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'„■ • 'cSv?*'• *’**'
THE TRUE CHURCH.
“Our respected contemporary,” the 1
Telegraph awl Messenger, propounds
in its daily issue of June 3d, the query:
« What church existed save the Catho
lic, all through the long ages that suc
ceeded Paul's epistle to the Romans;
and the life and career of Paul, and
other evangelists and followers of the
Saviour of mankind, down to the Ref
ormation ? ”
If the writer of that article, whom
we suppose to be, not the editor, but
some devout Roman Catholic friend of
his whom he is willing to endorse, will
turn to the “epistle” Paul wrote to the
“ Romans” under Divine inspiration,
he will discover that it was addressed,
not to the “ Roman Catholic Church,”
as the one church of Christ on earth,
but “to all that be in Rome, beloved of
God, called to be saints;” and that to
these Roman Christians was sent the
message: “ The churches in Christ
salute you.” The inspired writer also
commends to their confidence and
their assistance, ‘ Phebe,” whom he
designates as a servant of the church
at Cenchrea.
This epistle was written at Corinth,
where there was another church of
Christ, recognized in its existence and
independent self-government, by two
epistles specially addressed to it, neith
er of which contains the slightest al
lusion to the Roman, or any other
church, as having any authority over
them in matters of faith or discipline.
The first of those epistles was written
“unto the church of God which is at
Corinth, to them that are sanctified in
Christ Jesus, called to be saints, with
all that in every place call upon the
name of Jesus Christ, our Lord.” The
second, to “the church of God which
is at Corinth, with all the saints which
are in all Achia.” They contain no al
lusion whatever to the church in
Rome, if indeed, there was any such
church when they were written, nor to
any other church as having authority
over others, though we read in them
of the churches in Macedonia, cited as
models of Christian liberality, deserv
ing, of high commendation; and the
Corinthian church is exhorted by the
Apostle to emulate these Macedonian
churches in their abounding benevo
lence, and thus “prove the sincerity of
their love.” But though he claims
these Corinthian Christians as his be
loved sons, and says that he alone is
their father “in Christ Jesus,” yet he
assumes no papal authority over them,
admitting that in this he “speaks not
by commandment.” See 2d. Cor., VIII.
Many of the other epistles were writ
ten by Paul, from Rome, while he was
a prisoner there, as those to the Gala
tians, Ephesians, Phillipians,Colosians,
and the 2d epistle to Timothy; but
no where in them all do we discover
the faintest idea of the Roman church
claiming authority over others, or the
least hint of the existence of only one
church as an organized body having
powers of ecclesiastical dominion over
all others.
Nor can such an idea find any sup
port in secular history. Omitting the
fact of the greater antiquity of the
Greek church, embracing as it does
the seven churches of Asia, men
tioned in Revelations, and all others,
except the Church of Rome, that date
back, definitely, to the days of the
apostles, where in any two Protestant
sects, do we find an equal animosity in
feelings to that which characterized
these two bodies in the early ages of
their history ? The adherents of the
older, the Greek church, never gener
ally acknowledged the authority of the
Roman. No Roman Catholic can
claim for his church, as an organized
body, an origin outdating the decree
of the Roman Senate, A. D. 384, abol
ishing Paganism, and establishing
Christianity as the State religion
throughout the empire. The edict of
Constantine, A. D. 313, which put
an end to the tenth and last general
Pagan persecution, simply gave tolera
tion, not ascendency, to the Christian
religion ; but this toleration, even by
opening too widely the doors of admis
sion to the church, caused a degenera
cy in its membership. It was not till
A. D. 607, that the Pantheon at Rome,
the temple built for the worship of the
whole rabble of Pagan gods, was dedi
cated as a Christian church; but be
fore that event, very many of the
abominations of Paganism had been
gradually engrafted on the Christian
system. Among these may be men
tioned the worship, or as some con
tend, invocation of the Virgin Mary
and of Saints, the celibacy of the cler
gy, the saving efficacy of sacraments,
'extreme unction, the suppression of
the Seri ptures, etc. Against some of
the gros seat of these perversions and
heresies, the Greek church has ever
maintained her persistent protest.
In the primitive church the title of
bishop, or pastor, or elder, was applied
indiscriminately and synonymously to
all who had .charge of particular
churches, and those who were venera
ble with age and had long held such
charges, were often styled “ papa," as
we, in the Baptist churches, call our
aged ministers “ father.” But, near
the close of the fourth century, Grego
ry Nazienzen, bishop of the Constan
tin church, claimed fol him-
The Christia# Index and South-western Baptist: Thursday August 14, 1879.
•elf, as the metropolitan bishop, an ex
clusive right to the title of “ Patriarch.”
This was met on the part of Biricitu,
the bishop of the Roman church, by a '
claim to an exclusive appropriation of
the title of “ Papa,” or “ Pope.” But
it was nearly two hundred years after
this before the “ Pope of Rome” was
the acknowledged head of even all the
Roman churches; in ecclesiastical
matters nearly another century had
elapsed before the unjustifiable conces
sions of the usurper Phajas, made to
the “ Bishop of Rome,” to conciliate
his influence in securing for himself
the imperial throne, laid the founda
tion of that temporal power in the
Papacy under which the nations of
Europe groaned for centuries.
Should we not learn a lesson from
the past ? May not history rejieat it
self ? Do we not in our own day see
demagogues truckling to the same cor
rupt hierarchy, for the sake of securing
their political influence ? It becomes
us to beware lest in doing this we fast
en on our own necks the shackles of a
power that has ever proved itself an
unscrupulous tyrany.
We can hardly read the edicts of
the Roman Catholic Church, after it
became dominant in Europe, triumph
antly recorded by her own historians,
with details of the cruel and bloody
persecutions of the Waldenses and Al
bigenses, the Huguenots, the inhabit
ants of the Vaudois valleys, the Lol
lards, the Wickliffites and Hussites,
without feeling that all along through
the dark ages the true church of Christ,
though hidden in the wilderness, was
not few in numbers, either as regarded
its aggregate membership or its cccle
sia, or individual flocks. These, so
similar to the Baptist churches of the
present day, each under its own pastor,
and maintaining its own independent
church government, were, like the
Apostolic churches described in the
New Testament, composed of professed
Christians, who had received believer’s
baptism. They could not be called
“ Protestant Churches,” for they never
protested. It, was their constant study
to avoid all collision with the papal
hierarchy, and they can no more be
called offshoots from Romanism than
the Baptist churches of the present
day.
The Christians of these various sects
devoted their most earnest efforts to
the cultivation of their own personal
piety, and the rearing of their children
in the faith, for which they were wil
ling, if driven to extremity, to sacrifice
even life itself. How, in the face of
such facts, can any Papist or apologist
for Romanism, dare to claim f>efore an
intelligent and reading world that the
“ Roman Catholic Church” was ever,
with all her “auto-da-fe’s,” and her
“ St. Bartholomew massacres”—her
wholesale butcheries under her “Medi
cis” and “ Philip 11, of Spain,” etc.,
and her more private murders by pris
on in royal and noble ranks, and by
slower, but not surer, tortures in the
dungeons of her Inquisition, was ever,
at any time, the “Church of Christ,”
and His witness on earth, much less
tho sole repository of the truth as it
is in Jesus! C.
HOME MISSIONBOA RD.
To the Baptists of Georgia:
Dear Brethren :—ln deference to the
request of your State Convention at its
last session, the agent of tho Home
Mission Board of the Southern Baptist
Convention has been withdrawn from
the field. This leaves the Board de
pendent upon the voluntary contribu
tions of its friends, and the collections
that shall be made under the direction
of your State Mission Board. The H.
M. Board accept the situation, and if
results shall prove the correctness of
the theory, that more money can be
raised at less cost, without an agent
than with one, none will more grate
fully rejoice than we. That such may
bo the case, I fervently pray Almighty
God ; and I pray you brethren, pastors,
and churches, give your hearty support
to your State Mission Board and its
corresponding Secretary in carrying
out the purposes of the Convention.
That the honored and beloved Sec
retary will do all that energy, and long
experience, inspired by love to Christ,
can accomplish, no one can doubt who
knows him.
But Dr. DeVotie cannot, nor could
Paul or Apollos, if recalled to earth,
fulfill the task required without your
co-operation. Important results await
the issue of the plans inaugurated at
Columbus in April last. Great inter
ests are to be advanced or retarded, as
success or failure attend them.
Let me remind you, at this time par
ticularly upon the eve of your Associa
tional meetings, that the Home Mis
sion Board is greatly in need of funds
to carry on the work in Georgia, and
Florida, and Alabama, and Arkansas,
and Texas, tn almost every State em
braced by the Southern Baptist Con
vention—among the Indians, civilized
and savage, among the Chinese in Cali
fornia, and tho colored people in (he
South.
Bear us in mind brethren, and help
the cause of our common Lord com
mitted to us, as we shall over invoke
his favor upon you. .
Wm. H. Mclntosh,
Cor. Sec. H. M. B’d.'S. B. C<
Marion, AU., July 31st 1879.
“Men are strong and influential just
so far as they have some darling
thought, some immovable conviction,
some urgent belief.”
Revival scenes and inci
dents.
Having been requested by several
brethren, whose opinion I respect, to
prepare a series of articles for The Index
concerning the baptists of Georgia, I
have taken the matter under considera
tion and have concluded to offer someth
ing on the subject above indicated. For
months past my mind has been ex
ercised on this subject. From what I
have heard in conversation and from
the pulpit, it has seemed to me that'
many of our people have beco me skep
tical on the subject of revivals. This
is owing, perhaps, mainly to the effects
of religious excitements, gotten up by
professional evangelists, which, it must 1
be confessed, are often evanescent and
injurious. But we ought to be able to
distinguish between the genuine and
the spurious. That the Word of God
and the history of the church in all 1
ages do prove that there are such
blesssings as revivals of religion—
“ refreshings from the presence of the
Lord ” —in and by which the cause of
Christ is promoted and sinners are
converted, is a proposition which can
fiot be successfully controverted.
I sometimes read of revivals, in
which “ there is no excitement what
ever.” This is an impossibilty.—
There never was a genuine revival \
without excitement. Religion is a
subjectofthe highest importance—and,
when the minds of men are fully
aroused to its claims, it must produce
excitement. Perhaps nine-tenths of
the Christians who read this article
were converted in times of revival, and
they remember them as times of ex-1
citement. There is nothing so much ,
needed in this land now—and in all
lands, as to that matter—as a general
outpouring of the spirit of God.
The first revival I ever witnessed
was that in which I made a profession
of religion, and which lasted more than
a year, and I feel impelled, in this con
nection, to say something of my own
Christian experience. I was brought
up on the seaboard of Georgia, and, in
the fall of 1822, was a pupil in the
academy at Sunbury, Liberty county,
walking five miles and back daily.—
Our family consisted of my father,
mother, three sisters, and myself. My
mother was a devotedly pious woman.
The rest of us were far from righteous
ness. For one so young I was daring
ly wicked. I had early contracted the
habit of profane swearing, in which I
indulged daily. During a certain week
I was prevented from attending school
by the illness of one of my sisters, to
wards the close of which I heard there
was a great religious awakening among
the people of Sunbury, and that several
had professed conversion. I had read
of such things, but had never witness
ed anything of the kind. Sabbath
forenoon found me at church, though
I was late in reaching it, and took a
seat in the first |>ew that was opened
to me. A stranger was in the pulpit—
a Methodist minister of the name of
Winn, who died soon after in Charles
ton, 8. C. He was the first methodist
I had ever heard, and I was much in
terested by his fervid appeals and earn
est manner. The deepest solemnity
rested upon the congregation. The
faces of the older Christians were light
ed up with “ the joy of the Holy Ghost”
—such as I have often witnessed since
—and many sinners were affected to
tears. I was also soon weeping with
the rest, but brushed away my tears,
hoping that no one had discovered my
emotion. There were eyes upon me,
however, that 1 was not aware of—
those of an aged Presbyterian lady, a
relative of my mother. As soon as
the bene liction was pronounced, I was
hastily leaving the church, when, in
passing her pew, she laid her hand up
on me, and inquired about my sick sis
ter. I informed her of her extreme
idness, saying, “ I must hasten back
immediately.” “No, I must not go
till I had gotten my dinner, and must
go to her house for that purjxise.” I
would have refused, but dated not re
sist her importunity. I learned from
her subsequently, that she saw I was
aiming to escape from the influence
that was upon me, and decided to de
tain me to the meeting at night, if
practicable. Dinner was no sooner over,
than, hat in hand, I was in the act of
leaving, when two young ladies—my
schoolmates, who had but recently
been converted—came in, and joined
their importunities with those of my
pious aunt, to stay over to the meeting
at night. “ No, I must go. My sister was
ill, and my parents would be anxious
about me.” “Well, won’t you wait
long enough to hear us sing one song?”
I could not refuse, and still maintain
ing my position, and they, standing
before me, commenced singing, "Come
thou fount of every blessing,” with the
chorus, “ Oh, I’m bound for the king
dom,” etc. As the song proceeded, I
was overwhelmed with emotion, and
sank down into a chair. They sung
the song through, when, seeing the
advantage they had gained, they re
newed their importunities for me to re
main. I yielded, and have never had
cause to regret it.
For weeks a sense of my lost condi
tion rested heavily upon me. I heard
preaching, but that only increased my
trouble. I read the Scriptures, but
they only proved that my condemna
tion was nist. I tried to pray, but my
prayers deemed abomination in tho
sight of GOd—and I gave them up.—
While in this state of mind, an Asso
ciation was held at North Newport
church, fifteen miles away, which I
was permitted to attend. I remember '
but little that occured ti 1 Sabbath fore
noon, when Rev. Benjamin Screven,
of South Carolina, preached. The
house was packed with a large congre
gation, and all under a powerful reli
gious influence. I have no recollec- ;
tion as to what was his text, and but
little about his sermon, “ a horror of
great darkness ” was upon me. But I :
remember that he was describing the
condition of an awakened sinner, and
the danger of his sinking into despair. ■
Just then he came to a sudden pause,!
saying, he wished the congregation to |
spend a few moments in silent prayer ;
for that sinner. The stillness of death
pervaded the house. Though I had
not tried to pray for days, I closed n.y ■
eyes and said, “ Oh, Lord, if there is
any way of salvation for me, reveal it
to me by thy spirit.” In an instant,
Jesus Christ was revealed to my mind,
hanging on the cross, and seeming to
say, “ I died for such sinners as you
are.” The “ horror of great darkness ”
passed away. My heart was melted,
tears forced themselves through my
still closed eyelids, and my soul was
filled with joy unspeakable, and full of
glory.” In less than three minutes I
was praying, not only for the congre
gation, but for the whole world.
A few weeks thereafter, I was bap
tised into the Sunbury Baptist church
by Rev. C. O. Screven, D. D. This was
in the fall of 1822, 1 was then in my
sixteenth year. A few evenings after
my baptism, at the instance of my
mother, and with my father’s consent,
I held family worship in his house.
Such a scene does not often occur. I
read a chapter, sung a hymn, (my
mother acting as chorister,) fell upon
my knees, and poured out my soul in
“ strong cries and tears ” for my ungod
ly father, and for my unconverted sis
ters. He was a changed man from
that evening, though he never made a
public profession. My sisters were soon
converted, and were faithful chistians
as long as they lived.
J. H. Campbell.
Columbus, Ga.
MEMORIAL OF JESSE MERCER.
On the 19th ult., the Washington
Baptist church unanimously adopted
the following resolutions, which were
offered by W. M. Sims, Esq :
Whereas, it is the custom of the living to
per;>etuate, in some tangible form the mem
ory of the dead, who, in life, were illustrious
for their advocacy and support of any or of
every good cause; and, whereas, Rev. Jesse
Mercer, D.D. was a prince among men in
advocating and supporting.by word anil deed,
the cause of education, of Christianity, and of
every cause that tends to elevate the human
race; and, whereas, the Baptists of Georgia
are now reaping the rich fruit of his labors,
and upon them rests the sacred responsibility
and obligation of rescuing from oblivion,
and of preserving to posterity, his honored
name: Therefore, by the Washington Bap
tist church in conference assembled, be it
Resolved, That, with the help of God, we
will build at Washington, Georgia, a church
which shall stand as a lasting memorial of
all that the “Father Georgia Baptists' ’ has
done for Christianity, aud for the Baptist
cause in this State.
Resolved, That the Baptists of Georgia,and
all others who revere the name of Mercer, be
solicted, thorough the press and otherwise,
to co-operate with this church in thus per
petuating his memory.
Resolved, That a book for subscriptions
be opened under the direction and supervis
ion of a committee, consisting of Rev. H. A.
Whitman, C. E. Wingfield, W. M. Sims and
F. W. Barnett, to either whom, persons
abroad may remit tneir contributions.
Resolved, That steps betaken looking to
the removal of the remains of Bto. Mercer
from Penfield, where his grave has been neg
lected for years, and to having them brought
to Washington, which was his home at the
time of his de-, th, and where he wished to be
buried, and deposited along with the bones
of his wife, whose grave is in Washington,
i in a vault to be prepared for the purjxwe, in
said Memorial church.
Resol veil, That a copy of these resolutions
be sent for publicatian to each of the follow
ing papers of the Baptist denomination:
Christian Index, Religous Herald, Baptist
I Courier, Biblical Recorder, Baptist ReHector,
Western Recorder and Examiner A Chroni
cle. Also, that five hnndred copies of reso
lutions be printed for distribution among the
1 Baptists of this State.
Fifty years ago, Jesse Mercer stood
in the front rank of Baptist leaders in
the United States. In Georgia, he was
the foremost man among who advoca
' ted Baptist principles. But the nieni-
I ory of his work is fast fading away. In
it generation or two, his name, togeth
ler with his noble charities, will be for
gotten, unless steps are taken to per
petuate their memory.
The plan proposed in the resolutions
for keeping fresh in the hearts of men all
that Mercer has done for Christianity,
: is feasible, and ought to meet with the
! hearty approval and support of every
j Baptist in the land. To build a mem
; orial church will be a noble expression
of love and gratitude toward Bro. Mer
cer, who did more in his day, than any
one slse to promote the cause of his
brethren. The writer is confident that
the Baptists of Georgia will never let
the debt, due his memory, go unpaid.
So fully assured is he of their love and
gratitude toward Mercer, and of their
willingness to perpetuate his memory,
i that he is firmly persuaded they will
do, at Washington, for Jesse Mercer
what the Methodists have done, at Sa
vannah, for John Wesley.
H. A. W.
A Welsh minister, a man of God,
lieginning his sermon, leaned over the
pulpit, and said with a solemn air,
“ Friends, I have a question to ask. I
cannot answer it. You cannot an
swer it. If an angel from heaven were
here he could not answer it. If a devil
from hell were here he coulcf not an
swer it! ” Death-like silence reigned.
Every eye was fixed on the speaker.
He proceeded, “ The question is' this,
‘ How shall we escape if we neglect so great
a salvation f" (Heb. 2.)
SUNDRIES.
Not Truthful. —It is not truthful
for a brother to say, “Brother Modera- j
tor, I don’t want to speak but just a
minute,” and then speak for fifteen
minutes. One brother in a convention
wanted “just five minutes,” and then
spoke thirty.. Another would “occupy I
only two minutes,” and spoke seven. I j
might give many more examples, for
they are well nigh innumerable, but
these are sufficient. Now, there are
two things about this habit that must
be apparent. First, after making due
allowance for the form of speech, the
man who says he will not speak but
two minutes, and then speaks five,
does not tell a truth. It may be a very
unimportant something else, but it cer
tainly is not a truth. And yet one
would naturally expect religious men
in a religious convention to tell noth
ing but the truth. The second thing I
is, that the man who addresses a tired, !
bored audience from policy, had better !
say he will speak longer than he does
speak, than to say he will be briefer
than he does. How hopeful we are
when he says “only two minutes ;” how
disgusted we are when he is driving on
towards ten. Maybe he thinks he will '
gain our attention by promising to be
brief, and hold it by being smart or in
teresting or eloquent, or all these com
bined, but we cannot listen patiently
and kindly to one who has broken a
promise to be brief when we are al-1
ready bored, even if he is smart and
eloquent, well dressed and good look-'
ing!
Remedy for a Difficulty.—Bro.,
Kilpatrick’s plan of appointing dele-1
gates to the Southern Baptist Conven
tion never appeared to me in its full |
merit until I was made Secretary of I
the Committee on Credentials, and we ;
had twice as many (probably) dele-1
gates as we were entitled to. His plan
is for those who contribute the money |
to appoint the delegates to represent
the money. This is certainly fair and !
legal, and, if strictly adhered to, would |
remedy the difficulty we had in At
lanta at the recent convention. That
difficulty was to report alxnit 150 dele
gates, when we were only entitled to
71. Besides this, I hope the plan, if it
could l>e adopted and worked, would
lead to a large increase in our contri
butions. If we could not be members
without having first raised the money
for the objects of the convention,
would we not be more careful to raise
the money?
“A Brother in Hot Water.”—
Rev. E. K. Love, a colored brother, re
cently visited Albany and made an ad
dress on “Baptism,” in connection with
the performance of the ordinance in I
Flint river. The address was a very
stirring one, if we may judge by the
effect it had on some of the Methodist
sisters. They are said to have “an
swered back at him while he was talk
ing,” and the next day they were seen
in hot dispute on the street, and I am
told they paid Bro. Love a visit, and
ordered him to “take it back, or they
would whip him.” Then somebody
published the affair in the Albany Ad
vertiser, and said the brother was in
hot water, which called forth a reply
from Bro. Love, in which he says the
publication very seriously misrepre
sents him. As I did not hear the ad
dress, I depend upon his card of ex
planation for what he said, which cre
ated the sensation. It was that there
is but one baptism; that sprinkling
and pouring are not baptism, but that
“immersion is the God-given rite.” He
adds, I think appropriately, that every
word he said came out of the New
Testament, and he is not to lie blamed
for it. He says he was moderate and
respectful, and “abused” no one. His
card does him credit. But the sisters
say he “took it back,” and he says that
that is a mistake. Polemics are run
ning very high now in this section
among the colored people. A colored
Methodist preacher recently announced
the new and startling doctrine that
“Christ never went into Jordan,” and
that into in that place don’t mean
into, but “close by.” And he said he
could prove it, and challenged “white
or black” to meet him on it. Thus
far he has not been met, which proves
what, to hims Some “puzzled Dutch
man” will have to attend one of his
discourses on “into.” R. T. Hanks.
Albany, Ga-
IS THE NEW ~TESTAMENT
CHURCH BUILT UPON PETER
OR CHRIST f
Some think upon Peter from the
passage in Matthew 16: 18, where
Christ says, “Thou art Peter, and upon
tins rock I will build my church.” So
reads the common version, but the
Greek shows a different meaning,
“Thou art Petros, (lithos lapidem, a
stone,) but upon this rock Petra I will
build my church.” Sokleusner, a
learned German lexicographer, renders
Petros Lithos, a masculine noun, which
may be thrown or projected out of the
way. But Petra, a feminine noun,
.suxiem rupee, a reck, “eterra, aut mart
’promineus, aut mans," a rock, a moun
tain, jutting, projecting over the sea.
“In a sepulchre hewn out of a rock
Petra * * rolled a stone (lith’on) to
the door.” Mark 15:4. So Matthew
27: 51: "The rocks were rent,” petne.
But Petros is never rendered rock;
while that rock is Christ is frequent.
In the above passage, (Matthew
16: 18,) kai is rendered “and,” but is
frequently translated “but,” and should
be here: “But upon this rock Petra I
will build my church.” So in Acts
10 : 28 and Matthew 11: 19 it is ren
dered “but,” and in many other places.
The idea which is intended to be
supported by making Peter the head
of the church, to control its actions
and members, had its origin in the
minds of ambitious men, who sought
power and authority over the people.
In 1 Cor., 10, Paul speaks of the Isra
elites sustained in the wilderness, “and
that rock was Christ," Petrupot Petros.
Christ is also our life and head of the
church. If we make Peter head of
the church, then we shall be con
strained to draw the logical inference
that Paul was wiser than our blessed
Redeemer, for he says, 1 Cor., 3:11:
“Other foundation can no man lay
than',that is laid, which is Jesus Christ.”
Would Christ build his church upon
a frail man like Peter, who, in fear of
danger, denied him with an oath? He
knew his weakness and hence would
not have constituted him the founda
tion of his chosen people, consisting of
billions of accountable beings. In
Deuteronmy 22d, God is called the
Rock of Salvation, and in Ist Samuel,
2d chapter we find, “neither is there
any rock like our God.” David calls
God the Rock of his salvation. In Ist
Cor. 9th, 11th verse, “for other founda
tion can no man lay than that is laid
which is Jesus Christ.”
Could there be a more improbable,
ludicrous conception, than to commit
millions of human tieings to the care
of a frail mortal on whom they should
depend for sustenance and protection?
Suppose Alexander the great had
said to his Prime Minister, I commit
the control of this world, the sun in its
diurnal revolutions and the earth to be
defended from harm to your govern
ment, and support of all its inhabitants
and living creatures; this would sound
about as ludicrous as the committal to
Peter of the control, defence and sus
tainment of all God’s people on earth.
But if he had said, God built this world
and has committed the government
and protection of it with all its trillions
of Christians to his own son, Jesus
Christ, King of Kings and Lord of
Lords, no enlightened man would have
questioned the truth or propriety of
the expressions. If Peter had been so
much distinguished above common
men as was Washington and some
Europeans in character, the idea of
regal'ding him as the head of the
church would not seem so improbable
and visionary. Still more, if Uhrist
had continued thou art Peter, and up
on tnis stone, Petron, I will build my
church, the meaning would be clear
and distinct; but it is entirely changed,
but ujion Petra, this rock, I will build
it. For other foundation can no man
lay than that which is laid which is
Christ Jesus (1 Cor., 3d, 11). And
Christians “were chosen in Him before
the foundation of the world.” (Eph.,
11, 4). A. S.
Dear Index :—I have been so filled
with joy in a meeting which I have
recently held here at my mission sta
tion that I desire to tell of it to my
Georgia brethren and especially the
Rehoboth Association.
About three weeks ago I began a
meeting of days at A-tok-a, aided by
Brother A. J. Holt, who used to labor
among the wild Indians—now in Tex
as. We continued every night for two
weeks, Brother Holt remaining - one
week, and then Brother Trenchard, of
McAlester, came to my rescue and did
noble service. As a result I have bap
tized sixteen into our fellowship, and
received two by letter. One of the
baptized is my son-in-law, William
Mcßride.
The church is greatly revived and
in good working condition. An earnest
seriousness is prevalent over the town.
My wife has been quite sick with
intermittent fever, but she is now con
valescent.
Mrs. Buckner has also been very
sick, but is now better.
There is much sickness among the
Indians. The summer has been unu
sually warm and dry, and crops are
very short. I fear our poor people
will suffer for food next winter.
Brother Jas. William has recently
baptized nine into one of his churches
and reports good meetings.
Brother Frank Ross is doing a good
work in the eastern part of the Choc
taw Nation.
I regret you did not publish my trip
to the wild tribes. I hoped it would
afford valuable information.
Yours, J. S. Murrow.
A-tok-a, Choctaw Nation, July 25, 1879.
LETTER PROM BRUNSWICK.
Dear Index On the last Sunday
in June I preached at Darien and after
the service, took up a collection for
foreign missions. There are only eight
Baptists in the place and yet I am
able to report as the result of the col
lection, eight dollart. Five of the eight
Baptiste are females, and all of the
eight are poor. How did they happen
to give so much? There was no hap
pen about it. Each one agrees to give so
much per month and when the month
is out they eimply keep their jvord.
They are a noble band.
Last Sabbath after the night service
it was my privilege to lead down into the
water four willing followers of Christ.
The Lord frequently moves.in our midjt
cheeririg us his pressence and in
creaeidg our ranks by his love. .
Brunswick church Will * take up a
collection every quarter for missions.
A. C. Ward.