Funding for the digitization of this title was provided by R.J. Taylor, Jr. Foundation.
About Christian index and South-western Baptist. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1866-1871 | View Entire Issue (Nov. 17, 1870)
HRM’IAN INKSFaND SOUTH-WESTERN BAPTIST. ViL 49 -NO. 45, {s3 00 Aim} \ RELIGIOUS A DID FAMIITOAPER, ■ i tV,[3HED WEEXft IN ATLANTA. GA AT $3.00 PER ANNUM, Invariably in Advance, r. r. TOON'. E>rouri@to r. “Who Are These Before God’s Throne.” Who are these before God’s throne— What the countless gathering there* Every forehead wears a crown, All, like stars, are shining fair; Halleluia! thus they sing, With loud voices worshipping. Who are these who palms so green Wave, like warriors marching home From the field where they hare seen Foes forever overcome ? What the warfare, what the pain That so proud a triumph gain V Who are these in linen white. Type of innocence, arrayed, Raiment pure and dazzling bright, Robes which never more shall fade, Never more shall know a stain, Whence come the glorious train ( These are they who have fought well For the honor of the r God - Foiled the world and death, and hell, Kept the rough and narrow road ; And hare » V> UB. through heavenly might. Been victorious in the fight- These are brandhes of flie stem Which Salvation’s fruit hath borne,— These are followers of the Lamb Who have passed through grief and scorn : Now the-cross no more they bear. Now festive dress they wear sr* , These are they who ever paid Priestly service to the Lord,— Who upon the aitar laid “ Soul und body at His word; Now they stand the throne around, In His presence princes crowned. As the hart for waters cool Pants at noontide in the chase, So they thirsted for the full, Ever-flowing springs of grace ; Now, from thirst forever free, For with Jesus Christ they be. Thither I, too, lift mine eyes,— Lord, mv care on Thee I cast, Unto Thee my spirit cries, While these days of warfare last ; Help me, make me at the close More than conqueror o’er my foes. May my calling and my lot Bo with those who serve Thee here; That at length, mv labor wrought, At Thy throne, I may appear As Thv faithful servant, Lord, To receive the great reward. s Oh, what rapture will be mine, When, with saints that sinless are, I in Thy pure light shall shine, With the brightness of a star, Praise and glory, Lord, to thee Singing through eternity 1 - Frori thi German of Schenck. General S. E. Lee’s Religious Character. In this age of hero worship, there is a ten dency to exalt unduly the virtues of great, men, and to magnify the religious character of one professing to be a .Christian. This is so well understood, that there may be with some who never knew him a lingering doubt as tn the genuine piety of the great chieftain whom two continents now mourn. To re move any such impression from the minds of anv vvho nevercame in contact with this gicat and good man, the writer has culled a few incidents from the many wtfieh might be given, which show, beyond all cavil, that with lien. Lee religion was not a mere profession, but a genuine, precious reality. The writer can never forget his first inter view arid conversation with Gen. Lee on reli •lions matters. It. was in 1863, while our army was resting along the llapid Ann, soon after the l>ristow campaign. Rev. B. T. Lacy and myself went, as a committee of our chaplain’s association, to consult him in reference to the better observance of the Sabbath in the army, and especially to urge that something be done to prevent irreligious officers from converting Sunday into a grand gala day for inspections, reviews,etc. It was a delicate mission. We did not wish to ap pear as either informers or officious niter meddlers, and vet we were very anxious to do something to further the wishes of those who sent us, and to put a scop to what was then a growing evil, and, in some commands, a serious obstacle to the efficient woi k of the chaplain. The cordial greeting which he gave us, the marked courtesy and respect with which he listened to what we had to say and expressed his warm sympathy with the object of our mission, soon put us at our ease. But as vve presently began to answer his questions concerning the spiritual interests of the army, and to tel? of that great revival which was then extending through the camps, and bring ing thousands of our noble men to Christ, we saw his eye brighten and his whole counten ance glow with pleasure; and as, in his sim ple, feeling words, he expressed his delight, we forgot the great warrior, and only remem bered that we were communing with an humble, earnest Christian. When Mr. Lacy told him of the deep interest which the chap lains felt in his welfare, and that their most fervent prayers were offered in his behalf, tears started in his eyes as he replied: “I sincerely thank you for that, and I can only say that I am a poor sinner, trusting in Christ alone, and that I need all the players you can offer for me.” The next day, he issued a beautiful general order, in which he referred to his previous orders enjoining the observance ol the Sab bath, ordered that nothing should be done on ihe Lord’s day not absolutely necessary to the subsistence or safety of the army, direct ed that every facility should be given for religious services, and urged upon officers and . men regular attendance upon such services. \ fie always set the example himself, and never | failed to attend prt aching w hen his duties did j not absolutely preclude his doing so. Nor : was he a mere listless attendant. Ihe simple truths of the gospel had no more attentive listener than Gen. Lee; and his eye would kindle and his face glow under the more ten der doctrines of grace, fie used freqent ly to attend preaching at Jackson’s headquar. ters ; and it was a scene which a master hand might have delighted to paint—those two i?reat warriors, surrounded by hundreds of their officers and men, bowed in humble wor ship before the God and Saviour in whom they trusted. Ah! it is sweet to think that these two noble men, who so often went to gether to the place of prayer, now walk the -ti-eets of the new Jerusalem, strike together golden harps, and bask in the sunshine of a Saviour’s smiles—that the great lieutenant, who first “passed over the river and rested under the shade of the trees,” has been per mitted to welcome his beloved chief to that “rest” which “ remaineth for the people of God.” Gen. Lee always took the deepest interest in the woik of his chaplains and the spiritual welfare of his men. fie was a frequent vis> itor at our chaplains’ meetings, and a deeply interested observer of their proceedings; and the faithful chaplain, who stuck to his post and did his duty, could be always assured of a warm friend at headquarters. While the Army of Northern Virginia confronted Gen. Meade at Mine Run, in De cember, 180d, and a b it tie was momentarily expected, Gen. Lee, with a number cf general and stall officers, was riding down his line of battle, when, just in rear of Gen. A. P. Hill's position, the cavalcade suddenly came upon a party of soldiers engaged in one of those prayer meetings which they so often held on the eve of. battle. An attack from the enemy j seemed imminent —already the sharp shooting ! along the skirmish # line had begun—the ar tillery was belching forth its hoarse thunder, and the mind and heart of the great chieftain were full of the expected combat. Yet, as hs saw those ragged veterans bowed in prayer, he instantly dismounted, uncovered his head and devoutly joined in the simple worship. The rest of the party at once followed his example, and those humble privates found themselves leading the devotions of their loved and honored chief’ains. As our army was crossing the James, in 1864, and hurrying otl to the defence of Pe tersburg, Gjjn. Lee turned aside from the road, : and, kneeling in the dust, devoutly joined a i minister present in earnest prayer that God J would give him wisdom and grace in the new ! stage of the campaign upon which he was j then entering. Not long before the evacuation of Peters j burg, the writer was one day distributing j tracts along the trenches, when he perceived i a brilliant cavalcade approaching. Gen. Lee i —accompanied by Gen. John B. Gordon, Gen. I A. P. Hill, and other general officers, with j their staffs —was inspecting our lines and re j connoiteriog these of the enemy. The keen ! eye of Gordon recognized, and his cordial grasp detained the humble tract distributer, as he warmly inquired about his work. Gen. Lee at once reined in his horse and joined in the conversation, the rest of the party gath ! ered around, and the humble colporteur thus ; became the centre of a group of whose notice the highest princes of the earth might well be proud. Gen. Lee asked if we ever had caffs for prayer books, and said that if we ! would call at his headquarters he would give ! us some for distribution —“that some friend in Richmond had given him anew prayer book, and, upon his saying that he would give his old one, that he had used ever since the Mexican war, to some soldier, the friend had offered him a dozen new books for the old Otic, and he had, of course, accepted so good an offer, and now had twelve instead of one to give away.” We called at the appointed i hour. The General had gone out on some 1 important matter, (even a Laid his press | ing duties) had left the prayer books wi;h a member of his staff, with instructions con cerning them. He had written on the fly leaf of each, “ Presented by R. E. Lee,” and we are sure that those of the gallant men to whom they were given who survive the war, will now cherish them as precious legacies, | and hand them down as heirlooms in their : families. We have not space to quote from General Lee’s orders, which never Announced a victory without ascribing the glfry to “ God, the giver of all victory.’’ His fast-day and thanksgiving-day orders were not only models of chaste diction and pure English, but breath ed a spirit, of humility and devotion which clearly reflected the character of the man. And whatever may have been true of others, he was not ashamed of the name of Jesus, and was not politic enough to suppress it. lie summoned his followers to repent of their sins, and “ seek, through Christ, the favor of God. ’ With the close of the war, and the afflic tions which came upon his loved •land, the piety of this great man seems to have mel lowed and deepened. The writer could fill pages concerning his iite at Lexington, and ilie britfht evidence hp gave of vital, active 'godliness. His plade in the College chapel and in his own church was never vacant, un less he was kept away by sickness. He was a constant reader and a dilligent student of the Bihle. As the writer sat alone with his body, the day after his death, he picked up from the table a well used pocket Bible, in which was written, in his characteristic chi rograph v, “11. E. Lee, Lt. Col. U. S. Army.’’ How ho took those blessed pages as the man of his counsel and the light of his pathway —how their precious promises cheered him amid the afflictions and trials of his eventful life how their glorious hopes illumined for him “the dark valley and shadow of death,” eter nity alone will fully reveal. ile was a most liberal contributor to his church and to other objects of benevolence. At the vestry meeting, which lie attended, and over which lie presided, the evening he was taken with his fatal illness, an effort was befriq made to raise a certain sum for an im portant object. Gciieia! Leo had already made an exceedingly liberal contribution, but when it was ascertained that $55 were still lacking, he quietly said, “ I will give the bal ance.” These were the last words he spoke in the meeting —his contribution, his last pub lic act. The writer happens to know that, within the past, twelve months, he had given SIOO to the education of soldiers’ orphans, SIOO to the Young Men’s Christian Associa tion of the College, ana smaller sums to a number of similar objects—making, in the ag gregate, a most liberal contribution for his very limited means And, then, his manner of giving was so modest and unostentatious, Ln handing the writer a very handsome con tribution to the Lexington Baptist church building fund, he quietly said : “ Will you do me the kindness to hand this to your treasurer, and save me the trouble of hunting him up? lam getting old now and you young men must help me.” And his whole manner was that of one receiving instead of bestowing a favor. General Lee was not accustomed to talk of anything that concerned himself, and did not often speak freely of his inner religious feelings. Yet he would, when occasion of fered, speak most decidedly of his reliance for salvation upon the merits of his personal Re deemer, and none who heard him thus talk could doubt for a moment that his faith was built on the “ Rock of Ages.” He manifested the deepest concern for the spiritual welfare of the young men under his care. Soon after becoming President of Washington College, he said, with deep feel ing. to Rev. Dr. White —then the venerable pastor of the Presbyterian church— 44 1 shall be disappointed, sir ; I shall fail in the lead ing object that brought me here, unless these young men become real Christians; and I wish you and others of your sacred profes sion to do all you can to accomplish this.” At the beginning of each session he was accustomed to address a letter to the pastors of the town, inviting them to conduct the chapel service, and urging them to do all in their power for the spiritual good of the stu dents. At the “ Concert of Prayer for Col leges,” in Lexington, last year, the writer made' an address in which he urged that the great need of our Colleges was a genuine, pervasive revival —that this could only come from God ; and that inasmuch as He has pro mised His Holy Spirit to those, who ask Him, we should make special prayer for a revival in the Colleges of the country, and more par ticularly in Washington College and the Vir ginia Military Institute. At the close of the meeting, Geueral Lee came to me and said, with more than his usual warmth, 44 1 wish, sir, to thank you for your address ; it was just what we needed. Our great want is a revi val, which .shall bring these young men to Christ.” During the great revival in the Virginia Military Institute, two years ago, he said to his pastor, with deep emotion, 44 That is the best news 1 have heard since 1 have been in FRANKLIN PRINTING HOUSE, ATLANTA, GA., THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 17, 1870. !$3 00 1 YEAR.} Lexington. WojjJd th|t we couldßave such a revival in alUof our Colleges !” Rev. Dr. Kirkpatrick, -Profqgsor ot Moral Philosophy in relates the following concerning a conversation he had with Gen. Lee just a short time previous to his fatal illness : 44 We had been conversing for some time respecting the religious welfare of the students.- General Lee’s feelings soon be came so intense that for a time his utterance was choked ; but, recovering himself, with his eyes overflowed with tears, his lips quivering with emotion, and both hands raised, he exclaimed, 4 Oh, Doctor! if I could only know that all the young men in the Col lege were good Christians, I should have no . thing more to desire.’ ” General Lee was a member of the Episco pal church, and was sincerely attached to the church of his choice ; but his large heart took in Christians of every name ; he treated the ministers of all denominations with the most marked courtesy and respect, and not a few will cordially echo the remark of the venera ble Dr. W hite, who said, with deep feeling, during the memorial services, " He belonged to one branch of the church and I to another; yet, in my intercourse with him—an inter course rendered far more frequent and inti mate by the tender sympathy he felt in my ill health—the thought never occurred to me that we belonged to different churches. His love for the truth, and for all that is good and useful, was such as to render his brotherly kindness and charity as boundless as were the wants and sorrows of his race.” We could easily multiply incidents and write pages more on the religious character of our beloved and honored chieftain, but the above must suffice. The world mourns for Robert E. Lee, be cause one of its noblest heroes has fallen— those whose proud privilege it was to have been in any way associated with him, mourn that the courteous gentleman, the warm hearted, thoughtful friend, the humble, earn est Christian, comes not again to his accus tomed places. But we 1 sorrows not as those who have no hope.” He lived the life of a faithful soldier of the Cross—he fell at the post of duty with the harness on—he died in the full assurance of fiuth in Jesus, and now wears the Christian’s “crown of rejoicing”— “ Trat crown with peerless glories bright, Which shall new lustre boast. When victors’ wreaths and monarehs’ gems Shall blend in common dust.” J. Wm. Jones. Lnlmjton, Fa., Got. 22, 1870. Keep Ctesar in his Kingdom. A Christian who sincerely loves God’s cause, and believes, with a strong, unwaver ing faith, that religion is of infinitely more importance than earthly wealth or honor, or anything else pertaining to this mundane sphere ; who believes it to be the only thing that can render man comparatively happy in this life, and absolutely happy in that glori ous world above, where a blessed home, an eternal home —the celestial precinct&of which will never be invaded by sin,sorrcST sickness and death —awaits him ; a Christian, we say, cannot be •otherwise than # grieved when he looks around upon* Ute .world and the churches, and 6ees the hold that Mammon is taking upon the hearts of all classes —th* members of our beloved Zion not excepted! One among many jof the strong proofs of this, that might be stated, is the want of a 1 sacred, feverehtial regard'for God’s sanctu ary, even by His professed disciples, the holy temple of the Most High, dedicated to the exclusive worship of the King of kings and Lord of lords, is often thrown open for the use of agricultural, political and military meetings, sc-cuiar school examinations, etc.; and scenes are sometimes enacted within the sacred precincts of God’s house that evoke the most unqualified condemnation from the world itself; and many Christians are made to grieve, and mourn, and cry out, 0 temora ! O mores ! All this, too, is done right in the face of divine inspiration. Read the 2nd chapter of John, and other Scriptures bearing upon this point. Are our children to be trained up i;t sqch a way as to have no more respect for God’s house than for a court house or market? Are they to be so trained as to have but little or no regard - for ministers, preaching or religion ? Is there to be no sacred spot free from the unhallowed foot prints of the world, where a Christian may go and worship his Lfod undisturbed by dis tracting associations ? Deal- brethren, let us try to keep Ctesar in his kingdom. Another proof, and a very strong one, that we love the world too well, or are ignorant of our duty, may be found in the action of Associations that take secular schools under their fostering care or guardianship. “It has been found expedient for churches of Jesus Christ within convenient distances of each other, to be in some way associated, in order to promote mutual piety, and to secure unity of faith, harmony of feeling, and concert of action in religious enterprises,” In the fore going sentence we have the legitimate objects j of a Baptist Association clearly stated in a nut shell. The ostensible purpose of such a body is to enable the churches to do all they can for the glory of God and the advancement of Christianity ; not to promote worldly, but religious interests; hence, it may be stated as a self-evident proposition, that all‘entan gling alliances with the world that are calcu lated to hinder rather than advance Chris tianity, should be ignored. But let us examine further, and see the re suits when the thing objected to is hitched on to an Association. Here, for example, is the latter, working zealously for the promotion of missions, or anything else that comes pro perly within its province; peace, harmony and "unity rign throughout the brotherhood ; they are pulling together, like the “ horses in Pharaoh’s chariot;’’ but finally, and unfortu nately, some influential brethren propose an entangling alliance with the world ; the pro position is accepted ; the apple of discord is now thrown into the body: for the Associa tion hqs agreed to establish a secular school, and take it under its fostering eare. Imme diately various sections begin to pull against each other; some want it here, some want it there. Os course every one wants it in his own neighborhood. Old Adam becomes fully stirred within the bounds of this religious body ; envy, jealousy, slander are warmed into active life, and hiss and bite with every opportunity; and sometimes Associations are even rent in twain by this jarring, woridiy element, and, after all, the school may be lo cated away off on some side or corner, to suit the convenience and wishes of a small but in fluential party. But let us trail Caesar, while out of his kingdom, a little further. Several years have passed away, and here is the Association in session. By this time, other schools have sprung up within its bounds “ upon their own hook,” just as good and worthy of patronage as the royal bantling; but the Association must waste its precious time—though dole gates are anxious to return home-—listening to reports from, and eloquent harangues by, those blessed with os rotundum upon this worldly bantling, that a large majority of the the Association cannot patronize without bankruptcy; while their schools, the only ones that can benefit their children, are left in the shade, or passed by in silence, as unwor thy of notice. The influence of all this upon harmony and fraternal feeling, is more easily imagined than expressed. But further, 4S»ider the practical workings of this mistletoe, or parasite, many'are called upon to contribute to the royal protege, that would gladly scad little Susan and Johnny to an uicb&eld school, but are not able; yet they are calUd upon to elevate a school still higher, that entirely above their reach ! I say, let the carriage be elevated, but let it be done by who expect to ride in it, n«t by putting outsiders under the wheels! We farmers, especially, are now a very poor people. have many difficulties to grapple with, that those outside of our circle know nothing a#ut. Under the wretched management of labor system, we scarcely make a support, und when we give, it is often at the expense oy some honest, industrious creditor; but, no withstanding our poverty, our pride is becoming teriific; the Yankees and French fix u{T things so nicely, that we cheerfully give tfßtn what few greenbacks or credit we have But again. CiA of the leading objects of a religious Aasoiy-tion is to promote mis sions ; and .itj|?~ extremely difficult un der the most favorable circumstances, to raise funds to execute r j* command of a risen Sa viour, “ Go ye in>j all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.” But the difficulty is greatly increased, when some are pulling one way {-.old some another; some for the school where they are educating their sons for merchants, doctors, lawyers, professors, etc.; some for God’s cause, as they heartily wish to see the banner of the Cross wave upon every shore JvcA salvation sounded in every ear. Those who are most specially in terested in the school have their missionary proclivities greatly hampered, and funds are often sent up by tie different churches for missions, without any special designation, leaviug it to the wisdom of the body to give them direction. Ir.-*ach cases, there is always some one ready to* lutch at the straggling dol lars for the school; and such a school, though temporal, and mainly beneficial to the more wealthy, is sometiir.es actually crowded into the department-nf pomostic Missions ! Once more. It. os sometimes the case, that an Association is anxious to employ an evan gelist to travel within its bounds, visit the churches, enlighten the ignorant, arouse and wake up the sleepers, and breathe life and vitality into the Uones” wherever found. It takes money to do this ; but no sooner is the project proposed than orethren begin to whisper to each other, “I see the undercur rent.. This is a shsewd move by interested parties to get an agent into the field, spe cially, though secretly, for the benefit of the school;” so, many-ipfuse to contribute for the purpose, and God’s cause is left to languish. What a great blessfi’g it would be, if Chris tian bodies could keep Ccesar in his kingdom. Uncle Ned. Georgia, Nov., 1870. Hail, Thou Head s-; Bruised and Wounded. Hail, Thou Head'S"' bruised aad wounded, With thorns surrounded; Smitten. JKHfnocking reed, Wounds whmPii iv not cease to bleed, Tricklingrain* Ad slow. Had! most blessed brow Nouifc.ui Wipe tFeJi.iod drops now; All tH flower of oWr as fled, Mortal nulen -ss ijistead; Thou, before -voread. ' Angels tr^rttTToiyyw. All Thy vigor jEy ’Ye Fading in tbt ; Death his stampAn Thee has set, Hollow and emaciate, Faint and drooping there. Thou this agony and scorn Hast for me, a sinner, borne. Me, unworthy, all for me! With those signs of love on Thee, Glorious Face, appear 1 Yet, in this. Thine agony. Faithful Shepherd, think of me 1 From whose lips of love divine Sweetest draughts ot love are mine, Purest honey flows. All unworthy of Thy thought, Guilty, yet reject me not; Unto me Thy head incline. Let that dying head of Thine In my arms repose 1 Let me true communion known With Thee in Thv sacred woe, Counting all beside but dross, Dying with Thee on Thy Cross. 'Neath it will I die! Thanks to Thee with every breath, Jesus, for Thy bitter death ; Grant Thy guilty one* this prayer. When tr.y dying hour is uear, Gracious God, be nigh! When my dying hour must be, Be not absent then from me ; In that dreadful hour, I pray, Jesus, come without delay; See and set me free! When thou biddost me depart, Whom I cling to with my heart,! Lover of my soul, be near, With Thy earing Cross appear, Show Thyself to me. Bernard of Clairvaux, Translated by Mrs. Charles. Ministerial Detraction. The reputation of a minister of the gospel is sacred. Upon it depends his ability to ex tend the Redeemer’s kingdom and to win souls to Christ. It is tender. Like the but of the fig-tree, it withers under adverse winds, and, like it, when withered, requires many a warm sun to revive it. That the world should engage to defame the clergy, is bad enough ; that unthoughted private church members should do the same, is far worse; but that ministers should un justly disparage ana reproach each other, is fearfully sinful. It seems to me that minis ters of the gospel should, above all classes of men, be the most fraternal. They fill the most honorable as well as the most sacred station on earth ; are. induced, from their love of souls, to labor for the spiritual welfare of their race ; are working in the same vine yard. upon the same material, and under the same specific orders ; and shall they unjustly speak evil of each other ? lam compelled to admit that sometimes they do. We but too often hear the echo that disturbed the ears of our Saviour, 44 Who shall be greatest?” and these being unable or unwilling to merit a position above their brethren, seek the mas tery over them by disparaging their intrinsic worth. The following incident will suffi ciently verify this remark: A. and B. were efficient ministers of the same faith and prac tice. They had attended the same big meet ing ; brother A. had gone home with the good oid deacon, whete there was a large number of young people, most of whom were irre ligious when substantially .the following oc curred : 44 Mr. A., we had a fine sermon to day from Mr. 8.,” said an intelligent young man. A. “Very fine, very fine; but, like most of his efforts that I have heard, and heard of, it was too Calvinistic.” Y. I thought that one of his excellenceies. He seemed to prove the doctrine as he went. Don’t you think his position Scriptural?” A. “Yes; it is Scriptural, but I don’t like to hear a preacher dwell on it too much.” Y. “I don’t know about that. He seems to be a good man, and is certainly a fine speaker.” A. “I think he is a good man, though there has been some little said against his moral standing. He speaks well, though a little too fast, I think.” Not a word of praise could A. utter in behalf of his fellow-laborer without qualifying it. Why not have set. up brother B. as far as possible before the crowd? Though this scene occurred many years ago, it is believed that it has been enacted many times since. There are none without faults; and he who dwells upon and magnifies the faults of an other for the purpose of hiding his worth, is guilty of a crime little less than slander, is a stranger to that love that hides a multitude of faults to that charity that thinketh no evil, and will not be held guiltlets before God. K. The Auxiliary Relation. In editorial notes to my communication in the Index and Baptist of June 25th, you speak of the 44 auxiliary relation to itself” of other organizations which the Baptist Home Mission Society requires in order to obtain help from its treasury, as “an organic union with subordination,” to accept which were to 44 sacrifice their independence to build up agreat central power which should dominate, in the work of missions, over the whole country.” That no such sacrifice or domination is contemplated, and that in the arrangement proposed the Home Mission Society desires only the greater efficiency and success of the work, is made clearly evident, I think, by the exposition of this plan of cooperation in the annual Report of the Society presented at the last annual meeting. The report says : “In several of the States your Board are prosecuting the work, in connection with the Conventions, with encouraging success. By such cooperation, one general missionary is abl,e to serve both Societies, and, having the confidence and support of both Boards, he is able to accomplish as much as two, were they working apart or against each other. By presenting the destitution, the present oppor tunities, and the future promise of the whole field, he is able to educate and to interest the pastors, the churches and the Sabbath schools in the home work as he could not were he to speak Only of his own State. The work, thus presented, more readily commands the attention and the talents of the able brethren in the State. They feel that, in thus work ing for (heir State, they are working for the whole country, and working with all their brethren. The brethren of each State Board are cheered, and, if necessary, are helped by your Executive Board, who, in return, are advised and assisted by the State Board. As the eye of each Baptist becomes single to the one object of evangelizing his whole country, including his own State, so is the whole Baptist body full of ‘the light of life.’ So successful, thus far, has been our work with the coperating States, and so far has your Board been sustained by your annual approval of their reports, that on the receipt of a communication from the New York State Convention, asking that we cooperate with them as with other States, your Board, after a free conference, and a careful reading of the resolution approved by the Society in 1864, and again in 1866, unanimously resolved to receive the resolution, as instructions from the Society to guide their cooperation with all the States and Territories. The resolution reads as follows: 4 Resolved, That we do here by invite ail State Conventions, and other organizations for Home Mission purposes, to cooperate with this Society by assisting in the collection of funds for the treasury, point ing out the most desirable fields for us to cultivate, and directing our attention to the men they deem most suitable for missionary work. In return, ye will, according to our bear discretion at«i w the extent of our abili ty, appoint such men to occupy su °h fields, and, when dosirLd, will cans to be sent to such organizations duplicate copies of all re ports from our missionaries in their States.’ Desiring, if possible, to secure greater equality, both in the contributions and in the appropriations through all the States and Ter ritories, your Board adopted the following scale of receipts and appropriations for the several States, subject to such changes as further knowledge of the resources and ne cessities of the States may demand. - Ref.,, i Dts Vppropria- STATCS ' P^o.b- Maine $5,000 $5,000 Vermont 5,000 4,000 New Hampshire 7,000 5,000 Massachusetts 24,000 10,000 Rhode Island 8,000 4,000 Connecticut 12,000 0,000 New York 50,000 j 20.000 New Jersey... * 12.000 j 0,000 "Pennsylvania 24,000 10,000 Ohio 13,000 ' 9,000 Michigan 13,000 j 9.000 Indiana 10,000 i 9,000 Illinois 15,000 10,000 Wisconsin.. 4,000 7,000 Minnesota 2,500 5,000 lowa 7,000 9,000 Kansas 2,000 5,000 Nebraska 1,000 3,000 Colorado 1,000 3,000 0reg0n......*..*. 1,500 3,500 California 10,000 15,000 Nevada 1,500 3,000 Missouri 10,000 15,000 Arkansas..... 1,000 3,000 Texas 1,000 3,000 Louisiana,., 1,000 3,000. Mississippi.. ... 1.000 3,000 Alabama 2,000 4,000 Georgia.... 3,000 5,000 Florida... 1,000 2,500 South Carolina...,, 1,000 3,000 North Car01ina.............. j 2,000 4.000 Tennessee 2,500 5,000 Kentucky ,7,000 8,000 West Virginia 2,000 4,000 Virginia...... 7,000 10,000 Maryland-.... 3,000- 5,000 Delaware 1,000 2,000 $-273,000 $240,0Q0 In this cooperation is proposed only what vrhat was contemplated in the organization of the Society, and sought after by the constitu ent members.” This cooperative arrangement, when under stood, would seem to be free from any very serious objection. B. 1. W. mr We cannot see this question with the eyes of our esteemed correspondent. Such an auxil iary relation strikes us as so wrong in principle and so mischievous in policy, that its adoption by the Georgia Baptist State Convention with regard even to our Southern Board of Domestic Missions at Marion, would seem to us a serious blow against the true and permanent interests of the cause, though accompanied, the first year, hy an appropriation within our territory equal to the sutn total proposed for the whole country in the tabular statement above. The State Missionary Convention organized, a few months since, by our colored hrethren in Georgia, declined the propo sition of the Rome Mission Society; and we hope that no pecuniary considerations will ever avail to buy them off from that wise position.— Ed. Prayer Meetings. —Some prayer meet ings are habitually conducted on the princi ple of stimulation instead of nutrition. Young converts who attend them unconsciously im bibe the idea that religion consists in 44 getting happy,” and at last they learn by bitter ex perience, what they should have been early taught by their spiritual advisers, that a man cannot live on cordials, but must have food. Many a case of backsliding might be traced to the disappointment resulting from spas modic and fruitless struggles after religious joy, and might have been prevented by a steady pursuit of truth and duty. Words.—l hate anything that occupies more space than it is worth. I hate to see a load of bandboxes go along the street, and 1 hate to see a parcel of big words without anything in them ,<~-Hazlitt % The First and Last time I Saw the Rev. John Dennis. Sometime in the fall of 1828, when I was a youth, and shortly after l had joined the church, I went to a neighborVhouse onenight to hear brother Dennis preach. This, I think, was the first time I ever saw him. This was near Perry ville, Perry county, Ala. The last time I saw him was in Dallas county, at Providence church, on the sth Lord's day in October, 1670. After a long, intimate and endearing acquaintance, about eleven long years had elapsed since we had seen each other. On this occasion we spent two days and nights most pleasantly together. Bro. Dennis is now 81 years old, and looks very much like himself. His mental powers ap pear to be stronger than his physical. The eye retains much of its former intellectual brightness and kindness of expression. The voice is strong and natural. His thoughts are quite clear and distinct. At the close of the services on Sutidayyßv#uing, standing in the pulpit, he gave a earnest exorta tion, encouraging especially, his'young breth ren in the qpimsti: jftb £o. < orwsrd cheerfully in the good and or preaching the gospel, and then offered a fervent prayer in their behalf, and for;the conversion of the world. 1 parted with him trot with the ex pectation of ever meeting him again on earth, but with the comfortable hope and pleasing thought of meeting him, some day not far distant, in that better land where phrting will be no more. J. S. Ford. Freeness of Salvation. “ The blessings of salvation are made free to all by the gospel. It is the immediate duty of all to accept them by a cordial and obedient faith. Nothing prevents the salva tion of the greatest sinner on earth but his own determined depravity and voluntary re jection of the gospel, which rejection will sub ject him to an aggravated condemnation. Rev. xxii: 17, Rom. xvi: 26. [New Hampshire Confession of Baptist Faith, Art. 6.) The clause, “ The greatest sinner on earth,” should read, the greatest sinner in Christendom. The heathen not hearing the gospel cannot reject it and be damned for their rejection. They are damned for disobedience to the laws of conscience. Rom. ii: 14, 15. Those that arrive at the age of accountabiliiy and hear the gospel, or all in a gospel land, are 44 re proved,” or convinced of sin by the gospel and Holy Spirit. See J hn xvi: 8. .They then become free agents to repent and obey, trust, or believe in Christ, and be thus “saved by grace through faith.” The sinner thus dead, in sins, but convinced, is invited to come ; y r ea, the outbreaking sinner, in his foul deeds, is invited to forsake his sins and come to Christ; for Christ came “To call sinners to repentance.” The sinner is enabled and com manded to repent and believe. “ Repent! the voice celestial cries; No longer dare delay : The soul that scorns the mandate dies, And ineets a fiery day.” “Cleanse your hands, ye sinners, and purify your hearts, ye double-minded.” “ Let the wicked man forsake 'his way.” Also, the penitent mourner is invited. “ Come unto me alt ye that labor and are heavy laden.” “ Ho ! every one thai thirsteth, come ye to the waters,” “ Ask qnd you shall receive .” t H. Stephenson. ' Waaliinf Judas’ Feet. “ But there is so little satisfaction in doing anything for her /” complained Mrs. Ilyrst to her friend, in reference to a certain afflicted yet querulous member of their congregation. “Why not do it for Christ, then?” asked M rs. Hearty, the person addressed. “ But I am not sure that this is work for Christ. Mrs. Zack, surely, does not seem to be one of His.” “ I do not profess to judge in this matter,” replied Mrs. Hearty. “ Yet grant for amo ment that she is not; still, we are met by this grand precedent: Christ did for one far more unworthy a greater act of conde scension than you have ever done for Mrs. Zack.” “ I do not just now perceive to what you refer,” said Mrs. Hyrst. “Washing the feet of Judas,” replied her friend. «■ “Ah ! was that so? I never thought of it before, and, had l been asked, would have re plied that Judas was not present at that time.” “The thirteenth chapter of St. John’s gos pel will convince you of the fact. I often pause in reading it to endeavor to picture that scene and to draw from it the rich instruction it is calculated to convey. Christ, with all His exquisite susceptibilities, with his intense hatred of evil, especially evil under the guise of goodness, of treachery such as Judas’— what must have been his mental anguish in view of such base ingratitude! With feel ings of iove which we cannot fathom, he stooped before the ardent Peter, the gentle, affectionate John, and all the other fai’hful ones. But, if wo cannot fathom such a love as this, how much less can we comprehend the love which actuated the divine Redeemer, as, in the form of a servant, lie bowed before the traitor, and washed his feet and wiped them w’ith the towel with which lie was girded ?” “Ah! this was humiliation,” replied her friend. “ lie would make himself of no rep utation ; even laying aside his garments, and appearing just like a serving-man of those days, girt with a towel. Do you think that Christ had other reasons for not omitting Judas than mere setting us an example?” “ I do not pretend to say that. And I love to think of the act as He speaks of it at the time— 4 That ye should do as I have done unto you.’ There is a deep significance in the fact that our Lrrd did not w r ait until Judas had gone out, but would wash his feet among the rest. It gives additional force to the words, 4 Thai ye should do as I have done unto you.’ But as l arn fain to believe, also, that in this act w r as manifested a love which yearned to reach the heart of Judas; a love which wou and not leave a single means untried to bring back to repentance the guilty transgressor, if haply his heart might be touched by this mar vellous manifestation. He surely had the opportunity to relent.” 44 Ah, yes !” replied her friend ; “ and, had Judas been passed by, it might have been said, 4 Oh, ii Christ had only washed His feet!’ He surely must have relented under the power of such an act cm the part of his Master, his injured Lord, who, Judas well knew, must have known his guilty purpose ; for he had already said, 4 One of you shall be tray me.’”— Christian Banner. 44 Diagonal.” —One of the British prelates is called 44 the diagoual Bishop.” He was talking one day with a friend about the dif fering practiced in churches during the reading of the Creed—some turning to the East, and others (in order to show their dislike of what they regard as superstition) to the West; “for my part,” added Bishop E , 44 1 do* it diagonally .” How to Know Men. —When Whitfield was asked whether a certain man was a Christian, he answered, “ How should 1 know ? I never lived with him.” WHOLE NO. 2515. “Follow Me.” The Master’s voice was sweet; *• I gave my life for thee; Bear tbou this cross through pain and loss; Arise, and follow me.” I Ciasped it in my hands; 0 Thou who died’st for me, The day is bright, my step ia light, ’Twaa sweet to tollow Thee I Through the long summer day I followed lovingly ; 'Twas bliss to hear his voice so near, His glorious face to see. Down where the lilies pale Fringed the bright river’s brim, In pastures green his steps were seen— 'Twas sweet to follow Him. Oh, sweet to follow Him I “ Lord, let us here abide.’’ The flowers were fair, I lingered there, I laid His cross aside. I saw His face no more By that bright river’s brim ; Before me lay the desert way— ’Twas bard to follow Him. Yes, hard to follow Him Into that dreary land; I was alone; His cross had grown Too heavy for my hand. I heard His voice afar Sound through the night air chill; My weary feet refused to meet His coining o’er the hill. The Master’s voice was sad : “ I gave my life for thee; I bore the cross through pain and loss; Thou hast not followed me.” “So fair the lilied banks, So bleak the desert way; The night was dark, I could not mark Where Thy blest footsteps lay.” “ Fairer than lilied banks. Softer than grassy lea, The endless rest of those who best Have learned to follow me. Can'at thou not follow me, All weary as thou art ? Hath patient love no power to move Thy slow and faithless heart? Wilt thou not follow me? These weary feet of mine, Have stained red the pathway dread lu search for thee and thine.” O Lord, 0 love divine, Once more 1 lollow Thee! Let me abide so near Thy side, That I Thy face may see. I clasp Thy pierced hand, O Thou that diedst for mo; I’ll bear Thy cross through paiu and loss. So I may cling to Thee. Anti-Missionaries. Have we any such among us] Yes, they are numerous and almost everywhere to be found. The phrase has been applied to a cer tain class of Baptists as peculiarly appropri ate. But are they not to be recognized else where. The Presbyterians complain that a large proportion of their members give noth ing to foreign missions, and so with respect to other religionists. These may properly be ranked among the anti missionary people. This class is swelled in number if we look into our own so-called missionary Baptist churches. Can this be true ? 11 uve we in our churches anti missionaries? Let us see. Jesus said, “He that is not with me is against rne.” “He thatgathereth not with me, seattercthabroad.” 11 then, in our churches any are found who give nothing to aid in the spread of the gos pel truth, are they not thus far, anti, or against Christ, in llis expressed will, “that repent ance and r emission of sins should be preached in Ilis name, among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem?” Are not all such anti-mission' arien? Such are found, and found in large numbers. Among these are some who would be shocked if classed with the anti mission pai Kv. They sometimes pi ay ‘Vthat the earth may be filled with the knowledge of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea.’ ’ They are missionary in name, but in reality are anti missionaries. They feel no special inter est in the spread of the gospel, and make no sacrifice for this purpose. Brethren, let us be consistent. If we be lieve that the preaching of the cross is aC' cording to the will of God —that it is the wisdom of God, and the power of God unto salvation, let us spare no means in themselves appropriate, that in regions beyond the glad tidings may be sounded out. Extempore Preaching. — ln the sermon of Increase Mather, at the ordination of Nathan iel Appleton, he added: “ Men that come into the pulpit and utter whatever comes next, without any Premeditation or Dijudication, do not ‘ seek’ (the preacher, says Solomon, sought to find out acceptable words,) to find out acceptable words. There was a man of some Fame and Name, who had an unhappy design of introducing extempore Preaching as well as extempore Praying. And, being a learned man, he would make the attempt in the University church in Cambridge, but the Lord rebuked him. One that was there present in formed me that he was at a Nonplus , and in perfect confusion, confessing his rashness, and warning the students not to do the like, but to study their sermons before they preached them.” Religion and Business. —A few weeks since, while travelling in one of the New Eng land States, we met an eccentric old man who combines the occupations of farmer, horse dealer, and colporteur. In his “work of mercy,” as he styles his colporteuring, he dis tributes tracts gratuitously, and sells Bibles and other religious books at cost to those who can pay for them, and gives them away to the poor. We were very much impressed, as well as amused, wish one remark which the old man made in the course of the con versation. “ Now,” said he, “ when 1 start on a work of mercy and stop to deal in horses, I never have good luck. The fact is, I don'l want the Lord around when I'm trading horses /”— Methodist. How Long it takes to Prepare a Ser mon. —When Theodore L. Culler asked Dr. Skinner in the presence of a company, who was the greatest preacher he had ever heard, the response was quick as thought: “ Lyman Beecher, on the Government of God, was the most tremendous discourse I ever listened to.” It was at tho end of that sermon that Lyman Beecher was heard to answer, in re sponse to an inquiry made as he descended the pulpit as to how long it took him to pre that sermon ?" —“ About forty years, sirT’ “ Cheap In.”—When a Massachusetts regi ment were met for the first time by their un evangelical chaplain, he addressed them as “Fellow-Soldiers, Fellow-Christians,” and added, “Yes, I address you as Christians , for when a man oilers himself on his coun try’s altar, as you have done, if any man is sure of heaven, he is." At this a soldier exclaimed, “ Bully for you, Cheap in." — C. Cushing. Sei.fisix Advice.— It is always the safer course to prophesy failure and dissuade from attempts that incur risk. Such dissuasion is often prompted by a timid avoidanco of re sponsibility instead of honest interest in the welfare of the person dissuaded. The caution of such advisers is on their own account, not on their friends’.— Colburn's Monthly. A Hint about Writing.—We propose to change “ Mind your P’s and Q’s” to “ Mind your I’s and J’s,” which is vastly better; in manuscript make the 1 wholly above line, and let the line cut the J in the middle; then there will b 8 no mistake. J ijsone good illus tration of a case where it is well to be on both sides of a line at the same time.
