The Pilgrim's banner. (Valdosta, Ga.) 1893-1918, December 15, 1896, Image 1
Vol. 3.
POET'R?
Prayer and Praise.
Oh Lord! creator of my frame,
And knowest that I am but dust,
Behold my covered head and name—
, As that in these Ido not trust,
But plea of mercy must make
Jesus name, for Jesus sake.
Oh thou my God who seest me,
Doth see my spent—all—empty
hand
As beggors hand, stretched out to
Thee
In weakening hungers strong de
mand—
Oh God be merciful to me I
For mercy, mercy is mj plea,
Oh my Father!—how dearer name!
That makes my fear and trembling
leave.
And stirs a spirit glad, to claim
This blest relationship, and cleave
To thee in Christ; and Christ in me,
Makes all things mine, now, or to
be.
my Father! hallowed be
Thy name! that with whole heart
I love,
And that as given and named on me,
Seals me thy child born from above.
Then Father bless thy loving child,
And to thy will make reconciled.
—P. .
EXPERIENCE.
Tallokas, Ga., Oct. 1896.
Dear Brethren and Sisters :
By request I will try co write my
little experience, which I hope is
founded on grace. Not but what
I often fear the Lord is not in it;
but then I am again lifted out of
these doubts and feel assured that
“THOU HAST GIVEN A BANNER TO THEM THAT FEAR.THEE, THAt HI-8 PLAYED BECAUSE OF THE TRUTH.”—Psalms 60: 4.
han I could bear. What had I
done to cause me to ba so troub
led? I felt like I hadbevn forsak
en by heaven and earth ; and how
could I live without a friend? Aud
even God had left me alone in a
wilderness ot woe wherein was no
help. It seemed that I had wan
dered iff into a far country and a
great famine was in th at laud, and
my soul was gradually but surely
perishing. I would fain 611 my
self husks, so to speak, but they
yielded no sustinance. And I had
long since given self-righteousness
a test, and saw it fail. And now
all I could say, was, “Here Lord,
f give myself to thee.” Figurat
ively I felt like a homeless, fath—
eilcss, half-clothed child in a great
city of fashien and strife, hunger
ing and begging for bread; but
would be turned away empty —
without a crumb.
I wanted to go to the regular
meeting at Bethel in May; sos I
felt like I could not live many
days unless supported by the
substance of the true gospel of
Christ; for there was nothing for
me in man’s religion, as I now
term all others except the Primi
tive Baptist, and which I had been
shown, aud made to know, was
“God’s elect.” But our blessed
Savior who deeth all things well,
saw proper to afflict me bodily tfs
well; and on Saturday I was per
fectly miserable as I lay on mv
bed of affliction. Oh when would
I find rest? Although not pres
ent at church, my mind and heart
was there, and was full of love for
the jjilfliiib £huuur.
DEVOTE TO THE 01 CH RIBT.
Valdosta, Ga., DeAnber 15,1896.
feelings, but instead they became
deeper and weightier; and my self
esteem would not be subdued. And
I would try to think up something
against the old Baptist that would
satisfy me against them ; I would
think of their unpopularity, aud
of their old-fashioned ways, and
how I had scorned them, as ethers
still did. But still I had that
abiding desireHo be baptised, and
by none other save the Primitive
Baptist; and I wanted to five with
them, too.
Things continued thus with me
till the first Sunday in July, when
I was permitted to go to chu:ch at
Bethel. I dia not intend to join
the church that day, but hud con
cluded to wait till better satisfied
about several things. But W’hen I
walked into the church-house a
strange feeling came over me: and
when an opportunity was given
for membership, how my poor
heart did ache, for I wanted to go
aud beg them for a home among
those precious saints; but when 1
would at them, they looked
so perfect and angelic, while I felt
to be so imperfect and so unfit to
be among them, that 1 felt I dare
not go. Thera were two others,
however, that joined and were to
be baptised that evening. And
while met at the water for this
purpose, wh°n and where they gave
opportunity again, I ct>uld not stay
away longer, I went and was re
ceived and baptised the same even
ing, and there that great burden
so weighted me, was
left—which I have not felt since—
nel—l care u °t f° r an y other. • I
some t;ime wondering
wmtbe Lord could be so merciful
to k It seemed that just as I
walking under the storm of
fear alluded to above,
he Jf through the dark clouds of
my Igpair, and bade the storm to
be sib Then all was calm and
my hart was filled with unword
ed jo|»nd praise to an enduring
FatfflLißfttJthese great joys are
too sftWW last always, and we
must tfisfce bitter cup again, Al
though li-ve often been made to
say “surfl goodness and mercy
shall follpee all the days of my
life ’ ? N withstanding I feel like
I have bf i so reckless that I am
not worth of the least of the
many ble ings he has showered
upon me. hid I do hope and pray
that i ma -never bring reproach
or dishon ’.on the people I love.
For I*?eel ike if I were cut off
from the 1 imitive Baptist my life
would b* lighted, and my joys
all gone; :rl had rather be a
door-keep in the house of my
God than Iwell in the tents of
unrighteo mess. For I can say I
have had ; reater, yes, double the
pleasure siflee I have found a home
among the good old Baptist, than
ever before.
I have suffered many deep trials
and conflicts, as well as trials of
unworf hiuess; but I now feel that
every W has stregthened my
faith, &id love for Jesus. Some
times t find myself in such a deep,
dark valley of doubt, where ever;
thing siems so murky and uncer-
I know the flesh is loath to give
up those so near and dear to us m
nature, but when the Lord ena
bles us to view such of his deal
ings with an eye of laith, then it is
only a sad but sweet going away
from this dark valley of storms,
trials and impurities, into the
mtghtness and beauty and purity
of a life and inhoritance incorrup
table and undefiled and that fad
eth not away.
Where Jesus is, there is peace.
And he has promised to be with
us always even unto the end. And
if he is wit h us at the end, there is
peace there; and though we pass
through the valley of the shadow
of doath, we will fear no evil; for
the Lord is our Shepherd,—he
knows our weakness, he knows our
every distress, and he knows just
how much strength we need, and
has promised us grace sufficient
for every time of need. And it is
sweet indeed to contemplate that
he is not slack concerning his
promises, and that he is long-suf
fering, kind and tender, and the
well-spring of his gjace is inex-
• haustible.
> Dear brother, Ido not feel that I
1 could write to your comfort in
your sore bereavement, and trials
3 otherwise. So only write to ex
press my sympathy and show you
that I would, if I could, comfort
? you, and leave all things to him
who hath delivered,—who doth
*’ deliver, aud, whom we» trust, wil
' yet deliver and keep us to his
iH . V s 1 1#
life, &c, Sister Miller was right in
soing to the brother and Speaking
a consoling and stregtfienihg word
to him. ‘
She has thus done us all a good
service by venturing, with all her
modesty, into print with her sis
terly impressions. Let us hear
from her again. She has much
more to say that we ffll would be
thankful to hear, and that, would
b efor our good and comfort. Let
us have it, please, sister Miller.
Now take a bit of my experience,
—after when —as I now know —I
might have made glad and strong
er a brother, I .thought so little
of my myself, thought he’thought
so little of hie, that I withheld my
opinion, or counsel, or praise, and
he lived on feeling. “Remote,
unfriended, and melancholy
slow,” and perhaps, that nobody
cared for him. That feeling
has caused many to faint and fall
by the way.
No, brother, that is not the way
to feel toward your brethren. But
overcome it, and speak “good words
and comfortable” to your brother
whenever occasion gives you op
portunity, whether at his house,
or yours, or in the way when you
meet him. You have one Master,
bend the knee to him, yes a thous
and times, yes. But that same
Master says to his children, every
one, “All ye are brethren”—
Equals,—Heirs alike of all things;
Yes, Jesus says “All ye are breth
ren.” “Love one another. ’’Love
is of God.” Then we are not so
utterly nothing and nobody that
we may not love our brethren,and.
take and give the hand of fellow
ship which is with the Father and
the Son. Then if we may love,
which is of God, we may surely be
counted worthy, as prompted by
it, to give a comforting word of
exhortation, that bless hw
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