The Christian index and southern Baptist. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1881-1892, October 13, 1881, Image 1

The Christian index and southern Baptist., October 13, 1881, Image 1

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Newspaper Page Text- - SOUTH-WESTERN BAPTIST, ' \ THE CHRISTIAN HERALD, of Alabama. of Tennessee. ESTABLISHED I 8 21. Table of Contents. First Page—Alabama Department: Heaven ly Contemplntion ; Doctrine and Duty ; The Religious Press. Second Page—Correspondence: Collegiate Education—Free Tuition ; Baptist Colpor tage; Temperance; A Merited Tribute; North Georgia Notes; From Consul Whar ton ; Jottings By The Way; etc The Missionary Department. Third Page—Children’s Corner: Bible Ex plorations ; Enigmas; Correspondence; The Sunday-school: The Peace Offering— Lesson for October 23d. Fourth Page—Editorials : Personal; Un speakable Words; Asleep for Sorrow ; The New Version on Baptism ; Glimpses and Hints; Georgia Baptist News ; Mercer University. Fifth Page—Secular Editorials : Uniformity in Education; Literary Notes and Com ments ; Books and Magazines ; President Garfield— poetry Longfellow; Georgia News. Sixth Page—The Household : President Gar field’s Favorite Hymn ; Never Let Go; Johnny’s Question ; But I Can Trust— poetry; etc. Obituaries. Seventh Page—The Farmer's Index : The Cotton Exposition; Money for Farmers; The Solid South. Eighth Page—Florida Department: Facts and Figures ; "For all Flesh is Grass;” From the Churches; Correspondence; Scottsville; Suggestions in Time. Alabama Department. BY SAMUEL HENDERSON. HE A VENLY CONTEMPLA TION. In no exercise in which the Chris tian can engage will his piety mature more rapidly than in contemplating his future inheritance in glory. Its reaction upon his whole character and conduct is most happy. It stimulates his faith, confirms his hope and in flames his heart with the very fervor of divine love. It is, in a word, that exercise which imparts to that glori ous abode all the force of a present living reality, substantially placing him under “ the powers of the world to come.” 0 how pleasant it is to the pious heart to antedate its joys, to familiarize the soul with its future home, to regale the imagination with its sublime scenes, its sweet compan ionship, its hallowed employments and most of all, with the prospect of “ see ing the King in his beauty!” It is not wonderful that Bunyan represents his Pilgrim, as he entered “ the land of Beulah” as “falling sick of desire!” How sad to think that a privilege so high, so replete with every comfort that can cheer, encourage and strength en the disciple in this vale of tears should so often give place to the mer est trifles of the hour! A simple stroke of the pen of the in spired writer gives us a ftjll portrai ture of Isaac’s piety. “And Isaac went into the field at even tide to meditate.” This is construed by some to pray. Indeed religious meditation is a spe cies of silent prayer. It places the spirit in the lives of commuaication with heavenly things. It abstracts the mind fro m temporal and places it under the power of spiritual things, thus giving to “ the things which are unseen” all the force of living realities. Without intending to be prosy, let us attempt to enforce this duty, this priv ilege, upon the Christian reader, claim ing for it the measure of importance which the word of God and our own consciousness assign it. And let us remind you, dear reader, that set time should be appropriated to this exercise. Every man who suc ceeds in worldly enterprises knows that every department of his business must be attended to in its time. Every Christian who makes any proficiency in the divine life, must have set times for every duty connected with the growth of his piety. As we have seen, Isaac chose the twilight of evening as the appropriate time for this service. There is something in the calm tran quility of this hour peculiarly fitted for meditation upon divine things. As the duties of the day are completed, and as the great Father begins to draw the curtains of night around His chil dren, summoning them to that repose they need, what more appropriate time could be selected to commune with ourselves and with Him than such an auspicious hour! It is then that the spirit of the creature comes more directly in contact with the Spirit of the Creator than at any other hour. As the gathering darkness reveals the vast extent of creation, it is no wonder that David, as he gazed npon the vast expanse, exclaimed, “ The heavens de clare the glory of God, and the firma ment showeth his handiwork.” Why, the boldest Atheist that ever lived, as he would look up to the bespangled heavens, and amid its ten thousand tongues should attempt to say “there is no God,” the very sentence would choke his utterance. The “fool” on ly can say this. Then how many topics would natu rally come up at such an hour for con templation. Suppose the Christian to make his future home in heaven, the supreme subject of reflection. How many things centre around the “ Je rusalem which is above, the mother of us all,” to awaken the liveliest and ho liest emotions that can stir the human heart. Let the devout Christian, on some holy Sabbath day, in which a mellow sanctity steals into his soul, that day so rich in its hallowed recol lections, set himself to the task o r p’ace ing himself in idea beside the be loved disciple on “ the isle which is called Patmos,” when the visions of heaven encompassed him, and, not so much to comprehend the mysteries of the grand Apocalypse, seek only to fol low the sublime story as it brings the enchanting scenes of that upper world before him, its inhabitants, angelic and redeemed, its fields of living green, its palms and crowns, its sublime splen dors and its everlasting song all pre sided over by his Elder Brother, the adored Redeemer —suppose, we say, he selects that as the subject of contem plation, would it not wean him from the low and grovelling joys of earth, and stimulate his desires for those, higher, purer and holier pleasures which are at the right hand of God? And then, to think that this is to be the home of the redeemed for ever, is it not enough to thrill the heart of ev ery saint with “joy unspeakable and full of glory ?” The truth is, it is be cause we do not take time to place ourselves, in a sense, under those hea venly powers, that this present, evil world maintains such a masterly as cendency over our hearts, o, Chris tian reader, let us “ look not at the things which are seen but at the things which are not seen,” —let us accustom oarselves to derive our highest joy, not from what we are but from what we shall be—let us know that the fu ture only can manifest the true great ness of the people of God, his “ kings and priests.” Finally, consider the advantages of this habit of reflecting at stated times upon [spiritual concernments. It will react upon evzry trait of Christian char acter. It will cause our “love to abound yet more and more in knowledge and in all judgment.” It will strengthen our faith to achieve its highest results, by imparting “ substance to things hoped for.” It will give a still stronger anchor age to that “ hope within the vail, whither the forerunner for us has en tered.” It will throw around the duty of prayer its holiest sanctities and sweetest attractions. It will expand our spiritual knowledge far beyond any thing that mere books can afford. It will so transfer our “ affection to things above,” that we shall feel as Paul felt, “ to die is gain,” so that when the sum mons comes to release us from this body- of sin it will be the happiest day in our Christian pilgrimage. Oh, with what bounding joy will the soul escape from its earthly prison to join the com panionship of the skies, and folding its wings upon the mount of God, shall feel the first pulsations of heavenly joy. We only add in conclusion, that those precious seasons in our earthly pilgrimage in which we abandon our selves to these heavenly contempla tions will no doubt live in our memo ries in that world of blessedness, as be ing the happiest scenes that marked our growth in grace, fitting us for the employment of the general assembly and church of the first born. Oh, how often have we tried to realize in our anticipation how the recollection of those pleasant hours on earth, in which we experience the foretastes of our final home in heaven, will impart a sweet er thrill to the strains of the new and everlasting song! Rev. E. T. Smyth, of Oxford, has been called to succeed us to preach at Childersburg, Ala. We have not learned as to whether he has accepted the call. It is an important place, and we hope the church will succeed in securing a “good minister of Jesus Christ.” —Dr. Maraena Stone, (who was connected with some unpleasant newspaper discussions several years ago, and who was then charged with making unfriendly and unjust repre sentations respecting the South and the Baptists of the South,) has been sent by the American Baptist Home Mission Society, notwithstanding bis advanced age and his feeble health, to serve as teacher of the theo logical class in its School for Freedmen at Selma, Ala. ALANTA, GEORGIA, THURSDAY, OCTOBER 13, 1881. DOCTRINE AND DUTY. We have a very vivid recollection of a dear old uncle, a Baptist minis ter, we had almost wiitten surpassed by none of his day, in breadth of read ing, profundity of thought, and, on some occasions, in pulpit power, Dr. Wm. Wood, for some years joint pas tor of Cave Spring and Cedar Town churches, Ga. He said to us on one occasion, that at one period of his life he became very much involved in debt, so much so, that he had well nigh despaired of ever paying out. Think ing over his condition one day, it oc curred to him, he said, that he had not “ put his money out to the exchang ers,” that is, had not contributed what he should have done to the cause of his master. He therefore resolved that he would never let an opportunity slip to do something, however small, for every object that offered itself. He carried out the resolution, and from that day he began to prosper, and in a little while he was free of debt. He submitted the divine rule to a very practical test, “ Give, and it shall be given you, good measure, pressed down, and running over.” His latter years were by far the most prosperous years of his life. How often have we thought of this incident in the life of that good man within the last thirty years, as we have encountered those human infirmities incident to those whom we could not but think were good men. Struggling with misfortunes which overmastered them, it seems never to have occurred to them that they had failed to con ciliate the only power in the universe that could reverse the tide. Not a lew professing Christians appear to act as though there were no such thing as divine providence directing human affairs Relying on their own indus try and sagacity, they forget that a simple turn in their worldly affairs, such as anover-ruling Providence only can effect, would put a new phase up on all their industrial pursuits. Is it at all wonderful that blessings per verted or misused, are resumed by their owner? Do we continue to trust those who are so absorbed in promot ing their own interest as wholly to neg lect ours in their management of that which we have committed to them ? Do we not say to them in such cases, as the landlord said to his steward in the gospel, “ Give an account of thy stewardship, for thoumayest no longer be steward?” Is there not a deep phi losophy, as well as a great religious principle involved in the declaration of God’s word, “ there is that withhold eth more than is meet, but it tendeth to poverty ?” Can we believe that God will put a premium upon selfishness by bestowing both temporal and spir itual piosperity upon those who ignore a cause that takes precedence of all oth er causes that can appeal to our moral consciousnses? Is there not some thing in the very cultivation of nar row-mindedness that so indurates the heart and dwarfs the mind as to make success in any pursuit well-nigh im possible ? By success we do not mean so much what a man has as what he enjoys; for he may have his thousands, and yet live as the poorest, grudging the miserable fare he himself consumes, and the threadbare garments that cov er his own nakedness. Cut off the connction between pro fession and practice between praying and giving—between doctrine and du ty —between saying and doing, and what is either worth? It is only in combination that either is any thing more than as “ sounding brass or a tinkling cymbal.” Like salt, which is composed of chlorine and sodium, either of which is worthless for pre serving until they are combined. But unite profession and practice, and the Christian becomes just what our Lord declares, “ the salt of the earth.” De stroy the combination, and the salt loses its savor and “ becomes hence forth good for nothing.” It is to that godliness in which form and power unite that Christ has committed all the powers and prerogatives, the rights and privileges, the duties and obliga tions, with which He has ever invested his earthly followers, and to which He has affixed a destiny more glorious than angelic hosts can ever fill. For it is only as the achievements of faith through this probationary scene, shall be thought worthy of record in the book of life, that earth can afford mat ter for the “ new song before the throne which no man could learn but the re- deemed of the earth.” True, redemp- tion by Christ, free, sovereign, unmer ited, will be the key note of that song; but the reality, the virtue of that re demption appears only in that faith that sacrifices every thing, even life itself if need be, to avouch its sincerity. . Among the many other things that faith does for the heirs of salvation is, that it connects the present with the future, the great tribulations here with the eternal weight of glory there, the sorrowing pilgrims here with the white vested throng there, the Gethsemanes and Calvarys of earth with the hallelu jahs of heaven. What sublime melo dy will the recollections of earth give to the everlasting song! What topics will such a life as that of Paul, or Isaiah, or John furnish to the hym nology of the new Jerusalem! The faith that unites to Christ will preserve forever in vivid recollection all that properly belongs to our spiritual his tory. 1 " "S—" ■' 1 The Religious Press. And here is a whole sermon in a short paragraph from Zion's Herald. Profession unsupported by practice is valueless as a check drawn on a bank in which the drawer has no funds. Such profession is worse than valueless. It is in itself a sin ; for “hethat saith I know- Him (the Christ), and keepeth not His commandments, is a liar and the truth is not in him.” But he whose life is pure and beautiful honors his Master by openly illustrating the graces of his character to the Spirit through whom they are produced. The necessity of an indissoluble connection between profes sion and practice is effectively expressed by John in these words: “He that saith he abideth in Him ought himself also to walk even as he walked.” False professions in the church resemble fetid funguses in the vegetable world, in that they are very offensive and poi sonous. ’’jf'hree questions occur to us. 1. Is not every church member who is wholly inactive, a fetid fungus? 2. What shall be said of those pastors and preachers who fill our churches with these fetid funguses? 3. What is the best disposition that we could make of these fetid funguses? Our valued exchange, The Baptist (England) laments the lack of union among the English Baptists. It says, Our isolated, independent action is a source of weakness in many ways. Greatly to be deprecated are the sharp lines which are drawn between what are called the “strict” and “open” brethren; the formation of different associations, not because of any difference of view on the subjects or mode of baptism, but only on the question of how far we should seek to force our views on others. The strict brethren, it must be owned, are chiefly responsible for this division. How easy is it to say that the fault is altogether on the other side! And how easy it is to accuse other people of the very fault of which the accuser him self is guilty! We American Baptists would be called in England “the strict brethren.” We are not aware that we have ever attempted to “force” our views upon others. But the use of that word force, as groundless as it is opprobrious, is itself an effort to bully us out of our principles, and to force us, so far as language can force us, to abandon a position which oar con sciences require us to hold. The ques tion between the “open” and “strict” brethren is stated to be “How far we should seek to force our views on others.” Was there ever anything more outrageously unfair? It is a con fession however that the “open” breth ren, bo far as they are represented by the Baptist, are willing to some extent to force their views. The question is one of how much; and the Baptist is willing for some. We of the stricter kind are not willing for any. The same paper says: The rite of baptism by immersion was administered on Sunday week by the the vicar-of Gwyddelwern, near Corwen, to two candidates for confirmation who had never been baptized, and whose parents were Baptists. The ceremony took place in a brook near the church, and was witnessed by crowds of people. We beg to ask our British brother how else the rite of baptism could have been administered ? The facts stated make us both glad and sorry. We are glad to hear that the vicar of Gwyddel wern (!) obtained his consent to ad minister the rite of baptism. It is probably the first time that he ever did such a thing. We are sorry that the children of Baptists should be “candi dates for confirmation” by a Church of England Bishop. However, this is the natural outcome of the open-com munion theory. As we sow, so we reav. The skeptic, the scoffer, the blas phemer, or the persecutor boasts of bis power, and threatens to overturn Chris tianity, explode religion, confute the Bible," and introduce a new order of things. We have heard of such threats before. Let him try. Let everything that can be shaken, shake, and every thing that can be overthrown tumble; something lias hitherto survived such assaults, and there may be some of GotPe work left after the devil has done his worst. If a man thinks to bombard Gibralter with boiled potatoes, “let him try!” One who knew man in his weak ness and his stiength, has said, “Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my word shall not pass awny.’’—The Christian. Brethren, don’t feel uneasy. Dr. Montgomery in the Baptist Re flector says: That the Bible, and all of the Bible, is the inspired word of God, we regard as no more of an open question among Baptists than the Divinity of Christ. Paul, in our estimation, closed that question when he wrote, “All scripture is given by in spiration of God.” If Drs. Toy, Bell, Stout and Lindsey want to contradict Paul, we will not “repress,” nor “sup press,” nor “silence” them. We w’ill not turn loose on them the “persecu tion of the Middle Agee.” But we will claim the liberty of saying they shall not represent us in our Seminary, or else where As a peo- ple we are not yet prepared to surrender to German Rationalism. If any persons wish to undermine the confidence of the people in the Word of God, they can do so ad libitum. This is a free country. They can establish journals of their own, or em ploy such of those already established as are willing to be employed, for the promulgation of their views, and no body will interfere with them. But they must not expect to use our jour nals as media for carrying out their purposes. What would be thought of a general who should politely say to an opposing general, “Please let me have the use of your guns, that I may turn them loose on your army.” And sup pose that this polite general when rebuffed should say to the rebuffer, “You are unfair, and unkind, and un generous, and cowardly, and—and—l don’t know what!” polite general might be invited to the asylum. Crime sometimes does not look like crime, when it is set before us in the many folds of a long word. When a man steals and we call ita “defalcation,” we are at a loss to know if it is a blunder or a crime. If he does not tell the truth, we are told it is a case of “prevarica tion,” it taks us some time to know just we should think of it. No man will ever cheat himself into wrong doing; nor will he be at a loss to judge others, if he thinks and speaks of acts in clear, crisp terms. It is a good rule,if one is at a loss to know if an act is right or wrong, to write it down in short, straight-out English.— Hon. Horatio Seymour. Just so with the word baptize. As an English word it is very bewildering and mystifying, and does not mean anything in particular, though as a Greek word which it is (and it is noth ing else) it means something, and it does not mean anything else, and every Greek understood it as readily as he understood the words standing for fire, air and water. Translate it into Eng lish by the word dip and it brings out the meaning of the word with a snap. “Jesus . . . was dipped by John into the Jordan.” From an excellent sermon on the application of business principles to religious life, by a preacher in Indiana, and published in the Western, Recorder, we copy tw’o extracts: 1. We are often met with the excuse, “My business demands my first atten tion.” So be it. But what is life's busi ness ? Are you too busy to sign the papers necessary to insure your proper ty ? Are you too busy to take a title to your estate? Are you too busy to pay "your taxes? These things are a part of every man’s business; to neglect them is unbusinesslike. Nopiudentman wai's for the fire-alarm before he insures. He does not trust to some uncertain future to take his deed and have it recorded. The last day of redemption does not find his taxes unpaid. Apply these common sense principles to the affairs of the so il, and this will be a new era, a day of in surance against eterifhl burning, of mak ing titles clear, of rendering to God the things that are God’s. Is it not strange that a man should be too busy to attend to his business? If attention to one’s own soul, and .<> the souls of his family and neighbors and to the will of the God that made him, is not business, what is busines? To neglect this for the sake of a farm or a counting-room, is as if a drowning man would stop to tie his shoe string instead of seizing a rope thrown to him. 2. It is not a question between busi ness and the place of prayer; but. whim business. I like that farmer out W-.st VOL. 59.— NO. 40. who said at the organization of a little church: “lintend to attend to mv reli giousduties this year, and then if! have any spare time I will raise a crop o com.” He simply put that first which belonged first, and there is no fear abou t the corn field. That’ farmer must have read and taken tojhis heart these words: “Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you.” Mr. George Scoville,the brother-in-law of Guiteau, is reported as having con sented to act as his counsel in his ap. proaching trial for the murder of the President. This he does reluctantly and at the earnest request of his wife, who is the sister of the assassin. He says that he shall interpose no merely technics 2 objections to the form of the indictment or the jurisdiction of the Supreme Court of the District of Columbia to try Gui teau for the offense, but shall rely in the defense on the single ground of insanity. This is evidently the only defense of which the case admits, since the facts as to the killing will be proved beyond question. The law, for the purpose 0 f criminal responsibility, presumes every one to be sane, and, if insanity be urged as a defense, then the party making the plea must affirmatively show the fact. What must in a capital case be shown is, that the person charged with the crime did not, by reason of disease if the mind, know, at the time of inflicting the mor tal injury, the nature of his own action in relation to the consequences thereof ; or, if he did, that he did not for the same reason know the action to be unlawfu 1 and wrong. Guiteau must make out such a case in his own behalf, or the law will and should treat him ae a murderer and hang him by the neck till he is dead.. No bogus plea of insanity will serve his purpose. That he has led an irregular and bad life and is a strange, eccentric, dishonest, and ugly man is abundantly evident; but all this is perfectly consis tent with sanity in the legal and respon sible sense. His history has been pretty well set before the public, and in it we have seen no facts to sustain the plea of insanity. — Independent. The plea of insanity has long been disgracefully and shamefully abused. We should be careful now not to let the reaction carry us too far in the op posite direction. If in the case of Guiteau, the fact of insanity is fairly made out, to convict him and put him to death would be nothing less than murder. If such a case is not made out, there should be nothing between him and the gallows but a little lapse of time. Meantime it would be well to suspend our judgment until we have heard the evidence. We have not heard it yet. What would be thought of a jury who would give their verdict first, and hear the evidence afterwards, or not at all ? The public is in a cer tain sense the jury. The occasion suggests to us, that the word jury, rhymes wonderfully well with fury. It is best not to be furious. Let law be supreme. The Central Baptist quoting from. the Watchman the statement that Mr, Moody was “quietly” immersed in> Baltimore three years ago, says : If the statement is correct, we must say we have more doubt of Mr. Moody’s sincerity than of his understanding ot a a Greek word. Why be immersed at all if it must be in secret? Why may not all immersions be under concealment? Why not hide in a corner to celebrate the Lord’s supper? Was Mr. Moody afraid of the effect of his act upon his Piedobaptist brethren ? Certainly such a consideration would not be compli mentary to those brethren, whose devo tion to him has professed to be on a wider basis. There are several more interesting questions that might be raised. Mr. Moody has placed himself in a strange position. He has left the Pedobaptists by repudiating their baptism. He has not united with us, for he has repudiated ours; for to hide it is to be ashamed of it; and to be ashamed of it is to repudiate it; where upon we repudiate him, and refuse to recognise him as a Baptist. To be ashamed of Christ’s baptism is to be ashamed of him. Ashamed of Jesus! yes I may , When I’ve no guilt to wash away, No tear to wipe, no good to crave. No fear to quell, no soul to save. His instlti lions would I prize T ,ke up the cross, the shame despise, Dare to defend his noble cause And yield obedience to his laws. Again we beg to call atten ion of the Clerks of Associations to the fact thathe Index office is prepared to print and delNer Minutes with neat ness and dispatch. All Minutes received will be print* ’ and sent out in eight to ten days; and all who send I Hl Ixt'K ■ ' Alee Minutes to print, wi I receive at the end of A-eoc!atioual y ar, abound copy co It Icing all Mi ut-s printed at this office. This nixie- n w s valuable histoucal volume , 1 anil lilt o- ght to be anxious to have their pro- ... d-i'g- preserve 1 i. so promi ent and valuable I inn. i Brethren. ia Georgia and other Stetes send us i vuur Mlnnt>« t" print and be assured <f p:o npt 1 a,d re in e aork, at the most reason b.e lates