Below is the OCR text representation for this newspapers page.

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.