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CHRISTIAN IN’" t'TND SOUTH-WESTERN BAPTIST.
VOL. 50-N0.5. Is3 00 1 YEAR. I
A RELIGIOUS AND FAMILY PAPER,
PUBLI3HED WEEttliY IN ATLANTA, GA
AT $3.00' PER ANNUM,
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,f. J-. TOOX, Proprietor.
Listening.
“Speak, Lord, far Thy servant heareth."
When the world is busy round me,
\ud each ware of sound is stirred ;
When the thronging crowd press by me,
Onward by strong impulse spurred—
-1 am listening ,
Listening for the Master’s word,
Listening till His voice is heard.
When the heavy cloud of sorrow
Falls upon the darkened home;
’Mid the bitter cry of anguish, ,
Or the heart’s unaltered moan—
I am listening.
Listening for one voice well known,
For my Father’s voice alone.
When conflicting thoughts assail me,
And strange doctrines reach my ear;
When the sheep are all bewildered,
And no trusty guide seems near—
I am listenin'7,
Till the Shepherd’s voice I hear—
Listening till He appear.
When the voices of affection
Never more on earth will wake,
And the heart’s deep, earnest yearning
Silent keeps for their dear sake —
I am listening,
Listening till the Bridegroom speak,
Till Ilia love the silence break.
When God’s truth is placed before me,
With its holy words of cheer;
But in vain my finite reason
Strives .o make Its meaning clear—
-1 am listening.
Listening with patient ear
Till the Spirit’s voice I hear.
Listening eeu\ Jesus, keep us;
May we at Thy feet abide;
Ne’e beguiled by earthly voices,
Always waiting at Thy side
Waiting, listening
For Thy wold, our faithful Guide;
Speak ! and we are satisfied.
The Christian, London.
Symmetrical Culture—No. 11.
Another obstacle in the way of symmetri
cal culture is—
/l. An Erroneous View of the Nature of
Education.
Many students think they should study
only those subjects for which they have a
special taste. But most boys have little taste
for anything above a top, or a marble, a kite
or a trun. That varium et mutabile semper,
which we nickname taste, is commonly an
acquisition —not a natural gift. Few articles
ot food are more relished than are oysters
and tomatoes; yet, how many of us could
swallow an oyster on our first attempt? and
who ever wanted to eat a second tomato itn
mediately after his first? The taste for these
articles is commonly acquired, and so is a
taste for Shakespeare.
Besides, even if our tastes were natural
gifts, it by no means follows that we should
confine our studies to the narrow range of
our tastes. Indeed, the man who had little
natural taste for languages, would be the
very man who should most assiduously cul
tivate the linguistic faculty. It is the weak
link in a chain that needs strengthening. It
is the thin land on a farm that most needs
the manure and the clover.
True, the farmer who is in debt, and must
have an immediate return for his expenditure,
is often forced to manure his richest land, and
to neglect the poorer spots; but no sensible
farmer, who is in good circumstances, and can
afford to wait, and means to make the most
of his farm as a whole, will adopt any such
policy. He knows it will not accomplish
his end. So in literary pursuits. The man
who stimulates and unduly developes a cer
tain class of faculties to the neglect of gen
eral culture, is in danger of literary bank
r up Icy.
As an instance of the damage which occurs
from the error under consideration, we would
invite special attention to the fact, that lew
students seems to have any taste for the
scientific study of the English language. The
result is, that our noble mother tongue is
shamefully neglected. Though a graduate
(so called) in Latin, French, Mathematics,
and a variety of other studies taught at the
Virginia Military Institute, and at the Uni
versity of Virginia, tho present writer has
never had one week's tolerable instruction in
the English language. So far as we are ad
vised, there was no school in the State of
Virginia in which such instruction could be
had. Even now, in many of our Colleges,
tho students recite their Latin in bad Eng
lish, and the Professors of Greek lecture in
bad English. The Universities do not teach
English.
Now, what is the result of all this? It is,
that even our educated men can neither speak
nor write their mother tongue. We attended
a religious meeting some time ago, and heard
a number of practical examples of this.
There was a good sermon, from a preacher
who evinced considerable vigor of thought,
and whose English was, upon the whole, quite
tolerable. He used the word duty, however,
very often, (we don’t say too often,) and he
made it a point to call it dooty every time.
We wanted to tell him that the word was
spelled with a “ u,” and not with two o’s.
We learned, upon inquiry, that he was not a
New Englander, but was reared and educa
ted in the South. He also used the word
system with considerable frequency, always
calling it systum.
Some one who led in prayer, asked the
Lord to “draw feelingly and sensibly ue&v
to us.” We are frequently obliged to hear
ibis petition in just this form. The italicized
words add nothing to the sense, and damage
the strength of the sentence, whenever they
occur in this connection.
When the time came for intermission, the
presiding officer said it was time to “call
o(T.” Up to this point of the proceedings,
we had seen no evidence that we were fox
hunting; and, to tell the truth, it is a kind of
sport (?) for which we have not the slightest
fancy. Moreover, we are reasonably certain
that the great majority of the preachers pres
ent would have given no aid, countenance,
counsel nor encouragement to fox-hunting as
an amusement. The presiding officer should
have said “suspend,” or “adjourn,” in
stead of “call off.” W T e have known an ed
ucated secretary write it “call off,” in the
minutes of a meeting.
Some of the preachers spoke of singing
“three verse* of a hymn.” We have often
heard preachers say, “ Let us sing three
verses,” and we have thought how much sur
prised the preacher would be, if the choir
and congregation were to follow his direction.
For instance, the choir sings,
“There is a fountain filled with blood,
Drawn from Immanuel’s veins;
And sinners plunged beneath that flood’’
Here the choir stops abruptly. The preacher
stares in mute wonder. “ What can be the
matter?” Well, the matter is, that the sing
ers have done just what the preacher told
them to do. They have sung three verses.
The preacher meant three stanzas, and should
have stid so. A verse is a line, ft is from
versus —a turning, and is so called from the
fact, that, when one line is written, the writer
turns hack to begin another. A stanza is a
collection of lines or verses, making up a
complete division of a.poem, and often con
tains many verses of various lengths, as, for
instance, in Poe’s Raven. A poem may be,'
and often is, made without stanzas, as Para »
dise Post; but without verses, we cannot con
struct a poem in the ordinary sense of the
term. The psalins of David are no excep
tion to this statement; for, in the original
they are in verses, and even in the English
translation, a musical*ear will often detect
traces of metre, as, for instance, in the one
hundredth at.d thirty-sixth Psalm, every verse
of which concludes with the refrain, or cho
rus (?) “For His mercy endureth forever.”
A speaker, in the meeting above referred
to, used the word transpire in the sense of
occur, as “ his death transpired about
o’clock on Tuesday.” This error is becom
ing common in our speech, public and private;
but it is a great abomination. A secret
“ transpires,” when it comes to light. What
ever happens honestly, in broad, open day*
light, without any secresy about it, ought not
to be slandered by having the term trans
pire applied to it. A conspiracy transpires
when it is found out, and that, whether the
end be attained or not. John Randolph had
a very tender English ear. One day a mem
ber of Congress, in speaking, used the word,
transpire, quite frequently, and always in the
sense of occur, or take place. Randolph bore
it for some time; but finally lost all patience.
Rising in his seat, he ased, “ May I interrupt
the gentleman a moment?” “Certainly,”
said the member. “Well,” said Randolph,
“if you use that word ‘ tran. spire ’ again, 1
shall empire.” Imagine the st,h chapter of
Luke beginning thus: “And it transpired,
that as the people pressed upon Him to hear
the word of God, He stood by the lake of
Gennesaret.” Here we feel the error. <lt is
perfectly clear to the dullest apprehension.
We know that speakers are apt to excuse
their erroneous use of words by the specious
plea, that their hearers know what they mean,
even if their language is inaccurate. This
plea is not always true. We do not always
know what is meant. What did the Judge
of the Supreme Court of one of our Southern
States mean by saying, in the Southern Bap
tist Convention, at Macon, Ga , 11 If we had
had to have waited t” What did that Doctor
of Divinity mean, who, at the same meeting,
asked, publicly, “Did you ever kiss your
wife in your life, that she didn’t smack you
back again?” We know what, the distin
guished orator mean t, who said, “We were
within an ace of being lost;” but we are not
in love with the expression, nor are we pre
pared to defend it on purely rhetorical
grounds. It was pointed, forcible, and, from
such a speaker, decidedly striking; but it
made us think of the card-table, though, per
haps that was our fault.
But we cannot admit the plea tha! is com
moldy urged, even when it is true, that we
know what the speaker means by his errone
ous expression. We once knew a man who
owned a dog, to which he was greatly at
tached. We suppose that the dog was not
really ill looking. He was probably of the
stock which was
“ Whalpit some place far abroad,
Where sailors gang to fish for cod ”
At ail events,
“ His gaweie tail wi’ upward curl,
Hung o’er his hurdies wi’ a swil l.”
Now, our acquaintance took a particular pride
in this dog’s tail. But some evil-disposed
person, influenced by spite against this man,
concluded, not without some sagacity, that he
could annoy him very much by cutting off
the dog’s tail, which he accordingly did. Soon
after this occurrence, the owner of the dog
posted up a notice to the following effect:
“Some vile incendiary has cutoff my dog’s
tail from end to end.” Now, ’we have no
sort of doubt about the meaning of this
thoroughly perspicuous notice. We did not
have to think twice about it. But we are
not prepared to say that the words in italics
were used with any particular regard to the
King’s English, though they would compare
favorably with some specimens of the Presi
dent's English, (?) which have come under
our observation. For instance, at Long
Branch : “ Attorney General Brewster,
Ladies and Gentlemen : 1 made this visit to
Long Branch as a recreation from official duty.
The visit has been made pleasant by you all.
I have purchased a cottage here by the sea
side, where l shall make the summer home
of myself and family, or, at least, for my
family, and such portion of the summer for
myself as my public duties will permit.”
Perspicuity is certainly a very important
matter in style; but we must not, for that
reason, lose sight of the other important
qualities of purity and propriety. If any
body can find any one good p oint in the style
of the above Presidential effusion, we hope
he will admire it— i. e., admire the one good
point—not the whole paragraph; for that is
simply impossible.
As an example of a thoroughly perspicu
ous, yet faulty style, we offer the following :
VVe received a letter, sowie time ago, from a
man who was not joking. The letter was
directed to “ Rev. J. C. high Den.” It was
regularly mailed, and found its way quite
promptly to our box. The postmaster seemed
to have no trouble in deciding its destination.
It may be proper to state that, the little “ h ”
with which the surname in the above address
begins, was not intended as a slight, any more
than the big “ D ” in the middle was meant
as a compliment to the subscriber. We re
ceived a letter, some time since, from one of
our most distinguished Doctors of Divinity
—a man of brilliant parts, and there were
some Jive blunders in the first line, not one of
which blunders ought to have been made by
a tolerably instructed school-boy of sixteen
years old ! Many of our educated men can
neither spell nor punctuate.
The messages of our Governors and Pres
idents, who commonly are not educated men,
are often written in slip shod English. Think
of it: the man who now occupies perhaps
the largest space in the eye of the American
public, is a graduate of W T est Point, where
he learned how to marshal soldiers in an
army, but did not learn to marshal words in
a sentence. Yet, our newspapers fill column
after column with accounts of his riding be
hind fast trotters, and of his going to see
“ Humpty Dumpty.” Truly, in the words
of that redoubtable hero, Brevet Brigadier
General John A. B. C. Smith, “we area
wonderful people, and live in a wonderful
age!” Not that we (the w'riter) have any
knowledge of what Humpty Dumpty is ; but
still we have our antipathies.
An old Frenchman, in Fredericksburg,
Va., was once praising Napoleon, in the pres
cnee of a little company, when a mischievous
wag said, with great apparent gravity, “ Yes,
but Napoleon was horn swaggled.” The
Frenchman took fire at once, and said, with
Gallic energy, “Sah, I don’t know vat you
mean by dat vord horn sivaggled ; but 1 tell
you, sah, Napoleon never vas horn-swaggled.”
J. C. lIIDEN.
Wilmington, N. C.
The “ High and Dry ” Pulpit. —A young
Episcopal missionary to the Dakota Indians,
having failed to interest a native congrega
tion with his sermons, was asked by the
Bishop of the Diocese, who heard that there
was some dissatisfaction with the missionary :
“ Oil what subject did you preach, at such a
place, last Sunday “Why,” replied the
young deacon, “ 1 preached ou the Filioque /”
— N. Y. Observer .
FRANKLIN PRINTING HOUSE, ATLANTA, GA., THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 2,1871.
Deacon William P. Chilton.
Another great man has fallen asleep.
Burdened with grief, and weeping under the
loss, the Second Baptist church in Montgom
ery, Ala., have to chronicle the death of their
brightest ornament and strongest human sup
port. Certain it is that we ought to be sub
missive to the hand of God in this, but the
stroke is deeply painful. Death may, under
the guidance of our Father’s hand, have done
us, and the cause of our Master, in this case,
incalculable good, but that good is now all
hidden in the clouds which enshroud us.
Eternity alone may reveal the design of this
providence. Going down a stairway on the
evening of December 26th, almost a month
since, Deacon Chilton unexpectedly fell, and
was taken up to his chamber to go no more
out. His injuries were perhaps never fully
defined, and were probably not within the
reach of medicine, had they been known. In
suffering he lingered, though much of the time
unconscious, for twenty days,dying peacefully
on the 20th of January, 1871, aged about
sixty years. Justice to the memory of our
brother may demand the mention of a few
facts concerning him. Kindness to the living,
however, and not the mere wish to offer
praise to one whom our appreciative expres
sions cannot reach, induces us to state these
facts.
Lucid moments occurred in the last illness
of our brother. More than once he was spo
ken to, and satisfactory replies were obtained
from him during such periods. Not long be
fore he died, a brother asked him if he felt
that Jesus was near him. “He is here, he is
here with me,” ho said, or words of like im
port. Then he proceeded to speak of his as
surance of hope. Without claiming to enjoy
anything like rapture, he yet claimed to have
peace in his spirit, indicating this by laying
liis hand on his bosom. Then he was asked
if he loved Jesus? In whispered words the
answer came, but there was an energy of
emotion and feeling in them, showing that his
heart was the fountain from which they flow
ed: “Love Him! love Him! love Him !”
But for the difficulty he found in speaking,
no doubt much might have been left us of his
dying testimony ; but the Lord ordered oth
erwise. But Deacon Chilton did not need to
have cheering news to send back to us from
the border of the spirit world in order that
we should believe him one of the Lord’s elect.
His life was the only testimony needed on
this point. Few men in all history have been
such in uniform Christian deportment, when
we consider the changes through which he
passed. Few men, indeed, begin the world
at the lowermost round of fortune’s ladder,
and climb to a seat upon the Supreme bench
of a State. Few men who climb so high—
oh, how few I—carry the religion of Jesus
with them, and display it, on all fit occasions,
without ostentation and without dismay.
Both these things were by Deacon Chilton
accomplished as fully, we have no doubt, as
by the celebrated Judge Hale, of England.
With himself, his religion was one and indi
visible, whatever circumstances surrounded
him. He felt too unworthy to fill a pulpit,
it may be, but he preached more, and more
effectively, no doubt, than many who have,
the name of preachers. It was Jesus and
Him crucified that he preached, and that was
the dearest theme to his own soul.
When it was reported to Adam Clarke that
a certaiii rich matf* wah converted, the coin*
mentator, it is said, quickly asked, “ Is his
pocket converted ?” This was the test of the
man’s salvation. The purse of Deacon Chil
ton was converted. He would not be rich.
Thousands and tens of thousands poured into
his hands, but he kept the way open for them
to pass through to the objects of benevolence
which always stood around him, and which
always appealed to him with success. No pas*
tor ever had a better friend than he was, nor
one who devoted himself more to his sup*
port. He would have given his pastor, or a
suffering widow, his last dollar, and then have
gone away, trusting in God for His daily
bread. He was so rich toward God, that,
when he died, scarcely a house had he to call
his own !
If in any one element of character Deacon
Chilton excelled, it was in heart. The phil
osopher and jurist were obscured in the
father, the husband and the brother. In af
fection he was the lamb. His house was sun
shine when blessed with his presence. He
cast no shadows, he deepened no sorrows.
The humblest child of God, whom he knew,
was sure to be called brother or sister by this
loving man. His dignity and geniality ran
side by side, but there was nothing to repel
in him who was enriched by these qualities.
His heart was a magnet, the power of which
no Christian of his acquaintance cculd fail to
recognize. Taken as a whole, his character
scarcely has one parallel in a century.
The last months ol Deacon Chilton’s life
were given to the church, which offers this
memorial of his life. In its Sabbath school
he was an earnest and faithful worker. A
class of young men had gathered around
him, and he was earnestly striving to lead
them to the same “ blessed Saviour,” as he
so often called Him, in whom his soul trust
ed. He was anxious to have the whole
church together in the school, and, had he
lived, would possibly have measurably suc
ceeded. In the teachers’ meetings he was at
home, and from his heart, rather than from
his lips, flowed precious lessons of gospel
truth. In one of these meetings, not many
weeks before his fall, he expressed a perfect
readiness to work for the Master in any place
that the brethren might assign him to.
Such is a brief and imperfect sketch of
Hon. Wm. P. Chilton, LL.D., Master of the
Grand Lodge of Masons in Alabama, but
whom we prefer tocail by the (to us) dearer
name, Deacon Chilton.
Done by order es the church, and by the
same the request is made that the Index and
Baptist publish this notice, and also that a
copy of it be presented to the family of Dea
con Chilton.
Montgomery, Ma., Jan. 22, 1871.
Another “Baptist Looking Glass.”
Some time go, a Baptist minister, in my
absence, preached to my congregation, in
which effort he inveighed against education
and “educated preachers.” Not long there
after, your, correspondent preached to that
congregation from the words of the apocalyp
tic vision recorded in Rev. xix : 6, 7. “ Al
lelujah : for the Lord God omnipotent reign
eth : let us rejoice. and be glad,” This op
poser of “ educated preachers,” by my cour
tesy, was invited to conclude the services of
the meeting. As I took my seat, he rose in
the pulpit, and broke the silence with these
-words: “ Brethren, '■ he Lord rains; and how
thankful ought we to be for showers in this
warm, dry spell.” Your correspondent made
a note of the above. Again, while all this
was fresh in the rnemoi’y of some, the “ op
poser of education” preached a funeral of an
infant from this passage, Matt, ii: 18: “In
Rama was there a voice heard, lamentation,
and weeping, and great mourning. Rachel
weeping for her children, and would not be
comforted, because they are not.” He stated
that this great distress was caused by Herod’s
cruelty to the children of Judea; said that
the evangelist had not given all the particu
lars, and “ brethren, 1 don’t fully understand
it. Old Rachel must have died a thousand
years before the birth of Jesus; yet this dis
tress was so great that-ihe old mother is here
represented by Mattheye.as coining out of her
grave and weeping fojHthe slain children.”
Here your correspondent made another note.
In the same sermon this text was quoted :
“ Death reigned from Adam to Moses,” etc.
His exposition was as follows : “ Death in
the Scriptures is always compared to rain,
because, like rain, it copies in floods all over
the country.” If I had ever had any scruples
(and I had not) on th<T subject of giving to
our ministers the very Fest of opportunities
for liberal culture both in the dead and liv
ing languages of our world, these “ uncleanly
scruples” were swept away by this flood ol
ignorance, assuming the place of instruction
to the people. Sir, we. want Greenville The
ological Seminaries in every State, and pa
tronized by hundreds of our young ministers;
for prejudice in the cf#“Ones would notallow
them to learn any wb-re, to rear a higher
standard of intelligent pulpit exegesis and in
struction. You editors/ought to write more
in favor of education iA-th© ministry. May
the Lord bless and sust, >ki our beloved faculty
of Mercer University. kMiatndom Enots.
January 19,1871.
Joined V/^eiegraph.
Joined what? Ach ireh! 1 have heard
of war, mercantile new and even a contract
for marriage by telegraph ; but never before
of gaining admittance jnfco a church by such
means. Masons and Odd Fellows are more
particular in receiving members. lam told
the first question put to an applicant among
Masons, is, Where were you first made a Ma
son ? The answer, to be orthodox, must be,
“In my heart.” That is, it is implied, he had
been convinced of the benevolence and use
fulness of the institution, and desired to de
rive and spread its advantages; also, that he
is present and is examined in regard to his
intentions, and whether he is worthy.
A Western politician, making stump
speeches upon the eve an election, thinks
he can make capital by connection with some
denomination, telegraphs a few hundred miles
to his old residence to put his name on the
church book? It was done by the pastor or
preacher in charge, and he brags about the
channel through which he had accomplished
his object. This caps the climax of all trans
actions in so serious and important a matter.
Was it a church of Jesus Christ, formed after
the New Testament pattern ? That is another
question ; but you must not be too inquisi
tive. 1 had the facts from a minister who re
sides in that very region, and knows the man.
You must bear in mind that this is an age of
progress and liberalism. Such things would
not have been tolerated or thought of in our
boyhood: we cannot divine to what dizzy
heights the progressives may drive their wag
on in 1871. A minister, not loug since, in
vited all in the congregation to partake of the
Lord’s supper! Further, that if the devil
should approach, he would not reject him !
To what are we coming? We are fulfill
ing prophecy. Has net the warning caution
gone out years ago, that the church and the
world would be amalgamated soon ? It is
coining to pass. If wgp’give up the idea of a
converted membership, the fellowship" of
saints, evidence of a moral change in all the
materials of our chuFlies, we cannot tell
whither we. shall drib on what rooks and
quicksands we may be wrecked or foundered.
The materials of New Testament churches
confessed their sins, were* penitent, believer*,
seeking after holiness. Everybody was not
invited to join; those deceived were distin
guished by certain qualities of mind and
heart. But liberalism, with its smooth preach
ing and ridicule of bigotry, is eating out tho
vitals of primitive Christianity. Soon it will
be as the dry shells of a nut, with the kernel
gone. Not “What saith the Scripture?”
is the inquiry, but What will attract, pro
duce a sensation, or be popular? The
masses must be convinced that we are liber
alized by a higher education, and that we are
above the narrowness of old fogies who are
afraid to depart from grandfather’s old trod
den path, We must not question the opin
ions of men: these are private property ; but
if they will join us, by telegraph or any
other kind of writing, it multiplies our party,
and that is the main object. Is there any way
to shut these floodgates of error which are
sweeping over the land? Perhaps the most
successful is for every true Christian to live,
labor, and, if need be, to suffer for Christ in
well-doing. Let all do something and contend
for the faith once delivered to the saints.
Philos.
“Work, Watch, Weep, Wait.”
Work, work, work,
From dawa till the setting sun,
Woik with an earnest, tireless will,
Lgst some duty von leave undone.
Fold never yoqt helpless hands,
Never faint on your weary feet;
There’s >vork to be done, till tfco throbbing heart
Shall ceise its restless beat.
Watch, watch, watch!
While the moments ceaselessly glide ;
We are sowing the seed we shall reap
In the harvest beyond the tide.
Stand guard, like a sentinel true,
At the door of the tempted heart,
Lest the Demop of Darkness enter in,
And the Angel of Light depart.
Weep, w*p, weep,
That justice forsakeththe strong—
That many a man shall lose his sSul ,
For the love of a gildetf wiong!
Aj, weep for the sin and the shame
Os the living—not of the dead ;
For and tried, the fallen and lost,
Let your bitterest tea™ be shed I
Wait, wait, wait,
For the dawn of that hi ssful day,
When we lay our burdees aside,
And our work is folded away ;
When the Angels' song shall be ours,
And watching and weeping be o’er;
When the heart’s best hopes shall be ull fulfilled,
On Eternity’s limitles# shore!
—Christian Union.
For the Dead, Dead !—The church of
St. James the Less, in Philadelphia, used, for
the first time at its sacrament on All Saints’
Day, anew paten, (plate for the bread,) and
anew chalice, both of solid silver, and adorned
with gold, diamonds, opals, garnets, emeralds
and pearls, all the materials of which were
mementoes of the dead, such as baptismal
cups and spoons. The rich vestments of the
altar and the cross “of wrought and enam
elled bpass” were also “gilts of the dead.”
The Episcopalian thinks it smacks of Roman
ism, and introductory to Romish masses and
prayers for the dead.
The Extinguished Light. —lt is the cus
tom in Oriental fetnilies to burn a lamp all
through the night, usually in every inhabited
room. The poorest people would rather re
trench a part of their food than dispense with
it. The lamps are very simple—usually only
a small flat dish with oil in it, and a bit of
cloth for a wick. The expression, “The
candle of the wicked shall be put out,” is
equivalent to predicting the total destruction
of the house. So, too. when God promises
to give David a light always in Jerusalem, (I
Kings vi: 36,) it is the same as an assurance
that his house should never become desolate.
“ Metaphysics.”— Professor De Morgan
says it is to be feared that German philoso
phy will come at last “to a serious attempt
to find out what, if existence had been im
possible, we should have had in its place.”
Reminescences of ; Elder .John W. Taylor.
It is seldom our duty to record the depart
ure of one so universally beloved, so sincere
ly lamented by all, as our beloved brother,
Elder John William Taylor. We miss him
much, as an intimate friend and companion
in the gospel. He was a friend in whom we
could at all times safely and implicitly con
fide, “an Israelite indeed in whom is no
guile.” As David and Jonathan’s, our hearts
were knit together in love. We labored and
enjoyed much of the presence of God to
gether. Although but a man, yet he was one
in whom all the Christian graces and virtues
seemed clearly developed. He was born in
Pickens county, Ala., Nov. 2, 1808, and
“ fell asleep in Jesus,” March 21, 1870. He
was the last surviving son of Elder John H.
Taylor, who was a pioneer preacher in this
Association, and who did much for the Mas
ter’s cause, and was one of the most useful
ministers of his day. At a very tender age
brother John W. gave evidence of great na
tive genius and superior inteUectual powers,
by searching inquiries and appropriate re
marks on subjects the most profound and
important. His heart was early impressed
with the power of Divine truth. And, in
Sept. 1855, he was baptized, by Elder W. F.
Spragins, into the fellowship of the Enon
Baptist church. He evinced a rapid growth
in grace and piety. And such was his desire
for the salvation of souls, and also to warn
sinners to “ flee from the wrath to come, ’
that his brethren were convinced that God
had called him into the work of the gospel
ministry. Preparatory to this great work,
he entered Howard College, Ala., in 1857,
and graduated with .the first honor, in 1860.
He completed his education in the Theolog
ical Seminary, in S. C. He was a close stu
dent, always at his post, constantly treasuring
up useful knowledge for his future work.
But alas! it was soon manifest that our
dear brother, with all his early advantages
and qualifications for usefulness, was destined,
ere long, to be the victim of disease of the
lungs. His emaciated form and the hacking
cough were true witnesses of his sad condi
tion. But he did not falter. And seeing he
was “apt to teach,” the Enon church,on the
third Sabbath in Sept., 1861, set him apart,
more fully, to the work by ordination. He
commenced his pastoral labors by accepting
the care of the Carrollton Baptist church, in
Nov., 1862, and in 1863 ihe church under his
ministry enjoyed a gracious revival. Twenty
three were added to the church by experience
and baptism. He was a very acceptable
preacher. His sermons were thoroughly
studied, logically arranged, full of Scripture
truth forcibly presented, and impressed with
his usual eloquence, the logic of love and the
power of a pious life. Truly,
“ His lips and life expressed
The doctrine ho professed.”
In October, 1864, he was married to Miss
Lelia R., daughter of Dr. A. M. Wilkins, of
Pickensville, Ala. She was troubled, at
times, with doubts as to her acceptance
with her Saviour, but we believe she
was a true child of God. Her doubts
were the result of close self-examination, and
an humble confession of her own unworthi
ness, but her confidence in God was unshaken.
She was a great help to him in the ministry.
God blessed them with a lovely little son,
who <s now the only surviving member of
the family. May the mantle of the fathel*
fall on his son ! The severest trial of our
brother’s life, was the loss of his affectionate
Lelia, whom he loved as his own soul. But
under all his afflictions, God sustained him.
“For he endured as seeing Him who is in
visible.” He was devoted to the cause of
God. His mind was filled with extensive
and useful knowledge. His conversational
powers were good. And being acquainted
with the rules of refined society, and having
a nature full of the finest social feelings, he
at once became a companion of every one
with whom he was thrown in company.
“ None knew him but to love him.” But his
most intimate acquaintances appreciated him
most. Asa subject of conversation, he al
ways Showed a decided preference for the
precious doctrines of the gospel. His con
stant prayer was, “ O, that men would praise
the Lord.” His assiduous toils in the studio,
in the pulpit, and in his pastoral field, aided
by the enfeebling disease above mentioned,
soon caused his constitution to give way.
Yet he never complained. But after many
earnest efforts fuithfully to discharge all the
duties of a pastor had resulted in the most
overwhelming physical prostration, and after
repeated advice of the best physicians, he
reluctantly resigned the care of the churches,
hoping soon to be able to resume his duties.
In this extremity he endeavored to awaken a
more general interest in the study of the
word of God, as’ a means of salvation, by
organizing and conducting Bible classes in
different places. His motto was, “ I must
be about my Father’s business.” And find
ing the duties of teaching more regular, less
violent, and hence less exhausting than preach
ing, he entered this department of usefulness.
Here his power and influence for good were
felt by all, and the good seed sown in this
way will, no doubt, bring forth fruit for gen
erations to come. His last labors were per
formed as Principal of the Carrollton Acade
my. His lungs, as well as his natural strength,
had nearly all wasted away. But he was
eminently successful as a teacher. His great
aim was to cultivate the heart for Jesus.
Last fall a gracious revival broke out in his
school, and in the Sabbath school, and in the
Carrollton Baptist church, and extended to
the entire community, which accomplished
much good. At the close of the he
returned to his duties in the school room.
And on the day above-mentioned, at evening
recess, he was very violently attacked with a
spell of coughing, and an artery in his lungs
broke, and in a few moments his pure spirit
took its flight to the spirit world. But he
was ready ; for he lived with eternity con
stantly in view. And God hud most thor
oughly prepared his mind for this event.
Then,
“ Servant of God, well done,
Kest from thy loved employ ;
The battle fought, the victory won,
Enter thy Master’s joy.”
May our last end be like his! W. A.
Religious Herald please copy.
Spiritualism.— Dr. William A. Hammond,
in his “ Physics and Physiology of Spiritu
alism,” just published, makes a deadly attack
on spiritualism, and argues, and to us proves,
that all the tricks of “ mediums” are entire
ly within the command of skillful operators.
The radical ground ho takes is shown by a
single sentence, which we quote: “Nomes
dium has yet been lifted into the air by spir
its, no one has ever read unknown writing
through closed envelopes, no one has ever
been tied or untied by spirits, no one has ever
heard the knock of a spirit, and no one has
ever spoken through the power of a spirit
other than his own.” Dr. Hammond’s repu
tation will give his little volume a great in
fluence, and much good may result from it.
But when people like to be humbugged they
will give little attention to adverse arguments.
Tub Gifts to be Desired. —Give me the
eye which can see God in all; and the hand
which can serve God with all; and the heart
which can bless God for all.
Infant Immersion.
Some philosopher has said that a job worth
doing at all is worth doing well, or words to
that effect. This adage has been closely ad
hered to recently at the immersion of the
Greek baby Princess Alexandra. The Athens
journals describe the “ imposing ceremony”
which took place at Corfu as follows:
“At sunrise the guns of tho citadel fired
a salute and the garrison band paraded the
streets playing the national air of Greece.
At ten o’clock the court united at “ Mon Re
pos,” the summer residence of King George,
and proceeded to the Metropolitan Church
town, the approach to which was lined with
soldiers of the garrison and national guard.
The interior of the edifice was decorated with
festoons’of flowers suspended around the gal
leries and bay leaves strewn over the floors
and the altar. The galleries were thronged
with ladies in gay dresses, and the body of
the church with military and civilians. At
the right of the altar a pavilion of blue and
white silk was occupied by the nurse and
other female attendants of the baby princess,
who, until time lor its immersion, lay asleep
in a downy cradle of quilted silk. On a
square carpet, a little to the right of the front
of the altar, was placed the King’s chair, who
stood in front of it with the grand marshal
and his aid de camp, the grande maitressa in
a heavy blue and white s>lk, en train and the
dames d' honneur in the same color. On the
left of the altar stood the diplomatic Corps,
members of tho Greek ministry, and the
commanders of foreign vessels of war then in
port. The King entered at half-past ten
by H. 11. Prince Fred
erick, of Holstein Glucksburg, brother of the
King of Denmark and the uncle of King
George of Greece. The Metropolitan Bishop
of Athens and the new Archbishop of Corfu,
with twelve priests, met the king at the door
of the church, and, returning to the altar, the
ceremony commenced.
Before the immersion the child was held up
naked before the people, and then dipped sol
emnly in the deep, massive baptismal font of
silver—the gift of the coinmunials of Greece
—which stood in the centre of the platform in
front of the high altar. The grande maitresse
presented the child on a cushion of silk, and
the Prince Frederick received it in a large
napkin from the priest after baptism. As the
bishop dipped the infant and pronounced the
name of Alexandra, the fortress fired a
salvo of 21 guns and the bells of the churches
were rung simultaneously. At the conclu
sion of the ceremony the child was carried to
the inner altar and received the holy com
munion. The procession then formed as be
fore, and the king and court, accompanied by
the national guard, returned to the palace.
In the evening a banquet of one hundred
plates was given by the king in the ball-room
of the town palace. All the nobilities, for
eign guests, diplomatic corps, and many
ladies were among the guests. The social
party broke up at a late hour. During the
evening there was a brilliant display of fire
works, bands of music played in the public
squares, and all the public buildings and
ships-of-war were, illuminated.”
Now, did they not have a good time? But
the Greeks dipped the child. We wonder if
the Greeks understand Greek ? llow would
our Pedobaptist friends, who are so shocked
and horrified at the “ indecent immersion” of
a penitent believer in the Lord, I eel at the
sight of a naked baby held up before them,
and then see it “ dipped into a deep, massive
baptismal font?” We fear that the most
sensitive among the ladies would scream and
faint, and have to be carried home, while the
most courageous of both sexes would have
their nervous systems fearfully shocked and
strained. But the Greeks are more hardy
than our Pedobaptist friends, and Greek ba
bies are more hardy than Pedobaptist babies,
although they were not always so. The lat
ter used to be all dipped too, but of late years
they are so weak and delicate that to even
pour water upon them is considered danger
ous, so now they have a moistened finger
applied to their foreheads in the name of the
Lord. Such is the frailty of Pedobaptist hu
manity. But the Greeks dipped the baby
princess; do not forget that.— Am. Chris.
Rev.
“ The God of Our Fathers.”
Max Muller, in his third lecture on the
“ Science of Religion,” observed : “ I wish to
call back to your recollection the fact that in
exploring together the ancient archives of
language, we found that the highest god had
received the same name in the ancient my
thology of India, Greece, Italy and Germany,
and had retained that name whether worship
ped on the Hiamalayan mountain, or among
the oaks of Dodona, on the Capitol, or in the
forests of Germany. 1 pointed out that his
name was Dyaus in Sanskrit, Zeus in Greek,
Jovis in Latin, Tiu in German; but I hardly
dwelt with sufficient strength on the startling
nature of this discovery. These names aro
not mere names : they are historical facts—
aye, facts more immediate, more trustworthy
than many facts of mediaeval history. These
words are not mere words, but they bring
before us with all the vividness of an event
which we witnessed ourselves but yesterday,
the ancestors of the whole Aryan race, thou
sands of years, it may be, before Homer and
the Veda, worshipping an unseen Being, un
der the self-same name, the best, the most
exalted name they could find in their vocabu
lary, under the name of Light and Sky. And
let us not turh away and say that this
was, after all, but nature worship and idola
try. No, it was not meant for that, though
it may have been degraded into that in later
times ; Dyaus did not mean the blue sky, nor
was it simply the sky personified : it was
meant for something else. We have in the
Veda, the invocation Dyaus pilar, the Greek,
Zeu pater, the Latin, Jupiter ; and that means
in all the three languages what it meant be
fore these three languages were torn asunder
—it means Heaven-Father ! These two
words are not mere words; they are to my
mind the oldest poem, the oldest prayer of
mankind, —or at least of that pure branch of
it to which we belong,—and 1 am as firmly
convinced that this prayer was uttered, that
this name was given to the unknown God be
fore Sanskrit was Sanskrit and Greek was
Greek, as when I see the Lord’s Prayer in
the languages of Polynesia and Melanesia 1
feel certain that it was first uttered in the
language of Jerusalem. Wo little thought
when we heard for the first time the name of
Jupiter, degraded it may be by Homer or
Ovid into a scolding husband or a faithless
lover, what sacred records lay ensrined in
this holy name. Wo shall have to learn the
same lesson again and again in the Science of
Religion, viz : that the place whereon we
stand is holy ground. Thousands of years
have passed since the Aryan nations separated
to travel to the North and the South, the
West and the East; they have each formed
their languages, they have each founded em
pires and philosophies, they have each built
temples and razed them to the ground ; they
have all grown older, and it may be wiser
and better ; but when they search for a name
for what is most exalted and yet most dear
to every one of us, when they wish to express
both awe and love, the infinite and the finite,
they can but do what their old fathers did
when gazing up to the eternal sky, and feel-
{s3 00 A YEAR, t WHOLE NO. 2525.
The Tongue.
Alas! that it should be so!
The petulant speech, the careless tongue,
Have wrought more evil, and done more wrong,
Have brought to the world more woe,
Than all the armies from age to age
Recorded on history’s blood-stained page.
“That Strange Prayer” Closed.
If one prays, “ We thank Thee for our*
Methodist brethren,” it is barely just to infer
that he may include Methodism, but if it be
known that he is a Baptist, we arc debarred
from such an inference. Still, if the infer
ence be persisted in, it is logically silenced
when the next words of the prayer are, “and
we thank Thee for our Presbyterian breth
ren.” The words “ Methodist,” and “ Pres
byterian,” linking the words “our” and
“brethren,” must be understood as designa
ting classes of Christians without reference
to denominational peculiarities.
I am altogether satisfied with the spirit of
brother Hearn’s following words—as it is the
spirit of the author of the prayer—and ret urn
them to him as my language: “Allow me to
assure my good hi other, that it is my con
stant habit to ‘pray for all saints,’ and that I
recognize as brethren all who profess saving
faith [and, by the way, I do not like the ex
pression “ saving faith Grace saves—Eph.
ii: B.] in Christ, without regard to ‘ecclesi
astical systems.’” Such a recognition begets
prayer and thanksgiving, D. \V. Gwix.
A Tragedy.
An actor of eminence, a prey to consump
tion, was to act a tragedy which ended in a
death scene. He performed his part to the
satisfaction of the spectators, and when he
fell in mockery of death, it was so real that
it brought out thunders of applause as the
curtain fell. Little did the delighted audi
ence dream of the scene that was taking place
he/rind that curtain. llis companions, seeing
that he did not rise at once, went to him, and
two streaks of blood from either corner of his
mouth, told the whole. He was not dead,
however, but lingered several days. When
he asked bis physician if there was any hope
for him, and was answered by a solemn shake
of the head, a terrible despair settled on
his countenance, and he exclaimed, “O doc
tor,
‘“Canst thou not minister to a mind diseas’d,
Pluck from llie memory a rooted sorrow ;
Raze out the written troubles of the brain ;
And with some sweet, oblivious antidote,
Cleanse the stuff'd bosom of that perilous stud
Which weighs upon the heart ?”
They were only the words of a play, but
they were fearful words ! —of solemn import
then. Grasping Mr. S’s wrist, he cried
out, “ O, S——, the theatre may do for us to
live by, but O ! it will not do to die by; ‘we
have all sinned against the Lord our God,
but be sure our sins will find us out.” With
these words on his lips, he expired. Those
haunting words, heard the second time,
thrilled through his soul. Even now, when
thinking of that scene, he feels that dying
grasp on his wrist, and hoars the agonized
voice.
Doing Good, a Remedy.—Dr. Blair was
called to attend a middle-aged rich lady who
had many imaginary ills. He wrote out and
left a plain prescription, which ran thus:
“Do something for somebody.” The Doctor
heard nothing from his patient till Christmas
morning, when he was hastily summoned to
the cottage of her Irish washerwoman. “ Its
not meself, sir, it’s me wrist, that’s aileti. Ye
see I was after goin’ out into the biaek dark
ness for a few bits o’ wood when me foot
struck this basket. It stood there like a big
mercy, as it was full of soft flannels from
M rs. Walker. She towld me that your med
icine cured her, Doctor, so if you’ll plaze to
put a little of that same on me wrist, I’ll be
none the worse for me nice present.” “ It’s
a powerful remedy,” said the Doctor, grave
ly ; and more than once, in after years, he
wrote the prescription, “ Do something for
somebody.”
ing the presence of a Being as far ns far and
as near as near can be; they but combine the
selfsame words, and utter once more the
primeval Ayran prayer, Heaven-Father, in
that form which will endure forever, ‘ Our
Father which art in heaven.’ ”
Be Always Giving.
The sun gives ever; so the earth—
Whut it can give so much ’tis worth;
The ocean gives in many ways—
Gives baths, gives fishes, rivers, bays;
So, too, the air, it gives us breath,
Wlieu it stops giving, comes in death.
(live, give, be ulways giving,
Who gives not, is not living;
The more you give,
The more you live.
God’s love hath in us wealth unheaped;
Only by giving it is reaped ;
The'body withers, and the mind
Is pent in by a sefis'a rind.
Give strength, give thought, give deeds, give pelf,
Give love, give tears, and give thyself.
Give, give, be always giving,
Who gives not, is not living:
The more we give,
The more we live.
What is Death?
“ Why, what i3 death but life
In other forms of being f Life without
The coarser attributes of meu, the dull
And momently decaying frame which holds
The ethereal spirit in, and binds it-down
To brotherhood with brulesl There’s no
Such thing as death; what’s called so is but
The beginning of anew existence, a fresh
Segment of the eternal rouud of change.”
William Leggttt.
Tiie Church. —“ I have seen a field here
and a field there stand thick with corn, —a
hedge or two has separated them. At the
proper season the reapers entered ; soon the
earth was disburdened and the grain was con
veyed to its destined resting place, where,
blended together in the barn or in the stack,
it could not be known that a hedge had ever
separated this corn from that. Thus it is
with the church. Here it grows, as it were,
in different fields, and even, it may be, hy
different hedges. By and-by, when the har
vest is come, all God’s wheat shall be gath
ered into the garner, without one single mark
to distinguish that once they differed in out
ward circumstantials of form or order.”—
Toplady.
Beneficence at Home. —Family mission
ary boxes are furnished by our Episcopal
friends, to be kept in a conspicuous place in
the house, where they may often receive the
casual contributions of the members of the
family and of visitors. This household cul
ture of the grace of giving is eminently a
proper thing.
“Open Communion.” —We learn from
Sprague’s Annals that Dr. Priestley, admin
istering the Lord’s Supper at Northumber
land, handed the bread and wine to his little
grandchildren, as well as to any others w’ho
chose to partako. Here is an example for
those who want to practice a veritable “ open
communion.”
Modestx. —Prof. Huxley styles “ the art
of saying, ‘ 1 don’t know,’ ” the “ scientific are
artiitm." To learn it, would cure half the
infidelity of scientists.
Hell. —Spurgeon describes the punishment
of hell as a doom under which “ every vein is
a road for the hot feet of pain to travel on.”