Newspaper Page Text
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HENRY H. TUCKER, Editor.
ROBKKT W, riLMCR Anwoclitle.
CIIBISTMA'*.
For how many centuries this anniversary
has been celebrated, we do not know ; the
beginning of this custom, like those of many
other customs, having been lost in the mi9ty
post. It is supposed, by some, to have origi
nated in the 4th century. But how long will
the custom continue? Undoubtedly until
the second coming of our Lord. The whole
civilized world recognizes the day; and as
civilization advances, Christmas goes with
it. Should the whole world become civil
ized. Christmas will be the inheritance of the
whole human race. We might have used the
word tmngelited as well, for wherever the
Gospel goes, the day which has been set
apart by common consent, as the anniversa
ry of the birth of our Lord and Savior Jesus
Christ, will always be remembered and ob
served. Nothing can put a stop to this ob
servance. So far as we know such an effort
has never been made. Hut if it were made,
it would be futile. All the potentates of the
earth might put their powers together to
check the celebration of the day, but they
might as well attempt to stop the tides of
the ocean fill at once. The tides are the re
sult ol a law of nature; so is Christmas.
There is something in the laws of human na
ture which demands a Christmas, and which
will have it. Wherever Christ’s gospel has
been preached, a day will be celebrated in
honor of Ilis birth. The real day has been
lost; it is supposed, by some,to lmvcbeen in
April —by others to have been in October.
This loss of course was providential. Was
it intend* l to show that there is no divine
authority for the observance of the day?
Perhaps so. But is not the fact that weliave
an arbitrary Christmas, also providential ?
To celebrate a day may be harmless ; to cel
ebrate the day, might have led to superstition.
There is nothing around which superstition
liangs more readily, than around day.
Lucky and unlucky days have been talked
about for thousands of yeari>; possibly no
onemperstitionhas been more wide-spread;
oven to the present time It has not lost Its
hold on the minds oi enlightened, and even
Christian men. Perhaps it was to prevent
this folly, that the knowledge of the exact
day of Christ's birth, was blotted out by the
providence of God. The Almighty llimscif
prepared the grave of Moses, and laid him in
it, (a glorious funeral—peerless in gi andeur)
but no man knows of the sepulchre to this
day. We suppose that thls| was done to
prevent the Israelites from paying Idolatrous
homage to the place of his burial. It may be,
that the same God has buried the day of
Christ’s birth in oblivion for a similar reason;
to prevent bis followers from regarding the
day as better than other days. Iu the history
of the world, two days only have been set
apait by divine authority, as worthy of pe
culiar honor, and only one of these at a time.
The first, was the Sabbath of the Lord our
God, c immemorativo of the rest after crea
tion ; the second is the Lord’s day, substitu
ted for the tint, and commemorative of our
Lord’s resurrection from the dead. The ob
servance of these days 19 an act of obedience.
Whatsoever is more than this comcth of evil.
We may observe other days, after our own
f ishion, and for our own purposes; but they
are not s-wreii, and are not to be regarded
with reverence and religious awe. They are
simply human; the Sabbath is divine; on
list day the very air should be solemn. The
observance of the Sabbath is commanded;
the observance of Christmas we think, is per
mitted by the law which regulates Christian
life. Hearing in mind that it isu day which
we celebrate, and not the day ; that the cus
tom is of uo divine authority; aud that the
day is not sacred, an i that it is no better
than any other day, and that iho Sabbath is
the only day that is ho y, there can bo no
harm we think in yielding to the impulse of
our nature to set apart one day in the year
for the commemoration ol t he Lord’s biith.
Should it be celebrated with discharges of
artillery, or wiih boisterous or outbreaking
merriment, with tlreworks, and shows and
dances ? To ask this question, is to answer
it. A more shocking incongruity can scarce
ly be imagined. Suppose then we take the
opposite extreme, acd observe the day with
most solemn devotion, and with lasting and
prayer ; and make it the occasion of burning
appeals to the wicked, warniug them, with
tears and entreaties, to flee from the wrath
to come. This course appears to be as ill
advised, as the former was sacriligoous.
What thou shall be done? It is always
easier to say what should not be done, than
i t is to say exactly and iu positive terms what
is right. But as the extremes are to be
avoided, wo may at least suppose that there
is a middle ground which is safe.
That the observance of the day should be
flavored with the religious clement, is uu
questionable. But it should bcjwith religious
joy ; the bright side of religion is the only one
appropriate to the day. Mourning and
lamentation are out of the question ; fasting
iscot to be thought of; fearting, if it be done
with a grateful and loving heart, is far more
in keeping with the spirit of the occasion.
There can be no barm in feasts, for our L< rd
himself attended them ; and as it is through
Him that we receive the blessings of Provi
dence, no Ui3 then those of grace, it cannot
be wrong, nay it must be right, that we
shouldny ythese blessings; andifourhearts
are in right condition wc can enjoy them uU t
THE CHRISTIAN INDEX AND SOUTH-WESTERN BAPTIST December 26.
at once. On what occasion could we enjoy
simultaneously and to unusual fulness both
temporal and spiritual gifts more appropri
ately, than od the natal day of Him, through
whom all these blessings come? Any pleas
ure which is lawful, and which is of so sub
dued a character, as to be compatible with
a contemplation, at once serene and joyous,
of God’s unspeakable gift, is appropriate to
Christmas. Let the feast go on ; but forget
not who spread it. Remember that every
enjoyable thing on earth is the purchase of
the atonement. Call your children around
you ; but when you hold the little one in
your arms, remember that but for the babe
of Bethlehem, you would have no hopes of
its salvation. If you have luxury, enjoy it;
God gave it to you ; but remember Him who
though lie was rich, yet for our sakes became
poor, that wc through his poverty might be
rich. Invite Him to your board, or carry
your dainties to Him iu Ilis lonely cabin, or
on His bed of languishing. The least of His
disciples represents Him, and charities be
stowed on them, lie regards as a personal
attention to himself. Tell your children to
be happy; but forget not to teach them in
such pleasant and gentle way as not to mar
their enjoyment, that but for the Savior
whose birth they celebrate, their could be
no joy either in this world or in the world to
come. Do not expect them to partake of
your sobriety. They are only children, and
their religious feelings must be as childish as
all their other feelings are. When Paul was
a child, he was like other children, and so
are yours. Allow them to be merry, but with
very gentle touches tune their hearts to
praise.
The aged, as well as the young, should en
joy the day. The pleasures of the evening
of life are not like those of the morning, but
they are none the less real. The sbepherds
who heard the angelic anthem werej mature
men, but their joy was none the less for that,
but all the more. Simeon was doubtless ad
vanced in years, but the venerable man re
joiced in the infant Savior, and Anna the
prophetess, the widow of four score years,
was happy in the Lord. Let the fathers and
the mothers in Israel be glad, let the young
men and maidens rejoice; and the little ones
who cannot understand the reason of the
joy, let them at least know that there is
something to be Joyful for ; let the very air
around them be balmy with pleasure. As
their minds open, let the Gospel come to
them on wings of gladness ; so that in due
time they will see it, as a thing not to be
dreaded and shunned, but to bo embraced
and loved, and prized, aud cherished, as
God’s most priceless gift. Let there lie joy
to the world, for the Lord is come! Let
there be appropriate joy to every age, and
condition ; let joy take all its shapes that are
in harmony with love to God and love to
man, and let the song of the angels be the
reigning sentiment of every Christian heart.
KBEN-FZKR.
When the eye of the reader falls on these
lines, he will probably have reached the close,
or nearly the close, of another year. Thou
sands, nay millions of those who began the
year with us, have passed into eternity. W
■till are spared. If we are numbered among
the unbelievers, we have been saved thus far
from perdition; if with the believers, we have
the preparation (and schooling ol one more
year, for the Heaven and the glory that await
us. In either case, we are monuments of mer
cy. Having reached one more epoch in our
history, which will forever be designated by
the figures 1878, is it not fitting, that we too
should raise a monument, and call the name
of it, EbenEzer, faying, “Hitherto hath the
Lord helped us.” At least, we ought to pause,"
and raise an Ebenezer in the heart. We have
come to a turning point, where it is well to
look both backward and forward, reflecting on
the experiences of the past, and preparing for
those of the future,
We have needed help. Left to ourselves we
can do nothing, and should long since have
perished. We have had help, the evidence of
which is that we atill live, and still enjoy such
comforts and blessings as we have. This
help has come from the Lord■ All help
comes from Him. He is the author and sue
tainerof life; the giver of every good and per
fect gift. Second causes are really not causes
at all. We call them so, for mere conven
ience. There is only one cause of anything
and that is the will of God. We shall not
stop to inquire into the origin of evil, for that
would be profitless and worse than that, for it
would lead us away to a foreign issue. There
can be no doubt about the origin of good, and
that ia the subject of present contemplation.
God Almighty brought ua into this world; He
brought ua through the perila of infancy, and
boyhood and youth, and has been the protec
etor and guide of our malurer years. He
has preserved us from the terror by night,
and from the arrow that Hieth by day, and
from the pestilence (hat walketh in darkness,
and from the destruction that waateth at noon
day. It is in Him that we live, and move,
and have our being. Every heart-throb results
from the forth putting otdivineenergy, prompt
ed by divine mercy. Let that divine power be
withdrawn for one instant, and we should fall
into nothingness, as quick aa lightning flash.
Hitherto, all the way hitherto, and all the time
hitherto, hath the Lord helped us. From the
first moment of ante-natal existence, down to
this our latest breath, the Lord has been our
helper and our all. All this help baa been ua
desenel We have done nothing to merit it.
If we had done our whole duty, without the
omission of so much as an iota, we should not
have brought our Maker in debt to us. All
that we have had, has been given, not earned.
He makes us anew present with every pulse
beat. Every joy of soul or sense, whether
great or small, is His gift. We havedeserved
just the opposite of what we hare received.
W* have been sinful creatures, and are so
now. Not during one single day of our whole
lives, have we fully done our duty. Not one
hour have we spent without sin. It is not
merely what we do, or what we fail to do, that
makea us sinners; it is what we are. Oar
hearts are rebellious against God's holy law.
If we had been destroyed long ago, we should
have had no reason to complain. But
we still live. The blessings of Provi
dence are etill around us; the blessings of
grace are within our reach ; eternal life is
offered to us, if we will but accept it on its
terms, and the terms are set forth in the few
and single words, “Believe on th Lord Jasus
Christ and thou shalt be saved.” This good
ness has been never-failing, and etill contin
ues. As we have reached a marked period,
one which can never be forgotteD, the cloee of
the year, ought we not to cease from the world
awhile, and meditate on the past and on its
mercies, and seek a pure communion with
Him, who is the creator oi our bodies, and the
father of our spirits, and the fount of every
blessing ?
Years are important things. At the end of
each one, we seem to pass a mile stone that
marks our progress to the tomb. These mile
stones are nut many in number, even at the
most, and we do not know but that this, is the
last one we shall ever pass. Whatever our
future may be, the past is resplendent with
the goodness of God ; and even if we enjoy no
more of Ilis mercy, we have had enough al
ready to place us under obligations of infinite
gratitude. Whenever we pass an epoch like
the present, we ought to make some signal
expression of that gratitude; to look back on
all that we have received, and all that we
haveenjoyed; to recount our mercies, to con
fess our nnworthiness, and to acknowledge
God as all in all; saying, “Hitherto hath the
Lord helped me,” and thus at least, if not in
literal terms, to raise up an Ebenezer, ever
against every mile-stone on the path ol litre.
THE NEW YEAR.
What an enormous thing is the history of
the world for a year 1 There is the physical
history of the earth itself—its geographical, geo
logical meteorological and astronomical histo
ry. There is the history of animal life as a
whole, and of each species and family, and of
each individual living thing, from the huge
monsters of the Polar Sea, and iwn to the ani
malculea which the microscope has not yet
been able to discover. There is the history of
nations, kingdoms, empires, and republics; the
history of wars and of peace. There is the
history of innumerable organ’zation*, civil,
military, judicial, scientific, literary, social,
religious and irreligious. There is the histo
ry ol each individual, of the twelve hundred
millions that now inhabit the earth, ami also
of the millions to be born before the year clo
ses. There is the history of every atom ol
matter, and the history 100 of every atom, (if
such a figure may be used) of not matter, in
cluding the world of thought, and the world of
•pirit that produces the thought. There is
the history of every tear, and of every sigh,
and of every groan; and the his'ory of ihe
inner sources from which these proceed. There
is the history of all sorrow, and oi all joy;
and of every word, and of every desire, and ol
every work and enterprise. There is a year’s
history of the world’s sin; and a year’s history
of the world's benevolence, patience, forbear
ance, meekness gentleness, goodness, holiness.
Now, all this history ol the year just before
us, will be written; not one jot or one little of
it will be left out. In the mind of God, it is
written already. But before us, this stupend
ous volume lies a sealed book, not one word or
one syllable of whose amazing record is
known.
A part of this history, each one of us is to
make. Without help, we shall make it badly;
our chapter, if we are left to ctirselves, will be
a frightful record. The first thing then, is to
commend ourselves to God. In this respect,
the saint is a privileged character. He has
already made his peace with God, and has the
privilege, sliall we not say the right, to lean
on the Divine arm whenever he pleases, with
the assurance that he is welcome, and that
grace will be supplied according to his net and.
The unconverted man is in different condition.
Before he can coma lo God with any assurance
of welcome, he must put his trust in the blood
oi the Lord Jesus, who said “No man
cometh to the Father but by me.” We know
of no access to God except through Jesus
Christ his Son, and hence the first step for an
unconverted man to take, is to accept Christ in
his heart.
With God’s help, we shall be ready to act
our pm in the great world’s history. But de
pendence on God for help does not imply
paseivenees on our part. We mu9t first re
solve, and then do. At the threehhold, res
olution is all that ia possible. Let us resolve,
then, to lead a life of prayer, and of commun
ion with God; to make ihe word of God the
rule of our life, in email thinge aa well ae in
great; to use habitually, and without ceasing,
all the means of grace that are accessible to us;
and while putting forth every power to do,
and to be, what the law of God requires, with
as much energy as if there were no God to
help, yet to rely on God, as if we had no power
to put forth. A soul filled to saturation with
these resolves, is ready for the year’s work, or
for life-work.
Surely a man who has done what we have
described, has not done too much, aod it is
very certain that he who has done less, has
done 100 little. But suppose one to have en
tered on the year, thus fully prepared for it, and
suppose him to adhere to his holy purposes.
What a glorious chapter in the world's histo
ry will he have written by the end of the yearl
It may be a record that would thrill the bosom
of a seraph. It mar produce joy in all heaven,
tft may be read by angels to eternal ages.
However humble your lot, however obscure
your character and person, you have only lo
walk O, Christian! in Ihe way which God
prescribes for you, and the day will come
when greatness and glory will be thrust upon
you in such degree, that the glories of earth
would pale into nothingness before them, as
the shining of the glow-worm before noonday.
What will be the most important chapter in
the history of the coming year ? Will it be
the history of the British Empire ? or of Rus
sia or of Prussia? It maybe the history of
one of Christ’s little ones, ail unrecognised as
one of the great forces of the world, nay un
recognised altogether, without health, without
wealth, without position, without friends, with
out culture, without great mental gifts; but
with a great heart, full of love to God, and of
faith in his Son Jesus Christ. One thing we
know: the heroes of this world will be forgot
ten in the world to come, and the lowly who
walk with God, will be exalted. The new
year is upon us; let us prepare in the light of
God’s word for its emergencies, and then full
of hope and trust, face the future, and quit us
like men.
IBRISTMIS FOR THE SORROWING.
We have elsewhere spoken of Christmas as
a season of joy. But what shall the poor do
who enjoy no festivities, and who are but ill
supplied with the ordinary comforts of life, or
perhaps who are not supplied at all, even with
its necessaries? Why talk of joy to the hun
gry and shivering and barefoot ? What shall
the sick do, lying on beds of pain and anguish,
waiting impatiently at night for the morning,
and waiting as impatiently by day for the
night? Why talk of joy to these afllicted
ones? What shall the bereaved do, whose
hearts are broken with grief? Why talk of
joy, to those whose eyes are wet with weeping
over new-made graves ?
Perhaps all these children of misfortune and
sorrow have more cause for legitimate joy in
than anybody else. It is all they
have to rejoice in. Take comfort, poor af
flicted souls. Let the day remind you of
your sympathizing Saviour. He loved the
poor ;he healed the sick ; lie was touched
with the feeling of our infirmities ; he wept
with the bereaved; and the tender loving,
gentle, pitying, compassionate, sympathizing
feelings which He then had, He still has.
Listen, O, child of sorrow ! Jesus Christ is
the same yesterday, to-day and forever. What
ever He was, that is what He it. If He stood
bodily before you, would you not forget that
you ever had a pang or a grief, in the joy of
His presence ? Though invisible now to
mortal eyes, He is with you ns really as He
ever was with Mary and Martha and Lazarus 1
Not so satisfyingly you may say. Perhaps
not. But remember this: there is peculiar
blessing to those who have not seen. Christ
said “ Thomas ! because thou hast seen thou
hast believed, blessed are they that have not
seen and vet have believed”—John xx : 20.
You may enjoy less now than those wht> saw
the Saviour, but you will be more blessed
hereafter. Your good things are not in this
world; but there is a good time coming for all
them that love God. Yea, every time is good
for them, for their very tribulations are sen*
o i them for a purpose, and that purpose is to
work out for them a far more exceeding and
eternal weight of glory. Be of good cheer,
dear friends! God’s way is the best way ;He
will give yon strengtli for your burden ; His
grace will not fail you ; His Spirit will not
forsake you ; and in His own good time He
will wipe all tears from your eyes. In the
meantime remember that all this is done for
Christ’s sake, and rejoice with us all, rich and
poor together that Christ was born, and hav
ing tasted our sorrows knows how to feel for
them, and ever liveth to intercede [for them
that trust in Him.
I>B. FILLER.
Our highly esteemed and much-loved
brother, Rev. Robert W. Fuller, D. D., has
been obliged, for the time at least, to abandon
his post. His failing health has grown rap
idly worse during the last few weeks, and he
found that the somewhat rigorous climate of
our city, was too severe for him. He has gone
to spend a season with a kinsman in Aiken,
S. C.,' hoping that under the influence of Ihe
climate there, which seems to be peculiarly
beneficial to [versons in his condition, he may
recuperate. Once before, he experienced
great benefit from a temporary sojourn in
Aiken, and this encourages us in the hope
that he may be benefitted again. Our readers
have lost much, but we have lost more; hav
ing enjoyed his daily companionship which
was both profitable and delightful. We shall
not fail, however, to supply our readers with
the usual amount of reading matter, and com
mending our associate to the prayers of the
brethren, and to the good providence of God,
let us all hope for his speedy recovery.
An Honest Answer to a Surprising Qnestlon.
In order to do full justice lo the subject,
we copy the following article entire, from
the National Baptist, (Philadelphia). The
Augusta Chronicle and Sentinel in alluding to
the Augusta Institute, says:
“Dr. Robert, tbe President, is a Southern
er, a South Carolina gentleman of the old
school, belonging to one of the most illus
trious families of this section of country,
and, by his immense culture, is eminently
qualified to preside over this important re
ligious enterprise. The Southern Baptists,
especially, desire that Southern men should
instruct the rising ministry of colored
youth.”
Dr. Robert we regard as an excellent
man ; and we rejoice In the success of lbs
labors.
But the sentence last quoted suggests an
enquiry, which we would humbly present :
Why do “Southern Bspt : st especially de
sire that Southern men should instruct the
rising ministry of colored youth?” What
objection is urged against brother King,
and Corey, and Tupper, and Colby, and
Ayer, and Axtell and Phillips? And here
in Selma is brother VVoodsmall whose suc
cess is marvellous, who in premises bought
by the colored people of Alabama, with no
help from the North, has gathered one linn
dred and thirty-six pupils, and is doing a |
work that is unsurpassed tor its usefulness
and ior the seli-denial which it involves.
We most earnestly ask again, Why do
“Southern Baptists, especially, desire South
ern men to instruct the rising colored min
istry ?”
Our brother of the National Baptist asks
the same question twice, and in each case
puls the word why in italics, thus indicating
the greatest possible emphasis, and expresses
•‘a most earnest desire” to obtain a full and sat
isfactory answer. Such an answer we shall en
deavor to give; and in so doiug, we shall
avoid all personal allusions, and shall say
nothing that would not be applicable, in
principle, to any other country as well as to
ours, and to any age, a thousand years ago,
or a thousand years hence, as well as to this.
1. Every people prefers its own people to
strangers—those who are known, to those
who are not known. Human nature is
here ’exactly what it is everywhere else,
neither more nor less, neither better nor
worse. We prefer that all our teachers,
preachers, and leading men in all depart
ments of life, should be from among our
selves. Among all peoples, there is occa
sionally an exception to this rule. Some
times a man of great reputation, like Dr.
McCosh, is imported from abroad, and
sometimes, also, men of lesser note. These
cases are rare; there is generally some
special reason for it; and always those
who do the importing, prefer to make their se
lection for themselves. And our observation is,
that even Englishmen who are of our own
flesh and blood, language, laws, literature,
history and traditions, when imported in ma
ture life into any part of the United States, are
apt to fail for a time, and, genera'ly, for a
good long time, of complete success. It is
not because they are not as good as we are,
or not as wise, or not as learned, or not as
estimable in all respects, but simply because
of minor differences in habits of thought,
manners, and customs. Viewed in the ab
stract, these are small matters it is true, very
small; but viewed in the concrete, they are
highly important. These insignificant things
ought not to interfere with a man's success,
but they do; and as this is not an abstract
world, it is well, In practical matters, to take
things as they are. The Northern people
and the Southern people, are virtually two
different peoples. Of the same stock, it is
true, yet they have developed differently un
der different skies ; and this has occurred in
the providence of God. Comparison as to
merits or demerits is needless, for we cour
teously concede precedence to our neighbors,
as we always do, in our polite intercourse
with each other, and with the world. We
simply say, that being like all the rest of the
human race, our own people suit us best;
and without going further, we think enough
has been said already, to satisfy our brother
that those objections of ours, which he refers
to, are natural and inevitable. He must ex
pect us to be more or less than human, if be
looks for anything else.
2. It there were a necessity, or even a
feeble demand, for teachers trom a distance,
there would be some reason for haviug such
teachers. But there is no necessity for it; we
have pleoty of teachers here. Nor, so far
as we know, is there any demand, however
feeble, for help even from adjoining Slates.
Our own teachers are not OBly sufficient in
number, but are abundantly capable, and per
fectly acceptable. The editor of Tiib In
dex himself, was once engaged for some
months, everyday, iu teaching colored min
isters, and his instructions weru listened to
with great eagerness, by all who could make
it convenient to attend. When there are
many here, who are able and willing to do
the work, if others arc sent iront afar, in
quiry is naturally raised for the reason of
this strange procedure. No reason is appa
rent, and hence the suspicion naturally
arises, that there must be some reason which
is concealed; and concealment, or the sem
blance of it, is sure to beget distrust.
3. When we send missionaries to the
heathen, we send those who are slrangeis
to those among whom they expect to labor.
But we do this from the necessity oi the
case. When it pleases God to raise up na
tive preachers who are thoroughly qualified
for the Work, they are always employed and
preferred. Nobody would think of sending
a missionary to China to do the work which
a native preacher on the spot could do just
as well. An appeal for money to susta’n
such a missionary, would be made in vaiD.
Why should we, ol the S >utb, be made an
exception ! Why should a policy be pur
sued in our case, which would not be
pursued in the case of Hottentots or Bush
men? Admitting that we are heatheu, are
we worse than other heathen ? But we are
not heathen, aod nobody thinks we are. A
pure gospil is preached among us by able
aod faithful men, and this the world knows.
If.tbese men are set aside, aud others put in
their place, the world might well exclaim
why f why f Men never act without reason.
Iu this case it would seem that there must be
some occult reason, and if there is anything
occult about the transaction, pure -minded
men will have nothing to do with it.
We could say much more, but wc thick
we have said enough. Now let us, in turD,
respectfully ask our brother of the National
Baptist a question. If you desire to employ
a man to labor iu the Lord among the freed
men, and we offer you a man who is well
known among us, and who has the confi
dence aud love of all our people, ol all col
ors, whose piety, and ability, and aptness to
teach, are unquestioned, and who, being one
of us, is free from the disability which natu
rally attaches to all strange rs, and who is
theref re letter qualified for the work than
any stranger on earth could p vssibly be, why
would you pass that man by, and send a
stranger in bi 9 place? And again we ask,
whyt If a man will persbt in sending
cals to Newcastle, he must expect the
world to ask him why 1 And if the coals he
semis, are not as well adapted to the purposes
for which coals are used in Newcastle, as
the coals which are abundant in the place
itself, the question why comes in with in
creased emphasis.
If we have waxed warm in our argument,
and if the logic of the case has led us to
say a word which, by any forced construc
tion, can be regarded [as uncourteous or uc
fraternal, we beg our brother of the National
Baptist to believe, that in feeling at least, we
have tried to carry out the spirit of the ser
mon on the mount; and if in aDy respect
we have failed, we beg that a loving charity
may deal leniently with our faults.
Hostility to the Negro.
The following letter which explains itself,
is a specimen of innumerable things of the
same genus, if not of the same species, which
are constantly occuring:
To the proprietors of the Index : Inclosed
please find two dollars and sixty cents for one
new subscriber. I make him a present of it
in addition to his wages, for his faithful per
formance of duty on the plantation during
the year about to close. Yours truly
Our “new subscriber” is a negro, whose
address we omitted in copying the above letter,
and whom we heartily welcome to our circle
of readers. It is needless to say, that the
amiable benefactor of our colored friend, is of
the family of Japhet;but for the benefit of
those who do not know, it may be well to add,
that Japliet and Cush, in this latitude, are
very friendly. There was, indeed, a tempor
ary alienation of feeling ; but this lasted only
for a very short time, and those disturbers of
the peace who brought it about, have almost
all departed. Our ancient friendships are
renewed, and like some other things that have
been broken and thoroughly mended, are
stronger now than they were before; and all
is quiet between the Savannah and the Chat
tihoochee to-day.
STATE HUSSION BOARD.
To give the gospel to the spiritually desti
tute, white and black, by the living voice, to
organize Sabbath chcols in neighborhoods
whrre they do not exist, and to supply those
who have it net with the printed bible ; and
incidentally to increase the circulation of The
Index, and promote all the interests of Ihe de
nomination in Georgia, is the work which the
Convention has placed in charge of the State
Mission Board.
Though commencing without funds, the
brethren were unwilling to remain inactive;
they made the venture, and appointed twenty
three missionaries, whose united labors equal
ed the first year, the work of one man for over
eleven years. These missionaries preached
1597 sermons, delivered 966 Sabbath-school
and temperance addresses, organ'zed 75 Sab
bath-schools, and jierformed a great amount of
work not here enumerated.
The amount of money raised for the sup
port of the first year’s work is $6572.40, and
for building houses of worship $1376,00. Th'i
shows that the Baptists of Georgia gave the
enterprize a generous aid.
This success wag sufficient to justify the com
mittee appointed by the Convention at La
Grange, to examine the report of the Board,in
siying: “We take pleasure in saying that the
Convention hag every reason to De gratified at
the results which have already been attained.”
Ihe Committee on Minions, also say: “We are
gratified to be able to report, that a year’s ex
perience has demonstrated the wisdom of ap
pointing your Slate Mission Board. Through
their instrumentality, many usetul brethren
have been enabled to devote themselves more
fully to the work of the ministry. Many pop
ulous communities, and sections have been
supplied with preaching; many Sunday-schools
have been established, and others strengthen
ed, while the occupancy of waste places at
home has encouraged the churches to cast
their eyes abroad to nations who have not
heard the gospel of peace. ” At the end of
the Conventional year, the Board was out of
debt.
This unqualified approbation of the meas
ures and work of the Board will encourage us
to venture, and trust for the future.
TMi Year twenty three missionaries are un
der commission, four of whom are laboring
exclusively among the freedmen. Our work
is progressing with good success. Much more
has been done this year, than the first, up to
this time. Over one hundred have been bap
tized. All of our missionaries are engaged in
distributing bibles, which greatly increases
their usefulness. The American Bible socie
ty has generoa-ly aided us by furnishing bi
bles at so small a price, that more than five
thousand bibles, and testaments have already
been sold, and donated. If we consider, that
probably an average of every sixth person in
Georgia is without a bible, not including the
freedmen, this work can hardly be overesti
mated.
Shall this “labor of love’’ so auspiciously
commenced continue and increase?
A considerable amount must be contributed
to carry the present engagements through to
the Convention in April.
How small an amount is necessary, from
etch of you, lovers of Jesus, to make those for
whom we labor rejoice.
Will you permit your Board to be cramped,
and damaged for the lack of a little effort, and
sacrifice on your part?, I appeal to you, read
er, to make a gift to this cause, as a teainning
of your new year’s work for your Lord.
J. H. DeVotie,
Cor- BeC. S. M B.
Our Pulpit.—ln place of our sermon, to
day, we give an expository lecture on the
twelfth chapter of Ecclesiastlis, delivered orig
nally to the students of the University of
Georgia, but which will be just as interesting
to anybody else; if it were only r.nVed. a sermon
it would he one.