Below is the OCR text representation for this newspapers page.

Slw iHnnm and V —> ■ __ ___ “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