Newspaper Page Text
Canterberry’s, Pickens’ Station. Stayed Friday
with him, and rested. Next morning, we took the
■cars 16 miles to Durant depot, and was conveyed
to Rock Spring, where we .preached, thence back
to sister Lockharts for dinner, and afterwards went
to the depot, had .preaching, took supper with bro.
Arnold, and parted with the brethren and sisters.
We took the ears about 10 o’clock for Water Val
ley, arrived about day, was received and kindly
-treated by bro. Reasons ; had preaching with the
•church at that place, after which bro. Headers re
turned home, and I took the cars about midnight,
arriving'at Grand Junction about day, and went
•on'to .Moscow. I would here .remark that to this
time, I never had a more pleasant time, had good
•health, and we could say as the Apostle did, we
lacked nothing. The kindness we received univer
•sally was such, that it has made an impression
that will not be soon forgotton. Bro. Roundtree
.is a young gift in bro. R. Wilkerson’s charge that
promises to be useful.; I had an interview with a
bro. Cotton in Holmes'Co., that is well spoken of.
But to return to Moscow. There I learned a mar
ried son with a family was not expected to live,
and in a few days did die. A little before hisdeath
I was taken down, and the two first weeks'l was
insensible of anything, and am now so wedk that
could not think of walking one fourth of ar mile,
which must be my excuse for not giving this sketch
or narrative sooner, also as I have written ifrom
.memory, there may be some errors, but .not ky de
sign, therefore brethren Editors, it is with you to
-publish this or not, either way f I shall be satisfied.
1 remain as ever your unworthy brother, i(as 1
ihope) in much affliction,
PETER CULP.
- * o ►---
Newton Cos., Ga., May 15, 1860.
Brethren Editors —I have been reading the
Messenger for many years, and I love to read the
.communications of the brethren and sisters scalter
.ed over the world. It affords me satisfaction to
hear them tell about the dedling of God in them,
and I feel like I want to write a few lines for their
.perusal, to read and judge if what I write is in ac
cordance with the good plan of salvation by grace.
£ like the rest ofhuman beings, arc a poor sinful mor
tal. I bad no serious .impression about my condi
tion until I was about -1.4 or 15 years old. I was
at a meeting and Eld.George Lumpkin
and these words came to my mind,you are already
.condemned, and I felt condemned, a helpless sin
ner without any hope in a Savior. I searched the
•Scriptures and tried to pray for mercy, and would of
ten ask God to forgive me for trying to pray. I
was in this restless.condition for two or three years,
when my burden of gilt got so great I thought I
should die. I thought 1 would tell my parents
about my condition, and I was afraid I would de
ceive them. I would look around at my brothers
and sisters and see them enjoying themselves and
felt like I was not fit to be with them. My father
would read the Pilgrims Progress to me, and I went
to Shoal Creek Church and heard Eld. James
Walker preach, and he told my feelings better than
fl .could tell them mvself. I did not think it was con.
SOUTHERN BAPTIST MESSENGER.
viction, I thought any person under the work of
grace could .not feel like Si did. I spent sleepless
hours, I could not see how God could extend mer
cy to such.a wretch as I was. One night I went
oat to try topray as I thought the for last time. I got
upon my knees and said God be merciful to me a
sinner, these lines came to me,
“ Venture on him, venture wholly,
Let no other trust intrude,
None but Jesus, None but Jesus, )•
Can do helpless sinners good.”
Right here I viewed him as my Savior, and could
praise God for the gift of his dear Son as the glori
ous mediator, who bore our sins in his own body.
It was not .long bofore doubts arose in my mind
whether I was deceived or not, and I remained in
this way sometimes doubting and sometimes hope
ing, for five years. I had a strong desire to unite with
the church, and Bro. David F. Montgomery came
to my father’s on a.visit, and asked me if I had a
hope, I told him 1 hoped I had ; he asked me sev
eral questions, and told me to go to the church. —
But I waited almost two years after that to get a
-larger hope,but I had to go with my little one, and
small as it was, at times I could not give it up.—
In October 1851, I went to the Holly -Spring
Church, and told the ground of my hope, and was
received, and the next day I was baptized by ‘Eld.
Beaton Daniel. It was an answer of a good con
science, and I am living with the people I love, if 1
know my heart. Brother Beebe, do as you think
best with this, I aud will be satisfied.
Your unworthy Sister if one at all.
JANE LUNSFORD.
Wolf Creek, Ala., May 2U, 1860.
Brethren Beebe & Purington : —I embrace
this opportunity to drop you a few lines. Through
the blessing of God, myself and family are enjoy
ing a reasonable degree of bodily health ; hoping
that this will come safe to hand, and find vou
sharers of the same blessing.
I write for the renewal of my subscription for
the Signs and Messenger , for .1 do mot know how I
could do without them. I-came here in Novem
ber 1855, and never heard a Primitive sermon un
til June 1859, it seems as if we were lost; none
hardly of our order to converse with about our
hopes,and fears. Bless the Lord, through many
sorrows we have a few joys. The communications
of the.dear brethren and sisters from east to west,
from north to south all speak the same thing, all
travel The same road, and the editorials, and the
.views of the .ministering brethren on the Scrip
tures is so consoling that I hardly know what we
would.do without those papers.
We have better times ol Jate than we have had.
We were constituted into a church the 4th day of
.February, 1860. Through the tender mercies of
God, wc have had fine seasons since our constitu
tion. Our little church was constituted witheitrht
members ;we received four bv letter. We believe
when we get a minister, that there will be addi
tions by baptism. We have had no preaching
since our .constitution. We meet and sing, and
pray with, and for each other, and hold Conference
the second Sabbath and Saturday before, of each
month. We have bad the promise of Eld. Ebene
zer Nelson to preach to us. By some meaus un
known to me, he did not come to see us, at our
last meeting. We made a call, and sent for him.
We do want a minister, for we do believe that the
spirit of the Lord is at woik in our vicinity, for
the brethren and sisters rejoice at our little meet
ings. The congregation appear to be affected, sin
neis.crying for mercy, and asking the Lord’s poor
servants to pray for them 4 and the shout3 of heav
en-born souls giving glory to God for redeeming
grace and dying love. Dear brethren in the Lord,
it seems to me that I aught to .be one of.ihe most
thankful beings that ever lived, for the goodness
of God towards me.; for I know if I am saved, it
is by free grace alone, for I feel the least and the
most unworthy of all God’s children. Deal breth
ren, prdy for me and mine., for I feel the need of
the prayers of all the .children of God ; I feel so
unworthy that I can hardly claim myself a child
of grace, though I do know that if i know any
thing, I love the people of God more than any
people in the world. Dear brethren, pray for our
little church, (Mount Zion -is its name,) and it
seems like a Zion to us, since we have been so long
without any ehuieh meetings. And when the
brethren and sisters meet at the church meetings,
it is all love, joy, peace and fellowship. It has
been the pleasure of the Lord to bless us, and shed
abroad a Savior’s love in our hearts, so that we
were made to rejoice in God our Savior, and thank
and adore his name, for his great blessing bestow
ed on us poor unworthy creature?.
Dear brethren pray for us, that the Lord may
send us a preacher of his own choosing. Ido be
lieve that here is a large field for the Primitive
Baptist doctrine.; if it is so, the Lord will send it
at his awn .time. If I was writing for publication,
I would say to the ministering brethren that has
amotion of moving, that I think that here is per
haps as good a place as they could get. Land
sells low, the country very healthy, .the ,people
friendly, good summer range, 4bc. ,1 live in St.
Clair Cos., Ala., nine miles from Goosa River, on
the waters of Wolf Creek, in one half mile of the
road leading from Florace’s old Ferry, to Trusville.
If -any of the ‘ministering brethren could pass
here, l would be glad if fchey would -call on me,
and preach if convenient.
Dear brethren, excuse my bad writing, tfor >1
have to labor hard, and I am so nervous that I
cannot guide my pen as .1 wish. Dear brethren,
,forgive me for my long delay. J hope that if it is
God’s will that I should live, that I may be more
prompt in paying for my papers than I have here
tofore. I have written more than I intended.—
Dear brethren, pray for us and our .little church.
Your unworthy brother, if a brother at all,
ROBERT D. INZER.
Brethren Editors.: —Will you, or bro. Mitch
ell please give your views on Matt. ii. 2, with re
gard to the star the wise men saw in the east, aud
is called his star; then at the 9tb, and 10th verses
the star is named again. D. L. HIDEN.
[We respectfully refer the text and subject to bro.
Mitchell.] —Ea.
91