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VALDOSTA, GA., JULY 1, 1895.
EDITORIAL.
MATTHEW XIV.
I have often thought of the im
portant facts recorded in the above
chapter, and that an analizing
search of them would prove
profitable to the every-day-walk
of a Christian.
Herod had “laid hold” on John
the Baptist, and after a time in
prison, had him beheaded to grati
by the malice of a vile woman.
This shows how far into crime
such a woman can lead a man,
even contrary to his own will.
Then a most touchingly beauti
ful and pathetic fact is related of
John’s disciples,—how, after hur
rying his body, they went and
told all to Jesus. Ah, what a
precious, priceless privilege to go
and tell Jesus of all our unjust
oppressions, of all our sorrow,
bereavements, trials and tribula
tions! What patience and long
iorbearing Endurance Jesus givtes
us when we have told him! al
ways making away for our escape
from every temptation without
sin. Yea, it revives that love for
Jesus that makes more than will
ing to bear all things foe
Jesus sake. x
Thus, they went and told Jesus.
They had loved John because John
loved Jesus, and they loved Jesus.
John had testified to them of Jesus
—that he was the Lamb of God
that taketh away the sin of the
world. But now John their be
loved leader and teacher was
dead—not dead naturally or of
ordinary disease; but cruelly mur
dered—shamfully beheaded, and
that to please a vile woman, and
for righteousness sake; for he had
said to Herod it was wrong for
him to take her—his living broth
er’s wife —away from him to have
As his own.
But these disciples of John and
Jesus had no legal rights. Every
thing worldly was against them.
They could neither prevent nor re
dress their wrongs. These could
do nothing but go and tell Jesus.
But oh! as I said, what a priceless
privelege this! worth more than
all the combined powers of the
world!
We—the Church of Christ to
day have all lawful priveliges and
protection; and am so used to it
that we scarcely realize their con
dition of that day when any man
might meet them and without a
. hearing take thein to prison, or
kill them on the way side, and no
redress by law. Thus thev beat
and imprisoned Paul and others.
As said, all they could do was to
tell Jesus, if they could find him.
But lam sorry to see brethren
us to day, who, instead of being
humbled before God for the bless
ing of civil protection to life per
son and property, go to law against
a brother and for a trifle. Oh how
much better to go and tell Jesus,
or his church; Why, I had rather
be among those out-lawed breth
ren, and simply go and tell Jesus
than have the unspeakable bless
ing of protection and redress by
civil law, and then arraign my
brother bofore its bar contrary to
the command of Jesus.
Anoth r idea: When trials and sor
rows, and bereavements have well
nigh overwhelmed you; or till a
sense of general worry and depres
sion has weighed you down, hav
you felt a longing, craving, uncon
trollable desire to go away off from
the face and all works of man
and be all alone with primeval
natures and nature’s God, to rest,
as it were, from your labours? So
these disciples waited for him to
be released from prison. And now
when hope defered had made the
heart sick, they suddenly found
his headless body. Oh, it was too
much! they were so sorely tried!
They wanted to get far away from
the scene of their sorrows! they no
doubt felt there was nothing in
this world but Jesus, and they
wanted to be with him apart from
the wicked world. Jesus knew
their need and desire better than
they could express it. So he said
to them when they had told him
of John: “Come ye yourselves
apart into a desert place and rest
awhile.” And they departed pri
vately into a desert place. (Mark
6: 31.) Had they not gone and
told Jesus; he had not taken them
apart to find rest and consolation,
and to regain courage and strength
for the way still before them. How
refreshing and comforting for such
wearied and tried ones to be apart
in a desert place alone with Jesus!
to rest awhile! Blessed place!
blessed rest! blessed ones to be
thus favored! Well might they, or
we, rejoice in trials, and afflic
tions, and persecutions, to gain
such company, and rest, and de
liverance! Oh brother, sister, wear
ried with sickness or bereavements,
or persecutions, or poverty, or
what not, do not fail to go and
tell Jesus all about it. And you
who are filled with that inde
scribable desire to go away ofi
from man, and all the world, and
work of Art and Science, in short
into “a desert place” alone; go and
tell Jesus, and he will take you on
the ship of his care borne on the
deep sea of his love to a place
apart and give you refreshing rest
and strength. I do believe that
those who have this desire, have
the spirit of Jesus.
But I must leave this beautiful
idea and proceed.
Though Jesus had gone with
these disciples as privately as pos
sible, the multitude of watching
people had seen and fol
lowed after. And toward evening
Jesus was moved with compassion
towards them; and did heal their
sick, and commanded his disciples
to feed them. They said they had
but five loaves of bread and two
fishes. Jesus said bring them
hither to me. And he took them
and blessed and break and gave
back to his disciples to give to the
people. And when five thousand
men beside women and children
had eaten; tnere were twelve bas
kets full left.
And may not this feeding of the
multitudes be as a command of
Jesus to his disciples—his minis-
ters of his gospel, to thus feed
them on a true knowledge of the
timely benefits and blessing to be
attained by obedience to the moral
law of God? Truly this Salvation,
called “common?’ by Jude in that
it is common alike to the believer
and unbeliever—though timely is
a great salvation that saves from
moral errors that brings untold
horrors to body and mind; and to
untold blessings to boJy and mind
for time.
Then Jesus constrained his dis
ciples to take a ship and launch
out On the deep while he sent the
multitude away to rest and safety
in their houses. Now here came
the distinct separation between
his disciples and the multitude.
The one goes to temporal ease and
safety; the other to hardships, la
bour, storms, peril and affright.
Jesus himself went up into a moun
tain to pray. Soon the terrible
storm came down* Jesus still in
the mountain; the multitude—the
man in nature—is sheltered safely
at home in bed; the disciples tern-,
pest tossed, and toiling in rowing
against the fie rce contrary wind,
and in great peril are almost ready
to faint, and give up because Jesus
came not. No doubt they thought
and feared, and doubted just as you
do when under some fierce distress
ing emergency in conflict with
contray winds of afflictions of one
kind or another; ytrn conclude
Jesus has forsaken, or forgotten
you,—no more cares Jor, or hears
your prayers. And you wonder
why he allows such terrible straits
to come to you; and Why, as hav
ing all power he does not put
your feel in plain pleasant ways,
etc. But Jesus saw them every
moment; they were just as safe
as if h© were with them. He
only waited their extreme emer
gency of this fourMtfHvaf&hy for
their good and When
every other hope and hand had
failed and they were prepared to
appreciate and profit by it, he
went to them walking on the
water. And they cried out with
fear, supposing him to be a Spirit.
Strange that they should doubt
his ability to walk qc the water,
when they had so lately seen him
perform as notable a miracle in
feeding the And Pe
ter—spokesman for us all—feel
ing his helplessness aid unworthi
ness more than ever Tinder the
present situation, and doubting,
and wanting to this mani
festation by another as remarka
ble said,“Lord if it bethou, bid me
come to thee on the water.’’ And
when Jesus bid him,and he had
started, a boisterous wind blew
and he began to sink and cried,
“Lord save me.” “Wherefore did
you doubt? Oh ye of little faith.”
And whereupon did. he doubt?
Jesus had as much piwer to cause
him to walk, as to walk himself
on the water. I think he did not
doubt Jesus or hispcnver, but his
goodness and conch cension in
giving him the power to walk.
And thus we tacitly circumscribed
the power and love of Jesus to
ward us, and that when it is re
corded that God spared not his
only Son 1 >ut freely gave him up
for us, how shall he not with him,
freely give us all things. He that
gave his best treasure, will he
withhold anything of less value?
If we may claim the greater things
by his death, may we not claim
the lesser by his life? Wherefore
doubt? Oh ye of little faith 1 But
Jesus reached forth his hand and
saved him from sinking, and said,
“B® of good cheer, it is I, be not
afraid.”
But this article is too long now,
,and still I wish to call particular
attention to the fact that Jesus
“constrained his to
.take ship and go on the deep,
Kvhere they must encounter that
storm. We are so apt to think
Ve ourselves have wandered in]
wrong ways when we meet great
disasters, as we suppose, and thus
become doubtful and affrighted as
that we are cast off for our sins,
when in truth Jesus by his spirit
has constrained us, that finally
he may teach us to depend on
him alone, and that he is and
will be our present help in every
time of need. And how sweet and
assuring and strengthening is de
liverence when it comes! And
how we grow in grace and spirit
ual knowledge when we come,
forth from the fire as it were, with
our faith as pure gold.
Then oh, ye afflicted and tried
ones! whether by adveisity and
poverty, or sickness or bereave
ments or what - not, remember
Jesus constrains us into these for
our ultimate good and his glory,—
S.
Elder A. V. Simms. Valdosta, Ga
My precious and esteem 'd Neph
ew;- It is with great fear and
trembling and with aching heart
that I attempt to write—a task
that I scarcely know how to begin;
for it seems that I must write all
or none. I will perhaps refer to
this “all” again.
I have for a long time been in
such gloom and darkness with
not even a star to light my path
way that I have concluded
it is for my disobedience in not
writing according to my impres
sions. But I could not see how I
could write anything that would do
for you to read, much less the public
But my confidence in you is
such that I feel sure you would
not publish anything from my
pen that you think would not be
profitable, or even show it to any
one. But the gloom that so over
i-hadows me has made me willing
to attempt a task that seems too
great for such a weak one as I.
You remember, dear child, that I
told you that I read an article in
the “Gospel Messenger” six or sev
en years ago that gave me so much
comfort aKbd which it seems to me
our heavenly Father put in your
mind for me; showing me the beau
ty of returning good for pvil; and
which I will try to explain later.
The particular part I have refer
□ce to, is when you so humbly
begged the pastors of churches not
to ask the applicants, the pool
trembling lambs so many hard
questions, when they have come
before the church for membership.
I hope you will remember it. Ever
since then, it seemed to me that I
ought to let you know the joy and
comfort I derived from that read
ing, and thinking perhaps, also
that some other poor little trem
bling one in the same trouble that
I was in, might receive comfort
from it.
Again for a long while it has
seemed to me that there is some
thing in my sweet little experience
if I dare claim it such, that would
be of some comfort to some poor
tempest-tossed one like myself.
But I did not see, when I would
think of writing it, how I could
leave out any part, and to tell all
seemed too much, and two bad. So
I kept myself pretty well excused
in this way, and trying to believe
it would not do *to toss of my evil
thoughts, etc. And thus I be
came very well satisfied that these
impressions to write my experience
etc, were all foolishness;
But one day dear brother and
sister Barwick and much esteemed
sister Rountree was spending the
day with us, and one of them men
tioned something about sister
Barwick writing her experience for
publication, and getting it mislaid
When brother Barwick said (sim
ply to tease her I suppose) “Yes
you did not write all, and God
would not have it — always tell all
how mean you are as well as how
good and it will be all right.” and
that come to me with so much
force as to upset my satisfied posi
tion. Cannot you see, my dear
child, that destroyed my excuse
and I could not find
And with this came the
fear that my heavenly Father had*
bidden me Ao something
and I had disobeyed.
I had put it off with such a
lame excuse.
So now dear Flint, believing it
js my blessed Savior’s will, with his
help, I will try to tell you why I
some times hope, I am numbered
with the blest.
I suppose you know Pa'and Ma
were Primitive Baptist long before
I existed. But that did not make
me one. For I was a Pharisee in
deed. I was young when sister Ma
ry— your own dear Mother
joined the church; never thinking
of my future welfare, and not car
ing for any thing much save go
ing to school or working when I had
it to do, and playing the ballance
if the time. But when your dear
mother joined the church, seeing
she was made so much of by the
Baptists, and that poor old Ma al
most idolized her, I became real
envyous; she was naturally lively
ind mischievous and I felt to know
chat I was better than she was
and I wak determined to let those
old simple-minded Baptists know
it too; so I then began an out
ward improvement—l quit playing
ind working about with the other
hildren and set out to be much bet
ter than her—sister Mary —-or any
one else. I got so good that I tried
to quit laughing. I did not know
anything about praying or pleas
ing God or the need of it. But
here was what I wanted to do —to
thank God I was better than sister
Mary or even any of those old
Baptists; for they, I thought, just
“put on.” I was truly good. I can
not remember how long I contin
ued so good.
But oh the time soon came when
my thanking God I was so much
hotter than others was turned to
to fearing and praying to God to
have mercy on me the worst of
sinners. I went to a baptism near
Bethelehem church Brooks County
when I was still thinking myseli
so very good; and as that beloved
and highly esteemed Elder Wiley
Massey led Miss Lizzie Newton
down into the water he held out
his hand and said “oh young peo
ple look.” And oh my God ; I djd
look; I not only looked, but that
word “look” was almost like a
dagger piercing my deceitful heart.
to beg my dear sister
Mary to forgive me for my evil
thoughts obout her. I then felt
she was all right; and I was all
wrong. And for two long, long
years my prayer to God was “Save
me or I am forever lost.” And it
seemed to me the greatest sin I
I had ever committed was my self
righteousness. I was going to
school at that time; and instead
of playing or keeping company
with the other girls and children, I
would slip off from them and go
down to the branch near by and
hide where I thought they could
not see me and there try to beg
God to have mercy on me the worst
of sinners. 1 could scarcely learn
anything. I begged Mama to let
me stop going to school, blaming
the teacher for my not learning;
and she was good enough to let
me stop going. And I was oh so
glad as I could not keep my mind
on my lessons. But that did not
stop my great trouble; it seemed,
if possible to grow worse day by
day. I would often go down by the
side ot Papa’s field where a beauti
ful little creek ran near the fence
and then try to beg for mercy, and
watch the beautiful water as it
waved and rippled over the rocks
thinking my sister Mary was wor
thy to be baptized beneath the
yeildiug waters while here I am
a poor ruined miserable sinner
with no chance of ever being
worthy. Many many times did
.1 hide the bible where I thought
no one would find it and when I
could get a chance would go there
and read it. But could find noth
ing but condemnation. I would
read the song books when no on e
could see me and my favorite song
was:
Poor mourning soul in deep distress,
Just wakened from a 'slumber.
Yes I had awaxened from a deep
slumber to see what
sinner I was. But I cojjld go no
further than down to the fifth verse
of this song the ballance, I thought.
was for Christians and not for me.
When I Would retire at night I was
afraid to shut my eyes for fear I
would go to sleep and awake in
torment
Now dear Flint, I will try in a.
brief way to tell you in what way
- blessed Savior took me out of
my great troubles that had grown
worse and worse ’till it seems it
could not be greater. On i morn
ing after breakfast I thought
that was my last day on earth,
soon company came in to spend
the day and oh me, I was so sorry;
for I did not want any company
whatever. I thought and felt I
could not live ’till the
down. My doom of eternal punish
ment was sealed.
And while sitting m there pray
ing and begging for mercy—for
mercy now was my only frail hope,
there appeared to me the maifej
beautiful light I ever
most beautiful imagi
my fears of death and destructSfe
vanisned away, and joy and praise
to my blessed Savior filled my
heart. Yes a joy and praise in
describable. I got the Hymn book
and opened it and the first song I
saw was.
“Amazing grace how sweet the sound,
That saves the wretch like me.”
And beholdl my blessed Savior
had put a new song in my mouth!
That song, in sense, was old to me
but now it was new “Amazing
grace” instead of ’“Poor mourning
soul.” It was amazing grace sure
enough, and that had filled my
soul with joy, and praise, and glad
ness.
But this blessed state did not
last long before the thought came
that I might be mistaken,that,per
haps, it was all myself. And
then I was in a great deal or troub
le again, but of a different kind.
One day while all alone it seemed
like I heard something say “Arise
and be baptized and wash away
thy sins.” Then I thought and felt
my blessed Lord had done enough,
1 could then say “it is
enough.”
Some little time after that,
that esteemed Elder Seaborn Jones
came to our house, and after talk
ing some with me he seemed great
ly delighted and well satisfied-and
I believe he realy was-he express
ed himself as anxious for me to
be baptized the next Sunday at
Bethlehem. And on the next Sat
urday after preaching he gave
opportunity for any to join,
when I, with great trembling went
up and took a seat beside him with
tae expectation of simply trying
to tell the reason of my hope m
my own simple way. And I felt
like I wanted to tell it. Indeed I
felt like talking; that I could talk
all the evening on that line. But
before I could say anything dear
Elder Jones said in a stern busi
ness-like voice “Tell for what mo
tive you are come here.” These were
the first words he spoke to me;
[ now know he did not intend or
even think of wounding or fright
ning me; but oh what a shock this
unusual and, seemingly irrelevant
question was to me! I thought he
and all knew for what I went there;
and I began to conclude that this
was to prepare me for rejection
that Mr. Jones had heard of some
thing against m e since he was at
our house; and I now thought he
knew what I had told him ot my
experience was false; and that he
had heard something to make him
know it. He bad seemed so well
satisfied with what I had told him
at home. And I thought as I sat
there dumb;-herel am humiliated
and rejected by the church;for that
question is a sign, they connot re
ceived me. So I sat there speech
less; I did not know what to say.
1 was so humilated and confused.
Then he asked me—what if the
church should refuse me, would it
hurt my feelings? Then indeed I felt
like I was ruinedjor I thought this
last question meant that he knew
’I would and should be rejected.
But right here let me say I want
this distinctly understood, that I
do not believe dear Elder Joues
