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INDEX AND BAPTIST.
BEV. D. E. BUTLER Managing Editor.
EDITORIAL CONTRIBUTORS:
Rev. 8. G. Hillyeb., D D Forsyth, Georgia.
Rev. J. 8. Baker, D.D Quitman, Georgia.
Dr. J. 8. Lawton Atlanta, Georgia.
Rev. T. G. Jonkh, D.D Nashville, Tennessee.
SPECIAL CONTRIBUTORS:
Rev. G. A. N turn ally Monroe, Georgia.
Rev. W. T. Brantly, D.D Baltimore, Md.
Rev. A. J. Battle, D.D.. Macon, Georgia.
Rev. R. W. Fuller Atlanta, Georgia.
Rev. T. B. Cooper Ogecchec, Georgia
Rev. J. H. Kilpatrick. .. White Mains, Georgia.
Rev. Marion Hams Decatur, Georgia.
Rev. Wm. C. Wilkes Gainesville, Georgia.
Mr. Moody, in his last sermon in
the Hippodrome, said: “Christians
should live in the world, but not be
filled with it. A ship lives in the wat
er, but, if the water gets into the ship,
she goes to the bottom. So Christians
may live in the world ; but, if the
world gets into them, they sink.”
—
What a magnificent gift the Creator
makes to man, each successive spring 1
What refreshment of mind and body ;
whfit conscious or unconscious revivals
of hope in dull hearts ; what profusion
of things of beauty, which are a joy
forever, come with every spring ! Oh !
for the thankful heart, to acknowledge
that ancient promise so faithfully kept
—“While the earth reumineth, seed
time and harvest, cold and heat, sum
mer and winter, day and night, shall
not cease.
The greatest lack in a church, to
day, is not of members, but of workers.
As it has been said that “the world
needs not more men, but more man,”
so it may bo said that the church needs
not more servants, but more service.
It is a rare church-fold, where one in
ton of the entire membership, is active
in the work of the church. If one
member more in every ten could be
brought into activity, the whole world
would feel the influence, and respond
to the labors of the new Christian
workers.
It was a noble and beautiful answer,
that of Queen Victoria, the monarch of
a free people, reigning more by love
than law, that she gave to the African
prince, who sent an embassage with
costly presents, and asked her in re
turn, to tell him the secret of Eng
land’s glory. The beloved Queen sent
him, not the number of her fleet, nor
the number of her armies, not the ac
count of her boundless merchandise,
not the details of her inexhaustible
wealth. She did not, like Hezekiah, in
an evil hour, show the ambassador her
diamonds, her jewels, and her orna
ments, but handing him a beautifully
bound copy of the Bible, she said:
“Tell the prince that this is the secret
of England’s greatness.”
i . ... - ♦ •*+
Mr. Spurgeon, in a recent speech,
came out with his usual earnestness
against the exclusion of the Bible from
public schools. “Why should that,”
be said, “which ought to be an essen
tial part of education not be believed
in on account of half a dozen infidels ?
Why should the reading of the Bible
be given up to please them, making in
fidelity the national religion of Eng
land? and badly as I think of the
present national religion. I certainly
prefer it to having Mr. Bradlaugk
Archbishop of Canterbury, and his
doctrines taught as the religion of the
age. One thing is certain, the churches
must feel that the religious education
of the people rests entirely upon them,
and they must do their work.”
Richard Baxter used to say, speak
ing of himself and his fellow-preachers :
“We preach to our people, the distem
pers of our own souls.” How true!
How necessary, then that the soul of
the preacher should be in a proper
mood, when he comes to proclaim the
Gospel to his fellow-men ! Who has
not observed the fact that some men,
though strangers, preach to congrega
tions “among whom they go preaching
the Gospel,” with such appropriate
ness, that one would almost be led to
infer that they were personally ac
quainted with the peculiar congrega
tions, and indeed, with the families
and individuals composing these con
gregations. This is all explained by
the remark of Baxter, quoted above.
If, as preachers of the Gaspel we un
derstand well our own hearts, we will
know a good deal about the hearts of
the psople, whenever “we go preachiug
the Gospel.”
—The Ellijay Courier says, “a Sun
day-school of forty-nine pupils was
organized at Pleasant Hill church on
the 29th of last month.”
THE PRIMITIVE CHURCH.
Editors Index —l sometimes see articles
in The Index having reference to the Primi
tive church.
1. Will you please tell un where we may
find the Primitive church ?
2. What are the distinguishing doctrines of
that church ?
3. Does the Gospel establish her doctrines?
Kingston.
In reply to our questioner we state
that the Primitive church is found in
the New Testament. The first clerk
was the apostle Luke, who has given
us the minutes in a fine state of pre
servation, as now recorded in the Acts
of the Apostles. Other churches of the
same character were planted by the
Great Missionary to the Gentiles, “one
Saul;” afterwards called Paul. In the
correspondence of that missionary with
many of those churches is to be found
their distinctive characteristics.
2. Some of the distinguishing doc
trines of that church are “Repentance
toward God, and faith in the Lord
Jesus Christ,” baptism (immersion)
by which a believer is brought into the
church, holiness of life and consecra
tion to the service of God, in which
the spirit of obedience is manifested,
by love to all men, when we do His
commandments, one of which is, “Go
ye into all the world and preach the
Gospel to every creature.”
3. The Gospel does establish its
doctrines. The authority is in these
words: If any man will do His will,
he shall know of the doctriu'*, whether
it be of God. John vii: 17.
ft. •—4
A NEW BAPTIST l 111 Ki 11.
The First Baptist church of Nash
ville, on the 3d inst., granted letters
of dismission to a company of its mem
bers who withdraw for the purpose of
organizing anew church in the north
western portion of the city. A Sunday
school and Mission has been sustained
there for four years, with gratifying
success. During a protracted meeting
held at the Mission during the latter
part of the winter, some forty persons
were converted, and united with the
church. This accession of strength
has seemed to indicate the duty of oc
cupying the field permanently. The
bretliven are determined, by the grace
of G/d, to “hold the fort.” What is
lackjfng in pecuniary strength will be
made up by increased zeal, and more
entire consecration to the Master’s
service.
Fifty-two persons signed the peti
tion for dismissal, and it is expected
that about twenty more will do like
wise. Ab soon as the city pastors re
turn from the meeting of the Conven
tion, a council is to be called, and the
new church will be regularly consti
tuted.
that Missionary money.
111 another column, will be found a
communication from our brother J. T.
Clarke, in relation to the funds sent up
to the Bethel Association. Our brother
appears to censure The Index for pub
lisking the article of “Quamobrem.”
While we know brother Burnett to he
above suspicion, and esteem him as a
good and true man, yet, according to
our established principles of publish
ing such communications, (when they
come from a reliable source,) which
do not affect the character of a
brother, personally, we allowed the ar
ticle to go in The Index.
We have no doubt but that our dear
brother Burnett can satisfy his Asso
ciation in regard to every dollar that
has been placed in his hands. And we
do most sincerely regret that anything
that has been published in The Index,
should give him one pang, or bring
sorrow to his heart—but still, we do
not think The Index is responsible
for the publication.
We call attention to the card of
brother Burnett in this issue, which,
we certainly trust, will give perfect
satisfaction to all concerned in this
matter.
Editorial Signatures. —The cus
tom formerly in vogue in the Press, by
which the writers of editorials could be
ascertained by their initials, placed at
the end of the article, has generally
disappeared.
A “table of contents” is now gener
ally adopted, by which the caption of
all articles in the issue, and the names
of writers or their nomes de plume, can
be seen at a glance.
This is more in conformity with the
“spirit of the age,” and is more con
cise and practical thau the old mode.
—■
—Without the Spirit, St. Peter trem
bled at the voice of a maid servant;
with the Spirit, he withstood kings and
princes.
THE CHRISTIAN INDEX AND SOUTH-WESTERN BAPTIST.
HUXLEY.
In our recent articles “we endeavored
to show that the materialistic hypoth
esis held by some scientists could not
be true, because it utterly fails to fur
nish any satisfactory basis for mora
distinctions. And we think we also
showed that these distinctions demand,
as the absolute condition of their ex
istence, a personal God. But all sci
entists are not materialists in such a
sense as to be atheists. Some of them
spurn the charge of atheism. Among
these, we may mention the one whose
name stands at the head of this article.
But, unfortunately, the God which
these scientists present to our faith,
does not seem to us, to meet the wants
of man’s moral nature, much better
than the system of bold materialism
itself.
Mr. Huxley is a representative sci
entist. His opinions may be accepted
as reflecting the sentiments of all who
belong to his school. And he has given
utterance to the following declaration :
“Of all ttie senseless babble I have ever
had occasion to read, the demonstration of
those philosophers who undertake to tell us
all about the nature of God would be the worst,
if they were not surpassed by the still greater
absurdities of the philosophers who try to
prove there is no God.” (Quoted in the New
Orleans Monthly Iteview for March, 1876.)
Front this avowal we learn that Mr.
Huxley is not an atheist. He believes
that there is a God. But what is God
according to his theology ? He holds
as “ senseless babble,” all attempts to
“tell us all about the nature of God.”
Now, what is the import of the word
“all,” in the clause just quoted. Did
Mr. Huxley intend that word to be
taken in its strict and literal sense?
He surely could not so intend; for
there are no such philosophers. Neither
are there any theologians, whom Hux
ley may have meant by “philosophers,”
who have undertaken “to tell us all
about the nature of God.” For in the
very book from which theologians pro
fess to derive their knowledge of the
nature of God, it is expressly, and
emphatically declared interrogatively
“ Canst. thou by searching find out God?
Canst thou find out the Almighty unto
perfection ? It is as high as Heaven :
what canst thou do ? deeper tbah Hell,
what canst thou know?” Job xi: 7;
see also Romans xi:33. Who then,
are those writers that undertake to tell
us “all" about the nature of God ? We
do not know them. Neither does Mr.
Huxley know them. Hence, he must
have used that word “all” without in
tending it to be takeu in its strict and
universal import. This criticism of
the word “all” is very necessary in
order that we may know exactly what
class of writers Mr. Huxley refers
to in the sentence. He certainly does
not refer to an imaginary class; he
must have in view real writers. Well,
who are they ? There is a class of
writers, (Mr. Huxley may call them
philosophers if he pleases,) who do
undertake to tell us—not all indeed—
but a great deal, about the nature of
God. These are our orthodox theolo
gians. They are the “ senseless bab
blers,” for whom he feels so deep a
contempt. And he visits upon them
this contempt, not because they
believe in God, but simply because they
attempt to tell us something more
about the nature of God, than Mr.
Huxley can find out from the boasted
teachings of science- Among these
despised theologians, or philosophers,
must be included Moses and the proph
ets, Christ and His apostles. Accord
ing to Mr. Huxley they are all sense
less babblers. Thus he effectually
closes the door against all revealed re
ligion.
When the human mind instinctively
and anxiously asks, What is God ? Sil
ence, with all its learning, scornfully
replies there is no answer 1 Scientists
indeed, profess to believe that there is
a God. But they give us almost no
information about Him! And be
cause within the realms which they
explore, they .do not find such informa
tion, they conclude, in all their pride of
learning, that it can be found nowhere !
When such pride of opinion is found
among religious writers, it is denounced
as bigotry. What shall weeall it when
found among scientists ? We venture
to say, that the bigotry of science, in
its controversy with revealed religion,
is clearly developed in the words which
we have quoted from Mr. Huxley.
The human heart yearns to know
something about the nature of God.
We want to know whether He is good,
and just, and holy, and merciful; or
whether He is cruel, e”d unrelenting,
and terrible. We want to know His
relations to us. Does He unceru Him-
self in onr affairs ? Has He subjected
us to moral government ? Will He
hold us accountable for our conduct ?
Has He established asyslniof xewards
and penalties, to be meted out to us
just as we may conform, or not, to the
great moral laws which He has im
planted in our very nature, and of
which every man’s conscience is a swift
and terrible witness. These questions,
and many others of like character, press
the human heart for an answer. But
scientists can give no answer. Com
pelled by logical necessity, they postu
late a God. But again, we ask, what
is He ? Is He anything more than the
first factor in the mighty processes of
causation, which are continually un
folding the diversified phenomena of
the universe ?
Such a being cannot satisfy the wants
of humanity. How delightful it is to
turn from this cold and cheerless ice
berg of science, so called, to the warm
and genial sun-light of revealed
truth. Moses and the prophets, Chnst
and His apostles, have told us all about
the nature of God which it is impoi
tant for us to know. From them we
learn, that He is not a mere factor in
the phenomena of causation ; but a
personal God, distinct from, and
above the creation which He has
made—infinite in wisdom, and powe-,
and goodness, and truth—administer
ing the moral government of the uni
verse in justice and in mercy. We learn
moreover, that man was made in His
own imago, and designed *,O be a sub.
ject of moral government; and that
when we had sinned, and made our
selves amenable to His eternal justice,
His own mercy and grace procured for
us redemption through the blood of
His own Son; thus revealing Himself
to us, not only as our Creator and our
Judge, but as our loving and reconciled
Father. Moreover, that precious word
opens up to our faith a glorious here
after. “We look for a city which hath
foundations, whose maker and builder
is God.”
Such is the God, and such is the re
ligion which the Bible gives us. Let us
cling to it. True, i* may present to us
some obscurities in language, apparent
discrepancies in history, and difficulties
in science, which, for want of adequate
information, we may not be able to ex
plain. But, in spite of them all, we
know that the Bible tells us the truth
about ourselves; and that the God
whom it reveals is just such a Being
as we need.
The God of the scientists is, indeed,
an “ unknown God” —a God without a
theology. Theology is as real a science
as astronomy or geology. It must be
studied, not only in the works of nature,
but especially in the wide range of
moral ideas, and of man’s moral history.
When thus studied, it will be found
that the Bible is its most sure, and
rational text book.
On the fifth Sabbath iu April just
past, there was anew Baptist church
constituted at Jamestown, Chattahoo
chee county, Georgia. Elder W. M.
Howell was Chairman, and Elder J. A.
Griffin Secretary of the Presbytery.
The number was small with which this
church was constituted, but others are
soon to join them. It is a central, ac
cessible point, and the material is good
of which the churc was constituted,
hence it ought to do well.
These brethren also had anew house
of worship ready for use. It was ded
icated to the service of God, and the
use of this church, by a suitable reso
lution, excluding all political and irre
ligious uses to be made of the house.
The sermon was preached by elder
W. M. Howell, from Matt. xvi:lß.
It is supposed that Dr. J. A. Griffin
will continue to serve these people.
He is young in the ministry, but gives
fine promise of much usefulness.
Rev. Benjamin Roberts, pfrhaps
the oldest minister of the Washington
Baptist Association, died at his home
twelve miles from Milledgeville on the
22d of April. He was elected Clerk of
the Washington Association when it
was first organized, and held the posi
tion almost uninterruptedly up to the
time of his death—forty odd years. A
more devoted, earnest and exemplary
Christian minister perhaps never lived.
Having far exceeded the alloted time
for man to live, he had for some years
been patiently waiting for the sum
mons, “come up higher.” He was
greatly and universally beloved by his
brethren and by all the people wherever
he was known.
There are over 800 girls attending
Baptist female colleges in Georgia.
The buildings cost over §250,000.
A HOPE FOB THE FU7TRE.
We indulge a cheering hope that the
great success with which our brethren
are meeting, in their efforts to secure
an adequate endowment for our col
leges, will afford such a clear demon
stration of the utility of union and
simultaneous co-operation in a good
cause, as will induce them, at the close
of the Centennial year, lo put forth
similar efforts to build up the churches
of our Lord and Saviour, in our own
and in foreign lands.
While we feel as deep an interest in
the prosperity of our colleges as we
deem it meet a Christian man should
feel, we cannot but regret that any of
our advocates of colleges should seem
to consider the claims of our colleges
as paramount to those of our churches.
This they appear to us to do who
abandon pastorates, to which they pro
fessed to believe they were specially
called of God, and engage in acting as
agents for our colleges. They may be
right in so doing, and we may be
wrong; but the views we now enter
tain —be they right or wrong—we have
long entertained —and expressed them
tob—long before the idea of a Centen
nial celebration was presented to the
public mind.
As far back as the year 1840, we
wrote and published our views in full,
in reference to the duty of ministers to
give themselves wholly to the ministry.
We inferred from the teaching of the
sacred Scriptures in Rom. xii: 7; I
Cor. vii: 20; I Tim. iv :44-16, et al.,
that a minister could not intermit his
ministerial work for any other without
reflecting upon the wisdom of God, and
impairing his own reputation and in
fluence for good. By so doing, we
gave great offense to some of the most
popular ministering brethren in our
State, who, during what was known as
the “iiarrison campaign,” had inter
mitted their labors in the ministry, that
they might labor for the advancement
of their political party. One of them,
after we were connected with The In
dex, wrote to the Executive Committee,
preferring bitter complaints against us
for the course we pursued as editor.
In reply to those complaints we stated
we were willing to relinquish the office
we held at any moment the committee
might deem it expedient we should do
so ; but, as long as we continued in
office, we would not allow them, or any
one else, to dictate to us what course
we should pursue as editor. (By the
way, what we said to them, we say to
all autocratic editors, who aspire to
exercise an absolute sway over all the
local State papers in the laud—in the
South at least. We shall continue to
rule our own camp according to our
own will and judgment, not theirs; let
them defiantly flap their wings at us,
and crow over us as long and as loudly
as they list. Verbum sat.)
The brother to whom we have above
referred, wrote us a long letter, before
we dissolved our connection with The
Index, in which we acknowledged that
we were right in the views we had ex
pressed, and that he had erred in oppos
ing us, and expressed his determination
evermore to devote himself exclusively
to the work of the ministry. He ad
hered to his resolution through life,
and died in peace with God and all
mankind. He was a fearless and hon
est man, was very successful in win
ning souls to Christ, and had—what
many lack—the moral courage to ac
knowledge an error when convinced
of it.
We certainly would not, if we could,
subtract from the subscription lists of
our college agents and orators a unit,
or a cypher —unless the cypher was at
the left hand of their figures. We
would much rather add many scores to
them; but we certainly do regret—
deeply regret —that the contributions
to our Mission funds, during the pres
ent Centennial excitement, should have
fallen so far behind the contributions
to our college funds, as it appears they
have clone. We would have no one
contribute less to the endowment of our
colleges than he has done ; but would
have all, to whom the Lord may give
the ability, contribute more liberally
than ever they have yet done, to sus
tain and extend the cause of Missions.
We would say to them, as the Saviour
said to certain pharisees of old : “These
ought ye to have done," etc., (Matt,
xxiii : 23.)
We have already admitted the pos
sibility that we may have erred in our
views, and will only add now, we shall
be thankful to have our brethren labor
to correct the errors Into which we may
have fallen in our faith or practice,
provided, in so doing, they will follow
the instruction of the inspired Paul,
and treat U3 not as au enemy but as a
brother.
To facilitate the labors of those who
may engage in the benevolent work of
effecting a reformation in our views,
we will report, hereafter, a brief ab.
stract of our creed.
WHAT HISTORY TEACHES.
During the early part of our ministry
we were led, by the assaults of our Pe
dobaptist friends, to devote much time
and attention to the study of ecclesias
tical history. We are now fully per
suaded that the time thus spent might
have been far more profitably spent in
studying the pure Word of God, and
the operations of our own heart. We
filled several volumes with extracts
from the hooks we read. The greater
part of them, by a mishap to a steamer
in which they were being transport
ed from one place to another, were
; ost at sea, together with the jour
nals and diaries that we had kept for
many years ; but we have still extracts,
on loose sheets of paper, sufficient to
fill several volumes, had we the time
and disposition necessary to prepare
them for the press —which we have
not.
We have concluded, however, to fur
nish, occasionally, an item or two of
the materials on hand, for our columns.
It may prevent some of our readers
from wasting their time —as we have
done before them —in searching origi
nal authorities to gather the facts
which we shall condense and commu
nicate.
A BRIEF SUMMARY.
We begin our series with a brief
summary of what history teaches, in
reference to different ecclesiastical
communions. It teaches,
1. That up to the time of the union
of church and state under Constantine,
there was but one communion.
2. That about that time, (the days
of Constantine,) serious innovations
were introduced into the churches ; the
doctrines of the Gospel were perverted,
and its ordinances corrupted.
3. That, in consequence of the fact
just stated, separate communions were
set up.
4. That the introduction of pseudo
baptism led to anabaptism.
5. That distinct congregations of
Anabaptists existed about that period.
6. That there was an uninterrupted
succession ofc their churches down to
the period of the Reformation, notwith
standing the many cruel edicts issued
against them, and the many vigorous
but vain attempts made to exterminate
them.
7. That, at the period of the Refor
mation, they were very numerous, and
scattered abroad in every country.
8. That the purity of their lives, and
their patient endurance of their hard
lot, have been attested by their most
bitter enemies.
Note. —All this testimony, be it re
membered, has been furnished by their
enemies, who would fain have estab
lished the opposite of what they affirm
ed, if they could have done so without
violating the truth of history. Well
may we adopt, the language of the
Psalmist. Ps. 124.
STATE SUNDAY-SCHOOL CONVENTION.
The State Sunday-school Convention
will meet at Decatur on the 12th inst.,
and continue in session three days, in
cluding next Sunday, on which day a
sermon will be preached by Rev. Robert
Irvine, of Augusta. Mr. W. G. Whidby
is President, and Walter R. Brown,
Esq., Secretary. General Colquitt will
deliver the address of welcome, will be
responded to by the President. On
Sunday the exercises, morning and
evening, will be under the direction of
Mr. John T. McGuire.
The programme is very full and in
teresting. All the leading Sunday
school workers of’ Georgia will be
present, and give their valuable expe
rience and assistance to the promotion
of this important cause. The results
of this Convention will be most bene
ficial to this important branch of Chris
tian instruction.
The Index. —Many of our readers are
greatly interested by the articles on ag
ricultural matters, which appear in
each issue of The Index. We endeav
or to give our readers a pleasing and
profitable variety in our reading mat
ter, and are glad to see such a general
appreciation on the part of our friends,
of our efforts to please and interest.
We shall continue on the same high
standard.