Newspaper Page Text
ESTABLISHED 1821.
TheChristiarflndex
Published Every Thursday. Cor. Ivy street
Hud Edgewood Avenue.
J. 0. MCMICHAEL, (Estate.)
Organ of the Baptist Denomination in
Georgia.
SVBsCKieTios Pkick:
One copy, one year
One copy, six months
Obituakiks. —One hundred words free of
charge. Eor each extra word, one cent per
word, cash with copy. .
To Cohkkspon hunts—Do not use abbievl
attons; be extra careful In writing proper
names; write with ink. on one side of pap< r.
Do not write copy Intended tor the editor
and business items on same sheet, beat.
Off personalities, condense.
Businkss.—Write all names, and post
offices distinctly In ordering a change git e
the old as well as the new "ddr. ss. Thedate
of label indicates the time your subst rlption
expires. If you do not wish It continued, ol -
der it stopped a week before. W e consldi r
each subscriber permanent until ' le ‘‘‘'‘J'.'™
his paper discontinued. W hen you order it
registered letter, money
order, postal note.
Important Notce.
Brother J. C. McMichael gave
the best years of his life to build
ing up the Index, and in collat
eral lines of work for the church
and humanity. In the prime of
his lift*, the Master ca’led him up
higher just when he was about
to reap some financial reward for
his labors on the paper. He left
a widow and four bright sons.
Over the home in which they live,
there hangs a debt. W ill not
every reader who is indebted to
the Index remit the amount due
at once by money order or other
wise? Please do this. It will
be a timely act.
For the INDKX.
Census Report—lß9o Adventists.
Dear Index: —Since you did
not commit to the waste-basket
my former aft ision on “ Census
Report —C hur c h Statistics —
1890,” I shall inflict upon you
another paper inspired by that
same Report. The Census man
brings before us the “ Churches
in alphabetic order: hence begins
with the Adventists.
It is abundantly evident that
these good people, like some
others that I wot of, have ap
propriated to themselves as ex
clusiveproperty a name which
belongs to us all. I am an ad
ventist,—so was Paul: I trust 1
am a Christian, Paul was one be
yond dispute, yet the above re
cited “Churches” hold some doc
trines to which both Paul and
myself would most seriously ob
ject. I following Paul of course.
In addition to the good name
which the Adventists have, they
are entitled to very kindly con
sideration of our part since they
are indebted for their denomina
tional existence to the labors of
a good Baptist brother—their
errors, I trust, came from some
other source. In 1831 deacon
William Miller, a native of Mass
achusetts, and afterward a resi
dent of New York State, became
deeply exercised as to the sec
ond coming of Christ, delivering
a series of lectures on this sub
ject. Many of his hearers be
came aroused, and soon he had a
large following.
As the Scriptures do teach
this second coming in very plain
language, deacon Miller was
all right in his lecturing, and
had he confined himself to this
all might have been well. But
in an unguarded hour, the good
deacon commenced making fig
ures. He knew that the ,’e,vs
had calculated correctly as to the
prophet, Dan i e l's “ seventy
weeks,” and he saw no reason
why a Baptist deacon with all
the light of the 19th century,
could not calculate correctly this
same Daniel’s 1335 days and un
fortunately he fixed “ The end of
the day f>" on the 22nd of October,
1844. I was at that time a stout
lad, and heard a good deal about
the “Millerites” and the “end
of time.” I remember it was
said that on the evening of the
22nd, deacon Miller’s folks
dressed themselves in long white
robes and sat waiting the sound
of Gabriel’s trumpet. But the
morning of the 23rd found them
still waiting, and no trumpet.
Notwithstanding this disap
pointment; in 1845 a convention
of the Millerites was called, and
the Adventists as a denomina
tion came into existence. Since
that date however they have di
vided and subdivided and still
again divided until the advent
family now has increased to six
in number: “Evangelical Ad
vents,” “Advent Christians”
“Seventh day Adventists,”
“ Life and Advent Union,” and
finally, though not least as to
name, “Churches of God in
Christ Jesus Advents.” Count
ingall together they number 60,
461, with 1,464 ministers, scat
tered through all the States and
territories of the Union; being
strongest in Michigan and lowa.
Our great brother Miller left
his impress upon the Adventists,
as they all practice immersion,
and wfith the exception of one
TI ffi CHRISTIAN IN DSX.
% i
subdivision, are congregational
in their church government. So
much for good teachin?and good
example at the outset. How
ever in the course of twelve or
fourteen hundred years, like
some others, they may forsake
the ways of their founder and
adopt something moie conven
ient.
As but two of the above recited
members of the Advent family
are represented in Georgia I
shall speak only of these two.
In 1855 a division took place on
the question of the immortality
of the soul, giving rise to the
“Advent Christian Church.”
These as opposed to the “Evan
gelical Advents,” in their decla
ration of faith “deny the inher
ent'immortality of the soul, in
sisting that those only shall put
on immortality at Christ’s com
ing who are his true disciples.
They believe that all the dead
are in an unconscious state: that
all shall rise therefrom, the just
first, to receive the gift of im
mortality. and to reign with
Christ; the unjust last, to re
ceive sentence of punishment
by annihilation."
For the sake of the good Bap
tist name which deacon Miller
formerly bore, it is to be hoped
that he did not go off with this
last company. I am sure I should
net call him brother if I thought
he had so far gone astray.
It is possible that these folks
failed to read what lesus said to
the penitent thief, “ To-dayshalt
thou be with me in paradise.”
Precious little comfort to be de
rived from this promise if “ all
the dead are in an unconscious
state” until Gabriels trumpet is
sounded. Also Paul must have
labored under a strong delusion
when he said “I am in a strait
betwixt two, having a desire to
depart, and -to be with Christ,
which is far better.” If Paul
had only known he "would be “in
an unconscious state’ till the res
urrection day, he would have
been relieved from his “ strait,”
and cheerfully remained in the
flesh.
In Georgia there are fifteen or
ganizations of these “Advent
Christians” with five houses of
worship, and a membership of
837, scattered over ten counties:
Emanuel, ' Glynn, Hancock,
Jefferson, Johnson, McDuffie,
Montgomery, Richmond, Taylor
and Ware.
“Seventh Day Adventists”
is the designation of the next
branch of this family. Besides
what is suggested by the name,
these differ from the last recited
in that they are Presbyterial in
government; give a tenth of
their income to the and
observe foot washing as a church
ordinance. This tithing speaks
well for their devotion to the-
Master’s cause, md while I can
not believe in foot washing as an
ordinance when Paul has so
clearly (1 Tim. 5:10) classed it no
higher than “good works,” yet I
respect the sincerity of those
who observe it; and give them
credit for doing what they be
lieve the Lord requires of them,
and if I were present when either
the Adventists or our Hardshell
brethren were washing feet,
while I w’ould not join in with
them, yet I would behave my
self very differently from some
of whom I have recently heard.
Not long since, brother Index,
you published a piece lor me as
to the treatment which these
“Seventh Day ’ people received
at the hands of our courts some
where in Georgia, I do not know
where. In that article I ex
pressed a hope that if the case
was correctly reported in the
“ Outlook ,” the organ of the
Seventh Day Baptists, that
some Baptist brother in that
county would start a petition to
have the condemned party par
doned by the governor of the
State. As I have seen nothing
in the papers about such a case
being carried to the governor, I
suppose I am to presume the re
port in the ‘‘Outlook was not
correct, yet I am afraid that it
was. I also expressed a hope
that some member of the Legis
lature would introduce a bill for
the relief of all Sabbatarians in
the State. Nineteen States in
the Union give these people the
desired relief, among which are
five Southern States: Arkansas,
Kentucky, Missouri, Virginia,
and West Virginia. North and
South Dakota are more liberal in
their dealings with them than
any of the other States: Geor
gia should not be behind in avoid
ing every appearance of relig
ious persecution.
The total number of the “Sev
enth Day Adventists” is 28,991,
and while found in nearly every
State in the Union, they are
strongest in Michigan. Battle
Creek of that State is head quar
ters. In Georgia they have four
churches with a membership of
only 81. They are in the coun.
ties of Brooks, Fulton, Milton,
and Taylor.
B. comes first after A., so the
I SUBSCRI PTION, Pin Year,- 82.00. |
Ito MINISTERS. 1.00. I
ATLANTA, GA., THURSDAY. JANUARY 9,18911.
Baptists are next on the docket.
W. L. Kilpatrick.
Hephzibah, Ga.
For the Indkx.
Dr B H. Carroll’s Open Letter on
Co education.
Let me say to my honored
brother that no one more cheer
fully welcomes corrections to
any errors into which I may, at
any time, fall than I do. I am
always glad to be set right when
wrong. He denies the fact that
Baylor University receives funds
from the city of Waco. I accept
his statement as true, but the
correction does not, it seems to
me, break, in the least, the force
of my argument in which I was
compelled to compare Baylor to
Mercer in order to meet Dr. Gam
brell, and to show the great dif
ference between the class of stu
dents in each. Dr. Carroll tells
us that there is a small primary
class in Baylor University num
bering forty-three. My inform
ation was to the effect that small
children were admitted into the
University, and counted. Now,
from Dr. Carroll’s letter, I take
this to be a fact. Instead of de
nying the main point in my
statement he corroborates it, and
thus adds additional weight to
the testimony of the brother
who gave me the information
which seems to so seriously dis
turb him. Again, he tells us
that there is a large class not
prepared for college number
ing two hundred and twenty
seven, and yet a summer normal
of one hundred and twenty-four,
and again fourteen students tak
ing full Bible courses not in the
University classes. I presume
the latter are private pupils of
Dr. Carroll. This makes over
four hundred pupils in Baylor
University not doing strictly col
lege work which puts Baylor
University as to numbers, when
the bigness of things in Texas is
considered, far behind Mercer
University. But Dr. Gambrell,
without any qualification what
ever, held up Baylor University
to the Baptists of Georgia as a
model for Mercer, and attributed
its unprecedented prosperity to
the fact that it was co-education
al. He stated that the Universi
ty of Georgia was a baby by the
siue of Baylor. I submit, ' Dr.
Gambrell to the contrary not
withstanding, that the exigen
cies of the case demanded that I
should do just what I did, viz,
turn all the light I could get in
upon the way this school was
managed, and if in doing so I
made a slight mistake lam sorry
for that and that only. Dr. Car
roll thinks I have done Baylor
University an injury, and reads
me a lecture upon my want of
prudence in not seeking for fur
ther information.
I think this lecture, as well as
some other things said by Dr.
Carroll, entirely gratuitious up
on his part. I beg to asst re him
that if any injury, imaginary or
real has come to Baylor Univer
sity that he must charge it to Dr.
Gambrell who has been working
in season and out of season to
make Mercer co-educational. Be
lieve me, sir, when I assure you,
had not Dr. Gambrell brought
Baylor into this discussion I
should never have referred to
it. Dr. Carroll must pardon me
for not knowing that he w; s
president of the board of trus
tees of Baylor. Had I known
this I might have written him
and gotten the facts which he
gave in his open letter and
which would have served my
purpose to the fullest extent.
I must confess that 1 am un
able to comprehend, even with
the elaborate explanation given
by Dr. Carrol 1, how Baylor Uni
versity has been co educational
for forty years when it was born
only nine years ago.
I thank Dr. Carroll for the
valuable contribution which he
has made to my side of this dis
cussion, and I am sure that if he
lived in Georgia he would be as
strongly opposed toco-education
in Mercer University as I am.
Indeed, I infer from his letter,
that he feels just this way about
it. lam sorry to be compelled
to say to Dr. Carroll that sober
second thought does not convince
me that my statement about Bay
lor should not have gone into
print, but I do believe that it
would have been better had not
Dr. Gambrell forced upon us this
discussion and instead of it turn,
ed our minds in other directions
which would have contributed
far more to the good of Mercer,
and possibly to the benefit of
other schools. Wishing the
school over whose destiny Dr.
Carroll presides, as president of
its Board of trustees, unlimited
success, and devoutly desiring
the good of Mercer University.
I am yours,
G. W. Gardner.
The true test of the Bible is its sanc
tifying power; and the true test of its
religion is the saving influence it exerts
over men of all nations, tongues and
creeds.
For the Index.
The Perverted Angel in the Home.
BY .1. H. SPENCER, D. D.
Human depravity is a corrupt
tree that bears many evil fruits.
Among them scolding is not the
least bitter and poisonous. It
seems marvelous that anyone
should attempt to deal in a com
modity so impulsive to all re
fined sensibilities There is
never any demand for it, in any
market. It is never profitable,
and always unpleasant. In every
transaction in the article the bal
ance is on the side of loss. It is
time cursed; cursing him that
receives, and doubly cursing him
that gives. In the home, like
the fabled upas tree, its deadly
breath blights all the tender
plants in this garden of God, and
sears and scorches the stoutest
oak.
The mother who threatens,
browbeats and tongue-lashes her
children, not only destroys all
the gentleness and sweetness in
herself, that God gives to moth
erhood; but she sows discard,
and develops errors and sullen
tempers, in her offspring, which
time, with all his potency and
patience, can never wholly erad
icate. Let her be assured, now,
that, if she lives to see the har
vest, which will come all too
speedily, she will reap an abund
ant crop of what she has sown.
She will find her daughters cross,
sullen and quarrelsome, not only
among themselves and their as
sociates, but also with their par
ents, and destitute of any feeling
of love, reverence, or respect for
the mother who rocked them in
a pittiless storm.
Her son-i, too, to whom the
name and remembrance of a gen
tie, loving mother would have
been as dear as life, and a safe
guard against a thousand temp
tations, morose and discontent,
will early seek the comforts they
never found at home, among evil
associates and resorts of dissipa
tion and sensual *debauchery.
Every lash of an envenomed
tongue leaves in the heart to
which it is applied, even, and
especially, in childhood, an inef
faceable scar, or ar incurable
festering wound. Provoke not
your children to wsVth, is a di
vine injunction, full' £1 heavenly
wisdom. Children brought up
in a tornado are likely to spend
their lives in gendei ing cyclones,
or invoking storm clouds that
will shut out all the sunshine of
home.
There is another result of this
evil habit, equally disastrous to
the prosperity and happiness of
the household. Multitudes of
men, who would otherwise make
good, kind, provident husbands
and fathers, are driven from their
own disorderly homes, to places
of evil resort, by the turbulence
of their thriftless, quarrelsome
wives. I once had ant ighbor,
a sober, industrious, prosperous
young farmer, who, after a weary
day’s toil, and exposure to incle
ment weather, returned after
dark to his home, hoping to find
rest, cheer and sympathy, at his
hearthstone. But he had scarce
ly removed his outward wraps,
and seated himself before a
smoldering fire, and an unswept
hearth, when his slovenly wife
began a bitter tirade against him
for staying out late, and leaving
her and the little children alone,
to suffer from cold and fear. He
called to mind a drinking saloon,
in the villrge near by, radient
with light, suffused with com
fortable warmth, and made cheer
ful by the merriment of boon
compinions. He rose and re
sumed his overcoat. His wife
asked him where he was going.
He replied: “I once thought of
going to heaven. But you have
blocked my way to that post. I
am now going to start to hell; it
can scarcely be worse than my
present abode.” Poor man! he
foretold too truly his future
doom. He went to the saloon.
Henceforth he journeyed rapidly
towards his predicted destina
tion. Meanwhile, his wife, worse
than widowed, and his children,
worse than fatherless, dwelt in
the very antichamber of the aw
ful abode, towards which she
had hastened his feet, during the
remainder of his miserable life.
Perhaps wisdom and repentance
came to her at last; but too late
to avert the doom of her hus
band, and the hopeless woe and
wretchedness of herself and her
children.
I think it is Mrs. Wood, in her
temperance story, titled Danes
bury House, who represents a
young English manufacturer as
feeling a warm sympathy for his
employes and their families,
and an ardent desire for their
happiness in their homes. But
manyof them had slovenly, thrift
less, scolding wives, and, as a
consequence, rude, disorderly
children. The men, finding no
peace nor comfort in their miser
able homes, spent their evenings
and their wages, .n the drinking
houses. When the manufacturer
brought home his intelligent, in
dustrious Christian bride, he as
signed to her the tusk of trying
to reform the workmen's wives;
while ho endeavored to win their
husband's away from the beer
shops. She was gentle, loving,
patient and diligent, and soon
wrought many happy changes in
the squalid abodes of lhe work
men, who presently began to
spend their evenings with their
families. The results were most
happy. What avast amount of
poverty, shame and suffering
woullbe avoided, if all Christian
wives and mothers would obey
the injunction of the Holy Ghost.
To train the joung women to
love their husbands, to love their
children, to be sober minded,
chaste workers at home, kind,
being in subjection to their own
husbands. Titus 2:45.
It is not assumed that all, or
even the greater part of the woe
and wretchedness of blighted
and poverished homes, is caused
by the cross tempers, careless
ness and mismanagement of the
wives. Many men are so weak
and worthless by nature, or so
corrupted by habit, that no wo
men could make anything better
of them than idle, drunken vaga
bonds; and to some of these are
linked as pure and noble women
as this world contains. Such
women, despite their trials,
temptations and sufferings, re
main stainless, and faithful to
life’s duties, even to their drunk
en and debauched husbands.
Their noble virtues will not be
lost. They will do much to re
deem their children from the.evil
and vicious influence of their de
praved fathers They shall in
no wise lose their reward. But
there are very many sad wrecks
of men who had the wives of
their youth been such as those
just described, would have been
honored specimens of their race,
or, at least, kind, provident
heads of happy, prosperous
households. But their ill tem
pered, thriftless, or indolent and
slovenly wives made their homes
repulsive, and uncomfortable.
Disgusted and unhappy at home
they sought relief in the haunts
of dissipation. Irretrievable
ruin to themselves, and hopeless
misery to the families, speedily
followed. '
In the other hand, multitudes
of men, not superior by nature,
education or early habits, to
those w’ho have been wrecked
and revived, are sober, industri
ous and prosperous, and are sur
rounded by happy, cheerful fam
ilies. They have been saved
from dissipation and degrada
tion by cheerful, faithful, loving
wives. Os all the millions of
truly bright, happy homes in
Christendom, every one of them
is made so by its presiding ge
nius—a gentle, affectionate,
diligent woman. Truly, it is not
good for the man to be alone.
More than the cheerful blaze of
its winter fire, more than the
luxuries that weights its board,
more than the elegant furniture
and tapestry that adorns its spa
cious apartments, does his home
need the bright smile, and the
skilful handicraft, of a gentle,
loving, devoted woman, and that
woman, his wife.
What shall be our homes when
the threatened revolution in the
social compact shall be accom
plished—when women shall be
come rivals, instead of helpmeets
of men? When the wife shall leave
the parlor, the dining room and
nursery to the care of menials,
and become the competitor of
her husband, at the club, in the
hustings, on the board of trade,
in the learned professions, and
in the pulpit? Let us hope and
pray that this revulsion of na
ture, this blight of all that is
sweet, refined and lovable in do
mestic life, may be postponed
beyond the limits of rime.
Eminence, Ky., December '95.
For the Index
From Hrbriten, N. C.
Dear Index:—One year ago,
at our Baptist State Convention
in Charlotte, brother Edens in
duced me, rather reluctantly, to
subscribe for the INEDX, but I
want now to thank him for doing
so. I have fallen in love with
the paper, and so has my family.
The paper is ably and faithfully
edited, and has many excellent
correspondents. The depart
ment of “Asked and Answered,”
conducted by brother Dobbs, has
not only been interesting tome,
but very profitable. By all means
means let the department be con
tinued. I sympathize with the
readers of the Index in the death
of the Editor. We have had a
similar experience here in North
Carolina in the death of our dear
brother Bailey of the Recorder.
It was a personal bereavement
to me as brother Bailey was a
personal friend of mine. We
have, during 1895, in the provi
dence of God, been called to
mourn the dea’h of a large num-
ber of our brethren in the minis
try, some of whom were our very
best. But perhaps the saddest
and most widely lamented was
our dear brother C. Durham,
Corresponding Secretary of our
Mission and Sunday-school
Hoards. Several pages of the
minutes of our State Convention
this year will have to bo devoted
to obituary notices. May it not
be so another year.
All who are in arrears with the
Index ought to pay up for the
benefit of the widow and children
of the dear, departed Editor.
I see your correspondents, as
well as ours, are discussing
“ Annual and Indefinite” calls
in the pastorate. Not wishing
to enter the cantroversy, but
will say, I have been in the pasj
t< rate nearly, or quite, twenty
years, and from experience much
prefer the indefinite call, but am
trank to admit that there are ob
jections to both, and after all the
discussion, I suppose the church
es will do as they please. It
may not be of any general inter
est to your readers but hope I
may be pardoned for saying a
few things about my section of
North Carolina. lam located in
Caldwell county—one of the
piedmont counties of North Car
olina, and lam silly enough to
think it one of the best counties
in the State, if not the best. The
northern boundary of this county
is the top of the Blue Ridge,
reaching almost to the famous
Blowing Rock summer resort
and the noted Grand Father
mountain. The thriving little
town of Lenoir is the county
site. I am located at Hibiten
Mountain Academy, four miles
east of Lenoir, and try to serve
four churches,—Lenoir, Lower
Creek, King's Creek and North
Catamba with two associational
mission points on Sundays p. m.
The aggregate of the member
ship of my churches is about
500, and still 1 have to till the
soil, teach and sell books occa
sionally to supplement my sal
ary. Thus you can see that
either of our churches are not de
veloped in point of beneficence
or that they consider us poor
preachers deserving poor pay.
Most of my churches have en
joyed revivals of religion this
year, and the baptismal waters
havh been trbubled. But 1 must
not make this letter too long.
Success to the Index and all its
readers. I. W Thomas.
Hibiten, N. C,, Dec. 1(1, ’65.
The Sufficiency of Christ.
BY A C. WARD.
Paul in his argument upon the
efficacy of Divine Grace in the
eighth of Romans, rises step by
step up the ladder of Christian
experience, until at last he
reaches a point at which he can
sweep away every doubt. He
has never for a moment inti
mated that our life on earth, of
service to God will be without
many dangers and difficulties.
He rather teaches that the path
of loyalty to Christ is a path of
many hardships. Among these
difficulties and hardships we will
find the many adverse criticisms
of our friends in the flesh. The
world will be certain to criticize,
misconstrue and misjudge. More
than this, it will condemn us.
And justly, too. The standard
of true Christianity is so high.
Its requirement so exacting and
just, that just so long as we are
in the flesh we can never come
fully up to what is demanded.
Many times we will come far
short of what we ought to be.
Never will we be perfect. There
must always be something be
yond to which we must strive to
attain. Now this “pressing
toward the mark,” this “running
with patience,” this “fighting
the good fight,” etc., is the very
thing which causes the condem
nation of the world. We are
taught not to stop fighting nor
to cease running, and whenever
we do stop either the one or the
other, the world condemns us.
Again, there are times when not
only does the world condemn us,
but even we ourselves —our con
sciences within us condemn in
us the very things we do, and
Paul meets the emergencies of
the words: “Who is he that con
demeth?” by that grand, soul
thrilling answer: “It is Christ
that died * '■ * * who also
maketh intercessions for us.
Truly when God gave Christ he
gave us all things, and to each
believer be becomes “all and in
all.”
For the Index.
“Even So.”
Turning to I Cor., 9th , chap
ter we read the 13 and 14 verses
thus: “Do you not know that
they which minister about holy
things live of the things of the
temple? And they which wait
at the altar are partakers with
the altar? Even so hath the
Lord ordained that they which
preach the gospel should live of
VOL. 76-NO. 2
the gospel.” Read a second time
and put the emphasis on “Aven
no,” think awhile and then ask
yourself what and how much it
means. Under Judaism the
ministers, —God’s servants in
holy things lived of the things
of the temple. What kind of
“living” did they receive? A
living of the tithes. Every
thing, all manner of products
were tithed. Hence the priest
had a variety, and an average
amount or quantity. In other
words he was surely and liber
ally supported by the people—
by all of the people. “Even so”
connects this ancient, God given
method of the support of his
ministers with the present time
and with the question of their
support now, Does “Even so”
have wrapped up in it the idea
that members of churches are
now to be tithed for the support
of pastors? What do you reply?
“No:—How do you prove it?
Suppose we interpret “even so”
to mean that the ministers of to
day are to be supported by tith
ing. What objection have you
to file against it? Well we do
not, so interpret it, and never
theless we have an interpreta
tion. We are sure of some things
as to the meaning of “even so.”
Great principles never change.
It was the mind of God in for
mer days that his ministers
should have ample support and
this was embodied inlaw. When
we read the New Testair. ent we
are sure that God does not intend
that his ministers of to day
should have less than they had
under Judaism. A Jewish
priest had an ample support—re
ceived it as he needed it, receiv
ed it fron all the people. “Even
so” secures to the pastor of to
day an average support prompt
ly paid and paid by all the peo]
pie—members of the church.
Here is a church in Georgia—
yes here are scores of churches.
Maybe hundreds of them that
fail to carry out the divine plan.
Take a church with three hun
dred members, with about one
hundred of them paying the
pastor—the other two hundred
looking on and seeing it done.
How is such departure from
scripture line of conduct tolerat
ed. How has such a sad depart
ure ever come about. “Why,”
sjays one, ‘"what difference” dWBS
it make—the money is raised and
the debt is paid—and that is
sufficient. Far from it. It
ought to be paid but it ought to
be paid scriptually. “Let every
one of you” is bible language.
We are a great people for a
“thussaith the Lord. Oh yes!”
let it be suggested that we sprin
kle instead or baptize, and such
a commotion is raised at once!
Be consistent brother. When
the word of the Lord comes to us
saying “Even So” do not dodge,
nor flinch. Come squarely up,
each according to his ability.
Some should not be burdened
and others eased. This is not
the mind of our Heavenly Fath
er. H. R Bernard.
HOW GEORGIA STANDS.
FOREIGN MISSION BOARD S. B. C.
Richmond, Va., Jan. 15t,1896.
Dear Brethren of Georgia.
i c oyding to ai: p ortionmen
of the amount askect for by the
last Southern Baptist Conven
tion to pay off all obligations and
support our missionaries in the
field this year, v,e should look to
your Slate from May Ist, 1895 to
Jan. Ist, 1896 for 812,000.00. In
that time we have received
86897.70.
“Upon the first day of the week
let every one of you lay by him
in store, as God hath prospered
him, that there be no gatherings
when I come.” —I. Cor. 16:2.
The work is the Lord’s and
we are His.
Will not each one help the work
as soon as possible. We need
funds very much now to pay
those working for Christ for us.
Fraternally,
Rt J. Willingham,
Corresponding Secretary.
Tennille.- I have just read
with pleasure Dr. Gambrell’s ar
ticle fn the last issue of the In
dex, headed “A Campaign of
Education for Education.” I like
it. This is a move in the right
direction, and I am hopeful of
good results. I am with him
heart and hand in this campaign.
Now’ will not the good Doctor
hold up upon co education at
Mercer, and bend all of his won
derful energies to this cam
paign‘d I hope he will, for no
good can come to Mercer through
this discussion.
I also think the Prudential
committee acted wisely in calling
off the preachers school. Let
us have no side issues, but a
strong pull for Mercer and one
hundred thousand dollars.
T. J. Holmes.
December 30, 1895.