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ESTABLISHED 1821. The Christian Index. Published Every Thursday, Cor. Ivy St. and Edgewood Ave. J. C. McMICHAEI, Propkiktor. Organ of the Baptist Denomination in Georgia. Subscription Pricr: One copy, one year * 2.0" One copy, six months 1.00 Obituabibs.—One hundred words free of charge. For each extra word, one cent per word, cash with copy. To Corbispondrnts.—Do not use abrevia tions; be extracareful in writingproper names: write with ink, on one side of paper; Do not write copy intended for the editor and busi ness items on same sheet. Leav eon personal tries; condense. , . Businrm.—Write all names, and post offices distinctly. In ordering a change give tlie old as well as the new address. Ihe date of laliel Indicates the time your subscription expires. If you do not wish it continued, order it stop ped a week l>efore. We consider each sub scriber permanent, until he orders his paper discontinued. W hen you order it stopped pay up to date. Kkmittancesby check preferred; or regis tered letter, money order, postal note He who forgets old sins, forgets his new sins also. Sear your conscience for the past, and you have therein seared it for the present and the future. The new sins are greater than the old, by reason of long continuance, and succes sive lapses of right principle, and the kindling of passion to intenser llaine, and the stronger force of an evil will that never thinks now of turning. And yet, we forget the old sins less easily than we forget the new. When shall this ruinous process end, by which in proportion as sins grow worse, we feel their sinfulness, and bear it, less? Does not every day increase the probabilities that it should go on to the last, and therefore go on everlastingly? Once, you were a Christian worker. There were harvests to reap, and you were among the reapers. But brethren opposed you, affronted you, injured you, and you ceased from labor. O why? bhould you for their fault, punish your self with interrupted activites, and a marred experience, and a usefulness shattered and shorn? Should you pun ish your Lord's cause, which, while it is yours by all the sacredness of personal covenant, is yet his by the higher prec iousness and pricelessness of purchase with his blood, his heart’s-blood, his life-blood? Should you punish your Lord, not stirring a finger lest there should be stolen away from him the very least fiction of fruitage from that “travail of his soul” which alone can “satisfy” him for all the agony he bore in behalf of sinners? Surely, this ap pears worse than simply putting the hand to the plough and looking back; it appears like letting the plough go and turning back. Think better of it, brother. The church is not as prosper ' ous as it should be; not as prosperous even as seems; not as prosperous as > rcm f to make it. li. needs you as a worker: and you need it as no worker can. Will you not, then, re lew your vows and resume your labors? O, that the heart of Christ may melt your heart, until you become again a Christian worker, the humbler before God and the w iser among men for this blank page, this black page, in your past. A writer in the Philadelphia “Ameri can Catholic Quarterly Review” for Oc tober recalls facts which may allow of brief comment. In the year 1857 a human skull was found in the Meander cave near Dusseldorf, Prussia. Men of science took that skull into their hands, assigned it to the sphere of prehistoric archreology, and proceeded to deduce from it according to the approved meth ods in that department of study con clusions as to the antiquity of our race on the earth which bring “biblical chro nology" into doubt, if not into discredit. Shaafthausen adjudged it “the most ancient memorial of the early inhabi tants of Europe;” Schmitt pronounced it “the oldest of known human skulls;” and Fuhbrott, w riting a book on it, fixed its age at “from two hundred thousand to three hundred thousand years.” On the < ther hand, Dr. Mayer, of Bonn, “after a critical examination of the alleged ‘fossil’ and of the locality in which it was found came to the conclusion that it was the skull of a Cossack killed in the year 1814.” This is the Science which is nothing if it is not “exact.” This is the Sciei ce, which has no discrep ancies of its own and is the mortal foe of discrepancies wherever they may cross its paths. Think of it. We go back only seventy-nine years, and, with one of its voices, this Science tells us that we are wrapped and shrouded in the far away mists of “prehistoric'’ ages. With its boasted special and ex clusive powers of “verification,” this Science here interposes between its highest and lowest estimate ami only the trivial, insignificant space of two hundred and ninety-nine thousand nine hundred and twenty-one years. Others may choose for themselves, but for our part it is not at the mandate of this Science that we shall take sides against the Bible or even against Theology, In spiration is better than this; even Or thodoxy is better. The recent Augusta “Baptist Con gress” discussed the question, “Shall our young people be organized for Christian work? ” An important theme, well worthy of all the time and thought expended on it. But there is another, not of equal moment certainly, yet de manding consideration and promising at [ least a measure of good from its right decision. Shall we organize our old people for Christian work? In many of our churches there are members who are more or less regarded as superannu ated, as no longer fit for office or for business by reason of age. The years have drifted them aside from the direct current of the activities of the churches: they are not put to work; they are neither asked nor expected to do any thing in a systematic way and week by week the year through, but only casu ally and at rare intervals, as a sort of “makeshift,” or to “fill up a gap’’oc curring unexpectedly. Some of them have been ministers, some have been deacons, some have been Sunday-school teachers, some have been committee men; but they have been superannuated in these lines, and not always by any means “for cause.” Why should not these be gathered into a society for mu tual counsel and comfort; to cultivate sympathy with each other as standing at the same stage of life and alike apart from the throng; to soothe loneliness by exchange of visits out of love to Christ THE CHRISTIAN INDEX. _ a?. mN. - and his peopm. lessons of their varied expert Jp-*dleain now from this one, nowfri the wis- dom which might come froWM review of the way in which the Lord has led them through “the heat and burden of the day” now nearing sunset; to find assist ance. each from all and all from each, in discovering and proving for or against the special duties, troubles, sins, and possibilities of usefulness pertaining to old age? Are there not places where the experiment is worty trial? Who will try it? PARLIAMENT OF RELIGIONS- TREASON TO CHKIST( ?) Dear Index : —You proffered to send me two volumes containing an authoritative account of the Parliament of Religions which as sembled in Chicago during the World’s Exposition last year. Doubtless you made the same offer to a score of other brethren in the State, but 1 trust they responded more politely to your proposition than I did, for i wrote you that I had a very poor opinion of this Parliament, and also intimated very plainly that I did not care anything for the books : Yet you sent them. Well, I still stand by what I said in reference to the Parliament, but I retract every word uttered as to the books, and stand with hat in hand prepared to apologize to your entire satisfaction. lam delighted with the books, and thank you very kindly for them. In addition to a variety of other things, we are favored in these vol umes with what representative men, —natives of o’her lands, —say in behalf of their respective sys tems of religion. Should we wish to know if a piece of cloth is “a yard wide and all wool,” of course it is the proper thing* to hear from the man who has the cloth to sell. True, the test of the article may serve to cast a shadow of suspicion upon his statement, but we all know how to make some allowance, since he is anxious to sell. By all means, let the heathen tell of the excellencies of their own systems of religion. Besides the very favorable pre sentation of these various and con flicting creeds, these volumes are embellished with a great many interesting pictures, and though I am sixty-four years of age, I am as foolish about pictures as I was when a boy of six. We have here churches in Christian lands, and temples in heathen lands, cathe -3,..;- p. godas, almost befond number ; also pictures of men and women, varying from the fairest Caucassian, thtough all shades vs color down to-ror up to—the ebony hued Africans. Also there is given to us every style of ecclesi astical dress, from the profusion of skirts, and robes, and head-gear of a Shinto priest, all the way down to the scanty outfit of a Burmese Neophyte, whose every covering was taken from the unappropri ated part of Adam’s first ward robe ; the priest was almost entirely concealed from view,—the Neo phyte served to impress us with the symetry of the “form divine.” It appears that those who had in charge the “Religious Con gresses,” conceived the idea of gathering into one assemblage, men and women from all parts of the world, —Buddhists, Brahmins, Parsees, Taoists, Shintoists, Mo hammedans, Confucians, Jews and Christians, —representatives of every system of religion, and this assemblage was to be known as “The Parliament of Religions.” This matter was placed in the hands of a committee, in whose composition were represented the Jews and the various Christian de nominations of the United States. The chairman of this committee was the Rev. John Henry Bar rows, D. D., Presbyterian. The Baptists were represented in the person of Rev. W. L. Lawrence, of Chicago. It is not my good fortune to know anything of this brother, but I am satisfied that he was the right man in the right place, provided there was any right place in the Parliament. This committee issued a circular, sending it to leading men, and I suppose leading women also, in all parts ot the world, asking an ex pression of opinion as to the ad visibility of the proposed Parlia ment. In order that these parties might be able to answer the more intelligently, the design of the meeting was set forth in this circu lar. I quote from it: “To bring together in conference, for the first time in history, the leading repre sentatives of the great Historic Religions of the world. To show to men in the most im pressive way, what and how many important truths the various Re ligions hold and teach in common. To inquire what light each Re ligion has afforded, or may afford to the other Religions of the world.” We are told by Mr. Barrows, the chairman, “that the committee began their work with the impres sion that nothing like a Parliament of Religions had ever assembled before. So far as they knew, it had never been dreamed of.” But as soon as the responses to the circular began to come in, it ATLANTA, GA., THURSDAY. FEBRUARY 22, 1894. was ascertained, to their great sur prise, that this was by no means a new conception. Strange to say, just here, near their very doors, “The Free Religious Association of Boston” had been working on this line for more than twenty years ; and doubtless, had they been half asdilligent in their labors in this respect as their fellow townsmen had been in shipping whiskey to the heathen in the Congo valley, this Parliament mig h t have blessed( ?) the earth with its pres ence years ago. More still: a Dr. Martin, presi dent of the Imperial University of Pekin, reported that the idea of such a gathering had often ap peared both in fiction and in his tory. Next came a response from Bohemia, claming that John Com enius had advocated this very thing in that country three hundred years ago, and that it was a very familiar subject there. Then came the in formation that a certain enterpris ing college president had preached a sermon, in which, in imagination, he had assembled just such a com pany in the city of Tokyo, Japan, and that the whole thing was but as straw which had been threshed again and again. Still the committee stood bravely up, cheered by the firm belief that no such Parliament had ever actu ally been held, but at last a blow came from an unexpected quarter : The mail brought a letter from Mr. Dharmapala, Buddhist priest in Calcutta, in which it was stated that such a Parliament had been held two thousand years ago in India, —that it was assembled by order of the great and good king Asoka, —that the noble lessons then and there enunciated were carved on stones, and these stones were conveyed to all parts of his vast empire. This was very severe on the com mittee, who fondly cherished the idea that they were about to do what man had never done before. There was nothing better for them to do now, than to [secure the at tendance of Mr. Dharmapala, that he msght instruct them in conduct ing this enterprise with which he was so entirely familiar. Now brother Index, you may look out for the arrival of a bottle of Warner’s Kidney Cure just found under the Great Pyramid in Egypt, where Potiphar concealed it from Joseph. So soon as this bottle comes, I propose to believe all the above strange things, litho graphic records and all, for you know “There is no new thing under the sun.” It seems that the responses re ceived to the circular were gener ally favorable to the assembling of such a Parliament, yet some of them were otherwise. Much to the surprise of the committee, the Sultan of Turkey flatly opposed it. Now why the attendance of this august personage was solici ted, of course, I do not know ; still I can see very plainly why lie should object to coming,—that is, if he has been 'correctly reported as to the size of his household. Had he come, and brought all his wives with him, they might have become scattered on the way, and might have strayed off in these western wilds; had he left them behind, he might have been ap propriated by some of our good women who have such a mania for titled husbands. But perhaps it was not his presence that was de sired, but only his approval of the enterprise, so that others in "his do minions might feel at liberty to ap prove likewise. Another objector was found in the person of the Archbishop of Canterbury. Being the chief ecclesiastic of the Church of Eng land (Episcopal) his opposition was quite a serious matter; the committee caused him to be labored with very earnestly, but to no pur pose. Now, I am not specially partial to bishops, unless they are New Testament bishops—still less if possible, do I take a fancy to arch bishops, but I am decidedly pleased with this one, and I think I shall regard them with more favor ever after this. I quote only a portion of his letter: “The difficulties which I myself feel are not ques tions of distance or convenience, but rest in the fact that the Chris tian religion is the only religion. I do not understand how that re ligion can be regarded as a mem ber of a Parliament of Religions without assuming the equality of the other intended members, and the purity of their positions and claims.” It is surprising how a Baptist bishop could have opinions just like those held by an Episcopal archbishop, but so it is. This good man expresses my views better than I could myself. But there was another response, and while not from such an exalted personage as the above, yet it was to the point. The writer was the Rev. E. G. Eitel, of Hong Kong. I suppose the reverend gentleman was a missionary at that place. He seems to have singled out the chair man of the committees ; he writes : “Let me warn you not to deny the sovereignty of your Lord by any farther continuance of your agitation in favor of a Parliament not sanctioned by his Word. If misled yourself, at least, do not mislead others, nor jeopardize, 1 pray you, the precious life of your soul by playing fast and loose with the truth and coqueting with false religions. I give you credit for the best intentions, but let me warn you that you are unconsci ously planning treason against Christ.” This is very plain language, and yet I am unable to find fault with a single word uttered. Especially, am I unable to object when I read certain expressions used by those who were chief promoters of the enterprise, and who must have un derstood the import of their own language. The Rev. Mr. Barrows, chairman, says, “But religion, like the white light of heaven, has been broken into many colored frag ments by the prisms of men. One of the objects of the Parliament of Religions has been to change this many colored radiance back into the white light of heavenly truth.” This evidently means that Buddhism and Mahommedanism, and the rest of the heathenisms, combined with Christianity, will make a pure religion. And this from a man upon whom rests the ordination vows ql a Christian minister! who objec.s to what the Rev. Mr. Eitel wrote to him? Again, as quoted above from that circular in declaring the ob jects of the Parliament: “To in quire what light each religion has afforded, or may afford to the other religions of the world.” In con templating Christianity in connec tion with any of these heathen sys tems and in making inquiry as to what it had received or could re ceive from any of them, or all of them would be like asking what the sun had received, or could receive of brightness from a tal low dip. One more quotation,- and then we leave the record for the present, this was by a Protestant from Hol land : “What will, what must be the result of the Pafliament? 1 trust it will put a stop to the mu tual rivalry of the various religions. Whenever we discover. in each others religion something that is lacking, or let s developed in ours, let us try to aim t,hat such precious good shall eiyich our own religion with the spirit" 1 ** J er'easurcs found elsewhere.” '‘‘ J b'.trr v . I cart't’afford to4n;fß*i any com ment on t! at T'a <»f patch ing the Christian religion in de fective parts with good cloth taken from the heathen systems, is too much for me : the very idea is too preposterous to dwell on. There does not appear from be ginning to end, any intention of an effort to enlighten the heathen who might be brought into this Parliament, but rather to have all parties present their respective systems, so as to afford an oppor tunity for selecting the best parts of each, with a view to construct ing a system which would be bet ter than any of them. If this is not proposed treason against the Lord Jesus Christ, then this scribe is unable to understand what con stitutes treason. There is but one escape from the charge of treason, and that involves the most deceitful double dealing with those heathen people who were allowed into this Parliament under false pretenses. If the ob ject was to try to induce them to accept Christianity in line of their own systems, they ought to have been so informed before they left their homes. Still again, Christianity is with in itself essentially hostile to every other system of religion, and can not for a moment enter into any combination or compromise with any of them. We do not mean hostile to the individual heathen, on the contrary it is the friend of each one of them, and seeks to do each the greatest good possible; we do not mean that Christianity condemns every precept inculcated by these false systems, for doubt less some of them teach many good lessons , but we do mean that it is hostile to them, and condemns them in that they are not sytems which do or can lead to a change of heart, to reconciliation with God, and to acceptance with him. Now brother Index, you had better throw this into your waste basket, for if you do not, it will be followed by another on the As sembling of this Parliament. W. L. Kilpatrick. Hephzibah, Ga., Feb 7, ’94‘ [Let us have “another.” —Ed.] THE NEGROES IN THE SOUTH. W. B. m’gARITY. Ever since the first cargo of ne groes landed at Jamestown, Va., 1619, the race problem has been before the American people. This question can be solved by Christian izing the negro. About seven mil lions are in the South. They have plenty of preachers and generally worship in good houses. They have low ideas of Christian life, vague ideas of the duties of a preacher, and a church member. Their great need is a better minis try. This, dur Board is seeking to supply, by sending our best preach ers among [them to preach and organize ministers Institutes. Last year this was done in Alabama, Georgia, Tennessee and North Carolina, while work was sustain ed in Maryland, Texas and Ken tucky. This work is greatly ap preciated by our colored brethren and has already borne fruit. Can we not see that God will use the Southern negro to evangelize dark Africa? Already our Foregn Mis sion Board is trying to find suita able negroes to send as missionar ies to Africa. “Ethiopia shall soon stretch out her hands unto God.” THE COMMON SENSE OF IT. I have been much gratified at reading some things which have recently appeared in the papers on the subject of “alien immersion.” I was especially pleased at what Dr. Gambrell wrote in the last In dex on that subject, under the above heading. In reading his ar ticle I was impressed with some thoughts very forcibly, and these I propose to give to your readers by your permission. When I read a proposition I try to look at it in its various bearings. I ask myself the question what does this lead to? Is the proposi tion true? And if so, is not the logical deduction from it true? I am not deterred from embracing a truth because it may lead to some ; unpalatable results. I am willing to | take the truth with all the legiti- ! mate consequences which flow i from it. When I united with the 1 Baptists, I had to give up many j ideas I had hitherto entertained in j regard to those with whom I had ■ not only associated with in early I life, but whom I had regarded as a i portion of the bride of Christ, ; Indeed my whole theology had to be remoulded in reference to many things I had been taught to regard j as true and right. I did not hesi- ' tate on that account to espouse the : truth as 1 found it in the Bible. I i am on the same line now. Give ! me the truth, and I will accept it, and hold it, if it should destroy my most cherished views or sever the most cherished ties which bind me ; to friends in this world. I love a bold, fearless utterance of a truth, or doctrine. Hence I enjoyed Dr. Gambrell’s statement of his posi tion on the subject he so ably pre- ! sented. I wish to call especial at tention to some things he has said, and the conclusions I have drawn from them. Dr. Gambrell reduces the ques tion to this: “Shall we admit to our churches persons baptized in an irregular and disorderly man ner?” The answer he gives to this is in the emphatic negative. He says this in his argument which follows. I wish to change the question a little and put it thus: Shall we admit to our pulpits per sons not baptized at all, and or dained in an irregular or disorderly manner? Should not the answer | to this question be as emphatically 1 negative as the other? Is there a ; single reason that can be given in ■ favor of the one that cannot be j given in favor of the other? In ’ Dr. Gambrell’s third paragraph he . says : “Is it even thinkable that a I God of infinite wisdom would or dain a rite to be submitted to by all | believers, and yet make no arrange- i ment for the observance of the rite ; I command believers to be baptized, and yet make it nobody’s business to baptize them? Is that thinka ble? Certainly not. And when 1 we look into the divine records we ■ find, as a fact that he did not” j Now I change the question slight- j ly again, and ask, is it thinkable 1 that God would command preach- , ing to be done, and yet make it no- : body’s business to preach? Just; leave it with any and every man i who may wish to do so, to enter ; upon that work? I believe one is j as unthinkable as the other. The j Dr. says further, “In the very be ginning of the matter he commis sioned John to baptize. (So he did to preach.) And in the com mission preaching and baptizing go together. The men sent to preach were command- ed to baptize these and no others. To this all the Scriptures agree. Here Scripture and common sense i are at one. Nor is this denied.” j To all of this 1 heartily agree, ex cept the last four words. There are many Baptists who say that the preaching and baptizing do not go together. And while they re ject the immersion of a Pedobap tist, they will accept the ordina tion and sprinkling of a man as qualifications sufficient to make them gospel preachers, and suita ble instructors of their people.” If “in the commission preaching and baptizing go together,” what right has any man or church to separate them ? And yet this is done almost weekly. If we can receive the preaching of an “alien” we can receive the baptism of an “alien.” I cannot see the differ ence in principle in drinking the soup, and eating the meat that makes the soup. Dr. Gambrell’s position is that the Scripture de termines the qualifications of the administrator of baptism. The same Scriptures that determines the qualifications of the baptizer deter mines the qualifications of the preacher. So I believe. As the Scriptures require belief and bap tism in the one case so they do in the other. If then, any man can preach, without baptism and authority of a church of Christ, he can likewise baptize; and we sin in rejecting the baptism of such, and at the same time accept the preaching. If God has joined the two together, as brother Gambrell says he has, and I believe, the man or church that separates them is guilty of re bellion against God’s authority when he does so. The Scriptures are our only source of knowledge in relation to our duty to God and to the world. I have sought in vain to find the least authority for any one to preach who has not been baptized and set apart for the ministry by a church of Christ. If I any one can show such authority in the Bible I will be greatly obliged to him if he will point me to the passage. I quote one other passage from Dr. Gambrell’s admirable article, substituting the word preaching for baptism : “Again since preach ing exists solely by and under the divine law, creating and regulat ing it, is it common sense to say, that what is irregular and not ac cording to Scripture order, should 1 nevertheless be accepted, as if it ; were regular and Scriptural? The i answer need not be written. Com- I mon sense protests such a traves- j ty-” The remainder of this article of Dr. Gambrell’s applies with as much force against “alien” preach ing as it doos against “alien” bap ■ tism. I commend it to the readers of the Index, applying it as I have ; and if one can reconcile the prac tice of accepting alien preaching with the Bible and a good con science, I must say he has keener perceptions of right in the premi ses than I have. I have several times been on the eve of writing about matters and things in Florida, when the Index would come with all the news I had on hand, presented to your readers by the two Mr. Sams, Flot and Jet. They are too fast for a slow plodding pastor like myself. But then it could’nt be expected that I could keep up with both of them. It is said that “two is bet ter than one,” and I presume that is why they have associated togeth er to give you the Florida news. Can you tell me which gathers up the news and which writes it out? I hope Flot and Jet will not fall out and cease to give your readers the excellent papers furnished*’you almost weekly. There was a family of the Sams once but I be lieve they have all died except these two. I hope they will long live to honor the family name. N. A. Bailey. Leesburg. Fla., Feb. 9, 1594. SHALL WE REINFORCE OUR MIS SION BY R. T. BRYAN. “How then shall they call on him in whom they have not be lieved? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear ) without a preacher? and how shall they preach except they be sent?” The needs of the heathen are calling for help. Our missionaries are pleading for reinforcements. Men and women are saying, “Here am I, send me”—are even begging j to be sent. The Board is anxious I to answer these appeals, but can not do so, unless the churches ! furnish the money. The Board, at the last meeting, approved of ten men and women as worthy of ap pointment and instructed our Sec retary, brother Willingham, to bring this matter before the churches, and see if such an in- | crease in the regular contributions ■ to Foreign Missions can be secured I as to enable the Board to appoint | and send out these missionaries by next fail. We have a great God. He is calling us to a great work. We are a mighty host—a great people. Shall we send these reinforce ments? Who will answer? The ; answer must come from the churches, saying, send them, and we will support them by increas ing our regular contributions to Foreign Missions. Will ( our'churches answer? That depends upon you dear reader. Will you say, I will pay more, I will increase my con tributions? Will you talk it up and not down? Will you try to get every one with whom you come in contact to pray for this matter and to give more ? Brother editors will you help us? Brother pastors, more depends upon you than upon all others. Will you bring itjbefore your churches and try to get them to pray over it, and make an increase in their contri butions? Will you make an effort to get every member to give some thing be it ever so little? VOL. 71—NO. 8. If all would g : ve even a small sum our Board could easily pay off the debt and send out over fifty men and women. Will you’ help brother deacon ? Brother Sunday school superintendent, what a lift I you and your children could give us. Will you help? God has abundantly blessed some of our people with thousands . and millions. Will you God’s wealthy children ask him to allow [ you to invest some of your money l in this enterprise? Lastly but not least, will you dear sisters, lend us your tender loving, but strong hands? We expect an affirmitive answer from you all. We are trusting God and the Baptists. God will not fail us. What will the Baptists do? This appeal is not for special ob jects and special contributions, but for an increase in our regular yearly contributions to Foreign Missions so as to enable our Board to pay off all debts and send out at least some of the consecrated men and women who are begging to be sent, and for whom many urgent appeals and earnest cries from hea then lands are daily calling. “He who gives to a special object does well, but he who gives to the general fund does better.” Now, who will write our Secretary Bro. R. J. Willingham, at Richmond, Va., and say send on the reinforce ments. I will help with my pen, my tongue, my money, and my prayers. “Not by might, not by power but by my Spirit saith the Lord.” APPOINTED A COMMITTEE. BY REV. IL R. BERNARD. In your issue of the rst int., I notice, under “Asked and Answer ered,” that J. B. W. puts a case thus : “When a Baptist joins the church of a different denomination, what should the Baptist church do? What is the Bible mode of pro cedure in the case ? Should a com mittee be as in other cases? Brother Dobbs, a theologian, for whose accurate and scriptural methods in dealing with the ques tions constantly presented in the Index, w’e have the highest regard. Says, “there would seem to be no necessity for any committee.” He• says in substance, let the fact bc reported, and on motion let the name be stricken from the roll. Some time since a case came un der observation, where two or more members of a Baptist church joined the jMethodift church, or speaking in accordance with Methodist polity, joined a society in the Methodist church. The Baptist church, in this case, did ap point a committee to “labor with the erring ones, and they, the mem rs of said committee, labored,” and as a result all returned to the fold. Now' here is food for reflection, a place in which to ask questions. As Baptists we do not wish to put a premium on the irregularities, well, we will say heresies, of de nominat ions and societies around us. We are Baptists, we have a mis sion, and it consists, in a large part, of bringing our beloved Presby terians, Methodists, Episcopalians and others to a more perfect know ledge of the whole truth as it is in Christ Jesus, than they now seem to have. When our brethren, “go w’rong” in any wise, it is good for us and good for them that w j e bear wit ness against the error or sin, and we see no objection to making the evidence sharp and pointed. Fi delity to a brother often saves him. We cannot love the brethren, the truth and our Lord too well. The present is a time of great liberali ty, sincerity is put for the truth, and the “anyway” throng was never so popular. The appoint ment of a committee,no matter how prudently made, and the work of said committee, no matter how delicately performed, in such case as we have under consideration would sometimes give offense, but what of it. It is a good thing to give offense. When given once in a good cause it maybe given again, with good results. Presbyterians, Methodists and others sometimes join our ranks, and their former pastors and brethren say that it is all right, that we can go to heaven out of any church, and under the peculiar circumstances it is all for the best. Very well let them say this and be broad and good. We do not make anything, never did, by being “broad and good.” When one of our members leave, which is very seldom, we will not offer congratulations. Maybe we ought not to be silent, we think it not at all out of order, indeed we are in clined to think well of the appoint ment of a prudent committee whose members will labor faith fully and wisely with the erring, that such may be reclaimed. Athens, Ga. A correspondent of the Franklin News says the Baptists of Macedonia contemplate building a new 'church. The committee will meet this week and let the contract to the lowest bidder.