Newspaper Page Text
W .SOI Ex
SOUTH-WESTERN BAPTIST, X THE CHRISTIAN HERALD,
of Alabama. of Tennessee.
ESTABLISHED I 811.
THE CHRISTIAN INDEX.
BY JAS. P. HARRISON & CO.
Subscription, per year.. _ $2.60
Table of Contents.
First Page—Alabama Department: The
Lord’s Supper—No. 1; Indian Summer of
Life; The Atlanta Exposition Feat Out
done ; The Religious Press.
Second Page—Correspondence: Origin of
Three Churches—J H. Campbel): Monthly
Olive Branch ; Thanksgiving Day ; Jot
tings By The Way. Missionary Depart
ment.
Third Page—Children’s Corner: Bible Ex
§l orations; Enigmas, etc. The Sunday
chool—Review : Lesson for December 18.
Fourth Page—Editorials: Scholarship vs.
Scholarship ; Paul on Good Works ; Judge
Cox : Glimpses and Hints; Georgia Bap
tist News.
Fifth Page—Secular Editorials : The Expo
sition at Atlanta; Worse than Ethiopia;
Magazines and Books ; Georgia News.
Sixth Page—The Household: Songs in the
Night—poetry ; Believing and Receiving ;
Learn Good Habits, etc.
Seventh Page—The Farmer’s Index ; Small
Farms in the South; Correspondence; The
Dallas Wheat.
Eighth Page—Florida Depar’ment: The
Christian Index and Florida Baphst ;
Letter from Melrose; Florida Fish and
Oysters, etc
Alabama Department.
UY SAMUEL HENDERSON.
THE LORD’S SUPPER.—No. 1.
Old Christians are too apt to forget,
that a new generation needs the same
training in the doctrines, duties and
ordinances of Christianity that they
enjoyed in early life. Things that are
old and perhaps stale to a matured
Christian, may have all the freshness
of novelty to a young disciple. We
all know that those great fundamental
principles of revealed truth, on which
our whole Christian character is based,
and which have grown as familiar
to us A household words, w’ere once as
fresh and new to us, as if they had
just been revealed. And really to us
they were as a new revelation. Now,
we. must remember that our history
has been the history of past genera
tions, and will be the history of com
ing ages. Every generation needs to
be instructed in the first principles of
the doctrines of Christ. This is just as
necessary for our successors as it was
for us. And yet, how prone we are to
forget it. We think that because we
are “rooted and grounded in the truth,”
all others are —that those instructions
which'relate to the Kingdom of Christ,
both in its form and power, and which
it has cost us years of reading and
study to master, will be equally accept
ed by the young without effort—and
that to recur to them in our newspa
pers in a work of supererogation. Nev
er are we likely to make so great a
mistake. Young Christians will al
ways need this training in these first
principles to establish them in the
truth. We, therefore, make no apology
for devoting a portion of our space for
this, and perhaps another article or
two, on the Scriptural terms of com
munion at the Lord’s table. Indeed,
a worthy young minister has requested
us to undertake this task so earnestly,
that we could not decline the service
if we would. If our older brethren do
not see proper to accompany us
through this subject, they can simply
close their eyes at this point, and wait
till we finish the task.
We premise what we have to say by
laying down the following truths,
which seem to us to be axiomatic.
I. New Testament example is
equivalent to New Testament com
mnad.
11. As the Lord’s supper is a posi
tive, in distinction from a moral insti
tution, all we can know of it is a
matter of special revelation.
111. It is binding on Christians as
organized in churches.
IV. These churches are composed
of persons baptized upon a personal
profession of their faith in Christ
Jesus.
We can scarcely think that any
Christian man, properly instructed in
the word of God, can doubt any one of
these propositions. If they are not
self evident, they are at least suscepti
ble of an amount of proof which can
scarcely be resisted.
The original institution of the Sup
per indicates that it was only designed
to be celebrated by believers within
the household of faith. The partici
pants were the spiritual family of
Jesus Christ. No other parties were
present but his disciples. It was as if
assembling his “weeping church,” as
one expresses it, to take his final
leave of her, he would take bis own
likeness and hang it upon her neck,
saying, ‘when you see this, remember
me.’ It was a sweet memento of whit
had so recently been said of him,
“having loved his own, he loved them
to the end.” To whom else could he
have committed so sacred a trust as
his own character? Others would tra
duce and scandalize his honored name
—they would only preserve it as a
jewel of priceless value. So that
whether we regard the object for which
it was instituted, of the fidelity with
which it would be perpetuated, we
must suppose that our Lord would
only have committed it to his .friends.
Now, of all men in this world who
have ever lived, we would all naturally
conclude that the inspired apostles of
our Lord would understand a direct
command; and we would all instinct
ively assign to their exposition and
observance of that command all the
authority of inspiration. They receiv
ed it immediately from his lips, and
they were in communication with him
after his ascension, by the Holy Spirit;
so that their subsequent acts in carry
ing out that command are as obligatory
on us as if any one of his apostles
should descend every time this table
was spread to administer the Supper.
What are the “Acts of the Apostles”
but a kind of Supreme Court decision,
announced from the “twelve thrones”
on which our Lord seated his twelve
Apostles ? And-there is a particulari
ty in their references to it which leaves
no room for cavil.
Let us pause here, before entering
upon the practice of the Apostles, to
state an old and important principle
that implies to both baptism and the
Lord’s supper. We all know that
they are positive, in contradistinction to
moral institutions. Positive institutions
do not arise out of our moral relations.
They depend, solely upon the will of
the Lawgiver for their authoritative
force. This leaves nothing for infer
ence or implication. The Levitical
priesthood had no more right to sub
stitute a white for the “red heifer”
prescribed by the Divine law, than we
have to substitute sprinkling or pour
ing for baptism, or brandy and mutton
for the bread and wine of the Sup
per. The thing commanded in both
cases, is the thing to be done always
and to the end of time. Now, the prin
ciple we refer to is this: —That baptism
and the Lord’s supper are obligatory
on certain previous conditions, which
conditions must exist to make them
binding. In other words, there is a
Divine order of sequence which must
be observed to make either of them
valid or lawful. Our Lord lays down
this order of sequence in the commis
sion and for the sake of perspicuity,
we collate the account of this commis
sion as given by three of the Evange
lists:—“Go ye, therefore, and teach all
nations, baptizing them in the name
of the Father, and of the Son, and of
the Holy Ghost: teaching them to
observe all tilings whatsoever I have
commanded you.”—Matt. 28 : 19, 20
“Go ye into all the world, and preach
the Gospel to every creature. He that
believeth and is baptized shall be saved;
but he that believeth not shall be
damned.”—Mark 16 : 15,16. “Thus
it is written, and thus it behooved
Christ to suffer, and to rise from the
dead the third day: and that repent
ance and remission of sins should be
preached in his name among all na
tions, beginning at Jerusalem.” —Luke
24: 46, 47. From all this there can
be no difficulty in arriving at the
order of things as established by Christ.
First, They were to teach, or preach
the Gospel.—Secondly, the people were
to repent and believe that Gospel.
Thirdly, on this penitence and faith,
they were to be baptized. —And final
ly, after all this, they were to be taught
to “observe .all things whatsoever he
had commanded.” And unquestiona
bly, the Lord’s supper is included
among the “all things” thus command
ed. Fur certainly his disciples would
not forget a command accompanied
by all the solemnities connected with
“the same night on which he was be
trayed,” as well as all the tenderness
of that parting hour in which the
adored-Redeemer appeared pre-eminen
ly precious to the faith of his followers.
“Do this in remembrance of me,” no
doubt lingered in their memories till
the last hour of their lives.
We propose in our next to show
how the Apostles construed this com
mission, and where they placed the
observance of the last Supper.
ATLANTA, GEORGIA, THURSDAY, DECEMBER 8, 1881.
INDIAN SUMMER OF LIFE.
The fall of 1881 will long be remem
bered for its prolonged and delightful
“Indian Summer.” It reached nearly
or quite the first winter month, Novem
ber. Enj lying the long and pleasant
season of s tn-ehine and occasional gen
tle showers, and looking at the forest
retaining until almost mid-winter, its
foliage, tinged with its golden hues,
we could but think how the “ Indian
Summer” of human life could be pro
longed and made happy by cultivating
all the kindly affections of our hearts,
as well as by fixing our minds upon
such topics as would inspire that sweet
tranquility we so much need, after the
heavy battle is over. It is possible to
make our “ last days our best days.”
It is possible for us so to improve our
minds and hearty-to treasure up in
the store-house of memory such re
sources—to accustom ourselves to
dwell so habitually upon the sunny
side of all questions affecting both our
temporal and spiritual interests, as to
convert this period of life inst a very
“ land of Beulah,” whose every object
will assume a charming aspect, whose
every providence will excite our grati
tude, where the very clouds that hang
over us will be tipped with silver lining,
nay, where the Bridegroom himself
shall come to meet us, to renew the
pledge of love that marked our first
union to Him. No sight upon earth
is more lovely than a Christian in the
autumn of life, ripening for his future
inheritance. Others may look back
regretfully up >n the past —upon the hal
cyon days ot youth,ere the corroding
cares and disappointments of life have
left their scars upon the heart. What
can the wicked derive from such a re
trospection but remorse ? The golden
hours of life are gone, leaving no treas
ures to cheer them in the winter of age
when their powers begin to decay.
But the believer, rooted and grounded
in the truth, what has he to do with
the past otherwise than as it may serve
to quicken his desires for his heavenly
home! Do his sins, his imperfections,
his infirmities, and the like, rise up be
fore him? Are they not all washed
away in the fountain opened for sin
and uncleanness? And then, as to
his future prospects, are they not as
brilliant as the glory of God can make
them?
To one who has given the dew of his
youth to his Creator—who has entered
and passed through his manhood with
all his principles fixed upon the rock of
ages—who has honorably met its re
sponsibilities with a faith that never
wavered—and who enters upon this
last decade of working life with such
a record, and animated by the faith
that first bound his young heart to the
adored Redeemer -to such a one, what
is this “ Indian Summer” of life but
the period when all the virtues of
Godliness shall be so combined and
matured, so mellowed and ripened by
experience, as to throw over his whole
character the firmties; of “manhood’s
sturdy might” with the gentleness of
the “ womanhood of faith !’’ Be of good
cheer, ye pilgrims; ye are entering the
last stage of your journey. “ Behold,
the Bridegroom cometh. Go ye out
to meet him.”
THE ATLANTA EXPOSITION
FEAT OUTDONE!
Much has been made of what ma
chinery accompiished a few weeks ago
at the Cotton Exposition in Atlanta,
in picking, jinning, spinning, weaving,
dyeing and making up two full suits of
clothes in one day, worn on the
evening of that day by two Governors
of States at the Governors’ reception.
And truly it was something worth re
cording. But we propose relating an
incident, which, all things considered,
surpasses even it, which occurred du
ring our Revolutionary War.
On one of the large farms of Talla
dega county, Alabama, there is an old
field, and the site of an old house, in
habited forty years ago, by an old widow
of revolutionary memory, named Ward.
That field is yet called “ the Ward
field.” This old lady spent many of
her last years on this place. When the
Revolutionary War broke out, she and
her husband had been married only a
few years, and he at once volunteered
to fight for his country. Sometime
during the war, Mr. Ward obtained
a furlough to visit his home for one
day only. Like many other soldiers
of that war, he was ragged almost to
nakedness. His wife set herself to the
task of getting him up a suit of clothes
du.ing the day that he was at home.
With perhaps a little assistance from
a neighbor, she carded, spun, wove,
cut out, and made him a full suit of
clothes out of wool, before she slept
that night, so that her husband wore
them back to the army next morning.
And all this was done with old fash
ioned cards, spinning-wheel, loom, nee
dle and thread. Such was the industry
anil pluck of our revolutionary moth
ers. Now, did not this excel the feat
at Atlanta ?
We may only add that old Mrs. Ward
was well known to many of the older
people of our county, ( Talladega,) was
highly respected, and died at a green
old age about thirty years ago. Her
descendants, some of them at least,
are still living in this part of Alabama.
Oxford Baptist Church.—The Rev.
E. T. Smyth having resigned the charge
of this church a month ago, after a
service of some fifteen, or perhaps twen
ty years, Rev. 8. C. Wright has been
called to succeed him. Brother Wright
is dne of our ablest and most cultivated
preachers in the State, and has filled
sinteof our most important pastorates.
W* are gratified that brother Smyth is
to be followed by one so worthy to be
his successor.
Harpersville Baptist Church.—
Dr. Renfroe is to be succeeded at this
place by Dr. E. B. Teague. This, too,
is a most fortunate arrangement, as
Dr. R. felt it his duty to give all his
time to his Talledega charge. We
trust the good cause will go on to great
er prosperity under the ministry of one
so Competent to all the demands of
such a service.
The Religious Press.
Oue of our valued and usually careful
exchanges save that “Guiteau pierced
the heart of the nation in its head.’’
Remarkable exploit that!
The Presbyterian, speaking of the
national capital, says:
We doubt if in any other city women
could be found going day by day into
the foul odors of a criminal court to hear
an attorney ripping open the inner life
of a half deranged family and exposing
the weaknesses and the abominations,
which ought to be shrouded in everlast
ing darkness:
How about the Beecher trial in
Brooklyn? The “true inwardness” of
that case was much more unsuitable
for delicate ears than the trial now in
progress in Washington; yet there
were many “ladies” present.
We copy from the Christian Secre
tary the following extract from an
article by Professor Barbour, of Yale
College, which strikingly illustrates
that passage in the Decalogue which
declares that the sins of the fathers
shall be visited upon the children :
In our judgment science has poured
uncounted wealth at the feet of religion,
and men are to be quickened and not
deadened, if a legitimate use is made of
the new explorations. Here is a disputer
of G id’s revealed displeasure againstsin,
in visiting it upon the sinner’s children,
to the third and fourth generation. It
is said to be unnatural and impossible.
Bat science gives the Christian teacher
its tablets on heredity and with them a
microscope, and on a dissecting table, in
the membranes of the new-born infant’s
body, by the new scientific aid, can be
seen the drunkard’s tinge, —corroborat-
ing the law that the drunkard drinks
not only for himself but for those who
follow him. The old man, once a rake
with tainted blood, has a wonderful
waking up upon religious truth when he
reads of the visiting sin in the blotches
on his grand-child’s cheeks. When the
cries of the children can be demonstated
to be but the reverberations of pains that
once racked their parents, there is less
to be said against the Adamic connection,
and the unity of mankind in a fall from
righteousness. But even if spoken
against, it is not the Bible only that
must be encountered. Science has
demonstrated the fact that in disputing
this doctrine, the constitution and the
course of nature mus 1 be wrestled with.
There are those who say that the
Bible is not to be treated as a book of
revelation, because it misrepresents the
Almighty and declares that he does
things which we know he would not
do, because we know that he ought
not to do them. We know of nothing
which gives more occasion for this
remark than the scriptural state
ment that the sins of the fathers are
visited on the children. But facts
which we see every day make it mani
fest that God does this very thing. So
the arguments which prove that the
Bible misrepresents God, proves also
that nature misrepresents him. The
latter proposition none would contend
for; hence the argument against the
former is worthless.
While the great work of the ministry
is the gathering of sinners into the fold
of Christ, it is far from being the whole
of its work. It has very much to do in
confirming converts in the faith, in
stiengtlicning their graces, in exciting
them to greater diligence in making
their c filing and election sure, in en
couraging them in the work of the L >r<l,
and thus by the power of the Holy Spirit
giving strength and energy to the sacra
mental host of God’s elect in going forth
against the kingdom of darkness. —
United Presbyterian.
We have always thought that one of
the best ways to bring sinners to Christ,
is to get the saints to live nearer to
him. The most powerful preaching is
the holy life of a well instructed saint.
Dr. Williams, of Biltimore, says the
grumblers never work, and the workers
never grumble
That’s it exactly.
Some one has said, “Tell me what you
give to God and I will tell you what your
religion is worth.” We sing, “Were the
whole realm of nature mine, that were a
tribute far too small, love so amazing, so
divine, demands my life my soul my
all —and then put a dollar iu the plate!
—Southern Churchman.
A dollar did you say? How can you
exaggerate so grossly, broiler Church
man ?
When a Christian man thinks he can
woik better outside the Church than in
it, he may be sincere, but he is in danger
of taking a course that would, if adopted
by all believers, destroy the visible
Church altogether. You do not desire
that.
We propose to amend the above
paragraph ot the Christian Advocate, by
striking out the words in danger of;
also by putting the word may in italics.
Such a man may be sincere, but we
have great doubts.
And now comes the Baptist Reflector
with timely discourse.
Church members will denounce
“balls,” “gambling hells,” “horse
racing,” * grop-shops,” etc., — but combine
all these in one, and call it “agricultural
fair,” and they will go every day. They
will take their wives and children, and
thus, by their presence, encourage every
vice known to society. We went to a
••fair’’ once. We saw dancing, gambling,
drinking, horse-racing, every kind of
swindling game known to this gambling
age-all inside of the inclosure, thronged
with innocent women and children —the
wives and children of the pastors and
church members of the city. If was all
right though, for was it not the “annual
agricultural fair ?”
If the managers of our fairs will per
sist in debauching them Christian peo
ple ought promptly to abandon their
support. Such protest as this would
bring the managers to their senses.
It affords us pleasure to say that we
have been to fairs that were wholly
unobjectionable.
A correspondent wishes to know how
many Baptist adherents there are in the
United States. It is not easy to ascer
tain. The church members are 2,296,
327, by the latest published statistics. It
was formerly usual to number five ad
herents to one communicant; hut this is
too large. Dr. Dorchester, iu his recent
work, states the ratio as 3J to 1. This
would give a little more than eight mil
lions. We apprehend that if we could
see all our members brought to a higher
standard of Christian character and life,
it would be of more worth to the world
than a further inctease in numbers.
“Bigness is not greatness,” nor is it al
ways force.— Watchman.
No; just the opposite. Unbroken
and balky horses, and above all dead
horses do not strengthen a team.
Church Unity. -Work together ; it is
the only way to succeed. Try to think
alike instead of trying to differ. Fault
finding always alienates aflections, and
paralyzes efforts, reacting upon your own
hearts and doing an irreparable injury
ti the church.— Morning Star.
Some people seem to pride them
selves on the fact that they are able to
find fault with everything- Such per
sons should remember two* hinge : 1.
Fault-finding requires no talent at all.
2. The fault-finders can be as easily
found fault with as anybody else,if any
body were foolish enough to waste his
time in doing it. It is said that there
is a black sheep in every family,and it is
certain that almost every church has
in it a professional fault-finder. How
shall we deal with such? Treat them
kindly and try to bear with them.
The Central Baptist having quoted
Rev. William Hanna, D. D., LL. D.,
the successor of the famous Dr.
Chalmers of the Free Church of Scot
land, and Rev. George P. Fisher, D. D.,
Professsor of Ecclesiastical History in
VOL. 59 —NO. 48.
'. ale College, and Dean Stanley and
ither Pedobapiist scholars of great
eminence, as having declared that
t here is noauthority for infant baptism
in the Scriptures, has the following
paragraph:
Indeed, it is rare that a great scholar
among Pedubaptists will venture to
claim for infant baptism Apostolic sanc
tion. 0 ly the not so well informed do
this. And now is it not fair to ask of
Pedobaptista this question: If you great
scholars freely admit that infant baptism
is not a New Testament institution, is it
not time for the b >dy of the people to
lay aside their prejudice and search the
Scriptures on this point? And may it
not be courteously asked, if these great
men, in spite of prejudice and education,
are obliged to give up the New Testa
ment sanction for infant baptism, is it
not probable that the Baptists are right
in saying that the arguments used by
lesser men to maintain it are no argu
ments at all ?
The “body of the people" seem to
have searched the Scriptures already,
for infant baptism is rapidly falling
into disuse ; and for this we thank God.
There is a grand conspiracy on foot to
make the life of Mrs. Garfield miserable.
It is stated that she receives every day
from thirty to sixty begging letters. The
indecency of such applications is beyond
expression, and the public press will be
doing the President’s widow a kindness
by stamping on this outrage. —A’. F.
Observer.
We seem to have fallen on evil time}.
Whenever any one becomes conspicu
ous for benevolence, be is harrassed
with perpetual appeals to his generos
ity, insomuch that his life is made
wretched. We mentioned some weeks
ago the torment that has been inflicted
on Mr. Seney, of New York, in conse
quence of his liberality to the Meth
odist colleges in Georgia. There are
several parties not far from The Index
office, (one of them a lady,) who have
been subjected to the same severe dis
cipline. Is not this too heavy a tax to
put on benevolence ?
We have said many things in favor
of the Revised Version of the New
Testament,and have nothing to retract;
whatever its faults may be,'t is a great
improvement on the version now in
use. Per contra, we have often said,
and now repeat that it is in various
particulars obnoxious to a just criti
cism. It is especially objectionable on
account of the retention of obsolete
words, and on account of ungrammati
cal expressions. These were retained
partly from an undeservend deference
to the old version of King James;
and partly because it was imagined
that these words and forms which have
gone out of use, are marked by a pecu
liar dignity,and that the air of antiquity
which hangs about them is calculated
to excite feelings of reverence. For
our part we are not able to see that
there is any more dignity in the use of
obsolete words than there would be in
wearing a cocked hat and knee
breeches; and bad English, in the
Bible or anywhere else, so far from ex
citing our reverence, has the opposite
effect. The most scathing travesty of
th® folly of the revisers that we have
seen, we copy from a Baptist paper
published in London, England. It is
in the form of an address to the revisers;
it is written in the most atrocious
style, but for every one of its improper
expressions, (except the word bread
baskets) authority is found in the New
Version. Here is the address:
Most reverend, right reverend, very
reverend, and reverend pastors, which
have fulfilled free this exceeding great
task, I be grieved in mv ghost that,
though ye wist well what be our present
modes of speech, ye listed to use, instead
of these, them which be archaic. They
makes it difficult, exceeding, for some
to wot what you mean. Tnose which,
in Devon, gives meat to pigs, wots that
meat is food, but some does not. When
a tax be collected, he be not collected by
publicans, but by taxgathers. Howbeit,
insomuch as ye have righted many
things, I wish that ye may be whole in
health; that ye may have flesh on your
chargers, meat in your bread baskets,and
always for to-day your "bread for the
coming day.” Farewell.
Is the word of God any more to be
reverenced because it is dressed up in
this antiquated, grotesque and ridicu
lous style? We should like to see it
not only in English, but in good Eng
lish, in the best English. Surely the
Lord should have the best of every
thing, and no sacrifice with a blemish
should be laid on his altar. The New
Version is spotted all over with blem
ishes of this kind, blemishes purposely
retained!
Japan.—A Japanese gentleman vis
iting this country said that he believed
that within fifty years Japan will be a.
Christian nation. ,