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CHRISTIAN SOUTH-WESTERN BAPTIST.
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The Babe of Bethlehem.
’Twas then Thy potent word, paternal God,
The heaven of heavens in radiant splendors drest;
And earth and ocean robed in living vest,
To angel hosts Thy glories spread abroad.
Then sang the morning stars with tongues of flame,
Thrones, powers, dominions, tuned the golden lyre,
And ecstacy of praise entranced the choir,
Who worship, love, adore the Eternal Name.
Awhile they pause—the archangel’s harp is still—
Wbat mighty wonder wraps the seraph’s mind !
Lo! from übove, to visit human kind,
Jesus descends, as dew on Hermon’s Hill,
Light, life and bliss, >ea, heaven, is left for earth,
And God as man, and formed of kindred clay,
Resigns His throne—ihe throne of boundless day—
And ’mid the sons of men claims humble birth.
Down radiant climes of everlasting light,
In worlds beyond worlds above the solar height,
Celestial myriads dart the sleepless eye;
Behold the Babe—the God whom angels hail,
AnH glory kindling round the mortal veil,
Awakes to new born praise the hosts on high.
And tnen began the soul-impassioned song,
Glory to God resounds on every string ;
To Thee, the invisible, the eternal King;
Unfolding heavens the mighty theme prolong,
While to the.r fellows, blissful seraphs cry,
And cherubim to cherubim reply,
Glory to God on high,
And peace for man through Jesus born to die,
John Barton Gilbert.
Stewart county , Ga., Jane 4:th, 1870.
The Autobiography of an Old Pilgrim.
( Continued.)
Dreams and visions, like those I have re
ported, are doubtless designed for good. They
are mercies sent; but, like every other mercy,
they are sometimes sadly abused. They are
abused when construed as evidence that we
are the peculiar favorites of Heaven. They
afford no such evidence. As already inti
mated, they are imparted, not as rewards of
merit, but as tokens of free, unmerited grace,
dispensed according to the sovereign will of
the Creator, and not according to the merit of
the creature. So far from furnishing evidence
of any peculiar sanctity on our part, or of our
being held in higher esteem in heaven than
others, they do not even afford evidence that
we have been registered in the Lamb’s book
of life as His redeemed.
“Search the Scriptures,” said the Saviour
to the Jews, “ for in them ye think ye have
eternal life, and they are they which testify of
rne ” —whom they* persisted in rejecting.
There is the same necessity and equal pro
priety in addressing that admonition to those
persons, in the present day, who rely on their
dreams, or visions, or on any past exercises
of the heart, for evidenceof their acceptance
with God. There are many tests laid down
in God’s word to assist us in deciding the all
important question,
“ Do I love the Lord or no f
Am I His or am I not ?”
But in neither the Old nor New Testament is
it written, By this ye shall know whether ye
have passed from death unto life ; have been
truly converted, or are indeed the children of
God ; ye shall have seen strange sights, had
visions of glory, clear discoveries of divine
truth, rapturous emotions of the heart, etc.
As the Saviour summed up the command
ments and reduced them to two, so may I
sum up and reduce to two particulars the
evidence of our being true disciples of Jesus,
viz: that we love God and keep His com
mandments. These may again be further re
duced and summed up in one: That we have
the spirit of Christ; for it is written, “ If any
one have not the spirit of Christ, he is none
of His.” The spirit of Christ led Him to
love the Father, and that love prompted Him
to obey His Father in all things and at all
times. He tells us that lie came not, to do
His own will, but the will of the Father who
sent Him. “ Not as 1 will, but as Thou wilt,
was His language when called upon to drain
the dregs of that bitter cup that was placed
in His hands, when lie undertook to satisfy
the demands of Justice in our behalf.
So concise, so clear and so explicit is the
teaching of God’s word, in reference to the
evidence of our having passed from death
unto life, that no one need remain in doubt
on that subject one day, or even one brief
hour. If we walk in darkness, it is not be
cause there is not sufficient light given to en
able us to discover where we are, whither we
are bound, or what manner of persons we are,
but it is because we will not come to the
li<dit. If any shrink from the light —shun it
will not come to it —excuse themselves as
they may, the truth is, they are conscious
that their deeds are evil, and, therefore, fear
to come to it, lest their evil deeds be reproved,
their conscience troubled, and they compelled
to renounce either their evil deeds or their
hope of heaven. They wish to hold on to
their hope of heaven, while unwilling to cor
rect their evil habits and forsake their evil
ways. So decides, not the writer of this arti
cle, but the Eternal Son of God.
Remembrance of my own past experience,
my groping and groaning in darkness, —
excites within me feelings of sympathy and
tender solicitude for those who are now at
ease in Zion. O that they were wise; that
they would consider the danger of remaining
at ease in their present state, open their eyes,
turn to the light, and walk in it ! Soon
should the day-star arise in their souls, light
arise in obscurity, the darkness of midnight
be converted into the light ot noon-day, their
peace be as a river, and their righteousness as
the waves of the sea, ever deepening and
widening as it rolled onward to the boundless
ocean of eternity. But, dear reader, Jesus
feels for you much-more than I do. lie is
“ the light of the world.” He bids you, vile,
depraved, ungrateful, demented as you have
been, “Come unto me.” Obey Him, heed
His call, rush into His outspread arms. He
will disperse your darkness, relieve you of
your doubts and fears, and grant you an as
surance of eternal life.
I have conversed with—not a tew—but
very many—professing Christians, who, when
called upon for a reason for the hope they in
dulge that they are children of God, would
reffr to dreams, to their past exercises, or to
some particular tokens of divine mercy that
had been granted to them. I will report a
few of these cases.
1. A lady reported that she w r ent to bed
one night heavily burdened with a sense of
her guiltiness before God. During the night
she dreamed that she was standing on the
bank of a pond and fell into it. lhat while
struggling in the water she saw a man upon
the bank of the pond ; she cried for help, and
the man came and rescued her from a watery
grave. She awoke and found her burden
gone. That was the entire sum and substance
of her narrative. There was no recognition
of the Saviour in her deliverer, no allusion to
her views of sin, or of the way of salvation
from it. She had felt burdened in her mind
when she went to bed. Whether the burden
she felt was induced by her views of her state
as a sinner, or by a defect in the operation of
her digestive organs, we had no means of as
certaining. The ignorance of Jesus and the
way of salvation through Him, which she
evinced, when interrogated on the subject, led
me to conclude that the relief she experienced
was ascribable to one of two natural causes—
if not to the combined influence of both :
Either to the pleasant sensations induced by
her imaginary deliverance from imaginary
danger, or to the effect of sleep in promoting
the digestion of undigested food in the stom
ach. That undigested food in the stomach is
liable to produce depression of spirits, and
that sleep accelerates the powers of digestion,
are facts known to others as well as to physi
cians.
2. An old, red faced, dram-drinking dea
con related k very good experience. He had
been favored with clear views of the evil of
his sins, and of the way of salvation ; had ob
tained a sudden cheering hope of the pardon
of his sins, was sound in the faith, believed in
the sovereignty and grace of God, but was not
careful to show his faith by his works. To
his experience I could urge but two objec
tions : one, that it was too antiquated ; the
other, that it was barren, yielding no fruit, or
other evidence of spiritual vitality.
3. The third case was that of a minister
who told of his arduous labors and of the
many who had professed conversion under his
ministry. He seemed to base his hope of
acceptance with God more upon his own
works than upon the great work of salvation
performed by the Lord Jesus Christ. He
seemed to be ignorant of the fact, that it is the
truth as it is in Jesus, and not the man who
proclaims it, that is made the power of God
unto salvation, in every case of genuine con
version. There have been instances in which
God has blessed the truth to the conviction of
a sinner, when it has been uttered by avowed
infidels, and that with a view to make a mock
of religion, and to hinder rather than to pro
mote the salvation of souls. God sets the
seal of His approbation upon His truth, by
whomsoever proclaimed, and not upon the
proclaimer.
1 will conclude this article by reminding
the reader, that all the evidence that we are
the children God (that is sanctioned in the
word of God) is present evidence. There is
no promise in God’s word to any one for
faith once manifested, for love once exercised,
for obedience once rendered, for the spirit of
Christ once cherished. To assure ourselves
of oar calling and election, we must, there
fore, now believe in Jesus, now love Him,
now obey Him, now cherish His spirit, now
deny ourselves, take up our cross, and follow
the Saviour whithersoever He may lead us,
oppose us whoever may, whether father, or
mother, or son, or daughter, or brother, or
sister, or husband, or wife, and come what
will of it; whether riches or poverty, ap
plause or reproach, honor or dishonor, life or
death. All who would enjoy the sweet assu
rance ofeternal life, be they awakened sinners,
penitent hypocrites, contrite backsliders or
timid, doubting Christians, must seek it of
the same Saviour, as poor, needy, helpless,
guilty, justly condemned sinners, who have
no merit of their own to recommend them to
His favor. Abdiel Nekoda.
Mercer University.
It is a fixed fact that Mercer University is
to be moved from Penfield. The object in
moving it, is to secure a better and more
commanding location. In selecting the proper
location, many things are to be considered.
1. What objections exist against the pres
ent location ?
The answer is, that it is ineligibly situated.
It is too remote from railroads and scenes of
activity ; it offers too few inducements to the
spirit of progress of the present day to secure
the attendance of students.
2! What is now required in its location to
make it successful ?
The answer is, that it be located at some
central point, easy of access by railroads,
where it can command health, good water,
salubrious and bracing atmosphere; where
persons from all sections of the country can
resort to spend the summer; where there is
life, activity, progress and enterprise; and
where there will be offered to students the
greatest stimulants to learning, and incentives
to virtuous emulation.
When such a location as described shall be
secured, then will be laid the foundation for
an institution of learning, upon which its
friends and patrons can build with an assu
rance of realizing their most sanguine expec
tations. While we will say nothing to dis
parage the claims of the many cities compe
ting for the honor of having the institution
located in their midst, we take the liberty of
presenting the claims of Atlanta to the con
sideration of those having in charge its loca
tion ; and we believe she possesses in an
eminent degree all the requisites demanded
for success. And if any other city can pre
sent as many and as weighty inducements to
success as Atlanta, then let the money con
sideration prevail between the two, and let it
be located where it can accomplish the great
est good and reflect the highest honors upon
the denomination that should justly feel
proud of its triumphs. When that great and
good man, Jesse Mercer, and his Christian
brethren, selected Penfield as a site for a
Baptist University, their object was to incor
porate manual labor with mental and religious
exercises; and the place was well selected for
that day and purpose. They wished to dig
nify labor and make it honorable, and believed
they could better succeed in the country than
in a town or city. But when the manual
labor was dispensed with, it was found by
experience, that the College was in the wrong
place—it was too isolated, and interest in its
behalf could not be awakened there. And
but for its unfortunate location, it would now
be the leading institution of learning in the
South.
11 is true that the largest monied consider
ation offered will be a great inducement to
its location. But while the friends of the
Institution should use commendable zeal to
get all the money possible, for an endowment,
they should consider that, when once located,
it will be permanent; and money can never
give it the character and patronage which the
location will. If it could, why not raise large
sums of money and increase its usefulness
and elevate its character in its present locali
ty ? The fact cannot be denied, that, since
the war, we have become a progressive peo
ple ; and what answered well enough before,
is now cast aside to give place to new ideas
and new theories.
The man who sends his son to College now,
wants him where he can see all that is to be
seen, to learn all that can be learned, to hear
all that can be heard, and to derive all possi
ble advantages by precept and example. He
don’t wish his son situated off at some point
where there is little to be seen, and where
information other than his studies is to be
sought at other places; ffiut he wants him at
the great head of the State, where the sour
ces of information all concentrate, and when
he and family v'sit his son, they may also be
edified and instructed. Then let us see what
inducements the city of Atlanta presents to
the friends of the Institution.
As to health, there can be no doubt, as every
physician here will testify. The water is
good except in the heart of the city, which
was injured by the wells having been filled
with salt, iron and rubbish by Gen. Sherman,
when he destroyed the city.
The scenery is beautiful and commanding,
aud the air pure and salubrious. At a given
stand point in the city, you see the beautiful
Kennesaw Mountain, which, in after years,
will become classic from the scenes of the
late war. Again, you see that majestic pile
of granite, the Stone Mountain, looming up
before you, equalled in beauty and grandeur
only by itself; “for none other can be its
parallel.” The country around is beautifully
undulating, giving ample security against
miasma and diseasesarising therefrom. The
spires of the numerous churches meet your
gaze at every turn, and challenge your admi
ration. And on Sabbath morn, when the
church bells peal their sacred notes to sum
mon the followers of the cross to meet around
the sacred altars, the citizens forget the ex
citement of the past week, and rejoice that
the word of promise is still preached where,
a short time since, amid scenes of war, the
trumpet’s clangor and the cannon’s roar alone
was heard.
The march of improvement is progressing
here with giant strides. Soon there will be
erected here the finest hotel in the South.
The Fair Grounds will soon present an ap
pearance of beauty taste and usefulness, far
in advance of anything of the kind witnessed
by the citizens of the State, and will draw at
its Fairs from fifty to seventy-five thousand per
sons, interested in everything that pertains to
the prosperity of the State.
There can be enumerated the Supreme
Court of the State, the United States Court,
and other Courts; and the Medical College
of the State, which all young men who
wish to make law or medicine their study,
can have an opportunity of attending, and
will be stimulated to renewed energy. The
Capitol of the State is permanently located
here, and the Legislature, during its sessions,
as well as the Courts, will draw immense
crowds from every portion of the State. All
of these places can be attended by the stu
dents without extra cost or inconvenience.
Atlanta is emphatically a live city, and will,
in ten years, number seventy-five thousand
inhabitants. Already the attention of the
people of the State have been directed to At
lanta, to make her the great seat of learning.
The Oglethorpe College will soon spring up
on her confines, and commence its duties.
And should the prospect for the success of
the Mercer University be better in Atlanta
than other places, then let her Trustees select
a suitable location near the city, to which
street cars can be run, and by a street rail
read make the College accessible to all parts
of the city. Let surplus funds, if necessary,
be invested in the stock. It will pay a good
dividend, and the influence street cars, loaded
with students, morning, noon and evening,
will have upon the public, will secure to the
College, at all times, a patronage and inter
est that nothing else can.
The writer of this article is not a Baptist,
but belongs to another denomination, and yet
he is willing to aid by all the means at his com
mand to establish Mercer University here,
and make it a shining and a burning light in
the cause of education. He will ever hold
sacred the name of Jesse Mercer, whose name
so well becomes the Institution, and who de
serves to have a cenotaph erected near the
College, more lasting than brass, to commem
orate his Christian virtues. It is due to the
great divine, to the cause of religion and to
the cause of the Baptist denomination whose
servant he was, and for whom he so faithfully
and ably labored, to so locate and manage the
University as to make it as useful and emi
nent in imparting useful knowledge, as its
founder was useful and eminent in preaching
the doctrines of the cross.
The above facts and suggestions are placed
before the public, with the that they may
receive the consideration they deserve.
Citizen.
History—lll.
Attention to history is conducive to the love
of virtue.
Faithful history is an unvarnished tale of
facts. It may tell us of tyranny , but it does
not always in a direct manner say anything
to induce us to condemn the tyrant. It
records the deed, but leaves posterity to
judge the man. Misery, with imploring
look, may raise her cry, and raise that cry
in vain ; the people among whom the sufferer
lives may neglect him and even add to his
sufferings; justice may then appear to have
fled from the society of men ; but generations
to come will pity his misfortunes and vindi
cate his cause.
It has been sometimes said that the reading
of piratical tales has the tendency to encour
age deeds ot piracy on the part of those who
are roving and adventurous. A pirate’s con
fession on the scaffold has been alleged as a
proof of such a tendency. We regard cases
of this kind as exceptions with regard to this
tendency, not as the general rule. Cases
such as we have alluded to may perhaps be
accounted for.
The young man that is bold and daring is
not necessarily one that would delight in
taking human life. It is indeed lamentable,
that he has read some tale of blood, and that
his attention has been attracted to such an
awful field for the exerciee of a daring dispo
sition ; but, if he is a young man noted for
the kindness of his heart, that same disposi
tion would have been as willingly exercised
had he been called to act as a pioneer in some
unexplored region of the world, or had he
been called to lead on to the storming of some
almost impregnable fortress. His spirit of
adventure, (not necessarily sinful) has been
an occasion of temptation, the means of leading
him astray, just as a cheerful disposition may
mislead.
Though we have alluded to this subject, as
connected with the principle which has been
stated, yet we bear in mind that we are not
considering the influence of the reading of
piratical tales, but the influence of the reading
of history. Even though we should admit
that all is true that is said of the former, yet
we still hold that the influence of history on
the feelings of the heart is of the most benefi
cial character.
It is, however, alleged, that by reading
works of fiction the same favorable influence
is exerted—that thus we are taught to hate
sin. We admit that in works of fiction, vice
is brought before us, but too frequently does
the author so artfully manage his story that
the basest crimes of the hero of the tale are
all expiated by himself and all to be forgiven
and forgotten by us.
That hero, perchance, has performed one
liberal act, and for this you must forgive a
whole life of crime. That hero possesses tal
ent, and you must weep tears of sympathy
over him on account of it. That hero has
been a sufferer, and you are led to regard his
sufferings as a sufficient punishment, and you
cannot find it in your heart to condemn him.
History, however, makes no such demands
as these. She does not call upon us to for
give the murderer for his liberality or his
sufferings. It is true, that if we read of some
that have sinned in a dark age of the world,
we can make allowance for want of light; but
in the reading of history, w« do not love the
miser because he is a scholar ; we do not love
the cruel man because he is brave; we con
demn that which is dishonorable or vile under
whatever circumstances it is found.
A writer (Pope) has said “ the proper study
of mankind is man.” When one in ancient
times said, “ I am a man and feel a concern
in whatever relates to mankind,”* the plaudits
of the audience showed the estimation in
which the §entiment was held.
~ *#
* Homo sum, humani nihil a m* alienum puto.
(Terence.) t
Many years ago, there appeared, \ in a re
ligious Review, an article«ntiiled,“The moral
likeness of men, an encouragement for mis
sionary labor.” Afid this likeness is an en
couragement. We have all, in common, de
praved natures, yet we have all, in common,
human hearts and human sensibilities. It is
true that the hearts of some may seem less
human than the hearts of others, and the sen
sibilities of some more blunted than the sensi
bilities of others ; yefc*we shall find man to be
man wherever we roam.'. When we reflect
upon the struggle of our forefathers for inde
pendence, our bosoms anrfilled with indigna
tion at the thought of the base, the unnatural
conduct of a Benedict Arnold. The same feel
ing arises in our hearts, as we behold the
cruel, the ambitious Macbeth, in his own house,
murdering his aged, his unoffending sovereign.
Os such we say, “ O my soul, come not thou
into their secret, unto thier assembly mine
honor be not thou united ”
Our sympathies are aroused, as we think
of Columbus toiling in the service of a Euro
pean monarch, deprived qf his rights and hon
ors, deserted by that monarch and dying of a
broken heart. We read of
“ The oppressor’s wrong;, the,nroud man’s contumely,
The insolence ol'otficA and life spurns •
That patient merit of the urtworlhy takes.”
The'consideration ofL e.se .things makes us
more than ever the enemy of oppression and
strengthens the cords of alfcdtion that bind us
to the good. B. W. Wiiilden.
The Still, Smilll Voice.
I have a Friend, a tried and tnjsty Friend;
In joy, in grief, in danger, .ever near;
And whom He loves. He joVeth to the eud,
I cannot see Him now;” .but oft I hear
His still, small voice.
I wandered up and down, and found no rest;
My heart was like a lost and homeless bird :
I was a wight forlorn, a wretch unblest;
A waif upon the waters —’tyl I heard
His still, smalt voice.
I heard—and from the dreadful dream of sin
Amazed awoke. Old things were passed away;
I could no longer be what I had been,
All I forsook, and hastened to obey
His still, small voice.
My Shepherd’s voice! It led me to the springs,
The living sprirgs o£God jeSn fields of bliss
It led and fed ray soul’s deep hungerings;
It was so full of powei aim*gentleness—
His still, small voice.
And it has led me to this day, and still
Doth lead ; a Presence and a Light
Thro’ all my way ; and I will fear no ill,
Discerning Him, in thickesj shades of night,
■> His still, small voice.
Old School Presbyterian.
,r~
A Good Mo^ment.
A Christian lady had been absent from the
State for some time. On her return home
she happened to be till Sabbath afternoon
reaching her destination. As she sat on her
seat in the cars, the newsboy came round with
his books and papers, but she found no reli
gious literature—nothing for Sabbath read
ing. Impressions were made upon her heart,
while thought became active as to what good
might be inaugurated to counteract this evil.
Calling the little boy to her, she said : “ Are
you willing to distribute religious tracts on
this train next Sunday, if I will give them to
you, and not sell this light literature? Are
you willing to try it one Sabbath, and see if
you will not sell just as much the ensuing
week?” The boy consented.to do so, and
report the So the good sister has en
gaged to continue to fun tracts so* long
as he will distribute the AT. f " *
Here is inaugurated a System of colportage
that may be rendered very efficient, and at
the same time very cheap. Suppose every
newsboy were furnished with tracts for the
Sabbath, even admitting that many of them
would continue to sell their books and papers,
yet having religious tracts for gratuitous cir
culation, many travellers would accept and
read what was offered for nothing. Thus hun
dreds and thousands of men and women who
have no opportunity to hear the gospel—per
haps no inclination to do so—may read some
religious truth that, by the grace of God, may
lead the soul to Christ. An efficient and
zealous power might thus be taxed for the ad
vancement of religion, that otherwise would
not contribute to, but detract from it.
It is suggested to the pious and benevolent
as to whether this agency may not be pro
perly and profitably subsidized for the ad*
vancement of the Redeemer’s kingdom. May
it not be that Providence is now opening this
door, and bidding us lay our hands on this
potent instrumentality for His glory ?
Let not unbelief, and a want of wisdom and
enterprise, prevent an experiment. VV.
Is it Hot So?
The fraternal criticism, by E. B. TANARUS., in the
Index of June 7, of my communication,
“ The Secret of Mr. Earle's Success ,” in the
issue of May 26, suggests the following:
It was very far from my purpose, in that
communication, to depreciate, by contrast,
the preaching ability or ordinary pulpit labors
of the ministry. 1 had heard much, fur years,
of Mr. E’s labors and success in “ bringing
in sheaves,” and had also heard various rea
sons given for his success. Only recently
had I the opportunity to judge for myself
wherein his grant strength lieth. For while
it is to be acknowledged that in every instance
of successful ministerial labor, the Holy
Spirit i3 the efficient agent by whose mighty
power souls are born into the Kingdom, yet
it is undeniable that, admitting each case to
be a genuine work of grace, the labors of
some men are more abundantly blessed than
are those of others. And one reason for this
I believe is that these men possess the ability,
natural or acquired, not only ot making them
selves understood, —even errorists may do
this, —but of so clearly presenting gospel
truth, that the truth itself is embraced, though
in no instance, perhaps, by all who hear.
Now, in my humble opinion, Mr. Earle
possesses in an uncommon degree the practi
cal knowledge of human nature, and the tact
for presenting gospel truth, which, with the
blessing of the Hulv Spirit, secures success
in preaching the gospel. And Mr. E.’s pos
session of these gifts has been recognized by
Pastor Landrum in a communication to the
Index, in.which the opinion is expressed, that
Mr. Earle would make a good lawyer. All
will admit, I think, that the requisites for a
good lawyer are, with grace in the heart, the
best qualifications for an efficient and success
ful preacher of the gospel.
So far as Mr. Earle is personally concerned,
it matters not whether the opinion and views
expressed are correct or not. My only ob
ject in the present, as it was in my former
communication, is to point out, if possible,
the “ best gifts," that all who preach the
word may “ earnestly covet ” them.
A Bible Baptist.
Patronizing tiie Apostles. —A New York
wag says that in a dream he saw Dr. Osgood
meet St. Paul in the celestial world. The
polite Unitarian approached him in a very
patronizing style, and said : “Ah ! this is the
Apostle Paul, is it? Well, Paul, I’m right
glad to meet you. I used to say a good word
for you very often down in the Church of the
Messiah.”
Praise. —One of the most essential pre
parations for eternity is delight in prais
God; a higher acquiiement, I think, than eve £
delight and devotadnass in prayer.— Chal
mers.
Let Error Sun its Course.
Men may, by energy and perseverance, ac
complish many apparent impossibilities ; but
the one thing which neither strength of mus
cle nor force of intellect can effect, is the ma
king a successful resistance to the advance of
Truth. The futikty of such an effort has
been demonstrated in a thousand instances.
The advocates of error often seem, in the
opening of the Struggle, to have alt the ad
vantages on their side. Many times they
have held the power of the sword, and burned
or tortured their opponents without mercy or
stint. Many times have they held in their
favor all that influence which old systems ac
quire by reason of their age. Not seldom
have they had wit and eloquence to plead
their cause. But despite all these advanta
ges, the advocates of error have never suc
ceeded in gaining more than a temporary ad
vantage. Truth, all the more powerful from
its struggle, ha 9 eventually asserted its ma
jesty, and borne down all opposition. God,
who is her author, is her perpetual upholder;
and though, for purposes of His inscrutable
providence, He may sometimes permit her
defeat, He will assuredly cause her to triumph
in the end.
jfgjMany who honestly seek the truth, and feel
ready to recognize her wherever found, have a
cow'ardly fear of error, and sometimes adopt
its own weapons for its overthrow. We fear
that the rack, the stake and dungeon, have not
always been employed to defend falsehood.
But those who have sought to uphold some
good system by meansso unholy,havecompro
misedthe righteousness of their cause, and
have had reason to lament their mistake.
Persecution'will make a bad cause respecta
ble. Give it a martyr, and however abomin
able may be its principles, it will have a hold
on the he mage of mankind. But let it alone,
aud error will die. It is only when resisted
that it becomes dangerous.
There are many who have not confidence
enough in their opinions to listen to what
may be said on the other side of the ques
tion. They persistently close their ears to
whatever an opponent may say. They will
not read a book if they know that it contains
sentiments adverse to their own. Perhaps
this is the great secret of persecution. To
minds afflicted with this cowardly dread of
error, the thumb screw will seem a more po
tent means of conviction than the best con
structed syllogism. They will deem it easier
to burn an opponent than to refute his argu
ments. They find it pleasanter to torture his
body than to tax their own brains. They
will burn a book that they actually fear to
read, thereby betraying the weakness of their
own convictions, and a distrust of their abili
ty tQ withstand the allurements of what they
call error.
The right course is neither to fear nor per
secute, but to quietly await the development
of error which will certainly ensue if it be
left alone. Anew theory is sometimes pre
sented to us, with strange premises and start
ling conclusions. It may be a demon, —it
may be an angel. Let us examine before we
accept or condemn. If it be a truth, it may
bless the world and advance the race, and to
fight against it will, in the end, only make us
ridiculous. It may, indeed, be well to avoid
giving too ready credence; but we should
strive to avoid prejudice. But we need not
be alarmed about it, whatever may be its na
ture. If it he truth.it must and.will pre
vail ; if it be falsehood, it will, as'surely as
night follows day, develop itself and perish.
L.
“H. C. H.” and "W. T. R.”
The above is the caption of an editorial of
Dr. Shaver in his paper of May the 19th.
Were it not that I promised in my last, that
after my return from the Baptist College,
Tenn., 1 would furnish weekly articles to the
Index until the discussion between Dr. Shaver
and myself, upon Apostolic Succession closed,
I would not write a single sentence more:
but believing that an explanation is due me
and those whose views I have represented in
this debate, before laying down rny pen, I
write these lines. My explanation is this:
When a disputant, either in a written or oral
discussion with me, expresses a desire to drop
the subject, I have no further disposition to
continue it. I did not begin the discussion
with my worthy brother, Dr. Shaver, there
fore 1 allow him to say when to quit. My
last article has not been met, but only alluded
to; and in the closing sentences of the Dr’s
editorial he says: “When two writers find
it so difficult to apprehend each other’s posi
tion, what fruit can come of discussion be
tween them ? Might they not as well smoke
the calumet of peace and have done with pen
strife?” “So moteit be.” Withexpressions of
respect and a desire for the health, long life
and usefulness of my distinguished friend, I
subscribe myself his obedient servant,
W. T. R.
'£?La Fayette, Ga., June B th, 1870.
jpgjT* We reciprocate the kind feelings of our
brother, and wish him well. But may we say
that he began the discussion, if not with us indi
vidually, with the paper, and therefore indirectly
with us—attacking the position which we had
avowed and had been constrained to defend? We
do not complain of-this: he had a perfect right
to do it. Neither do we complain of even a word
that has fallen from his pen daring the discus
sion.
Stoue Creek Church.
This church, located in Twiggs county, Ga.,
about ten miles below the city of Macon, was
constituted in 1808—Micajah Fulgham and
Henry Hooten, Presbytery. V. A. Tharp
was called as pastor in 1811, and continued in
that office till his death, in 1825. Affection
ate and honorable mention is made of him as
pastor, in the minutes of that date. Impress
ive funeral services were held over his re
mains, placed before the pulpit.
In 1825 Hiram Powell, having started in
the ministry, asked aid of the church to con
stitute another, in the 6th district of Hous
ton county, while yet the Indians were nu
merous in the county. For nearly two years
after the death of V. A. Tharp, Theo. Pearce
and Charnock A Tharp were joint pastors, as
it would appear from the record. In those
days it seems to have been the custom to
have two or three, or more sermons, at the
same sitting. About the year 1829, they had
the services, occasionally, of Jno. M. Gray,
and B. B. Buchannan; the one the most pious
and consistent, the other the most eloquent of
preachers. About the same time appear as
preachers James Lunsford, John Davis,
Wade, Austin Ellis, Fort, Adam Jones and
Williams. About the year 1834, Rev. A. T.
Holmes preached occasionally for the church,
while pastor at Macon. So, also, appear
Jno. McKenzie, an able expounder of the
word of God, and Wilson Connor, a sort of
apostolic father in the churches. The name
of Abisha Hone appears in 1837. In March
of that year, they passed the following:
“ Resolved , That we open our doors for the
reception of members who may have been,
or may hereafter be excluded from anti-mis
sionary churches because they are friendly to
benevolent institutions; provided there be
'satisfactory evidence that this was the only
charge against them.” This was at the time
of the division of the great Baptist family
upon the subject of missions, and fixes the
status of that church upon this subject. It
shows, also, their view of the rights ol
churches; and the view they entertained ol
the right to keep out a member improperly
excluded.
In 1837, the name of Jno. Hughes appears
as preacher. In 1838, that of B. F. Tharp,
then a student at Mercer University. In
1839, Lewis Solomon and W. D. Horne com
menced the work of the ministry—the latter
ordained by Thos. Curtis and H. Ellis. Thos.
Curtis, then pastor at Macon, frequently
preached, in his wonted eloquence and power,
for this church. The church rejoiced in h's
occasional labors, and sincerely sorrowed
when they learned of his death by the burn
ing of the steamer on the Chesapeake. In
1840 the church started anew interest in
Jones county, which ended in the constitu
tion of a church near Camp Hope? In 1844
C. D. Mallary, then a resident of Twiggs
county, frequently preached for the church.
Mention is also made of the services of Sher
wood and Sanders.
In 1850 they bdilt the present elegant
church edifice, which was dedicated in Sept,
of that year. In 1856 C. A. Tharp resigned
the care of the church, because he was no
longer able to be pastor; which was read by
the church, and a day of fasting and prayer
was appointed in view of it. In 1857, S.
Landrum was pastor. G. R. McCall'began
in 1858, and ended in 1863. Washington
Tharp was pastor in 1863 and ’64; G. R.
McCall again in 1865, since which time W.
1). Hone has been its pastor.
The church has ordained and sent forth
several ministers: Hiram Powell, C. A.
Tharp, James McDonald, “ the eloquent
Irishman,” who died recently, in the up
country, Hiram McCullers, W. D. Horne,
James Pearson, Theo. Pearce, Jno. Dennis,
R. A. Edmonds and Washington Tharp.
Other ministers, though not ordained or
licensed there, have been the result of the
labors of this church.
The history of this church furnishes us
some matters for reflection. It is an old
church, having existed for 62 years. It was
long the custom for churches wishing the ser
vices of a preacher, a member of another
church, to apply for his services to the church
rather than directly to the minister himself.
That custom, though now abandoned, is found
ed in good sense. Like other churches of
that age, they practiced feet washing as a
church ordinance, which has been long since
abandoned. They observed the 4th of July
as a day of Thanksgiving and prayer, which
was a much better way than to observe it as
a day of revelry and sin. They had more
occasion to regard it with thanksgiving than
we, their sons, who feel that it would have
been better to remain under British tyranny,
than under the present Radical aule.
Dancing and popular amusements are con
demned by this church, and members were
excluded for these vices—to which practice it
is hoped the churches will return.
They had frequent revivals during the past
half-century, the largest of which was in 1845,
when about one hundred were added.
For 45 consecutive years this church was
under the pastoral care of two men, the father
and the son—V. A. Tharp and C. A. Tharp.
Few churches can show such a record.
The church is located in a rich, landed dis
trict, and considerable still abounds.
Its record shows that its finances have bgen
well managed, and hiinutes .properly pre-'
served for sixty-two years. The people wor- #
ship at that place for a distance of nearly 20
miles square, are all Baptists of the genuine
stamp; and every effort to introduce Pedo
baptism, and other errors, have hitherto
proved in vain. Altogether, the past of this
church is remarkable, and it is fervently
prayed that its influence may never be less.
Beta.
Love for Souls.
True Christian love is at once expansive
and restricted. It yearns over the race; it fixes
with special tenderness of interest on the in
dividual. Os a minister who was prevented
only by insurmountable difficulties, from de
voting himself to the service of the heathen,
we are told that he once said, with deep emo
tion, in regard to a person who had gone far
astray, “ 1 want that man’s soul; I must have
him!” The two feelings are born into the
heart, of one spirit; and that, the Spirit of
God, who is love. Those who feel most truly,
deeply, engrossingly, for the salvation of the
world, are also those to whom particular cases
of sin and impenitence are occasions of the
liveliest sympathy and profoundest concern.
The bosom that glows with universal love for
souls, is precisely the bosom that gives forth,
into divine, if not into human ears, the cry of
strong desire, with respect now to one, and
then another, and yet again another, and an
other, “ I want that man’s soul!” To the
Christ like, there is always some object of
special affection and concern—some individ
ual sinner whom they long to bring to Christ.
Who stands now in that relation to you,
reader ?
Never Occurred.
The following sentence occurs in the para
graph quoted in your last issue from the
Morning Star: “If the purest, most useful
and self-denying, devoted saint on earth asks
to receive the Lord’s Supper at their (the
regular Baptists’) hands, they refuse him,
unless he has complied with their notion of
the order of the ordinances.”
Has such a case as is here described ever
occurred? or will one probably ever occur?
1 have been in the Baptist church fifty years
save a few months, and in the ministry forty
years. My opportunity for observing what
occurs in our churches has been somewhat
extensive. 1 have never yet known a “ saint”
of another persuasion whose character would
at all answer the description—“the purest,
most useful, self-denying, devoted,” “ask”
one of our churches to yield, for his sake, its
conscientious and settled view of the “ order
of the ordinances.” Such saints have a truer
sense of Christian modesty and too much re
spect forothers’ consciences rudely todemand,
“ Give up your cherished creed and your
wrong practice,” —and, if the demand is not
complied with, raise the cry, “ Bigotry: your
logic of exclusiveness annuls the logic of
love.” No ; “ the purest, the devoted” saint
readily awards to others what he humbly
claims for himself—the rights of conscience.
Such a saint has, too, a church home of his
own, and does not feel the necessity of “ going
abroad for joys,” and then uttering bitter
complaints because thousands of Christian
churches with which he has no ecclesiastical
connection do not at once yield their “ no
tions” of Christian and church propriety.
The only case I have ever known of such
asking as the Star represents, was that of a
very sectarian, prejudiced, and rather mis
chief-making member of another denomina
tion, who made the request, doubtless wish
ing to be denied, in order, if possible, to gain
some fancied advantage over his Baptist
neighbors.— Rev. L. Tracy, in Watch, dk Ref.
“ The Best.” —A writer in the Nashville
Christian Advocate says: “The Methodist
Episcopal Church, South, is the best theologi
cal school in the world!”
A Song in the Night.
An old College Professor, who had been afflicted with
sleeplessness, a short time before his death wrote to a
friend that he had derived great comfort iu his wakeful
hours from repeating the following lines of some un
known writer:
“ When, courting slumber,
The hours I number.
And sad thoughts cumber
My weary mind,
The thought will cheer me
That Thou art near me
Whose ear to hear me
Is well inclined.
My soul Thou keepest,
Who never sleeptst;
’Mid gloom the deepest,
There’s light above.
Thine eyes behold me,
Thine arms enfold me;
Thy word has told me
That ‘God is love!’”
Dr. Marsh and Lord Roden.
Rev. Dr. Marsh, of England, once repeated
the following lines to Lord Roden, telling him
that they were composed by his old school
master, Dr. Valpy, as his confession of faith.
Lord Roden requested Dr. Marsh to write
them down, and he fastened the
the mantelpiece in his study :
“ In peace let me resign my breath,
And Thy salvation see;
My sins deserve eternal death,
But Jesus died for tne.”
Some time after, General Taylor, one of
the heroes of Waterloo, came to visit Lord
Roden. He felt no interest in religion, but
kept his eye fixed on this verse: At length
Lord Roden ventured to say, “ Why, General,
you will soon know that verse by heart.” “I
know it now by heart" replied the General,
with emphasis and feeling. The General be
came entirely changed, and died two years
after, repeating the lines which had led him
to Christ.
Lord Roden related these facts at a neigh
bor’s, where a young officer from the Crimea
was visiting. Some months after, as this of
ficer lay on his death bed, he sent an urgent
request for Lord Roden to visit him. On his
entering the room, he held out his hand, re
peating these simple lines,and adding, “They
have been God’s message of peace to my
soul.”
Many years after, Dr. Marsh was paying a
last visit to an old and valued friend. The
aged friends were comparing years, when Mr.
Maitland said, “I am not your equal in years,
but I wish I were in wisdom and goodness.”
Dr. Marsh pointed him to Christ, and quoted
Dr. Valpy’s lines, and, at Mr. Maitland’s re
quest, wrote down the verse for him. As he
received it, he said, “ I shall wear it near my
heart.” It was found there after his death.
We have copied these lines, so signally
blest, hoping that other eyes resting upon
them may be led to adopt them as their own.
Praying Families.
Among a circle of four or five families, all
shoots from the same parent stock, family
piety blossomed with uncommon beauty, and
bore fruits of rare excellence. As one child
after another attained to years of accounta
bility, the claims of their Redeemer were ac
knowledged, and a place sought among his
people. What was the secret of all this?
We hear the answer in the very words of a
member of the favored household.
“ 1 trace this stream of holy influence back
to the prayers of a pious ancestor. Grand
father was an eminent man of God, and he
prayed much for his children’s children—in
the fields, in the woods, -at morning, mid day
and evening. ' «He prayed for them to the
third and fourth generations. His last years
were literally spent in prayer. After losing
his mind upon all other subjects, he could
lead the family devotions as no one else
could.”
What blessings a praying parent may call
down from heaven upon his children ! Happy
indeed are those families in which God is
honored, and His blessing invoked upon chil
dren and children’s children; and wretched
and poor beyond expression are those fami
lies where God is forgotten or His name men
tioned only to be profaned ! The parent who
stays away from Christ is not only shutting
himself from the kingdom, but is making it
difficult for his children, who would, to en
ter in.
Church Activity.
The pastor must first develop his own ac
tivities, and he should be continually calling
forth the talents, energies and sacrifices of his
people. The pastor should be an executive
man, if possible. This is one grand secret of
Spurgeon’s success. 110 sets all his church
members to some kind of work. Every pos
sible variety of means must be employed to
accomplish this. The pastor must appreciate
and honor the workers. He must mark out
work for the laymen. Many Christians are
worthless because they have no one to tell
them what to do. Churches must be thor
oughly organized, so that every one shall have
something to do. This organization must not
be so formal as to destroy freedom of action
and thought.
Christian’s Hope.
Dr. Richardson, in the second volume of
the Memoirs of A. Campbell, gives an inter
esting anecdote of Robert Owen, the moral
of which is valuable. Mr. Owen visited Mr.
Campbell, at Bethany, to make arrangements
for their approaching discussion on the eviden
ces of Christianity. “ In oneof their excursions
about the farm, they came to Mr. Campbell’s
family burying-ground, when Mr. Owen
stopped, and addressing himself to Mr. Camp
bell, said: ‘ There is one advantage I have
over the Christian—/ am not afraid to die.
Most Christians have fear in death; but if
some few items of my business was settled,
1 should be perfectly willing to die at any
moment.’ ‘Well,’ answered Mr. Campbell,
‘you say you have no fear in death; have
you any hope in death?’ After a solemn
pause, ‘No,’ said Mr. Owen. ‘Then,’ re
joined Mr. Campbell, (pointing to an ox
standing near.) ‘you are on a level with that
brute. He has fed until he is satisfied, and
stands in the shade, whisking off the flies,
and has neither hope nor fear of death!”
The Two Religions. —“ There are but two
religions in all the world, the subjective and
the objective, or, in othiy and better words,
the religion of faith and the religion of forms.
The religion of faith is best expressed in the
expiring cry of an English martyr: ‘None
but Christ, none but Christ!’ The religion of
forms is known, in all its varieties, by pre
senting as the object of highest veneration,
rites and ceremonies, and saying, in effect:
‘Anything but Christ, everything but Christ.’ ”
Godly Simplicity. —At the monthly meet
ing of the students of Union Theological
Seminary, which was addressed by one of
our leading clergymen, Rev. Dr. Tyng
attributed his success to the fact that he had
never sought for eloquence, nor for literary
reputation; but had simply and constantly
preached the fullness of the Saviour’s love,
repeating his theme over and over.
Losses. —The Universe, a Romanist paper,
says that 200,000 Irish children are lost to
the Catholic faith in this country every year.
Catholic children are very largely reached by
our Sunday schools, though probably a great
de.il more might be done in this way of loi
ng ti Romanism and gaining to Christ.