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164 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#-