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THE CHRISTIAN INDEX.
ESTABLISHED 1821.
The Christian Index.
Published Every Thursday, Cor. Ivy St.
and Edgewood Ave.
J. C. McMICHAEI. Pbofbibtox.
Organ of the Baptist Denomination in
Georgia.
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tered letter, money order, postal note
Vice, too, has its honeymoons. But
there is poison in that honey, and death
by it.
Sometimes, in our want of knowledge
or our waut of holiness, we offer prayers
to God the answer to which comes from
the devil, while we blindly accept it, to
our hurt and wounding, as if it came
from God.
There are no queens “de facto, ' but
the women who are loved by *>' ue , good
men, and no queens “de jure but such
among these women as are worthy of
that love because they themselves are
good and true.
Ministers sometimes make a boast of
burning their old manuscript sermons.
Beyond question, this is a wise thing to
do, when, if they fell into the bands of
others after one's death, they would be
found spotted through and through with
plagiarisms.
You are an influence, for good or
for evil. Remember this always. Oh, do
not be an evil influence:try in all things
and above all things not to be Why
should you let your lives help others
along the downward way and drag them
to the pit?
It is not love to see no fault in us: it
is love to see our faults, to see them only
the more clearly by reason of its inter
est in us and its affection for us, and yet
to love us still—perhaps to love us the
more, since because of these faults we
the more need it.
One of the papers surprisingly says
that a fly beats six hundred strokes a
second with its wings. Well, if it does,
they are only fly-beats after all. And
Hk» these fly-beats is all the “busy idle
ness” of men, who work not for the
soul, nor for God, nor for eternity.
There is something striking and touch
ing in the queetion, by a Christian
woman in a recent letter' to a bereaved
kinsman: “When Jesus is preparing a
mansion for us, does he let our loving
friends who have gone before help him?
We know not. He lets us help each
other so much here! He is so thought
ful of every little thing for our pleas
ure.
Os old, when captives in war were
made slaves, it was the custom in some
lands, for the cruel masters to brand the
mark of bondage to themselves on the
face of the “conquered chatties.” In
like manner, if we consent to be over
come by moral evil and to serve it in
feeling and in life, soon or late, it puts
on our face the mark of our ignoble
servitude to itself. We come at last to
look what we a:e; often, too, when we
do not know it, though it be known and
read by all men but ourselves.
“The silent past.” How can men say
it? How often the past cries out from
its shadows to our heart of the love and
the help that we failed to give when it
was due! How often it cries out to our
conscience of the good we have thought
lessly neglected to do ami of the eyil we
have weakly and wilfully wrought! Call
it rather, the clamorous past. Ab, the
pastechoes and re-echoes with thousands
of vices, unless, indeed, our own nature
is dumb to itself, and its higher and
better past has no tongue for the lower
and the worse, or the worse and the
lower no ear for the better and the
higher.
In one of the most suggestive among
recent works of fiction which have fallen
into our hands for many days, occurs
this sentence, “Somehow the human
heart has its own orthodoxy, which in
supreme momentsis stronger than the
orthodoxy of the churches.” What was
the particular instance of that ortho
doxy of the human heart, which called
forth this statement? It was the remark
made with regard to a dead woman:
“She is happier now than she has ever
been before.” And who, pray, was she?
She was a woman, who, on the last
night of her life, had crept up to her
own husband under cover of darkness
and avenged his deception and deser
tion of her by remorselessly stabbing
him to the heart, and had then drowned
herself in the river. It was this mur
deress and suicide who had passed on
into a higher happiness than earth had
ever given her' Such are the unethical
results, results obliterative of all dis
tinction between right and wrong, re
sults putting the crown of future bliss
on the brow of the worst and deadliest
crimes, when the revealed law of God is
cast aside, and the human heart is rec
ognized as endowed with the right of
having orthodoxy of its own to the sub
version of that devine and holy law.
Such are the results which become
natural, legitimate and inevitable, when
the orthodoxy, not of the churches, but
of Scripture, of inspired Scripture, is re
jected as a mere “evolution” of man's
nature and its superstition. Oh, as we
value what is moral and spiritual, as the
only safeguard of individuals and of
society from impurity, and vice, and
crime, let us sedulously purge ourselves
from all leaven of modern “scientific”
theology, for what men call science has
its own “theology;” and it was by the
path of science so called that the book
in question reached this strange “theo
logical” dictum—the glorification of a
suicide and murderess.
.. | JAMES.
BY KEV. G. A. NUNNALLY, D. D.
While there is not much in a
name—that is, not much argument
nor much meaning, yet there may
be some history that is valuable, and
some satisfaction and comfort that
may be worth the seeking.
What is the Scriptural name
given to a follower of Christ? We
can determine this by the frequency
with which it is used in the Script
ures and by the historic setting.
Evidently the name “ Disciple ”
is not correct, for as soon as the
Church of Christ was organized,
the word “disciple” dropped from
the apostolic vocabulary. In none of
the letters to the churches does the
word “disciple” occur. It was ap
plied by Christ and the evangelists
to novices—to those who were
seeking a knowledge of Christ.
Our Sunday-school pupils and men
and women who attend our minis
try, but who have not yet accepted
Christ, might Scriturally be called
“Disciples.” They are learners,mere
beginners and have not yet come
to the knowledge of Christ as the
Son of God and as the Savior of
sinners.
The title claimed so vehemently
by many, “Christian” evidently
is not correct. Grammatically, it
is an adjective, and as a descrip
tive should be applied to things or
principles or usages rather than to
human beings. To illustrate, in
speaking of political matters we
would say “Democratic principles”
or “Democratic usages,” but we
would hardly say “ Democratic
man.” Scripturally it occurs but
three times in the New Testament.
First in Acts 11:26. There, it is
generally believed, it was used and
applied to the followers of Christ
by His enemies, and was intended
as a reproach, perhaps to be made
the basis of a charge that would
result in their disaster and suffer
ing. Again in Acts 26 :28 it oc
curs, and if the title had met the
approval of the Aopstle, Paul had
a most splendid opportunity to ac
cept it and record his acceptance
of it in such manner as to have
largely prevented disputes about
the name. The quotation is, “Then
Agrippa said unto Paul, Almost
thou persuadest me to be a Chris
tian.” Now if Paul had been
pleased with the name or had
thought it to be the correct name,
he would have replied, “I would to
God that not only thou, but also all
that hear me this day, were both
almost and altogether Christians,
even Juch as 1 am, save these
bonds.” But he did not so reply.
By his refusal to use the title
which Agrippa had given*him, he
clearly shows that he did not re
gard it as the correct name. Again,
and the last time the word “Chris
tian” occurs in the New Testament
is 1 Pet. 4 : 16. Here the context
shows that the apostle did not ac
cept the title as correct and his
enemies evidently regarded it as a
reproach. The apostle only ad
vised his brethren if any of them
“suffered as a Christian,” being so
called and accused by their ene
mies, “not to be ashamed.”
We conclude then, that though
custom and modern interpretation
may justify the use of these titles,
yet the Scriptures do not authorize
the followers of Christ to assume
the names “Discipje” or “Chris
tian.” ,
But laying aside all prejudice
and sectarian bias, and searching
the New Testament for the Script
ural designations by which the fol
lowers of Christ are to be known
we find the following: When
reference is had to the act by which
a man becomes a follower of Christ
he is called a “Believer.” This
term, in some of- its forms, occurs
nearly two hundred times in the
New Testament. When reference
is had to the pure and spotless chor
acter which the followers of Christ
should bear, they are called “saints.”
This term occurs thirty-five times
in the Old Testament and fifty
nine times in the New Testament.
When reference i§ had to the re
lations they sustain to each other
they are called “Brethren.” When
reference is had to the relation
they sustained to God and Christ
they are called the “Children of
God.” When reference is had to
their prospects they are called
“Heirs.” If any one will take a
Concordance and examine these
words he will discover that they
are used very frequently and if
frequency of use authorizes their
application, certainly the Script
ural name for the followers of
Christ should be “ Believer,”
“Saint,” or “Brethren.”
So much for the individual.
Now by what name should the
body be called, the organization
into which Christ ordered his fol
lowers to be formed? It has been
suggested that the body should
be called the “Christian Church.”
This title is not correct nor Script
ural. We say “Democratic party,”
meaning that the “Democrats” orig
inated the party, formulated its
principles and perpetuated the or
ganization, but the “ Christians,”
so-called, did not originate and pre
serve the church. Even if the
ATLANTA, GA., THURSDAY. FEBRUARY 8. 1894.
proper name of each member was
“Christian,” it would be a misnona
to call the organization a “Chris
tian Church” or a “Church of
Christians.” The word of God
has not left us without information
on this subject. Jesus Christ and
the apostles have made it plain in
the New Testament by often re
peating it, that the organization
should be called the “Church of
Christ” or the “Church of God.”
That title etymologically explains
the origin and the perpetuity of the
organization, meaning “The Called
of Christ,” The Called of God.”
And by that name it has been
known from the beginning of its
existence. But in the process of
time, corruption entered the church
of Christ and its officers began to
change its ordinances, both in the
manner of performing them and in
the purport of them. There were
some of the organizations who
were loyal to the Master and pre
served the ordinances and doc
trines as they had “been delivered
to the saints once for all time,”
particularly the ordinances of Bap
tism, and to distinguish these from
the other bodies which had gone
into error, each organization was
called a “ Baptized Church of
Christ ” and by that name they
have been known through the cen
turies. The participle “Baptized”
has simply with the growth of
language, taken on the form of
an adjective and is spelled “ Bap
tist.” Evidently “ Baptized ” or
“Baptist” is a Scriptural term,
being used very frequently indeed
in some of its forms to distinguish
those who had obeyed Christ from
those who had not obeyed him.
Then we conclude the true,
grammatical, historic and Script
ural name for an organized body
of the followers of Christ is “The
Baptized (or Baptist) Church of
Christ at ” Let our “brethren”
as “Believers” “called of God” and.
made “Heirs of God,” prove them
selves “Saints” without blemish in
this particular at least by honoring
the Great Head of the body in
holding to that name which by his
wonderful providence has been our
title in the Scriptures and in his
tory “The Baptized (or Baptist)
Church of Christ.”
Memphis, Tenn.
FROM MISSOURI.
Dear Index :—ln renewing my
subscription you will please allow
a few personal words to many dear
friends among your readers. My
second year’s pastorate '’f’:re
close in another month, and the
futurfe is brighter'ttian ev’er. The
church, numbers about 225 active
members, has just passed through
a gracious revival in which brother
S. M. Brown of Kansas City did
all the preaching. Twenty-three
were added, mostly by baptism.
One of these had been an infidel
and hard character generally, but
was converted on his wagon in the
country about New Year’s day
when there was no excitement.
He says, “I used to say there is no
God, but now I know there is one,
for I have met Him and He has
spoken peace to my heart.” The
church seems ready for progressive
work and we believe is entering
upon a new era of usefulness.
Many good meetings have been
reported around us this fall and
winter. It seems true that when
prices go down religion goes up.
Christianity has many obstacles
here. People make money rather
easily and care less for. eternal
things. Infidelity has a strong
hold upon the people, and every
“ism” known in all the land is to
be found in this region. But the
cause of Christ is gaining ground
and bringing to the front many
strong characters. Our Normal
College in Kirksville, is controlled
by a fairly good Christian influence
and the churches look closely after
the religious interests of the stu
dents. Notwithstanding the fact
that we have eleven Baptist Col
leges in Missouri, among the four
hundred students in the Normal,
there are over sixty that are Bap
tists, and many more have no re
ligious convictions. These crowd
our Sunday-school and audience
room, presenting an unusual in
centive for faithful work.
Winter now holds everything
out doors in its icy embrace. There
has been no deep snow, but many
light ones, and the ground has been
white for two weeks. For three
nights the thermometer ranged
from [thirteen degrees below to
twenty-three below | zero. We
kept the stoves red hot during the
day, stayed in doors most of the
time, and kept some fire all night
so we got along without inconven
ience. People are glad to have it
so cold in order to fill up their ice
houses for next summer, and there
is no more sufferingjiere in winter
than farther South. It is the sud
den change that hurts and we have
it everywhere.
You have no doubt kept up with
the general denominational news
of the State. The outlook was
never brighter, though there re
mains much to be done to have
“Missouri for Jesus.” Brother
Carlton is still succeeding well at
Slater. I have not seen him in
over a year, but hear good reports
from him. He has a good church,
a good parsonage and a good salary
which is cheerfully and promptly
paid. The Index is always eager
ly read in our household, and we
wish you an ever increasing useful
ness. W. S. Walker.
Kirksville, Mo.
THE COMMON SENSE OF IT.
BY PRESIDENT J. B. GAMBRELL.
I am glad to note a revival of
discussion on what is called alien
immersion. Dr. Hall’s argument
was strong and other things ap
pearing in the Index are good, and
will do good. Many young pe’o
pie in our churches have never
been guarded against the (as they
seem to me) specious pleas for the
recognition of alien baptism. Let
us not forget our duty to these. I
have for a good while believed that
a wise and good providence would
let things happen all along at the
proper time calculated to make vs
keep the dust off our Bibles. Re
cent events have started a new dis
cussion of alien immersion, and I
am confirmed in my faith.
There is a common sense view
of the question, which I desire to
present. It is argued by all parties
to the discussion, that baptism isa
rite of divine appointment; that
the command, “be baptized” is to
believers; that in every baptism
there are two parties, the baptizer
and the baptized. It is as to the
baptizer, thatthire is disagreement.
But this disagreement does not ex
tend to what is regular or orderly.
To narrow the discussion down to
the one real and only point of dis
agreement, we have this: Shall
we admit to our’ churches persons
baptized in an .irregular or disor
derly manner?
Now let us lodk at it in a sen
sible way. Is it even thinkable
that a God of infinite wisdom
would ordain a rite to be submit
ted to by all believers and vet
make no arrangement for the lf
servance of the rite ; command 1 be
lievers to be baptized and yet n.l ie
it no bodies business to baptize
them? Is that thinkable? C>-r
--tainly not. Anjd when we look
into the divine records, we find, as
a fact, that he did not. In rhe
very beginning of the matter, he
commissioned John to baptize.
And in the commission preach-ng
and baptizing go together. '”he
men sent to preach were pm
baj?£ -f- qA -
others. To this Mill the Scfipttyes ;
agree. Here Scripture and com
mon sense are at one. Nor is this
denied.
Again since baptism exists solely
by and under the divine law, cre
ating and regulating it, is it com
mon sense to say, that what is ir
regular and not according to
Scripture order, should neverthe
less be accepted, as if it were reg
ular and Scriptural? The answer
need not be written. Common
sense protests such a travesty.
Let us go further with the sub
ject. Against what has been writ
ten there is practically no reply
from a Scriptural standpoint; but
there is a plea for alien immersions
based on what? i. The sincerity
of the baptized and certain con
fessedly right things connected
with his case. If there is one
thing that the common sense of
the world has agreed upon, it is
that sincerity car. be no substitute
for law, human or divine. 2. The
difficulties of tracing a succession
back to the apostles, nay the im
possibility of it. At the most this
means that because I cannot trace
my baptism back to the apostles in
regular order ; because my baptism
might have been irregular at some
point, therefore, I ought to receive
a baptism known to be irregular.
What has common sense to say to
such a proposition? I do not know
that the dollar I have in my pocket
is good metal clean through ; there
fore I must accept a dollar ten
dered me which I know is under
weight. Common sense declines
to accept the logic. Furthermore
common sense refuses to the whole
doctrine of alien immersions, built
on the dictum that because some
where, at some times, there have
been irregularities, therefore, we
ought to recognize a continuance
of them, and thus perpetuate and
sanction departures from the
Scripture rule. Among human gov
ernments where there are deficien
cies in administration, subse
quent legislatures pass enabling
acts. But in the government of
the churches no such thing can be
done. The only remedy is to cor
rect the evil. And that is what
was done in the case of the twelve
who were rebaptized because they
were not fairly instructed. Lets
put out all our strength to correct
irregularities and none of it to
evade the plain teachings of Script
ure.
Suppose we admit that because a
believer was sincere and had the
right intent as to his baptism,
though irregnlarly baptized, we
ought to receive his baptism, are
we not then bound by our own
logic? Must we not on' the same
principle admit that if a person is
I
I sincere and has the right intent he
I may commune anywhere? The
I two are twins in logic and common
! sense. But with reference to corn
j munion it is maintained, and
rightly, that the rite not only has
essence but form and connections.
And all are necessary to a Scriptu
ral communion. The very same is
\ true with regard to baptism. My
own opinion is that alien immer
sions universally accepted would
carry alien communion with all
the certainty of logic.
I know that many excellent
brethren who admit the first,stoutly
deny the latter. But both of twins
are not born at the same time. One
’ is not much older than the other
however.
Mercer University, Macon, Ga.
GOD’S DEALINGS WITH MEN AND
MISSIONS.
We have just read brother
Blount’s frank confession. And
very much gratified to know his
willingness to confess, and hope he
will not be so impulsive again.
But to the subject: Over one hun
dred years ago God impressed the
cobbler Carey with his purpose of
giving the gospel to the heathen,
and so impressed him to make
great efforts for God, and in turn
to expect great things of God.
Carey was moved to action and
the fire of Divine love caught from
heart to heart. And moved upon
one, and then another until to-day
we stand in amazement at what
great things the Lord hath done in
the conversion of the benighted.
I South Georgia is truly a land of
Bibles, preachers and churches.
But alas! it is also true that vast
waste places lie out before us,
minus of churches, preachers,
and almost of Bibles. The most
visible evidence that one hundred
years ago was God’s to give the 1
heathen the gospel is in the fact,
God moved men to send both the
Bible and preacher to the benight
ed heathen. The most striking
evidence that this, God’s most ap
propriate plan to develop South
Georgia, is in the fact, He has mov
ed upon the hearts of men and wo
men to make great efforts for God |
in this direction, and to expect |
great things of Him. Good men,
thought Carey a fanatic. Good
men likewisi think “The so called
good, but mistaken brethren |
fanatics also. But we can’t see I
the end.”
“God works in mysterious ways |
his wonders to perform.” God has 1
T*Tasairthe’reports b’t all the Mis-.
sioK Boards show) wrought up
on men as never before the impor- ;
tance of missions.
Men make mistakes. God per- '
mits them. Is not his will of pur
pose the fountain from whence all
permission flows? Some things
seem to be a mistake, yes prema
ture. But when God controls
men’s motives and conduct there is
no mistake in the end.
Evidences of this fact abound in
the Old, as well as in the New
Testament. To accuse God of
making mistakesis to_dethrone his
sovereignty.
To accuse men whose motives
are pure, and who act strictly from
consecrated convictions is to accuse
God of indirect mistakes.
Many of us have watched the ;
workings of the South Georgia
Convention with a critics eye, ami
with some suspicion.
Being convinced of right mo
tives and cautious actions, we are
now ready to lend our all for the
furtherance and perpetuity of the
good work.
What prompted W. D. Atkin
son to leave Middle Georgia and
locate in Blackshear, without a
church and but very few Baptists ]
to meet all the hardships, bear all !
the crosses and labor amid all these |
discouragements? Was hisjmotives
selfish? No, never. What prompt
en W. 11. Scruggs to leave a good i
pastorate in Florida and locate in !
Waycross, with the same surround- ‘
ings, except a growing railroad I
town? Was it a selfish motive? I
No. Do our frontier missionaries |
go because the work is pleasant, I
or pay extravagant? We know
better than to say yes.
Then let us deal with our breth- .
ren kindly, “Judge not that ye be I
not judged by the same judgment.” |
God’s dealings with men and mis- I
sions being a mystery has always ■
been the result of unjust criticism.
Let us look at motives more and be I
not hasty in judgment.
It is a fact that men who know I
most about the needs of South
Georgia are those who are amidst
the destitution, and they are the
men who are pushing the work.
Help them and not abuse them.
M. A. Grace.
Blackshear, Ga.
For the Index,
In your recent full, and faithful
report of the proceedings of the
Florida Baptist State convention,
I am represented as saying, that
until about ten years there was a
tendency among Northern Bap
tists to loose communion, but since
then a decided reaction has taken
place. Now, I did not suppose
that I had given the impression
that such tendency existed so re-
I cently, but that such was the case
1 about twenty years since. Let me
add, that Pedobaptists are getting
light respecting our principles, so
that while the exchange of pulpits
with them, and union efforts in re
vivals, are quite frequent, yet
neither Baptists, nor Pedobaptists,
regard this affiliation as in any
degree compromising our prin
ciples of strict communion.
J. T. Seeley.
De Leon Springs, Fla.
Madison, Ga., Jan. 28th, 1894.
Editor Christian Index:
I read with pleasure an article in
your issue of the 25th, by H. R.
Bernard, of Athens, under the
heading “How About Deacons.”
His article hits at the very root of
trouble, lack of working force, in a
great many churches.
He closes his article by saying,
“I have seen a great many churches
after a new pastor, but never one
after new deacons, have you?” I
write this to tell him and other
brethren, whose thoughts have run
in tnis line, that I have seen a
church after new deacons. The
church at Madison. It has been
customary in that church since its
organization, or since the adoption
of its present decorum to have a
treasurer elected at the monthly
conference in November of each
year, whose business it was to at
tend to the financial matters of the
church of all kinds.
It was also customary to recog
nize as a deacon, any one who had
been a deacon in any other church
of the same faith and order and who
by letter came to that church. The
consequence was that we had a
superfluity.of deacons who did no
work, and one man, the treasurer,
had it all to do. Thinking over
this matter, and being convinced
in my own nflnd that it was not
the proper way to get along in the
best business way. I offered and
moved the adoption of an amend
ment to the decorum doing away
with the treasurer and at monthly
conference, November 1893, elect
ing four deacons to serve from that
date, two of them for two years,
and two of them for four years ;
and biennially thereafter, electing
two deacons to serve two years.
Being one of the deacons myself
I was in a position to offer this
amendment and to give my rea
sons for doing so, to-wit :
That the deacons were not at
tending to work which it was their
duty to do ; that they did not keep
is. Ij&nd the of the
church and attend to them as they
should; that a church- to prosper,
ought to have live, working, ener
getic deacons ; that a church ought
to be able to get rid of a lazy in
efficient, unsatisfactory deacon as
easily as they rid themselves, by
the annual election plan, of a pas
tor, who for any cause, real or
imaginary, does not suit them ;
that in my opinion the
proper way, the easies
and best way was to adopt a plan 1
of electing deacons every two
years. If he is the proper man for
the place, the church readily recog
nizes the fact and is only too an
xious to keep him. If he is ineffi
cient they can, by ballot easily drop
him and put another in his place.
Upon presenting the subject to
the church there sprung up con
siderable opposition from unex
pected sources. The idea seemed
to have fastened itself in the heads
of some of the brethren that if
four deacons out of the seven, in
the church, were chosen to do this
work that the other three would be
“undeaconed,” so to speak. Some
others took the position that it was
unscriptural to ordain a deacon for
two years; that a deacon elected
under this plan for two yeats might
not at the end of that time be re
elected ; that if he was not re-elect
ed he would be “undeaconed.”
The fact that a minister is often
ordained on a one years call extend
ed to him by some church, without
any assurance to him from any
source whatever that any other
church will ever call him, could not
be made to appear to these good
brethren as a parallel case to elect
ing a deacon for two years.
The moderator and everybody
else got hopelessly entangled in the
meshes of their own eloquence;
the matter was laid on the table
until the next conference. At the
next regular conference, the matter
was taken from the table, the pa
per embodying the proposed
amendment was read and without
one dissenting voice was passed.
So you see the Madison Baptist
church is one church where it is
proposed to try the plan of chang
ing deacons instead of pastors.
It is the wish of the church to
keep the man who now serves
them, (brother Samuel A. Burney)
until he finishes his earthly work,
and is called up higher to receive
the reward for a life of unselfish
devotion to the Masters cause.
Yours in brotherly love,
P. G. Walker.
The Hamilton Journal contains
nearly a column report of an inter
esting sermon preached to the
church there, by Bro. B. W. Bussey,
of Jamestown.
VOL 71—NO. 6.
COMMENTS ON SOME PROVERBS.
Solomon says a proverb is “the
interpretation of the wise.” A
proverb has been defined -. “A
short pithy saying in common use.”
It ought to be, though it is not al
ways, a universal truth ; for some
proverbs are, because of their
origin, true only in part or false in
the main. The true proverb has
the characteristics of novelty, dig
nity and usefulness. Aristotle
places proverbs “among the unde
niable testimonies of truth.” Quin
tilian, the rhetorician, commends
them as “helps to the art of speak
ing and writing well.”
1. “Antiquity is not always a
mark of verity.” The claim cf the
Papists that theirs is the oldest
church were it true, does not es
tablish its Scripturalness. Argu
ments g.|<junded on .ecclesiastical
history can easily be made to sup
port error. Age of itself does not
eliminate evil, but rather makes it
ranker and stronger. But “an old
dog cannot alter his way of bark
ing,” and so every generation will
be dosed with this medicine.
2. “Envy shoots at others and
wounds itself.” It is a boomerang.
“Saul eyed David,” his envy led to
his downfall. Envy, not hate, is
the true antithesis of love. It is
the genesis of sin,—the meanest of
serpents taken into the heart to
bite it to death. A man will ac
knowledge hatred of another, —but
envy never. It is never satisfied,
though soul-tortue is its ceaseless
fruitage. “Envy never enriched
any man,” for it is pure Satan
who is “a thief and a robber.”
Envy is malicious grudging.
3. “Examples teach more than
precepts.” Examples are precepts
incarnated. Christ is greater than
His words or His works. Men try
to find truths ouside of the Bible
equal to or identical with the truths
of the Bible. They t o ll, for in
stance, that Confucius is the real
author of the Golden rule, since,
as they say, Confucius put that
rule in its negative. But the
framer of a negative may yet fail
to see the positive. But admit it,
what then ? Christ lived the rule.
His life is the uanswerable argu
ment for His doctrine. No life
like His.
4. “Giving much to the poor
doth increase a man’s store.” The
Bible every where teaches the value
of giving. “God loves the cheer
ful giver,” and enriches him mani
fold. He only lives, who gives.
Giving to the poor is “lending to
thr T .ord,” -ryh™ ptys back "■’ithjjij
told interest. How much is wasted
which would satisfy the poor. Mr.
McCallough, Ex-Treasurer of the
United States, said that the peo
ple of I'rance annually lived on no
more than what the people of the
United States wasted. Living too
fast, in all its senses, is the cause
of our “present distress” in this
country. When wealth shall be
Christianized, the problems of So
ciology will be solved ; when “ho
liness shall be written on the bells
of the horses” their owners will
drive to the relief of the poor.
D. W. Gwin.
OUR OWNERSHIP-
At a recent prayer-meeting, we
were ‘all so greatly edified, so
strengthened by the sound meat of
the gospel, as presented to us in an
impromptu talk from that Prince
in Isreal, dear old Dr. Shaver, that
while we ourselves continue to en
jov the feast of his doctrine, we
would fain have others too.
The subject under discussion was
as to our “Ownership”—when
some one called upon our friend, I
had almost said our life-long friend,
and this in substance is what he
said, but in such chaste, scholarly
language—clear cut as a grecian
column, yet glowing with warmth
as the rosy dawn.
He began by saying, that while
the great Catechisms of the
churches and their confessions of
faith, taught us much of truth, yet
they stated some of it this way, viz.,
that Jesus Christ had purchased for
us, pardon and forgiveness of sins,
had bought for us sanctification,
justification and our admission into
the barred-up gates of heaven.
But, said the old man eloquent,
it is not so taught in the Word.
Christ purchased for us, none of
these things! He bought, with
His own precious blood, lost and
ruined man, and He bestows upon
him, who accepts it, all these favors
as His royal gifts, the glorious out
come of His unutterable grace and
love!
Man had broken away from God ;
Jesus pays the full price to Justice
for the redemption of this creature,
and now, man, being his property
and His own, He freely gives unto
him who will receive it by faith,
pardon, and justification ; leads him
on to sanctification, and prepares
for him a heavenly home, into
which He will finally gather all His
own ! “Ye are bought with a
price!” How then, shall he not
freely give us all things, for this life
and that to come !
We belong to him body and soul;
we are henceforth to live for Him,
and not for ourselves ; unto Him who
(Continued on Bth page.)