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servant “ laid hands upon another, and took him
bv the throat,” &o. This laying hands on, and
taking by the throat, is equivalent to laying hands
on our brother suddenly , prematurely, hastily, or
passionately, and not in that spirit of entreaty and
brotherly kindness which the gospel teaches and
enjoins. For other illustrations of this figurative
use of laying hands on men, see Ps. xxxii, 4 ; also
xxxix. and cxxxix, &c. I make these remarks on
the 22d verse because I conceive it essential to the
proper understanding of the text. If a brother
trespass against thee, don’t lay your hands sudden
ly, rashly or passionately upon him, but go and tell
him his fault, and entreat him as a father or broth
er, as the case may be; and while you faithfully
and impartially rebuke sin before all, do not hunt
after secret sins, or indulge prejudices, and thereby
jnvolve the church in endless litigations and con
tentions. For, while some men’s sins are open,
manifest and proven, and come properly before the
tribunal of the church, ior judgment and settlement,
there are others so covert and hidden from human
view, that thev must be left to follow after those
guilty to a final judgment. * •
I may, from a secret prejudice against a brother,
watch him, not so much from a desire tor his es
tablishment in the faith and practice of godliness,
as from a desire to find some fault in him, and con
sequently seize hastily the first shadow of wrong,
in order to expose or irritate him ; while on the
other hand, my strong partialities for another
brother may lead me to overlook actual open sins
in him, to the disgrace and scandal of the prt)fes
sion of Christ. These errors are alike to be avoid
ed and shunned by us ; and I think those brethren
who have been long in the church, and have expe
rienced the confusion and trouble which has afflict
ed her by allowing charges to come in that were
not sufficiently open or manifest, on the one hand,
and the great scandal that has fallen upon her by
suffering open sins to go unrebuked, will jeadily
appreciate the Apostle’s urgent charge to faithful
ness, as well as his warnings and cautions against
hasty, rash, and unjust censure.
I have given above my views of the passage, as
requested by Bro. Coleman ; they may seem novel
to him, but they are the best I have; and as he has
called my attention to the important too much
neglected suqject of church discipline, I beg his
indulgence, and that of the brethren who read the
Messenger, to make a few suggestions upon the
subject, in a general sense.
The Savior not only gave the most full, clear,
and touching rule for our general guovernment, in
our collective and individual capacities, but en
forced its observance upon us in language so affec
tionate and tender, that we can hardly err. The
new commandment he gave was, “ Love one ano
ther,” and the Apostle declares that “ Love works
no ill to our neighbor.” Let us then test every
act toward our brethren, and the purity of our mo
tives by these rules. Does this love prompt our
action in rebuking our erring brother ? and do we
reprove in such a manner as no ill to our brother
should grow out of it! We are all members of
80UTHEEN BAPTIST MESSENGER.
the same body ; Do we treat an erring brother as
we would a diseased and suffering member of our
bodies literally ? If we see a poisonous insect on
one hand, we do not lay the other hand suddenly
upon it, lest it sting the band that it is on, and en
danger and pain the whole body ; but we carefully
brush it off, with the utmost caution. Should we
act less carefully and cautiously toward a member
of the body of Christ f That member that 10-day
is swollen, inflamed and painful, by proper treat
ment and nursing, may, by-and-by, be of the great
est use to the literal body ; therefore we try to
jit-serve it while this hope remains. Let us treat
tiie members of Christ’s body with at least as much
care at>#tendemess. But here lam reminded\f
a passage in that prince of poets, Dr. Watts,
“ Our stubborn sins will fight and reign
If love be absent there.”
How then shall we endeavor to keep alive that ce
estial spark of love to each other, which God has
implanted in the bosom of all his sons and daugh
ters ? I answer, first, let us commune often with
each other, and talk of the things which pertain to
our heavenly inheritance. Let us unbosom our
selves to each other by telling our common trials,
temptatious and sorrows, and speak of
*
“ Those few lucid moments that dawn on us here,”
and our hopes of deliverance, and final conquest
over sin, death and the grave, “through him that
loved us, and gave himself for us.” How could we
lay our hands suddenly or rudely upon our brother,
whose trials and sorrows, hopes and joys live in
our own bosom ! or how could we stand careless
by, and see the enemy approaching him to wound,
hurt and maim him, and not interpose as shield
to protect him ? O, that our heavenly Father
would grant us more of that love that brought our
blessed Savior to the cross for us! that he would
give us communion with each other in heart, in
spirit, life and conversation; that while the
heavens are dark with clouds above us, and the
the earth trembles beneath our feet; that while
desolating scourge is abroad in our land, we may
fly to the shadow of that rock that is higher than
forts and armies, and a sure refuge from the wrath
of men, and the powers of darkness. O Lord !
though the earth be removed, thy promise stands
fast forevermore. Look down with pitying eye3
upon thy erring children, and save us from the
rage of men.
Bro. Beebe, I enclose a gold dollar to renew my
subscription to the Messenger , and suggest, as I
see your receipts continue small, that if they are
not sufficient to keep up the issue of your paper
twice a month, send it once a month, or as often
as you can afford with your present patronage.- For
one, I had rather hear from the brethren, though
but seldom, than have the communication entirely
stopped. It may be the Lord will open brighter
prospects ere long. May grace, mercy and truth
be with you and the Israel of God.
HOLLOWAY L. POWER.
ii <i>
Bro. W. L. Beebe :— lt is natural for us all
when peace and prosperity surrounds us, and it
would seem that we had more than heart could
with, to complain and find fault with our lot; as
individuals, and as a nation, we are never satisfied
with the comforts of to-day, but hope that to-mor
row will bring the desired good. Not thankful for
w hat we enjoy, though it is a thousand times more
than we deserve, we go-on murmuring, and com
pare our condition with that of others, aud generally
rate ours at a great discount ; and while we
have certainly been the most favored people that
the world has ever seen, yet we have been the most
ungrateful. Now, when real troubles are upon us,
aud we are really passing through the fire, we com
plain that the lire is hotter than is wont —that no
people were ever exposed to such a burning heat—
that it is intolerable, and must consume us ; aud we
seem to part with all our alloy with as much pain
as though our very souls were wrapped up in it,
and as though to destroy one was the destruction
of the other. As a nation, we of the South ciaitn
to be descendants of a race of the purest patriots,
of the gicutest statesmen, men of the most uncon
querable courage, and the most unyielding will that
any nation can boast of; we claim kindred, I say,
with such a noble race, and might institute the
comparison of our blessings and advantages over
theirs, and it would greatly preponderate iu our
lavor. But if we were to compare our sufferings
and privations with theirs, and note with what he
roic fortitude they endured theirs, the blush of
shame might mantle our cheeks, as We go on com
plaining at every little reverse, and will not be
satisfied unless, with the horrors of war, we can
have all the blessings of peace. We must learn to
be more patient, aud prepare ourselves fqr greater
, sacrifices in every shape; of blood and treasure we
must expect the greatest drafts to be made; but as
they are absolutely necessary in order to prevent
our utter ruin, both civilly and religiously, let us
make them uncomplainingly, and trust in the God
of battles for the result. When our arms were
crowned with success we became vain-glorious,
and were led into fatal excesses; instead of thanking
God for our victories, we claim the result by our
own stout hearts and Btrong arms, and crown our
generals with the victor’s wreath. When Israel of
old encountered even the uncircumcised Philis
liues with such boastful spirits they were always
put to flight, and we need expect nothing else, so
long as we make man our boast. We must expe
rience the futility of every dependence save God
alone ; and nothing can so soon bring an individual
or a nation to their senses as chastisement. Pros
perity always tends to exalt, adversity to humble.
Oui ancestors fought for liberty, pure and simple ;
they loved it for its own sake, and were content to
suffer the loss of all things else if they might but
attain that puceless boon. Glory and fame did
not actuate them ; they were willing to lose sight
of men in view of the great principles that lay
nearest their hearts. They under the blessing of
God, succeeded, but not bsfore they learned the full
value of liberty by untold sufferings. Our rights
and liberties ought to be as dear to us as theirs
were to them, and we need not expect to escape
their sufferings. But I did not expect to write fire