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‘The entrance of Thy Word giveth light.’
A. 0. DAYTON, Editor.
JAS. N. ELLS, Secular Editor.
SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 21,1863.
~ I
Our Platform.
1. None but those who make a' credible pro-1
tession 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.
3. 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 art? not members of the church of Christ.
5. Non-afflliation with those who refuse to
obey Christ in these things—with those who re
tuse to walk’according to the Divine rule.
6. We shall insist upon Baptists practising
what they hold and teach.
Our Fifth Volume,
We enter upon the fifth volume of The
Banner. It was established that the Con
sistent Baptists —sometimes called Old
Landmark Baptists—of Georgia might have
an organ through which they could commu
nicate with one another and the world.—
The pressure of the times and other cir
cumstances have driven from its manage
ment those excellent and talented brethren
who in its earlier struggles so admirably
sustained its literary and religious character.
It is needless now to speak of them or of
their labors. The denomination has long
known and appreciated them. Their man
tle has fallen upon the unworthy shoulders
of brother Ells and myself. The rapid
increase of our subscription list has been to
us a token that our brethren did not entire
ly disapprove of our mode of conducting
the paper ; and the daily recept ion of let-
ters commending our eflbrts, encourages us
to make still greater exertions.
Os myself I have little to say in reference
to the past; but it is due to
OLR BROTHER ELLS,
to call attention to some facts which ought
to be known. But for him, THE BA PTIST
BANNER would have fallen to the earth
and been numbered with the things that
were. He took possession of it when,
owing to the pressure oPsurrounding cir
cumstances, it seemed hardly possible it
could survive. Being himselfa printer, he
became both type-setter and editor: and,
having the means of living without using
for his own necessities any portion of the
small income of the office, was enabled to
devote it all to pay the expenses of the
paper. He gave his time and labor, freely,
to prevent the sad necessity of abandoning
the enterprise so dear to the hearts of many
of our brethren. But even thus he could
not have gone on but for the pecuniary aid
of brethren Niles and Seaoo. While he
was thus struggling for the life of the paper,
and compelled to spend most of his time in
the mechanical labors incident to the work
ot printing and publishing, it was iinpossi- j
ble for him to employ his talents to the !
eery best advantage as an editor. He did
what he could, but he often and deeply re
gretted the necessity which left the larger
j D \
portion of the denominational and religious
matter to be supplied by occasional cor
respondent*. Since my connection with
the paper. thoiu»h he still has been obliged
to act the double part of editor and printer,
he has been relieved of the care of the re.
ligious and denominational department, but
has still had the whole labor of making the
miscellaneous selections and arranijinii the
. 0
matter for weekly publication. He has
furnished the items of news, and many most
valuable articles relating not only to secular
affairs, but to those connected with morals
and religion. How well this work has
been done, our regular l eaders can testify.
He has labored hard and unremittingly, and,
sad to say, almost without pecuniary com
pensation. He has lived on the hope that
we may one day make The Banner some
thing to be proud of.
WHAT WE PROPOSE TO DO.
The future <-fTiiE Banner is foreshadow
ed by the present. I purchased an interest
in it, and undertook the editorial manage
ment of one department, at the suggestion
of some of the oldest and firmest friends of
•h. paper and of the cause tn which its’
columns should be devoted. Thev felt that
uiy connection with it would be a guaranty '
THE BAPTIST B ANNE JR.
to the denomination and the world, that it
„ would be the firm and uncompromising ad
vocate of consistency in the practice, as well
Jas of soundness in the faith, of our church-
es. They desired a paper which should
earnestly yet kindly endeavor to sustain
not merely Baptist sentiments, but those
'sentiments in their full development and in
'all their consistency ; that the paper should
not only be ‘ Baplislical? but ‘ Landmark?
j Such we shall try to make it. We shall
i not shun controversy, but will seek to avoid
contentiousness; we shall seek discussion,
but shun disputing*. We are sure that our
brethren desire to know and receive the
truth, even though it differ from our pre
-conceived Opinions. If we know our own
; hearts, we are ready to believe that our
' opposers whenever they will show
lit from the of God. Our columns
are open to frwln and foe—in the denomi
nation or out of it. We are not only will
iing, but desirous, that our readers shall
i have the benefit of both sides. Truth which
can not hold its own against the attacks of
error, is doubtful truth.
CAN WE LIVE?
It has cost all the income of the paper to
pay its expenses ; it is likAly to cost still
more. We must, therefore, have a larger
income. Our subscription list should be
doubled ; and if the price of paper and labor
continues to advance, we must, however
reluctantly, either reduce the paper to a
half sheet or increase the price. We ex
pect to be able to weather the storm. We
donotthink the Consistent Baptists of this
jand other States will let us fall for want of
i active sympathy or needful assistance.
WHAT WE NEED NOW.
: We ought,just now, to have a thousand
j new subscribers with which to begin the
present volume. We need the money to
purchase paper before it goes up to a point
beyond our reach. We have no hope that
i any of the 11 Hoards' 1 ' will appropriate “a
| thousand dollars ” for us, as has been done
for the Index. We are not sure that the
Boards love us enough to do anything at
all for our advancement. We must work
1 onr own way. We have the nerve to do it
—and doubt not the means will be forth
coming when they must be had. We ad
vocate the truth of God, and trust the God
of truth. He will sustain and help us.—
Brethren, pray for us, that the truth of God
, rnav have free course and be glorified.
A. C. D.
The Bethel Association.
We had the pleasure to meet with this
• body of warm-hearted and generous breth
ren, at Americus. It was our first visit to
the Association, though many of the mem
bers had been long and favorably known to
1 us. We went to this as we did to the
Houston, as a corresponding member from
the Rehoboth. XV e had been appointed
also to the Friendship and, if we do not'
forget, to the Ebenezer, and intended to
visit both,but were Providentially hindered,
, I We found in the Bethel a large assembly
from a wide spread territory. We were
glad to meet some of the Elders of our
ministry there, like brothers Mallary and
! Campbell, men who have longflßn battling
I for the Lord, scarred and war-worn veter
ans. Brother Mallary preached the inis-
I sionars sermon on the Sabbath morning—
a discourse of rare beauty and eloquence,
but which his feeble health prevented him
from delivering in the style which would j
have made it effective. Brother Campbell.
iis as ready to speak or to act as he was
years ago, but has never recovered from
j the effects of a severe fall which he had last
i summer. Brother Muse, of Cuthbert, it
seemed to us, looks younger than he did
' some yeass ago, when we first met. He
was elected moderator of the body, and by
his kind and prompt and energetic bearing
I gave abundant evidence that he has the
active mind and the warm heat which goes
so far to qualify a man for the position
which he holds. There were one or two
questions before the body which it was
feared would lead to excitement and divi
sion, but they were gotten rid of without
much disputation, and are laid over to come
up again next year.
We received a goodly number of sub
scribers to The Banner, for which we feel
j truly grateful. a. c. d.
- - i——
I 23?“ < )nr readers will notice the first
Letter in the series of * Our Richmond Cor
respondence,’ from one of the most profound
thinkers to be met with at the national
capita!—a close ‘ Cbserver’ of transpiring
events. We hope to hear from him every ,
week.
—We also present, to-day, the first in
stalment of the promised Story— ‘ Ada
Mayfield,’ which will amply repay perusal.
—The articles from the pen of our talent
ed brother, Jos. E. Carter, are always of
the right stamp, and are read with much
interest. He can not write too often.
e r -, ,
M hen you see a cross mark, A, on
your paper, that means: Renew at once
your subscription.
That /Ten Dollars.
We have received ten dollars to send
The Banner to soldiers in Mississippi.—
This was sent us by one of the fairegjj|f
the lovely daughters of that noble Stale; a
sister of one of the purest patriots who
honors j the] halls of our Confederate Con
gress. The money was earned by her own
hands: she carded and spun the thread,
and knit the socks which she sold for this
express purpose, viz., to send ?j The Baptist
Banner to the soldiers. She loves the
soldiers, and,'knows how to]appreciate The
Banner —she says she likes it better and
better every We trust that
“ when this cruel war is over,” she may find
some soldier-boy who knows the wort h of
a true and noble girl, and who will make
her life so pleasant that she will never lose
the merry twinkle of those mischievous
eyes which we remember well, though it
is now* some three or four years since we
had the pleasure of looking into them.
a. c. ».
?;
Our Soldiers.
! The South must depend mainly on herself
for clothing material during this war.—
' While her magnificent crops will supply a
large surplus'of breadstuff's and food above
the demand for home consumption, it is
possible that the blockade of our ports may
continue up to the season when our volun
teers in the field will require heavy woolen
1 goods to protect them against the inclem
ency of winter.
Every loom in the Confederate States
fought to be busy to supply this necessary
demand. We can work for our country as
: well at the plow-handle and at the loom as
|in the tented field. Our woolen factories
’’iare too few to depend upon them for the
• fabrics that will be necessary to supply the
’ demands that are now near at hand.
I Every private loom and every fair hand
L that can direct should now ply with unceas
-1 ingcare until we are satisfied that there is
not a soldier unclad among ourgallant men.
Receipts for
I Felix Granade, Thomson, Georgia, $5 00
(Mrs. T Colbert, Stilesboro, “ 250
| Mrs. R. I). Powell, Lexington, “ 500
T. J. Threlkeld, Griffin, - 5 00
Edmund Hading, Euharlee, “ 500
Mrs. Jesse Asbury, Albany, “ 500
ilby a Thomas, Quitman, •• 500
.Edmund Walker, Madison, •• 5 00
'John 11. Russell, Cave Spring, “ 5 00
' James M. Calhoun, Atlanta, “ 500
James Mcßryde, Glasgow, “ 5 00
j MrsS. 11. Marsh. Duncansville, “ 5 00
,J. 11. Callaway, Cotton Hill, “ 500
, E. S. Walker, Albany, “ 5 00
T. S. Douglass, Coleman Stat’n, “ 5 00
John 11. Gilbert, Morris “ “ 5 00
William Ross, Americus, “ 5 00
John 11. Thomas, Macon, “ 5 00
} R. A. Crawford, Atlanta, “ 5 00
J. B. Tippin, 5 00
James Clark, “ “ 5 00
J. J. Grantham, Chattahoochee, “ 5 00
Stephen Ro*ve, “ “ 5 00
Mrs. M. A. Horne, Henderson, “ 5 00
Jacobus Gibson, Newnan, “ 5 00
E. L. Compere ( file) Atlanta, “ 5 00
Mrs. E. V. Battle, Watkinsville, “ 5 00
J. M. Watt, Columbus, “ 5 00
J. E. Mercer, Albany, “ 5 00
J. E. Meicer, “ for soldiers, 500
John A. Broadus, Greenville, S. (J., 5 00
i Mrs. M. A. Webber, Spartanb’g, “5 00
,A. R.Scarborough, Livingston, Ala., 5 00
J. M. Gould, “ “ 5 00
H. R. Awtry. Gainesville, •• 500
J. A. Wilson, Meridian, Miss., .. 500
Mrs. A. L. Brame, West Point, Xfis, 5 00 i
G. W. Underwood, Orange Hill,
Williams Surrey, Greenwood, “ 500 .
F. T. Allen, « “ 5 00 j
Mrs. P. Hartsfield, “ 500
Nathan Widdon, Open Pond, Ala., 5 00!
Joadan Jones, Lime-Kilns, “ 500
Lt. J. F. Bostick, Chattanooga, Ten.“s 00
W . N.Chaudoin, soldiers in Virginia, 20 50
Friend to Soldiers, 5 00
A Lady, for soldiers in Mississippi, 10 00
Public Fast.
The Legislature of Georgia has recom
mended that Thursday, December 10th, be
sht apart as a day of fasting, humiliation
and prayer, throughout the Confederacy. #
Exemption of Overseers tn Certain
Cases. —By the exemption act, persons in |
the military service can procure the ex-•
emption of an overseer by the annual pay
ment of SSOO, provided the overseer was
really such on the 17th of April, 1862. ;
The following order, from the Adjutant ;
General at Richmond, shows how the ex
emption may be procured :
Overseers entitled to exemption will be '
exempted from military service for one
year, when the owner of the slaves of whom
the overseer has had charge, shall pi esent
to the enrolling officer the receipt of a
quartermaster for the amount of the tax
imposed in such cases by the act of Con-'
gress, approved May 1, 1863. Officers of .
Quartermaster departments are directed to
receive and receipt for money thus paid. •
[Z br the Baptist Banner. \
LIVING FOR JEST’S.
STILESBORO’, Ga., Noy. 14.
Dear Banner:— Colton says in his “ La‘
, con
. Men will wrangle for religion ; write for
it; fight for it; die for it; anything but live
for it.” ‘
. This is as true to-day as when the lines
were penned by the author. And my heart
> rejoices in the fact that in this writer I find
one who contends for, and appreciates, liv-
3 Ing for Jesus.
1 ; Men do not live for religion because they
fdo not live for Jesus ; they neglect the for-
’ mer because they do not love and appreci
f ate the latter. Where is the one who lives
3 for Jesus? Commence a search. Church
3 A , in county B , has not one, out of
5 its whole number. Church C , of coun-
kjty D , has one faithful old sister, who
' j “never looks back.” A church in another
1 locality has three members living for Jesus.
And so. in this proportion, will you find
I those who are among the livers-for-religion.
pi Let my pen drop for me to ask, “ Lord, is it
If-
t “Your numbers are too small,” says a
good brother. They may be, but not much
. so. lam unwilling to ascend to a much
, larger proportion. The chemist has his
. (“test paper,” blue and red, and each one,
1 i when brought in contact with its opposing
fluid, will be sure, without fail, to tell you
which is acid and which alkali. God has
4 made a “test paper,” by which sure
, the pure metal is discovered, and the un
-3; marred image seen.
3 As distressing as it is, let us take up that
3 “paper,” (for we all know what it is) and
. see if we are not right in the light of God’s
, Word. Take up the “test,”’ and we have
only to commence, before we Jay it down,
- ~
I being perfectly satisfied that the number of
. those who are. living for Jesus are alar-rning
. ,ly small.
What is the professed Christian world
doing? Digging hard for gold. Where
are nine-tenths of their thoughts? Any
> where else but Heaven. What is the ob
ject of their ambition ? The promotion of
j self, and self aggrandizement. From whence
j come their joys ? From their unholy pros
j perity. Brethren, “these things ought not
j so to be.’ 3 Qh! how distressing to the
I faithful to hear of and see these things.—
( How soon the eye moistens when the bo-
I som begins to heave !. How fast the tears
I flow when the soul begins to groan over
I these sad scenes in the drama acted before
, us !
I O, yes’ when there is so much joy in
( living for Jesus; so many sweet smiles fresh
1 from his radiant face ; so many showers of
( sunbeams from His. eternal brightness,
, which always descend with copiousness on
, the one who is near Him ; when Jesus ex
pects it; when God requires it; when the
( j world looks for it; when saints and angels
in heaven rejoice over it, who, who would
j not live for religion ? who would not live
for Jesus ?
Well, here comes a brother; he wants to
talk a little. He says he would live for
Jesus, but u the times” are such that he can’t.
He has to go with the times. Tempora
mutantur et nos mutamur in Ulis. Stop,
dear brother, stop ! O, please stop ! are
you insane? Is Heaven less Heaven than
it was before the war, or Hell less Hell?
Has Jesus changed I Has your duty been
lightened ? O ! is it possible that you don’t
think more about a land of eternal peace,
while you are living in a war-dislracled and
blood-covered country ? Is it so that your
mind is not more on that place where no
\ trouble enters, when it is all trouble hereb—
Can’t you rejoice when God says, “The
! Lord reigneth, let the earth rejoice !” espe
' pecially when everything else but Jesus and
, His holy religion is so dark and gloomy ?
I’ll tels you why, my brother, you are not
Ijving for Jesus. You are not looking of
ten enough to Him. You are like the Chris
tian that Dr. Payson describes, in the outer
concentric circle, scarcely ever looking
toward Jesus, but almost always at the
world. Turn, dear brother, and get in the j
innermost concentric circle, where you will
have your eye always on Jesus, where you
will be living for Jesus, and I’ll promise
you you shall be happy in the worst war
i that ever .cursed the earth.
Christians, in primitive times, lived for
religion; they acted like Jesus; walked
like Jesus; talked like Jesus; and were
like Jesus. O, why! why! is it that
we do not live so 1 God is the same in
all His promises ; the Saviour the same
in all His merits; the- Spirit unchanged
in His power and comforts. 1 say, my
beloved brethren, why do we not live near
er to Jesus ? Heavenly Father ! dispatch
from thy Holy Court above thy messenger
angels, that they may come and tell us that
we shall soon belike Jesus; for we“.«A«//see
Him as He is.”
Blessed Spirit! visit our dead and dying
churches and ministry ! Come, come, and
let the fires of Heaven descend before the
: four hundred and fifty prophets of Baal,
who are scattered all over our country, that
pure, burning,- self-sacrificing religion may
be in our hearts !
Brother Dayton invites brethren to write
uponjhese subject that are conducive to
spiritual growth. Would that I could do it,
riiy dear brother, for that is my object. 1
can say this—that it takes a sanctified am
bition, based upon a “ hurgering and thiist
ing after righteousness,” to develop the
pious child of God—one like David, to get
a seat at the door, if he could not get into
the house his God—and like the Syro-
Phoenician .woman, who was willing to take
a “crumb,” if no more, and willing to be
called a dog to gain the favor of Jesus.
Brethren in the ministry! brethren
’ evewhere! Jet me exhort you, with me,
. to make an effort to be more like Jesus,
( in all that we say, or do, .or think,
, or speak. Andif’we do resemble Him
here, and grow more like Him, daily,
we have the blessed hope of being like
Him at the Judgment, and in Heaven, and
, of being rewarded with eternal glory.
lours, in Christ Jesus,
_ JOS. E. CARTER.
Our Army Correspondence.
CAMP NEAR DIRT TOWN, Ga, / x
Nov. 10, 1863. I
Dear brother Ells :— Ab the bustle of the
morning is over, 1 will write you a few lines
to-day. We had a jubilee here in camp
this morning. An “order” came up from
headquarters last night, ordering that the
“wheat sowers” be detailed home a few
days to sow wheat; and 1 will assure you.
we had quite a number of wheat sowers on
such occasion. Some of the bovs said they
ought to go home to “sow oats ” But if
some of them are not sowing a full crop of
, “ wild oats,” I confess that 1 am badly de
ceived.
We have been having quite a cold spell
of weather for the last few days. About all
we. can do is to sit around our camp fires,
though cold for men to sit on the grounnd
to hear preaching, or assemble at night for
t prayer meeting; yet it is convenient some
times to have what we call a family prayer
meeting. I thank God for the privilege of
calling on His great Name, in this day of
swearing and wickedness. I often think of
the Psalmist, when he said he “cried unto
the Lord out of the depth of his soul.” O!
that our prayers should continue to ascend •
before His throna asking for His Spirit to
restrain bur people from so much wicked
ness. I would appeal to every Christian to.
lay aside everything that would hinder a
free intercourse with God, and pour out
- their spirits before Him in prayer, asking
that He will not cast us off'.. Brother Mar
tin, the missionary of the Oostanaula As
sociation, visited our regiment last Sabbath,
and preached for us. 1 was certainly glad
to meet him and brother Austin in camp.
Brother Martin says ho has declined serving
butoneehurch as pastor, and the remainder
of his time he will employ in his missionary
labors. His untiring, energies make him
the right man in the right place. May the
Lord bless his labors amongst the soldiers !
I had an opportunity, a few days ago, to go
with Captain J. B. Ware to the top of one
of the highest peaks of the mountain range
not far from our camp, to gets view of this
country. Ah! how beautiful the vallies
look, decorated with fine farms, and inter
spersed with creeks and rivulets, and sur
rounded by far off mountain ranges. In
viewing such sublime scenery, I could not
help being lost in admiration and awe at
the exquisite beauty and tremendous gran
deur with which the God of nature has paint
ed His footstool; and thus our mind was
caught away in the contemplation of life
in eternity with God, until at last iny con
templation ended by saying that, beautiful
though this world be, yet in it,
“ I would not live alwnys.”
I will close by asking you to pray for
the noble officers and men of this regiment.
Your brother in Christ, R. H. J.
[-Mw* The Baptist Banner.]
Testaments for Sunday schools.
GREENVILLE, 8. C., Nov. 11.
Brother J. J. Toon & Co., of Atlanta,
will have on hand, in a few days, a large
box of Testaments, which they will sell to
Bjptist Sunday schools, at ten cents per
copy. The Sunday School Board of the
Southern Baptist Convention (located at
Greenville, S. C.») have put them at this low
price for the general good, and they par
ticularly request that no one school will
take more of them than its actual wants re
quire.
JOHN A. BROADUS, Cor. Sec’y.
Lord Chatham, of England, said :
“ The poorest man in his cottage may
bid defiance to all the forces of the Crown.
It may be frail ; the wind may blow through
it; its roof may shake; the storm /nay en
ter; the rain may enter; but the King of
England cannot enter it. All his power
does not cross the threshold of that ruined
tenement.”