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FARE,WE Ij Ij.
Yet one kiss more, love ere we part,
One Jong, sweet, cling'ng kiss ;
One warm embrace, heart'dose io heait.
One moment brief of bliss,
Ere from Toy Eden of delight,
I wander forth into'the'night.
. Once more into thy sweet, sad eyes,
Beloved, let me look—
Alas! from their clear'depths arise
Tears like an April - brook!
Dear eyes, what lips shall kiss them dry,
When mine (sad lips!) no more are nigh.
“Only a little while, sweet one,”
Would I could say to thee,’
“And, my unwilling’wanderings done,
I II homeward quickly flee,”
But (cruel thought!) when years have flown.
Those eyes may still weep on alone.
. Look up, mine own, and say good-bye,
And kiss me at the door ;
Be brave and strong— thou must not d>
1-byc—one khs— * .e mor
’Tis don. earth swims be»bre my sigh..
And I rush blindly forth into the night.
* E.
FORTY YEARS AGO. *
I’ve wandered in thevi’lage, Tom—l’ve sat beneath
the tree
Upon the school-house playground, which shel
tered you and me.
But none were there to greet me, Tom, and few
were left to know,
That ] l iyed with us upon the green, some forty
years ago.
The grids is just as green, Tom—barefooted.boys 1
at play,
Were sporting just ns we did then, with spirits just
as gay;
But the master sleeps upon the hi'l, which, coatqd
o'er with .snow,
Afforded us n sliding place, jast. forty yea's ago.
The old school-house is alie ed now, benches
arc replaced
Bv new ones, very like the same our penknives h id
defined ;
But the. same old biicks are in the wall, tlie bell
swings to and fro ;
It's music’s Just the same, dear Tom, as forty years
n go.
'I he spring that bubbled ,’ncath the hill, close by
• the spreading beech, •
Is very low -( was once so high that we could al
most retch;
And kneeling down to g<t a drink, dear Tom, 1
started so,
To see how much that 1 had changed since forty
years ago.
Near by the spring,.upon the elm, you know 1 cut
your name, —
Your sweet heart’s just beneath it, Tom —and you
did mine the same;
Some heartless wretch hath pealed the bark, ’.was
dying sure, but slow,
du-1 as the one whose name we cut,died t«»rty years
ago.
My eyelids had been dry, Tom, but tears c.une in
my eyes;
I thoughtof her I loved so wd’ tlm -e early bro
ken ties;
I visited the. church y n I. and took some flowers to
strew
Upon the graves ot those we loved some forty*
years ago.
♦
And some arc In the churchyard laid, some sleep
beneath the sea,
But few are left of our obi class excepting yon and
me;
And when our time shall come, Tom, aud we are
called to go,
I hope they'll lay us where we played just forty
years ago. *
Let no one despair of our ultimate suc
cess ! We should not expect to be victo
rious noon every battle field. The splendid
achievements of our armies in the past have
made vs an historic people, and have clearly
foreshadowed the final triumph of our arms,
and the future grandeur of the Confederacy.
Such a people, inhabiting such a country,
and having such mothers, wives,sisters and
daughters, need only be true to themselves
andhumbly trust in Almighty Power to be
invincible.
. mil .
Tas influence of true greatness, even
upon bad men, was recently finely exhibited
in the reverence involuntarily shown Gen.
I .co by the \ ankeo prisoners after the battle
< : ('h nirellorsville. The General passed
along th > r ad where several thousand of
them ue e to-embled, and while our troops
-./•a- 11 tn with deafening shouts, the Yan
•''. eager tosee him, crowded forward and
-,. ntl v and respectfully removed their hats
Tein.Ai fTIiE BAPTIST BANNER—
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A BMOMOTO AHB
[For The Baptist Banner.'}
ADA MAYFIELD.
BY A LADY.
CHAPTER IV.
UNCLE Mark’s conversati on this after
ternoon was not, however, without
effect. Lucy listened with intense interest
to his remarks upon the evidences of the
second birth—of the great change to which
one is raised from the death in sin to'the
life in Christ. She eagerly asked a few
questions on the subject, to which ho replied
in the plainest, simplest language possible,
without, however, expressing the hope that
was burning in her heart, that she was se
riously inquiring the way of salvation. For
the first time, the thought intruded itself
into Ada’s mind that, perhaps, this w*as the
reason her lively sister had been so taciturn
the past week ; and she mentally prayed
that she might take no rest to herself till
she had found peace through the blood of
our Lord Jesus.
“Ned, my boy,” said his uncle, turning
suddenly and addressing him, “you are old
enough to understand these things, and to
form some judgment about them. What do
you think ?”
“ Well, 1 never troubled myself much
about it; I think it will all come right after
a while. We are all something in God’s
hands, to do with as He pleases, and when
He wills a man to be a Christian He will
make him so, without his fretting and sigh
ing over it before the time. So I intend to
make myself easy ; for if God intends 1 shall
be saved, it will be done, and if it is His
will that I should be lost, why I can’t help
it.”
“Oh, Ned!” exclaimed Ada, “how can j
i yeti talk so? Where did y<»n got «ueh an i
idea?” ' i
“ Why, I learned from the Baptists, sis
ter, of course; for I know but little about
other denominations, except what I hear
from the boys occasionally. You all be
lieve in predestination as well as I do,
though you do not express your belief in
•quite such plain language. But that is-all
I can make of it. God is Supreme Ruler
of the universe, and does as He sees best.”
“ Very true, my son. God is supreme
sole Ruler of [he uni wise, and does as He
sees best; but He docs all things well.—
You say, if God wills that you shall be lost
you cannot help it. Do you suppose that
God wills the destruction of any one?”
“ I do not know exactly how to answer
that question.”
“Ifyou will look in the Bible, Ned,” re
plied Ada, “ you will find an answer. ‘As
I live, saith the Lord God, 1 have no plea
sure in the death of the wicked, but that the
wicked man turn from his way and live.’ —
Hosea xx.xiii: 11, and in the second epistle
[of Peter iii : 9, it i* repeated that ‘ the Lord
is not willing that any should perish, but
that all should come to repentance.’ And
in the Acts it is said that God commandeth
all men ever) where to repent.” This was
in your lesson not many Sabbaths ago, and
I thought our superintendent explained it
very clearly.”
“So he did, after his own views; but,
after all that can be said about the duty of
repentance, we have to acknowledge that
God does as He pleases, and that whatever
■ is to be will be."
“Yes,” replied Mr. Mayfield, “that is
I very evident; fur. il'Ged has ordained that
ianything shall come to pass, He will cer-j
' tainly bring it about. This is a very hack-;
Jueyed expression, my boy, which you have;
I caught from those who intend to ridicule
J the Baptists by it. Os course we all know I
J that God’s purposes will be fulfilled : but I
j; does that imply that their fulfillment re
. quires that lie will send a man to hell de ;
! spite all his earnest pleadings for mercy, or
I take one to heaven whether he desires to go’
> or not ?”
i “ Oh, no, sir ' not take him there against
J his will; but He gives him the desire to go.
He first causes him to repent, excites *in j
i his mind a desire to forsake his sins and
' serve God, and finally causes him to feel’
that hissins have been pardoned, aud gives
him a love for holiness and a distaste for
sin.”
“ Well, sir, you have formed quite a theo
ry of your own, which proves that you
have thought a good deal about it, as much,
as you disclaim such aa idea. Granted, aIL
ATLANTA, GA., SATURDAY, DECEMBER 12, 1863,
HIS BANNER OVER US IS LOVE.
power belongs to God ; to Him be nil hon
or and glory! He worketh in us both to
do of His own good pleasure ; without Him
we can do nothing ; but explain your theory
a little, for our edification. How does
God bring, all this about? How does He
cause a man to repent and forsake his
-sins?”
“He sends His Holy Spirit to operate
upon his heart, and make him feel very sorry
for his sins, and his need of a Saviour to
intercede for him.”
“ flow does a man know when the Spirit
is operating upon his heart ?”
“ Why, uncle, when his conscience con
demns him for his wickedness, and makes'
him feel awful to think about dying.”
“Is there any particular time for the
Spirit to visit a man’s heart, or for his con
scienc to reproach nim ? Is it always
just after he has committed some great
sin?”
“ Oh, no, sir ! You know a man’s 'con
science is sometimes aroused while ho is
listening to preaching or to prayer, or when
reading—sometimes at home—sometimes
riding or walking out —or sometimes .’way
in the night he awakes up and thinks of
his misdeeds, and he has no more'rest or
peace.”
“ And, my son, do you suppose that any
man or woman was ever ere.i: ed without a
conscience ?”
“No, sir.”
“ And do you suppose that any one, es
pecially in a Christian land, has ever ar
rived at mature age, without being, at
times, conscience-stricken dr bis mis
deeds ?”
“ No, sir,” replied he, after a pause.
“ Then, according to your own acknowl
edgement, the Spirit upon thy hearts of all
pnen, reproving tbem lor their evil deeds,
i aud warning them to forsake them if they
would have peace ; but u/7 do not become
Christians. You say that when God wills
a man to be saved lie sends His Spirit to •
operate upon his heart, and draw* him unto
Him. You acknowledge that all are con
science-smitten for their wicked acts, yet
all do not become Christians. How* is
this?”
“ Because they will not, I suppose.”
“ Very true. Christ said to* the unbe
lieving Jews, ‘ Ye will not come to me that i
might have life.’ It is certain that some,
will be lost; but God is not chargeable'
with their destruction. If any who have!
received the revealed will of God, who have
the light of the Gospel, arc lost, it is be
cause they wilfully and obstinately reject
Christ, and refuse to receive His offers of
mercy ; or who have never troubled them
selves to find out His will, but have suffered
themselves to be led blindfolded into de
struction by their blind teachers. But do
you not see this subverts your plan ? You
say, when God wills a man to be saved, He
will save him any way—that Ho will arouse
his conscience to feel sorry for his errors,
and will draw him unto Him. You say,
also, that all are sometimes conscience
smitten for their wickedness, yet all are not
saved ; and, why ? You answer, because
they will not come to Christ. That is very
true; but do you not see that you contra
dict yourself by this admission ? ’
“ Well, I don't know, uncle, how it is. I
have thought a good deal about it, and it is
still a mystery to me. I know that most of
people suffer, at times, from the pangs of a
guilty conscience ; yet all do not become
[Christians. Now, I don’t know how to re-[
Iconcileit; fori cannot believe that God
i will suffer his plans to le subverted by
Iman’s obstinacy or the will of Satan.”
“No, sir; He does not. His purposes!
are fixed, immovable by anything on earth,
in heaven, or in hell; but it never was His
[plan to save a man against his will—he
; mnst be a willing convert or not at all. You
have mistaken the compunctions of con
science, my son, for repentance. No
j man is created without a conscience, and I
I until this inward monitor has been har-1
Jened by a long career of crime, it never
fails to smite him for his evil deeds.
It is God who gives the conscience, an<l wh >
causes it to shrink with pain from the con
temptation of a deed of wickedness, or who
arouses it to sting th? sinner with remorse
for paL guilt, and plead with him to refrain
from future wrong. Sometimes the man
I becomes very much alarmed, and even
’seems to repent of his sins—to be in dis-j
- tress for a time, and afterwards to continue
> on his wicked course. In this case, how
i ever, he only feels sorry for the pain he has
' inflicted upon a fellow-being, without any
> reference to the sin he has committed against
s God. When stricken with disease or want,
> he may feel remorse of conscience for the
course that brought him to that condition,
■ not because he had sinned against God, but
simply because he had sinned against his
i fellow man, and against his own moral and
physical nature. As a consequence, he
, wishes he had been more circumspect —that
he could take back all he had said—or at
least, that he could blot out the remem
’ brance of hjs crimes from the minds of his
fellow-men, 'and from his own thoughts,
without ever thinking they are laid up in
God’s book of remembrance to appear
against him at the last day. Sometimes,
when a minister is preaching or praying,
a man’s conscience becomes awakened to
the memory of some sin, or the many sins
he has committed, and he trembles for fear
of the punishment. But this is not genuine
repentance; it is not the repentance that
leadeth unto life. He may stifle the warn
' ing of .his conscience, and repeat his sinful
act, day after day, and year after year, till,'
finally, his heart becomes hardened against
any good impressions, or death overtakes
him, and he is irrecoverably lost; but it is
his own act. To say that he is lost because
God wills it, is to charge Jehovah with in
justice, or with being a respecter ot persons.
But true repenta-nce is that which leads a
man to be sorry for his sins, not merely be
cause he has sinned against his fellow-man,
but because he has sinned against God, and
through them, and through his evil passions.
He feels that he has scorned that love which
brought the Saviour from heaven to die for
him, and he thinks, not only of the injury
done'to his fellow-man, but of the crucified
Saviour who died for him. As a conse
quence, he hates sin—feels a desire to be
! cleansed from it—to be delivered from its
I power in future, and to have them blotted
out from the book of God’s remembrance.
He feels the need of a Saviour to intercede
for him, and he-comes to ( humbles
himself at the toot of the cross, and tags for
i mercy. We say, thee, he Las repented ;
■ and, truly, this is the work of God ; for no
I man can repent of himself. Christ came
i into the world and died to ‘give repentance
| and forgiveness of sins.’ ”
| “But, uncle, why does not God give it to
all men —lead them all to exercise true re
pentance ?”
“ Because, they do not desire it. When
God calls upon them, through His minis
ters, to repent of their sins and come unto
Him; they refuse to listen, or put the
thought out of their minds, or stifle the
emotions of their hearts, because they are
determined not to yield. .Now, God will
not force repentance upon such a one,
though He will give it to those who earnest
ly desire and pray for it. He has promised,
‘ Ask, and it shall be given you ; seek, and
ye shall find.’ It is the free gift of God:
lie does not give it to those who refuse to
ask for it. Parents, you know, are very
ready to give good things to their children ;
but Christ has said, His Father is more
ready to give the Holy Spirit to them that
ask him.—Luke xi: 13. If you desire that
true repentance that leadeth unto salvation.
. you must earnestly desire it and pray for it.
Cristians are encouiaged to pray for the
conversion of sinners, by the promise that
i God will withhold no good thing from th m
that walk uprightly,; and it is certainly a
good thing to desire the conversion of sin
ners. And Paul, in his epistle to Timothy,
i exhorts that‘supplications, prayers, inter
cession*, and giving of thanks, be made for
all men for, he added, ‘God will .have all
I men to be saved ;’ and Christians should
[' pray that God would open their hearts to
l the reception of His truth, that they learn
1 of Him, believe, and bo saved.’’
i “ Well, uncle Mark, God’s p >wer and
i authority are absolute. Why do. < lie 1
not will that all mon should exercise this
i true repentance, and bo save T? He could
do it.”
“ Certainly, 110 could. But I ; resume it '
is not Ilis purpose. Cod's purposes are [
eternal, fixed, and immutable. With Him
is 'no variableness, neither shadow us turn-1
ieg.’ It is nut fur us to pry into God’s pur-;
poses, to inquire why this is so, but to obey j
I His holy will and trust Him for the conse-1
TERMS— Five Dollars A-YEAR.
; quciices. And remember, my children, it
is a dangerous thing to trifle in this matter.
> Beware how you stifle the promptings of
your heart to turn from the evil. Paul
; speaks of those whose consciences are seared
, with a hot iron, and in another place we
, read of those whom God gave up to their
, own hearts’ lusts, to walk after their own
; counsels. Beware how you put off your
; return to God ; fur He has said, “My
Spirit shall not always strive with man;’
and by the mouth bf His prophet, Isaiah,
proclaims—‘Seek ye the Lord while He
be found ” —plainly intimating that if
you continually refuse to come to Him, you
may one day seek, when He will not be
found of thee. You may be left to go on
sin, and be of those to whom God shall send
a strong delusion, that they all might be
damned who believed not the truth, but had
pleasure in unrighteousness.’ ”
“ Ned,” said Ada, “did you never feel
sorry on account of your sins ?” . ,
“ Yes, that is the test, after all,” said his
uncle. “Never mind God’s dealings with
othoi’p.eople, or speculating why He does
not save all men, but consider your own
case. Did you never feel any compunc
tions of conscience for any *sin you had
commuted ? or did you never hear a ser
mon, or meet with any incident, that sud
denly brought to your recollection all the
sins of your past life, and made you feel
sorry, for the time, that you had been so
wicked ? Answer me candidly, my boy.”
“Yes, sir,” replied he, very slowly,
“ oncej when I was very sick, and mother
and pa thought I was in danger, I was very
much distressed, and felt so much afraid of
dying that I believe it made me worse.—
But 1 said nothing about it, and it gradually
wore oif as 1 got better. That same feeling
returns M/inelimcs when I hear a sermon
or hear or read of something that makes
me think of death. But 1 don’t know that
I ever felt the kind of sorrow you say I
must, experience to make it true repentance,
il is always the fear of future punishment
that affects me. 1 believe if I could escape
that, 1 should be satisfied. lam afraid you
will think ine very hard-hearted, uncle, but
wished me to answer you candidly, and I
have done so.”
“ 1 am glad you have. No, 1 do not think
you are hard-hearted, yet, Ned; but, by
your own confession, you are. doing all you
can to harden your heart. You acknowl
edge that you are often powerfully awa
kened to a sense of your guilt, (for nothing
else but a sense of deserved punishment
would make you dread it.) vet you stifle
these feelings, and say you are resolved to
give yourself no trouble about it, mid wait
God’s own time. His time is now, my son ;
these emotions of your heart arc only so
many visitations of His mercy, to forsake
your sins anfl come unto Him for life and
salvation; and He is ready and willing to
bless you whenever jou sincerely repent (n
you sins and believe on Him with all your
heart. Now, my boy, listen to me this
once, aud if my words pain you, believe me
it is only solicitude for your present and
eternal happiness that prompts them. Be
ware how you scorn the offers of salvation ;
will not make you a Christian against your
consent.* If you continue to act contrary
to your better judgment —continue to stifle
these impressions for good—conscience will
become finally so hardened that nothing
will affect it. We sometimes sec men
wh j seem to feel for nothing, an I we
sav ot such, ‘ they have no conscience.’ —
Pharaoh and Herod are remarkable cases of
hardened consciences, and their punishment
was awful. Think of this my boy, an 1 God
grant you may act wiselj , and become a
true child of His.”
Pei haps many who read this, may think
as Ned Maj field did, that if God intends to
save them He will do it in His own good
time, and if H- intends you »•<> be lost,
y car fretting over it will do no good ; so
you intend to make yourselves easy about
it. if this is your opinion, you are cruelly
deceiving yourself, and want’ nly charging
Go ! with the death of every sinner. True,
y" i cannot save yoorself, cannot repent of
yourself, or even refrain from sinn'nu. in
your own strength. But God has p . .]
within you a conscience which’ reifies
you for your wrong conduct, and some
times makes you /eel very badly. Some
times or a prayer, or a few words
irom a friend, an attack of sicknes - , or the
NUMBER 4.