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TheChristianlridex
LEANNESS.} ED,TOR9 -
POINTING A MORAL.
We are called upon to unveil
our hidden thoughts, and all be
cause our ever esteemed contem
porary, The Religious Herald, is
good-naturedly mad with us. A
week or so ago we wrote an edi
torial enforcing the idea that lo
calities sometimes imagined they
had a proprietary interest in our
common institutions intrusted to
them; and that the rest of us very
frequently remanded the respon
sibility back to that locality. The
Religious Herald does not seem to
disagree with our general prem
ises, but with the inference that
either the Foreign Mission
Board, Virginia, or The Religious
Herald, is guilty of the first
charge. We are suspected of
being in a state of temporary un
amiability.
It is always thus. The fellow
least guilty takes the lesson of
the sermon to himself. The fact
is, we only used the Herald as an
illustration and put ourselves
under the same restraint. We
coupled Georgia with Virginia
when we thought everybody
would know that these States
lo re the Boards in their midst
and only ask the unique distinc
tion of giving more money to
them than any one else. The
truth is, we had been led by va
rious and sundry exhibitions of
various and sundry people to
recognize a specific case of pro
prietary interest. This led us to
philosophize upon the situation
in general. We have not been
long in the newspaper business
and we have to run up on these
ideas now and then to let us see
who we are, and how big we
ought to assume to be. As the
Home Mission Board is right
here by us, we naturally fell into
a meditation as to whether we
owned it or not. If by right of
eminent domain it belonged to us,
we wanted to foreclose our mort
gage. Probably because of the
humility occasioned by our re
cent arrival, we could not get our
minds to accept the fact. Do
w’hat we would, we always got
back to the conviction that the
Board did not belong to us alone
and we still had a conscience, so
we determined to be modest
about it.
To illustrate our thought we
used the case of Richmond. We
do think the Foreign Mission
Board could get some points if a
majority of their members would
circulate around the Southern
Baptist Convention, but this is
only a suggestion. So nobly free,
however, have The Herald and
the Virginia Baptists been from
the proprietary charge, that we
thought everybody would appre
ciate that we took the least of
fensive case to illustrate the pos
sibility. We might have taken
the Baptist and Reflector, the
Christian Index, 77/e Evangel,
Tennessee. Georgia, Maryland or
—no we do not believe the other
would have been so good an il
lustration. It might have been
considered a personal allusion.
The resentment of the Herald,
however, is most creditable and
serves to point the moral of our
meditations. With the Christian
Index, The Religious Herald, dis
claims a desire to dominate the
institution in its city. It ac
knowledges, as we do, that Texas
has as clear a claim to speak
as Georgia and Virginia. If the
editors of these papers get
in trouble with the secretaries,
as folks at home sometimes do,
they will not ask the rest of the
country to inconvenience them
selves for us. We will get along
and be thankful the outside dis
tricts have to pay for what we do
don’t like. We are sure the Herald
stands with us here, and we knew
it all the time, and were sure
everybody else knew it, too. We
believe the Baptist and Reflector
does also, and the Evangel, and
we wish everybody else did, too.
We trust 7’/ie Religious Herald sees
the drift of our remarks. We are
not unamiable, and we are not
concerned about all our Boards
and institutions, and we do be
lieve there is something real to
be after. Let him that thinketh
he take heed, and let
him that has already fallen re
pent and stand up again.
A NOTABLE EFFORT
At the anniversaries of the
Northern Baptist Societies, at
Asbury Park, in May last, a joint
“Commission” was appointed,
consisting of representatives of
the Missionary Union, Home
Mission Society, Publication So
ciety, Education Society, Young
People’s Union and the various
woman’s missionary organiza
tions, which was to take into
consideration the whole subject
of systematic beneficence and de
vise plans for developing this in
the churches in such manner as
to conserve the interests of each
of these separate organizations
This Commission, which is com
posed of a number of the most
active and energetic mission and
educational workers of the de
nomination, has recently held its
first meeting and has outlined its
work. And verily it has taken a
broad view of its work and has
laid its plans for a great one.
The aim which it sets before it is
“the promotion among Baptists
of intelligent, systematic, pro
portionate and distributive benef
icence," and it will “seek to ac
complish its object by quicken
ing the sense of Christian
stewardship, by commending to
the churches the general causes
of beneticnce, and by suggesting
simple, practical methods of
Christian giving. It will aim
to secure for each of these
general causes staled contribu
tions from each individual church
member and from every regular
attendant on Baptist worship. ”
The Commission “recognizes
that it has no legislative authori
ty, and disclaims all purpose or
desire to interfere in anywise
with the independence of the
churches or the freedom of the
individual. Its function is simply
and only advisory.”
This general Commission will
seek to induce State conventions,
associations and churches to
form commissions within them
selves, which shall co operate
with the general one, and become
media through which the gener
al one can operate. Meetings of
the general Commission and of
the State and the associational
ones, are to be held annually in
connection with the meetings of
the bodies appointing them, at
which meeting the subject of
beneficence is to be discussed in
all its phases. “At each there
shall be presented definite data
in reference to past beneficence,
impartation of biblical instruc
lion on Christian stewardship;
the awakening of the spirit of
prayer concerning the subject,
and definite instruction on the
relation of right habits of giving
to Christian life and growth.”
Besides arranging for these
meetings, the Commission is to
have prepared and circulated
literature on the subject of sys
tematic beneficence, and as well,
on the various objects of benefi
cence represented by the bodies
appointing it, and seek to devise
and suggest to the churches a
plan, or plans, of systematic giv
ing.
This is indeed a large work on
which the Commission has
entered and one that greatly
needs to be done. Our brethren
of the North have done wisely in
this matter, in that they have
sought to concentrate in this one
Commission the wisdom and ex
perience of the leading workers
of all their different bodies and
have set their concentrated power
to work on the great problem
before them. Hitherto the efforts
of these workers have been put
forth in different directions, and
not unseldom in ways that have
crossed each other and produced
friction. If there is strength in
union, it ought to be developed
here; if wisdom in the multitude
of trained counselors, it will be
manifested here.
That there will be diffi
culties in the way of this
work is to be expected, and
that there will be objections
raised to the Commission work,
few can doubt, butitis greatly to
be hoped that this Commission
may carry out the purpose of its
creation, and devise such plans
and set into operation such agon
cies as will answer the oft re
peated question, “How can we
get our people to give regularly,
systematically and liberally to
the Lord’s work?” W’e believe,
the answer lies, to a large extent,
in theone word “education,” and
as we understand it, this Com
mission will seek to educate the
people in this “grace.” We
shall watch the progress of this
movement with great interest
and with sincere sympathy. In
it is a suggestion which might
well be heeded by our boards,
both general and State.
A CHURCH A FORETASTE OF
HEAVEN.
We hear much nowadays of
what is called the Kingdom.
This is conceived of as civil so
ciety permeated by the teachings
of Jesus, until he reigns in all re
lations and over all human lives.
It is an entrancing conception and
one most thrilling to a Christian
heart. It comes natural to one
believing in the dominion of Je
sus to rejoice in the sway of his
Master over all social life about
him. Such a state would seem
inglv bring much of heaven to
dwell on earth. If death could
be eliminated and sickness re
moved, it might even satisfy hu
man hearts as being all the heav
en they needed. These cannot
be eliminated and the very best
conception is an ideal borrowed
from the promises of the New Je
rusalem. The whole notion,
while creditable to Christian as
piration, is rather the product of
longing imagination than specific
promises of Scripture.
The truth is that when we get
down to specific teachings there
is no more positive realization on
earth of the Kingdom of God,
than the fellowship of a Chris
tian church. If anywhere on
earth we are to find a foretaste
of heaven, it is in a Christian
church, rather than in a civic re
formation. The best civic refor
mation can give no worship, and
heaven is to be abounding in its
THE CHRISTIAN INDEX : THURSDAY. OCTOBER 15, 1896.
joy of worship. It will not do to
say that work is worship. It may
be or it may not be. It certainly
is not all of worship. The heav
enly courts, as John saw them,
rang with the songs and were
hushed with the silence of a wor
ship that was not work, but pure
adoration. In our church life fel
lowship and worship go together.
In civic representation right re
lationships are divorced from
worship.
And our churches ought to give
us such a foretaste. It is a very
singular fact that we have no ad
monitions as to our conduct in
heaven. We are told what it is
to be like and who will be there,
but all the ethics of heaven are
the same as those commanded on
earth. We have no commands
given to us as Christians that we
are allowed to leave in abeyance
until we get to heaven. On the
other hand, the life pictured to us
in revelation as the heavenly life,
is exactly what would result from
the carrying out of our earthly
admonitions. The life of heaven
is new in the sense that its sur
roundings are new and its whole
atmosphere new. The glimpse
into the mirror shall give way to
the face to face sight. We shall
know more, and be stronger to
do. We shall, however, need no
new code other than that Jesus
left us for earthly doing. A well
known writer entitled his book
on Proverbs, “Laws from Heaven
for Life on Earth.” So it is with
the Christian as to his life here
and hereafter. The laws of earth
and heaven are the same.
So then we are expected to be
governed by the same laws here
as in heaven. If all the world
was regenerated this would in
deed be almost heaven. But here
comes one of the difficulties. We
try to live by these laws in a so
ciety dominated by other ideals,
and we are thwarted on every
hand. We try to exercise our
selves toward others and the un
regenerate heart turns our effort
into grief where it should be joy.
We are defeated at every turn.
Where shall we find the place to
freely and spontaneously prac
tice our precepts, looking for the
reciprocity they require?
Ina Christian church—in a Bap
tist church, to be more specific. If
it is what it ought to be, it is like
heaven, in that no one is in it
except those who want to be. It
also presupposes regenerated
hearts. It is the only general
fellowship on earth where you
can presume on this atmosphere
of regenerated hearts. Surely
we dishonor this very concep
tion when we fail to exercise the
full commandments of the Gospel
here. Love, forgiveness, honor
to each other, and the charity
that hopeth all things, believeth
all things, all these must find
sway in each relationship, or de
ny, by implication, the reality of
tr.e religion of which they are a
part.
Beyond all this fellowship of
common spiritual life, is the fact
of association for God’s purposes
and not our own, and for the
manifestation of God’s power,
not our own. When we rightly
realize these as the tie that binds
us in Christian love, all else be
comes easy. Things hard to be
done by human strength be
come easy through divine help.
Our brother becomes more ap
proachable when we consider
him as a new creature in Christ,
rather than acting as a mere
man. Our churches are groups
of saved men and women, exist
ing for God’s purposes and under
his direct care. As such, if we
live up to this ideal, they will
be foretastes of heaven.
The following, from Prof.
Geo. P. Fisher, has come to our
notice:
‘lt is pleasant to remember that,
Where there is painstaking and an in
tention to tell the truth, an author's
most lenient judges are the historical
students, who knpw by experience how
difficult it is to avoid errors.’’
We commend this to our his
torical disputants. No man ever
wrote a historical sketch that
was beyond criticism in all its de
tails. Every man sees some
things in the light of his own
ideas and sees more or less than
others in some events. As Dr.
Fisher well says the most lenient
judges are those who have them
selves honestly tried to write
history. To find minute errors
is but to classify the one criti
cized as human and subject to hu
man errors. Almost invariably
the severe and vindictive critic
of the fringes and unimportant
details convicts himself of the
same faults by the hasty mis
takes he makes. Fairness and
moderation are the tests of his
torical discussion. Modesty no
where shines more beautifully
than in a discussion as to history.
Sunday, the 4th instant, wit
nessed the beginning of the thir
teenth year of Dr. Lansing Bur
rows' pastorate at the First Bap
tist church, Augusta. The year
was a fine one in its record of
work. For the first time since
the war the membership ran over
six hundred. The Sunday-school
increases and the young people
are active. A good brother who
sits under Dr. Burrows told us
that he entered upon his fall
work stronger with his people
than ever, and with the brightest
prospects. He also added that
Dr Burrows could preach the
best sermon and unfold mostac
curately a text of Scripture, of
any preacher in Georgia, and do
it to perfection in thirty minutes.
He can also write hymns, and get
out the best Minutes, and edit the
best Year Book, of any man
among us in the South, or any
where else. We trust the year
will be more abundantly crowned
with blessing than anticipated.
Believing that our readers de
sire the fullest review of the
Whitsitt historical question, we
have asked Dr. Newman to
broaden his reply and include in
it a review of the various argu
ments, proand con, thatarebeing
offered in our Southern Baptist
papers. He will therefore in
clude in his survey the argu
ments of all who have entered
the list. Our correspondence
with Dr. Newman indicates that
his review is to be thoroughly
judicial and unprejudiced. it
will be the voice of an expert ex
amining two sets of arguments to
find the truth. We do not im
agine that Dr. Newnan will en
tirely accede to all Dr. Whitsitt’s
positions or arguments. If he
dissents from Dr. Whitsitt’s posi
tion he will show why. He will
also examine the arguments
against the main position of Dr.
Whitsitt as to their validity. It
grows on us that we are to be
favored with an unusual oppor
tunity to be led out of our per
plexities. We are more and
more sure Georgia Baptists can
hold their minds open for further
light.
We acknowledge the receipt of
an invitation to the Sixth Annu
al Reunion of the Society for
Geographical and Historical
Study, of Richmond College.
The speaker for the occasion is
Dr. J. Wm. Jones and the sub
ject, “The Contribution of
Virginia to American His
tory.” The speaker and sub
ject are both interesting and
the occasion will be doubly so.
There will be some good old Vir
ginia brag,as rich in flavor as old
wine, but, unlike much brag, this
will have sure foundation on
which to rest. It will be an en
joyable occasion, and it would
give us pleasure to be there.
And may we not suggest that
the existence of such a society
is a credit to the college, which,
in this, as in things,
sets a good sister
institutions irdv
We gave last week an account
of the damage done the Duffy
Street church, Savannah, by the
recent storm. We have heard of
no other churches in Georgia that
met with a similar accident. If
there are any we hope they will
let us know. Dr. Chapman’s let
ter has the right ring to it and
we trust it will win much help.
While it does not ask help it wel
comes it. Such accidents appeal
to us peculiarly because, as a
rule, the members suffer individ
ually, in their homes and busi
ness, through the same calamity.
Peeple ordinarily fully able to
meet their own needs thus be
come temporarily disabled. We
hope our churches will put this
cause before their people and
show their sympathy. Mean
time we rejoice with the Duffy
Street church in the noble spirit
they have been able to show at
this trying time. We are sure
the Lord will bless them even in
calamity.
We would call special attention
to the appeal of Bro. E. B. Car
roll, of Macon, which will be
found on the fifth page. There
are in Mercer about forty young
men preparing for the ministry.
Os this number, twenty are more
or less dependent on the gifts of
the brethren for their support
while in the institution. The
necessities of the case are clearly
presented by Bro. Carroll. Some
thing over a thousand dollars
will be needed to meet the needs
of these brethren. This is a
small sum, but let no one think
that its smallness warrants him
in neglecting to do what he can
for so worthy a cause. The
trouble is that too many think
so.
He that helps to prepare a man
for the ministry, himself preaches
through his beneficiary.
Now that we are publishing a
monthly missionary lesson for
the young people, we desire to
urge that the concert of prayer
for missions be revived in our
churches. The material will
now be easily available and one
prayer-meeting each month can
well be spent in this way. One
of the first things Dr. Landrum
did at the First church, Atlanta,
was to have a missionary map
hung in the prayer-meeting
room, and announce that once
every month there would be a
missionary meeting. It ought
to be so in every church. Can
we not have it made general in
Georgia? If the churches will
take it, the Index will promise
to do its part in keeping the in
formation needed before its
readers. We hope you will adopt
it and write and tell us about it.
the . t
The Baptist Courier: There is
coming to be in these changing
times another conception of the
church organization. It isan ed
ucational institution more fully
and completely than was the old,
contemplating and aiming at the
development of the individual
and of society. The devotional
conception is retained in the
new. Singing, prayer and ex
hortation still have a place. But
the polemical idea is dropped, or
else profoundly modified. De
nominational differences are tol
erated as something less than the
enormous evil they were once
supposed to be. The dominant
idea of the church is that it is an
educational institution. It is not
only the vehicle for the enlight
enment of the world with respect
to certain truths necessary to sal
vation, but undertakes culture in
the broadest sense. It grapples
with the problem of character
and well-being in its full extent.
It is a social, ethical, religious
institution. It makes use of the
literary lecture as well as the
sermon. It has a library unlike
that of a century ago that was
considered the only one fit for
the inside of a church edifice.
Books of popular science, books
on sociology and philanthropy
are in place in such achurcu.
The Evangel: There is also an
aversion to the choice of men
who are understood to be unhap
py in their pastoral relations.
The fact that they wish to
change is taken as an argument
against them. Os course, each
case rests on its merits. We are
not wrong in suspecting that he
who falls into trouble in one
place will give trouble every
where. Caution on this point is
proper and necessary. At the
same time, it often comes to pass
that pastors and churches do not
tit each other. Things go awry
and they get at loggerheads with
each other. There is friction,
and nobody can tell why. This
happens with the very best pas
tors. It seems to be the way of
the Lord that this should be so.
It occurs to us, therefore, that in
seeking for pastors, churches
ought, for evident reasons, to be
gin with those men who are sin
cerely anxious to change their
places. It is in this direction
that they can move with the least
danger of injuring their sister
churches, and with the best pros
.pects of speedily supplying their
own wants.
The Standard: Few religious
papers have such reason to ex
press appreciation of their corre
spondents as The Standard The
abundance, the freshness, the
variety of news which by the
thoughtfulness of many writers
is received uy this paper each
week is a conspicuous feature of
its columns. It is necessary,
however, once in a while, to give
a hint to correspondents, especi
ally those who write only occa
sionally, “In writing for the
press try to fill a want, not a col
umn.” It seems to us that a fair
ly good rule for correspondents
would be to write, not what in
terests the writer so much as
that which he believes would in
terest an otherwise uninterested
reader. Write not for your own
church members but for the
members of another church.
Write not to “puff,” not to fill
space, not alone to tell facts (but
give nothing but facts), but such
facts as are new, helpful and im
portant.
The Baptist and Reflector: There
can be no question in the mind of
a candid person who will think
seriously for even a moment, that
there are matters of vital concern
to every church that cannot be
taken from the control of that
church without placing its best
interests in jeopardy. We believe
the day not far distant that shall
see a decisive struggle among
our Methodist brethren between
the contingent that reveres the
Episcopacy and desires to see its
powers enlarged', and the greater
body of the brotherhood who de
sire larger freedom for the indi
vidual; who would rejoice to see
established between the pastor
and those before whom he goes
in and out a relation of truer re
ciprocity and fuller mutual re
sponsibility; and who desire
greater liberty for the individu
al church, independently of su
perior control. The outcome of
the approaching conflict will be
either toward conformity to the
spirit of Romanism or else a near
er approach to the New Testa
ment idea of individual liberty
and personal responsibility to
Christ as the great bishop of our
souls.
The Examiner: Power is the
object of ambition. The disci
ples sought power. They fain
would have been pigmy sultans
seated upon twelve thrones.
They were ignorant that as
power increases the happiness of
its possessor diminishes. The
lust of power blinds men to the
efficacy of other than material
forces. The disposition' toward
material control is the world’s
bane. It causes the moral ele
ment in government and in busi
ness to be lightly regarded or
discounted. In Europe the old
spectacle remains of thrones but
tressed by bayonets. Here, also,
we are striving to preserve rec
titude by material checks and
balances. From the sale of a
glass of soda water to the guard
ianship of elections, the disposr
tion is to rely on mechanical con
trivances. The conductor, with
his bell-punch, the self register
ing ballot box, the automatic
cash drawer —what do these sug
gest if not the hopelessness of
moral agency ? Machinery takes
the place of morals. It is a mel
ancholy decadence. Have we
lost sight of the truth that hon
esty is impossible without an
honest man ? Manifestly, that
which society needs is such a
revival of religion as shall re
store conscience. The register
within a man’s breast, if divinely
adjusted, will prove a check
upon him incomparably more
efficient than any that can be
hung upon his coat or placed be
side him on the counter.
The Central Baptist: It would be
an interesting, though probably
an impossible undertaking, to
study the percentage of their
wealth given by Christian peo
6le to the cause of missions.
ore is a man worth $20,000 with
one family to support. Near by
are four men of $5,000 each, with
four families to support, each
equal in demands to the family
of the first man. Ought the one
man give as much as the four ?
Does he give as much ? To put
it in other words, does the feeling
of obligation or the spirit of lib
erality increase with ability ?
There are conspicuous examples
of liberality both among the rich
and the poor, and examples of
illiberality. But with respect
to the average givers, it is our
judgment that those of moder
ate means give larger gifts than
their more fortunate brethren
Fruit ripens most abundantly on
what may be called the lower
branches. If there must be a
difference, we are glad to believe
it is in favor of the masses in
stead of the few. It is much bet
ter for a church that all its mem
bers give to the limit of their
ability out of limited resources,
rather than that one wealthy
member put down in a lump all
that is needed. Nevertheless,
we suggest to those who nave
large possessions, to inquire
again into the measure of their
obligations in their divisions of
burdens with their poorer breth
ren. The Lord requires much
where much has been given.
The Watchman: Now that the
work of unifying our benevo
lence, through the plans that
may be presented by the National
Commission, is receiving atten
tion, we venture to express our
conviction that the time has oome
for a general revival of the old
fashioned missionary concert.
It is not necessary that it should
be held on Sunday evening, but
let some prayer-meeting once a
month, be devoted to this topic.
A decline in benevolence can be
traced quite as directly to igno
rance as to penuriousness. There
is nothing that will so open the
heart and broaden the sympa
thies as concrete knowledge of
facts, conditions and needs. Os
course, such a meeting may be
made insufferably dull; it may
also be made a fountain of light
and inspiration.
More than this, we need just
such services for the purpose of
taking our prayer meetings out
of that introspective line in
which they tend to run. The
conventional prayer- meeting ‘ ‘re
marks- ’ are occupied with a de
scription of what the speaker
feels. That is all very well on
occasion, but it is usually more
profitable for the speaker in a
prayer-meeting to tell what he
sees— in God’s Word and in human
life. God is in the world to
day just as much as he ever was.
He is moving in the affairs of
Europe, Asia and Africa, and in
the events of our land, as directly
as he moved in Jewish history.
No Christian man can become
familiar with the Eastern Ques
tion in its present aspects, the
course of events in Madagascar,
in China and Japan, and the
opening of Africa, without being
interested and brought into sym
pathy with the fortunes of God’s
kingdom in the earth. Surely a
meeting once a month is not too
much time for any church to give
to a special consideration of the
interests of Home and Foreign
Missions.
The Biblical Recorder: It is real
ly unnecessary to take only one
verse of Scripture for a text. If
one should want to, he could take
an entire chapter. More than
once we have seen preachers
struggling to get more out of a
text than seemed to be in it. Not
only this, but the sense of Scrip
ture is often obscured by taking
a verse or two out of a chapter.
God did not divide the Bible into
the verses and chapters. It was
done by a man, and one at that
who did not read the Bible under -
standingly and who gave little
heed to punctuation. A good,
long text and a short sermon
may be worth more than a short
text and a good, long sermon.
©cctraia
FIELD JfOTES.
The Lord willing, we will visit the
Hephzibah and Tucker Associations
next week. Send your Index money
by the pastors and messengers, brethrt n
and- sisters.
MACON NOTES.
Mercer is moving on beautifully.
Brother pastors, give to brother Ber
nard in his work your most active as
sistance when he comes to your church.
Pastor E. B. Carroll and brother W.
A. Nelson had a fine meeting at Vine
ville. Church revived, and quite a
number joined by experience and bap
tism.
Pastor Jenkins, of Tatnall Square,
has suffered the loss of his dear father
in the old North State. We lay our
heart alongside of his in his great be
reavement.
Pastor- W. P. Southers, of South
Macon church, assisted by brother R.
E Neighbor, of Kansas, is tn the midst
of a gracious meeting; may God bless
them abundantly.
Pastor J. L. White, of the First
church, is delivering a fine series of
Monday evening lectures on Bible char
acters to the Mercer students. The
buddings of a gracious meeting seem
to be opening in the old First church.
Afternoon prayer meetings were held
last week, and continue this
week. We heard pastor White
preached a fine sermon last Sabbath
morning. The Lord’s Supper was cele
brated at the close. The Lord was
present in the Spirit to bless.
A DEDICATION.
On the second Sabbath in September
last, Liberty church in Forsyth county,
Ga , dedicated their new meeting-house,
the old one having been burned. Pastor
J A. Wynne, of Gainesville, preaching
the sermon. Text, Hebrews 10:19 to 25.
Theme, The essentials of true worship.
The congregation was large and atten
tive. The meeting was protracted some
ten days. The pastor was aided by
brother Frank Jackson, of the Mulberry
Association. Fifty-one were received
By baptism and ten by letter and restor
ation There were eighty eight conver
sions reported in all —some will join
other churches.
NEW UNION ASSOCIATION.
This body met with the church in
Dahlonega, September Ist. We were
very sorry we could not attend; we have
often wished to be with them, but have
been hindered so far. Pastor J. A.
Wynne, of Gainesville, was present—
the only visitor from a distance. He
reports quite a good meeting. The
doctor preached four times and talked
the rest of the time he was there. The
rest of the brethren and sisters who
were present ware still alive when he
left—so he says. Selah.
THE HOUSTON ASSOCIATION.
This Association is a very fine body;
it met with the church in Vienna, the
county town of Dooly county, last
Thursday. The visiting brother
preached to a crowded house at 11 a. m.
During the afternoon the body was
organized. Brother J. J. Hyman, of
Arabi, and brother S. P. Odum, of Vi
enna, were reelected moderator and
clerk. Three new churches were re
ceived into fellowship, Oakfield, Fitz
gerald, and we have forgotten the name
of the other. Brother J. E. Powell,
principal of the Houston High School
at Arabi, preached the opening sermon.
The brethren spoke kindly of the effort.
The Houston High School is the Baptist
school of the Association, and is in a
most flourishing condition.
The visiting brethren were J. G. Gib
son, R. H. Smith, J. M. Waller, P. A.
Jessup, J. D. Norris and W. O. Darsey.
The missionary sermon was a grand
one and was preached by brother F. H.
Poston, of Cordele. He has promised to
give it to the readers of the Index. Bro.
J. M. Waller, of Montezuma, preached
a fine sermon at the M. E church. Bro.
J J. Hyman makes a royal moderator.
Pastor James M. .Kelley and his dear
people gave the association and visi
tors a royal entertainment. We must
have had the best home in the town —
with the Misses Morgan. We don't
see how any one could have been better
entertained than we were.
The next session of the association
goes to Arabi next year. Pastor Van
Deuenter, the new Hawkinsville incum
bent, was appointed to preach the next
opening sermon. J. G. Gibson was ap
pointed to preach the missionary ser
mon, with J. J. Hyman alternate.
THE BOWEN ASSOCIATION.
The fortieth annual session met with
the Providence churib. Decatur county,
last Friday. This body was named in
honor of brother Bowen, deceased, who
went to Africa as a missionary from
Georgia Brother Bowen’s family—
those who remain,are living in Greenes
boro, Ga. We know them and love
them much. Bro. J. R Bluett, of
Wnigham, preached the opening ser
mon at 11 a. m., Friday. Brother D.
H. Parker, of Bainbridge, was elected
moderator and brother B. A. Aiderman
was elected clerk. Bro. T. J. Culver
son preached Friday night. Pine For
rest and Iron City, two small new
churches, were received into the body.
Brother Zedeker, of Florida, preached a
very fine sermon at the stand on Satur
day. His presence in the association
was much appreciated. Missions, lit
erature and temperance were discussed
with much earnestness. Many of the
brethren present gave their hands in
token of a solemn promise, then and
there made, to have-an individual treas
ury for the Lord, and to put something
in that treasury every week, as
the Lord prospered them. We
expect much good to come of this,
Bro D. H Parker was the alternate to
preach the missionary sermon at 11
a. m. on Sabbath. A Sabbath school
rally was appointed for 10 a. m., Sab
bath. Bro. D. H. Parker made a fine
moderator. He is a tower of strength
to the Bowen. The provisions furn
ished by the Providence brethren were
abundant, and - were voraciously de
voured each day by the hungry crowd.
Brother Joshua Martin, of Whigham, is
the Nestor of the Bowen. He and one
more are all that are left of the consti
tuting members, forty years ago. Bro.
and sister Martin, with their dear
daughter, were very kind to us.
Dr. H. L. McKelvey and son carried
us out to Providence and brought us
back to Whigham. Sister McKelvey
and daughter served us with a refresh
ing meal, for which we are thankful.
The next annual session of the Bowen
goes to New Hope church, eight miles
from Whigham, at the same time next
year. James F. Edens.
380 Woodward Ave., Atlanta, Ga.
ATLANTA BAPTIST CONFERENCE.
In the absence of Bro. Van Ness,
Bro. Collier was called to the chair.
Prayer by Bro. Marshall.
Bro. Hillyer preached at Fifth church,
and Bro. Stovall at East Atlanta.