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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, j J. 8. BAKER, >• Associate Editors. D. P. EVERETT, ) ATLANTA, GEORGIA: Saturday, October 18, 1863. The Christian Warfare. It may seem strange that they who be long to the peaceable kingdom of Christ should be expected to engage in warfare, but such is the case. Satan has invaded the King’s territory and usurped authority over the hearts of His servants; and in order that he may be expelled, they must buckle on their armor and sound the tocsin of war. Between the combatants there can be no truce, no cessation of hostilities, until the diadem shall be placed upon the Saviour’s head and He crowned ‘ Lord of all.’ ‘We wrestle not against flesh and blood,’ but the conflict will be none the less fierce on this account, for it is a strife for the mastery which can never end until ‘ every knee shall bow and every tongue shall confess that Jesus is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.’ And as we fight against * spiritual wickedness in high places, the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds.’ There are three powerful enemies which have drawn up their forces right across the Christian’s path to glory: the world, the flesh, and the devil; and he must conquer them or perish. For him there is no mid dle course—there is his path beset by his enemies, and beyond is heaven with its glorious rewards. Can he falter, or for a moment indulge thoughts of peace, until he shall have cut his way through the em battled posts of the enemies of his soul ? Never, while the voice of his Great Captain is heard exhorting him to ‘ fight the good fight of faith, and lay hold on eternal life ’? One of the King’s valiant soldiers has given us his experience in this fearful contest, saying, 1 1 keep my body under, lest after I have preached to others, I, myself, should be a castaway.’ And another has urged us to * be sober and watch unto prayer.’ Christian soldier ! when going into bat tle, send up strong cries to heaven that God may send to your aid * the chariots of Israel and the horsemen thereof,’ and then may you hope to overcome, ‘through the blood of the Lamb.’ ‘Ne’er think the victory won, Nor lay thine armor down ; Thy arduous task will not be done Till thou obtain thy crown. Fight on, my soul, till death Shall bring thee to thy God. He’ll take thee, at thy parting breath, To His divine abode.’ Yes, Christian soldier, ‘ this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith,’ The Confederate Baptist. For some reason unknown to us, we did not receive the first number of ' The Con federate Baptist ’ until we had seen notices of its appearance in many of our exchanges. We do not suppose the delay in sending it to our office was intentional , as we had promptly published the prospectus as soon as it was received. The paper is issued at Columbia, S. C., at two dollars per annum, invariably in] advance. S. W. Bookhart and A. K. Dur ham are the proprietors, and the paper is ably edited by J. L. Reynolds, D. D., and Rev. J. M. C. Breaker—both of whom are reputed as sound and consistent Baptists. We welcome ‘The Confederate Baptist’ to our sanctum, and trust it will ever be true to the old landmarks which our Saviour has set up, whatever our fathers have done. The proprietors have manifested their discretion in starting upon the cash system ; and in this respect we feel proud to say that - The Banner and Baptist was the first re-j ligious paper, as far as we know, to set the* example in the South. And now we wish ‘The Confederate! Baptist’ abundant success as long as it! maintains the principles and practices of the churches in the New-Testament times— which, we earnestly hope, will be forever. All Baptist ministers and others, in the Confederate States, friendly to our paper are requested to act as Agents. VMM SAMMM& MB MAWXim. The Religious Movement. During the past few months there have been no less wonderful movements in the religious, than in the political world. The movements have been characterized by widely differing features, and the direct consequences have been opposite, though tending perhaps to a common result. — The misfortunes of life point the mind on ward, away from the immediate causes of those misfortunes. Relief is sought; but relief can not be found in the sources or circumstances from which they spring.— When the world frowns, man looks up to God. When his earthly supports arestruck away, his thoughts tend above and beyond the point of his former hopes and desires. Was this ever more true than during the past six months ? Whose lot has not been disappointment—whose fears have not been more than realized ? This preparation of the mind for communion with itself, and with its God, has been seconded by that heavenly interposition which ever awaits the motions of the soul toward the Source of light and joy, and which is vouchsafed to all whose moral condition and tendencies encourage the inward aspiration for its be stow men t. The religious interest that has been so general and so controlling, is to be account ed for on philosophical principles. Philoso phy and Religion go hand in hand—they are agreed.; and the happiest events known upon earth, and over which even angels re joice, are produced by man’s conforming his conduct and shaping his course in ac cordance with their mutual teachings.— But we have not, at the present time, so much to do with the cause of the develop ments which we have witnessed, with ac counting for them, as with the fact that they have been witnessed, and on the largest scale. All over our State, men have been converted, have become Christians —hun dreds upon hundreds of men, women and children—-fathers and mothers, husbands and wives, brothers and sisters, civilians and soldiers; the aged man tottering on the verge of the grave, his head white with the frosts of seventy winters, and the child who has yet scarcely learned the alphabet, have met together in the prayer meeting and alternately raised their petitions to heaven. This has been true in neighbor hoods and in large sections of the people. The spirit of religion has been manifested. Go where you wmuld and religion has been the theme; and while it has been on the tongue it has warmed the heart, and the whole being has glowed with its ennobling and animating influence. * The Soklicr* Must he flojiled. Let us urge the fact upon our readers that it is the imperative duty of every man, woman and child, to do all they can to wards clothing our Confederate soldiers.— Winter is rapidly approaching ; and unless immediate action be taken, many of our troops will suffer from the inclemencies of the season. Every individual at home can do something. See to it that your husband, father, son, or brother, has comfortable ap parel—and then cheerfully assist in the preparation of clothing for others. Our soldiers must be clothed—let us determine that they shall be well clothed. The ladies of this city—first in every good work—have three very efficient or ganizations for promoting the welfare of our soldiery, and much good has been ac complished through their untiring efforts. The purses of our citizens generally have been liberally opened to procure the mate rial which the nimble fingers of the better sex have converted into garments for the wearied bodies of the brave defenders of our soil. Let every community throughout our borders, however small, emulate the example of our noble women ; and we are sure that every man, whose heart is in the right place, will not permit the fair sister hood to lack abundant materials upon which to exercise their skilful handiwork in a esuse so essential and praiseworthy. % Autumn. Leaf by leaf, the glowing coronal of Summer is fading around us. The glorious airs and skies of Autumn have come.— The tiny flowerets are withering in the chilly north-wind’s breath, and we listen to the soft zephyrs that murmur from morn till night through the autumnal leaves.— To some, Autumn is ‘ the saddest of '.he year,’ reminding them of the fading of life, of the gentle sleep called ‘ death.’ But, the perishing flowers will bloom again in the insurrection of Spring, radiant and beautiful as of old, to charm and cheer us by their fragrance and beauty. We, too, must fade and perish from the earth—must sleep the long sleep that awaits us all. But, listen : * It is not all of life to live, nor all of death to die.’ In the endless Hereafter, reader, we shall ‘ meet again in the morning.’— We can not die. lle who made us immor tal hath said it. # Terms of The Banner and Baptist, $3 per annum—invariably in advance. Rind Words.—Thunks. To our many contemporaries of the Pen, who have given us so generous a welcome on returning to the circle editorial, we tender heart-felt thanks and reciprocal expressions. It shall ever be our earnest endeavor, by every laudable means, to prove worthy of their voluntary and much appreciated tokens of approval. We have assumed our present position, deliberately, in full view of the solemn re sponsibilities devolving upon the conductors of a religious journal; strengthened, how ever, by the fact that this feature of our paper will be more directly under the con trol of the Senior—whose avocation, expe rience and talents peculiarly qualify him for the post he has so long and faithfully maintained. Let us, in brief, assure our friends, that if our humble efforts in the past (to which they kindly allude) have merited their approbation, for the future we will strive to deserve it still more. No pains, appli cation, or industry, shall be spared to place The Banner beyond all competition as the favorite of the family circle—a welcome guest at every hearthstone. * Business in Atlanta. Attention is called to the several adver tisements which appear in our paper to-day. The houses represented are among the first in Atlanta, and we have no doubt that cus tomers would conserve their interests by extending to them their patronage. It is now, we believe, a generally con ceded fact: that the best business men to deal with, are those who advertise liberally. * - Improvement We are happy in being able to announce that The Banner is now issued in the high est style of art as it exists in the confedera cy. It is printed by steam, on one of Hoe’s best cylinder presses, in the Franklin Print ing House. We know its readers rejoice; but not more than we do. . Association meetings. The Bethel Association will be held with the Baptist church at Pine Bluff, four miles east of Albany, on Saturday before the first Sabbath in November. Hepzibah, Way’s Church, Jefferson Cos. Saturday before 4th Sabbath in October. An Opinion. The following is an extract from a letter written by a well-known clergyman of this State—;whose opinion is worth a good deal: “ I am very much pleased w’ith The Banner, now. The number of the 11th, to day, is certainly the most interesting ie ligious paper I have seen lately f 1 hope it will continue to be so, and believe that you may sustain it now as you have put the price up to three dollars. Surely, when you have to pay so much for paper, ink, oil, help, and everything else, the subscrip tion must rise also in price, and the people must be willing to pay it or not have the paper. Enclosed please find al3 bill for The Banner again to my address. I hope I shall always be able to renew hereafter at the expiration of my time of subscription. My family are much pleased with it.” Such letters as the above always give us pleasure. Let us whisper to our esteemed correspondent a fact, which he is at liberty to communicate to others: our paper, as at present published (considering the high prices of material and labor), could not be issued at present rates were not one of the editors a practical typographer. Again : We were glad to see the en closed remittance, but better pleased while perusing the closing sentence of the above quotation— ‘ My family are much pleased with ii.’ Such expressions go far in en couraging us to go on in our programme: to foster Southern literature ; to develope Southern resources; to entertain the family circle; and last (we confess, not least), to secure an honorable subsistence for our own ‘ loved ones at home.’ * Not Dead, but Wounded. We rejoice to learn, from the Macon Telegraph, that the report of the death of our friend and school-mate, Lieut. Colonel Reuben 11. Nisbet, of the Third Georgia Regiment, was incorrect. That paper says his wife has received a letter from him dated Hagerstown, Md., September 25. He was wounded at Sharpsburg and carried a mile from the field on the back of a federal sol dier, and fell into the hands of army sur geons who were old medical classmates.— He was then domiciled at the house of a lawyer at Hagerstown, his wounds rapidly healing, and he hoped to be able to travel on parole in four weeks. Colonel N. is a son of Judge Nisbet, of Macon, and has proved himself a brave and gallant soldier. He entered service as the captain of a company from Putnam county, and has attained promotion by repeated acts of gallantry on the field. A braver soldier J ne’er drew sword in his country’s defence. (Jolumkm* Atwociatlon. We publish below the Report of the Committee on the State of Religion, ap pointed by the Columbus Association at its late session. state of religion. The committee charged with this subject, report, with thanksgiving to God our Sa viour, that, accouling to their intelligence, the religious condition of the Associational district has improved since the last session of this body. The progress of the war, it is true, has reduced the male attendance on our religious meetings, and deprived us of the services of many of the ministers of Christ who were accustomed to labor within the bounds of the Association ; but the com mittee hope that we have been blessed with a partial abatement of the worldly tempers that so deeply agitated us in the first stages of the conflict of arms, and with a deeper dependence on the only Source of our strength. The invaders of death, the scenes of the hospital, thoughts of prison-houses, the temporal privations we endure, the magnitude of pending issues, the experi mental and perilous nature of our future as a people, have had the effect of humbling somewhat the pride of our hearts, drawing forth our sympathies, and bringing us to a more constant and earnest suit to the mercy of the Saviour. Prayer has become more prevalent. The poor have been more thought of; and in the midst of a long and dreary spiritual drought, the Lord has in places among us graciously turned the hearts of sinners to Him. - Many have be lieved and been saved —all honor to the adorable Redeemer ! The favor, too, shown by the Divine hand to our cause as a people aspiring to political independence and se curity, coupled with these uecent demon strations of His holy Spirit among us, has in a degree strengthened our faith in His goodness to us, and emboldened us to hope more devoutly and confidently for a con tinuance of His care and mercy. ‘As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten ; be zealous, therefore, and repent.’ (Rev. iii., 19.) Your committee wmuld be pleased to give to their report a character of practical use fulness. They invite attention to the fol lowing points: 1. Familiar as are these and the like dis cussions, they would have this body renew its appeal for a still greater devotedness to the study and exercise of prayer. Through this medium peculiarly our Heavenly Fa ther communicates HiS choicest blessings to men. Graciously He inspires it, and gra ciously He answers it. And while the spirit of prayer should incessantly pervade our hearts, we should remember that there are three specified places in which it is to be habitually expected of believers—the closet, the circle of the family, and the house of God. The lead from the first to the third j is natural and orderly. We are all, doubt less, agreed in desiring an increase of house hold altars to the Lord ; a larger proportion j of church members, not of the ministry, ta king the lead on suitable occasions in con gregational prayer, in the public reading of the Scriptures, in pious exhortation. To justify the declension of a brother to join in these services in this prominent manner, your committee deem it not sufficient that he be not fitted to be useful in them, but it is necessary to his justification that he be also incapable, by a vigilant use of the means at his command, of qualifying him- self to be so. Alas for us, how little of our time we devote to the proper study of the Scriptures! how little to the reading of judiciously-written books based upon them ! Do we want language ?—why not purchase a book of forms ? They may enlighten, without being copied. If we doubt, why not believe and try ? We should venture to push the subject of family prayer a step father. In the absence or declension of her husband, circumstan ces otherwise agreeing to it, we see neither in Revelation nor in reason a barrier to the maintaining of vocal prayer daily in the midst of her assembled children and ser vants, by a sister in Christ. On the con trary, we doubt not that ample rewards will attend on such a service, conducted in the love and fear of God. 2. The duty of occupying a portion of every Sabbath, in the absence of a public ministration from the pulpit, in Sabbath- School exercises and in public prayer, in the Lord’s house, accompanied, if practica ble, with religious exhortations. Let brethren thus bring their free-will offerings to the Redeemer, nothing doubting that, sprinkled with llis blood, they will be ac cepted, * For them that honor me, I will honor.’ (1 Sam. 2: 30.) 3. Deferentially, your committee would inquire if the custom so extensively preva lentamong Baptists of celebrating the Lord’s Supper only once in three months, be not a departure from Apostolic usage and too un frequent to secure the greatest good of the ordinance? Of the power of the ordinance as a means of grace, the committee need not speak ; and when we call to mind the announcement of the Saviour, that as often as we observe it we ‘ show the Lord’s death till He come/ we have, it is submitted, a conclusive argument against allowing long intervals of time to intervene between the successive celebrations of it. Your com-, mittee have judged that it would be pro motive of the spirituality of the churches, were the ordinance administered by them monthly, or at least every alternate month, and so we humbly venture to recommend. 4. The times admonish us that we jeal ously watch and pray that we depart not in spirit from the model of the Saviour; that we look well to the temporal supplies of the ministers of Christ who serve us, to our poor, and to the spiritual condition of our armies. Nor are we at liberty to lose faith in the willingness of God to enlarge and revive the church of Christ in our midst yet more. Though we may not be, for the present, able to reach our foreign missionaries and the remote heathen with our monies, we may and should think of them, feel for them, pray for them, and hold our hearts in readiness to renew and extend our intercourse with them so soon as God in His providence may open a way to them. M. J. Wellborn, ) John Harris, >- Committee. Joel T. Johnson, ) Cave Spring Sakbatli-Scliool. On the sth inst., the Cave Spring Baptist Sabbath-Scnool being in session, our Su perintendent, brother J. J. Lathrop, ten dered his resignation—whereupon, the fol lowing Resolutions were unanimously adopted : Resolved, That in view of the separation about to take place between this School and our beloved Superintendent, brother J. J. Lathrop, we tender to him our heartfelt thanks and gratitude for the faithfulness, promptness and earnestness with which he has always performed his duty to us. • Resolved, That although his leaving seems almost the breaking up of our School, yet we submit to the will of God, trusting that the same Providence which takes him from us will give him a now and better field of usefulness, and will bless him abundantly in his labors for the Saviour. Resolved, That we most earnestly ask to be remembered in his prayers, that our School may prosper, and that we may yet rejoice with him over the conversion of those for whom we have covenanted to pray in days gone by. Resolved, That as teachers and scholars we assure him we shall ever hold him in grateful and loving remembrance, and that our prayers will ascend to the throne of Grace for him and his, that God may keep them ‘ ’neath the shadow of 11 is wing,’ and at last bring us together in that heavenly mansion where there are no more partings, but where we shall be ‘ forever with the Lord.’ The following Song, composed for the oc casion, was then sung: CHILDREN’S PARTING HYMN. Air —“Gently, Lord, O Gently Lead Ua.” | Teachers, schoolmates, time is flying, Bringing changes all around, I Birds are going, flowers dying, Leaves arc falling on the ground ; And otir friends by Heaven given, They by Heaven too are taken — Teachers from their charges riven, Sad thoughts, sad strains awaken. Come, with sweetest notes of sorrow, Grateful tributes let us bring, For the coming sad to-morrow Bears our Teacher far away. With patience long, a faithful friend, Thou hast watched our youthful ways; May angels now thy steps attend, Bless and guide thee all thy days. Gently, surely, may they point thee, In the paths thou teachest well, May they with sweet manna feed thee, And around thy pillow dwell; May the truths and hopes thou brouglitest Yield for thee their sweet control, May the songs of joy tliou taughest Bring their pleasures to thy soul. Now in song our thanks we render, For thy labor, toil and pain, When in after years asunder, Wc will thank thee still again ; These seeds of faith and hope of ours, Sown and nurtured by thy hand, j Shall ripen into fruit and flowers, Shedding fragrance'through the land. Then if on earth we meet no more, Thy reward is still secure; We’ll meet again upon that shore, Where life is long, joys are pure; There may thy lot with ours be cast, Teacher with the scholar dwell, Where hopes and loves forever last, And ne’er heard the word “ farewell.” On motion, agreed to publish the pro ceedings in The Banner and. Baptist. A. Richardson, Chairman. W. A. Culbertson, Secretary. October 7, 18G2. Our City Subscribers. I'he term for which a good many of our city subscribers have paid is about to ex pire. And as we have labored hard to sustain the paper, we hope they will still continue to favor ua with their patrohage. They can obtain their papers either through the Post-Office or by calling at our office, in the Franklin Printing House. Terms of The Banner and Baptist— three dollars a year, in advance.