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Many good and strong things were said in be half of M ISSIONS During the Session of the Southern Baptist Convention. Subscribe to and read the Christian Index, if you would keep informed. ESTABLISHED 1821. ©he ffihriatian gn&ex. J. C. McMICHAEL, Proprietor. Organ of the Baptist Denomination in Georgia. Published Every Thursday at Atlanta, Ga. Subscription Price : One copy, one year $ 2.00 One copy, six months 1.00 One copy, three mouths-.. 60 Obituaries.—One hundred words free of charge. For each extra word, oue ceut per word, cash with copy. To Correspondents.—Do not use abrevia tions; be extra careful in writingproper names; write with ink, on one side of paper; Do not write copy intended for the editor and busi ness items on same sheet. Leave off personal ities; condense. Business.—Write all names, and post offices distinctly. In ordering a change give the old as well as the new address. The date of label indicates the time your subscription expires. If you do not wish it continued, order it stop ped a week before. We consider each sub scriber permanent, until he orders his paper discontinued. When you order it stopped pay up to date. Remittances by check preferred; orregis tered letter, money order, postal note. The Chicago Advance must be credited with this good paragraph: “If you like the red flag you had better go to a country where it waves,” was Chief of Police Mc- Claughry’s reply to the anarchists who demanded of him the return of their flags captured in the May Day procession. The Northern Methodist Confer ence at Omaha discussed the pro - priety of abolishing the five year limit to the pastorate. Tho Baptist and Reflector congratulates its readers that it sees signs of a com ing to the Baptist position of “vol untariness” as regards the pastoral relation. Perhaps so, but after all the Baptists manage to keep their ministry “itinerating” at a quite lively rate. We seriously question whether the average pastoral term is any longer among us than it is among the Methodists. If Christ were in the world to-day as he once was he would weep as he looked out upon the world. Look upon the atrocities being perpetrated in Europe by the Anarchists. See the threatening w'ar-cloud in the di rection of South America and the revolutions and battles in the Latin- American republics. Look upon the political struggles between the great political parties in our own fair land. But the most distressing scene is in the land of the Czar, where the famine-stricken millions are strug gling to keep life in their bodies. We are glad to note that America is not forgetting these unfortunates in their sufferings. Wm. E. Gladstone is rightly known as the “grand old man” of England. When an editor asked him how he explained all the chan ges in his political convictions from the day that he entered upon public life, he had the courage to give a straitforward answer, and we com mend i| to persons who think con sistency is the chief of all virtues. He said: “I was educated to re gard liberty as an evil; I have learned to regard it as good ” That is, he began as a Conservative and . he ended as a Liberal, and the pro cess of education has changes of con viction on many different j objects; but the movement has been always forward, and did not cease to be for ward when he ceased to be a young man. It is a generous sight to be seen an old man still looking for ward. The efforts of good men continue against the opening of the World’s Fair on Sunday. Rev. J. S. Camp bell, pastor of the Lexington Avenue Baptist church, New York, makes a strong showing why we should not open the Eposition on the Sabbath. Outside the reasons for observing the Sabbath and the disasters that would follow the opening, he thinks we should give an object lesson to all the nations of Europe and the world, showing them that the Bible-loving Americans appreciate the great boon of the Christian’s Sabbath. “Related as it is to all that is sa cred in our holy religion and bright est and best in the hopes of our young nation, to make the World’s Fair one great Sabbath dishonoring institution would be a blow to our country’s welfare from which it would take perhaps centuries to recover. “Let every man who loves his God, his own welfare and his family and his maker raise up a voice of vehement protest against laying profane hands upon the ark of the nation’s safety.” The New York Independent seems to be very unhappy unless it can de- Mb f Ijrtettan WBK . IL nounce the South. Its latest de liverance is one on Southern “Bar barism.” It gives the sensational statement of a negro preacher made at the Omaha Conference, who said that during the past year 150 ne groes have been lynched, seven burned alive, and one flayed alive, and one disjointed. The Independent says that it “seems to be over a large part of the South the settled understanding that a ne gro who is guilty or charged with being guilty of crime against the person of any wdiite man or woman shall be put to death by a mob with out any opportunity to defend him self or prove his innocence.” Now we seriously question the accuracy of the negro’s statistics. All such figures made in interest of a partisan arraignmen tof the South must be taken with many grains of salt. The Lord knows we are bad enough but we believe Dr. Hawthorne spoke the truth when he said that in all this broad land the negro has no truer friend than these people of the Southland. But there is ever swift justice awaiting the brutes who are guilty of the fearful crime for which negroes are usually lynched in the South. We do not defend the lynching, but he who commiser ates the brute is far more despicable than the lynchers! The public are surfeited just now with reports of school and college commencements. It is pleasant to see so many good things said. But would it not be more profitable if tho press would devote some time and attention to the accomplishments of the students, and especially gradu ates. Did you ever note the hand write of several boys or girls, who have just emerged from college? Did you ever call on some of them to read aloud to you with a view to seeing what the teachers had done for them? Did you ever make a test of their proficiency in Grammars. ■ls you have not, do so, and then you can see to what extent your boy has been educated. These things show up very quick when a boy leaves the college halls and enters tho busy marts of trade. The business man who has to try a half dozen, before he can find one who can write a legi gle hand will not give a very high testimonial for the school or college that turns out such -work. If you would know the reality go to the business men. The New York Her ald, showing tho deficiency of the schools of that city, very clearly puts the case. Every merchant, banker, editor or other person who employs boys in his business knows from experi ence that the boy who comes to him from the public schools brings very little to his service beyond more or less limber legs with such natural shrewdness as they may chance to possess. Their “education” has not fitted them in any valuable degree for work. They cannot read well or write well or speak correctly. None of the lesults which school work should aim at has been attained. One firm in the city which employs some hundreds of boys and educates them into skilled w’orkmen finds it necessary to maintain a school of its own to teach them the rudimentary branches properly, and after long experience the managing partner de clares that the mistraining of the public schools is often so positive that on the whole he prefers to take boys wholly uneducated at the start rather than grammar-school gradu ates. FROM ALABAMA. THE GREAT OFFICE. "There stands the messenger of truth: there stands Tho legate of the skies!—his theme divine, His office sacred, his credential clear. By him tho violated law sneaks out, Its thunders: and by him In strains as sweet As angels use, the Gospel whispers peace.”— Cowper. The oral proclamation of the Gos pel, by men specially called of God to the w'ork, was the grand instru mentality of the old dispensation— nor less of the new. More than a hundred times, is this fact implied in the New Testament—Keerusso, to perform the office of a herald, enag gelizo, to announce glad tidings. These men were chosen by the churches, as having given proofs of a special call, and ordained by a presbytery or presbyter. Men thus called and designated might not to switch off unnecessarily into politics or literature or law. * ATLANTA, GA., THURSDAY. JUNE 16, 1892. They disparage instead of magni fying their sacred office. “Lay preaching,” as it is called is not anti-scriptural; but if a lag preacher feels constrained out of love for Christ and soul, to make preach ing his great business, he ought to be regularly set apar tand amenable to a church. The indiscriminate laudation of zealous men preaching on their own responsibility, is disorganizing in its influence, and tends to licentiousness. I know we are rebutted by refer ences to their success. This, how ever, may be apparent rather than real, and suppose it is real, in some cases, is not God sovereign in bless ing the word by whomsoever pro claimed ? The mischief connected with dis regard of scripture order, is all the greater when the act of great and good men, so absorbed, perhaps with other things, as to forget allegiance to the Master in this respect. Just now it may be regarded a grand im pertinence, to deplore the forgetful ness of such men as Spurgeon and Moody, in this matter; may interfere with the hero worship to which men are addicted, and the unseemly scramble of publishers—as it occurs to hearts less charitable perhaps than they ought to be, to make money out of religious fame. Let the office of those, appointed to “negotiate ’twixt God and man the grand concerns of mercy and of judment” be magnified,and assum ed and exercised as the head of the church has ordained. E. B. Teague. FROM FLORIDA. HONORING THE HOLY SPIRIT. Short pastorates seem to be a growing calamity -"betiding • our churches. The question naturally arises, why is it ? What is the mat ter? Observation of late has impress ed the writer with the idea, that, the cause lies in a failure on the part of our churches to honor the Holy Spirit, in the important matter of se lecting a pastor. In many instances the course pur sued is about this. A pastor resigns and leaves. The Church, whose pul pit is vacant, appoints a pastoral committee, which begins its work, by writing here and there to find an available man, or available men. A list of available men is the result. The record of each is canvassed as to his ability to do and to draw’. This list of available men is put be fore the church, with instructions, or recommendations, based upon the record of each. Tho matter is canvas sed, the vote is taken. In some in stances, the available men are invit ed to come and preach that all may see. They are closely scrutinized,and criticised and compared as to their virtues, and the one having the great er number of good points is taken. Abilitity to do, and record, are the sole matters inquired into. That is all good so as it goes; does such proceeding rest upon the best plans ? There was a time, and it now is with some churches, that, when a pastor was to be selected, an espec ial season of prayer for the direction and sanction of the Holy Spirit was appointed. The burden of each prayer was for direction,-assistance, guidance; and they were not vain petitions. Thus the Holy Spirit was honored. Thus the church seeking, got the man whom God would use, and honor. Such a course seldom, if ever, results in ill for the seeking church. When tho Spirit is thus honored, tho right man, just the needed man, generally comes and he comes in blessing too. “Them that honor me, will I honor”, is the em phatic declaration of our God.; an alluring promise. But “They that despise me shall be lightly esteemed” is also a terrible threat, standing identified with the promise. It is striking to notice tho conduct of the early churches, in the Acts of the Apostles. They believed in hon oring the .Spirit, They looked to their unerring guide, who carried them in tho ways of right, and kept them from erring. There occurs to mo just now an instance, illustrating this point. A church was in much doubt hs to which of several men was tho one for her. A visting brother came along, and being Jasked, advised that all action in thomattei bo deferred, and that all pray earcstly for tho Divine direction. The advice was taken, and it was striking to ob serve that a fourth man was selected almost unanimously, and that with out any canvassing. Whence that strange concurrence of sentimont? It was the Spirit honored, honoring. That man’s career as a pastor was a success. He proved to be just the man that the ghurch needed. Breth ren this is a serious matter, on which the success of our cause depends. Honor the Holy Spirit, the Third Person of the God-head. C. V. Waugh. FROM MISSOURI, The name of Missouri is becoming a power every way, in politics Mis souri is a great State. The sectional geography of our State has in the last few years been undergoing a change that takes Missouri out of the South ern States and gives her a position far greater in tho location, that of the center. It is no little thing to be'the heart of this great country of ours. To occupy such an impor tant position that the times of com merce and of all business pertaining to our whole country should pass through and in spine source receive the accretion of thought incident to the channel through -which it passes. This State casts more Democratic votes than Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware and Georgia combined. She casts more Republican votes than Massachusetts, Minnessota, lowa, New Hampshire, Nebraska, Kansas. Some idea of our State may be un derstood when we know that the en tire States of Maine, Massachusetts, Connecticut, New Hampshire, Ver mont, Rhode Island and Delaware could be put down side by side with in the limits of Missouri and still leave a margin of 4,770 square miles. Missouri raises more corn than In diana and Maryland combined. It produced as much wheat in the year of 1880 as the combined States of New York, Kentucky and the two Dacotas. It produces annually 1,00V,U00 pounds Me wool Chun the State of Texas and as much as the combined States of Illinois and Georgia. Missouri produces more lead ore than all the States and ter ritories combined. Missouri has the largest interest bearing school fund in the United States, in addition the State gives one-third of her revenue to this object. Religiously we are fast taking precedence. Our Baptist hosts are active and energetic. Un der the wise management of our Board of State Missions and the in domitable courage of a converted ministry, we are fast increasing. Our schools of learning are most excellent and superior to most. The Wm. Jewell College with her increased endowment and facilities reaching in every direction. Her Theological department with more students than any college in the United States. What may we not hope for ourselves in the futures. The anniversaries of our colleges gives bright hopes for the coming year. The floods have been very disas trous, how much it will tell on our contributions to our missionary en terprises cannot be known at this time. Our board of Home and For eign Missions for Missouri feel elated at the manifest success of our “Mis souri plan” having lately received letters from each general society commending the plan and encourag ing us in the prosecution. May God increase us more and more until that day which shall crown all faithful heads in His kingdom above. T. M. S. Kenney. Boonville, Mo. FROM TENNESSEE. BREAKERS AHEAD! This age seems to have two strik ing characteristics—the one, a ten dency to despise all creeds, the other to rush, headlong, into what is pleas ingly termed, “doing something for Christ.” The one, under the guise of liberty, is carrying an increasingly great number into laxity of belief, and reckless disregard as to what is held, or taught from the pulpit, so the one holding, or teaching is a “great worker.” Will «iot the con sequence bo that we shall soon reach the time when religiosity, will take the place of religion—Church ianity, of Christianity. Alas! it is to be feared. What is a creed ? It is crystalled beliefs, a summary of principles. A creedless man is, therefore, one with out settled beliefs, or organized principles. But no one can have either, unless he fully settles for himself truth and falsehood, and stands by that conviction. This was what David seemed to think wms the normal order. In the HGth Psalm, he says “I believed, there fore have I spoken.” Paul quotes this, and adds, “We also believe, and therefore speak.” Such a thought as a creedless religion never seemed to have entered the mind of either David, or Paul, but then, of course, they had not “caught the spirit of the nineteenth century,” a fact, I presume, neither of them would deny. Now, if there was any one thing more earnestly, pressed by Jesus than another, it was the neces sity of belief. He seemed not to be able to sec how character could be built up at all, except on the basal rock of a sound faith in the truth. And the observation of the world verifies the Savior’s conclusion. The world has never advanced in any great movement except as that movement was led by men of strong convictions, firm creeds. Creedless men make quite a noise at times, but they fuss away, the noise subsides, and the world made neither wiser nor better by them, passes on after men, who believe strongly, and speak from an earnest conviction, that there is an eternal antagonism between the true and the false, which may not, dare not, be com promised, or treated with indiffer ence. Now it is such men this age,— every age needs. Men, who “earn estly contend for the faith once de livered to the saints.” Creedless, namby-pamby, glib talking, so called “earnest workers for Christ,” who go around with limp Bibles, and limperthology, denouncing creeds, and putting every body to “work for Christ,” regardless of conviction or conversion, this age must remand to list; or perish. Let us wake up to our danger before all spirituality is lost in a pell-mell rush nito a reli gion of machinery, which grinds away, with clatter and clang, but upon husks only fit for swine. Let us return to first principles, convic tions firmly held, earnestly main tained, giving lives of thorough con secration, because “the love of Christ constraineth” to good works, by which God may be glorified, and the world saved. W. A. Montgomery. GOD'S SABBATH DAY. The weekly division of time is as history. We find proof of this fact among the ancient Egyptians, Baby lonians and Assyrians. But none of these give any account of its origin. But its wide spread recognition, at so early a period, among so many different nations, must naturally sug gest a common origin ; and afford a striking corroboration of the story given us by Moses. He tells us, that, in the beginning, when God had finished his creative works in six days, (or periods) He rested on the seventh and blessed it. These six days may have been, and proba bly were, actually periods of time of indefinite length ; but they were re vealed to Moses, analogically, as so many natural days. Indeed, we may well suppose, that they were thus revealed to Adam. In the gar den of Eden, he had no knowledge of time, except so much as was given him by his sense perception of the “Evening and the Morning,” which measured to him only a natural day. If therefore, the great God chose to give to Adam some account of His works in the past, He must have em ployed, almost from necessity, that unit of time, with which Adam was acquainted, to express tho successive periods of His creative activity. And of course the period rest would be ndicated, in like manner by the same term. This day of rest added to the six days of work completes the week of seven days. Hence the account which Moses gives of the origin, of the weekly division of time is con sistent with all the other parts of the record ; and, as before stated, it is corroborated by its very great an tiquity. We next learn that “God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because that in it, lie had rested from His work which God created and made? Now, it is important that we should notice, that, at this early period, we have no evidence that God gave to our first parents any injunctioif to observe the sev enth natural day of their time as a rest or Sabbath day. They did not need it. In their beautiful garden they lived upon the bounty of their great Creator. Their only task was, “to dress it and to keep it.” But this was really not a task, —it was an amusement, a pastime, a pleasure. All the rest they needed, they found, beneath the shades of evening, in sweet and peaceful slumber. The week of days they may have known; but no one day was, for them, more sacred than another;for on each and every day, they walked with God. Hence the words “God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified; because that in it, he had rested from all his work which God created and made,” must be explained as having refer ence, at that time, not to man at all; but to God himself. That rest day was God’s own Sabbath, upon which he had entered, more than two thou sand years before there was a Sab bath ordained for man. Let us then, for the present, consider it in refer ence to God alone. , If I were obliged to take the word “day” to mean just twenty-four hours, I should be wholly at a loss how to explain the words, in refer ence to God alone. Let us invoke, in this case, the aid of science. The learned make it evident, from the “testimony of the rocks,” that the Almighty was, indeed, a very long time in building this great globe of ours. And it appears, moreover, from the same testimony, that this long time may be easily distinguish ed into six successive periods; and that the fossils of each period corrob orate, most strikingly, the order of the creation, as given in the first chapter of Genesis. Hence, the light of science shows that the word day, in that chapter, was not used in its literal sense, but to express, as it often does in other literature, a certain period of time of indefinite length, —in the case before us, a Geological period. But if the ’ ’.uy’’ J M’h«ni used to express God’s work in crea tion meant a Geological period, it must be understood in the same sense, when used to denote the pe riod in which God rested. Can we believe that He exercised His crea tive energy through six periods of unnumbered ages, and then rested only twenty-four hours ? The idea is preposterous. Therefore God’s rest day, or His Sabbath, -was the seventh Geological period ; w'hich is the period, in which we live, and in which are to be found all the won ders of human history. God is still resting, so far as this globe is con cerned, from His creative work; and this also science confirms. I think it is admitted by the learned, that, since the appearance of man upon the earth, there has been no new creation. True, successive genera tions of plants and animals have come and gone; but the existence of these was potentially provided for in the creation of their respective origi nals. In this sense at least, Solomon was right when he said: “There is nothing new under the sun.” But in what sense has God rested? The words of the text are explicit upon this point. “And God blessed the seventh day, (or period) ; be cause, in it, he had rested from all his work which God created and made.” The last clause shows that God rested only from His creative work. From His providential and moral activities lie has never rested, —no, not for a single hour. This we shall presently see. How did God bless and sanctify the seventh day? I do not know the Hebrew word which is transla ted to “bless,” lam therefore com pelled to rely upon its Greek equiva lent, which is “enloges.” This word is often used, both in the Scptuagint and in the New Testament. Its mean ing is “to speak well of, to praise, to honor,” and by implication to ap prove, to exalt. A beautiful exam ple of its use is in Matt. 25 ;24. “Como ye blessed of my Father.” Why blest ? because, through grace, they had been the servants of Christ. Therefore, God approved them, and honored and exalted them to a share in his kingdom of glory. When, therefore, God blessed the seventh day, He conferred upon it some won derful honor or distinction. What then is the honor which God has con ferred upon this present period, which illustrates the blessing that God pronounced upon it ? This Brother Minister, Working Layman, Zealous Sister, We are striving to make The Index the best of its kind. Help us by securing a new subscriber. VOL. 69.-NO. 24. honor, or distinction, includes sever al particulars. Ist. Just at the close of the sixth period, God created man upon the earth; but he was evidently de signed for the seventh; for jnst as He made man, He entered upon His rest, which marked the beginning of a new era, —an era for which God had provided a race of intelligent creatures, in his own likeness, en dowed with ability to know, to love and to enjoy this great Creator. Over this race, God established His providential and moral government, whereby He might display the trans cendent perfections of His moral at tributes. Signalized by the history of such a race, how distinguished, is this period ! Compared with it, how dull, how monotonous, appear the primeval ages that preceded it, when the highest form of life was only dumb brute nature! 2nd. But when, under God’s mor al government, man fell from his allegiance, and the race was morally lost, and doomed to just and eternal retribution, it might seem, that a dark, gloomy disgrace had settled down over this seventh day of time. But not so. The dreadful catastro phe of man’s fall, furnished the oc casion for the mighty ■work of hu man redemption. The history of this redemption fills the whole “day” which God has blessed. It began with the promise, “The seed of the woman shall bruise the serpent’s head.” It was finished, as to its plan, when Jesus died. But its pow er to save was felt at Abel’s altar in Noah’s ark, at Jacob’s Bethel, and on, and on, through the ages down to the present hour. And its power to save shall not stop here. It shall continue to gather, through succeed ing generations to the end of time, the elect of God unto his everlasting kingdom. But we learn that God also ’sanc tified the “seventh day.” To sancti-< fy, in its radical sense, is to set apart a thing from a common to a sacred puiposc. ’ God had used the prime val ages of this world’s history, to display His infinite power and wis dom in the works of creation. These have been called his natural attrib utes. But when the “seventh day’’ (or period) dawned, He set it apart to the high, noble and sacred pur pose of displaying to His intelligent creatures on earth His holiness, righteousness, justice, mercy, truth and love. These are His moral at tributes. This He has accomplished through His providential and moral government, and especially by His great scheme of human redemption. In such w r orks as then, God did most signally, both bless and sancti fy the seventh day‘—His own great and holy Sabbath. Next week we will try to find the Jewish Sabbath. Let not the rea der be impatient; we will reach the Christian Sabbath in due time. But when we do reach it, these prelimi nary articles, I hope, will enable ua to understand it better. S. G. Hillyeb ,T 3 Wheat St., Atlanta, Ga. BLUNTEDMORALITY. A pious layman said: “You can not convict a man for carrying con cealed weapons when every one of the jury has a pistol in his pocket.’’ The same principle modified applies to the use of other things. It is very difficult to convince men of the harm fulness of a thing when they are under the dominion of habit. Who fails to see this in men bound in the chains of opium, whisky and tobacco use ? You may plead the evil effects upon health or morals, but they cannot be seen by one who constantly uses these things. Their minds seem to refuse to listen to the arguments against the use of such things. What Dr. Graham says of tobacco is equal- Ip applicable to other uses to which men are addicted. Let us give the use of these things more serious con sideration. Says Dr. Graham : * “Tobacco has impaired the delica cy of his moral sense. It has in some sense impaired the nice powers of his understanding to perceive moral truth. It has established in the phy ical economy of his body an appe tite whose despotic and often irresis tible influence upon the intellectual and voluntary power vehementlj urges, and even absolutely compel) the understanding and will to com ply with its demands.” Beecham’s Pills sell well because they cure.