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EDITORIAL.
WM, L. BEEBE, 1
J. L. PURINC-TQN, j Eliltor‘J
covingtonTgaT^
Devising Liberal Tiiings. —The American Board
of Commissioners for Foreign Missions at their late
anniversary, proposed to raise not less than $400,000
during the coming year. — Religious Herald.
The above item strongly reminds us of the case of
the miser who was so well convinced by hearing a
charity sermon, of the duty of giving alms, that he
was strongly inclined to go begging !
When the prophet by inspiration declared that the
liberal deviseth liberal things without instruction from
theological schools who could have known that among
those “ liberal things ,” was included such an amazing
act of benevolence as this? Who can dispute the
claim of those who will resolve to beg so extensively
as this to be called liberal? What a liberal set of
men they must be to be willing to beg so much ! Os
course their liberality oonsists in their willingness to
let others perform the more blessed part of giving,
while they [liberal souls!] are willing out of fervent
charity, to perform the less blessed part of receiving
the money designed for what they profanely call the
Lord's treasury. That was an unfortunate allusion,
Mr. Sands. Read Isa. xxxii. 5—7, and call tho at
tention of your patrons to it if you please. B.
Sept. 1, 1860.
Messrs Beebe & Purington :—Please give your
viows on Rom. viii. 3, through the Messenger, if that
will not be a departure from your custom.
A Reader of tiie Messenger.
Remarks on Rom. viii. 3.
We received this anonymous letter early in Sept.,
but have not heretofore been able to comply with the
request. The text reads, “ For what the law could
not do, in. that it w r as weak through the flesh, God
sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful fleshj
and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh.”
The Apostle treats in this connexion on the liber
ation of the children of God from under the law
which held them under condemnation, and by which
death has passed upon all men for that all have sin
ned. And the law being unchangeable could not re
lease its demands so that the prisoner could stand
justified in the sight of that God whose holy law had
been transgressed, neither was it consistent for the
justice of God to be satisfied with any offering which
the transgressor could make, since his life itself was
forfeited from the moment that ho became a sinner.
Hence the necessity of a Mediator recognized by Di
vine Justice previous to the transgression, without
whom the instant execution of the sentence of the
law would have cut off the transgressors as soon as
sin had defiled them. But with the human family
as also with the’ nation of Israel it was As the new
wine is in the cluster and one saitli, Destroy it not,
for a blessing is in it, so hath God done in his holy
providence for the sake of his servants, sparing the
whole human family for the sake of his chosen ones.
This mercy was not in the provisions of the law; it
knew no forbearance or mercy.
“ Cursed be the man, forever cursed,
That doth a single sin commit;
Death and damnation for the first,
Without relief and infinite.
$o Sinai roars, and round the earth
Thunder and fire and vengeance flings,
But Jesus, thy dear dying breath
4-nd Calvary speak gentler things.”
SOUTHERN BAPTIST MESSENGER.
While the law condemned the transgressor, and
placed the sentence of Divine Justice upon him, it is
evident that it could nevtfr justify those whom it
had once condemned, for the law is holy, and as ho
liness includes perfection and cannot be improved, it
is necessarily unchangeable. But this thing which
was bej'ond the power of the law to do, God sending
his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for
sin, condemned sin in the flesh, so justifying us from
all things from which we could not be justified by
the law of Moses. The weakness of the law through
the flesh must refer to the impossibility of the sinner
ever attaining to life and justification by the works
of the law. In the law itself there could not have
been any blemish or weakness, but the text explains
wherein this weakness consists, that it is through the
flesh, or the inability of the sinner to comply with its
righteous demands. Then the only remedy that
could reach the case was in the interposition of God
himself in the person of his Son to do that for his
people which could be done by no other being in the
Universe, that is to make them free from sin. An un
limited sovereign might indeed have freed them from
the penalty of their sins, but in reality their guilt
would have remained the same. To remove the guilt
they must pay the penalty prescribed by the law. —
That was to give up their life to the demands of Jus
tice. But the members of his body had no power
to deliver up Christ, who is the life of his people, to
the satisfying of divine Justice; then was manifest
the necessity that Christ should die to deliver those
who through fear of death were all their lifetime
subject to bondage, and in the fullness of the times
before appointed when no sacrifice for sins could be
aecepted as an atonement, “ Then said he, Lo, I
come to do thy will, O God.” B.
(Obituaries.
Departed this life in Newton Cos., Ga., Sept. 9,
1860, BENJAMIN GIBSON, son of William and
Amanda Gibson, aged 19 years and 17 days.
Deceased cut his toe about four weeks before his
death, though he never complained of it. It become
dry and dead, but did not heal. Soon after it was
cut he began to linger, though he was unreasonably
hearty, his strength failed, and he was unable to do
anything. Ten days before his death he was taken
with Typhoid Fever and died, leaving a father and
mother, two brothers and sisters, and number of
relatives to mourn their loss, but we hope their loss
is his gain. Deceased though not a member of the
church, was strictly moral from his youth ; ever obe
dient to his parents, and kind to his brothers and sis
ters, and all his associates. lie professed a hope in
Christ about two years ago, and lived a pious life
until his death. The writer was with him in his
last illness, and can say that he bore his affliction
with much patience, and though his sufferings were
severe, ho was not heard to murmur, andwa3 enabled
under the most severe pain to exult in his Savior,
and would exhort his relatives to live right, and
may that dear brother whom he called to his bed
side when dying, and so earnestly begged him to
live better, long remember bis advice, and prepare to
meet him in a better world. Just before he died, he
requested the writer to pray for him, and then said,
lam not afraid to die, He then resigned his all to
the hands of him who wifi do right, and fell asleep
in Jesus. To the bereaved parents and friends let
me say, dry up your tears and soon you may meet
him again. 1 G. LAZENBY.
Again, in the inscrutable providence of the All-
Wise Disposer of all events, the painful duty de
volves on us to record the still further mortality in
the family of our late lamented brother, Deacon
George Doland. Another lovely daughter lies cold
!in death. Miss SARAH ELIZABETH DOLAND
survived her sister and father but a few days. She
was prostrated by fever, almost immediately after
the decease of her sister, but at the time of her fa
ther's death, we hoped that she would recover; but
God had ordered otherwise. On Friday the sth inst,,
fifteen minutes before four oclock, p. ji., she closed
her eyes on all terrestrial things, being 24 years and
7 months old.
Thus two lovely sisters—but a few weeks since
blooming in youth and beauty—with their aged pa
rent have gone the w'ay of all the earth, leaving the
surviving members of the family overwhelmed in
grief and sorrow. In rapid succession the hurrying
billows of desolation have passed over them. In
three successive numbers of our paper we have pub
lished the sad tale of their bereavements; and others
of the family are still prostrate on beds of sickness.
May the Lord rebuke the disease that wastes their
mortal tenements, and restore them to health, if in
accordance with his holy will, and bear them up with
his sustaining power and grace,
A large concourse of friends and relatives attend
ed her funeral on the Sunday after her decease,
and a discourse on the occasion was preached at our
place of worship, by Eld. G. Beebe, fromllosea xiii. 14.
“ Death has laid them down to slumber;
Solemn thought! to think that I
Soon must be one of that number,
Soon—ah, soon, with them to lie.”
Signs of the Times.
Westchester, N. Y., Sept. 28, 1860.
Elder Beebe : —Please publish the obituary of my
father, THOMAS PETTIT, who departed this life
the 6th inst., aged 64 years, 7 months and 8 days.
His disease was consumption. He was a firm and
consistent Old School Baptist, and a member of the
Olive church, Ulster County. He loved to read the
d Signs and Messenger, as long as he was able, but got
so sick and weak at last he could not hear them read.
He had talked a great deal about dying for many
weeks. The day he died he said to us :o,if I could
only talk, how I could praise the Lord for his good
ness to me. lie said he hoped lie was almost home,
and thought he should not live to see the next morn
ing. Neither did he, for he gently fell asleep that
evening between 7 and 8 o’clock.
He leaves a widow, and eight children, all married,
to mourn his loss, but we sorrow not as those with
out hope; for we believe that our loss is his eternal
gain.
Yours in tho bonds of affliction,
MARY MENZIE.
Signs of the Times.
RECEIPTS.
From Sept. 25, to Nov. 2.
GA. —J. P. Johnston, (to end of I860,) 1,50; 11.
Childs, 2; A. Preston, ,25; P. Ilousoworth, ,30; J.
Herring, 1; Eld. J. Bowdoin, 150 ; Mrs. L. A. Young,
1.50 ; R. N. Morris, 1,50; J.'Keene, 1,50 ; I. Tinney,
1; D. F. P. Montgomery, 1,50 ;J. W. Jones, 1; Col.
S. W. Parker, 1; C. Hollingsworth, 1, Susan M.
Young, 1; J. McArthur, 3; Eld. J. Oates, 2; R.
Woodall, 2; T. Clegg, ,25 ; S. M. Smith, 1,80 ; B. F.
Preston, ,25 ; Mrs. L. Harper, 1; Mahulda Lansford,
1; J. G. Malcom, 1; E. Martin, 1; I. M. David_, ,25;
Martha Logue, 1; T. A. Gibbs, 1; C. Bass, 1,50 ;
’ ® $34,60
ALA.—EId. 11. F. Pickett, 3,75 ; T. R. Gal
loway, ,31; Eld. J. J. Dickson, 3 ; 7,06
MiSS.—B. F. Saunders, 1; J. B. Langston,
2.50 ; F. M. Casev, ,30; 3,80
TEXAS.—Mrs. Jane Luce, 2,50 2,50
■* * 1 \ •
Total $47,96
159