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4 (Tltc ©ltri«tian Jndcx J. C. McMICHAEL,:: Proprietor In this issue will be found a re ply of Rev. Thos. Dixon, Jr., to my article entitled, “The Dixon Epi sode,” which appeared in the Index of May 19th. ’ The following remarks will close up this matter, as far as I am con cerned: What Mr. D. repeats about the character of members of his congre gation, does not appear to help the question of theology. A sound Baptist preacher ought to have a majority of sound Baptists in his congregation, be tho number large or small. “Like priest, like people.” Out of a congregation of 3,000, there are 2,000 pedobaptists, according to Mr. D’s ratio, of two to one. Indeed, there is something to think about suggested by tnese figures. My comments on it were not the utterances of malice, but of honest sincere criticism. While I accept his statements on this matter, I must say that as he re affirms his sentence, on the father hood of God, without defining his meaning, and follows it with a reaf firmation of his view of Bible teach ing about heaven and hell, we are still in doubt. Counting the number of times the words heaven and hell are used -in the Bible and deciding by the figures that there is more of heaven and less of hell to be found there, is simply a catch, and a delusion. Mr. Dixon seems to intimate by this sort of cal culation that every time the word hell is used the way to that place is barred, and that every time the word heaven occurs, the pearly gates fly open that all may walk in without let or hindrance. Many passages in which the word “heaven” occurs, and which ho in cludes in his “523,” give stronger hints of “hell” than they do of heav en. See the following: “Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the king dom of heaven.” “Except your righteousness exceed the righteousness of the Scribes and Pharisees ye can in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven.” “Verily, verily I say unto you ex cept a a man be born again ho can not*ee the kingdom of God.” “Except a man bo born of water and of the spirit he can not enter into the kingdom of God.” “Then said one unto him, Lord, are there few that be saved ? And he said unto them, strive to enter in at the strait gate; for many, I say unto you, will seek to enter in, and shall not be able.” “Enter ye in at the strait gate; for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: Because strait is the gate and nar row is the way that leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.” Many more, to the same effect might be quoted showing that there is very much of hell even in many of those passages where the word heaven occurrs. The subtraction of all such passages from “523,” «would make it much less. But these words are indicative of character and condition, as much, or more than of place. Condition depends on character. If the character is fixed the condi tion is likewise fixed. The parable of the Prodigal Son is a story of misery and want as a con sequence of sin. lie was, for the time being, in a sort of premonitory hell. From the heights of luxury he was sunk in the depths of poverty, from a father’s house to a hog-pen, from sumptuous fare to the husks refused by swine, from a peaceful mind to a guilty conscience. There is as much of hell in this “beautiful parable,” as there is of heaven. But our brother has an eye for only one side of it. The condition of the young man remained unchanged until his char acter was changed. He camo to hituself, saw his lost estate, repented of his sin, and asked only for the place of a bird servant. Then his condition was changed, because his character was changed. But a final permanence of moral character, the character of those who finally reject Christ, entails a final permanesice of condition. Let Bro. Dixon read the parable of Divcg and Laxarup. Let him study the mean ing of that “great gulf-fixed,” im passable. Let Him ponder the para ble of Ten Virgins, and of the sheep and thr goats, and learn tho ultimate destiny* of the different characters represented by them. Tho Bible is little else than a his- tory of sin and of God’s fearful deal ing with it. 11 is not a pleasing sub ject to dwell on. But it is there, in all its blackness, and its terrible consequences. It may horrify us. Well, if it does. It is only then that the sinner in his helplessness, and his hopelessness turns to to Jesus as his Savior. As to “moth-eaten theology,” I will simply, say that my reference Bible, my Greek Testament, Cruden’s Unabridged concordance, and two or three of tho best revisions of the scriptures that I could get, have been my sole text-books on theolo gy- I do not remember ever to have seen Dr. SheddfyDogmatic Theology. “Certainly I have never read it. It may be that much to my loss and discredit. If so, I’m sorry for it, but can’t help it. Nevertheless, I mean to stick to my text-books,” moth eaten,” though they be. I mean to “speak the things that become sound doctrine,” whether they be pleasura ble or horrible. The question is, not what pleases me or horrifies me, but what does the Bible teach? My faith shall hold hard to the word of God, whether it teaches me of law or grace, of sin or holiness, of justice or mercy, of wrath or love, of hell or heaven, of eternal death or eternal life, of Jesus my Advocate, or Jesus my Judge, that 1 may be -warned as well as invited, that I may know and declare the “whole counsel of God,” that I may not “be carried about with divers and strange doctrines, but that my heart may be establish with grace.” Bro. Dixon, study among the moths, awhile. It will do you good. I. 11. Branham. BITHIAH. The Bible is a book of many sur prises,—surprises that come with most frequency to the most frequent reading,—that come to this reading unfailingly, not to say in richer abundance, as it goes forward through long years, ceasing only when the years cease. “Old things become new,” in this sense: what has been read again and again, mak ing no impression aud stirring no response, suddenly freshens interest and pulsates with power. We look over a page, and it wears one unbro ken hue, with nothing that attracts the eye to itself; we look over it a second time, and here or there a sen tence, a clause, a word it may be, kindles into light and glows with ra diance ; it draws us, holds us, moves us as never before, and we wonder, not that we have this experience now, but that this is the first time we have had it. One of fliose surprises came to us, not long ago, when reading the sec tion with which the book of Chroni cles opens ; “a section that takes the most succinct and driest form imag inable, merely a scries of genealogies interspersed with brief historical no tices.” We had reached tho fourth chapter, which is only compila tion of scattered and broken facts relating to the clans of Judah and in the eighteenth verse occurred this clause : “Bithiah, the daughter of Pharaoh, whom Mcred took” to wife. We had read that clause of ten before ; (for there is no part of Scripture that we dare to omit from our regular course, lest we should thereby cheat ourselves out of some pearl of light or manna of comfort which God has hidden there to repay tho persevering student.) But here tofore we had felt no interest in it; it might have helped certain Judean families of old to settle questions touching their motherhood in far away times, and that was all. While we road now, however, a vision rises to our inward eye. As it stauds there, a womanly form grow ing more and more diAinct amid the shadows of over three thousand years ago, we recognize her, Anoth er Ruth, a Ruth from tho idolatrous and arrogant land of Egypt, a Ruth from that land at the very tune when the pall of the ten plagubs lay on it. Not to the Moabites alone, but to this Egyptian also was given grace to say : “Whither thou goest, 1 will go; and where thou lodgest, 1 will lodge ; thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God; where thou diest, will I die, and there will I be buried,” May wo recall a few of tho thoughts that passed through our mind while thus, ns it wore, face to face with this neiyly-discovered Ruth, whoso name and whoso histo ry must henceforth make richer and dearer to us the Grand* Sisterhood of Trusters in God through tho ages ? There are no unmingled judg ments in the decalogue of God with mankind. These are kept in store for a darker world than this ; and a bow of mercy spans tho stormiest THE CHRISTIAN INDEX: THURSDAY, JUNE 23. 1892. sky of earthly retribution. It would be easy, for example, to occupy all our space this week with considera tions setting forth the mercies of the plagues; but we withhold our pen. Suffice it to say now th# when God stretched out his arm to smite in righteousness the land of oppression, Pharaoh indeed -w as hardened, but his daughter was saved. The proud king could close his heart against di vine grace, but he could not close his house. The Hand which he fought away from himself would not be cheated of its trophy, and from his very hearth-stone gathered Bithiah to itself. Not breaking down the barriers of his evil will, mercy came as nedr to him as it possibly could ; for what is nearer to the father than the child. It is to our loss that we neglect to trace the mercy mingling with judgment. “The comfort -of the Scriptures” is diminished by it, and some rays of the divine glory, dimmed if not quenched. And yes we are apt to lose sight of it, Satan helps to do that. In the time of the famine in Israel, there were seven thousand who had not bowed the knee to Baal; the Lord knew them every one, but they were not known to Elijah. Perhaps, in part at least: he was guiltily ignorant, aud did not know them when he might and when he should. It may be that he overlooked them, as the mass of Bi ble readers, in the face of express mention, have overlooked Bithiah. We were ourselves full half a centu ry in finding her, and ought to blush that we found her no sooner. Let us all be wiser for the time to come; so shall we often unexpectedly see the mercy where once one looked not for it, and even where we do see it, shall still know that it was there as once wo knew it not. The sterner aspects of divine truth should be faced. They are but the putting of facts into a form of words, and the facts are of greater stern ness still; for there is always more in facts than in mere speech about them. A faith has been in human bosoms which the endurance of the facts could tfot overthrow; and shall our faith shrink from the acceptance of the words in which they have rec ord only without the bitterness of such experiences ? When it rained not in Israel for the space of three years and six months, the famine en tered into the lives of seven thou sand believers in Jehovah. Its des olations were wrought under their eye ; they saw in their families the visages of hunger and disease; they felt them in their own person. But their faith lived on through all these horrors, and gathered strength and ripeness from them—if, indeed, these throes, were not to some the birth-throes of a faith unfelt before. And Bithia! The ten months through which, with intervals of re prieve, the judgment of the plagues filled Egypt with loss and suffering and terror and death, were part of her personal history. Picture her to yourself as each successive stroke of the Lord swept across her path and smote into her soul. See her, last of all, as she witnesses the mortal agony or looks on the lifeless clay of her father's first-born, her broth er. Poor, anguished heart! whose heart does not ache for it, does not bleed with it ? But she learned the lesson which was put into the mouth of the plagues for all; she learned that “Jehovah is God and there is none else.” In this time of dark ness and dread her faith was born, a power destined to rule and bless her whole after-life. Was it not worth while to bear the died and the dark ness for this ? If faith is to rule and bless the life, there must be sacrifice. Faith marks ojit a path for itself, a path of service to God and of. communion with him; and to follow that path, we must deny and renounce all per sonal feelings and all social influ ences which beckon us aside from it to tread after paths more pleasing to the flesh or with more of worldly advantage. This is the mastery and lordship of faith in the soul, like the mastery and lordship of God over the universe. Nay, this mastery and lordship is His, and therefore faith’s : He rules us with faith as His instru ment. Tho faith of Bithiah in Je hovah demanded that she should merge herself with Jehovah’s people ; should join the tribes that were go ing forth out of Egypt and go with them. Like Ruth, she left the land of her fathers for a strange land, and became a unit in an alien race. But what Rnth put behind her was an obscure station, a lowly circle of kindredship, a life of poverty; while Bithiah tore herself loose from the distinction of royal blood, from life in a palace, from tho assurance by reason of her birth of the highest possible social rank in future years, from a hold on the treasury of a kingdom which guaranteed wealth and luxury to her. Was not this the far more wrenching sacrifice ? If Moses had made this renunciation before her when he “refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daugh ter,” he was simply untwisting the artificial bands of adoption; she was cutting in twain the living, sensitive, natural ties of blood and birth. He, too, did it that he might return to his brethren, his kinsmen according to the fleshshe was forsaking her own people for another, for one which had always been “an abomi nation to the Egyptians.” Was not hers, by much, the severer test ? If sacrifice is the law of the king dom of God, recompense is no less so. What reward, then, had Bithiah for the sacrifice, in which, from cer tain points of view, she seems to have surpassed even the gentle Ruth and tho heroic Moses? By nature she was “the daughter of Pharaoh through grace she became “the daughter of Jehovah”—for that is the meaning of the name we know her by. Not a perishing human be ing, but the King Eternal is her soul father ; hcr’s through the one only adoption which is also a birth. And that is enough. All “good things” arc wrapped up in that. This is true for her, for us, for all. Nothing more needs to be said when these words issue from the divine lips; “Come out from among them, and be separated, saith the Lord, and touch not anything unclean ; and I will re ceive you, and will be to you a Fath er, and ye shall be to me sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.” SOME OF OUR ITALIAN EVANGE- LISTS. Italy was the topic for May ac cording to the prayer card as pub lished by the Maryland Baptist Mis sions Rooms. Last w eek on the Mis sionary Calendar prepared by the ladies of Augusta are' the names of several of our Italian workers. Per haps a few words about some of our Italian brethern may not be amiss. Signor Ferraris is a man of pow erful build and possessed, even in his old age of wonderful physical vigor. Although he never had early educa tional advantages, many a preacher might well covet his large and ac curate acquaintance with the Scrip tures. ’ He quotes from all parts of the Bible giving chapter and verse. Most of his preaching has been by the way side, now to a group of women do ing the household washing in a mountain stream, now to a custom house officer on the watch for smug glers, now to a peasant guarding his flocks. AH through the Waldensian valleys in many’ an arduous pedes trian tramp, he has scattered the seed, leaving everywhere either the spoken or the printed word. His strong voice whether in exhortation or in song left no doubt with the hearers as to the speaker’s honest heart and deep convictions. Signor Martinelli was formerly the superior of a convert in Rome and so a man of trained mind and at home in Latin. His wife was once in a nunnery and the romance of their breaking away from the Catho lic church and of this union in mar riage was but the consummation of the love of their childhood days. The culinary art as learned within monastery walls has enabled Signora Martinella to spread a more than commonly attractive table for her “heretic” guests of these latter days. Although Signor Martinelli has been stationed as our evangelist for most of the time in Modeno, he has work ed in Curpi, Lan Possidenio and other towns and villages. Even though the working days of Ferraris and Martinelli are well nigh over, wo should remember aud honor them for what they have already done. Signor Enrico Paschetto and Sig nor Nicholas Papengruth are the scholars of our Italian evangelist. Signor Paschetto, a Waldensian by birth and a college and seminary graduate, has such aptitude for lan guage that it would take more than the fingers of one hand to count the tongues he can use. Ho is a sub scriber of tho Sunday-school Times, talks English well and possibly com pleted by this time his Hebrew Ital ian lexicon. His name by interpre tation is “lamb” and his spirit is lamb like in its gentleness. Ho is the John among the Italian twelve. Signor Papengruth is Italian neither iu name nor in parentage, being the son of a Russian count. Count Pap engruth was led be a Christian and a Baptist through tho preaching of Rey. Baptist Noel in the streets of London and his son received his the ological training in the same city, at Spurgeon’s College. Signor Papen gruth speaks a number of languages. He and the city in which he "works are alike in their energetic, active spirit. Missionary societies desiring direct information about our Italian work would do well to write to eith er Signor Paschetts or Signor Papen gruth as these bretheren are able to reply in English. Signor Basile had at least once the blessedness of those who are persecut ed for righteousness sake. He was stoned by the wayside but escaped with his life. He baptized in the Adriatic Signor Colombo, who was formerly a minister of the Free , church but is now Our evangelist at Bologna. Signor Eossa and Signor Arbana sich are our representatives in Sar dinia. Both of them were formerly, if we mistake school teachers. Signor Arbanasich speaks his native lan guage, for he is an Italian, though his name would not make one think so, sure as an Anglo-Saxon would do, with little sweetness but with a large degree of vini. The story of this man’s work in Sardinia has much of the courage, hardship and success which marked apostolic evan gelization. Signor Vuicenzo Bellendi, who was baptized by Dr. Taylor J une 3, 1877 and who is now our evangelist in Venice has written any number of sweet hymns in Italian which his organist has married to tunes of his own composition, remarkable for their tenderness and richness. Signor Volpe, who was formerly a minister of the Free church has been working with our Board for a num ber of years with quite a good meas ure of success. Signor Fasulo and Signor Malan are among the last additions to the ranks of our evan gelists. WHAT GOLD CANNOT BUY. Miss Francis E. Willard, in “Are na” for May, says that “there is not a college now closed|to women, nor a professional School, that would not open with a wedge of gold.” She continues: “Rich women must pry open for us these barred entrances to liberty, as Miss Garrett did, when she with such a single purpose set herself to found, in connection with Johns Hopkins University, a medical college which should be open to wo men.” And then she adds: “There is not to-day a barrier in Church and State that would not melt at the high temperature of molten gold.” She must have a very pessimistic opinion of the intellect or the con science of tho Christian world. The most notable “barrier” on the church is that which prevents the entrance of women into the pulpit. Miss Wil lard has herself written a book about it. It is found not only in the Greek and Roman communions and-the ec clesiastical Establishments of Europe, but in the evangelical denominations generally. These denominations ex clude woman from the pulpit, and allege that they are moved to do this by their mature conviction that the divine book requires her exclusion from it. Will molten gold melt this barrier ? If wealthy members of the sex endow Theological Seminaries which shall be open to women, will these denominations throw wide the pulpit for her entrance? Then, it follows either that their present pro fessed conviction to the contrary is not sincerely avowed which brands them knaves, or else, that it is not in telligently held, which brands them fools. The matter is plain, to furth er Woman’s Rights movement, Nliss Willard slanders Christendom. She advises her sex to adopt the Simon Magus argument; and affirms that while Peter stood firm against that argument, not merely a man nor a lady of even here and there, but Christendom as a whole would fall before it. Sore must be the straits or most extreme the infatuation of a movement which could drive a wo man like her to such a position. QUESTIONS ABOUT PRAYER. Several years ago, the application of a saloon-keeper in Washington, D. C., for a renewal of his license was rejected on tho ground that his place bore a bad name. Appearing before the commissioner in his own behalf, he was asked whether ho shut up promptly at midnight, and replied that “when ten minutes to twelve came, he knelt down,said his prayers, and shut up.” A case like this suggests two ques tions. Does not something of absurdity attaching to prayer in such circum stances, attach also to the prayer of those whose votes render the circum stances possible? If those who license the saloon can pray, why not the man, who under that license runs it? In the last analysis is he not simply their proxy; and at the bar of a right conscience does it not hold good that what he does, they do through him ? Is it not a signal proof of “strong delusion” when a man can pray and hope for the acceptance of his pray ers, and dream of spiritual benefits as accruing from them, while engag ed in a business resting on princi ples of such glaring wrong and draw ing such gross immoralities daily in its train ? And is there no room for fear lest we ourselves should be sub ject to some form of self-deception, less extreme perhaps but no less real, when we infer our possession of the Christian character and title to the eternal enheritance from the fact that we maintain habits of prayer ? In spite of the old remark that “pray ing will make us leave off sinning, or sinning will make us leave off pray ing,” (a remark altogether true when interpreted rightly,) may we not be walking unawares in the way of this saloon-keeper, away of lifeless pray ing in a life of sinning ? AFFLICTION. There are birds that sing most, and most sweetly, by night; and in the darkness of affliction the graces of the believer may make their chief “melody in the heart to the Lord.” It was the broken vase that filled all the house with fragrant odor (Jno. 12:3). It is the afflicted Christian, when sorrow as it were breaks his heart, who sheds around him the sweetnesses of a trusting, loving faith, and men take glad knowledge of it. WHEN THE RAILROAD TELE GRAPHERS were in session in Chattanooga, Tenn., in the month of May, they at tended in a body at tlie First Bap tist Church, and were cordially re ceived by the congregation. Rev. A. T. Spalding, of Atlanta, delivered on the occasion a special sermon. Many of these men—whose posi tions are so full of gravest responsi bilities, are devout disciples of the Son of God. We are exceedingly gratified at the many endorsements of the Index. The issues of this month seem to have struck many as being specially interesting. One of our ablest and best ministers in Southern Georgia writes us: “I am delighted with the improvement of the Index. Believe you will make it a grand success.” If the brethren will urge their peo ple to subscribe for it, we will make it far better than it is. Our Life.—Believers live for God because they live with Him. They live with God because they live in Him. They live in God because He (not merely gives but) is himsef their only life. GATHERED AND CONDENSED. Furman University had enrolled, the past year, 153 students, two of whom are from Georgia. Rev. J. M. Wilbur, of Charleston, S. C., having recently graduated at the S. B. T. Seminary, goes July Ist to become assistant pastor of Dr. F. M. Ellis, Eutah Place Church, Balti more. Rev. B. P. Robertson, who grad uated on the second instant at the Seminary, Louisville, has married and settled down in his new pastor ate at Gaffney City, S. C. Dr. J. William Jones address be fore the Adelphian and Philosophi.au Societies, is very highly commended. His subject was “The Men we Need for the Present Times.” He said the great need of the times was men —not dudes, apes or drones, but real living, active moving men. The speech was appropriate and prac tical. Rev. D. F. Manly, Dumplin, Tenn., writes to the Reflector, that he found the session of tho Southern Baptist Convention in Atlanta, an excellent school for country pastors. Wheth era pastor is a delegate or not he should attend at his own cost rather than miss them. “J. D. C.” writing to the New York Examiner of “Mercer Universi ty Commencement,” twits the Board of Trustees for giving the title of D. D. to three of their own number. He says; “In this action only the board lay themselves open to criti cism.” The Rev. W. S. Rainsford, rector of the St. George’s Church, New York, has startled the public with a conviction on his part that the whis ky traffic can never be put down and hence he proposes that a system of competition be set up by the churches. He regrets that he has not the money to start a saloon after his idea. He would not sell whisky, but only beer, light wines, coffee and chocolate. He proposes to advo cate this system and that members of the churches conduct these saloons. Now that he has proposed the sa loon, we await the action of his con gregation. Dr. J. C. Hiden has accepted the call to Grove Avenue Church, Rich mond, Va., and will take up the work August Ist. The Herald reports a Virginia pastor as saying: “I came back from the Convention meetings in Atlanta feeling more than ever before the importance of Virginia Baptists look ing after their own State Work.” A similar opinion we have heard ex pressed by more than one of ouj Georgia brethren about our work in Georgia. Rev. C. W. Minor’s address is now Milledgeville, instead of Macom Ga. The corresponding secretary’ of the State Board, has arranged with Rev. A. B. Vaugh, Jr.,of Canton andßev, A. H. Mitchell, pastor of the Third Church, Atlanta, to spend much, if not all their time, during the month of July in preaching in the moun tains of North Georgia. This is ex cellent work, in which great good can be accomplished. The secretary has secured the services of two ad mirable men, and we look for good results. Rev. J. A. Wynn, pastor at Mariet" ta, wears one of the happiest counten ances of any minister we know. The pick and shovel, and the mule and the dirt cart, make a busy scene, on one of the most accessible as well ad beautiful lots for a church in Mariet ta. Brother Wynn and his people are so in love with each other, aud with the Lord that they’ will soon have a house of worship that would reflect credit upon any community. The building will be strongly framed and then ' venerred with beautiful Si Georgia marble. It will be both durable and handsome. ATLANTA BAPTISTS. _ Pastor Hawthorne preached at the First Church and received three by letter. At Second Church pastor McDon ald preached to a fair house. At Third Church pastor Mitchell preached in the morning and at Pied mont place at night, Rev. Ashby Jones at night. At the Central Rev. A. B. Vaughn of Canton, preached morning and night. Two baptized and two re ceived by letter. Meetings will con tinue through the week, prospect good. Rev. E. 11. Walker preached at East point Friday night and Sunday night at Numans. Pastor Sublett preached to his people at Capitol Avenue Misssion. Congregations increasing. Dr. J. William Jones attended Centennial meeting at Childersburg, preached and took collection for missions. After preaching at Madison all the week, pastor Jameson preached Sunday to his people at West End. Pastor Stephens preached Sunday night at North Atlanta Mission. Pastor Oxford preached at Ira Street Mission and baptised one. Pastor Norcross preached to his people at the Fifth and baptized two.' I Rev. A. B. Vaughn, of Canton, re ported his church in good condition. Dr. Hatcher preached at Sylvester for pastor Hornady, who is improv ing in health and desires all the breth ren pray that be may be able to speak again. At the Sixth pastor Sisk preached and extended the hand of fellowship to 22 members received during the late meetings. By the aid of breth ren Mitchell, Lumpkin, Walker and Sublett, he ordained two deacons Wednesday night. To Sunday-Scbool Teachers! _ By joining the S. 8. TEACHERS’ CLUB. Volume 11. of New Testament, BUTLER BI BLE-WOUK. containing lessons on Acts, for IKB-3. Will lie sent postpaid for S2(or halt price.) "A perfect gold mine for 8. 8. Teach or*.”—Dr, T. L. CnjTer, Mail money order at once to BUTLER BIBLE WORK COMPANY, 23junelin SS Bible House, New York City. UfEC| EVAN FEMALn nsTiTrrn nwwiHß Staunton, Virginia. Opens Sept. 22,1W2. Ono of tl>« mostthor ougli Schools for Young Ladles In the South. Twenty-five Machers and officers. Conserva tory Course In Music. One hundred and fifty- . twohonrdfng pupils from twenty States. Cli mate unexcelled. Special Inducements to persons nta distance. Tho-eseeking the best School for the la west terms, write for Cata logue of this time-honored School, to tho President, UM. A.RABBIS, D. D-.btaaatos.Va.