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Many good and strong things were said in be half of MISSIONS During the Session of the Sonthern Baptist Convention. Subscribe to and read the Christian Index, if you would keep informed. ESTABLISHED 1821. Published Every Thursday at O7‘/4 S. Broad Street. Atlanta. Ga. j. c. mcmichael, proprietor. Organ of the Baptist Deuominhtion in Georgia. Subscription Pricb : One copy, one year • 2.00 One copy, six months 100 One copy, three months 60 Obituaries.—Ono hundred words free of charge. For each extra word, one cent per word, casli with copy. _ To Correspondents.—Do not use abrovia tions; be cxtracaretul in writingproper names; write witli ink, on oiuxside of paper; Do not write copy intended ror tho editor and busi ness items on same sheet. Leave off personal kies; condense. , _ Business.—Write all names, and post unices 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 ho orders his paper discontinued. When you order it stopped pay up to date. . Remittances by check preferred; orregis tered letter, money order, postal note. It is not always easy to distinguish the spirit of genuine fraternity. Much that passes as “liberal,” “broad,” “fraternal,” is, we suspect, really in difference. Rev. Jefferson Faulkner, now in his 83rd year, lately at Six Mile and Carbin Hill churches, in Alabama, preached twelve sermons in seven days. According to the London Specta. tor the finest thing written in memo ry of Tennyson is a poem by Mr. William Watson, published in the Illustrated London News. Dr. J. L. M. Curry has been again re-elected General Agent of the Peabody fund, to distribute it to the Normal School in Nashville, Tenn., and in other Southern States, accord ng to their needs. It is a great and good work. It should never beforgotten that while it is our duty to “contend earn estly for the faith delivered once for all to the saints,” our contention must be in the spirit of that faith- The temper of the gospel must be preserved in commending its truth, if we would “win the souls of men.” The General Convention of the Episcopal Church, sitting as a Board of Missions, took a long step in a right direction in instructing its man agers that in the future no subsidies from the Treasury of the United States in aid of Indian education are to be sought for or accepted.— Hatchman. Miss Anna B. Hartwell, daughter of Rev. J. B. Hartwell, of San Fran cisco, has been appointed by the Foreign Mission Board of the South ern Baptist Convention as a mission ary to Canton, China. She expects to sail November 26th, on the steam er City of Ptkin, the same vessel on which she returned to this country in November, 1877. Rev. M. R. Deming, who for tho last four years has been efficiently identified with the church at Bow doin Square, and much longer with aggressive Christian work in Boston* has been unanimously elected sec retary of the New York Baptist City Missionary Society, and has accept ed the appointment, to enter upon labor in this new field in Novem ber. The only consolation the dying Renan could offer his sorrowing wife was thM : “We undergo the laws of that nature whereof we are a mani festation. We perish, we disappear! but heaven and earth remain, and the march of time goes on forever.” How different from, “I know whom J have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day I” Mr. A. P. Clarkson, 11. R. S., of Wimbledon, England, furnishes the Pall Mall Gazette with statistics of the proved crimes of the clergy of the Church of England from Oct. Ist, 1891 to Oct. 10th, 1892. The crimes were as follows : Breach of promise, 14.; cruelty to animals, 18 ; bankrupts, 254; elopements, 17; sui cide, 12; drunkenness, 121 ; assaults, 109; other charges, 84. Let it be borne in mind that these crimes were committed by preachers of the established church, and the need for disestablishment will be the more apparent. There cennot be a state church without a low state of piety. “Like people, like priest.”—Western Recorder. (ttetian 3niicr. Our English brethren set out to raise a hundred thousand pounds sterling as their centenary offering for missions, to celebrate the one hundredth anniversary of the forma tion of the English Baptist Mission ary Society. Our latest advices are that nine-tenths of this sum has al ready been raised. We beg every Baptist who reads this statement to send the very largest contribution he possibly can to our two mission boards. It has long been a subject of re mark that our Northen brethren mix religion and politics in away which seems strange to us in this latitude. Not a few preachers and editors of religious journals have boldly entered the political arena. A New York pastor has recently published an as tonishing plea for this sort of thing in which he says “a preacher will not be degrading the dignity of his pul pit by taking advantage of a Presi dential election campaign for the an nouncement of great moral princi ples which bear upon political duties. * * * If we put the spirit of Christ rightly into political discussion it will cease to beseeularand become truly sacred teaching.” As if this were not enough, he closes his some what heated argument with these words : “Rightly understood, the bal lot box, iu its place and time, is as sacred to the devout Christian as the waters of holy baptism or the table of wholy communion in their time and place. No man may claim the honors and enjoy the blessings of a fervent Christian except he perform the duties and meet the obligation of a patriotic citizen.” As the political affiliations of the author of those remarkable utterances are perfectly well known to tho people for whom they were written it is difficult to avoid the suspicion that this pastor was purposely writing a shrewd cam paign document. We have no words to express our utter repugnance for such degradation of sacred things. We have watched with interest to see what the Episcopal convention in Baltimore would have to say on the subject of Christian unity. Dr. Huntington, of New York, voiced probably the most liberal sentiment of the body in a ringing speech in favor of it. He is reported to have said: “We say to all other com munions that we are willing to go out and meet them half way, more than half way, if necessary, and let them worship as they will, if they will only confess to agreement in the faith and historic ministry of the church.” The “his toric ministry of the church” is, we suppose, another name for apostolic succession, It is very odd that so mnch stress should be laid upon a historic ministry which had its be ginning in the reign of Henry VIII. And as to the question of unity it will be time enough for the Bap tists to consider the overtures of our Episcopal brethren when all the pedo-Baptists sects have united with them. If, however, we have cor rectly interpreted the meaning of “historic ministry,” we fear the day of unity is afar off. Why not try to unite all Christian people in “the faith and fellowship of the gospel,” instead of “the faith and historic ministry of the (Episcopal) church?’ According to the foremost Episcopal scholars,the New Testament churches practiced only immersion. Arch bishop Litton has clearly shown that those early churches, received only immersed believers Into their fellow ship, that their officers were only pastors (sometimes also called bish ops and sometimes ciders) and dea cons, and that their polity was con gregational. The only plea for uni ty which will appeal to Baptists must be a proposal to unite on the teach ings of the New Testament. The announcement is made that the First church, Washington, D. C., Dr. C. A. Stakely, pastor, has ar ranged to send out and support two foreign missionaries, one under the Missionary Union at Boston, the oth er under the Foreign Mission Board at Richmond, Va. A. S. Merriman, Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of North Caroli na, joined the Methodist church on Thursday last. He was the son of a Methodist preacher, and regularly attended the church.—Bib. Recorder. ATLANTA, GA., THURSDAY. NOVEMBER 24, 1892. HUMAN FREEDOM. BY S. G. HILLYER. Continued from Nov. 3rd. Human freedom is a God-given right to every man to regulate, with in certain limits, his own conduct ac cording to his own will. I haye already shown that the Bi ble verifies this definition, by the account which it gives us cf Adam’s experiences in th'e garden of Edom He did not hold his beautiful Para dise by an allodial title; but he held it as a fief, —in loyalty to God as his supreme Sovereign, and Lord para mount. That this was tho nature of his title is manifest from the terms of tho deed. “God said unto the man, of all tho trees in tho garden thou mayest freely eat, but of the tree of the knowledge of Good and Evil, which stands in the midst of tho gar den, thou shalt not eat of it; for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.” These words indeed invest Adani with a noble estate, and with a wide area of freedom. But that freedom was unlimited. God reserved to himself one tree whose fruit man was forbidden to eat on pain of death. Obedience to that command was the condition upon which Adam held his estate. And that tree was tho symbol of God’s sovereignty, and of his right of “eminent domain” over all bis works. Abstaining from the use of that tree was a perpetual tribute of obe dience which God required of the man as a token of his loyalty to his infinite Sovereign. Now in tho light of this story it is certain, that Adam’s freedom was a God-given right to regulate his conduct in the garden, within a specified limit, ac cording to his own will. But it came to pass that Adam was not satisfied with tho freedom that God had given him. He was led, no matter liow, to cast an evil eye upon that forbidden fruit. He began to covet it, and to regard the restraint put upon him ns a- galling yoke. He wanted more freedom. Well, yielding to an impulse of pure selfishness, and forgetting his loyal ty to God, he did eat of the forbid den fruit. He had the power to do it of course ; but did he have free dom to do it ? If so, why did God curse him for it ? Why that dread ful sentence, “dust thou art, and un to dust thou shalt return ?” That curse, and that sentence plainly show that Adam was not free to eat that fruit. But Adam was the representative of the human race. So far as his relations to God are concerned, what ever was true of him is true of all mankind. The story of Eden, brief as it is, gives us a typical forecasting of man’s moral history down to the present day. God has been pleased to give to all men a wide area of freedom. Perhaps 90 percent of all the actions which it is possible for men to perform, are found within the area of his freedom. For these, man will never be called to account, because, God has given him freedom to perform them. But there are a few restrictions. They are written, though, in dim and uncertain lines, upon every human heart. So that all men, to the extent of their knowl edge, are without excuse ; but the re strictions are given, by divine author ity, far more plainly in the precepts of the Decalogue. This table of the Law, however made known, and as far as it is made known, stands to all men just as the forbidden tree stood to our first parents. By it, God assumes moral government over mankind. It is an expression of his own sovereign and paramount will, to which the will of every human being is required to conform on pain of death. Hence every precept of Law is an abridgement of freedom. All this shows, that, while man does indeed possess a wide area of free dom by the gift of God, yet it is definitely limited by the Law of God. I have stirely said enough to prove that the above definition of freedom is verified by the Bible. It is also verified by every man’s consciousness. For every sinner does know, by bis consciousness, that, when he commits a sinful act, be has no right to commit it; which means that he has no freedom to commit it. It is this conviction, which sometimes pierces the soul with a sense of guilt, and lays it penitent at the feet of sovereign mercy; but sometimes, it kindles the fires of re- morse, that shall burn on, and on, forever. No mat ever yet felt a sense of guilt, or a pang of remorse for doing a thing which ho was as sured he had a moral right to do. Hence, all men are conscious, that there are many things which they have full freedom to perform, or not, just ’as tney please, while there are other actions, which they must do, or not do, —not according to their own choice, —but according to feeling of more! obligation, im posed by some authority which they are bound to obdy. And most men believe that authority is found in the paramount Will of the supreme Be ing. Surely, then, consciousness veri fies the definition. , In the third place, this definition is strikingly corroborated by all the governments known among men, from the nursery to the throne. They are all founded upon an abridgement of freedom by the obli gation of loyalty to the paramount will of the ruling power. For want of space, I can give but one exam ple. The people of Georgia claim to be a free people. But they are un der government. A government, however, imposed by .themselves in convention assembled. Still it is a government. And every citizen knows that ho is bound to obey its laws, and that this obligation is an abridgement of his freedom. He knows that he has no right, and that means no freedom, to perform an action which the Legislature has for bidden ; while outside of its enact ments he enjoys full liberty to do as he pleases without any confiiot with the sovereignty of the State z And so in all governments human vine. I think I have shown, by the Bible, by the testimony of consciousness, and by the analogies of 11 the gov ernments known amongimen, that human freedom is a God-given right to every man/to regulate, with in certain limits, his ow '>nduct ac cording to his will.', ’’ S • It only remains to show, that, with this definition, human freedom is not in conflict with God’s sovereignty. On the contrary the two are in per fect harmony. For, so long as a man regulates his conduct according to his own will within the area of his God-given freedom, he is surely giving no offence to his sovereign,— nay, he is rendering to God the hom age and loyalty that are due to him. God looks upon such an obedient subject not only with approbation, but with complacency ; for he gave to his creature freedom, “richly to enjoy,” within its appointed bounds. And he will never call him to ac count for doing so. But men, like their first parent, are not content with the freedom hat God has given them. They do not like his moral government. They fret and chafe under its restraints. Hence they madly break over the limits of their freedom, and indulge themselves with all kinds of “forbid den fruit.” They think they are extending their freedom ; but this oon proves to be a great mistake. They have only changed masters. Instead of being ruled by the will of their Father God, whose restraints are all beneficent, and prompted on ly by his love, they are now domina ted by Satan, who rules only to op press, aud allures only to destroy. Are they free ? True, they have the power to defy the thunders of God’s Law, and rashly to snatch the forbidden fruit; but arc they free to do it, when, the next moment they are held captives under the condemnation of tho Law, to meet, at last, the retribution due to their rebellion against God ? No, no, they are not free. Jesus says : “he that commits sin is the servant (slave) of sin.” It was to redeem men from this dreadful bondage that Jesus came into the world. For he says : “If therefore the Son shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.” By his precious Gospel, and the agency of His Holy Spirit, he brings many sons and daughters safe into frisking doin, and there they are set free with the “liberty of the children of Grid.” And hero we find perfect freedom. The child of God is, in Christ, so rec onciled to God, that he willingly ac cepts his sovereignty with faithful loyalty, and regards with adoration the perfections of Iris nature ; so that ho exorcises his freedom within the the limits which God has ordained, not with reluctant, but with joyful submission to his paramount will. He sees the Law in a new light. Its awful terrors, which made the sinner quake, have passed away. Ho npw can an see that it is “holy, just and good,” and that it was promised by love, and devised by wisdom to secure the best well-being of his children. And, therefore, as far as the frailty of his nature will permit, it is his free choice to render to the Law perfect obedience. Hence as Cowper put it; “He is the freeman, whom the Truth makes free.” 73 Wheat Street, Atlanta. The Apostle Peter was a man of strong personal characteristics. He was likewise a man of a representa tive character. Hejhad his class, he was a many sided man. His charac ter may be seen from many a stand points. He was kaleidescope; in fact, all tho apostles were class men, Each represented his class, they were chosen largely for this reason. That all future followers of Jesus Christ might see.themselves illustrat ed under the varied conditions of Christian experience. It is perhaps true, that more practical lessons can be deduced from Peter’s history than any other one of the apostles. Early in his histojy, the Master found t it necessary to change his name from Simon to Cephas, which signifies potros in Greek, aud petros translated from Greek to English signifies a small stone, a little rock, in contrast with petra translated sig nifies a great rock. The Master saw in the character of this man, who was to become a useful apostle, the elements of ficle ness, just as a little rock is knocked about by the foot of the passer-by or brushed out of the way by the broom of the servant sweeping the yard, he needed stability, like many of those who should live after him, he thought he possessed, in a large measure, that of which, be was most deficient. He was quite self possess ed. ■'* lie was a man of decided physical courage, but decidedly wanting in moral. He had a sword, and carried it about with him. On one memorable occasion in the presence of his Mas ter, he used it with success. He was impulsive and illustrated this trait, when his master asked his apostles, “Whom do men say that I, the Son of man am.” Peter im mediately replied, “Thou art the Christ.” Jesus approved the fact given in this reply, pronounced Peter a happy man in consequence of his recognition of this foundation truth, and the blessed. Master then brought out another glorious truth, that He, Jesus, was the Christ, a truth: justly comparable to a great rock, petra, upon which his church was to be built, as stable and immovable as the Stone Mountain in Georgia, or as the rock of Gibralter. Peter was a lit tle cobble stone. The Son of man the Christ of God, is the foundation of his church. This church has withstood the fires of thirteen cen turies of the bitterest persecutions, and will continue to stand till the end of the ago. This same Peter in the Palace of the High Priest lost all his*courage and was unable to stand up before a girl and assert his discipleship of his affectionate Master, as she asserted it. He repeatedly denied even with bitter oaths and cursing. This self re liant, brave and courageous man, quails before the face of this female witness, his courage was all gone he had fallen into sin, and despair, sur rendered to the enemy. Peter thought his determination and ad herence were quite sufficient to sus tain him, and although all men should deny Christ, ho would not. What a bitter experience 1 Christ turned him lose, and alas, he became an easy prey to sin and satan. Many have since since Peter’s fall, been constrained to look alone for support to the hold of Jesus Christ upon them, rather than their hold on the Saviour. This illustrated lesson of Peter has proton a land mark, a mile post, an index pointing out this breaker in the Chris tian pathway. Take heed lest ye fall, watch and pray. Our final deliverance on the shores of immortality will bo wholly ascribablo to God. Peter’s fall was not from grace, but into sin. His apostleship was continued, Jesus still loved him, and gave him an assuring loving look, Which brought him down, he went out and wept bitterly. The love of Jesus is an everlasting love, it does not depend stability. The humblest Christian finds it neecssary to repent daily. Peter’s faith did not fail him, he was overshadowed for a while by sin, Satan had a oold on him, and he, like ourselves frequently, was the creature of adverse circumstances, but Peter was kept by a power superior to circumstances and the power of Satan combined. Peter did not need, nor require a second regeneration, but lie greatly needed restoration to the favor of his Mas ter, which he received upon his bit ter weeping; then ho could adminis ter comfort to his brethren in like circumstances. This circumstance in tho life of Peter has afforded com fort to multiplied thousands of Chris tians since the days of this apostle: he has had cause to thank the Mas terjthat his impulsive,fickle and unsta ble character has been turned to so' much of good to the succeeding gen erations of Christians. J. G. McCall. Written for the Christian Index. DENOMINATIONAL TOPICS. The discussion of subjects pecu liar to Baptists, when well handled is calculated to do much good. It familiarizes those unacquainted with Baptists of the fact that they are not a bad people, but rather that they are peculiarly loyal to Christ. It dissi pates much fog from the minds of those who have been taught that the Baptists are very insignificant in numbers, more so in intellectual culture and through their bigotry like Ishmael, have their hands against every other denomination, and there fore the hands of all others have been against them, Such asser tions as these have recently been sown over a good scope of country about here, by an official of a popu lar denomination as he has boon over his district, shaking up his people. It acquaints tlreir own people with facts that many of them do not know, but ought to know. Many have united themselves with Baptist churches not from any personal con victions, but simply frqm environ ment, and could not give an intelli gent reason for their church connec tion. Meetings of several days held in different parts of associational bounds, devoted especially to discus sion of doctrinal subjects, church organization and polity, mission ob ligations, interspersed with sermons upon kindred topics would doubtless bo good educators in these lines. Fifth Sundays might be well utiliz ed in this way. That is an off day with most pastors, and they should arrange to meet in this way and es tablish the people in the principles and practices to which they hold. They would thus be doing good to others, getting better acquainted with each other, so increasing mu tual love. They would command a larger tribute of respect from the world, and would lead the deceived perhaps to an appreciation of some divine truths with which they had been unacquainted. The meetings should begin on Friday or some days before Sunday. Ono of these sub jects presented at one meeting, with two weeks or a month intervening before another presentation, would be buried out of sight under the events taking place between before the next came, and so but little good would be done. But when for three times on three successive days these follow one another, with each suc ceeding one the interest heightens) so that by the close the points are well established, and tho enthusiasm has burned them into mind and heart. The fifth Sundays are so employed by some of the associations in Ala bama. The fifth in October with the two preceding day such a meet ing was held at Alexander City church, and the good effects were very manifest to any observer. The principal subjects at this meeting were: 1. The church—its organization— its object. 2, The law and object of true church discipline. 8. What have the Baptists done for the world. 4. Nunday-schools and their man agement. 5. Missions. Opportunity was given for ques tions and brief answers. Brother Minister, Working Layman, Zealous Sister, We. jco striving to make Tlie Index the best of its kind* Help xw by securing a new subscriber. . VOL. 69—NO. 47 Sermons upon kindred topics were at times preached. Each subject had an assigned B peaker to open it, and it was then open for general discussion. The subjects were well handled hy the brethren, and from the first the interest grow to the close. “What the Baptists have done for the world” was presented by Brother C. S. Johnson in a written address pe culiarly felicitous and striking, and was followed by a happy oral one from Brother Feazell. On Sunday night the meeting closed with the finest sermon on “keeping the ordinandes as delivered that it was ever my privilege to hear, by Brother Feazell, The time for clossng had come but the people lingered and talked, wishing the meeting could still go on, telling how happy they felt—• how much stronger they were in their convictions that the Baptists were right, how glad they were to be Baptists, etc. Even those of other denominations seemed to have caught some of the spirit and ex pressed approval, and evidently had a profounder respect for us than ever before. We are to be blessed at the close of November by a visit from some of our best Centennial speakers, and have another feast of two days, Brother Ora Dawson is coming back to his native State, and wilj take charge at Tuscaloosa. We are glad he is coming bomo again. Eu« faula has captured Brother Gray, of Miss. We are sorry for Miss, to lose him, but are glad that Alabama has captured tho prize. Brother L. * M. Bradley goes from Phoenix City to Brundidge. It will be a fine peo ple and noble pastor thus associated. Brother J. S. Dill is soon to visit his father at Howard College. I hope some Alabama church will prevent his return to California. I will con tinue at Alexander City. On tjie 22 of November the State ’Convention meoi- 1 with thq J’arker Memorial church, at Anniston, As we convene so near the border of Georgia, we hope the Index will not fail to be represented, and that a number of the Georgia brethren will be with us. G. E. B. Bro. T. P. Dudley, Jr., has gone to his mission field at Deccan, India. Bro. Dudley bears a name that has long been honored in Kentucky, and many prayers will go up for God’s blessing on his labors in India. He bears the name, as we have previous ly noted, of his honored kinsman who was for years a leader of the Baptists of Kentucky and of the West, There is a poetic justice in Bro. Dudley’s going as a missionary.—Weston Recorder. Among the many Societies long organized these days, here is one we can commend. The Funeral ’ Sub scription Society—a branch of the King’s Daughters—has been organi zed in New York city for the pur pose of assisting the poor to give their dead a respectable funeral at the lowest cost. Rev. J. B. Shelton, of Bowling Green, Ky., has been elected pastor of the Baptist Church at Corsicana, Texas. He has been engaged to spend a month or two in the service of the Sunday-school Board before entering upon his pastorate. Rev. Archilbald Wheaton closed his pastorate at South Norwalk, Conn., on Sunday, Oct. 28d, and will go at once to the assistance of Rev, Dr. R. S. MacArthur of the Calvary Church, New York City. Rev. J. B. Hawthorne, D. D., dur ing his pastorate at Atlanta, Ga., has welcomed over sixteen hundred peo ple into his church Dr. B. M. Wharton’s church, Nor folk, Va., recently sent up $530 for missions. It has given SI,OOO to the Centennial fund. The Christian Intelligencer: “The world owes more to Wickliffe, Huss, Luther, and Calvin, than to Colum bus.” The Roman Catholics have con tributed but 1359,791 for missions among the colored people in five years. It is asserted that Protestant Churches have spent $18,000,000 among colored people since the war