Below is the OCR text representation for this newspapers page.

• THE PILGRIM’S BANNER. ’. V. SIMMS, Valdosta, Ga., | Kditors EE HANKS, Boston Ga. p qiTOre - PUBLISHED SEMI-MONTHLY. SUBSCRIPTION RATES IN AD VANCE. FOR THE UNITED STATES. CANADA AN lazico. Single copy one year SI.OO Single copy six months 50 single copy three months 25 Sample copies sent free on application. ‘ ~ SPECIAL NOTICE! In writing communications for the Pilgrim’s Banner, please observe the following rules: 1. Do not write on but one side of yU 2. r P Write plain and distinct, so that it can be easily read. 3. Above all things, do not write with a LEAD PENCIL. Strictly adhere to the above rules, and you will confer a great favor ol us; and a special favor to the Printer. Entered at the Post Office at Val dosta, Ga., as second class mail matter. 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