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CHRISTTAIAND WESTERN BAPTIST.
VOL 49-NO. 19.
A RELIGIOUS AND FAMILY PAPER,
PUBLISHED WEEKLY IXST ATLANTA, OA
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The Christian’s Faith.
I walk as one who knows that he is treading
A stranger soil;
As one round whom the world is spreading
Its subtle coil.
I walk as one but yesterday delivered
From a sharp chain ;
Who trembles lest the bonds so newly severed
Be bound again.
I walk as one who feels that he is breathing
Uugenial air;
For whom, as wiles, the tempter still is wreathing
The bright aud fair.
My steps, I know, are on the plains of danger,
For siu is near;
But looking up, I pass along, a stranger,
In baste and fear.
This earth has lost its pawer to drag me downward,
Its spell is gone;
My coarw to now right upward and right ownward,
To yonder throne.
Hour after hour of Time’s dark night is stealing
In gloom away ;
Speed thy fair dawn of light, and joy, and healing,
Thou Star of Day 1
For thee its God, its King, the long-rejected,
Earth groans and cries ;
For thee, the long beloved, the long-expeeted,
Thy bride still sighs, r* ' if, •
— Bonar.
The Autobiography of an Old Pilgrim.
( Continued L)
I revoke the promise made in the conclu
sion of my last article, to introduce in this
number a report of my past experience, bear
ing on the subject of the conflicts between the
flesh and the Spirit. This 1 do that 1 may
prepare the way for that report by some gen
eral remarks on the relation of our personal
experience to others.
, Baptists, when I first became acquainted
with them, some half a century ago, were a
simple, God-fearing people, who did not much
care what men thought or said of them, pro
vided they could realize the presence of God
with them in their public assemblies, and feel
that lie did not disdain todwellin their hearts
at their homes. Like good king David, and
other Old Testament saints, they were simple
enough to believe that, both gratitude to God
and a due regard for the spiritual welfare of
their fellow-men, required them to declare to
others w',at God had done for their souls. If
the Lord shed light into their souls, their
sense of duty and their generous natures alike
prompted them to hold it forth, that others
mi'fht enjoy the benefits of it with them. The
miser locks up his gold, and, when he sits
down to his daily repast, shuts his doors and
doubly bars them, lest some frail son of hu
manity might enter in and seek to share it
with him. They preferred, to the example of
the miser, that of their Lord and Saviour,
who, though He was rich, for our sakes be
came poor, that we, through Ilis poverty,
might be made rich, and who truly said of
His disciples, in His memorable prayer re
corded in John xvii, “ the glory which Thou
gavest me 1 have given them.” Hence, they
might frequently be heard saying to those
around them, “ Come and hear, all ye that
fear God, and l will declare what He hath
done for' my soul.” Their old men would'i
pray with David : “O God, Thou hast taught
iqe from my youth ; and hitherto have I de
clared Thy wondrous works. Now also, when
I am old and gray headed, O God, forsake me
not; until I have shewed Thy strength unto
this generation, and Thy power to every one
that is to come.”
1 have seen in the sanctuary, in the days of
my early ministry, a whole congregation
melted to tears by the artless rehearsal in
simple terms —some times in mutilated Eng
lish— of what the Lord had done for their
souls, by plain and pious, but unlettered
preachers, such as were the late John B.
Smith, of Mecklenburg county, Va., and
Frank Callaway*, of Chambers co., Ala. When
they would follow their rehearsals with cogent
appeals to the heads and hearts of their hear
ers, and with earnest entreaties that they
would give credit to the testimony they had
borne relative to the loving kindness and
faithfulness of God, His all-sufficient and all
abounding grace, the eternai and unchange
able love of Jesus, etc., and affectionately
urge them to receive the Lord Jesus as their
Prince and Saviour, the eountenances of very
many would seem to respond, “We credit
the testimony thou hast given, and receive
thy words as the words of God. Henceforth,
thy God shall be our God, thy Saviour and
Saviour —our guide through life, our stay our
our staff’through theremaindorof our earthly
pilgrimage, our refuge and fortress in the
hour of temptation, our support and comfort
in the hour of death, the perfection of our
joy, and crown of our glory forever in
heaven.”
I have witnessed similar scenes in the family
circle, as some devoted servant of God tells
of his travels, his struggles and his triumphs,
his hopes and his fears, his falls into sin, and
his flights, on the wings of faith, to the bliss
ful region where there is no sinning, and,con
sequently, no weeping, or sorrowing, or sigh
ing. On one occasion, a good sister who had
sunk down by the wayside in a state of des
pondency, is greatly revived and encouraged
to arise and press forward with renewed vigor
toward the pearly gate of the New Jerusa
lem. She had heard a Methodist preacher
quote the learned commentator, Adam Clarke,
and one of the bishops of his church, to prove
that the struggles described by the apostle
Paul, in Rom. vii, were characteristic of the
natural man, and not of a converted person.
She was conscious of experiencing similar con
flicts almost daily, and concluded, if what the
preacher had said was true, she must, not
withstanding her past hopes and seasons of
spiritual enjoyment, be still in an unconverted
state —a very natural conclusion. But the
visitor had detailed similar conflicts in his
own breast; and, when interrogated on the
subject, expressed his confidence that Paul
meant just what he said. He would be guilty
of a most manifest contradiction, if he affirmed
of one in a carnal state that he delighted “ in
the law of the Lord,” and also that the “ car
nal mind is enmity against God; not subject
to the law of God, neither indeed can be.”
How both of these affirmations could be true
he could not see. Neither could the lady;
so she started anew in the race for eternal
life.
On another occasion the visitor reports his
wanderings from the fold of Christ. The
great Shepherd of Israel sought and found
him in the bltak wilderness into which he had
wandered —found him smitten, and cleansed
him ; torn by beasts of prey, and bound up
his wounds ; stripped of his fleecy covering
by the brambles of the forest, and cast around
him his own spotless robe of righteousness ;
crippled and unable to walk, and took him in
his arms and carried him in his bosom back
to the green pastures whence he had wander
ed, made him to feed again by thoside of still
waters, and to drink in health, and life, and
peace at the pure fountain of unceasiug love
divine.
The good man of the house was a backs
slider. He had first erred by hurrying over
his devotions in a formal manner ; he next
•neglected them occasionally, when business
pressed upon him, when wearied by his labors,
or when convivial parties were protracted be
yond his regular hours for devotional purpo
ses ; and, finally, he omitted them altogether.
His Bible remained unread, his closet was
deserted, and even the sanctuary was visited
but rarely. The consequence was, he lost all
the scriptural evidences of his acceptance with
God.
As the visitor details the exercises of his
mind, during his wanderings, his host becomes
interested; tears glisten in his eyes, and he
says to his visitor, when he concluded his re
hearsal : “My dear sir, in describing your
wanderings you have described mine; in de
scribing your state and feelings, while in the
wilderness, you have described what mine
now are. I often think of the spiritual enjoy
ments I have lost; deplore their loss ; desire
their restoration ; but have felt, up to the
present hour, as though it would be in vain to
hope or expect to have the consolations of the
gospel restored to me; but one feeble ray of
hope now springs up in rny heart. I thank
God fur sending you here, and I thank you
for the narrative you have given of your past
experience. It has aroused me to a sense ot
my own hapless situation, and encouraged me
to resolve that I will make one moreyygorous
effort to get back to the fold of l turn
my face to it, resolved, God helping me, if I
perish, I will perish with my face toward the
fold of Christ, making an effort to get back ter
it. My dear brother, pray God that the mercy
He has shown to you He would show to me!
I might extend reports of this kind to an
indefinite length, and relate instances in which
careless sinners have beemawakened by the
narratives given by Christians of their per
sonal religious experience, but forbear for the
present. A change has been wrought in the
minds of men, in the morals of men, in the
fashions even of godly men. Relations of
one’s religious experience, in the pulpit or
out of it, have become obsolete. They have
been laid away with the old psalm tunes of
our fathers jas rubbish, among the things that
were. The churches are becoming more
Chesterfieldian than Christian; more con
formed to worldly models, in their practices,
than to heavenly. It is considered, now, low
and vulgar, indicative of an uneducated mind,
for one to tell of the heavenly visions with
which he has been favored, or the graoious
manifestations which Jesus has made of Him
self in His own soul. Colleges and theologi
cal schools have been established in every
State, and they only are to be recognized as
reputable schools of Christ. Doctors of di
vinity, like the frogs in Egypt, are found all
over the country. They infest our marshy
seaboard and our rocky mountains, and re
gions beyond, even to the farther sea on our
west.* I never knew but one of these doctors
of divinity who ever divulged any of the evils
of his own heart, and that was the late vener
able C. D. Mallary, whose reputation for
sanctity exceeded that of any man of my ac
quaintance. 1 knew another D.D., however,
who was not ashamed to indulge in one prac
tice, occasionally at least, that seems now to
be generally deemed a vulgar one. I will add
a report of a conversation I once heard in
reference to him.
Thirty years ago, last November, 1 was
travelling in Alabama in a stage coach well
filled with worldly men. During the day,
the topic of pulpit orators was introduced. A
passenger near me thought Dr. Manly one of
the most popular and effective preachers
had ever heard ; and, in support of his opin
ion, alluded to the effects of the speaker’s
tears in the pulpit. Another flat-headed,
irreverent passenger seemed to think, with
many of the moulders of public sentiment in
our day, that tears in the pulpit were very
vulgar things. “In my opinion,” said he,
“ they afford evidence of a lack of the power
of self-command, and a consequent imbecility
of mind, and, therefore, detracted from the
reputation of a preacher, instead of adding to
it.” I suppose he had forgotten that it had
been reported of Him who spake as never
man spake, wept over Jerusalem and at the
grave of his friend Lazarus, that “ He was
often seen to weep, but never to smile;” or,
if he remembered it, he might have thought
that Jesus of Nazareth was not reputable au
thority, as He was the reputed son of a poor
mechanic. Surely His tears could not have
indicated imbecility of mind.
Alas ! the leaders in our Zion, in the present
day, seem to have more respect for the opin
ions of a scoffing infidel world than for those
of the royal David, or for those of Paul, who
tells us of his visions and revelations, his
spiritual his trials and temptations,
his watching and weeping, and faith, hopes,
and joys and sorrows. So reckless was he of
the rules of propriety established by our
modern savans, that he not only wept, like
Jesus, over his dying fellow-men, but is in
delicate enough to tell of it!
Brethren, let us recur to our reckoning and
see where we are drifting ; and to our com
pass, to see whether we are sailing in the
right direction. Remember, there was a time
when no Christian deemed it indecent to be
immersed; now, many declare it to be grossly
indelicate. There was a time when baptismal
robes were not considered necessary to a de
cent administration of the ordinance of bap
tism ; now, sprne Baptist D.Ds. will not ad
minister the ordinance without them, deeming
it vulgar and disreputable to do so ! Again
I say, look out. See whither we are drifting.
Abdiel Nekoda.
*1 design to oast no reflection on either frogs or doc
tors of divinity. I suppose they may both answer some
useful end; for a poet says—l think it is Shakspeare—
“ There’s nothing on the earth so vile doth live,
But to the earth some special good doth give.”
1
To the credit of the race of frogs I’ll add, that I never
heard or read ot but one frog that aspired lo attain to
greater dimeus'ons than those assigned him by his
Creator, and be—poor fellow !—by his attempt to ft cut
a swell,” lost his life 1
An Important Admission.
Boswell, in his unsurpassed Life of Dr.
Johnson, gives the particulars of an interview
between his hero, Dr. Johnson, and Rev. Dr.
Adams, of Pembroke College, Oxford, from
which 1 select the following:
“ He (Johnson) argued in defence of some
of the peculiar tenets of the Church of Rome.
As to the giving this bread only to the laity,
he said, ‘They may think, that in what is
merely ritual, deviations from the primitive
mode may be admitted on the ground of
convenience; and I think they are as well
warranted to make this alteration, as we are
to substitute sprinkling in the room of the
ancient baptism.’”
Dr. Johnson was then 74 years of age, and
was an oracle in English literature. Besides,
he was a High-Church Episcopalian, and well
versed in Ecclesiastical History, and in the
theology of his age; and an admission like
this from him, surrounded by D.D.’s and
literary men when it was made, and was not
contradicted at the time, is proof clear, that
in 1784 it was understood and believed that
“sprinkling was substituted for the ancient
baptism,” by the Episcopal Church. And
it is not difficult to agree with the sage John
son, that the Roman Catholic Church are “a9
well warranted in making this alteration” as
the Episbopal Church. Deny the loyal po
sition, “ Tne Bible is a sufficient rule of faith
' and practice,’’; and every sect may make
FRANKLIN PRINTING HOUSE, AMENTA, GA., THURSDAY, MAY 12, 1870.
“ deviations from the primitive mode, for the
sake of convenience,” till there will not be
an original statute in the Kino of Zion’s Book.
Whoever departs from the letter of the laws
enacted by King Messiah and His inspired
Apostles, takes Roman Catholic ground, and
to be consistent, should go on to Rome, or
return to Jerusalem. H. E. T.
Mrs. E- S. Morgan—lnteresting Incident.
Sister Elizabeth S. Morgan, wife of Dea
con J. F. Morgan, and sister of Rev. O. C.
Pope, died of consumption, April 19th, 1870,
at Spalding, near Montezuma, Ga. While
pastor of Antioch church, in Lee county, Ga.,
in 1864, it was my privilege to be frequently
with sister Morgan, and to learn much of her
character as an intelligent, active Christian.
My purpose is, however, not so much to
speak of ber character, as to relate a single
incident, which will better enable all who
read it, to judge of her Christian character.
Friday before the first Sunday in August,
1864, had been set apart as the time to be
gin a meeting of days at Antioch, one of the
oldest churches in Southern Georgia. I had
been to Atlanta the month previous as a rep
resentative of our “ Relief Society ” in
Dougherty county ; and such were the scenes
passed through, and labors endured, that
body and mind were overtaxed, and I came
home with my lungs bleeding. I wrote to *
different ministers, however, and, feeble as L
was, entirely unable to preach, went to
och, and no assistance had arrived, none heard >
from save one minister, whose family was
sick. Never was I more at a loss. For
years the church had enjoyed no revival.
The members were, geneially, anxious, hun
gry for a blessing. This meeting had been
looked forward to, talked about, wished for
and prayed for, and a revival was already
commenced in the hearts of the members,
and on the first day there was a goodly num
ber present. What was to be done? What
could Ido but look to God for help? That
I tried to db; and the Lord sent help. How,
or who he sent, you will soon see.
VV e assembled in the house. A song was
sung, and brother Whitsett, (the only brother
who prayed in public,) led us in ail earnest
prayer. He was impressed deeply, and op
pressed, too, by the circumstances. How
earnestly he plead for help. Many a heart
responded, and sighs and tears ensued. I
read this text: “In my distress I cried unto
the Lord and he heard me.” Ps. exx: 1. -
It seemed as if the statement was recorded
for the present emergency. There was no
application of it necessary. Every one felt
it to be a time of distress. I pressed the ques
tion merely, “ Will you ‘cry unto the Lord V
What else can we do? Will you not cry
unto Him now? Will you not, can you not
cry unto Him publicly?” Deacon G. sat in
front of me, weeping. I said, “ Brother G.,
can’t you cry unto the Lord on our behalf?”
The good old man calmly replied: “Brother
Chaudoin, I am so unworthy, I feel like it
would be presumption in me, to try.” Turn
ing to the right hand a little,, I Addressed two
gray-headed brethren, loquacious enough out
of doors, and active, good brethren, too:
“ Brother M., or brother 8., wont you, in
our distress, ‘cry unto thp Lors’ f<si us?”
Showing no indication, nor even giving any
response, I deemed it not best to urge the
matter, and turning to the females, I remarked,
“Sisters, will you not ‘cry unto the Lord?’
I would call upon*you if I knew who of you
would.” Just then sister Morgan bowed her
consent. Said I, “ Let us pray". Sister Mor
gan, pray for us.” She did pray. But that
prayer can never be conceived of properly.
It was so earnestly, calmly, humbly, deliber
ately, distinctly uttered, and under such cir
cumstances, as made it overwhelmingly im
pressive, sublimely eloquent. The meeting
went on. In due time ministerial, help was
sent; but during that good meeting the Lord
furnished us no better help than sister Mor
gan. Her deep, consistent piety gave her
influence, and her cultivated mind, well filled
with Bible truth, rendered her able to be use
ful in prayer, in leading the anxious to Christ
and in persuading the careless to repent.
Allow me space to say what all will antic
ipate, that this devoted Christian woman died
peacefully, happily. Only a few weeks prior
to her death, I preached for her, and sought
to show that “ Heaven is better than earth,”
from several considerations. She responded
then, but sooner than I supposed, she ex
changed the one for the other, leaving a devo
ted husband and five children. When my
precious brother Wilkes (who, with his faith
ful wife, lived near, and did so much for our
sister (told me she was dead, I felt I must
make public this reminiscence, —sweet to me,
and it will be sweet to many of her numer
ous relatives and friends, to read it.
Wm. N. Chaudoin.
Cottage Home , near Albany, GaApril 29f/», 1870.
Temptation.
God made man upright, but left him free
to seek out many inventions. He was placed
under law as a moral being, the reward of
obedience held up before him, and the penalty
of transgression denounced against him, in
case he should sin. The story of Adam’s
fall is brief; but it is traced with the deepest
shades of sadness, which darken as the years
advance, and the bitter fruits of sin are gath
ered. Now, temptations assail the human
family, depraved and corrupted as they are
by sin, to which Adam was probably a stran
ger, even after his melancholy fall. It is true
that Jesus has come and made a complete sac
rifice For sin ; oTie which is entirely accepta
ble to the Father; but still evil exists in
multitudinous forms, while a great and watch
ful adversary is ever ready to take advantage
of human ignorance and weakness, and by
the most refined and subtle arts, lead men
into sin and death. Man is the creature of
many illusions, and yet, strange to say, his
faculties are so blunted by the fall that he
gains but little by experience. To-day the
temptation is spread before him like a paint
ed beauty, smiling in all the seeming loveli
ness of innocence; the cup of pleasure
sparkles, mantling to the brim, his pulse
bounds with all the wildness of delight; he
drinks, totters and falls; the illusion van
ishes, leaving him to the fearful twinges of
conscience and the awful judgments of God.
He roars by reason of the disquietness of
his’heart, the fever of guilt burns with con
suming ardor in his soul, he sinks in the deep
mire where there is no standing, and the
proud waves roll mercilessly over him, until
hope well-nigh deserts his wretched bosom,
and he is ready to give up all for lost. Even
prayer, the blessed resource of the wretched,
fails him, so that he can scarce smite upon
his guilty bosom and say, “ God be merciful
to me a sinner,”
But when faith can bring the wretched
wanderer to “ the blood of Jesus, that speak
etli better things than that of Abel,” when
“ godly sorrow works in him repentance unto
life, that needeth not to be repented of,” and
when he obtains the sweet assurance of par
don, how ready is he to enter thesolema vow
that he will go in the way of temptation no
more, or if he should be suddenly overtaken,
he will resist “even unto blood, striving
against sinthat he will die rather than
grieve the Holy Spirit, or wound the blessed
Saviour. For a time he rejoices in the con
scious favor of God, his faith transporta him
to the bright, etern&i 'aim of divine love;
he gazes rapturously ross death’s stormy
Jordan into the Elysur elds of the heavenly
land, and he the chorus of
the angels with # the sweetness of his song;
but some id greets fiis ear, or
same worldly his attention,
and charms, by of its colors
and the beauty he gazes with de
light upon the and in
tha whirl and ft of the moment he
fails to suspect that it is an illusion until,
alaa! he has yielded, handled and tasted.
Thek comes the bitterness of self-reproach,
the crashing mortification of conscious guilt,
and the fearful louring for of judgment and
fiery the ravings pf remorse.
Such are the"te.*ij££ations which assail life’s
poor wayfarers asHhey wearijy and painfully
travel towards
traveller jfeturnspfcnd too l often, alas ! the
great adversary lay 4 them low. But Je9us
has provided the tgfiedy by clothing His fol
lowers ip heavenly jarmor, and firing their
souls with a noble (Viurage to resist the devil
until he flies inglun ously from the unequal
cdfctest. Jesus is)<sfe succorer of His people,
add He knows ho deliver the godly out
of temptation.
His cross is talisman which
drives back thsßßKs.of darknes|and wins
rttie well-fought fieldX
Then, well may tnp «hild of grace sing,
‘tin tbe cro»N u t I glory,
. Towering oVW wrecks of time."
\ *H. CpE
That discussion.
For some months ;>ast"a spirited discussion
has heen carried <©>«in the columns of the
Index, r ,and in those, of the Baptist, as to
whether, the Diyhiity of Christ suffered when
He was crucified. Brethren of acknowledged
piety and ability hav& appeared on both sides
of the question, and a calm and unbi
ased survey of the wlifole field of controversy,
I have come to the ec .ision that, as far as
results are it is very much like
the effort of a tna&/to lift himself over a
fence by the of his boots. Brethren
have reasoned we« Land have exhibited much
intellectual vigor and aslateness; but to an
outsider, they seem rot to have touched bot
tom, nor, as far as appt ’.ranees indicate, are
they likely* to dojßt Really, they have
drifted out until thje water has become quite
too deep for ordinary soundings, and about
the best thing that* can
hands to return to sbe point of and
in the future expend Uhet-r intellectual energies
upon questions whieft promise better results.
Metaphysics present,>comparatively, anew
field of thought, and ,we have not made suffi
cient progress in cultivating it, to warrant us
in applying them to jbe solution of theologi
cal enigmas. There is, according to Manse!,
a limit to religious thought, and when we get
beyond it, we may just as well confess that
we are adrift, and like Noah’s weary dove,
return to the point fnom whence we set out,
a little wiser than when we started. Had we
been able, by induction, to ascertain all the
facts of the plan of (sal vation, there would
have been no revelation, as God never does
for us what we should*do for ourselves. But
as the scheme of redemption, in ail its mys
terious detail, was bfvond the reach of hu
man discovery, God wgiven us a revelation
upon all the points vpßh it is necessary for
us tp understand ; has not informed
us WhethWThe tJTTrist suffered, it
is fair to assume thap',ignorance upon this
point is of no practicafedisadvantage.
These lines are not \aritten in a patronizing
spirit, but with a sincere desire to aid dear
brethren in finding their way safely out of a
labyrinth which, like .that of Egypt, seems
interminable. BrethrAi; if you can, come
back, and let us all take a fresh start, in a di
rection where there is “land ahead.”
. t H. C. H.
Horthem and Southern Baptist Colleges;
Their Comparative Prosperity.
The extravagant ideas which some have of
the number of students in Baptist Colleges,
North, suggest the propriety of republishing
a few statistics. My authority for what fol
lows, is the National j&aptist, of February,
17th, 1870. Its authority I suppose to be
the Catalogues of the several institutions
named. And that I call special atten
tion to Rochester University, whose marvel
ous numbers were lately the subject of com
ment by an excellent brother, 1 will intro
duce it first.
Rochester University—Seniors, 23; Jun
iors, 32; Sophomores, 25; Freshman, 28.
Total, 108. y -
Brown University—Seniors, 47; Juniors,
39; Sophomores, 55,; 50. Total,
i97; ' "
Madison University, Hamilton, N. Y.—
Seniors, 15; Juniors, 14; Sophomores, 24;
Freshmen, 44. Total, 97.
Richmond College, Richmond, Va.—Stu
dents in several Collegfate Schools, 131.
Mercer University—Seniors, 15; Juniors,
32; Sophomores, 19 ; Fieshmen, 18. Total,
84.
I have given, above, the statistics of the
five largest Baptist Colleges in this country.
If any one will take the pains to compare my
piece with the original documents, he will see
that I have taken the.foip- regular College
Classes as the basis foP Comparison, leaving
out all irregulars, students, etc.
J. H. K.
Whit* Plaint, Ga.
On BofcffSijies.
I write to assure you 4-jlot I am on both
sides of the “ protratrtecU meeting” contro
versy. And, if it will not astonish you over
much, I will assert ifyis my candid opinion,
that “ Layman,” though hi! real name is un
known to me, is on my platform. “ Lay
man” had seen so muoh.of the abuses of “pro
tracted meetings” that- he felt called upon to
speak out concerning them. He dealt some
heavy blows, and no doubt has done good.
He has ventilated an old mine, and set free
much foul air. lam with him with a whole
heart, if he is understood. He is opposed to
a “ distracted” meeting, _apd so am I. But,
on the other hand, does ndT*‘ Layman” favor
a “ protracted meeting” as it should be ? If
such a meeting comes down, so to speak, in
stead of being gotten up, is he not ready to
welcome it? Is he not ready to hail it with
joy, and to enter into it with all his heart? He
writes too much like a Christian to leave me
room to doubt his hearty acceptance of a genuine
revival. The end of the matter is, we do not
want such meetings as “ Layman” condemns,
because they have dpne us immense hurt;
and we do want such as the Holy Spirit pro
duces, for they are among the greatest bless
ings that the churches can hope for in this
world. Scrap.
Thb Bible.—l am a creature of a day,
passing through life, as an arrow through the
air. lam a spirit come from God ; just hov
ering over the great gulf, tiH, a few moments
hence, I am no more seen! I drop into an
unchangeable eternity. I want to know one
thing—the way to heaven; how to land on
that happy shore. God himself has conde
scended to teach the way. He hath written
it in a book. Oh, give me*, that book. At
any price, give me the book of God \—J.
WesUy.
The Waiting Saviour.
To-night the Saviour knocks,
At a young maiden’s door;
His locks are wet with dew,
His feet are travel-sore.
He knocks and knocks again.
Then bends His ear to catch
If but one sound of stir within,
His hand upon the latob,
Ready to enter in,
Waiting—and longing too,
If but the maid shall rise
And rusty bolt undo.
The maiden sits withA,
Her face is strangely fair,
Surely a lovely soul
Must find its dwelling there.
She trembles at the sound
So often beard before;
No one hath need to say,
“Jesus is at thy door.”
“ If thou didst mean,” she cried,
“ To free my soul from sin,
Thou wouldst break through the door
And force an entrance in."
“ No, child," the Saviour said,
I do not force the way;
The power rests with each
To bid me go or stay.”
“Jesus, the glittering world
Beckon* me on, tonight,
To all its untried paths
Os pleasure asid.delight.'’
Child, in my hand I bring
Pleasures forevermore,
Joys which no eye hath Men '•'**&» ■»
Nor ear hath heard before.
“ I love so little, Lord;
I am ashamed to own
How little need I feel;
O melt, thou heart of stone t”
“ Thy love may be but weak,
Tby want but faint and small; y
Jesus will enter in
If thou but thirst at all.”
“ 1 am not worthy, Lord,
That Thou shou|dst enter in;
I’ve washed my robes, and still ]
Dark spots of sins remain.”
“Just as thou art, my child,
I’ll robe thee fair and dean,
Wa-ihall thy sins away
As tho’ Ihey had not been.”
“ I cannot comprehend
What thou hast done for me.”
“Nor shalt thou, till years roll
Thro’ an eternity.”
“And is this all, dear Lord,
All Thou wouldst have me dos”
With eager feet she ran,
The door wide open flew.
“ Come in, Thou blessed Christ,
Thou ‘Man of Sorrows’ come,
Thy wondrous, patient love
Hath found at last a home.”
And Christ did enter in, »
That spot was holy ground,
And angels sang in heaven,
** She who was lost is found.”
J tarie Bell, in Congregationaliat.
Early Baptist Martyrs.
The story of the imprisonment and mar
tyrdopn of Michael Sattler, a contemporary
of Luther, and, like him, a converted monk,
but a Baptist ‘minister, should be a searching
exhortation to each of us. I find the short
account in a rare little work, published by
Baptists a few years after the events de
scribed. That you may realize how much
truth and the little error our forefathers in
gospel faith died for, I will translate fully.
The execution of Sattler and others took place
on the 20th of May, 1527„ at Rotenburg, on
the Neekar, and awakened the sympathy of
noble Capito, a learned disciple of Zwingli,
who petitioned the cruel court to remit the
sentences of the remaining prisoners. “ The
following are the accusations,” begins the
headi rig of the narrative, “ for which Michael
Sattler was forced to give an account with his
blood. After many investigations, on the
day of his departure from this world, Michael
Sattler requested, since the acquisitions had
been many, that they should be read, and he
be heard thereupon again. But the City At
torney was opposed to it, and Michael ap
pealed, whereupon the judges, after conside
ration, replied they were content, as far as the
plaintiff would allow it. Then the City Clerk,
speaking for the City Attorney, said : Pru
dent, honorable and wise gentlemen ; he has
boasted of the presence of the Holy Spirit in
him, hence it does not seem necessary for me
to grant the request; for if he had the Holy
Spirit, as he boasts, the same would let hall
know the accusations. This Michael Slatter
answered with :Ye servants of God, —1 cher
ish the hope that this will not be denied me,
for the charges are not now known to me.
The answer of the City Clerk began as before,
and continued : Although not obliged to do
this, still, we are willing to grant him this
surplus, in order that it may not be thought
that injustice is shown him because of his
heresy, or that we wish to cut him short. Let
the articles be read aloud. Here followed the
nine charges: 1. That he and his followers
have acted contrary to the mandates of the
empire. 2. That he has taught, held, and
believed that the body and blood of Christ
are not in the sacrament. 3. He has taught
and believed that iufant baptism is not pro
fitable to salvation. 4. He has rejected the
sacrament of extreme unction. 5. He has
rejected and despised the mother of God and
the saints. G. He said oaths should not be
taken in court. 7. He has started anew,
unheard-of use of the Lord’s supper, viz : put
wine and bread into a dish, and eaten it mix
ed. 8. He left his order and took a wife.
9. He said if the Turk should come into the
country, no opposition should be shown him,
and if war were right, he would rather march
against Christians than against the Turks;
which is a great thing to bring npon us the
mightiest euemy of our holy faith. At the
close of the reading, Michael Slatter desired
to converse with his brethren and sisters,-
which was granted him. After he had spoken
a little while with them, he began, and an
swered undauntedly as follows:
“ Hear a brief reply to the accusations
against me, my brethren and sisters. We
deny, first of all, that we have acted against
the imperial mandate. We have only taught
the people not to cling to the doctrine and
temptation offered by Luther, but to the gos
pel and Word of God. Ido not know that I
have acted in anything against the gospel;
the words of Christ be my witness. Secondly.
We declare that the real body of Christ has
arisen to heaven, and sits at the right hand of
God ; and if the body is in heaven, it cannot
be eaten in the sacrament on earth. Thirdly,
About baptism, we hold that infant baptism
is of no use to salvation; for it is written,
we live by faith alone; also, he who believes
and is baptized shall be saved. Fourthly.
We have not rejected oil a9 God made it, but
we think nothing of the attempt of Pope,
Bishop, monk and priest to make it better,
for the Pope has never made anything good.
Fifthly, We have not despised the mother of
God and the saints, but the Virgin is blessed
above all women, for graoe helped her to bear
the Saviour of the world. However, the Scrip
tures know nothing of her as mediator, for
she awaits the judgment as all of us. Paul
says to Timothy, ‘ Christ is our mediator with
God.’ As to saints, we who live in faith are
they, as Paul was wont to address the Corin
thians and Ephesians. Sixthly. Weoonsider
that one should not swear before the magis
trate, for the Lord says, ‘ Swear not at all,
but let your speech be yea, yea, and nay,
nay.’ Seventhly. As I consider the unchris
tian, dangerous state in which I was, and ob
served the pride, usuriousness and sin of the
monks and priests, I went and took a wife
according to God’s command, for Paul pro
phesied to Timothy, 5 It will come to pas 9 in
the last days that men will forbid marriage,
and command us to abstain from meats, which
God hath created to be received with thanks
giving.’ Eighthly. If the Turk comes, we
should not withstand him, for it is written,
‘Thou shalt not kill.’ We should not defend
ourselves agauist the Turks or other persecu
tors, but persevere in earnest prayer to God
to protect us. (Almost the Quaker doctrine.)
Finally, ye servants of God, I exhort you to
consider that God has put you in authority
in order to punish the bad and defend the
good. Since we have not acted against God
and the gospel, think what you do. Inquire,
and you will find that neither I nor any breth
ren and sisters have spoken or done aught
against the government. Therefore, ye ser
vants of God, if ye have neither heard nor
read the word of God, send for learned doc
tors, and for the divine books of the Bible, in
any language, jmd let there be. a disputation.
Where they prove to us from the Scripture
that we err and have done wrong, we will
gladly withdraw and recant, or suffer the pep
alty of our errors. • But if. we - are proven of
no offence, I hope to God you yourselves will
be converted and taught.” (How much
noble close resemflles Paul’s speech, as pris
oner before Agrippa.)
The judges laughed at the speech, and put
their heads together, when the City Cierk
said : “Ha ! you desperate miscreant and
monk, shall we dispute with you? yes, the
hangman shall dispute with you, believe mo
that.” Michael says, “ What God wills, that
shall be done.” “It were better that you
had never been born,” said the Clerk. “ God
knows what is good,” was the reply. “ You
arch-heretic, you have misled these pious peo
ple ; if they would only now abandon their
errors, and crave pardon.” “ Pardon is found
by God alone,” said the prisoner, and another
of the accused exclaimed, “ We dare not de
gart from the truth.” Then the provoked
lerk cried out, “ I tell you, villain and hero
tic, if there were no hangman here, I would
hang you myself, and consider that I had done
God a service in it.” Michael answered,
“ God will judge.” Then the Clerk turned
to the judges and said he could not put an
end to this gabbler all day, if they did not
proceed to the decision. Michael was asked
whether he were content with the close of the
trial, when he replied: “ Ye servants of God,
unless we are convinced out of the Scriptures
of error, we are willing, for the sake of the
Word of God, to suffer all that is or may be
Sut upon us to suffer, all in faith upon Christ
esus, our Redeemer, as long as we have
breath in us.” After the Clerk referred again
to the proofs the hangman would show, and
Michael had, for the last time, appealed to
the Bible, the judges arose and went into an
other room to make the decision, leaving
Michael to be scoffed at by the crowd. One
said, swinging a sword that lay on the table,
“They’ll argue with you with this.” But
Michael answered not a word, while one of
his fellow prisoners said, “We should not
throw* pearls before swine.” He did say, how
ever, to an honest questioner, that he would
have remained a monk, following the desires
of the flesh, but, he ad led, “ it is better so.”
Now that the judges had returned, the follow
ing condemnation was read : “ Michael Sat
tler shall be given into the hands of the hang
man, who shall lead him to the public square
and cut out his tongue, then chain him to a
wagon, and tear his body with glowing tongs
twice within the walls, and five times just
without the gate, where he shall be burned,
as a heretic, to powder. His associate breth
ren shall be beheaded, and his sisters, in
cluding his wife, be drowned.”— Standard.
The Church—lts Polity Divinely Prescribed.
First—The New Testament examples of
churches must be as authoritative in regard
to their form of organization, as to their in
stitution and existence. The church, being
simply an organization, could be instituted
only by prescribing its organism. And we
are certainly forced to admit the equal au
thority of the Scriptural examples for the
order and organization, as for the churches
which that organization creates.
If these examples are not authoritative,
then the whole matter is left to human dis
cretion, and every Christian is a law to him
self, so far as the church and membership with
it is concerned. This sentiment universally
accepted, would manifestly be equivalent to
the annihilation of the church, if not to the
extinction of Christianity itself.
Secondly—The conclusion above mentioned
is strongly confirmed by the uniformity of
these Scriptural examples. It was the inva
riable practice of the apostles to organize
churches wherever disciples were gathered.
They evidently conceived this to be a part of
the Gospel system—a part of their mission
as preachers of that Gospel. And the churches
they formed were as invariably of the same
order, organized after the same pattern.
Thirdly—These churches arc everywhere
recognized as instituted agencies by the apos
tles. They address their epistles to them, and
give directions to them as organized bodies.
They advise their church action. The seven
churches are thus specially and directly ad
dressed, through their presiding officers, by
the Saviour himself.
Fourthly—Chucrh offices and officers were
instituted, necessarily involving the existence
and the prescribed order of the churches in
which these offices were created, and for
which these officers were appointed. And
these offices and officers arc not merely au
thorized by example, but are expressly de
clared to be of Divine appointment. “ God
hath set them in the church,” etc.
Finally—Various directions and precepts
are given to the church which could only be
carried out and obeyed by them as churches;
among these, especially, the observance of the
Lord’s supper. Various acts of discipline,
and particularly the law of discipline given
by the Saviour (Matt, xviii.) anticipative of
the church, and providing for interests so vital
to its peace and prosperity, that He would
trust its enunciation to none else, or less, than
His own personal utterance and authority are
narrated.
Transubstantiation.
When Wolsey and Erasmus disputed on
this point (an essential change in the ele
ment*,) Wolsey said to Erasmus, at parting,
“ Well, only believe that it is so, and it will
be so.” Erasmus, on leaving England, bor
rowed Wolsey’s palfrey to take him to the
ship; but, instead of returning it,carried the
animal off with him to the Continent, and
sent Wolsey this answer on paper :
Qu'd mihi dixisti de corpora Christi
“ Crede quod edis, et edia,”
Sic tibi tescribo, de tuo palfrido,
“ Crede quod habes, et babes.”
Which may be thus paraphrased in Eng
lish :
If wine and bread, mere human food,
Beoomes tbe Saviour’s flesh and blood,
When I iu faith receive it;
Then faith for you as much may do,
And vour lost jade is safe with you,
ff you will but believe it.
—London Record.
WHOLE NO. 2489.
The Invitation Society.
Some years ago, a gentleman residing in
one of our cities was deeply impressed and
grieved by seeing multitudes who neglected
public worship; and ho determined to make
the effort to induce some of the Sabbath
breakers to frequent the house of God. It
required some little effort at first, but he
overcame his timidity. -One Lord’s day
evening he went forth with his holy purpose,
and meeting a young man who did not appear
to be on his way to a place of worship, he
respectfully addressed him, got into conver
sation with him, and persuaded the stranger
to accompany him to worship, and, as an in
ducement, offered him a seat in his own pew.
Succeeding in this case, he was emboldened
and enoouraged to proceed in this line
Christian activity and usefulness. And now,/
mark with what a blessed result! —he was
the means of leading one hundred young men
to become stated attendants at the sanctuary,
many of whom have been truly converted to
God.
A minister of the gospel mentioned this
at one of his prayer meeting, when the idea
was caught up by some persons present, who
at once said, “ How admirable a plan this is
fcJr doings good.” A little -association was
•immediately formed, called Invitation-
Society.” - In sixteen months,’two hundred
persons were persuaded by eight or ten of*i£s
agents no lutiger to forsake the assembling of
themselves in the house of prayer. One.of
these agents, an earnest Christian, in humble
life, devoted himself to this work, and wa9
the means of bringing forty to hear the word
of life.— Rev. J. A. Adams.
A Straitened Soul.
“ I can’t afford it!” What! you not aflbrd
a sixpence to help on the spread of God’s
Word upon earth?” Nay, brother: I can’t
afford to refuse the money.” “ How so,
neighbor?” “ Why, does not the Lord say
that a cup of cold water given in His cause
shall not lose its reward? Does not Paul
say, speaking of giving help to the spread of
God’s Word, ‘He that soweth to the Spirit
shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting?”
And did not the Lord again say, ‘Make to
yourselves friends out of the money which
most men make their enemy; and, when ye
die, they whom you have helped to make
friends of God instead of His enemies, will
give you a hearty welcome into the kingdom
of glory ?’ 1 can’t afford to lose my share in
these great and precious promises. Besides,
I see that the Lord always does with our con
tributions what Joseph did with his brother’s
money; he returned it to them in their sack's
month. Have you ever helped the oause of
Christ, and found the barrel of meal empty,
or the cruse of oil dry? Helping the oause
of Christ is a safe investment for money, and
brings a first-rate dividend ; and, as a needy
man myself, I can’t afford to lose it.”
The Money God’s Cause Needs.
John Wesley was endeavoring to found an
orphan school at Newcastle-upon-Tyne. He
had his plans arranged and his workmen en
gaged, and he was going to leave. They de
sired one hundred pounds for materials to
commence the work, but Wesley had not the
money. His plans were all laid and the time
fixed for leaving, but where would the money
come "from? Just as he was about to leave,
a Quaker called upon him and said: “John,
I had a strange dream about thee’last night:
I thought I saw thee with a parcel of little
lambs in a storm, and thee was trying to shel
ter them and had no place. I woke up and
thought of thy orphan house, and here is my
check for one hundred pounds,” This was
just the sum that was wanted. God intended
that the poor children should be taken care of;
so that He put into Wesley’s mind the pur
pose to go forward, and placed in the old
Quaker's pocket the money and the heart to
give it.—But is there not reason to fear that
many such thoughts when put into the minds
of Christians, to work, or to give, are sup
pressed or thrust out? How great guilt is
contracted in this way !
How Mach?
A lad who had just found the Saviour,
went to his pastor’s study to talk about it.
Said the pastor : “ You think you are a Chris
tian, do you ? Well, my child, how much are
you a Christian ? How much do you love
your Saviour? How much are you willing
to do for Him who has done so much for
you ? The question, though abrupt, was a
salutary one, and in after years that lad, then
himself adistinguished minister, often thanked
his old pastor for his faithfulness.
How much are you a Christian, father, mo
ther? Is there so much of Christ in your
daily life that your children can see Him re
flected there?
Sunday school teacher, how much are you
a Christian ? Is your life a daily consecration,
or do you give to God only that Sabbath
school hour with your class? Are your pray
ers in faith ? Do you live so near to God
that He hears and answers those prayers ?
Young disciple, how much are you a Chris
tian? Do you answer, I try to do as well as
other church members; or are you looking
at Christ, not his erring followers ? Do your
worldly companions know that your path is
different from theirs ? Do they long to be
like you, because Christ makes you happy?
Have you so much of the love of Jesus that
you cannot hide it under a bushel ? Is it so
sweet to love him you cannot help telling
some one else of His blessed presence ? Do
you try continually to lead sinners to God ?
How much am / a Christian ? I ask my
heart to-night. Help me ever to ask, how
much of a Christian can I be, with Christ's
help ?—Sunday School Times.
Preaching Memoritek. —Preaching memo
riter is unusual in New England, ministers
having neither time or inclination to write
and commit to memory their sermons. At
the theological seminary in Hartford, Rev.
Dr. Bodwell has introduced the memoriter
practice. This is English, after the pattern
of James, Raffles, Jay, Fletcher, Liefchild and
Reed ; James preached fifty four years in that
way ; and before the London Missionary So
ciety recited his sermon, an hour and a half
long, “ even to every and, if ar.d but,” said
the friend who held his MS. Jay committed
sermons from sixteen years of age to sixty
three. Liefchild held a congregation of 2,000
till he was past seventy, in the samo way.—
Chris. Sec.
The Methodist Ministry. —Rev. Geo. G.
Lyon, in the N. Y. Christian Advocate says:
“A venerable layman of our church, of moral
worth and of high standing in society, who
has been intimately acquainted with Method
ist ministers for forty years, has made a note
of some of his observations on the manners
of our preachers, which he has sent to me,
and which are worthy of more general pub
licity. He once heard David Crockett say
that he was raised in a country where there
was neither law, education, knowledge, nor
good behavior of any kind, and that some of
our preachers evidently came from the same
section.”
The Fallen Church. —Wendell Phillips
says that “ the church is only the full moon
reflection ot fashion, literature and the State.”