Georgia Historic Newspapers

    CHRISTIAN I.MM.V :;Mi SOUTH-WESTERN RAPTIST.
VOL. 50 —NO. 47.
A Religious and Family Paper,
PUBLISHED TTEEKLT I2f ATLANTA, OA-, AT
Thres Dollars per Annum,
Invariably in advance.
J. J. TOON Proprietor
“Scriptural Communion/’ —By Rev. J. B.
Jeter, DD.
Knowing the ability of the author of
the pamphlet bearing the above title, and
having read numerous and unqualified
commendations of it, the writer sent for
some twenty or more copies to distribute
among some young persons who had lately
become members of our church.
I have read the work with both pleas
ure and profit, and I know nothing of its
kind better suited to the young members
of our churches, and, with a single excep
tion, add my hearty commendation to the
many already given. And I confess this
exception surprises me, not only as com
ing from the author, but in being over
looked by its many reviewers. I quote
from page 68: “ Whether Baptists should
commune with them’’—Disciples—“ is a
question to be decided, not by individuals
or even by a single church, but by the
churches in association —by the denomi
nation.” If the author of “ Scriptural
Communion” holds that the question of
communion with Campbellites can only be
decided by a Convention of Baptists,would
he not hold that the entire question of
mixed communion, and all matters in dis
pute, must be settled in the same way !
What, then, becomes of the boasted inde
pendence of Baptist churches, and in what
will we differ from other denominations,
who dispose of all matters in dispute in
organizations outside of, and above, their
churches ? If by this language is meant
that one church cannot settle it, but all in
concert, I would reply: If the argument
of this pamphlet is true—founded upon
the teachings of the Scriptures—then the
question is settled already ; and for one,
or all the churches to decide upon it,
would be usurping legislative power which
belongs only to the one 'Law-Giver, and
their action would be null and void.
Again. I want all honest readers to see
the “gross inconsistency” of Dr. Jeter in
affiliating with Pedobaptists in the pulpit,
while he refuses to commune with them at
the table of the Lord; and how unan
swerable every argument he brings to the
support of Restricted—“ Scriptural Com
munion,” is, when arrayed against pulpit
communion. Hear him : “ With whatever
views Pedobaptists may bo invited by Bap
tists to the communion table, the invitation
will,by them and by the world,be held as an
admission of the validity of their baptism,
or, at least, that baptism is a thing of no
importance. We should be promptly and
very properly told that baptism precedes
communion, and that in receiving them to
it, we indorse their baptism, or are guilty
of a gross inconsistency. All the argu
ments for mixed communion offered by
Pedobaptists presuppose the validity of
their own baptism, and they neither ask
nor desire to commune with us but on the
condition that we also shall admit it.
Let those who can, with a good conscience,
make the admission: for our part, we can
not.” Pages 37, 38. Who can escape
the force of this argument ? It works its
way into the dullest mind. And now, in
the name of Jesus, truth and common
sense, I ask, will not the argument restrict
pulpit communion ? Do not all Pedobap
tist ministers accept invitations from Bap
tist ministers or churches to occupy their
pulpits, with the understanding that their
baptism and ordination are admitted, or
“at least, that they are things of no im
portance?” And will it not always be
true that the laborer is worthy of his hire?
If one labors, is he not entitled to eat ?
Dr. J. can never cram the world with the
belief that it is right or “ consistent” to
work them and not allow them to eat; nor
can any unbiassed mind attach more im
portance to the ordinances of the gospel
than to the gospel itself, or see that the
former are hedged in with restrictions
from which the latter is free. “All the
arguments of Pedobaptists for mixed com
munion “in the pulpit,” presuppose the
validity of their own baptism, and they
neither ask nor desire “ affiliation” with
us, but, on the condition, that we also
shall admit it.” We ask the Presbyte
rian and Advocate to speak out on this
point and let it be known if we have mis
judged them. They would spurn Dr. J’s
invitations upon the ground that he did
not recognize their baptism and ordina
tion ? And moreover, they understand
that all the preaching they do upon the
invitation of Baptists, is official —that they
are properly baptized and ordained, and
therefore authorized to do this very work ;
and so the world invariably understands
and accordingly decides. Nor can it be
doubted that, so far as our standing with
the world goes, and the influence which
these things exert, it would be far better
for us to eat with others, and refuse pulpit
affiliation ; because our views of truth, to
be preached, widely differ, which the world
is not slow to appreciate; while, in the
matter of communion, the difference does
not appear; and besides, preaching is
wholly public, while the supper is gener
ally observed in the presence of only
church members.
The difficulty is not removed by admit
ting that there is a character of preaching
not “official:” who does not admit it?
Will Dr. J. allow any one who has not
been, or who, for any considerable time,
and without sufficient reason, neglects to
be, baptized, to preach the word even un
officially ? The question is not, Shall new
born souls be allowed to “ tell sinners
’round what a dear Saviour they have
found?” but, Shall those who decline
obedience to the command to be baptized,
or, as is true of Pedobaptists, substitute
another and different act for what the
Master requires—and this Dr. Jeter be
lieves of them—be allowed to preach the
word, and shall, we affiliate with such ?
The examples of the Scriptures, and ar
guments founded thereon, to establish the
precedence of baptism to the Lord’s sup
per, show with the same certainty the pri
ority of baptism to all other Christian du
ties : let this not be overlooked. It is
very desirable to know the date of ihe dis
covery that preaching is not official. We
strongly suspect it was never known be
fpre “ Landmarkism” raised its abomina
{WO A YEAR. \ FRANKLIN PRINTING HOUSE, ATLANTA, GA„ THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 30, 1871. {53.00 A YEAR.}
ble head in the land, which, like the ghost
of Banquo, will not down at the bidding
of these official Doctors of Divinity.
As there are so many “ thousands, in
all religious communions, governed by
fashion rather than principle, by interest
rather than duty, by feeling rather than
truth,” I hope it will not be regarded as
impertinent or irrelevant, if I should sug
gest that such characters are as likely to
be found among those who affiliate with
such as “ corrupt church ordinances, and
subvert the order of church building,” as
in those who desire to commune with them ?
The truth is, if Pedobaptists are in the
visible kingdom of Christ, they “ entered
it by baptism, and their ministers are or
dained and authorized to administer its or
dinances. Their consciences are at ease
on these points—most of them. They are
regarded as orthodox, and by the world
received as accredited ministers of Jesus
Christ; and we must either drift with the
current, now swelling and beating against
us with great force, or we must, with a
fidelity equal to death, hold on to the
truth, and brook the taunts of the world.
Again on page 44: “ They have cor
rupted the ordinance of baptism and sub
verted the order of church building; and
we must neither say nor do any thing that
implies our sanction of these errors, nor
place ourselves in a position in which we
cannot bear consistent testimony against
them; and in precisely this position we
should put ourselves by the practice of
open communion.” This is well and
plainly said, and I agree with the Dr. ex
actly, and I verily believe, if Solomon and
Paul could rise and speak, they would
have no more sense than to say that, when
Baptists affiliate with those who have
“ corrupted the ordinances of the church,
and subverted the order of church build
ing,” we are doing the “ thing that im
plies the sanction of these errors,” and
“ place ourselves in a position in which
we can not bear consistent testimony
against them.” Where is the Baptist
minister who has borne testimony against
these errors when affiliating with them ?
And who will dare say that such affilia
tions do not modify, even when away
from them, the truth which is preached ?
Again. Dr. J. declares that “ open
communion tends to the destruction of
Baptist churches;" first, “logically and
practically to mixed membership, and
mixed membership to the gradual aban
donment of Baptist principles.” What
led to “mixed communion?” Is it not
clear that affiliation effaced the line that
strict communion drew ? and when out,
there was no bar to mixed or open com
munion, and at last none to “ mixed
membership,” and then began the aban
donment’of “ Baptist principles.” “ Un
der the demoralizing influence of open”
pulpit “ communion the progress of Bap
tist principles will bo greatly retarded in”
America, and “ all who desire the extinc
tion of Baptist principles act consistently
in supporting mixed” pulpit “ commun
ion Avhich as inevitably leads to our
overthrow as “ mixed communion,” and
which, if not restricted, will ere long find
the Baptists of America as the Baptists,
of England.
May our people awake to the true issue
and oppose the entrance of error, which is
so much easier than its expulsion.
Geo. F. Cooper.
“To Die is Gain.”
When of death I feel the pain,
0! what treasures I shall gain.
Then shall cease this mortal strife,
Then I shall awake to life;
This vile body then shall be
Wrapped in immortality.
0 er my sin-beclouded soul
Then the waves of light shall roll;
Then shall I, from bondage free,
Taste the sweets of liberty.
When of death I feel the pain,
O! what treasures I shall gain.
Then will bloom the chastening rod,
With the wondrous grace of God.
Tears, a stream of life, shall flow.
luto joy—-will brighten woe;
Pain will sweeten into rest.
Trial be my sparkling crest,
Rough affliction’s brightening hand
Fit me with my God to stand.
Through His artifice diviue,
1 will then in glory shine.
When of death I feel the pain,
O! what treasures shall I gain.
What a glorious company,
Then my eyes, unsealed, shall see 1
Drooping, weeping, now no more,
They will stand on the bright shore,
Where no shadows ever lies,
Where are heard no mourner’s sighs,
Clothed in robes of spotless white,
Waving crowns of dazzling light,
In triumphant songs they sing:
“ Where, O Death, is now thy sting !”
And, O ghastly grave, o’er thee
Shout eternal victory 1
When of death I feel the pain,
01 what treasures I shall gain.
Farewell, sorrow, sin and pain 1
When in death my crown I gam.
Farewell praying, wrestling hours!
Conflicts with all evil powers !
Farewell now, languishing bed!
Aching heart and drooping bead !
Farewell sorrows, sighs and tears!
Farewell all my doubts and fears!
Faces pale and fading eycsl
Land, where sickens, sinks and dies
The. heart’s loved ; ye sacred graves,
Which so oft affection laves
With her toars, and heaves her sigh
That she may soou meet on high,
Bright us holy angels are,
Precious ones now sleeping there:
Farewell all ye scenes where dwell
Sin and sorrow, r.ow farewell 1
I have reached the land of light;
The blessed land where is “ no night.”
When of death I feel the pain,
01. what treasures I shall gain.
Then I shall with Jesus be;
God of glory, be with Thee, —
Hear Thy voice and see Thy face—
See the wonders of Thy grace—
Know what Jesus did for me
In His dying agony.
On thy wondrous mystery,
Bethlehem and Calvary,
Shall a flood of glory shine,
Breaking from the Throne Divine :
Such as I ne’er saw before,
But shall then see evermore.
0! with Christ my Lord to be—
Christ, my Lord, who died for me:
Saved me from a burning hell I
In His presence ever dwell—
Hear the Lamb, for sinners slain,
Tell of all His wondrous pain—
See His glory; feel His grace;
Look forever on His face;
In His perfect image shine,
And to know that He is mine;
Feel each throb of His dear heart
Fresh delight to me impart—
’Tis not death, my God, to die ;
No! ’tis immortality I
Death l dread death! thy sharpest pain
Is my everlasting gain.
W. H. J.
tVa-desboro, A T . G., Sov. 10,1871.
Devils Believe and are Immersed.
Campbellites some times find some hard
nuts to crack. An old brother, in his zeal
against them, referred them to Matt, x :
28—33. The devils knew Christ to be
the Son of God, and confessed it by cry
ing out, at sight of Him, “ What have
we to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of
God ?” The same, and only, confession
required by Campbellites of a candidate
before baptism. We read, further, that
they besought Him to send them into the
herd of swine, which request being grant
ed, “ the whole herd of swine ran violently
down a steep place into the sea.” They,
after making the confession required by
Campbellites, were immersed. Did they
receive remission of sins ? W. B. C.
Cambridge, Ala,
Hawks’s Censures Repelled.
I much regret that the brother who,
through the Index of the 9th inst., has
pounced down upon my brief article,
headed “A Call from Zion,” did not pro
ceed in a straight line, as hawks generally
do when they dart upon their prey, but
must needs describe a^circle, that he might
strike a blow at a church once prosperous,
and ever noted for its liberality, but now
in a very reduced, impoverished aud en
feebled state. If “Hawks” knew that
church as well as I do, and had a particle
of the “milk of human kindness” in
him, (not to say Christian charity,) he
would as soon have sought to cast odium
upon his mother’s darling son, as upon
the worthy members of that church. The
offer of S4OO by that churoh, is more, in
proportion to its ability, than the offer of
$20,000 would be, if tendered by some
city churches I could name, that are giv
ing their talented pastors the pitiful sum
of only $2,000 or $3,000. Instead of
censure, that church well deserves a com
mendation, like that bestowed by the Sa
viour upon the poor woman who cast her
little mite into the treasury of the Lord.
If “ Hawks ” doubts this, I would refer
him to the following well-known, able and
truthful ministers of the gospel —viz.,
brethren Bailey and A. B. Campbell, of
Ga.; Smith, Manning, C. D. Campbell
and the venerable Ardis, of Fla.; and, I
may add, the Cor. Sec. of our Dom. Miss.
Board, at Marion, Ala. But enough.
“Hawks,” upon due reflection, I am per
suaded, will regret, as sincerely as I do,
the uncalled for and unmerited censure he
has cast upon the aforesaid unoffending
church, in the day of its adversity—a
church as honored, and as worthy of
honor, as any that ever extended to him
the hand of fellowship.
I do not believe that the brethren,
either at Greenville or Richmond, have
taught, or ever will teach their pupils
what “ Hawks ” says he hopes they have
taught — i. e., that they should demand,
a3 a compensation for preaching the gos
pel of the grace of God, a salary propor
tionate to their ability, or equal to what
they could make by pursuing some purely
worldly calling. I do not believe this,
for two reasons : 1, They are too loyal to
their Saviour to teach contrary to the bill
of instructions He has given them in the
Sacred Scriptures. 2. I know many who
have issued out from both of the places
named, who have served churches for
salaries not commensurate with either their
abilities or their necessities. (One of
them is now my highly esteemed pastor.)
Like Paul, they labored with their own j
hands, to make up for the lack of ability ]
in their respective churches to supply
their wants. From this we must neces
sarily infer one of two things: either that
they have not been taught to make mer
chandize of their gifts and graces, by
refusing to impart the benefits of them to
churches that are unable to pay them in
proportion to their real or supposed abili
ty ; or, that their teachers are men of in
ferior ability, unable to mould the senti
ments, and shape the future course of
their pupils, as teachers of ability usually
do. As I know the teachers in the insti
tutions at Greenville and Richmond are
not inferior to the teachers in any other
institution in our country, I am constrained
to adopt the former of the two supposi
tions—viz., that they do not teach what
“Hawks” hopes they have taught. If
I am wrong in this, the public ought to
know it; for there are many contributing
aid to these institutions who would never
contribute another dime, if they thought
that efforts would be made by their teach
ers to infuse into the minds of our young
ministers that mercenary spirit which
would lead them to decline to serve a
church that could not give them a salary
proportioned to their abilities, even though
the salary offered was sufficient for their
support, and the prospect for usefulness,
of the most encouraging character. Ver
ily, the fictitious name assumed by my
censor is very appropriate to those who
are actuated by such a mercenary spirit.
The Lord has decreed that the poor
shall have the gospel preached to them.
Were we to judge of “Hawks” by his
article in the Index, we should infer that,
if he had the power, he would add to that
decree a supplementary clause, restricting
the rights of poor churches to poor, un
educated ministers, and guaranteeing to
rich churches the exclusive privilege of
enjoying the labors of talented and edu
cated ministers ! From his sneer at un
educated ministers—“ ministers of S4OO
ability ” —I suppose he would have all his
brother ministers educated. Now, I
would respectfully request him to consider
what would be the consequence if all our
ministers were educated, and if all refused
to serve a church unless they were in
sured a salary proportioned to their abili
ties. Would not at least nine-tenths of
our churches be left to go down for the
want of a preacher, and nine-tenths of
our talented and educated ministers be
compelled to abandon the work of the
ministry and resort to a secular calling to
secure a salary proportioned to their
ability ? Look at that picture attentive
ly, my talented brother; study it well,
and PRAY over it; and I do not think
you will ever again sneer at your poor
brethren, question their piety, impugn
their motives, and represent that, when
ministers of superior ability preach to
them, they “ throw their pearls before
swine.” If the Lord’s poor disciples are
swine, what are his rich ones ?—camels ?
“ Hawks ” construes it as “ an insult
to a large and respected portion of the
ministry,” that, in my call for a pastor,
I avowed the unwillingness I feel to aid
in inducting into a pastorate, one who de
mands a salary proportionate to his abili
ties, or equal to what he could secure in
some worldly calling. Now, as none but
they who make such a demand can feel
insulted at my refusing to aid such in
securing a field for their pastoral labors,
I consider his remark as a very unjust
and injurious reflection upon the whole
Baptist denomination. It is equivalent
to an assertion that “ a large and highly
respected portion of the ministry ” in
our denomination as§.of such a mercena
ry character that they demand salaries
proportionate to thpir abilities, ete. —ft
quid pro quo —for all the services they
render as heralds of the cross ! This I
deny. That there are some in the pres
ent day who make such a demand, I read
ily admit; that the aumber of such is on
the increase, I will nt»t deny. This latter
fact is the cause of my adding to mv
“call” what has proved offensive to
“ Hawks.” It is probably, also, one cause
of the falling off in the ratio of our de
nominational increase of late years, noted
by Mrs. Ford in the last number of the
Christian Repository.
Others may afford their aid and sym
pathy to whom they please, but I pray
God I may never be permitted to encour
age any young minister to demand, on
entering upon his career as a minister, a
salary and a field proportioned to what
he conceives to be kis abilities. Such
demands were never-ado by our Mells
our Shavers, our our Taylors, our
Sumners, at their ending upon the work
of the ministry. SuTh were never made
by Baptist ministers N>f fifty years ago,
whether old or youHj|i Such were never
made in apostolic tin es, not even by the
intellectual Paul, or the eloquent apostles.
To such demands, I ihnll hereafter show,
(D.V.,) no sanction is given in the code
of heaven. I would i not vote for one as
pastor in my own church, who claimed the
right in question, were he as eloquent as
a Demosthenes or as versed in
the Scriptures as a C'onant, as popular as
a Spurgeon or a Fuller, as polished as a
Brantly, and as honored, withal, as a
Curry and a Wellborn.
By the way, tire brother last named
abandoned a lucrative and honorable office
that he might devote himself to the work
of the ministry, and is laboring for
churches that are not able to pay him half
as much as he was wont to receive, while
seated on the bench, or in the halls of
Congress. I will venture to warrant he
never demanded a salary proportioned to
his ability, or felt insulted at my stating
my unwillingness to afford aid to any who
made such a demand.
“Hawks ” has charged me with repre
senting those who hold office
“thievish carpet-bag ruler,” as “thieves,”
and sought, apparently, to excite their
indignation against me, as one that had
accused them of being a part and parcel
of “a clan of thieves.” An honest man
may hold office under a “ thieving carpet
bag ruler,” and thereby render important
services to his country, as recent events
have demonstrated; but as my accuser
may have been rendered incompetent to
comprehend this simple fact, through some
temporary obscuration of his mental pow«
ers, I will not charge him with having
wilfully borne false witness against me,
though his charge tjut.shadow of
a foundation on which to rest. A merce
nary minister, holding office under a cor
rupt administration of the government,
may render valuable services, as already
admitted; but, so long as I believe God’s
Word, so long mu3t I believe that such an
one, in a pastoral office, would prove a
curse, rather than a blessing to the church.
Hence the position I have taken.
I have occupied so much space in re
plying to what is personal, in the article
of “ Hawks,” that I must reserve, for
another number, a discussion of the main
question at issue between us, which is
this : Do the Sacred Scriptures authorize
a minister of the gospel to demand a sal
ary proportioned to his abilities, or equal
to what he could secure by pursuing some
worldly calling ?
Observe that the question is not, whether
churches ought to afford their pastors a
comfortable support. Nor is it, whether
it is laws ul for a church to pay her pastor
more than is necessary for his support.
Nor, whether there is any propriety in a
pastor receiving a greater salary than is
needed for his comfortable support.
I conclude this article by requesting
“ Hawks ” to explain wherein it is more
unfair for one of two combatants to fire
from behind a tree, at the other, who oc
cupies a position in an open field, than it
is for a writer to assail, under the screen
of a fictitious signature, one who writes
and publishes his articles over his own
proper name. Jos. S. Baker.
The Signs of God.
How long will this people provoke me ?
and how long will it he ere they believe
me, for all the signs which I have shewed
among them. —Num. xiv : 11.
The man of faith can see the signs of
God. In the religious, the historical and
the political hemispheres, they come forth
and proclaim in tokens for good, the favor
of the Lord, or in dark., threatening clouds
of evil, His anger towltrd the nation.
Some of the latter have shown themselves
above our uational horizon, and are fast
making their way to the zenith. Should
not Christians look upon them with fear,
and cry unto the Lord for deliverance ?
Ist Sign : Want of reverence for those
in authority.
There never has been a time in our his
tory as a nation, characterized by such a
general disregard of the teachings of the
Bible on this subject. God commanded
Israel, saying, “ thou shalt not curse the
ruler of thy people.” Paul remembered
that command when ho inadvertently re
torted upon the high priest, and he in
stantly acknowledged the error, though he
knew the officer was guilty of wrong.
Reverence for, and obedience to all in
authority, he constantly enforced, declar
ing they were ministers of God, as all
power is from God. Jude teaches the
same lesson in giving us the example of
the angel when contending with Satan,
he would not bring even against him a
railing accusation, but said, the Lord re
buke thee. The present condition of our
country is such that one can scarcely take
up a secular paper without seeing the
most violent abuse of the officers of the
law, from the highest almost to the low
est.
2nd Sign: The provocation for this
practice.
The writer is no politician. Knows
nothing of the truth or falsehold of the
terrible, charges of corruption which ere
continually floating around the country.
If true, then, surely the Lord has given
us over into the hands of the wicked.
Was there ever so corrupt a government
before, where all in power seem banded
together to oppress and then to fatten
upon the sufferings of the common people.
Surely the Lord has been angry with us,
or He would never have suffered us. to fall
into such a miserable condition. Ilis
Word declares that “wicked men and
seducers grow worse and worse.”
3rd Sign: The indifference of God's
people to this state of things.
Has the Lord given us over to hardness
of heart ? Perhaps His children have
partaken somewhat of that spirit of self
ishness and covetousness which has de
moralized the people, and the Lord is
“ choosing our delusions for us and has
put “a hook in our jaws,” which will
draw us as He did Pharaoh, to destruc
tion. Where are those that sigh and cry
for all the abominations in the land?
The papers and the pulpit are almost
silent on the subject. Perhaps no cry
goes up to God from prayer meeting or
family altar, but all are so near “ at ease
in Zion,” that sleep is falling upon them.
When John M. Berrien died, we said,
there are three men left who are, under
God, the conservators of the peace and
prosperity of this*nation.' If they are
taken away by death, and leave no suc
cessors to their devotion and influence, as
statesmen, this nation will soon get into
trouble. The last one of these three had
not been dead five years when our horri
ble war broke out.
The Lord hath broken, and only the
Lord can bind us up. He hath brought
this great darkness upon us for our sins,
and His hand is stretched out still. Heav
ier and sorer trials may come, and if the
hardness continue, may He not say to us
as to His people of old, “ Prepare to meet
thy God, O Israel.” C. 11. S.
Fundamentum Stabilis.
O Christ the Rock!
On Thee is fouuded
My blissful hope of heaven;
No powers can shock
That hope, sure grounded
On grace which Thou hast given.
How vain the hope
From self-reliance!
There is but one true base ;
Why will men grope,
And prate of science,
And still o'erlook God’s grace ?
O precious Name!
True consolation
I now receivo, rich, free,
And when I gain
My full salvation,
I still shall sing of Thee.
—T. Pearl Briqgs, in Watch. <& Ref.
A Relic of the Seventeenth Century.
In a supplement to the Athenian Ora
cle, published in 1691, there are 23 que
ries propounded by a Baptist. The 19th
query has reference to transferring into
our English version, instead of transla
ting, the work baptisnta. The respondent
replies, “ Your Design about the Modus is
not material; we have comply’d with the
Emphasis, and told you our Church denies
Dipping to none, but rather enjoins it.
See her words in the Rubrick. Then the
Priest shall take the Child into his Hands,
and shall say to the Godfathers and God
mothers— Name this Child- and then
naming it after them, (if they shall certi
fy him that the Child may well endure,)
he shall dip it in the Water discreetly and
warily, saying, etc. But if they certify
that the Child is weak, it shall suffice to
pour water upon it,” etc.
I have copied not only verbatim but
literatim, retaining the capitals with which
they begin every substantive. The book
from which the foregoing is extracted,
shows the usus scribendi, as well as the
usus loquendi of the times. J. S. B.
The German.
Rev. Herman Bokum, by the invita
tion of Rev. Dr. Wills, addressed the stu
dents of Oglethorpe University yesterday,
on the subject of the German language
and literature. The important events
which occurred in Germany during the
last few years invest this subject, as al
most every other connected with Ger
many, with more than usual interest. We
give below the remarks of Mr. Bokum,
substantially, though not altogether liter
ally :
The German language and literature
•enter into the sphere of history under
very peculiar circumstances. I need not
tell you what an impulse the spirit of a
people receives when it has successfully
struck for independence. Os this your
own history furnishes a most beautiful
illustration. A similar impulse was given
to the German tribes by the victory of
Arminius over Varus in the Teutoburg for
est, since it virtually secured the indepen
dence of the Germans. This victory, and
others which succeeded it, inspired the
Germans with the first German songs
known in history. Almost coincident with
this victory an event of world-wide impor
tance took place. Christ was born in
Bethlehem. When the Christian religion
reached the Teutonic tribes, it found a
large portion of them ready to embrace it
in the spirit of entire self-consecration,
and to lay the foundation for the testi
mony which it has since borne to the truth
of God. At the very gate of the history
and literature of Germany stands the
translation of the Holy Scriptures by Ul
filas, a bishop of the Visigoths. The
union between Christianity and the spirit
of the German people was the principal
cause to which the first classical period of
its literature is indebted for its rise. To
it belong the Nibelungen Sagas, and the
poetry of the minnesingers. It is a period
which bears the character of piety, gentle
ness and valor, the most distinguished rep
resentative of which is the Emperor Fred
erick Barbarossa, Os the house of Hohen
stauffen. On the Roncalic fields of Italy
he erected his standard, and on it was in
scribed, “Ho, every one that stands jp
need of it, let him come and receive jus
tice.” On his crusade in the Holy Land,
he received the news of the death of his
son. While the tears are rolling thick and
fast into his white beard, he exclaims:
“ My son is dead, but Christ lives : let us
move on, my men!” So deep was the
impression which this Emperor made on
the German mind, that for centuries the
tradition has been handed down, that he
still lives, and that he will return in due
time to re-establish the unity and the
power which the Empire of Germany en-
joyed in his day. The Nibelungen Sagas
is the gathering up of several poetic nar
ratives belonging to different periods, and
to different "regions of Germany. Though
embodied in antiquated language, it has
the interest which a well told tale of he
roic deeds and human joys and sorrows
must ever have to the imagination and to
the heart. In the 16th and 17th centu
ries this poem was forgotten, as was also
the fact that there had once existed a
united and powerful Germany. The great
events of the last few years have called
these Sagas from their graves,and in them
Germany now possesses a national epic
worthy to be placed by the side of the
Iliad.
With the times which succeed this pe
riod you are familiar. The church became
absorbed in the world, until the conscience
of the German people revolted at the fear
ful decline, and sent forth its mighty pro
test. According to a prophetic dream of
the elector of Saxony, a pen went forth,
moving on and on, till it reached the tiara
of the Pope, and made it tremble. It was
not a bishop at this time, but a humble
monk, who was the leading spirit of this
movement, and who, by his translation of
the Holy Scriptures, made the language
of that translation the medium of inter
course between all parts of Germany.
You are also a\fare that this religious
movement was the cause of the superiority
in life, in theology and in literature, of
the Protestant over the Roman Catholic
part3 of Germany, and that two hundred
years after the reformation the German
conscience awoke once more and protest
ed against the subjection of its literature
to that of Greece and of Rome, and
against the literary and social abuses
which the age of Louis XIV had intro
duced into Germany. The way was thus
prepared for anew classical period ot
German literature. Great indeed wei’e
the difficulties which had to be overcome
before this period could be ushered in. In
the language of Schiller :
“ Ry no kind Augustas reared,
To no Medici endeared,
German song arose."
Frederick, in many respects so great,
had no heart or taste for German produc
tions. The Nibelungen Sagas, he pro
nounced not worth a charge of powder,
and a great drama of Goethe he declared
to be a detestable imitation of some of the
worst English pieces. But if these dis
couragements tested severely the patience
and endurance of the German people, the
efforts by which they were overcorao de
veloped in them moral and intellectual
powers of the possession of which they
h. ■' ’>ardly been conscious. Yon are fa
miii v/vith the character and the names
of many of the literary men and poets
who arose in the last century, and who
have endeared themselves to the firesides
of many outside of Germany. The hu
miliation suffered in consequence of the
war of the first Napoleon and the great
war for national independence which suc
ceeded it, gave anew impulse to German
literature. What the events of the last
few years are likely to do for the cause of
German literature, may be judged from
the reawakening of the popular songs,
many of which extol the union of the
German nation, and sing of the joys and
sorrows in which their authors have had
a share. As in times of old, they meet
with an enthusiastic echo in every part of
Germany.
In connection with what has been said,
I beg to present very briefly three trains
of thought:
1. German literature, unlike all other
literature, has had two classical periods.
The life of the Greeks, as reflected in
their literature, was that of a joyous
youth, blooming with wonderful splendor.
But when its bloom had passed, its pro
ductive power seems to have been alto
gether exhausted. Very different, we
have seen, is the case with Germany.
Twice has it been her privilege to reflect
in poetic works of the highest order, her
inner and her outer life.
2. As on the relation in which a nation
stands towards God depends its permanent
success in literature, as Well as in every
other effort, it is worthy of note that the
present union of Germany is brought about
under the influence of men who tear God,
and who may, therefore, prove fit instru
ments by which Germany will be placed
more and more securely on the foundation
of the Christian faith. That that faith
will bear off the victory in the end there
can be no doubt; that Germany, as a na
tion, will continue enlisted under its ban
ner is not so certain, in view of the unbe
lief and the lifeless orthodoxy which
greatly prevail there. But assuredly, for
a long time to coine, will Germany prove
the great store house from which the arms
will be drawn by which to overcome unbe
lief.
3. Whether your attention be directed
to the richness of German literature;
whether you turn to its wealth in the dif
ferent departments of philosophy, theol
ogy, law and medicine ; whether you re
flect on the vast strides it is making in
the various departments of science, or,
whether you regard the popularity which
the German language enjoys on account
of the many facilities it offers for the car
rying on of business, in each and in all
these cases, motives are presented to you
which may well induce you to devote your
selves to the study of the language and
the literature of Germany. —Atlanta New
Era.
Our Sacrifices.
All that we need to know of a man is
to what he sacrifices; for life is altogether
a series of choices, involving innumerable
sacrifices, conscious or otherwise. Even
of deliberate sacrifices, there are seldom
so few as one for every moment’s choice.
If the perfection and fullness of every
good could be enjoyed simultaneously, any
certain test of our bent would be im
possible. As it is, no man can serve two
masters. Even if there be no necessary
contradiction between the two services,
there is not time enough in one life for
both. For every thing done or gained,
many other things must be inexorably re
jected. There is no possible gain without
loss. One says, “ I count all things but
loss, for the excellency of the knowledge
of Christ Jesus my Lord.” There is no
doubt of that to which such a man sacri
fices, or of the things he will sacrifice to
WHOLE NO. 2567.
that. Another says, “I am for that too.
But then I must have a full and rioh sen
suous life besides. I mean to live with
my whole nature foil-orbed, in full har
mony. [An undertaking simply immense.]
I think I can, I think God meant it, ana
I mean to try it. My dinner shall be a
study and a business, for one thing. Mem
sana in corf ore sano, and the last first, to
secure the first. My person, equipage,
lodging and apparel shall illustrate the
perfection of God’s good gifts and of my
own assiduous culture. Travel, sooiety,
music, painting, sculpture, literature, the
drama, the dance, and every innocent
charm that can be found in life or nature,
shall generously divide my soul. And all
the residue I will give to” nay, what
matters it how the pitiful residium is dis
posed of ? There is hardly enough left of
that life for a proper observation of cur
rent events.
There is no more doubt of the direction
of this man’s cultus than of the other’s.
Where the heavy sacrifices of which every
life is necessarily made up do not fall first
and sternly on the lower life, they have to
fall on the higher. There is no evading
this. Sacrifice, then, is, on tin whole, the
inevitable expression or exercise, and
therefore the accurate practical equivalent
of worship. Many, indeed, contrive to
mix the upper and lower worlds in their
sacrifices, so as to make an equivocal look
ing average. But there are two oommon
little words that will separate the elements
like the touch of the poles of the battery.
They are “ may” and “ must.” The
sacrifices that I will make if I may are
my own sacrifices, and that for which 1
make them shows the direction of my cul
tus, as unerringly as the magnetic needle
points to the North. Those that I make
because I must, go for nothing, and the
things so sacrificed, are surely on the side
that my heart is on. They are my neces
sity’s gifts, not mine. Now, the man who
will have the service of his whole sensu
ous existence as simple and limited as
good conscience will say that he may, and
will forego an exercise of benevolence or
devotion only as necessity or duty dic
tates that he must, is one who serves God
and eschews evil with a perfect heart. The
direction of his bent is wholly upward,
and there is no trace of proclivity, or
moral evil, in his life. He who will have
all the pleasure for which he can get leave,
and will give to God and his neighbor just
what duty exacts, is precisely the opposite
kind of man, no matter how scrupulously
he minds his may and must, or how close
ly he may contrive to approximate a
blameless adjustment, lie may stand in
many respects at the same point in prac
tice with the first (conceivably:) but the
two stand back to back, looking opposite
ways, and it is the direction, not the dis
tance, that makes the man.— IF. 0. Co
nant.
The Grace of Giving.
1. We, and all that we are and have,
belong, in the most absolute and compre
hensive sense, to God.
2. He could with equal easo have ac
complished all Ilia purposes of grace and
salvation, by His own immediate power,
without the instrumentality of His people,
or the employment of their resources of
any kind.
3. One reason why He has not so done
is, that, in His great love, He has chosen
to bestow on us the high honor of admis
sion to fellowship with Him as co-workers
with God.
4. In the accomplishment of this pur
pose, He has so organized the dispensa
tion of the gospel, that as we respond to
His property in our souls and bodies by
the consecration of affections, faculties
and powers on the altar of His service, in
the exercises of penitence, faith, love,
obedience and labor; so are we called
upon to respond to His right in our pos
sessions by the dedication of our free-will
offerings to His treasury.
5. Thus the offerings which we lovingly
make of gold and silver, lands and pos
sessions, are as truly acts of spiritual
and acceptable worship, as aro the plead
ings of penitent faith, or the breathings
of filial love.
6. Whilst the Levitical tithe is not im
posed on the gospel church, no follower of
Christ is thereby released from the duty
of giving; but the rule of Christian be
neficence is, that “Every one lay by him
in store as God hath prospered him.”
7. The Church is therefore under an
obligation which she cannot evade to take
effectual measures to secure from its mem
bers an intelligent and affectionate per
formance of this essential duty and at
tendance on this means of grace.
Assumption. —At the institution of the
supper only the apostles were present with
the Master. It has been assumed by some
that the former were not baptized, and
that therefore baptism is not prerequisite
to the Lord’s supper. But is not the pre
sumption really, as in the case of infant
baptism, all the other way ? The Saviour
himself had been baptized : what reason
have we to suppose His first disciples were
not ? If they were not then, they never
were, and the argument would prove as
valid against the necessity of baptism as
against restricted communion—unless, in
deed, we concede their case to be excep
tional and above all rule. But then the
concession will cover one ordinance as well
as the other.— Ex. and Chron.
Episcopacy learning Modesty. —The
Bishop of Exeter, England, at a recent
ordination service, stated that he had no
hesitation in saying that he looked upon
the ministers of every denomination in the
country as true ministers of Christ. He
knew no test by which their work could _
be tried which would not come to that re
sult, because he saw that men under their
ministry had accepted God’s truth ; that
the Lord had so blessed their work that
he could not doubt for- oire moment that
their work had His approval, and that He
had sent them.
The Banner Church. —The Presbyterian
church in New York, of which Dr. John
Hall is pastor, supports four mission Sunday
schools, the expenses of which last year
were SB,OOO. Each of these sohools is a
part of a well organized whole, under the
supervision of pastors and officers of the
church.