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VOL. X. Communications. Opelika. Ala., M**rch l, 1860. Eld. Wm. Crutcher: —Dear brother , After -eeveial days abs nee troin home, G >d in his i*od nes-, has permitted me to return and find all well. Your kind favor of the *7di ult., is before rue, and <hs iiiv time is Very limited, I must be very brief in reply. I suffer much pain with Kinney disease. , .and this pain is increased by the position in which I sit in writing. .For the sake of brevity,*l shall not >epeat your ; quest it ms, but simply give some of my views in my own way. I canrot learn from the Scrip uret* that man , as a natural and earthly being, had any real existence be/ore the foundation of the world* .only as tie existed in rile tnitid and eternal purpose ©f-God. .In tLe begimng, God created the heaveus ..aLid the earth, and as the first man was of the earth, the combustible or material of which lie is formed, was created, whai God created tiie earth, and e xisted in th i general body of the earth.— .This.is as far back as I dare to go, with regard to the actual existence of man, as a natuia! and earth- Iv man, Tlie covenant of grace in all its fulness existed in Christ, order-d in all things and sure, before the fo.uuda'ion of the world. Man was made a little lower than the angels. A) gels a> heavenly and spiritual creatures, but man is earthly,, yet he is a subject of God’s governments—an accountable be ing. ;H<* sinned and brought death asid condem nation on all bis posteritv. Everything nee ssary for the salvation of all the Father gave to Christ, is found ejLnbiaced in .Christ. .In him we h,ave ’Redemption -from sin 4ud death, or else there is no hope for us. In him we have life, even eternal life, and that eternal life, wi:h all the blessing which the term impli s was in . Christ .before God .this world. It was not in u>, for man had no ex istence then as an earthly being, only iu Gods eternal purpose. T ue,>inderd, as,you..vcry .justly say', u we cannot be Christians .without eternal life, without the love of God, the holiness and power of God, the wisdom and truth of God,” ire.— These things all existed in God, and in-Christ be fore the world began,,and in/time they ate.reveal ed, manifested and made known to the heim of promise. - There is no.more eternal Rfe whan a,poor sm ner actually jmd %xperi*nenlallv receives it in God’s appointed time, than there was of that life be fore time began. There is no more the love of God when it is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost, than there was in eternity before the found- DEVOTED TO THE SERVICE OF THE OLD SCHOOL BAPTISTS. • * <&Mtk aess, ott£ s4UF, &isa ea. a.twisai.” COVINGTON, NEWTON GO., GA., AT It IL 15, 15.60. ’ * ■” : jft .TTT 7 “■ 2 \ ’ . * -*. ** allot) ot the.wotld. Teat holy iraure. .or ho \ principle which Gpd communicates to the heiis of promise in this time world, did exist in Christ in eternity, and ‘here is ; no more of it when it is re vealed to us, than there was with God before i: was revealed. .Therefore you,see my brother, that everything that is necessary to make-us ch tsiiaus was in CnrLt before this world had a ’bdgii n ng \ and all that is necessary is for God to call us In that grace that w&s in Christ, by tliAt power, wis dotri anef holiness that was in him, and m ike man tfest :to us, and. in us, the eternal hfe tnat was in •Christ before the world. The manifestation of this eternal life is promised by him who cannot lie.— John sa}S, “eternal life was with the F ither, and was manifested to us.” 1 John i, 2. I now close.j If you think this calculated to correct erroi eoes impressions, send it to the Messenger, or use it as .you think best. W. M- MITCHELL. Oglethorpe C*., Ga., April 14, 1860. Dear Brethren Beebe and Furington:— asked.. not long since t-y a beloved ; bio{her why sumr* of us who wee favorable to attending literally to washing one another’s feet., did not re ply to soige of’ our able brethren who had lately come ou-t through the Messenger on that subject, and now, seeing your leq i.-st, that brethren wri ting or. ilia, sul j *ct, sliou'd . .o’ t< cultivate # a spirit of brotherly kindness, and avoid a bitter censorious spirit, that would convert the discussion into .a personal quarrel, <fce., I have concluded to write, feeling assured that Ih ve rothirg to lose bv a plain discussion on this subject, for if I am wrong in the belief I now entertain, and,can be nScripturally set right by my brethren, he to my advantage greatly, and if I am correct, and can give Scripmral reasons f> my bejief, I am sure I shall lose nothing, and theivfjie will tiy to ( p o ceed cautiously, in the fear of God, and in love to all the brethren. John 13Mi chapter, the follow ing language of es.u.s our divine Master is found, “ Ye, call me Master and Lord, and ye say well, for so I am, If.l th,e.n ,your L<id and Master have washed your feet,. ye also ought to wash one an other’s feet, for I have given you an example that ye,6HOULD do as\l have done to you. jV’erily,..ver ily, I say unto you, the servant is notgreater than hisjjoid, neither he that is sent, greater, than he that sent him. If ye ?know these things, happy are ye if ye do them.”, One of two positions on this subject is correct. First, the saints ought lit erally to wash one another’s feet, in discharge of Christian duty, or second, they ought not. I can not, I dare not take the last position ; for the fol- lowing reasons. The communion vt bre--*d add wine literally, was instituted by Jesus, not trom the same time Jesus gave the example of Feet Washing. I am however inclined to th§ opinion that Jesus washed thediscipes’ feet, be fore be institu’ed the communion, because jJohp sjM-aks ofjis being before the passover, and says notfiiug about the communion while the otner evangelists speak of the communion, as being in stil uled at the passover, and they say nothing al*>ut lire feet jev.ashiiig—and two of them spea-k of their singing a hymn, and going out immedi ately after they had taken the bre?d apd wine, which leaves the impression that feet washing was not attended to immediately after the communion. But let that be as it may, both were enjoined on the disciples, and one is no more binding in nfy ju gi.ilent than the other. A&.S it seetnjs that <Johh layer wrote bhjyospei until after all the Epistles were *’ i itLeo, and neither of the other Evangelists >peak of feet washing, the q'ie> lon arises, nuw \yasat, that the saints did abend to washing one am*thers’ feet, before John wroh ? as wdl’ appear from J. Tim. v. 10, where Paul in describing >uch as were widows indeed, among other good wotks, HHines that of washing the saints’ feet. No one wifi (I presume) conclude that tins work, way eiijoined on* widows only’, and not funding on all other saints. I ihink this was sufficient to show JjhajMt whs pji yrioe' 1 |jy the saints, even befurs TJoint wrote fui lishc-d language I hav'e fiefore quoted, on this sulj-ct, it having been: prac ticed and .bonded down f>y the disciples who were present when the example was given, ac ooidins* to the command of Je.-us to tfie Apos ties. Go y„e tbe.refore and teach all uat ons, bap'izing them .in the name of the <Faber, and of the Sm, and of the H -ly Ghost, teaching them to observe,#// things whatsoever I havecom giajided you among which things was the follow ing “If I then your Lrd and Master have wash ed your feet, ye also ought to wnsh one jt not her a f< et, for I have given you an example that ye should do unto one another, J have dope to you. ,The three?EvangeJsts, MatUiew, and-Luke f having said noUring about the example of feet washing, and its being named but once in all the t-pistles.is no argument against feet washing, so jJong as it is admitted that tpe .whole of the New Testament is for the saints (or gospel church) a full rule ot faith and piactice. 1 Tim. vi. 3,4, reads as follows, •* If any man teach otherwise, aud consent not to w holesume words, even the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, and to the doc trine which is according to godliness. Has proud, knowing nothing, but doting about Ko.s