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THE BAPTIST BANNER.
BY JAS. N. ELLS & CO.
VOL. IV.
She gapttet ganntr,
DEVOTED TO RELIGION’ AND LITERATURE,
Is published every Saturday, at Atlanta, Georgia, at the
subscription price of three dollars per year.
jAiiiS is. ELLS & CO ,
Proprietors.
THE MUSIC OF NATURE.
There’s music in the rivulet,
And music, in the Hood ;
• And music in the water fall
That echoes from the wood.
There’s music in the sunny grove,
And music in the rain,
Quick pattering on th’ forest boughs,
And all is bright again.
There’s mmic on the up’and slope,
And music down the d>-ll;
The loving herds, the bleating fold,
Its pretty tinkling bell.
There’s music in the joy of birds,
And in the hum of bees;
And music in the waving corn
Danced over by the breeze.
There’s music in the ocean-stream,
When foamy billows roar;
And more when, rippling peacefully,
It seems to trip me shore.
There’s music in the stilly eve,
And in the hush of night;
And music in the r sing morn,
And when the noon is bright.
There’s music in the voice of love,
And joy that others share;
And in the voice of gratitude,
And in the voice of prayer.
On me, O God ! thy grace impart,
To prize what Thou hast given :
Teach me to ponder what Thou art,
At early dawn and even
The music of a grateful heart
Is music heard in heaven.
THE ANGEL OF THE LEAVES.
“ Alas’, ahis ! ” said the sorrowing tree,
“my beautiful robe is gone! It has been
torn from me. Its faded pieces whirl upon
the wind ; they rustle beneath the squirrel’s
foot as he searches for his nut; they float
upon the passing stream, and on the quiv
ering lake. Woe is me ! for my fair green I
vesture is gone. I<> was the gift of the
Angel of the Leaves’ I have lost it; and
my glory has vanished, my beauty has ,
d'.sapp ared.
“Aly naked limbs shiver in the chilly
air. ’L’lie keen blast comjs pitiless among ; 1
them. ’l'he winter is corning; I am desti
tute. How shall 1 account to the Angel |
wh<> clothed me for the loss of his beautiful .
gift’”
The Angel had been listening. In sooth j
ing accents he answered the lamentation : ,
“My beloved tree, be ♦om sorted. lam ,
with thee still, though every leaf has for
saken thee. The voice of gladness is hushed
among thy boughs, but let my whisper
console thee. Thy sorrow is but for a
season. Trust in me; keep my promise
in thy heart. Be patient, and full of hope.
“ I'he sap, that has for a while gone
down, will make thy roots strike deeper
and spread wider. It. will then return to
nourish thy heart. Buds shall shoot forth,
on every side of thy boughs. I will unfold
for thee another r<»l>e. I will paint it and
lit it in every part. It shall be a comely
raiment. Sadness shall be swallowed up
in j «y. Now, my beloved tree, fare thee
well for a season.”
The Angel was gone. The winter drew
near ; the wild blast whistled for the storm;
the storm came, and howled around the
tree. But the word of the Angel was hid
den in her heart ; it soothed her amid the
threatening:* of the tempest. The ice cakes
rattled upon her limbs; they loaded and
weighed them down.
At length the scowling face of winter
began to lose its features ; the raging storm
grew faint, and breathed its last. Thc
reign of spring had come. Iler blessed
ministers were abroad in the earth—they
hovered in the air—they blended their
beautiful tints, and east a new-created glory
on the face of the heavens.
The tree was rewarded for her trust. —
Tin* Angel was true to the object of his;
love. He returned ; he bestowed on her I
another robe. It was bright, glossy, and 1
unsullied. The dust of summer had never
lit upon it; the scorching heat had not
faded it ; the moth had not profaned it.
The tree stood again in loveliness; sin*
was dressed in more than Iter former beau
tv ; she was very fair; joy smiled around
her on every side. The birds flew back toi
her bosom. They sang on every bra. eh a
hymn to the Angel of the Leaves.
If we only loved our friends as well be
fore thex die. as we do afterwards, what a
beatific world this would be. For soften
ing the heart, an hour’s stroll in a grave
void is worth all the sermons that were
ever preached.
Ths fountain of content must spring up
in the mind; and he who has so little
knowledge of human nature as to seek hip
puiess bx changing anything but his owi
vti >ll, will waste Ins life in fruitless
eilorts and multiply the griefs which hr
proposes to remove.
W Hix we are alone, w e have our thoughts
t» wat.h; in the family, uur temper; in
c mpany, our tongues.
A ABO SFAMMiX
MISSIONARY MASS MEETISG.
Remarks of Rev. Mfr. Dickinson,
At the Mass Meeting held in Griffin, Ga.,
during the Baptist Slate Convention.
[Reported for the Baptist Banner.]
Rev. Air. Simner said: I have the
pleasure of introducing the Rev. A. E.
Dickinson, of Richmond, Va., who will
make some statements to the audience in
behalf of the Foreign Missionary Board.
Rev. Mr. Dickinson then addressed the
meeting, as follows :
Brother Moderator— l will state, first of
all, that, believing it to be most subservi
ent to the great interests which we have
before us, I have offered brother Sumner,
the representative of the Domestic Mis
sionary Board, the greater portion of the
time allotted by the convention to him and
myself. I regret, brother Moderator and
brethren, that I stand beiore you to-night
to represent the Foreign Missionary Board,
because, but for rny presence, one of the
Secretaries would have been here to per
form that service.
Brethren are generally informed as to
the design and prospects of that Board.—
They have seen from the religious papers
about all that has been done. It is pleas
ing, however, my brethren, to witness the
kind providence of God in the present as
pect of our missionary work. Some time
since, fears were entertained by the reli
gious classes of this country fo# our mis
sions and missionaries; but we hat e seen
that the same gracious Hand that began
this work, and through Its various exigen
cies and trials has carried it on, has inter
posed to save our missionaries. We are
told that one of our brethren in the mis
sionary field has recently been appointed
interpreter to a foreign consul, with a sala
ry amply sufficient for his expenses and
those of his family ; and, by giving a few'
hours of each day to that service, he is en
abled to spend the balance of his time in
preaching the Gospel to the thousands by
*hom he is surrounded. Another one of
these missionaries has lately visited London
arid made gp appeal in behalf of himself
and his comrades, and that appeal was met
with a most cheerful and generous response.
In addition to this, our Baptist friends in
Baltimore have lately held a meeting, in
which upwards of twenty-five hundred dol
lars were raised for the support of the mis
sionaries who have been sent by our board,
and an auxiliary board has been organized
in that city, by which funds will be collect
ed and transmitted to our brethren in for
eign lands without the expense and risk
which would be incurred by sending them
from Richmond.
Thus, in various ways, has God inter
posed, and proven himself better to us than
we had feared. And sooner than this work
should come to a close—sooner than this
mission that we have organized, under the
commission given to us in the word of God,
should perish for bread—we have reason to
; believe that the ravens themselves would
be commissioned by God to carry to our
brethren the food that is necessary to sup
port their bodies.
I'here are two or three things that I wish
to ret r to, briefly, as something calculated
to encourage us in this work, even iu these
times. It has often been said that “ God
reigns ; and, my brethren, when w’e have
said that, then we have said something
which is sufficient, amply sufficient, were
there nothing else, to Comfort and encour
age us even m times like these. Does God
reign ? Is He looking down upon us now,
the same as wln u our missionaries went
forth and our hearts leaped with joy at the
prospect of their labors amongst the heath
en -. It God reigns—reigns over all—then
what have we to fear? And to God, who
thus reiyns over the heathen, over our en
emies, and over us, in heaven and on earth
to His heart this work of foreign mis
sions is infinitely nearer and dearer than
can be to our hearts. It you have planted
a little flower, watered it, and nurtured it, I
iml eared for it, y <»u will find your interest*
in it increasing with all the care and atten
lion you give to it. If you adopt into your
family a poor orphan child, you will' find *
[that as from day today you take care ot
him and spend your money for his comfort
; and improvement, he is becoming nearer ,
. and dearer to you ; and the very fact that!
I you do so much for him, makeshim the
j object of greater interest to you. Now
what has done, and spent, on this
i mission field ? He has given his Son ; He
has called His people, and moved their
) hearts to send forth laborers, by hundreds
and thousands, to cultivate it; and He has
preserved it amid dangers, and carried it
on, through innumerable penis, to the
pi esent tune. Must it not, therefore be
inconceivably near and dear to His heart ?
And th m, we all have reason ;o believe,
from the h story of our missions, that God
will overrule these times of gloom and
darkness, for the good of this work. L »ok
hack over the history of the Church, and
see how u has been. Look at the dis.ipLs
netore I hn>t ha i been taken up into heaven:
they had hopes of having a peaceful and
.happy tone; but God thought it best to
send a.U.ctions and persecutions amongst
ATLANTA, GA., SATURDAY, MAY 9, 1863.
HIS BANNER OVER US IS LOVE.
| them. They were driven from their homes
into various lands, and thus the word of the
Lord was greatly increased, and believers
multiplied. I have sometimes thought
> that in after ages it will be seen that, even
in these times, God is afflicting and chasti
sing us that He may stir us up—that He
may cause us to feel more interest in giving
5 the Gospel to those for whom we plead to-
* night.
* I stood, the other day, by a broad and
1 beautiful river, and could not for my life
tel] whether it was flowing in this or that
* direction ; and as I looked on, sometimes
the waves would seem to go one way, and
f then another ; yet these waters were not
stationary —they were going on to their
> great home in the ocean. you go to
some vast piece of machißWpand look on
’ and see the bands and wheels in motion,
, and the various parts at work, it seems to
you to be all confusion; but you wait a
I little and behold the result—and see that
the mind which invented that machinery is
bringing out some blessed result to human
ity. So, my hearers, God is a God of
. providence, and He will see that all things
shall work together for the salvation of His
, people, and for filling the earth with His
glory. I a»k you, then, my brethren, to
believe that these missions are the work of
God, and to labor and pray for them.
If we had no other reason lor believing
that our missions will be sustained, there
is one, to my mind, amply sufficient—and
that is this : The history of the Church, in
. all ages of the world, demonstrates the fact
that we make progress in extending the
Gospel at home only in proportion as we
feel an interest iu spreading it abroad.—
Just in proportion as the desire for the
success of the Gospel abroad burns in our
hearts, so are we moved to pray and to
labor for its success at home. And when
a man ceases thus to feel, and thus to look
upon the heathen abroad, the flame of
heavenly love grows less bright and less
warm in his own heart. A man who lived
oy a thoroughfare in Virginia, sometime'
since, had in his yard a fine well of water,
i<» which the passers-by would resort, in
the heat of summer, to quench their thirst.
But his poor selfish heart le<( him to give
orders that the gate should Le ovked and
the people forbidden to come into his yard
lor water. In a short time he found that
water, once so clear and refreshing, all dis
tasteful to him and injurious to his health,
so that he had to send tor a physician—
who informed him that the well needed to
be agitated, that the water was stagnant,
and that if'the gate should be again thrown
open and the passers-by allowed to drink
from it, the water would soon become as
sweet and as refreshing as it had ever been.
And so, my hearers, if we draw from the
waters of life, to give to others, they be
come sweet and delicious to us, and prove
a blessing to our own souls.
There was a man, some years ago, in
this country, who for a long period had
been in a most distressing state of mind ;
he could have no peace; he was troubled i
by day and by night on account of the re-'
ligious state of his mind. Whenever called I
upon to pray in a prayer-meeting, he would |
'hake his head and say “ I am not worthy.”
He was in the condition of the man de
scribed in the song, who said,
“ ’Tis a point I long to know—
Oft i causes anxious thought,—
Do I love the Lord, or no ?
Am I his, or am I not ? ”
One day, as he sat in gloom and darkness,
thinking of his awful condition, he resolv
ed that if he died and should be lost, he ■
would at least make an honest effort to j
save those who had not the Gospel. This [
new idea of laboring for the salvation ot )
the heathen came into his mind ; and after I
spending twenty-five years in that good ;
work, he remarked, that from the day he!
had resolved so to labor, he had never been I
distressed about his own religious con ii-,
tion. My brethren, if every dollar that!
has been given for the spread of the Gospel
in heathen lands had perished in the ocean
and had never reached those for whom it i
was intended, in far-off lands or on the
!is es of the sea, we would yet have been
ten thousand times blessed in our own
souls by our prayers and contributions.
But I do not intend to enter upon any
protracted remarks. Aly brethren and
friends, in the name of the Foreign Mission
Board ; in the name of those dear men who,
to-night, in China and in Africa, are perhaps
thinking about you, and wondering whether
, amid these times, stirring "and try ing and;
distressing as they are, you ever think and'
'.care for them; in the name of those hun
dreds of millions of souls who need the
■ Gospel just as much as any of us ; and in
the name of the Great Head of the Church.
1 implore you to send to them this blessed :
' Word.
I call upon you to remember but a few
■ years ago, wnen. seated among the jungle.-
■ ofl idia. and looking upon her darling babe*.
I a Christian mother was called upon to allo*
I her children to be sent back to this country
lto be educated. Her reply to this uas, “ I
I can not give up my children. She xxa'
5 told she must, then, go back with them.—
: “I cannot,” she said, “ give up this xxork
i which G<>d has given me to do ; I cannot
, give up the poor souls which He has c >in
t mitted to my charge.” She *a 3 tu.d that
’ she must decide the question. She decided
to remain, and let her children be sent
back. She then looked upon her children
with that tenderness which only a mother’s
heart can feel; she kissed their sweet lips,
bade them a final adieu, and said, “ Now 1
give up my children, fur I cannot leave the
work which Gyd has given me to do.”—
Thus was the heart of Airs. Comstock rent
and torn for her devotion to these people
—and have you no heart to feel and to
pray that their s >uls may be, saved?
i~r~ htti n >imihii 11 - T ■mini in m i imiihmh
[-Fur the, Eaptt't Eann.r.]
RED LEVIED SOUL,
“ Old things have passed away, and be
hold all things have become new.” Pre
cious reality ’ A sinner, dead in trespass,
es and sin, condemned by the law, doomed
to eternal banishment and punishment, has,
by the Spirit of God, become apprised of
his awful condition; he thinks deeply, re
pents sincerely, believes firmlyf is baptized
faithfully, and the light of gospel liberty,
in all its effulgent glory, beams into his
soul. He is a new creature, having receiv
ed the heavenly gift; he no longer glories
in his shame, but in the religion of Jesus.
Old things have passed away ; his love of
the world, the flesh and the devil, have been
supplanted by the love of God and of his
Christ. All things have become new, in
deed ; the glorious centre of light and heat
appears more wonderful and radiant; the
silvery moon reflects much softer light;
the twit kling stars are celestial gems; the
gentle zephyrs are the whisperings of the
God of love; the rippling streams are His
miniature mercies; the rushing waters His
bountiful blessings; the cloud capped moun
tain His majestic power; the boundless
. ocean His incomparable and incomprehen
sible greatness; the beautiful earth His be
neficent love; and His redeeming grace the
wonder of angels. With such views of In
finite power, greatness and love, the re
deemed soul presses onward, buoyant with
love, hope and joy—no pleasures so sweet
as those resulting from the exercise of
Christian duty, no joys so great as those re
sulting from a conscientious discharge of
Christian obligation. How glorious, how
transporting the thought of never-ending
and undiminished joys in the presence oi
the “ Lamb of God, who taketh away the
sins of the world.” A redeemed soul! in
effable joy ! What tongue can express,
what pen describe, what imagination con 1
ceive, the happiness of those whom God
has called to be partakers of the “heaven
ly gift”? Sinner, O sinner! tremble; .
. “wait not for the marrow’s sun,” delay not
[ an hour, but seek Jesus while “He may be
1 found, and call upon Him while lie is near,”
that you too may live a pious life, and re
receive at last the great reward of a “ re
deemed soul.” Xavier.
[For the. E ip ist Banner.]
Missionary’s Report.
Hardeeville, 8. C., April 20, 1862.
Dear Brother Wood:
Perhaps you would like to hear, from
j your missionary, something concerning his
| labors since the first quarterly report; and
i it is my pleasure to inform you that I am
I again in the field—a new field on the coast.
I left Atlanta at the time I told you I would,
J but being in bad health, I concluded to visit
I the coast, in the hope of doing some good
in my Master’s vineyard, and at the same
time improve iny health. I am getting
j stronger every day, and have found much!
work to do. I spent one day in Alacon,
where I visited the sick in the hospitals,!
i and distributed some tracts, which were
I gladly received. I found many bright)
Christians in this ci‘y among the soldiers,)
and also some very w icked men —who said '
they knew they ought to do better, but thej
could not see how one could do so these war .
times. They said they were thankful to
■ these good people who had manifested so
much interest in their spiritual welfare. I
then went on 2o Savannah, and spent one
d.iv there. 1 labored in the hospitals there
in company with brother Odom, one of
| brother Hornady’s faithful colporteurs. I
! c >ulJ see the fruits of the labors of the mis
sionaries. These men of G< d hid labored
faithfully, and yet the soldiers were not
satisfied. Tney still desire more. They
were as glad to see me as if they had no
spiritual help at all. But I left for more
destitute portions us the army. I came to
this village, where 1 was welcomed by the
commanding officer and men. Having
,I some tracts and a few Testaments with me,
TERMS — Three Dollars a-year.
1 can turn them, I trust, to good account,
for the soldiers are eager to have them.—
The commanding officer requested me to
preach to the soldiers yesterday (Sabbath.)
1 did so, and to an attentive congregation.
Some of them set med much affected. The
sick in the hospitals wish me to visit them
often, and pray with them.
This portion of the army complain of
being neglected by ministers and colpor
teurs. A major told me that his command
had not heard a sermon in five months, and
desired me to visit them; he said they
would be glad to see me. I promised him
to visit them, and shall do so, by God’s
help.
1 find the soldiers highly pleased with
The Baptist Banner; as the brethren of the
Coosa Association have made some arrange
ments with the editor, I shall be able to let
them read it occasionally. Religious papers
are worth more to the soldier than tracts,
although they are glad to get tracts at any
time in the absence of a religious paper.—
There are no murmuring or complaining
among the soldiers here. They say they
will be satisfied with their lot as soldiers,
until their country is free. This portion of
the army is in good condition and high
spirits, and well provided for in food and
clothing. Your brother in Christ,
P. A. HUGHES.
Rib!es and Test aments for Army.
We have been requested to copy the fol
lowing appeal from the Christian Index:
Camp Lawton’s Brigade, )
April 1, 1863. )
Allow me, through your columns, to
make an appeal to the immediate friends of
Lawton’s Brigade, which is composed of
the 13th, 25th, 31st, 38th, 60th and 61st
Regiments, various parts of the State.
Your central position will afford better ac
cess than through any other channel.
There is but a single chaplain in the brig
ade, who, I think, is disposed to be faithful,
and who, I would fain hope, is doing good.
‘Just now—and for some time past —an
unusual interest is manifest, among the sol
diers, in religion, and we can but hope that
the work is genuine, for it wouhl seem the
camp would, of all others, be the last place
a here the devil would attempt a sham of
this sort. There exists an astonishing and
gratifying thirst for religious reading;
within a few days, seven or eight hundred
dollars have been contributed for reliyious
journals, Bibles and hymn books. There
is a sad destitution among them for want
of Bibles and Testaments, and I now write
to beg the friends most interested to make
such contributions as they may have at
home, of small size Bibles and Testaments,
and send them to you in Alacon, that they
may be concentrated, and 1 am sure jou
will box and forward them to my address,
and I will see th t they are distributed.—
Many idle copies are to be found, and
though they have been used, the precious
Truth >lll only be ende-ired to the soldier
the more, by having been read by “loved
ones ” at home.
This is one of the largest brigades in the
service, and Georgia has just reason to be
proud of it as a body of troops who, on ev
ery occasion when their valor has been tried,
have proven equal to the contest. Lend
them your aid to become valiant soldiers
of the Cross.
Geo. F. Cooper,
Sr. Surg. Brig.
To Soldiers Families in the Co.needer
act. —The subscriber offers three hundred
tierces of fresh beaten Rice, by the single
tierce, to the families of soldiers in actual
service, or those who died in the military
service of the Confederate States, at ten
i cents per pound.
Applicants, whether by person or letter,
must furnish evidence of their claim in
I writing, from some person known to, or
certified by, undoubt'd authority.
If money be sent by check, the Rice will
I be shipped according to instructions, dray
age alone being added, arid the surplus
j change will be transmitted in the same
manner. G. B. Lamar,
Savannah, Ga.
Papers will serve the soldiers by
giving the above a few insertions.
I A New Idea— Cotton Cards.— We are
informed that there is a farmer in Wash
ington county, x* ho spins his cotton filling
w ithout the aid of cards. The process is
simple. He goes to the ginhouse or lint
room, puts the light flakes of cotton ginned
into a basket, not packed, carries it to the
spinning wheel, and the thread is made with
rapidity. With a little practice, more
thread can be made in a day than with the
aid of <otton cards. It kerseys are desired
to be made, put cow hair into the gin with
the seed cotton, and it will be thrown into
the lint room nicely mixed. The same
process as above will give him the fil!fr>g
i he desires. Will our farmers practice upon
, the important idea thrown out ?
NO. 25.