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BY DAYTON, ELLS & CO. VOLUME IV. gaptfet ||Uwr, DEVOTED TO RELIGION AND LITERATURE, Is published every Saturday, at Atlanta, Georgia, at the subscription price of five dollars per year. DAYTON, ELLS & CO., Proprietors. A. C. DAYTON. JAS. N. ELLS. §. D. NILES PRETTY_BTANZAS. Leaf by leaf the roses fall, Drop by drop the springs run dry ; One by one beyond recall, Summer beauties fade and die ; But the roses bloom again, And the spring will blush anew, In the pleasant April rain And the summer sun and dew. So in hours of deepest gloom, When the springs of gladness fail, And the roses in their bloom Droop like maidens wan and pale, We shall lind some hope that lies, Like a silent gem apart, Hidden far from careless eye In the garden of the heart; Some sweet hope to gladness wed, That will spring afresh and new. When grief’s winter shall have fled, Giving place to rain and dew— # Some sweet hope that breaths of spring Through the weary, weary time, Budding for its blossoming, In the spirit’s glorious clime. THE LADIES’ COLUMN. [For The Baptist Banner.] Letter from Aunt Edith. Dear brother Dayton:— ft was with no small degree of pleasure that I saw some time ago, your name, announced in the col umns of The Hanner as co editor of the pa per. Permit me to extend to you a thrice hearty welcome, coupled with the earnest , desire that health and strength may be giv- , en you commensurate with your zeal, so . that under your fostering care, and the ju- , dicious management of our energetic broth er Ells, The Banner may not only thrive and grow, but may long live to spread its truth bearing pennons to the breeze. My , great interest in the paper is my only ex cuse for this intrusion. When 1 think of the many homes cheered by the visits of } the Banner— how soldiers in the] tent, , camp, and hospital, hail its coming with ] pleasure, ami what an incalculable amount of , good it may do in its silent unobtrusive way, I feel what an important messenger for the t Master is this paper, and how necessary it ( should always bear upon its front the pure j unadulterated truth of His word. God grant , it may never swerve from the truth, nor j compromise with error. ( The times with us, now, are exceedingly t gloomy in more ways than oile, at least to , some parts of the community. There are , those whose patriotism runs so low, to say , nothing of their professed Christianity, that they would engage in levity and pleasure . seeking if Augusta was one scene of confla gration from Yankee torches, and their own homes and firesides actually in reach of their direst enemies. It is trying to see the national horizon of our loved country so dark and lowering ; but it is a source of much deeper sorrow to the humble child of God, to see the professed followers of de sus, yielding to the pressure and becoming more and more conformed to the spirit of' the world. It is a hard matter now to lay hard upon, or point to the Christian whose garments are unspotted, or whose con science is void of offence. A love of amuse ment cloaked up under the desire to bene fit the soldier, is making shipwreck of the faith of numbers: while the love of gain ' has become so intermingled with the very breath of those calling themselves Christi ans, that it is impossible to draw’ an idea out of them upon any other subject. The Bible, social prayermeetings, the cause of Christ, are all entirely forgotten. I was considerably struck by a remark in the late Index, from the pen of the j learned and spicy correspondent, ‘Semei.’ ] Speaking of the prevailing speculation and extortion and the approaching fast day, he' says: “The prompt excommunication of soine ten thousand church members for those ’rank offences which smell to heaven’ would rekindle my hope that God would incline His ear to the voice of our suppli cations. I doubt whether anything short of it would or should." Were the churches, to commence and chastise their members for participating in these gross sins, where | would the discipline begin and where end'? j Could it be done you might in some ca-j S os with a few exceptions probably, annihi-. late whole churches so extensively do, these sins prevail from pastor to people. j W hat a deplorable state of affairs; and with what a pitying eye can we conceive ofj the Saviour’s looking down upon His flock ! iust now ! The people of God are the salt of the earth, but if the salt has lost its savor wherewith shall the earth be salted ? If the blessin*’ upon our nation depends in a meas ure upon the tailhtulnessof His people, how ? on g will that blessing be delayed? We have not reached the right point of hunul iation vet. e need not one day, but days of tasting and prayer 'hen not a tew, but the whole number of professing Chris tians should humble themsehes as it were in sackcloth and ashes before God. Not until then, and until true reformation fol lows prayer and fasting, can we expect Uod to listen to the voice of our supplications. THE BAPTIST BANNER I heartily agree with the foresaid author in his sterling view’s upon the subject, and must confess last “fast-day” was one in which my interest was considerably lessen ed. You will probably not wonder at it, brother Dayton, when I tell you that on the night before, our meeting house was the scene of a concert for the benefit of the sol diers, the seats crowded to overflowing— while fast-day found only five of us assem bled for prayermeeting —and that in view of the stage and piano which has never been removed. Is God well pleased with such? Is a church a proper place for a concert? . Yours &c., AUNT EDITH. How to Choose a Husband. —Girls, when you see a young man who would take a wile for the value of herself, for the beau ties of her mind, purity of heart, and not for the dazzle of wealth, that man will make a good husband ; for his affection will never lessen, and years will but serve to strength en his attachment, and open new fountains in the heart, which shall murmur sweetly on the ocean of happiness. When you see a young man who is tender and affectionate, and endowed with happy intellect, no mat ter what his circumstances in life are, is really worth winning; take him who can, girls, for he will make a good husband. THE CHILDRENS COLUMN. A STORY FOR BOYS. Business called me to the United States Land Office. While there, a lad apparently 16 or 17 years of age, came in and present ed a certificate of 40 acres of land. I was struck with the countenance and general appearance of the lad, and inquired of him for whorii he was purchasing the land. The reply was : “ For myself, sir !” I then inquired where he had got the money. He answered : “ 1 earned it !” Feeling then an increased desire to know something more about this lad, I asked him w hether he had any parents and where they lived. At the question he took a seat and gave the following narrative: “ I am from New State. 1 have there living a father, rmnher, and five broth ers and sisters. 1 am the oldest child. — Father is a drinking man, and often would return from his day’s work dt’unk. Find ing father would not abstain from liquor, I resolved to make an effort, in some way, to relieve mother, sisters, and brothers from want. After revolving things over in my mind, and consulting w ith mother, I got all the information I could about the Far West. I started from home for Wisconsin with ten shillings in my pocket. I left home on foot. After spending my ten shillings, 1 worked my way to Wisconsin, where 1 got an axe and set to work, cleared land, earned mon ey ; saving it until I gathered fifty dollars, with it now pay for forty acres of land.” “ Well, my good lad (for by this time J became interested in him) what are you going to do with your land ?” “ I will work on it, build me a log house, and when prepared, will invite father and mother, brothers and sisters, to come and enjoy this home. The land I desire for my mother, which will secure her from want in her declining years.” “ And w hat, will you do with your father if he continues to drink ardent spirits to excess.” “ < >h, sir. when we get him on a farm,he w ill feel at home ; h • w ill be happy at home and become a sober man.” 1 then replied —“ Young man, those be ing your principles so young, I recommend you to improve upon them, and the bless ings of God will attend you.” By this time the receiver handed him I the duplicate receipt for his forty acres of , land. Rising from his seat on leaving the I office he said : “ At last I have a home for my mother.” <’liri*t Loie«l Hi* Mother. The last thing 1 have to say about the character of Jesus Christ is, He loved His mother. The Saviour was nailed to the cross; the whole weight of His body was suspended from His lacerated limbs; and < here He had to hang, hour after hour, till life actually sunk under the power of suffer-1 'ing; but even here He did-not forget His mother. He gave, in the most touching manner possible, 11 is dearest friend a charge to be kind to her, to protect her, to take care of her as long as she should live. He did this, however, almost by a word; for under such circumstances, it was torture to speak. “Behold thy mother.” That was all ; but it was enough. Now let me ask each one of my readers, whether young or old, who has a mother still in life, as you shut this book at the close of this paper, to go and devise some act ot kindness and af fection for her in imitation of the d} ing ex ample which the Saviour set us. Exen it it is bo very substantial act of kindness, it w ill bring gladness to the heart, as a me morial of your kindness and affection. , 1 Remember noir thy Creator, children. A JfSSWSPABBB. ATLANTA, GA., SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 5, 1863. HIS BANNER OVER US IS LOVE. The Blind Boy. It was a summer evening, and the air mild, as I strayed through the wood. Sud denly I espied reclining at the foot of a tree two little children—one was blind. “Sister, do you see that little bird that sings so sweetly, and is it as pretty as its song?” “ Y r es, it is on yonder tree.” “Sister, I wish that I could see. How pretty are the flowers and green leaves on the trees, and those birds to one who sees; yet I can smell the flowers, and can feel the shade of the green leaf, and hear the birds singing that God has made ; but tell me sister, are there any blind in heaven?” “No, dearj brother, there all see; but why ask that?” “Sister, He’s so good to me, I thought I’d like to look at God.” Do you ever think, dear children, of the blessed privileges you enjoy from day to day? You are permitted to see the beau tiful sun that rules by day and the moon and stars by night, and this world, beauti-j ful and adorned by the hand of God, and I ten thousand other things which could be| mentioned. Do you thank God for all. these blessings ? Come to Him as blind Bartemus did, and cry, “Jesus, thou Son of David, have mercy on me.” And if any shall charge thee to hold thy peace, only cry the more J “ Thou Son of David, have mercy on me.” I Jesus will stand still and command you to be called, and they will call you, saying. “Be of good comb n. r's.-, Hecalleth thee;” and may you rise, and casting away your garments of sin, “come to Jesus, ’ and when He asks you, “what wilt thou that I should do unto thee?” say as the blind man did, “Lord, that I may receive my sight.” And may you hear it said, “Go thy way ; thy faith hath made thee whole.” J"” 111 .., 11 ■ An AfTectitig Scene. Ihe Rebel gives the following affecting description of the first intimation given to! i • • P fe> I the citizens of Chattanooga of the presence j of the enemy on the 2 t ultimo : “ One of the most i *ssive scenes we , have ever witnessed,*occurred in the Pres ! byterian church on yesterday. The ser vices were being held Rev. Dr. Pal mer, of* New Orleans, aim the pews and aisles were crowded with officers and sol diers, private citizens, ladies and children. A prayer had been said, and one of the hymns sung. The organist was absent—| “and I will be thankful,” continued the min ister, “if some one in the congregation will raise the tune.” The tune was raised ; the whole congregation joined in singing, as in days gone by ; the sacred notes rose in humble melody from the house of God, swelling their holy tribute to His glory, and dying away at last like echoes of departed days ; the second, or w hat is known as the long prayer, was begun, when out upon the calm, still air, there came an alien sound— the sullen voice of an hostile gun—ringing from the north bank of the river, and echo ing back and back among the far off glens of Lookout Peak. It was sudden; it took every one by surprise; for few, if any, ex pected the approach of an enemy. The day was one of fasting and prayer; the public mind was upon its worship. Its se renity had not been crossed by a shadow. And it was not until another and another of these unchristian accents trembled on the air, and hied themselves away to the hills, that it was generally realized that the enemy were shelling the town. Without a word of warning, in the midst of church service, while many thousands ot men and women thronged the several pla ces of public worship, the basest of human foemen had begun an attack upon a city crowded with hospitals, arid refugees from the bloody pathway of their march, and in no wise essential to a direct assault. There was a little disturbance in the gal leries; the noise in the streets grew louder. Near the door, several persons, who had other duties, military or domestic, hastily 'withdrew; the mass of the congregation, ! however, remained in their places, and the I man of God continued his praxer. It was impressive in the extreme. There he stood, this exile preacher from the far South, with eyes and hands raised to Heaven, not a muscle or expression changed, not a note altered, not a sign of confusion, excitement, or alarm, naught but the calm, Christian I face uplifted and full of the unconscious ! ness to all save its devotions, which beam from the soul of true piety. Not onlv the occasion. J>ut the prayer, was solemnlx. el oquently impressive. The reverend' doc tor prayed, and his heart was in in his pray ' er, it was the long prayer, and he did not shorten it; he prayed it to the end, and the ' cannon did not drown it from those who listened, as they could not drow n it from the ear ot God. He closed, and then, without panic or consternation, although excited and contused, the dense crowd - p arated. whilst shells were falling upon the right and left. Al! honor to the noble preacher, and to . those brave women and children.” That virtue which depends on opinion, looks to secrecy alone, and could not be trusted in a desert. 1 I AM JWEARY. I am weary, very xveary, Anguish presses on my brow, And the road I tread is dreary, ‘ As a burning desert now; I am but a homeless stranger, Travelling through a land of foes, Every step is rife with danger, Every joy a fount of woes. I am weaiy in the morning, And at night I know no rest; Weary while the day is dawning, Weary when it seeks the west; . Bowed with grief and worn with travel, Tired with bickerings and strife ; Still I linger to unravel, All the tangled web of life. | lam weary of the fleeting Smiles that flattery bestows; Weary ot the friendly greeting, Os the ones I know are, foes: Weary of the false pretensions Os the purse-proud and the great; Tired of all the mean dimensions, That encounter pomp and state. I am weary, but the battle Is not for the strong alone; j Men are not like herds of cattle, Driven to some dread unknown : Man’s founts of love are bubbling, In the regions of the blest: j “ Where the wicked cease from troubling, And the weary are at rest.’ 4 [For The Baptist Banner.] Luther and Lutheranism. Ou the 10th of November, in the year ' 1483, was born in Eiselben, in Saxony, a child who was destined to play one of the most important parts ever performed by men in the drama of the world’s affairs; and seldom has it been the case that such eminence has been gained from a lower starting point—that such mighty results have proceeded from so lowly a cause. Martin Luther was the son ofa miner, poor, I and occupying but a small place in the pic ture 1 hat represented the events ot the times; and but for the fact of having been the parents of one who gained such world wide distinction, the names of John Luther and ' Margaret Lindeman would, in all probabil | ity, have never I een transcribed by the ; pen of the historian. This, however, is only j one of many instances in xVhich God has chosen the weak things of the w orld tocon ■ found the mighty; indeed,in carrying out His designs in regard to the race of mat), “not many wise men after the flesh, not many I mighty, not many noble” are called to the work ; and however learned and powerful I and influential men become in acting the parts assigned them, they nevertheless give I abundant evidence that perfection pertains not to humanity in its fallen state. So Martin Luther, mighty in intellect, in learn ing, in the control which he exerted over ■ the minds of men, gave unmistakable evi dence of the weakness of human nature, and failed when he attempted to do more than j the work providentially assigned him. No! bolder man probably ever lived, and no i one was ever more sincere and devoted to ! the convictions of what he deemed right.—; Born and reared in the faith of the church of Rome, he elung to it until forced to leave : it, under the persuasion that it was wrong in doctrine and practice; and to this con-| viction he did not come until, abandoning j the theology of the times, made up of the writings of the fathers, the decretals of the popes anil the decisions of councils, he de termined to “ prove all things” by the in spired Scriptures and although he failed in ! some things in the application of the rule yet he inaugurated and successfully conduct ed a reformation that changed the phase of the religious and political world. Compelled, as are, to pass over a great deal that is interesting in the life of the Reformer, it is sufficient to our purpose to: say that, contrary to the wishes and thestern disapproval of his father, he determined to devote himself to a monastic life, and in | his twenty-tfiird year, entered a monastery at Erfurth, of the order of Augustine. He at once began a course of rigid bodily mor tification ; fasting for days together, medi tation and prayer, self inflicted scourg ings, and wearing of hair shirts ; submitted to be employed in the lowest employments —sweeping the floors, winding up the clock, and with a bag begging through the town for provisions f>r the monastery. But all this brought not to him the peace of mind which he desired. There was ‘‘an aching void within,” “a fearful looking for of judg ment,” a continued longing for something j which God alone can give, and which He has promised to give only in His own ap pointed way. In due time Luther was ar-, darned a priest, soon after which the first rav of light seems to have dawned upon his rnind bv reading in the Library from a Latin Bible, that “the just shall live by faith.’ This passage of Scripture seems to have made a most rernarkable impression on him, and to have had a controlling impression on all his future life. In the discharge of his duties as a priest, a part of his business was to receive the confessions of penitents and grant them absolution; and here in the < < infessional. was performed his first act which seems as an entering w edge forever to separate him from the church ofhis early love. At this time the Papal chair wa", oc cupied bv a remarkable man. Leo 10th was in many respects a worthy prince, and considered as a temporal ruler will bear a very favorable comparison with many of the dignitaries of State. Indeed he very 'far exceeded in talent and amiable qualities a great many who have been less abused; and to the times in which he lived, and the position which he occupied must be ascrib ed the follies and views of which he was guilty. He was a munificent patron of the fine arts, encouraged learning in all its branches, lived insplendorand gave himself up to carnal ease and pleasure. But he was not cruel nor habitually tyranical, and whatever of injustice may have stained his character is to be attributed rather to a want ot self-control and the influence of his counsellors, than to a constitutionally wick-1 ed proclivity. But it required money in large sums to sustain his munificent style of living and acting ; and in an evil hour for the papacy he adopted a plea for raising funds that resulted in disastrous consequen ces to the Romish church. Pope Urban 2d, in the eleventh century, had originated the scheme of granting letters of “ indul gence” to any who would make a pilgrim age to Rome, by which vast numbers were induced to flock to the “Holy City,” and by this means greatly increased its trade and augmented its revenue. Afterw’ards an “indulgence,” or the remission of the penal ty due to crime, was granted to all who, remaining at home, would pay a certain amount of money for religious purposes. — To this scheme then Leo had recousre to meet the wants of an empty treasury, and the contract for the “ sins of the Germans” was farmed out to Albert, archbishop of Mentz who employed as his chief agent to carry out the work, John Fetzel, a monk of the order of St. Dominie. Luther, in the confessional, refused to receive these letters, denounced the w hole scheme, and refused to grant absolution to the’penitents. These latter complained to Fetzel, who in his turn denounced Luther and threatened him with inquisition, and thus commenced a contest which shook all Europe, and re sulted finally in the organization all over I the world of the different bodies of Chris tians, known in the aggregate as “ Protest ants” —a name which has outlived the circumstances which called it into being, and which has now' but little significancy. Let it not be supposed, however, that this great event was suddenly brought about. I At the outset it was no part of Luther’s intention to separate from the church of: Rome, or to even weaken her power. The abuses of the church he regarded as the wickedness of certain individuals, and ar dently hoped to see them corrected. It was by slow degrees that he progressed to the point which he ultimately occupied, which was really not that of a reformer, remaining in the church and trying to extirpate its errors; but as the prime mover ofa new ; organization, in open and defiant hostility to the one which he abandoned. And this is ; most generally, if not uniformly, the effect of any movement of the kind. Neither churches nor governments can be reformed w hen they become corrupt. No man will be allowed to remain in any church or state I establishment, if, in opposition to the set tled policy, he meets with any considerable degree of success. The officials of the es ! tablishment will cry out against him, and all its power will be aroused to crush him ; and the reformers are doomed, unless they can succeed in unsettling, overturning, and reorganizing things upon a new basis.— Reformation of an ancient order of things, a peacable secession therefrom, can only be ■ accomplished where the government, civil |or religious, has become too w eak to at tempt its prevention; and a happy thing I for humanity it is, that weakness is gener ally the consequent of corruption. After repeated efforts in various ways; I had been tried to effect a reconciliation,! Luther, in due time, was declared a ‘heretic;’ i his writings were ordered to be burnt, and a sentence of excommunication was passed against him. All persons were forbidden! to harbor or in any way give countenance* to him. Luther in turn burnt the Pope’s Bull, set the power of Rome at defiance,' and henceforth it was war to the knife be tween him and his enemies. But such was the hold which his doctrines had taken up on the hearts of the people that Pope, car- ( dinals, monks and laity, backed by the Emperor, Charles sth, and all the power of , ithe secular arm, could not harm him. All i over Germany nobles and people rose up to defend him, and into France and Switz erland and other countries the reformation j penetrated. To the elector I' rederick of Saxony, was he particularly indebted for his refusal to deliver him up to the power of Rome; and thus he continued at Wittem- , burg with Melancthon and others, dispens ■ing the lijzht of the word of God to the people. lie was summoned to Augsburg! to answer to the Papal Nuncio. He obey ed the summons, but to the confusion of the Legate. He was ordered to Worms b> the Emperor, who w as holding a diet at the city, and w hen dissuaded by friends and enemies, from different motives, from jtoing there, he made the memorable answer—“ Though there were as many devils in Worms as there are tiles on the roofs of the houses, I will go.” To the most indomitable courage this extraordinary man united 3 most remarka ble faith. In the darkest hours of trial to himself and dismay to his friends, his con fidence in God was unshaken. He always maintained that his cause was the cause ot TERMS— Five Dollars a-year. ; | Christ, and that Chriig; would not suffer it to fail. Let Luther be degraded and de- - stroyed, yet the truth would survive, and J that was all he desired. i And yet, after all, this wonderful man— s with all his talents, his activity, his zeal, his courage, his faith—was but a man, and i possessed of the fallible weakness which is inherent in human nature; and he who had been raised up to break the seal which priestly craft had imposed upon the word of God, failed himself in some particulars to read aright that word. He who struck the sceptre from the hand of priestly pow er, was to some extent disposed to wield that sceptre over the consciences of men. He would probably not have done so if he had lived in this our day and this our land ot civil and religious rights. But he lived in a dark age and in a country where the people were subordinate to the rulers.— Kings ruled by “Divine right” and sub jects had only the privilege of obeying, and the favor which he received from the migh ty ones of earth was, in many instances, because they considered their prerogatives invaded by the demands of a foreign pow er. They had very little idea of the rights ot the common people. Permissive jtriv ileges they might allow them, but rights were the peculiar terms of the arristocracy. It is not possible for a man to bound at a single leap from the bottom of a valley to the top of a mountain. So Luther could not emerge from the darkness which shrouded his low estate, and attain at once to the full light of Truth. Hence he could «ithout compunction, in the day of his pros perity, remove Carlstadt from his charge at Orlamond. And one of the finest charac ters in all history, Ulric Zrairgle of Switzer land, who in the day of Luther’s humilia tion had courageously defended him, was afterward repudiated because Luther could not convince him of the “real presence” in the Eucharist—a part of the reformer’s doctrine which we believe is now repudia ted by those who call themselves after his name. There is something unaccountably surprising in Luther’s notions on this sub ject. How he could have retained and maintained so persistently this “tradition of men,” is to be attributed to th« f 11,11 few men are in a completely normal state; and however wise and great one may be, there can always be found a “screw loose” somewhere in his mental machinery. Sin has infected the wholq naan, body, soul, mind and spirit; and though the defect may be long concealed, it will lie seen when the circumstances are favorable to its develop ment. On neither of the “sacraments” as he called them, Baptism and the Lord’s Sup per, was his mind clear nor his views scrip tural. In regard to Christian baptism he understood not the action, design, nor sub ject of the ordinance. And this is the more surprising in the fact that there are so many others involved with him in the same ob liquity of perception. “He that believetli and is baptized shall be saved,” is a state ment so pellucidly simple that the weakest intellect ought to apprehend it; and yet, a more profound mystery does not envelope any question in religious themes. How, or by what means is one to be saved?— And thus it is that many perish from thirst on the shore, while, the tide of spiritual waters roll by. How hard it is for men to come to the knowledge of the truth as it is in Jesus, whilst that knowledge is so easily accessi jble! FAG INSUL. Meeting ol'Baplisl AfcNocialions. SEPTEMBER. Hepzibah—Saturday before 2d Sabbath, Hepzibah. Stone Mountain —Saturday before 2d Sabbath, b anners. Rehoboth —Saturday before 3d Sabbath, Union church. Baptist Middle—Saturday before 4th Sabbath, Douglass Branch church. Col uin bus—Saturday before 41 h Sabbath, Cusseta. Flint River —Saturday before 4th Sab bath, Antioch church. Sarepta—Saturday before Ith Sabbath, Milestone. “* Washington —Saturday before Ith Sab bath, Powelton. Ebenezer —Friday before 4th Sabbath, Poplar church. Appalachee—Saturday before 3d Sab bath in September, Clark county. OCTOBER. Georgia—Saturday before 2d Sabbath, Damascus. Coosa—Saturday before 2d Sabbath — Poplar Springs, Chattooga county. Piedmont —Saturday before 2d Sabbath, Bethel church. Ostanauia—Saturday before the 3d Sab bath, Armuchee. NOVEMBER. Bethel—Saturday before Ist Sabbath, Americus. Sunbury—Saturday before 2d Sabbath. Savannah. ——- Elder William McNutt, of Cleveland, i an authorized agent of The Banner. NUMBER 42.