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ESTABLISHED 1821. W Christian Index Publlßhel Every Thurwiay By BELL & VAN INESS Addren Christian Index, Atlanta. Ga. Organ of the Baptint Denomination in Georgia Subscription Price: One copy, one year 12.00 One copy, six months 1.08 About Our Advertisers.—We propose hereafter to very carefully Investigate our advertisers. We shall exercise every care to allow only reliable parties to use our col nmns. Obituaries.—One hundred words free of Charge. Eor 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 side of 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 distinctly. In ordering a change give the old as well as the new address. The date of label indicates the time your subscription expires. If you do not wtsh it continued, or der it stopped a week before. We consider each subscriber permanent until he orders his paper discontinued. When you order It stopped pay up to date. Remittances by registered letter, money order, postal note For the Index Warning: to the Disciples —Sunday- School Lesson for June 7 —Luke 22:24 37. BY S. G. HILLYER. In this lesson we have Luke’s report of a part of the Savior’s discourse which followed the in stitution of the Lord s supper. It begins at the 24th verse of the 22d chapter. STRIFE AMONG THE DISCIPLES. The subject of the strife was which of them should be the greatest? Bear in mind this was the third time that Jesus found it necessary to warn his disci ples against personal ambition. Jesus had announced himself repeatedly to be the Messiah of the prophets. The Jewish iuterpre tation of the Messianic prophe cies led them to expect that he would restore the Kingdom of Israel, and would himself occu py the throne of his father Da vid, and that he would subdue all nations under his feet. In these lofty expectati ms the dis ciples most ceitainly shared They had become convinced that their beloved Master was indeed the “Christ of God.’’ They look ed upon his beneficent ministry, both in healing the afflicted, and in teaching the common people, as oily a mode of preparation for the inauguration of his glorious Kingdom in the near future. Be lieving him to be the Messiah, they were looking for this. How natural that t/tep, his chosen fol lowers and devoted servants, should be forecasting their per sonal interest in the coming Kingdom ! They were but men, with all the selfishness of human nature still dominating their af fections, and inflaming their am bition. So it came to pass that, for the third time, even at the close of the first memorial sup per, they were striving with one another who should be the great est. The Savior perceived their con tentions, and, once more,endeav ored to restrain their unholy as pirations. He said to them: “The.kings of the Gentiles exercise lordship over them, and they that exer cise authority over them are called benefactors. But ye shall not be so; but hethat is greatest among you, let him be as the younger; and he that is chief as he that doth serve.” These words were in perfect harmony with what he had taught them on the previous occasion al luded to. He taught them, that he who -would be greatest in the Kingdom of God, must humble himself to be the servant of all. The heights of worldly ambi tion are like the Alpine moun tains, whose rugged slopes are covered with ice and snow, and whose summits are crowned with slipping glaciers and here and there with the tottering ava lanche. Just so are the heights of worldly ambition. Their slopes are veneered with the ice and snow of cold and selfish ri valry, and their heights, if ever reached, are often found congeal ed into glaciers by the freezing breath of false and treacherous flattery. Longfellow has cele brated in plaintive numbers the sad fate of many ardent aspirants who strive to climb the slippery heights, bearing aloft the banner “with the strange device, “Ex celsior.” But Jesus has taught a better way to a distinction far more ex alted than any honor that the world can give. That way leads through the lowly valley of hu mility and of self-abnegation, for the glory of God, and for the sal vation of men. Surely he who would travel the path that Jesus has pointed out deserves a ban der; and the teachings of Jesus plainly indicate that its motto should be the word humilior. THE CHRISTIAN INDEX. The Savior’s words were not lost upon the disciples. They were designed to extinguish in their hearts the last lingering spark of carnal ambition. And this effect, subsequent events clearly show, was fully accom plished. In a little more than forty days the time marne for Je sus to give to his disciples the “great commission.” They knew it would consign them to a life of toil, of self-denial, of separation from home and kindred, and to a life of persecution, even unto death, as witnesses for the truth which they preached. But they joyfully, yet meekly, accepted the commission. From that hour w’e hear no more of their conten tions among themselves as to who should be the greatest. They went forth, with the meekness of a “little child,” and yet with the courage and endurance of heroes, to the great work of saving them that are lost. No, the words of warning against all earthly am bition for place, or power, or emolument, were not lost upon the disciples. But Jesus did not leave them without words of promise to off set the severe requirement he was making of them. He set be fore them a far higher goal than any earthly honor. He said: “Ye are they, who have continued with me in my temptations. I appoint unto you a kingdom * * * that ye may eat and drink at my table,and sit on twelve thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel.” What these words mean, or in what form they shall be fulfilled, we do not know; but we do know 7 that they are words of promise. They set before the minds of the disciples, even in the lowest vale of humility and self-abnegation, an object of desire, which they might seek withall the fervor of their souls, without one trace of carnal or earthly ambition. Brethren, I have dwelt upon this single topic so fully I ecause of its great importance. I have said that the Savior’s words of warning against worldly ambi tion were not lost upon the dis ciples. But Jesus did not intend that his warning should be lim ited to them. We have already noticed that substantially the same admonition was given three different times in three different places. Moreover, Jesus caused them all to be put on record for the instruction of succeeding ages. But alas! in spite of all the Sav ior’s forethought and care,it was not long after the time of the Apostles, before the question “w’ho shall be the greatest?” was revived in all its hideous selfish ness. The mischief ithas wrought forms the chief staple of ecclesi astical history. I cannot venture to enter this broad field even to sketch the evil it has already done. Let us rather consider the in struction of the Savior’s words in its application to ourselves. Is there no carnal ambition in our hearts? And are we truly appre ciating one another according to the Savior’s rule,that he is great est who does the most work for the glory of God and the salva tion of men? Let us all search our hearts and see if we do not find a carnal ambition lurking, like a serpent, amidst some of even the richest flow 7 ers of our piety. Even in the pulpit the preacher is exposed to the poisonous breath of this wily serpent. He is in constant danger of allowing his desire for popular applause to inspire his zeal, rather than the love of his Master. And there is danger also that he may desire a higher po sition for the sake of its emolu ments, rather than for the great er good he might possibly accom plish. How needful is the Savior’s warning ! Whether we be preach ers or laymen, men or women, whether in the pulpit or in pious works, whatever we do, let us do it, not for ourselves; but for HIM “who died for us and rose again.” 563 S. Pryor st., Atlanta. For the Index. Among the Critics. .BY J. H. GAMBRELL. The general reader has ob served that our denominational papers are furnishing a good deal of reading on the “Whitsitt Episode.” Concerning Dr. Whit sitt’s interpretation of history I have nothing to say, except that his historical statement is either correct or incorrect, which may be determined only by a calm, ju dicial, impersonal appeal to the historical facts in the case. To my mind there is grievous blun dering in this whole matter. These are some of the blunders: 1. Dr, Whitsitt, occupying the delicate position he does, blun dered in writing his now famous article for Johnson’s Cyclopedia. If he wrote at all, no sane man would censure him for writing >C>. (SUBSCRIPTION, 82.00. J ITO MINISTERS, (»„ .... 1.00.1 V what he believes to be truth. The very reason that suggested to those who had charge of the preparation of the Cyclopedia the desirability of securing him to write the article he did, are the identical reasons why he should not have written it. These are the reasons: Dr. Whitsitt is president of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary and a his torian of note. Anything Dr. Whitsitt does that displeases his brethren in vites fire, not only upon him, but upon the Seminary as well. This ought not to be so, but it is true, as proven by almost every Bap tist paper in the South the past few weeks. When he speaks or writes, the good Doctor is bound by his conscience to tell what he conceives to be the truth. He who would deny him this right, is a very sorry Baptist, and no better Christian. But there are times when “silence is golden.” There are times when men need to decline invitations, the accept ance of which would mean trouble to themselves and friends. Such a time came to Dr. Whitsitt when he was invited to write the article that is giving him and his brethren so much trouble. No man has the right to imperil the interests of those who clothe him with official position, by the ex traordinary and unnecessary use of that position. That Dr. Whit sittdidthis is, to my mind, his sin, but I shall still respect and love the sinner. 2. Dr. Whitsitt’s critics, great and small, are seriously blunder ing in at least two respects. (1) In attacking him personal ly and impugning his motives. This procedure has two distinct results, (a) It impairs his use fulness as a teacher and preach er of the Hord of God, while his character in either capacity is not involved in the controversy now on. (b) It arrays with him those who are simple enough to be mere partisans without knowing whether their loyalty is to an er ring man or the eternal truth. Both of these results are lam entable in the extreme. When one reflects over, not only the possi bility but probability, as well, of snatching from a confusedly great and good man the golden opportunity of impressing the Word of God upon unborn gen erations, by teaching the minis try of this day; and when one thinks of the probability of mak ing partisans of a large number of men, many of whom are in our leading pulpits, and who, tho’ lacking in historical information, perhaps, are well equipped edu cationally to do mighty battle for any cause they espouse, the mat ter becomes invested with a se riousness unspeakable. Men of judicial minds and sweeter spir its will hesitate, think seriously and long before entering a role that will precipitate these results, or either of them, whatever the provocation may be. (2) Another grave blunder is the attacks on the Theological Seminary. Surely no dispas sionate mind can imagine for a moment that the Seminary ought to be held responsible for and made to suffer on account of the views of President Whitsitt on a controverted historical fact! Southern Baptists cannot afford to become so frenzied over a purely historical matter as to de stroy, or impair the usefulness of their great institution, simply to show their disapprobation of the historical views of single in dividuals connected therewith. It isn’t needful that one should have been trained in the Semi nary in order that he may see the utter lack of warrant and wisdom, in making war on the Seminary in this matter. It must be patent to every reflective mind. 3. Dr. Whitsitt’s old students, and some others, are blundering in their methods of defense very egregiously. To my mind there are unknown quantities of de structive dynamite in this fact. It has been given out through the papers that the Seminary students, more than a thousand strong, intend to stand by Dr. Whitsitt to the last. This is now being used against the Seminary, unwisely of course, but hurtfully nevertheless. It will be used more and more, it is to be feared. The Seminary students, as a body, have no more knowledge as to whether Dr. Whitsitt’s contro verted statement of an historical fact is correct or not, than I have, and that is putting it fine. They simply believe in the man very thoroughly. As thoroughly do I believe in him, in his learning, gracious spirit, fallibility, and all—without a word from him on the subject, the statement is ven tured. Dr. Whitsitt would not have his old students rally around him, in blind admiration, in this, or in any other matter about which he chanced to be involved in controversy with brethren who have honored and loyally sup ported him in his great work for ATLANTA, GA., THURSDAY. JUNE 4, IS!6. many years.. He wants the sup port of facts rather than that of mere- partisans, blinded and moved by admiration for him per sonally. I vie with his students, new and old, in esteem and ad miration for him,but I hold my self bound to give him intelligent support in the positions he as sumes, or none at all. Anything short of this is the rankest un kindness to him, especially while he occupies his present official position. Dr. Whitsitt is wise enough to know that it will be proper for the thoughtful friends of the Seminary to go in to mourning over the down go ing of their beloved institution, the very day that it becomes un derstood that Seminary students blindly rally to the support of their , professors, without inquir ing for the truth, when these professors become involved in controversies with their breth ren. 4. The spirit of Dr. Whitsitt’s critics, in the main, is not of the helpful sort. The same is true of those who seek to defend him. It seems to be the spirit that seeks annihilation, rather than the peaceful correction of errors. That God is not honored, nor the brotherhood edified by a contro versy conducted in such a spirit, goes without argument. The cause of truth is hurt infinitely more by this unseemly spirit, on both sides, than_by the disputed statement, that gives rise to it. The jubilation of all the anti im mersionists in the world, over what they conceive to be “the last prop gone,” is harmless, and no thoughtful person who knows what his Bible teaches, need be irritated over it a.single moment. Let them rejoice while they may. When the smoke of battle has cleared away, they will see, as others now see, thatevery “Bap tist prop” is still doing its scrip tural service. Let us all be dispassionate, just, considerate, wise and broth erly in this matter, and we have nothing to fear. Let every writer keep sweet. Greenesboro, Ga. For the Index. The First Ten Days in the History of Gospel Churches. . V BY P. S. WHITMAN. Some of our leaders in Baptist thought ha ve away of speaking and writing which is not var ranted by the Scriptures. “When did Christ organize his churches? Over and over the answer has been given from the editorial chair. “Christ organized his church when he chose his twelve apostles.” This, we think, is al together an unwitting answer for a Baptist to make; a Baptist,who at the same time is maintaining that a church of Christ is a Bap tist church. For, taking tie apostles for our model, what kind of a church was there whilst Christ was on earth ? 1. There may be ever so many baptized believers, but out of all the number there must be se lected twelve. There must be twelve, but no more. Is this the way to start out for a Baptist church ? 2. It must be an association of men —not a woman among them. Does this look like a Baptist church ? 3. They are to have no com mon location, but leaving family and home, they are to wander from place to place—the com pany is devoid of all local char acter. Does this look like a Bap tist church ? 4. They are selected to be with Christ in person—(nothing of this can be done now)—-to be with him in his mission of going about to do good to men, that they may learn of him what he teaches, what he says and does, and, as they become prepared, to go out by themselves preach ing and empowered to work miracles, the whole of them. Can all this be characteristic of a Baptist church ? 5. Here we see insuperable dif ficulties. If the apostles were the church Christ established, how could we follow it as a model ? Who could we get to take our Lord's place even to select the twelve ? his place as their infallible teacher and o-uide —his will in all respects and under all circumstances to be their law ? The truth is, this plan would only bring Satan to the front. He could find many -a subject of his to fill Christ’s place—yes, he would be quite willing to make some man instead of the Holy Spirit the vicegerent of Christ. And the vicegerent would have no diffi culty in selecting his twelve and dividing the world among them, and such would be the church ! But this would be very different from Christ’s plan, which, as sub sequent events show, was for the Holy Spirit to come as soon as he left, and, taking his place as guide for all believers, should, first of all, make the company of those in the one locality of Je rusalem—the whole of them, men and women, a, priesthood of believers, enduing them with wisdom for self-government, they needing no man to teach them. This, we think, w y asareal church of God which drew its first breath with the first salutation of the Comforter,“ Men of Galilee, why stand ye looking into heaven?” “This Jesus who is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye behold him going into heaven.” “ Then re turned they to Jerusalem with great joy.” And still these same promi nent Baptists cling to their the ory; and, in suppor, of it, ad duce as fact that the rite known in our day as the Lord's Supper, which is universally observed as a church ordinance, was first ad ministered to, and observed by, those apostles. Now we think a more truthful statement of that transaction is this. On the oc casion referred to, Christ with his disciples went through a re ligiousceremony which evidently was intended to show those dis ciples what was to be done when he should be taken from them, byway of keeping his death in remembrance. The or dinance symbolized his body slain,his bloodshed. It was to be a memorial rite, not a prophecy. It could have no force until his death was accomplished. It was to keep him in remembrance after he was taken from them It could not be observed with any propriety so long as their Lord was with them. Therefore there can be no other under standing than this. The Lord, in that ceremony at the close of the last supper, was instruct ing the disciples ( and that there be no mistake, acted out the in struction) as to what should be observed in the churches when the churches should come. This understanding is fully corrobo rated by the practice of the churches. For the churches as| they came seemed to be borrl with the mind of Christ in them! Moreover, it is here seen that! the very transaction which is re-1 fer red to in proof of church or] ganization in the lifetime of (h is gives strong indication to the contrary, namely, the in teresting fact that the death of Christ, or rather his exit from earth, was the birth throe of churches. Not a few prominent writersJ as if shaken in this theory o 4 the apostles being a church, ij" vert to our Lord’s words “ 1 will build my church; ’ and tell us these words make it certain that Christ in person must have or ganized his church withall its appointments complete before he said, “It is finished,” and died. Here it should be consid ered that Christ fulfilled a great deal of what he said he would do, through the Holy Spirit that was to take his place here when he should return to the Father. John said “He shall baptize you in the Holy Spirit.” When did he do this ? On the day of Pen tecost is the answer. And was this not after his decease ? When he said,“ Where two or three are gathered in my name there am I in the midst,” do you think that promise has not often been ful filled since the time of his as cension ? And how ? Only as the blessed Paraclete has sup plied his place. Christ said “Lo, lam with you to the end of the world.” How ? The Paraclete, the Paraclete! A writer, who concedes the import of “ I will build ” to be a church in the future, reverts to the words uttered a short time after, namely, “Tell it to the church,” and claims that here it is equally plain that a church is already in existence. Hence, he says that some time between the two occasions, the one when Christ made that prediction and the other when he gave that di rection, church organization must have commenced. Now subsequent events leave no doubt as to the true interpreta tion of the two passages. In the first, Christ gives us to under stand what will be the qualifica tion for admission, Christ re vealed by the Father (this is foundation). In the second, he sets forth what will be the plan for the peace and government of a church. He virtually discloses that there will be churches, each local and independent, and that all questions will be decided by getting at the sense of the body. But it is obvious that nothing of all this prevailed in the lifetime of our Lord. But the most consistent plea for a belief in church organiza tion in the lifetime of Christ lies in what must be universally ad mitted, that from the earliest times churches have made bap tism the initiation to member ship. Why then should this rite j have been practiced for three years and more, unless there w me churches ? Now we know that baptism j during those three years was a confession before the world of faith in Christ (at the first in him that John should point out who proved to ba Jesus of Naza reth). We know there was a great care looking to the evi dence of their faith, metanoieo, repentance (true force a change of heart). Thus, though people may not have understood what baptism taught or symbolized, or all its use, yet everybody knew this, namely. It told who were acknowledged believers in the Nazarene. But when Christ had ascended and the Holy Spirit that was promised tc take his place had come ,they knew more. They knew that believers in Christ in every place were to consolidate —act as one body (this put in practice before they knew that they were churches. It was doubtless this precise matter that Aquila and Pris cilla explained to Apollos.) Yes, Christ’s plan was, that with the coming of the Holy Spirit there should be churches, composed of believers. The baptism, prosecuted with such care as it had been, told who the believers were. Thus, as the first church started in Jerusalem, each one was a meniber by vir tue of his baptism, and conse quently no one could be added except as he was baptized. Hence the requisite for membership in a gospel church is not merely the evidence of conversion which may be given in private. The requisite is faith in Christ de clared before the world in bap tism. And indeed this is in tended to constitute admission tomembership. But it was not known until Christ had left and the Paraclete had come —not known-until the dispensation of the Holy Spirit and the era of churchc s had simultaneously of I mt prophet Isaiah said, as he looked up from his study of the processes by which God was educating His people for their great destiny. Permitted an insight into the ways of God’s providence, he had beheld the rise and fall of dynasty and em pire, the captivity, the exile, the restoration, the gradual elimina tion of idolatry and impurity, and the fusing of the entire na tion into a condition in which God could use it for his own pur pose; and now breaking away from his long and intent scrutiny of the ways of God, he breaks out with the cry, “Verily thou art a God that hidest Thyself, O God of Israel, the Savior.” It is an exclamation that often rises to our lips -in nature. We are always treading in the re cent footprints of God; entering chambers that He seems just to have left; catching the glow of light which has just fallen from His face; but w 7 e always miss him. We go forward, and He is not there, and backward, but cannot perceive Him; we speak, and feel that He hears, but there is no reply; we look up, and know that He is looking down, but we cannot see Him; we feel after Him, and are con scious that his hand is some where within reach, but we never touch it. Men talk of law and force, but what are these ex pressions save confessions that God, the mighty worker, is hid den from our view? What thoughtful man can look upon the state of the world with out acknowledging, on the one hand, that God must be present, and yet feeling, on the other, that He is certainly concealed. He does not step out of the un seen to arrest the progress of crime and high-handed wrong. Though His glory is constantly trodden under foot He does not strive nor cry. Though His help is invoked, the heavens do not rend,or the cherub wings be come the chariot of His descent, as of old, to the Psalmist’s thought. He cannot be far away, He evidently hears and ob serves and feels all, but who would dare to speak or act as bad men do unless men were wont to calculate upon God’s con cealment of Himself? In our own life also we have to do with the hidings of God. VOL. 76--NO. 23 Some days we walk in the dark, unable to see His face or to feel Him near; we sit in our deserted chambers; we puzzle over cour insoluble problems; we ask our myriad questions. It seems then as though a thick veil hangs between us and Him whom we love. We are not sensible of any sin or inconsistency which has caused Him to withdraw, and yet there are the hidings of His face. Why has He taken that wife, or husband, or friend from our warm embrace, when so many another life, if similarly bereaved, would have felt it less? Why this passion for love without its satisfaction? Why this hun ger for knowledge and service without gratification? From all these questions we turn, heart sick and weary, as Noah’s dove from winging her flight over the restless water. We are con scious that the miracle of the gradual healing of the blind man is a parable of our experience. Our vision is but indistinct: we see men as trees walking. It will be necessary that the hand of Christ be laid upon us ere we see all things clearly. And yet ice cannot wonder at the mystery which veils God and His ways. We are but children. Yesterday we were in the cradle; to-day we are sittirg on the low form of the infant school. We have not yet commenced to grad uate in the higher classes, and the faculties of the wisest and best amongst us, compared with those of the youngest angel, will probably range as those of a babe, when compared with the furthest acquirements of philo sophic thought. Besides, God has to graduate His revelation. Many mysteries have been unfolded to mankind in the later pages of the Bible, which were hidden from ages and generations. The sudden blaze of uncreated glory would dazzle, blind, and kill us. We could not bear the unveiled view of God. We must needs hide His glory as He passes by, re vealing only His back parts. And then, further, it is obvious that there are reasons for God’s dealings with ourselves and with others, which he cannot disclose. |lf He did we should not under -1 stand. How 7 often does a parent tell a child to wait, because there are things which cannot be ex plained; terms, the full meaning of which cannot be understood: relations, connections with others that involve principles which lie altogether beyond the range of immature thought. God has ex plained as much as our human faculties can apprehend, but there is much beyond our range; we see but part of His ways, and the thunder of His pow’er we can not understand. What if evil is stronger than we think ? What if mere Omnipotence be pow Ter less to deal with it, and that it ean only be quelled by moral and spiritual processes? What if the moral benefit of the universe can be best promoted by allowing evil slowly to work itself out? What if the redemptive purpose needs time to assert its supre macy? What if the position of all beings and all worlds is being affected by the incidents which are transpiring upon the surface of our earth? We know so little. Moreover, God must teach us to Walk by faith and not by sight; what we see we cannot hope for. Where there are no rocks we need no pilot: where the path is plain we need no guide. It often happens that God says to His child, “I must shadow from you the sensible enjoyment of My Presence; I must withdraw the sunlight from your path; I must lead you from the green pastures and still waters into the darken ed valley; L must deprive you of emotion, for you will grow bet ter in the dark; but trust Me.” When God hides from us so much that we would fain know, let us. believe that the same love con ceals, as at other times reveals, and that shadow and sun are ac complishing our growth in grace, and in the knowledge and love of God. Our consideration, however, is growingly precious—God is love. He that hides Himself is also the Savior. There is no question as to the essential nature of Him who is working all things after the purpose of His own will. We know what friendship is. We can trust some souls so utterly no act of theirs, however strange it seemed, could shake our faith in their unutterable love. In stead of interpreting their heart by an isolated act, we explain the act by the tender heart behind it. We dare to believe that what ever appears to militate against love is only another way of ex pressing it more deeply. Thus as we think of God and know Him to be love, we stand in the sunshine of certainty, and every thing settles into harmony and peace.— The Glorious Lord.—Mey er.