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Many good and strong things were said in be half of missions During the Session of the Southern Baptist Convention. Subscribe to and read the Christian Index, if you would keep informed. ESTABLISHED 1821. ®lte ffihristiun4ntlrx Published Every Thursday at 57% 8. Broad Street. Atlanta. Ga. J. c. McMichael, pbopkiktob. Organ of the Baptist Denomination in Georgia. Subscription Pbicb : One copy, one year • 2.00 One copy, six months 1.00 One copy, three months 50 Obituabibs.—One hundred words free of charge. For each extra word, one cent per word. <*sh with copy. To Correspondents.—Do not use abrevla tiops; bo 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 o.d as well as the new address. The date or 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; or regis tered letter, money order, postal note. Our Missouri brethren have only themselves to blame if they ever find that their theology is not in an appetising condition. Thr rare six Cooks among the men whose func tion it is to feed the flock, among them, while down here in Georgia we have only one. Os course, less raw or spoilt food ought to fall to their lot than to ours. We hardly think that the Jamaica preacher lighted on a happy form of expression for the New Testament doctrine of “ singlenesse of ye,” when he spoke of “the definite aim and . conscious one-eyed purpose.” But we do think that the International Dictionary might have given us the meaning of the phraze “single eye,’* even at the cost of sacrificing the obvious phraze “half an eye,” or the obsolete phrase “ single drink.” Importers of day goods in New York have more and more of late years employed women as buyers in the European markets. Every house of importance now has one; some have three or four. Has there been a corresponding improvment, as to quality and tastefulness, in purchases for female dress and per sonal and household decoration ? There mjist have been, if we are cor rect in our persuasion that the Crea tor meant women to be the attractive sex, and therefore endowed her with instincs fitting her to judge more wisely or shrewdly than man as to the means of preserving and utiliz ing that heritage of attraction. But we are willing to hear the testimony of facts on the case. “In Earth as it is in Heaven.” In a recent essay on “The Study of the English Bible as a Classic,” Prof. Moulton of Cambridge, En gland, says a word incidentally on the interpretation of the Lord’s prayer. He dissents from most of those who repeat the prayer in pub lic, and who make the first half of it a series of disconnected petitions, and proposes to bring out the true sense by arranging that half in what ,he styles “an envelope figure;” that is, in this way:— “Our Father which art in Heaven; Hallowed be thy name, Thy Kingdom come. Thy will be done, In earth as it is in Heaven,” “It is thus obvious,” he continues, “that the three petitions, and not the first only, are to be connected with the opening and closing lines, and the sense is: Hallowed be thy name in earth as it is in heaven, Thy kingdom come in eatth as it is in heaven, Thy will be done in earth as it is in Heaven.” There have been many attempts at conjuration with the literary par allelisms of scripture, as bringing out deeper aspects of the truth than lie on the surface; and this is one of them. How far it may or may not be successful we do not care to decide ; but one thing is cer tain, whether the interpretation is right or wrong, the sentiments em bodied in it are saintly and are scrip, tural. Whether it be Faith or Hope or Love that comes to sit and sing in the heart, as its chorister to the Lord, what a fit refrain for all its songs is furnished by the the words, “In earth as it is in Heaven. A QUARTER OF A MILLION. To many of us, the recent prize fight in New Orleans, between the Irish-Americans, has been a surprise, a sorrow and a shame. It augurs badly for the civilization of our people, and still worse for their Christianity. But we do not pro pose to discuss it here and now: a f nhet brief reference to its financial as pect will suffice us. It is held as a fair and moderate estimate, that the profits accruing from all quarters to the winner of the prize will reach the sum of SIOO,OOO. When we re member how, through all the cities of our land money was wagered on the issue of the combat and how largely the odds were laid in favor of the one who proved to be the loser thus augmenting the loss, it looks like an estimate ridiculously low, that $150,000 more changed hands in this way. Here, then, we have at least a quarter of a million expended by this world, on a single occasion of what they call amuse ment. And shall there be any to doubt, or demur, or drone of difficulty and denial, when the Southern Baptsti Convention asks that in this Centen nial Mission year its constituents shall give for the permanent work of the Home and Foreign Boards a quarter of a million? The contribu tors and losers of money in the mat ter of the prize fight were fewer in number than the Baptists who have authorized the Convention to speak for them, and we cannot feel as if it were uncertain whether these Bap tists will meet the call. No, breth ren, there is no such word as failure here in your lexicon any more than in ours. OUE DEBT TO THE DUTCH. In all literature there is nothing more mutable than History, and we have frequent examples of its liabili ty to change when we least expect them. The most recent of these is “An Introduction to American His tory” by Douglas Campbell, from the press of the Harpers. We learn this volume that onr people as a people are indebted for the princi ples of human freedom and the in stitutions that embody them, not to England and the Anglo-Saxon, but to Holland and the Dutchman. The story as he tells it, may be retold shortly. There was a time when the Netherland Republic, “in general civilization, in agriculture, manufactures, commerce, art, educa tion, and all ideas of cost and reli gious liberty, stood more than a cen tury in advance of the rest of Eu rope.” It was at such a time that the Puritans, seeking shelter from persecution under Mary and Eliza beth, came into contact with politi cal institutions more in harmony with human rights, and fell in love with them, which love, on their re turn to England, became a mighty leaven in the minds of men. When this influence was at its height, the colonies were founded, in whose his tory we find many traces of it. And then the “Pilgrim Fathers” came to the settlement of New England fresh from a sojourn of twelve years in Holland, while New York and New Jersey were settled directly by the Dutch themselves. Looking over the whole colonial history, North and South, the author makes bold to say : “Scarcely any of our institutions are of English origin,” which sounds very like a new thing under the sun, and yet may for all that be a true thing. Here is, in brief, a separate line of historical proof. The legal reforms proposed by Sir Matthew Hale, as chairman of the Committee on that subject raised by the English parlia ment under the Commonwealth were “borrowed almost exclusively from the jurisprudence of Holland, which was itself the inheritor of Roman law as well as of Roman civil insti tutions.” Through Netherland in fluence America adopted them well nigh in their entirety, and so “Amer ica has been the leader and not the follower in all matters of legal re form in the English-speaking world.” A fact this strongly undergirding the writer’s view, if it be indeed a fact • but we leave that question to men learned in the law. Whether we owe this national debt to the Dutch or not, Baptists are on their books in away that calls for repayment in gratitude and reverence. Our English fathers of the sixteenth century found retreat in “the low country” from foes that sought their freedom and their life ; found there, too, brethren in the faith of “the Baptized Churches of Jesus Christ,” from whom, per chance, to our benefit as their suc cessors, they learned the way of the Lord more perfectly. Whatever difficulty we may encounter in trac- ATLANTA, GA., THURSDAY. SEPTEMBER 22, 1892. ing our “succession” historically’ there can be no doubt as to the Dutch link of that day, nor as to our heritage of profit from it. Early in the sixteenth century, according to an official report to the Emperor Charles V, quoted by Buckle, “in Holland and Friesland (the two Netherland provinces) more than thirty thousand persons suffered death at the hands of justice for Anabaptist errors,” and, as Dr. Rule expresses it, “the very air was pollu ted with the stench, and the knell of doom sounded heavily from every belfry.” These suffering saints be ing the historical (as distinguished from the divine) trinity of our faith> the Word of Christ, the Church of Christ, and Christ Himself, more than fifteen ages nearer to us than the apostolic times 1 Would our heritage of profit be less genuine or less great if the channel of human instrumentality along which it flow ed could be traced by our eyes no further back than this martyr-sea son, when “the hounds bayed and the lions roared,” while Christian women, with locked hands, sang the praises of God as they walked to the stake, and gave each other the kiss of peace, and prayed for the men whose cruelty wrought their shame and torture ? Wo think not. ESCHATOLOGY. BY 8. G. HILL YER. Eschatology is derived from two Greek words. It is used to denote all that we know concerning the Judgement day. For our know ledge upon this subject we are in debted to the Bible and to it alone. In treating the subject, then, it will help us to notice briefly what the Bible says about it. In the book of Ecclesiastes, Solo mon says: “For God shall bring every work into Judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good or whether it be evil.” Eccl. 12:14, Jesus says, but I say unto you, that every idle word that me»- shull speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment,” Paul, in his speech at Athens, says: “For, he (God) hath appointed a day in which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man w hom he hath ordained; whereof he hath given assurance unto all men in that he hath raised him from the dead.” (See also Rom. 11:3.10. XIV :10. and Ist Cor. V :fi, also 2. Cor. V :10.) These scriptures distinctly foretell a com ing judgment. They make intellegi ble to us the Saviour’s wonderful parables as given in Matt. 25. The parable of the wise and foolish vir gins and of tho sheep and the goats. These would be almost un meaning to us except upon the hy pothesis of a Judgment day. But the most impressive account of tho last day we find in the closing chapters of John’s Revelation. The glowing terms, in which he describes it, would seem to make it the day for which all other days were made, —■ the day which shall fix forever the destiny of every human being. (See Rev. XX :12. But we may notice, in the next place, that tho New Testament con nects the resurrection of tho dead, and the final judgment so closely to gether, that both must stand or fall together. Jesus says: “Tho hour is coming, when all, that are in their graves, shall hear his voice, and shall come forth; they that have done good unto tho resurrection of life; but they that have done evil to tho resurrection of damnation.” These words distinctly associate the judg ment with tho resurrection. The words already quoted from Paul, Acts 17 :31st make the resurrection of Christ the proof of tho judgment. And, in Ist Cor. 15th chapter, he makes the resurrection of Christ, the pledge and prophecy of the final res urrection of all tho dead, lienee, it is clear, that the sacred writers do so associate the resurrection and tho judgment, that if the former bo granted the latter must also bo ac cepted. Therefore the doctrine of a general judgment is one of the fun damental doctrines of Christianity. Every argument which proves tho resurrection of Christ proves the resurrection of all mankind; and every argument to prove the resur rection of the dead proves also the certainty of a coming judgment. Such is briefly the scriptural view of tho subject. * Bdt, in addition to these explicit declarations of the Bible, there is an “apriori argumen in favor of a final judgment, which shows it to be both rational and probable. We know that there is, from some source, and some how, a moral gov ernment established over men. We know, that the head of this moral government, is not any one human being or any set of human beings. The consensus of all mankind, has been and, now is, that the head of this moral government must be some power above us, and that power is God. As the head of this moral government he must be a sovereign, a law giver and a judge. We would “a priori,” expect that this great sov ereign is too wise ever to make a mistake and too good ever too be unkind, and too holy ever to be un just. Therefore we expect, that this great ruler shall so manage his moral government as to vindicate the righteousness of his administration to all his intelligent creatures through out the universe. Now how stands the case? The sad annals of human history give us scarcely a page that is not blackened with crime. There is scarcely a league of land cn this great globe, that has not drank up blood, shed by a brothers hand. Who can count earth’s battle fields? who can num ber their slain?—tho victims of the sword, the spear or the musket. Then think of the oppression, the cruelty, the deception, the treachery that are found like lurking serpents all along the walks of social and public life. Mankind have felt these evils. They have sought to abate them, by establishing over themselves civil governments that they might repress the wrong doer. But in spite of their magistrates and their police, crime stalks abroad un abashed by shame and unwhipped of justice. . In the face of such facts as these, what shall we say? If there be, in deed, a power aN've us, who “de lights in virtue,’'' may we not antici 4»ate, “a prion,” fat&kaaOu vs all in formation, —nay, may we not hope, that that power shall, in some way and at some time, stretch forth his hand to vindicate the right, to pro tect tho just, and to visit upon the selfish and vile wrong doer a merited and adequate penalty? Retribution upon the guilty is demanded by the moral instincts of all mankind. This instinct is sometimes so strong that men will not wait tho slow process es of divine Providence, nor trust the uncertain tribunals of human laws ; but they often take the case into their own hand, and wreak a summary vengeance upon the guilty felon. True this is a lawless method of administering justice. It is itself an outrage. Nevertheless, it is a swift witness before the throne of God, that men do approve of the punishment of the wicked. This universal sentiment of man kind shows that man is, by the very constitution of his nature, a subject of moral government. But history and observation alike prove, that in the administration of this moral government here on earth, the wrong doer is not always punished, nor is the righteous man always rewarded. Hence some will say in their hearts, “it is vain to serve God: * * * and now we call the proud happy ; yea, they that work wickedness are set up; yea, they that tempt God are even delivered.” True, these words of the Prophet are given, not as the words of the righteous, but of the wicked. Nevertheless they express the judgment of the natural man concerning the moral government of God. And if we confine our view to its administration in the present life only, it would be difficult, if not impossible to justify it. It was this very difficulty which troubled David. He saw, but could not explain, the prosperity of the wicked. He says: “When I sought to know—(to un derstand) —this, it was too painful for me;” till I went into the sanctua ry of God ; then, understood I their end.” (Read Ps. 72nd.) By the “sanctuary of God” he meant no doubt, tho revealed religion which the sanctuary taught. And when ho said,“then understood I their end,” may wo not conclude, that in the light of the sanctuary and tho spirit of prophecy, ho caught a glimpse of a coming judgment? True, David’s view of it may have been dim—very incomplete, but it was sufficient to show him that there was away to solve his perplexities. When, therefore, Christianity camo -non -patu, and announced, in clear and distinct terms, that God has appointed a day in which he will judge the world in righteousness, and award to every man according to his deeds, wo can but feel that it is just what we might have expected in view of all the facts developed in the history of God’s moral government over men. And, therefore, faith in a coming judment is in the very highest de gree rational. Then, when we find that the certainty of this great event is verified to us by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, we are no longer able to question its reality. As already shown, every argument, whether based on objec tive testimony, or upon our subjec tive experience, that proves the re surrection of Christ, proves also the coming judgment. We know not the mode of its coming, we know not the glorious, and awful phenomena that may at tend it. And wo know not the time of its coming. It may be near, it may be remote; but it will come, “for we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ.” Then the ways of God towards man, shall be justified. Then, the mysteries of his providential and moral government here on earth, shall be explained, and then, the eternal sovereignty of God shall be vindicated in the justification of the righteous, and in the condemnation of the wicked. 73 Wheat street, Atlanta, Ga. MISS BEESIDES’FIRSTEXPERIENOE AMONG THE INDIANS. On August 31st, Mr. and Mrs. Mur row and I started for the Choctaw and Chickasaw Association, which was held with the Stony Creek Church about three miles from Red Oak. I had been in the territory only a week, and as this was my first In dian Association, I was glad to find it was to be at a full blood church. We took tho afternoon train for McAlester where we spent the night, and started for Red Oak in the morning. At many of the sta tions delegates joined our company ; white people, also Indians, with great bundles of bright quilts and blankets. When we reached Red Oak we found Indians waiting with wagons to take us to the church. Our wagon had no top and chairs had been placed in it. The first part of the journey was over a smooth prairie road, but it soon led into timber land and became very rough. The horses plunged on as though they were accustomed to stop, at nothing. Into ruts, over humps we went, now up on one side, now on the other, then through a creek where the water came up to the hubs of the wheels. I can as sure you it took some determination and action to keep ourselves from parting company with our chairs. But what a beautiful picture we saw when we reached the camp ground about the little church house of rough, unpainted boards, beside which was a high pole w ith a great bell at the top. It was a beautiful spot; down the hill the creek, from which the church is named, bubbled over its rocky bed ; the mountains rose with a protecting look, and over all was the soft blue sky. A large arbor had been made in which the meetings were to be held. Its pillars were young trees, and it was thatched with boughs of oak and maple. The Indians had gone into camp, and provided for our entertainment. There were about seven camps, each with its fire, whoso smoke curl ed through the warm, bright sun shine. Hugo iron kettles were up on the fires, and men and women were busy with tho cooking. They had built light structures of boards and logs. Here were cook stoves, pails, dishes and kitchen utensils, also tables where we were to eat. Near each of these, four posts, seven or eight feet high, were erected, with trimmed branches roof ing them, and upon these great sides of beef were lying, which yonng men with long, sharp knives wore busily stripping and cutting. Cone stoga wagons stood about, bright bed clothing hung from the branches of tho trees ; all about were ponies grazing, and saddles and bridles hanging. The dark skinned women in bright clothing were moving about; some had gold hoops in their eurs. The little black-eyed children played upon the ground, building houses with stones or blocks of kind ling wood or rolling over and over with the puppies. All day people came in wagons and upon horse-back, some of the Indians riding one hundred and twenty miles. The Indian women spread beds for us upon the floor of the church house, which had been scrubbed as clean as possible. Two bed-steads were set up, having been brought in wagons from some Indian home. The Indians and the men slept out of doors, and we w’omen in the beds on the floor. I awoke in the night and saw the starlight through the windows, and the camp-fires burning, and heard the tinkle of bells on the ponies. When the sun came over the mountain the big bell was rung, and after we had dressed and washed at the creek we all gathered in the arbor for prayer. The birds in the branches above our heads sang joy fully to their Maker, while we all knelt and prayers and hymns in Choctaw and English arose to our Father. After this we had breakfast, and how good these meals tasted! The meat cooked in iron kettles was tender and sweet; then there was “tahfulla” or corn pounded in a mor tar ; then a mixture of corn-meal and beans wrapped in corn husks and cooked, besides coffee. At other times we had chicken, pork and parched corn. All was as clean as any one could wish. The meetings began at ten o’clock, and they had a young Indian inter preter who filled the position admir ably. At noon time while the older peo ple were eating, Mrs. Murrow gath ered the children and had a meeting for them. The temperance song and lesson she taught, illustrated with colored charts interested them very much. The next day she ask ed me to take charge. I taught them the motion song : “I’ve two little hand's to work for Jesus” and gave them a lesson through an in terpreter, of what little people and little things could do for Jesus. There were about fifty children) and I never saw a more attentive little company. We must admit that reverence belongs to the Indians, and that their behavior in a place of wor ship, would be an example to many white people. Mrs. Murrow being President of the Womens’ Missionary Societies of the Association, called a womens’ meeting. There were old women who had loved the Savior many years, and young women with babies in their arms and little children clinging to their skirts. The letters were handed in from the societies. Those in Choctaw were interpreted in English and vice versa. The President of the society may have worn a green skirt, white waist, with strings of bright colored beads about her neck, and a yellow handkerchief over her head, but her letter, being interpreted, told of seven of these women meeting once a month, studying God’s Word, pray ing and singing, and I thought of how God looks upon the heart and not on the outward appearance, and that in the home above, her robe would be just like ours, “washed and made white in the blood of the Lamb.” Mrs. Murrow asked me to speak in the womens’ meeting. I told them how God had put the love for the Indians into my heart, and had spo ken to inc to go and help them, and how I had tried to interest the peo ple in the East in the work. For this reason I had left my home and friends many hundred miles away to go to the Kiowa and Com manchee Indians and tell them of the Savior. I asked them to pray or me in my work. Mrs. Murrow asked those who would promiss to pray for me to arise, and many did so, and after wards came in their noiseless way touching my arm and wishing to shake hands with me. These women gave twenty-five dollars to mission work. When we came away after our four days in camp, with the memory of their earnest prayers and beauti ful hymns, of their generosity in killing for us their best beeves and pigs and chickens; of spreading their best ruffled pillow-cases for Brother Minister, Working Layman, Zealous Sister, We are striving to make 'Tlie Index the best of its kind. Help us by securing a new subscriber. VOL. 69.-NO. 38. our use ; of the quilt they made and sold, giving the money to the Lord and the quilt to a pooq sick I say when I thought of all this, and that not many years ago these Indians were wild like thoso to whom I am going, I wondered how any one could say that there no use trying to do anything to help an Indian, and that they almost! doubted whether one could bo con verted ; yet these things have been said to me in the East. “O yo of little faith wherefore do ye doubt ?” And as I go to the uncultivated field, I wonder if I shall have faith enough to work earnestly, trusting that after years will bring the har vest that this work has. But the Master’s words come to me: “Accord ing to thy faith be it with thee, Said I not unto thee that if thou wouldstJ believe, thou shouldst see the glory of God ? All things are possible to him that bclieveth.” Lord increase our faith. Let us increase our works. Maryetta J. Reeside. ‘•AS YE HAVE - OPPORTUNITY, DO GOOD.” It is a vain thing to withhold pres ent benefaction in expectation of some better opportunity in the fu ture. A friend once refused us a thousand dollars for Foreign Mis* sions, because he expected “ to turn the thousand over” and give us two thousand the next year. Ho was a bankrupt before the “next” year. But, supposing greater ability in the future, the question is-What is the demand of the present ? Bread and meat and clothing are worth more to our missionaries now than con venient chapel, will be next year. Does any one ask: “Do our Mis sionaries lack food and raiment ?’’ They certainly would if they de pended on the churches to supply their necessities and they certainly will in a short time, if the churches do not send money to the Foreign Mission t t rev ,1 the $ 39. 000, they have borrowed to supply with other things this bread aiid clothing. Banks have no indefinite amounts of patience and any day the board may hear: “No more re newals of notes ; no more discounts.” What then as to the living of the missionaries? It is humbling to write this; but is not the truth more humbling? And serious minds be gin to inquire. Whether it might not be well for the board, instead of al lowing missionaries to draw upon the board in advance, to forbid all drawing on our Treasurer and to send money to the missionaries, as in other times when the churches send money to the board ? But will the churches face so retrograde a movement by their indifference and injustice? Will they not awake to the obligation upon them and do their duty to our missionaries and to the Cause of Christ they represent promptly and fully? If any have funds of the Lord to be given to foreign missions this Centennial year the board begs that they will not wait to give, but give now, and give to the support of the present work. It is mockery to talk of giving later for chapels anything else while there is now so pressing, so perishing need for money to keep the work alive. Without hesitation we jay that the Foreign Mission board prefer 8 50, 000 now for the support of their work rather than 8100.000, later for tho erection of chapels. They pre fer that at the end of the year, they shall have received 8 150. 000 for the support and enlargment of their work rather than that they shall have received only 8100,000 for this work ; and 8 100,000 for chapels and distribution of Bibles. Each contributor will exercise his personal judgment: but those who know best of the work urge thitt every dollar that can bo given now be given though there may not be a dollar more to give for the “ Permanent Fund”—This is to be wisely consid ered only after the current necessi ties of the work are satisfied. There is no wiser law than the law of necessity. So imperative is neces sity that it passed into an adage among tho ancients : There is no law to necessity—this is par amount to all else. The wise the needful thing, the thing of absolute necessity for Gods people to do for their For eign Mission work, is to send their fullest offerings Now as tho best pos sible, celebration of tho Centenary of the modern revival of Foreign Mis sion. H. A. Tupper. • Corresponding Secretory.