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been poor, my mind very dark and unfruitful ; jet
I have written several letters during the time in
my poor weak way. She also serins to think that
I would like to drop correspondence with her. O
no, my dear sister, 1 highly appreciate the corres
pondence of the saints, and it seems to me that 1
surely would die away here in the land of Assyria,
was it not for the correspondence of the saints
through the Signs and Messenger , and also in a
private way. Many of them as well as yourself
whose faces I have never seen, yet through corres
pondence w’e have become quite acquainted with
each other; and though, sister Hardy, you have
made me sorry with a letter, you have made me
glad twice.since that time. Yes I was much com
forted with the comfort wherewith ye were com
forted of God, and hope that you will continue to
write both publicly and privately. I well remem
ber when I first saw your name in the Messenger ,
and how my soul was drawn out to you in love, as
to many others when reading their communica
tions in the Signs and Messenger. The sister re
quested us to join her to praise the dear Savior.—
0 delightful! The brethren and sisters will please
join with us, and with one voice and one heart and
one soul, we will all sing. Worthy is the Lamb
that was slain, and has redeemed us to God by
his blood out of every kindred and tongue, and
people, and nation, paying, amen. Blessing and
glory, wisdom and thanksgiving, and honor and
power and might ;be unto our God forever and
ever, Amen. 0 how it swells our heart! our soul
is enlarged to hear the saints giving all the glory
to God. lam reminded of what the Psalmist has
said, that praise is comely to the upright. O thou
Holy One of Israel. My lips shall greatly rejoice
when I sing unto thee, my tongue shall talk of
thy righteousness all the day long. My soul shall
make her boast in the Lord.
Dear brethren Beebe and Puringlon, I have
been greatly refreshed bv your Editorials, as also
by the communications of the brethren and sisters.
My love to all the saints and friends.
Remember your poor sister, the feeblest of all.
NANCY DUTTON.
Franklin, Ga., Oct. 14, 1860.
Beloved Sister in Christ :—lf you will suffer
one so unworthy as poor me to claim such dear
relationship with you, I have waited somewhat im
patiently for an answer from you. I could not
blame you in the least to drop correspondence with
me, I am such a poor hobbling worldly-minded
kind of a creature, and you have so many zealous
intelligent, warm-hearted correspondents that
would interest you so much more than poor un
worthy me, but some how or other, I have an in
creased desire to correspond with you, and thought
I could not wait any longer for an answer, but
would write again, not knowing but what my letter
might have been mislaid. Dear sister, I have been
greatly refreshed of late I hope from the presence
of the Lord, for which I desire to thank, praise,
and adore the God of all grace, that he should
ever condescend so low as to raise poor sinful de
SOUTH Eli If BAPTIST MESSENGER.
generate men and women, and make them sit to
gether in heavenly places in Christ Jesus 5 yea,
and make them king* and priests unto God. Was
ever love like this? yea, he hath said to his people,
your righteousness is ot me, saith the Lord, and
we are not our own, we are bought with a price,
not with Itorruptible things such as silver and gold,
but with the precious blood of Chris*. Yes, my
dear sister, we are kept by the power of God,
through faith unto salvation, ready to be revealed
in the last time, and he is God ar.d changes not,
and that is the reason my dear sister, that poor un
worthy me has not been consumed long ago; for
had he marked one sin of a thousand, without an
eye single to that glorious covenant of redemption,
I might have been as miserable as I have made
myself sinful. But thanks, praise, glory and ado
ration be to bis holy name that in the midst of de
served wrath, he hath remembered mercy and laid
help upon one who was Mighty, and able to save
all that come unto God by him. Yes, and blessed
be his holy name, he has not left it to poor fallen
degenerate man to choose or refuse as the popular
doctrine of the day is. But our blessed Savior
quickens them into life, draws them by the sweet
cords of his love, leads them in ways they have
not known, and paths they have not trod, and
whatsoever he doeth it'shall stand ; yea it shall
be forever. There is no taking from it, nor adding
to it, and he will show his people his covenant, and
the secret of the Lord is with them that fear him.
Yes my dear sister, they have food to eat the world
knows nothing of. Yes, and it is sweet to the
taste, sweeter than honey in the honey comb. But
I need not attempt to describe it to you, knowing
that you have been taught by the same Spirit, and
whose abilities and understanding is far superior
to mine. But my dear sister, I must write on a
little further and endeavor to show forth his praise,
for that is all we can do, for our blessed Lord car
ried on his own work in spite of wicked men and
devils, and carries it on out of our sight too, for I
know that the churches have been in a cold and
lifeless condition for a good while, and it seems like
the Lord had forgotten to be gracious. But now
I know it was not so, for the Lord was carrying
on his own undisturbed affairs, and has now made
it manifest to us these few months past by bringing
in his subjects to declare what great things he
has done for their souls, and cry not unto us,
but unto thy name be all the glory, for unto him
all the glory is due. There seems to be a general
move in all the churches in the bounds of my ac
quaintance. There has been added to the churches
and baptized, from one to as high as eleven at each
monthly meeting. 0 sister Dutton, join with me
in my feeble effort to praise our exalted Savior,
for such a glorious plan of salvation; and that he
ever condescended to manifest himself to us
even to me the chiefest of sinners. Was ever love
like this ? Was ever grace so free? and not to me
only, but to my children Last June one of my
daughters came forward to the church, and declar
ed what great things the Lord had done for her
soul, was received and baptized, and in two months
more her husband came forward and done the
same. She dated her travels some seven years
back, and I hope the next mee ting to see one of
my sons take up his cross and follow his Lord and’
Master unto the liquid grave. lie has had a hope
for some time.
Sister Dutton, we have just been to our Associ
ation, we had a harmonious meeting indeed ; saints
rejoiced, and sinners trembled. We had some
eighteen or twenty preachers —one about twenty
years of age that could preach sovereign grace.—
O sister, it would have done your very soul good
to have heard him. Thus it proves the prophecy
of the world to be false, that says, the Old Bap*-
list preachers will soon all be.dead, for our God is
able to call and qualify just such preachers as he
will own and bless. Among the rest of the preach
ers was our beloved brother, Wm. M. Mitchell; he
told me to say to you, sister Dutton, that he high
ly appreciated your letters, and loved you as a
warm-hearted Christian, and did not want you to
think hard of him for not answering all of your
letters, for his time was so filled up, he could not
answer all private letters, but wished you to con
tinue to write to him. lie visits a good many
Associations, and writes a good deal for publi
cation. He is a very gracious man with us.
Sister, my space admonishes tne to quit, but I
want you to pray for me and mine, and write to
me as soon as you receive this. Your letters are
comforting and interesting to me, one of the least
of all. ANN E. HARDY..
-■■■ ■ ‘g> ‘I
Naomi, Walker Cos„ Ga., Nov. 20, 1860.
Bro. Beebe : —By request of many brethren,,
permit me to say, that Tuesday after the 3d Sun
day in October, 1 arrived home, and found all well.
I visited Conecuh River Association, they had a
very pleasant session indeed ;• the preaching sov
ereign grace. Also at Primitive Western, sover
eign grace was the theme, and a pleasant session
of her body. I left on Monday at 12 o’clock. I
lookback to the brethren with whom I formed ac
quaintance, with full feelings of fellowship, as
i-ojnd Bap.ists; may God bless them.
H. G. FULLER.
“ Sirs, Ye are Brethren.”
Strife over “ Machinery.” —At the recent session of
the Bethel Baptist Association, Georgia, Rev. W. N.
Chaudoin said that “ the anti-Board Spirit was es
sentially an anti-Mission spirit; that he had travel
ed and seen enough to convince him that this was
true.” The Christian Index adds: “Os one thing
we feel confident, this anti-Board spirit is working
mischief in our denomination : it injures the love
and fellow-feeling that should exist between the
churches: it is breaking the unity of the spirit and
the bonds of peace: it will make our denomination
retrograde in piety, influence apd efficiency ; and as
bro. Chaudoin thinks, we fear that it will tend to de
stroy the missionary spirit of the Baptists.” We
suppose the great difficulty in the case to he that
which the Virginia Baptist (an anti-Board paper)
points out: “ We fear we are giving an undue por
tion of our time and energies to the discussion of ab
stract-plans, instead of proving the plans by their ac*
tual efficiency.”— Bcligious Herald ,