Below is the OCR text representation for this newspapers page.

Many good and strorr things were said in be half of M ISSIONS During the Session of the Southern Baptist Convention. Subscribe to and read the Christian Index, f you would keep informed. ESTABLISHED 1821. ©Zxe ©hristain Published Every Thursday at 57 South Broa Street, Atlanta. Ga. J. C. McMICHAEL. Proprietor. Organ of the Baptist Denomination in Georgia. Subscription Price: One copy, one year S 2.0 One copy, six months ••••• - 100 Obituaries.—One hundred words free of charge. For each extra word, one cent per word, cash with copy. . , To Correspondents.—Do not nse abrevia tions; be extra careful in writingproper na mes; 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 dateof laber indicates the time your subscription expires. If you do not wish it continued, order it stoo ped a week before. We consider each sub ■criber 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. What queer fancies parents sometimes indulge, when giving names to their chil dren! Jesse Mercer had a sister “Mourn ing,” and a brother “Mount Moriah.” An insurance company in Paris shuts out all persons who use hair-dye from its list of patrons. It will take no second risk on a life, on which the owner has already taken so high a first risk. After “the brazen altar” came “the golden;” after sacrifice, incense; after blood, fellowship; after the lesson of pardon, the lesson of prayer; after the gift of remission, tho grace of suppliant trustfulness. The papers say that “farmers in Mexi co use oxen of one color in the morning and of another color in the afternoon." Is this custom the undetected survival of some old theory in natural history, or agriculture, or superstition? Or is it a freak of the fashion which never adduces a theory, because it never feels the need of any reason except “its own sweet will?” There is no such means of discomfort as money, as much money, to those who do not know how properly to value it or how to use it rightly. Into how many indulgence-troubles, excess-troubles, dis ' appointment-troubles, e s t ran g e m e nt tn nbles,remorse-troubles, pretension- troubles, rivalry-troubles, disgrace troubles,troubles of speculation,troubles 9' panic, troubles of loss and poverty, it < sables a man to pay his way! God did not make the waters of Marah sweet, by his own immediate, isolated working. There was a tree which he chose for that purpose, and Moses cast tfiat tree into the waters, Ex. 15:25. Not that there was anything in the act of Moses, not that there was anything in the tree itself, to accomplish that result; but that God uses means which are with out power and puts his own power into them. Without Him, nothing—with Him, everything—blesses His own. The German empror, it seems, on his recent visit to Rome, when parting with Pope Leo, gave that high functionary his blessing. “A fair exchange.” it is said, ‘is no robbery;” and if the Pope and emperor in exchanging blessings draw mutual satisfaction from the bargain, we see no reason why the world should trouble itself with any question as to which of the parties, if either, had the advantage of the other. There is no very great profit or loss on either side, we take it. The Kansas City (Mo.) Ministers’ Al liance, recently carried with enthusiasm, a proposition to play a game of base-ball. Doubtless, these brethren, in taking sucli a step, knew’ their own minds, whether they knew their own business or not. As for ourselves (who possibly know neither) we have two things to say. If they acted with a view to health, they might have found more wholesome forms of exercise. If they simply had recrea tion in view, they might have found forms of amusement more reputable, and looking less like playing second fid dle on the outskirts of “sporting life,” where, by them at least, no fiddle ought to be played. On account of his cold manner, Jules Ferry was once told by his friend Gam betta, that he produced the effect of a rose-tree on which nothing grew but thorns,” whereat Ferry retorted that “there were roses in the tree, only they grew inside.” The austerity which with inside-roses has only thorns on the out side, is bad enough. But far worse is the treachery which with only rose* on the outside, has intide-thorn*. In the one case, the thorns repel and the fra grance of the roses is lost; in the other, the roses attract and the sharp points of the thorncs pierces the unsuspecting, sensitive flesh. We wonder why the fact that a new book is a Georgia book, should be suffi cient to secure for it a frigid or a luke warm reception throughout the State. Take, for example. “All Sorts of State ments,” by Carlton Hillyer. Esq., of Au gusta. Beyond dispute, this is a racy book from start to finish. It is as strong ly marked by the individuality of the author as if Montaigue or Heine had written it. Here is striking paradox; here is unique conception; here is quiet humor; hare is pungent satire; here Is subtle speculation; here is proverbial compression; here is poetic imagery: and yet, the literary element of our popula tion will affect to know nothing of it, will lie quite sure there is nothing in It, because it bears the imprint of no North ern publisher, and the stamp of no North ern critic. This augurs badly for us of tho South, since only a self-respecting people can ever produce a literature worthy of the world * respect. Me Mrfetian b!vTBWs» Vs / > , *94 THE MILLENNIUM. BY S. G. HILLYER. In approaching this subject, the first thing to do is to ascertain its meaning. The word millennium, is plain enough: it means a period of one thousand years. But there have been, already, mjiny millenniums in the history of our globe, and nearly six in the history of our race ; and, no doubt, there are many yet to come. When, therefore, we speak of the millennium as distinct from all others, which one do we mean ? This question is important, because it marks the line of difference be* tween two great classes of religious writers. Some hold that the millen nium denotes the period of a thou sand years which shall precede the second advent of Christ. Others bold that, it denotes the thousand years that shall follow his advent. If the views which I shall offer, shall prove to be in harmony with scripture and corroborated by science, I think the discussion will go very far towards reconciling these con tending parties. It will help us, in this investiga tion, to bear in mind the conclusion reached in the article on the “Morn ing Star.” It was there shown that the Scriptures teach that the Chris tian dispensation embraces two peri ods of time distinguished from each other by different degrees of Gospel light. The first period was symbol ized by the morning star, which evi dently represents a period of twilight. The second w r as symbolized by the rising sun, which of course denotes the full and perfect day. It was also shown that the twilight period has not yet ended. It has already con tinued through nearly two millen niums and they may be fully com pleted before the wide spread dark ness which still covers the moral world shall be entirely dispelled. But the sun will rise. It shall bring the full and perfect day when “the knowledge of God shall cover the earth as the waters cover the deep.’’ It is the promise of the Prophets and it is the hope of the Jews and of Christians. That day shall come > and it will be the second period of the Christian dispensation. Don’t forget: wo are now* search ing for that period of time which is properly denoted by our current phraze, “the Millennium.” I am aware that many writers regard the “thousand years,” mentioned by John, a round number, not intended to be taken literally, but as denoting an indefinite period of long duration. Such a use of round numbers is not uncommon. But, I think, it will be noticed in all cases where round numbers are so used, that the facts are such as to put the hearer or reader on his guard not to take the words literally. One may say, speaking of an ini. pending election, A. will beat his op ponent 1,000 votes, tho by-stauders would certainly not hold him to the exact number. They would under, stand him to mean a large majority Not only so: if the speaker was making a public address to a crowd, and had occasion to repeat the majority several times, we should expect him to modify the number in some way. He might say, in his second statement of the majority “at least a thousand,” or “more than a thousand,” thus showing tho as sumed majority to be indefinite. But there is nothing like this, in the way John talks about the “thou, sand years,”—the millennium. His “thousand years,” (see Rev. 20:1,6) denote a period whose beginning and end are marked by stupendous events. Its beginning is indicated by the imprisonment of Satan, and the resurrection of the martyrs who died for the testimony of Jesus. Its e nd is indicated by the release of Satan “for a little season.” In the brief space of six verses John delare g six times, that the time intervening between the first resurrection and the release of Satan' shall be a thou sand years, and without one modify ing particle. I hope the reader will turn to Rev. 20: 1,6 and read it. I tbink he will agree with me, that John himself contemplated the time as a literal thousand years, no more no less. Thus we have found the answer before us. When we speak of tho millennium, par excellence, we should mean that thousand years which shall be introduced by tho first resurrecti?o. ATLANTA. GA.. THURSDAY. MAY 25.1893. Hero another question arises: Shall this millennium embrace the entire second period of the Christian dispensation? This surely cannot be the true interpretation. Christ has been reigning, with his saints on earth, already nearly two thousand years; and through all these centu ries the Church has enjoyed only the light of the Morning Star. Shall tho period of Gospel light which the rising sun shall reveal, last only half as long as its own twilight? This would contradict the teachings of the metaphors. Were we to press the metaphors to the extent of their logical meaning, wo should find that the period of the Church’s complete triumph over the world shall be as much longer than the period re quired to attain its triumph, as a natural day is longer than its morn ing twilight. This proportion would give us about 24,000 years during which Christ shall reign in noon-day splendor over mankind. But such is tho nature of metaphors we need noj always press them to their full signi ficance ; nevertheless we are bound to give that significance great weight. Hence, without insisting upon the time above indicated, we may safely conclude that there shall be many millenniums of Gospel glory before the resurrection of the Martyrs. The foregoing views are certainly in harmony with the Scaiptures. The messianic prophecies, how muchso ever they may vary in form and in detail, have two ideas common to them all. One is tho universality of Messiah’s reign, and the other is the continuance ot his kingdom “for ever.” This word gives us a period long enough for many, very many millenniums. But these views, if not confirmed, are at least corrobo rated by the teachings of Science. It tells us that this globe has a history embracing, perhaps, a million of years,—a thousand millenniums. It tells us also that these millenniums are included in six distinct periods long since completed, and in a part of the seventh period which is now in progress. Divide a million by seven and the quotient is more than 140,000, which would be the avera"e length of each Geological period. The figures here given arc, I think far below what many Scientists would claim; but they are amply sufficient to show that we have yet remaining, in the present Geological period, ample time for all the mil lenniums that the above interpreta tions may require. According to these views, the Church has before her a glorious future, reaching even to the general resurrection, and to the final judg ment. Here let me say, parenthetically, —when I speak of the Church, in its collective sense, I mean that great ecclesia (assembly) of true saints who together make up tho body of Christ- This is the church which he loved and which he has redeemed, and which shall share at length the gio. ries of his reign even on earth. Such is the Church of which I speak. Hitherto her experience has been checkered with sad vicissitudes. One well might weep in reading the story of her sufferings. But the day of her triumph shall come. 72 Wheat St., Atlanta, Ga. (To be continued.) A GOLDEN 0B A WOODEN LIFE. To be a Christian is to love Christ to trust him, to obey him, to imitate him from the heart. It is a vastly important question that confronts a man, Am I a Christian. It is Christ that saves, not a creed, nor tho con duct. But a Christ, intelligently held by the heart, makes a creed and begets a conduct. When a man has passed into the Christian life, another question of (ar reaching moment confronts him—What kind of a Christian am I. There are grades in the quantity and in the quality of the Christian life. In Matt, xiii 23 Jesus speaks of saved men yielding a varying fruitage. A hundred fold is worth far more to Christ than a thirty fold man. Tho throe kinds of men are equally saved, they are unequally effective in their service In Luke xix Jesus speaks of one servant whose pound had produced ten pounds, of another whose pound bad produced five pounds. There was a differing efficiency, a differing reward. Peter speaks of some who have an abundant entrance into the Heavenly Kingdom. Paul speaks in 1 Cor. iii 12 of Christian men who build lives, some of gold, some of wood. In the churches there are middling good men, there are good men, there are very good men. All of them aro confessedly Christians, they have a good hope, they will enter Heaven. But it is possible for men on the one foundation to erect lives that shall be utterly un like each other. It was so in the first century, it is so in the nineteenth Century. There are gradations in goodness. There arc silver lives, golden lives, lives made up of pre cious stones. Whore shall one get the material with which to build a golden life? The heart within, the desires, the plans of life, the will with its decisions, the open. 1 ing opportunities, these gy e the I material out of which to ffa 3 that may be either gold, or wood- There comes a temptation. If it be met, fought with outright, defeated, the common life is changed into gold. If that same temptation come with its allurements, if it be talked I with, listened to, gradually yielded to, the life becomes a life of wood. There comes a provocation to anger. If the tongue be used to utter bitter, stinging words, the life is a common, wooden thing. If the tongue be used to speak kind, helpful words there will be the gradual upbuilding of a golden life. Th» material i K given us, in the rough, each day. It depends on the. chemistry of the heart, of tho decision .whether this material shall be wood or gold. What a Christian life will ba, and will do does not depend so much on the time, or the social standing, or the ten talents, or the wealth that a man may command as on the attitude of the heart, tho willingtjhdedness, the consecration, tho desii-pi-to be used by and for Christ." Ihe sincere and devout heart can make every thing that the life touches turn into gold, to make the life larger syd richer. Paul wa* a man <4. hq.9lM>tumate ability. mak#hjs upon men Anywhere. He had a small stature, his way was hedged about, slander followed him every, where. The inner life turned every thing into a help for more holy and useful living. Laura Bridgman was shut in from the outer life. She was blind and deaf and mute. But she managed to build up a life that was spotless and useful. It is possible for each Christian to build a life that shall be spotless, honest, prayer ful, in love with duty, desirous of being conformed to Christ’s will and supremely useful to those around. Every Christian life ought to be a transfigured, transformed, transpa rent, shining life. The qualities that make up such a life are the common and every-day qualities of faithful ness, prayerfulness, watchfulness, devotedness, a love of duty, the doing of the things that lie next, the spirit of willingness. The common things of life become uncommon, when they are done with a high motive. Th} pillar like man upon whom Cbrisi aud the church can lean is made, not by outward surroundings, but by the inner, controlling plans of life. If a Christian is intent only on getting to Heaven and living a life that will not bring reproach upon the church, he may live n decorous life but he will not be a shining and useful Christian. Christ should not be used simply as a stepping stone for Heaven and Salvation. He should be used as the model and the inspiration of tho fife hero, his yoke should be the companion, of the daily life. The end of tho Christian life is a transfiguied character, a character moulded into the imuge of Christ. There oight to be. a plan for the life. No nan will ever become a good man >r a use Jul man by acci dent. No man st jmbles on a golden life. No nan w ill ever go beyond his aims, h.s pla'iu. for the life- If a man plans to ba an excellent man, he may fal short of this. There is a loss in nttur.HJ from friction, there is a loss ii tUc moral life. If a man aims to b< a, moderately good man, he will live, a poor and impoverished life. The man who lives an excel lent life, ipproved by God and by men, is o great worth in tho world. The men of whom the world is not worthy ae tho real wealth of the world, f each member in any Bap tist churh in our land would say with his mart, —I wish to widen and deopen ry life, what a power that church w’ould be. It is not required that a man shall form visionary plans for the life, not needful that he should get conceptions of life like those of Thomas A’ Kempis, that life must get its holiness by abandon ing the outward life. It is simply needful that he should use his own capacities, his own surroundings, his own opportunities, not abandoning life but consecrating it. There is no man who cannot be more prayerful more on the lookout for useful living, more intent on winning men, more circumspect in life, more willing in service. Jonathan Edwards was a master man in native endowments and in the spiritual life. When nine teen years of age he wrote in his diary these words. “If there can be 1 but one man supremely good in any I one generation,resolved so to live to be the one man who in my genera tion should be well pleasing to God.” It is not a source of wonder that there came out of his holy desires a life of wonderful beauty and power. It is not possible for us to assort I men into their fitting classes. We do not know the heart. We do not know how g eat are the bad inherited tendencies to fight. We cannot tel) the life that is lived for show. But we may discover what is the govern, ing motive of our own lives. We remember that there is a silver life that may become golden, a golden life that may become one of dia monds. There is also an almost useless Christian life of wood, of hay, of stubble. There may be a down grade in the Christian life. On the one foundation that saves there may be lived a fife that will not weigh much in its impress on the world. There are Christian lives that grow backward. Paul met them in the church in Corinth. The letter to the Hebrews speaks of dwindling Chris, tian lives. The one foundation wa s Christ, the building was wood. A golden creed ought not to be joined to an earthenware life. A hope in 1 Christ in tho heart ought to be fol * lowed by the erection of a' life worthy of the foundation. The longer the life of discipleship,the more like gold should it be. The first story of a Christian life ought not to bo gold, the second story, wood. O. P. E A CHES. Hightstown, N. J. DID MOSES MARRY A NEGRESS? It is stated positively, by Moses himself, that he “had married an Ethiopian woman.” (Num. NIL, G.- 7. 8. 9.) Was this woman a negress?’’ All authorities agree that the Ethiopian race inhabited that part of Africa which “lies above Egypt,” that .is, the country south of Egypt on the upper tributaries of the Nile. “As regards the physical character of that race, they were negroes,” says Dr. Charles Anthon, the eini inent Greek scholar. The Greeks, he says, “always spoke of the Ethi opeans as we speak of the negroes as if they were the blackest people known to the world.” Theodectus says they were not only black, but had woolly heads and fiat noses;” and be offered the opinion that these | physical peculiarities were caused by climatic environments. The only escape from the conclu sion that the Ethiopians were gen uine negroes is by the supposition I that the ancient Greeks and the lie. I Vews were not acquainted with any | ifcople exactly resembling those of Guinea and therefore applied the terms “black,” “woolly haired,” “fiat n<ied”etc., to people who had these characteristics in a much less degree th.iu those whom we now term ne Bibik record, the whole human fam ily skirted from a common centre in the plains of Shinar after tne flood, and ifeiiHt, of necessity, have been much less widely dispersed in the 1 days oi Moses and the ancient histo rian* tian at present. Moreover) ac< ording to the Record, tho early s descendants of Noah were so averse to separation that even their partial ■ dispr rsiort was affected only by tho con fusion of tongues at Babel. Il has b*en said that “the Ethi opian woman” who so excited the disgust of Miriam and Aaron, was none other tLin Zipporah tho daugh ter of J thro, priest of Midian. In other words, that she was a Midian. ite, or possibly a Moabite, and not an Ethiopian at all, except possibly by short residence in Ethiopia. This seems wholly improbable. Suppose a descendant, of Abraham and native of Germany, while trav eling in Africa were to meet and marry a Jewess born and reared in Cairo, could we reasonably assume that his brother and sister in Ger many would ridicule and upbraid him for marrying an African? Be sides, such an hypothesis invalidates the Bible account of the affair. Moses was his own autobiographer in so far as he wrote the Book of Numbers. But is it likely that any autobiographer would say of him self that be had married an Ethio pian or African when in point of fact he had only married a woman of his own race and nationality while residing or sojourning in Ethiopia or Africa. And if we assume that Moses made a verbal mistake and wrote “Ethiopean” when he really meant “Midianitish” or “Moabitish,” we necessarily discredit him not merely as an inspired writer, but as a profane historian as well. On the other hand, if we suppose that Zip porah was a genuine “Ethiopean woman” residing in Midian at the time of her marriage to Moses, then Jethro, the honored priest of Midian whom Moses treated with such marked deference and courtesy in the wilderness, must have been him self and Ethiopean or African, since he was Zipporah’s father. But al' though Moses did obeisance to aud even kissed Jethro, neither Miriam nor Aaron bad a word to say against it. On the contrary, it is distinctly stated that Aaron himself participa ted in the ceremonies (Ex. chap, xviii.) The only rational way out of the difficulty is, it seems to me, in the assumption that Moses was twice married—-once to “the Ethiopean woman” and once to Zipporah, the daughter of Jethro. This not only harmonizes the Bible record, but is supported by extraneous testimony. We have seen the absurdity of its supposition that these two women were one and the same. It neces sar.ly follows then that the passages of Scripture referring to those wo men, point to two separate and dis tinct marriages. And this is con firmed by Josephus, who next to the Bible, is the the very highest author ity in Jewish history. In his “An tiquities of the Jews” (Book ii- chap. 10) he gives an account of Moses as the general-in-chief of the Egyptian forces in Ethiopea; which account according to the translator is omitted in our Bibles but appears in fragmen. tary form, in the collections of Iren aeus. Josephus states that Saba, the royal city of Ethiopea, was so encompassed by the upper Nile and its confluents, and by “high strong walls and ramparts,” as to render its capture impossible.” Moses was in great perplexity how to proceed with the seige. Meantime however Sharbis, daughter of the king of Ethiopea had frequently seen Moses, as he passed with his guards around the walls, and had fallen desperately jn love with him. She finally sent him her trusted servant to sound him on the subject of marriage, as was then the custom among the ancient peoples of the East, and is still the practice in many parts of Asia. Moses, in high favor at the Egyptian court, and laudably am bitions as a soldier, thought only of the capture of the city. So he ac cepted Sharbis’ off er of marriage on condition that she would previously procure the surrender. She faith fully carried out her part of the agreement; and when Moses had taken possession, he would not break his promise to the dusky maiden, but married her and took her with him. In the very next chapter, Josephus describes the light of Moses to Midian and his marriage to Zipporah the daughter of Jethro, in substantially the same manner as it described in the Bible; the cir cumstance* of the accidental meeting, courtship and wedding being totally different from tlioso under which he had married Sharbis, “the Ethiopean woman.” Moreover, all ancient geographers Agree that Saba, (or Meroe as it was afterwards called,) was a royal city of Ethiopea proper -that is, of Western Ethiopea—and situated ‘‘far to the South of Egypt.” Hence Sharbis (or Tbarbis as the name is sometimes written,) the king’s daugh ter, belonged to the Western tribes of Ethiopea—a race which according to ancient historian*, had “very black skins and woolly hair.” Thus Brother Minister, Working Layman, Zealous Sister Wearestrlvlngto make Tlie Index the best of Its kind. Help us by securing* new subscriber. VOL. 70—NO. 21 we have not only the nationality, but the very name of “the Ethiopean women” whose presence in the cam pus of Israel gave such offense to Miriam and Aaron. The almost necessary inference is that, in the general exodus from Egypt, Moses carried his Ethiopean wife with him—for it would have been less dishonorable to break the original promise of marriage, than to forsake her under such circumstan ces—and because he had thus, like an honorable man, made the best of a bad bargain, his sister Miriam and and brother Aaron were disgusted and sought to supplant him in influ ence with the people. Under all the circumstances of the case, the Lord rebuked them for their med dlesomeness, and gave them to un derstand that the matter in question concerned them not. At least that is Moses own version of the matter, for he is generally credited with the authorship of the Book of Numbers. He does not fail to tell us however, before he gets through with the au tobiography, that at some period in his life (ho does not say when) he, in some way, committed an offense which debarred his personal entr ance into the Promised Land. He gives us no very direct intimation of the nature of this offense; but he leaves the impression on the mind of the reader that there was, most likely,” a woman in the case,” and that the woman was not Zipporah. William L. Scruggs. BROTHERLY LOVE-123RD PSALM- If I were asked to say in one word what is the religion of Jesus Christ, that word would be a monosyllable, love. But this is also true even of the Mosaic dispensation. For in Mathew 22 chapter, it is related that a law yer came to him tempting him with this question, “Master, what is the great commandment in the law?» Jesus said unto him. “Thou shal lava tlua Lr.rd, with. tuX tLy heart, and with ah thy soul, and with all thy mind.” This is the first and greatest commandment, and the sec ond is like unto it, “Thon shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets. Now I think it is Jesus Christ who first brought to light this truth, that love is the root of the law and the prophets. And He also made it as conspicuous and perspicous in the New Testament as He could, that love is the essence of his religion. There were two things that hin dered the Jews, eyeu the best of them, from a full understanding of the second commandment, on which hung all the Law and the Prophets. In Moses it is said, “Thou shalt love Jehovah thy God.” In the Jew ish mind the emphasis was on the pronoun thy. Jehovah was his God, the God of Isreal. A national God, with whom other nations had noth ing to do. In their mind the great ness of God was diminished. Not with humble gratitude, but with haughty disdain of others, thy Jeho vah, my God. In their national over weening conceit He was their pro* perty. They said my God, some thing as they said my house, or my vineyard. And any love, as a nation, they ever had to Jehovah was like the love they Lad to their house, and their vineyards. They were not His> He was then's. No purifying infl uence had this love upon the nation. They never were better than the Greeks and Romans. Again thy neighbor. Neighbor in their apprehension meant a Jew. The rest of mankind were not neighbors, and they never dreamed of loving them. Jehovah as the God of the whole world, and father to all man kind, whom nil men, when they pray, (should) call father; that never en tered their minds, that all men ar« brothers, and to be loved as such, is as unjewish as it is ungreek or un. roman. Now love to God as father, and to man as brother, is just that "which Jesus of Nazareth exalted to the first place in teaching. His disciples since, the first century and the death of the men who drew their religion directly from the great lover of men, I say these disciples have not in their hearts, in their teachings, and in their examples taught this. With them faith, that is, a creed, setting forth some abstract principle