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HENRY H.TUCKER, realtor.
WASTEDf
Millions of prayers were offered for
the recovery of the late President, and
yet he died. Doubtless, much of what
passed for prayer was mere formality,
and therefore worthless, but it is
-equally certain that many thousands
of prayers as genuine, as sincere, and
as earnest as prayers can ever be, as
•cended to heaven in behalf of the
wounded man. Yet he died, and
of course, many will think, that all
these prayers were wasted, and that
they might as well not have been
made. We desire to put on record our
profound and solemn conviction, that
no breath of prayer was ever wasted
since the world began or will be while
tame endures. If the President had
lived, that fact would not, in the least,
have strengthened our confidence in
the efficacy of prayer; his death has not
shaken that confidence one iota. Our
faith in God’s willingness to answer
prayer is based on something better
than any phenomena such as we might
’witness, and which we might misun
derstand or misinterpret. We build
on the solid and everlasting rock of
•God’s promise. For us, his word is
enough without the endorsement of
visible facts. We take him on trust;
on trust or not at all; for a God whose
word and whose promise need to be
strengthened from without, is no God.
So long as we believe in his existence,
and in the perfection of his character,
we shall rely on his word without a
misgiving, even if all our own expe
rience, and that of the whole world
and the rest of the universe, should
contradict it. There either is such a
being as our God, or there is not. Our
souls recoil from the latter proposition ;
and if we accept the former, which we
do with all our mind, and heart, and
soul, then we must accept its conse
quences. We are incapable of enter
taining a suspicion, that any promise
of God has ever failed in one jot or
tittle, or ever will, or ever can. When
his veracity fails, he is no longer God.
It has not failed, and it is neither pos
sible nor conceivable that it should
.ever fail.
It may be asked then, “How can
the death of the President be ex
plained. when many genuine prayers,
for his life were offered to a God whose
word is pledged to answer prayer ?”
It is immaterial whether it can be ex
plained or not, God’s truthfulness is not
to be gauged by the human under
standing. Surely that would be ar
raigning the infinite One who inhabit
eth eternity, before a most insignifi
cant tribunal. Suppose he should say.
‘•What I do thou knowestnot now, bu
thou shalt know hereafter.’’ Would
not that suffice? We should ask for
nothing more.
We protest against subjecting the
Lord Almighty to prayer-tests, whether
these tests be prescribed by infidels, or
by devout, but mistaken believers
God needs no vouchers; his character
vouches for itself. Those whose faith
in him is shaken, because witnessed
facts seem to contradict him, are but
weaklings. It is immaterial who, or
what, contradicts him. He is the
Almighty. He is the eternal God.
If precisely what we ask is granted,
we rejoice and are thankful; if it is
withheld we still rejoice, and give
thanks on the remembrance of his
holiness, knowing that what he with
holds ought to be withheld ; and that
it could not be granted without viola
ting some eternal principle of right,
nor without harm to the very suppli
ants themselves, nor without inter
fering with the inscrutable, but grand
and glorious purposes of mercy to
mankind. Would any insist on the
specific favor despite all this? If so,
his heart is far from God, and he is in
capable of prayer. Would any accept
tire conditions? Then he is not disap
pointed, and his heart exclaims, “It is
the Lord, let him do what seemeth
him good.”
But where does the blessing come
in, if what we ask is not granted? It
is immaterial where it comes in. Suf
fice it to know that it comes. God is
not to be tested by us, but we may be
tested by him; and a faith which
stands the strain of an apparently un
answered prayer, may be the greatest
blessing that he could vouchsafe to us.
In what ways he may manifest his
goodness we do not know, for those
ways are innumerable, beyond our
-conception, but we do know, that he
•will never fail to bless those who call
on his name. Every genuine prayer
made for the President has been an
swered, or will be. In every case, more
good will be given than was asked for.
We have not the faintest doubt, that
in some shape or way, our people and
our country will be blessed of the
Almighty in answer to the supplica
tions that have been made; and in this
assurance we rejoice, and are happy.
Unnumbered hearts have been lifted
ap to God, and this is all that we care
to know. In God's good time, the rest
will come. The simplicity of Christian
faith may be the object of admiration
■or of ridicule. Christian faith is affected
neither by the one nor the other. Its
grasp is like the grip on a rope of a
man in the rapids with Niagara be- i
THE CHRISTIAN INDEX AND SOUTH-WESTERN BAPTIST: THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 20, 1881.
low him. The bystanders may say
what they please; he holds on.
In the case of the President, the au
topsy has shown what we did not know
before, that he was death-struck from
the beginning, and that his life could
not have been spared without miracle.
If we had known this we should not
have prayed for his recovery, for we
have no right to seek miracles; we
should have prayed that his sufferings
might be mitigated ; that his commu
nion with God might be deepened and
sweetened ; and that he might die in
peace, and be prepared for his change.
Otherwise, we should be like those who
would pray for the life of a man who is
not only sentenced to death, but actu
ally hanging by the neck, or actually
beheaded. We did not, and could not
know the man’s condition,and we pray
ed in our ignorance. But that igno
rance will not prevent the divine mercy
from flowing out to the hearts that
sought after God.
It is manifest now, that from the
first, it was God’s intention to remove
the President from us. If we had
known this, we should not have asked
him to abandon his purpose. In our
ignorance, we asked what we thought
was best for us; in his wisdom God
has done for us that which he knew
was beet for us. In what way he will
make this to be one of the all things
that work together for good to them
that love him, we do not know. It is
not needful that we should know. It
iq enough to know, that God is not
slack concerning his promises. We
have no curiosity to know the ways
and means whereby he brings his pur
poses to pass. If he overrules a spec
ific desire,we know that it is fathomless
mercy that moves him to do it. We
know too, that our specific desires are
overruled by another desire within us,
by one grand supreme desire, before
which all other desires fade into noth
ingness, and that is, that the affairs of
this world and of the universe, shall
be controlled not by human will or
wish, hut by the wisdom, power and
love of Almighty God. The will of
the Lord be done.
A BAPTIST HERO.
There is some ferment in France, on
the question of “liberty of conscience.”
It took its rise in the act of an obscure
Baptist, by which he asserted this lib
erty for himself; walking in “the foot
steps of the” Baptist “flock” through
all the ages—for it has been the mis
sion of our people from the first, to
“trouble the waters” on that question,
as though an “angel of the Lord” came
down for healing.
It is the custom in Romish coun
tries to bear about in public procession,
for adoration as divine, what is called
“the Ilost” —that is, a bread-wafer,
which' the priest professes to have
transformed into the body and blood,
with the soul and the divinity, of our
Lord Jesus Christ. Worship rendered
to that wafer must, of course, be, in the
eyes of every true Baptist, sheer and
shameless idolatry.
Now, France has a law, ordaining
that such a procession shall be attend
ed by a military’ escort; and that law re
quires every soldier in the escort, when
the Host is elevated, to kneel and
“present arms’’ before it, as before the
Creator and Redeemer of the world!
But Corporal Taquet, of Laou, (the
Baptist of whom we have spoken,) felt
that he could not “do this great wick
edness and sin against God.” When
detailed to take part in the escort,
therefore, he made a respectful repre
sentation of this conviction to his su
perior; but without effect. His scru
pies were overridden, and he was com
pelled to serve. When the test came
in the command to kneel, twice over
he remained standing. For this insub
ordination, though he had always
shown himself an orderly and faithful
soldier, he was confined four days in
prison, and, after trial before a milita
ry commission, suffered a further im
prisonment of three weeks, with “par
ticulars of harshness.”
Even a Romish newspaper in France
denounces these proceedings as “an
intolerable scandal;” which may seem
wonderful. But no wonder that the
case of Corporal Taquet, with the
similar case of a leiutenant at Auxon
ne, has given rise to a movement for
the repeal of the law in question, and
all enactments of kin to it. No won
der that there seems ground to expect
the substantial adherence of three
fourths of France to this movement.
We thank God for these tokens of
progress toward true “liberty of con
science” even under the shadow of Ro
manism ; for this fresh evidence that
God deigns to use our denomination
still, By using an obscure member of it
for the futherance of vital truth, at the
point where politics and religion touch,
in one of the most enlightened nations
of the earth ; for so conspicuous a proof
how grand a thing it is that, as Nean
der said, “there is a future for the Bap
tists,” so we can say there are Baptists
for the future.
It is with sorrow that we record the
death, on Sunday morning last, of
Mary Lea, infant daughter of James P.
Harrison Esq, the proprietor of The
Index and head of the Franklin Print
ing House. Our much loved friend and
brother has been deeply afflicted in
the loss of his children, this being the
sixth that he has laid in the grave. It
is comforting to konw that the little
ones are “Safe in the armes of Jesus.”
THE NEW PRESIDENT.
We know no good of him ; it is equal
ly true that we know no ill of him.
We have read many gvil things that
have been said of him ; but so utterly
debauched is the American press, that
not the slightest importance is to be
attached to anything that may be said
of a man during a heated political can
vass. For aught we know, Mr Arthur
may be the best or the worst man that
could be found, to fill the high posi
tion to which he is called. We know
this, however; that he is constitution
ally, and legally, and properly, the
President of the United States. As
such he is intitled to the respect and
support of every good citizen. Let no
man dare to criticise his administration
in advance. Let him have a fair trial,
with no factious opposition, and let him
stand or fall on his merits. If it be
said that his record shows that he is
not the man for the place, we have to
say that we neither know nor care any
thing about his record. The past is
gone; the present is all that we have
to do with ; and it may be that the re
sponsibilities of office, especially under
such trying circumstances, will make
him a wiser and better man than he
has ever been. We have now the new
Arthur, not the old one; let every man
sustain him until he proves himself to
be unworthy. Even in that case, he
must be sustained, though in a differ
ent sense, so long as he holds his pres
ent position. He is the President.
From our hearts we pity the man.
He is the President of fifty millions of
people, by the act of only one of them,
and that one is Guiteau! He is elect
ed not by a majority of ballots, but by
a solitary bullet, fired by an assassin.
If theparty that elected him Vice-Presi
dent had known what would be the re
sult, bis name would not have appeared
on their ticket. Certainly it is not desir
able to hold office on such conditions.
He will be subjected to perpetual in
vidious comparisons. Whatever he
does, it will be compared unfavorably
with what it is supposed his predeces
sor would have done ; and no man can
stand the test of such an ideal stand
ard. The dead are perfect; at least
our imagination makes them so; the
living are all imperfect, and it is un
fair to judge them by a model which
our fancy creates. Yet through this
ordeal the new President must pass.
If Mr. Lincoln had done the very things
that Mr. Johnson did, they would
perhaps, have been received with favor ;
certainly not with furious opposition.
The President has our sympathies.
We trust that his mind and his heart
and his soul may be as big as his of
fice, and that he will prove to be in
deed and in truth the President of the
United States, and not merely the pres
ident of his party.
As for the late President he is be-l
yond the reach of our prayers. We
trust that he has now become a kfng,
and that he wears an imperishable
crown. But the good wishes that we
gave to him, we now transfer to his
successor. He needs our prayers in
his struggle with life as greatly as bis
predecessor did in his struggle with
death, and our prayers he shall have
God bless the President! May his
life and health be spared! May God
give him grace and wisdom and
strength according to his need! May he
not only be blest, but be a blessing!
May he so conduct the affairs of state
as to promote the prosperity and real
welfare of the whole country! May
the Holy Spirit preside over his heart,
and imbue him with motives patriotic
and up'g'l and pure! May his ad
ministration under divine guidance be
so wise and so just, so benign and so
fair, that all the people shall praise
him! May his life, like the death of
our late President, unite us all, so that
the bitterness of party strife shall cease
and sectional animosity be forgotten!
May the loss of one, and the life of the
other engender such kindliness of feel
ing in all hearts, that we shall see that
God’s blessing was wrapped up in his
providence, and let the mystery be
solved in rays of goodness and mercy!
May God bless the man, and the coun
try, not according to the poverty of our
requests, but according to infinite wis
dom, and power, and love! For the
sake of our Lord Jesus Christ, so let
it be!
THE AUTOPSY.
The nature of the wound produced
by the assassin’s bullet was never known
until a post mortem examination re
vealed the facts. The ball entered on
the right side of the spine, breaking the
eleventh rib, passed through one of
the vertebiae and lodged in the muscles
of the back on the left side of the spine,
just back of the heart, having scattered
splinters of bone in its track. It was
these splinters that caused the blood
poisoning. Such a wound must neces
sarily have been fatal; and but for the
facts that the President was a man of
strong constitution, and in sound
health, and that he had the very best
medical treatment, and that he enjoyed
every advantage and luxury that the
world affords, he would have died weeks
ago. The ball was completely encys
ted ; that is, the flesh had closed over
it and had healed up. So the presence
of the ball was not the cause of death ;
it was what the ball did at the time it
was discharged that produced the fatal
result. Hence the removal of the ball
would have done no good. Nor could
it have been found ; for when the man
was dead, and the operator was re-
strained by no feeling of tenderness, it
took the hard search of three quarters
of an hour to discover its locality. Os
course no such operation could have
been performed while the patient was
alive. The facts show the su"reme
folly of those who so fiercely criticised
the treatmentof the surgeons in charge,
and who said that if the President had
been a common man, and treated by
common physicians, he would have
recovered; and that if he should die, it
would be because he was “killed by
doctors.” Would it not be well for
people to say nothing about things of
which they know nothing?
aUMPSES AND HINTS.
—Rev. W. B. Bagby, our missionary to
Brazil, reports a revival, in June, at Santa
Barbara, with seventeen professions of con
version, the restoration of many whq had
been living far from God since goinv to that
country, and six baptisms. Five persons
went a hundred miles to attend the meet
ing, and one of these, a lady, was baptized
—Rev. Justin D. Fulton, D.D., pastor of
the Baptist Temple. Brooklyn, recently
baptized Bishop McNamara, of the Inde
pendent Irish Catholic Church.
—An Episcopal minister, of Walsall,
England, invites such of bis parishioners as
have the requisite ability and culture, to
write sermons, which, when he approves of
them, he reads from the pulpit, in lieu of
sermons written by himself. Perhaps, some
in our congregations who flatter themselves
that they can outpreach the preacher, might
be convinced of their mistake, if this cus
tom were brought into general currency.
Fur their sake, it might be well to try it
The Baptist church at Frankfort on the
Oder, is prohibited by the German govern
ment from holding Sunday-schools in pri«
vate dwellings, and the members are forced
to build a chapel though constantly weak--
ened by emigration to other countries, and
-o poor that they very seldom see bread, be
ing obliged to subsist almost exclusively on
potatoes.
—The Metropolitan Baptist (?) church,
San Francisco, Cal., has assumed an "lade
pendent" position, withdrawing from both
the District Association and the State Con
vention. Henceforth, it alone is responsible
for the irregularities of its pastor, I. S. Kai
lock.
—Rev. Dr. Thomas, of Chicago, a Metho
dist divine, says that the orthodox doc
trine of the atonement is a "butcher theo
ry that any one expecting to go to hea
ven through Christs merits would find
himself not there; that a soul might* re
pent even in hell and the idea of eternal
punishment is “all bosh;” and that if the
Methodist church did not throw over a
good part of the O.d Testament, it would
sink her.” And yet he thinks that he
ought to be allowed topreach as a Meth
odist minister; that the policy which
would silence him is injurious to liberal
culture; that it is a fruitless effort to re
press the progress of enlightened thought;
that it is denying men the right to think
for themselves; and that he and those likjs
him are harbingers of a better day to come
Before we yield to such pleas for denomi
national tolerance toward loose views, it is
well to look at this case, and see how fat
the yielding may practically and must log
ically carry us.
Rev. W. C. Lindsay, in the Baptist
Courier, says that thirty-four of the most
promising young Baptist ministers known
to him, including fourteen full graduates ol
our Seminary, Louisville, hold the views
avowed by brethren Stout and Bell on the
subject of inspiration.
—A Baptist colporteur, not long since, in
• ’.need a man to purchase Foster's “Story of
the Biole,’ by this plea : "You are too busy
to read as large a book as the Bible and to
•'hink out' the meaning of many difficult
passages in it; but you have time to read the
Story,’ which puts the substance of the Bi
ble in shorter space and in plainer lan
guage 1” Alas, for the man who accepts
any substitute for the Word of God—who
reads anything else except as a help to read
ing that.
Editor Middleditch, writing from Eu
rope to the Baptist Weekly, speaks of Rev
Dr. Culross, of Glasgow, as an eminent au
ttior and the foremost Baptist pastor in
Scotland.
—The Examiner & Chronicle tells of “a
pastor in Maine, of whom 'it is said that,
either personally, or by agents, he runs
three churches, a salmon fishery, a large
farm, a coal office, a teamsters' route, is a
car proprietor, a road conductor, a stage
coach owner, a chief partner in a public
bath and a mineral spring, a holder of turn
pike gates, a lodging bouse keeper, a guar
dian of the poor, and a member of the board
of health.”
—Dr. Tupper, Secretarj’ of our Richmond
Board, expects that, at an early day, West
Virginia will have one representative in the
foreign field; Maryland, North Carolina,
South Carolina and Missouri, each, two;
Alabama, Tennessee and Texas, three each;
Virginia, Mississippi and Georgia, each,
four—a total of thirty. Shall not our gilts
and prayers be enlarged greatly ?
—The Baptist Messenger, Louisiana, his
removed from Farmersville to Arcadia.
—As if to show how fatuous open commu
niouism can make men, some English Bap
tists are arguing that those who hold offices
in their denominational institutions may
permissibly become members and deacons in
Congregational churches, even when there
are Baptist churches in their immediate
neighborhood.
—Prof. W. J. Simmons, of the colored Theo
logical Seminary and Normal School, Louis
ville, reports a county with eighty llcentiatis
and ordained colored Baptist ministers—halt
of the male membership of some churches
holding the one or the other of these posi
tions. This is an evil which will cure Itself,
or prove the occasion ol incurable evils.
—The Richmond Christian Advocate says
that the gown is used in the pulpit of the
London church with which the Methodist Ec
umenical Conference meets, and thinks that
ministers from this country aspiring to the
episcopate may ‘‘alienate the votes of the
eauebrake" by donning Hie “silk or sarcenet.”
"If It should gel abroad that such a delegate
had been beguiled into a 'coif or wrought
night-cap' Ina Wesleyan vestry-room, all the
waters of great Neptune's sea could not wash
away the stain in the eyes of a Texas or Ar
kansas circuit rider.”
—ln a late lecture, George R. Wendling
said: “The most notorious outlaw known In
the criminal annals of the West, Frank
Rande, stood, a few months ago at the bar of
his cell In St. Louis, the very Impersonation
of every crime, and with the air of a brag
gart, said to preachers, priests and police
men, to throngs of men and women, ‘1 am a
Bob Ingersoll man’—and every man and
woman in the land believed him!” Crime
needs Infidelity to Justify- Itself to itself. Infi
delity Is the mother, and crime the daugh
ter.
—“A trumpery old piece of furniture,which
could not be sold in a second-hand store lor
twenty-flvecents,’’ Is the description which
Dr. Gray, of the Chicago Interior gives of the
chair In Westminster Hall, In which all the
English monarchs since King Joan have sat
to receive the crown.
—Canon Llddon. not long ago, said: “The
labors of Jesus of Nazareth were frequently
more like those ol a doctor of a Loudon : os
pltal seeing his patients than those of an or
dinary Clergyman.” And yet the Church hi.s
looked on tuat example of secular benefac
tion set by her Head, without recognizing In
It her call to a mission of good works for the
bodies as well as the souls ol men, and has
been but half a church I
—lt is strongly said by George^Macdonald:
"Perhaps, the worst devil that a man can l.e
possessed withal is, himself.”
GEORGIA BAPTIST NEWS.
—Warrenton Clipper: Hon. Janies
Stapleton called to see us Monday. He
is the wise Representative of Jefferson
county. He catne home a week ago.
He found Pleasant Grove, a Baptist,
church near his home, carrying on a
meeting with the pastor absent. The
pastor, Rev. Mr. Megahee, arrived on
Monday and left Friday. The meeting
terminated on Saturday with fifteen
additions by experience and baptism,
three by restoration and one by letter.
Thirteen of the fifteen were young la
dies, two or three of whom were mar
ried. Two young men were among the
number baptized.
Sandersville Mercury: Rev. J. J.
Hyman was unanimously called to the
pastorate of Riddleville Baptist church.
He has served this church for the last
seven years.
There is a very interesting meeting
going on in the Baptist church in Rid
dleville.
—Perry Home Journal: Dr. S. Lan
drum, financial agent of Mercer Uni
versity, was in town last week, having
returned from a somewhat extended
trip north in the interests of the Uni
versity. He received some encourage
ment, and hopes for greater things in
the future. The University commen
ces the next term on the last Wednes
day in this month. The proximity of
Macon and its excellent society make
it a desirable place for the education of
our youth. It is impossible to state in
terms too strong the importance of a
college education, under the best moral
influences, for our young men. What
a father invests in the best education
of his son cannot be lost by the vicissi
tudes of human events. We cordially
commend the college at Macon to the
good people of our part of the State.
—Columbus Tinies : The revival at
Bethesda Baptist church still continues
with increasing interest, spreading over
the whole neighborhood. It is said
that the interest is beyond anything
witnessed there for many years. There
have been already sixteen additions to
the .church and many others confi
dently looked for.
Rev. Dr. Buck of this place has been
assisting the pastor, Rev. C. C. Willis,
and has won a deep place in the hearts
of the citizens by his earnest and faith
ful work in their midst. The congre
gations have and the
meeting will continue over Sunday
next.
—Augusta Evening News: Rev. R.
E. Morrow, of Mercer University, a
promising young man, was ordained to
the ministry at Hephzibah Baptist
church on Sunday,July 24th. The pres
bytery consists of the pastor, Rev. J. H.
Carswell, Rev. W. L. Kilpatrick and
Rev. Edmund Morris.
Rev. Charles D. Stakely, of Elbert
county, officiated at the Baptist church
in Hephzibah on Sunday, the 28th of
August. Both sermons have been very
highly and favorably commented upon.
The fine language used is not common
ly found in one so young in years.
—Rev. W. W. Roop writes from Be
thesda church, Carroll county: “We
have closed a series of interesting
meetings at this church. The Lord
has been very gracious, greatly bless
ing the church; large and attentive
congregations were deeply impressed
during these meetings. Seven mem
bers were added to the church by bap
tism.”
Fort Valley Mirror: The protracted
meeting in the Baptist church is pro
gressing quite favorably, and much in
terest is being manifested. Rev. E.
H. McGehee preached an interesting
sermon to a good congregation on
Tuesday night. Dr. A. J. Battle, of
Mercer University, is assisting Dr. Ross
in the meeting, and we learn that
Doctors Landrum and Warren, of Ma
con, will probably be down on Sun
day.
—Covington Star: The Madison
Colored Baptist Association held its
ninth annual meeting in Covington
last week, commencing on Thursday
morning and closing on Monday night.
A large number of delegates and visi
tors were in attendance, and the meet
ing was one of thegpiost pleasant and
harmonious ever hisld by the Associa
tion. Between two and three thous
and colored people attended the Asso
ciation.
—The report of the Columbus Bap
tist church to the Association shows
that at the beginning of the Associa
tional year there was a membership of
447. Since that time there have been
twenty-eight received by letter and
thirty-three by experience and baptism.
During the same period three have
died and twenty have been dismissed
by letter, making the present member
ship 483, being a gain during the year
of thirty-four members.
The statistics show that the church
has raised during the year $3,184,15.
Os this amount $380,90 have been
raised for missions and the Sunday
school has raised an additional amount
of $35.
—The protracted meeting at the
Baptist church in Talbotton continues
with unabated interest. Many valu
able accessions have been made to the
church and the spirit of the people re
vived. The pastor is an earnest and
zealous worker.
—Western Association.— Report
of the Committee on Publications, J. G.
Goss, Chairman : “We have long been
fully satisfied that no family should
be without a good religious newspaper
—no Baptist family without a Baptist
paper. We therefore recommend to
all—but especially to the Baptists,
The Christian Index. That organ
through which our grand-fathers and
grand-mothers spoke to one another
and to the world, the joys and com
forts of religion, pointing each other,
and the wayward sinner, to Calvary—
a beacon light in a dreary wilderness.
“We find the denomination in Geor
gia remarkably uniform, both in faith
and practice. In looking for the cause,
while we grant much to our denomi
national college, our cherished Mer
cer, still we are compelled to ascribe
very much to the potent agency of The
Index, visiting as it does weekly so
many families, with its columns richly
laden with the golden truths of the
gospel. The arrangement and gen
eral make-up of the paper are certain
ly unsurpassed, if equaled, by any.
“Therefore, if we fail to recommend
other Baptist papers or periodicals, or
literature of any kind, as earnestly as
we do The Christian Index, it is not
because we love them less, but because
we love The Index more.”
Dr. M. B. Wharton.—We learn
that Dr. Wharton is established in his
consulate, at Sonneberg, Prussia, but
resides at Coburg, near at band. He
does not contemplate an immediate
return to America, but is fulfilling the
duties of his position. He is much
pleased; is pleasantly located with his
family ; and finds the position of Uni
ted States Consul a very high and hon
orable one. While, for the time being,
he has dropped the religious title ap
pended to his name—he has by no
means dropped his ministerial charac
ter. These facts have reached us
through private correspondence, the
first report of his resignation proving
erroneous.
Rev. Dr. Thomas of the Methodist
Episcopal Church is about to be tried
in Chicago for heresy. He admits
that he does not believe the doctrines
of the church to which he belongs, but
declares his determination to remain
in that church. This we think is an
outrage. A man has a right to change
his opinions and to change his church
relations, but he has no right to make
a nuisance of himself by staying where
he is not wanted, and where his pres
ence is offensive and injurious. If we
have any Baptist preachers who do not
believe Baptist doctrines, we hope they
will leave us, and our best wishes shall
go with them.
Rev. G. H. Coltharp, whose appeal
in behalf of the Baptist church at
Franklin, N. C., we published some
weeks since, is now in our city, solicit
ing funds to aid that church in the
erection of a house of worship. The
cause, we think, is a worthy one; and
we hope that none will withhold help
if it is “in the power of their hand” to
render it. The true heart worships
God when it gives money for his work :
the giving is_ worship—as really so as
prayer itself, or praise, or the procla
mation of his truth.
He who desires to go to heaven
alone will never get there; and he who
does nothing to lead others in the way
of eternal life gives poor evidence, if
any, that he is in the way himself.
Mistake Corrected.—The Bethel
Association will hold its annual meet
ing at Camilla on the second Tuesday
in November, the eighth of the month.
DeVotie.
ANNUAL MEETINGS OF BAPTIST ASSOCTAt
TIONS IN GEORGIA, 1881.
SEPTEMBER.
Columbus—Saturday before 4th Sabbath,
Bethlehem, Harris county.
Flint River-Saturday before 4th Sabbath,
Hollonvllle, Pike county.
Oostanaula—Friday before Ist Sabbath,
Bethel, five miles from Adairsville.
Sarepta—Friday before 4th Sabbath, Union,
Madison county.
Stone Mountain—Friday before 2d Sabbath,
Rockdale, Rockdale county.
Washington—Friday before 4th Sabbath,
Bethlehem, Washington county.
Western—Saturday before 3d Sabbath, Wes
tern, Heard county.
Tallapoosa-Saturday before 2d Sabbath,
Floyd Creek, Bartow county.
Tugalo—Thursday before 3d Sabbath, Zidon,
Franklin county.
Second Georgia—Friday before 3d Sabbath,
Zion church, DeKalb county.
Jasper-Friday before Ist Sabbath, Jerusa
lem, Pickens county.
Middle Cherokee—Friday before 4th Sab
bath, Tunnel Hill.
OCTOBER.
Baptist Union—Saturday before 3d Sabbath,
Macedonia, Bullock county.
Bowen—Saturday before 2d Sabbath, Mt.
Pleasant, Decatur county.
Carrollton—Saturday before 4th Sabbath
Aberllne, carroll county.
Cave Spring-Friday before 2d Sabbath,
Poplar Spring, Chattooga county.
Central-Tuesday before Ist Sabbath, Elam
Jones county.
Ebenezer—Saturday before 4th Sabbath,
Gordon, Wilkerson county.
Fairburn—Satur ay before Ist Sabbath, Be
thesda, Campbell county.
Friendship—Thursday before Ist Sabbath,
Americus.
Georgia—Thursday before 2d Sabbath, Shar
on, Columbia county.
Hephzibah—Friday before 3d Sabbath, Mc-
Bean, Burke county.
Houston—Wednesday before 2d Sabbath,
Drayton, Dooly county.
Liberty—Thursday before Ist Sabbath, Toc
coa, Habersham county.
Mercer—Tuesday before 3d Sabbath, Thom
asville, Thomas county.
Middle—Friday before 2nd Sabbath, Cor
inth, Effingham county.
Mount Vernon-Friday before Ist Sabbath,
Tenoell, Washington county.
New Ebenezer—Saturday before 3d Sabbath,
Block House, Telfair.
New Sunbury—Saturday before 4th Sabbath,
Brunswick, Ga.
Piedmont—Friday before 2d Sabbath, Con
solation, Appling county.
Rehobotb—Friday before 3d Sabbath, Hayne
ville, Houston county.
Gillsville-Saturday before 4th Sabbath, Ho
mer.
Concord—Saturday before 2d Sabbath, Beu
lah, Douglas county.
Chattahoochee—Friday before 2d Sabbath,
Holly Springs, Hall county.
Smyrna-Friday before 4th Sabbath, Mt.
Zurich, Coffee county.
Mulberry-Friday before 2d Sabbath, Mt.
Moriah, Gwinnett county
NOVEMBER.
Bethel—Friday before 2d Tuesday, Camilla,
Mitchell county.