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“the the means.”
BuFl found iu the word of the
Lord that “the man of God”—the
church,, and child of God—was
“TfloKWonlfr furnished to all
good works” with a command of
Jesus, who also said that he that
was not for him, was against
him. Then there was no compro
mise, or middle ground.
My will was to find the Mission
aries justified by scripture; but as
a Servant, my will was not to be
cousidered —I must know, and do
the will of my Master.
In my long diligent search for
truth, I found there was but the
one true church of Christ; I was
made to believe the Primitive
Baptist v as that true church.
And now 1 told them I could
not stand identified with them
longer; not that I loved them as
Christians less,but the truth more.
But I had a long time of troub
le and search and prayers and
groanings in proving first this,and
then that, unscriptural. And when
all ehe was out of my way re-bap
tism still stood, seemingly, insur
mountable ; and mainly from the
tact that the,mode and ceremony
Were according to the gospel letter,
and I had felt the answer of a good
conscience. This last was the
most ‘difficult. But finally, in
—" reading how Paul, in persecuting
the church, verily believing he
did G:d«? service, had “a con
science void of offense,” relieved
me,for so I, verily believing I was
doing his will in thus being bap
tised, felt a like good conscience
springing from thia belief. I then
supposed those sprmKled received
the same as believing they were
obeying Gcd.
But to be re-baptized? That was
contrary to the bible assertion —
“one Lord, one faith, and one bap
tism.” The thought of being bap
tized AGAIN was repugnant. So
after much worry and thought I
concluded to stand still and wait
for clearer light.
r ‘ But thus I only realized the
more unrest, and a feeling Benso
cf getting further and further
away from my Savior—my abid
ing love for whom was often my
sole solace—till at last my heart
did ache with longing fcr that
sweet secret, and restful commun
ion with Jesus once had; as also
withjthe fear that the Lord had
cast me off to receive me no more
Then this scripture came to me
with power. “Come out from
among them and'be ye separate
saitn the Lord, and I will receive
you."
I had thought that having ob
tained,and was holding my church
letter. separated me from them,
and hence relieved me from bid
ding tnem God’s speed, and being
rartaker of their evil-unscriptural
deeds. But now the above sent
me searching this point. And 1
saw that holding my letter did not
dismiss me from them, nor in the
k-astealler my relation position
toward them, or relieve me from
sharing their responsibilities; that
so long as not actually separated
from them by death, or as joining
a church of another faith and or
der, I was virtually One of them,
and stood as though willingly—
bidding them God’s speed, and
hence was partaker of their deeds;
and that nothing, save the above,
would, or could separate me from
them.
My mind and heart was fixed in
the belief, and. so was drawn to
the Primitive Baptist; but they
ajone would not receive mew my
baptism; and how could I be re
baptized?, After air my worry it
seemed there was no escape from
this.- Bu 4 I was taking a Mission
ary Baptist paper. “The Tennes
see Baptist, edited by J. R. Graves,
to which'! have referred, in which
alkiut this time, was an article
from J. M. Pendleton of Ky.,—if I
mistakenot ;in defense of their rep
udiation of Pedo-Baptist baptism,
and in givivg their reasons why they
could not recognize and receive it
(sprinkling, <tc;,) as valid or gos
pel, be illustrated the principle by
a martiage ceremony. My mind
caught the idea and analysed it in’
a moment; and the truth flashed
out clear and unmistakable that I
had never received gospel baptism,
and hence, for me to be baptized
by the Primitive Baptist, would
not be re-baptism, but gospel bap- 1
tism for the first and one time.
And in relief and exultation I ex
claimed alnud—“Saul has fallen
on ms own sword!—l will behead
Goliah with his own weapon!”
For truly in showing me what in
validated Pedo-Baptist baptism,
he showed me what invalidated
Missionary Baptist baptism.
But before I proceed, let us re
member what constitutes gospel
baptism; it takes ,-three things—
the subject must be a Believer; —
the mode and ceremony must be
scriptural, or by immersion in the
name of Jesus; and the aAdminis
tror must be vested with the offi
cial authority ot the one only
church of Christ. A lack of one
of these invalidates the whole.
For the validity of official acts,
whether civil or religious, rests in,
and springs alone from the vest
ed authority conferred, and not
otherwise which authority, to be
valid in itself, must be conferred
by the power and prerogative of
the one only true Church or State.
To illustrate —there is but the
one true executive department of
the State of Georgia; but suppose
a few remote counties should pre
sume to claim to be the State, and
pretend to establish a like depart
ment, and each claim to be the
true. The so-called officers of such
could go through the legal form
and ceremony of official works,
but it would be spurious, as sprung
from a spurious department. And
not only would the true not recog
nize or accept as legal, this work,
but would prosecute the unsur
pation as treason against the State.
We know by the word of the
Lord that there is but the one true
church of Christ, to whom
alone he has given the keys—in
dicating the sole prerogative —to
execute his lajpa. But alas! we
also know thas*Ui«HW sre many so
called church®b claiming to be
that one true church; and of
course, claim io perform official
gospel work, Yet, however all
this may be according to the letter
of the gospel as to mode, manner,
name, cermony &c«, we must know
it is all spurious—counterfeit, as
authorized by a counterfeit
church. The fearful nature of this
assumption and usurpation of the
sacred, blood-bought right of Jes
us to build and establish his
church on earth, is hid by a long
familiarity with, and congeniality
for these so-called churches by the
world. Just think what patriotic in
dignation and protestations would
follow such a civil usurpation.
But who cares, or even thinks of
this dishonoring infringement up
on the dear-bought rights of Jesus
and his kingdom, whose divine
laws forbid litigation.
Right now let me pause and ask
you who love Jesus, would you
have him, as one with his church,
recognize this usurpation of his
divine right, by receiving us valid,
the official work of such so-called
churches? Had you b,een baptized
by one of these, and had become
dissatisfied as convinced it was not
goapel baptism, and as craving a
home in the true church, could
you ask her to thus bid God’s
speed to this usurpation against
the Kingdom of heaven, and com
promise her position and princi
ples by asking her to receive your
counterfeit baptism? Surely not.
Would you’not rather, as repudi
ating this and these and as owning
and honoring Jesus and his church
as the sole source and authority to
administer, demand baptism at
herffiands?
Beside, on your own account,
vould you not demamd baptism of
the true church, as now so plainly
seeing that to be such, it must be
administered by an officer —-Elder
—vested with authority—ordained
—by the one church of Jesus
Christ to whom alone, I repeat,
Jesus gave the untransferable keys
of the kingdom whereby she alone
may loose you-, or any, by gospeb
baptism to the blessed immunities
of this kingdom?
Now to return to the idea sug
gested by Pendleton; from which
I reasoned thus,—suppose I had
been married, or the ceremony
had been performed, by a J. P.,
yet who in truth was not one, as
by mistaker, or otherwise. Yet
the ceremony and every form be
ing according to the letter of the
law, and I verily believihg he was
legally authorized to perform the
ceremony, receive the answer of a
good conscience toward the law,
and go and live with my supposed
husband and the good conscience
continues, But after a time lam
convinced that this man that per
formed the marriage ceremony,
was not vested with the proper
authority to afficiate thus; and
from this one thing lacking,—the
supposed marriage is null and
void.
Will I now say “because I re
eived the answer of a good ccon
science, my marriage was legal—
I cannot give it up?” Or “because
the mode, ceremony and all things
in connection were according to
the letter of the law, therefore the
marriage is legal, and must stand?”
Or shall I say “I cannot have the
ceremony performed by a legally
authorized offices, because it will
be marrying again—twice—or I
will be RE-MARRIED?” No, DO, AO,
to all. For it would -not be re
marriage, but a marriage for the
first time. Well, knowing this to
be true, will I do violence to my
conscience—to morality, and to
the laws of my State, by refusing
to have the marriage ceremony le
gally performed? No, I would
never rest till legally married.
Then, convinced that my bap
tism was not gospel baptism, shall
I do violence to my fatyh and dis
honor to the laws of my Savior by
refusing to be baptized according
to his law? Surely not: nnr will
it be re-baptism, but gospel bap
tism, and for the first time. I
I wish I had ipace to dwell on the
'faff that, to refuse to repaid
illegal baptism is
to the rights and laws of Christ;
as to refuse to repair an illegal
marriage is to the rights and laws
of the State.
Under the pressure refered to, I
had searched the scriptures to
base the Missionary system of
works, etc, on a command of Jes
us, and more than failed; for I
not only found I could not do
this, but that her claims to be the
true church were without script
ural warrant, and that these very
works condemned, were her foun
dation sills, as that but for these
she never would have separated
from the Primitive Baptist; hence
these as her distinct features, were
her cause and foundation for a
separate—so-called-church; which
remove, and she was baseless; —
retain, and she stood' a modern
monument to the invention of
men ; —as it were, the over-grown
child of discord and division, born
about the time I was. That her
claim was false, was a grief to me;
but, as said, I was not my own to
do my will, but the will of my
Master who became such to be
my Savior. And whose voice ever
and anon was sounding in my
heart, “If ye love me, keep my
commandments.” Did I love him?
Obedience is the proof,
I saw clearly that if any baptism
aside from the true, would answer,
that of those twelve at Ephesus,
(Acts, 19) so lately altogether,
and now so nearly, right, would
have been received: yet which as
done in the name of John, instead
of Jesus, made it necessary for
them to be baptized again, in a
•literal sense, yet as for the first
time according to the gospel.
But the Primitive Baptist! Just
think how the world regards them!
“You have made one mistake
through ignorance, be careful
about the next step,” said pride.
You who are wanting to take
this step, yet are wanting to make
a more thorough search oi God’s
will and word, I want you to know
and receive the benefit—that after
a long time of search and re-search,
well watered by •my • tears, and
nursed by my groanings and pray-
ers, often, the while, tossed on un
certain seas, beaten by the billows
of dire perplexity—sometimes
verging on infidelity—-as blown
from the' clefts in the mysterious
rock of God’s predestination,
which I dared encounter in the
presutaptious hope of understand
ing, the better to determine God’s
will, find my duty before taking
that step.; and that thus I labour
ed, tin instead of emptying the
mysteries of God in the lap of hu
man reason, I was myself—as it
were-r-emptied from vessel to ves
sel till so weak and awed I reeled
and staggered as a drunken man.
Then ceased—became still, —to
know that to do the simplest act
required, is better than all knowl
edge;-—that the Spirit of Jesus,
and not learned re-search, leads
to truth, and prompt to duty; and
that to fellow this guide in sim
ple implicit trust, not knowing
whitljer, is the most exalted work
a mortal can do; in short, that to
fear God, and keep his command
ments, is the whole duty of man.
Also that Primitive Baptist —
however like Israel of old, she
may have spots—by all externa]
and internal evidences is the one
true church of Christ; and as the
Bride, is the counterpart of her
Husband, in that, as he was, so is
she m this world, —an uncomely
root out of dry ground not to be’
desired by the world. And hence,
for one to esteem the reproach of
being identified with her, greater
than the treasures of the world,
prov/s a like faith with Abraham,
and fellowship with the Father
and with his Son, that ensures the
gospel right to be so identified.
Thus learning and unlearning,
faltering and longing, I stood
where I believe many stand to-day,
with but that one step between
them and the church —that one
step between them and the un
speakable reward found in taking
ic;—that seep that leaves the dark,
dangerous, barren, shelterless,
where are dogs and
and wild boasts of prey,
and no refuge, and that enters
them into the kingdom of heaven
—the secret palace of Jesus and
his obedient saints, to find the
joys of his presence and direct
hand of his protection. “If ye love
me keep my commandments,” and
enter in, and go out no more. I
took that step, and found love joy
and peace in the Holy Ghost, and
a “quiet habitation” all the more
sweet and blessed from my long
weary wanderings in the wilder
ness of confusion. You to whom
Jesus is precious, go and do like
wise.
R. Anna Phillips.
• “CIRCULAR LETTER/ 1
HV ritten by Elder (J. A. Parker of
the Harmony Baptist Associa
tion In the Year 1842.»
Dearly Beloved In The Lord :
The time having again arrived,
when it becomes our duty to ad
dress you in the form of a Circu
lar, and as a foundation, we refer
you to the first Corrinthians, 9th
chapter and Ist clause of 13th
verse. Do you not know that they
which minister about Holy things
live of the things ot the Temple;
they that minister about Holy
things in the Temple services un
der the former dispensation, where
the priests of the most high God,
called of him to serve in Holy
things exclusively, and the Lord
ordained by a statute forever,
that they should live of the things
of the Temple and as partakers
with the altar designated their
portion, in the sacrifices there off
ered, Numbers 18 chapter • And
from the consideration that the
Apostle predicated an argument
in favor of the support of the gos
pel ministry, upon the above stat
ue we are at no loss in coming to
the conclusion that it is equally
right that ministers of the gospel
should also live of the things of
the Temple; and of this temple
we will speak more particularly.
That the temple at Jerusalem,, in
'all its magnificence and glory,l
beautifully, yet plainly typified
and ; shadowed forth the gospel
church, spiritual temple, we think
none will deny. It may not be
amiss however, to offer some, quo
tations ot scripture in support: of
this idea.
' “Know ye not that ye are the
temple of God, and that the spirit
of God dwelleth in you?” Ist
Cor. 3rd and 16th. “Know ye not
that your body is the temple of
the Holy Ghost,” 16 and 10. “Ye
are the temple of the living God,
as God hath said. I will dwell in
them and walk in them, and I will
be their God and they shall be
my people.” Second Cor. 6, and
16. “Therefore are they before
the throne ot God, and serve him
day and night in his temple;. and
he that sitteth on the throne shall
dwell among them,” Rev. 7 and 15.
Having as we think, proven the
church to be God’s only temple
now on eaith, it remains for us to
show, that they who minister in
the church or temple, and to do
this we will adopt the language
of inspiration. When Jesus sent
out his disciples first, while as yet
their ministry was confined to the
land of Israel, he charged themffO
take neither scrip nor purse, nor
two coats, etc. The laborers is
worthy of his hire, Luke 10, and 7,
and the workman worthy ot his
meat, Mark x and 10.
When they returned, being in
terrogated by the Master on . the
subject, they answered they lacked
nothing. But now, said the Mis
ter, he that hath a purse let him
take it —which readily implies
that something is necessary for
the support of the ministry, and.
that it is the duty of the church
es to administer to their necessi
ties.
We will more fully show by the
following quotations of scripture.
“Who goeth a warfare at his own
charges.” Here notice the Expense
of all wars, of which we have
any knowledge, is defrayed by the
government, for whose defence
<he soldier’s life is in jeopardy and
all at homp neglected; and to de
fray this expense all the citizens
of that government ot kingdom
are required to assist. But we will
proceed with the Apostle :. ./‘ Who
planteth a vineyard, and eateth
not of the fruit thereof, or who
feedeth a flock and eateth not of
the milk of the flock? Say I these
things as a man or saith not the
law the same also? For it is written
in the law of Moses, thou shall not
muzzle r the ox that treadeth out
the corn. Doth God take care of
oxen? or saith he it altogether for
our sakes? For our sakes, no doubt
this is written, that he that plow
eth should plow in hope; and that
he that thresheth in hope should
be partakers of his hope—-it we
have sown unto youI’spiritual 1 ’spiritual
things is it a great thing' if we
shall reap of your carnal things?
Do ye not know that they which
minister about holy things live of
the thingj of the temple, and that
they which wait at the altar are
partakers with the al tai? Even
so hath the Lord ordained, that
they which preach the gospel
should live of the gospel. First
Cor. 9th chapter.
Dear brethren we might swell
spree in multiplying- quotations
to prove that they which minister
about holy things should live of
the things of the temple—but we
forbear—We have brought forward
one risen from the dead the only
King and Law-giver in Zion,
together with the testimony of his
faithful witness, if you will hear
them. It only remains for you to
show your faith by your works,
that your minister may live of_the
things of the temple; that they
may be Jess encumbered with serv
ing at home, that they meditate
upon holy things, and give them
selves wholly to them, that their
profiting may appear to all. They
are required to be apt to teach. If
they would do this tfyey must first
know how to hence the ne
cessity of their giving themselves
to much reading, to exortation and
doctrine; rememember that we are
professors of unshaken faith in the
rordained purpose of God and the,
certainity of their final accom-
plishment; but do we remember
that the Lord has as fully ordain
ed and as clearly revealed that
they which preach the gospel as
he ever did, that Jeremiah should
be a prophet unto the nations as--
do wq rdmember when we fail to
hold up the bands of our minis-,
ters according; to the means with >
which God has blessed us, we act
in violation of God’s sacred decree,
and come short of the blessing
promised. James Ist chapter and
25th verse,< “But who so looketh
into the perfect law of liberty and
continueth therein, fie being not a
forgetful hearer but a doer of the
word, this man shall be blessed in
his deed. We should not be afraid
of being burdened in these things.
We should recollect that if there
be first a willing mind, it is ac
cording to that a. man hath, and
not according to that he hath not.
Every man according as he pur
posed in his own heart, so let him
give, for God loveth a cheerful
giver, and he that givethis to do
it with simplicity. Indeed, "deaf ’
brethren, we should beicareful to
practice all the principles we pro
fess, and as we claim the word of .
God as the only rule of religious
action, we should search it min
utely, .and doing this you will dis- ,
cover, that we are all to abide in,-
our calling and do the work as
signed us. ■
Dear brethren, we should rem
member tt at ministers are hot
called to minister in holy things,
so much for their benefit as for
the benefit of others, and especial- ;
ly that of the church. They arppet
in the church for the perfecting of
the saints, for ,the work pf the .
ministry, for the edifying of the "
body of •Christ."' They are sent « to
minister to them who shall be
heirs of salvation, and have to.en-r.-
dure all things for the'elect’s sake,
that they may obtain the salvation
which is in Christ Jesus, with
eternal glory, and it is a gr'eat*
thing that tfyqy should liye of the .
temple... The scriptures„ include
all that minister about holy things"
whether prophets, apostles, evange--
'■ ■ ' ■■' ■ :tv I
lists, pastors or teachers; those
who have discharged their’ sadred
duty well are entitled to, so far as
this duty is concerned, the blessed
plaudit, „well done thou good and
faithful servant, as thou hast been
faithful in a few things, I will
make you ruler over many things, i
enter thou into the joy of the '
Loyd/’ “Inasmuch as ye did it unto
one the least of these my brethren
ye did it unto me.” Here we should
recollect that as we have treated
our ministers we have treated Our
Savior. Eyen the gift of a cut) of
' .A11... ■■ J
cojd ./water, they shall in. no case
lose their reward
Finally, when we
faithful unto death, there is a
crown of life promised, afid that
welcome invitation will be heard';." 1
come ye blessed of my Father, in
herit the kingdom prepared for,
yotffrom the foundation of the.
world,’’ there in the presence bf
God is the fullness of joy and at I
thy right hand there are pleasures
forever more, there we shall have
no need of the light of.the sun to.,
illumine our eternal day, the Lord
shall’be our everlasting light and* f
our glory, —Amen.
Stephen Parker, Moderator,
James P. Ellis, Clerk.
The Lord’s Work.
How many realize as Hannah,
did, that the Lord weighs our' ac-.
tions? —that they that stumble Are
girded with strength—that ' the
Lord maketh poor, and maketh
rich; he bringeth low, and lifteth
up, and that by strength shall no
man,, prevail. Therefore says
“Talk no man so exceeding proud
ly : let not arrogancy come out of,
your mouth.”—P.