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ESTABLISHED 1821. TheChristianlndex Publish*)! Every Thursday By F3ELL & \ AN NESS Address Christian Index, Atlanta, On Organ of the Baptist Deuoinluatlon in Georgia. Subscription Price: One copy, one year 12.00 One copy, six months 1,08 about Our advertisers.—We propose tsereafter to very carefully Investigate our advertisers. We shall exercise every care to allow only reliable parties to use our col umns. Obituaries.—One hundred words free of oharge. 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 side of paper. Do not write copy Intended for the editor and business Items on same sheet. Leave Os! personalities, condense. Business.—Write all names, and post offices distinctly. In ordering achange give the old as well as the new address. The date Os label Indicates the time your subscription sxplres. If you do not wish It continued, or der It stopped a week before. We consider each subscriber permanent until he orders alt paper discontinued. When you order It stopped pay up to date. Remittances by registered letter, money order, postal note ‘ The Laver. The laver had a peculiarity of its own. It was different from the other vessels in this respect, that it had no specified form or measurement. This designed omission gives additional inter est to the study. The spiritual teaching suggested by the omis sion will be considered later on. DESIGN OF THE LAVER.' Its purpose is c tarly an nounced. “For Aaron and his sons shall wash their hands and their feet thereat.” Ex. xxx. 19. Purity was an essential require ment demanded of Israel’s priests. Ceremonial defilement must be immediately removed. The ministering priests walked with unshod feet from altar to tabernacle. Their hands pre pared the sacrifices. They slew and skinned and dissected. Be fore and after every offering they must wash. Hands and feet were therefore often immersed in the waters of the laver. Neg ligence of this ceremonial receiv ed merited punishment. Death was the penalty. Ex. xxx. 20. MANUFACTURE OF THE LAVER. Pious women provided the ma terial. “And he made the laver of brass and the foot of it of brass, of the looking-glasses of the women assembled at the .door of the congregation.” Ex. xxxviii. 8. The mirrors brought from Egypt were of highly pol ished copper. Their power of reflection was great. They were needed, and employed not neces sarily for self admiration. The mirror has its legitimate use. It was therefore an act of self denial to part with it. These godly women were possessed of lofty motives. They responded to Moses’ appeal for material wherewith to build a house for Jehovah. They were an elect company. The Revised Version reads, “the serving women which served ” Certain ones assem bled before the tent of Moses to minister. Their consecration re minds us of that other company of select ladies who attached themselves to Jesus and minis tered to him of their substance. A true test of piety is not giving much, but giving all. That im poverishment of self which en riches the Master is the true stan dard of giving. And he is our example in this respect also. 2 Cor. viii. 9. The laver fashioned out of mirrors was an important vessel in the court. No priest would dare slight it. By the applica tion of its waters he was made clean. This gift of devoted wo men suggests the fact that to Christian wcmen is committed a sacred trust. Where Christ abides in woman’s heart, by her minis try of self abnegation she can make her surroundings pure and sweet. She need not step be yond her divinely bounded prov ince to serve her generation. The serving women could not re form the Canaanites, but they could succeed in making provi sion for priestly purity. And priestly purity secured the pres ence of God. No attempts at improving morals could compen sate for loss of his power. An absent God meant a depraved people. Washing the shell does not arrest decay in the egg. The ministry of shallow reform has ever ended in folly. Never theless misguided women will waste their energies in the im possible task of washing the Ethiopian white. Results rise no higher than their source. Po litical contention does not minis ter to priestly consecration. If the forces of heart and brain mis spent on a Canaanite world were yielded to God in spiritual work, what precious fruitage would have appeared. Os Mary’s lofty service to Jesus he approved,and graciously commended it. Mark xiv. 9. Her memorial will out last the hills. In the day when individual work is tested, that service which is rendered for the glory of the Master will abide THE CHRISTIAN INDEX. ISUBSCRI, Yeae. .-..•2.00. I ITO MINISTIi. 1.00. I and win rewards, while the rub bish heap of works prompted by temporary fame or world mend ing policy will be reduced to ashes. Then will appear irti nitesimally small the scornful flings of the progressive woman at the teaching and principles of God’s Word; that Word so madly opposed in these days of moral hysteria. the laver’s symbolical mean ing. The laver stood between the court gate and tabernacle door. It was closely related to the altar of sacrifice. The altar was iden tified with blood, the laver with water. One was for expiation, the other for purification. Both were essential to a complete cer emonial ritual. It had no recorded measure ments. This characteristic, in addition to its use, indicates its typical meaning. Itforeshadow ed the Holy Spirit of Christ in an important feature of his minis try. It was said by our Lord’s forerunner that the father givetb not the Spirit by measure unto him. John iii. 35. But the words “unto him” are not in the text. The Revised Version properly omits them. Here then is a great fact stated, namely, the Holy Spirit is God’s immeasura ble gift. The infinite Spirit given to Christ is an unmeasured per sonality. Thus also is he given to believers. All other vessels of the tabernacle had form and size. They specially typified the Son of God in flesh. Jesus had human form; was seen, heard, handled. Outlined in veritable body the great and gracious Lord stood before men. But that other Comforter, though as real in personal being, is with out visible tangibility. He hath not flesh and blood though he dwelleth therein. For the be liever’s body is his temple, and his presence is known by mani festations. John iii. 8. Again, the use of the laver would favor this application of the typical vessel. Its water was for purification. The laver held the water. It received it; possessed it; gave it; was there fore identified with it. Prepara tion for priestly worship resulted from the constant application of water to hands and feet. Sever al Scripture texts disclose the meaning of this symbolical wa ter. “Christ loved the church and gave himself for it, that he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the Word.” Eph. v. 25, 26. “Now are ye clean through the Word which I have spoken unto you.” John xv. 3. The Christian be liever who becomes a priest unto God from the moment he first reaches the altar, and by faith ac cepts Christ’s atoning death as the ground of his justification, is yet in a world of defilement. He needs therefore constant prepar ation of heart to qualify him for acceptable worship. In order to meet this need of his life the Word of cleansing is given. The Holy Spirit ministering that Word in power to the inner man moulds the judgment, purifies thought, displaces lust, imparts motive. Holiness is promoted by the Word. We are sanctified by it. It rebukes self com plai sance and exposes the folly of self-perfection. The Word is a discerner of the thoughts and in tents of the heart; it is that light which makes manifest. To deny our need of cleansing is equiva lent to shutting out the sun. The Word-is that living stream which having entrance purifieth the soul. The blood cleanseth, the Word cleanseth, the Spirit cleanseth, and these three agree in one. Allusions are made to the laver of purification and preparation in the words “Who shall ascend unto the hill of the Lord’ or who shall stand in his holy place? He that hath clean hands and a pure heart. Ps. xxiv. 3, 4. And yet again, “I will wash my hands in innocency; so will 1 compass thine altar, O Lord.” Ps. xxvi. 6. The laver in Solomon’s temple was called a sea. 2 Chron. iv. 2. Its dimensions were ten cu bits from brim to brim, upheld by oxen cast for its base. The victorious redeemed are seen in heaven standing on a sea of glass. Rev. xv. 2. They no longer wash therein but are ever reminded of the source of their purity. They stand on the sea and sing of the Lamb. Altar and laver never forgotten. The altar bears witness, “Without shed ding of blood there is no re mis sion of sins.” The laver testi fies, “Without holiness no man shall see the Lord. ” In other words, the work of Christ is for justification, and the ministry of the Spirit for sanctification. “The laver stands. If earth defiled Go, wash thy hands, thy feet; And simply as a pardoned child. Approach the mercy seat; Within the veil thy censer bring, And burn sweet incense to the king ” —Shadow and Substance—Needham. For the Index. The Best Seminary ot Learning Ever Established. Who Its First and Only President. REV P. S. WHITMAN. It is a signal feature of be lievers in Jesus Christ to be to gether. When Christ had as cended his disciples could no longer be with him in person; but they could be together, and were together. Persons under the influence of love to Jtsus will defy all opposition and brave all dangers to be together. And this feature becomes more dis tinctive when we consider that they are together in prayer. Some people complain that they don’t see where the organizing was. It lay very much right here. They were together in prayer. The Pareclete v. ith them, they make their desires known to Christ just as if he himself were with them in person. What strength they have; what a power they become—they are a church of Christ. (Os course they could not be acknowledged followers or believers except as they were baptized ) On Pentecost was presentation day. On that day, this company of Christ’s followers, Christ him self no longer with them in per son, first appears before the world as a church. (That this was its name not yet known.) It was first seen as a preaching force— in this respect equal to Christ; and no wonder —they had some thing to preach that neither John the Baptist nor Christ had—the death and resurrection accom plished ! Three thousand con verted in a day—a gleam of fire like a tongue lighted on every one of them. The spread of the Gospel was to be very much an affair of the tongue. Every one that had a tongue was to use it for Christ. But miracles,as well as apostolic hands, were soon to pass away, and how were new converts to be prepared for propa gating the Gospel? Nothing is said of training schools or theo logical seminaries under those names—whatofit? Everychurch was to be a training school. Ev ery church a preparatory school for preachers. Nothing has ever been got up in the school line to compare with the church system as a school for the general edu cation of believers. It is the glory of a church that all its members become equal. It is not, however, by lifting some up and bringing others down. It is by bringing all the lower up to a level with the highest. So that what the most intelligent mem ber knows they all know. Every church of Christ is a school of this sublime character. How does it become all this? By pro viding spacious auditoriums and drawing in the outside world to hear and embrace the Gospel. That is one way to increase numbers —multiplying converts —but it never has educated them. If it is astonishing how much a man may preach, and that to gen eral acceptance, and yet how lit tle he may know of the details of Bible characters and events, it is also a wonder how constantly people may be attendant on their preaching, and yet make no per ceptible accumulation of Bible knowledge. But the regular church meeting was to be a school of discipline and learn ing. It was a matter of ut most moment for our Lord, first of all, to get the human mind fastened on the great ne cessity, the salvation of the soul. No one exactly knew why there was such specialty in having those who gave evidence of re pentance, baptized. The reason was obvious only when Christ had ascended, and the company that was left to represent him was composed of baptized be lievers, and none could be added to them except as they were bap tized. It was soon known that baptized people, living sufficient ly contiguous for the purpose, could come together and, though Christ was absent in person, the Paraclete would be sure to be with them and teach them. It would be the school of Christ. Yes, the Paraclete established a school system; and just assure as people were converted and wished to learn of Christ, they would come into this school. Apollos was glad to learn all about this. We have said the remarkable feature of this school was that what one knew they all knew. Those followers of Christ, after he left them, continued several days in prayer before the preach ing commenced. Did not each of them, one just as well as another, understand that effectual preach ing is born of prayer. They had a good chance to learn this; and prayer has been the locomotive of the Gospel train from that day to this. And now take the matter of church polity. That also was settled before ever preaching ATLANTA, GA., THURSDAY. AUGUST 27. 1896. commenced. When one was to be chosen from those who had companied with them from the baptism of John, who knew so well as the apostles who it should be? But even that matter must be decided by getting the sense of the whole body—by vote. Nothing then was more positive than that all questions must be so settled. Thus the most ob scure of the one hundred and twenty knew just as much about church polity as the apostles themselves. Every one saw, if any appointment was to be made, the whole body, not a few or any one person, was to make it, but the whole body. And as with ap pointments so with all questions —one,two, or a dozen might want something done, or some ques tion settled, but they must do as Peter did,“Tell it to the church.” What better seminary has ithere ever been to teach church polity than a Gospel church itself ? And,by consequence what else is known? A new company of believers cannot long continue to be together after the manner of a family. But, unless it be a time of persecution and danger, they can agree upon some day, and whenever that day comes, be together. It can never answer to leave it to chance —or accidental meetings to ascertain the sense of the bedy. They must have that regular day; and the more permanent the time and place be come, the more emphatically it will be a meeting of the church, the more whatever is done will re prosent the sense of the body. Hence, when a company of bap tized believers find themselves dwelling sufficiently near each other for the purpose, an agree ment upon a time for meeting to gether as a church of Christ, and covenanting to observe that time, is the chief characteristic of a church organization; for with out this, they would not be a Gos pel church. Hence, too, a church like any family, needed a habita tion, its dwelling place; not with its being left to chance when it should be occupied. It needed a stated time set for the family to be together just as it needed the house itself. Without this, the government will fall in the hands of a few, or there will be no gov ernment at all; the church ceases to be a deliberative body—the seminary of learning becomes ex tinct. When it was fdund that the company meeting in that upper room after Christ’s ascension was a self-governing body, all the nec • essary order and needs of a self governing body were established. Church order and church polity throughout were just as much established before Pentecost as they are at this day. Theifc was nothing but a local church then, and there is nothing else, or should be nothing else, now; each local church just as independent of any other as Jerusalem was when there was no other. And all this we learn from that Bap tist seminary which antedated Pentecost. We know that company acted as a body of Christ’s followers. It is safe to say each one was a member of the body by virtue of his baptism. In this respect it was with them just as with a company of first settlers in a new portion of country, who have brought church letters with them. By virtue of these letters they constitute themselves a church of Christ in the new place. (Now the letters are valuable as proof of baptism. Hence only letters from Baptist churches avail. There is more need of care as to who is admitted to baptism than who is admitted to the ministry; for, with due care over the first matter, a church could risk let ting any member preach who could get hearers.) By virtue of their baptism these settlers in a new country can declare themselves a church of Christ. Hence baptism in volves church organization. It was precisely thus with the one hundred and twenty. It would be preposterous to question their baptism some time during the preceding three years, but, as with the company gathered in a new country, their baptisms in each case avail just as if admin istered at the very house of church organization. Without a word’s being said, that first com pany, meeting after Christ left them, was a church by virtue of their baptism, just as if adminis tered at that hour. True, this was made more certain after wards by the manner of increase of numbers—converts were ad ded only as they were baptized. For three years theadministra tion of John and of our Lord had been characterized by the bap tism of those who gave evidence of repentance through belief on Jesus as the Christ. The very hour Christ had ascended, those persons in Jerusalem who had thus been baptized started right off as a church of God, a priest hood of believers,the Holy Spirit cheir helper and guide, making it virtually the Lord Jesus with them still. Prejudged History. BY S. M. PROVENCE. There are very few Baptists in this country who do not take their view of our denominational history at second hand. We are a busy people, and very few have taken tlie pains to examine the sources of such history as we may claim to possess. Most of that which is called history has been written with a terminus ad quern in view, an objective point, namely, to strengthen our denom inational claims. We were led into an historical bog by the es forts of good and zealous men to offset the claims of Rome and her offspring. Such made to-order history, lacking both the histori cal instinct and acquaintance with the sources of information, has not been a credit to Baptist scholarship, but that was per haps the least of its evils. It drew attention to itself as in some way a reinforcement of the Baptist claims. It created a feeling of historical security. It was elaborately paraded in pub lic debates and in newspaper con troversies. More and more it comes to be “suspected”, as his torical investigation increased. It may well be supposed inevit able, in the progress of histori cal learning, that this whole ground should be carefully gone over ab initio, and that w’ithout partisan bias. It is to the ever lasting honor of the Baptists that one of their own scholarly historians should have started this movement and given to the world a fearless and unpreju diced account of what he found in his researches. It takes a brave man to do a thing like that, in the face of preconceived opin ions that have- somehow come to be held as part and parcel of the Baptist faith. For of course the crown of martyrdom is speedily made ready for him. The most humiliating thing to me, however, in this whole con troversy is the partisan bitter ness which has disgraced it, to gether with the most dense and utter and unreasoning ignorance as to the merits of the question involved. But one other thing is hardly less discrediting, and that is the widespread attempt to smother the faits that plead for light, and to cast odium upon the man who found them out! Baptists boast of their love for truth,and yet when the truth ap pears to be opposed to their pre conceived opinions, it is refused a hearing by many. Manifestly, such partisanship as this can have no rightful claim to recognition in a patient and diligent search for the truth of history. What does it matter? Suppose President Whitsitt is correct in his view that Baptist “succession” cannot be traced through the English Bap’ists, and that they revived the use of immersion in 1641. If this is true, can any clamor alter the fact? If this is demonstrably true, can any sane person believe that it will not some day be proved? If it is true, does it in any way af fect the Baptist position? If it is not true, it can surely be dis proved. Let it be done! Dr. Whitsitt will rejoice to be set right He wants the truth far more than he wants to be vindi cated. It is, however, utterly useless to thresh over the old straw, as Dr. A. B. Vaughan,.Jr., is doing in the Index. And it is worse than useless to try to induce a prejudgment of the case, by quoting partisans in this and for mercontroversies, and by the lib eral use of italics, and by other arts well known to the polemic. I plead for fairness. Dr. W hitsitt spent more than two months in the British Museum examining the original sources of the history of the English Baptists. Soon after he first published some of the results of his researches, Dr. Henry M. Dexter went to the Mu seum and spent a year in the same work. He published a book on his return which agreed with the views of Dr. Whitsitt in every particular. And here is Dr. Vaughan repealing and indors ing the slander of Dr. Christian that Dr. Whitsitt copied Dr. Dex ter! Dr. Whitsitt says “if any one has ‘copied’ it was not I ” He does not say that Dr. Dexter copied him. Dr. Dexter is dead. Dr. Vaughan desires a “full and untrammelled discussion.” And yet it is very evident that he is not “untrammelled.” The per sonalities of his articles and his speeches in Baptist Associations prove this. If he had been as un trammelled as he wishesthis “dis cussion” to be, he might have said (and he could easily have found space by leaving out some irrelevant things) that Dr. A. H. Newman, professor of church history in the Toronto Universi ty, Dr. H. C. Vedder, professor of church history in Rochester Theological Seminary, Dr. H. S. Burrage, editor of Zion's Advo cate, and one of our foremost his torical investigators, all agree with Dr. Whitsitt. He might furthermore have said byway of comment on the word “dip,” quoted from Dr. Teatley, that the same word still stands in the rubrics of the English church, but the dipping was not then and is not now practiced. Perhaps, too, it ought to be suggested that not even he can believe that the brethren who voted in a Baptist Association in Georgia the other day, on resolutions concerning this matter, had re id “Ivemey and Jones and -Backus and Bene dict and Underhill and Cramp and Armitage,” far less Newman and Vedder and Dexter and Bur rage and Whitsitt! A Baptist Association is good for some things, but to ask such a body to vote on the historical questions involved in this “discussion” is the ne plus ultra of absurdity! Such foolishness as this will do more to put a club into the hands of our opponents than any light that can be thrown on the b-'story of the English Baptists. Cheney’s Request to Mercer—A Bit of History. BY PLODDER. Twelve years ago, more or less, a friend of Mercer Univer sity made a railway journey to Thomaston, Ga., to ask Aquila J. Cheney, then a resident of that place, to consider whether he ought not to bequeath a part of his estate to that institution, and indicated the various condi tions on which it might be done. The visitor asked for no promise, but was content to present the cause in terms that he deemed appropriate, and was willing to leave the conclusion with his courteous and sympathetic hearer. I know of no way to ascertain precisely how much this inter view had to do with the munifi cent gift of Mr. Cheney to the college, but it is quite safe to say his mind was directed by some sort of human influence. It is credibly reported also that Joseph E Brown’s donation of a hundred thousand dollars was in duced by a private appeal on a railway train by a brother, now deceased, -whom he held in the highest love and confidence. It is said likewise that Rockefeller founded and endowed Chicago University at the instance of a distinguished Baptist minister. This communication is written to emphasize the conviction that if friends of Mercer imagine they can sit still and hear of large gifts to Mercer by bequest, without any effort to bring about such things, their college is al ready doomed. It is doomed to die of neglect. All it has ever received has been solicited by somebody, and all that it is to re ceive hereafter will come in the same way. The following hints may prove useful: 1. There are hundreds of thousands of dollars to day in the hands of men and women resid ing in Georgia who have no children, and no very decided preference as to what shall be come of their property after they die. Some of them will die in testate and let the law distribute their possessions as it sees fit. Others will leave a will only be cause they like this a little bet ter than the other course. It would require no great effort to get some of these minds stirred up for some particular cause and shape their wills accordingly. 2. A large part of that property could be finally secured for Mer cer, if the friends of the institu tion would try. Every childless man and woman in Georgia own ing a few thousand dollars, ought to be interviewed in behalf of Mercer by a suitable person and at the earliest convenient season. In this work the utmost care should be taken, of course, not to wrong relatives or other favor ites who might inherit the whole or a part of the estate, and not to grieve or weaken the natural affections that were implanted in the heart by our Creator. 3 The advantages of this method of securing funds for Mercer are various, (l)ltdoesn’t prevent the use of any other means that may promise to be serviceable. (2.) Though you have to wait longer for results, when they do come, they are apt to be larger than we get by a hat collection from a weary and re luctant congregation. (3.) It doesn’t leave you with a huge stock of uncollectable endow ment notes, to excite the antipa thy of the impecunious and mor tified makers. (4.) One of our most judicious brethren, second •to none in his zeal for Mercer, suggests that this plan “doesn’t burn the woods,” as “successful” agents sometimes do by theii - per tinacious gouging. VOL. 76--NO. 35 For the Index Reminiscences of Georgia Baptists BY S. G. HILLYER, D.D. At the close of my last week’s paper, I was speaking of Mrs. Rebecca Mathews. Itold you of some of the trials and fears which she had to encounter with her little babe in her cabin home, when her husband was away on his preaching tours. How did she endure those trials ? In 1838, or 1«39, I had the pleasure of meeting Mrs. Mathews in Penfield. She was then in her eightieth year. We had a long and, to me, a delight ful interview. She spoke of her early experiences, and especially of the trials above alluded to, and how she was enabled to bear them. She said, in substance, that at first, and for a consider able time, she felt very much dissatisfied with her condition. She thought her lot a hard one and murmured in her heart against it, feeling that it was not right for her to be left so much alone. After a while it came to pass that her husband had an appoint ment about eight or ten miles from home, and it was arranged on that occasion that she should go with him to his meeting. The little one-horse farm wagon was fixed up for the occasion, and thus she was enabled to accom pany her husband, a privilege which she perhaps had not be fore enjoyed. They reached the meeting house safely. The meeting proved to be one of great interest. Mr. Mathews preached with his usual fervor and the Spirit seemed to move the hearts of the people. The good lady looked on with wonder and delight. Her own religious feelings were deeply stirred. A refreshing from the presence of the Lord had descended upon the people. The meeting closed with songs of praise, accompa nied with tears of holy joy, and a handshaking that evinced the flow of Christian love and fra ternal fellowship. Such a scene Mrs. Mathews had never witnessed. Its effect upon her was to sweep away her discontent and all her murmurs. She returned to her humble home happy in the love of Jesus, and glad that her husband was a preacher. At this point in her story, the dear old lady said to me, “ From that hour I resolved to do all I could to promote my husband’s work, and to complain of my lot no more.” And faith fully she kept her vow. She lived with her husband nearly half a century, and during those many years, till her sons were old enough to take her place,she, during her husband’s absenc°, was the chief manager of things at home, and no murmur ever again escaped her lips. But Mrs. Mathews was only one of a class of women who lived in those early days to help their husbands to do the Master s work. If we could know their history, we should find there were other wives who had to en dure seclusion, toil and self-de nial, that their husbands might prosecute their itinerant labors far and wide through our sparsely settled country. We shall never know till we get to heaven how much we owe to those early mothers in Israel for the growth of our denomination. A word more about brother Mathews. He lived to be very old. He continued to preach al most to the end of his life. Dur ing the last several years of his labor, he had become so feeble that it was deemed unsafe for him to travel alone. He had be come subject to frequent attacks of vertigo. They would come upon him without warning at any time, and in any place. And yet he would try to fill his ap pointments. During this period, nis daughter Rebecca would ac company her father to all his meetings, that she might be at hand to take care of him in case the vertigo should attack him. It happened, once at any rate, and if lam not mistaken, more than once, that the attack came upon him while in his gig on the highway. On such occasions, his daughter would assist him to get to the ground and lead him to the roadside and lay him down upon the leaves and watch by him till the fit passed off. What an example have we here of a daughter’s faithful love! “Some feelings are to mortals given, With less of earth in them than heaven; And if there be a human tear From passion’s dross refined and clear, A tear so limpid and so meek, It would not stain an angel’s cheek, ’Tis that which pious fathers shed Upon a duteous daughter’s head ! ” Sucn a daughter was Rebecca Mathews. Brother Mathews died about 182" or 1828. He was the father of eight children —five sons and three daughters. Two of his sons were Baptist ministers, viz: