The Christian index. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1892-current, July 28, 1892, Image 1

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Many good and strong things were said in be half of During the Session of the Southern Baptist Convention. Subscribe to and read the Christian Index, if you would keep informed. ESTABLISHEDIB‘V> ©lie diristiatt j. c. McMichael, proprietor. Organ of the Baptist Denomination in Georgia. Published Every Thursday at 57'4 S. Broad Street, Atlanta, Ga. Subscription Price : One copy, one year * 2 00 One copy, six months 1.00 One copy, three months 60 Obituaries.—One hundred words free of charge. For each extra word, one cent per word, casli 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 ot 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. Remittancks by check preferred; or regis tered letter, money Order, postal note. We are glad to learn that Prof. Kerfoot’s now famous Philadelphia address is soon be published. Then we shall see what all that noise was about. Meantime, we are perfectly confident that Prof. Kerfoot has said nothing the consequence of which he is not willing to face. He spoke advisedly and with delibera tion, and he is too strong and well balanced a man to have done the foolish thing some people would have us belive. Wednesday last witnessed two important political incidents. In our own State, a political body, known as the representatives of the “Peo ple^-Party” put in nomination a full ticket for State house officers from Governor down. Early in August the Democratic party will nominate a ticket. The second incident of the day was the formal official announce ment to Grover Cleveland and Adlai Stephenson of their nomination for the Presidency and Vice-Presidency by the Notional Democratic conven tion at Chicago. Both accepted in short speeches outlining the issues of the coming contest. The first annual convention of the Baptist Young People’s Union of America at Detroit Michigan was well attended. There were about four thousand representatives pres ent. The South has not enlisted in this movement as has the East and West. The following was adopted: “Whereas, Two thirds of the Bap tists of the United States live in the South; and “Whereas, Only three Southern States have State Unions of Baptist Young People; therefore be it “Resolved, That the Board of Managers of the Baptist Young Peo ples Union of America is hereby re quested to give an earnest consider ation to the question of putting in the field for the whole or a part of his time, an acceptable man as Dis tricet Secrtary for the South. Christian father and mother, have you seriously thought of praying the Lord that your son might be called into the ministry? What greater honor could God bestow up on you than to anoint one of your children for the work of preaching the gospel? What wider or more inviting field of permanent useful ness could be found than this? It may not be wisest to talk to the boy himself about becoming a minister unless he first broaches the subject, but you are entirely safe and certain ly within the bounds of duty in ear nestly inquiring of the Lord. Some body's sons must enter the ever thinning ranks of gospel preachers why not yours ? At any rate, take the question to the Lord, in the se cret place of your own soul, and hear what he will say. THE B. Y. P. U, A. These letters stand for the “Bap tist Young People’s Union of Amer ica,” the latest alphabetical society of our brethren in the North. It grew out of the Y. P. S. C. E., or the “Young People’s Society of Chris tian Endeavor,” an undenomina tional offspring of New England par entage. Hundreds of these societies had found their way among the young people of the Baptist church es, and many thoughtful pastors saw danger in the movement. Hence the birth of the B. Y. P. U. A. This is distinctively Baptist. Its motto is “Loyalty to Christ in all things at all times.” It aims to develop the young people not only in Christian activity but it also seeks to indoc trinate them in our peculiar tenets ss Baptists. The President, Mr. Chapman, and the Corresponding if Ijrfetian Ra /n^ cst Secretary, Rev. F. L. Wilkins, D. D., were in attendance upon the Con vention in Atlanta, and -were form ally welcomed—each briefly address ing the body. It is not our purpose in this article to discuss the merits of this new candidate for denomina tional recognition. We may have something to say along that line later on. Just now we wish to call attention to a symposium—we use the wofd for want of a better and because it seems to have become fully naturalized—which we find in a recent issue of the Standard, of Chicago. That enterprising paper sent a circular to many ministers in all sections of the country, asking two questions, viz.: 1. What benefit has your church received from the society, and 2. What changes would you suggest to make it more effi cient? There are responses from probable half a hundred brethren. Those from the North are generally favorable, though here is one that is short if not sweet: We have no experience with the B. Y. P. U. We have a very effi cient Y. P. S. C. E., and as its work work is so eminently satisfactory, our young people and our church prefer to retain it. M. G. Hodge, Janesville, Wis. Rev. J. C. Maple, D. I)., a South ern man, now pastor in Keokuk* lowa, has a good word for the so ciety : To all those who have joined the society and attended the meetings,the young people’s movement has proved a decided benefit. (1) They are studying the Bible more. (2) They are more helpful in the Sunday school. (3) They are more active in the prayer-meeting and all de partments of church work. (4) They are learning more of the great work the Lord is doing through the mis sionary societies. These young peo ple are becoming more the joy and strength of the pastor. The church finances were never so prosperous and satisfactory to the entire church as now. Rev. Joseph K. Dixon, of Phila delphia, is almost as terse and un complimentary as Dr. Hodge: 1. No influence. 2. Less strife along denomina tional lines, and greater loyalty to the Christian Endeavor idea. Perhaps the Philadelphia pastor is afraid his young people will be come fixed in their Baptist faith. Judging from a recent letter rom Mr. Dixon, in the Exam iner, we are compelled to look on him as wholly out of place in any Baptist pulpit. Rev. J. W. Ford, I). 1)., of the Second Church, St. Louis, says: The only change I would suggest lies in the direction of greater spirit uality. Nothing else can preserve extra-ecclesiastical movements from harmful influence. Rev. S. H. Greene, D. D., of Washington city, seems to find in the movement the very things Dr. Ford desires: • Our organization of young people is on the Christian Endeavor plan and has been the best plan yet tested; I am delighted thus far with results: Increase of attendance, enthusiasm, spirituality, bunolence and denomi tional loyalty. Here is another note of discord in the chorus of praise. Rev. Johnston Myers, the leading Baptist pastor in Cincinnati, speaks: 1. We have not received any ben efit so far as I know, either directly or indirectly, from the Baptist Young People’s Union. 2. I suggest that the Union be more definite. What is it for? What do they expect from those who wish to become a part of it? If there is a call for the movement let only young people belong to it, and let some body start a Baptist Old People’s Union for those of forty and up wards. Dr. T. T. Eaton and his good sister would shout over that The notorious Justin D. Fulton puts the Union kindly, but sends a shot into it, nevertheless: The young people’s movement in our denomination, as elsewhere, has been of service in that it has caused the young people to recognize their responsibility to God and a lost world. Let the young men lead and let the young women recognize man as the head of the Christian home. Dr. Fulton still has some respect for Paul! There are few responses from Southern pastors. Rev. F. M. Ellis, D. D., of Baltimore, is not enthusias tic: I really have no opinion on the two questions suggested, for I con fess I don’t know. But lam not so sure of the wisdom of making anoth er collecting agency of the B. Y. P. ATLANTA, GA., THURSDAY. JULY 28, 1892. U., or that it is just the thing to launch another newspaper to claim the subscription of our people when there are so many other urgent causes requiring prompt and gener ous aid. Rev. Geo. B. Eager, D. D., of Montgomery, Ala., is one of the ed itors of the Young People’s Union” and he has this to say: 1. The “present young people’s movement” is in its infancy in our State and has not taken decided hold, so it is hardly fair for us to pass judgment on it. 2. In order for it to “take” with our people and have the sympathy and support of our churches, it must show itself to be friendly to the in terests and autonomy of “the local church” and loyal to Pauline teach ing. Georgia sent only two responses. Dr. Lansing Burrows writes favora bly: 1. The young people’s movement, so far as my church is concerned, is an inestimable blessing, and has proven so directly. It affords a scope for work formerly denied to young and immature Christirns, and serves as a valuable factor in their educational development. Their touch upon the Sunday-school and mission work, as well as upon the prayer-meeting has been electric, and new avenues of efficiency and usefulness have been opened in way side missions, sick visitations, Bible readings among the poor and in so cial greetings to young strangers. 2. The changes in methods, in my opinion must come with the growth of possibilities and be determined by the special environments which are not the same in all parts of the coun try. 'Die Cartersville, Ga., pastor will close the symposium: 1. The young people’s movement has not to any appreciable extent tak en hold in the South, and therefore 1 see no service that it has rendered our young people in this section. We have young people’s societies, but they are altogether local in their relations. The Sunday-school is pre-eminently our young people’s so ciety. 2. First of all they must not be left wholly to the young people; they should be under the control and guidance of the churches. Then the idea of separation from the regular prayer-meeting of the church must be discouraged; they ought to be in that meeting. "AS UNKNOWN YET WELL KNOWN.” There is much suggestiveness in the outline-portrait of two Christians of the first age, which the apostle Paul, with a few strokes of the pen cil, sketches in his second letter to the Corinthians. Os course, this suggestiveness lies largely in what we are told about them; but, per haps, it lies still more in what we are not told. We will glance at both the sacred writers speech and si lence. These two were messengers of the churches. They were chosen from among their brethren—chosen by their brethren—to accomplish a special mission. This unfettered, fraternal suffrage rested on confi dence in their piety and integrity. “The jury of the vicinage” gave its verdict in their favor. Those who knew them most thoroughly trusted them most entirely. They were held to be possessors of that love out of a pure heart and a good conscience and a faith unfeigned” which is the end of every commandment in Scrip ture. This suffrage was the recog nition also of personal qualifications for the task committed to their hands. For in the New Testament from first to last we trace this ideal: a work for every man, and every man with a gift (or shall we say a grace?) for his work. The nullifications of these two were diverse and yet complemental. They were fitted to work in different ways and yet to work together, each doing what he could and what the other could not. For this confluence of efforts, this flowing of separate personal labors unto the unity of a single result, is an other ideal moot ing us everywhere in the Now Tes tament. One of them was endowed with marked capabilities for public speech. “His praise in the gospel” is an expression importing that ho gave himself to the proclamation of the gospel, to its advocacy, to its de fense, and that his work on this lino won for him approval and applause. He was an orator like Appollos; “an eloquent man and mighty in the Scriptures.” Ho had power to se cure attention, to handle interest, to evoke and to guide inquiry, to en force conviction of the truth. On his lips, Christian doctrine, Christian ex perience, Christian duty became a light to the understanding, clearing away the mists of doubt and igno rance ; a fire in the heart, melting down all the barriers of inward op position, that the currents of affec tion, might flow heavenward un checked ; a law to the conscience, shaping the life according to the good and acceptable and perfect will of God” and moulding the character af ter the image of Christ. What his special type of eloquence was, we know not; but we know that the praise it elicited spread “throughout all the churches,” —a fact proving that it was no shallow thing, no mere “sensation.” The specialty of the other was work; an humbler quality than ora tory as men regard it, but, perhaps more vital; for the cause of Christ has often gone forward without ora tors, but nfcver without workers- This man had been put to the proof “at many times” and “in many things” always making manifest his diligence earnestness and zeal. He was averse from no work that came within the power of his hand, and effective in every work of which that hand took hold. How unlike each other were the two ; and yet how necessary to each other; how sure to reap larger issues of good because they wrought together! 'The special mission of the two made them sharers with the apostle, in his personal labors for the accom plishment of an important Christian enterprise. They had already trav elled with him through the churches of Macedonia, and they now traveled in advance of him to the churches of Achaia. This distinguished honor was conferred on them by the voice of their brethren, indeed, for the apostles ruled the churches largely by teaching them to rule themselves in preparation for the time when men with the gift of inspiration and with the authority which that gift imparts should no longer granted by Christ 'o hi.-, people. But the breth ren in conferring the honor, acted with the concurrence, acted at the suggestion of the apostle himself, lie belonged to the inner select cir cle of disciples who had been em powered to bind on earth what shall be bound in heaven and to loose on earth what shall be loosed in heaven. But he looked across the wide inter val which this power placed between him and the mass of believers, looked on those two, saw their capacity for work; provided for them a sphere of working; shared with them a sphere which he had chosen for his own ; and sought by warm commen dation to secure their acceptance and success in that sphere. An example that ft of the fraternal spirit, the freedom from rivalry and jealousy, the active helping, which ought to bind all workers for Christ together, no matter what dirisive influences may threaten to drive them apart. 'i’he Christian enterprise in which the two were associated with the apostle was one that marked, if it did not make an epoch in human his tory ; one giving evidence that when the gospel was preached among the nations, as there came with it a new and spiritual fatherhood of God, there also came a new and spiritual brotherhood of man. The saints in Judea’were poor, partly because in the marts of business the most of their people shunned them as apos tates from the faith of the fathers, partly because of the frequent out bursts of local persecution a common feature was “the spoiling of their goods.” Paul, summoning to his aid the spirit of brotherhood in the gos pel, sought to gather from the more prosperous Gentile churches gifts and offerings to supply this grievous des titution. The Corinthian Christians had been “forward” a year before to put their shoulders to the burden. But Paul deemed it proper to make the fregh appeal of the present epis tle to them. He would stir them to generous, godly emulation by the ex ample of the less wealthy Macedo nian churches, “the fullness of whose joy overflowed out of the depth of their poverty, in the riches of their liberality.” He recalled their debt of love to“ Christ, who, though he was rich yet for our sakes became poor, that we through his poverty might be rich.” And he sent the two, the enkindling orator to arouse their love to ardor and sacrifice, and the “practical man” to guide this sacrifice and ardor to the best form and lar gest effect of their offering. Ah, in these matters of giving, the liberal and the willing may well be urged! No good and wise measure should suffer for lack of adequate appeal. The high need of commendation which the apostle, as we have seen, bestowed on the two, he raised to a niche still higher by saying of them what without his authority, we would hesitate to say of any human bein g. Christ was “the brightness of the Father’s glory,” and Paul tells us that these two were “the glory of Christ.” They were the manifesta tion of his glory, for the excellen cies which purified and hallowed their lives were fruits of his truth and grace and in the shining of these excellencies his glory shone—his glory as the Author of the New Creation of the Soul of Man in righteousness, knowledge and the holiness of truth. To see them was in some sort as though we saw Christ himself. And after all, this Christ-likeness is the New Testa ment ideal of Christian character, an ideal to be realized in all the “be lieving and beloved,” here or hereaf ter. Are we struggling toward it daily? Who, then, were the two? Strange to say, we do not know, we are not told. They are left on the sacred page nameless. To our mind, this is one of the most surprising among all minor matters in the New Testa ment. Surely, the Spirit must have expressly restrained Paul’s pen from writing their names, or else he could not have failed to write them. The reasons for this unexpected and astonishing silence are unknown to us, but without affecting to spy them out, we may find suggestions in it not devoid of profit. The character of the two is deli neated, their names are suppressed. So we learn that, at the core and heart of things, “Who are we?” is a question scarcely worth the asking or the answering; the question of questions, the one only question that must needs be asked and answered is, “What are we?’’ It is character that moulds destiny. Character is destiny. No less plain is this lesson: Am bition to have our name linked with the part we perform in furthering the cause of Christ on the earth, is a weakness not to say a wickedness,un worthy of us. It is the work that counts and tells, not the worker. If the work of God is not really done, if his glory is manifested, if the Church enlarges her borders and mul tiplies her conquests, if the kingdom of grace gets itself more and more in readiness for the coming of the King in his glory, if souls are saved and sanctified, beyond all question, this is joy enough, even though our names drop away out of human sight in connection with it. There have been thousands of these lost names in every age, names of saints who wrought for the race in working for the Savior of the race, and who handed down to us the heritage of truth and grace through which we live for Christ and shall reign with him, and yet names that we have never heard and never can hear in the present life. Doubtless, all of the Eleven wrought toward the pub lication of the gospel among men, under the great commission given by their Lord, doubtless, they brought forth fruit and their fruit remained, according to his promise. But neither in Scripture nor in history is there the slightest trace touching the names of the majority of the Eleven with any field into which they entered, or with any labor of theirs performed in that field, or with any triumphs of grace crowning that labor. Shall we grieve, then, if dark eclipse falls on our names as it fell on theirs? That eclipse is not total. Its darkness spreads “under these whole heavens,” in deed, but not in the heaven of heavens. Oh, no, not there. The names unknown on earth, shine none the less brightly now on high, because oblivious clouds cut off their beams from dwellers in the flesh. The two mourn not, because their names found no mention in Paul’s epis tle. And that eclipse will end one day. One day the silence as to each work er’s name will give place to speech, the Father's speech of recognition and love. One day the names of these two will bo as well-known as the name of Paul who sent them to Corinth, or the name of Titus who was sent with them. If we are workers for Christ, let our sphere be never so obscure and our efforts never so humble, let bad men despise and traduce us and even good men forget us as they may, the Christ whom we serve shall, one day, take our names upon his lips with approv al and affection, and all men shall hear, giving us the honor our Master gives us. For that day we can well afford to wait. Continued from July 21st. THE LORD’S DAY. We have already found that the first day of the week, called also “the Lord’s day,” was set apart, by divine authority, as the Christian’s religious day. We now reach the question to wards'which we have been making progress from the beginning of this discussion. It may be thus stated : now SHALL THE LORD’S DAY BE 08. SERVED? Now, we know, that many of the most learned, pious and devoted ex positors, commentators and divines have held and taught, that the obli gations imposed upon the Jews, by the fourth commandment, in respect to the “Sabbath of the Lord,” were imposed upon Christians, under the Gospel, in respect to the Lord’s day. Hence it has been called, throughout our religious literature, “the Chris tian Sabbath ;” and it has been held that we are bound to observe it, in the same sense and in the same way, that the Jews were required to ob serve the seventh day of the week, — save only in the ■ matter of literal sacrifices. But it has been shown that the New Testament affords no evidence whatever to support this view ; but on the contrary, the efforts of the Judaizing teachers to impose upon the Gentile Christians the burdens of the Jewish ritual, were efftutually opposed by the Apostles, and espe cially by Paul, who declared, that “the hand-writing of ordinances,” of which he mentioned especially “the Sabbath days” as a part, “was “blot ted out,” being “nailed to the (Sa vior’s) cross.” (See Col. 2 :13-IG.) And our brother Dobbs, of Carters ville, in his excellent treatise, to which I have already alluded in a former article, clearly shows that the early fathers were utterly op posed to transferring the require ments of the Jewish Sabbath to our Lord’s day. Hence, it is manifest, that the view above set forth as held by modern writers, finds no support in Script ure or in history before the fourth century. The Lord’s day, as Dr. Dobbs has noticed is no where called, in the New Testament, a Sabbath, It seems to me, therefore, that the New Testament idea of the Lord’s day is, that it was established, by di vine authority, as the Christian’s re ligious days, upon which they should render to God special worship and service. And whatever rest, or sus pension of labor, might attend its observance, was merHy inciden tal, and not a constituent element of the worship. In favor of this view of the Lord’s day, it may be noticed, in addition to all that has been said, that it places the Lord’s day in perfect harmony with the nature of Christ’s kingdom. His “kingdom is not of this world.” It is pre-eminently a spiritual king dom. Its subjects do not come into it by natural birth ; but by that new birth, of which God is the author, by the direct agency of His Holy Spirit, through tho instrumentality of His divine truth. Its dominion is over the affections of the human heart; and its design is to lift those affections from the things of earth, up to tho things in Heaven; and thus to build up, in its subjects, a character which shall reflect, once more, the likeness of God. How completely, then, is tho Lord’s day, —a day set apart for the worship of God, —in harmony with the spiritual kingdom 1 Remember, true wor ship means tho developcment of right affections towards God. The Savior taught this, in bis conversa tion with the woman at tho well. He said : “God is a spirit, and they that worship Him, must worship Him in spirit and in truth.” This dictum of the Savior was tho death knoll of tho Jewish ritual; for it Brother Minister, Working Layman, Zealous We are striving to make □?lie Index the best of its kind. Help us by securing a new subscriber. VOL. 69.—N0. 30. means that true worship must be in the heart, —in the affections, —and not in forms or in ritualistic ceremonies. Again, this view of the Lord’s day, gives it to us, not as a galling yoke, with its heavy burden; but as an easy yoke and a light burden. Its only requirement is to worship the Father in spirit and in truth. Nay, it should not be regarded as making a requirement. It is rather design ed to afford a God given opportuni ty or season for doing wlat the lov ing soul delights to do. Jesus understood the conditions of human life, and the weakness of human nature. He, Himself had, taught “that men ought always to pray and not to faint.” And it is also true, that in His sight, all days are alike,—no one, more sacred than another; and that whenever and wherever one pleases, he may “come boldly to the throne of Grace, that he may obtain mercy, and find grace to help him in every time of need.” But the Savior knew, that amidst the cares, perplexities, and anxieties of our daily and lawful business, it would be very difficult, if not impos sible, continuously, to “worship the Father in spirit and in truth.” Very few brains are able to pursue two different lines of thought, at one and the same time. It w r as to meet these conditions of our lives, and this weakness of our nature, that tho Lord’s day was established for the use of God’s people under the Gos pel. We can w’ell imagine with what joy the primitive saints wel comed its dawn. It brought to them the opportunity to turn th a full tide of their affections towards’ God and their great Redeemer.. True happiness, in its last is the indulgence of one’s love. This principle is illustrated through all grades of intelligent beings, from the nursery, up to the highest Heav en. God Himself finds, perhaps, His highest happiness in the exercise of His communicative goodness, where by He indulges His love for tho workmanship of His. hands. Now, it is in worship, that the saint can in dulge the very highest and purest love that has ever warmed a human heart. And our Savior has given special day for the exercise of this worship,—the day on which ho rosa, from the dead ; at first it was called “the first day of the week,” but such was its blessedness, it was not long before it was enobled with the title of “The Lord’s Day.” It was the day for the coming together of the saints that they might exercise them selves in special worship. We learn that these exercises included songs of praise and thanksgiving, words of prayer and supplication, and publio addresses designed to interest and to comfort the people, and sometimes to persuade unbelievers to accept the Gospel. But these assemblies were doubly iniexv-ting because Je sus had a standing engagement to meet with them whenever they should come together in his name. Common pastors and preachers some times fail to meet their appointments • but the great shepherd and Bishop of our souls will never miss his ap pointment to meet with those that assemble in his name. There is no place on this earth so near Heaven as the place where the saints are met to worship the Father in Spirti and in truth. Does not Paul mean Christian assemblies, in Eph. 2 :6» where he speaks of our being “made to set together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus ?” Where else can these “Heavenly places” be found on earth, if not in our religious assem blies ? So it is not strange that some writer has said, that our Sun day “is the sweetest day of all the seven.” And it is not without its rest. While its spiritual thought is wor ship, and while this fulfils its chief design, yet it is true, that whoever devotes the Lord’s day to worship in the public assemblies, in the home* and in the closet, will, as a matter of course, suspend his usual occupation. If this is not commanded, neither is it forbidden. So it comes to pass, that the Lord’s day, when rightly observed, brings comfort, peace and joy to the spirit, and rest to the care-worn and the weary. S. G. IIILLYEB. 73 Wheat Street. Millen is now having its third ar tesian well bored. These wells art a great blessing to South Georgia towns.