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Have Yon M Last Week's CHRISTIAN INDEX? taMlßfNft. ESTABLISHED 1821." ©he (Cltvieihtii QnAex j. c. McMichael, proprietor. Organ of the Baptist Denomination in Georgia. _ Published Every Thursday at Atlanta, Ga. Subscription Price : One copy, one year $ !•<*> One copy, six months 1.00 One copy, three mouths ■••• W Obituaries.—One hundred words free of charge. For each extra word, one cent per word, cash with copy. To Correspondents.—Do not use abrevia tions; bo ext racareful in writing proper names; write with ink, on one side of paper; Do not write copy intended for the editor and busi ness items on same sheet. Leave off personal ities; condense. Business.—Write all names, and post offices distinctly. In ordering a change give the old a* well as the new address. Ihe date of label indicates the time your subscription expires. If you do not wish it continued, order it stop ped a week before. We consider each sub scriber permanent, until he orders his paper discontinued. When you order it stopped pay up to date. Remittances by check preferred; or regis tered letter, money order, postal note. THE NEED OF A OHAPEL FUND IN THE SOUTH. BY KEV. J. B. LINK) D. D. The imperative need of a chapel fund on which the territory of the Southern Baptist Convention may draw, cannot be easily over-estimated. It is true, the gospel may be preached and churches may be gathered and maintained until they can build for themselves. This has been done and may be repeated. But who can esti mate the cost and loss in this method of work as a rule ? Had the Con vention, when first organized, begun to raise and employ a chapel fund with a reasonable degree of vigor and wisdom, the result would have been very greatly to our advantage. Prosperous churches would be found to-day in very many places where only feeble bodies linger or none ex- - . The building necessities of feeble churches in new and prosperous com munities have been sometimes met by special efforts over a larger or smaller territory, and the aid secured in this expensive way, is returning in some cases thirty, some sixty and some a hundred fold. The expense of a special agency of the right sort to collect and disburse a chapel fund would, in the last forty years, have been an auxiliary investment worth many times the outlay. But the opportunities of the past are gone forever. Others, however, even more inviting, are coming up all over the South, and almost every day, in the new towns that are bind ing along our railroads, in mining districts and in new territory that is settling up, with a church edifice fund in hand from which a small loan would be made at one place, a donation at another, or inter est be paid for a limited time, on money that could be bqrrowed when it was needed, large self help could be secured from churches and com munities in many places, where, without this encouragement, nothing will or can be done, but leave them to be absorbed by the influence of more enterprising denominations. An intelligent Board while raising funds to aid in building churches, could also have visited new towns, and secured the donation of eligible building lots, or purchased, if need be, while property was yet cheap, set on foot proper measures to secure money to build, or raise it, if nccces sary, and have seen that a suitable building was erected. This would have been a more profitable and permanent missionary work than any other now done at equal cost. The very best mission work that can be done in any com munity where there are Baptists, but no house of worship, is to put one there. The present tendency of popula tion is from the country to the towns. This makes the demand for chapel building more imperative than it was even a few years ago. Baptists go from the country to town and find no church or house of worship of their own, or a vjry poor one in some out-of-the-way or inconvenient place, and are attracted by the houses pro vided by other denominations, and finally take membership with them. The children often do this where parents do not. There are probably from twenty-five to fifty thousand Baptists living in the South to-day, lost to us and gained by others, in this way. And while this is going on, multitudes who might be .won to Christ and saved to promote the truth, are lost in the same way. Shall we allow this to go on ? Does not loyalty to Christ and to His for bid it? Our brethren in the North are carrying forward this work grand ly with a population much less than ours and some other denominations are doing still more than they'are. We should fall behind in no good work. The constitiuency of the Southern Baptist Convention is fully able to put a chapel wherever one is needed on their territory and they should be developed in giving, cost what it may. Chapel building in foreign lands should accompany the efforts of every missionary. Expensive structures are rarely needed. A stated meeting place, a home for the gathered converts where they can assemble, gives permanent results in foreign lands as well an at home. No wonder this great work is at tracting the attention and enlisting the enterprise of our sisters who are doing f o much for missions. They know what a home means, and it means no less in missions and for tffe assembly of the saints, than for the family. Shall we not go forward and re lieve the hundreds of struggling churches in the South by a little timely aid in helping them to build needed houses of worship? Shall we not preoccupy strategic points rather than turn them over to others ? A small amount pf money fhent in the risrkt ' UTi ie jiiaceJivi!! be than thousands oft dollars spc*tasaser on, when the ground has been occu pied by others. We should be wise for Christ and His truth, and for the salvation of men. Wisdom points as the finger of God to immediate and active work in building houses of worth ip as they are needed at home and abroad. Austin, Texas. Chinkiang, China. The Chinkiang Mission to the For eign Mission Board—Greeting : Deak Brethren : While we feel truly grateful for the reinforcements which you have recently sent to our mission, and while we know that many urgent appeals come to you from every mission field, we also think that if you could know the needs of the great field around us, as we see them, you would make one more effort to send us more mission aries. We believe too, that when the Lord’s people of our Southern Baptist Convention read this appeal, they will furnish the men, women and money tb enable you to grant our reasonable request. We do not ask yju to supply our needs, but only to send us the help which we must have in order to hold our own, in carrying on the work already begun. Our work demands at once two more men (married or single) one a phys ician,’if possible,) and two single la dies. We are always glad to have married missionaries, because we then get two instead of one, but it is a mis take to think that every man ought to be married. We need some sin- gle men without home responsibili ties to do travelling evangelistic work. Married men can do a great deal of this kind of work and have done it, but it can be done much bet ter by single men. The Chinkiang station needs another single lady and a man to take Bro. Chappell’s place when he goes to Yongchow. Youg chow needs another single lady and a physician. The missionaries would be in a sad plight in Yongchow in case any of them had a serious spell of sickness. To go to Chinkiang to the physician would involve enor mous expense and great loss of time. Medical work, too, among the Chi nese in Yongchow would be of incal culable benefit to our work. It is very discouraging to open new sta tions, and then have to give them up. Every missionary should have just as distinct a field of labor as a pastor at ; - ■ Z« ? ”i lot ( . hf fcM ’'■’a Mr B home; and when for any reason, he has to give up his field, his work ought to be taken up by another. W e may sow a field and work it until al most harvest time, and then have to give it up and let another denomina tion step in and reap the harvest, or what is worse, let the work go down and lose the results of all that has been done. A missionary ought to study a year before taking up the work of an older missionary. Brother and sister Bryan have the consent of the Board to return home the spring of 1893, and sooner for sister Bryan and the children, if necessary, and she may be compelled to go this year. If their place in Yongchow is taken by Bro. and sister Chappell, there will be a vacancy in Chinkiang, and some of the work will have to be given up unless a man is sent at once to prepare for that vacancy. It is sad to have to plead for missionaries enough to enable us to hold our own, when our hearts ache with desire to go forward. By all means give us as soon as possible the number for which we ask, to enable us to hold out own and make a little advance. Other missions around us are advancing and we wish to go forward too. We must go forward. The glory and honor of our King demand it. The salvation of perishing millions pleads for it. Sending us the missionaries for which we ask would not involve a largely increased expense for houses. Mrs. Davault in Chinkiang, has room for one single lady. There will be a va cant house in Chinkiang when broth er and sister Chappell go to Yong chow. The reinforcements to Chin kiang will require no increased ex pense whatever, for the present at least. Wf rented »nd repaired houses in Yougchbw for four new mis sionaries, ayd only two came. We can easily accommodate a man, or a man and wife, and a single lady in Yongchow without paying anything more for rent. Several hundred dol lars would be required for repairs. You see then that we are only ask ing for the new missionaries for whom there is a vacancy in the work, and for whom only a few hundred dollars would be required to prepare homes. Send us the missionaries and we will ask for only a small amount of money for homes. God is blessing us in our work. Many people come to our services and listen attentively. We are very much encouraged. In January many prayers went up to God for China. It is a good thing to pray, but it is better to be drilling to help answer our own prayers by giving them selves, if God permits, or helping oth ers whom He may call. “The har vest truly is plentious, but the labor ers are few.” “Come over into Mac edonia and help us.” THE DESIGN OF BAPTISM. BY C. E. W. DOBBS, D. D. Baptism is an ordinance of the New Testament. In its distinctive character it is therein met with for the first time. The rite began in the ministry of John the Baptist. In Matt. 3:1-6 we have the earliest record of its administration. Fortun ately wc are not left to unaided con jecture to determine the meaning of this rite as administered by John. It is called the “baptism of repentance unto remission of sins.” John said, “I baptize you in water unto repent ance,” at the same time heralding the coming of the greater Ono who should baptize in the Holy Spirit. Os all who came to his baptism he demanded “fruit worthy of repent ance ; ” and they submitted to the rite, “confessing their sins.” (Mark 1:4; Matt. 3: 8, etc.) Comparing these Scripture glimpses with the words of I’aul (Acta 19:4), we see the significance of the preparatory rite. Baptism, as administered by John, was the symbol and pledge of repentance, obligating the recipient to a life of holy preparation for the Messiah who was about to be “mani fested to Israel.” The sacred rite was honored by our Lord’s personal obedience. Com ing to John, he meekly said, “ Thus ATLANTA, GA., THURSDAY. APRIL 21. 1892. it becometh us to fulfill all righteous ness;” and beneath the waters of Jordan he bowed his holy head, leav ing his followers an illustrious ex ample of pious obedience to divinely ordained rites of righteousness. For a few months John and Jesus prosecuted their ministry contempor aneously. (John 3: 22, 23.) By his disciples Jesus baptized those who came to him. Doubtless this bap tism had substantially the same im port as that of John. It testified to repentance and dedicated to a holy life. There was thia 1 difference be tween the two: John baptized in the faith that Christ was about to oome; Jesus baptized in the faith that he was that Christ. The baptism of Jesus was to significance when the tragedy of the cross should be consummated >ut as yet it had only the meaning here* predicted of it Thus the oft-rej-flbk'd question’ isansw'ered: “Was J<> < baptism Christian baptism?” Yes and no. It was, just as the twilight is the day; it was not, just as the wilight is not the brightness of the full-risen sun. As administered by «ne apostles, after the resurrection and ascension of their Lord, baptism had a glory they saw not in the easier days of their ministry. In his final commis sion (Matt. 28 : 18-20), Jesus perpet uated baptism as an ordinance of the gospel dispensation. As thus com manded it was no idle Sad meaning less form. It was very comprehen sive in its use and import. It wrapped up in itself all that was fundamental in the sei eme of re demption. The solemn words of the commission, and the dey>ut allusions in the apostolic history mid epistles, evidence jtss plated and Lo'd. In the light streaming from Calvary and from the despoiled tomb in Joseph’s garden, baptism glows with a sacred symbolic a which demands the serious, candid and prayerful at tention of every one. The two ordi nances (baptism and the supper), are monumental rites, commemorative of the basal facts in Christ’s redemptive work. He told his disciples that in observing the supper they would show his death till he come. Baptism is the divinely ordained symbol of his burial and resurrection. (Rom. 4: 4.) The two rites are mute but powerful witnesses to the truth of the gospel. Paul has given an epi tome of the gospel he preached. (1 Cor. 15: 1-4.) Eminently fitting was it that the initial rite of Chris tian profession should proclaim the believer’s faith in these fundamental gospel facts. The divine’ origin of the ordinance is seen in the appropri ateness of the symbol. This view is based on the historic fact that New Testament baptism was immersion. Baptism, as thus understood, was the initial act of Christian obedience; it was the formal profession of faith ‘in the Lord Jesus before men. So “men and women” were “baptized unto Christ.” Thus Albert Barnes: “The act of baptism denotes dedica tion to the service of him in whose name wo aro baptized. One of its designs is to consecrate or dedicate to the service of Christ.” Paul asks the Corinthians; “Were ye baptized in the name of Paul ? In your bap tism did you profess faith in me, and dedicate yourselves to iny service?” He illustrates this point by referring to the Israelites, who in the passage through the sea were “baptized unto Moses”—that is, so declared them selves his followers, Just here it is well to guard against the mischievous error of baptismal regeneration, the great bane of Chris tendom. Very early men began to regard baptism as the means Aid channel, rather than the sign, of re generating grace. It was thought to do that which it merely declared. From that erroneous starting point the down-grade of superstition soon led to other grievious departures from scriptural simplicity, till finally the rite was transferred from rejoic ing converts to unbelieving babes. No fact of history is clearer than infant baptism had its origin in the belief which invested baptism with I saving efficacy. Baptism is simply declarative; it is neither the means nor the seal of regeneration. If not preceded by the “washing of regener ation,” it is an empty form, a mean ingless ceremony. It is only fok those who have been born of God—be- , lievers. “Since baptism cannotjproduce spiritual life, and yet manifests it, it must be preceded by tlvit life.” Some have maintained that, while baptism is not regeneration, yet the ordinance does “wash away sins,” in that it is one of the pfescribed con ditions precedent to remission of sin. While beyond all controversy the pardon of sin is promised to “repent ance toward God and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ,” see John 3: 14-18; Acts 10: 43; Romans 4:16; 5:1; Galatians 3: 26; 1 John 5: 1, yet the passages adduced to prove remission through baptism can be satisfactorily explained by the idio matic peculiarity of Jewish thought and expression. Nothing was more common than to speak of the sign as being the thing signified. Pointing to the roasted I amis the father would say to his inquiring child: “ This is the Lord’s Passover.” The priest would take the holy water in his hand and say: “ This is the water of separation.” But the father intended only to teach that the lamb repre sented as a memorial the avenging angel’s passing over the blood sprinkled homes of Israel. The priest taught only that the water ceremonially separated the Jew from his defilement. In the case of the leper (Lev. 1 14; compare Marie 1: 44) he could be “cleansed” only after the real healing had been received. There is precisely the same relation between b ‘ism and remission of sin—reia; on of the .symbol id the tin‘j>s symbolized, or’tn% rttela.fi tive rite to the thing declared. Tl&> preist effected not a real, only a rit ual cleansing. So the remission spoken of as an accompaniment of baptism is simply ritual. In the one case the rite followed the real cleans ng; in the other it follows the real remission. Baptism is declaratively, not instrumentally, “unto remission of sins.” Os what has been said this is the sum: 1. Baptism is a New Testa ment ordinance, first administered by John the Baptist, afterward perpetu ated by Christ’s last commission as obligatory on his followers. 2. It was designed by our Lord to be a ritual monument of his burial and resurrection, ever showing forth to the eye of Christian faith these fun damental facts. 3. It is the act in which Jesus requires his people to confess him in their entrance on the Christian life. 4. In his baptism the believer declares his death to sin and resurrection to newness of life. Two conclusions are inevitable—viz.: 1. Only the regenerated are proper subjects of baptism. 2. Only im mersion can fully meet the symbol ism of baptism—Convention Teacher, Cartersville, Ga. FRAGMENTS OF THOUGHT. Whether every part of Moses and the other historians of the Old Testa ment was direct and primary revela tion or whether some parts were compilation, is not material to the question of inspiration. This only supposes divine guidance and selec tion so as to exclude all error. Not even the verbal theory is affected; words communicated, or ideas, insep erable as they arc from >vords, may as well be chosen from existing doc uments, as by immediate communica tion. The divine supervision and di rection, is the essential thing. Let the higher criticism sift the text ad libitum, but not infer too much from a meagre basis of fact. This is the rock on which the critics split. The haste to infer, observable in almost all modern speculation, is provoking. Analysis is important to a thorough understanding of any subject, or its clear presentation to others; but when it is unnatural and mechanical, it is confusing and misleading. Its im portance has been dwelt upon, until it has become a mania, destructive often of simplicity and common sense, and painful to sound taste. A few propositions, naturally suggested by the laws of mind, strongly put, are usually exhaustive enough of any topic. The subordinate thoughts will take care of themselves when the main ones are thoroughly grasped and forcibly stated. ■ Dr. Richard Fuller was scarcely less successful in analysis than ora tory. His analysis, 1851, at the S. B. Convention, text, “Behold the Lamfyof God who taketh away the sin of the world,” was, let us behold Him 1. lAs an example. 2. A'sacri fice, and 3. An intercessor. We all remember the sermon until now. Elaborate training in homiletics is in the reach only of the few. But is not the essence of the thing in the reach of all ? To have something to say, to be intentpn saying it, and to say it in the most common sense way. This will always be effective dis course. And whaft matters it if drowning men be pulled out of the stream gracefully or Ungracefully? Aesthetics may be a fine thing but salvation is a finer. The greatest preacher the South has produced was gloriously unmindful of the books or well-rounded discourse; what more he would have been in mindfulness of rules one cannot say. Has the command, “preach the word,” been so fully carried out that nothing but hortatory ad dresses to the people already suffi ciently informed ? The exhortation is sometimes too an appeal to argu ments and motives outside of those supplied by the Book, as if they ware exhausted or worn threadbare. Were it not well for men to preaemn their exhortation and exhort their pleaching out of the book'/ not to substitute wcodrtn swords and paper | shields io’- .i.iWnior vfhTavwZ theological columns of the Index long ago may have been excessive, but it guided and influenced wholesomely the pul pit of Georgia and other states and the people too. Sermons we some times have in all our papers, but ser mon reading is usually hard reading, too diffuse, too artificial, too declama tory. If the authors would give us graphically the main things instead of the whole it would be better. The wise man said, “Os making many books there is no end,” and whether he contemplated our day we do not know, how vivid soever ‘the illustration—but we are weary of old ideas revamped, of new ones vapid and inane. How rare a new thought of value in any of them, or a fresh presentation of a solid old one ala Spurgeon. Our Baptist faith is unquestionably sound ; so much cannot be said of our practice. God is accustomed to hon or and bless the people who receive the largest amount of truth in the heat.” It is not surprising that some times people, with a more defective creed, surpass us in the divine favor they enjoy. Wc have a vast advan tage in creed; in coincidence with the spirit of American institutions; in the universal uso of the text of God’s word in the Sunday-schools, but not always in heart piety. Our people rely too much on unused truth. Candidates are more numerous than wo ever knew them. How much would they give for assurance of election ? But many of them will fail. Should a candidate having in view vastly more important honors and emoluments that never fails? Life eternal, a seat in the “general assembly and church of the first born,” arc offered to men unbought by any price in their hands, and the candidate is always elected, or if you prefer elect. God’s ministers are canvassing not for votes but candi dates. Who will announce them selves? E. B. T. Abii.ene, Tex., April 11,1892. After selling The Western Bap tist to Drs. M. V. Smith and J B. Cranfill, both well known and popu lar preachers of Texas, I was called to the pastorate at Abilene, Texas. The word is found in the New Tes tament, and means “a grassy place.” The city now has five or six thousand inhabitants, though it is but eleven Yon lave not Die Baptist news o! Georgia till yon raafl U 8 CHRISTIAN ML a VOL. 6ft—NO. 16. years old. The first sermon ever preached here was by Dr. J. B. Link. His audience was composed of ranch men, mainly, the hall was the open air, and the benches were railway cross-ties. He drew Scriptural les sons from pastoral life, but took as hjs text, “Tysanias the tetrarch of Abilene.” Since that day eleven years ago, a city of thousands of inhabitants has grown here, and a Baptist church of three hundred members, the most in fluential in the city, and able to pay a pastor a good salary. A good share of this Baptist growth is due to the pastorate of Dr. J. C. Wingo, who spent two years here, and during which time the Lord added unto the church some one hundred and seven, ty-five souls. Wingo is a Georgian in Texas, of whom the natives in that good State to come from need not be ashamed. He has fine preaching ability, and as he is a student, he is constantly growing. The Baptists of Texas are prepar ing to invade Atlanta, about two hun dred strong, in May. Those of us who have been blessed with the priv ilege of living in the dear old State, will be glad to come back home, if but for a week. I. hope and pray that the Convention may be the best session of its history. I will close now, but if you care for it, I will give you a letter hereaf ter, telling you of this country, the people, the blessed cause, etc. R.T-. Hanks. ■ ’ ■ New York City, April 9th.—-The Receipts of the American Baptist Home Mission Society for the year | rMiog >m4l Ist, 1892 were a fol i P $400,855.- for and gift.. fubdsjß nent trust funds $20,458.16; condi tional trust funds $25,913.68. Total: *497,281.85. This is $92,128.45 more than last year. After payment of all obligations to April Ist, there is a balance in the treasury of $35,855.40, for general purposes. By a change in school accounts a por tion of those receiptfare not includ ed as heretofore. Including these the total would be considerably over $500,000. While some large lega cies have been received, there has also been an increase of contributions from churches and individuals. The Society’s work in all its de partments has been larger than ever before, fully 1,000 missionaries hav ing been under appointment and 121 church edifices erected. 11. L. Morehouse. ; CHICAGO AND THE WORLD’S FAIR. Among the wonders that will im/ press the visitors to the world’s fair, none will be greater than Chicago itself. For fifty years its growth has been wonderful. It is growing to day with more rapidity probably than any other city in the whole world. In the last ten years it has grown three times as fast as New York and four times faster than Philadelphia, or Boston or St. Louis. It is believed that in every ten years hereafter the growth will not be less than one mil lion. The railroad double tracks on its streets (horse and cable) more than in any other city. It is the greatest railroad centre in the world. Fifty-four thousand (54,000) miles of main lines pour into it daily their immense burdens of passengers and freight. Os passengers more than 18,000,000 and of freight more than 43,000,000 tons, were carried in 1889. “ , S. SERIOUS OUTLOOK. Only 1(82,427.48 has been received by the Foreign Mission Board since May Ist, 1891. Last year at this time 985,559.91 had been received our obligationsnow are 15,000 more than they were then. Hence the churches are 98,000 more in arrears than in the middle of last April. By the last day of April the Board must have $35,000 to meet notes in bank given on the faith of the Southern Baptist Convention, not to mention drafts which may come in from the missionaries. Let each ask before God: What is my duty in this crisis? H. A. Tvfmsr, Corresponding Secretary. Richmond, Va., April 14,1882.