Newspaper Page Text
M I II U M
WW REX
VOL. 59.
Table of Contents.
First Page—Alabama Department: The
Mediation of Jesus Christ; A Bare Char
alter; The Religious Press; Southern
Baptist Convention.
• Second Page—Correspondence: A Trip in
Southern Laly (concluded); From Bow
*, man ; Alone with God ; Christ the Way :
Cloud’s Creek Church. The Sunday-School
* —Lesson for May Ist, 1881'. “Lost and
Found.” Missionary Department.
Third Page—Children’s Comer: Bible Ex
plorations ; Correspondence ; Miscellane
ous.
Fourth Page—Editorials : The Condict of
Opinion ; The Elastic Bible; Georgia Bap
tist News.
Fifth Page—Secular Editorials : News Para
graphs ; Literary Notes and Comments;
Popular Amusements; Georgia News.
Sixth Page—The Household: The Wheat
and the Tares—poetry; Hints to Parents;
Put Life into Your Work ; Selected Re
cipes. Obituaries.
Seventh Page—The Farmer’s Index: Plows
ing Corn ; Small Things; Barrel Seed-
Roller ; Small Notes.
Eighth Page—Florida Department: Florida
Fancies, Facts and Figures; Golden Words;
Unity and Fraternity.
Alabama Department.
HY SAMUEL HENDERSON.
THE MEDIA HON OF JESUS
CHRIST.
There is no part of the work of our
Savior more strengthening and more
animating to the faith of the Chris
tian than that of his mediation. It
supplies that place “between God and
man,” which Job so pathetically de
plores was denied to him, where
he says: “If I wash myself in
snow water, and make my hands
never so clean, yet shall thou
plunge me in the ditch, and mine
own clothes shall abhor me. For he
is not a man as I am, that I should
answer him, and we should come to
gether in judgment. Neither is there
any daysman betwixt us, that might
lay his hand upon us both.” In this
sad complaint, there is a kind of dim
prophesy that what was denied to him
would one day be supplied, that the
chasm between the Creator and the
creature would be bridged over by the
•oveted daysman some time in the
future; for he elsewhere says, “I know
my Redeemer liveth, and that he
shall stand at the latter day upon the
earth, and though after my skin
worm? destroy this body, yet in
my flesh shall I see God,” etc. See Job,
9 :30-33, and 19 :25-26. Now, what
Job longed for in strains so affecting
is supplied in the person of our adored
Redeemer; for, says the Apostle,
“There is one God, and one Mediator
between God and man, the man Christ
Jesus ; who gave himself a ransom
for all, to be testified in due time.”
I. Tim. 2:5-6.
We propose, as briefly as we may,
contemplating the mediation of our
Lord in its relations to the nature and
destination of man, especially of man
redeemed by his precious blood, born
of his spirit, and made a joint heir
with him. The subject is a pleasant
and profitable one, if we can succeed
in developing its salient points.
The mission of Christ to this world,
and his exaltation at the right hs nd
of God, where he ever liveth to make
intercession for us, may intimate to
us this much at least, that man is of
much more account in the estimation
of his Maker, than would seem from
his present low and helpless condition.
Viewed only in reference to this life,
we should be enclined to exclaim,
“Wherefore hast thou made all men
in vain!” since no destiny can be
achieved in this life worthy of the as
pirations with which God has endowed
him. As has been tersely expressed
by an able author, his “whole life
seems to be a succession of experi
ments and failures.” Like some mari
ner thrown upon some solitary jjpek
in mid-ocean, and surrounded by the
shattered timbers of his vessel, he is
constantly confronted by the wreck of
disappointed hopes, the sad memorials
of mortifying failures. So that “if in
this life only we have hope, we are of
all men most miserable!” But the re
lation of Christ to our fallen race has
rescued it from a destiny worse than
inanity. And this leads us to observe:
SOUTH-WESTERN BAPTIST. )
of Alabama. J
First of all, that an ever-living inter
ceding Redeemer in his relations to
Christians, constitutes all the real
worth, the substantial value that this
earth will ever contribute to the riches
o( heaven. Strike the name of Christ
from our spiritual history, and what
would remain worth recording? He
is the grand complement of all those
irrepressible aspirations, those longings
after immortality, of which philosophy
makes so much, and of which all men
are conscious. He is the reality of
that divine ideal of which heathen
writers anciently dreamed, and of
which inspired prophets spoke—em
phatically the “Desire of all nations,”
pre eminently the personage which
meets the universal wants of our
groaning humanity, and leaves noth
ing to be desired. Looking at him as
an example of every virtue, we feel
that he is just what we ought to be—
looking at him as a “sacrifice for sin,”
we feel that such blood can cleanse
from all unrightuousness—and looking
at him as a Mediator, we feel th it he
can never fail, that the Father will al
ways hear him.
Consider next the effect of our
Lord’s mediation upon our world, in
imparting to it a measure of impor
tance which could not otherwise be
claimed for it. It is natural for us to
measure the importance of places, not
by their relative magnitude, but by
the events of which they are the
scene. Yorktown, Waterloo, and such
like places, although inconsiderable in
themselves, nevertheless occupy the
foreground of history as being places
where -the fate of empires was decided.
And so of our earth, even though it
might be least of all worlds that occu
py the infinitude of space. So far as
we know, it is the only spot in the
universe whose soil has been pressed
by the footsteps of an incarnate God,
the only scene in which redemption
gives to the divine perfections their
highest lustre. Perhaps God could
have conferred no higher honor upon
our world, than to make it the theatre
m which his only begotten Son
wrought out the problem of salvation,
and where his people are engaged in
subduing it to the obedience of the
faith. Surely if the conversion of one
sinner on this sin-stricken earth sends
a thrill of joy through angelic ranks,
that “multitude that no one can num
ber,” as it stands upon his right hand
in the judgment day, as having been
“redeemed from the earth,” will
awaken a louder acclaim of joy from
angels than their collected voices ever
expressed, and give to our world a high
place in the annals of eternity.
There may be some force in what
an impressive author suggests in re
gard to the immense numbers of the
human species who shall have lived
here in the history of time. He inti
mates that, for aught we know, other
worlds may be moving in their orbits
with the inhabitants only with which
they were first created, and that this
may be the only planet on which gen
eration succeeds generation. And if
so, perhaps no little importance will
attach to the immensity of its num
bers. But this is speculation, and we
need not pursue it, especially as there
is enough revealed to gratify the most
enlarged desires.
We therefore proceed to say, that the
mediation of Jesus Christ establishes
an intimate and vital connection be
tween grace and glory—between the
vicissitudes and experiences of this
our earthly pilgrimage, and that future
career of glory, honor, and immortali
ty which awaits us in heaven. Those
treasures of wisdom and knowledge we
acquire here, are the basis of oar hap
piness there. We shall know that the
Christ “whom having not seen we
loved” here, is the “King in his beau
ty”whom weshall love andworship there
We shall know as we strike our tune
ful lyres millions of ages hence in our
mansion-house there, that we are the
same persons who wept, prayed, and
served our God amid many infirmities
here. We shall know that the very
bliss of heaven then and there en
joyed, is but the end of that faith that
held our souls steady as we passed
through our tribulations here. O, we
shall know as we look upon the match
less form of our “Elder Brother,” that
we are the very persons whom “He
washed from their sins in his own pre
cious bicod” here, and who has “made
THE FRANKLIN STEAM PRINTING HOUSE.
ATLANTA, GEORGIA, THURSDAY, APRIL 21, 1881.
us kings and priests unto God and his
Father ’ there? Thus will the recollec
tions of the riches of his grace here,
ever augment the lustre of his glorj’
there!
Finally, the mediation of Jesus
Christ inspires the believer to look to
the future for his only real greatness
as well as his holiness and happiness.
In Jesus Christ the extremes of exis
tence meet. He is God-Man —verily
God and verily man. And what may
not that nature attain which has been
taken into an alliance with the infi
nite Jehovah I To what positions of
honor as well as of bliss may not He
advance those whom He dignifies as
his brethren! Something of this is in
timated time and again by our Days
man while on earth. Thus he says in
one place, “Then shall the righteous
shine forth as the sun in the kingdom
of their Father.” And what is more
glorious than the sun? Again, as be
adjudges them worthy to enter into the
joy of their Lord, he says to one,
“Have thou dominion over ten oifies,”
to another, “Have thou authority over
five cities.” As he commissioned his
disciples on the eve of his ascension,
“Go ye into all the world, and preach
the gospel to every creature,” is it a
fanciful idea, that when he assembles
his redeemed upon the mount of God,
he will give them another commis
sion : “Go ye into all worlds, and pub
lish the riches of that grace to every
creature, angels, principalities and
powers, so that all may see ‘The riches
of the glory of his inheritance in the
sainjqW Ta nos thia y more than inti
mated in the passage, “To the intent
that now unto principalities and pow
ers in heavenly places might be known
by the Church (that is through the in
strumentalities of the Church,) the
manifold wisdom of God, according to
the eternal purpose which he purposed
in Christ Jesus our Lord ” The idea
seems to be that redemption is the
master piece of God’s handiwork ; and
that when completed, his Church will
be an object of wonder to the very
hierarchies of heaven, such as will
strike them as with a pleased surprise,
as his redeemed ones shall make
known to them the “manifold wisdom
of God” in projecting and carrying to
its completion the stupendous plan.
Other views of this subject crowd
upon us, but we are admonished to
close. For it is one of the themes on
which when one begins to write, he
knows not where to stop. So many
things are to be said, that the difficul
ty is, not what to say, but what not to
say. If the foregoing views shall in
spire-any Christian heart with a high
er estimate of the person and work of
Christ, if they shall increase his love
to Him more and more, if they shall
inflame his heart with some more
zeal to labor for his coming and king
dom, we shall not have written in
vain.
A RARE CHARACTER.
We know a man (and perhaps the
reader has met him) who married and
set up for himself forty years ago, and
whose worldly goods to-day are about
the equivalent of what they were when
ne commenced life. No vicissitude
>f fortune has had the slightest effect
■>n him. The close of the war found
ui.L just about where he was when it
opened. The price of cotton, corn,
meat, etc. etc., never seriously disturbs
his equanimity. He has raised and
educated half a dozen children, who
ire quietly following in his foot-steps.
He has never had any law suits, for in
nis dealings with men, if they will not
settle his way, he will settle their way.
He never retails any scandal, and there
fore he is on terms of friendship with
ill his neighbors. Though sometimes
i little straitened, he has so far met all
iiis obligations, that his integrity is
unquestioned, so that he never has to
give mortgages or waiver-notes. He as
regularly fills his seat in the church as
nis pastor fills the pulpit, and is sel
lom, if ever, behind with his dues. His
contributions to missions and other ob
jects of benevolence, though not large,
ire as uniform as the flowing of a per
ennial spring. In his intercourse with
society he is bland, courteous, candid
and kind. If linduly excited, we only
-ee it by a slight flush in his cheeks,
but uhguarded words never pass his
lips. He never learned the art of quar-
relling, and hence knows nothing of
“Grub-street vernacular.” Indeed, he
seems to be a stranger to that part of
our language, which, like tar, soils
whatever it touches. He seldom asks,
and as seldom gives advice, having
learned to keep his own counsels and
attend to his own affairs. His home
is the abode of genial quietness, hospi
tality and good living. And yet, with
ass this, if he were sold out to-morrow,
his whole property would not bring
three thousand dollars. That has been
about his average woith, as we have
intimated, for about forty years. But
like the widows “barrel of meal and
cruse of oil,” it has never diminished
under the most trying circumstances.
The ravens were not more regular in
their visits to the exiled prophet, than
are the rewards of his honest industry
ip filling his barns with plenty. Some
how or other, be has practically work
ed out the problem, so hard for worldly
wisdom to comprehend, “The liberal
soul shall be made fat.” When any
one forfeits his confidence by some out
rageous disregard of his sense of right
and justice, that name is never there
after mentioned. None are more com
municative than he where commenda
tion is deserved—none so dumb as he
where reprehension has been merited.
He turns over all his grievances to Him
who has said, “vengeance is mine; I
will repay, saith the Lord.”
Reader, would you know who this
is? It is the man with whom “God
liness and contentment” have taken up
rheij permanent abode'. Do you know
J .
The Religious Press.
“Greed is a sin. We firmly believe it. It
is not right. Nobody can make it right.
God hates it. By every law of right known
to us it is unworthy of man as a mere citizen
of this world. But as man is related to the
world to come, it is a sin against both God
and man. He ignores what God respects,
and does a wrong which God will punish.
Greed and wbat'is highest and noblest in
man are antipodal; they are like water and
oil—they will never mix; they are at eternal
war.”—Arkansas Evangel.
All right brother Evangel-, every
body admits that greed is a sin; but
nobody pleads guilty! Every man is
ready to show that whatever may be
the case with his neighbor, he at least,
is innocent. Can you put us in away
of convincing people that they are
guilty? Perhaps nine out of ten of
those who read these lines are far from
being above suspicion. How would it
do for each one to put himself on trial
before his own conscience with the
word of God for the law and himself as
witness? Not an impartial tribunal
surely; but biased as we all are in our
own favor, if men would be honest
with their own souls, not many would
stand acquitted.
If the history of the world clearly demon
itrates any fact, it is that the mere culture
<>f men in their various capacities and rela
tions to human society, while it may im
prove them on certain sides of their being,
will not, and cannot elevate them to purity
•if character and of life. The most refined
nations of antiquity—Egypt, Greece and
Rome— notwithstanding all the efforts of
philosophers, statesmen, educators, and sa
vans, gradually sunk down into an abyss of
corruption, degeneracy and death. Public
virtue and public morals declined until
mthing was left but a rotten mass, inviting
-peedy dissolution and ending in a hopeless
resurrection This, in itself, gives but little
encouragement to our reformers.
Wisely and well said is the above by
Zion’s Herald. It appears to us that
in these latter days the value of mere
education ( using the term in its ordi
nary sense) is over-rated. Many seem
to regard it as a king-cure-all for all
sorts of distempers public and private,
and to think that, if the people can on
ly be educated the entire body politic
will be all that could be desired. It is
all a delusion. The doctrines of the
New Testament tend to the true and
permanent elevation of the human
race; nothing else does.
An anti lynching law which strikes at
ihe root of the evil has been passed by the
Tennessee Legislature. It punishes with
loss of office any sheriff who allows a priso
ner to be taken from his custody and lynch
ed; it also provides that the sheriff shall
thereafter be ineligible for any public office.
This bill, we may hope, will become law,
and be strictly enforced There is no ex
cuse for the lawless proceedings which have
become a national scandal. The culprits
lynched generally belong to a class of crim
inals which the law would certainly punish
ind it is better even that such a criminal
should occasionally evade punishment than
lhat the spirit of lawlessness should go on
j THE CHRISTIAN HERALD,
( of Tennessee.
unchecked through society.—Christian Her
ald.
And this law we think unnecessary ;
because it will never be enforced, and
in many cases i‘ ought not to be ; for
it often and generally happens that
the sheriff is powerless to prevent the
lynching. But the lynchers ought ev
ery one to be punished ; and those of
them who murder their victims ought
to be put to death by hanging.
The remains of the late Czar of Russia
were deposited with much pomp in the im
perial vault on March 27th. There was no
hostile demonstration on the part of theNi-’
hi lists, although grave fears had been enter
tained of an attempt to assassinate the royal
guests. It is a significant fact that one of
the first proclamations of the new Czar relat
ed to the appointment of a regency to as
sume the functions of government in the
event of his being assassinated.
We would rather be one editor than
two Czars.
A County Without a Dramshop The
inhabitants of Edward county, Illinois, do
not support any temperance lecturers, or
spend their time talking about temperance.
'1 bey decided twenty-five years ago that no
liquor should be sold in the county, and
since that time they have sent but one person
to the penitentiary, and he committed a
crime while drunk on whiskey procured in
an adjoining county; they support but two
or three paupers, and their jail is empty
most of the time. Their taxes are thirty
two per cent lower than the adjoining coun
ties, and their terms of court occupy but
three days in the year, while their tax rolls
show that they return more property than
any other county in the state of equal popu
lation.
This is a case where the minority cannot
complain of any invasion of private rights,
for the people are unanimously opposed to
license under any circumstances. Families
seek the locality as a good place to bring up
children. When conlronted with the statis
tics of a model county, even old topers ad
mit there is something in it: but it evident
ly is not whisky .—Golden Rule. «,
The “Local Option” law gives to
each county and militia district the
right to have its own way, so far as re
lates to the sale of liquor. We should
be glad to see such a law in Georgia.
A ministerial correspondent of the
Southern Christian Advocate main
tains that there is no authority in the
Methodist Discipline for “the practice
of those preachers who require a
‘change of heart,’ as a condition of
membership in the church.” He at
tempts to show that “the vows of the
baptismal covenant” furnish no such
authority; and in the course of his ar
gument on that point says: “In the
vow of faith, as may be seen in the
form of baptism, nothing more is done
than to give assent to the doctrines of
the gospel. That such assent does not
mean a saving faith (reliance or trust)
is evident; so far from it, it is the faith
that devils may have.” This seems to
imply (though we hope the correspon
dent does not mean it) that a devil’s
faith may be a door and a proper door
into a church of Christ!
The Emperor Alexander 11. has been laid
in the grave with all the pomp that Imperi
alism could command. Happily, the event
has pasted off peacefully, and none of the
fears, that bad been entertained have been
realised ; so that it may be hoped tnat the
Nihilists are satisfied with their success for
the present, and that they are willing to give
the new Emperor a fair chance- It is mel
ancholy to be told, that he has already felt
it necessary to provide for a regency in the
case of his death. He knows only too well
that an emperor has only to ascend the
t hrone in Russia tor a myriad enemies to
spring up unseen around him. He can only
disarm, or rather frustrate, them by getting
the people on his side. Probably Alexander
111. has a better chance —the Nihilists always
excepted—than his father ever had. Liberal
measures, liberally carried out, however, will
be his best defence even against the Nihilists.
Let the reasonable expectations of the Rus
sian people be satisfied, and they themselves
will be his bodyguard.—London (Eng.) Bap
tist.
And this is just our opinion. It is
needless to say that we have no sym
pathy with the Nihilists, who neither
fear God nor regard man. Nor do we
believe that the people of Russia are
prepared for what may be properly cal
led a free government; but we do be
lieve, that some great reforms are loud
ly called for, and that they ought to be
granted, and that in some way or other,
they will be attained. It is a question
of time, and also, we fear, a question
iif blood. But at some time or other,
and by some means or other, Russia
will have a freer government. “Liberal
measures liberally carried out” by the
Czar will bring all the people to his
support except the half-crazy fanatics
called Nihilists, and there are not so
many of these but that they can be
put down by force if not otherwise.
But we believe that the number of
these will be greatly diminished when
NO. 16.
reasonable demands are fairly met. The
general tone of sentiment all ofer the
country will affect even the malcon
tents and tend to quiet them ; and even
the violent among them will find them
selves so bereft of sympathy, that they
too will probably subside. Os course,
there will still be a few disorganizers,
whom nothing in reason can reach.
The halter applied to a few of their re
presentative men when caught in overt
acts of treason will probably teach
prudence to the others. On the other
hand, if the Cz:.r should tighten the
reins and flourish the knout, more
trouble may be expected, and some
future Czar will eventually do what
the present Czar ought to do.
We copy at second-hand from the
Watchman, the following words from
the Catholic Review :
Frankly, very little good seems to have
come from the reading of the Scriptures by
the people at large Even among
Catholics it fosters a Calvinistic spirit which,
in many cases, induces individuals to set up
their judgment against the will of the
church. The indiscriminate circulation of
the Bible, even with notes approved by the
church, has no always been productive of
good.
In times of rev val men’s emotions are apt
to be more activi i han their understandings.
The prevailing tine of sentiment then sweeps
many to the penitential altar and to a pro
fession of faith who do not clearly compre
hend the extent of the obligations they as
sume. In their eagerness to lead such to
the exercise of saving faith, some ministers
omit to instruct them with regard to the
scope of that self consecration which faith
implies Hence the conscience of the con
vert remains partially blind with respect to
some practices in his former life, and when
those practices confront him In his subse
quent career, he, too often, first hesitates,
and then refuses, to renounce them. The
result is that bis profession finds its symbol
in the morning-glory, which is clothed in
simple beauty in the early morning, but
withers when the sun’s rays shine upon it.
Hence, it is the duty- of faithful ministers
and Christian workers to faithfully instruct
every convicted sinner with regard to the
ethical scope of Christ’s requirements. That
conviction which will not enduie such in
struction's very unlikely to lead to genuine
faith and sound conversion. They do well
who remember that superficial profession is
the rock which endangers the safety of the
modern church.
The above is from a Methodist pa
per, Zion's Herald. It is good advice
for Baptists. Our Methodist brethren
are abandoning some of their old
ways, and we are glad of it. We hope
that our own people will follow their
good example. We followed them in
the wrong; now, let us follow them in
the right.
SOUTHERN BAPTIST CONVENTION, AT
COLUMBUS, MISS., MAY STH, 1681.
Railroad concessions and rates to delegates
and '-’isitois to the Southern Baptist Conven
tion :
The Mobile and Ohio railroad will issue
excursion tickets to Columbus, Miss., from
all stations, at one tare for the round trip,
commencing the sale May 4th, closing Bth,
making return coupons good until May
17th.
The Alabama Great Southern railroad will
sell excursion tickets at one fare for the
round trip, to Meridian and return.
The Vicksburg and Meridian railroad will
sell at three cents per mile each way.
The Memphis and Charleston railroad will
issue excursion tickets to Corinth and return
at two and a half cents per mile each way.
The Chicago, St. Louis and New Orleans
railroad will sell at three cents per mile each
way.
The East Tennessee, Virgil ia and Georgia
railroad will sell excursion tickets at five
cents per mile one way, for the round trip.
The North Carolina and St. Louis railroad
make rate at three cents per mile each way.
The International and Great Northern
railroad (of Texas) decline to make any re
duction.
The Alabama Central railroad will sell at
three cents per mile each way.
The Selma and Greeneaboro railroad will
issue round trip tickets over their line atone
fare.
The Texas and New Orleans railroad will
sell excursion tickets from Houston, Texas,
at $36 85 or the round trip.
The Savannah, Florida and Western rail
road decline to reduce their rates.
The Central railroad, of Georgia, also de
cline to reduce their rates.
The Selma, Rome and Dalton railroad will
sdl round trip tickets to Selma at three cents
per mile each way.
The Macon and Brunswick (of Ga.) rail
road regular tare is three cents per mile;
decline to make a reduction.
The Little Rock and Fort Smith railroad
will issue excursion tickets at three cents
per mile each way.
Delegates from the line of the Western
railroad, of Alabama, will pay regular rates
oing, but on presentation of certificate rc
urning, will be furnished with tickets at one
.nd a-nalf cents per mile.
The Louisville and Nashville railroad will
ssue excursion tickets on the basis of one
ire fer the round trip
We are indebted to Chas. J. Waller, Gen
•ral Passenger Agent M 40. R R , for his
aluable aid in taking the railroad corres
• ondence off our hands We will add to
ne above other concessions, etc., as fast as
we can obtain them.
For Committee of Arrangements,
A. E. Atwatxb Scc’y.