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4 MO®" 0 HKNRY H.TUCKKR, Kditor. I. ' ' ' 'I '' THE SLAIN. In the great battle with sin, which has be to fought by every member of the human race, many will come off con querors, and each one of these will be rewarded with all the joys and glories promised in the word of God, “to him that overcometh.” But there are many for whom these joys and glories are not in store. These are overcome of evil, these belong to the great army of the slain; the horrors of the second death will be their portion. Speaking of none who are now alive upon the earth, but only of those whose earthly conflict isover, and who have gone to their own place, let us see what were some of the means used by the evil one for their destruction. Some of them were possessed of a choleric temper and they gave way to it, and were overpowered by it. A portion of these having grown up without the restraints of Christian in fluence, or having thrown off those re straints, became outrageous. Acute attacks of anger frequently recurring became resolved into chronic malice. They became aggressive; some of them committed murder with their hands; all of them committed it in their hearts. And so they fell. Oth ers were of less outbreaking type. They were simply ill-natured and peevish; habitual fault-finders and trouble-breeders, always fermenting and soured, they made all around them unhappy, and their own lives were wretched. They were always turbu lent and always quarrelsome; and so they died. Another class were possessed with the spirit of uncleanness, and became the victims of lust. Some of these yielded wholly to their passions, and became utterly debauched in body and mind. Others of them kept them selves technically pure, but at heart were as corrupt as those who fell into open transgression. And so these all died. Others again, were overcome by the spirit of greed. The extreme class of these became highway robbers and thieves. Those of a somewhat milder type became cheats and swindlers. Others again were hard task-masters and keen bargain-drivers. Others kept themselves outwardly correct, but their; ruling passion was avarice. With some the deadly sin took the form of mere stinginess; they stinted their families, they stinted themselves; if asked to send a charity abroad they replied “charity begins at home;” if asked for a charity at home, “they con tributed a shake of the head;” they were ingenious in finding reasons for not giving; sometimes they would say “You must be just before you are generous,” but their work of justice seems never to have been completed, for it is certain that they were never generous. They got from the world all they could, and gave as little in re turn as possible. Some of those sel fish ones, eaten up with cupidity, were members of Christian churches; but if their religion was worth no more than it cost them, it was not worth much. They often said, “God looks at the heart and is not moved by dollars and cents ;” their own hearts however, were moved by nothing else, and thus they were at very opposites with infi nite goodness. “A man cannot buy his way into • heaven,” was a favorite expression with them. Believing this they tried to sponge their way into it. So the money-lovers, covetous and penurious and parsimonious all died ; pirates, robbers, thieves, swindlers and church-members, all together. Others were slain with stimulants. Some took them in the form of strong drink, some in the form of opium, or other drugs of like character. A num ber of these became wholly besotted, and lived and died in filth, wretched ness and blasphemy. In their frenzy some of them committed frightful crimes, which led to the penitentiary or to the gallows. Other escaped the prison bars and the haler, but were involved in moral turpitude, unseen by men but visible to God, quite as great as that of those who did not escape. Os these too, there were milder types, just as with the other classes. These avoi ded the extreme, but were nevertheless victims. Their reason was beclouded ; they lost their self-control; all the moral tone of their character was let down ; their self-respect was weakened if not destroyed. They became weak in body and mind, and drivelled through the world half imbecile. Most of these were deceived into transgres sion. Bodily ailment, or poverty, or distress of mind, suggested the use of strong drink or of opium. They had no evil intent, but Satan caught them with a snare. Many of these professed Christ, but they all died, drunkards and murderers, weaklings and all, to gether. Others fell before ambition. The great thought of their lives was self aggrandisement. Some of these were preachers of the gospel, their gifts be ing of a kind which would gain them more distinction in that way than in any other. The apostles themselves received some wounds in this way, but as to eleven of them, their wounds THE CHRISTIAN INDEX AND SOUTH-WESTERN BAPTIST: THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 1881. were all healed; the twelfth One has had bis successors in all ages. But the greater part of the victims of am bition were men of the world. They worked hard to accomplish their ends; they received their reward ; and they all died, warriors, politicians, preach ers and all the rest, all together. Some were killed by mere pleasure seeking. Life was nothing to them without its gaieties.. They declared that nature demands amusement, and that it is not only lawful but necessary, and that without it the world would stagnate and become irksome. This was conceded by the wise, and this just concession was abused by those who were “lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God," to their own de struction. To them life presented no serious aspect, and they frolicked through it into eternity; and there they found themselves in company with the various classes of the victims of Satan above described. Some died of envy. These were not covetous. They desired no great things for themselves; they only desired that others should not have thegreat things. It pained them to see others prosper. They were not ambitious, but they could not bear to see others attain to distinction. They looked with an evil eye on any success achieved by others. The sight of Mordecai at the king’s gate was too much for them. While not malicious towards men generally they would plot for the downfall of all in high places; they desired to see “all on a level” as they said. When noth ing more could be done, they would make derogatory remarks. If this was found to be inexpedient they would in dulge in sly inuendoes, or if too cow ardly for this, they would ingeniously find opportunities for suggestive sil ence. Alas I poor men, their eyes turn ed green, and they died; a ghastly death it was. Some died from mere indolence. They did no great harm perhaps, but they did no good. The world was none the better for their being in it. They instructed none, they comforted none ; their sins were sins of omission, and if their whole lives had been omitted, the world would have been none the worse for it. A vast multitude of these were members of churches, but no church was ever benefitted by their member ship. Some of them were chronic ab sentees ; others were not absentees, but were mere do-nothings. In a negative way they did much harm, they were an encumbrance to the workers, they were a stumbling block to outsiders. They had no force but the force of inertia, but their force in this way was a great power, and it was directed against the cause of God and of truth, and of human advancement. They died, and the Judge of all the earth condemned them not for what they had done, but for what they had failed to do. The sentence passed up on them was preceded by a series of negations. “I was hungry and ye gave me no meat, I was thirsty and ye gave me no drink, naked and ye clothed me not; sick and in prison and ye visited me not.” They attempted to deny all this by asking “when” it happened ; but the curse fell on them, and they sank under the word Depart! In these, and in other ways innum merable, Satan has slain his millions. All of these died in unbelief. But why in unbelief? They could not get their consent to give up their cherished sin. If they could have let go their hold on that, they could have taken hold on Christ. But they could not serve two masters; they had to choose between Christ and the adversary, and they preferred the latter. Very few of them, perhaps, made this choice deliberately. They elided into it unawares, and found themselves committed to a bad master unexpectedly. In forming their habit, they had an eye to a bet ter choice in the future; but when the habit was formed, they were incapable of making another choice, and so they died. Is it not enough so strike terror into any man’s heart to view these instru ments of death by which so many have been slain? These same shafts that have pierced so many millions are fly ing thick around us now. Perhaps some of them are quivering in our own hearts at this very moment. Give that heart to God, and he will extract the shaft and heal the wound. A Little Anecdote. —A good Pres byterian brother once said to a Baptist minister, “Tell me now candidly, Bro. C., don’t you think that the subject of baptism is one of the most difficult that a minister ever has to deal with?” “Well ye-e-s,” said the Baptist, “candid ly, I think that the subject of infant baptism is difficult, very difficult, dis tressingly so; but I don’t think there is any difficulty about believers’ baptism.” Just so; common people have not ingenuity enough to find infant bap tism in the New Testament. It requires great talent, and great learning, and great plausibility of speech, to make out the semblance of a case. But the commonest man in the world, if he is able to read, can show that the baptism of believers whether men or women, is taught in the New Testament. We think that we are familiar with all the arguments used in favor of infant bap tism ; and there is so much ingenuity n them that we-have no use for ‘ hem. Then shall I not be ashamed when I have respect unto all thy command ments. CHINA IN THE PULPIT. An eminent minister, we will not say of what denomination, but a man greatly admired and justly beloved, desiring to strengthen the ties that bound his people to their church, is reported to have spoken in substance as follows: “You ought to love your church be cause it is yours, and for the same reason you should love its doctrines and its ordinances, and all that per tains to it. It is of no use to argue about those points on which we differ with other denominations. They love their churches; let us love ours. They are not to be blamed. We love our fathers and our mothers because they are ours, and that is a natural and a sufficient reason. The same principle applies to churches, ordinances, and views of doctrine. Let each retain his attachment to his own. This is your church; it was the church of your fathers, and of all your ancestors for generations back. Let natural affec tion cause you to adhere to it; let others do the same, and thus there will be no strife and no debate, and love will be the ruling principle of all.” We have I irly reported the above as it was reported to us; but whether the minister spoken of, intended to convey the idea which his hearers re ceived, we do not know. There may have been some misunderstanding. Be that as it may, the doctrine inculcated is not without its influence on many minds. The friend who reported the above to us, applauded the sentiment, and was greatly delighted with the wise and charitable counsels of the speaker. Now, we have to say, that if this ar gument justifies an Episcopalian in being an Episcopalian, or a Methodist in being a Methodist, or a Presbyterian in being a Presbyterian, or a Baptist in being a Baptist, it also justifies a Pap ist in being a Papist, or a Unitarian, in being a Unitarian, or a Jew in being a Jew, or a Pagan in being a Pagan. The same argument justifies the Jews of eighteen hundred years ago in rejecting Jesus Christ. Their religion was theirs, and they loved it; it had been the hope of their fathers for many centuries. Why should they abandon their own? The argument is not original with the minister who offered it, if indeed he is correctly reported as having offered it at all. The heathen have often said the same thing to our missionaries. “Your religion is very good for you,” say they, “and ours is good for us. You love yours fwe love ours, and we love ours because it is ours; let each adhere to his own.” Is it not surprising, that this argu ment imported from China, should have the least weight with any intelli gent Christian mind in the United States? We speak advisedly in say ing, that we know that it, and it alone, binds many to the “church of their fathers.” It substitutes human feeling for the spirit of Christian obedience ; it makes the traditions of men supe rior to the commandments of God; it discards evidence at the foundation of our faith; it teaches a blind following of human customs and earth-born ob servances ; it ignores the revealed word of truth ; it justifies anybody in anything, and everybody in every thing, so long as each holds to his own; it is utterly subversive of all truth and ■of all righteousness, and is a declara tion of war against him who said, Search the Scriptures. BAPTIST LOSS RY FIRE During our sojourn of several weeks in Philadelphia last summer we at tended divine service in what is known as Beth Eden Baptist church at the corner of Broad and Spruce Streets, and there we heard a thoughtful and in structive discourse from our brother H. L. Wayland, with whom we sat in the pulpit and by whose invitation we closed the services. A few moments i ago we were greatly pained to read the following article from Bro. Wayland’s pen in the National Baptist of which he is the editor: It is our painful duty to announce the total destruction of the beautiful edifice of the Beth Eden Baptist Church on the corner of Broad and Spruce Streets. The house was occupied as usual on Sunday last; Pres. Weston preached in the mor , ning; in the evening, Rev. Clarence A. Adams addressed the Sunday-school and the young people. The Bible-school was held in the afternoon as usual. At about half past fouro’clock on Monday morning a fire broke out in the flue on the west | side of the house. The fire had, no doubt, been smouldering all night. It soon enveloped the whole building, and spread to Horticultural Hall, which is on I the north side of the church, separated from it by a narrow lane (Lardner Str.). In the course of two or three hours, both the buildings were destroyed. The Beth Eden Church was erected in 1870, and was opened and occupied by the new church, (largely a colony from the Spruce Street Church) on April 10. The lot cost $38,000. Tne house cost about $120,000 in addition. In 1872, a new organ and a tabernacle covering the baptistery were placed in the church, at a cost of about slo,oo'\ making the entire cost of church and furnishing not far from $175,000. In 1873, the floating debt of $20,000 was removed. In May and June 1880 the ground reut of $30,000, and about $2,000 interest was subscribed, and up to this date had been so far paid in, that oniv about $7,090 remained unpaid. The insurance on ths house and organ amounted to about $40,000. i Our readers hardly need to be remind ed of the leading events in the history iof the church. Dr. J. Wheaton Smith was pastor from the organisation of the church until his resignation in December 1879. Kev. William Leggett Kol'» was Associate Psstor from May L, '79 to March 1., 'BO. Since the last named date, the church had been without a pastor, though Dr. Smith has been Pastor Em efThe church thus suddenly left home less has the profound sympathy of all the members of the Brptist brotherhood, and of the Christian communiiy. Before the flames were quite extinguished, the church received from the Tabernacle Church offers of courteous hospitality ; and the Publication Society offered the church the use of Assembly Hull. Up to the time of going to press, we have no knowledge of the purpose of the church for the future. We unite with many Christian hearts in asking the Lord to overrule this trying event to the good of his cause and of his people. A correspondent of our valued ex change, The Baptist Reflector, speaking of an editorial article, which recently appeared in The Index, uses the fol lowing expressions: “Never in my life have I read such a conglomeration of contradictory dog mas.” “Dear reader, don’t you think this is a sweet mess that you are asked to swallow? Has your knowledge of God’s word and your experience with his natural and spiritual laws, impress ed you with such a feeling of uncer tainty as to what he requires at your hands? If so, may the Lord have mer cy upon you! You must be living out a miserable, unhapyy life, haunted by day and by night,” etc. Finally, the writer says of our edito rial, that it is “looser than the loosest ever advocated by the paper I once thought to be the loosest in the South.’’ Now whatever else we may be forced to give up, on one point we shall stand firm. We are not “leading a miserable and unhappy life,” and we are not “haunted” either “by day” or “by night.” Those who know us, will bear us witness that we are about as effer vescent in spirits, well, to say the least, as most men. This shows that our Iriend who writes in the Reflector is mistaken in one of his most important inferences; and if he has made one mistake, it is at least conceivable that he may have made others. We are glad that he does not think our case entirely hopeless, for he prays the Lord to have mercy on all who enter tain our opinions. This gratifies us, for it shows a good spirit in him, and also gives us an interest in his pray ers. It is easy enough to make sharp thrusts against religion, but what do the critics, the unbelievers, the deniers offer instead of the truths which have been the comfort and solace, the strength and inspiration, the biead and water of life to the noblest and best minds of the race, and to miltions of believing hearts ? It is only necessary to consider the sub atitutes proposed for religion to see its vast superiority to them all, and to cling to it with assured confidence and hope. If any substitute for the Christian re ligion is offered to us by infidels, we are not aware of it. As we understand them, they do not ask us to exchange the old Ship of Zion for another craft; they merely suggest that it would be wise for us to jump over board. This reminds us of a little anecdote. A man once embarked from New York for Liverpool on the Russia—one of I the very best of the Cunard Steamers —in fact one of the best ships in the world. When five or six days at sea a dreadful storm arose while our hero was asleep in his cabin. His room mate came to him in great terror and shaking the sleeper exclaimed, “Wake up! there is an awful storm going on!” “Well,” said the half-awake man, “what of it?” “Why,” said the other, “you had better get up and see about it.” “No,” said his friend, “it’s no use; if ; the Russia can’t swim I know I can’t; it’s no use for me to try.” So he turn ed over and went to sleep. So we shall rest in peace; infidels cannot scare us; if the old gospel ship cannot take us home we shall never get there; it will do no good to jump overboard and try to swim frog-fashion to eternity. There is a bill before the New York Legislature to legalize church lotteries, such as are often held at fairs and other exhibitions for religious pur poses. The mere legalizing of lotteries is not enough. If The Index were a member of that Legislature, it would propose to amend the bill by adding another section, legalizing all other kinds of gambling as well as lotteries ; and also by adding another section making it lawful to steal for religious purposes; and still another section, making it lawful to do anything what ever for religious purposes. The In dex would in good faith vote for all these amendments; this, in order to carry out the principles of the bill to their results ; and when these amend ments had been adopted and the bill thus perfected, The Insex would vote against the bill. Such a bill ought not to be allowed to die an honorable death by a mere negative vote ; it ought to be exposed and branded before it receives its quietus. Rev. Mat. Hillsman, D.D., has be come associate editor of the Baptist Reflector, at Nashville, Tenn., —a valu able accession to its present corps of editors. The Reflector is destined to become a pow er in the land, and we are glad of THE JEWS IN NEW YORK CITY. BY REV. R. PECK. All nations of the world are more or less localized, with the sole exception of the Jews. They are to be found in almost every civilized country of the world, and yet the Jew born at New York, and the one born at Jerusalem, look upon one another and are looked upon as members of one and the same nation. The Jewish population of New York city is about 80,000, the largest number of whom came from Russia, Poland, Austria and Germany. Owing to this immigration,trade and industryare con siderably developed. The principal occupation of the Jews is trade and traffic. Having no Jew ish government to protect them, they have endeavored to secure that which forms a very good substitute, viz money. Not alone do they claim pre eminence in the science of Theology, but also in the Arts of Poesy, Music, Philosophy, Medicine, Jurisprudence, and last but not least, Commerce in New York has received its greatest impulse through Jewish talent and Jewish energy. Here we find three main classes of Jews: 1. Polish, Russian, English, Spanish, French, Austrian, and German Jews, who accept orthodox Judaism, hence we call them Rabbinical Jews. In the 12th article of their creed we read thus: “I believe in the coming of the Messiah ; though he tarrieth, yet will I wait for his coming daily.” 2. There are thousands of Jews who believe in Reform or Puritanism, hence they style themselves, Modern or “Re formed Jews.” Concerning the Mes siah, they believe that none will ever come because none has been promised, and that the progress of Reformed Judaism is the only true Messiah. 3. This class consists of Infidels or Rationalists. In New York city there are about 35 synagogues and places of worship. In these synagogues the different phases of Judaism are represented. Each congregation has a preacher or Hazan (reader). Choir singing is introduced into a large number of both Reform and Orthodox synagogues. We find also several schools for children and a Young Men’s Hebrew Association. The Hebrew press is well represented by men of learning and culture. But now the question arises, “what will become of them religiously?” Either they will be swept away en tirely by the huge wave of unbelief, or they will arise, break the iron chains of self-righteousness and materialism, and accept the Lord Jesus Christ their true Messiah. There are missionary efforts among the Jew’s in New York city carried on by men of learning who are converts from Judaism. The number of converts from Juda ism cannot be given with approximate certainity, there may be some 400 to 500. We are personally acquainted with over fifty converts who seek to adorn their Christian profession amid an ungodly and sneering world. Among them we find professors in colleges, bankers, merchants, mechanics, minis ters, and missionaries, and many of them have proved that nothing can separate them from the love of God in Christ Jesus. There are some peculiarities of the | Jews in New York. They are generally j more under the influence of the Rab- ■ bis than in many parts of Europe. This results from the fact, that they are more ignorant. Being generally engaged in trade, they have little time or disposition for study of the Bible, and generally lose the little learning they may have obtained at school. With one consent, therefore, they leave re ligious questions with the Rabbis, among whom there is but a moderate share of learning, though a warm con troversy between their sectfe, the old and the new synagogues, the latter of which are generally Rationalists, reject ing the inspiration of the Old Testa ment. Thus it will be seen, that the plan for carrying the gospel to the Jews around us is well-timed; and God grant that those missionaries who labor and toil in this direction shall find the necessary cooperation from Christians, Our Lord’s commission was, “Preach the gospel to every creature.” The duty to be discharged is not a question of expediency; it depends neither upon failure nor upon success; it is not of temporary obligation ; it is the duty of the whole church of Christ to help with its resources and prayers to send the gospel to every Jewish house. We are fully warranted to believe, that up to the time when the whole nation of the Jews shall be converted, during the whole of that period called “the times of the Gentiles,” there will always be found a certain number of Jews who w’ill receive and accept the gospel—not a large number, perhaps, but always some. The good seed sown will always produce some fruit. Look at the Apostles’ success in the Greek , cities. In spite of the opposition to their message at Corinth, two rulers of the synagogues seem to have been 'on their side. One was rich enough and large hearted enough to be called I the host of the whole church. Our Saviour, according to the flesh, i was a Jew, and it was he who said, ’ “Go ye rather to the lost sheep of the house Israel.” Illustrated Christian Weekly. Rev. H. H. Rhees, Baptist Mission ary to Japan, (the H. H. stands for Henry Holcombe—a name familiar to the readers of The Index) has sent to a friend in the United States, a copy of “Wayland’s Moral Science,” and of “Wayland’s Political Economy,’’ trans lated into the Japanese language un der the orders of the Japanese Govern ment. How little the author antici pated such a result! We differed with our distinguished brother on some points, but we are proud of him and of his works, and are glad that he, under whose teaching scores of thousands have sat in this country, has now be come a teacher of the Japanese. He being dead, yet speaketh. The Observer is utterly unfair, and knows that it falsitiss in its misrepresentations of The Independent. So speaks the New York Independ ent of that venerable Christian journal, the New York Observer. The Index rises to a point of order, and asks whether such language on the part of a religious journalist is becoming. The question seems to be decided in the negative by that part of the code which says, “Be courteous.” 1. Pet. 3:8. IMPORTANT NOTICE. Editor of The Christian Index: Please publish for the information of all concerned, the following extract from the Constitution of the Southern Baptist Convention, and oblige, Yours truly, Wm. H. Mclntosh, Cor. Sec. Art. 111. The Convention shall con sist of members who contribute funds, or are delegated by religious bodies contributing funds, on the basis of one delegate for every hundred dollars con tributed to our funds at any time within the twelve months preceding the meeting of the body; and of rep resentatives, on the terms hereinafter specified, from any of the following bodies, viz: the Maryland Union Bap tist Association, the Baptist General Association of Virginia, the Baptist General Association of West Virginia, the North Carolina Baptist State Con vention, the Baptist Convention of Western North Carolina, the fltate Convention of the Baptist Denomina tion in South Carolina, the Baptist Convention of the State of Georgia, the Florida Baptist State Convention, the Alabama Baptist State Convention, the Mississippi Baptist State Conven tion, the Baptist General Association of Southeastern Mississippi, the Louis iana Baptist State Convention, the Baptist State Convention of Texas, the Baptist Convention of Eastern Texas, the Arkansas Baptist State Conven tion, the Baptist General Association of Western Arkansas and Indian Ter ritory, the Tennessee Baptist State Convention, the Baptist General Asso ciation of Kentucky, the Missouri Bap tist General Association, the Southwest Missouri Baptist Convention, which bodies shall be allowed one represen tative in this Convention for every five hundred dollars which, during the twelve months ending December 31, previous to the session of this Conven tion, may have be<n expended by them for objects similar to those in the prosecution of which this Convention may be actively engaged, which objects are at present those of Foreign Missions, . Home Missions, Indian Missions and ! Sunday school work— Provided, that i the official organs of such State Con ■ vention or General Association shall, by the Ist day of March preceding the annual session of this Convention, communicates to the Home Mission Board of this Convention the amount expended by the body in question as above indicated; Provided, also, that representatives of those bodies shall be formally appointed by the organs thereof in the manner which may by the said bodies be hereafter directed, and that their appointment shall be duly certified to this Convention. The following appeal to the Chris tian people of Augusta, appeared in the Chronicle and Constitutionalist: What can be compared to the salvation of a human soul? What accomplishment is there in Heaven, on earth, or in hell, like unto it? By the side of the grand work of saving souls all worldly attain ments, and activities, and ambitions, dwindle into naught. Since these things are true, should not all Chris tians labor mightily for the salvation of the world? That there may be abundant opportunity for Christian exertion and for the ingathering of souls into the gospel fold, the meetings at Curtis Baptist church will be pro tracted from to-day’s service as long as the Spirit of God, by its moving among the people, shall direct. All who love the Lord our Saviour, and who look for his second appearing, are earnestly requested to attend these meetings, and to pray that by the “fool ishness of preaching” many may be saved. All who know not our Lord Jesus Christ are entreated to be present with us that they may find Him precious to their souls. Come one, come all, that the name of God may be greatly mag nified. We take pleasure in calling the at tention of our readers to the admirable address of our brother S. P. Callaway, delivered at one of the meetings recent ly held in Atlanta under the auspides of our Home Mission Board. The ad dress may be found on our second page.