Newspaper Page Text
50
strive.” I feel it in my poor sinful nature every
(lay that I live, and try to pray that I may be ac
tuated from proper motives.
May God deliver all his servants from fleshly
strivings against him, or the doctrine of the cross,
or the safety and peace of his people, and giv-e
them earnestly to ■contend rfor the-faith once deli.v
ered unto the saints, that speaking the truth in
in love, thejsaiuts may grow up into hirp in all
things, which is the head, even Christ ; from whom
the whole body fitly joined together, and-compact
ed by that which every'joint supplieth, according
,to the effectual working, in the measure of every
part, maketh -increase of the body, unto the edify
ing of itself in love.
Your unworthy brother in love,
D. W. PATMAN.
Worth Cos., Ga., April 1, 1860.
iDEAtR B.retiiren Editors— This is the first lime
I. ever tooj: my pen in hand to write a piece to
place before the public,.,or ever thought of doing;
b.ut yqpt to same of mv feelings, I send a
few lines for publication. Dear brethren, l read the
Messenger, I love to read the .communications of
brethren from all parts of the world when they .con
tend for the faith once delivered to the saints, it
brings glad tidings of great joy to my soul, and I
think it does to all of God’s elect childien in Christ.
Brethren, I would to God that we were ail one in
sentiment as to things concerning Christ and his
glorious kingdom; for I am certain that all of God’s
children are one in Christ, and so will be at his
second coming. Brethren, I see in the columns of
the Messenger where some of the precious breth
ren have got up a controversry about the duty of
feet washing, 1 for one, amongst the least of all
Mints, if one at all, belie.ve in the duty o/Weet wash
ing ; there is no lime that J feej mom love towards
the brethren than when I can jineel at the feet 0 f
my brethren, for there is where I want to be, and
to be at the feet of my Jesus when I die. Rut
if any of my good brethren in Christ, do not
Teel it a duty enjoined on them to wash feet as I
do, I have no hard feelings towards my brother,
but I love him just the same ; but I fear that con
treversy about these things will cause some of the
precious lambs of God to become week and sickly.
Oh, brethren let us love in truth and in deed, as
-Christ also loved us, and gave himself for our sins
that we might be ;nade heirs of his eternal glory.
A men. GEORGE TRULUCK.
-
Carroll C#., Miss., March, 1860 .
Dear Brethren and Sisters Having a de
sire to bear witness to the truth according to my
understanding of the Scriptures of truth, held or
shown forth in the Signs and Messenger , generally,
for if Ido know anything spiritually, it is because
the Lord in his goodness and mercy toward me,
has shined into my heart, revealing the darkness
:snd corruption o( my evil heart unto rpe, and has
led me to Jesus Christ the Savior of sinners, of
whom-1 am chief. I have ofttimes been glad snd
made to rejoice wLile reading the-comrauhicAtions
and experiences cf brethren and sisters—stranger*
SOUTHERN BAPTIST MESSENGER-
in the flesh, most, of them I never have, nor do I
ever expect to see in this life: but brethren and
sisters, I have fellowship for you, and good hope
through grace that I have beea-taugbt of the bless
ed Lord to put my trust in him for life. Eternal
life and salvation are His alone, and blessed be bis
holy name, that he ever looked upon such poor
helpless sinners as we are, and above all,ito see
his only Son bleed and die for such as we. Can
we not join with the sweet Psalmist, bless the
Lord, Omy soul! all the powers within me bless
Uis Holy name ! for he bath blessed and redeem
-ed His people, and he hath given us this sea, The
Lord knowelh them lhat are His, and says, I .will
never leave thee, nor forsake thee: and he has
commanded us to follow him. If we pas3 through
tribulations,Jt is our heritage here in this world.
Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let it be
afraid, are the words of our glorious Redeemer,
who has all power in heaven and in earth. —
How can one who is in the exercise of
faith, having all the promises to comfort them,
be afraid ? But, oh my dear brethren andsistersH
how few are my moments of joy and peace com
pared with the-days and weeks of doubts and fears,
sorrow and mourning, seeking the face of my be
loved LordJ how lonely I feel, far from the house
of my God, having not been enabled to meet with
my dear brethren and sisters since July last, nor
heard any preaching since then; but my hope is
in the Lord alone, in whom I trust; for I cannot
help trusting in God, through Jesus his Son : for
in my flesh dwelleth no good thing. All my righ
teousness is as filthy rags before the Lord my
judge, but in Jesus is everything I need, who of
God is made unto us wisdom, righteousness, sanc
tification, and redemption. Dear brethren and
sisters, this is enough. Oh ! may we feel that
Jesus is ours through life, and in the hour of death
find that our hope has not been in vain in the
Rord! Will you pray for one in tribulation, who
feels less than the least of all saints, and write of
ten. It is a comfort to me to read your commu
nications, and let us not fall out by the way.
Yours jn hope o,f eternal life,
JANE Y. HARMON.
Blue Springs, Mo., Feb., 1860.
Dear Brethren :^-owing to the delay of my
paper, I had concluded that the Messenger had
gone down, until the last mail or two has brought
them up to their proper dates, which gave me
great pleasure to read the communications of the
brethren and sisters. Dear brother Beebe, please
give your views on thefollowing Scriptures, to wit:
“His name shall -be called Wonderful Counselor,
the Mighty God, Everlasting Father, the Prince of
Peace.” Now brethren, was there ever a Son and
no Father, or a Father and no child? I would like
to see the views of any of the brethren on this
subject. Dear brethren and sisters, May the God
of all grace be with .us all, and -enable us to ear
nestly contend for the faith once delivered to the
saints, is the prayei of your unworthy brother
through great.tribulation.
‘JAMES BRIDGES.
CIRCULAR LETTER.
The Bethel Association, convened at Little River Church
in Fairfield District, S. C., Oct. Ist, 2d, 3 d, and
4th, 1825, To the Churches they repi esent, send
greeting :—
Beloved Brethren:— We proceed to lay before
you some of our views on the subject .chosen last
year, viz:—
Religious Liberty,
We, as a religious body, presume not to meddle
with our civil institutions. Believing with most of
our good citizens, that our religious liberties are
guaranteed by the Constitution of the United States,
and the several States. In as much as we see prefix
ed as a motto, the followi-ngclauset “Congress shall
make no law respecting an-establishment of religion,
or prohibiting the free exercise thereof, or abridging
the freedom of speech, or of the press.” And in
our State Constitution.— “ The free exercise and en
joyment of religious.profession and worship, without
discrimination or preference, shall forever hereafter
be allowed within this State, to all mankind.” Such
were the invaluable privileges which caused many
of our forefathers, to adventure the perils of the
ooean, and flee from the intolerant governments of
Europe, or .the face of the serpent, into a savage wil
derness. And when pursued there, such were the
principles which caused them to contend, suffer bleed
and die, rather than submit to the tyrannical gov
ernment of Great Britain, which still contained the
image, .or some mark of the’ beast. But however
firm our religious rights seem to be interwoven in
our constitutions, or acknowledged in theory, they
may and have partially been invaded in our own State.”
As to be observed in Sacred History, the Jews exhib
ited much restlessness to intermix the abrogated cer
emonial law with the Gospel of Christ; and as wo
see many religionists of our day attempting to make
a compound of the leaven of the Pharisees with the
religion of Jesus, so we may observe many of our
politicians and judicial officers aiming to intermix
British statutes, which is contrary to the true spirit
of our Constitution.
In our pursuit on this subject, as we write not only
to our Churches, to whom these principles are en
deared, but for posterity, or to whom this epistle may
find access, we shall dispose of the subject in the
following manner.
First—To take notice of what we deem incompat
ible with religious liberty. And secondly—What
may be considered consistent with it.
In discussing the first proposition, we need not
consume time to prove that it is incompatible with
religious liberty to elevate any earthly prince or
bishop, as a spiritual head over a religious commu
nity or communities; as the Rope of Rome, whose
jurisdiction extended to all matters of faith and prac
tice. We say, we might forbear intruding this ab
surdity upon the present enlightened public. But
that agents of this man of sin have still invested our
country, that principles nearly allied to the mother
of harlots, and that this mystery of iniquity doth
yet work, we cannot disallow.
Where we observe among some societies of pro
fessed Christians, a supremacy of bishops or superior
orffer of clergy, as spiritual heads over a lower order
of clergy and over churches, may we not observe a
striking feature or image of the beast? For a test,
let us refer to the standard of truth. Here we ob
serve, even among some of the Apostles of Jesus, a
thirst excited for episcopal pre-eminence and author,
ity. James and John are found with their mother