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gjie Pilgrim’s Banner.
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EDITORIALS.
CHARITY.
Charity is defined by Cruden as
“a principle of love to God, and
good will to men, wishing well to
jail” and considering the scriptual
-account of it, I think he is right.
We see at once that but the chil
dren of God can possess or mani
fest the true spirit of bible charity,
and I fear that many, even of them
do not manifest it as thy should.
It is one thing to be gifted in
spiritual wisdom, and to be ac
counted as great and noble in the
kingdom of Christ, bat it is quite
another to exercise charity. It is
the true spirit ot love, and the
finest and greatest of all Christian
graces and qualifications mention
ed in the scriptures.
The great Apostle in the 13th
capter ot Ist Cor. 1-3, tells us that
"though I speak with the tongue of
men and ot angels, and have not
charity, I am become as sounding
brass, or a tinkling cymbal.” A
man may be able to speak fluently,
quote scripture properly, and en
gage a congregation much to the
gratification of carnal minds, but
it takes the essence of love, it
takes faith in both speaker and
hearer, and charity must leaven
the whole, for it to reach the
heart and benefit the soul of God’s
humble children. Cymbals are
used to accompany music and in
connection with jit are profitable,
but alone, they are worse than
nothing. So is preaching without
charity.
“And though I have the gift of
prophecy, and understand all mys
teries, and all knowledge, and
though I have all faith, so that I
could remove mountains, and
have not charity, I am nothing.”
A man may be wise in all these
things, yet there is such a thing
as a spirit of vainglory and ag
grandisment, that sometimes effa
ces the good results that might
come of his exercises, and destroys
the benefit or good affects of his
gifts, and he becomes nothing.
But with charity he is humble, his
exercises are profitable, and his
gifts aie appreciated in the church.
“And though I bestow all my goods
to feod the poor, and though I give
my body to be burned,and have not
charity, it profiteth me nothing.”
There would evidently be great
profit to us in doing these things,
provided it is done with charity,
for “it is more blessed to give
than receive,” and “the Lord lov
eth a cheerful giver,” but he may
also give, expecting to be rewarded
for it, or to be praised by nien,and
will not profit us any thing, I think
that I have seen men who would
give ve A y liberally, as long as they
could lead and be counted great
for it, but there is no soul-felt ben
efit that comes from this, it is all
carnal, and the evidence is that it
is not done with charity.
After enumerating many things
that are profitless without charity;
and yet we know that with it, they
would be great; he then tells us
some of the characteristics of char
ity, or works of these who possess
it.
First “charity suffereth long,
is kind.” Suffering and kindness
were two of the great principles
that were manifested by our Lord,
in whom dwelt perfection, and
even now they are, as they always
have been, evidenced by his fol
lowers. There are many Christians
who be some impatient and rebell
ious under disappointments and
suffering, and instead of blessing
the Lord for all his works, they are
petulent and unkind, and conse
quently are often in his displeas
ure and under the rod. But of all
the peoole that I love most, and I
feel assured will enjoy most rest
in their own souls, are those who
suffer most and are the kindest
and most resigned under it. “Char
ity envieth not,” How miserable
and wretched must be that Chris
tian who envies his brother on ac
count of his gifts and benefits that
he himaelf does not possess, and
how dangerous and disagreable he
is as a companion. Envy is akin
to jealousy, and is hated in the
sight ot God. Deliver me from
the snares of an envious man.
O that we could only obey the
injunction of the apostle to “have
fervent charity among yourselves.”
We may, some of us, be counted
great preachers,some good deacons,
etc., but the greatest in all the
kingdom is that one who has char
ity enough to cover the faults of
others, to do good for evil, to bear
reproaches,to believe what God has
said and to esteem others better
than himself,
Faith,by which we are justified;
and hope, by which we live, shall
pass away, but charity abideth
forever. Charity feeds the hungry,
clothes the poor, and rejoices in
the righteous cause. May the Lord
enable us all to see and feel the
great necessity of being charitable
toward our brethren who differ
with ns, for much of our safely
and rest depends upon our forbear
ance with each other. It is a
Christian spirit indeed and the
work of charity, for one to say
“forgive me brother, I was wrong.”
The flesh is too proud to yield
many times, butthat person whose
trust is in God, and who cares
more for the peace of Zion than
the gratification of his own prefer-]
ences, shall never be but
shall dwell In the ligliZ of his love.
-B. \
P. S. I have the Lord
willing, to be with jfcchurch at
Union, Lowndes coui«, on their
regular meeting timg2the second
Saturday and Sunday February.
—B. ;
DRUNKENESS.
This abominable sin has been a
great evil in the huifian family.
It has broken the heafts of many
sweet precious womeifr-whose in
dustry and amiability were so
abundantly to make
home sweet and pleasant. That
dear good woman Afho toiled al
most day and night to support her
children and whose eevery act is
fraught with kindness,i? murdered
by a cruel drunken hu|band who
spends her earnings to gratify his
wicked craving appetite which
will terminate in turnip wife and
children out homeless, apd bring
ing upon them dis
grace, How hard for »a brutish
husband to spend the hard earn
ings of a wife and children; leav
ing them destitute ofi food and
raiment and to drag out a misera
ble existance. Drunkeness leads
to almost all other evils. When a
man is drunk, he does not care
what he says or does. M iny men
who are quiet while&ober, are
tyrants when they afe drunk.
Drunkeness has led me® to take
the life of a most devmed friend
and terminated his owiMexistence
on the gallows. I? Heads to
gambling, profanity, m rder, di
vorce, and is the fountai i-head of
many evils.
Drunkeness is a cufib 1 to any
community. It de
moralizing influence yblltfis
of our country.
ness is a great evil in the
world, but greater in the church
of Uhrist. It is an inexcusable
offense for a member of the church
of Christ to become intoxicated.
This is a willful sin that the
church should not tolerate. When
a man will be so brutish as to get
drunk, the church should with
draw from him and let him atone
or suffer on the outside, 1 Cor.
v chapter. It will destroy a
church to retain such an evil in
her fellowship. Brother, just
think of the strait gate and nar
row way that Christ has marked
out for his followers and you can
not enter into life and follow that
Satanic spirit of drup’keness. A
man who is drunk; is not fully
conscious of his acts. If a man
'gets drunk on spirits, false re
ligion,, politics or malice, there is
no reason m him. He thinks
himself to be exceedingly bet
ter than his superiors, He has a
head of his own, and is so stub
born that he will oppose every
thing that works for the good of
Zion,
Every one who is a drunkard,
will have some excuse by saying
he is afflcted and nothing but
spirits will do him any good. My
dear brother, would it not
be better for your body to suf
fer than for the cause of Christ?
There is a great responsibility
resting upon you. Your example
may drive many little Christians
off into babyion, and oh, how the
cause of Christ bleeds to retain
such in her fellowship! You should
live every day as though it was
the last. If you have a weakness
that you caunet control yourself,
if you take one drink, do not
touch it at all. When you spend
your money, to gratify such a
fleshly appetite, your money is
gone, the cause of Christ is re
proached, shame and disgrace is
brought upon yourself and family,
you are in no sense benefitted,
but greatly injured. Solomon
says, “Wine is a mocker, strong
drink is raging; and whosoever is
deceived thereby is not wise.”
Prov. 20. 1. “Who hath woe?
Who hath sorrow? Who hath
contentions? Who hath babbling?
Who hath wonnds without cause?
Who hath redness of eyes? They
that tarry long at the wine; they
that seek mixed wine, at the last
it biteth itself like a serpent, and
stingeth like an adder.” Prov.
xxiii. 29—32 Churches should
not wink at such gross sin, but
should rid herself of such at
once.
Many Christians have distroyed
themselves to the confidence and
love of the Lord’s people by ex
cessive drinking. Christians should
not drink as a beverage, for it will
create a thirsty which might
sooner or later destroy them.
We have written this in love and
in the fear of God, we hope, and
for the wellfare of Zion. May the
Lord sanctify it to the good of his
people, and to his name be all
the praise.—H.
It is not enough to be firm in
the fundamental principles of elec
tion, predestination, final preser
vation of the saints; special re
demption of the chuich of Christ,
the resurrection of the bodies of
the saints; but we should be es
tablished in the experience and
practice of the Lord’s people.
A preacher "does not declare the
whole counsel of God untcUTie
preaches doctrine, reproof, correc
tion and instruction in righteoas
tions.
We should live our profession
and prove by our actions that
grace reigns richly within us.
It is not enough for a child to
boast of the riches and power of
his father and then not obey him.
We can prove more by our acts
than we can by words. One proves
that he loves the church, and is
therefore passed from death unto
life, when he forsake all to go with
the Lord's humble poor and fol
low sJesus in this sacred ordinances
and obeys the commands of God.
One may say he loves the church,
but how do we know he loves us
when he chooses to stay with the
world? It is true there is a great
cross in obeying Jesus, but we are
commanded to bear the cross if we
would be his disciples.
“To-day is the day of salvation”
and we have no promise of to
morrow. Poor little saint, follow
Jesus to day. Let us all, at all
times, do our duty “to-day.”
Don’t put off serving the Lord.
—H.
••Drink no longer water, bnt use a
little wine for thy stomach’s sake and
thine after infirmitives.” 1 Tim. 5;23.
Eld. J. T. Stamper, of Center
point, Mies., has asked me to give
my views on the above: in order
to which he must allow me to no
tice the whole context.
Then remember, it was Paul the
aged who wrote to Timothy, his
own son in the gospel: and for
the sole purpose as he tells him
that “thou may’est know how thon
ought’est to behave thyself in the
house of God, which is the church
of the living God, the pillar and <
ground of the truth:” and that <
hence all he writes must pertain
to that church. <
After speaking of the neces- ;
sary qualifications of Bishops and t
deacons, and perhaps, remember- <
ing their power and influence for
either good or evil: and so the :
great importance of having such, i
and only such ordained to fill these
offices as were called and qualified i
of God, —insuring the good—he <
comes to Timothy—and all bishops
after—with this solemn charge, “I
charge thee before God, and the
Lord Jesus Christ, the elect angels
that thou observe these things
without preferring one before an
other,doing nothing by partiality.”
Then to enforce the importance of
proving men qualified before or
dination, he continues “Lay hands
suddenly on no man; neither be
partaker of other men’s sins: keep
thyself pure.”
Which as clearly implies that
to “lay hands on as ordaining one,
on first presentation, or before a
time of waiting and watching to
prove one possessed of scriptural
qualification, and then afterwards
find he did not possess them, why,
he thereby become partaker of the
sin, nor kept himself pure. There
fore prove them.
The Apostle them—as it would
seem—remembering the youthful
timidity and sense of personal
fear and unfitness, of Timothy to
take to himself and exercise “all
authority” as a bishop —having
heretofore been guided by him in
all such matter; and yet having
the utmost confidence in his faith,
sincerity and devotion to Christ,
and knowing his own departure
was nigh at hand, and that “seduc
ing spintijC “doctrine of devils,”
M&ld
sparing the flock; and hepce the
paramount importance of oi darning
such only as were called of God to
“set for a defence of the gospel”
and the fllock, and in order to
which, a wise and discerning judg
ment was issential; and wanting
Timothy to be such, and the more
forcibly to impress it upon his
mind, he tells him in a figurative
phrase. “Drink no longer water,
but use a little wine for thy stom
ach’s sake and thine after infirmi
tives.”
In my opinion as much as to
say Be no longer wavering and
weak —indicated by water —no
longer nourish your weakness as
supporting it —feeding it—with a
sense of your personal unworthi
ness, doubts and fears of general
unfitness to assume and begin to
exercise your judgment and au
thority in things pertaining to the
functions of a Bishop. Stir up
the gift that is in thee, and by ex
ercise of your spiritual senses,
grow strong in spiritual discern
ment and judgment for your stom
ach’s sake: or—in a secondary
sense—for the sake of the entire
man in the Lord; since the stom
ach is the sole depository of all
the elements that produce or as
similate to life growth and
strength. Jesus said while on
earth his meat was to do the will
of his Father. Therefore feed the
stomach, so to epeak, with strong
food and the man will grow strong.
Or, no longer be “such as have
need of milk, and not strong meat;
for every one that use th milk is
unskillful in the work of righteous
ness: for he is a babe. But strong
meat belongeth to them who are
of full age; even those who by
reason of use have their senses
exercise to discern both good and.
evil.”
Therefore, no longer drink milk
or water, but begin to exercise
senses and grow strong and
skillfull in the word of right®®
eousness to discern the good
the evil, for the sake of your
infirmaties; or lest they—-such
timidity, a ense of weakness annfcg
unworthiness and fear of
so great responsibilities—so hinder
or retard that proper exercise sot
necessary to growth and strength,
as to leave your spiritual mind
and judgment so weak and vacila
ting as to involve both thyself and
the church in error and confusion:
hence, take heed to thyself—med
itate on these things—let no man
despise thy youth, as that thou a
Bishop—however young in years
art wanting and fearful; for
“God hath not given us the spirit
of fear, but of power and love and
a sound mind.” So be thou strong
and wise, especially in judgment
discerning on whom to lay hands
as ordaining Bishops.”
Then in immediate connection
he continues the subject by adding
“Some men’s sins are open before
hand going to judgment: and some
they follow after. Likewise also
the good works of some are mani
fested beforehand; and that they
are otherwise cannot be hid.”
The “some men” here are the same
class of applicants for office, as a*
bove.And means that some men -
so constituted-are so ca^id, sincere
and open as to propensities and
characteristics, as that aU their
faults, failings and
are on the surface seen and
of all men. While others are so
opposite—so taciturn and secretive
—that you must be with them a
long time before you know them
orK o
manifested beforehand; that is wd
will say here is a brother presented
for ordination as a deacon: the en
tire brotherhood, as already ob
observant of his long active devo
tion in all practical godliness, are
aware of the fact that he will make
a good deacon, beforehand. While
they that are otherwise cannot be
hid :that is,if the scriptural qualifi
cations are not in him, however he
may pretend and try, and the
church desire and encourage him
to fulfil the practical requiremen ts 1
it will still be manifest—it cannoft
be hid—that he is not the man ft*
the place,
And here is the necessity of
proving before ordination.
From the fruits resulting, it
seems to me that some Bishops of.
this day dj not feel that deep sor M
licitude—as Paul—for the wellfare
of. the church vouched safe in thjl
care in judging on whom to lay
hands.
Or such may have taken this ad
vice of Paul to Timothy as literal,
and so, instead, have simply ceased
to drink water.
Dear brother Stamper; the
above has been written hastily and
by snatches. Hoping you may
accord I submit it in love. H
NOTICE.
We are almost daily receiving
notice from subscribers that theif
paper doesn’t reach them. We want
all who do ncTt get their paper reg
ularly to let us know it, for we in
tend they shall. But Eld Simma
has had too much to do to have kept
all things straight. We are noir
here for that purpose and intend,
the Lord helping, to accomplish it
So just be patient a little while
longer, R. A. P»