Below is the OCR text representation for this newspapers page.

THE’ CHRISTIAN INDEX. VOL. 59. Table of Contents. First Page—Alabama Department: Specula tive and Practical Questions; Visit to At lanta ; Consistency ; “Be Courteous;’’ The Religious Press. Second Page—Correspondence : Monthly Peace Notes ; What is the Object of Chris tian Worship; From Eufaula Ala.; An other Minister Provided For; In Memori am—Charles C. Green ; The Sunday school :—The Birth of Jesus—Lesson for January 23d ; Receipts of Mission Board— J. H. DeVotie. Third Page—Children’s Corner: Bible Ex plorations ; Enigmas; Correspondence; What the Choir Sang—poetry ; January. Fourth Page—Editorials : The Unseen Bat tle-field; A False Balance; The Census Again; Misdirected Charity ; A Church in a Lawsuit; Bible Revision; Sunday-school Lesson —Dr. Tucker. Fifth Page—Secular Editorials: New Year’s Gift; News Paragraphs; Literary Notes and Comments; “Does Insurance Insure?’’ Georgia News. Sixth Page—The Household: Turning Over the New Leaf—poetry; Our Charity ; Night Life of <oung Men ; The Family Putse ; The Art of Talking. Obituaries; Tributes of Respect. Seventh Page— The Farmer’s Index ; Farm Work ; A Little Arithmetic; The Recent Snow Storm. Eighth Page—Florida Department: Sayings and Doings ; Florida Baptist State Con vention ; A New Departure; Miscellane ous liems; North St. John's River Asso ciation ; Florida’s Garden Spot, etc. Alabama Department. BY HAMITFJ, HENDERBON. SPECULA TIVE AND PRACTICAL QUESTIONS. The “origin of evil” is an old dock eted question, on which the logic of ages has been expended, with no ap preciable results. Two score years ago, we remember to have heard it discussed in religious circles with as much earn estness as the hundred and one authors have discussed the question, “Who is Junius?” About that time we hap pened to read a tolerably lengthy ex tract from Augustine on the subject. In the "reductio ad abiurdum” process of reasoning, it is the most masterly piece of argumentation we have ever seen. To us, at least, it foreclosed that discussion for the balance of our life. After prosecuting the investigation as far as logic dare to venture into the . “secret things of God,” he closes about in these words: “To seek to find out the first evil thought in the first angel that fell, is as absurd as to attempt to see darkness or hear silence.” There we allowed the curtain to drop on that question, and to this day we have never attempted to look behind its mystic folds. There we adjourned that, with all similar questions, to some remote cycle in eternity, where the redeemed may prosecute their enquiries under happier auspices. The Bible has re vealed all that it is essential for us to know in regard to moral evil. We know that, so far as this world is con cerned, sin is well nigh coeval with our race. We know that it poisoned the fountain-head of human life. We know that the fatal virus has descended through all generations, and that upon every soul of our fallen humanity the plague spot is indelibly fixed. We know that upon each and every one of us it has entailed a double death, na tural and spiritual, and that, left to its own sad tendency, it will result in eternal death. To press our enquiries farther than this —to aspire to find out what nature it was that sin first vitiated before its entrance into this world—is as bootless a task as an attempt to as certain whether the inhabitants of the moon, if inhabitants it has, have fallen and been redeemed by Christ. How prone we are to strive after that which we can never attain, and if attained would be of no practical advantage to us. How hard it is for us to learn that there are mysteries in the divine economy, which, as we assay to approach them, recede back behind the eternal throne, and bury themselves in the pavilion of Godhead! How often must we be reminded that “secret things belong to God,” and only “things revealed belong to us and our children 1” But, reader, theie is a question con nected with this subject that is practi cal—a question which ought to awaken our profoundest solicitude—a question on which our eternal destiny hangs. How are we to be rid of sin? What and where is the remedy for this body and soul destroying evil? “What must I do to be saved” from its damning power? These and the like questions may be answered to some adequate purpose. When a man suddenly finds himself aroused at the hour of midnight by the cry of fire, and hears the crack ling flames devouring his house, he is not apt to raise the question as to how his dwelling was set on fire— whether by accident or design. That question is adjourned until he can save himself, his loved ones, and such con tents of his burning house as he can. These things accomplished, he may look into these back questions. And so, when we find ourselves in “captivi ty to the law of sin and death,” men aced every hour with the flames of per dition, we are ten thousand times more SOUTH-WESTERN BAPTIST. ) of Alabama. J interested as to how we are to escape the divine wrath, than as to how we were originally involved in the danger that surrounds us. Like Lot escaping from Sodom, we have no time to look back to gratify the most agonizing cu riosity. It is a question of life or death with us, and to fritter away our time on curious questions is the worst of madness. To change the metaphor: Suppose a South American traveler finds himself suddenly within the folds of a serpent; if he has any imple ment of defense by which he can cut the folds of his deadly enemy, he would instantly use it, and after relieving himself, he might then philosophize as he chose as to how the wily serpent eluded his sight until he fell within its grasp, and as to its wonderful powers in contracting its muscles upon its victim. Ungodly sinner, you are in the coils of that “old serpent, the devil and Satan.” Pause not, we beseech you to enquire how you came within his deathly grasp. Cry mightily to Him who can “destroy him that has the power of death, that is, the devil, and deliver you” who are now subject to his bondage. Many years ago, one of these specu lative minds, a gentleman of some cul ture and high position in society, ad dressed the substance of the following question to us: “Could not the fall of man have been prevented by his Maker, either by arresting him in the act of transgression or by removing the temptation?” That God could have done this, so far as a mere question of power is concerned, no sane man will doubt. That he did not see proper to do so, we all know. He could have made us as He made the “elect angels,” impervious to all temptations; or he could have made us brutes instead of rational beings. But He did neither. For the least of all reasons, because it pleased Him,, He chose to subject us to the hazards of disobedience to secure the honors of a voluntary service, the very highest and noblest form of obe dience of which angels or men are ca pable. That we did not stand the test to which He subjected us, is no fault of the Lawgiver, nor does it detract aught from the wisdom, goodness and justice of His plan. That He “saw the end from the beginning,” detracts nothing from our guilt and shame. That in his knowledge of the coming disaster, even “before the foundation of the world,” He provided a remedy for it in the gift of his Son, is the crown ing act of His wisdom, power and good ness. That those who slight and con temn this matchleap grace are guilty of the last act of abandoned depravity which fits them for destruction, is a truth which they will acknowledge in an eternity of remorse. Another question has often been asked—has been asked us—to this effect: “Knowing that man would fall, why did God admonish him?” While we w’ould not lightly treat any question an honest enquirer would make on any subject embraced in God’s word, we must say that the very terms of this question imply an arraignment of Je hovah before the bar of human reason. Why not shift the party addressed in this question and give it a more practi cal turn? Why not ask, “Since man was so earnestly warned and admon ished by hjs Creator, why did he blindly rush upon his doom, pluck and eat the forbidden fruit, thus bringing ‘death into the ■world,and allourwoe?’” How impious the effort to transfer the guilt of that transaction from the creature to the Creator,or even to divide that guilt! And then, to give a still more practical turn to the subject, let it be asked, as we are involved in “the great transgres sion,” why is it that we are so in love with those very sins, for which we would fain, in our madness, throw the blame upon God, or even upon Adam, that the appeals of Calvary cannot lure us from them? Every act of trans gression we commit is but an endorse ment of what our federal head did—is only saying that we would have done as he did had our positions been changed. It will better become us to recriminate upon Adam, when we re pudiate his act, and by a course of sin less obedience show how he ought to have acted. Till then, we had better keep our censures for ourselves. But whatever may be said of the origin of sin, there are two things of which it furnished the occasion on which the devout heart may dwell with holy joy. Ist. It furnished the opportunity for the Divine Being to manifest the fullest and most glorious display of all his di vine perfections. But for sin, the dis closure of these perfections must, in the nature 6f things, have been partial. But our disobedience presented just that contingency on which God re vealed himself to Moses as “The Lord, the Lord God, merciful and gracious, long suffering and abundant in good ness and truth; keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity, trans gression and sin, and that will by no means spare the guilty.” As the re- THE FRANKLIN STEAM PRINTING HOUSE. ATLANTA, GEORGIA, THURSDAY, JANUARY 13, 1881. vealed will of God makes “sin exceed ing sinful,” so that very sin makes grace still more gracious! 2d. The introduction of sin furnished the occasion for the covenant of re demption. No sooner had the devil succeeded in his designs upon man than war was instantly declared be tween heaven and earth, or rather be tween the seed of the woman and the seed of the serpent: “I will put enmity between thy seed and her seed,” etc. The devil has selected this earth a« the theatre on which to measure arms with Jehovah —the challenge has been ac cepted, and the conflict has been rag ing for nearly six thousand years. That it will end in the total and overwhelm ing discomfiture of all the powers of darkness, no Christian can doubt. That it will give to heaven a sweeter song than angels ever chanted, is assured in the anthem peal of the blood-washed throng! VISIT TO ATLANTA. Having some business in the “Gate City” some few weeks ago, we made a hasty visit to it, touching Rome as we passed, had a pleasant interview with our old friends, Captain Ledbetter and family, and with the gifted pastor of the Baptist church, Rev. A. G. Nunnally, whom we “interviewed” un til a late hour, and next day arrived at our destination a little after 12 o’clock, where we found our worthy chief, Dr. Tucker, awaiting us at the depot, and who escorted us to the “Franklin Publ ishing House,” and thence to his own hospitable home, where he claimed us as his guest during our sojourn in the city. It is enough to say that we had every attention from his family and himself that ingenuous friendship and' Christian affection could inspire. Those happy hours spent within his domestic circle, the many topics of interest dis cussed, the alternate drift from grave to gay, all sustained by an under ground of the matured piety of our ge nial friend, are all now among our heart-treasures. After attending to our business, we took a general stroll through the “Franklin Publishing House,” and we must say, even at the risk of offending the modesty of its managing proprie tor, brother James P. Harrison, that we know of nothing equal to it in all these Southern States. The amount of work done in this vast establish ment, the reader can scarcely imagine. Six large “power presses,” besides some for jobs, folding machinery, stitching, binding, etc., etc., with a force to man age every department efficiently, and all moving on with quiet energy, is a sight worth seeing. The “imprima tur” of the “Franklin Publishing House” has come to be a guarantee of accuracy, neatness, and superb finish unsurpassed bv any similar establish ment. In addition to the State print ing of Georgia, the most of the printing for the vast number of railroads that diverge from Atlanta is done at this office, besides ar. amount of job-work from miscellaneous sources that would itself be creditable to any other estab lishment. Let us add that we spent several pleasant social hours at the house of our brother, James P. Harrison, with himself and family, Dr. Lawton and lady, and our old friend and brother, C. M. Irwin and lady. Nor must we forget to say that we dodged in on our old Tuskegee friend, A. G. How ard, tobacco merchant, and indulged in a pleasant tete-a-tete with him. When enjoying such occasions, we are often made to ask, why we do not all take time to be happy? CONSISTENCY. There is nothing on which men pride themselves more than on their sup posed consistency. Often the plainest principle and the most obvious duty have been sacrificed to maintain it. For instance, here is a man who, in early life, commits himself on some religious question publicly, with a full conviction that be is right. We will suppose him to be honest, earnest, sincere. But in process of time, he discovers that he did not know every thing connected with that question at the time that he commited himself to it—that there is something to be said on the opposite side—nay, in the pro secution of his inquiries, he finds some great truth lying right across his track, or some important duty in clear anta gonism to his cherished convictions. What is to be done ? If he preserves his consistency he must sacrifice a distinctly apprehended truth—if he accepts the truth, and acts upon it, he sacrifices Iris consistency. Judg ment and conscience point to the one, pride and prejudice lean to the other. We have known struggles of this kind to go on for years, sometimes settled the one way and sometimes the other. When truth triumphs, the man is happy beyond expression in the con sciousness that to be right is better than to be consistent. When supposed consistence triumphs, or rather, when pride and prejudice stifle the voice of judgment and conscience, the victory is a defeat, and the man inflicts a wound upon his soul that will fester till the day of his death. “If,” said a worthy man to a minister of the gospel not a dozen years ago in his last illness, after a connection of forty years with a Pedobaptist church, “if I had followed my convictions, and connected myself with the Baptist church, I should have lived and died a happier man!” We doubt not that this is the experience of thousands. It requires some heroism for a man to break through the embarrassments that gather around him during the first few years of his religious life. Never does the truth appear so power ful as when it overcomes those bar riers, and sets its subject free from his flic ted bondage. For of all the obstacles it ever encounters, that is the iiFbst formidable which has neither eyes to see its divine beauty, nor ears to hear its authoritative voice. In such cases, the conquest is made, so to express it, by storm. Tryth some times enters the soul, as old Bunyan shows in his “Holy War,” like a con quering army enters a city after bat tering down its defences, with flying banners anil shoots of victory. Thus it conquered Paul, and myriads of others since his day. Happy they who are overcome by its most invincible weapons; but still happier they who yield to its gentler monitions, its “still small voice.” Now, reader, is it not better for you to be right than to be what you call consistent? Have you any precon ceived opinions you would not sacrifice to God’s eternal truth ? Is it not safer to weigh your creed by the Bible than the Bible by your creed? The alter native is, with every unregenerate soul, between being consistently lost, and inconsistently saved, using those terms as the world uses them. Which will you choose? "BE COURTEOUS." There is no-trait of Christian or min isterial character that goes further in enl-rging a man’s usefulness—his piety conceded —than the observance of the command, “Be courteous.” We are as much bound to cultivate this habit as any other. No amount of talents,of good ness of heart, as it is called, of wealth or of social position, can compensate for the lack of it. It is a kind of finishing polish to the whole Christian charac ter. We have known ministers of moderate abilities in other respects, whose influence surpassed that of other preachers, greatly their superiors in the pulpit, on account of those cheerful, kindly .winning manners which marked their intercourse in every circle. They possessed the power of putting even the most common-place truths in away so charming as to enlist the attention of the most intelligent and cultivated portion of their hearers. Everything they said seemed to take with every body. Then, on the other hand, we have known ministers whose talents were really of a high order, and whose piety nobody questioned, whose rough, un couth, not to say overbearing habits, greatly diminished their influence and well-nigh remanded then to the shades of private life. Nothing is beneath a' minister’s attention that will promote his influence for good. He cannot dis regard with impunity those numerous little amenities which give to social life its sweetest attractions. The Christian, it has been said, “is the highest style of man.” And of all Christians in the world, the minister ought to be the best type. Whatever is lovely in piety; whatever is refined and elevated in cul ture ; whatever is tender in sympathy; whatever is liberal and forbearing in charity ; whatever is charming and cap tivating in the social affections, ought to be incarnated in the man, who, by the very responsibilities of his office, is the embodiment of the cause he has consecrated his life to promote. It is just as easy to conciliate by kindness as to alienate by bhintncss—to speak pleasantly as to speak gruffly. In the few words that pass between him and his neighbor as they casually meet on the highway, he may lure him to the sanctuary, where the gospel may be made the power of God unto his salva tion, or send him beyond his influence forever! Think what the wise man says: “Words fitly spoken are like ap ples of gold in pictures of silver.” “Speaking the truth in love” is the way to give it its full force and effect. Shall we quote a homely saying we hoard the old preachers say more than forty years ago?: “You can catch .more flies with a spoonful of honey than a quart of vinegar.” We have known a few ministers (and thank God they have been few) who seejned to be making the experiment as to how much un couthness and gruffness could comport with their profession. We have known many (and 0! that there were more of THE CHRISTIAN HERALD, OF T s’n Ness eE . them) who were striving io show how much courtesy, gentleness, meekness, indeed, “whatsoever things are lovely,” their piety could produce. The Religious Press. And here is the pithiest way of put ting it that we have seen yet: Let newspapers that publish the literature of the brothel look to such places for their patronage.—Christian Advocate. And this means that when you find your newspaper full of scandal, such as will fill your minds with things that are unclean, you ought to discontinue it. The faith that staggers at the promise be cause the answer to prayer is delayed is not true faith. True faith waits upon God while it trusts in him. The delay in many cases is part of the answer.—Christian Advocate. Yes, He who knows what to give, knows when to give it. The Lord’s time is the best time. We might as well dictate what he should do, as to dictate when he shall do. Wait on the Lord; wait, I say, on the Lord. It costs but little to make a child glad; it costs but little to secure the grateful remem brance of a child; but if it cost a hundred fold more than it,does, it would be a profit able investment. It pays well to have a monument erected to ourselves in a child's memory and affections. And this we may have bv a little thoughtfulness and atten tion. —Zion's Heiald. Now, to our taste this is one of the sweetest paragraphs we have read in a long time. If we cannot bless little children as our Savior did, we can at least make them happy. Then why not do it? We should remember that they are children, and indulge them as far as we can consistently with what is right and with their own welfare. Keep them in the right way by tender coun sel and admonition, if possible, and if not, then by severer means ; but on the other hand, sympathise with their childish feelings, and afford them every enjoyment that is lawful. A soured child is apt to make a soured man. Make the little ones glad, and make them happy, and, growing up thus un der the influence of love, they will themselves become loving and lovely, and the happy effect will be felt by generations yet to come. Making one child happy is making his children happy, and theirs, and theirs. How fruitful is one little seed! “There is no doubt that much of the bad living of the day comes from wrong think ing. When men get an idea that it doesn’t matter much what they believe, the step is an easy one to the conclusion that it doesn’t matter much what one does.”—Christian at Work. And this is the essence of our lec ture which appeared in the last issue of The Index. The Banner Church.—We suspect that, so far, the Banner Church in the matter of ex tending the circulation of the largest Baptist paper in the world, is the Milton church, which with 100 members sends the names of 40 subscribers. This is truly wonderful for a people burned out of houses and of meet ing-house; it tells of life and enterprise that ensure prosperity. Such a people deserve to be helped to get on their legs.—National Baptist. Glad are we to know that there is one such Baptist church in the world ; we doubt if there is another. One hundred members and forty subscrib ers to their denominational paper, and that too from a little church whose house of worship was recently destroy ed by fire! Suppose every church in Georgia would do just half as well for The Index, what a paper we should have! And how the paper would help to build up the churches! And how it would help to support the pastors! And what an impulse would be given to our missionary and other benevo lent operations! A great lever power is The Index ; why do not the Baptists of the State use it more freely? Can’t afford it? How docs the grand little church at Milton afford it? Nor are these noble Baptists made poorer by it? Nay; they are made richer—rich er in this woild’s goods, and vastly richer in the only true riches. Now, brother Pastor! if you desire to do a good thing for yourself and for your church, try to do as much for The In dex as the Milton church in Pennsyl vania does for the National Baptist. We congratulate that excellent journal on the fact above stated, and wish it many more such blessed conquests. The Long and the Short oe It.—ls Inger soil is right, he is only an animal, and when lie dies that will be the end of him. But if lie is wrong, he will go to hell.—St. I.ouis Presbyterian. This is a blunt way of putting it, but wo do not know that it can be improv ed upon, unless we add the words “un less he exercises repantance toward God, and faith in our Lord Jesus Christ.” There is hope even for In gersoll. Sinners vile as he have been saved. We commend him to the pray ers of the people of God, all over the world; and wo ourselves will make him the subject of special prayer. Can we set limits to the grace of God? Lord be merciful to poor Ingersoll for our Lord Jesus Christ’s sake, Amen! The problem of the South will be solved when Northern capitalists, instead of carry ing the cotton, iron, etc., away from cheap labor and fuel, manufacture it on the spet.— Tribune. This will solve some problems, but not all. But let the capitalists come; they will be welcome and so will be anybody else who will come on any le gitimate errand. t At a Baptist conference recently held in California the following reso lution was adopted: Retolved, That while we had nothing to do with the coming of the Chinese to the Pacific coast, and hold ourselves in no way, responsible for what has come to pass in the Providence of God, we hold that we are un der obligation to the Chinese in our commu nities to give them the Gospel of the grace of God, and utter our regret that the Baptist denomination in California has no depart ment of Chinese evangelization in its state work; it being an exception in this respect to all evangelical denominations in Cali fornia. We express the hope, however, that this exception will not be long recorded against our denomination in this state. At the same time, we rejoice at the excellent Chinese work done in the Baptist churches in Oakland, East Oakland, and San Diego, and also at the recent organization of a Cni nese Baptist church, under the efficient la bors f our beloved brother, Rev. J. B. Hart well, D 1)., Missionary of the Board of the Southern Baptist Convention, to the Chi nese in San Francisc ■, and deem it but just to our Christian sense to utter these words of appreciation. We felt sure that we were making a good investment of money and labor when we sent brother Hartwell to Cali fornia, and are glad to learn that our expectations are realized. In the National Baptist we find the following which we commend to the notice of any and all who would like to have light work and good pay : Rev. R. W. B. Elliott, Missionary Bishop of Western Texas, made a speech in the * Episcopal Convention at New York, which had some telling “points”: 1 received a letter not very long ago from a young man, saying to me, “Have you got any encouraging missionary work in West ern Texas?" I wrote back to that man that since the days of the apostles to this hour there never bad been any difficulty in get ting men to do encouraging work of any sort; what we wanted was men who were willing to look the discouraging variety in the face. What does “encouraging work'* mean? Why, that some other man has been there, and that the Holy Ghost had made him a centre for his operations, and radia ting from him the Spirit has developed this work, and that some other man who has not been made the centre of any such influence wants to get his place. Now, 1 say, breth ren, that when you come across such a sweet young man as that, don’t say to him, “Go West, young man!” Give him a dear, little parish, with a sweet little rectory, and let the ladies make slippers for him. Ah, that is not the spirit that is equal to the tearing down of strongholds. Such men as that are not Malakoff-takers. They will never come up against the fortresses of darkness, and I never will tell any man that I have got an easy place for him. I say, “If you want an easy place, come and make it.’’ FIRE! CALAMITY!! RUIN!!! At day break Sunday morning, the 2nd January, the roofs of houses and the whole face of the earth being covered with snow six or eight inches deep, the Baptist Banner office was discovered on fire, and in one hour’s time the building, three presses, two large composing stones, type and all the ma chinery and fixtures were consumed or ren dered worthless. The books, consisting of four ledgers, one for each year of the Ban ner’s existence, mailing books, for the past year, and memoranda of job work and ad vertising, shared the common destruction, The tiles of letters and my private library of books, all were consumed by the devouring flame! The Banner had 2300 subscribers, and about 625 postoffices on the books. The bulk of these offices are in Georgia, but some in Florida, South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia, Tennessee, Kentucky, Arkansas, 1 exas, Louisiana and Alabama. There are due on thejbooks several thousand dollars, and I can see no better way to reach our subscribers than to ask exchanges and brethren of the press in Georgia to publish this card. Will all our brethren and friends who are in arrears please send in their dues immediately, and thus enable us to meet demands incurred in furnishing them a reli gious paper, aud also enable us to resume the publication of the Banner as soon as pos sible. The Banner has been endorsed by and adopted as the organ of quite a number of Associations representing many thou sands of Baptists, especially in all Northeast Georgia. The whole private lo;S is not only crushing to me and Major Blackstock, my partner in business, but unless brethren who owe us and others come to the rescue, so as to enable us to resume, it will prove acalam ity to denominational enterprises aud well being of th- usands of Baptists. Will the press of the Blate please prompt ly insert this card? Will the Banner ex changes do the same, and continue tbe ex changes for a month till the question of re sumption is decided? Will post masters, to whom this is sent, please post at their office doors? J. M. Wood. Cumming, Ga., Jan. 3,1881. In view of the above announcement we can only say that we sincerely sympathise with our brethren in their great loss, and that we cheerfully com ply with the requests which they have made. As the Banner has lost its subscription books it of course does not know who its subscribers are nor the state of their accounts. We hope that every one of its subscribers will at once forward his name and address, taking pains to write the name and joit office address legibly. And now if we can do anything more to aid our unfortunate brethren, they have only to command us. NO. 2.