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practice, they'first admonish him, and ff that has
no effect, they leave him to himself. They do not
think that they have any power to deliver a hack
sliding brother to Satan : that text, and other
similar passages, such as, “ Whatsoever ye shall
bind on earth shall be bound in heaven,” <fcc. they
consider as restricted to the apostles, and to the
inspired testimony alone, and not to be extended
to any church on earth, or any number of churches
or of Christians, whether decided by a majority of
votes, or by unanimous voice. Neither do they
think themselves authorized, as a Christian church,
to enquire into each other’s political opinions, any
more ihan to examine into each others’* Motions of
philosophy. They both recommend and practice,
as a Christian duty, submission to lawful authority ;
but they do not think that a man by becoming a
Christian, or joining their society, is under any
obligation by the rules of the Gospel, to renounce
his right of private judgment upon matters of pub
lic or private importance. Upon all such subjects
they allow each other to think and act as each may
see it his duty ; and they require nolhifig more of
the members than a uniform and steady profession
of the apostolic faith, and a suitable walk and
conversation.
It is said that their docrine has found converts
in various places in Scotland, England and Ameri
ca; and that they have congregations in Edinburgh,
Glasgow, Paisley, Stirliug, Dundee, Arbroath,
Orieff, Montrose, Fettercairn, Aberdeen, and other
towns in Scotland, as well as in London, and va
rious places in England.— Buck's Theol. Die.
J^DITOORIAJU^
WM. Ij. BEEBE, Editor.
COVING!^
Monticello, Ark., May 5, 1860.
Bro. Beebe :—Please give your views on this
Scripture-When the unclean spirit is gone out of a
man he walketh through dry places, seeking rest,
and findeth none.” J. W. HALLEY.
Remarks on Mat. xii. 43.
The language of this text is a portion of the defence
made by Him who spake as never man spake, when
his divine authority was called in question by the
leaders of the popular religionists among the Jews.
The purport of the argument, of which the text is a
part, is to convince the hearers that voluntary reli
gion, or that which is originated by the human will,
is not that which is acceptable in the sight of God.
But that pure religion and undefiled, before God and
the Father is such as manifests itself in acts of real
kindness, such as visiting the widow and the father
less in their affliction, and keeping those under its
influence, unspotted from the world.
The wholeffuman family, since the entrance of sin
into the world, are represented as being dead in sin,
in the service of which the carnal mind finds its only
enjoyment; and the truth of this Scriptural doctfine
is corroborated by the fact th-at the reign of death is
universal, which could only be the case as a conse
quence of the sin which works death, having con
taminated all. This being the situation of man, the
Savior speaks of him as feing possessed of unclean
or evil spirits, under whose control he is in a state of
bondage, to which he is a voluntary servant. While
in this condition, though he labors under the hallu
cination that he is free, he is so completely in sub
jection that the unclean spirit which controls him
goes out and leaves him, and returns at will, the
subject being perfectly passive. This is frequently
witnessed in the case of those who make a profession
SOUTHERN BAPTIST MESSENGER.
of godliness of their own free will, and after a time
of apparently dovout conduct the unclean spirit re
turns, and finding his former residence swept and
garnished, (i. e. morally reformed in his deportment,)
lie taketh to himself seven other spirits worse than
himself; and the last state of that man is worse than
the first. But notice that this is peculiar to those
out of whom the unclean spirit goes voluntarily.—
When the unclean spirit is driven or cast out by the
power and authority of God in regeneration, not all
the powers of earth and hell can ever reinstate him
in his authority and possession of the man. This
power of the Spirit of God is illustrated by the para
ble spoken by the Savior, (Luke xi. 21, 22,) in imme
diate connection with Luke’s statement of this same
expression of our Lord. There can be no doubt but
that when the “unclean spirit” goes out of a man of
his own free will, by the exercise of the same volition
it may return ; but when he is cast out by the power
of God, the power which casts him out will never
•permit him to resume his authority there ; for all
things in heaven, earth, and hell are subject to His
omnipotent control. , ...
The places wheie the man mentioned in the text
seeks rest, are peculiar to such characters. Unlike
the truly quickened sinner, from whom the unclean
spirit is cast out, he walketh through the “dry
places” seeking rest, and findeth none. All such
characters invariably seek rest in the “dry places,”
whero no rest is to be found ; but the man who is
truly converted from trusting in his own works, is
compelled by necessity to look to Jesus, the Fountain
of Living waters, whose rest is glorious. Like Mary,
he chooses that better part which shall not be taken
away from him. The change wrought in him is such
that he knows that all those places where the natural
man seeks rest are “dry places.”
When the saints are made sensible of their condi
tion as sinners before God, they are in no frame of
mind to draw any comfort from the violent demands
of the law'. In that there is no abatement of its full
demands, but while it continually says, Pay me that
thou owest, no comforting assurances are held out to
cheer the poor laboring soul. It can afford no relief
to the sin-sick transgressor of its righteous demands ;
but with fire and the voice of mighty thunderings it
proclaims eternal death as the just penalty due to
every one who continues not in all things written in
the book of the law to do them. No allowance is
made for the inability of the sinner to comply with
its demands ; nor any prospect of a time when those
demands will be abated in the least degree. Perfect
and perpetual obedience is the least that can satisfy
its requirements, and if from the time that the sinner
is made to know his real condition, he could comply
with every requisition of Divine justice, no balance
could accumulate to his credit to atone for the sin
already committed. Yet such are the “dry places, ’
in which men seek rest when the “unclean spirit”
goes out of them voluntary. But as there is no rest
there, it is not surprising that there is none found
there. Oa the other hand, when the “strong man
armed” (that is, sin,) is bound and cast out by the
power of God, the man no longer seeks rest in s .ch
“dry places.” The Spirit of God of which he is born
leads him by the side of still waters to the Fountain
of healing, where he is freed from the law by the
body of Christ. “ There the glorious Lord will be
unto us a place of broad rivers and streams ; wherein
shall go no galley with oars, neither shall gallant
ship pass thereby. For the Lord is our judge, the
Lord is our king; he will save us.”—lsa. xxxiii. 21,
22. Here is the rest that remains to the people of
God,
OBITUARIES.
Pope Cos., Ark., Jan. 10, 1862.
Bro. Beebe: —By the request of the family and
friends of our beloved brother William Hendrickson,
I now attempt to write his obituary. In his death
we have lost a standard-bearer of the Primitive Bap*
tist faith. He was an able minister of the New Tes
tament in word and doctrine—a worthy citizen—a
kind and affectionate father, and much beloved by all
who knew him.
Bro. Hendrickson was born in Burke co., N. C.,
on March 31, 1807. His father emigrated to East
Tennessee, and died while William was yet small. He
was awakened to a sense of his lost condition as a
sinner at the age of eleven years, and obtained a hope
in Christ in July, 182*. Being at that time in his
twenty-first year, he joined the “ Nine Mile” church
in Blount co., Tenn., and was baptized by Elder
Bowers in August, 1827. He was married on Nov.
15, same year, to Sarah Hampton, by whom he had
ten childrefi—five sons and daughters—nine of whom
survive him. lie commenced exercising a gift in pub
lic, by way of exhortation, in 1832, and was licensed
to preach by the “ Four Mile” church, Blount co.,
Tenn., on Sep, 15, 1838; he was ordained on Aug.
15, 1840. In January, ’44 he removed to Sevier co.,
Tenn., and settled in the bounds of Providence
church, of the Tennessee Primitive Baptist Associa
tion, at the sessions of which he acted as Moderator
for four years. In the winter of 1849 he emigrated
with his family to Arkansas, where he resided up to
his death. His membership, while in Arkansas, was
in three or four different churches all of the Point
Remove Association, of which he acted as Moderator
two or three times. He also assisted in constituting
several churches.
Finally, his death occurred as follows: He was
taken sick while attending an appointment, but was
not considered in danger till Monday following, when
he had a congestive chill. He died on Wednesday
the 21st of August, 1861. He was speechless and
apparently insensible for several hours before his
death, and was only heard to say that he “ had as
soon die now as any time.” His funeral sermon Was
preached by Eld. Thomas Willis from Isa. xxvii. 19,
“ Thy dead men shall live; together with my dead
body;” and myself from Rev. xiv. 13, “ And 1 heard
a voice from heaven saying unto me, Write, blessed
are the dead which die in the Lord,” &c. His loss is
much lamented by the churches and Associations
around; but we mourn not as those that have no
hope, for we trust our loss is his eternal gain.
JAMES BRUTON.
RECEIPTS ~
[From Jan. 27 to Feb. B.]
GEORGIA.—CoI. S. W. Parker, 3: S. Braswell, 1;
R. Ryan, 2 ; A. Middlebrooks, 1; Joseph Hoarsely*
2 ; Mrs. M. Bartley, I; Eld. E. J. Williams, 2; MrS-.
E. Dean, 1, $13,00
ALABAMA.—EId. R. T. WeUb, 3; S. M.
Thomas, 2, 5,00
MISSISSIPPI. — Richard Ulmore, (back
numbers we cannot furnish,) 1; Eld. J. Robins,
1; A. J. Stewart, 2 ; Jos. Pruitt, 1, 5,00
TENNESSEE.—Thomas Jenkins, 1; Mrs.
Sarah Hall, (Present. Accept thanks.) 5, 6,00
ARKANSAS.—B. j. Dubose, 5, • 5,00
VIRGINIA.—Mrs. M. E. Lewie, 2, 2.00
Total, $36,00
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