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THE CHRISTIAN INDEX.
ESTABLISHED 1821.
The Christian Index.
1 v.blisbed Every Thursday at 16 East Mitchell
Street, Atlanta. Ge.
J. C. McMICHAEL, Pnorßinor.
Organ of the Baptist Dcnomixation in
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Strange Prayer,—Dr. Wayland tells
of a good brother who in a missionary
meeting prayed as follows: “O, Lord,
Thou knowest that it is not Thy will to
convert the world under the present dis
pensation.” The Doctor thinks some
one else should have prayed: “O,
Lord, wilt Thou kindly put it into the
heart of our dear brother to tell us how
he knows what he has stated in his sup
plication?”
The Index desires to publish every
item of church news of special or gen
eral Interest to Baptists. We again urge
our readers to become reporters to the
end that we may have all the reliable
religious and denominational news,
either in or out of Georgia. Many are
regularly sending ug such items, but we
would like to hear regularly from some
brother in every congregation. Com
munications should be short and to the
point
Try It.—“ There is no way,” said the
late Dr. Alexander, “in which we can
more surely increase mutual love than
by |pi*aying for one another. If you
would retain warm affection for an ab
sent friend, pray for him. If you would
live in the regard of another, beseech
him to pray for you. If you would con
quer enmity in your own soul towards
one who has wronged you, pray for him.
Dissention or coldness cannot abide be
tween those who bear, each other to
God’s throne in supplication.”
What is a Church?—Archdeacon
Farrar, in the course of a recent sermon,
said:
“When the church has come to be con
founded with the clergy, where the laity
have resigned their own sacr&£?esponsi
bility into the hands of the clergy, the
result has been a strong clerisy, but an
important gospel; a priesthood arrogant,
corrupt, usurping, a people torpid, igno
rant and base; an outward service
gorgeous and imposing, but hearts far
from God. Such a Church is as a field
in which the flaunting poppies have
choked the golden corn—a glistening
sepulchre, but full within of dead men's
bones and all uncleanliness. Most i
earnestly would we entreat you to bear 1
in mind that you cannot discharge your
obligation to God anil than by proxy;
that you cannot devolve on the should
ers of us, the few, the solemn, sacred,
eternal duties of you, the many, or fulfil !
by' the agency of a class the require- '
merits for which every one of you will I
individually be held responsible.”
Pretty good Baptist .doctrine to come I
from an Episcopalian, is it not?
Is rut; Body Resurrected?- \\ hat is
the resurrection? Some have said that
it is this very body which is laid in the
grave. But this body is not I. Often it
changes, but I remain. If Paul teaches
anything, it is the contradiction of that
view of resurrection of the flesh. “Flesh
and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of
God.” Whatever he aflirins of the phys
icalbody he seems to deny of the resur
rection body; read the balance of this
chapter and that becomes evident. The
fools who seek to know concerning that
body have not yet ceased to exist. All
that we can be sure is that it will be
like His own glorious body, fitted for i
the spirit within; the spirit will develop |
an organism through which it can act. i
Picture any kind of body which seems to I
you most glorious, and the resurrection
body will be more glorious." it. has not
entered into the heart of man to picture
the things w hich God hath prepared for
them that love Him. It is a materialis
tic thought to try to imagine what the
glories of the hereafter are to be, but
yet some will always attempt it, letting
fancy run riot. The main good of the
belief in a resurrection of the body is
that we shall he sure of a conscious »elf
exietence lasting beyond the grave; let
us be sure that we still live when decay
has seized the body.
The Resurrection.—Margaret. Hatty
tells a beautiful little parable in illustra
tion of the resurrection. She represents
the grub of adrygon-fly at the bottom of
the sluggish pool asking anxiously what
became of the grubs that dimed up the
stalks of the bulrushes. No one could
tell him, for none of them ever came
back. One day he asked his question of
a fro|, who splashed down among the
grubs into the only world they knew of.
The frog told him that there was a
beautiful world of dry land beyond the
pool, utterly unlike such a dull dark
slimy place as that, and the grubs went
there when they climbed up the bul
rushes. The grub could not believe it,
but the frog assured him it was so, and
that while on dry land himself he had
watched a grub ju»t like his questioner,
laboriously and painfully climb up a
stalk and fix himself near the top in the
sunlight. There he rested until hisskin,'
dried in the heat, cracked from end to
end. Then a strange thing happened.
Through the gap in the skin could be
seen something ligh t and shimmering.
It shook itself, as if awaking from a
dream, and at last shook itself free of
the dry bands of skin. Then it spread
beautiful large gauzy wings and rose,
and the frog saw it no more, saw noth
ing but the empty skin. The grub
listened wonderingly and doubtfully. It
repeated the story to other grubs, who
were also incredulous, but admitted that
there was mystery in these departures.
They obtained a promise from a grub,
who was just about setting out on the
fatal journey up a bulrush that if he
could come back and tell them what
happened to him, he certainly would.
His old companions looked for him anx
iously, but he never came back. So, one
after another went the same way, but
none returned to satisfy the curiosity of
the grub who had listened to the frog
and did not know whether to believe or
not. But when one day his limbs grew
sluggish and he felt restless, and uneasy
and oppressed, he felt irresistibly im
pelled to climb the bulrush himself as
he had seen so many of his fellows do.
Then he knew the change, but not till
then.
NOTES ON GIVING.
BY B. G. TUTT, D. D., CORRK'sPOND-
ING SECRETARY FOREIGN MIS-
SION FOR MISSOURI.
[See that ye abound inlthis grace also. 3 Cor.
8: 7.]
The difference between Judaism
and Christianity is clearly marked
in almost every particular in which
you choose to compare them. It is
everywhere the difference between
the letter and the spirit.
Judaism is concerned about forms
and ceremonies. Christianity has
to do with the Spirit, the essence of
religion.
The form is not wholly ignored
in Christianity, but its chief insist
ance is upon the power, the spirit,
the life.
Judaism regulates the conduct of
men by presented laws. Chris
tianity regulates men’s lives by the
operation of a divine love im
planted in the soul.
Judaism insists upon the place of
worship. Christianity insists upon
the act of worship. Judaism says,
“In Jerusalem is the place where
men ought to worship.” Chris
tianity declares that every foot of
earth may be consecrated to the
worship of God.
Judaism was supported by the re
quired tenth of the worshipper.
Christianity by the free will offer
ings of those who have been re
deemed by the grace of God.
Judaism was restricted to a single
nation. Christianity is world
and therefore lays the foundation
for a world-wide benevolence.
I.
Paul devotes this and the succeed
ing chapter to the grace of giving
true Christian benevolence.
He calls it a grace, and urges the
Corinthian Christians to abound
in it.
There is at this day perhaps no
Christian grace so little understood,
none that needs more to be culti
vated.
Too many Christians seem to
think it is entirely optional with
them as to whether they give or
not; they may or may not give as it
suits their policy or impulse.
The truth is they are under the
highest possible obligation in this
matter, the obligation of redemp
tion from sin freely given to them
by Christ.
No Christian who understands
and appreciates what God has done
for him will, for a moment, seek to
free himself from this obligation.
The more he thinks about the
necessities of Christ’s kingdom at
home, and the more he becomes in
terested in the lost condition of the
heathen abroad, the greater effort
will be put forth to abound in the
grace of Christian giving.
Paul publicly declared his indebt
edness to all men, the Jew, the
Greek, the barbarians, the bond and
the free.
To stimulate the Corinthians he
cites them to the example of their
poorer brethren in Macedonia, who,
in the midst of great afflictions
and deep poverty, abounded in this
grace.
Then he tells them of the infinite
benevolence of Christ, who though
He was rich, for their sakes be
came poor that they through His
poverty might be rich. Christ
gave himself for them, impover
ished himself for them. Now he
asks them to give to the support of
the cause for which 1 le died.
How may we abound in this
grace? By giving liberally.
Like every other grace, it grows
by exercise. “The liberal soul shall
be made fat.”
The wisest investment a Chris
tian can make is Christian giving.
“Give, and it shall be given unto
you,” good measure, pressed down,
and shaken together and running
over.
“Truly ye have leceived, freely
give.”
“I here is that that scattereth and
yet increases: there is that that
withholdeth more than is meet and
it tendeth to poverty.” Poverty of
parse and poverty of soul. A
stingy Christian cannot be a happy
Christian. If he sets his heart upon
riches he starves his soul. lie can
not love God and mammon.
Give joyfully. You have often
heard it said that we ought to give
until we feel it, and the thought is
we ought to give until it hurts, until
it makes a painful impression on us,
ATLANTA, GA., THURSDAY. NOVEMBER 9, 1893.
until it leaves us with a sense of
sacrifice.
A very little giving will produce
just these sensations in the minds of
many Christians.
I think we ought to give until
we feel it, not the pain of it, but
the joy of it.
Paul speaks to those “who took
joyfully the spoiling of their goods,
goods that were wrongfully and
forcibly wrested from them. Know
ing in themselves that in heaven
they had a better and an enduring
substance, how much easier ought
it to be for Christians to give joy
fully to the support of a cause
which is the source of their spirit
ual happiness and peace ?
Love knows no sacrifice, and love
is the constraining power of the
Christian life. Regretful giving
will never develop Christian be
nevolence. Our progress will never
go with an offering that is given
grudgingly.
There is no real giving until we
learn to give with joy.
Constrained giving will not even
satisfy the demands of our con
science, much less will it bring any
joy e to the soul.
“The joy of the Lord is our
strength” in giving as well as our
suffering for Christ.
The churches of Macedonia felt
it in giving to support the gospel
among the poor no less than Paul
and Silas felt it as they sung praises
to God in prison at Philippi.
If we recognize joy as a factor in
passive service why not carry it
into our active service for the Mas
ter.
11.
Give honestly. I mean by this
that we ought to give in proportion
to our ability. The gifts of many
Christians are sadly at variance
with their ability.
When a man worth two or three
thousand dollars is satisfied to give
twenty-five or fifty cents a year to
give the gospel to a perishing world,
he is lacking in information or
there is something wrong with his
religion.
If we see the world lying in sin and
believe that the gospel is the only
remedy, and give only a pittance for
its relief, how dwelleth the love of
God or man in us?
There is a vast amount of what
may be called comparative giving
qmongjChristians. Many give, not
according to their ability, but ac
cording to the gifts of others who
are, or supposed to be, worth more
than themselves.
The truth is I am not responsible
for the gifts of others, if they rob
God, it by nq means justifies me in
doing the same thing. The Master
requires every one of us to do his
duty whether it be little or much,
and it will be little or much as God
has given us the ability to give.
“To whom much is given, much is
required,” but it does not follow
that to whom little is given noth
ing is required. If we have any
thing at all, it carries with it the
obligation to give something and
the New Testament rule is “accord
ing to that a man hath.” Doing
less than this we become unjust
stewards of the Lord’s money.
Pride prevents many from giving,
their offerings are so small as com
pared with some others they are
ashamed to give. Is it not strange
that they feel no sense of shame in
not giving? Why should the blush
of shame come to the cheek of a
man who is honestly striving to do
his duty? Why should it not come
to the cheek of a man who is ignor
ing his duty?
A penny from one of God’s poor,
may stand for more sacrifice, and
therefore more love, than thousands
of dollars from those who have an
abundance of this world’s goods,
and he is under no less obligation
to give it.
111.
(jive regularly. Nothing would
so effectually dry up the fountain
of Christian benevolence in our
churches as the endowment of our
mission work.
1 know of several associations in
our State that are suffering from
the partial endowment of their
district mission work. The effect
is, and always will be, disastrous to
the liberality of the churches. It
would be far better for the cause if
these generous gifts of our sainted
brethren and sisters, who have thus
sought to perpetuate post-mortem
influence for good, could revert
back to their estates. The poor
are Christ's legacy to His people,
“and the poor ye have always with
you,'’ and our first and last duty is
to preach the gospel to them.
For this reason we must give reg
ularly.
Another reason is that in this
way only can we abound in the
grace of giving.
When we cease to give we be
come cold and indifferent and loose
interest in the work, and our own
spiritual life becomes dwarfed.
I heard a moderator of one of
our district associations say in sub
stance, “Brethren J am glad that
the opportunity comes to us every
year to hiise money for our work.
For this we are organized, and
without this there would, be no
occasion for our existence. T*b me
it is a pleasure and I rejoice in it.”
And I said thank God for the ex
pression of such a noble Christian
sentiment!
As long as God has a people in
the world to be saved, there will be
need of regular giving.
God grant that we may see and
appreciate the blessed privileges.
IV.
Give wisely. An aimless be
nevolence can never bring to us a
great blessing. It may, in a cer
tain sense, bless the cause to which
we give, but its reflex influence will
in a good measure be lost to us.
Blind charity may be often mis
directed, and become a.waste. We
ought to be informed about the ob
jects to which we give and satisfy
ourselves that they are worthy and
commendable.
Every pastor ought to see to it
that his people are instructed and
informed about all the objects to
which they are asked to contribute.
It ought not to be expected that
they will give to an object of
which they know comparatively
little, and as a matter of fact they
will not do it. •
Herein, as Baptists, lies our most
grievous and distressing failure.
Our people are not too poor to give.
They are not too stingy to give.
The simple fact is they have not
the information along the lines of
our great denominational enter
prises to induce them to give
wisely.
If our pastors will show them
the great need of it, thq great duty
of it, the great joy of it, they will
give as surely as they Chris
tians.
The future of our denomination
depends upon the character of our
pastors. Indifference upon their
part will be sure to be felt in our
churches. If they do not lead in
the matter of our denominational
enterprises the churches will con
tinue to remain inactive. Our
churches must be instructed and
encouraged to give wisely or we
will perish from the earth.
We may hold to our doctrinal
beliefs with a tenacity which may
lead us into the flames of matyr
dom, but what does that avail if
we do not intend to propegate our
faith. Too many of .us consider
ourselves “set for the defense of the
gospel,” too few for its propegation.
A faith that is not worthy to be
propegated is not feeding.
W congratulate <A. upon
the fact that we hold the truth, this
is not a matter of congratulation ;
our highest duty is to let it go by,
and see to it that it does go to the
utmost parts of the earth.
Our chief business is to see that
the word of the Lord may have
free course, may run and be glori
fied even as it is with us. ,
V '
Give prayerfully. Our prayers and
alms should never be divorced. I
do not mean that we should give
every time we pray, but that we
should pray every time we give.
Fray before we give and pray after
we give. Let our gifts come from
a prayerful interest in the objects to
which we give and then send them
forth on the wings of prayer.
The most direct way to a Chris
tian’s purse is through his heart.
When our hearts are in any given
enterprise it is an easy matter to
put our money in it. The men
and women who are doing most
for the cause of Christ to-day are
the men and women whose hearts
are in the work.
Cary’s heart was throbbing with
painful anxiety and prayerful solic
itude long before he-gave himself
to the joyful work of giving the
gospel to the heathen.
How can we pray for the com
ing ot God’s kingdom and with
hold the only means in our power
for the coining of His kingdom?
We ought to be ashamed losing,
“Fly away thou mighty gospel,”
unless we help’to give it wings to
fly-.
The greatest need of our churches
to-day is the abounding grace of
Christianjbenevolence.
I have tried to outline the way to
•t, by,prayerful, wise, regular, hon
est, joyful, liberal giving.
TRIALS OF THE PEW-
BY C. 11. WETIIERBE.
A good deal has been writtun
concerning the trials of the occu
pants of the pulpit, but perhaps it
is not often enough considered that
the occupants of the pew have
their trials also. Os course refer
ence is made to those who sit as
hearers of the preacher. They arc
often denounced in severe terms
for their aptness at criticising the
sermons, their delivery and various
mannerisms. There is no doubt
that the pew is deserving of censure
for ill-advised criticisms of the
preacher’s sermons, his delivery
and personal manners. Oftentimes
there is much causeless faultfind
ing, which betrays a serious lack of
vital spirituality and even outright
ugliness of temper. But when all
this is said, it is still true that good,
earnest Christian hearers are sub
jected to some painful trials, grow
ing out of a pastor’s needless inef
ficiency, his lack of spirituality,
and his treatment of themes which
belong to the platform rather than
to the pulpit. More than one pas
tor of an evangelical pulpit has
thrown out literary dainties to his
people, month after month, until
they have become thoroughly fa
tigued with such a course and hun
ger after the plain, nourishing
truths of the pure gospel. Some
pastors, although their sermons
abound in Bible truth, treat so con
stantly of the historical and cir
cumstantial elements, and in such
a dry, lifeless manner, that their
spiritually-minded hearers are put
under a great trial while listening
to such sermons. No one feels at
all disposed to say that the pastor
does not preach the truth, but their
just complaint is that he does not
give the people the right kind of
truth. They long for something
to spiritually tone them up ; some
thing to strengthen them for meet
ing the battles of every-day life.
And then, too, some pastors seem
to have no faculty in their prayers
in the pulpit to keep their hearers
into a warming communion with
God, into a quickening spiritual
mood. The pastor does not voice
the general and particular needs of
the people as he prays in public,
and this is often one of the great
trials of the pew. Pastors should
understand their hearers’ needs.
THE DESTINY OF MAN.
x BY A. R. W.
The sun is the centre of the solar
system—all the planets revolving
in beautiful harmony around it.
It is six hundred times greater in
volume than all the planets, and in
mass or -weight, is about seven
hundred times greater. He is
nearly nine hundred thousand miles
in diameter, and fourteen hundred
thousand times larger than the
earth, and nearly ninety-five mil
lions of miles
I'li'- sun
inn! In-iit, 11
l .111 n J
I 1
fl
fl
pain.
Wliat :;
•Uli pi inn I In . I
no single object
knowledge which presentiment
•magnificent emblem of the Creator.
In its lustre and magnitude, its
boundless influence and its benefi
cial effects on this earth, and on
surronnding worlds, there is a more
bountiful display of divine perfec
tion than in any other material
being with which we are ac
quainted.
What tremendous magnetic force
is required to keep the planets re
volving in their orbits! We call
that the attraction of gravitation,
which is nothing less than the hand
of the Omnipotent One that first
gave impetus and regulates the
motion of the heavenly bodies.
Os the eight large planets in our
system Jupiter is the largest, being
eighty-nine thousand miles in di
ainater, arid fourteen hundred times
larger than the earth. Its distance
from the sun is four hundred and
ninety-five millions of miles; a
cannon ball flying five hundred
miles an hour would require more
than ninety-one years to pass over
this space. With its belts and
moons, when seen through a power
ful glass, is presented a most mag
nificent appearance.
The most wonderful and interest
ing body within the limits of the
planetary system is the planet Sat
urn. Its majestic rings and eight
moons present the most beautiful
and astonishing phenomena within
the whole range of planets. Its
distance from the sun is nine hun
dred and six millions of miles—
nearly twice that of Jupiter. The
circumference of its orbit is five
billions six hundred and ninety-five
millions; to move around which
would require a cannon ball mov
ing five hundred miles an hour,
iftore than thirteen hundred years.
The next planet more remote from
the sun is Fran us, distant eighteen
hundred millions of miles, which
is double the distance of the planet
Saturn. It is thirty-five thousand
miles in diameter ; its density, ac
cording to the spectroscope, is one
seventh that of the earth.
The latest discovered planet,
Neptune, is more than twenty
eight thousand millions of miles
from the sun, and revolves around
the sun in one hundred and sixty
four years.
11.
What we have stated of our sun
and a few of its planets is to get
an idea of the extent of the uni
verse, and yet we have but a feint
conception of the vastness of the
starry heaveh as if we stop at our
planetary system.
. We can, on a cloudless night, see
six or seven thousand stars with
the naked eye, many of which are
fixed stars or suns with their plan
etary systems revolving around
them. With a telescope of moder
ate power, wc discover thousands
more, and with a more powerful
instrument we can see many thou
sands beyond, and with a still more
powerful telescope we can see an
innumerable multitude of stars,
and so on ad infinitum.
And as our sun with its planets
are revolving around a great cen
tre, Alcyone in Pleiades, so other
systems we infer are revolving
around the same or sonv other
great centre of attraction.
The Constellation Pleiades, when
seen with the unassisted eye, is
composed of six or seven stars, but
when we look through a telescope
we see sixty large stars or suns.
We then find millions of stars
bedecking the whole canopy of
heaven—stars of different magni
tude—some red, some blue, yellow
and a variety of colors. We see
double stars oi suns revolving
around each other.
We find the planet Earth, man’s
habitation, a mere speck in the uni
verse. Behold the wisdom of God !
We travel around the sun at the
mean rate of sixty-eight thousand
miles an hour, and arrive at the
starting point every year at the
slime moment, never losing a second
of time. In our diurnal motion
we in the temperate zone are car
ried about eight hundred miles an
hour, heedless of the fact that if
our carriage should stop one mo
ment, men, animals, trees and
houses would be swept into dust
with the besom of destructson.
111.
The question is asked, What is
the use of this grand display ? Os
what utility are all these stars and
worlds above us?
He who spoke as man never
spake, informs us here are the
mansions of the justified, and at the
restoration of all things, the count
less millions of the Saints will here
have their abode.
1 Christ the Lord is the image of
the invisible God, the first born of
•very creature. God created man
own image. The regener
is an adopted son. heir of
||||||||fli co-heir with J•-u-Christ .
are vours"says the
This tin os hea
*’• ’’ :i,r ( -hrist’s
t of the world
bet three noted dis
||flflffms. Tin first portrayed by
We early dawn, Aurora’s rosy steps
in the eastern olijne advancing.
' The second
. “ÜbnriHvpowerful Kin? oi day
Rejoicing in the Efc»t. The lesson ing cloud
•ThekindHnirazuiL, and the mountain's brow
Illuminated wit., tl.'i 1 of God, hfg- near ap
proach!
Betoken* glad.”.
The third.—When the potent
sun with ardent blaze mounts up
wards to the zenith, assumes his
throne, and sends abroad through
all nature his cheering beams.
The first commenced when a
promise was made to man, that the
“seed of the woman should bruise
the serpent’s head.”
For nearly four thousand years
this dispensation prevailed. Man
was required to obey. The first
sacrifice made by Abel to the last
sacrifice made before the coming
of the Messiah, were all typical of
the great sacrifice to be made on
Calvary, in the person of the Just
for the unjust. And though the
promise, like a silver thread runs
through the inspired word, man
did not learn that to obey was bet
ter than sacrifice.
Man failed to keep the law. In
the counsels of eternity before the
world began, the Son entered into
a covenant with the Father to res
cue fallen man. To Abraham was
it promised, “In thy seed shall all
nations be blessed because thou
hast obeyed my voice.”
The second dispensation is an
nounced by the angelic band chant
ing, “Peace on earth and good will
to men. “Unto you is born a Sav
ior which is Christ the Lord.”
Men believed and followed
Christ, yet they did not compre
hend His mission, they failed to
understand His teaching.
Even I lis apostles looked for Him
to set up a worldly kingdom, and
in His kingly authority to restore
the Jews to great power on earth.
The Master says : “Oh, ye of lit
tle faith it is expedient that Igo
away, for unless I go away the Holy
Ghost will not come unto you.”
The Wonderful, the Counsellor,
the Mighty God, the evrlasting
Father, the Prince of peace dwelt
on earth among men, and they
knew not, yet they followed Him
and believed on Him as the Son of
God.
The third dispensation is ushered
in by the ascension of Christ and
the decent of the Holy Ghost. Wit
ness the day of Penticost. The
eyes of men were opened, they
now perceived and understood the
mighty works of God. The apos
tles preached the word in many
languages, the Holy Spirit was
poured out and thousands were
converted.
The gospel is preached through
out the world and prophecy is be
ing fulfilled.
We now look for the Gentiles to
be brought in, that all Israel might
be saved.
The wickedness of the wicked
must come to an epd, the exceed
ing sinfulness of sin must cease.
Many shall be slain, prophecy de
clares it*
VOL 70—NO. 44.
“And the remnant were slain
with the sword of him that sat
upon the horse which sword pro
ceeded out of his mouth.”
“And then shall they bury God
and all llis multitude.”
IV.
And now comes the fourth
noted dispensation in the history
of man vriien satan shall be
chained and cast into the bottom
less pit for a thousand years.
“Nation shall no more fight
against nation, nor kingdom
against kingdom, but they shall
beat their swords into plough shares
and their spears into pruning
hooks, and they shall learn war no
more.”
“The mountain of the house of
the Lord shall be established in
the tops of the mountains and ex
alted above the hills, and all
nations shall flow gnto it.”
Universal peace shall prevail,
the “earth shall be filled with
righteousness as the waters over
.the sea.”
“And they shall teach no more
every man his neighbor, and every
man his brother, saying know
the Lord for they shall all all know
me from the least of them unto the
greatest of them,” sayeth the Lord.”
“They shall be priests of God and
of Christ and shall reign with Him
a thousand years.” And when the
thousand years are ended satan
shall be turned loose for a season ;
he will be permitted to exercise
his power, raise his followers and
produce great commotion and dis
tress in the world, but his influ
ence will be temporary, for the
vengeance of heaven will fall upon
him, and the lake of fire will be
his everlasting portion.
When the devil shall be con
signed to everlasting punishment,
then shall come the long expected
day of Christ.
God the Father is present every
where throughout His dominions;
Christ the Son gave His people
to believe many mansions awaited
them in the skies. We are now
travelling through a desert land, a
waste howling wilderness, but we
have every assurance we shall in
herit the beautiful mansions in
the heavens.
Did the Son us Gotj die? Jle
shall see the “travail oi His ebul
and be satisfied.” “All that the
Father me shall cojae to
me.” *
His oath, His covenant, His
blood support and assure the be
liever he is destined for the skies.
“Who shall separate us from the
love of God?”
Ministering angels attend the
saint in his daily walk and shall
escort him to the skies, and be his
attendants in his visits from world
to world. “Know ye not that we
shall judge angels?” As man is the
most important being created, pre
cedence will be given him.
As heir of God and joint heir
with Christ he will make progress
in the knowledge of God, he shall
advance from glory to glory in the
likeness of God forever and for
ever through the countless ages of
eternity.
The place of the final judgment
will be on the earth. In a moment,
in the twinkling of an eye, the
trumpets shall sound, “and the
dead shall be raised incorruptible,
and we shall be changed.”
Jesus who was humbled, con
demned and crucified will now be
glorified and will sit upon the
throne.
“The sentence will be pro
nounced. “Come ye blessed of my
Father inherit the kingdom pre
pared for you from the foundation
of the world.”
“Depart ye cursed into everlast
ing fire, prepared for the devil and
his angels.”
LETTER FROM TROY ALABAMA-
I have thought that, possibly, some
of your readers might like to hear
something about Troy and the con
dition and prospects of our
cause in this part of the world.
Therefore I write this letter. If any
other apology is necessary, please
consider it duly made and recorded.
During the Christmas holidays of
last year Dr. John F.|Purser gave np
the pastorate of the First Baptist
church in this city, to accept a call to
the First Baptist church in New Or
leans. He had labored faithfully
and most acceptably here for six or
seven years, adding many persons to
the membership of the church, great
ly strengthening the Baptist cause in
this city and section and being instru
mental in the erection of perhaps the
handsomest house of worship in the
State. Indeed, the building is pro
bably not surpassed anywhere, in
beauty, finish and perfection of ap
pointments. It is constructed of
pressed brick, with granite and cream
limestone foundation and trimmings,
and is designed upon the most ap
proved “ecclesiastical pattern. The
roof is of slate, the lights are of
stained glass, arranged in beautiful
combinations of colors, and the main
auditorium is adorned with a hand
some window and a
splendid abby window and a
circular window showing a * re
presentation of the Saviour’s bap
tism in Jordan, all in the richest