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About The Baptist banner. (Atlanta, Ga.) 186?-1??? | View Entire Issue (Nov. 14, 1863)
Qtyt baptist sw., • The entrance of Thy Word giveth light' -«rr^uA, -- - ■ ■ -■■ ■ .mm A. 0. DAYTON, Editor. JAS. N. ELLS, Secular Editor. SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 14,1863. Our Platform. 1. None but those who make a credible pro fession of faith in Christ should be baptized. 2. None are really baptized except those who are immersed upon a profession of their faith in Christ. 8. None can properly be members of the church of Christ, except they have been bap tized. 4. None can properly be ministers of Christ who are not members of the church of Christ. 5 Non-afflliation with those who refuse to obey Christ in these things—with those who re fuse to walk according to the Divine rule. 6. We shall insist upon Baptists procuring what they hold and teach. To die Readers of The Banner. We present you, to-day, the first number of the fifth volume of The Baptist Banner. Os the future policy of the paper we shall merely say, that we shall endeavor to ad vocate not only the cardinal doctrines of Christianity, but also the distinctive prin ciples of the Baptist denomination. If we differ from any of our readers, or oppose anything we may conceive to be error, it shall be our aim to do so in a Christlike manner as we may find grace to help us.— Our columns shall continue open for the use of all who desire to discuss any religious topic in a courteous manner and with Christian intent. In appealing to you for the continuance of your patronage and your aid fur an ex tension of circulation, we urge no claims beyond those already held by the paper. It is a Christian journal intended to chroni cle all events of interest among Baptists, to reflect their sentiments, and defend their peculiarities, as well as to afford literary amusement and instruction to their families. We hope to maintain its rank among jour nals of similar character ; and if we meet your views of what such a paper should be, we shall expect your patronage and favor from our common interest in truth and usefulness. Meanwhile, permit us fraternally to ask you to assist us by your pens, your coun sels and your prayers, that we may be en abled to send forth weekly a paper that shall be welcome at your homes and useful to the Master’s cause. We shall commence, in the next number, the publication of an original Story, from the pen of an accomplished Christian lady of Mississippi. Those subscribers who may find a cross mark, X, upon their paper will know that their subscriptions have expired. Send on the money if you wish to read our paper. Contcnt'on among Christian*. It is right tor Chri.-ciana to contend. It is their most Imperative duty to contend. They are not merely to contend, but they ure to contend earn«stL. The wo dos God commands it. The txarrple of the apostles requires it. They had, ihematlves, no •mall contention with those who sought to lu n •side the early converts from the'putlty of their iirst faith and practice, and they enjoined it on us who should come af.cr them to contend earnestly for the faith once delivered to the saint#. will it do to say that this contention must be limited to the outside people. Paul and Baraabas contended at Antioch with those who were; like thetn.-elv s, inemb<.rs and ministers of the churches. Paul contended with Peter, and rebuked him very •harply. The necessity fur cornea.ion is all the greater when members and ministers go wrong. The sin is then most grievous to neglect or refuse to contend. The error come easily in when mini ters lead it by the hand. We must contend when they embrace it themselves; contend more earnest ly whrn they preach it to others; aud more earn estly still, when they seem like to bring it mto, and engraft i upon, the chore hes. I love a contentious man, when he contends not for the love of conten tion, but for the love of truth. Give me a good contender for the filth. He has heart in him. He is alive. He loves the ordinances and the order of God’s house, and cannot bear to see them touched by the sacrilegious hand of innovation. Beetles “ stand back and leave the church as Christ ordain ed it.’’ But what if toey will not —must he close his mouth for the kike of peace ? Must he seal his lip»lest he be called a disturber of Israel ? Oh, to. Let him only cry out the more lustily, contend the more earnestly, and if u en will make changes or perpetuate them when made. Il will not be his fault. The watchman must blow his trumpet of alarm, even though be knows the people wilt not heed But let him be careful that he has something to contend about Let him not cry wolf when no wolf is mar. Let him not fancy his own dreams are words of God. Let him be sure he is right, and then contend earnestly, contend always, aud to the vary last. K c B THE BAPTIST BANNER. AntJnomfanlsm. i It is probable that many of our younger readers, I not wanting in general knowledge, have yet a very I indefinite notion of the meaning of this word. They I have heard it as a term of reproach cast upon cer- I tain persons or sects, but why it is applied to them ■ they do not understand. It la a word that in former days was in great use, j and even now is much employed by some minls j ters, in their discourses; and it Is important to have ! accurate ideas of its sense. I The Roman Catholics, and some others, have held that salvation is to be secured by good works. The ▲ntinomians went to the opposite extreme, and held that the believer has nothing to do with good works; that he not only was not saved by them, or on account of them, but might be saved without them. In other words, they taught that under the Gospel we have no use for the law, even as a rule of conduct; and Christians, not being under the law, can not be held guilty for any violation of it. The} expected to be saved, equally, whethe*they lived in open disregard of it, or gave heed to its require ments. Both the extremes are avoided by those who hold the truth, and that is, that although we are not saved by our works, or for our works, yet true faith always produces good works; and hence, no one is saved without them. Good works, though they are in no degree the grou’d of salvation, are the neces sary evidence that we are in a state of salvation.— Though we are not under the law, e.s a covenant of works, yet we are under it as a rule of life. Though we are free from its condemnation, we are not free from its obligation. The Antiuomlan sect arose in England about the year 1538, with one John Agricola, but his views were much more moderate than some of his succes sors who taught that the elect could commit no sin, do what they might, and that nothing they could do would iu any way aff<ct their eternal condition. 'I he Primitive Baptists and Old-School Presbyte rians have sometimes been called Antinomians, not because they believe and teach such monstrous doc trines, but because they hold certain opinions which, their accusers assert, lead by natural and necessary inference to such conclusions; though, for them selves, they protest against such conclusions. A. c. i>. Tlie Self Contradiction* of Error. Truth is ever consistent with itself. It teaches, ■ all the time, the same things. If it ever seems to disagree with itself, it is only in semblance, not in fact. But when one falls into error upon one point, while he is right upon others, he will be almost sure sometimes, inadveru ntly, to admit the truth sf what he denies aud opposes. Hence it is that it is so easy to prove immersion and believers’ baptism, by admissions of Pedobaptists. When they write on these subjects, they may deny, but incidentally, while speaking of other things, they admit, and prove, that we are right and they are wrong; or ra ther, they admit and prove such things as necessarily show us to be right, and them to be wrong. There are numerous illustrations of this fact in the writings of certain great and good men, on Slavery, and on the doctrines of Grace. For example: Dr. Adam Clark, the great Methodist commentator, furnishes several specimens of both kinds. When ne give-, the opinions of Dr. Clark, he is intensely anti-sla very, and Armenian. When he tells the meaning of the words of the Holy B >ok of God, he is as strong a pro-slavery man as one could desire, and as good a teacher of election aud predestination as can be found. a. o. d. The War un<l Clirblian Duty. When unconverted men devote their influence, their substance, and their lives, to advance their country’s <ause, they do all that men can do; but it is the province ol Christians, having done all that men can do, to also bring to their country’s aid all that God caa do. To Christians Jesus has taid, ‘ Whatsoever ye ask of the Father in my name he I will give it you.’ That this effects the public mind, w« need no surer testimony than that those of our leaders who arc distinguished for their piety are also honored by the enthusiastic regard of their follow ers and the admiration of their countrymen. That It is a principle iu the Divine government, is alrea dy eviuced by the Providential successes which have uttt nded our leader* in the cabinet aud field, in which tho>e most eminent for piety arc also most distinguished for good fortune. We do ..ot, however, pretend tb assert that the event of every battle, or even of every war, will al ways bear exact proportion either to the Justice of I the cause, or the virtue and piety of those who arc engaged, History of.en exhibits another event In many wars the sufferers have been perrons of the most excellent, and the victors of the most hateful, characters. In many, truth and Christianity have been apparently vunquUhcd. Yet w*fio affirm that there is no just ground to form au expectation ol success and prosperity in public affairs unless piety and tirtue be our earnest concern, and God be on our side. Let Christians continue to devote not only their fortunes aud their lives, but also theirl prayers, to their country ! 1 Through the abundant goodness of the Great God, thacouncils and labors of our leaders iu this revo lution have been eminently successful. That the ' : facts of their succe-» should str.ke our attention and give u# pleasure, is by no means unnatural.— That we should often make them the theme of our' conversation, i nd find ourselves glory it g in them as ralljing wurds^ which render us bu yant of our j final success, is what we might expect of human na-1 tare. But there is danger that, having caught our : enemies iu our net, and gathered them in our drag,' we may fall into the impiety of sacrificing to our I net and burning incense to our drag. Tobe »uns it is phasant to contemplate our braves In triumph, and to encourage our hopes by the apparent righteousness of our cause; but it i»' I for evil to fall into forgetiulness of God, and enter- ‘ tain a proud confidence In ourselves. Let us, there- i tore, remember that ‘pride goes before destruction.! and a haughty spirit before a fall;’ nor let it be eve r I forgotten that Pharaoh was on the verge of disgrace and ruin when be said, * I will pursue ; I will over- 1 take ; I will divide the spoil I’ The War According to the last Federal papers re ceived there is to be a general advance of; the Federate on all sides. There is to be an advance against Bragg. Grant or some body else is to advance against Johnston . Meade is to advance on Lee. The corn-, mander at Charleston is to do “ big things”! in that section. And Banks is to take Tex j as. Never, according to the veracious Federal organs, was the prospect of crush ing the rebellion so bright. We are to be pressed up into a small space and annihila-i i ted before the first of December. ‘ Uncle Dabney and the Theatre. We have been permitted to publish the following letter from the Rev. Dabney P. Jones—a name well known to the friends of Reform throughout Geor gia-addressed to the Mayor of our city. The very sensible vieas (xpreseed therein need no comment; they will meet a hearty response in the mind of every Christian reader: PALMETTO, Ga., Nov. 6.1868. Coi.. Calhouw : Jfy Friend —l have not been an indiffer ent reader of the matter of some sparring between you and the Intelligencer; and suffer me to say, from our long acquain tance, and my admiration of your moral character, you never done an act in your life more in consonance with my feelings than the act of your closing the Theatre, j and suffer me to say, you have the appro bation, I have no doubt, of what few pious people there are in the land ; unfortunately for our bleeding country, these are largely in the minority. Though our cause is just -—our great struggle for Independence— yet God cannot look upon the sins and profli gacy of our Southern people with allow ance. I have no doubt that, if our people universally would humble themselves, this war would soon e»d. But to say nothing of the worshipers, of mammon, overreaching, drunkenness, profanity, debauchery, tec., in our midst, L will come back to the Theatre. There is, in my opinion, no institution more unfriendly to morals, to say nothing of re ligion. 1 tell you again, sir, if we succeed in our great struggle, God must help; in this view lam strengthened. Great God 1 is it a time to dance ?—to attend theatres, where deafening cheers (I never was in one) and roars of laughter are going on, while ouf country bleeds at a thousand pores?— Why, sir, I have learned that, on nights when the theatre is going on in your city, vacant benches meet the eyes of the few who meet to pray at church. Where are the professors of religion? Echo says—at the Theatre 1 Is it a time for mirth and foolishness, when the breeze from every battle field wafts the news of so many sons, fathers, and husbands falling in the battle, and echo catches the sound of the wails and cries of widows and orphans, and heart broken mothers, and carries it back to the slain ones in their graves, if they have any, and essays to penetrate their ears, cold in death, with sad lamentation ? But, dear friend, I merely sat to inform you that one humble individual sustains and admires you for “your noble stand in regard to the theatre. It is certainly none of the best signs of the times that public journals puff these places, so deleterious, a? I think, to public morals and vital piety. As yet, your friend, DABNEY P. JONEB. P. S.—Yes, sir, go to the battle field laskI — ask the soldiers whose eyes are becoming dim in death!— go to our hospitals, and hear the groans of the sufferer, while he suffers amputation, and ask him what he thinks of balls and theatres ! His physical sufferings and the salvation of his soul would make him say, “ No room for mirth or tri fling here.” D. P. J. BANNER OFFICE, Atlanta, i November 12, 1863. j William Davis, Rich Mountain, Ga.: Dear Sir— Yours, complaining that The Banner does not come to you regularly, has just been received. Let me say that it is mailed to the above address, every Friday afternoon, to my certain knowledge therefore the fault of its non-reception can not be charged to us. At the bottom of your letter, which came unsealed, is written (by some candidate for Perdition) these words: Do So you » Darned Rascle and Rouge as all of Christ Edetorsi It nffcy be that your paper is regularly I purloined or maliciously withheld by this anonymous official in the postal service | whose orthography, no less than his morals, seems to have been sadly neglected; for I you will find it to’ be true, generally, that he who will violate one of God’s command j ments will not scruple to break another. Youra, respectfully, JAB. N. JELLS ( _ WT* 1 W - Their Names. j As a matter of reference, we place upon record the names of the Aidermen of Atlanta, who recom mended the granting of a license for the re opting of the Theatre la oar midst. Here they are; Perino Brown, James E. Gullatt, James E. Kelley £ r j ?x*seen J. E Williams. Make a note. The Issue Made. The proprietor of the ‘Athensnm’ (a m o <i eßt name for Theatre) building, has been announced I in the daily papers m a candidate for Mayor of At I anta. We believe the moral voting population of cur city are ready for the Iscue— Theatre, or no Theatre ? James M. Calhoun. It will be seen that our worthy Mayor has, in re sponse to the request of many friends, authorized i the snouncement of his name »s a candidate for re-1 election. It iano secret that an effort will be made to defeat him by the votaries of the Theatre. We trust, for the good name of the Gats City, their la- I bora will prove futile. Tho Persecutors and the Perse cuted. The Countryman, of September 29th, has the fol lowing : $ He (the editor of The Banner) says some* thing about the Church being persecuted.— Our reading of history teaches us the oppo site—that it is those who call themselves “the Church” that have done the persecu ting. Christ and his Church were certainly persecuted ; for they were weak, and had the whole world to contend with. But as soon as sectarians seized church or ganization, for temporal anflr selfish pur poses, than they began to persecute, and have continued to do so to this day.” T his is tiuer than half the preaching of the sects. It is the unmistakable voice of veritable hi-tory; and yet, the truth-loving and truih-tellinßeditor of the Countryman in&iata on regarding sects as the Church of Christ, and complains of us because we cannot recognize them as such. “They call themselves” “the Church,” and he calls them the Church, and talks about them as the Church, and counsels them all to a certain course of action’ lest the Church should full behind the world, In these days of “progress.” We do not so much differ, after all. He says these persecutors call themselves the Church—and so say we. He seems think that what they call themselves they are, and we say, No The sects that have “worn out the saints of the Most High God, who have “stolen the livery ot the court of Heaven to serve the Devil In,” are not of the Church ot Christ; nor is His Chfirch to be held iu any degree accountable for theft wicked deeds. Church bus never been a persecutor, but always the persecuted. If thfc Countryman will turn to his history again, he will find that these churchly persecutors were those who had been made Christians by the cere mony of infant baptism—not by the power ot the Spirit and Word of God. He cannot find a church of Baptist persecutors. He cannot find a union of Church and State where the Church was such as Christ established, or such as the Baptists now represent. a. o. n. I GOSHEN, Miss., Oct. 29,1861 ) Dear brethren Dayton & Ells:— Will you not give i us information for our Hillsboro’ meeting ? L Is the Bible or New Testament published any where else in the Confederacy, bat at Atlanta? 2. Are any arrangements or efforts being made te publish it otherwise, or elsewhere ? If so, by whom, how, and wherei 3. What would be the probable eost of stereo typed plates in Loudon, forpocket Bibles, and what for la-ge family Bibles—say Bagster’s large Bible? *. e., what cost in gold? 4. W hat would be the probable cost of getting i such plates brought hither through the blockade, i and through what merchants or channel could we ' most safely have them brought? 5. Is there a single tract or book published in the Confederacy, intended to teach distinctly any of our distinctive articles of where ? 6. x>o you think that ehurchu should or could safely be organized and kept up in the army ? 7. What is your opinion as to the propriety of at- j tempting to get plates and publish the Bible here • within the next twelve months ? Fraternally, j. b. HAMBERLIN. , ANSWERS. 1. Not complete, but portions of the New Testament have been issued by the Tract Societies at Petersburg and Richmond. 2. A large publishing house in Atlanta (J. J. Toon <fc Co.) has entered into an ar rangement for the publication of one hun dred thousand pocket-size Bibles, for which the stereotype plates and all necessary ma terials are to be delivered to and paid for by the said firm, as soon as they odn ba procured. 3. The latter—including set of * blocks ’ —would cost about nine thousand dollars in gold; the former, about one-third— say three thousand, —which amounts are, of course, an advance upon prices previous to the war. 4. We would suggest that such an in terest might be safely committed to one of the Exporting and Importing companies, in Georgia or South Carolina, which have been organized during the last two years. 5. we know of. The junior editor of this journal has in hand the ‘copy’ prepared by Elder Dayton, for 4 series of Baptist Question-books for Sabbath schools, which will be published whenever we can procure a supply of suitable paper. 6. We do—most assuredly. Should brother Dayton think otherwise, he will say so. 7. Propriety is one thing, practicability is another thing. The work can not prove successful unless all the material can be procured from abroad : paper, cloth, leather, twine, etc. Sorgbum Sugar. After describing the usual process of boiling the juice of Chinese Sugar Cane for syrup, a correspondent of the Macon Tele graph gives the following hints for making 'sugar: When it has reached the stage of thick syrup very little more boiling will convert it into sugar, which will granulate as soon as it cools. By boiling a little once or twice, and experimenting, you will always know when to remove it from the kettle better than 1 can tell you, though I didn’t make a single failure. Aftei removLg it from the kettle, place it in some vessel a short while, until some of its heat has left it, and then pour it into your barrels, with the hoops a little loose, in order r that the 1 molasses may drip from it, of which there will not be as much as one might suppose. Do not stir it, after removing it from the kettle, as is the common custom, or ths grains wil be small and fine. [for The BaptUt Banner.) Baptism Essential to Salvation.** Dear Banner: —I occasionally find a Bap , tist who believes that baptism is essential to ■ salvation. This is certainly an error—not’ of the heart, but of the head. I say this be cause those of my acquaintances who hold to this error are good brethren—men who would go as far in defence of the truth as any one—and for this reason : I feel encou raged to offer the few thoughts herein con tained. Therms such a thing as a man’s creed being w/Wy, and his heart right, and again, the creed right, and heart wrong. But with the class of peasons with reference to whom I now write, the hfeart and creed are both right, except in the article above sta ted. 1. This error seems to have arisen, in part, at least, from an inference drawn from the great commission : “Go ye into nil the world,” &c. Those holding to this view should recollect that these apostles were commissioned, not only to make disciples, but also to organize them into churches.— The duty of those apostles, thus commis sioned, did not stop at the salvation of those only to whom they preached, but looked beyond this, to the perpetuating that insti tution which Christ came to set up, which was to be the pillar and ground of the truth, the light of the world, the medium through which salvation was to flow to generations then not in existence. Hence, they were not only to make disciples, but to place I them in that attitude which would enable 1 them to accomplish, to the best advantage, ; the Master’s will. To do this, they must 1 baptize all that believe. And it was as much ; the duty of the candidate to submit to the j ordinance, as it was of the administrator to perform it. This is fully shown in the in stance of the Saviour’s baptism. “Suffer it to be so now ; for thus it becometh us to ' fulfill all righteousness. 9 ' It is also a plain, inference that an irrational being cannot meet the requisionsof this ordinance. i 2. The idea that there are no non essen j tials in the Christian scheme, or church j polity, may have had something to do in fostering, if not in the origin of this notion. All the principles laid down by our Sa viour, or his apostles, are essential, but not all essential to the same thing or purpose. Rain and sunshine are essential to the i growth and health of a tree, but it would be ) a tree if walled in, and both rain and light excluded from it. So, baptism is essential j to church membership, but not simply to salvation. Baptism (and the same is true of every other Christian duty) is essential to being a dutiful Christian. Men sometime* say that people cannot be Christians with out being baptized. They prove the asser tion in this way : All Christians follow Christ, in all his doctrines and ordinances; unbaptized persons have not done this; therefore, they are not Christians. But this is a very different thing from saying a soul cannot be saved without baptism. The of fice of baptism, then, was not to save the souls of those who are baptized. This will appear plainer by the following: Paul tells the Chris tians at Ephesus, *‘Bj grace (not baptism) are ye saved, through faith (not through baptism), and'that not of your selves ;it is the gift of God.” Now, if bap tism had been essential to salvation, Paul should, it seems to me, have spoken of it in this connection ; for he is very particular on this point; so much so, as to say byway of parentheses, before he gets to the proper place to bring it in, “By grace are ye saved.” The same writer says again in this connec tion, that this salvation “was not of woiks, lest any man should boast.” Why, then, , is baptism, so important a duty, omitted in these instructions ? Because salvation is the gift of God, by grace, through faith ; and baptism, so fur as the act is concerned, is an act of the creature; and to have given «aving power to the ordinance, would have left the creature with some grounds of boasting, as he performed the saving act. Christ was baptized, but none can say that it was essential to his sal vation ; for he was never lost. Again, on the day of Pentecost, we see they be* lieved and were baptised. Here we observe two distinct acts—the faith, or belief in the Saviour, which unites the soul to Christ, and which pertains to God and the redeem ed soul; and second, the act of baptism, which united the believer to the Church, as a congregation of believers. We should ba careful to observe all things whatsoever God has commanded, but in the order, and for the purpose fur which they were given. ADELPHOK Among the killed and wounded in the late battles before Chattanooga there are thirty printers and editors, a significant fact \*hen we remember that this class composes such a small portion of the population of the South. In all there are only about eight hundred printers in the Confederacy,and half of them are now in the army. Save all the beef feet for they make excellent lamp oil; try it. The feet are worth 11 each. ,
