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Teaching, to be efficient aiaong men, must be in
reference to their future vocation, for it would not
be wisdom to give to the intended warrior on ed
ucation in medicine; their vocations are dissimilar,
and the education is unsuited, but teachers often
mistake the future theatre of action. Our heaven
ly Teacher never mistakes, for He not only knows
their talent, but He gives them tho-e talents or
gifts; earthly teachers can only cultivate and im
prove those already given, autj the student would
best succeed if he adapted that avocation in life
for which he was by natural talent best capacitated.
Our Teacher knows precisely what gifts He has
given to each of us, He gave them for a specific
purpose for the edifying of the body, the church;
so long as we abide in those gifts, we are useful in
His cause and service. When we aspire to gifts
that we suppose are more for the edifying of His
euurcb, we by indirection say that we know best.
We are therefore to that extent dictating to Him, a
bad trait in learners. He has set each of the mem
bers in His body where it pleased Him, and has
not consulted our pleasure. It is enough for us to
do to abide in that place, and by all the ability He
has given us to try to improve the gift so that we
may be useful. But the foot says because I am
the foot and occupy such an inferior place in the
body, never allowed to speak, that I am not of the
body at all, I am of no use, I attract no notice, and
I might just as well never have been for the good
I do. And yet without that member the body
wouid be maimed. No, the idea is, if the foot would
only own it, that it desires to be head where it may
be more prominently brought to view and show off
to advantage ; this is a rebellious spirit, finding
fault with the Lord, presuming to counsel Him.—
While it is a toot it is useful, remove it from that
place and in the language of another, “it is good
for nothing,” for where in the body would it fit or
what possible office could it perform, and what bad
traveling should we have if we substituted in its
stead the hand. Ihere must be no schism in the
body, else it will be imperfect. The body of Christ
is perfect, because He has set each and every mem
ber just exactly where they ought to be, the least
change produces confusion and disorder, there is
just enough members to make it complete, one
more would make it redundant, one less deficient.
Then all those who believe in the completeness and
perfection of Christ‘s body, ought to be consistent
in contending for a definite number, for by tbeir
indefiniteness they do not accord to the body of
Christ that completeness that they themselves
possess, and thereby unintentionally, no doubt, rep
resent Him as being satisfied with less than He re
deemed, or claiming more than He redeemed.—
But to return.
If all the body were the foot it would be instead
of the body a monster, an anomaly unsuited for
any purpose whatever, and so of the body being
made up of any one member. It is useless to ar
gue or exjfmine a proposition so absurd not to say
ridiculous. Our Teacher, if I may so express my
self, is an Anatomist, Ho knows every member,
where they are located, the offices they nro to per-
SOUTHERN BAPTIST MESSENGER.
form, the food necessary to their sustenance, He
does not nouiish one part of the body to make that
plethoric to emaciate the other. The same food
that nourishes the head nourishes equally all the
other parts of the body, the same blood that flows
from tbe heart flows to and nourishes the whole
body. If one member suffers the whole body suf
fers ; if one rejoice all rejoice. So there is an in
separable union with every member, to the Head
it lives the body lives, it dies the body dies, it di
rects, the body obey*. But I must not get on for
bidden grounds, I am in the vicinity, I hope I have
not trespassed.
Let me ask brethren, in all candor, if we now
have the various gifts of which Paul speaks ? Who
has the gift of exhortation ? llow many of our
brethren exercise the gift,or rather how many does
it exercise ? Is it not now customary among us as
soon as one seems to be useful to the church in ex
hortation that he is taken from that station aud or
dained ? How is it possible that the churches can
prosper when these gifts are neglected or put in a
position that God never designed them for, and of
course never educated for? He is called on to fill
a place in the body, he does not fit, there is a
schism, it is like a bone out of joini, there is a
limping on his part, and the cliuich is not edified;
very likely he attempts to dive into the deepest
mysteries of the word, he is unskilled in that, foun
ders, some of the churches endoise it for truth,
others reject, here Babel is begun. Who is to
blame ? The churches of course. For the exhor
ter, if he was in his right mind, would not suffer
himself for ordination, and if he did, they should
reject him as an aspirant and save themselves from
much harm. But the churches reason thus, that
they want someone to administer the ordinances,
and as they can get no one else, they must have
him ; they confess that they think his gift is exhor
tational, but then he will do; you have by such
reasoning tacitly denied the power and right of
God in speaking by whom He would, and you are
going to exercise that right yourself, in other words
you have taken it on yourself to set the meraber s
in the body, where it suited you, and now you ask
God to bless your work, and are astonished that
He does not. It may be asked what are the
churches to do ? Wait on God; He knows your
condition. Wait on the Lord t I say, do what
He has taught you, look to Him. Again, I say
where are all tbe gifts of which Paul speaks f If
we have them Dot, is the church not needinor them ?
They were necessary in his day, this is the same
gospel day, without any new rules and regulations.
One thing let us not do for the Lord’s sake, that is
manufacture them.
None are received into the school of Christ but
His children ; the children of the world do not go
to Him. He calls His own, teaches them every
lesson that is for their good, writes His law in their
hearts, gives them such gifts as will bo for their
good and His glory, educates tbe heart, ear, eye
and every part, that they may hear aright, see and
understand, and walk and talk aright. Fie leaves
nothing undone. He teaches some to fish, some
to hunt, some to feed sheep, surae to endure hard
ness. Others taught to war, some to teach others,
but not to teach that which He has hot taught
them.
I must close on this subject, imperfection has
marked all these articles, they are I fear uninter
esting. I have omitted much; indeed the subject
is inexhaustible, it would delight me much if sonic
brother will write more on it. If what I have writ
ten is true, I hope it may be blessed, if unture I do
hope I may be corrected.
I yet remain,
N ANONYMOUS.
Ga., July 28, 1860.
WM. I. BEEBE, 1
J. 1. PUKINGTOSr, I Editors.
COVINGTON, GA. : rT^OvTlsTlSeO
- 1 .
The Baptist Hymn Book.
[Containing 800 Pages, and 1,311 Hymns.]
W e are now prepared to fill orders for this, the only
perfectly sound and Scriptural Hymn Book, in the*
Southern States, on the following reduced terms:-
Plain Russet Binding, per cop/ $ ,75
Plain Blue Binding, per copy, ,80.
Gilt Edged Blue Binding, per copy, I,oos
Extra Turkey Morocco, per copy, 1,75,
Being desirous of introducing these Books in
Georgia, Alabama, and Mississippi, we will send
them post paid to any address in these States, at
the above low rates, which are the Publisher's Whole
sale Prices.
At these reduced rates, they are the cheapest, as
well as the best selection of Hymns in existence, for
the use of Old School Baptists. Send in your orders
at once, as this offer can only be afforded for a limi
ted time.
Near Lexington, Ivy., Bee. 4, 1860.
To the Editors of the Southern Baptist Messenger*.
Bear Brethren :—I see an article going tho
rounds in some of our public Journals to the follow
ing effect.
“ the State Convention of Baptists met hero
(Montgomery Ala.,) Wednesday, and resolved unan
imously in favor ot disunion. They sent their reso
lutions to Gov. Brown.”
My object in sending you a copy of this publica
tion, is simply to ascertain (as you are no doubt ad
vised in the matter,)whether the Old School or Prim
itive Baptists have anything to do in this business,
or is it the New School or Fullerke Baptists who se
ceded from us within the present century ? As they
ha\e heretofore proved themselves to be secessionists
and disunionists in their religious career, no marvel
if they are engaged in the business still. But it cer
tainly would be anew and strange movement for the
old order of Baptists. As individuals and citizens
we have, and should exercise our common rights un
der the government as ethers. But as a society or
church, while we maintain the rectitude of the ex
pression of our King and Counsellor who said, 44 My
kingdom is not of this world;” we should not be
found meddling with the civil authority. Our motto
should bo, “ Let every soul be subject to the higher
powers ; ‘ for we are assured that “ the powers that
be are ordained of God.” The prime object of tho
Apostolic Baptists has ever been in all their conven
tions (church meetings) to worship their God as ho
has directed them,- —not to interfere with the earthly