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The Pilgrim’s Banner.
A. V. SIMMS, Valdosta, Ga., )
LEE HANKS, Boston Ga. | Ka,torß -
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Entered at the Post Office at Val
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EDITORIALS.
REQUEST.
Now that cotton and other crops
are being marketed, we earnestly
entreat our readers who are in ar
rears with us to remember us. We
have been waiting patiently,know
ing that times were very hard and
money scarce, but now we need
the money to meet our own ob
ligations. The amounts due us are
very small but when
put together wculd greatly relieve
us. This, of course, is intended
only for those who are behind
with us. Will you kindly remem
ber us?—S.
ASSOCIATIONS. .
Wo desire to call special atten.
tion to the reading of '’’homp-
J-gon’ s„asticle on^ r ‘ \lt is
on *
“WJaimgy with va qu^stioiu jmjubb
importance from a scriptural stand
point. The unlawful usurpation
of power over churches by associa
tional bodies have wrought great
havoc among our preople in many
instances. There are thousands of
good Baptists who to-day stand
excluded from us who might have
been saved if proper gospel labor
had been done. But it is frequent
• ly the case that when a little dis
order arises in a church or
churches belonging to an associa-
tion, some • sister association in
correspondence will withdraw
correspondence from such without
labor or warning, and thus prac.
tically withdraw fellowship. These
things have been done right here I
in Georgia. No wonder there is a
growing disposition with many of
our brethren to dispense with as
sociations and have none of them
It would be far better to have none
at all than have them wield the
sword of disipline over the
churches. But, as Elder Thomp
son has truly said, we need not 1
abolish our associational meetings '
intirely. They may be continued
and scripturally too, when the only
object is to worship the Lord.
And so long as they are held in
conjunction with church service
and asthereby recognizing the in
ternal, scriptural rights of the
church, they can do no possible
harm, but will result in great
good.
The scriptures are the only di
vine and safe rule given us for our
government. The Bible is our code
of law, and Jesus Christ, the great
Head of the Church is our only
Law-giver, and when we fail to do
as He has commanded or,transcend
the bounds given us, we practically
deny our allegience to Him and
bring shame and confusion upon
ourselves.
Let others have their institu
tions, auxilliaries and adjuncts il
they will, but let Primitive Bap
tist who claim not to be led only
by a “Thus saith the Lord’’ see to
it that their associational meetings
come within the scriptural limit.-S.
" BU ♦ * ...
SITTING IN
“And I say unto you, that many
shall come from the east and west,
and shall sit down with Abraham,
and Isaac, and Jacob, in the King
dom of heaven. But the chil
dren of the Kingdom shall be cast
into outer darkness: there shall
be weeping and wailing and gnash
ing of teeth.” Matt.B:ll, 12.
Sister Lee Hulett of Brooks
County, Ga. desires our views on
the above scripture, or a portion of
it. The east and embrace
God’s people in all nations, and
they shall come by faith to the
holy mountain of the Lord, even
the Kingdom of heaven, the city
of habitation, the banqueting
house of King Jesus, where he has
a table spread in the presence of
his enemies, richly supplied with
covenant blessings and sweet gos
pel promises. Poor laboring,heavy
laden siuners in all ages of the
world, have been made to sit at
this table and eat by faith of the
precious dainties which are &o
adapted to their needs. The same
table at which Abraham, Isaac
and Jacob ate, is the same we poor
Gentiles who are circumcised in
heart, can eat to-day. The same
“apple tree” that casts a shadow
for one, casts a shadow for all, so
we can all sit down under his
shadow with r and His
frui*
protected from the scorching sun
of Satan’s fiery darts. This ta
ble is in the Kingdom of Christ,
and when we are made to sit down
to rest in his love and sweet mer
cies, ah ! how glorious is the pre-
I cious thought that we are experi
enceing the same things Abraham,
Isaac and Jacob experienced. We
are comming with them in spirit
I and the same truths that fed them
feeds us to-day. The day .that
you were born of the spirit, you
could sit down in the kingdom,
beholding its beauties, and com
mune in spirit with Abraham, <
Isaac and Jacob.
11 The God that they loved, you
I love, the doctrine that was so pre
cious to them, is precious to you;
the way they learned Christ, is
the wav you learned him; when
they told their experience, they
told yours. Can we not read of
the trials of these fear men of God
also of David, Job, Isiah, Jonah,
I Jeremiah, Daniel,Paul, Peter,John
and such men as Gill, Bunyan,
Beebe, Leachman, Lawrence and
uvuars, ana snea tears over their
writings, while the fire of love
burns upon the alter of our
hearts for them? While the ser
vant of God is preaching about
Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, you
are made to love them and can re
joice in the same truths they lov
ed. Jews and Gentiles believe in
the same truths and are one fold
and have one shepherd to cate for
them. All nations partake of the
same grace now, such as, justifica
tion, pardon of sin, &c. as Abra
ham did. The faith of all the Old
and New Testaments saints is the
same; they have the same God <
and Father, the same Mediator i
and precious Redeemer, are all I
I actuated by the same Spirit, par- (
of the same grace and shall
enjoy the same glory in Heaven.
The children that shall be cast
out, are the Jews who were cast
out of the land of Israel. The
Jews were in the Kingdom in its
first establishment; but these
branches were broken off, and the
Gentiles grafted in, in their room.
The Jews have been scattered and
become a hiss and a by-word to
the nations of Gio earth.
Tneir house is left unto them
desolate. This teaches us that
God punishes sin, and if any
man defiles fne temple of God him
will God destroy. The Jews’ tem
ple is destroyed and he has no
place in the kingdom of Christ.
There was great weeping and wail
ing when Jerusalem was destroyed
and the children of jjhe kingdom
(Jews) were cast but. —H.
“TEKEL.” ■>
“Thou art weighed inthe balances,
and art found wanting.Danielv ;27.
A precious little sister at Ozark
Ala., requests our feeble views on
the above subject, on which we
shall only give a few of our
thought s.
There was part of a man’s hand
or his fingers that wrote over
against the candlestick upon the
plaister of the wall of the King’s
pallace. Belshhzzar saw the hand
and was greatly troubled. Hence
he went to the wise men of Baby
lon to get them to read this writ
ing and give the interpretation of
it; but the wisdom of this world
cannot comprehend the wonderful
works of God. These astrolagers,
magicians and sooth sayers, with
all their boasted wisdom, did not
understand this language.
a educated men, and dfcuhtiess
- were graduates in the school
, of men, and could tell the defini
i tion of words in the various lan-
- guages, and give many historica 1
■ accounts of the ancient saints
■ but were destitute of a true
• knowledge of God. If they had
’ have gone to have converted the
heathens (and doubtless they
would have readily accepted such
a position for pay enough) they
would have been a misible fail
ure. They did not know the
power of God. They did) not un
destand the writing of Qoi’s peo
ple nor could they* read it, for
they were ignorant of that kind
of a school. Poor Daniel was enabl
ed by revelation, the very
word and the IH&tation of
it. -
Daniel did not learn this from
man, but from the shool of reve
lation. God’s ways are as high
above our waj ß U 8 tho h „ av .
ens are above the earth. This
word “Tekel” is boundless in
meaning, and applies to doctrine,
experience and pratical godliness
The doctrine ot the world, when
weighed in the ballauoe of the
Old and New Testaments, are
found wanting. Why do not Old
Baptiste believe that our eternal
salvation is conditional, like our
good friends among the condition
ahsts? because all that is f ound
wantingin the Bible-ballances.
tree agency, general or meat and
bread atonement, apostasy, hu
man means in the salvation of sin
ners,secret societies, theological
schools, Sunday schools, spring,
ling for baptism and the multHude
of religious orders art atl“Teke! ”
weighed in the balance of otern ’]
truth and are found wanting au
thority in the Scripture,. Five'
hundred years ago there were two
Gnristian denominations in the
world; the Baptists and Catholics.
The undefiled is evidently the true
Old Baptists and the others have
been started by men;hence are all
“Tekel.”— found wanting. Does
Christ give Luther, Calvin, Hen
ry* John Westley, Andrew Fuller,
aUd Alex Cam P bell tho . right
MRtßt up new so-.iatles and call
them ctlurches? No. Hence they
are allv “Tekel” weighed % Jn the
balances and found wanting.
Everything, unauthorized by the
balances of the sacred Scriptures,
ia, “Tekel.” All arminianism is
“wanting” for they no faith
in God th&t he will, do his pleas
ure
When’th ©Lord showtm you that
you were lost and and undone in
the sight of God, and felt to be a
very great sinner in his holy sight
you felt to be “Tekel”—lhat you
are weighed in the balance of
truth and justice and forever cut
off from the presence of God.
Yea, wo felt that we were “Tekel,”
for we were lost, undone, without
hope and without God in the world.
We were truly wanting in point of
obedience; our robe of righteous
ness was wanting as it was but a
robe of “filthy were
wanting in trust,for we were trust-
ing in man who is cursed; we were
wanting in help, for vain is the
help of man. *Wo viewed our black
sinful hearts as being miserable,
wretched and deceitful and want
in everything that is good. From
head to foot we were wholly con
taminated with sin and corrup
tion, and hence were wanting in
would justify us
bed
selves in it.” We fled to the las
for justification, but that was only
“Tekel,” and could not justify us;
hence tbe law is wanting in power
to saye us. When all physicians
were found wanting, our prayers,
best performances, good resolu
tions, the preacher, the Bible and
all were “Tekel.” Our last resort
was to go by faith to Jesus and
there was nothing wanting in
Him. It was all wanting in us,
but everything we. needed we re
ceived it in Christ. His righteous
ness justified us. His obedience
made us righteous. His blood
cleansed us from all sin. He gave
us the spirit of adoption whereby
we can now cry Abba Father, and
by this Spirit wB are sealed until
the day of redemption or adop
tion. In everything you feel want
ing, Jesus is your suffciency. His
grace is sufficient for you, If you
feel poor and needy, Jesus is rich,
and the kingdom of heaVen is
yours, and you are blessed. If you
are wanting righteousness, you
shall be supplied with that. If
you need comfort and are mourn
ing over a burdened heart, and
feel that you are “Tekel” in that
respect, Jesus says that you shal.
be comforted, and you are now
blessed. It is a blessing of the
Lord to truly feel that you are
waiting. None have such feeling
but Christians. Sometimes, the
church is in practice,
they are wanting in a godly deport
ment; they are wanting in power
to bridle their tongues to keep
from speaking in an unbecoming
manner of people, especially the
B &ints. are wanting in at
tending to their own business and
not being such busy-bodies in
other people’s matters. They
are wanting in self-examination
tor they examine others faults and
see none of their own, or but few
any way. The church should
not be wanting in love ,forberance,
gentleness meekness,sobritey, tem
perance, in good works, brotherly,
kindness, in chanty in caring for
the poor of the cffijjßi, in nursing
the little lambs without the fold,
in visiting the sick in their afflic
tions, and in caring for the pastor
and his family after a godly man
ner. The preacher should
not be Wi ting in the above, and
also in ruling well his own house
and in living an exemplary life
economical and laboring to kss
sen the burdens of his brethren
and being faithful in all things.
Loy© should prompt him to eerve
his brethren and not applause of
man, popularity or filthy lucre.
There are many poor little
Christians who arodiarmless and
feel that they are“Tekel.”They are
away from Zion, away from those
whom they love. They are wanting
in worthiness to join the church
wanting in experience.m evidences
in knowledge, in faith, in obedi
ence and wanting in strength to
bear the yoke. Why will Chris
tians be so rebellious? All these
feelings of unfitness,unworthiness,
doubts, fears, love for the saints
for God, and his ordinances, and
loving the gospel truths are all
bright evidences of a precious
hope in Christ., None have such
feelings but Christians. Says one,
“I am too mean, sinful and unwor
thy. I want tojoin, but ohl what
wretched sinful heart I possess;
I dont see how you could fellow
ship me. I can’t tell the day of
the month when I received a hope,
I have had trouble, but I fear;
At is a Christian
■nts
not
r lite tike i afraid
r to go to the church and afraid
; to stay away, if I were to join
■ I fear that I should
out that I am deceived and the
• church would get rid of me. Oh I
love you all so good I do not want
to bring a reproach upon you &c.”
Thus Satan makes suggestions to I
the poor little saint to keep him
in disobedience. None are so I
concerned, and have such sugges-I
tion but little Christians. lam
JL « IXI
willing to baptize one when they
come feeling as W 6 described above
Christian, if the Lord has given
you a pigeon or turtle dove, do
not waite for a bullock, forGod has
not required you offer a bul
■ ock. He has not required you l
to tell any body else’ experience.
Come with your burdened hearfr
and little evidence and find qweetl
rest in Zion.
If you feel written in your hear
3 that you are wanting and whob
1 unfit for church membership, yoi
1 are now a Christian and the singe:
of God has written it. Love foi
the church of Christ, hating sir
and a desire to forsake all to live
with the Lord’s people constitu
tutes a Christian’s experience; yet
your experience continues right
' on till death. We feel assured that
our precious little sister in Ala.,
feels poor and needy and that
she is wanting for a home among
the* dear people of God. We
have fellowship for her and hope
th at she will soon “Take the yoke”
of obedience and find sweet rest
to her troubled soul.
There is room in the church for
all such poor little ones like she is.
May the Lord give her strength
to come. We now submit these
feeble views to her consideration
hoping that they may be if some
comfort to her and that she may
be brought to the church that i s
not “Tekel” or wanting in doc
trine for they believethat salvation
is ot the Lord; they are not want
ing in experience and they are
not wanting in practice, forth JB
want to practice everything the
Bible teaches, no more, no
less. The old Baptist are the best
people in the world and make
greater sacrifices and live closer
to godly lives of love and good
works of any other people; yet
we will find some disobedient
Christians who are not as faithful
as they ought to be. We should
not accuse the faithful, or class
them with the “Tekel” and say •
that all are found wanting. May
the Lord help us to be faithful
in all things and to keep our lamps
trimmed and burning as faith
ful soldiers of Chnst. Unsoundness
in doctrine and practice is all
“Tekel”—H.
Elder William Tomlinson bap
tized three at Arna church (Coffee
County) on the fourth Sunday in
last month.
Elder P. G. McDonald writes,
“I baptized three precious gifts
yesterday eve in Savannah. Also
received one by confession last
night there.”
Southampton, Bucks Co. Pa.
November 6.th 1895.
Elder A. V. Simms:—Dear Bro
ther.
In the Banner, which you kind
ly sent me,l see many names that
are familiar to me by correspond-
which are of much interest ena?
comfort to me. We naturally
} tend with more interest to what
has been written by one whose"*
name is pleasantly familiar to ur
as a dear brother in Christ, than/:
to an article signed by one whose
name is strange to us. But"when-
I ever and wherever we read or hear
from another what we have felt
in our own souls of the wonder
ful works of God, we find our
hearts going out in love to that
' one, and at once feel a greater
nearness to him and a closer ac
quaintance, than with others
whom we have known for years.
Though Jesus does not walk along
. I by our side, as he did with the two
i who walked toward Emmaus, yet
qur hearts burn within us whenev
ler his Spirit is manifest in the
communications of his people to 1
I us.
I When we have experienced that
I love, which is the bond of perfect-
I ness, toward any one, how easy it
lis to be forbearing toward him .
rwhen he differs from us in regard /
to some points of doctrine, or the
rt meaning of some scriptural declar
y ation. In such a case love is not
u disturbed. There is a common
r ground of fellowship upon which
we can stand while we talk upon
r the point of difference, each equal
n ly anxious to arriyo at the truth,
B and each solicitous and careful
that the other shall rot be wounded
In matters that are not vital to
fellowship,how easy it is to walk
t along,after such conferences, with
t out any other than the warmest of
, feelings toward each other, though
neither has been able to see with
the other. I think now of some
' of my dearest brethren, between
whom and myself, there are some
such points of difference, yet we
have never had a jar to' our love ,
and fellowship.
There are points of very grave
importance upon which brethren
may hold different views, neither
of which ought to be denounced S
as heresy by those holding the
other. An error held by one we
have evidence child of God
ought not liffhHv La
