Below is the OCR text representation for this newspapers page.

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. ,