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‘The entrance of Thy Word giveth light?
JAS. NATHAN ELLS, Editor.
ATLANTA, GFEOTtGFIA:
SATURDAY, JANUARY 24, 1863.
The avidity with which the soldiers.in
hospitals receive the copies of The Baptist
Banner circulated among them, every day,
has determined us to make an effort to
place our journal in the possession of every
soldier in the hospitals throughout the con
federacy. This can, and will, be done if
our people are disposed to aid us. Can
we get a thousand dollars, to help carry out
this purpose? We firmly believe that
this amount can be raised in a fortnight, if
pastors would bring the subject to the no
tice of their congregations and give them
the opportunity to contribute. And w-e
earnestly solicit contributions, at once, from
all who may be disposed to aid in this
work. Shall the sick and wounded soldiers
have The Baptist Banner ?
The Value of Brevity.
Ideas, like metals, are valuable in pro
portion to the brevity of space they can be
made to occupy. A square inch of plati
num, the heaviest of known substances, is
more compact and hence more valuable
than a square inch of gold. By the same
law gold is more valuable than silver,silver
than copper, and so on. And so is an idea
expressed in one line more valuable and
striking than if made to cover two, three,
or a dozen lines. It is also true that both
ideas and metals are scarce in the exact ra
tio of their density or compactness. As a
single lump of gold will enrich a man, so
will a single weighty thought, briefly ex
pressed, confer immortality on its author.
The ‘ Veni, Vidi, Vici,’of Caesar; the‘Eng
land expects every man to do his duty,’ of
Nelson ; and ‘ We have met the enemy and
they are ours,’ of our own Perry, fine
examples of condensation of thought.
The analogy between rare ideas and rare
metals is furthermore shown in their ex
treme ductility, which permits, if need be,
of their being elongated to an almost in
definite extent. It has been calculated that
a piece of platinum, the size of the tip of a
man’s finger, could be drawn out in a wire
long enough to reach across Europe. So
may a really valuable idea of a line’s length
be made to cover a page in its expression.
But here the analogy stops between ideas
and metals, and the former lose their value
by enlargement unless drawn out by the
hands of genius. The story of ‘ Shy lock
and Antonio could be told in a score or
two of lines, while the matchless skill of
Shakspeare spun it out to the length of a
live act play, preserving its purity, its
value, and its compactness all the while.
We have been induced to touch upon
this subject inorder to call the attention of
our correspondents to its consideration. —
Brevity of expression should be one of the
first studies in composition ; and we advise
our young readers who feel the fires of
authorship burning within them, to com
mence at once and master this great key
move to success. We recommend the
study of Pope’s ‘ Essay on Man,’ Gold
smith’s ‘ Deserted Village,’ and Burns’
‘ Cotter’s Saturday Night,’ as splendid ex
amples of poetical brevity of expression,
almost every line»containing an entire and
clearly defined thought. Prose writers
will be benefited by .consulting the works
of Addison, Johnson, Scott, MacauleV, Ir
ving, and other classical authors.
< nt’RCH Constituted.—ln pursuance of
a call made by a number of brethren and
sisters in Decatur, Ga., a presbytery was
organized on Sabbath, 19th instant, com
posed of Elders M. D. Gaar, A. T. Holmes,
and 11. C. Hornady*. Several brethren and
sisters presented letters and a Church cov
enant. and were recognized as the Baptist
Church in Decatur.
Personal.—Rev. James R. Kendrick,of
Charleston, has accepted the call of the
baptist church in Madison, Ga.
Bev. Dr. Manly has resigned his pastor
ate at Montgomery, and taken charge of
<he Female College at Tuskaloosa, Ala.
Ordination.—Rev. William Singleton,
a licentiate of the First Baptist Church of
Augusta, was ordained a Minister of the
Gospel on Sabbath last.
x'jetjfii baFßm jb a if« ma.
■ j
The Christian Warfare.
Looking at the Christian, we behold him
in a militant position. He has enlisted as
a soldier of the Cross. He disencumbers
himself of all unnecessary engagements
and involvements, And with singleness of
purpose .he goes forth in the wars of the
Lord, to do battle in the name of Prince
Immanuel. His ambition is to ‘ fight the
good fight of faith, and lay hold on eternal
life.’ By faith he obtains the victory ; by
faith he overcomes every enemy, and is
ultimately fitted to wear the crown of life.
His hope, his confidence, his aspiration, his
ambition, is to be glorified with Christ. —
As a triumphant soldier, he shall be honor
ed by the Sovereign Dispenser of tokens of
distinction at the final assizes before the
assembled universe.
Does not the veteran warrior feel a glow
of pride, and esteem his perilous services
of years amply rewarded, by having the
star of honor placed on his breast by his
general in the presence of the whole regi
ment? Shall not the Christian be more
than compensated a thousand fold for his
struggles in holy warfare when the Captain
. of his salvation shall bestow upon him a
peerless brilliant? To him the promise is,
‘I will give him the morning star.’ With
this imparted glory he shall, in heavenly
. places with Christ, ‘ shine as the brightness
of the firmament,’ even 4 as the stars, for
ever and ever.’
The successful footman in the gymnastic
games of ancient times received a laurel
wreath crown, placed on his head within
the amphitheatre. It would soon wither ;
it was corruptible. The Christian shall
have conferred a prize-crown which is in
corruptible, and is a badge of his blissful
immunities in the New Jerusalem.
—
The True Policy.
It is said, by Sallust, that in the palmiest
days of the Roman republic 4 citizens con
tended with citizens in nothing but honor.’
The result of this policy was, the building
up, even in the barbarous ages, one of the
■ greatest empires of the world. Nothing
then was sacrificed to the enemy ; all was
i offered up for the public good. Even the
1 man of sordid and avaricious propensities
was shamed, by common example, into a
■ </w«si-patriot and public benefactor.
1 With us of the South, in the present
■ struggle for the establishment of a republic,
■ more grand and glorious than even the
■ brightest day-dreams of the idolatrous Ko
i' man ever conceived, would it not be well
I to imbibe the spirit by which they were
! animated, and ‘snatch from the ashes ’ of
buried centuries some few of the embers of
- thqt patriotic fire which warmed alike the
■ bosoms of the warrior and the citizen who
, conjointly laid the corner-stone of the Ro
• man republic? Would it not be well for
t each and all of us, who draw not the glit
i tering Wade upon the battle-field, to afford
> liberally and abundantly all ‘ material aid’
» to those now on the tented plains —instead
i of sitting in the sullen shades engendered
by the soul-corrupting and mephitic odors
i of avarice and imposition ? Let each one
■ answer for himself and act according to the
i dictates of his own conscience-—if he has
apy.
The fathers of the Roman republic were
struggling for the. establishment of their
t institutions amid the gloom of superstition
i and the night shades of paganism. • Yet
with a general patriotic devotion to country
and to friends, unexampled thus far with us,
' they not only offered up their lives as sol
diers, but their property as citizens. The
result of their sacrifices is known to all. —
Then what should be the sacrifice of the
South in a crisis like the present ? In their
night of superstition they attributed to the
blind goddess of fortune what we attribute
to the overshadowing will of the true and
living God. They were a race of Polythe
ists ; we are a race of Christians. Their
religion was a myth; ours is one revealed
by Deity. Their liberty consisted in the
privilege of security from the inroads of
superior brutal force ; ours is not only more
rational, but has engrafted upon it all that
is civil and religious in an age the most en
lightened that ever dawned upon the world.
The foes with whom they had to contend
thirsted *alone for conquest; those who now
menace and attack us are religious fanatics
and enlightened despots.
If the Romans, in looking to security
from personal harm to their -homes and
their firesides, contended with each other in
nothing but the honor of being the firstand
foremost in their early struggles, under such
circumstances, what, we ask in all candor,
should be the policy of that man who is
worthy of the name of Southern citizen in
a contest like the present ? If he is not
willing to do all claimed by the Roman
historian for his country, he may be a
Southern man by birth but notin feeling.
The office of Reason in spiritual things
is just what the subordinate ministerial
power is in well-regulated governments —
i not to enact laws, but to show that they are
• enacted, that they are good, and that they
must be obeyed.
‘ The Hand that made its is Divine*’
We look up to heaven when the sinking
sun tints the fields with pink, and the eve
ning star rises alone, bidding the. laborer
seek his homo ; and as star after star lights
his lamp on high, until the whole scroll of
immaterial ether is blazing with jewels, we
are lost in wonder and amazement.
But if these bright gems of God’s make
are so fair when viewed through the whole
depth of the atmosphere, with what re
i splendent beauty must they shine upon one
who stands upon the top of a lofty mount-
> ain I There, the air is thin and transparent.
There is nothing to break the waves of light
that roll in upon the eye. He stands as it
f were in mid-air, the heavy atmosphere
> which we breathe lays quietly beneath his
feet, dropping dew upon the earth, which,
by a peculiar process of its own, changes
' into vapor, rises, and once more distills
3 the life-giving drops. Meanwhile the stars
i and other planets shine on with brighter ra
-3 diance upon him, for he sees them in their
own pure light, and not as we do down be
low, through a misty veil of dew.
3 And yet, when we come to think of it,
3 how much more wonderful'thanthe creation
i of moon and stars is the formation of the
human eye! What a powerful, a majestic
piece of machinery—apparently so frail,
’ but still calculated to meet our utmost
1 wants. We have only to lift those little
windows of the soul, and all the fair objects
s of creation are reflected thereon. The
. beauties of nature—the sun, moon and
stars, the grand and restless ocean —are all
mirrored upon the eye, and their impres-
3 sions conveyed with lightning speed to the
- brain by fine, delicate views. ‘ The hand
i that made us [so 4 fearfully and wonder
. fully ’] is Divine!
I [For The Baptist Banner.}
Wasteful Benevolence.
| Some Christian people, in their zeal to
promote the spiritual welfare of those who
have nobly responded to the call of their
country, and rallied to her defence, send, or
t cause to be sent, packages of papers, tracts,
&c., to some commanding officer of a com
pany, battalion, regiment, or brigade, to be
distributed among the soldiers. In very
’ many instances, the papers, tracts, tec., ar®
5 never called for by those for whom they are
r intended, and not one officer in ten will take
’ the trouble to go among his men and dis
tribute them. The consequence is, that
‘ they remain undistributed and unread, and
s are finally used as wastepaper, for kindling
t fires, lighting cigars, &c.
Such is the testimony of many returned
soldiers from the North, West, and East,
1 and, to a limited extent, the present writer
> can testify to the same thing. Not only is
e this a wasteful benevolence; it has, in some
instances, to my certain knowledge, obstruc-
I ted the Minister and Colporter in their ef
~ forts to do good. They are told, in effect,
’’ if not in so many words, there is no need
f J for your tracts, papers, Ac. Our men have
f; been liberally supplied—indeed, the supply
e far exceeds the demand I have known in
stances in which the Minister has, notwith
J standing such representations were made to
|him, gone among the soldiers and found
r | them ready to receive, with avidity and
'thankfulness, papers and tracts that he had
] I to distribute.
, j I would advise* therefore, editors and oth
' era, to send no tracts or papers to officers'*
’ except it be to such as specially apply for
1 them ; and not even to Government chap
q lains, unless they are known to be men who
, will take pleasure in engaging in the work
of distribution.
i Another exampjeof wasteful benevolence
’ may be found in the sending of men on dis
tant and expensive journies fas to Rich
» mond, Va., or elsewhere) to labor for only
r a short interval of time. The money ex
pended in going to and fro on these mush-
1 room -agencies, would* suffice to sustain a
1 regular Colporter or Missionary for many
i months. Are not these things so?
, * J. S. B.
A Poser.
? Once on a time was held a meeting of
- the American Board of Commissioners for
? Foreign Missions, in a certain city. Dr.
. C., with a number of other clergyman from
his region, attended, performing the journey
3 by stage. At the close of the meeting they
> returned by the same conveyance. The
I stage started at four o’clock in the morn
ing, which, at that season of the year, was
before daylight. All the passengers in the
stage but one Were ‘Dissenting’ clergy
men; that one was a young Episcopal
; minister. At first starting the passengers
f were all silent, till, after some time, our
, young Episcopal friend, with somewhat
more of courage than discretion, proceeded
L to deliver himself substantially as follows:
-| “I have been examining those portions
. of the Scriptures, lately, in which prayer is
] spoken of, and have satisfied myself that
. prayer is never spoken of in the Bible
where the circumstances do not make it
' probable—yes, I may say certain—that the
prayer must have been read."
To this somewhat startling proposition
I no one made any reply, but our young
friend, nothing daunted, went on: “ I will
defy any gentleman present to bring for
' ward an instance where this is not the case.”
i There was again a short silence, which
( was broken by Dr. C., who said, in his
. blandest and most deferential tones,
“ I do not mean to deny your position,
1 sir; but there is aquestion I should like toi
ask, if you w ill be so kind as to answer it.” I
i “ Oh, ask as many questions as you please I
i —I will answer them,” was the reply of the
young man.
“ The question I wished to ask was,” said
■ Dr. C., very deliberately, “ who held the
candle for Jonah when he read prayers ini
the whale’s belly ? ”
It is said that the juvenile divine main-,
taided a dignified silence during the rest of
that journey.
[/’or The BapHtrt Banner.}
Do You go to Prayer-meeting t
I hope, dear reader, you will not be dis
pleased because I ask you a plain question
and demand an honest answer. Some peo
ple do.get angry when asked such questions,
but it,is because seems to be the short-
est and easiest way to waive an unpleasant
subject. You know, Cain became very
crusty when the Lord questioned him about
Abel. Do you recollect his answer?—
Well, really, it was no answer at {ill, but
he went off on the sliding scale by asking
“Am 1 my brother’s keeper ? ” Pardon
me—l do not intend to compare people
who seldom attend prayer-meeting with
Cain; but I wasjust illustrating how some
get rid of answering troublesome inquiries
by getting angry and cutting up those who
question them. But, dear reader, you will
not do so. lam sure you will consider the
question, and tty to return an honest and
courteous answer.
Yes, you go to the prayer-meeting some
. times ; your conscience will not permit you
to neglect it entirely, and so you go occa
sionally in order to make fair weather
within your own bosom. But why do you
not go all the time ? You have no one to
, go with you, and you dislike to go alone!
i Stop a moment. Do you not remember
■ the night that fire occurred ? That was
> prayer-meeting evening. Were you not at
, the fire, and very much in the way of those
. who were straining every nerve to arrest
i its progress? Who went with you to the
i fire where you were not needed, and refused
to go with you to the prayer-meeting where
you were wanted so much? What do you
suppose the world think of Christians who
can go to fires alone, when they can not at
tend the prayer meetings of the church of
their choice ?
But then, you are so much worn out when
night comes, that you do not feel like go
ing to the prayer-meeting ! Pardon my :
seeming impertinence, but in whose service 1
have you so fatigued yourself that you can
not obey the commands of your Lord ?
What w’ould you think of your servant if
he were so tired in working for himself that
he could not serve you when you command
ed him ? You would very probably think
he was a servant only in name and not in
1 fact. Well, you know the Bible says,
“ Blessed is he that condemneth not himself
1 in that thing which he alloweth.”
But, the prayer-meetings are so poorly
1 attended that you find little encouragement
to go I Well, that is true ; but why is the’
attendance so small? Simply because so'
many follow your example in direct viola-1
' tion of that command which says, “Forsake I
not the assembling of yourselves together.”
But having heard why you do not attend
' prayer-meetingg, please hear while 1 give
( reasons why you should go :
, 1. As already intimated, the Saviour
commands you to go, or, if you like the
term better, invites you to His house.—
He has made all the sacrifice possible for
j you, even to the giving up of II is own life;
, and can you refuse anything to such a
, Friend ? Even if He should require you
to give up your life for Him, the demand
would be reasonable in view of all He has
4 suffered for you ; but when He kindly in-
I vites you to meet Him in llis own house,
I with the promise of bestowing a blessing
I upon you, how ungrateful is it to refuse !
2. You have promised to attend th<
meetings of your church, of which none art
more important than the prayer-meeting.—
’ This promise you made in the most solemn a
manner when you gave yourself to Christ
) and to His people in your baptism. You
, have covenanted, with God and the church
to give your personal influence to the
( maintenance of His worship. This prom
ise should be held sacred by you, and hence
you should fill your place at the prayer
, meeting.
3. You ought to go to the prayer-meet
ing for the good of your own soul. It is
t difficult for a Christian to live correctly
r with all the helps he can find; and if he
neglect social prayer, there is great danger
of his falling into temptation and a snare.
Social prayer, when engaged in with abe
corning spirit, gives great strength and en
s couragernent to the divine principle within.
. A praying Christian is a lively, joyful one,
because he is growing in grace and in the
! knowledge of TJesus.
r 4. You ought to go to the prayer-meet
-7 ing for the good of others. “Ye are the
; light of the world ” ; but if your light is
. hid under a bushel, what advantage can
3 men walking in darkness derive from it?—
> If people see you are in earnest, they will
be led to inquire into the meritsjofreligion ;
] and if they see you faithful and consistent,
s they will be induced to become religious
. from your example.
t If, then, you have neglected the prayer
| meeting heretofore, I pray you change your
. course, and go where the saints meet to
; worship God. Querist.
i - -—*»«««.
First District, Coosa Association.
Dear Hanner :
Please publish the order of business and
the appointments made by the general
meeting, in connection with the ministers’
and deacons’ meeting of the First District
I of the Coosa Association, to meet with the
' Pisgal Church on Friday before the first
Sabbath of July next.
C. 1 hompson,sermon on Saturday, on the
Future Inheritance of the Saints.
J. F. Swanson, sermon on Sabbath, on
1 Family Religion.
i W. P. Lampkin, essay on the Kingdom
I of Christ.
D. W. Gwin, essay on Pastoral Visiting.
J. R. Chambers, essay on Regeneration.
James Sanders, essay on the Deaconship.
J. W. Pullenf essay on the Obligations
of Church-Members, One to Another.
C. B. Martin, essay on Special Provi
dence.
D. B. Hamilton, essay on the Nature
and Extent of the Atonement.
D. B. Hamilton, Sec’y.
1 Acknowledgments.
The following donations have been re
ceived, to send ‘The Baptist Banner ’ to
sick and wounded soldiers :
Rev. J. 11. Weaver, $lO 00
*B. L. Ross, - - 3 00
G. W. Marsh, - - 300
Little Nannie Ells, - -1 00
Small*Pox—A Preventive.
The following simple remedy, which we
find in the Richmond Examiner, is within
the reach of every one, and is certainly
worth a trial:
“ The shavings or scraps of leather burn
ed in localities infected by the small-pox, is
said to be a sure disinfectant against this
disease. The recipe comes from an old
physician, whose practice has been largely
among small-pox patient s for the past thirty
years, and who, in all that time, was never
called upon to treat for small-pox a worker
in leather, either as a shoemaker or tanner.
“ The theory has been put in practice at
T- ... 1 -.r.0A0.. . .
ivuacf
ing of the word not only makes the sense
clear, but more forcibly shows the omnis
, cience of the Saviour, which he exhibited on
more than one occasion.
There are other words, which, by the
changes incident to “ living languages,” are
subject to the same remarks.
W. M. Howell.
Clintonville, Ala.
A Baptism in the Ocean.
Morris’ Island, Jan. 14th, 1863.
This sacred and significant symbol of our
Saviour’s burial and resurrection, of our
death to sin and resurrection to newness of
lile, is beautiful at all times, and possesses
> a wonderful attraction for the “children of
men."’.-1 have surveyed it, seated in the
crowded gallery of God’s house, where con
’ gregation and choir blended their voice of
; praises with the pealing notes of the organ,
3 as the faithful pastor and young convert
1 went, hand in hand, down into the still wa
ters of the baptismal basin; or standing
1 with the multitude upon the shaded bank of
i some gently gliding stream, I have wit
■ nessed the performance of this holy rite,
1 while all nature seemed smiling on the
scene. But to see it in all its sublimity,
one must stand upon the wave-washed
beach, with nothing above him but the
> azure vault of heaven, and before him a
limitless expanse of water. Such, for the
first time, was our privilege to-day. Even
here, upon this desolate island, and on the
very confines of earth, we are permitted to
behold the triumphs of victorious grace,
i e likens of Zion’s spreading glory.—
While the shore was thronged with gazing
soldiers, and our feeble songs were almost
drowned in the deep anthem of the ocean,
a captain of the 21st regiment, a zealous
and able minister of the Gospel, led out
into the rolling billows five hopeful con
verts, members of the regiment, and there
buried them with Christ in baptism. It
was a scene which those who saw it will
long remember. And what is still better,
the good work is still going on, and we hope
to see others, many more, consecrating
hemseives by this solemn ordinance to our
Lord and Master, Jesus Christ. Oh, may
the time soon come when we shall be per
mitted to go home, and partake with our
friends of the sacramental feast.—[Confed
erale Baptist.
taking revenge, a man is but even
with his enemy ; but in passing over it, he
is superior.