Newspaper Page Text
ESTABLISHE . 1821.
TheChristianlniU
Published Every Thursday, Cor. Ivy Street
and Edgewood Avenue.
J. C. MCMICHAEL, (EBTATB.)
Organ of the Baptist Denomination in
Georgia.
Subscription Prick:
One copy, one year **•[*
One copy, six months
OBITUAKIKS.—One hundred words free of
charge. For each extra word, one cent per
word, cash with copy.
To Correspondents —Do not use abbrevi
ations; be extra careful in writing proper
names: write with Ink.on one sldeof paper.
Do not write copy intended for the editor
and business items on same sheet, Leave
off personalities, condense.
Business.-Write all names, and post
offices distinct ly. In ordering a change give
the old as well as the new address. The datt
of label indicates the time your subscription
expires. It voudo not wish it continued, or
der It stopped a week before. We eo“»*der
each subscriber permanent until he orders
ats paper discontinued. When you order it
BIODDtHI DIIV UP t<»
i Remittances by registered letter, money
order, postal note.
Important Notice.
Brother.!. 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 life, the Master caUed him up
higher just when he was about
to reap some financial reward tor
his labors on the paper. He left
a widow and four bright sons.
Over the home in which they live,
there hangs a debt. Will 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 Index.
Baptists Census Report. 1895
BY \V. L. KILPATRICK, D. D.
Having paid our respects to
the Adventists in our last, and
finding that the “Church Statis
tic.-” man “Census Report,
1890”- next in aphabetical order
names the Baptists, we follow
suit. The compiler of these sta
tistics gives thirteen (13) differ
ent varieties of our people, but
shows that they are all akin, not
only by the good old family
name which John had when he
was leading the people down
into the Jordan, but also by de
daring that “They all agree on
these: that (1) the only proper
subjects of Christian baptism
are those who have been con
verted and profess personal
faith in Christ, and that (4.) the
only scriptural baptism is im
mersion."
He does not pretend to give
the origin of our people; I sup
pose he took it for granted that
his readers generally had a copy
of the Ne w Testament, and could
see for themselves from whence
we stalled. All the different
varieties are given as numbering
3,712,168. That is a pretty large
company that insist on follow
ing their Lord's footsteps down
into the watery grave. Although
thirteen varieties are recited, the
list can be reduced to four with
out any violence being done to
any: Ist, “Regular;” 2nd, “Sev
enth Day;" 3rd, “Fxeewills,” and
4th, “Primitive.”
Nov, brother Index, your
folks and mine belong to the
Regular or Missionary Baptists
with a membership of 3,429,080.
Os these there are ai the North,
white and colored, mixed by the
compiler, no distinction made as
to race, but declared to be most
ly white, 800,025. At the South,
white 1,280,066; colored 1,348,-
989. From these figures it seems
that the South is good for some
thing besides cotton, rice and
rebellion. It is certainly re
markable how much faster the
Baptists increased south of Ma
son and Dixon’s line —as it used
to be, gone now’ than north of
it- In 1770 there were in all
seventy (70) Baptist churches
north of that old-time line, and
only seven (7) south of it; now
more than three fourths of the
water-hosts are south of that
blessed old line. I rather sus
pect* that somebody w T as preach
ing the gospel while somebody
else was busy explaining that
Abraham’s slaves were not
slaves, and that Paul was jesting
when he sent Onesimus back to
his master.
The first association of the
Regular Baptists was the Phila
delphia, organized in 1707; the
second was the South Carolina,
1751. The largest association
in the United States is the Dover
of Virginia, numbering 11,711.
Os the Northern States the three
highest as to membership are
New York, 129,711; next is Illi
nois, 95,237; then Pennsylvania,
83,122. But when we wish to
find the Baptist States we turn
to the South. Georgia, 338,376;
Virginia, 292,564: North Caro
lina, 258,113. Should we look
exclusively at the whites, the
order would be changed, and
stands: Kentucky, 153,668; North
Carolina, 153,648; Georgia, 137,-
THE CHRISTIAN INDEX.
860; Texas and Missouri follow’
very close on behind. Nevada
is at the bottom of tie list for
the whole country as to Baptist
members, there being only 63 in
the whole State. Sorry for Ne
vada; that is a benighted place.
Compared with other denom
inations, the Baptists are strong
er in Georgia, Mississippi and
Virginia than all others combin
ed, while in Alabama, Arkansas,
Kentucky, Texas and North Car
olina they are stronger than any
other denomination.
For an hour or two I was
thrown into a state of wild con
fusion by reading after the Cen
sus man: “They have in Geor
gia organizations in 135 out of
137 counties.” I asktd myself,
w’hat two counties can there be
in my own native State without
a single Baptist church? What
has our State Board been doing?
Now, brother Index, you may
judge of my regard for the ac
curacy of thiS'“Censu' Report,"
when I found the alleged default
ing counties to be Ticiggs and
Wilkinson.'.’ Itwvas almost enough
to evoke from the spirit land the
shades of the Bunns and the
Carswells, and to cause the
sainted McCall, from the skies,
to point out Richland and the
multitudes which he had there
buried with Christ in baptism.
But upon examing the minutes
of the Ebenezer Association, I
understood it all. These two
counties are embraced in the
b rri’ory of that Association, and
the brother clerk fails to give
the counties in which the church
es are located, hence Twiggs and
Wilkinson do not appeal’ in any
minutes in the hands of the Cen
sus man, hence he though’there
were no Baptist churches in
them. The facts are that, be
sides the negroes, there are in
Wilkinson eleven Baptist church
es with a membership of 967,
and in Tw iggs nine with 823
members. Put in your count ies,
Brother Clerk, before the next
census is taken, that Georgia
may not suffer reproach.
The Seventh Day Baptists differ
from the Regular only as their
name indicates, they observing
the /u-sl instead of the first day of
the week as the Sabbath. They
number, all fold. 9,143. They
are strongest in New York: none
in Georgia according to the Re
port.
Now for the Freewill Baptists.
Under this head we include those
by this name and the “Original
Freewill,” “ Six Principle. ”
“General,” “Separate,’’“United"
and also “Baptist Church of
Christ." While all these im
merse, and are congregatic nal
in their government, yet they
are Armenian in faith, and chit f
ly open communionists. The
whole seven varieties of Free
wills number 145,123, and are the
strongest in Maine and North
Carolina.
I was quite interested in look
ing over the statistics of this
part o? our family. Still 1 would
remark, brother, Index, that
they are not so dreadfully close
kin to us if they are Baptists.
But what interested me especial
ly was the little progre-s they
had made in the whole country.
Planted here in 1780, not clogged
with the miserable revolting doc
trines of Election and Predes
tination, and more particularly,
not cramped by the narrow,
bigoted practice of close com
munion, their scriptural baptism
should surely have caused them
to sweep the country. Or at any
rate have enabled them to dis
tance their benighted kinfolks
w’ho hold to election and close
communion. But after more
than a century of “liberal and
enlightened sentiment and prac
tice” they number in the whole
United States less than half w’hat
is found of the Regular Baptists
in the single State of Georgia.
Moral: Stick to the Book- God
knew what to put in it. Stick to
the Book.
Now the last of the family are
the Primitives, sometimes, by
those of unguarded lips, called
“Hardshells Under this head
we have placed not only the
Primitives proper, but still an
other member of our family that
I readily confess I never heard
of till I found them in the “Cen
sus Report. ” They are -the
youngest of the family, dating
back only to about 1826; but
■what they lack in age and num
bers they fully make up in name,
as I think. The name is “OkZ
Two-Seed In-The-Spirit Predestin
arian Baptists" They are strong
est in Texas and Kentucky, num
bering 12,851. In Georgia they
number 33C.
Our old fashioned Primitives
alone number in the whole coun
try 116,271: they are strongest
in Georgia, reporting here 18,-
535, having churches in 104
counties. In what are usually
called “The Doctrines of Grace’
they agree with the Regular
Baptists, but differ in some other
respects. They regard “wash
ing of the saints feet as an or-
I SUBSCRIPTION, Pir Yiar,- ..»2.00. |
ITO MINISTERS, 1.00. I
ATLANTA, GA., THURSDAY. JANUARY 16, 1896.
dinance of the gospel." They
also refuse io fellowship “any
church which supports any mis
sionary, Bible, Tract, or Sunday
school society, or advocates
State Conventions, or Theolog
ical schools or any other society
formed under the pretense of
circulating the gospel of Christ.”
It appears that the Chemung
Association at the North in 1835
declared non fellowship with the
modern mission movement. This
was soon followed by a similar
action on the part of the Balti
more Association (Md.) and soon
the separation was general. If
these good folks could have look
ed on ahead and seen how little
the Missionary Baptists do to
spread the gospel they would
hardly have had the h» art to de
clare non-fellowship for them.
We have written too much this
time, but one will be rather talk
ative when his own family is up
for discussion.
Hephzibah, Ga.
Dr. Ottoni’s Conversion.
The Baptist cause in Brazil has
been very much helped by this
conversion which took place
about a year igo.
Dr. Ottoni conies of a promi
nent Brazilian family, some of
whose members have been very
prominent in public life. His
father was a planter in the State
of Minas where brother Ottoni
was born. The subject of this
sketch was, I believe, an only
child and was born when his fa
ther was well advanced in years.
His mother was a 'devout Catho
lic and early dedicated him to
the service of her church, so his
earliest education was arranged
with a view to his entering the
priest hood. He became a priest
and, unlike most of that class in
Brazil, was of good reputation
and was known to all as an up
right, honorable man. J ust be
fore his conversion he was a
canon and head of a large parish
in the province of San Paulo,en
joying the love and esteem of
his people. For many years he
had not been at rest concerning
spiritual things an 1 the doctrines
of his church. He had long been
reading his Bible and had found
that many Roman Catholic
practices were at variance with
Scriptural teaching. For many
years he had been a zealous re
publican and had imagined that
a republican form of government
would be a panacea tor all the
ills of his country but after the
republic he could not conceal
from himself any longer that
things went on in pretty much
the same way and the people
were the same. ,
Then he began to wonder why
it was that the United States
progressed so rapidly, and con
eluded to make a trip to our
country to study our institutions
and religion to discover, if he
could, the secret of our success.
Accordingly he obtained permis
sion from the ecclesiastical au
thorities, and after arming him
self with letters of introduction
to the Roman Catholic clergy in
the States, called on his old
friend, Prudente de Moraes, the
president of Brazil, who also
gave him some letters, and set
out on his voyage from Rio de Ja
neiro. At Bahia, in the provi
dence of God, one of our mission
aries, Bro. Heighbor, had taken
passage on the same steamer
with a couple of Bro. Z. C. Tay
lor’s chileren. and during the
voyage gave the courteous Brazil
ian priest a bound volume of the
“ Verdade,” our denominational
paper. Apparently nothing was
said on religious matters. Ar
riving at New York Bro. Ottoni
made himself known to various
priests and continued his travels
through the country, trying to
find out the condition of his
church.
He says that everywhere he
was coldly received and that the
priests, far from expressing any
interest in Brazil’s spiritual ad
vancement, only inquired after
the loaves and fishes,questioning
as to the prices paid for masses,
whether the clergy led an easy
life, had a good time, etc. The
further he went the more plainly
he saw’ that there was no broth
erly love and that the priests
only looked upon their profes
sion as a business whereby to
win the bread that perisheth.
Finally, in New Orleans, he
went to his hotel in an agony of
grief and knelt in his room,
promising God that he would
give up all that life and try to
follow Jesus according to the
dictates of the Bible. It was
right there that he was conscious
of the change of heart which has
made his life entirely different
from what it used to be. In the
“Verdade” he had seen the ad
vertisement of our Bahia church
and he now resolved to go right
back to Bahia and present him
self for membership. This he
did and after staying some time
at Bahia, went on to Rio and
transferred his membership to
the Rio church.
He is very clear as to the new’
birth and gives promise of great
usefulness. May God grant him
great power in winning souls for
our Master. Not long ago he
was married, and strange to say,
his relatives and friends, though
Roman Catholics,have approved
his leaving the priest-hood and
taking a w’ife. This gives him
an open door to many and he is
making good use of his opportu
nities to make the gospel known
to all who will hear him.
Will our Christian friends not
remember us in prayer that God
will raise up some more glorious
testimonies to his grace in Brazil
and also in other lands w’here the
cross is being lifted up?
L. E. G.
Augusta, Ga., Jan. 2, ’96.
For the index
The Sovereignty of Grace in Elec
tion
BY a. c. WARD.
The great doctrine is one
which constantly encounters
strong opposition in the hearts
of men. Its difficulty rests in the
fact that it relates to an act of
the divine mind and therefore
the only act ml proof of it rests
upon the testimony of the Bible.
There can be no question but
that the scriptures teach that
God has an elect people. “Shall
not God avenge his own elect?”
“ Elect according to the fore
knowledge of God" and many
other passages prove clearly
that this doctrine is found in the
Bible. The difficulty is rather
in our understanding it.
1. Three important elements
are to be associated with this
doctrine. First, Election is from
Eternity; second, It is unto Sal
vation, and third, It is of Grace
and not of Works.
We are not for one moment do
suppose that the elect are chosen
because of their holiness or for
any other forseen act of faith or
obedience. They are not elect
because they are holy or obedi
ent, but that they may be made
so. Why they are so chosen is
known only to God himself. Just
here we may remark that no rea
son can be given why God se
lected the Hebrew nation as his
chosen people, through whom he
would send the Messiah. It cer
tainly w.o jt t because they were
superior to the other nations. It
was solely the purpose of the di
vine will originating in the di
vine mind.
Again the scriptures teach
that election is “According to
the foreknowledge of God the
Father, through sanctification of
the Spirit, unto obedience.” This
does not mean foreknowledge of
faith or good works. Grace the
result of Election exists before
the Faith and < food Works,
therefore the foreknowledge ap
plies to the elect rather than to
their faith and good works.
Election is not as we have seen
based upon the superiority of
one being over another, but rath
er upon a foreknowledge of God
of his people and in accordance
with His sovereign will and
pleasure. To sum up this doct
rine then, we may conclude that
Election is an act of God in
which he chooses out from among
men and even nations those
whom his good pleasure desires.
Many confound Election with
redemption. As we understand
it, Election is ofJGod the Father.
Redemption is through God the
Son. Sanctification is through
God the Holy Spirit.
The objections to Election are
numerous, but mountains of ob
jections cannot change the di
vine decree. It is the divine
perogative to select or choose or
elect whom He will, but at the
s ime time the election of one is
not to be construed as preventing
another from accepting Christ.
The elect will come to God, the
others may come, for Christ
died for all. That God has
the right to select no one can
well deny. Yet this right is
often called into question, and
the argument presented, that
election must of necessity leave
out some. The plan of leaving
the whole matter in the hands of
man is open to the very same ob
jections. To make the terms of
salvation contingent upon the
acts of men would not secure
salvation to all men. In the
plan of redemption the Gospel is
preached to all,but all do not ac
cept. Man is enmity towards
God and nothing but the divine
will can change that enmity into
love. Every objection which can
be urged against election can
be urged against the Gospel.
The Salvation of men is made
dependent upon a belief in the
gospel. Faith therefore is test.
The soverignty of God is the
very foundation of this faith.
Yielding to this, the sinner yields
all and his rebellion ceases.
“Come untome all ye that labor and
are heavy laden and I will give you
rest.” Sweet words these to the weary
and troubled
For the Index.
Concerning; Discussions.
A recent remark in the Index
has opened to my mind a wide
field for thought—the value, or
to put it none too strong, the
necessity of discussion to our de
nominational health and pro
gress. At every stage of our ex
istence, there have been people
opposed to the discussion of
questions about which there was
difference of opinion. John the
Baptist lost his head by the use
of his tongue in dealing with
matters of current interest. The
Apostles very generally fared
no better. But all down the
ages Baptists have steadfastly
stood for free discussion. They
have never had any conclave of
men to settle matters for them,
and, please God, they never will
have. Our safety and our pro
gress depend on a wide open pol
icy, touching all our affairs. We
must persue democratic policies
of education and enlistment to
maintain a democratic govern
ment. This is simply saying
we must discuss all questions of
denominational interest before
the people.
1 see signs of evil in many
quarters, a shrinking from a
faithful application of the free
principles of New Testament
polity. Now and then a brother
deprecates the burden of our
freedom, when everybody can
vote and everybody can discuss
We must remember that every
blessing carries with it respon
sibilities and dangers. But the
blessing of freedom. I opine, is
about the last a Baptist would
willingly part with. One of the
burdens of freedom is the neces
sity of educating people to do
their duty. If we had a Pope
or any sort, of a spiritual boss,
he could tell us what to do and
withhold the reason: but, if we
want our brethren to do a thing,
the burden of giving the reason
lies on us, and that brings on
talk
There have always been breth
ren who were afraid of discus
sions, especially of new enter
prises or policies. And these
brethren have been uniformly
W’rong as to the underlying prin
ciple and as to the outcome.
Every inch of progress Baptists
have ever made, the way for it
was cleared by discussions
Many years ago the wisest men
in the denomination took up and
began to push active missionary
operations. Boards were called
into existence amid a furious
storm of opposition. The great
Hardshell discussion came on,
which lasted a long time. It
was a battle of giants. Church
es and associations were divided.
The timid feared for the Ark
of the Lord; but there was real
progress, great progress. There
was built up a real working
force, and a working order was
established. The question of
Boards, established on the prin
ciples of the gospel was settled
only to be nibbled at, nowand
then, since Sunday-schools came
in by the same process. There
was a tight, long, strong, even
bitter, beyond anything we know
to day, but the truth won the
day.
Within my day the remains of
Hardshellism in many quarters
have been vanquished by discus
sion. Dr. Gibson tells how
straight out discussion cleared
the held in his old association.
A like thing has happened in
hundreds of other places and
needs to happen in hundreds of
others still. A rediscussion of
the great principles of denomi
national education in the light
of Catholic aggressions and the
spirit of the age, that seeks to
secularize everything, even the
churches of the living God, is,
perhaps, our most urgent need
to-day. But we must not sup
pose everybody will see alike at
the start or at the end either.
Mercer University was born of
discussion distinct ly initiated by
the Baptist State Convention.
The masses were opposed to the
principle involved in the found
ing and conducting of colleges
by the churches. They were
overwhelmingly opposed to min
isterial education, as we foster
it, regarding it virtually an as
sumption of a divine preroga
tive. Discussion cleared the
way, brought together a conse
crated body of people who gave
us Mercer and established the
doctrine of ministerial education
to last forever among us.
The Southern Baptist Theo
logical Seminary was rocked in
a cradle of discussion, running
into bitter controversy. After
the East accepted it, the West
fought it with intense feeling.
The whole atmosphere was thick
with prejudice and misrepresen
tation. I have seen the Seminary
voted down in a State Conven
tion, with only four votes for it.
But discussion cleared the field.
The violence of the opposition
materially helped to convince
the masses of the weakness of
the opposition.
Fifty years ago the President
of the Southern Female College
was discussing the propriety of
higher education for women,
very many people believing that
college education would spoil a
woman for a mother or a house
keeper. Forty years ago, where
1 lived, some of my girl school
mates were not allowed to learn
to write, because they might
write to the boys, and they did
not need it any way. I f they
could read the Bible that was
enough. Two hundred years
ago an ingenious Frenchman was
ridiculing reading women, by
drawing a picture of a reading
mother, down over a book, the
dinner pot boiling over, empty
ing the dinner ii to the fire, while
the neglected children in rags
were crying of cold and hunger.
Discussions have brought us to
where we are now.
Our organized woman's work
came the same way. Dr. Whit
silt well says, we have had to
fight for all we ever got. Many
a lance have I broken with be
loved brethren in discussions over
our woman's work. We are all
together now; but progress was
through discussion, not always
pleasant by a great deal, but
useful to the last degree.
Every particle of ground won
from the rule of the saloon has
been conquered through open,
bold discussion. That is what
the saloon does not want, what
it cannot stand. It asks us
nothing but the charity of our si
lence.
Every political reform from
the days of Julius Ctesar to Tom
Reed has been the result of light
turned all in open dismssion.
So great is the power of open
discussion, that it may be truth
fully said, that one bold, honest,
capable paper is worth more to
the people's liberty and welfare
than 100,000 soldiers.
There is a note-worthy fact
connected with every effort ever
made by Baptists to lengthen
their cords and strengthen their
stakes. With the falling away
of some, there has come strength
and growth. An aroused half
of an army is ten times as effi
cient as all the army asleep.
It is easy to pay too great a
price for peace. There is .no
peace so profound as death and
no place so unanimous as a
graveyard. And when Baptists
reach (the point that they cannot
di-cuss their affairs right out
from tjie shoulder, they are al
ready struck with the dry rot.
And when leaders stand tremb
ling in fear before the denomina
tion, not daring to suggest im
provements or changes, lest they
be criticized and lose some of
their influence, we are then a
long way advanced toward the
era of little things.
It is the bane of many a church
and many an institution and
many a State, that men go hither
and thither smoothing every
thing out to keep down discus
sion. The truth wants discus
sion. Rub the gold and it will
shine. The Lord of hosts is
with the army of conquest in the
field doing battle for the truth.
He is with the goers, not the
stayers, with the fighters, not
with those who cry peace, peace,
when there is no peace, but only
a surrenderor to error and cov
etousness and prejudice and ig
norance.
We have more peace in Geor
gia than the state of things jus
tifies. We are getting along too
well with Romanism, Arminian
ism and a lot of other things.
We need a rediscussion of the
fundamentals of faith and prac
tice.
We are bound to discuss every
advance move whether in mis
sions or education. The people
have a right t_> know about all
these matters. The Waycross
convention did right to throw
the question of co-education open
for discussion The convention
was wiser than the brethren who
are oppo si n g discussion.
Through discussion, we will
come to the truth, and educa
tion will be advanced. Let no
body get nervous. We are walk
ing in the way our fathers trod.
Os course, there are things
not worth discussing. Little
fads of dress, little whims and
conceits of little sets here and
there, will die before any body
can kill them. Besides, it is a
waste of force to fight flies with
columbiads or musquitoes with
battle ships. Then there are
question® of error in remote pla
ces, which we need . not bother
about, It would be foolish for
the Irish to import snakes to
their island for the sake of kill
ing them.
Like everything else, discus
sions have their drawbacks. Men
of many words and few ideas
will have their say. ' Bad spirit
will be developed with personal
ities etc.,-but after twenty-five
years of experience and observa
tion I fell perfectly willing to
leave the people to judge of the
wheat and the straw. When the
VOL. 76--NO. 3
pot boils too hard, the over flow
cools the fire, and with the over
flow, goes the scum. There is m
self regulating principle in it aB
J. B. Gambrell.
For the Index.
Presumptuous Slis
BY MISS ALLICE LA WHOM-
All Bible readers know how
the Israelites presumed to cross.-
the Jordan after the Lord had
passed upon them a sentence of.
forty years wilderness-life,, and.
the calamity that befell them.
Joshua’s presumptuousness in
not taking counsel at the mouth,
of the Lord when the Gibeowtes
deceived him as to their naaien
ality. Saul s presumptuous wins..
Peter's presumptuous act wAen
Christ's rebuke was, “get thee
behind me satan.” The Lord re
quires implicit obedience to his
commands, but Satan is as active
in trying to induce the Christian
to vary divine commands as he
is in urging sinners into grosser
sins.
< >nce when talking with aw
aged minister on presumptuous
sins, he said: “We should never
presume to vary the Lord's com
mands. Soon after I entered the
ministry I was impressed to talk
with a wicked man about his
soul's salvation. My hear if rea2*
ily responded, and though the
man was ourly in form and rough
in speech, I felt no fear fori was
assured the command’ was the
Lord’s. I failed to see the mar
at or.ee, ai d in a few dajs Satai,
suggested: You write to that
man: if you attempt to taOktc
him he will insult you to ynn
face.' I wrote at once, and wAer
afterwards I heard that the in
dignant recipient threw ra y fas
ter to the flames, I grievously
asked the Lord had I not. obeyed
his command. The answer was:
‘I commanded you to spfnk hut
you wrote.’ For years tha.4pre
sumptuous sin made me cauebus'.
But since I have grown*old in the?
ministry, just a few year* >gc-«
an irascible member was making'
trouble in one of my churches -
The affair weighed heavily upon
my heart, and I was making:
every possible effort to bring.'
about peace. When at last the
burden was laid upon the Lord..
the command was: Summons the
disorderly, brother to come to
5 our hou.e, you will find hji; >
yielding and harmony will be re
stored to the church. Send tbr
summons by brother A.' I was
elated. Soon brother B. passed
going to this member’s home and.
I delivered the request to him.
In the afternoon the wayward
brother came, but I saw at once
he was in an ill temper and
though I reasored and plead he
was inexorable and left, a bitter
er er.emy to the church than
when he came. I fell down be
fore the Lord, crushed with dis
appointment, and asked why he
had deceived me. The reply was
‘Why have you disobeyed me? I
commanded you to send by A.
but you sent by B ' I was dumb
founded. It was not
but careless indifference caused
me to vary the command. The
brother was afterwards recon
ciled and harmony restored 5m
the church, but not until after
I had suffered painfully for ny
presumptuousness in varying; ■
Lord’s definite command.’
The Psalmist's prayer should 1
be the sincere petition off Amiis
followers: “Keep back thy serv
ant from presumptuous sluuj. w.t
them not have dominkam o«ir
me. ”
New York, Jan. 7th'. 'JH9»L
My Dear Brother: — Now
that the Judson Mersttri ii w
memory of my father, is aois
pleted on the south siafe- of
Washington Square in this* rdy..
I feel unceasingly grateful to- ’iht •
friends throughout the-
country who have contributed sc>
this great equipment, throiigo
which we are reaching the p«®»-
pie in the lower part of tMs
town. Ido not doubt that many
of your readers have helped me
in this work, with their sympa
thy, their gifts and their prayers.
Please let me thank them
through your columns, and in
vite them whenever they come
to New York, to attend the serv
ices of our church, especially or;
Tuesdays and on Friday nights..
We shall take pleasure in show’
ing them over the buildings, and
I hope that when they attend any
service, they will stop at the
close, and give me an opportuni
ty of shaking hands with them.
And if while they are in the city,
and away from home, they would
like a call from us, or r eed any"
pastoral attention, I shall ht
pleased to put myself at their
service. Yours sincerely,
Edward Jubsobl
Dublin, Ga., is improving very rapid
ly. A new brick cotton warehoww and
compress, and a fine new brick caKEt
house have been erected since our thati
visit.