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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