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“Holy Bible,—Book Divine,
Precious treasure, thou art mine.”
H. C. HORN AD Y and JAMES N. ELLS,
EDITORS AND PROPRIETORS.
J. M. WOOD, i
J S BAKER, Associate Editors.
D. P. EVERETT, )
ITLAIN TA, aEOBQ-IA:
Saturday, October It, 1863.
Sews of the War.
On Saturday last a battle took place at
Corinth, between the confederate forces
under Van Dorn and the enemy command
ed by Rosencrants. Gen. Price attacked
the enemy on the right, while Generals Van
Dorn and Lovell assailed his left. The
conflict was a fierce one, resulting in great
loss on both sides. Our forces were driven
back, and victory perched upon the stand
ard of the enemy.
General S. R. Anderson was surprised
on the 7th at Lavergne, losing his baggage
and sixty prisoners-—amongst them Lieut.-
Col. Maury, Quartermaster Montgomery,
Captains Thompson and Kimball, with the
most of their companies. These troops be
longed to the 32d Alabama regiment.
General Bragg is said to have evacuated
Bardstovvn, and moved towards Lexington.
Gen. Crittenden is pursuing him with his
corps.
No news of interest from our army in
Virginia.
It is to be hoped that Christians all over
the land will betake themselves to prayer
for the country.
Revival in Second Baptist Cliurcb,
The revival in the Second Baptist Church
in this city is still in progress. The labors
of brother J. R. Kendrick, in connection
with those of brother Wood and the Pastor,
have been greatly blessed. Eighteen per
sons have been received for baptism, and
there are others entertaining comfortable,
hopes in Christ. A number have also been
received by letter. Altogether the meet
ings have proved most precious seasons.—
The Lord t thanked for His mercies !
Ordination,
W. A. Beasley was ordained as pastor of
the Baptist church at Liberty, Fulton coun
ty, Ga., on the 27th September, 1862.
The presbytery was composed of Elder 11.
A. Williams, of Campbellton, and Elder
P. A. Hughes, of Atlanta.
Association Meetings.
Mepzibah, Way’s Church, Jefferson Cos.
Saturday before 4th Sabbath in October.
Bethel , Pine Bluff, Dougherty County.—
Saturday before 3d Sabbath in November.
New Subscribers.
Brother Win. McNutt will please accept
nur thanks for four new subscribers. Will
not othe' brethren in Tennessee go and do
1 ikewise ?
Colportage amongst tbe Soldiers.
The editor of this paper has been author
ized, by Elder A. E. Dickinson, to employ
six Colporteurs in the Western and South
western armies, and he calls upon the
friends of the Soldier to aid in this good
work.
Contributions may be sent either by
mail or by express to this office, and will
be faithfully employed in the manner des
ignated by the. donors. There are hundreds
of brethren, and sisters too, who can aid
us in this enterprize, and we appeal to them
in the name and in behalf of their own sons,
brothers and husbands.
All Baptist ministers and others, in the
Confederate States, friendly to the paper
are requested to act as Agents.
Notice.
The Baptist Church of Christ at Bush
Arbor having withdrawn her fellowship
from Messrs. M. A. and W. P. Clouts, and
having demanded of them to return to this
Church their credentials as Ministers of the
Gospel, and they refusing to do so. we
therefore give notice to all concerned, that
we regard them in disorder and unauthor
ized, so fur as we are concerned, to preach
the Gospel,
Done by order of the Church in confer
ence, September 28, 1862.
M. G. Gatrskr, \
Ccxnixoham, i Committee.
B. F. Hoopb, )
a** A.W® BAFSXga.
“Elder Evie," Once More.
Mr. Editor ; In the Banner of Sept. 13,
1 find that you have published my act of
baptizing a dying man, at his request, by
sprinkling, as a 4 great sin,’ for which 1
‘ought to make public confession.’ V> u
say that 4 Elder lvie owes to God, to the
church, and to the public, a most solemn
acknowledgment. Failing to make it, the
church at Calhoun should exclude him
forthwith.’ - .
This it appears to me, is a harsh sen
tence passed upon one without allowing
him an opportunity for self-defence. W hat
influence this prejudgement of the case had
upon the minds of the few members of the
church who were present ut our last confer-,
enee, 1 can not say ; but I would ask with
Nicodemus, 4 Doth our law judge any man
before it hear him and know what hedoeth.
As you have already given publicity to the
fact* and passed sentence upon it, you will
probably desire to know the action of the
church and my acknowledgments on the
occasion. , , . ~ , ,
Brother Buchanan and brother Lush (a
Methodist preacher) occupied the pulpit. j
After service, brother B. said the church j
would now go into conference and someone j
must be appointed to act as moderator.—
Someone remarked that I, the pastor of
the church, was present. Brother B. re
marked that our rules prescribed the ap
pointment of another moderator when the
pastor was under censure for a gross viola
tion of God’s word. As no charge had yet
been j referred against me, as I was not
conscious of any gross violation of God’s
word on my part, although I had previous
ly declined sitting, yet, when thus uncere
moniously condemned without a hearing, 1
went forward and took my seat as modera
tor. While the minutes were reading for
confirmation, a brother moved to change
the record of our last meeting by erasing!
my name as a delegate to the Association, j
This was prejudging the case again before j
any charges had been preferred, besides
changing the record of the past contrary to
the facts, thus making a false record. Hap
pily for the intelligence of the church, this
motion was not adopted,
Brother B. then arose and moved the ap
pointment ot another moderator, as he had
charges to prefer against brot her I vie.—
Brother McGiuis was appointed moderator
pro tern. Brother B. then arose and stated
to the church that brother I vie had been
guilty of a gross violation of God’s word,
i and was guilty o isolemn mockery in sprink
ling water on a dying man, calling it bap
tism, and giving him bread and wine for j
the Lord's Supper.
I then arose and voluntarily made the j
following statement of facts :
On Tuesday night, the 26th ot August, 1
was called up at two o’clock in the morning
to visit a sick man at Mr. Cabott’s. On
my arrival 1 found a young man that be
longed to a regiment of cavalry at. the camp
near this place. 1 had a partial acquaint
ance with him; he was from Columbus, by
the name of Delaney. The parents and a
sister of the young man were present and
evidently in great distress. The mother
asked me to pray for her poor child, which
{ tried to do after a brief conversation with
the young man. His sister conversed with
him, and he expressed an earnest desire to
join the church. 1 conversed with his mo
ther about his past life, &e., and then a lit
tle with him about his present feelings, and
1 felt satisfied to give him my hand in token
of Christian fellowship. He then desired
me to baptize him. This l knew was im
possible to do. His mother then enquired
of w hat denomination I was. 1 told her 1
w'as a Baptist. She said, with earnestness
and many tears, ‘ You see it is impossible
to immerse my poor child—Oh ! won’t you
sprinkle him ? ’ l then interrogated the
young man, and he fully satisfied me that
he was a fit subject for baptism. Under
these trying circumstances 1 felt that I had
no right to withhold the water, the external
sign, when God had vouchsafed the gift of
the Holy Ghost; so l proceeded to admin
ister the ordinance in the only practicable
mode under the existing circumstances. —
lie then desired to partake of the Lord’s
Supper. 1 then suggested that he was too
low or too far gone to partake of it, his
physician concurring with me. His pious
mother then offered up earnest prayer that
he might be spared to partake of this sa
crament, as this was his desire. She then
asked me to pray. We did so. The young
man revived—seemed better than before.
I Administered to him the sacrament of the
Lord's Supper. He received it as well as
any one 1 ever saw, turned over on his pil
low, sang two verses—all the words I could
understand were * l want to go,’— and died :
without a struggle.
These are the simple facts as they oc-1
curred, on which is based the charge of a
flagrant breach of God’s word. If any pos.
itive command of God’s word has been in
this transaction violated, show it to me,
and ! am ready to make public confession.!
But, instead of trying in the spirit of the
Gospel to convince me of what you term
my ‘great error,’ they made haste and de
layed not to take the vote on my expul- i
sion. It is true that one brother did im- i
pertinently interrogate me, evidently with
the design to confuse me and get me to
commit myself, until he was called to order, i
I ought here to state that the major part
of the church was absent, and those pres- j
ent were probably (or a portion 1 should
have said) induced to attend with the un
derstanding that there would be a summa
ry process— the vote taken, and when
doubts w ere expressed and a division called
for, the moderator would not allow of it,
but would settle it by his vote in the af
firmative. Some sisters bad the independ
ence to vote in the negative, who, on mo
tion, were also excluded from the church.
If the right of private opinion is not
tolerated in tbe Baptist church, then it has
degenerated to an ecclesiastical despotism.
As for myself, I stated to the church that 1
was sorry that what 1 had done had giren
offence to my brethren ; but that, under
/he circumstances , I could not feel conscious
of having done wrong, bodily exercise
prof. teth little ; God looks upon the heart.
It is the intent, and not the specific mode
which is acceptable with Him. We find
this principle happily illustrated in Seeond
Chronicles xxx., 19-2 C.
It seems that a multitude of the people
had neglected the prescribed rite of ceremo
nial purification before eating the passover.
‘ But Ilezekiah prayed for them, saying,
Good Lord, pardon every one that prepa
red. his heart to seek God, though he be
not cleansed according to the purification of
the sanctuary. And the Lord heaikened
to Hezekiah, ai.cl healed the people.’
Now, if my brethren of Calhoun church
had possessed the spirit of Hezekiah—a
spirit which received the approbation of
Heaven—would they, under similar cir
cumstances, have been so hasty in cutting
me off from all connection with the church?
1 might say something respecting the
moral standing of my accuser, but, lest it
may be attributed to a vindictive spirit, 1
will ask him to clear up his own standing;
and if he comes out clear, then if 1 am
never guilty of a worse crime than com
plying with the dying request of a man,
heaven will most assuredly be mine.
With many prayers for the spread of the
Gospel, 1 forbear,
Respectfully, J. R, I V ie.
‘by THINE OWN WORDS ART THOU CONDEMNED.’
I do not hesitate to ask for the foregoing
communication a place in The Banner.—
Mr. Ivie gives the samo statement of facts
as was published in this paper the 13th of
September. He received a sick man into
fellowship, sprinkled him, calling it bap
tism, gave him bread and wine, calling it
the Lord’s Supper. Of the solemn cir
cumstances surrounding the sick man we
have no doubt. It surely was a time for
prayer and affectionate sympathy. It cer
tainly was the duty of Elder Ivie to pray
for him, and to offer him consolation in
the name of our blessed Saviour. But to
assume the power of a church, and then to
abuse that power by doing that which Christ
himself never did, nor authorized His
church to do, was a flagrant outrage and
most solemn mockery. Christ and His
apostles never sprinkled any body, sick
nor well, and never authorized any one else
to do it. It is as great an offence to add
to God’s word as to take from it; and he
who does either is due to God, the church,
and the public, an acknowledgment—and
failing to make it, should be excluded
from the Baptist church.
I repeat, thal Elder lvie’s own statement
[of facts fully justifies all that was said in
'The Banner about the ease, of which every
irue Baptist must feel heartily ashamed.—
His own woi ds being sufficient to condemn j
him, there remains no necessity for a reply ;
but still it may be profitable to call atten
tion to some sentiments of the communica
tion.
1. He says the young man desired him
to baptize him, which was impossible to do
by immersion. Asa Baptist he ought to
have known that nothing was baptism but
immersion. He had just as well have said
that it was impossible to immerse him by
immersion , and then proceeded to immerse
him by sprinkling. Yet he does not see
that he has violated God’s word !
2. He says the young man’s mother said,
with many tears, ‘You see it is impossible
to immerse my poor child —Oh! won’t
you sprinkle him 1 ’ But how can a man
faithful to Christ do contrary to His exam
ple and teaching, to gratify the pleadings
even of an anxious mother ? Man v an
anxious mother, no doubt, has plead for
the sprinkling of her dying infant, but Christ
has authorized uo man to do it.
3. In justification of his course, he says,
‘ God look-* upon the heart; it is the intent,
and not the specific mode, which is accepta
ble with Him.’ This is precisely what our
Pedo friends all say ; but Mr. Ivie was a
nominal Baptist, and ought to have known
that Baptists utterly reject such a dogma. —
Really, there are no modes about it. Bap
tism is baptism —immersion is immersion■
It appears foolish to say the mode of im
mersion. The action is immersion, in the
name of the Trinity. Any thing besides
this is not taught in the Bible, and is a
solemn mockery.
4. He says, * If any positive command
of God’s word has been, in this transaction,
violated, show it to me and I am ready to
make public confession.’ The great com
mission is a positive command. It author
izes and requires ministers of the Gospel to
immerse believers. To sprinkle them is a
violation of this most solemn command.
5. He says, * If the right of private opin
ion is not tolerated in the Baptist church,
then it has degenerated to an ecclesiastical
despotism.’ This shows how little Mr.
Lie knows of Baptists. They contend for
the right of opinion about things not taught
in the Bible, but hold that no man has a
right to teach and practice contrary to
God s word. In their church constitutions
and articles of faith they specify leading
doctrines which no one in their communion
is allowed to reject with impunity. If Mr.
Ivie will read the articles of faith recorded
in the church-book of the church of which
he was the acting pastor, he will find that
the church says : 4 We believe that immer
sion only is baptism.’ According to his
notion of the rightof private opinion, a man
might believe in Universal ijftn, Quakerism,
Spiritualism, Eree-Loveism, and any other
monstrous ism , and still be retained as a
Baptist. Baptists hold sacred the light of
opinion, but they do not, therefore, hold
in fellowship men who differ radically with
them. In the exercise of this right some
men reject Christ altogether, some reject
His ordinances, and some contemn the faith
and practice of Baptists —who grant their
right to do all these things, but can not
hold them in fellowship. The right of pri
vate opinion might lead to the rejection of
the whole Bible or a part of it, which in
volves the same principle.
jected a part of the Bible when he put upon
a dying soldier the 4 mark of the Beast,’
calling it baptism—for which he was due
to God, the church, and the public, an ac"
knowledgment. Failing to make it, the
church at Calhoun did right in w ithdrawing
fellowship from him. If he is a Christian
and a Baptist in sentiment, the way isplain
and easy for him to place himself right be
fore the world.
As to his complaints of the manner ot
the action of the church, I have but little to
say. A church may do a right thing in a
wrong way, and the church may have erred ;
in some particulars; still his own state
ments are sufficient to justify his exclusion.
If there are others in the Baptist churches
who hold to such views and practices, the
sooner they leave us the better for us.
J. M. Wood.
Editorial Correspondence.
Destruction of the Salt Works.
1 was from home Friday before the 2d
Sabbath in September, on my way to a
meeting forty miles off, when the news was
confirmed that the \ ankee blookaders had
approached the Salt Works at St. Joseph s,
gave the people two hours’ notice of their
destructive intent, went about and broke
up the Works before any arrangements
could be made to get off mare than a load
or two of salt, near two hundred sacks
having to be abandoned. Besides nine ne
groes, who previously decamped from this
j place, two wore induced to “go aboard”
at the presence of their ankee lovers. As
ihe work of destruction had actually com
I menced, there was no room to doubt that
j St. Andrews, where my little works were,
would be visited in turn, still 1 had to at
tend my appointment, and so went on,
hoping against hope. On Sabbath, just as
meeting was closed, deserting wagons au
| nouneed the fact that the Yankees appeared
at St. Andrew’s Wednesday, after destroy
ing the works at St. Joseph’s on Monday.
I put whip to ‘old Andrew,’ to see after
my worldly concerns, but after riding ten
miles the lowering weather increased to a
rain storm, and my umbrella being ‘disa
bled,’ I called in at a friend’s for protection,
I where I was detained by the blow and con
| tinual rain till late in the evening next day.
I was at home Tuesday by dinner, and by
the middle of next day my folks and w agon
arrived from the Bay with distressing tales
and visible evidences of exposure three
days and a half in traveling a distance of
forty-two miles, having had to ‘tie up’
out of the rain, go round the head of some
branches which were swelled into mighty
streams, and wait at others for the water
to go down. On Thursday l started two
wagons back to the salt camp, going with
them myself to save my kettles, &c., where
we arrived the same day, somewhat after
dark. It was provoking to see the petty
destruction of our temporary w r orks, having
more the appearance of the acts of ill
natured children than that of a high minded
and powerful enemy. They wore ill-at-ease
upon shore, throwing out pickets and look
ing w ild, and at a signal from the man-of
war which they understood, they ‘ skedad
dled ’ back in true Yankee style.
At the town of St. Andrew’s, they came
upon the salt-makers unexpectedly, and
broke all the kettles save three, which Dr.
Parker, of Tyrrell county, tailed them out
of. One of these ‘ belonged t<> a widow,’
and two had ‘never committed ;h<- sin of
boiling salt-water, and now iheie was no
chance of their being guilty <d that * t ime.’
The latent magnanimity of tb< officer in
charge, or the strength of the doctor’s ar
guments, prevailed, and these three kettles
passed, while all, and singular, at every
camp the others were beaten to destruc
tion. The good people of the town sent
runners above, and before the Federal a ar
rived next day every kettle on East-Bay
was taken up and hidden. Our folks hav
ing ro wagon to haul them into the woods,
buried mine beside the furnace, which en
tirely escaped detection. At the well of a
resident a waah-pot was broken, and from
the same family a pig was carried off by
the low-lifed enemy- Some steamboat
boilers and flues, used on East-Bay, and
one w r nought iron buoy, not removed from
the camps, had small holes cut through
! them with a cold chisel, for they could nt
hurt them otherwise. The working tool'*
at one camp were picked up, but the ownei
seeing the thief, made complaint to the
lieutenant, who ordered them returned.
The officers affected great sociability with
our men, and played off cleverness with
perfection, expressing much regret for what
they had to do, but they 4 were under ot
ders and must obey.’ They stated further,
that if the salt-making was resumed, they
would not come ashore again, but would
most certainly employ ‘grape, canister and
shell.’ They said it was useless for the
South to persist, that the rebellion would
soon 4 be crushed out,’ that the North had
now six hundred thousand fresh troops in
the field, and would bring out a million
more if required ; but our people talked
differently, and told them their object was
a failure, ami would ever prove such, that
we would make salt in spite of them ; that
‘starving us out’ was simply absurd, and
conquering us impossible.
Up the North and West prongs of St.
Andrew’s, the Yankee gunboat could not,
or did not go, though the many campers
there, hearing of the raid at other points,
took the alarm and hid their kettles. At
Phillips’ Inlet, and on either side, on the
Gulf coast,, no landing of the destroyers
has been heard of. The workaround theie
were suspended, but some of them have
been resumed, and at this writing, (27th
September,) it is reported that shelling has
been going on there for a few days past,
with some damage. The only way now
left for salt-makers is to put up works out
of range of the big guns, and haul or con
vey the water by aqueducts. Small
works may be passed unobserved behind
the hammocks, on the bayous, or back of
the hills on the Gulf coast. For some
time past there have heen excessive rains,
rendering the water in the bayous and bays
too freshlo make salt, and the roads, in many
cases, impassable. But the people must have
salt, and, as a gentleman told the Yankee
officer on East-Bay, it will be made 4 in
spite ot thorn.’ At no time of the year
were people thronging the coast in such
numbers as during the two weeks embra
cing the time of the Yankoe raid; and
though such interference had all the time
been anticipated, and reports were current
of Yankee threats to that effect, so intent
were the people after salt, apprehensions
of being run off seemed to have no effect.
A few adventurers were making for sale,
and some with a good prospect of getting
a supply for their own use, were induced
to spare some at 110 per bushel. On
the approach of the Yankees a little was
bought up at sl2, and since sls might
have been obtained, while S2O could not
buy it. We must look to other places for
salt, or a sufficient force be placed at some
commanding point on the coast to protect
its manufacture. D. T\ E.
better from Elder Dayton.
Shklbyvillk, Tenn., Oet. 2.
Dear Brother Banner: While the enemy
were still in possession of the Tennessee
valley from Bridgeport to Stephenson, I
came up to the border. 1 was too late to
see the fight at Bridgeport, but 1 beheld
(from a distance) the contest at Stephen
son. On learning that the foe had left the
way open, 1 made immediate arrangements
to hasten to this place, though I was suffer
ing from a very sore throat and scarcely
able to sit up all day. By the blessing of
God, 1 came safely through, and found my
family all well, and more numerous, by one
dear little girl, than when 1 left it last
spring. God has taken care of all. How
much 1 have to thank Him for ! But as I
came my throat grew worse. 1 could
scarcely speak or swallow when I arrived,
and now, after almost three weeks, 1 am
still confined to my room, with the prospect
of a 10-i i of my voice for months, if not for
ever. Rut for this sickness 1 should have
written sooner, to set at ease the minds of
personal friends, and inform your readers
something of the condition in which the
V aukees left this State which they imagiu
ed they had once more safe in the Union.—
But even now, though able to sit up and
walk about a little, I am incapable of any
mental effort, and shall be compelled to
write much less fully than I desire.
1. As regards the present position of
affairs : The federals still hold Nashville
and have their pickets out several miles on
every side, but there is daily passing of the
Union people of this place and county in
and out, or was at least until within the
last few days. W r e hear every day that
the federals are coming back, but we know
the same reasons which compelled them to
retire thus far will compel them to go far
ther as soon as they can. My own opinion
is, that the only reason they have not gone
long since is because Bragg has stopped
their way and they can’t get off as they in
tended. It is generally agreed that not
more than from three to eight thousand re