter in the 06* server <£■ Commonwealth says: We read lately of a case, where a preacher having lost a child, called in a neighboring minister to at tend the funeral, and heard in his own house one of his own sermons published ten year* before. In another case, a man copied and preached another man’s sermon; at his death a young preacher got the manuscript, and de livered the sermon unconsciously, where it was first delivered. Reading Theology.— A writer in the As sociate Reformed Presbyterian quotes Rev. Joseph C. Styles, D.D., as saying “ he never read a page of theology in his life.
