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Brethren Editors: — l shall still continue
the subject on teaching. Earthly teachers teach
upon earthly subjects, and this was all they claim
ed to do in this country until within a few years
[iast, now many of them imagine that they have a
double mission, that it is so much better while they
are teaching the head, filling it often with the most
absurd ideas of God and godliness, for many teach
ers are as ignorant of either, as the unsuspecting
pupil. They imagine that the heart is under their
influence, hence they try to operate on that, by
telling all sorts of frightful stories, frighten the lit
tle innocents into tears, and while they are tender
and ignorant of things of such vast moment, are
made to believe that they have made their peace
with God, and so are forced under this delusion
into the church. Is it too much to say that this
course has been pursued systematically, and by it
the churches are overrun in many cases with flesh
ly members, and the same food or course of rea
soning or appliances must be kept up to hold them
in, when once in. Preach to these fleshly mem
bers, God’s almighty power in regeneration, that
He alone must do all His pleasure, that man with
all his wisdom and power is impotent; describe
the heart as it really is an object of loathing, and
these fleshly members will show their opposition
to such self-debasement, they must have food that
they can masticate and digest—this is too hard.
Any teacher who would prostitute his profession,
by proselyting the young and unguarded, and
cause them to embrace his peculiar sentiments, in
opposition to the word of God, is practicing a fraud
upon the parent of those children. These re-
marks of course do not apply to those sectarian
institutions of learning, wheie the public under
derstand that they are such, for then there can be
no imposture, as it is understood by all. Nor
would I mean to say that the not to
be a moral man, and if a good man, so much the
better, and it is his duty, so far as in him lies, by
precept and example, to cultivate a high moral
standard among his pupils, but it should le con
sidered only as what it really is, morality. These
I know are very unpopular sentiments, but are
they true? If so, truth is unpopular, and I must
be permitted to say, grating as it may seem, that
parents owe it to themselves to see that there be
no hurtful influences brought to bear upon the
minds of their children and a religious training
incompatible with the word of God, is such an in
fluence and self-preservation makes it necessary
that the parent interpose on their behalf. While
teachers very properly instruct upon things terres
trial, and do incalculable good in their calling, and
are deserving of great credit, the Teacher, Christ,
instructs His pupils upon things celestial. There
are also celestial bodies, and bodies terrestrial:
but the glory of the celestial is one, and the
glory of the terrestrial is another.” While
a description of the earth, and things pertaining
to it have a beauty and glory in them, and are for
our benefit to make us wise and useful, and while
they can be learned by us, because they are only
earthy like ourselves, we having been born into
this world, can see, hear, and understand ttera on
SOUTHERN BAPTIST MESSENGER.
earthly principles. But all Christians are born into
the spiritual kingdom, or in the celestial world,
and we learn the description of that world from
our heavenly Teacher. There is not a pool of wa
ter, a brook, a river, a sea, a hill, a mountain, or
any thing or place but what our Teacher has not
only told us of, but has left us, if I might so speak,
a complete Geography of, not like the geographies
of this earth that have to be changed every few
years because new towns are beino- brought into
v O O
existence, and the population is increasing in one
section and decreasing in another, but this Geog
raphy will stand throughout all time and eternity.
It has no new settlers. To be sure there is a man
ifestation or lime that these inhabitants first date
their entrance into that celestial world, but David
said, “He causeth it not to grow.” There is no
moving out of this country, the inhabitants are
actual residents, their possession is fixed in the
same place they abide, the same statistics will do
forever. When one of the inhabitants speaks of
going from strength to strength, from pool to pool,
speaks of the invigorating draught that revived
their spirits, the rest can say Amen. All under
stand about the brook Cedron, and what transpir
ed there. Jordan is a noted stream, they under
stand its locality; the everlasting hills are familiar
to all; the celestial mountains, though their eyes
have feasted long upon their towering heights, still
they love to contemplate their majestic proportions.
Mount Calvary fills their souls with mingled joy and
sorrow ; there they remember the Lord was cruci
fied for them, their cruel sins being laid upon Him,
there they remember that His soul was exceeding
sorrowful, even unto death, and know that his suf
ferings were endured that they might live. They
rejoice that His blood cleanses them from all guilt,
that they are justified through Him, that through
His death, life, intercession and mediation that they
have entrance into this heavenly land ; this land of
rest from their own labors —into the gospel rest.
Here they learn of Him who is meek and lowly,
and they have found rest to their souls. He is the
King of that heavenly country, they are His sub
jects, He gives laws and rules, they with sweet de
light obey. They are taught that they are not
their own, but are bought with the precious blood
of Christ. I must not fail to mention mount Zion
as another noted spot in the Christian’s experience,
it is a most lovely place, they never, when in their
right minds get tired of feasting their eyes upon
its glories, because that is the city of the great
King. “Beautiful for situation, the joy of the
whole earth, is mount Zion, on the sides of the
north, the city of the great King,” from hence this
King sends forth his judgment. “ Walk about
Zion, and go round about her : tell the towers there
of. Mark ye well her bulwarks, consider her pa
laces, that ye may tell it to the generation follow
ing ” No danger that Satan with all his emissa
ries can storm this palace, or pluck one of its in
mates from thence, they are secure, God rules in
the midst of her, there is no power that can com
pare with Him. He gives unto them eternal life,
and they shall never perish. No danger then.—
Who can speak of all the beauties, the grandeur
the glory, the security of this Mount Zion ? a sight
of it makes all earthly objects look mean. All the
means and agencies, with all the treasures of earth,
aided by all the combined wisdom of this world,
cannot make any thing that will do to compare
with this, nor can they add one subjsect to it or
subtract one. They can make their temples, their
spires may reach to the clouds, they may embellish
and ornament, they may ask their votaries to ad
mire its nice proportions, they may make it as ‘strong
as they can, but time, the great leveler of distinc
tions lays his withering touch, and all the glory
departs ; not one stone is left on another, and noth
ing marks the spot of splendor.
Every nation of people is marked by peculiari
ties in language, dress, mode of life, customs, gov
ernment, &c. We often tell as soon as we hear
them speak to what nation they belong. Goo’s
people are also known by their speech. If one come
from the uttermost parts of the earth, who had
been taught by the great Teacher, and related His
dealings to strangers in the flesh, they would un
derstand his speech and would claim him for a
brother; their speech is always with grace, season
ed with salt, not of man’s wisdom, but of God’s, it
is sound speech out of the abundance of the heart.
Here is the only way the heart can be reached, if
its contents are pure the speech will necessarily be
so. Christ said in relation to some, that they
could not hear his speech, of course eould not speak
like Him. Peter, although he denied his Master,
was detected by bis speech, there is a peculiar ac
cent, emphasis and pronunciation that distinguish
es them from every other nation. The world speak3
loftily, use great swelling words of vanity ; these
speak of His glory and righteousness, speak the
truth, speak the same thing, speak as the oracles
of God, speak as God has taught them. Their
dress is unlike that of any other people, for while
they are busy with all the art they are master of
in manufacturing a dress that they can wear, God’s
people are clothed upon with His righteousness; in
it they stand justified. “ The King’s daughter is
all glorious within : her clothing is of wrought
gold. She shall be brought unto the King in rai
ment of needlework.” His people bear His voice
because He has given them the hearing ear, they
follow Him in all His ordinances. They have pecu
liarities in this respect too, because they contend
that as the great Teacher only took supper or com
muned with his disciples ; that hence they are not
at liberty to ask to His table any but believers, and
that those believers must bring forth fruits meet
for repentance and be baptized, be in fellowship
and good standing before we dare invite them. —•
Our fleshly feelings often tell us, and the world af
firms that we are selfish, narrow-hearted; that we
are wanting in love ; but we must recollect thatj
where the word of a King is there is power, and’
that it is His will that we are to do; His examples
that we are to follow, and as we profess to be learn
ers, He our Teacher, we must not consult our owo
fleshly desires nor court the plaudits of the world,
it is peculiar we know, but then He has “ A pec#-