{"collection":"scripture-revelation","full_text_available":true,"graph_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/v2/api/page/gutenberg_56404/graph","html_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/v2/page/gutenberg_56404","id":"gutenberg_56404","license":"Public Domain (US)","rights_basis":"gutenberg_metadata_copyright_false","source":"gutenberg","source_url":"https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/56404","summary":null,"tags":["Category: Essays, Letters & Speeches","Category: Philosophy & Ethics","Category: Religion/Spirituality","Churches of Christ"],"text":"Produced by Richard Hulse, Paul Marshall and the Online\nDistributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This\nfile was produced from images generously made available\nby The Internet Archive)\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nTranscriber\u2019s Notes:\n\n Underscores \u201c_\u201d before and after a word or phrase indicate _italics_\n in the original text.\n Small capitals have been converted to SOLID capitals.\n Antiquated spellings have been preserved.\n Typographical errors have been silently corrected but other variations\n in spelling and punctuation remain unaltered.\n\n\n\n\n JUST OUT!\n\n BOOK OF GEMS, Cloth, $2.00.\n Library, 2.50.\n Morocco, 4.00.\n\n LIFE AND TIMES OF BENJ. FRANKLIN.\n Cloth, $2.00.\n Library, 2.50.\n Morocco, 4.00.\n\n \u201cSYMPOSIUM ON THE HOLY SPIRIT,\u201d\n CLOTH, 75 Cents.\n\n \u201cUNION WITH CHRIST,\u201d\n BY G. W. LONGAN.\n\n WILL BE READY DECEMBER 25th.\n A HAND-BOOK OF CHRISTIAN EVIDENCE.\n BY LAURENCE W. SCOTT.\n A BOOK OF ABOUT 300 PAGES.\n\n IN COURSE OF PREPARATION,\n TESTIMONIES TO TRUTH,\n \u2014 OR \u2014\n MASTERPIECES OF MANY MINDS.\n By J. W. MONSER.\n\n JOHN BURNS,\n 717 Olive Street, ST. LOUIS, MO.\n\n\n\n\n A BOOK OF GEMS,\n\n \u2014 OR \u2014\n\n CHOICE SELECTIONS\n FROM THE WRITINGS OF\n BENJAMIN FRANKLIN,\n\n ARRANGED BY\n J. A. HEADINGTON,\n \u2014 AND \u2014\n JOSEPH FRANKLIN.\n\n ST. LOUIS:\n JOHN BURNS, Publisher.\n 1879.\n\n [Illustration]\n\n _Copyrighted by\n JOHN BURNS,\n 1879._\n\n [Illustration]\n\n\n Stereotyped by ST. LOUIS TYPE FOUNDRY.\n\n\n\n\n INDEX TO SUBJECTS.\n\n\n PAGE.\n A. Campbell\u2019s Successors and Critics 241\n A Choir 230\n A Happy Meeting 260\n A Hard Question for Preachers 458\n A Higher Morality Required 24\n A Mighty Good Foundation 457\n A Mother\u2019s Grave 140\n A Phalanx of Young Men 393\n A Suggestion 99\n A Working Ministry 130\n Activity in the Ministry 453\n Adhering to the Bible 207\n Affirmative Gospel 428\n All Things Common 94\n Annihilation\u2014Future Punishment 100\n Anointing with Oil 396\n Apology for Creeds 120\n Authority of a Single Congregation 243\n\n Baptism of the Holy Spirit 407\n Be firm in the Right 65\n Belief in the Bible is Infallibly Safe 371\n Believers only to be Baptized 350\n Bible Names 368\n Bodies Resurrected, not Spirits 395\n Born of Water and the Spirit 21\n Boundary Line of Repentance 166\n Branches of the Church 292\n\n Cain\u2019s Wife 105\n Call no Man Reverend 30\n Can not a Man know that he is a Christian 381\n Christianity 159\n Christian Zeal 196\n Christmas 227\n Christ the Center 186\n Christ will come 234\n Church Decisions 262\n Church Membership 349\n Church Organization 42\n Classification of Missionary Men 244\n Clerical Young Pastors 277\n Come out of Babylon 471\n Communion 217\n Conclusion of the Year 498\n Converting the Cities 259\n Controversy 354\n Controversy about the Spirit 355\n Courtesy in Fellowship 231\n\n Dancing is a Healthful Exercise 363\n Dedication of Church Edifices 221\n Delay in Turning to the Lord 282\n Deluded 95\n Design of Miracles 103\n Developing the Talents of the Young 475\n Dialogue about the Preacher 489\n Disturbing Element 191\n\n Eating the Lord\u2019s Flesh and Drinking His Blood 40\n Earnestly Contending for the Faith 374\n Enduring Hardness as Good Soldiers 280\n Evangelists and Evangelizing 126\n Evangelists\u2014Pastors 320\n Everlasting and Eternal 279\n Exalted Position of Jesus 383\n Exchanging Pulpits 209\n Excuse for Creeds 146\n Extent of One Man\u2019s Influence 420\n\n Faith Comes by Hearing 316\n Faith, Repentance and Baptism do not Pardon 308\n Feet Washing 253\n Fine Clothes 90\n Future Success of the Lord\u2019s Army 252\n\n Giving up Principles 397\n Glorying in the Cross of Christ 439\n\n Hardening Pharaoh\u2019s Heart 15\n Hear ye Him 123\n How a Preacher may Stand Fair 281\n How the Cause of Reformation was Advanced 391\n How the World Regards Dancers 297\n Household Baptisms 433\n\n Imperfect Medium for a Perfect Revelation 482\n Individuality after Death 369\n Infant Sin\u2014Infant Salvation 108\n Influence of the Dance 245\n Innovations in the Church of Christ 413\n In Season and out of Season 38\n Is it Possible to Arouse the People 138\n\n Jesus Revealed as the Savior 379\n Judgment the Ground of Repentance 202\n\n Keep Politics out of the Church 160\n Kind of Preachers and Preaching Needed 211\n Knowing and not Doing 435\n\n Laying the Corner Stone of a Catholic Cathedral 271\n Lifted Above Sects and Parties 69\n Light Within 61\n Little Matters 53\n Lord\u2019s Day Meetings 270\n Lotteries 11\n\n Maintain a Pure Faith and Worship 289\n Making the Bible Support Human Systems 71\n Man\u2019s Accountability 462\n Mark Those Who Cause Divisions 335\n Men can and do Believe 345\n Methodist Clerical Pretensions 265\n Ministering Angels 58\n Miracles 426\n Moody and Sankey 267\n My Church 403\n My Kingdom is not of this World 466\n\n No Campbellites 258\n No Departure from the Jerusalem Church 20\n No Division can come 48\n No Modification of the Divine Plan 246\n No Preachers on Dancing 12\n No Side Structure 59\n Not of One Class 295\n Not Receiving the Reformation, but Christ 68\n Not to Keep Company 419\n\n Observing the Sabbath 333\n One Baptism 190\n One Idea Ism 56\n One Immersion 410\n One Religion 235\n One Way to God 248\n Our Authoritative Religion 111\n Our Census 17\n Our Plea 256\n Outward Appearance 51\n Over and Through the Mountains 148\n Overlooking Humble but Good Men 484\n\n Paul and James on Justification by Faith 352\n Paying Preachers a Stipulated Sum 326\n Preach \u201cFirst Principles\u201d 474\n Personality of the Devil 276\n Pioneers, Support, etc. 73\n Poimeen\u2014Shepherd\u2014Evangelist\u2014Overseer 25\n Policy in Preaching 467\n Popular Amusements 451\n Popular Union Meetings 249\n Praise God by Singing 232\n Prayer 364\n Prayer Books 341\n Preachers Belonging to no Church 229\n Preach Christ, not Ourselves 329\n Preacher did not Suit 30\n Present Punishment will not Save 133\n Progressing Backward 46\n Protracted Meetings, Excitements, etc. 309\n Public Opinion\u2014Infant Damnation 384\n Pulpits 422\n\n Reason, Providence, and the Spirit of God,\n Teach us to Obey God 150\n Receiving Sinners without Baptism 175\n Reckless Twaddle 78\n Recognition of, by Sects 301\n Reflections for Dancers 112\n Reformation a Success 96\n Reign of a Thousand Years 263\n Religion and Politics 336\n Resurrection\u2014Adamic Sin 325\n Resurrection of Lazarus 89\n Revelation of the Mystery 372\n Riches of Faith 188\n\n Saved without Baptism 299\n Scene in a Hotel 314\n Sectarianism 357\n Self-laudation 328\n Shorter Catechism of Universalians 446\n Small Improprieties and Annoyances 409\n Speak Pleasantly 179\n Spirit of Indifference 118\n Some Things can not be Settled 50\n Sound Men 225\n Subtleties about Immersion 92\n Suggestions to a Young Sceptic 487\n Success to Good Men 255\n Summary of Arguments on the Action of Baptism 455\n Support Workers 77\n\n Tediousness in Public Devotions 323\n Tendency of Universalism 142\n The Action of Baptism 443\n The Bible Will Save the World 66\n The Bible Infallibly Safe 145\n The Bible and Bible Men 405\n The Bible Ground 414\n The Bible vs. Human Creeds 438\n The Cause of Christ is Above Partisan Politics 469\n The Christian Ministry 44\n The Church in the Wilderness 223\n The Church of Christ a Proselyting Institution 331\n The Converting Power 480\n The Fall of Beecher 176\n The Genealogy of Christ 206\n The Grand Work Before Us 3\n The Ground of Union 36\n The Kind of Preaching Required 82\n The Knowledge Necessary Before Baptism 351\n The Love of Christ Constrains 496\n The Mission of Infidels 134\n The Old and New Testaments 31\n The Pardoning Power is Only in God 440\n The Secret of Success in Preaching 322\n The Shortness of Human Life 1\n The Warning 390\n The Work of Creation 8\n The Work of the Disciples 417\n Theory and Practice 479\n Things Not Forbidden 290\n Thirty Years Ago 376\n Too Late for the Cars 269\n True Missionaries 18\n The New and the Old 464\n\n Universalism 75\n Universalism Unbelief 274\n Unprofitable Servants 165\n Upward Tendency\u2014Reformation not a Failure\n \u2014Missionary Work 343\n\n Value of Learning 143\n Various Kinds of Scepticism 180\n\n Wandering Pilgrims 219\n Wealth of Alexander Campbell 303\n We are a Missionary People 88\n We are No Sect 286\n We have a Perfect Gospel to Preach 366\n What a Preacher Must Be 477\n What We Are For 97\n What is Essential 106\n What We Know is Right 107\n What is Campbellism? 156\n What must I do to be Saved 317\n Where is the Army of the Lord 251\n Where is the Power 213\n Who Crucified the Savior 195\n Whom the Lord Receives 294\n Why Infidels Oppose the Bible 423\n Wielding the Sword of the Spirit 284\n Will You also Go Away 35\n Women in the Church 194\n\n Young Preachers Must Be Practical 157\n\n\n\n\nPREFACE.\n\n\nThe writings of no man among the Christian Brotherhood have been so\nuniversally popular as those of Benjamin Franklin, save the extended\nwritings of Alexander Campbell. Franklin\u2019s volumes of Sermons, Debates\nand Tracts, together with his miscellaneous writings, have for many\nyears been in general demand, and have met with ready sale.\n\nNo excuse is offered for this volume, save that of public demand. The\npublic demanded the volume, and it is, therefore, submitted.\n\nNone but the most choice selections, gathered from numerous valuable\nwritings, have been allowed space in this volume. The book is what\nit purports to be, a collection of Gems that sparkle in the light of\nHeaven\u2019s Truth as diamonds in the sky.\n\nThe reader, by referring to the Index, can easily turn and get the\nviews of the Author on very many momentous subjects.\n\nThe volume will prove, as we trust, a monument to the memory of a great\nand good man, and a treasure to every Christian household.\n\nThe volume is sent forth with the prayer that the truth it contains may\nsanctify and make glad many, many hearts.\n\n J. A. H.\n\n\n\n\nTHE SHORTNESS OF HUMAN LIFE.\n\n\nNation after nation rises, enters and occupies a place among the\nnations of the earth, falls, and is only known in the faithful records\nof history. Generation after generation comes forth, enters upon the\ngreat theatre of life, throngs the world for a little while, falls\nin death and passes into eternity. Upon an average, about once in\nthirty-three years, the whole of the inhabitants of the earth, or\nas many as are upon it at any one time, over one billion souls, are\ncarried beyond the reach of all missionary effort\u2014beyond the reach of\nall repentance\u2014all gospel invitations, and so many as are not saved,\nbeyond all possibility of salvation. During the same short period,\nthe preachers, missionaries, writers and professors of religion of\none generation are all born where no mistakes can be corrected, and\nno amendment for wrongs done, or time trifled away, can ever be made.\nTaking off from this time, eighteen years for childhood, only leaves\nabout fifteen years for the vast work of personal preparation, for\na state of boundless duration in the pure and holy society of just\nmen made perfect, the angels of God, Jesus the mediator of the New\nCovenant, and God, the Judge of all. It also leaves about the same\nlength of time for the good and virtuous, those with the love of God in\ntheir hearts, and lovers of mankind to make an effort to save our race.\nIn this view of the subject\u2014and no other can be justly taken\u2014it will\nreadily be perceived that what we do _must be done quickly_. Those who\ndo anything for mankind, must engage in the work immediately and with\nenergy. All who intend laying up a good foundation against the time\nto come\u2014laying up treasure in heaven to which they can go, and upon\nwhich they can rely when their temporal supports shall all fail, must\ncommence the work immediately, persevere in it, and abound during the\nshort space afforded them. There must be no delay, for there is simply\ntime enough to do what must be done immediately, if done at all. Those\nwho have never prepared to meet God, have still greater reason to enter\nat once upon the examination of the subject. With them, everything\nto secure their eternal happiness, so far as their own action is\nconcerned, is yet to be done.\n\nHow short the time, in view of the amount to be done; and how carefully\nevery moment should be employed by every person who has not been\nreconciled to God. What vast multitudes, throng our streets, lanes and\nhighways, who have never seriously thought upon, much less taken the\nelementary steps, to come to God, and who will remain in their present\ncondition, unless arrested in their thoughtless career, by those who\nhave already tested the good word of God, and felt the power of the\nworld to come. What an everlasting reason we find here for a most\nenergetic, persevering, and godly effort to rescue them and bring them\nto God.\n\n\n\n\nTHE GRAND WORK BEFORE US.\n\n\nThe people God has raised up in the nineteenth century and founded upon\nthe apostles and prophets, Jesus the Christ, the chief corner-stone,\nhave not been raised up in vain. Only a small part of their work is\nin history yet. What has been done is only a drop to the bucket of\nthe stupendous work to be accomplished. It is only a foretaste, an\nearnest of what is yet to come. It is only the incipient movement,\nthe inauguration of the work, the entering wedge. The great body of\nthe work lies in the future. Let no man become disheartened if a few\nfaint-hearted do turn back and hanker after the flesh-pots of Egypt.\nIn all great movements some of these have been found. They were in the\ncamps of Moses and among the first followers of Jesus. They have been\nthe timid, faithless time-servers, afraid of the people and lovers of\nthe world. But these are only spots in the feast, mere blemishes, and\nno more to the great body than the spots in the sun compared with that\nwonderful body. These poor little souls that desire to be _like the\nclergy_, or to be actual _clergymen themselves_; that want titles, and\nthe people to call them _Dr._, _Rev._; that get on the white cravat,\nthe priestly coat buttoned up to the chin; that drop on their knees and\nmake a _public private_ prayer, as they enter the \u201csacred desk,\u201d and\nthat teach the disciples to drop the head and offer a _secret private\npublic prayer before an assembly_, are not the men whom God sends. They\nare the men who think the _largest offer in money is the loudest call\nfrom God_, and the call which they obey most implicitly. They can be\nbought and sold like sheep and oxen. God never calls such men as these.\nThey are a burlesque on the religion of Jesus Christ; the plainness,\nsimplicity and humility of our Lord. The idea has never entered into\ntheir heads to be _servants_ of Jesus Christ. Their idea is to be\n_masters_. They are not thinking of obeying, unless to obey the men\nwith the largest purses; but their idea is to be obeyed. They are not\nthinking of adoring, but of being adored. The third epistle of Peter is\nthe one in which they find their likeness, and they are following the\ndirections in that epistle. Some of these may be reformed, and others\nwill go to their own place. They are not the men that _run the world_;\nthe world _runs them_.\n\nBut there is another class, that do not worship at the same altar\nwith these, nor are they of the same stripe. They do not draw their\ndivinity from clerical titles or clerical attire, nor from _public\nprivate prayers_, from imitating Jewish rabbis, or sectarian rabbis,\nfrom imitating ancient or modern Pharisees or Sadducees, but from the\nliving oracles of the living God. They are not under the thumbs of\nrich men, nor under the influence of high salaries; nor ancient nor\nmodern priests. They cannot be bought and sold. They are the Lord\u2019s\n_free men_. They have cut loose from the bondage of the world of\nsin, of sectarianism and the clergy. They belong to Christ. They get\ntheir gospel from him. They are his servants. They adore and worship\nhim. They are men of faith and of prayer, too, but when they pray in\n_secret_, it is _in secret_, where none but Him who sees in secret\nsees them. They know their Bible and they are devoted to it. There\nis a grand army of these, we believe, as time as the needle to the\npole. We cannot say that there are seven thousand in the field, public\npreachers, but we are astonished wherever we go to find such numbers of\nthem, and to find their firmness and determination in the faith; and\nto learn, too, of the sacrifices they are making and the additional\nsacrifices they are determined and willing to make. They are many of\nthem living almost as economically as we did thirty years ago, in our\nincipient work of opening the way.\n\nWhen the British general found General Marion living _on roots_, and\nhis men _fighting without pay_, he admitted that the prospect of\novercoming such men was gloomy. So, when our opposers see the glorious\narmy of which we speak, of faithful young men struggling with only a\nhalf support, and, in some instances, not that, and behold the love\nfor the gospel, the Lord Jesus and their fellow-men that impels them\non; and when they witness their determination, zeal and energy; that\nthey cannot be discouraged, disheartened and turned back, they give\nup all idea of ever conquering them or withstanding them. Let not one\nword we are saying be construed into an excuse for any Christian who\nhas the ability not sustaining these precious men whom God has raised\nand put into the field. Nor need any one wait for a \u201cplan,\u201d nor an\n\u201corganization,\u201d or \u201csystem.\u201d Plans, organizations and systems give no\nmoney. Men and women must give the money, if it is given at all. No man\nwho has the means, and refuses to do his part, according to the ability\nGod has given, to aid in this glorious work, need flatter himself that\nhe will be a partaker in the final reward. According as a man sows\nshall he also reap. We know that there are hard-hearted and sordid men\nin the church, that do nothing of consequence, and men of this sort\nthat will never be any better. They have but one idea ingrained and\nimprinted on their entire being, and that is to hang on with a grasp\nlike death itself to the goods of this world. But the good and the\ntrue, the men of faith, and love, and zeal; the men who have their eye\non a kingdom not of this world, and who are devoted to saving men and\nwomen from ruin, will not stop for these, nor brood over them, but turn\naway from them as they do from other abandoned characters who are past\nfeeling, and go on with their glorious work. God will be with them,\nand, though poor in this world, they will be rich in faith, and the\nLord will hold them up.\n\nBut what has this great army of young preachers to do? Where is their\nwork? There is work enough for them to do. The only fear we have is,\nthat when they look and see the vastness of the work, they will think,\nlike one of old, \u201cThere be more against us than for us.\u201d We have a\nvast amount of worldliness and carnality to drive out of the Church;\nconformity to the world; love of pleasure more than love of God; the\nlove of Christ to restore; the gospel and the true worship. Where the\ncause has gone back, it must be recovered; where the gospel has been\nlost and superseded by something else, it must be restored, and where\nthe worship has been corrupted, it must be purified, and the right way\nof the Lord established. Men who do not love the gospel, the worship\nand the things of God, will slough off when everything is driven out\nthat did not come from God; when the only things they loved are taken\naway. In a few instances entire congregations may be carried away with\nworldly policies and appliances; but the whole number thus lost will\namount to but little, compared with the grand throng that will stand\ntogether for the faith once delivered to the saints, and that will\ngo on. What remains for good men to do is, to go on; stand fast; be\nstrong in the Lord and in the power of his might; put on the whole\narmor of God and fight the good fight of faith, and stand to the Bible\nand nothing else, and thus make the Bible a grand power in the earth.\nWe have started with our Bible, and let us go on with it and carry it\nthrough the world. We have a book that nobody denies, except out and\nout skeptics, and one of supreme authority. Let us assert and maintain\nits authority, and carry it through the world. All the other books that\nin any way rival it, or are in anywise in the way of it, must be set\naside and rendered a _dead letter_. There is not one particle of divine\nauthority in anything that did not come out of the Bible. We must push\nall other books aside.\n\nAll the names not applied to the people and Church of God in the\nScriptures must be repudiated and discarded, and we must determine to\nspeak of the people and Church of God in the language of Scripture.\nThis we can do; to this, no child of God can reasonably object. There\nwill be no difficulty in this, when we shall have no other kind of\npeople or Church but the people and Church of God. While we have other\nkinds of people and churches, we shall need other names for them. But\nwe shall have no trouble about this, for they will select and give\nthemselves other names, such as they think fitting and appropriate.\nAll we have to do in the matter is to call them by the names they\ngive themselves. If they will not permit the Lord to name them, but\nwill call themselves by some name not given to the Lord\u2019s people in\nthe Bible, it is their own doing, not ours. There is no reason why\nthe Lord\u2019s people should follow their example, and not accept the\ndesignations found in Scripture, and use them exclusively. If we are\nthe Lord\u2019s people, we can be spoken of in the language of Scripture; if\nwe are not, then we might have some other name.\n\n\n\n\nTHE WORK OF CREATION.\n\n\nAfter Moses states the wonderful fact that \u201cIn the beginning God\ncreated the heaven and the earth,\u201d without stating when it was, only\nthat it was \u201cin the beginning,\u201d he proceeds to give a brief account\nof the state of things after this _first fact_, and before the work\nof the six days. He says: \u201cThe earth was without form, and void, and\ndarkness was upon the face of the deep.\u201d This state of things was\npreceded by the creation of the heaven and the earth. The next thing in\nthe successive acts was to operate on material created, brought into\nexistence; to form or fashion it. What was the first thing? \u201cThe Spirit\nof God moved upon the face of the waters.\u201d This was not bringing into\nexistence, but operating on that which was in existence. \u201cAnd God said,\nLet there be light: and there was light. And God saw the light, that it\nwas good: and God divided the light from the darkness. And God called\nthe light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and\nthe morning were the first day.\u201d Here we have the work of the first\nday. What was done on that day was not the same, no matter how we\ndescribe it, as the first act. It was forming, shaping, operating on\nmaterial previously brought into existence.\n\nMoses proceeds, \u201cAnd God said, Let there be a firmament in the midst of\nthe waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters. And God made\nthe firmament, and divided the waters which were under the firmament\nfrom the waters which were above the firmament: and it was so. And he\ncalled the firmament Heaven. And the evening and the morning were the\nsecond day.\u201d Here we have the work of the second day, like that of\nthe first day, forming, fashioning and bringing order out of chaos.\nThis \u201cfirmament,\u201d that God made, and \u201ccalled Heaven,\u201d is not the same\nas mentioned in the first verse, but is included in the words: \u201cThe\nheavens and the earth.\u201d This is the work of arrangement, ordering, etc.\n\nThen follow the gathering together the waters into one place, and the\nbringing to view the dry land, the naming of the dry land, Earth, and\nthe gathering together of the waters of the seas; the ordering of the\ngrass, the herb, the fruit-tree upon the earth. This was the work of\nthe third day. Then comes the ordering the heavenly bodies, the great\nlights for day and night, the dividing the light from the darkness,\netc., the work of the fourth day. All this is fashioning, forming,\narranging, ordering, and not creating from nothing. Then follows the\nordering of the waters, to bring forth the fishes, the fowl, and all\nthe inhabitants of the seas on the fifth day. This is followed by the\nordering the earth to bring forth the cattle, the creeping thing, and\nall the lower orders of the inhabitants of the earth, and concludes the\nwork of the sixth day by the creation of man, or _forming_ him in the\nimage of God.\n\nWe have both the words \u201cmade,\u201d and \u201ccreated,\u201d used and applied to\nthis work of the six days, where it is manifestly used in the sense\nof shaping, forming, fashioning, ordering, arranging, and not in the\nsense of the word \u201ccreated\u201d in the first sentence in the Bible, where\nit manifestly means _creating from nothing or bringing into existence_.\nThis wonderful act of the Infinite One, of bringing into existence the\nheaven and the earth\u2014this stupendous universe\u2014may have been performed\nan indefinite period of time before the commencement of the work of\nthe six days described by Moses. In this view there is no danger. It\nmakes the work of the Creator none the less wonderful, glorious and\noverwhelming. It matters not how long before the work of the six days\nit was that \u201cGod created the heaven and the earth,\u201d or brought the\nuniverse into existence. Nor need we be startled at this. The work of\nthe six days, as described by Moses, is wonderful beyond all human\nimagination. We can comprehend but little of it. We may well exclaim,\nas Paul did, in view of a different matter: \u201cO the depth of the riches\nboth of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his\njudgments, and his ways past finding out! For who hath known the mind\nof the Lord? or who hath been his counselor? For of him, and through\nhim, are all things; to whom be glory forever. Amen.\u201d\n\n\n\n\nLOTTERIES.\n\n\nThe entire lottery scheme is gambling. The desire and intention in\nlotteries is to get money by a base method, or, in other words,\ndishonestly. The desire and intention is to get money without rendering\nan equivalent, or to get something for nothing. The man or company that\nconducts a lottery knows the precise per cent. that is made in selling\nout the tickets. If everything is conducted fairly; that is, what they\ncall _fairly_; that is, to conduct according to their proposed rule,\nsome few would draw prizes of much value and some larger number will\ndraw small prizes, while the great body of them will draw nothing. They\nsimply give their money to make up the prizes that others draw, and\nmake a fine purse to run the establishment. Think of the following:\n\n1. We do not profess to know, but probably if the _green ones_ that buy\nlottery tickets would pay $100,000 for tickets, all the prizes they\nwould all draw would not amount to more than $66,000, thus leaving\n$34,000 in the concern. This is swindle No. 1, to the tune of $34,000!\n\n2. There can be but very few who can draw prizes of any considerable\nvalue, for there are but few of that kind in the concern. The\npurchasers of lottery tickets would be astonished to know how few could\npossibly draw a prize to the amount of $1,000, if enough would draw\ntickets to pay in $100,000.\n\n3. They would be still more astonished to know how few can draw even\nsmall prizes, and most of all astonished to know how few can draw\nanything.\n\n4. The concern proceeds on a principle of dishonesty on both sides\u2014the\nprinciple of getting something for nothing. The man that studies how\nto do this, and tries to accomplish it, studies dishonesty and how\nto practice it. In its very nature it is corrupting, and must end in\ndegrading a man. Young men ought to shun it as they would a viper.\n\n\n\n\nNO PREACHERS ON DANCING, ETC.\n\n\nNo man goes through the country delivering able and finely-prepared\ndiscourses advocating _dancing_, going to theatres, playing innocent\ngames for amusement, etc., etc. These things, like the weeds in the\ngarden, need no advocates, but come themselves, and that, too, in\nopposition to all moral feeling, restraints and entreaties. They are\nnot cultivated fruit, but the spontaneous growth that must be removed\nbefore we can have the precious fruits of the Spirit. They are the\nfruits of the flesh, of the carnal mind. The man who builds up\nchurches, maintains the spiritual devotions, order, purity, discipline,\nelevates and ennobles humanity, must work; war against the flesh and\nall the works of the flesh; cultivate, be faithful and watchful. He has\nsomething to do more than to inquire, what harm is it?\n\nThe Romish Church has reached the climax in the _easy_ system.\nShe makes her members chiefly of infants before they can make any\nsuccessful resistance, and then never excludes except for heresy. In\nthis way she has grown up to the enormous number of about _two hundred\nmillion_, or one-sixth of the inhabitants of the world. Dancing,\ndrunkenness, or any other works of the flesh except _heresy_ forfeit no\nmembership in that carnal body. We do not want to go _back_ toward that\nbody.\n\nThere are more than _seven thousand_ or _seven times seven thousand_,\nremaining, who have not consented to any departure, who are to-day as\ndetermined for the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth,\nas A. Campbell was in the best days of the _Christian Baptist_, and\nthe man who talks to them about any new departure under the name of\n_progression_, or any other name, is not only idling away his time and\ntalent, but letting _himself down_ in their estimation from the faith\nto sectarianism. They estimate a man, not by his learning, his talent\nor money, but by his love to the Lord Jesus the Christ. They judge of\nthis love by his integrity to the Lord, as seen in a strict adherence\nto the gospel, the teaching of the Lord and his apostles; his example;\nhis appointed worship; all he said and did; his devotion to the Lord in\nall respects; a settled and determined adherence to him in all things.\n\nMen may turn away from him, and some will, as some did under the eyes\nof the apostles. Whole churches will turn away and go to nothing, and\nthe names of some men will stand ingloriously connected with these\nruins. The first churches the Lord established have long since been\nburied in ruins, but the men who spread the desolation will not be\noverlooked in the eternal judgment. They will there receive their last\nnotoriety. The Lord has not raised the building now standing on the\nrock, in vain, but to stand the pillar and support of the truth. The\nmain body understand that they have entered into covenant with God, and\nthat they are bound by all the honor that is in them to maintain every\ninch of ground they have gained. There is, we believe, salt enough in\nthis body to preserve it. It has the power and Spirit of God in it; and\nGod will hold it up and perpetuate it when men who have it not will\nbe forgotten. By the grace of God it will stand till the Lord comes.\nLet us labor to \u201cpresent it to him a glorious church, without spot or\nwrinkle, or any such thing.\u201d\n\n\n\n\nHARDENING PHARAOH\u2019S HEART.\n\n\nThere are two senses in which things are ascribed to God. 1. When\nhe _does things_ directly, as in the work of creation. 2. When he\n_permits_ things to be done. In this latter sense God _raised up_ and\nhardened Pharaoh. It is simply in the sense of _permission_\u2014permitted\nhim to _rise up_ and _be hardened_. The hardening is also ascribed\nto Pharaoh. He _hardened himself_. This was the direct act. He did\nit. When the holy writer is looking at the providence of God, in\npermitting him to rise up into power, and assigning a reason for it,\nthe explanation is made, that it was done to make known his power in\nall the earth. This is the sense in which God raises up kings and other\nrulers, that are bad, and uses them as vessels fitted for destruction.\nHe permits them to rule and rule badly, do wickedly; oppress the\npeople, as vessels of dishonor and wrath, making them examples to all\nthe earth, in their overthrow and utter ruin, to teach other rulers and\nthe people that they are all in the hands of the Lord.\n\nThe judgments of God have two different results on men, either, on the\none hand, to subdue the heart and lead to repentance, or to harden the\nheart and lead to greater deeds of cruelty and oppression. When the\nholy writer speaks of it, in view of the case where men are hardened\nand become worse by it, he says, God hardened them. In the other case,\nwhere they are subdued and led to repentance by it, he says, God makes\nthem \u201cvessels of mercy,\u201d leads them to repentance and saves them. The\ndealings of God are precisely alike in both cases, but the result is\ndifferent. In one case it is a savor of life, in the other of death.\nThe difference is not in the divine treatment, but in the patients.\nThe one becomes a vessel of wrath, and the other a vessel of mercy.\nGod is said to save the one and harden the other, because we have the\ntwo results from the same treatment. In that sense it is from God and\nascribed to him, in both the hardening and saving. See the following:\n\n\u201cAt what instant I shall speak concerning a nation and concerning a\nkingdom, to pluck up, and to pull down, and to destroy it; if that\nnation, against whom I have pronounced, turn from their evil, I will\nrepent of the evil I thought to them.\u201d See Jer. xviii. 7, 8. This\nassures us, that where a nation or a kingdom repent, the Lord turns\naway the threatened calamity. The Lord then states the case for a\nnation that shall turn away from the Lord:\n\n\u201cAt what instant I shall speak concerning a nation, and concerning a\nkingdom, to build and to plant it; if it do evil in my sight, that it\nobey not my voice, then will I repent of the good, wherewith I said\nI would benefit them.\u201d See Jer. xviii. 9, 10. This sets forth the\nfoundation of making vessels of honor and of wrath. God can make either\nthe one, or the other. The ground of his doing this is their doing good\nand doing evil.\n\nWhen God sent a judgment on Pharaoh, to subdue him and lead him to\nrepentance, he promised to repent and let the children of Israel go;\nbut then hardened his heart, broke his promise and refused to let them\ngo. This was repeated ten times on him, and every time he broke his\npromise and he became still more hardened, and God permitted him thus\nto go on till his overthrow, thus making the power of God known in all\nthe earth, and making the hardened monarch of Egypt an example to all\nthe nations to follow. No doubt God hardens men now in the same sense\nas he did Pharaoh, subdues and leads others to repentance as he did the\nNinevites, who repented at the preaching of Jonah.\n\n\n\n\nOUR CENSUS.\n\n\nIn an age when people compare themselves with their neighbors, look\nat the comparative size of their hymn books, the size, splendor and\nelegance of the temples in which they meet, the amount of money they\nraise, their church organs, festivals, choirs, popular preachers and\nnumerical strength, the census is looked to with great concern; but\nwhere people are greatly devoted to the Lord, diligently striving to\nplease him and be accepted of him in the great day, they are led to\nthink of the piety of the people, their purity, their culture; their\nfaith, and hope and love; their efforts to save men and build up the\nkingdom of God, and not to be troubled seriously about how they shall\nappear in the _census_. We are vastly more concerned about maintaining\nthe purity of the gospel, the faithfulness of the preaching, the\ndiscipline and order of the church, the pure worship as prescribed in\nthe law of God, than we are about the _census_. We are more concerned\nabout how we appear before the Lord than we are how we appear before\nman.\n\nWe are perfectly contented and satisfied with the things of God as set\nforth in Scripture. We are contented and satisfied with the very words\nand forms of speech in which God speaks to man. We love the lowliness,\nsimplicity and humility of Jesus. It is the manifestation of infinite\nwisdom and goodness. The wisdom of this world is foolishness with God.\n\u201cThe Lord knows the thoughts of the wise that they are vain.\u201d He takes\nthe wise in their own craftiness.\n\n\n\n\nTRUE MISSIONARIES.\n\n\nThe early members in our great movement in this country were _nearly\nall preachers_. They read the Scriptures to and talked with their\nneighbors, explained matters to them, and, in many instances, when the\npreacher came they were already convinced and ready for baptism; or, if\nthey had been baptized ready for uniting on the Bible. This accounts\nfor our having such large success by preaching a few discourses. Much\nof the preaching was done before the preacher came, by private members\nand in private circles. These were _missionary people_ in the true\nsense. They were in the work all the time. They did not need games of\namusement for pastime. They had no time to spare. They were all busy,\nand all alive and at work. The love and spirit of God were in them, and\nthe divine influence was shed all round. They did not have a little\nmissionary spasm, pray a week for the spread of the gospel, give a few\ndollars and do no more for three months or a year, but they prayed for\nthe spread of the gospel all the time; kept at the work of spreading\nit all the time. They had no trouble about _plans_, but kept at the\n_work_, and spread the gospel. It can be spread in the same way again,\nand is being thus spread largely now wherever it is spread at all. If\nwe honestly desire to spread the gospel of the grace of God, to turn\nsinners to the Lord, free them from the manacles of sin and death, and\nsave them, let us go to work and do it. There is nothing to hinder us,\nif we have the faith and love and zeal, from carrying it forward to\nany extent. The people are weary of sectarianism, and ready to hear\nsomething intelligible on the way of salvation.\n\n\n\n\nNO DEPARTURE FROM THE JERUSALEM CHURCH.\n\n\nIf we are to depart from the Jerusalem Church because it was in its\ninfancy, and not reproduce the primitive church, we should like to\nknow how far we are to depart from it, and in what. If the faith and\npractice, the precept and example of the primitive church may not be\nadopted now and followed; if in all things we should not now have the\nsame faith and practice, precept and example they had, we should be\npleased for some expounder of the new doctrine to explain to us in what\nthe departure shall consist, and what rule we are to adopt now. If we\nlet go of the rule that governed the first church, what rule shall we\nadopt? If we cut loose from the divine, shall we adopt a human rule? If\nso, what human rule? Some one of these already made? or shall we have\nthe presumption and folly to think we can make a better one than these\nhuman rules already in use?\n\nWe are not ready to cut loose from the Jerusalem Church, its rule of\nfaith and practice, its precept and example. We have more confidence\nin the old ground than ever, and have no idea of departing from the\nJerusalem Church, its faith and practice, precepts and example. The\nmen that will not stand on apostolic ground, the faith and practice of\nthe first church, will not stand on anything long. We want something\nreliable, permanent, sure and steadfast\u2014a kingdom that cannot be\nmoved. In the old Bible, the old gospel and the old church, we find it.\nHere is something to lean upon living and dying, for this world and\nthe world to come. If we leave this, all is uncertainty, darkness and\nnight. Let us \u201chear what the Spirit says to the churches,\u201d and not he\nof those who \u201cdepart from the faith,\u201d giving heed to seducing spirits,\nand not listen to \u201cunstable souls,\u201d or those \u201cever learning and never\nable to the knowledge of the truth.\u201d\n\n\n\n\nBORN OF WATER AND THE SPIRIT.\n\n\nThere is but _one birth_ mentioned or alluded to in the conversation\nwith Nicodemus.\n\nThere is but _one kingdom_ mentioned or alluded to in the conversation.\n\nThe conversation is about _one birth_ and entering into _one kingdom_.\nThe whole is in the phrase, \u201cYou must be born again,\u201d or the previous\nphrase, \u201cExcept a man be born again he can not see the kingdom of God.\u201d\nThis figurative expression \u201cborn again,\u201d is precisely the same, or\nincludes the same as conversion. A man born again is a man converted.\nIn being born again precisely the same _agencies_ are employed, and\nthe same thing is accomplished as when a man is converted. This is\nliterally a man turned from darkness to light, from the world to God.\nThis is not done by the agency of water without the agency of the\nSpirit. There is no such thing as a birth of water without the Spirit.\nA man is \u201cborn again,\u201d not by water without the Spirit, nor by the\nSpirit without the water, but \u201cborn of water and of the Spirit,\u201d no\nmatter how many fine theories are spoiled. Nothing leads to more\nuseless theories and speculations than attempts to build a theory on a\nfigurative expression. The literal must always explain the figurative.\nThe clear and unfigurative language of the commission has precisely the\nsame in it as the phrase, \u201cborn of water and of the Spirit.\u201d \u201cHe who\nbelieves and is immersed shall be saved.\u201d Believes, in this passage, is\nliteral. Born of the Spirit, or, which is the same, \u201cbegotten of the\nSpirit,\u201d is figurative. The meaning is the same as, \u201cI have begotten\nyou by the gospel,\u201d or made you believers by the gospel. Begotten of\nGod is _made a believer of God_. Begotten of the Spirit is _made a\nbeliever by the Spirit_. It is in some instances ascribed to God in\nview of his being the Author of it. It is ascribed to Christ in view of\nit being through his mediation. It is ascribed to the Spirit in view\nof his inspiring the apostles or speaking in them, and thus making\nbelievers, and those thus made believers are said to be begotten of\nthe Spirit, and, when immersed, said to be \u201cborn of water and of the\nSpirit.\u201d This is precisely all there is in it.\n\nThere is nothing about the resurrection in it, the first resurrection\nor any other resurrection, unless it be a resurrection to a new life.\nNor is anything in the resurrection ever called \u201ca birth of the\nSpirit.\u201d We are perfectly aware that the dead will be quickened by the\nSpirit, and that the Spirit of Christ will quicken their mortal bodies;\nthat Christ was the \u201cfirst-born from the dead,\u201d the \u201cfirst-born among\nmany brethren,\u201d and that the dead will be raised at the sound of the\ntrumpet, but there is not one word about all this or an allusion to\nit in the conversation with Nicodemus. Nor is there one word about or\nallusion to the everlasting kingdom in that conversation. We must not\nmake something out of that conversation that is not in it.\n\nNicodemus was standing on his birth-right, \u201cborn in thy house,\u201d as\nexpressed Gen. xvii. 13, for membership. The Lord sweeps this away in\none sentence: \u201cExcept a man be born again he can not see the kingdom of\nGod.\u201d His being born in the house or family of Abraham availed nothing.\n\u201cFlesh and blood can not inherit the kingdom of God.\u201d No matter in\nwhose family he was born nor whose blood coursed in his veins, a man\nmust be born again, born from above, born of water and of the Spirit,\nor he cannot enjoy the kingdom of God. As the Spirit is the agent\nthrough whom the gospel is preached, and the gospel the instrument\nby which the Spirit makes believers, the agent is mentioned for the\neffect, which is belief\u2014made believers by the Spirit and baptized into\nChrist, into one body. It is of God, of Christ, of the Spirit, of the\napostles and by the word.\n\nThere is no such thing as the new birth without the Spirit, nor any\nsuch thing as entering into the kingdom of God or the body of Christ.\nThe faith, the work of the Spirit in preaching the gospel, through\nthe apostles, and baptism, or, figuratively, \u201cborn of water,\u201d must be\npresent. The man who believes the gospel with all his heart and is\nimmersed into Christ is \u201cborn of water and of the Spirit\u201d in the sense\nintended by the Savior.\n\n\n\n\nA HIGHER MORALITY REQUIRED.\n\n\nWe need a higher morality, a more pure and unadulterated piety and\ngreater simplicity of benevolence. We do not want money extracted\nfrom the pockets of the people by the Church offering them sensual\ngratification, amusements and entertainments, to say nothing of the\nball, the lottery and other gambling. Let us in the name of the Lord\nand of religion, in a manly way, come directly to the people for means\nto _support religion_ and ask them to _give from love to Christ_,\nand no matter if we do not obtain one-fourth the amount it will do\nten times as much good. The Lord needs no money made by lotteries,\ngambling, fairs, festivals, or any such appeals to the lust of the\nflesh, the human appetite, the love of fine companies, etc. He needs\nno money only that _given to him through love and devotion to his\ncause_. Those who appeal to entertainments, amusements, fine companies\nof men and women, the dance, lotteries, festivals, fairs, etc., etc.,\nthus publish to the world their impression that there is more potency\nin these worldly and secular appliances than there is in the grace\nof God and the love of Christ, and we doubt not they find it to be\nso, in _raising money in their assemblies_. They have tried it and\ndemonstrated it to be so. We care not if it be so; we care not if\nit has been demonstrated that the people will give more money for a\nmonkey show than for the kingdom of God; we will not resort to the\nmonkey show; nor do we care if they will give more money for revelling\nthan for the holy cause for which Jesus died; we will not resort to the\nrevelling. There are other matters aside from the question, how much\nmoney can we raise, that must be kept in view.\n\nWe must maintain our piety, devotion to the Lord, purity, and must\nnot be conformed to this world, but transformed by the renewing of\nour mind. We have never consented to this modern element that will\nappeal to anything and everything that will _raise money_. It is not\nGodliness, nor the love of God, but sensual; it is devilish. Come\ndirectly to the children of God in the name of the Lord and appeal to\nthem for his sake to give, to give freely and of a willing mind; that\n\u201cit is more blessed to give than to receive,\u201d and appreciate what is\ngiven in his name.\n\n\n\n\nPOIMEEN\u2014SHEPHERD\u2014EVANGELIST\u2014OVERSEER.\n\n\nWe will not go back to the Old Testament to find any office or officer\nin the kingdom of Christ. What currency, then, has the word \u201cpastor\u201d\nin the New Testament? The word is in the New Testament, in some\ntranslations, in _one place_. That is its entire currency in the new\nand everlasting covenant. But then the word \u201cEaster\u201d is found in _one\nplace_ in the common version. Is that authority for _Easter_? If it is\nin the New Testament in one place, rightfully, it is authority as\nmuch as if it were in fifty places. But how does it happen to be\nthere in _one place_? If the translators had, in that _one place_,\ngiven us _passover_, as they have done in every other instance to\nrepresent the same original, we should have had no Easter in the New\nTestament. In the same way, if the translators had given us the word\n_shepherds_, Eph. iv. 11, as they have done in every other case to\nrepresent the same original word, we should have had no _pastor_ in\nthe New Testament. On this one variation from the rule, to translate\n_poimeen_, shepherd, hangs the \u201cpastorate,\u201d so called, the _office_ for\nthe pastor, and we might add, all the \u201cinstallations,\u201d etc. Probably it\nis Dr. Watts that exclaims, with other matters before him: \u201cGreat God!\non what a brittle thread hangs eternal things!\u201d On what a slender prop\nhangs the _pastorate_! Still, on this platform the pastors stand.\n\nIn _one place_ and only _one_, in some translations, the original\nword for shepherd, and so translated in every other place in the New\nTestament, is translated _pastors_. When the common version appeared,\nKing James issued a proclamation commanding the _translation_ to be\nread as the _word of God_. If we obey this command we must read the\nLatin word _pastor_ as the word of God, though the same translators\ngive us _shepherd_ as the English representative of the original word\n_poimeen_ in every other occurrence of it in the New Testament. In this\nway we get divine authority in the word of God, and human authority\nfrom King James, not only for the unscriptural pastorate in the Church\nof England, but the equally unscriptural _pastorate_ now trying to grow\nup among us, first under one plausible pretext and then under another.\n\nWhy translate _poimeen_, shepherd, in every other place, and cover up\nthe word shepherd with the Latin word pastor in one place? Whatever\nidea the Lord and the apostles intended to convey in this matter,\nthey deemed the _one word_ sufficient. What reason can any man give\nfor representing the original word _poimeen_ by the word shepherd in\nevery instance but one, and there using the Latin word _pastor_? Rome\nloves Latin. It is not the _vulgar tongue_. What reason is there for\ndeparting from the otherwise invariable rule and giving us _pastor_,\nEph. iv. 11? Why not give us \u201cChief-Pastor,\u201d or \u201cArch-Pastor,\u201d and not\n\u201cChief-Shepherd?\u201d Why not style the Lord \u201cthe Pastor of the sheep,\u201d\nand not \u201cShepherd of the sheep?\u201d _Pastor_ would not read well as the\ncorrelative of _sheep_. We hear sermons on the offices of our Lord, as\nKing, Priest, Prophet. Why not have a sermon on his office as _Pastor_?\nThen we might have a sermon on the office of the church as a _flock_,\nor the office of the members as _sheep_. Could we not say _flock\u2019s_\noffice, _sheep\u2019s_ office? The Lord has no such office as _shepherd_,\nor, in Latin, _pastor_. There is no such office as _pastorate_, nor\nofficer as _pastor_. There is not one word in the New Covenant about\nthe qualifications of a pastor, the election of one, the calling\nof one, or the installation of one. As the correlative of the word\n_flock_, when the church is figuratively called _flock_, the Lord who\ncares for the flock and has the oversight of it is figuratively called\n_Shepherd_, or, when the followers of the Lord are figuratively called\n_sheep_, the Lord is figuratively called \u201cthe Shepherd of the sheep.\u201d\nWhen the Lord is called \u201cthe Chief-Shepherd,\u201d or \u201cArch-Shepherd,\u201d\nthe church is in view as the flock of which he is Shepherd, and the\n_overseers_ in the church are _under_ shepherds, but there is no\n_shepherd\u2019s_ office, nor _flock\u2019s_ office. The bishops or overseers\nare as certainly _bishops_ or _overseers_, when figuratively called\n_shepherds_, as if literally called _overseers_. No other office or\nwork is meant.\n\nComing now to the practical matter, we desire Bible things and Bible\nnames for them. We desire to preserve the church and everything in\nit as the Lord gave it. We desire, in the matter in hand, to prevent\nthe creation of any _new office_ in the church. There is nothing\nnew or unscriptural in the idea of an overseer who devotes himself\nwholly to the word and teaching. There may be other overseers who do\nnot give themselves wholly to the word and teaching. Then there is\nnothing unscriptural in an evangelist remaining with a church one,\ntwo or more years, to set in order things that are wanting, assist in\nqualifying the church to take care of itself, and preach the gospel\nto the community. In this capacity he is not a church officer at all,\nbut doing the work of an evangelist. He is not with the church to\n\u201cperform divine service\u201d for it, to lord it over it, or as a ruler, nor\n_permanently_, but assisting the church in her infancy and enabling her\nto take care of herself.\n\nEvery preacher connected with any church is laboring in one of these\ntwo senses: as an overseer who labors in the word and teaching, or as\nan evangelist. In the former capacity he may be there permanently. In\nthe latter capacity he is not there permanently, but setting in order\nthe things wanting, with a view to qualifying themselves to every\ngood word and work; to instruct and edify one another in love, but\nintending to go on to another place as soon as he has finished his\nwork where he is. But the overseer who labors in the word and teaching\nis not to assume any airs of authority, or any _great chair_ with his\n_subordinates_ on more humble seats by his side. We abominate all these\ngreat chairs, pulpits and preferences for public men. If they are good\nmen they do not want them, and if they are bad men they certainly\nshould not be honored with them. Really great and good men are plain\nmen\u2014want no great chair nor great titles. They need no priestly robes,\nclerical coats nor titles. They make a record that tells the story for\nthem. _They do the work._ Let us do the work, seek the simplicity of\nJesus and the humility of children. While we sing, \u201cNearer, my God, to\nthee,\u201d let us strive to live nearer to God and do our utmost to excel\nin understanding and practicing precisely what the Lord has laid before\nus in the Scriptures.\n\n\n\n\nCALL NO MAN REVEREND.\n\n\nWe will call no man _Reverend_. We make this a matter of conscience.\nThere is no more reason or gospel for addressing a preacher differently\nfrom other men than there is for a preacher to be attired differently.\nIf a man is not preacher enough to be known as a _preacher_, without\nthe white necktie or the priestly coat, let him pass without being\nknown. We like to treat a preacher, or even a Roman priest, with common\ncivility, but we do all that when we treat him as any other gentleman.\nWe want no preacher\u2019s garb nor titles, and will recognize none of them.\nMany have those who have never been \u201cborn again;\u201d who are not in the\nkingdom of God\u2014not Christians.\n\n\n\n\nPREACHER DID NOT SUIT.\n\n\nWe must say a few things in the way of _generals_ before we come to\n_particulars_. We visited a church some years since, and there was\nquite a general impression among the members that their preacher did\nnot suit them\u2014that he was not \u201cthe right man in the right place,\u201d etc.\nMany fine things were said, as to the kind of a man they needed, etc.,\nand the idea prevailed that they had better turn their preacher off and\nget another. We suggested to them in a circle one day that possibly\nthey had not at all discovered the real malady; that possibly the main\ndifficulty was not at all in reference to the kind of a preacher they\nneeded, but to the kind of a church they needed; that possibly the\nchange they needed could be effected by _turning off the church_ and\ngetting _another_ and a _better one_.\n\n\n\n\nTHE OLD AND NEW TESTAMENTS.\n\n\nWe need a vast amount of instruction in regard to both the Old\nTestament and the New, not only in the sunday-school, but in the\nchurch, the family, and to individuals. We need some thorough work in\nthis matter. Much of what is now passing for _teaching_ both the Old\nTestament and New is in no proper sense teaching either the Old or New\nTestament. The general idea is, that the Old Testament embraces all the\nsacred writings or the books of the Bible, beginning with Genesis and\nending with Malachi, and that the New Testament embraces all the sacred\nwritings or books of the Bible, beginning with Matthew and ending with\nRevelation. Such is the sense in which these terms are now used. When\nit is said, the Old Testament is abolished, the idea generally received\nis that all the sacred writings, or the books of the Bible, from the\nbeginning of Genesis to the end of Malachi, are set aside, of no use,\nand not to be studied. This is a very superficial view, and one that in\nno sense comprehends the matter.\n\nThe word \u201ctestament\u201d means _covenant_, and the Old Testament is simply\nin the Bible sense the Old Covenant. This was made with the seed of\nAbraham, or fleshly Israel, and includes what Paul calls \u201cthe law.\u201d\nThis is what he calls \u201cour _pedagogue_ to bring us to Christ.\u201d It is\nnot \u201cschool-master\u201d as the common version has it, but _pedagogue_.\nHis office was different from that of school-teacher. It was to take\ncharge of the children from the time they started from their homes\ntill they reached the school-room and put under the teacher. This\nwas the office of the law of Moses, to take charge of the seed of\nAbraham, Israel according to the flesh, and bring them to Christ the\nSchool-teacher. Paul does not say, as some quote him, \u201cThe law _is_\nour school-master to bring us to Christ,\u201d but being a Jew, and speaking\nas such, he says, \u201cThe law _was_ our pedagogue to bring us to Christ,\u201d\nthe School-teacher. This law, containing a full development of all\nthat was in the covenant with the seed of Abraham, or fleshly Israel,\nis what was abolished, had waxed old, and was ready to vanish away in\nPaul\u2019s day. This most certainly did not include the history in the five\nbooks of Moses, or any other history in the Old Book, commonly called\nthe \u201cOld Testament,\u201d the book of Job, the Psalms, Proverbs, or the\nProphecies. None of these are abolished, but are all of as much value\nto those under Christ, and as legitimate books for study, as they ever\nwere to any people in any age of the world. They are not included in the\nlaw, or the covenant, or in what was abolished, but have a relation to\nthe gospel, to those in the kingdom of Christ, and are of immense value.\n\nBy making ourselves well acquainted with the sacred writings, the\ndealings of God with man, and the portions of revelation given in\nvarious manners and at sundry times, we can see as we can in nature now\nthat we have revelation through which to read it, that there was one\nDivine Mind before the beginning of time that looked down through the\nages, and by the agency of men that did not understand him, carried\nout his wise and gracious counsels according to his eternal purpose.\nGoing back to the early sacred writings found in the Old Book we look\ndown through these writings to Christ, the kingdom of God, the gospel,\nas one looking through a telescope at objects in the distance; but,\nstanding at the other end of revelation, we look up through the New\nBook containing the revelations given at later periods to the persons\nand events of the Old Book, as one who turns the telescope the other\nend foremost, and bring Moses and the prophets down near to us.\n\nChrist is the soul of the Bible, _the theme_ of the revelation from God\nto man. Turn the portions of revelation given at early periods, next\nto the eye and look down through the Bible, and through the ages to\nChrist, and then turn the last part of revelation to the eye, and look\nup through it to Christ, and we thus find that it all centers in Him\n\u201cwho is Head over all things to the church.\u201d\n\nIt is not right in the church, family, or anywhere, to teach the Old\nScriptures _exclusively_, or the New, but _teach both_, in their\nrelation to each other. The New can not be thoroughly and successfully\nstudied without the Old, nor the Old without the New.\n\nThe popular custom of memorizing and repeating verses in view of prizes\nto the most successful, or the study and answer of such questions, as\nwho was the first man, who was the oldest man, who was the meekest\nman, etc., gives us no understanding of the Scriptures. Much of this\nis a mere exercise of the memory, and there is nothing in it to make\na pious impression, or give any comprehension of the mind of God. It\nappears at times wonderful how many things can be taught, and correctly\nenough too, _about_ the Bible, and at the same time keep out of view\nentirely the _divine purpose_, the very _import_ and _intention_ of the\nwonderful book professedly taught. The eternal purpose of God, running\nthrough the Bible from side to side, as it does through the works of\nnature, should be taught and kept in view, not to find any definite\nnumber that will certainly be saved or lost, but to find the Lord\u2019s\nAnointed, his gospel and kingdom; a revelation of the mystery, an\nunfolding of the secret hid in God from before the beginning of time,\nbut now made manifest, and by the Scriptures of the prophets, according\nto the commandment of the everlasting God made known to all nations for\nthe obedience of faith.\n\n\n\n\nWILL YOU ALSO GO AWAY.\n\n\nNo matter how many go the wrong way, nor how popular they are, nor how\nmuch money they have, the Lord is able to bring them to judgment, and\nhe will most certainly do it. When the people went away from the temple\nand abandoned him, and only a few disciples remained with him, and he\ninquired of them: \u201cWill you also go away?\u201d the prospect looked dim, but\nthe Lord did not change his course. When he expired on the cross the\nenemies exulted and triumphed; but their triumph did not last long. \u201cHe\nwas quickened by the Spirit.\u201d God raised him up. \u201cHe was justified by\nthe Spirit.\u201d The armies in heaven were with him. The upper world was in\nmotion. God vindicated him, as he did all who will listen to him. When\nthey burned Tyndale at the stake they thought they had put him down;\nbut, while the names of his persecutors have, with few exceptions, gone\ninto oblivion, the name of Tyndale is held in esteem by all good men.\nThe name of Luther will live to the end of time, while the time-servers\nwho opposed him are rapidly sinking into forgetfulness. The man\nthat leads the people to God, to the Lord Jesus, by the gospel, and\nmaintains the will of God, will abide forever; while the man that tries\nto catch the giddy throng with a little show of some human devices,\nand who may attract their attention for a time, will pass away and be\nforgotten forever.\n\nWe are for _progress_ in the true sense in every department, but not\nfor the _progress backward_. We are for the _progress_ in the church\nthat goes forward and converts sinners, and builds up churches; that\ninfuses piety, devotion to God and to the right way of the Lord; but\nnot for the progress that is _nearly all money_, and _almost no work_.\nWe are for the progress that goes _forward_ and not _backward_.\n\n\n\n\nTHE GROUND OF UNION.\n\n\n\u201cIn what are Christians to be united?\u201d\n\nThey are to be united _on Christ_\u2014on _being Christians_. This embraces\nthe entire revelation from God to man, all the truth uttered, the\ncommandments given and the promises made by our heavenly Father. The\ntruth must all be believed, the commandments obeyed, and the promises\nmust be hoped for. This includes the entire faith, obedience and hope\nof the gospel. _In this_ we must be united.\n\nII. \u201cWhat are the essentials of Christianity which can not be\ncompromised?\u201d\n\n_Christianity itself_, as a whole and in all its parts, is essential.\nAll that is in it is essential, and all that is not in it is not\nessential. We are for christianity itself, not in part, but the whole\nof it, as it came from the infallible Spirit of all wisdom and all\nrevelation. It is all essential. Nothing may be added to it or taken\nfrom it. The \u201cdoctrines and commandments of men,\u201d the doctrines of\n\u201cexpediency,\u201d of \u201cdeductions\u201d and \u201cinferences,\u201d from _principles_,\nare not essential; but these are not christianity, nor any part of\nit. Nothing in christianity can be compromised except at our peril.\nThe wisdom of God gives us no non-essentials. If the wisdom of man\npronounces anything given by the wisdom of God, or, which is the same,\nany part of christianity, non-essential, such wisdom of man must be set\naside as presumptuous.\n\nWhat an idea for men to sit on the _grave_ question of _essentials_\nand _non-essentials_, in the divine institution given by our Lord and\nconfirmed by the most indubitable signs and wonders! What part of that\nwhich has been given by the wisdom of God is essential, and what part\nis not essential? It is all essential, or the wisdom of God would not\nhave given it, and the authority of God would not have required it. The\nvery circumstance that the infinite wisdom devised it and the infinite\nauthority required it makes the whole of christianity binding. There is\nnot a non-essential in it.\n\nIII. \u201cHow far is diversity to be tolerated?\u201d\n\nWe are all required to \u201cspeak the same thing,\u201d to \u201cteach no other\ndoctrine,\u201d to \u201cpreach the word,\u201d to preach no \u201cother gospel,\u201d to teach\nthe things that become \u201csound doctrine,\u201d and if we \u201cspeak not according\nto his word it is because there is no light in us.\u201d In one word, we are\nnot to have \u201call sorts of doctrine from all sorts of teachers,\u201d but to\n\u201cearnestly contend for the faith once for all delivered to the saints.\u201d\n\nIV. \u201cHow shall we reconcile the right of private judgment with the\nright of the Church to maintain the faith in its purity, and still\npreserve the unity of the faith which the word of God enjoins?\u201d\n\nThe way we have done it for fifty years past. We have had the light of\nprivate judgment, and, at the same time, maintained the faith in its\npurity and preserved the unity of the faith as enjoined in Scripture.\nDemonstration is better than theory. We have brought the people from\nall parties, united them in the one faith, made them one in the unity\nof the Spirit, with the exception of a few erratic spirits, but we\nhave not had more of these than they had in the time of the apostles.\nThey and their mission were predicted in Scripture, and they have come\nand fulfilled the predictions of the Lord and the apostles without\nintending or knowing it, and thus furnished an additional evidence that\nthe Scriptures are divinely inspired.\n\n\n\n\nIN SEASON AND OUT OF SEASON.\n\n\nThere are times when general apathy prevails; when it appears\nimpossible to rouse the people to anything like an appreciation of\nthe things of the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ; when\nthe hearts of the people appear to be closed against all that can be\nsaid or done to save them. They frequently hear at such times, act as\norderly as ever, and show as much respect to the gospel; but they do\nnot have the heart and soul in it, and can not be _moved to action_.\nTheir emotional nature appears to be utterly inaccessible. There are\nagain times when the hearts of the people are open. They not only hear\nthe truth, pay a decent respect to it and admire its beauties, but,\nwith joy, they receive it into good and honest hearts, believe it to be\nthe salvation of their souls. It melts them down, fills their hearts\nto overflowing and moves them to obedience. This much we know to be\n_fact_. We have tried to see the cause of this fact, but do not claim\nthat we can see the cause, nor do we see any particular importance in\nseeing the cause, but we ought to turn the _fact to account_. How can\nthis be done?\n\nPaul has a period, or state of things, that he styles \u201cin season,\u201d and\nanother that he styles \u201cout of season.\u201d There is a time to sow and a\ntime to reap, a time to dress the vineyard and a time to gather the\nfruit. These periods, when the hearts of the people are open, are the\nharvest times\u2014the time for gathering in the ripe grain ready for the\nharvest\u2014for turning sinners to the Lord. No matter about the cause\nof it; there is the _opportunity_; and we should be ready and go into\nthe harvest and gather precious souls into the fold of Christ. A door\nis now open and let no man waste his time about the _cause of this\nopening_, but while the way is open go up and possess the land. Never\nmind explaining _how_ the Lord opened the heart of Lydia, that she\nattended to the words spoken by Paul, nor _how_ the Lord now is opening\nthe hearts of the people; it is enough for the man of God to find that\nthe hearts of the people _are open_, and that they will attend to the\nword of the Lord when it is spoken. Go on and speak to them the word of\nthe Lord\u2014the words of everlasting life\u2014turn them to God and save them.\n\n\n\n\nEATING THE LORD\u2019S FLESH AND DRINKING HIS BLOOD.\n\n\nJohn vi. 48, we find the words of the Lord, \u201cI am the bread of life.\u201d\nThe Lord adds the remark to the Jews, \u201cYour fathers did eat manna in\nthe wilderness, and are dead.\u201d It had no power to perpetuate life\nonly for a short time; but he continues, verse 50, \u201cThis is the bread\nwhich comes down from heaven, that a man may eat thereof and not die.\u201d\nIt will be noticed that _his flesh_ did not come down from heaven,\nand that bread which came down from heaven is that of which if a man\nshall eat he shall not die. Then he follows with the remark, \u201cI am the\nliving bread which came down from heaven. If any man eat of this bread\u201d\n(which came down from heaven) \u201che shall live forever; and the bread\nthat I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the\nworld.\u201d Here he uses the _flesh_, as that which they saw and dealt with\nin crucifying him metonymically, or a part for the whole. The Jews,\nhowever, understood him to mean his flesh literally, and so does the\nRomish church, and the Jews inquired, \u201cHow can this man give us his\nflesh to eat?\u201d The Lord did not explain the matter to them, but added,\nverse 56, \u201cExcept you eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his\nblood, you have no life in you.\u201d\n\nThey were looking at it in the literal sense, and did not see how they\ncould eat his flesh, or how the eating of it could give life. The\ndoctrine of transubstantiation had not yet been born, and the idea of\nthe bread and wine being changed, in the ceremony of consecration,\ninto the _real flesh_ and _blood_, so that they could eat the flesh\nand drink his blood in the communion, had not yet entered into the\nminds of men. Nor did our Lord mean any such thing, but _he himself_,\nwho came down from heaven, is that bread of life which if a man shall\neat he shall never die. But the _eating_ is not literal, any more than\nthe _bread_ is literal or the flesh. We partake of that bread, or of\nhim who came down from heaven by hearing of him, believing on him, and\nbeing united with him. In becoming his disciples, learning of him and\nfollowing him in all things, we eat or partake of that bread, or of him\nwho is the way, and the truth and the life.\n\nHe proceeds, \u201cHe who eats my flesh, and drinks my blood, has eternal\nlife; and I will raise him up at the last day.\u201d See verse 54. He who\nbelieves on him, receives him, follows him, loves him and obeys him,\nin the sense he intended, eats his flesh and drinks his blood; but not\nin the communion any more than in the other parts of his teaching, or\nother appointments. In coming to Christ, and becoming his disciples, we\nare made partakers of him, of \u201cthe divine nature,\u201d and our salvation\nis in him. \u201cMy flesh is food indeed,\u201d says he, \u201cand my blood is drink\nindeed. He who eats my flesh, and drinks my blood, dwells in me, and I\nin him.\u201d Following him a little further on, verse 57, he says, \u201cAs the\nliving Father has sent me, and I live by the Father, so he that eats\n_me_, even he shall live by me. This is the bread that came down from\nheaven; not as your fathers did eat manna, and are dead; he who eats\nthis bread shall live forever.\u201d See verse 58. The eating is partaking\nof Christ, the bread that came down from heaven; this is done by faith,\nin receiving, following and obeying him; doing his commandments, that\nwe may enter by the gates into the city, and have a right to the tree\nof life.\n\n\n\n\nCHURCH ORGANIZATION.\n\n\nMen may talk of the power of those large combinations, governed by a\nfew leading spirits or _one_ leading spirit as the case may be, where\n_office_ and not _character_ or _ability_ gives power; but while such\nan arrangement may create in its adherents a desire for office, to\ngive them influence and authority, they will neglect the purity and\nexcellence of good _character_ and _ability_, which are the only things\nwhich should give any one respect and influence among the people of\nGod. But, in the absence of such character and ability as will give a\nman influence and power among the followers of Jesus Christ, some may\nbecome enraged because we do not form some kind of an organization that\nwill give the desired power by virtue of an _office_. Such a power as\nthis we hope never to see established in the church of God. If men wish\npower and influence let them act in such a manner as will be worthy of,\nand command them; and then they will know how to _use_, and not _abuse_\nthem.\n\nOur present organization, little as some men seem to think of it, has\nmaintained a general state of union, and has made a concentrated effort\nfor the conversion of the world, unequalled by any body of people about\nus. While other religious bodies have been divided and distracted by\nthe frivolous worldly questions of our times, we, as a people, stand\nfirm and unshaken, under the guidance of Him who gave us both a natural\nand a religious being.\n\nSome one will inquire, what do you plead for? or what do you vindicate?\nIt will be said; it is of no use to be exciting fearful apprehensions,\nand at the same time setting forth nothing tangible. We will,\ntherefore, make an effort to set out something definite and tangible.\n\n1st. We do not want any general combination, in the form of an\nAssociation, Conference, Synod or Council, to govern the churches.\n\n2d. We do not want any such body of men to decide who shall be our\nministers, or how they shall be supported.\n\n3d. We do not want any such body of men to decide who shall be our\npublishers.\n\n4th. Every congregation properly organized, has the right to govern\nits own members, either in itself, or by calling to its assistance\nneighboring churches and evangelists.\n\n5th. All letters of commendation, or sentences of condemnation, depend\nwholly for their authority and influence with those to whom they may\nbe presented, upon the intelligence and moral worth of the body whence\nthey emanated. Hence a minister \u201cwhose praise is in all the churches,\u201d\nand who may be \u201cchosen of the churches,\u201d to perform any certain\nmission, must have more weight and influence among the people where he\ngoes, than he who is destitute of such commendation.\n\n6th. We want voluntary organizations for missionary purposes, the\ndistribution of bibles, tracts, books, etc., etc., all of which we have\na right to form in any way which we may conceive most conducive to the\ninterests of the Redeemer\u2019s cause.\n\n\n\n\nTHE CHRISTIAN MINISTRY.\n\n\nThe Church of Christ was not made for the preachers, but the preachers\nof Christ were made for the world and the church. The Church of\nChrist does not belong to the preachers of Christ\u2014it is not _their_\nproperty\u2014but they belong to the church\u2014are _its_ property. The\nchurch is not the servant of the preachers, but preachers of Christ\nare servants of the churches. The Church of Christ is not called and\nsent by preachers, but preachers are called and sent by the church.\nPreachers in the kingdom of Christ are no more dignitaries, kings,\nand priests, than any other members. They are the Lord\u2019s instruments,\nput forth through the church to do his work, and mighty instruments\ntoo, while the Lord is with them, but the poorest, most useless and\nmiserable creatures on this earth when forsaken of God. Or, in other\nwords, when they are doing _the Lord\u2019s work_, with an eye single to his\nglory, there are no such instruments for good among men; but when they\nbecome selfish, engage simply in their _own work_, or that which they\ncan turn to their own personal aggrandizement, their usefulness ceases,\nand they are dead weights upon the cause. Our Lord\u2019s own life is the\nmodel of all perfection in human character, both public and private.\nNo community need look for any permanent good from any preacher who\ndoes not imitate the character of his Lord and Master. He may be much\nof a gentleman, very fine, pleasant and interesting to worldly-minded\npersons, and not do any thing or say any thing that would remind\nany one of the Savior of the world. But to come under the name of a\npreacher of Christ, a disciple of Christ, and not be like him, not make\nmen think of him, love him, and desire to come to him, is a deception\nupon the church and the world.\n\n\n\n\nPROGRESSING BACKWARD.\n\n\nIf some of the movements now on foot are to be tolerated, there\nis no reason for our existence as a body. If we want organs,\ngorgeous temples, Catharine wheels, clerical orders, superior\ncourts, organizations and numerous societies, aside from the local\ncongregations of the Lord, the Pope can supply any demand for any or\nall of these. If there are \u201cmeans of grace,\u201d he is rich in means. He\ncan furnish them an outlet for their overwhelming benevolence in the\ninnumerable channels he has opened. If the great problem is how to\nreach the pockets of the people and build expensive temples, put up\ntall spires and chimes of bells, he has solved it. He has swarms of\nmen, and women, too, doing his bidding and under fine pay, living on\nthe fat of the land. He has a _system_, a _plan_, an _organization_, a\ngrand one; the broadest one ever made by man. Here is the opening for\nmen who long for something of that sort. There is no use in mincing\nthe matter, nor in half-way measures. Why not at one bound go right\nup to the grand culmination of all this kind of progress? There is no\nuse in trudging along behind the Pope, when a man can go to him and be\nreceived into his embrace at once.\n\nWhat a farce for men to be talking of _progress, going on to\nperfection, keeping up with the age_, etc., etc., when they are giving\nup and retrograding from the grandest progress possible to men\u2014the\nprogress up to the ground consecrated by the feet of the apostles and\nfirst Christians. Talk of progress when going back to the feeble and\nexploded schemes of sectarians and patronizing their shallow devices!\nProgress, indeed, to turn away from the holy gospel, the power of\nGod to salvation, and scheme to catch people and draw them in by the\nblandishments of fine houses, theatrical, musical shows and clerical\npretentions! No, brethren, all this is empty and powerless for good,\nand yielding up to the influences of hardness of heart, and aiding\non that overwhelming avalanche of unbelief now coming upon us. We\nmust stand by our Lord and the simplicity of the gospel, its faith\nand practice, worship and discipline. We can defend and maintain the\ngracious system of mercy and grace given by our Lord, in its own native\npurity, but we can maintain nothing else. There must be no wedge of\ngold in the camp, no Achan. We must offer no strange fires on God\u2019s\naltar. The Lord directs our minds and hearts and keep us in the love of\nChrist. We long to see those who trouble us cease to give pain to the\nhearts of the friends of the Lord; to learn to be happy themselves and\nmake others happy.\n\n\n\n\nNO DIVISION CAN COME.\n\n\nNo _general division_ can come. The main ground we occupy precludes\nthe idea of any _general division_. A vain man, or a bad man, may\noccasionally scatter a flock, tear up a church and ruin it. But, then,\nsuch a man will soon find his level and come to nothing, or become\nsurrounded by influences strong enough to control him. There is no\nmachinery of which he can get hold to produce a general division, nor\nis there any place where an entering-wedge can be introduced to rive us\nasunder.\n\nNo man can depart from the doctrine sufficiently to produce a division,\nwithout losing his influence, so that he will have no power to do\nanything more than lead off an insignificant faction, such as will\ndie out in a short time. Take any one of the elements now annoying\nus, and tell us how a general division can grow out of it. You will\nsee that it can not be done. Take, for instance, the question about\nevangelizing and the different methods insisted on, and inquire how we\ncan divide on it. One man is for this plan or that, and goes for it.\nAnother man is not for this plan or that, and goes against it. The one\nfor it, works for it, and the other does not. After a little space the\ndifference will wear out, and they will fall into the same channel and\nwork together. Different schemes will be tried, found inefficient and\nuseless, and be abandoned. After the brethren have time to mature the\nmatter they will come round to the right ground and go on in harmony.\nUnscriptural things will be discarded, impracticable things will prove\nfailures, and shallow things will be treated with contempt. Men that\nare unlovely, of bad spirit, spiteful and revengeful, will soon develop\nthemselves to the satisfaction of all. True men\u2014men of faith and love\nand zeal\u2014will go on and work where the Lord shall open the way for\nthem; not for man, nor to please man, but for the Lord, and to please\nthe Lord, and the work will go on. Men that will not work, that have\nno work in them, but want large pay, will seek fat places, and get\nthem, if they can, and if they can not, croak about our lack of system,\ndisorder, want of organization and the like, pine away and vanish out\nof sight.\n\nBut may we not have a general division about the organ? Not at all.\nWe have none among us that will exclude us if we will not _fellowship\nthe organ_. This is all the difficulty there is. Some of us will not\n_worship with the organ_ nor _fellowship it_. Will not that divide us?\nNot at all. Those who would rather have their organ in their worship,\nthan those who will not, and can not worship with it, _will have it_,\nand let those who can not worship with it, _stay away_. Those who can\nnot worship with it will seek some place where they can worship without\nit, and worship as they know to be according to Scripture. They know\nthis to be safe.\n\n\n\n\nSOME THINGS CAN NOT BE SETTLED.\n\n\nWe once acted on a committee with several others, heard testimony and\narguments for a week, and had the parties bound in writing to abide\nthe decision of the committee. When the decision was made the parties\nacquiesced in it, shook hands over it, and we prayed over them and were\nall happy. But in a short time, we do not remember whether a week or a\nmonth, the whole matter was thrown aside and the parties stood as they\ndid before. Our prayerful and patient work all went for nothing.\n\nWhen brethren become alienated they frequently do not want to settle\ntheir difficulties, but to get an advantage over an opposing party. No\ncourt of appeal nor anything we can say will reconcile them. If we,\nin any part of the affair, agree with them, they _there_ agree with\nus; but if we in any part of it differ from them they _there_ differ\nfrom us. There the matter ends. Still, we will try and give a little\nattention to the matters in hand.\n\nThere are cases where nothing can be done. In other words, there are\ncases that can not be settled. Church members become like the man\u2019s\nrails that had been in a _crooked fence_ so long that they would not\nmake a _straight fence_. Church-members sometimes have been _crooked_\nso long that they will not become _straight_. They continue in their\nalienation so long that it becomes a kind of habit with them and food\nfor them. They can not do well without it.\n\nIf a church is about equally divided by a difficulty and can not\nsettle the matter among themselves, and will not refer the matter\nto a committee, it simply _can not be settled_. A case that can not\nbe settled must remain _unsettled_. We answer, that in _that case_\nnothing can be done. Some cases of difficulty will never be settled\nin this world, and will have to be referred to the last judgment for\nadjudication. It would be well, though, in such a case as stated, for\nthe disaffected party to consider the matter well, and see to it that\nthey have acted wisely and in the Spirit of the Lord in the whole\nmatter. On the other hand, the church party should review the whole\nground carefully, and see to it that _all they can do_ to open the\nway for the disaffected party to become reconciled and brought into\nthe unity of the Spirit and the bond of peace _be done_. Let no stone\nremain unturned, no effort untried and nothing remain undone that might\nbring peace.\n\n\n\n\nOUTWARD APPEARANCE.\n\n\nWe have made a standing arrangement for paper this year, of which the\npresent pamphlet is a sample, and we shall do our utmost to have the\nwhole volume printed in a neat and legible manner. As to _fine_ paper,\ncovers, etc., they are like fine clothes only necessary to encase the\nbodies and souls which will not pass without them. You have, no doubt,\nseen the preacher wrapped in the finest broadcloth, and a golden\nchain for a watch-guard, who, after a labored effort for an hour\nwould only prove that he was a human frame, finely clad, but _no\npreacher_. In clothing our thoughts in pamphlets, as in clothing our\npersons, the proper rule should be, to have the apparel just such as\nnot to be noticed at all, and then the thoughts in the pamphlet or\nthe man himself may be seen. Let the attire be neat enough not to be\nobserved for its shabbiness, and plain enough not to be noticed for its\nfineness, that the person in the attire may be seen. It is true, it\nis desirable to have a paper printed plain and neat, but all this and\nfine paper into the bargain will never make it go, if there be not some\nlife, spirit and power in the articles themselves.\n\nSome men seem astonished that their publications do not circulate,\nseeing that they contain such a display of the most elegant literary\ntaste, not seeming to be aware of the fact, that not one common reader\nout of fifty ever perceives the mighty effort at all. Yet there can be\nno objection to fine style. The difficulty in that class to which we\nrefer, is not that they write in fine style, but that there is _nothing\nbut the style_\u2014neither soul, body, nor spirit.\n\n\n\n\nLITTLE MATTERS.\n\n\nIt may seem strange that a human body, weighing one hundred and fifty\npounds, would be disturbed by a little thorn in it, not an eighth of an\ninch long! But, strange as it may appear, _it is a fact_. And you can\nnot accustom the body to it by piercing the thorn in deeper and deeper,\ntill the body will become easy and comfortable; but you can in that way\nproduce irritation, then inflammation, then mortification, and then\ndeath. Death has been produced in this way many times. He is no friend\nto the body who continues to push the thorn in deeper and deeper, nor\nis he who would excuse him in so doing, or encourage him in it. There\nis but one remedy, and that is to _remove the thorn_. Even if you have\nto make the wound much larger than it is, the thorn _must be removed_,\nor the end will be death.\n\nThere are cases in which a thorn might be pierced into the flesh an\ninch, and produce no pain or irritation; but they are cases where there\nis no _life_ in the flesh. A thorn pierced into a _dead body_ will\nproduce no pain or irritation. A dead body has no power to resist it,\nand will make no effort. This is the reason precisely that a thorn\nproduces no irritation or pain when pierced into certain bodies. They\nare _dead bodies_. It is no indication that the body is not alive and\nin healthy condition, to find it resisting foreign matter, and making\nan effort to remove obstructions; but when it can not do this, the body\nmust die. It can not live and the obstruction remain, at least, only\nfor a short time. But who will permit even a _little thorn_ to remain\nin his flesh? We care not how little it may be; it is foreign, it is\nirritating, and, unless removed, will produce death.\n\nIt was a little thing for Eve to partake of the forbidden fruit. Thomas\nPaine inquired, \u201cWhat harm was there in eating an apple?\u201d This is the\nwatchword with all the unlawful things that people desire to do. \u201cWhat\nharm is it?\u201d When we worship according to Scripture we never inquire,\n\u201cWhat harm is it?\u201d It is not in doubt, and calls out no such inquiry.\nIt is not under any suspicion. To worship according to Scripture\nis manifestly right. Why should we lag in anything in doubt, under\nsuspicion, and repulsive to any portion of the body, when we have a\ndivinely-prescribed worship held in no doubt?\n\nIt was a little thing for Achan to take a Babylonish garment, some\nsilver, and a wedge of gold, and secrete them in his tent; but when he\ncame to confess, it was not a little matter.\n\nHe said: \u201cI have sinned against the Lord God of Israel.\u201d On account\nof this _little matter_, three thousand men were defeated, and Israel\ndisgraced. \u201cJoshua said, Why hast thou troubled us? the Lord shall\ntrouble thee this day. And all Israel stoned him with stones, and\nburned them with fire, after they had stoned them with stones.\u201d Here\nis a fine sample of little matters, and of troubling the people of God\nwith little matters. See Joshua vii. 19-26.\n\nIt was a little matter for Uzza to \u201cput forth his hand to hold the\nark;\u201d but he fell dead on account of it. See 1 Chron. xiii. 9. He\nappeared to have been friendly to the ark, sincere, etc., but his\ntouching the ark brought death. What harm was there in touching the\nark? It did not injure it. It may be that he saved it from falling. But\nhe violated the law of God. He incurred the anger of God.\n\nWhat became of them who offered strange fire on God\u2019s altar? See Lev.\nx.: \u201cAnd Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, took either of them his\ncenser, and put fire therein, and put incense thereon, and offered\nstrange fire before the Lord, which he commanded them not. And there\nwent out fire from the Lord, and devoured them, and they died before\nthe Lord.\u201d That was a little matter; only slightly tampering with the\nworship; simply introducing a new element, which the Lord commanded\nthem not, or did not command them. It is a fearful thing to tamper with\nthe worship.\n\nIn one word: \u201cIf _every transgression_ and disobedience received a\njust recompense of reward,\u201d in God\u2019s dealings with men in former ages,\nhow shall we escape if we neglect so great salvation? If God allowed\nno departures in the typical worship, why should we assume that he\nwill permit it in the worship typified? If everything had to be done\naccording to the patterns given to Moses in the typical dispensation,\nhow can any man infer that we may depart from the substance? We had\nbetter take heed now. We may not add any thing, nor take any away from\nwhat the Lord gave. We may not preach any other gospel, or even pervert\nthe gospel of Christ.\n\nIt was a little matter to charge that Jesus had \u201can unclean spirit,\u201d\nbut those who did it sinned against the Holy Spirit, and are in danger\nof \u201ceternal damnation.\u201d\n\nIt was a little matter for Ananias and Sapphira to lie about the price\nof their possessions, but it was soon followed by a judgment from the\nLord.\n\nIt was a little matter for the Corinthians to get up a feast when they\nmet to worship, but on account of it many were sickly, weakly, and some\nhad died.\n\nSome of the little matters now among us will be found sufficient to\nstop the ark of God, and cause more than three thousand to be defeated.\nIf Moses were to address some of our men, he would say to them, as\nhe did to Aaron, \u201cWhat hath this people done to thee that thou hast\nbrought so great a sin upon them?\u201d or as Joshua said to Achan: \u201cWhy\nhast thou troubled us? The Lord shall trouble thee this day.\u201d Let us\nhear and live.\n\n\n\n\nONE IDEA ISM.\n\n\nWe are asked to define what we mean by one-idea ism, and explain to\nus how the universe is made up of atoms. With this request we will\ncheerfully comply. It is to be carried away with one idea. The idea may\nbe a good one, or it may not; but one-ideaism, is giving an idea undue\nimportance. A man addicted to one-ideaism, can no more cover it than a\nleopard can change his spots. If he attempts to pray, he will commence\nwith something else as a stepping stone, regularly paving the way and\nunmistakably making his way to his favorite idea. When it is put\nforth and he is delivered of it he is relieved for the time being,\nespecially, if he finds that it annoys some one. If you call on him for\nan exhortation, a sermon, or if he writes, he may wind round and round,\ntrace back and forward, but it will, in spite of himself, in all his\nefforts to conceal it, be manifest to all, that he takes no interest in\nall he is saying, only as it subserves his purpose, in paving the way\nto the one idea, the center around which the whole man revolves, and\nto which his entire existence is subservient. If that one idea is not\ndragged in, the man is not relieved, his burden is still upon his soul,\nand he is in travail waiting to be relieved.\n\nYou will see this class of men at meetings, and conventions, both\npolitical and religious, without the most distant idea of promoting\nthe objects of the meeting, convention, etc., as the case may be, but\nwith no higher aim than introducing their idea to notice, making the\nmeeting an engine, and men, met under other obligations, and with the\nostensible object of the meeting before them, instruments to carry\nthe _pet idea_ on the high road to fame. Sometimes this class of men,\nbecause other men have other objects in view, are actually engaged in\nsome good and great work, have not time, will not be annoyed nor turned\naside to hear them nor dispute with them; or, if they do, give them but\na passing notice\u2014think all the world afraid of them. But they need\nhave no fears on this score. An idea that has not force enough to burst\nits way forth in the world in defiance of all fogies and conservatives,\nwould die a natural death, if the parent of it could get some one to\nbring it forth.\n\n\n\n\nMINISTERING ANGELS.\n\n\nWe have much in the present day on the spiritual care which the divine\nFather exercises over his creatures in this world. We consider it clear\nthat God has angels who guard, protect, and take care of that portion\nof the human family which put their trust in him. That the first\nChristians believed that a good man had an angel, is clear, from Acts\nxii. 15. When the Apostle Peter was delivered from prison by a miracle,\nand his voice was heard at the gate, where several disciples were\ncollected, they could not believe it was him, but said, \u201c_It is his\nangel_.\u201d\n\nSpeaking of his disciples, the Lord said, \u201cIn heaven _their angels_ do\nalways behold the face of my Father which is in heaven.\u201d Mat. xviii.\n10. This shows clearly that the disciples of Christ have angels.\nPaul says, \u201cBut to which of the angel said he at any time, sit on my\nright hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool? _Are they not\nall ministering spirits_, sent forth to minister for them who shall\nbe heirs of salvation?\u201d The heirs of salvation then have ministering\nangels, who wait upon them continually, and at the same time behold the\nface of God in heaven.\n\nSome men seem perplexed to see the use of prayer, unless God operates\nupon the hearts of christians by an abstract spirit; but if the ever\nblessed Father keeps ministering angels about them as a mighty wall, and\nthus guards, protects and preserves them, it would seem to involve the\nsame necessity for prayer, that would be involved if he should do it\nany other way. Why should it not? With us, we consider ourselves under\nthe same obligations, should God be pleased to preserve us in one way,\nthat we would be, should he do it in another. Not only so, but the man\nof God ought to have confidence enough in God to believe he will answer\nany petition asked, according to his will, whether he has _told us or\nnot_.\n\n\n\n\nNO SIDE STRUCTURE.\n\n\nWe can not recognize the _side institution_, nor the officers in it,\nas neither the one nor the other is known to the oracles of God, or to\nhistory for ages after the sacred canon was complete. What is the use\nto talk of a church of which there is not a trace in the volume of God,\nnor in anything written for hundreds of years after the apostles? There\nis not a trace of Romanism, of a pope, cardinal or archbishop in the\nBible, except in the prophecies that foretell the apostasy, nor in any\nother writing of the first three centuries. Nor is there any account of\nany of the others we have mentioned for a much greater length of time.\n\nWe find \u201cthe body of Christ,\u201d \u201cthe kingdom of God,\u201d and \u201cthe Church\nof God,\u201d spoken of in Scripture. The Lord says, \u201cOn this rock I will\nbuild my church.\u201d Here is something clear and definite. We can bring\nthis \u201cbody\u201d before us, this \u201ckingdom,\u201d or \u201cchurch,\u201d be members of it,\nconfine our minds and hearts to it; keep it and all its grand interest\nin view, and not some _side structure, imitation or something like it_.\n\nThe apostles and first evangelists, the overseers and deacons in the\nfirst church, were all ministers or servants in the grand work of the\n\u201cone body,\u201d or \u201cthe kingdom,\u201d and not of any _side structure_. All who\nare really ministers or servants of Jesus now, are in this \u201cone body,\u201d\n\u201ckingdom\u201d or \u201cchurch,\u201d and devoted to its interests and growth, and not\nto the building up, extending or perpetuation of any _side structure_,\nunder the pretext that it is like the original or any other, but for\nthe original itself.\n\nAll these side structures, names and laws are usurpation, and the true\nministers or servants of the kingdom, can but regard them as such, and\nlabor to melt them all away and put all the good material there is in\nthem into \u201cGod\u2019s building,\u201d \u201cthe temple of God,\u201d and thus make this\nmaterial useful and acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.\n\nAs to clerical airs, the peculiar cut of the coat, the white necktie,\nand all other such \u201coutward signs of inward grace,\u201d they are the\noffspring of shallowness, weakness and folly, and wholly incompatible\nwith the plainness, meekness and humility of Jesus and of good taste\nand sense.\n\n\n\n\nLIGHT WITHIN.\n\n\nAll the perversions, innovations and corruptions of the pure and holy\nreligion of Jesus Christ that have found way into it and disgraced it,\nhave been introduced under some pretext of doing good\u2014some plea of a\nsupposed benevolent nature. In some form or other they have all claimed\nto have the good of the cause in view, and in some way have put up some\nkind of claim to divine authority. Some of them were introduced by good\nmen, with good intentions, who saw not the evil that would follow,\nwhile others, no doubt, were introduced by \u201cdesigning men.\u201d George\nFox was probably a good man, or a man of good intentions, and, when\nhe talked of the \u201clight within,\u201d and tried to sustain his position by\nScripture, he had no idea of the evil that would follow\u2014much less did\nhe design it. Though he quoted Scripture, it was not as a rule of faith\nand practice; not as a system of religion, nor as supreme authority,\nbut merely to give currency to the theory he was laboring to introduce\nand support it in the minds of the people. The leading idea in the new\ntheory was that the _light within_ was the guide\u2014the unerring rule;\nthat it was from God, and that he who followed it was following the\nwill of God, the influence of the Spirit. He certainly did not intend\nto turn the hearts of the people away from God and lead them to follow\nthe imaginations of their own hearts. He clearly designed no such\nwickedness as this; but what has followed? Where has the \u201clight within\u201d\nled his followers? It has led some of them to neglect and forsake\nthe word of God; to regard the Bible simply as a good book, a true\nhistory and guide to the people of its time, but not as an authority,\na rule of faith and practice for us. It has led some of them into\nSpiritualism, others into Universalism, and some, more recently, into\nexciting revival, mourners\u2019 bench-meetings, in which old members have\nbeen trying to \u201cget religion,\u201d as seekers do in Methodist and other\nrevivals. Many of them have been led into out-and-out infidelity.\nThis is where the \u201clight within\u201d has led them. Original Quakerism has\nvirtually run out.\n\nNumerous other bewildered people are seeking an evidence of pardon\nand acceptance with God directly from heaven. They are trying to find\nthis evidence in their feelings, impressions, emotions, impulses,\nsensations, dreams, some sound or voice, and not in the promise of God.\nThis direct or immediate evidence, in their view of it, is from the\nSpirit of God and perfectly reliable. The promise of God, with them, is\nthe _mere word_, the _bare word_, the _mere letter_ of Scripture. They\nare thus completely turned aside from the testimony of the Spirit of\nGod, as confirmed by the most grand and awful displays of supernatural\npower, to their own imaginations, their own spirits, and as completely\nperverted as if they never had received any revelation from God.\n\nThere is no teaching of the Spirit of God among men only that found\nupon the pages of the Bible. Those led by the teaching of the Spirit of\nGod spread on the pages of the Bible are led by the Spirit of God, but\nthose not led by that teaching are not led by the Spirit of God at all.\nThey may be led by their own spirits, desires, feelings, emotions,\nimpressions, sensations; by men, or even the adversary, \u201ccaptive at\nhis will;\u201d but they are not led by the Spirit nor under his influence\nat all. When they turn away from the teaching of the Spirit of God\nrecorded in the Bible, it matters not much to what they turn, whether\nthey profess to be led by the \u201clight of nature,\u201d so called, \u201cthe light\nof reason,\u201d \u201cthe light of conscience,\u201d the \u201clight within,\u201d impressions,\nfeelings, emotions, sensations, by men, or the adversary, they turn\naway from God, from Christ and from the Holy Spirit. They are perfectly\ndeluded, and, if they thus continue, they must come to ruin. God will\neventually overthrow all who turn away from him, no matter to what they\nturn.\n\nMen may claim to have the Spirit, to be led by the Spirit, talk about\nthe Spirit, pray about the Spirit, sing about the Spirit, and at the\nsame time despise the things of the Spirit, the things commanded by the\nSpirit, and do despite to the work of the Spirit. Such men manifestly\nhave not the Spirit. All their claim to having the Spirit is an empty\nand idle pretense. They are not led by the Spirit at all, but are led\nin opposition to all the Spirit ever taught. Those led by the Spirit\nreceive what the Spirit teaches, as _found in Scripture_, believe it\nand delight to follow it. It is idle for those who will not do this to\nbe talking about the Spirit, or the influence of the Spirit.\n\nIf any man gets an immediate evidence of pardon, it is an evidence\nthat comes not through the Mediator, for what comes through him is not\n_immediate_, but through him as a _Medium_, or Mediator. It is a direct\nrevelation, not through Christ at all, and it is a _new_ revelation.\nAre men receiving any _new_ revelations now? The Mormons and\nSpiritualists think they are. Do others think so? We do not believe\nany _new_ revelations are now being made from God. On this ground we\nreject all Mormon pretensions, as well as Romish pretensions and those\nof Spiritualists. Since the apostles died, and those on whom they laid\ntheir hands died, not a miracle has been done or a revelation from God\nbeen made. Every pretense to miracle or revelation from then till now\nis an empty and idle pretense\u2014an imposition. Since John, the Apostle,\nclosed the book of Revelation, with the declaration that, if any man\nshall add to it, the plagues of that book shall be added to him, there\nis an end of all revelation till time shall be no more.\n\nThrough Christ, God made a _final_ revelation, to which nothing is to\nbe added, and from which nothing is to be taken. The will of God is\nin that concerning man, and if we desire to know the mind of God we\nmust consult that revelation. The restlessness of man is wonderful. He\nis not willing to be limited even to the revelation God has made, the\ntestimony God has given concerning his Son, and the unfailing promise\nof God for assurance of acceptance with him. But this is the highest\nand the only assurance we have or can have, in this world. When God\nmade the promise, that we might have strong consolation, he confirmed\nit by an oath. We come to God by _faith_ and not by _sight_; we walk by\n_faith_ and not by _sight_; enjoy God, and Christ and the Holy Spirit\nby _faith_ and not by _sight_. So we enjoy the remission of sins and\nacceptance with God by _faith_ and not by _sight_. \u201cHe that believeth\nand is baptized _shall be saved_,\u201d said the Lord, among the last words\nhe uttered before he ascended to heaven. Men who will not rely on that\npromise\u2014on the words _shall be saved_, or _shall be pardoned_\u2014would\nnot believe though one would rise from the dead. It is not baptism such\nneed; it is _faith_. They are not fit subjects for baptism. They must\nremember the condition, \u201cHe that _believeth_.\u201d They can not come to God\nwithout _faith_. \u201cWithout faith it is impossible to please him.\u201d\n\n\n\n\nBE FIRM IN THE RIGHT.\n\n\nIf it is wiser to obey God than man, if an infallible law is better\nthan a fallible, if a perfect law is better than an imperfect one, if\na divine law is better than a human, if the authority of God is better\nthan the authority of man, if the word of the Living God is better than\na human creed, if the infallible teachings of inspiration are better\nthan uninspired human creeds, if the teachings of the Holy Spirit of\nGod are a safer guide to heaven than the teachings of erring men, if\nGod should govern in preference to man, we are right, and our opposers\nwrong, on this transcendent point, and it is our duty to God and our\nfellow-creatures, that we maintain with manly zeal and fortitude that\nwhich is so manifestly and self-evidently the will of God. We never can\nfalter. We have no ground to doubt or fear; but if we shrink or\nhesitate, it must be manifest indifference. While we hope, then, for\nthe blessing of God upon us, and call upon God for his mercy, let us\nremember our fealty to him, and maintain our integrity to the day of\nhis coming.\n\n\n\n\nTHE BIBLE WILL SAVE THE WORLD.\n\n\nThe Bible contains the true religion, or there is none. There is light\nin the Bible to save the world, or the world is lost. Our only choice\nis between the Bible and nothing. Judaism is abolished. Mohammedanism\nhas no claims in internal merit or external evidence. The fruits of all\nPaganism show that it is evil, and only evil, continually. Infidelity\nhas nothing for the world. While it would take Christianity from us, it\nhas nothing to propose. It is no system\u2014no doctrine\u2014teaches nothing\nand defends nothing. Its only province is to stand and deny. It finds\nfault with everything, starts doubts, destroys confidence, fills the\nworld with fears, and spreads an eternal gloom over the prospects and\nhopes of all nations. Reason and the light of nature have been tried\nlonger and more effectually than any system in the world. At least four\nthousand years have the pagan nations been trying what they could do\nfor our race without a revelation from God. In all the experiments yet\nmade, with no guide but reason and the light of nature, the tendency\nhas been downward. Deterioration has been the universal result, without\nthe light of the Bible. We then, cling to the Bible, and the religion\nit reveals, as the only hope of the world. If it fails, all must fail,\nand all must be lost. But it is folly of the most stupid order to speak\nof the Bible failing. Its Author is emphatically _the friend of man_.\nIts holy lessons are all for our good. All who have been led by it, are\nthankful they ever knew it. It has never deceived one or misled one. No\none has ever lamented being led by it. The more solemn and affecting\nthe circumstances around us, and the greater the trials in which we are\nplaced, the more comforting and precious are its holy consolations to\nthe soul. It encourages all that is good; discourages and condemns all\nthat is evil. It is our guide and comfort through the journey of life;\nnor does it fail when we are sinking in death. No one who believed\nit before, in a dying hour denies and repudiates the Bible. But many\ndetermined infidels have recanted and repudiated their infidelity when\nsinking into the eternal state. That which they talked in health, that\nwhich dwelt upon their tongues in their mad career through life, they\nthemselves condemned, in the most awful and solemn moments of life,\nand with their dying lips repudiated. How shameful and preposterous,\nthat a man should live such a life of folly and inconsistency as to\nbe compelled in his dying moments to condemn all his past life, with\nall the sentiments he had cherished and inculcated, and warn all men\nagainst them!\n\n\n\n\nNOT RECEIVING THE REFORMATION, BUT CHRIST.\n\n\nThe question is not whether men will receive us, our doctrines, our\nviews, our church, or \u201cthe Reformation,\u201d or \u201cReformation doctrines\u201d\nbut whether they will receive him whom the Father hath sent, love him,\nfollow him, place themselves under him, obey him, and trust in him\nforever. He is the center of all union, all love, and all piety. Upon\nhim, all who love him, have received him and desire to follow him,\nbeing led by his voice, may unite. Having received him, been identified\nwith him, as a matter of course, we receive all who have been received\nby him, are united with and love them, as members of the same family.\nWhen we speak of union, the question is not about receiving men, nor\ntheir views, but whether we can agree upon a leader, head, lawgiver\nor king. Jesus is the true Light that enlightens every man that comes\ninto the world. He is the only divinely authorized head, lawgiver and\nleader. The question we have to urge upon men, is whether they will\ncome under him. If they will, they should proceed, like young Saul,\nto ascertain of him, what he requires of them, before they can be\nreceived, pardoned and saved by him. When they learn this of him, and\ncome to him, in the way he has appointed, or by doing what he requires,\nthey are received by him, united with him and with all that belong to\nhim, and, as long as they continue to love and obey him, no adverse\npower can separate them from him. He is our rock, the rock of our\nsalvation\u2014the foundation which God has laid\u2014for union in \u201cone _new_\nman,\u201d or one new church, one \u201cbuilding of God,\u201d one \u201chouse of God,\u201d in\nwhich dwells the \u201cone spirit,\u201d given by the \u201cone Lord.\u201d\n\nHere upon the one rock\u2014one foundation, which is Christ\u2014in the one\nbuilding or temple, in Christ, where all spiritual blessings are found,\nall the good, the pure and holy, may strike hands, unite, live in holy\nfellowship, while they continue in this world of sorrow and affliction,\nand after, be received up into glory, to dwell with their Lord and\nthe holy society of the redeemed forever. Brethren, look at the vast\nnumbers we have gathered into the one fold, and take fresh courage, and\nlet us enter upon the work with spirit and might for another year.\n\n\n\n\nLIFTED ABOVE SECTS AND PARTIES.\n\n\nThe men who are meditating on union are now on trial, being put to\nthe test, and will be compelled to show where they stand. Those who\nlove union among christians more than denominationalism will sacrifice\nthe denomination for union, but those who love denominationalism\nmore than union will sacrifice union for the denomination. The union\nof the people of God is from heaven; the denomination is from man.\nThe denomination is the party, sect, faction. The body of Christ, or\nkingdom of God, is no sect, party or denomination. It is as broad\nas the dominion of King Jesus. It is above all sects, parties and\ndenominations. The man that rises so as to grasp the kingdom of God in\nhis mind, ascends far above all sects, parties and denominations; up\nto the throne and Him who sits on the throne; to the Supreme Majesty\nof heaven and earth. He loves the King above all kings and potentates,\nand loves the kingdom of God above all the kingdoms and empires of the\nworld, and supremely above all parties, sects or denominations. We love\nno denomination, nor denominationalism, but love the people involved\nin the denomination; and while we desire to see the denomination\nliterally abolished, wiped out, we desire to save the kingdom of God,\nthe union of the people of God, and the people themselves. This can be\ndone if the people will have it so. But if they love the sect, party or\ndenomination more than the Church of God, or the body of Christ, they\nwill keep an eye to the sect, party or denomination; to their little\nside institutions of human device; every one of which originated with\n_men_, and without one scrap of _divine authority_; instead of rising\nto the grand and glorious institution ordained of God, with the Lord\nfor its head, and the law of God for the rule of its faith and practice.\n\n\n\n\nMAKING THE BIBLE SUPPORT HUMAN SYSTEMS.\n\n\nThere can be no apology for a man who knows what the truth is, what the\ndoctrine of Christ is, what christianity is, who will use it merely\nas a proof to sustain, prove, and impose something else upon himself\nand others, for he might just as easily have received the truth, the\ndoctrine of Christ, christianity itself, enjoyed it, and been saved\nby it, as to have trifled with it, in trying to prove something else\nby it. But if a man does not know what the truth is, the doctrine\nof Christ, christianity is, and adopts something else, he is simply\nguessing at it, and is not to be relied upon. He has no foundation.\n\nWe are as well convinced, as we are that there is a glorious heaven\nfor the righteous, and a hell for the wicked, that no man now living,\nwho knows what the Lord\u2019s truth is, what the gospel of Christ is, what\nchristianity is, and what the Bible is, and has appealed to it to\nsustain something else, and now continues so to appeal to it, could, if\nhis life were at stake, give a good reason why he did not receive the\ntruth itself, the gospel, christianity, the Bible itself, rely upon it\nas his only hope for life, his only guide, as the only divine system,\nthe only divine institution, in the place of perverting its glorious\ninfluence and power to sustain and prop up something else. And we are\nequally certain, that no man can answer to God, when the actions of all\nmen shall be spread out in the last judgment, for such a course. If\nchristianity is a system, if it is a divine institution, if it is the\nreligion of Jesus Christ, if it is from God, and now binding upon the\nhuman family, as almost all the religious parties of these times admit,\nand as can not be denied, the sin of departing from it is great enough;\nbut to have the assurance to try to make it sanction any other system,\nto testify in support of any other, to try to divert its influence,\npower, and authority from its own work, to sustain and prop up some\nhuman system not mentioned in it, when it has expressly, under the\nmost fearful and awful penalty, forbidden any perversion, addition, or\nsubtraction, is a species of daring and aggression upon the institution\nof heaven and government of God, such as one would suppose no believer\nin the Bible would risk. Still it is done\u2014almost daily done, in the\npulpits all over the land; and those who will not do it, who condemn\nit, who receive the Bible, christianity, the gospel, the religion\nof Jesus Christ, all that God has revealed to man\u2014all that has the\nname of God upon it, keep it distinct from every thing else, and will\nhave nothing more, are opposed everywhere, sneered at and branded as\n_heretics_. Be it so. We look not to man for reward. We look not to\nsectarian parties to honor God, our Lord Jesus Christ, the Bible,\nchristianity, or the gospel. We do not expect them, as parties, to come\nto the Bible, unless to draw support for their own schemes. But we\nregard not this; we know we are right; and it is not the great number\nthat will stand, but those who are right. \u201cTruth is mighty above all\nthings, and will prevail.\u201d Brethren, push on the war, on this great\nquestion. The Bible will prevail in the end. Its enemies will all fail.\n\n\n\n\nPIONEERS, SUPPORT, ETC.\n\n\nThe pioneer men in this country felled the trees, cleared away the\nforests, built their houses and barns, and made a living. Many of their\nsons can not make a living with the farm and all the balance fitted\nto their hand. In the same way, the first preachers went out at their\nown expense, turned the people to God and built up churches, and now\nthe preachers, with their fine salaries, houses in which to meet,\nand everything prepared to hand, are not accomplishing as much, in\nproportion to their number and ability. Why is this? Is it because they\n_can not_? Not at all. It is because they are not as _devoted_. They\nare not as _enterprising_. They are not as _industrious_. They are not\nas _self-sacrificing_.\n\nThose old preachers needed no \u201cinnocent amusements,\u201d \u201cinnocent games,\u201d\n\u201chealthful exercises,\u201d \u201cpastime,\u201d \u201csocial dance,\u201d \u201ccroquet,\u201d etc.,\netc. They knew nothing of _torpid liver_, _indigestion_, _nervous\nprostration_, etc., etc. Those afflictions were left for a later class.\nThey obtained plenty of healthful exercise in clearing off, breaking\nand cultivating their new land, in their long rides on horseback, or\ntrips on foot, and faithfully preaching, and the Lord blessed them. The\nresults of their labor and sacrifices are seen all over this country.\nThey looked after the children of God and _cared for them_; not with\nthis new kind of _care for money_; not only the money of the _living_,\nbut arranging to get the money of the _dead_; but they cared for _men_;\nwatched for _their souls_, as those who shall give an account.\n\nWe do not want to say one word in this connection, nor any other, that\nshall be the means of cutting off one penny of support received by any\ngood preacher who is faithfully doing the work of an evangelist, but\nwould add to the support of many such men whose support is inadequate;\nand as to mercenary and avaricious men in the ministry, and we trust\nthere are but few of them, we have learned better than to waste our ink\non them. We are writing for the good of the cause, and we rejoice to\nbelieve that we have the men, an extended body of them, able ministers\nof the gospel, who are devoted to the work, and willing to do anything\nin their power to advance the cause. These are reading, studying, and\nready to listen to anything that will advance the cause. To these men\nwe must look, and on them, as the agents under God, we must depend;\nwe must encourage their hearts, strengthen their hands and give them\nsupport. To these men we appeal and entreat them, in view of all that\nis dear to humanity; in view of the suffering Savior, and lost man; in\nview of their own children and the children of others, as well as the\ngood of the world at large, to go into the field with a determination\nto preach the gospel of the grace of God; go everywhere, in the name of\nthe Lord, where the people will listen to a discourse concerning Jesus\nand the resurrection, and preach the unsearchable riches of Christ;\nmake all men see and turn them to God. Do not wait for a _call_, but\n_go_; do not wait for some certain promise of support, but trust to the\npromises of God; go in faith; trust in God; sow the good seed of the\nkingdom, the word of God, that it may fall into good and honest hearts\nand bring forth much fruit. Put in every sermon possible; preach to\nevery one who will hear; preach because you love God and man, and\ndesire to save man from ruin, and because you love to preach; because\nthe Lord commands it, and the God of peace will be with you, care and\nprovide for you.\n\n\n\n\nUNIVERSALISM.\n\n\nWe heard of a man who had heard Universalists occasionally, and gave\nthem something when they were making contributions for their preachers.\nA preacher, who made one of his finest efforts to prove that all will\nbe saved, inquired of him how he liked his argument. The man replied,\n\u201cI did not like it at all.\u201d The preacher, disappointed, said: \u201cYou\nbelieve our doctrine?\u201d The man replied: \u201cI do; but you tried to prove\nit by the Bible, and all intelligent people know that the Bible is\nagainst us from one side to the other. The way I prove it is this: _I\ndeny the Bible, and then prove it by reason_.\u201d This is certainly the\nmore rational way. We care not who he is, nor where he comes from,\nnor what his attainments may be; but the man who attempts to prove\nUniversalism _by the Bible_ opposes the common sense of mankind and the\nclearest language ever written. The man who rejects the Bible out and\nout, and is wandering in the darkness of unbelief, in the vagaries\nof those who reject the wisdom of God, might, in his philosophical\nspeculations, try to show that all men would be saved, with at\nleast some show of plausibility possibly; but there is not only no\nplausibility in anything that can be adduced from the Bible to show\nthat all men will be saved, but clear statements of the Bible can not\nbe true and all men be saved. It cannot be true that those \u201cwho believe\nnot the Son shall _not see life_,\u201d and that all men shall be saved.\nIt can not be true, as stated in Scripture, that \u201cthese\u201d (the wicked)\n\u201cshall go away into everlasting punishment,\u201d and _all men be saved_.\n\nThe man who affirms that those _who die in their sins_ shall be wholly\nand happy in heaven contradicts the clearest utterances of Scripture.\nWhen time shall end and God shall exclaim, \u201cHe that is filthy, let him\nbe filthy still,\u201d there will be no more repentance; yet some will be\n_filthy_\u2014_unsound_.\n\nUniversalism had its day in this country; has run its course and is\ngoing by. There is not one-tenth as much of it in this country as\nthere was thirty years ago. There is no argument of consequence about\nit any more. The only thing wanting to show what it is, will appear\nanywhere when they undertake to form churches, keep up Sunday-schools,\nkeep up prayer-meetings, meet regularly on the first day of the week\nand worship. Let them undertake to enforce the clear requirements of\nScripture on their people, and they will soon get a lesson. They will\nsoon explain that _all will be saved_, and they will find that they\nwill have no use for baptism, the Lord\u2019s Supper, prayer-meetings, nor\nany regular worship.\n\nIt will not do to read, \u201cHe who believes not _shall be saved_;\u201d \u201cHe\nwho believes not the Son _shall see life_;\u201d \u201cThe wrath of God _shall\nnot abide on him_;\u201d \u201cIf you believe not that I am he, you _shall\nnot die in your sins_;\u201d \u201cWhere I am _you shall come_;\u201d \u201cThese\u201d (the\nwicked) \u201c_shall not_ go away into everlasting punishment;\u201d \u201cThe beast\nand the false prophets _shall not_ be tormented day and night forever\nand ever;\u201d \u201cHe who shall sin against the Holy Spirit shall not be in\ndanger of eternal damnation,\u201d etc., etc. The man who denies his Bible\nfirst, and then starts out to prove that all will be saved from some\nother source, is a much more sensible man than the man that undertakes\nto prove it from the Bible. Whatever the Bible may mean besides, it\ndoes not mean Universalism. The man who holds and undertakes to prove\nUniversalism has no use for a Bible, unless it be to show his skill in\ngetting round the clearest things ever written.\n\n\n\n\nSUPPORT WORKERS.\n\n\nThe brethren know that men cannot devote their lives to the work of\nevangelizing without support, and they will give the support, and do\nit much more freely where they can see the work done, than where they\ncan _see no work done_. The preachers in the field doing the work are\nreceiving the main support given, and ought to receive it. The men not\nin the field, and that will not go into the field, ought not to receive\nthe support. The brethren are not in the way of sending it to them.\n\nWe hope the preachers generally will see what is being done by those\nin the work, go out and participate in the heavenly work, that they,\ntoo, when the Chief Shepherd shall appear, may have a crown of glory\nthat fades not away. How can men with the love of God in them see their\nfellow-creatures perishing, and not be inspired with a zeal to go forth\nand gather them into the kingdom of God? Look at the tremendous cloud\nof darkness over the minds of the people, and then inquire can a man\nwho has the light be excusable unless he uses the means the Lord has\nput in his power for the enlightenment of the world. No, we can not be\nexcusable; the love of Christ constrains us; the value of the souls of\nmen urges, and the example of all the ancient worthies impels us to go\ninto the great harvest and help to reap it down.\n\n\n\n\nRECKLESS TWADDLE.\n\n\nThe following purports to be taken from one of Moody\u2019s sermons, and is\nreported in the _Baptist Union_:\n\nIf I thought that baptism was God\u2019s way of saving men, I\u2019d give up\npreaching, borrow a pail and go round the streets baptizing every one\nI met, and if they wouldn\u2019t let me do it, I\u2019d catch them asleep and\nbaptize any way. He says, \u201cYe must be born again.\u201d\n\nIt is a wonderful humiliation to be compelled to admit that this\nundignified, irreverent and reckless language is from the lips of a man\nprobably at this time attracting as much attention as any man in the\nworld, as a preacher, or it may be more. It is mortifying in a high\ndegree to be convinced that the state of the public mind is such that a\nman like this is caressed, lauded and admired by the multitude.\n\nIt is no small work to enlighten the people of the world. We have\ngained the right of private judgment, private interpretation of the\nScriptures, the liberty of speech and of the press; and we have the\nBible, translated into our own language, in almost every house; and\nwe have our system of free schools and universal education. But still\nthere is a premium for ignorance.\n\nMoody with his commonplace talks, and Sankey with his songs, call\nout greater crowds and have more admirers than the most profound\nBible instructor in the world. What reverence has he for the Lord,\nwho ordained baptism and submitted to it himself, \u201cwas baptized of\nJohn in Jordan,\u201d after saying, \u201cThus it becomes us to fulfill all\nrighteousness,\u201d and over whom the heavens parted as he rose from his\nbaptism, and on whom the Spirit descended, and to whom the Almighty\nFather said, \u201cThou art my Son, the beloved in whom I am well pleased?\u201d\nWhat appreciation has he, or what respect for our Lord\u2019s commission,\nin which he has the preaching of the gospel, the belief of it, the\nrepentance, the baptism and salvation all connected together, when he\ntalks of giving up preaching and borrowing a pail and going round the\nstreets baptizing every one he met? What does he know or care about\nwhat baptism is? He may find the untaught multitudes who will gaze\nat him and admire such irreverent manifestations of ignorance, want\nof piety and dignity, mingled with such low slang as we find in the\nlanguage quoted above, and he may find plenty of thoughtless people who\nwill be pleased with such unworthy flings at things which he does not\nunderstand, and which he perverts and misapplies. But there are many\npeople in this country who can not be gulled in any such style. Low\nslang is not preaching Jesus nor his gospel, nor is misrepresentation\nor perverting Scripture preaching Jesus.\n\nIf he has our Lord\u2019s commission, and ever reads it, he knows or ought\nto know, that the same commission has in it the preaching of the\ngospel, the believing, repenting, baptism and salvation. The preaching,\nbelieving, repentance, baptism and salvation all go together; and if\nhe has intelligence enough to preach at all acceptably to the Lord, he\nknows that no people in this country think that baptizing is of any\nvalue, without being preceded by the preaching of the gospel and the\nfaith, unless among those who profess to baptize infants. They did not\nunderstand him to make this fling at them, or they would soon have\ndepleted his audience.\n\nMoody and Sankey have the clear Scriptures before them, giving an\naccount of inquiring persons coming to the apostles inquiring the way\nof salvation, and the plain answers giving the apostolic way, and\nthey ignore these instructions\u2014keep them out of sight. They have the\nanswers of the apostles showing them the way, and they have refused to\neven read these Scriptures, or to let the people know what the way was,\nas set forth by the apostles. For this they will give an account. They\nignored it, evaded it, and avoided it. They neither enter the kingdom\nthemselves nor will they permit those who would enter.\n\nBefore we lay down our pen, we must refer Moody and Sankey, with some\nothers, to a lesson Paul once taught a man, in view of a transaction no\nworse than the uttering the words quoted from Moody, at the beginning\nof this article. The man with whom Paul dealt, was simply trying to\nturn the deputy away from the faith. The deputy was by name, Sergius\nPaulus. When he did this, Saul (who is called Paul) filled with the\nHoly Spirit, set his eyes on him, and said, \u201cO full of all subtlety and\nall mischief, you child of the devil, you enemy of all righteousness,\nwill you not cease to pervert the right ways of the Lord? And now\nbehold, the hand of the Lord is upon you, and you shall be blind, not\nseeing the sun for a season. And immediately there fell on him a mist\nand a darkness; and he went about seeking some one to lead him by the\nhand. Then the deputy, when he saw what was done, believed, being\nastonished at the doctrine of the Lord\u201d. Acts xiii. 9-12.\n\nIt is a most fearful thing to pervert the right ways of the Lord\u2014to\ntry to turn any one away from the faith, or to put asunder that which\nGod has joined together, and which he forbids man to put asunder.\n\nIn the last commission, the only authority for all gospel preaching,\nthe Lord has joined together, preaching the gospel, believing the\ngospel, repentance, baptism and salvation, or pardon of sins, and no\nman can part these asunder, except at the peril of his soul. Is it\npossible that any man can fail to see that no man can be, in the true\nsense, a preacher of Jesus and ignore any part of this commission, or\nany part of the way of salvation, as set forth by the apostles under\nthis commission?\n\n\n\n\nTHE KIND OF PREACHING REQUIRED.\n\n\nIn the same way, insipid preaching about sweet birds and sweet flowers,\nplants and stars, etc., etc., appears to have streaks of light in it,\nbut after it is over, the darkness appears greater than before. No\ngospel light is shed forth, no truth of weight and importance in the\nsalvation of man brought forth or enforced; no obedience is enjoined\nand no hope is inspired. No Felix trembles. Nothing is said about the\npreaching, unless it be that \u201cit was splendid,\u201d and \u201cI do love to hear\nhim so much;\u201d \u201cIt was very fine,\u201d etc. But, put the question, What\ndid you learn? and silence would reign. This kind of thing may please\npeople who do not intend to hear the gospel, or who, in the language\nof Scripture, \u201cTurn away their ears from the truth;\u201d but we must have\nsomething different from this, something more tangible, intelligible\nand impressive to save men. We must have something more than mere\nvaporing.\n\nWe must have \u201cfirst principles,\u201d as they are now styling _the gospel_,\nand have them in profusion. We must have them for the instruction of\nthe vast numbers who have been brought in without understanding them,\nand who must understand them before they can be intelligent christians,\nand we must have them for the multitudes who have never been brought to\nGod. Somehow, from some source, we have a few among us who are styling\nthe gospel \u201cfirst principles,\u201d and then insist that we must leave the\nfirst principles. Those who are in the world must be converted, brought\nto God, and to this end they must have the gospel, no matter if men\nand the adversary do call it \u201cfirst principles.\u201d The right way for\nthose who have never begun, is to begin, and there is no right way to\nbegin only to begin _at the beginning_, no matter if sectarian faces do\nscowl, or some worldly member of the church grumble. We must walk into\nthe gospel, not as if we were afraid some one would hit us in the face,\nbut \u201cin full assurance of faith,\u201d under a sense of the truth of the\ngospel, and the conviction that it is good enough for anybody, and that\nno excuse need be made for preaching it; the certainty that men must\nhear the gospel and learn the way to God before they start at all. We\nmust show the people that the Bible contains a revelation from God, the\nonly revelation from God; that it is _complete_, _perfect_ and _final_,\nso far as relates to time; that Jesus is divine; that he is all that\nhe is represented to be in the Bible; that he is sustained by all the\ntestimony necessary to convince candid people; that no man comes to the\nFather but by him; that no man comes by Moses now or any other; that\nthe Lord Jesus is the way, the truth and the life; that the way set\nforth by him is the only way to the Father.\n\nWe must not preach _about_ faith, or repentance, or baptism; but preach\n_the truth_ concerning the Lord Jesus, the Christ, which, when heard,\nand received into good and honest hearts, _produces_ faith that leads\nto repentance, and immersion. Preaching _faith_ never made a believer,\nand preaching repentance, never leads to repentance, _of itself_. In\nthe same way, preaching on baptism, of itself never led any man to\nbaptism. The great truth of all truth, that \u201cJesus is the Christ, the\nSon of the living God,\u201d lies at the bottom and puts all the balance in\nmotion. Jesus, the Anointed, full of grace and truth, is the supreme\nauthority. The first thing, first in order and first in importance, is\nthe work of bringing the Lord before men and preparing them to regard\nhim; to recognize his authority and become willing to follow him\u2014be\nled by him. Till this is done, it is useless to tell men what he says,\nor what he commands. Men must be convinced that he has authority to\ncommand, and that they are bound to submit to him or be rejected by him\nforever.\n\nIn presenting the claims of the Lord Messiah, we must clear the way of\nall rubbish, all written and unwritten traditions of men, all doctrines\nand commandments of men, all rule and authority lording it over the\nheritage of God; all creeds and councils of men, all religious bodies\nand establishments having no divine authority; all usurpations and\nencroachments on the prerogatives of the Lord Jesus; all religious\nnames and titles, forms and ceremonies, having no precept or example in\nScripture; all sects and sectarianism\u2014all these must be swept away;\nand the supreme and absolute authority of the Lord restored. The law of\nGod itself, as found on the pages of the inspired Scriptures, must be\nrestored to the people of God. There must be no compromise of truth\nwith error, the kingdom of God with any thing else, the law of God\nwith any other law. The law of God must be maintained as _the law_,\nthe supreme and absolute law, and all other religious law must be set\naside as law and repudiated. The union of the people of God must be\nmaintained, defended and continually advocated, as right in itself and\ndivinely required.\n\nAs a religious body, the work we have undertaken has not changed, but\nis the same now as it was forty years ago, as manifestly right as ever.\nWe have undertaken to restore the gospel to the people; the ancient\norder of things; the religion of Christ itself, as it came from the\nLord. We have gone up to primitive ground, apostolic ground, where the\nfirst followers of the Lord stood, and aim to practice in all things,\nas they did; have all things as they did; have all things as they\nhad\u2014the faith, the practice, and the worship, without anything added\nor taken away. The Lord has blessed the undertaking with most wonderful\nsuccess. From five to six hundred thousand have heard, believed and\nbeen called together, and united on apostolic ground\u2014made unspeakably\nhappy in the Lord. We have been made free, in the highest sense, from\nall the trammels and fetters of men, from sins, from all error and\nsuperstition, and are servants of the Lord.\n\nWe have now a plain work\u2014simply the work of the Lord and no other. We\nhave nothing to preach but the gospel, nothing to believe but the truth\nof God, nothing to do but the will of God, and nothing to hope for only\nwhat is promised in the word of God. Our work is not new and untried,\nbut old, well tried, and nothing can stand before us. We have truth and\nrighteousness to maintain\u2014sin and the world to oppose. We can make no\nchange only at our peril\u2014no departure without losing all. We started\nsimply to be the people of God, and to give ourselves unreservedly\nto the Lord. We can not turn away from God, from Christ, from the\ngospel, from the law of God, from the Church of God and the people of\nGod, without utter ruin. We can not turn away from the religion of\nChrist itself and not be lost. We have nothing else. Shall we, then,\nhold on to our God, to our Lord Jesus the Christ, to our Bible, the\ngospel and the law of God for the saints? Shall we hold on to the\nentire revelation from God to man in all its parts and as a whole? Most\nunequivocally the great masses among us intend, by the grace of God, to\ndo this.\n\nWe need not stop to count members, to see whether it will be popular or\nunpopular, whether a majority are going on, or going back. Every true\nman is going on, and is intending to stand with every other true man\nand fight the good fight of faith. We stop not to see how many or how\nfew are going ahead, nor how many are turning back. We would rather\nhave been saved with the _few_ in the ark than lost with the _many_\nwho were drowned in the flood; to have been with the _few_ who crossed\nJordan than with the _many_ who fell in the wilderness, and would\nrather be with the _few_ that shall find the narrow way and pass the\nstraight gate to the enjoyment of life, than to be with the _many_ who\ntread the broad way that leads to destruction. We are now making the\nrecord on which these great matters will turn. Let us enter the\nfield this year in the faith, with more determination than ever,\nand push the cause at every point; stand up all along the lines of\nthe King\u2019s army, every man in his place, presenting an unbroken\nfront to the enemy, and unitedly move forward on the opposing ranks\nbefore us with a persistence, decision and determination that will\ncommand respect. Encourage the true and valiant, strengthen the weak\nand feeble-minded, stand by the faint-hearted and comfort them. Let\nthere be no sympathizers with the enemy, none scheming mutiny, none\ndemoralizing the forces, no deserters and no cowards. All stand firm\nand true, and move on in faith, \u201cthe full assurance of faith,\u201d with\npower and courage, and the Lord of hosts will be our Lord\u2014the King of\nsaints will be our King. Let all men see that we have a right cause,\nand that we know _it is right_, and that we never intend to give it up,\nbut that we intend to fill the world with the doctrine of the cross,\nmake the Bible the power in this country. It is the book, the one book,\nthe only book, setting forth the one religion for all peoples on all\nthe face of the earth, and for all time. We can admit no rival to that\nbook, nor any other that subverts or sets it aside, but are the settled\nand determined enemies to all others as _divine authority_. It is the\n_supreme_ and the _absolute authority_. Rally to the book, men of God,\nand stand by it. You have the book that all admit to be right. Be true\nto it and show yourselves worthy of it, and the God of peace will be\nwith you.\n\n\n\n\nWE ARE A MISSIONARY PEOPLE.\n\n\nIt will not do to conclude that we are not a \u201cmissionary people.\u201d It is\nuseless to reason against facts. That we have risen, and, in opposition\nto the established bodies of people in the different parties in this\ncountry, successfully planted the cause in the best parts of the\ncountry and among the most effective and intelligent people, and, in\nless than two-thirds of a century, made it one of the most formidable\nand powerful bodies in the land, and swelled the numbers above that of\nany Protestant parties in the United States, excepting the Baptists and\nMethodists, is now a _matter of fact_. This has been done and is now in\nhistory. A people \u201cnot a missionary people,\u201d and not an _evangelizing\npeople_, have never done the like of this. We are to-day going ahead\nand spreading more rapidly than any people in this country that depend\non turning people to the Lord to augment their numbers. We say nothing\nabout a people that count their infants as members of the church, and\nexclude nobody for disorder.\n\n\n\n\nRESURRECTION OF LAZARUS.\n\n\nThe resurrection of Lazarus was like the healing of the sick, giving\nsight to the blind, and other miraculous benefits, only _temporary_.\nThey were only restored to health in their mortal state, and liable to\nbe afflicted again. The resurrection of Lazarus was only his recovery\nfrom death for the time being, and he was liable to die again. No doubt\nhe did die again. But Jesus rose to die no more. Death has no more\ndominion over him. Those thus raised up _temporarily_, or simply raised\nup to what they were before they died, were not counted where Christ\nis spoken of as \u201cthe first-fruits of them that slept,\u201d \u201cthe first-born\nfrom the dead,\u201d etc. They were raised to immortality and died no more.\nThe body was sown a mortal body, but raised immortal, or raised to die\nno more.\n\nThis, we presume, is the solution of the matter, though but little\ncan be said, with any point, for or against it. It is, however, the\nground on which we satisfy our own mind. It is one of the matters left\na little obscure, and but one on which nothing of importance depends.\nThe view we take of it obviates any apparent discrepancy between the\npassages above referred to. The word \u201cbegotten,\u201d in \u201cthe first-begotten\nfrom the dead,\u201d should have been _born_, as the same original word is\nelsewhere. A bare resurrection only raised a man to what he was before\nhe died, and left him as liable to death as he was before he died; but\nthe resurrection of Christ and those who rose after he rose was more\nthan this. The body was sown a mortal body, but raised immortal, or to\ndie no more. It was a complete and final deliverance from the grave and\nfrom death\u2014the final triumph over death and him who has the power of\ndeath.\n\n\n\n\nFINE CLOTHES.\n\n\nA preacher pays a poor compliment to his brain when he tries to attract\npublic attention, as a _preacher_, with fine clothes. A dancing master\ncan vie with him in that line, whether the fine clothes are paid for\nor not. In the same way the preacher that must have a gorgeous temple,\nlike Romanists and pagans, to attract the people and draw them out,\nand his choir of singers and organ, to discourse music for the saints,\npays a poor compliment to his brain and his ability as a preacher,\nand a poorer compliment to the worshippers who have to be thus _drawn\nout_. It is virtually a surrender to the world, and an acknowledgement\non the part of the preacher, that he has no confidence in the gospel,\nor his ability to preach to attract the attention of the people, draw\nthem out, or turn them to God when they are drawn out. The church\nthat resorts to such artifices to draw the people out, virtually\nacknowledges that she has no influence to _draw_ the people out; that\nthe preacher has no influence to _draw_ them out; that _their_ gospel\nand worship have no power to _draw_ them out; but they have found out\nwhat will _draw_ them out. A fine temple of show, extravagance and\nfolly; a popular choir, an organ, ice cream, strawberry festivals,\nmusical concerts, church fairs, etc., etc. These will draw. Certainly\nthey will. But what becomes of the preacher, the gospel, the worship\nand the church? What becomes of Christ, the Holy Spirit, the Bible, and\nall that is divine?\n\nChrist had not \u201cwhere to lay his head.\u201d What does that prove? Not\nthat his followers should not have where to lay their heads, or that\npreachers should not; but, if following him and serving him should\nreduce them to such destitution that they would not have where to lay\ntheir heads, they should bear it patiently and not murmur, remembering\nthat their Lord and Master had not where to lay his head.\n\n\u201cChrist traveled on foot and preached.\u201d What does that prove\u2014that\npreachers must _always_ travel on foot? Not at all. The Lord did not\nalways travel on foot. What then? That a preacher should travel on\nfoot if need be. We have traveled on foot to preach and would do it\nagain before we would give up preaching. We, therefore, take the cars,\nsteamboat, stage, private conveyance, any means most convenient.\n\n\n\n\nSUBTLETIES ABOUT IMMERSION.\n\n\nBut, now, why this constant higgling over _immersion_? Why this\ncontinual getting up some kind of smoke about it, mist or confusion? It\nis the right thing\u2014the precise thing the Lord commanded. Why, then,\ntry to get up confusion about where it was obtained? Why not condemn\nfaith because we did not obtain it from the right people? It is the\n_right thing_, but then a man obtained it in a _sectarian church_.\nOught he not to throw it aside, and obtain faith from the right source?\nThen, where did a man get the gospel? Did he get it in a sectarian\nchurch? Must he therefore throw it aside? Where did he get his Bible?\nMust he throw it away because he got it from sectarians. There is but\none safe rule in all this, and that is to hold on to that which came\nfrom the Lord, the right things, no matter where we found them.\n\nWe have not set out merely to see how radical we can be; to see how\nfar we can differ from all men, but to separate the human from the\ndivine\u2014that which did not come from God from that which did; and when\nwe find a man with the right book\u2014the Bible\u2014we accept it without\ninquiring where he obtained it. When we find a man with the gospel of\nChrist, we accept it, no matter where he obtained it. If he has the\nright repentance we accept it without any regard to where he obtained\nit. In the same way in regard to the immersion and everything else. Has\nhe the right things\u2014the things of God?\n\nWhy start these subtleties about immersion, and confuse the public mind\nin regard to it? Why not get up difficulties about the prayers, the\ncommunion, the repentance, the faith, or something else? We are not\ntrying how many difficulties we can find, but trying to clear the way,\nand show all men that there is a safe and practical way to union, to\noneness and happiness, both here and hereafter. We desire to emerge out\nof the darkness, confusion and misunderstandings of our times, and walk\nin the clear light of heaven. Whatever is right we accept, and whatever\nis not right we aim to set it right. That which has gone before our\ntime is beyond our reach, and we leave that to the Judge of all the\nearth, who will do right. We desire to open the way for the living\nand those yet to come. Let us study the things that are practical and\nthat work for peace, and the Lord will open our way to the highest\nusefulness and happiness in this life, and to all he has for the\nredeemed in the life to come.\n\n\n\n\nALL THINGS COMMON.\n\n\nThe community of goods or common stock was a _voluntary thing_ and\nnot _required_, as is clear from the language of Peter to Ananias and\nSapphira. Alluding to the possession he sold and the proceeds of the\nsale he said: \u201cWhile it remained was it not thine own? and after it was\nsold was it not in thine own power?\u201d Acts v. 4. There was no compulsion\nto do what he pretended he was doing\u2014that is, _giving the whole_\u2014no\nlaw requiring it. This case appears to have ended the whole affair. We\nfind no more account of it, but clear allusions to liberality, to the\nrich and poor, etc., showing that it was not continued. There is no\nquestion but that some of the first Christians received the impression\nthat the coming of the Lord, the resurrection of the dead and the\nend of the world were at hand; and the unbounded love of the gospel\ninspired in their hearts for God and man led them to regard their\npossessions as nothing. They did not believe they would need them, nor\ndid they see the state of things that would result from their course.\n\nNot only so, but there may have been a providence in it, as their city\nwas soon to be destroyed and they \u201cled away captive among all nations.\u201d\nThe main thing we need is the fact that it is not required of us. It\nended at once and was not enjoined nor continued.\n\n\n\n\nDELUDED.\n\n\nWe can not conceive how people could be more completely deluded, than\nto be so turned away from the promise of God, than when the Lord says,\n\u201cHe who believes and is immersed _shall be saved_,\u201d he can not rely on\nthe words, \u201c_shall be saved_,\u201d but can rely on an uncertain class of\nfeelings reached in an exciting meeting without a promise of the Lord.\nThe apostle commands inquirers, \u201cRepent, and be baptized every one of\nyou, in the name of Jesus Christ, for the remission of sins, and _you\nshall receive_ the gift of the Holy Spirit.\u201d Here is a sure promise\nfrom God: \u201c_You shall receive_ the gift of the Holy Spirit.\u201d These\npeople can not or _will not_ rely on _this promise_, but will rely on\na peculiar state of feelings without one shadow of evidence that the\nfeelings are from the Lord, or intended to assure any of pardon.\n\nMembers of the church should read their Bibles in their families and\nto their children, and worship with them, and teach them what worship\nmeans, and if they do not do it they will be held responsible in the\ngreat day. We must never stop but cry aloud and spare not, till this\nignorance is out of the land. We exhort brethren, no matter where they\nmay be scattered, to read the Bible, explain it to your neighbor, and\nbe not poor, helpless creatures waiting for somebody to send you a\npreacher, but go at it and read the Scriptures, and show your neighbor\nhow to read them, and where to read, to learn the way of salvation.\nCirculate other reading calculated to show them the good and right way.\nBe alive and awake to the work\u2014read about it, pray over it, and do all\nin your power to counteract ignorance and superstition.\n\n\n\n\nREFORMATION A SUCCESS.\n\n\nIt is true, also, that \u201cGod\u2019s word, as the only rule of faith and\npractice, is as much set at naught by the religious world to-day as it\nwas fifty years ago,\u201d and more too; and there is nothing so unpopular\nwith the masses of the people, and some _called brethren_, as precisely\nthe apostolic way; and the Reformation is not a failure either. Our\nreformatory movement was right, and is still right. It needs no\nmodification, but needs to be faithfully and honestly carried out. No\nreformatory movement can ever get in ahead of it. It went back to the\ndivine fountain to find the truth, and not something _like it_, that\ncould be _proved by it_. It went back to the Bible itself, and not\nto something _like it_, or something that can be _proved by it_. It\nwent back to the religion of Christ itself, and not to something _like\nit_, or something that can be _proved by it_. This was no failure. The\nattempt was to go back to the Lord himself; to his own Book, his own\nreligion; and those who attempted this, and _did it_, made no failure.\nThey found the Lord, his Book, and his religion, and found the\nsalvation of the Lord. There was no failure in all this. This movement\nhas been in the world about sixty years, or about half as long as\nNoah\u2019s mission lasted. Noah found the salvation of the Lord for himself\nand family. There was no failure in his case.\n\n\n\n\nWHAT WE ARE FOR.\n\n\nWe are for the kingdom of God, and for all that pertains to it, but not\nfor the _kingdom of the clergy_, either as manifested in the Papacy\nor among Protestants; nor are we enlisted to get up a _new kingdom of\nclergy_. We will never give our influence to establish any new kingdom\nof clergy, or recognize any old one. The people of God are _free_. They\ndo not belong to the clergy. The congregations of the Lord are free,\nand not to be manacled down into human confederations and their great\nwork ended in an insignificant sect. The day we agree to be banded\ntogether into some kind of general confederation of congregations,\nunder a conference, convention, or we care not what you call it, we\nbecome an insignificant sect, a denomination, a christian sect, and\nwill be nothing more forever. _Ichabod_ will be written on us. But that\nday _will never come_. Mark that. We hope that none among us will ever\nmake the experiment, but if they do, they will simply land in faction,\nto dwindle away and die.\n\nBut, we have come to a crisis, and, it is predicted, we will soon come\nto nothing if we do not do something. We intend to _do something_ and\nare _doing something_, but not forming ecclesiastical confederations\nto bind burdens on the necks of the people, nor scheming to get\n_clerical power_. We have come to no crisis. The few scheming men that\nhave so fully demonstrated their aim, have come to a _crisis_ and to\na _complete defeat_. But that will not produce any perceptible jar in\nthe movements of the hosts of Israel. That is a mere circumstance. The\nLord\u2019s hosts are in motion and the work is going on. Why stand with a\nhuman figment in view, when we have stupendous matters of fact before\nour eyes? Look into the columns of our publications and see the reports\nthat come up every week from the Atlantic to the Pacific Oceans, and\nfrom the North of the Dominion of Canada to the Gulf of Mexico, and\ntell us what of the crisis? The men in the field at work have come to\nno crisis and to no panic. The Lord of hosts is with them, and they are\nnot to be turned aside from their work.\n\nRead the accounts of churches established every week, the houses for\nworship built, the preachers coming over from the ranks of Babylon, as\nwell as private members, and the vast acquisition to their numbers from\nthe world, and then tell us what of the crisis! Go into the field and\n_go to work_, every man, in faith and hope and love, and win souls to\nChrist, and the Lord of hosts will be with you, and good brethren will\ncome up to the help of the Lord and support you. But if we continue\nthe schemes that are now confessedly _failures_, or devise new ones,\nwe will dry up the fountains of liberality till we can do nothing. The\nchildren of God will give money to convert and _save sinners_, but they\nwill not give money to _build up a hierarchy_.\n\n\n\n\nA SUGGESTION.\n\n\nWe are not inattentive to the suggestion that we are wearing ourselves\nout in holding protracted meetings, and that we should devote ourself\nwholly to the management of the _Review_. We have thought of this\nmatter much, both before and since we saw the suggestion, and find it\nnot so easy to determine what ought to be done. The tendency is to find\npleasant positions, occupy them, and go on easily and smoothly; to\nsettle down and preach for churches, get professorships in colleges or\nhigh-schools, edit papers and evangelize the world by _proxy_. In other\nwords, the popular idea is not to _go_ but to _send_ some one to preach\nthe gospel. If we were to sit down in our editorial chair, at home, and\nwrite the most stirring articles about the great work of evangelizing\nthe world and urge men to go, we fear they would inquire, \u201cWhy do _you\nnot go_?\u201d We aim to be an example\u2014to go ourself, as we urge others to\ndo. We see no other way to give force to the appeal to others to _go_.\n\nThe demand for preaching is such that we can see no possible way to\nexcuse any man that can go. We have, therefore, rather concluded to _go\nwhile we can_.\n\nWhen we shall go hence, we desire that any who may refer to us may see\nthat while we said _go_ we also _went_.\n\nWe are perfectly aware that we could, in some respects, make the paper\nbetter to devote our entire attention to it; but, that we could, in\nevery sense, give it the _spirit_ and _power_ that we can when we are\nin the field and among the people continually, we still hold in doubt.\nWe desire to do all we possibly can for the cause, while it is to-day.\n\n\n\n\nANNIHILATION\u2014FUTURE PUNISHMENT.\n\n\nThere is nothing about \u201cthe final annihilation of the wicked,\u201d in the\nBible, nor \u201cthe final annihilation\u201d of anything. The talk about the\n\u201cannihilation of the wicked,\u201d no matter whether \u201cfinal\u201d or not, is mere\noutside talk, as nothing of the kind is found in Scripture. We can see\nwhy a man should want information about a country or a place where he\nintends or expects to go, but why any man should always be talking\nabout a country or place to which he does not intend or expect to go,\nwe never could see. There is one thing clear, and that is, that any\nterm used in Scripture to describe or express the destiny of the wicked\nbeyond the judgment, is such as to deter any man from desiring it, no\nmatter whether figurative or literal. It is equally certain that no man\nwill ever be saved by explaining to him all about the meaning of the\nterms applied to the destiny of the wicked, nor will a constant study\nof these terms, and talking about them, qualify any man for heaven.\n\nSome of these terms are figurative and some of them are literal. In\nsome instances it may be difficult to determine whether a term is\nliteral or figurative, but in some it is not difficult. It is clear,\nhowever, that whatever terms are used, they all apply to the same\nthings. Such a phrase as \u201cbeaten with many stripes,\u201d we doubt not,\nis figurative, and so is \u201cgnashing of teeth.\u201d But \u201cpunishment\u201d is\nliteral, no matter in what it consists. No matter what term is applied\nto it, nor whether literal or figurative, the idea of \u201cpunishment\u201d is\nalways in it, always present. No matter _how_ they will be punished,\nwhat the means of punishment, or of what the punishment will consist,\nthere is still the reality\u2014the punishment. This is what the Lord\ncalls \u201ceverlasting,\u201d\u2014\u201ceverlasting punishment.\u201d See Matthew xxv. 46.\n\u201cThese shall go away into everlasting punishment and the righteous into\nlife eternal.\u201d In the original we have the same word (_aionion_) for\n\u201ceternal\u201d and \u201ceverlasting.\u201d In the same sentence the Lord uses the\nsame word to express the duration of the punishment and the duration\nof the life of the righteous, and there is as much reason, and no\nmore, for concluding that the \u201ceternal life\u201d shall terminate, as that\nthe \u201ceverlasting punishment\u201d of the wicked shall cease. At the same\ntime that the righteous enter into life, the wicked \u201cgo away into\neverlasting punishment,\u201d and the same word, in the same sentence, in the\nlips of our Lord, expresses the duration of both; and we have just as\nmuch respect for an expositor of Scripture that undertakes to prove\nthat the state of glory shall cease to exist as for the expositor that\nundertakes to prove that the punishment shall cease to exist, no matter\nwhether he be called Restorationist, Universalist, Soul-sleeper or what.\n\nThe man that thinks of \u201ceternal life\u201d merely as eternal _conscious\nexistence_, has no adequate conception of the meaning of the term. It\nis used to express the entire state of glory, with all that pertains\nto it. In the same sense the phrase \u201csecond death\u201d is used to express\nthe state of perdition, including all that is in it. The terms \u201csaved\u201d\nand \u201clost\u201d are used in the same sense. \u201cSaved\u201d includes the entire\ninheritance of the saints; all they shall have and enjoy. \u201cLost\u201d\nincludes all that shall be inflicted on the condemned; the entire state\nand all that is in it.\n\nMortality is never applied to the soul of man in Scripture, nor is\nimmortality. We never read of a mortal or an immortal soul, nor of\na soul being made mortal or immortal. Mortality and immortality are\napplied to the body and not to the soul. The body is mortal, but in the\nresurrection will be made immortal.\n\nIt is infinitely wiser to teach men how to _keep out_ of hell, while\nthey are out, than to teach them how to _get out_, after they are in\nhell, or to prove that they will cease to exist. We do not think much\nof men that study how to _pick locks_ and escape from prisons; but we\nesteem the men who teach how to _keep out_ of prisons by avoiding the\ncrimes on account of which men are imprisoned. There is no benevolence\nin tampering with the divine penalties in any way, either in out-and-out\ndenying the existence of any punishment after death, or modifying it.\nThe Bible contains its clear discrimination between the righteous and\nthe wicked, and unequivocally declares that it shall not be with him\nthat does not serve God as with him that serves him. It is not in vain\nto serve God. It would have been better for Judas if he had not been\nborn, as clearly stated by our Lord. There is a sorer punishment than\ndeath without mercy. There is an \u201ceverlasting punishment,\u201d and no sound\nlearning can make this mean everlasting _non-existence_. Non-existence\nis not punishment, else we were always in punishment till we were\nbrought into existence. There is a punishment where the worm dies not,\nand the fire is not quenched. There is no more evidence that this will\never cease to exist than that the state of glory itself shall cease to\nexist.\n\n\n\n\nDESIGN OF MIRACLES.\n\n\nMiracles are necessary to give a new institution and confirm it to\nthe world, but when it is given and confirmed, no miracle is needed\nto perpetuate it. It required miracles to confirm the mission of the\napostles and prove to the world that they were from God. So would it\nrequire miracles now to confirm the missions of any other man or set of\nmen claiming to be specially called and sent as the apostles were, and\nin default of any miracles, we do not believe any men are now called\nand sent, as they were. The divine attestations that established\nthe apostolic mission, among the people of their time, against\ntheir established religion, all their prejudices and every worldly\nconsideration, was committed to record, and will establish it to all\nthe generations to come. The same testimony that proved a man guilty of\nmurder one hundred years ago, will prove him guilty forever. It does\nnot require that witnesses continue to be sworn and testify to prove\nit to other people. In the same way, the testimony that proved the\ndivinity of Christ, at the beginning of his reign, has been committed\nto the record and will prove it forever. There is no new testimony, and\nnone is needed. Those who lived in the time when the Lord was on earth,\nsaw him, or saw those who did see him, or, at least, many of them\ndid; they saw many of his wonderful works, or many who did see them;\nthey heard the prophecies uttered by him, or saw those who did hear\nthem, but did not live to see the fulfillment. We did not see him, nor\nwitness his miracles, nor hear him utter the prophecies alluded to, but\nwe now have the faithful records of history in which we find accounts\nof the fulfillment of his wonderful predictions extending down through\nthe ages, for more than eighteen centuries. We do not, therefore, need\na repetition of the miracles, or the prophecies, or their fulfillment.\nThey stand there, firm as the everlasting hills, serving God\u2019s eternal\npurpose; confirming the divine mission of his Son, and the New\nCovenant, of which he is the Mediator.\n\nWhen did these miracles cease? They ceased when the apostles died, and\nall on whom they laid their hands. Every pretense of a miracle from\nthen till now, has been nothing but a _lying pretense_. Not a genuine\nmiracle has been done.\n\nWe have in the Bible the clear statement that the spiritual gifts\u2014the\nsupernatural gifts\u2014would be superseded by \u201ca more excellent way;\u201d\nthat tongues should cease, prophecies should fail, and knowledge\u2014the\nsupernatural gift of knowledge\u2014should be done away. In accordance\nwith these statements, these gifts have ceased, and thus fulfilled\nPaul\u2019s statement, and proved that the Spirit of God was in him. The\neternal Spirit saw, and, through him, foretold that these gifts should\ncease, as he did in the Apostle John, at the close of Revelation, the\nconclusion of the sacred canon, that nothing more was to be added, and\nnothing taken away. This ended the revelations from God. We have had\nnot one word since, and will not have till the end of time.\n\n\n\n\nCAIN\u2019S WIFE.\n\n\nWe do not know \u201cwho was Cain\u2019s wife,\u201d only that she was _Mrs. Cain_.\nWe do not know that it is of any more importance to us who Cain\u2019s wife\nwas than who the wife of any other man was or is. We must not fall out\nwith the Bible because it does not gratify our curiosity in giving us\ninformation on many little particulars of no consequence to us. We do\nnot know who President Grant\u2019s wife was. We, no doubt, could easily\nhave found out, but it was of no importance to us to know, and we have\nnever tried to learn. Yet it is of as much importance to us, and as\nmuch in reference to our salvation, as to know who Cain\u2019s wife was. We\ncan not give information that is not in the Bible. The Bible does not\ntell who Cain\u2019s wife was.\n\n\n\n\nWHAT IS ESSENTIAL.\n\n\nWe single not out baptism and make it essential, nor conversion\u2014as\na whole\u2014and make it essential; but we single out what the _Lord\nrequires_, not only in regard to conversion, or making Disciples, but\nin regard to the life or the practice required of those in Christ,\nin which they are to continue after they have turned to the Lord;\neverything in the law of God, and maintain that it is _all essential_.\nThe will of God is essential, and that which is not in the will of God\nis not essential. The will of God, or what is required in the law of\nGod, must be done. That which is not in the will of God, or is no part\nof the law of God, is not to be done at all, or not to be introduced\nas religion, or any part of it, nor is the peace of the church to\nbe interrupted with it. The only way to avoid the trouble about the\n_unessentials_ is simply to leave them out\u2014to have nothing to do with\nthem. What regard can a man have for the welfare of the Church, the\npeace of the people of God, and the triumphs of the faith, who will\nnot only have himself what is not required, not essential, and what he\nadmits is not required, but force it upon others?\n\n\n\n\nWHAT WE KNOW IS RIGHT.\n\n\nWe _know_ it is right to \u201cLet the word of Christ dwell in us richly;\nand with all wisdom _teach_ and _admonish_ each other by _psalms_ and\n_hymns_ and _spiritual songs_; _singing_ with gratitude in our hearts\nto the Lord\u201d\u2014to \u201cbe filled with the Spirit; _speaking_ to one another\nin _psalms_ and _hymns_ and _spiritual songs_; _singing_ and making\nmelody in our hearts to the Lord.\u201d This _can_ be done, and _we know_ it\nis right; but that a man can make melody in his heart to the Lord \u201cwith\nan organ,\u201d a fiddle, banjo, clarionet, lute, fife or jew\u2019s-harp, we\ndo not know, nor do we believe it. We want to do what is written, and\nenjoin it on others, to do it. What is not written we do not want to\ndo. When the Lord so minutely describes _how_ we are to do anything, we\nwant to do it in that _way_. The _way_ he prescribes will do the thing\ncommanded; some other _way_ might not do what is commanded at all.\n\n\n\n\nINFANT SIN\u2014INFANT SALVATION.\n\n\nIn our generation, a vast amount of ink and breath is wasted in writing\nand preaching about infant sin, infant salvation, idiots, etc. There is\none thing certain about it, and that is, that our writing and preaching\nabout infant sin, infant salvation, Christ dying for infants and\nidiots, never saved an infant, an idiot, or anybody else. We do not, by\nour writing and preaching about them, make them sinful or righteous. It\nis simply writing and preaching _about_ them, and not _to them_, and\ncertainly can do them no good. It is purely curious and speculative,\npleasant for men and women to talk about, who will not love and obey\nthe Savior themselves.\n\nThere are some things so clear in themselves that all can see them\non the mere mention of them. Infants and idiots can not understand,\nbelieve, receive, reject, or obey the gospel. They can not repent,\npray, praise God or rejoice. The gospel is simply not addressed to\nthem. Infants and idiots are plainly and simply not _gospel subjects_.\nHow are they then to be saved? What salvation do you mean? Salvation\nfrom _sin_, do you say? What sin? They never _sinned_, and have no\n_actual_ sin, as the schoolmen style it. They are under no guilt. They\nnever transgressed any law, human or divine. They never rejected Christ\nnor the gospel. They have no _personal_ sin or guilt; no personal\ncondemnation, and need no personal justification. The justification\nwe receive in believing and obeying the gospel, is from our _own\nsins_, actual sins, sins we have committed ourselves. Infants have\nno sins of this kind and need not this justification. The remission\nof sins received, in turning to God, is for _sinners_; those who, in\ntheir own persons have committed sins, and not for infants, who have\nnever sinned\u2014who have no sins of this kind. They have no guilt, no\ncondemnation, and need no salvation from \u201cold sins,\u201d as Peter has it,\nor past sins. They have no sins of this kind.\n\nBut, then, this is only a partial view of the matter. We all need\nsomething more than this. We need another salvation beyond pardon, or\nsalvation from actual sins; we need to be ransomed from the grave,\nraised from the dead; our bodies changed, glorified, immortalized.\nThe infant and idiot need this. This salvation is future. \u201cAs in Adam\nall die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.\u201d \u201cBy one man,\nsin entered into the world.\u201d \u201cIn Adam\u2019s fall, we sinned all.\u201d But we\nare not under the guilt of Adam\u2019s sin; only under the consequences.\nThese consequences came on us without our will, volition or consent;\nwithout our action. We had no power to avert the calamity. It came\non us unconditionally. The first Adam, without our volition or\naction, involved us in it. The second Adam, the Lord from heaven,\nunconditionally removes it from us. Without our volition or action, he\ntakes it away. The first Adam involved us in death. Our turning to God,\nbecoming christians and obtaining remission of sins, does not save us\nfrom death. We all die the same as those not Christians. After we die,\nthe best of saints, we need the same ransom from the grave, as infants\ndo. To be made alive; to be changed, immortalized and glorified. This\nis the salvation from Adam\u2019s sin, or the consequences of it, and this\nis needed for the saints and infants alike.\n\n\u201cIf one died for all, then we are all dead.\u201d I. Cor. v. 14. This\nincludes infants and idiots. Christ then died for all. \u201cAs in Adam all\ndie, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.\u201d The same \u201call\u201d that\ndie in Adam shall be made alive in or by Christ. Christ, then, died for\nall,\u2014all that die in Adam,\u2014and will make the same \u201call\u201d alive, or\nraise them from the dead. He, then, in dying for all, died for infants\nand idiots, and secured for them resurrection from the dead, and they\nneed to prepare them for the world to come.\n\nThey can receive no gospel, and need none; they can not repent, and\nneed no repentance; they can not pray or commune, and need no prayer\nor communion; they need no religion, and are simply not subjects of\nreligion. They need no church. The gospel, repentance and remission of\nsins, the church and all that is in it, is for pardoned persons\u2014those\nwashed from their sins\u2014the redeemed by the blood of Christ, and not\nfor those who never sinned, had no guilt, and needed no pardon\u2014those\nwho have no faith and know not the Savior.\n\n\n\n\nOUR AUTHORITATIVE RELIGION.\n\n\nWe have not time to elaborate it now, but we can state, that there is\none religion that is the _supreme and absolute authority_\u2014that is\nsimply the religion of Christ. There is nothing but human authority\nin any other. That religion presents a heaven and a hell, the one\nas certain as the other. It is not to be tampered with, nor trifled\nwith. It offers life and threatens death. It has justification and\ncondemnation, its rewards and punishments. It has God in it, Christ and\nthe Holy Spirit, prophets, apostles and martyrs. Men submit when they\ncome to it, and yield to it, in doing which they submit and yield to\nits Divine Author. The secrets of men will be judged by Jesus Christ\naccording to the gospel. If we expect to enter the everlasting city, we\nmust listen to the Bible.\n\n\n\n\nREFLECTIONS FOR DANCERS.\n\n\nWhile we were in Carlisle, Kentucky, in May, we learned that Bro.\nReynolds, who was engaged in an interesting meeting a few miles off,\nhad announced that he would preach on _dancing_ on a morning. As we\nhad no appointment for preaching that morning, Bro. Jones proposed to\ntake us to the place to hear Bro. Reynolds. On arriving we found a good\naudience in attendance, and Bro. Reynolds prepared for his work. He\npressed us to address the people, but we declined on the ground that he\nhad announced his subject, the people had come to hear him, and that we\nwere interested in the matter and desired to hear him. He then entered\nupon his work.\n\nBro. Reynolds is a _self-made_ man, and not a man not _made at all_,\nbut made in the genuine sense, an effective and telling man. He is a\ncool, deliberate and pointed speaker; speaks with perfect ease, and\ninterests an audience from first to last. He is simply _himself_, and\nimitates no one. We decided before he was near through his discourse to\nwrite out an epitome of it, but one thing after another has hindered\nus till weeks have passed, and we took not a note, and we fear now\nthat our article will be but little more than _an article about the\ndiscourse_.\n\n MOTTO.\n \u201cProve all things; hold fast that which is good.\u201d\n I. Thess. v. 21.\n\nThis means to _test_ or _try_ all things, consider their claim, and\ndetermine which are good. Hold that fast.\n\nExod. xv. 20, we find an account of dancing: \u201cAnd Miriam the\nprophetess, and the sister of Aaron, took a timbrel in her hand; and\nall the women went out after her with timbrels and with dances.\u201d\nSeveral things are to be noticed in this dancing. 1. It was in\ndaylight. 2. The women alone danced. 3. It was a religious exercise, in\nrejoicing over their wonderful deliverance from Egyptian bondage and\nthe pursuit of their enemies, and to the praise and honor of God. They\nwere religious people, praising and honoring God.\n\nExod. xxxii. 19, we have an account of dancing: \u201cAnd it came to pass as\nsoon as he\u201d (Moses) \u201ccame nigh to the camp, that he saw the calf, and\nthe dancing, and Moses\u2019 anger waxed hot, and he cast the tables out of\nhis hands, and brake them beneath the mount.\u201d We are not informed who\ndanced in this instance, but the whole procedure was idolatrous. The\nshouting and dancing were in devotion to the molten calf.\n\nJudges xi. 34: \u201cAnd Jephthah came to Mizpeh unto his house, and,\nbehold, his daughter came to meet him, with timbrels and with dances,\nand she was his only child; beside her he had neither son nor\ndaughter.\u201d 1. This dancing was in daylight. 2. One female danced alone.\n3. She simply danced in joy to meet her father, and her dance was soon\nfollowed with a terrible calamity.\n\nJudges xxi. 19-21: \u201cThen they said, Behold, there is a feast of the\nLord in Shiloh, yearly, in a place which is on the north side of\nBeth-el, on the east side of the highway, that goeth up from Beth-el\nto Shechem, and on the south of Lebonah. Therefore they commanded the\nchildren of Benjamin, saying, Go and lie in wait in the vineyards;\nand see, and behold, if the daughters of Shiloh come out to dance in\ndances, then come you out of the vineyards, and catch you every man his\nwife of the daughters of Shiloh, and go to the land of Benjamin.\u201d This\ndancing was in daylight. The females alone danced. We are not told what\nthe object of the dancing was.\n\nI. Sam. xviii. 6: \u201cAnd it came to pass, as they came, when David was\nreturning from the slaughter of the Philistines, that the women came\nout of all the cities of Israel, singing and dancing, to meet King\nSaul, with tabrets, with joy, and with instruments of music.\u201d 1. This\ndancing was in daylight. 2. The women alone danced. 3. It was rejoicing\nin view of a special favor of God.\n\nI. Sam. xxx. 16: \u201cAnd when he had brought him down, behold, they were\nspread abroad upon all the earth, eating, and drinking, and dancing,\nbecause of all the great spoil they had taken out of the land of the\nPhilistines, and out of the land of Judah. And David smote them from\nthe twilight even unto the evening of the next day; and there escaped\nnot a man of them, save four hundred young men, who rode upon camels,\nand fled.\u201d In this case the dancing was with eating and drinking, and\nfor amusement. It was revelling. They were not religious people, but\nthe wicked, and the calamity soon came upon them.\n\nII. Sam. vi. 12-14: \u201cAnd it was told King David, saying, The Lord hath\nblessed the house of Obed-edom, and all that pertaineth unto him,\nbecause of the ark of God. So David went and brought up the ark of\nGod from the house of Obed-edom into the city of David with gladness.\nAnd it was so, that when they that bear the ark of the Lord, had gone\nsix paces, he sacrificed oxen and fatlings. And David danced before\nthe Lord with all his might; and David was girded with a linen epod.\u201d\nThis dancing was in daylight. David alone danced. It was a religious\nexercise, in devotion to the Lord.\n\nI. Chron. xv. 29: \u201cAnd it came to pass, as the ark of the covenant of\nthe Lord came to the city of David, that Michal, the daughter of Saul,\nlooking out at a window, saw King David dancing and playing, and she\ndespised him in her heart.\u201d This dancing was in daylight. David alone\ndanced. He danced as a religious exercise. It was not dancing for\namusement.\n\nPsalms cl. 4: \u201cPraise him with a timbrel and dance; praise him with\nstringed instruments and organs.\u201d Also, Psalms cxlix. 3: \u201cLet them\npraise his name in the dance.\u201d This also is a religious exercise.\n\nEccl. iii. 4: \u201cA time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn,\nand a time to dance.\u201d We do not remember the point made on this. We\nhave seen from the Scriptures already cited, that in the former ages,\nwhen they danced as a religious exercise, it was always in daylight,\nand in no case promiscuous dancing of men and women together, and the\n_time_ for it was when the Lord had wrought some great deliverance or\nbrought some signal, given some great victory.\n\nJob xxi. 11-18: \u201cThey send forth their little ones like a flock, and\nthe children dance. They take the timbrel and harp, and rejoice at the\nsound of the organ. They spend their days in wealth, and in a moment\ngo down to the grave. Therefore they say unto God, Depart from us; for\nwe desire not the knowledge of thy ways. What is the Almighty, that\nwe should serve him? and what profit should we have if we pray unto\nhim?, Lo, their good is not in their hand; the counsel of the wicked\nis far from me. How oft is the candle of the wicked put out! and how\noft cometh their destruction upon them! God distributeth sorrows in his\nanger. They are as stubble before the wind, as chaff that the storm\ncarrieth away.\u201d Here we have a terrible description of the dancers for\npleasure, amusement; of their godless character and utter ruin.\n\nMark vi. 22: \u201cAnd when the daughter of the said Herodias came in, and\ndanced, and pleased Herod and them that sat with him, the king said to\nthe damsel, Ask of me whatever you will, and I will give it to you.\nAnd he swore to her, Whatever you shall ask of me, I will give to you,\nto the half of my kingdom. And she went forth and said to her mother,\nWhat shall I ask? And she said, The head of John the Baptist. And she\ncame in straightway with haste to the king, and asked, saying, I will\nthat you give me by and by in a charger the head of John the Baptist.\u201d\nHere we have a fine sample of the taste, the spirit and refinement of\nthe dancer and her mother. What had John the Baptist done that his head\nshould come off to gratify the mother of a dancing damsel? John had\nsaid, \u201cIt is not lawful for you\u201d (Herod) \u201cto have your brother\u2019s wife.\u201d\nThis insulted Mrs. Herod, and she sought and obtained revenge through\nher dancing daughter and a rash vow of the king. What a reward this for\ndancing and pleasing the king\u2014the head of the best man in his kingdom,\na prophet from God! This was dancing for pleasure, for amusement. This\ndancing for amusement, pleasure, is revelling, and excludes from the\nkingdom.\n\nGal. v. 21: \u201cNow the works of the flesh are manifest, which are\nthese: Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, idolatry,\nwitchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions,\nheresies, envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like;\nof the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in times past,\nthat they who do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.\u201d\nBro. Reynolds gave a definition of the word \u201crevelling,\u201d and the\noriginal Greek word _komos_, which it represents, which we have not at\nhand and do not recollect; only that dancing for pleasure, amusement,\nwith eating and drinking, is revelling, and they who do such things\nshall not inherit the kingdom of God. He also made a happy hit on the\nclause, \u201csuch like\u201d\u2014that is, \u201crevellings and _such like_\u201d; that it\nincluded the plays of folly, the innocent games for amusement, etc.\n\nWe are sorry that we have forgotten so much of the comment and so many\nof the good points in the discourse. It was in grand contrast with much\nthat we have. He is not trying to determine _how much folly and sin_\nwe can practice and still be saved, but _how fully men and women can\nbe saved from all folly and sin_. The Lord strengthen his hands and\nthe hands of every other man walking nobly in resistance against the\ndemoralizing influences now upon us.\n\n\n\n\nSPIRIT OF INDIFFERENCE.\n\n\nThe worst difficulty there is to encounter is the general state of\nindifference. There is a general state of don\u2019t-careitiveness. The\nGalio feeling abounds. Of all the opponents the preacher of Christ has\nto contend with, there is none that we so much dread, as the man who\ncares for nothing\u2014who is wholly indifferent\u2014who scarcely has vitality\nenough to sit up in his pew, unless he can sleep sitting. There are men\nin these times, who by custom, mere habit, indifferently float along\nwith the current to the place of worship, and sit, lean down, lie down,\nor lounge in an audience before a preacher, who seem to say, by every\nmotion, every cuticle of the face, expression of the countenance and\nmove of the eye, in thunder tones, to the discerning preacher, _I do\nnot care what you say\u2014whether your doctrine is true or false_. This\ndiscomfits the preacher. What can be done for a man who does not care?\nWhat can a preacher do for a man whose spirit is so calloused and\nnumbed as to be incapable of giving attention to a single discourse?\nWhat can be done for men who have so lost the love of the truth, all\ninterest in it, and so unfeeling to all its appeals, as to sit before\nhim who pleads its holy claims with earnestness, wholly inattentive? To\nsuch men the whole appears idle tales, a kind of dream or kind of dim\nvision. Many in this description, in church and out of it, cannot be\naroused from their stupor, awakened from their slumbers and brought out\nfrom the almost impenetrable spell of thick darkness that envelopes\nthem, by the efforts of any preacher. The thunders of Sinai would not\ndo it. The melting strains of gospel love will not do it. Heaven\u2019s\nbeneficence to man is all nothing to them. Many, in this generation,\nwill never be awakened from this deep and awful slumber, and the thick\ndarkness that surrounds them, till the voice of the archangel from\nheaven and the trumpet of God shall summon them to the judgment of the\ngreat day.\n\nAn effort is demanded, such as we, as a people, have never made; such\nas man has rarely made; in any age, an equal to anything in the power\nof man to make, to awaken our cotemporaries from this terrible and\nfearful state of death. None but men who are in earnest can do anything\nin this work. Men who have no concern themselves, or who are nearly\nin the same predicament, may deliver their little, dry and lifeless\nharangues, but they make no impression. Men must be fully alive, have\nthe benevolence of God at heart, enter the work with the whole soul,\nand labor mightily for the Lord. We must feel the need of a great\neffort, to save man, maintain righteousness and restrain the world\nfrom sin, and our efforts must make men feel the necessity of such an\neffort. It is not necessary that the imagination should be wrought up,\nbut merely that the people be made conscious of the reality, to move\nthose in the reach of reason and argument. But, we defer approaching\nany other point, for a month.\n\n\n\n\nAPOLOGY FOR CREEDS.\n\n\nApology _First_. \u201cIt is not necessary to make such an incessant war\nupon our creed; it is just like the Bible; it is all scriptural.\u201d In\nthis case admitting, for the sake of argument, what is not true of\nany human creed, that it is \u201cjust like the Bible,\u201d we reply, that is\nuseless, and will do no better than the Bible itself. If it is just\nlike the Bible it will accomplish nothing more than the Bible, and\nbe just as deficient. Nothing can be gained by it; nothing can be\naccomplished by it which the Bible itself could not accomplish, so that\nit must be utterly useless. In that case there can be no excuse for\nhaving it\u2014not only so, but the person holding on to and contending for\nsuch a creed, is inexcusable on another account. To give up a creed\njust like the Bible, and take the Bible itself as a rule of faith and\npractice, a man would lose nothing, for he would find all his creed\nin the Bible. We insist, therefore, that one of the most inexcusable,\nunreasonable and unjustifiable positions a man can occupy, is to hold\non to, contend for and insist that he can not do without a creed which\nhe insists is just like the Bible, though he can have the Bible itself!\nThe Bible will certainly accomplish all that any creed just like it can.\n\n_Apology Second._ \u201cIt is useless to be contending against our creed. It\ncontains nothing that is not in the Bible. It is simply an abstract,\nepitome or abridgment of Bible doctrine, so arranged as to be convenient\nand show at a glance what we hold.\u201d This is quite a specious apology,\nand has succeeded in deluding and deceiving many persons, and silencing\ntheir consciences, and is, therefore, more especially deserving of\nattention. This apology is dangerous because it acknowledges that the\ncreed contains and sets forth what the party believes\u2014its faith.\nNow, we assert, without hesitation, that any man who believes no more\nthan is set forth in any human creed on earth, and will do no more\nthan any human creed requires, has neither faith nor obedience enough\nto be acceptable with God. There is not a human creed on earth, that\ncontains the _whole Christian faith_. Their faith is too narrow. We\nhave no confidence in epitomes, abstracts, or abridgments of the\nfaith. Nothing less than the faith, the whole faith of Christ, is\nsufficient to meet the divine approbation. No man\u2019s faith not as broad\nas the Bible is broad enough for us. His faith must contain Moses\nand Jesus, the prophets of the Old Testament and the apostles of the\nNew. There must be no abstracting, no epitomizing, no abridging. The\nman not willing to receive Christ, and the whole Christian faith, as\nGod has set him and the faith forth, in the Holy Scriptures, is not a\nchristian, and had better make no pretence to christianity. We do not\nwish a man to come describing how he _views every point of doctrine_.\nWe do not desire him to come declaring that he receives Christ as a\nTrinitarian or Unitarian, a Calvinist or an Arminian, but to come with\na contrite spirit, avowing it as the desire of the heart, and his\nfull determination, to receive Christ with all his heart, as God has\nrevealed him in the prophecies of the Old Testament and the apostolic\npreaching of the New.\n\nThe advocate of a human creed says, he wants his creed to \u201cshow at a\nglance what we hold!\u201d Look over your creed, then, right carefully, and\nsee _what you hold_, and look over the New Testament with the same\ncare, and see what an amount it contains that _you do not hold_, or\nthat is not in your creed, and you will see that your creed is not a\nrespectable skeleton\u2014that it not only lacks the flesh, blood, muscles,\narteries, veins, etc., of the body, but it lacks many of the bones\nand, what is vastly more, it lacks the life, the soul, the spirit.\nIf it contains _what you hold_, much as precious as any part of the\nChristian faith, and as binding as any thing God has revealed, clearly\nand as explicitly laid down in the New Testament, is not contained in\nwhat you hold at all. Much of as precious truth as is contained in\nthe Bible, a vast amount as clear to the children of God as anything\ncontained in the Christian faith, an immense deal as consoling to the\ndying saint as any thing in the word of God, as any man who has ever\nlooked must admit, is not found in any human creed. We say again, and\ncan prove at almost any length, that there is not a human creed in the\nworld that is a respectable skeleton, that is even a perceptible shadow\nof the Christian faith. Indeed, no creed appears to have been intended\nsimply to set forth the _Christian faith_. It does not appear to be\nthe object of any human creed to set forth the simple faith of Christ\nor Christianity. None of the creeds claim to be the _Christian faith_,\n_the Christian confession_, _Christian discipline or Christian system_,\nbut one is \u201cThe Philadelphia Confession,\u201d another \u201cThe Westminster\nConfession,\u201d and a third \u201cThe Methodist Discipline.\u201d The object of\nthese books, and all of the same kind, appears to be more to set forth\nthe views their authors had of certain points of doctrine, or their\nnotions of these points, than to set forth the whole Christian faith\nitself. Their object is much more to show how the parties adopting them\nheld certain points of doctrine, and to distinguish their views from\nsome others, than to set forth the Christian faith. The creeds, then,\nare but little more than epitomes of men\u2019s views of certain points of\nChristian doctrine, their abridged understanding of these points. Now,\nthe belief and reception of _men\u2019s views_ of the Christian faith will\nnot save any man, much less the belief and reception of _their views\nof a few points_ of doctrine; but to be saved, a man must believe and\nreceive the Christian faith\u2014_the whole Christian faith itself_.\n\n\n\n\nHEAR YE HIM.\n\n\n\u201cBut we want something binding.\u201d Look then, at the command accompanying\nthis oracle, or confession, or immediately following it, if you desire\nsomething binding, or authoritative. We allude to the authoritative\nutterance, \u201cHear Him.\u201d God, who made the worlds\u2014God, who rules\namong the armies of heaven\u2014who hurled angels down to hell for\ndisobedience\u2014whose voice shook the earth. God, who holds the destinies\nof all the nations in his hand, who \u201cweighs the hills in a balance, and\nhandles the isles as a very little thing,\u201d in connection with the\nrevelation of his Son, to all the nations of the earth, with all the\nmajesty of his authority, says, \u201cHEAR HIM;\u201d give him audience;\nregard him; bow to him; follow him; be guided by him; honor and obey\nhim forever. How utterly futile and insignificant the attempt of puny\nand erring mortals to add anything to the great oracle, or confession,\nin which is concentrated the whole christian institution, and with\nwhich is connected the authoritative words of the ineffable Jehovah,\n\u201cHEAR HIM.\u201d If a man receives the revelation God makes of\nhis Son, or, rather, if he receives his Son, from the revelation he\nhas made of him, and bows in submission to him, in accordance with\nthe command to \u201cHear Him,\u201d confesses with the mouth before men, what\nhe believes in the heart, that \u201cJesus Christ is the Son of God,\u201d and\nsubmits to the Divine test of loyalty, in the requirement to be buried\nwith his Lord in baptism, while that great formula is uttered over him,\n\u201cI baptize you in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the\nHoly Spirit,\u201d he gives the highest assurance in his power to give, that\nhe is changed in heart, that he loves God and will serve him, and is\nbound by the strongest pledge, the highest and most solemn obligation\nthat ever did or ever can bind a human being, to love and serve God. To\nadd a thousand human ceremonies to this, would give no higher assurance\nof the preparation of the heart, the designs and resolutions being\ngenuine, and bind the individual no more solemnly to be faithful to the\nend. The confession that God requires, is the greatest confession that\nman can make, and the making of it is the best evidence a man can give\nthat his heart is right. The first test of loyalty God has required\nof the penitent confessor, is the strongest, highest, and most solemn\nto which man can submit, and the submission to it, is the strongest\nevidence of loyalty the person can give. The authority that requires\nthis submission, is the highest and most binding that can rest upon\na human being; and, if it does not govern, control and restrain the\nperson, no authority can.\n\nIf such a confession as this\u2014one that takes in God and man, heaven\nand earth, the Savior and his words, the whole revelation from God,\nthe sublime confession that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, made in a\nproper manner, will not show that the heart is right. You need not add\nany such catechisms or experiences as are common in these times. They\nare all perfect nothingness compared with this great confession, which,\nlike the spider\u2019s web, may catch flies and gnats, while the dangerous\nwasp and hornet will pass through with ease. The safe ground, and the\nonly safe ground, is to follow the simple and infallible leadings of\nthe Spirit of God. Appeal to the sacred record, and examine his divine\nand unerring procedure the day he came down from heaven and guided the\napostles into all truth. What did he require of men on that day, before\nreceiving them into the church? Follow him as he guided the apostles in\nall the cases of conversion mentioned in the sacred record. What did he\nrequire in all these cases? The same must be required now, and no more.\nWe must be led by the Spirit of God, in converting sinners, and not by\nhuman creeds; we must be guided by the wisdom of God and not by the\nwisdom of man; we must have confidence in the ways of God and show no\nhankering after the ways of man. God will depart from all who turn away\nfrom the simplicity of the apostolic practice, under the immediate\nguidance of the Holy Spirit. No man is led by, or has the spirit, who\nhas not full confidence in requiring precisely the same of all who\nenter the church required by the apostles, as by the Holy Spirit, who\nguided them. He simply required the _confession with the mouth, of the\nfaith of the heart_.\n\n\n\n\nEVANGELISTS AND EVANGELIZING.\n\n\nWe have had a continuous series of writing and preaching about properly\nqualified Evangelists, and numerous schemes have been set on foot and\nadvocated, for raising up and qualifying men for this great work.\nStill, the Evangelical field is not at all supplied. No scheme set on\nfoot is supplying, or likely to supply, the field. Some few preachers\nare being manufactured, but where do they go? and what do they do?\nHow many of them go out into the field and preach the gospel, convert\nsinners, plant and build up churches? Where is one doing anything of\nthis kind? In many parts of the country, they have made people believe\nthat the old preachers who have planted the churches and made the\nprincipal part of all the converts that have been made, are behind the\ntimes, and incapable of preaching, discouraged and driven many of\nthem from the field, and the work is not progressing. We need, and\n_must have_, if we ever progress, evangelists, or missionaries, who\nwill travel throughout the length and breadth of the country, visit\nthe churches, \u201csee how they do,\u201d \u201cset in order the things that are\nwanting,\u201d recruit their numbers, and maintain the faith once delivered\nto the saints. We need, and must have, men who will visit weak\nchurches, enter new communities, where there are no churches,\u2014bold\nadventurers, pioneers to open the immense forests, and make the rude\ndesert blossom like the rose. This work must be done, and we _must\nhave_ the men that _can_ and _will_ do it.\n\nWhere are we to obtain this class of men? Can we never learn anything\nfrom the history of the past, from all experience? Where did the men\ncome from, who have done pretty much of all this kind of work that has\never been done? Is a miracle to be expected? Will men for this work,\ncome from a source whence such men never came? No! never while man is\nman, and human nature is human nature. Men brought up in school houses,\nfed and clothed from their father\u2019s pockets, without ever knowing what\nit was to earn a dollar, or a coat for their backs, without knowing\nanything about the hardships and buffetings of the world, no matter if\nthey become scholars, and learn how to say a few fine things, _never\nwill_ and _never can_ do the work we are speaking of. They have not\nthe constitution, the physical energies to do it. They have not the\nknowledge of the world, the ways and manners of the people to do it.\nThey know nothing of the toils, hardships, and burdens, of the masses\nof mankind; are incompetent to sympathize with them, mingle with them,\nbecome a fellow creature with them, and preach the Gospel of Salvation\nto them, in an acceptable and successful manner and save them. They not\nonly are wholly incompetent, incapable, and could not, if they would;\nbut it is not their atmosphere, not their congenial sphere, and they\n_never will_ do the work in the Lord\u2019s great Evangelical field. They\nnever have done the work, and never will.\n\nWe must turn our eye in another direction. We must look to men who\nhave come up in our midst, among the people, who are of the people, in\nactive life, habits of industry, who have known what it was to earn a\nliving\u2014men who have found out what a dollar is worth by earning it;\nlearned the people by mingling with them; developed their physical man\nby active and industrious life; know the ways of the world by being\nin it. We must look to men of this description whose hearts have been\novercome by the love of Christ, whose energies have been enlisted in\nthe churches, and who are brought forth by the churches, and should be\nreared up and encouraged by the churches. Here is where we must look\nfor Evangelists. The church must open the way for her young men, set\nthem forth, and bring out all the talent she has within; and every\nman that has the natural endowment, the energy, the love for man, the\nanxiety for man\u2019s salvation, necessary for one who would go out into\nthe world to save men, will make his way into the Evangelical field,\nand make his mark in the world. If he lacks learning or information,\nand has the proper zeal, desire for his work, and natural endowment, he\nwill acquire the learning and knowledge. We must open the way for\nsuch, in all the churches; show our young men that we are looking for\nthem to come forth and enter upon this great work. We must give them\nopportunities and encourage them to speak, to read the Scriptures and\npray in public, and we shall soon find that the Lord has plenty of\nmaterial of the first quality, for this great work.\n\nHere is the source whence our laboring men have come\u2014our active\neffective men who are doing, and have always done the work. It is\nuseless for us to be deluded by the vain hope that the men we need,\nwill ever come from any other source. We must turn our attention to the\nEvangelical work, concentrate our energies upon it, and do all in our\npower to promote it. Every man that can preach at all; every man that\ncan turn a sinner to the Lord, should be engaged in the work, with all\nzeal and power. We must preach the word both publicly and privately,\nwith the tongue, and pen through newspaper, pamphlet, magazine, tract\nand book; in every possible way, and by all means, we must preach the\nword of God from the rivers to the ends of the earth, and make all men\nsee what is the fellowship of the mystery, which, from the beginning\nof the world, hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus\nChrist. \u201cGo,\u201d brethren, the Lord says, \u201cGo into all the world, and\npreach the Gospel to every creature;\u201d \u201cGo,\u201d says he, \u201ctherefore,\nand teach all nations.\u201d Let every man go, who can call a few people\ntogether, and preach the word of the Lord to them. Yes, go if you can\npreach at all, turn sinners to God and save them;\u2014go and preach. Go\nunder a sense of the mighty work, remembering the language of that\ngreat preacher and apostle to the Gentiles, \u201cWo is me if I preach not\nthe Gospel.\u201d God requires those who have the gospel and the ability, to\npreach it now, and this same _wo_ will rest upon them if they do not do\nit.\n\nWhat a crying sin against the Lord, who gave us the gospel, and man\nto whom he commands it to be preached, for those with the ability, to\nrefuse to preach the gospel of the grace of God? Who but these shall\nanswer to God, if the people perish for the word of God? The first\ndisciples, when dispersed from their homes, deprived of all their\nearthly good, \u201cwent everywhere preaching the word.\u201d\n\n\n\n\nA WORKING MINISTRY.\n\n\nMen do not get a support, or do much good, in any calling, without\nwork, and there is no calling on earth where the distinction is\nwider, between the industrious and indolent, than in the christian\nministry. We can not be supported in the ministry without work, and\nit is not right that we should be. The Lord puts us upon the same\nfooting as other men. We must rise early, be at our books, off to our\nappointments, through winds, rains, and snows, cold and heat, with zeal\nand earnestness; preach with spirit and power, whether the audience is\ngreat or small, rich or poor, both early and late. We must come to the\npeople with something cheering, strengthening, inspiring, awakening,\nstirring, and thrilling the hearts of men with the theme of Calvary.\nThere must be no murmuring, complaining, and repining about the amount\nwe have to do; we must do it cheerfully, and show that we delight\nin our Lord\u2019s work. It is a most sacred honor to us\u2014a mercy from\nGod\u2014that we are permitted to work for him, in his most glorious cause\nat all; and the work must be performed cheerfully, freely, and with\nall the heart, or it will not be acceptable to him, whether we are\nsupported or not.\n\nThe Lord has said that \u201cthe laborer is worthy of his hire,\u201d and if\nthe preacher of Christ imparts spiritual things, he is to receive in\nreturn, temporal things; but a \u201claborer\u201d is a _working_ man, and the\nDivine rule is, \u201cif we sow sparingly, we shall reap sparingly.\u201d The\nman who preaches the gospel is by all reasonable men expected to do as\nmuch labor as his strength will permit. It is reasonable that he should\nbe expected to apply his energies as men of other pursuits. The field\nis wide open before him, and he should be a zealous, enterprising, and\npersevering man, making full work in his calling. A man who does not\nwork any save a little on one or two days in a week, does not receive\nmuch reward in any business, unless obtained by fraud. The physician\nwho makes a good support, works early and late, both good weather\nand bad. The lawyer who makes a good support, is one of industry\nand energy. The farmer who prospers, rises early, toils hard, and\nperseveres late. In all departments, industry, perseverance and energy\ncharacterize men who prosper. This is as true of the ministry as any\nclass of men on earth; they can never prosper without the most untiring\nindustry and perseverance. It is utterly useless for a man of idle\nhabits, addicted to loafing, wasting his precious time in useless\ngossip to speak of his wants, his lack of support, or to try to induce\npersons of industrious habits to feel that he is in need. They will\nthrow the whole matter off by saying, \u201cLet him make an effort and\napply his energies, as I have to do, and he will have plenty.\u201d But\nlet a preacher apply himself to his calling; persevere in it, making\nevery effort in his power; thus showing to all who know him, that his\nlabors are actually arduous and incessant, and he will receive full\ncredit from not only his brethren, but the community generally, for his\nindustry and faithfulness, and his temporal wants will as certainly\nreceive attention, as that _his work is of God_.\n\nThe Lord has men yet in this world, good and true, who will reward\nlabors of the faithful and persevering preacher of the gospel and\nsupport him. Indeed, there is a kind of fixed principle among men, as\nwell as in the Divine administration, that industry shall be _rewarded_\nand indolence _punished_, and it is not more certainly a settled\nprinciple in reference to any class of men than preachers. We can not\nexpect to be wrapped in cloths, silks, and satins, with fine salaries,\nfor preaching one or two short discourses on Lord\u2019s day, and then lying\nin the shade all the week; much less can we expect christianity to\nprosper, or the approbation of heaven rest upon us, in such an order of\nthings. We must penetrate the whole land in every nook and corner, and\npreach the Word of the Living God to every creature.\n\nWe have not written this for any preacher older than ourself, but for\nthe sake of young men, whom we desire to see useful, influential, and\nwell sustained ministers of the Word of God. All such we entreat, to\nstudy and labor to do the Lord\u2019s work, and he will supply their wants\nout of his inexhaustible storehouse.\n\n\n\n\nPRESENT PUNISHMENT WILL NOT SAVE.\n\n\nThe mere circumstance of a man being punished for his sins in this\nlife, has nothing in it to purify his soul, purge his conscience, or\nprepare him for the enjoyment of God. The Egyptians, the Antediluvians,\nthe Sodomites, and the Jews, had a just recompense of reward sent upon\nthem in this world, but this only sent them down to _tartareous_, to\nbe reserved, with the angels that sinned, to the judgment of the great\nday, where, we are assured, Sodom and Gomorrah shall appear. Some men\nappear to think, that if men are punished, to use their own style,\nas much as their sins deserve, they must necessarily be happy then.\nBut men can not be happy\u2014can not enjoy God, without justification,\npurification of heart and conscience; and, unless thus prepared for the\nenjoyment of God, they can not enjoy the world to come. This is a work\nthat punishment can not do. The hurling of angels, that sinned, down to\nhell, the drowning of antediluvians and Egyptians, the burning of\nSodomites, and slaying of Jews, did not purify one of them. If men\nlive in unbelief, commit some capital offence, and are executed for\nit, though this may be a just recompense of reward, it will not purify\ntheir souls and prepare them to enjoy God. When men pass the boundary\nline of life, they pass all the means, in the economy of God, for\npreparing them for heaven, and no punishment will ever do what the\ngrace of God could not do.\n\n\n\n\nTHE MISSION OF INFIDELS.\n\n\nThe mission of infidels is not to build up anything but to pull down\nchurches, civil laws, governments, morals, the characters of men and\nwomen, peace, happiness, protection of home, property and life. They\ncome with a mission of denials of the truths contained in the Bible\u2014a\nmission of war upon the Bible, religion, and the friends of purity\nand mercy. They come not with a mission of peace and good will to\nman, but a mission of hatred towards the Bible and all it enjoins\u2014a\nmission to pull down and destroy\u2014to spread desolation among other\nmen\u2019s labors and lay their work in ruins, leaving nothing but wrecks\nand devastation. They come to neutralize, paralize and dishearten\nall efforts for the amelioration of man\u2019s condition\u2014to discourage,\nenfeeble and ignore all efforts to rise. They come not into our midst\nwith a warm, kind and affectionate appeal to the attentive, thinking\nand reflective portion,\u2014the more spiritually minded; but appeal to the\nlukewarm, back-sliding, or the apostate, who is beginning to stand at a\ndistance, who already is descending upon the retrograde plane\u2014not to\nrescue him, or to prevent his retrograde movement, but to accelerate\nit. The appeal to him is not to give him confidence, but to destroy his\nconfidence in his Bible, his religion, his brethren, and fill him with\ndoubts and distrusts. It is not to embolden him, but to intimidate him\nand fill him with fears, and discourage him from all good forever.\n\nThe mission of infidels is not to enlighten, civilize and ennoble\nthe nations. They have never enlightened, civilized or elevated a\nnation or a people since the world was made. They have never organized\nsociety, established peace and order in any place on this earth. They\nhave established no civil institutions, no system of morals, no code\nof laws, no system of education, and no institutions of learning\nthat deserve the name. Even the literature of the country has almost\nentirely been left to the believers in the Bible. It is an easy work\nto pull down civil government, subvert the foundation of organization,\ncondemn the means of enlightenment, and object to them. It is an easy\nmatter to deny everything and prove nothing; to doubt, vacillate and\nfear. It is an easy matter to distrust, fill others with distrust,\ndestroy confidence, throw everything into confusion and uncertainty.\nSome men have fallen so fully into this state, that they hardly will\nventure to say they believe anything, have confidence in anything, or\nknow anything. One man, under the blinding, benumbing and stupifying\ninfluence of unbelief, when asked whether he knew that he existed,\nhesitated to say he did.\n\nWhat ability, knowledge or learning does it require, to deny\neverything? The most ignorant, illiterate and stupid, can deny as\nstoutly, as the most learned, enlightened, and talented. It requires\nno strength of mind to stand and deny\u2014to declare in the most\npertinacious manner, disbelief, want of confidence, doubts, distrusts\nand uncertainties in everything. A man who never read the Bible once\nthrough in his life, nor ten other books, who has the most corrupt\ncharacter, can talk of inconsistencies, incongruities, contradictions\nand absurdities, in the Bible, as stoutly as anybody. Any blockhead\ncould leap over the Falls of Niagara, or from the Suspension Bridge\nbelow. In the same way, any man with or without much mind, learning or\ntalent, can leap into the dark abyss of unbelief, rejecting, contemning\nand despising all evidence; but, would it not be the part of prudence,\nof wisdom and discretion in such, to look before they leap? It is a\nfearful experiment they are making. If the step is a mistaken one, it\ncan never be retraced beyond this life. He who makes the experiment,\nobtains nothing now, only the unbridled privilege of declaring the\nBible false\u2014religion priest-craft\u2014that man will never be called to\naccount, hence all men can do as they list.\n\nThe mission of infidels is to risk, and induce all men to risk the loss\nof everything, without the possibility of gaining anything in this\nworld, or the world to come. They have no worthy object\u2014they can have\nno worthy object in opposing the Bible. They have no reason for\nopposing it, for they do not propose to make the world any better. They\nhave no proposition to make the world more true, kind, affectionate\nor happy. Indeed, the very fact of their malignity towards the Bible,\nshows that it is no fable. The land abounds with acknowledged fables;\nwhy are they not enraged at these? They are read by the million;\nbut, sceptics are no more enraged at them than other men. If they\nare satisfied the Bible is all fiction, false or human, why trouble\nus about it? Why not let it pass? We hear thousands contending about\nthe \u201csigns in the moon,\u201d but we care nothing about them, and do not\neven trouble those who believe in them; the reason is, we are well\nand fully satisfied, that there is nothing in them. Why do they not\nlet the believers in the Bible pass in the same way? The reason is\nobvious; they are in doubt, not fully satisfied, and feel that there is\nuncertainty in their position. They see and are constantly impressed\nwith the fact, that if the Christian could be mistaken that his mistake\namounts to nothing\u2014that he is as happy now, and has as high assurance\nin regard to all beyond this life, to say the least of it, as they;\nand that if the sceptic should prove mistaken, his mistake will be an\nirreparable one. They see that a mistake on the part of a Christian\ninvolves no danger, no serious consequences in this world or the world\nto come; while a mistake on their part involves eternal consequences.\nThey are not constantly impressed, too, with the fact, that they are\nrelying upon that which amounts to anything like certainty; for a\nlarge proportion who have occupied their position, before death have\nrepudiated and renounced it,\u2014many of them in the immediate expectation\nof death,\u2014and warned all their friends against it. They find on the\nother hand, that all who believed the Bible when in health, also\nbelieved it when approaching death, and that no man who has contended\nfor its truth till he was in the immediate expectation of death, has\nthen denied it. They must, then, see that their mission is simply to\nfill the world with doubts and distrusts, involving all in darkness and\nuncertainty.\n\n\n\n\nIS IT POSSIBLE TO AROUSE THE PEOPLE?\n\n\nIs it not possible to rescue the people from the pernicious and\nblinding influences of speculative theories and theorists, and induce\nthem to receive the simple faith of Christ, become his disciples, love\nhim and serve him? Have the leaders of the people, in these times, as\nthey did in the days of the Lord\u2019s pilgrimage on earth, stolen away\nthe key of knowledge, and fastened them down with such an impenetrable\nspell of thick darkness that they are unwilling to be rescued from\nthis servile slavery to human speculation to the rejection of the sun\nof righteousness? Or is the world so lost, the mind of the people so\nbewitched, the delusions around us so enchanting, that it is impossible\nto attract the attention of the people, arrest their affections or\nimpress their hearts, by the love of God to man, by the sufferings of\nChrist, by all the divine sanctions of the blood of the everlasting\ncovenant, by the glories of heaven, or the terrors of hell, to turn to\nthe Lord and follow him who loved us and gave himself for us? Is the\npublic mind so distracted, and are the people so confused and lost to\nall that God has said and done, that they can not be induced to love\nChrist better than all human theories, regard him and feel the force of\nall his love to our lost and ruined world? Are the people so set upon\ngnawing the bone of contention, keeping up sectarian feuds; disputing\nupon the lifeless, soulless and profitless controversies thrust upon\nthem, that they will neither hear the Lord nor be interested in the\nword of his grace? Must the public mind be wholly occupied with the\nuseless distinctions between the views of men, the useless comparisons\nof doctrines and commandments of men, the comparative merits of\ndifferent human systems, and an eternal train of customs unknown to\nthe primitive church, thus bewildering the people and blinding their\nminds that they may neither see the Lord nor regard his authority? Is\nit impossible to bring the authority of the Almighty again to bear upon\nthe world, to lift up the Lord before the people, that he may draw\nall men unto him, convert them to the Lord and place them under him?\nIs it impossible to rescue the people from the blinding influences of\nthese times\u2014from being merely followers of men, and believing human\ntheories, which have no power to save, in the place of believing\nthe great truth, that Christ died for our sins, according to the\nScriptures\u2014that he was buried, and that he rose from the dead? Is it\nimpossible to interest the public mind with the things of God\u2014with the\nrevelation from God to man, with the religion of Christ itself? Is the\nlove of God gone from the world? Has the Holy Spirit of God abandoned\nthe church? Is the human race mad, insane and ruined, so that all\npleadings and entreaties to turn to God must fail? Must the holy\nreligion of Christ be set aside for the silly disputes of these times?\nShall that holy religion that saved such vast multitudes in the days\nof the apostles, fired the hearts of the missionaries of the cross and\nsupported the holy martyrs in passing through all the cruel scourgings,\ntortures and privations for the name of the Lord, be contemned,\ndespised and rejected by the people of our day? O, that God would\nenable us to _arouse_ the people of this generation from the awful\nstupor and deep slumbers of carnal security to prepare to meet God!\n\n\n\n\nA MOTHER\u2019S GRAVE.\n\n\nEarth has some sacred spots where we feel like looseing the shoes from\nour feet, and treading with holy reverence; where common words of\nsocial converse seem rude, and the smile of pleasure unfitting; places\nwhere friendship\u2019s hands have lingered in each other\u2019s; where vows have\nbeen plighted, prayers offered, and tears of parting shed. Oh, how the\nthoughts hover around such places, and travel back through unmeasured\nspace to visit them. But, of all the spots on this green earth, none is\nso sacred as that where rest, waiting the resurrection, those we once\ncherished and loved\u2014our brothers, our sisters, or our children. Hence,\nin all ages, the better part of mankind have chosen and loved spots for\nthe burial of their dead; and on these spots they have loved to wander\nat eventide, to meditate and weep. But, of all places, even among the\ncharnel-houses of the dead, none is so sacred as a mother\u2019s grave.\n\nThere sleeps the nurse of our infancy\u2014the guide of our youth\u2014the\ncounselor of our riper years\u2014our friend, when others deserted\nus\u2014she, whose heart was a stranger to every other feeling but love,\nand who could always find excuses for us when we could find none for\nourselves. There she sleeps, and we love the very earth for her sake.\nWith sentiments like these, I turned aside from the gayeties of life,\nto the narrow habitations of the dead. I wandered among those who had\ncommenced life with me in hope. Here distinctions were forgotten; at\nleast, by the quiet slumberers around me. I saw the rich and the great,\nwho scorned the poor, and shunned them as infected with the plague,\nquietly sleeping by their side.\n\n\n\n\nTENDENCY OF UNIVERSALISM.\n\n\nThat the obvious tendency of Universalism is irreligious; that it is\nopposed to holiness, to reformation of life; that it is in eternal\nhostility to all efforts to make the world better; that it paralyzes\nand neutralizes the efforts of men to serve God\u2014is one of the most\nmanifest impressions upon the mind, both from the theory itself, and\nfrom the history of its practical workings among men. No pretended\nsystem in our time has been characterized by such daring and unblushing\neffrontery. It comes forward under a pretense of faith, but ridicules\nthe most awful and fearful things which that faith reveals. It discards\nthe eternal discriminations which the faith of the Lord Jesus maintains\nbetween the righteous and the wicked\u2014between those who serve God\nand those who serve him not\u2014between the vice and virtue\u2014except the\nreward of one and the punishment of the other, received in this life.\nIt proposes to believe the Bible, and would have men believe that it\nteaches that he who was an atheist, a deist, and a scoffer at all that\nGod has said, and a blasphemer of the name of God till he breathed the\nlast breath, shall be received up into glory, and seated down with the\nholy martyrs of Jesus, and enjoy God forever! No other system has so\nfar imposed upon the credulity of mankind, as to face the world, as\nwell as the heavens, and declare that the lake of fire prepared for the\ndevil and his angels, where the beast and the false prophet shall be\ntormented day and night, forever and ever\u2014the _gehena_ of fire, where\nthe worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched\u2014is in this world, and\nthat the wicked we see are actually enduring its punishments!\n\nNo infidel desires any better opposition to religion than this. No\nman who hates the Bible, and wishes its influence upon the world\ncounteracted, desires any more effectual method of doing it than this,\nso far as men will receive it. Those who fall under its influence will\nneither worship God nor keep his commandments. Atheism itself has all\nthe incentives to a righteous life found in this system, and may be\ntrusted just as far. Its influence is to harden the heart, and fill the\nworld with impenitence and indifference.\n\n\n\n\nVALUE OF LEARNING.\n\n\nIf a man\u2019s learning is combined with piety, devotion, and consecration\nto Jesus Christ, and he is possessed with the humility and meekness\ninculcated in Christianity, and his learning enables him to unfold\nthe unsearchable riches of Christ, with the simplicity, sincerity and\ndevotion necessary to commend it to the hearts and consciences of men,\nit is of great value. If the Lord dwells in a man, if the great matters\nof the kingdom of God fill his soul, and if his learning is used in\npresenting the simple gospel of Christ in meekness, it may be of great\nservice to him; but, it requires much care to keep the Lord in front\nof it, so that the hearers will see nothing but him. The more gifted\nthe man, the more learned and powerful, the better, if all his powers\nare engaged in setting forth and honoring the Lord, sanctifying _Him_\nin the eyes of the people. At the same time, he should rely upon not\nlearning only, or talent, or power that he possesses, but upon the\nLord, upon his gospel\u2014the power of God unto salvation, to every\none who believes. He must look to heaven for the means to move men\nto repent; he must appeal to God, keep God and his works before his\naudience, and in this way show that his confidence is in Christianity\nitself, and the author of it, and not in himself, not in man. Whether\nmen have what the world calls learning or not, they must know God, and\nhave the love of God in their hearts, if they would induce others to\nlove him and turn to him.\n\n\n\n\nTHE BIBLE INFALLIBLY SAFE.\n\n\nCan men lead the people astray by insisting upon their adhering\nstrictly to the law of God, uniting upon it, living in peace and love?\nLet the Lord reign. Let his law be the supreme authority. The Bible\nis right if anything is right. All led by it are led rightly; all\nunder its influence are under proper influence; all opposed to it are\nwrong\u2014all the way wrong.\n\nThere is not one ray of light from heaven that has ever reached the\nabodes of men in any creed, any book, or any man that is not in the\nBible.\n\nIf the man who honestly reads the Bible to know his duty or the will\nof God, and does it to the best of his ability, praying daily for the\ndivine aid, both in understanding and doing, is not safe, infallibly\nsafe and right; no man in this world is safe.\n\n\n\n\nEXCUSE FOR CREEDS.\n\n\nOne of the most common excuses offered for human creeds is, that \u201cWe\nwant something to keep us together\u2014something to bind us in union.\u201d\nThis apology is based virtually upon the same two preposterous\nassumptions we have before mentioned. It assumes, with great apparent\ninnocence, that the Bible can not keep us together, that it cannot bind\nus in union. Then it assumes, with much modesty, that a human creed\n_can_ keep us together\u2014bind us in union\u2014_can do_ what the Bible _can\nnot do_. This, it appears to us, should startle any good man at once.\nThese assumptions are arrogant in the extreme, and not only arrogant,\nbut made without any regard to facts. Do human creeds keep churches\ntogether? We assert, fearless of successful contradiction, that the\nwhole history of human creeds proves that they do not keep churches\ntogether. Let us take one look at three of the most popular creeds in\nthis country, and see what they have done in keeping churches together.\nHow has the Baptist creed succeeded? Has it kept the Baptists together?\nBy no means. From the one original Baptist stock we have now not less\nthan nine or ten parties of Baptists. How has the Presbyterian creed\nsucceeded in keeping its adherents together? It is thought to be a very\nwise and powerful document. Has it kept Presbyterians together? It has\nsucceeded no better than the Baptist creed. With all its adhesive\npower, Presbyterians, within the last century have sundered into\nsome eight parties. This needs no commentary. How has the Methodist\nDiscipline succeeded? It is itself nothing but an offshoot of the\nEpiscopalian creed, which did not prevent the Methodists from stranding\noff from the established church. The Discipline has not been in\noperation more than one hundred and twenty years. How has it succeeded\nin keeping Methodists together during that period? During that time\nMethodism has stranded into some eight or ten fragments. What comment\nthis furnishes upon the efficacy of human creeds to cement together.\nOther creeds have done no better; and yet, in the face of all this, men\nwant human creeds to _keep them together_!\n\nAll history shows, beyond all dispute, that wherever human creeds have\nprevailed, divisions have abounded, partyism has increased, and unity\nhas been diminished. But where the people had confidence in the Bible,\nthe law of God, the \u201cperfect law of liberty,\u201d union has more widely\nextended, and peace has more generally prevailed. Why then, in the name\nof reason, hold on to human creeds to keep churches together, when\nthey have so universally failed, and refuse the Bible, which has never\nfailed?\n\nFaith in a creed can not convert persons, or bring them to God. If they\nare Christians at all, faith in God, the Redeemer and Savior of men,\nin the Word of God, in the Gospel of Christ, has made them such, and\nto God and the word of his grace they should commit themselves, their\neverlasting trust, and not allow themselves to be divided by human\ncreeds.\n\n\n\n\nOVER AND THROUGH THE MOUNTAINS.\n\n\nThis day was presented us some of the grandest objects of admiration,\nboth of nature and art, we ever beheld. We saw some of the grandest,\nmost stupendous and wonderful achievements of human enlightenment,\ncombined with industry, we had ever seen. At one moment we found\nourselves hundreds of feet above the tall pine trees, away in the\nvalley below, where, if we had been thrown off the track, we must have\nbeen precipitated hundreds of feet down among the craggy rocks. In\nanother moment, we passed from the skirts of tree-tops, plunging into\nthe dark and dreary tunnel, cut through solid rock, hundreds of feet\nunder ground, where we could no more see than if we had never had eyes.\nTruly is this a mighty and wonderful achievement for mortals\u2014poor,\nweak and dying mortals? It is overwhelming that _men_ should ever have\nprojected, prosecuted, and completed such a conveyance as this, such a\nvast distance through this expanded and rugged region of country!\n\nBut, vast as this achievement may appear, when we are looking at it\nas a _work of man_, it diminishes, dwindles and sinks into utter\ninsignificance and nothingness, when we lift our eyes above it, to \u201cthe\neverlasting hills,\u201d the workmanship of Him who \u201cweighs the hills in a\nbalance, and handles the isles as a very little thing.\u201d Also, how our\nhearts are filled with reverence and our spirits impressed with awe,\nwhen we lift our eyes above the hills, to the vast mountains, and\nthink of the thousands of miles over which this mighty range extends,\nas well as others on our great _universe_! We are, at the same time,\nfilled with awe and gratitude, that we have the blessed assurance that\nwe are not overlooked, forgotten, and lost in the immensity of the\ninnumerable works of the Creator! But, blessed be his glorious name,\nvast and innumerable as are his marvellous works, he has the time, the\ngoodness and compassion to provide for the fowls of heaven, and the\nfish of the sea, as well as the beasts of the forests. Among all the\nvariegated multitudes of the feathered tribes, not even a sparrow falls\nto the ground unobserved by Him; and, by the same Omniscient One, we\nare assured, by our adorable Redeemer, the hairs of our heads are all\nnumbered. To the same amount, and for the same purpose, he says, \u201cIf an\nearthly parent knows how to give good things to children, how much more\nshall the Heavenly Father give his Holy Spirit to those who ask him!\u201d\nHow comforting to think that he has promised, saying, \u201cI will never\nleave you nor forsake you, but will grant you grace and glory, and no\ngood thing will I withhold from you?\u201d How secure, too, we can feel,\nand how strengthening to reflect, when dashing through these fearful\nmountains, conscious that though in one moment an accident might occur\nby which our earthly career might be terminated, the everlasting arms\nare underneath; and though the earthly building may be destroyed, we\nhave an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. To his\nAlmighty hand we commit our all; in Him is our everlasting trust. To\nhim be praises forever and ever.\n\n\n\n\nREASON, PROVIDENCE, AND THE SPIRIT OF GOD, TEACH US TO OBEY GOD.\n\n\nSome men are guided by _reason_, others by _providences_, and others\nby spiritual _influences_, separate from, or without the word of God.\nIn regard to all this, it is not necessary to make much war upon them,\nprovided _their_ reason, providences, or influences, lead them to obey\nthe gospel, which we know was preached with the Holy Spirit sent down\nfrom heaven. But, it is a sad comment on _their_ reason, providences,\nor spiritual influences, when it leads them to disobey the teachings\nof the Spirit of God in the Bible. Right reason, true providences, or\nreal spiritual influences, could not lead any in our day to disregard\nwhat the Spirit of God taught in the establishment of Christianity. In\none short sentence: \u201cThe Spirit of God would not lead men to disobey\nwhat he has clearly required in the Bible.\u201d No reason, providences, or\nspiritual influences, therefore, can be of the Spirit of God to lead\nmen to disobey what the Spirit of God taught in the Bible, or required\nat the beginning. The Spirit of God required precisely the same of all\npersons, who sought the way into the Kingdom of God, in the days of the\nApostles, that he does of all who seek the way now. The Holy Spirit has\nnot changed. It is, then, a most arrogant and unfounded pretence, for\nany man who now attempts to set forth the way for sinners to come to\nGod, to claim that he is led by the Holy Spirit, while he evades and\nrefuses to set forth the plain and unequivocal requirements of the Holy\nSpirit, as set forth in the New Testament, or attempts to improve upon\nthem. Nothing can be taken from those requirements, or added to them,\nwithout incurring the curse of Heaven. The Spirit of God, if he did\nlead men independent of his word, could not lead them to incur this\nawful curse; he, therefore, manifestly, does not lead any man who will\nadd any thing to, or take anything from, what he required when he spake\nthrough the apostles, of all whom he showed the way into the Kingdom\nof God. That which he required in one case, he required in all cases.\nIf he required one man to believe, in order to become a disciple, he\nrequired all to believe. If he required one man to confess Christ,\nhe required all to confess him. If he required one man to repent, he\nrequired all to repent. If he required one man to \u201cbe baptized in the\nname of Christ, for the remission of sins,\u201d he required all to do the\nsame. If he promised one man pardon and the importation of his Holy\nSpirit, upon his compliance with his requirements, he promised all who\ncomplied with the same, whether all the items mentioned in one case,\nare found in all, or not. No matter if faith is not mentioned in the\ncase of the three thousand on Pentecost; it is not left out; they all\nbelieved; for, without faith, it is impossible to please God. They that\ncome to God must believe. No matter if repentance is not mentioned in\nSaul\u2019s conversion. Acts xxii. 16, he repented, for God requires all\nmen, everywhere, to repent. The same is true of all the items.\n\nWe, therefore, are the only people now known, who proceed upon the\ninfallibly certain method of collecting, and arranging in proper\norder, all the items required by the Holy Spirit in the conversion of\nsinners; we mean the inductive mode of reasoning. We have no preference\nfor any particular part of Scripture; it is all precious to us. We\nhave no particular class of Scriptures, as Calvinists, Universalists,\nUnitarians, etc., but we take the whole Scripture; not to prove our\ndoctrine, but as the perfect and complete system of doctrine itself.\nWhen we wish to examine any point of doctrine, we proceed upon the\ninductive plan, and take all the Bible contains as the mind of God\nupon that point. When we would ascertain what the Holy Spirit of God\nrequires of sinners, in their conversion and admission into the Kingdom\nof God, we proceed through all the conversions of the New Testament,\ncollect all the items, and ascertain their order, and insist that the\nHoly Spirit requires the same now; nothing more, nothing less. Let\nus, then, take a brief look through the New Testament, at all the\nconversions, and ascertain precisely what is required and what is\npromised.\n\nWe open at the following words of the Philippian Jailor: \u201cSirs, what\nmust I do to be saved?\u201d Here is a Pagan whose attention is for the\nfirst time called to the subject. What reply does the apostle make to\nhim? The answer is, \u201cBelieve in the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt\nbe saved, and thy house,\u201d\u2014Acts xvi. 30-31. Here is an important item\nin the form of requirement, and one, too, that can not be dispensed\nwith, for the Holy Spirit says: \u201cHe that cometh to God _must_ believe.\u201d\nIt is not only a requirement that he should, but a positive and\nunequivocal demand is that he _must_ believe, and this indispensable\ndemand of him that \u201ccometh to God.\u201d See Heb. xi. 6. But now for the\norder of this item. Is it a first, second, third, or fourth item? Is it\nthe first item, for the apostle says, in the context, \u201cWithout faith\nit is impossible to please God.\u201d It is in vain, then, to try to do any\nthing else to please him, so long as a man does not believe. It is the\nfirst item, because the apostle required it first of a man who had\ncomplied with no other item, in such a way as to lead him to believe\non the Lord Jesus Christ the first thing he did. It is the first item,\nbecause \u201cwhatever is not of faith is sin.\u201d\u2014Rom. xiv. 23. It must,\ntherefore, be the first item, because everything else proceeds from it\nand is done by it. The first item in the commission is Faith, and he\nthat sets aside that item will be condemned, let him think and act as\nhe may in regard to all other items. \u201cHe that believeth and is baptized\nshall be saved, and he that believeth not shall be dammed,\u201d says the\nLord. The first requirement, then, is to \u201cbelieve on the Lord Jesus\nChrist,\u201d and without complying with this requirement, or taking this\nstep no person can ever take another. There is no reaching the second\nstep without taking the first. Unless the first step is taken, it will\neternally stand between any man and the second. This indispensable step\nwas required of, and taken by all who came to God under the guidance\nof the Holy Spirit who spoke through the apostles to the people to\nlead them to God. Never did one, from the days of the apostles to the\npresent time, get round, or by, this great requirement, and come to\nGod. It is true, that when the Pentecostians and Saul inquired what\nthey should do, they were not commanded to _believe_; but it was\nnot that faith was dispensed with in their cases, or that the Lord had\na different method of conversion for them, but for the good reason that\nthey _already believed_, and their faith caused them to inquire what\nthey should do.\n\nActs iii. 19, we find the following requirement laid down: \u201cRepent ye,\ntherefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when\nthe times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord.\u201d This\nrequirement was uttered to an assembly that had just witnessed one\nof the most manifest miracles of the apostles\u2014one which the enemies\nmentioned shortly after, admitting that it was known to all who dwelt\nin Jerusalem and that they could not deny it, and at the close of a\ndiscourse which they had heard, and which had convinced them that the\nwork was of God. The Holy Spirit, on this occasion, demanded of them\nto repent, reform, or amend their lives. This demand too, is as wide\nas the actual sinners among men. In the times of ignorance before the\ngospel, God did not hold men to a strict account for their sins, \u201cbut\nnow he commands all men, everywhere, to _repent_, because he hath\nappointed a day in which he will judge the world in righteousness,\u201d\nActs xvii. 30-31. Repentance, too, is indispensable. \u201cExcept ye repent,\nye shall all likewise perish.\u201d Luke xiii. 3. What does the Lord mean by\nthis word, \u201cexcept\u201d? John iii. 3, he says, \u201cexcept a man be born again,\nhe can not see the kingdom of God.\u201d Two verses after this, he says,\n\u201cexcept a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he can not enter into\nthe kingdom of God.\u201d Here we have the same word, \u201cexcept,\u201d again. What\ndoes he mean by it? At verse seven, he explains as follows: \u201cMarvel not\nthat I said unto thee, _Ye must be born again_.\u201d _You must repent_ or\n_perish_, then, is the meaning of the words, \u201cexcept ye repent, ye\nshall perish.\u201d Repentance is then required of \u201call men, everywhere,\u201d\nand is indispensable\u2014_must be_.\n\nBut what evidence have you that repentance is the second item? It is\nthe second item, because we have shown that faith is the first, which\nshows that repentance can not be the first; and because Peter\u2014Acts ii.\n3, and iii. 19,\u2014addressing people who believed, but had not repented\nor done anything else, commanded them to repent. He makes it the second\nitem. It is the second item, because a man can not repent till he\nbelieves in the Lord, before whom he must repent, and who convinces him\nof sin, for, \u201cby the law is the knowledge of sin,\u201d which shows that it\nmust follow after faith; and because there is no other item in all the\nrecords of conversions required, that he can acceptably comply with,\ntill he does repent. An impenitent person can not pray, confess, be\nbaptized, or do anything acceptable to God. The person, therefore, who\nis a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ, can not get over repentance, or\ndo any thing else acceptable to God till he repents. His faith will do\nno good so long as he continues in impenitence. For his impenitence,\nif he persists in it, he must perish. In the order of God, it is the\nsecond step, and unless taken, will eternally stand between him and the\nthird step. No advance can ever be made till he repents. \u201cExcept ye\nrepent, ye shall perish.\u201d It is true, that Ananias did not command Saul\nto repent; but it was not because it was omitted in his case, for no\nman ever entered the Kingdom of God without repentance; but he was not\ncommanded to repent, for the good reason he had repented before Ananias\ncame to him. We are not to expect any historian, in giving records of\nconversions, and so many instances, to mention all the items in each\ncase.\n\n\n\n\nWHAT IS CAMPBELLISM?\n\n\nThis has been a puzzling question. It is hard to find out precisely\nwhat it is. Not a man yet, of all who have been engaged in fighting\nthis monster, has defined it, explained it, or told what it is. It\nhas been called a dangerous _heresy_, and so many hideous warnings\nhave been given against it, that the hair would almost stand upon\na man\u2019s head to hear about it, and yet no one has told what it is.\nThe reason no one has defined _Campbellism_, is, simply, that _there\nis no such thing in existence_, except in the imaginations of some\nmisguided doctors. As near as any man can now come, at what they mean\nby Campbellism, it is _Christianity itself_, unmixed, unadulterated,\nand without any other name. This is evident, for, when they hear a man\npreach, who preaches nothing but Christianity, nothing but Christ,\nsimply aiming to convert men to him, and induce them to receive him\nas their only Leader, they call it _Campbellism_. It is nothing but a\nnick-name they have given the gospel, to keep men from hearing it. In\nthe same way, they call the preacher a _Campbellite_, who will preach\nnothing but the gospel, nothing but Christianity, to raise prejudice\nagainst him and prevent people from hearing him. In precisely the same\nspirit, here comes Rev. N. L. Rice, of heresy-hunting memory, in a\ntract of forty pages against Campbellism, which the reader may think as\nhe pleases about, but which is as much against the religion of Christ,\nand those trying to receive it, practice it, and maintain it, and it\n_alone_, as was in the power of Dr. Rice to make it, without, in so\nmany words, saying so. No man in this country, at this time, can preach\nsimply the gospel of Christ in the name of the Lord, under any other\nname, and maintain the law of God, as the only rule of faith, without\nbeing called a Campbellite, and branded with preaching Campbellism.\n\n\n\n\nYOUNG PREACHERS MUST BE PRACTICAL.\n\n\nThe young man who would become a preacher, while he is receiving\nknowledge, or obtaining the theory, must ply himself to the work,\nmaking a practical use of what he learns. A man may study for years and\nacquire an immense amount of knowledge, but having no practical use of\nit, he is as helpless as an infant. In precisely this predicament are\nthousands who have gone through the manufacturing process of making\npreachers, without any practical use of all they have learned. Indeed,\nmany of them have learned nothing of consequence, of one of the most\nimportant chapters in a real preacher\u2019s learning, viz: \u201cThe ways of the\nworld.\u201d The knowledge of the Bible\u2014general \u201cbook-learning,\u201d is all\nright. It is indispensable. But to _know man_, is equally important.\nMan must be studied to be known. We must converse with him face to\nface. We must know the world by actual contact with it. We must know\nthe church by actual observation. We must know the obstructions in the\nway of truth and righteousness by actual contact with them, with actual\nand personal efforts to remove them.\n\nNot only so, but the people must know the preacher\u2014see him, hear\nhim, and have personal interviews with him. His work can not be done\nby proxy. He must go _himself_ and put his own hands to the work. He\nmust be with them and give them a personal example of deportment and\nreligious conversation, read the Bible to them, pray with them in\ntheir families, give thanks at their tables, go with them to the place\nof worship, preach to them and persuade sinners to repent. A man who\ndoes not do this, is really no preacher of Christ, and will accomplish\nnothing for his name.\n\n\n\n\nCHRISTIANITY.\n\n\nChristianity literally subverts everything else, sets aside all\nisms, doctrines and commandments of men of every grade, as the most\ninsignificant childish play. It comes to men, claiming the right to\nhave the attention of all as though all beside were undeserving of\nany note or any regard whatever. Not only so, but it gives no chance\nto assail, expose and refute, for it maintains nothing but the Bible,\nbut Christianity, but what God has given by inspiration and proved by\nsupernatural signs and wonders, accompanied with gifts of the Holy\nSpirit, which all its assailants have to admit true! Can we expect to\npresent the only true religion; the religion of Jesus Christ itself;\nthe only true system; Christianity itself; the only revelation from\nGod; that contained in the Bible; the only authority of God; the\nauthority of the Word of God; the only true doctrine; the Gospel\nof Christ itself; and declare everything else unauthorized\u2014null\nand void; hindrances to the progress of truth and righteousness; to\nthe edification of saints and the conversion of the world, and meet\nno opposition? Not rationally. The watchmen on the old party walls\nof their little Zions will see the tendency of all this. They will\nsee\u2014they can not help seeing\u2014that precisely in proportion as we\nsucceed in fixing the attention of the people upon God, his authority,\nhis Son, our gracious Redeemer and Savior, his word, his law, his\nreligion, as a distinct, complete and perfect system, with all the\npower, grace, wisdom, mercy, benevolence, and authority of the Almighty\nin it, calling the attention of man to it as the only medium of\nsalvation, all their systems must necessarily lose their attraction,\ntheir command and influence, and hasten to ruin. Many of these watchmen\nare pledged for life, too bigoted to look if they may be mistaken, too\nobstinate, and self-willed to yield, and will oppose to the last.\n\n\n\n\nKEEP POLITICS OUT OF THE CHURCH.\n\n\nIf a man has a leading object in view, no matter whether religious or\nworldly, let him come out in his proper color, declare his object, and\ndrive directly at it. If a man has a favorite political scheme let him\ndeclare it, publish a paper advocating it, or maintain it in public\naddresses; but not under the name of _Christian_; not in the name of\nthe Lord, nor under a pretence of preaching Christ; for this would be\na manifest imposition, no matter how good the political doctrine. But\nevery attempt to make the religion of Christ auxiliary to political\nends, is a perversion, and in direct opposition to the whole spirit\nand entire bearing of the Lord\u2019s own reply, when charged with being\na political aspirant. When arraigned before Pilate, and charged with\nclaiming to be a king, he explained the matter, and obviated the charge,\nor set it aside, by saying, \u201cMy kingdom is not of this world; if my\nkingdom were of this world, then would my servants fight, that I should\nnot be delivered to the Jews; but now is my kingdom not from hence.\u201d\nJohn xviii. 36. While he frankly admitted that he was a king, and that\nhe came into the world to bear witness to the truth, he set aside all\nground of suspicion against him, as an aspirant to the throne, or any\nother part in the civil government, or one who would in any way meddle\nin the civil institutions of his country, by declaring that his kingdom\nis not of this world. This declaration was no evasion, but a clear,\nimportant and divine truth, and must be shown in the lives of the\ndisciples of Christ, by following his example, or the cause will suffer\nimmeasurably.\n\nOur Lord was so careful to keep his kingdom and his mission distinct\nfrom civil affairs, that when he was appealed to, to arbitrate a\ndispute touching an inheritance, he inquired, who made him an arbiter\nin such matters, or where was there any authority for him to step aside\nfrom his mission, or, rather, pervert his mission and his office from\ntheir high, spiritual and divine object, to a worldly, temporal and\nbusiness object. He was so careful to keep his mission distinct from\nthe world, and worldly relations, that when engaged in the work of his\nmission, he refused to recognize a fleshly relation\u2014his own mother,\nbrother and sister. In his kingdom he recognized no fleshly relation,\nas a basis for any application to him, or a reason for his institution\nconferring any benefit on any human being, not excepting his own\nmother, according to the flesh. Those who _do the will of God_,\nregardless of all fleshly ties, political conditions, or worldly\ncircumstances, whether male or female, bond or free, are mother, sister\nor brother, to the Redeemer and Savior of man. So perfectly distinct\ndid our Lord and the apostles keep their mission from politics that\nthere is not the remotest hint that they ever participated in civil\naffairs, in a single instance, in the whole of the sacred record. They\neither never participated in politics in any way, or else looked upon\nthe whole matter as so distinct from their mission and work, as not to\nbe once mentioned in the whole Christian revelation. So distinct is\nthe New Testament from political institutions, that it contains not\none word of instruction to civil officers, in regard to their duties,\nnot one hint what kind of men we should vote for, or what form of\ngovernment we should favor. It simply enjoins that Christians \u201cobey\nevery ordinance of man, for the Lord\u2019s sake:\u201d \u201csubmit to the powers\nthat be; for the powers that be are ordained of God,\u201d and declares that\n\u201crulers are not a terror to good works, but to the evil\u201d; that \u201cthe\nruler is the minister of God, and bears not the sword in vain.\u201d\n\nThe Christian law enjoins that we \u201cfollow _peace_ with all men and\nholiness, without which no man shall see the Lord.\u201d It is not enjoined\nthat we follow peace with a political party, but \u201cpeace with _all_\nmen,\u201d and holiness. The Lord said, \u201cBlessed are the _peace-makers_, for\nthey shall be called the children of God.\u201d The angels of God shouted\nwhen Jesus was born, \u201cGlory to God in the highest, and on earth _peace_\nand good will toward man.\u201d Shall that religion enjoining its adherents\nto \u201cfollow _peace_ with all men,\u201d promising a blessing upon the\npeace-makers, whose divine Author was introduced into the world, with\nan angelic shout of \u201c_peace_ on earth,\u201d be made an instrument in the\nhands of a misguided and worldly priesthood, in the political strifes\nof the world? If it shall, we betide him who does it. It will kill\nevery preacher and every church that ever had the Spirit of God in\nthem, to do it. Indeed, all of this description are now dead. Not a\nman nor a church among them, throughout the length and breadth of\nthe country, is doing anything for the cause of God. Not a sinner\nis converted by them, nor a saint comforted. Many of them, old men,\nthat formerly had the spirit of the Lord, preached Christ with great\npower, with their souls full of the love of God, converted sinners,\nedified and comforted the children of God, now sit in the company of\nworldlings, read and discuss politics on the Lord\u2019s day, while the\nhouse of God is forsaken.\n\nOur mission is to preach Christ, Christianity, and to disentangle it\nfrom all connection with these side-artifices, devised to draw men away\nfrom the Lord. We have only alluded to slavery, and the excitement\nabout it, so far as to discover the proper course for a christian, but\nnot to discuss its merits, as a system, at all. In doing this, we have\nsimply applied to it the rule that we do to all questions of the kind,\nviz: To inquire for the _course pursued by the Lord, the apostles, and\nthe first Christians, and follow it as infallibly safe and right_. In\ndoing this, we have certainly shown that those warring upon us in this\nmatter, have no commission from heaven, from Christ, or his apostles,\nor, in anything in all their lives and practice. We shall, therefore,\nas far as God shall enable us, preach the pure gospel of the grace of\nGod, both North and South, East and West, to all, both great and small,\nhigh and low, rich and poor, bond and free; and thus labor to bring\nthem into the kingdom that is not of this world\u2014a kingdom that can\nnot be moved\u2014where the pure in heart can enjoy God, his Holy Spirit,\nand his people, though the wicked rule and the civil governments\nare corrupt, with the blessed assurance that they shall one day be\ndelivered from all the perplexities of an imperfect and sinful state.\nHere we must all turn our attention at last.\n\nCivil governments can never be perfected. They will always be working\nwrongs and cruelties some place. The wisdom and power of man can\nnot avoid this. The wickedness and selfishness of men, also, are in\nthe way, so that the civil institutions of the country can never be\nperfected; and he has studied Christianity to but little purpose, who\nthinks its aim to be the perfection of the human contrivances of the\nworld. It looks above this, to the purification and perfection of\n_individuals_, in their regeneration and personal sanctification, and\npreparation for a better state. It does not, like some fleshly systems,\nlook upon this world as _man\u2019s all_; but, as momentary, a pilgrim\nstate, not our home, not our continued city, but merely the preparatory\nstate to a better world. How soon this world will all be nothing to\nall these political wranglers, who have suffered themselves to be made\ntools for political parties, to the neglect of the church of God,\nwithout one soul ever being able to see that all their noise, ever did\nany good in any way. How silly it is, as well as unchristian, for old\nfriends, neighbors and _brethren_ to disagree and fall out about the\nintricate and deceptive schemes of political wire-workers. Such men are\ndoing no good for their church or country. The very circumstance of\ntheir falling out with their best friends, shows that they are insane\nupon the very subject upon which they propose to enlighten the world,\nand, of all men in the world, the most unsafe, to guide either church\nor state.\n\n\n\n\nUNPROFITABLE SERVANTS.\n\n\nLooking at the eternal benefits Christianity has conferred upon us, and\nthe rich inheritance it proposes to confer in the world to come, the\nlittle a poor mortal can do in a short lifetime sinks into nothingness,\nand deserves not to be mentioned. When we think of him who became poor,\nthat we through his poverty might be rich\u2014that he became a little lower\nthan the angels, that he, by the grace of God, should taste of death\nfor every man\u2014that he had not where to lay his head\u2014that he died for\nus\u2014think of the holy apostles and martyrs of Jesus, with all their\nlabors and sufferings\u2014all we do, or can do, dwindles into perfect\ninsignificance. To God, over all, blessed for ever and ever, through\nJesus Christ, we owe eternal gratitude, praises and thanksgiving that\nhe has ever received us and permitted us to labor in his gracious cause\nat all. To his name be honor and power everlasting.\n\n\n\n\nBOUNDARY LINE OF REPENTANCE.\n\n\nThe boundary line of repentance. Life is the boundary line of\nrepentance. What the Scriptures call \u201ctime,\u201d contains the whole period\nduring which man can turn to God. \u201cTo-day if you will hear his voice,\nharden not your hearts, as in the bitter provocation, in the day of\ntemptation in the wilderness.\u201d If we are ever molded into the image of\nChrist, made conformable to his death, and prepared for the society\nof the blessed, it must be while we are in time. To show that we are\ninside of the clear revelations of God, we shall make two or three\nreferences to the New Testament. One man, more curious to know the fate\nof the masses, than his own duty to God and man, in our Lord\u2019s lifetime\nasked him: \u201cLord are there few that be saved?\u201d To this the Lord\nresponded: \u201cStrive to enter in at the straight gate; for many, I say\nunto you, will seek to enter in, and shall not be able.\u201d Luke xiii. 23,\n24. He then proceeds to the time when this shall be, as follows: \u201cWhen\nonce the Master of the house is risen up, and hath shut to the door,\nand ye begin to stand without, and to knock at the door, saying, Lord,\nLord, open unto us; and He shall answer and say unto you, I know you\nnot whence you are.\u201d In reply, they make an appeal to the fact that the\nLord had been accustomed to eat and drink in their streets. He replies,\n\u201cI know you not whence you are; depart from me all ye workers of\niniquity.\u201d This must be after death, for He refers to the future, \u201cWhen\nye shall see Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, and all the prophets in\nthe Kingdom of God, and you yourselves thrust out,\u201d or thrust away. It\nis after death, because the Master of the house has never risen up and\nshut to the door of the kingdom, in this life. As we sing sometimes,\n\u201cThe doors of gospel grace stand open night and day.\u201d None, in this\nlife, stand and knock at the door, crying, Lord, Lord, open to us, whom\nthe Master refuses to receive. His language now is, \u201cWhoever will, let\nhim come and take of the water of life freely.\u201d \u201cHe who cometh to me, I\nwill in no wise cast out.\u201d \u201cHe who seeks shall find; to him who knocks,\nit shall be opened,\u201d and \u201cwhoever calls upon the Lord shall be saved.\u201d\nBut the time will come, when the Lord shall have arisen and shut the\ndoor, and men shall stand without, knocking and crying, Lord, open to\nus; but He refuses them admittance and thrusts them away, declaring\nthat He never approved them.\u2014Nothing like this can be found in this\nlife. It refers to the time when the fear of the wicked cometh as a\nwhirlwind; when distress and anguish shall overtake them; then shall\nthey call upon the Lord, but He will not answer them. See Prov. i. 26,\n27.\n\nAnother passage to which we refer, to show that death is the boundary\nline of repentance, is the case of the rich man and Lazarus, Luke xvi.\n19, 31. This rich man died, \u201cand in hell he lifted up his eyes, being\nin torments.\u201d Here we find a man in torments after death. Lazarus has\nalso died, and been carried by angels to Abraham\u2019s bosom. Dives, once\nthe _rich man_, but now a beggar, looks up and seeth Abraham afar off,\nand Lazarus in his bosom, and cries to him, \u201cFather Abraham, have\nmercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger\nin water, and cool my tongue, for I am tormented in this flame.\u201d Now,\nthe question of repentance, or obtaining relief from punishment after\ndeath, is fairly before us. In a case stated by our Lord himself, an\napplication is made for the mitigation of torment after death. But what\nis the response of Abraham, who speaks in the place of the Almighty,\nhere? It is, \u201cSon, remember that thou in thy lifetime received thy good\nthings, and likewise Lazarus evil things; but now he is comforted, and\nthou art tormented.\u201d Here are two men after death, one _comforted_\nand the other _tormented_. Can any change be made in their condition?\nLet us hear Abraham. He then proceeds: \u201cBesides all this, between\nus and you there is a great gulf fixed; so that they who would pass\nfrom hence to you can not; neither can they pass to us that would\ncome from thence.\u201d This is an end of all change of condition. In that\nworld there is no turning to God nor falling from grace. The rich man,\nthen despairing of any mitigation of his torments, or change of his\ncondition, makes one more appeal to Abraham. \u201cI pray thee, therefore,\u201d\nsaid he, \u201cthat thou wouldst send him to my father\u2019s house; for I have\nfive brethren; that he may testify unto them, lest they also come into\nthis place of torment.\u201d Having fallen into torments, on account of\nhis unbelief, and having five brethren also unbelievers, he desired\ntestimony presented to them from the dead, lest they also come to\nthis place of torment. But Abraham answers, \u201cThey have Moses and the\nprophets, let them hear them.\u201d The rich man persists: \u201cIf one went\nunto them from the dead, they will repent.\u201d This is the only New\nTestament account of a request for a departed spirit to be sent to our\nworld to lead sinners to repentance; but this request, coming from one\nalready in the torments of a wicked man after death, was refused in the\nfollowing words: \u201cIf they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will\nthey be persuaded though one rose from the dead.\u201d This shows that God\nwill allow no means employed to save sinners save only those of his own\nappointment, and writes the seal of condemnation upon all visitations\nof the spirits of dead people to save sinners.\n\nThe next and only passage more to which we shall refer, to show the\nboundary line of repentance, is Rev. xxii. 11, \u201cHe that is unjust, let\nhim be unjust still; he who is filthy, let him be filthy still; and he\nwho is righteous, let him be righteous still; and he that is holy, let\nhim be holy still.\u201d This is an end of all repentance, of all turning to\nGod, and also an end to all departing from him. The holy shall remain\nholy, and the wicked remain wicked, from this time forward. Jesus made\nhis personal efforts to save man in this world. When he left the world,\nhe committed to the apostles the ministry and word of reconciliation,\nand they made their efforts in this world. All the means ever employed\nto save man, have been employed in this life. All the cases of\nacceptable repentance that we have ever known anything about, were in\nthis life. If, therefore, men ever turn to God, it must be in time.\n\nWe proceed in the third place, to consider the state of man between\ndeath and resurrection. There were, in the days of our Lord\u2019s\npilgrimage, a class of materialists, who not only denied the\nresurrection of the dead, but that there was an angel or spirit. Many\nwere the debates which they had with the Pharisees who differed with\nthem upon these three points. Knowing that our Lord had sanctioned\nthe doctrine of the Pharisees, that there were angels and spirits,\nand would be a resurrection of the dead, the Sadducees approached\nthe Lord with the puzzle, touching the resurrection of the woman and\nseven husbands. As if they had said, \u201cNow, Master, you agree with the\nPharisees, and teach that there will be a resurrection of the dead; but\nthis doctrine involves a difficulty; for a certain woman, in the course\nof her life, had seven husbands, and we should be pleased to know which\none shall have her in the resurrection?\u201d Our Lord soon explains this\nmatter. He says, \u201cIn the resurrection they neither marry nor are given\nin marriage, but are as the angels of God.\u201d He proceeds, \u201cNow that the\ndead are raised, even Moses showed at the bush, when he calleth the\nLord the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.\nFor he is not a God of the dead, but of the living, for all live unto\nhim.\u201d While those departed from this life, are dead to us, they are\nalive to God\u2014\u201c_for all live unto Him_.\u201d \u201cThe inner man,\u201d as Paul calls\nhim, or \u201cthe hidden man of the heart,\u201d as Peter styles him which is\neternal, \u201cnot corruptible,\u201d but immortal, which Jesus says, man is not\nable to kill, though separated from us, or dead to us, is _alive to\nGod_, \u201cfor all live unto Him.\u201d See Luke xx. 27-38.\n\nThe Transfiguration of Christ presents us the three states, the\nfleshly, the intermediate, and the resurrection, or eternal state, all\nat once. The Lord is changed into the glorified state, is seated upon\nthe throne, as we would see him to-day, if we were before him in heaven.\nHence Peter says, \u201cWe were eye witnesses of His majesty, for he\nreceived from God the Father, honor, and glory, when there came such\na voice from the excellent glory. \u2018This is my Son, in whom I am well\npleased.\u2019\u201d On this august occasion, Peter, James and John represented\nthe fleshly state. They were present in the flesh. Moses was here,\nnot in the flesh, for he had died some fifteen centuries before this.\nHe was not in the resurrection state, for Christ was the first-born\nfrom the dead of every creature, that in all things he might have\nthe pre-eminence. But he was in the intermediate state, or the man\nMoses was there separate from the body; alive, conscious, and held a\nconversation with the Lord, in regard to his great sufferings to be\naccomplished at Jerusalem. Though Moses had been dead to the world\nfifteen hundred years, and his body mingled and lost in the dust, he\nwas alive to God all this time, and so are all the dead. He had not\nlost his identity, nor his name, but is known and mentioned as the\n_man Moses_, in a conscious state, seeing, hearing and talking. Our\nfriend, so much loved, lamented, but now dead to us, is alive to God,\nand as conscious, and maintaining his identity as much as when here\nin the body. Another dignitary present at the transfiguration, was\nElijah, who was taken to heaven without seeing death. He was in the\nglorified state, in the body, glorified, spiritual, as all the bodies\nof the blessed are. Probably the Lord took him to heaven without seeing\ndeath, in view of this very occasion. What a grand scene is now before\nus. The Lord of the universe is before us upon the throne; the old\nprophet Elijah, stands before him who was the great prophet of all the\nauthority, before the witnesses of Christ. Here stands Moses, the\nLaw-giver of ancient Israel, and recognizes the Lord Jesus Christ,\nand surrenders up all authority to him. Just at this wonderful and\ninteresting moment, the Almighty from the upper world, called out,\n\u201cThis is my Son, the beloved in whom I am well pleased: _hear him_.\u201d\n\nLet us hear Paul once, on this subject. \u201cTherefore we are always\nconfident, knowing that whilst we are at home in the body, we are\nabsent from the Lord.\u201d In a few words, he says, \u201cWherefore we labor,\nthat, whether present or absent, we may be accepted of Him.\u201d 2 Cor.\nv. 9. How could we be \u201cpresent with the Lord,\u201d and \u201caccepted of Him,\u201d\nwhen absent from the body, if there be not an inner spiritual man,\nwho will exist separate, or absent from the body? No man living can\never reconcile this passage with the preposterous theory, that when\na man dies, he has no conscious existence. To this we add only one\nmore scripture. When John, in the Island of Patmos, was in awful and\nsublime vision, and saw the whole panorama of the future ages passing\nin review, he says, \u201cI saw under the altar, the souls of them who were\nbeheaded for the word of God and for the testimony of Jesus Christ,\nand they cried and said, how long, O Lord God Almighty, holy, just and\ntrue, dost thou not avenge us of our blood on them who dwell on the\nearth.\u201d Here were souls, alive, looking back to what had been done on\nearth, and looking forward to what would be done in future. They had\nnot lost their identity nor memory, forgotten the past nor distrusted\nthe future, but were alive. The intermediate state is, therefore, a\nconscious state, the righteous are comforted, and at rest with the\nLord, in Abraham\u2019s bosom, or Paradise; the wicked are in _Tartareous_,\nin prison, tormented, reserved unto the judgment of the great day, with\nthe angels that sinned.\n\nIn the fourth, and last place, let us take one look forward to\nthe eternal, or resurrection state. Looking to the close of the\nintermediate state, John says, \u201cI saw a great white throne, and him\nthat sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away,\nand there was found no more place for them. And I saw the dead, small\nand great, stand before God; and the books were opened; and another\nbook was opened which is the book of life; and the dead were judged out\nof these things which were written in the books, according to their\nworks.\u201d Rev. xx. 10-12. After thus presenting the dead in judgment,\nhe proceeds to tell us where they came from, as follows: \u201cAnd the sea\ngave up the dead that were in it; and death and hell delivered up the\ndead which were in them and they were judged every man according to\ntheir works.\u201d The Greek _hades_, here translated hell, simply means the\ninvisible, or unseen state. In this invisible state, the book of God\nreveals two distinct, or separate apartments. One is _Paradise_, the\nother is _Tartareous_. In this same book of Revelations, John, speaking\nin the person of Christ, says, \u201cI am he who _was dead_ and _am alive\nforevermore_; I have the keys of hell and of death; I can open and no\nman can shut, and shut and no man can open.\u201d The amount of this is,\nthat I have the keys or power, to open the grave, and raise the bodies\nboth from land and sea, and I have the power to open the invisible\nstate, both _Paradise_ and _Tartareous_, and bring forth the spirits of\nthe dead, both righteous and wicked, re-uniting soul and body, to stand\nin judgment. When the last righteous sentence is passed upon man, in\nthe last judgment, the final separation follows. Whoever was not found\nwritten in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire. This is the\nsecond death. Here is the last account of the wicked, the incorrigible,\nand we must leave them where God leaves them without any attempt to\ndwell upon their deplorable and irremediable condition.\n\nLet us now turn our attention to the righteous\u2014the good and virtuous\nof all ages\u2014those who feared God and worked righteousness in every\nnation. John says, \u201cI saw them coming from every nation, kindred,\ntongue, tribe and people, who had washed their robes and made them\nwhite in the blood of the Lamb, and they shouted, blessing and glory,\nand honor, and might, and dominion unto him who sits upon the throne\nand to the Lamb, for ever and ever!\u201d And again they shouted, Hallelujah\nto the Lamb! The Lord God Omnipotent reigns! John looks again, and\nsays, \u201cI John, saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God\nout of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard\na great voice out of heaven, saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is\nwith men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people,\nand God himself shall be with them and be their God. And God shall wipe\nall tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither\nsorrow, nor crying, for the former things are passed away.\u201d Shall we\nwho are bathed in tears, here to-day, reach the holy city, where we\nshall be called to pass through the deep waters of affliction no more;\nwhere we shall hear the groans of the sick and dying no more; where\nthere will be no visiting of the sick, nor funeral occasions; where\nwe shall no more be called to give up fathers and mothers in death,\nhusbands or wives, or precious children; but where the wounded heart\nshall be made whole, the weary spirit shall be at rest, and the mourner\ncomforted. How ineffable the bliss! How unutterable the joys! of a\nstate where we shall not only be free from all the afflictions that\nencompass us here, but see the Lord and dwell with him forevermore!\nHow invaluable the rich boon proposed to man, through the Lord Jesus\nChrist! What everlasting obligations we are under to love God and serve\nhim! Let us put our everlasting trust in the Lord, our strength and our\nRedeemer.\n\n\n\n\nRECEIVING SINNERS WITHOUT BAPTISM.\n\n\nIt is an unfavorable step toward \u201ceducating a man up to the importance\nof being buried with his Lord and Master in baptism,\u201d to set the law\nof God requiring it aside, and receive him without it. This would\nonly lead him to doubt whether we saw or cared for the importance of\nit ourselves. It never can have a good influence on any sensible man\nto see religious people so anxious to get him into their party as to\nset aside their own established principles, and what they hold to be\nclearly the _law of God_, for a man not willing to submit to the law of\ninduction into the heavenly family. This is not _liberality_, but\n_disloyalty_ all around. It is not a question about what _we_ will do,\nbut what the _Lord_ will do.\n\nMere refinement and respectability have nothing to do in the matter. It\nis a matter of faith and respect to the supreme and absolute authority.\nHas a man the faith, the humility and the obedient spirit that will\nlearn of Jesus and yield to what he requires? We are not vying with any\npeople in this country in efforts to be liberal and easy in our views\nand practice, but we desire to see who can live nearest to the Lord\nand follow him most closely. He laid down the law of induction, or the\nlaw for receiving members, and we have no discretionary power in the\nmatter. We do not make the terms, but simply exhort men to comply with\nthem, as found in the Book of God.\n\n\n\n\nTHE FALL OF BEECHER.\n\n\nThe American people are so familiar with the name and character of\nHenry Ward Beecher, that no explanation of what follows, is needed\nby the present generation. Beecher is the most gifted and noted\n_liberalist_ and progressionist in America. He is out at sea, without\nchart or compass. The movements of the wind, and the motion of the\ncurrent, determine his course. He cares not whither he sails or where\nhe lands, or whether he lands at all or not, so that the breeze is\npleasant and the waves smooth. His great mind, glib tongue, and\ntireless pen, have enabled him to unsettle and pervert the faith of\nthousands of honest and unsuspecting people. Even some preachers\namong the disciples, who are noted for their adherence to the fixed\nprinciples of revealed religion, have been seduced by Beecher. The good\nprovidence of God, in time, revealed the true character of the man\nof no faith, and men now see it blackened and tarnished by crime and\nimmorality. Let the liberalists and progressionists among the disciples\nof Christ, take warning from the downfall of the far famed Beecher.\n\nScandal has come; disgrace and shame that would make any conscience,\nnot seared with a hot iron, tingle; or any face, not past feeling,\nblush. But the Bible is no way responsible for it, not even in\nappearance. Beecher was no Bible man. Bible men were not his admirers,\nnor the men that gathered around him, that liked him only the more for\nhis broad views, his liberality, when he pronounced that beautiful\nbenediction on the Pope, \u201cGod bless his old soul,\u201d and said he could\ncommune with the Pope, or worship at a pagan altar; declared that there\nis not a particle of divine authority, in any church in the world;\nthat he was inspired as much as the apostles; and would baptize a man\nevery month if he desired it; that there is no authority for infant\nbaptism; but he was for it now stronger than ever, because it was a\ngood thing\u2014it had been tried! This man identified with the Bible? Not\na word of it. The Bible is responsible for none of the scandal and\ndisgrace that hang upon him and must hang there forever. No, not a word\nof it, you unbelieving man; we turn all over to you; we have here a\nspecimen of _your work_; _unbelief_; what it can do in a short time;\nhow it can drag a man down, and the ruin to which it can bring him.\nHere is the fruit of unbelief; he can eat of it, and all unbelievers\ncan view it, and see what comes of a man that contemns the Bible and\nputs its authority at defiance.\n\nGentlemen, unbelievers, if you like to view the results of unbelief,\nand the ruin that follows in its train, come up here and see what\nit has done in the case of an illustrious man; a man whose fame has\nextended throughout the civilized world; a man of wonderful versatility\nof thought, and immense gifts as a speaker and writer, with such an\nopening as no other man on the continent had. This man had reached\nmature years, and his influence had become so great, that many good\npeople would not hear a word against him, nor believe that his terrible\nskeptical talk meant any harm. It was only _independence_. But, in the\nmidst of such a career of popularity, and that not of an ephemeral\ncharacter either, as no other man in this nation ever had, up springs\ntrouble in the midst of his most intimate friends, and those he knew\nbetter, and had associated with more intimately than any others.\nIt comes not from persecutors without, nor from enemies or envious\npreachers within, but his most intimate friends, who know him better\nthan all others.\n\nBut, why do not infidels make an ado about infidels falling? They never\nfall! They have never attained to anything from which they can fall.\nThey are at the bottom and there is nothing below them to which they can\nfall. We know of a case where an infidel has recently covered himself\nall over with slime, but nothing of consequence is said about it. Why\nnot? If he had been a preacher of the gospel his case would have been\npublished half round the world before now. But he is _an infidel_, and\nthe idea of purity is not associated with infidelity, in the public\nmind. There is no noise about it. His brethren, infidels, bring him\nto no trial, call him to no account, appoint no committee, and have\nno examination of the case! Why not? He _professed nothing_, and they\n_profess nothing_. Such things do not disgrace them, or bring scandal\non them.\n\n\n\n\nSPEAK PLEASANTLY.\n\n\nThe opponents of the truth will catch every unkind or unpleasant word;\nevery unlovely expression or harsh sentence, and comment on it, in the\nabsence of argument, and even divert attention from the main matter. We\nshould, then, simply study how to present the truth, in the clearest,\nmost agreeable and acceptable manner; how to show people the truth,\nconvince them and enlist their souls in it. This is the great matter to\nstudy, and not how to avoid differences and not discuss them at all. We\nare studying how to practice this, and we desire all the friends of the\nLord to study it and give the adversary no advantage.\n\n\n\n\nVARIOUS KINDS OF SCEPTICISM.\n\n\nSceptics float in thin ether, if not some times in pure vacuum,\nin vast, unknown and unknowable regions of pure fancy and idle\nimagination. They roam in everlasting inquisitiveness in the immense\nrealms of intangibles and invisibles. They are variously styled in\nNew Testament terminology, \u201cclouds without water,\u201d \u201cwandering stars,\u201d\n\u201cfilthy dreamers,\u201d etc., etc. They spend their time, confuse themselves\nand shatter their brains, in explaining \u201cdegrees in glory,\u201d \u201cdegrees\nin punishment,\u201d \u201cdifferent spheres,\u201d \u201cthe possibility of holding\nconverse with departed friends,\u201d \u201cthe origin of sin,\u201d \u201chow God will\noverrule evil for the good of man and his own glory,\u201d \u201cthe origin of\nthe devil, if there be any,\u201d or, \u201cwho made the devil,\u201d or, \u201cwhether\nhe is a real being, or only a personification of evil,\u201d \u201cwhether God\ndid not know, when he created man, that he would sin,\u201d \u201cwhy he created\nman, knowing that he would sin,\u201d \u201cwhether he did not know, when he made\nman, who would be saved and who would be lost,\u201d and, if he did, \u201cwhy he\ncreated those he knew would be lost,\u201d \u201cwhether angels are a distinct\norder of beings from men,\u201d \u201cwhether we shall know each other in the\neternal state,\u201d \u201cwith what body the dead will be raised,\u201d \u201cwhether the\nrighteous and wicked will rise at the same time,\u201d \u201cwhere the spirit is\nbetween death and the resurrection,\u201d \u201cwhether it is conscious, or can\nexist separate from the body,\u201d \u201cwhen the end of the world will be,\u201d\netc., etc.\n\nWe have now an immense swarm of these idle dreamers; some of these\nhave already reasoned themselves into the hallucination that they are\nin the New Jerusalem state, and that the christian dispensation, or\nthe mediatorial reign of our Lord Jesus Christ has passed away! These\nidle away their time in discussing the ascension, through the different\ngrades of spheres, which they imagine they shall eternally be attaining\nand passing through, with other kindred topics. Another class reason\nthemselves into absolute fatalism. With them, all the actions of men,\nand the very thoughts that lead to them, are of _necessity_, and cannot\nbe anything else! There is no praise of one class, or condemnation of\nanother, for all do just what they do from an eternal necessity! Off,\nat another angle, another party is found, theorizing upon the whimsical\nnotion of human pre-existence, in which state, they think a consistent\norigin for sin may be found! Yet another class perceive, that deep\ndown in the Bible, where, till recently, none had ever penetrated, the\ndoctrine is found, that, at judgment, the wicked will be stricken out\nof existence, thus ridding them of the idea of endless punishment,\nwhich had previously given them much distress! Still another class\nof these, have rid themselves of the same distressing and annoying\ndoctrine, by making the astonishing discovery, that there is no devil,\nno hell, nor punishment of any kind, beyond the present state, and,\ntherefore, no danger of any endless punishment! Still another class\nbecame perplexed with these metaphysical reasonings, subtleties and\ntheorizings, in things that they cannot help feeling conscious can have\nno possible beneficial effects upon mankind, and rid themselves of the\nentire concern, by making the discovery that all things come by chance,\nthat there is no God, Savior, angel or spirit, and death is an eternal\nsleep! But we sicken at the effort of trying to describe the vain and\nidle speculations of all these \u201cwandering stars,\u201d and shall proceed to\nsomething more tangible.\n\nScepticism has no foundation, no basis, no reality upon which to\nrest. It has nothing to build upon; no rock; no pillars of any kind.\nNor has it any materials or builders. Nothing can be built without a\nfoundation, materials and builders. Sceptics are not builders. Their\nwork is merely _pulling down_ old buildings. This is the reason they\nmake so much show; their work is easy, requires but little skill and\nno goodness. Anybody can tear down, but it takes a workman to build.\nScepticism is a mere negative, consisting wholly of denials. It affirms\nnothing, establishes nothing, and builds up nothing. It is a natural\nimpossibility to build upon a mere negative. A system cannot, in the\nvery nature of things, be built upon a mere denial\u2014a mere negative.\nIf a man would deny, repudiate, and condemn all the foundations of\nall the houses in his city, or if he would go and tear his neighbor\u2019s\nfoundations all down, it would give him no foundation for a house,\nbut would simply put them in the same condition with himself\u2014that\nis, _without any foundation_. In the same way, if infidels could\nsuccessfully deny, disprove and overthrow the foundation of every\nsystem of religion in the world, it would lay no foundation for them,\nbut would simply put the rest of us upon a level with them\u2014that is,\n_without any foundation_. The work of all sceptics has been, simply to\ntear up the foundation of Christians, and not to lay any foundation for\nthemselves. Not a man in all the ranks of unbelief has ever presented\nany foundation, or has any. Their entire clamor is against the Bible,\nbut if they could expunge the Bible from the universe, they are no\nbetter off\u2014they have nothing to stand upon.\n\nScepticism has no center of attraction, no gravitation, no great\ncentral pervading idea, drawing everything to one common center. A\nsystem must have a common center of attraction, holding it, in its\nrevolutions, from flying into atoms. But, scepticism has no pervading\nidea, doctrine or constitution, in which everything centers, around\nwhich everything revolves, with power to attract and bind. It consists,\nsimply in denials of what others believe. If the things which they\ndeny were untrue, and should be denied, the denial of them is no\nfoundation or center of attraction. Their denial amounts to nothing in\ntheir favor, but is simply unfavorable to others\u2014destructive of the\nattraction binding others together. A million of the most unequivocal\ndenials of the most absurd and preposterous doctrines the world ever\ncontained, forms no center of attraction, doctrine or constitution, in\nwhich is embodied and concentrated any principal of attraction that\ncan bind in a system. Denying simply frees men and cuts them loose,\nin their own estimation, from that which they deny, or what others\nbelieve, but binds them to nothing.\n\nScepticism has no law, gives no advice, and has nothing in it about\nthe characters of men. It does not say that a man shall, or shall\nnot, have a good character; that he shall or shall not have a bad\ncharacter. It contains no such words and has no such idea, or keeps\nup no such distinctions as good and bad. It says nothing about love\nand hatred, revenge and pity, covetousness and benevolence, vice and\nvirtue, happiness and misery. It contains not one sentence touching\nall the relations in life, providing nothing for individuals, families\nor nations. It consists of one negative principle, viz: _The denial of\nthe truth of the Christian religion_. Any man can see that there is no\nlaw in this. If they could succeed in this denial, and show beyond all\ncontradiction that christianity is not true, it amounts to nothing.\nIt is no law, and accomplishes nothing in any way, only to bring\nchristians upon a level with them\u2014with _precisely nothing_.\n\nScepticism has no rewards for the good. It promises nothing in\nthis world nor that which is to come. It holds out no rewards, no\ninducements of any kind for the good, in time or eternity!\n\nScepticism has no punishments for the bad, here nor hereafter. It\ncontains no punishments for evil doers\u2014the profligate, dissipated, and\ncorrupt; thieves, robbers and murderers. It knows nothing of crimes or\npunishments for crimes, of any grade or atrocity.\n\nScepticism has no reformatory power. A denial, or a train of denials,\neven denials of error, can never restrain sinners nor reform men. The\ninfluence is simply negative. In the very nature of things, it cannot\nact positively. Denials or negatives require nothing, give nothing,\nand, as a matter of course, can produce no reformation. It is a\nnegative system, if we may be allowed to call it a _system_ at all,\nand in the very nature of things, its influence must be negative. It\nis like cold, which is simply the absence of heat; for the suffering,\nin the absence of heat, is from want of heat. Scepticism is simply the\nabsence of the heat of christianity. Darkness is merely the absence of\nlight, or it is the negative of light, else it and light could exist at\nthe same time, in the same place. In precisely the same way, scepticism\nis the absence of gospel light, or faith. The soul without faith is\nempty, cold, dark, and hungry, suffering and perishing, for light,\nheat and food. Scepticism is no system, not a reality, substance or\nentity of any kind, but the absence of all these. To speak in general\nterms of faith, both christian faith and all other faith, the absence\nof it, would be the absence by far of the greater part of all we know,\nor that may be known by man. There is nothing more certain than that a\nman who knows much, must believe much. Scepticism is not the possession\nof reformatory principles, but simply the absence of them. There is\nnothing that a man can be more conscious of, than that scepticism never\ndid, and never can, make a man better. Inherently, there is nothing\nin it. It is the absence of something. The mere absence of faith, of\nreligion, doctrine and principles, most indisputably can do a man no\ngood, and can have no power to save him in any sense. To speak of\nsaving a man from starving by the absence of food, saving him from\nthirst by the absence of water, or from darkness by the absence of\nlight, or from sickness by the absence of the only medicine that could\nsave him, is not more absurd, than to speak of unbelief reforming man.\nScepticism is not heat, but the absence of it; not light, but the\nabsence of it; not faith, but the absence of it; not knowledge, but the\nabsence of it; not medicine, but the absence of it; not nourishment,\nbut the absence of it. The sceptic is a man perishing with cold,\nwhile he is graciously offered the warmth of christianity; groping in\ndarkness while the light of heaven is as free for him as the rays of\nthe sun; starving, with an invitation to eat of the bread that comes\ndown from heaven; dying with thirst, while God is holding out to him\nthe water of life; a sick man refusing to take an infallible remedy\nfrom the physician, simply exercising the power to reject all that\ncould do him any good, resting, refusing, denying and dying.\n\n\n\n\nCHRIST THE CENTER.\n\n\nIn the kingdom of God the Lord is the center. He said, \u201cI, if I be\nlifted up, will draw all men to me.\u201d \u201cAs Moses lifted up the serpent in\nthe wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever\nbelieveth on him should not perish, but have everlasting life.\u201d The\ngreat apostle to the Gentiles, after giving a brief summary of side\nconsiderations, and many of them weighty, in his situation, says of\nthem all, \u201cI count all things but loss for the excellency of the\nknowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord; for whom I have suffered the loss\nof all things, and do count them but refuse that I may win Christ.\u201d\nPhil. iii. 8. Again, said this man of God, \u201cI determined to know\nnothing but Christ and him crucified.\u201d He would not be drawn aside\nfrom the center of attraction in the kingdom of God. In the close of\nhis elaborate letter to the Corinthians, among whom many distracting\nannoyances were operating, and in reference to those who disturbed the\npeace and love of the church, he declares that \u201cIf any man love not the\nLord Jesus Christ, he will be accursed when the Lord comes.\u201d I. Cor.\nxvi. 22. \u201cWhoever hateth his brother, is a murderer; and ye know that\nno murderer hath eternal life abiding in him.\u201d John iii. 15. Again,\nsays the holy apostle, \u201cThese be they who separate themselves sensual,\nhaving not the spirit.\u201d James xix. The Lord says, \u201cBy this shall all\nmen know that you are my disciples, if you have love one to another.\u201d\n\nFrom him who thus teaches, we are not to be drawn aside, whether we\nprecisely agree upon every side question, or the manner of procedure in\nreference to it or not. By him we must stand forever more. To him we\nmust pay supreme homage. This can only be done by standing firmly upon\nhis precise teachings, as far as poor, imperfect creatures possibly\ncan, and putting our everlasting trust in him. The cause is now\nprogressing, its prospects brightening, and its way opening beautifully\nin almost all directions. The good, the reliable, the faithful and\nworking men, are gathering up afresh, combining and accumulating\nstrength, which will be expended upon the armies of the enemy around,\nwith tremendous effect. Let every man who can lift a Bible speak a\nword, or give an expression of countenance, for the Lord, and for his\nwork, do it; do it with earnestness, spirit and power; do it with\nstrong faith and determination, and it will tell upon the world for\ngood, in ages to come. Let us make an effort, united, energetic and\nmighty, in the Lord\u2019s name, for his cause; and let the effort continue\nwhile the Lord shall give us life, and exhort the brethren to push\nit onward with our dying breath. To his name, be honor and power,\neverlasting.\n\n\n\n\nRICHES OF FAITH.\n\n\nGod has created man with credulity, or the ability to believe; he has\ngraciously given us the truth, that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the\nLiving God, to belief; with the divine testimony that incontestably\nproves the truth. But he does not compel any man to read the testimony,\nto hear it read, to examine it, try to understand and appreciate it.\nHe lays it before the world, and demands of the nations to hear it.\nIt is like all the other blessings God has afforded man; it must be\nsought, inquired after and received, or do men no good. Men may be none\nthe better of its ever entering into the world. It may be that God has\ncreated a rich mine of gold in some part of the earth. One man seeks\nall the information he can obtain, in reference to it, becomes\nsatisfied of its richness and accessibility; he makes a proper effort\nand obtains a fortune. Another man, with equally as good endowments,\ntreats the whole question with indifference to it. Without examining\nthe testimony, he pronounces all delusion, humbuggery, a chimera, and\nridicules it, and the man that seeks information, or inquires into it.\nWhat good will the gold mine do him? None whatever. So far as he is\nconcerned, it might as well never have been created.\n\nBut, it fares infinitely worse than this with him who treats with\nindifference the pearls of Jesus Christ. He who prefers the darkness\nof this world to the light of the Son of God, turns away his ears from\nthe holy and lovely lessons of the benevolent Redeemer, refuses to\ninform himself in reference to Him, to whom God requires all nations\nto be attentive, incurs a responsibility for which he will certainly\nanswer at the most solemn tribunal. He who turns his back upon the Lord\nof heaven and earth, when we would call attention to him, not only\nloses or forfeits the benefits proposed through him, but incurs censure\nfor indifference, ingratitude and disrespect, if not contempt of his\nCreator and merciful Benefactor. God has created him with a heart to\nbelieve, given the truth, and furnished the testimony to convey it to\nthe understanding, and holds him responsible for the exercise of his\nabilities. Come, then, dear reader, and let us fix our minds upon Jesus\nof Nazareth, and carefully consider his claims upon our attention. The\nwhole question is about him. What do you think of him whom we claim as\nthe Savior of the world? Do you love him and those like him? Or, are\nyou opposed to him?\n\n\n\n\nONE BAPTISM.\n\n\nWe take it as Wesley did, that \u201cby one Spirit,\u201d is by the _direction_\nof one Spirit, we are all immersed into one body. It is clear that\nthe baptism alluded to is the initiatory rite, for there is no other\nbaptism _into one body_. The immersion in the Spirit is not _into one_\nbody, or _into_ anything. At the house of Cornelius they were immersed\ninto Christ after they had been immersed in the Holy Spirit. The\nimmersion in the Spirit was to convince Peter and his Jewish brethren\nthat God intended to receive the Gentiles as well as the Jews. Hence,\nwhen Peter, in his rehearsal of the matter to his Jewish brethren, when\nhe came to this, exclaims, \u201cWhat was I that I should withstand God?\u201d\n\nThe \u201cone baptism\u201d of Paul is the initiatory rite\u2014the baptism of the\nCommission, connected with the faith and repentance for the remission\nof sins, and will remain as long as there is one to believe, repent or\nseek remission of sins. The faith, repentance, confession, immersion\nand remission of sins stand connected in the gospel of the grace of\nGod, and we see not how any man can be so perverted as to try to evade\nany one of these items.\n\n\n\n\nDISTURBING ELEMENT.\n\n\nThe Bible is not the disturbing element, or property that prevents\nfusion, for all the sects have the Bible, speak well of it and commend\nit. They all bold the Bible in common. It is well received among all\ndenominations. The Bible is not, then, the divisive element, or the\nrepellent property among them that renders fusion impossible.\n\nThe Lord is not the repellent element, or property that prevents\nfusion, for they all speak well of him. Indeed, they all claim to have\nhim with them and to love him.\n\nThe Holy Spirit is not the disturbing element, or property, for they\nall speak well of him, and claim to love him and to have him dwelling\nin them.\n\nWhat, then, is the repellent property among them that prevents fusion,\nor union? It is this very pet, dear and precious creature that they\nall press to their hearts, guard so sacredly, and love so dearly, and\nhold on to as to life itself\u2014_denominationalism_. This is the element,\nthe corroding element, the foreign property, that will not fuse. It\nis constitutionally a rebel against union. It is antagonistic and\nrepellent. What is it that makes the denomination? It is that which is\npeculiar to it. It is not the Bible that makes a Methodist, nor the\nlove of the Bible, nor anything in it, for the Presbyterian has the\nBible, loves it, and all that is in it, as well as the Methodist. It\ndoes not make him a Methodist. It is not the Lord, for the Presbyterian\nreceives the Lord as fully as the Methodist, and the Lord does not\nmake him a Methodist. It is not the Holy Spirit, for all the first\nChristians received the Holy Spirit, and they were not Methodists;\nthere never was a Methodist before John Wesley.\n\nWhat, then, is it that makes the Methodist? It is simply that which\nis peculiar to Methodists, and that which is not received by a\nPresbyterian. What is it that makes a Presbyterian? That which is\npeculiar to Presbyterians, and not received by Methodists. Why, then,\ncan not Methodists and Presbyterians fuse into one mass, or unite?\nBecause the Methodists will not give up Methodism, that which is\npeculiar to Methodists; and the Presbyterian will not give up the\nPresbyterianism, or that which is peculiar to Presbyterians. That which\nis peculiar, makes the denomination; it is the disturbing element in\nthe way of fusion, or union, and that must be given up, or union can\nnever take place.\n\nThe Lord prayed that those who believe may be one, that the _world\nmay believe_. This denominationalism is the very element in the way\nof union, or the cause of division, and division is in the way of the\nworld believing, or a main cause of the world not being converted. The\nway is now opened for carrying the Bible into all the world and turning\nthe world to God. Shall that ever be done, or shall our power be\nexpended in sending denominations into the countries now open for the\none pure and holy religion of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ? Or, can\nwe not now, under the influence of the love of Christ, receive the\none religion of the New Testament and nothing else; unite on it, and\ncarry it to Italy, and every other country now in Divine Providence,\nopened up for the reception of King Jesus? What need we care for\ndenominations? The body of Christ, the church of the Living God, the\nkingdom of God, is denomination enough for a man who loves the Savior;\nand the Book of God, containing the law of God and the gospel too, is\ncreed enough for all who sincerely love our Lord Jesus, the Christ.\nWhat a grand and glorious work could be performed, if, all in good\nearnest in the work would unite under God, put their hearts into the\nwork and determine to push the cause of Christ, the gospel of the grace\nof God, the kingdom of God, through the world. We have one book, a book\nno where in doubt\u2014the volume of God, the Bible, and, can all with one\nheart, and one soul, push it through the world, enforce it on men to\nread it, teach it to others, and make it the great power in the earth,\nto break down and wipe out Romanism; to sweep away all pagan gods,\ntemples, and altars, and all sectarian denominations, and unite all\nthe friends of the Lord under Prince Messiah; let him go before them,\nlead and guide them forever and ever. What is a mere denomination,\nseparated from others by some peculiarities not mentioned in the Bible,\nnor received by any other party on earth, compared with what the Lord\nstyles, \u201cmy church,\u201d Matt. xvi. 18; the body of Christ; the kingdom\nof God, containing all the people of God? This is what we have in our\nview; we will go for nothing less than the body of Christ, the kingdom\nof God. It is of God, the denomination is of man.\n\n\n\n\nWOMEN IN THE CHURCH.\n\n\nRead the Bible carefully, and note the part the women took, the\ngreatest and best of them, as well as all classes, in the Patriarchal,\nJewish and Christian institutions, and follow what you find there. It\nis safe to follow that, and for the good of all, both men and women.\nNo improvement can be made upon that. As we depart from that we injure\nall. We desire to see women curtailed in no privilege or blessing;\nnothing that can make them happy, useful, wise or good. But the less\nthey have to do in the business meetings, the ruling or discipline\nof the church, the better for them and all concerned. They have a\nnatural and scriptural work to do, and men cannot do that work for\nthem, and men do not lose any of their rights, when not appointed to\ndo the natural and scriptural work of women. In the same way women\nlose no rights, are excluded from no privilege, nor are they in any\nway degraded in being limited to their legitimate sphere of operation.\nThe Bible gives women the highest honor they can have, and lays down\nthe road to the highest happiness. It has elevated women from the\nabject slavery in which Paganism had bound them down, and given them\nthe strong arm of the man to protect and support them. The nearer they\nfollow the Bible, the Lord, and the apostolic teaching the better. This\nis the road to greatness, happiness and goodness.\n\n\n\n\nWHO CRUCIFIED THE SAVIOR.\n\n\nPeter charges the crucifixion on the Jews. But the Jews only instigated\nit; the Romans, who were Gentiles, executed him. The Jews were the\nmore responsible party, as they persisted in clamoring for his\ncrucifixion, when Pilate, the Roman judge wanted to let him go. The\nJews premeditated, designed and instigated the crucifixion; the Romans\nperformed the deed, or were tools in the hands of the Jews and executed\nthe will of the Jews.\n\nBut when the matter is more fully comprehended the whole world were\nrepresented in the transaction. The entire nation of Israel was\nrepresented in the Sandhedrim, and the nations, apart from the Jews,\nthe Gentiles, were represented in the Roman court, and thus all the\nworld was represented and implicated in the awful act of crucifying the\nLord of glory.\n\nThe Jews were, as we have said, the _instigators_ of the crucifixion,\nbut did not, therefore, have the sole responsibility, as the Gentiles,\nor the Roman court, had the power to release him and desired to do so,\nbut voluntarily yielded to the wishes of the Jews in giving him up to\nbe crucified, and with their own hands executed him. The Jews had no\npower to inflict capital punishment without the assent of the Roman\ncourt. The Jews were the _instigators_ and the Romans the _willing\ntools to execute their will_.\n\n\n\n\nCHRISTIAN ZEAL.\n\n\nThe leading method employed anciently to impede the progress of\nchristianity was to persecute its adherents. This scheme of opposition\nwas well tried during the first three centuries of the christian\nera, but, although it, to some extent, gratified the malice of the\npersecutors, it was never very successful. There is a very plain\nreason for this. The tendency of persecution is invariably to lead the\ndisciples of our Lord, to examine the ground of their faith and the\nvalue of their profession with great care; and when this is done, there\nis but little danger of \u201cdeparting from the holy commandment delivered\nto us.\u201d Nothing has ever caused men to scrutinize their profession and\nthe whole premises thereof, in such a candid and solemn manner as the\nsevere persecutions imposed upon the early followers of our Lord; and\nyet it is an important truth, that, during these severe persecutions,\napostasies were comparatively few. This is not all. Persecution has\nalways led the true followers of Christ to plead for the claims of the\ncause with greater power. Men, when speaking in a cause and their lives\nat stake, speak from the very bottom of their hearts, and exert every\npower with which they are possessed to make an impression. At such\ntimes there is no dull formality, but all is life and interest. Every\none feels what he saying and doing. There is no sermonizing, no\npreaching by the day, but every man carries the cause in his bosom,\nand labors as for eternity. All this is calculated to defeat the\nostensible intention of all persecution, and in the place of impeding\nthe progress of the cause must tend to spread it. Not only so, but\npersecution has a tendency to diminish worldly-mindedness, and cause\nthe entire affairs of this life to appear transient and fleeting. Its\nconstant bearing, like all sufferings in this life, is to direct the\nchristian mind to another world, where the bondage of corruption shall\nbe put off, and where he shall enjoy pleasures for evermore. Under such\ncircumstances, how the mind is filled with piety, and how the spirit\nadorns the redeeming love which, through Jesus Christ, has brought the\ntidings of deliverance! Finding no abatement of persecutions here, no\nmitigation of suffering, the afflicted pilgrim looks to another world\nfor a home\u2014for a city upon the immovable rock, the maker and builder\nof which is God, where he anticipates he will enter the eternal rest.\nIn all this, the effect is precisely the opposite of what is intended\nby persecutors. They intend to cause people to abandon christianity by\npersecuting them, whereas it only causes them to esteem it more sacred\nand press it more closely to their hearts.\n\nHow perfectly had all worldly considerations dwindled into nothingness\nwhen the apostle counted all things but loss, that he might win Christ,\nand when he estimated the intolerable affliction imposed upon him,\n_light_, compared with the eternal _weight of glory_ in prospect! Such\nheavenly mindedness is the direct tendency of persecution, and only\ncalculated to make the glories of christianity shine with greater\nluster, and, consequently, serves not the designs of those by whom\nit is inflicted. It, nevertheless, has been tried in thousands of\ninstances, since the first three centuries, in various parts of the\nworld, even down to quite a modern date, but has never been able to\nextinguish the light emanating from the lofty fountain of all light\nand all knowledge. From modern developments, it would seem, that it is\nnow being ascertained by the great opposer of all good, that methods\nmore effectual may be employed, to impede the progress of the gospel,\nof which we can not now speak in detail. _Indifference_, however, or\na general lack of _conscientiousness_, is now the order of the day.\nAnciently, when a doctrine was preached which the people did not\nbelieve, they were greatly excited by it. On the other hand, when they\ndid believe it, they moved forward most warmly and energetically. It\nwas the character of the Jewish people to follow their impressions with\ngreat tenacity.\n\nTo the people of our times, it would seem strange that the preaching\nof the apostles should have so excited the people. This generation can\nlisten to doctrine entirely adverse to their views, with comparatively\nlittle excitement. They will frequently seem scarcely to have heard\nit. This is because they do not hold themselves responsible for what\nis taught, nor feel any very deep concern and interest in forming the\npublic mind. They are indifferent to what is taught. This is one of\nthe most dangerous features of our times. It grows to a considerable\nextent out of reading light trash, of a novel and imaginary character,\nwhich throws away every thing sentimental, with all concern about the\nimpression it may make upon the human heart. It destroys concern for\none of the most important items in the world, and seems to suppose that\nour children may, with perfect safety, hear whatever may chance to fall\nin their path.\n\nWhen a man becomes indifferent, or falls into such a state as not\nto care what is taught, he is measurably beyond the reach of all\ninstruction, for he places no value upon instruction. When the gospel\nof our Lord was first spoken, it moved the souls of those who heard\nit, and caused them to act most energetically either for or against\nit. This was because they cared for public sentiment, and were deeply\nconcerned about what was taught. They were really conscientious and\nfelt highly responsible for all their actions. But how different where\nthis feeling of responsibility is lost? The most awful consequences may\nbe referred to, the most terrible appeals may be made, and the most\npowerful inducements may be placed before them, but Galio like, they\nare all unheeded and unappreciated. In this case, conscientiousness,\nif not even consciousness itself, if not entirely lost, is so greatly\ndiminished as entirely to cease to perform its office.\n\nThis state of indifference is not confined to the world alone, but has\nlong since entered the precincts of the church. It is in the way of\nevery meeting, of every ordinance, of every discourse, and of every\ngood work. Those under its influence are ever ready to drawl out, \u201cIt\nis of no use\u201d\u2014\u201cit can\u2019t be done\u201d\u2014or, \u201cI do not care anything about\nit.\u201d Sometimes it is evaded, by objections or some fault being found.\nHow perfectly disheartening all this is to those who desire to do good,\nand carry forward the conquest of a great and glorious cause.\n\nHow few there are who can properly press the claims of christianity,\nknowing that such an irresponsible and indifferent state of feeling\nprevails. It is hard to manifest a becoming zeal in the midst of such a\nstate of apathy. Yet he who rightly reasons upon the cause of our Lord,\nand keeps the subject ever present in his mind, must be moved forward.\nHe can not be discouraged, cowed down, nor deterred. He is invincible\nin his course. The spirit that burns in his breast is unconquerable.\nThe more he has to contend with, the more grace and ardor of soul he\nseems to possess. He looks to Jesus, who for the joy set before him,\nendured the contradiction of sinners, even unto the death of the cross,\nand yet overcame, and is now set down at the right hand of the throne\nof God. He asks the question: Why did our Lord make the good confession\nbefore Pontius Pilate? Why did he yield to the ignominious death of\nthe cross? Why did the holy apostles suffer as they did? Why did the\nfirst christians wade through floods and flames? Why were they bathed\nin tears and blood? Why all their zeal and perseverance under all this?\nBecause they endured, by faith seeing him who is invisible. They looked\nforward to the recompense of reward. They held daily and spiritual\ncommunion with God. Their hearts were in heaven, whence, also, they\nlooked for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.\n\nWho that has the grand theme of good tidings and great joy to all\npeople, first announced by angels at the birth of our Lord and Savior,\ndwelling richly in his heart, can fail to have a burning and a constant\nzeal to spread the same grand and glorious theme to the ends of the\nearth, and thus contribute in causing it to bless the nations?\n\nIf the winds of heaven and the waves of the sea, if the diseases of\nthe sick and the terrors of death, if the graves of the dead and the\ngates of hades, were obedient to the mandate of Jesus Christ, and, if\nthe veil of the temple was rent in twain, the rocks were sundered, the\nearth trembled and the sun was veiled in darkness when the Lord of\nglory died\u2014should not the human heart always be filled, when his name\nis mentioned? If the mighty angels fall prostrate at the feet of Jesus,\nand hasten to perform the most august message at his command, should it\nnot be the delight of those redeemed by his blood, to do his will, that\nthey enter by the gates into the city, and have a right to the tree of\nlife?\n\nWho can, who dare slumber in his presence? Who dare be indifferent to\nthe theme that dwelt upon his gracious lips? When he speaks it is the\nvoice of a king\u2014more, it is the voice of the King of kings and Lord of\nlords; it is the voice of him who is to bear all rule, all authority\nand power, until all his enemies are subdued. Heaven is his throne\nand the earth his footstool. Shall we not adore his name, that he has\ngraciously promised to confess us before his Father and before his\nangels? To his name be honor and dominion forever and ever.\n\n\n\n\nJUDGMENT, THE GROUND OF REPENTANCE.\n\n\nWhen Paul stood in the midst of Mar\u2019s hill, he boldly declared the\nignorance and superstition of the Athenians, before the gospel, and\nstated to them, that \u201cin the times of this ignorance, God winked at,\u201d\nor that he did not hold them to a strict account. He concedes, here,\nthe principle expressed by the Savior, that where there is but little\ngiven there is but little required; and on this ground, admits that\nGod would not deal with them strictly according to their works. But\nhe approaches a different state of things. A change was about to take\nplace in the dealings of God with that people. How is it to be now?\nThe apostle responds, \u201cBut now he commandeth all men everywhere to\nrepent.\u201d In the times of the ignorance before the gospel, this command\nto all men every where, to repent, did not exist. But, now that the\ngospel is preached to every creature, he commands all men everywhere to\nrepent. But he does not stop here, but proceeds to give us the reason\nwhy God commands men to repent. That reason is not, that there is no\nday of judgment to come, which might serve as a reason why men need not\nrepent. Why, then, does God now command all men everywhere to repent?\nThe apostle answers, \u201cBecause he hath appointed a day, in which he will\njudge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained.\u201d It\nis not strange, with this passage before us, that preaching Universalism\nnever causes anybody to repent. The preachers of that doctrine deny\nthe cause of repentance; and while the Lord calls upon men to repent,\nbecause he hath appointed a day in which he will judge the world in\nrighteousness, they spend their time in preaching that there will be\nno judgment to come. In this they set aside the grand reason why men\nshould repent. While the preaching of the true gospel leads men to\nsorrow that they have sinned, in view of a righteous judgment to come,\nthe preaching of that disgraceful doctrine\u2014which we are sorry to have\nnecessity to mention upon our pages\u2014leads wicked men to laugh and\ntrifle, both in view of their sins, and all that the Bible says of the\ngreat judgment day.\n\nThe apostle, however, does not merely state that God has appointed a\nday in which he will judge the world, but he alleges that he has given\nassurance of the fact. His words are, \u201cWhereof he hath given assurance\nunto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead.\u201d Here he\narrives at the foundation of all\u2014the resurrection of Christ from the\ndead. His logic runs thus: Christ rose from the dead. What assurance\ndoes that give? It is the assurance that God has given that he has\nappointed a day, in which he will judge the world in righteousness by\nthat man whom he hath ordained. And what if that is the case? Why,\nthen, he commands all men everywhere to repent. As certain as Christ\nrose from the dead, there will be righteous judgment; and because there\nwill be a righteous judgment, men are commanded to reform and become\nrighteous.\n\nJesus Christ was judged by the highest ecclesiastical court on earth,\nand in the highest civil court\u2014but in both cases condemned unjustly.\nHe could not have righteous judgment in this world; but, when the\nunrighteous sentences were passed upon him, and he had yielded to the\npenalty, and his body was consigned to the prison-house of death,\nwhile his spirit was in the unseen world, he appealed the case,\nand had it referred to the high, the holy and inflexible court of\nheaven, where the case was tried righteously. When this was done, the\nformer decisions were condemned, as partial and unjust, and Jesus was\n\u201cjustified by the Spirit,\u201d or, as Peter expresses it, \u201che was quickened\nby the Spirit.\u201d The decision in the case was not only reversed, but the\npenalty, which had been executed, and was beyond the power of those who\ninflicted it to reverse it, was reversed by the great and righteous\ntribunal to which Jesus had appealed. He was justified from the guilt\nof their decision, when the Spirit of God condemned their sentence as\nunjust, and justified from the penalty when he was \u201cquickened by the\nSpirit,\u201d or raised from the dead.\n\nWhen justified, he breaks forth in most triumphant language: \u201cI am\nAlpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which\nis, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty; I am he that\nliveth, and was dead; and, behold! I am alive forevermore, Amen; and\nhave the keys of hell and death.\u201d He had been condemned unjustly, but\nhad gone to a righteous judgment, where the decision was changed, and\nhe was justified; the penalty of death was removed, and he was made\nalive forevermore; hence, \u201che ever liveth to make intercession for us.\u201d\nHe had obtained justice. In this case, we have an assurance of a day\nbeing appointed in which God will judge the world in righteousness\nby that man whom he hath ordained. If God, after the death of Jesus,\njudged in the case of the great leader of all christians, and changed\nthe unrighteous sentence previously passed upon him, and justified him,\nwhy may we not expect him to judge all the world after death; and,\nwhere the righteous have been condemned, as has frequently been, and\nas will be, the case in this world, reverse the decision, and justify\nthem; and, on the other hand, where the guilty have been justified, the\ndecision changed, and they condemned.\n\nThere is not a more consoling sentiment on earth, to a righteous\nman, than that there is a day appointed when impartial justice will\ntake place. The Lord Jesus will judge among the nations, and mete\nout to them according to their works. The thought, that justice will\nnever take place, may be pleasing to rogues, and such a view might be\ncontended for with great zeal, on the part of those who know that a\nrighteous judgment must condemn them, and such as care not how deep\na stab they inflict upon the morals of the world; but to the man who\nmaintains a conscience void of offense toward God and man, and who\nintends, to the best of his ability, to deport himself righteously,\nnothing can be a higher satisfaction, than the doctrine, that all false\ndecisions will be reversed, and that a just and equitable sentence will\nbe passed upon all. Such a judgment we anticipate, and such judgment,\nwe are assured by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, will\ntake place.\n\n\n\n\nTHE GENEALOGY OF CHRIST.\n\n\nOne thing that has caused an apparent difficulty touching the genealogy\nof Christ, is, that inquirers are not aware of the fact, that Matthew\ntraces the genealogy of Joseph, from Abraham down, and that Luke\ntraces the genealogy of Mary up to Adam. Matt. i.; Luke iii. This\nwill account, in some degree, for the disagreement in names. They are\nevidently two distinct lines of genealogy, and the best authorities we\ncan appeal to at present, give Matthew\u2019s to Joseph and the other to\nMary, and it is clear to any one, that one descends and that the other\nascends.\n\nThe best evidence we can command, sustains the idea that Matthew wrote\nat an earlier date than Luke, and that he took his genealogy from the\nJewish records, from Abraham to Joseph, as the Jews would be willing\nto believe their own records; and, that when Luke wrote, Joseph\nhad been adopted into the family of Heli, (Eli, the same) Joseph\u2019s\nfather-in-law, some years, and, consequently, Luke copied the genealogy\nof Joseph through Heli, which was properly Mary\u2019s genealogy, up to Adam.\n\nThere are, however, difficulties in these genealogies, which, we\npresume, no one can reconcile; but Matthew and Luke are not accountable\nfor them, as they simply give these as the commonly received\ngenealogies, which those in the day when they had the records to appeal\nto, never disputed. Had the Jews been able to involve the Apostle and\nLuke in a contradiction, they, no doubt, would willingly have done it,\nbut this they could not do, without disputing their own records.\n\n\n\n\nADHERING TO THE BIBLE.\n\n\nNo man should go to the Bible, or the God of the Bible, to teach him\nwhat _man is_, or what he should be; but he should go to the Bible\nto learn what _he is_, what _he ought to be_, and what he ultimately\n_shall be_. He should not go to the Bible to show what it should teach,\nbut to learn what it does teach, for to this we shall all come in\nthe end, whether it is congenial with our desires or not. We intend,\ntherefore, to maintain it as it is, whether the number in favor of it\nis small or great. We intend to maintain the old distinction between\n_saint_ and _sinner_, vice and virtue, good and bad, with the same\nmeaning attached to them, regardless of all consequences. We shall\nspeak of men being saved and lost, happy and miserable, justified and\ncondemned, with the same ideas attached to the terms as heretofore,\nand sustained by all sound rules of interpretation, whether it shall\nbe considered sense or foolishness. We shall continue to use the Bible\nterms, rewards and punishments, life and death, heaven and hell, in the\nsame sense as we have been wont to do, knowing, as we do, that we are\nsupported by the whole canon of sound criticism, and we most solemnly\nadmonish all who fear God, against the glosses of that sickening and\nsupercilious affectation, that induces any man, for one moment, to\nhesitate to declare to his fellow man, in the most faithful manner, the\nterrible threatenings of the Almighty against the impenitent.\n\nLet no preacher shrink, in this age of sinfulness and pride; let no\nman of God be deterred by the ridicule of Universalists, by low wit of\nsceptics, or the vulgar mocking of atheists, from declaring the terrors\nof the Lord, for he says, \u201cThe Lord shall judge his people.\u201d \u201cIt is a\nfearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.\u201d \u201cWith lies you\nhave made the heart of the righteous sad, whom I have not made sad,\nand strengthened the hands of the wicked, that he should not return\nfrom his wicked way, _by promising him life_.\u201d \u201cIt is better to enter\ninto life having one eye, than having two eyes, to be cast into hell,\ninto the fire that shall never be quenched.\u201d \u201cThe rich man died, and in\nhell he lifted up his eyes, being in torment.\u201d Such is but a tithe of\nwhat abounds of this description throughout the New Testament. Is he a\nfriend to his God or his fellow man, who knows such language to abound\nin the word of God, and shuns to declare it to those who hear him?\n\n\n\n\nEXCHANGING PULPITS.\n\n\nWhat confidence would we have in the preacher who would exchange\npulpits with a priest of the Papacy, not only a member of the Romish\nChurch, but made such before he knew there was a God, or a Savior, an\nidolater, or an unregenerated man? The book of God forbids the saints\nfrom keeping company with such a man, or eating with him, or to bid\nhim God-speed. We can meet a Romish priest and treat him as a citizen,\nif he is one, a neighbor, or gentleman, but we do not know him as a\npreacher of Jesus, or as a teacher of saints, or as a Christian. He\nbears no such relations as these to us, and we recognize him in none of\nthese relations. In the same way, any man made a member of the church\nwithout any faith, or before he knew there was a church, or even a God,\nor who has had water sprinkled on him for baptism, is not in the body\nof Christ, and we feel kindly toward him as a fellow-creature, as a\ncitizen, neighbor or gentleman, if he is one, but we do not know him as\na preacher of Jesus, nor a teacher in the kingdom at all. We can extend\nto him all the amenities and courtesies of life as a fellow-creature,\ncitizen, neighbor, gentleman, etc., but we simply know him, not as a\npreacher of Jesus, or a teacher of the children of the kingdom. He is\nnot in the kingdom, and is not the man to perform any service there.\n\nThe first thing for him to do, is to submit to the divinely ordained\nprocess by which to enter the kingdom and become a citizen, according\nto the law of the Great King, and then he is ready to do any service\nfor which he is qualified in the kingdom. But he can not work in the\nkingdom till he is in it, and it is a sham, a pretense and hypocrisy\nto act toward him as if he were in the kingdom, an insincerity before\nthe people that leads to a false impression with some, and destroys the\nconfidence with others.\n\nSuch procedure is intended as a show of liberality, broad and liberal\nviews. But is it sincere? Is it candid? Is it honest? What is meant by\nit? If these men with whom you exchange pulpits are not in Christ, what\ndo you mean when you place them before the people as preachers of the\ngospel and teachers of the saints? Do you mean that in your expanded\nliberality you would act toward a man as if he were a brother and a\npreacher, when you know he is not in the kingdom at all, but if he\nwanted to become a member of the church, you would not receive him, or\ngive the right hand of fellowship till he was immersed? This will do\nfor people with no religious convictions, no settled principles and no\nlaw of God on which to act. They can act in this way or that as they\nthink will be popular, or suit the caprice of the people. But among\nmen with religious convictions, settled principles, and the law of God\nbefore them, it is only a want of principle, consistency, and regard\nfor the law of God. It is simply a manifest disrespect to the Majesty\nof heaven and earth, a bold, open showing that the law of God is\nignored, overlooked and disregarded, in courtesy to a man not in the\nkingdom at all, in deference to a man that was never initiated into\nthe body of Christ! This is openly trampling down the law of God and\nshowing contempt for it, in an empty show of liberality to those to\nwhom the grace of God is as free as any others, but who have never come\nin the Lord\u2019s appointments into the kingdom of God. We are as desirous\nto be courteous and liberal as anybody, but religious convictions,\nsacred principles, and last, though not least, the law of God must\nnot be ignored, overlooked, or treated with contempt. No good man\nwill respect any man for setting aside his religious convictions,\nprinciples, or the law of God.\n\n\n\n\nKIND OF PREACHERS AND PREACHING NEEDED.\n\n\nWe want no mere excitement about _a man_, nor _after a man_, who, as\nSimon the Sorcerer, induces the people to think that he is some _great\none_. We want the clear, solid and telling preaching of the gospel,\nenlightening the people in reference to our Lord, the way to him, and\nhow to serve him. We do not expect, as a general rule, to see much move\namong the people for the first ten days, but a gradual increase in the\naudience, the interest in the preaching and conversations about it; an\naccount of the people hunting up their Bibles, inquiring whether these\nthings are so, and occasional argument in reference to the matter. But\nafter due time and deliberation, persons begin to step forward and\nconfess Christ. While a good song is sung, everything in the assembly\nis solemn, and the impression deepens. While a few remarks are made\nof a solemn and impressive nature, and the confessions are taken, the\naudience sits in profound silence, in the deepest and most serious\nmeditation, and tears are seen to flow freely from many faces. The\naudience disperses, and quietly retires, as if from a funeral. This is\nwhat we mean by _gospel work_.\n\nWe want nothing sensational, no tricks, no comic performance; no\nprivate maneuvering to induce any one to promise, \u201cIf you will join,\nI will;\u201d no artifice to get round the people, come on them suddenly\nand surprise them. Come directly to the people from the start, and\nlet them know what you mean, and work directly to the one point\u2014the\nenlightenment and salvation of men. The man that can tell the story of\nthe cross, and of a Savior\u2019s love, in the most artless and unaffected\nmanner, lose sight of and forget himself in his theme most completely,\nwill accomplish the most in the Savior\u2019s name. May we learn and tell\nthe story of infinite compassion and love in all its fullness and\ncompleteness more successfully, with more faith and power than ever,\nand may we be enabled to bring souls to Christ more abundantly than\never.\n\n\n\n\nWHERE IS THE POWER?\n\n\nThe genuine power\u2014the power that will enable us to stand against all\nopposition and triumph at last\u2014is not in this man or that, money or\nlearning, talent or popularity, but in the _true position_. Learning is\nprofitable, if used wisely, as a help in finding and determining the\ntrue position; but the power is not in the learning nor talent. A man\nof very ordinary learning and talent may find the true position, stand\non and defend it. No matter what a man\u2019s learning, talent or popularity\nmay be, if he forsakes the truth, the right ground, if he undertakes\nto advocate false theories, it will become perfect weakness, and will\nbe swept away like chaff. If men desire to stand, let them not think\nof their own power, learning, popularity, or personal influence, and\ntalent, but of the _true ground_, \u201cthe right way of the Lord,\u201d and\ndepend on truth and the God of truth; never deviate from the truth,\nbut be faithful to it, maintain their integrity to it, and the God of\nall truth and righteousness will hold them up. They will realize that\nthe strength of the everlasting hills is underneath, and they cannot\nbe moved. If men who once knew the truth, begin to higgle, tamper and\ntrifle; if they, little by little, begin to show a want of integrity, a\nlack of moral honesty; a disposition to compromise with sectarianism;\nto ignore the distinctions between truth and error, the body of Christ\nand sectarian bodies; the way of the Lord and other ways, and finally\nbegin to abandon leading principles and leading points of teaching,\nthey will find their power gone and will soon amount to nothing. Many\nmen have, in this way, literally thrown themselves away, and others are\nnow going the same road.\n\nIf men desire to stand, they should seek the true ground, try to\nascertain and determine what the truth is; find, with certainty, the\n_true position_, and place themselves squarely in it; maintain and\ndefend it, not depending on _their own_ strength, learning, talent,\ninfluence or popularity, but on the truth; the _true position_; the\n_right way_. But some one is ready to inquire: \u201cHow can we find truth\nin the midst of so much error; the right way in the midst of so many\nways?\u201d This may be a little difficult to some. There is, however, one\nthing indispensable to it, and that is that a man receive \u201c_the love of\nthe truth_.\u201d This lies at the foundation of the whole matter. Men will\nnever be successful in finding, advocating, maintaining or defending\nthe truth, who have never \u201creceived the love of the truth;\u201d nor will\nthey succeed in abiding in the truth. This is the very ground-work\nof the whole matter. All a man\u2019s pretences of seeking the truth, are\nnothing but an empty sham, if he has not in him the love of the truth.\nHe must have in him \u201ca good and an _honest heart_,\u201d to constitute him\nthe \u201cgood ground\u201d in which the seed of the kingdom, the word of God,\nwill grow. But the man that loves the truth, desires it, longs for\nit, and has in him a good and honest heart, will make most diligent,\ncareful and critical search for it. He sets out, not to prove this\nor that; not to maintain this theory or that, but to find the _true\nground_\u2014the _truth itself_, \u201cas it is in Jesus\u201d\u2014and rarely fails to\nfind the desired object, the highly prized jewel, the most precious\ngem. The love of the truth has an influence on a man, in different\nways, in favor of his finding it, as follows:\n\n_First._ It leads him to make diligent search for it. A man will\ncertainly strive to find an object that he loves, and if he loves the\ntruth, he will make most diligent search for it.\n\n_Second._ It leads him to exercise the utmost discrimination, to\ndistinguish between truth and error, that he may not be imposed on and\ndeceived, and induced to think something is the truth that is not, and\nthus have a spurious article imposed on him.\n\n_Third._ The love of the truth has wonderful power over a man to cause\nhim to _retain it_. If he loves it he will not give it up.\n\nIf a man receives not the love of the truth, it affects him badly in\nthe following respect:\n\n_First._ He will exercise no diligence, to find it. He will not search\nfor it.\n\n_Second._ He will not be honest when it is presented to him, but will\nevade, cavil, quibble and mystify it if possible; kick up a dust to\nblind his own eyes, and thus keep him from understanding and receiving\nthe truth. The Lord will abandon such men to \u201cbelieve a lie, _because\nthey received not the love_ of the truth that they might be saved.\u201d\nThere are many men now who receive not the love of the truth that\nthey might be saved. They will never be enlightened or brought to the\nknowledge of the truth. The truth condemns them and they do not want\nit. They hate it and those who love it.\n\nTruth has one grand quality about it; the more you know about it,\nthe more clearly you see that it is the truth. It is like an honest\nman; the more you know about him, the more clearly you see that he is\nan honest man. The more you know about error, the more clearly you\nperceive it to be error. In the same way, the more you know about\ndishonest and heartless men the more clearly you see that they are\ndishonest.\n\nBe careful and occupy the right ground, the true position, and no man\ncan ever overthrow it, or prove it to be anything else but the true\nground. It is a great thing in favor of an army to take a _strong\nposition_.\n\nWe have taken the strongest position that can be taken, and if we fall\nback from that, no matter what we fall back to, we shall find it a\nweaker position. We have gone back to our Lord and looked up to him,\nand committed ourselves to him. He has given us a position and placed\nus on it. It is not _our_ position but _his_ position. We know it is\nright, because it came from him and is his. We have simply received\nhim, with all he said and did\u2014his holy and inspired apostles, with\nall they said and did. We have nothing of _our own_, but have received\nChrist and his gospel, the apostles of Christ, and the gospel of the\ngrace of God, which they preached; the teaching of Christ and his\napostles; all things as they came from this divine source, without\nanything added or taken away, anything more or less. None can find a\nposition above this. It is the highest ground that can be taken. The\ngospel which the apostles preached is right. The apostles\u2019 teaching for\nthe churches is right. This nobody denies. We have no position of _our\nown_, or doctrine of _our own_, but have taken precisely the position\nof the first Christians, and the teachings under which they were\nplaced, and no other. We, therefore, have nothing but our Lord, his\ngospel and teachings, as they emanated from himself and his inspired\napostles, and no position only the one on which they have placed us to\ndefend.\n\nWe are weak and can do but little. Let us not rely on _our own_\nposition, but the one the Lord has appointed; _our own_ views or\ntheories, but the clear teachings of our Lord and his apostles. Here is\nthe strength, and those who stand here will find the Lord of hosts with\nthem. We must plead for the Lord, the gospel, the teachings of Christ\nand the apostles, the ground on which they stood, maintain that and\nnothing else. Here is the power, and it is nowhere else.\n\n\n\n\nCOMMUNION.\n\n\nThe Lord gave the commemoration of his sufferings and death to _his\ndisciples_, and Paul, in Corinth, gave it to the congregation of the\nsaints, and not to any others. Those who are his disciples, who are in\nChrist, in the body, are communicants, and those not in Christ, are not\ncommunicants. We \u201cneither invite nor exclude,\u201d but show to whom the\nLord has given the communion, and that no others have any right to it,\nonly those in good standing in the body, and _give it to no others_.\n\nBut for any preacher or church to arrange _purposely_ for communion\nwith persons whom they know are not in Christ, not in the kingdom, and\ntry to blur over the clear violation of the law of the kingdom, as thus\ndeliberately arranged for, by defining the position of his church to be\nthat they \u201cneither invite nor exclude,\u201d is certainly a weak and shallow\ndevice. It is an attempt to ignore the very act by which we enter into\nunion with the Father and with the Son, as, also, the \u201cwhole family\nin heaven and on earth,\u201d\u2014immersion into Christ, into the name of the\nFather and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, under the sham pretext\nof a _union_ meeting, a _union_ communion. There is no _Christian\nunion_ in any meeting that intends to ignore the clear law of induction\ninto the kingdom of God. It is only a _union in disloyalty_ to the\nGreat King\u2014_ignoring his law_.\n\n\n\n\nWANDERING PILGRIMS.\n\n\nWe know of two or three wandering pilgrims that are now old men, of\ngood enough talent to have made a permanent record long ago, and yet\nreceived in doubt wherever they go, held in distrust, and, to say the\nleast, they have nothing that could be called a standing. To be safe,\nall the overseers in the church need do is simply to receive no man\ntill he produces clear evidence of good standing. Look back over the\nrecord and see where the men have gone to who have tried the _gospel\nof soul sleeping_. Where are Elias Shortridge, Wm. P. Shockey, Wm.\nS. Speer, J. K. Speer, Snooks, and others of the same ilk? and where\nare their works? A streak of desolation has followed in their train\nall the way. They have divided churches, set the people of God at\nvariance, and sown the seeds of discord. This is the kind of fruit that\nhas been gathered from their work. Look back over the ground and see\nwhat has followed every man that has stranded among us. Nothing but\nruin has followed. Men that stood fair, had line talent and valuable\nattainments, by some kind of departure or other, have gone, little by\nlittle, blaming those that loved them, and would, had it been in their\npower, have done anything to make them happy, till all is lost and\nthey feel averse to almost everything. This is what it brings to get\nrestless and dissatisfied with the plain truth of the Scriptures.\n\nThe race of some men is short, and the mischief they do is certain.\nThe ruin they bring to the churches is inevitable. Nothing is more\nimportant than that the churches should guard against false teachers.\nIn the place of being flattered that all is well, and that they mean\nall right, we should be on the lookout; watch all unscriptural words\nand phrases; every false move and pretence; every doubtful man and\nmeasure, and encourage that which is safe, sound and good. Make every\npublic man sensible that it is of importance to him, and to the cause,\nto be known to be sound in teaching; to hold fast the form of sound\nspeech that can not be condemned; to be entirely safe and reliable;\nto have a good record during his past history as a preacher. Make all\nour young men specially sensible of the importance to them to become\npermanent men, firm, decided and determined in their course. We want\nno milk-and-water men, a little this way and a little that, but men of\nsettled principles, religious convictions and reliable purposes. Be\ncareful who you \u201cindorse\u201d as preachers of the gospel. Men who want good\nindorsers should be good men.\n\n\n\n\nDEDICATION OF CHURCH EDIFICES.\n\n\nNothing is more common than reading of the dedication of the Temple\nby Solomon as appropriate on dedication occasions. Only a few short\nyears ago, a young brother of fine talent read of the dedication\nof the temple, and appropriated it to the occasion of dedicating a\nnew meeting-house. But this is a perversion of a very inexcusable\ncharacter. It loses sight of the significance of one of the most\nimportant types of the Old Testament. The temple was no type of\na meeting-house, nor was the dedication of the temple a type of\ndedicating a meeting-house. The Lord did not give us the minute\ndescription of the building of the temple and the dedication to show us\nhow to build _fine houses_ and _dedicate them_.\n\nThe temple was the type of the _spiritual building_; the _congregation\nof the saints, lively stones_, built together for an habitation of\nGod through the Spirit. This is the temple that God dwells in\u2014the\nhouse of God. The dedication of that ancient temple was typical of\nthe dedication, or the consecration of men and women to the service\nof God. The work of the Pope is to lose sight of the dedication, or\nthe consecration of men and women to the service of God, symbolized\nby the dedication of the temple, and turn the eyes of the people to\ngreat gatherings of people, to the flummery and parade of laying\ncorner-stones, dedicating houses, immense piles of stone, brick, wood\nand mortar, baptizing bells and furniture, etc., etc.; but this is no\nwork for the followers of Jesus, nor is there anything in it to put one\nin mind of our Lord.\n\nWe have no objection to holding a good meeting in a new house, setting\nthe congregation of the Lord in order, if it needs it in it, and\npreaching the gospel to the people of the world. But we see no use then\nin making a great ado about it, or thinking any more of it than a good\nmeeting in an old house. We do not like _extra occasions_. We like the\nregular worship appointed by the Lord, with every item from him, and\nnot an item not from him. We love the things of God, but nothing not of\nhim. We want no dedication occasions, nor any others not authorized in\nScripture. When a new house is built, go into it and use it precisely\nas you would if it had been there fifty years. What the Lord has\nappointed will occupy our whole minds and hearts and hands.\n\n\n\n\nTHE CHURCH IN THE WILDERNESS.\n\n\nThere was certainly an assembly or congregation in the wilderness,\nas mentioned by Stephen. Acts vii. 38; but this congregation or\nassembly in the wilderness was the nation, or the national assembly\nof Israel\u2014fleshly Israel. It consisted of the fleshly descendants of\nAbraham, as described in the language of God to Abraham, \u201cThose born\nin thy house,\u201d or the Jews. This congregation or assembly, the nation\nof Israel, or the Jews, was not the church, or body of Christ, but,\nas a body, it rejected Christ, persecuted him and instigated putting\nhim to death, persecuted his followers and the church he established.\nThose of whom the church on Pentecost was composed came out of that\nold persecuting church, abandoned it and \u201cwere added to them\u201d\u2014to the\napostles and the one hundred and twenty brethren\u2014the new church\u2014the\none the Lord said (Matt. xvi. 18), \u201cI will build.\u201d \u201cOn this rock I\nwill build my church\u201d\u2014the \u201cone new man\u201d (Eph. ii. 15), \u201cto make in\nhimself of twain one new man, so making peace.\u201d \u201cMan\u201d here is used\nfiguratively, and stands for _church_, and one _new_ man is one\n_new_ church. It is not the perpetuation of an _old_ church, Adamic,\nAbrahamic, Mosaic or any other, but to build _one new church_ was what\nthe Lord intended and accomplished.\n\nThe matter now is, not to be a descendant of Abel, nor of Abraham, nor\nJacob, or Israel; nor to be of any particular line of flesh and blood,\nbut to be born again\u2014born from above, born of God. \u201cThat which is born\nof the flesh is flesh; that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.\u201d\nThis new church has a new basis of membership, not in the flesh but\nin the Spirit, not in being born in the family of Abraham, but in the\nfamily of God, not in the first birth, but the second birth, not in a\nbirth of the flesh, but a birth of the Spirit, not founded in natural\ngeneration, but in regeneration, not children of God by blood, but \u201call\nthe children of God by faith in Christ Jesus.\u201d\n\nThis church in which we are \u201call the children of God by faith in\nChrist\u201d\u2014by virtue of a new creation, a birth of water and of the\nSpirit, is not the one in the wilderness, nor any other church,\ncongregation or assembly found before Pentecost, but it is the one the\nLord said, \u201cI will build,\u201d but which was not built when the Lord said\nthis; the one _new_ man, or _new_ church which the Lord made of the\ntwain, or the _two_, the Jews and the Gentiles. This is the \u201cone body\u201d\ninto which all were immersed in the time of the apostles\u2014the body\nof Christ\u2014the \u201ctemple of God,\u201d in which God and Christ and the Holy\nSpirit dwell. To be \u201cin Christ\u201d is to be in this _one body_, to be \u201cin\nthe kingdom of God,\u201d \u201cin the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of\nthe Holy Spirit,\u201d to be in union with the Father and with the Son, with\nthe whole family in heaven and on earth. To be in this one body brings\nus to all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ Jesus. This\nis the body or the church that Jesus loved, and for which he gave\nhimself, that \u201che might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of\nwater by the word\u201d\u2014\u201cthe church of the living God, the pillar and\nsupport of the truth.\u201d It is \u201cthe building of God,\u201d established\n\u201caccording to his eternal purpose\u201d to \u201cthe intent\u201d that \u201cto the\nprincipalities and powers in heavenly places may be made known by the\nchurch the manifold wisdom of God.\u201d See Eph. iii. 10.\n\n\n\n\nSOUND MEN.\n\n\nWhy do men regret to hear us say of a man, \u201cHe is a gospel man;\u201d \u201cHe\nis a sound man;\u201d \u201cHe is a New Testament man.\u201d It implies that there\nare some that are not \u201cgospel men,\u201d not \u201csound,\u201d not \u201cNew Testament\nmen.\u201d What if it does? Why need any man be troubled about that? Certain\nmen will be suspected of being unsound! Indeed! Must we shut our eyes\nand think contrary to what we know to be matter of fact, that all are\nsound? But, you imply that some are not sound! Certainly, and you imply\nthat some are not honest, when you put a lock on your stable, crib or\nsmoke-house, lock and bolt your doors at night, and when you will not\ntrust all men alike. When you say, \u201cI will trust him, his word is as\ngood as his note,\u201d you imply that some other man is not good\u2014that his\nword is not as good as his note.\n\nBut we tell you of A, B, C, D and E, that we have trusted, and they\nhave all paid, and we believe all are alike honest, and will pay.\nIf you are a business man, you will reply, \u201cYes, and I have trusted\nmany more than that, all of whom paid, but I have trusted a long list\nthat did not pay, and you need not preach to me that all will pay.\u201d\nSo referring to a few men who, on a few occasions preached the gospel\nfaithfully, does not prove that _all do this_, or even that _these few_\nalways do it.\n\nThat we have the men now who are making it a constant and prayerful\neffort to reproduce the gospel and all its fruits; to reproduce\nthe Church and all its blessings to man; to maintain all things as\ndelivered to us by Christ and his apostles, we rejoice to know. That\nwe have another class of men, who have no heart in this, and have even\nrepudiated the idea, we entertain not a doubt. Those determined to\nreproduce the gospel of Christ and all its fruits, the Church, and all\nits blessings to man, introduce no innovations; nothing new and foreign\nto destroy the peace of the children of God, and are the cause of no\ndissensions and no divisions. Those standing off are not from among\nthem. They will stand with God, with Christ, with the Holy Spirit, with\nthe things of God as set forth in Scripture. We stop not to count the\nnumber, whether great or small, nor to consider whether they shall be\npopular or unpopular, rich or poor. The only question is, are they of\nGod? Does God require that the gospel of his grace, as given by his Son\nand the apostles, shall be reproduced? Does he require that the church\nshall be reproduced? We maintain that he requires that the gospel, in\nall its entirety and completeness, shall be reproduced, and we shall be\nsatisfied with nothing short of it. He requires that the Church, in\nits entirety and completeness, shall be reproduced. These are matters\nsettled with us. The man whose heart is not in this work, and who aims\nnot at it, is not one with us, nor in sympathy with us.\n\n\n\n\nCHRISTMAS.\n\n\nWe do not believe that the 25th of December is the birthday of our\nLord. We have seen abundant reasons for this, and could adduce them, if\nthe importance of the matter required it, though we have not the works\nat hand now to refer to, as we think, settling the matter.\n\nThere is not an intimation of the first Christians making anything\nof the birthday of our Lord, observing it religiously in any way, or\nregarding it as a holiday, or a _holy day_ at all. This accounts for\nthe uncertainty about the day. If the first Christians had observed it,\nor in any particular way celebrated it, as the Jews did the Passover,\nthere never could have been any doubt about the day. Anti-christ is\ngreat on _holy days_, specially if, of his own appointment, or if some\npaganism is mixed in them. This was one source of corruption in the\nprimitive church\u2014the continual tendency to mix up pagan ceremonies\nand superstitions with the simple, pure and holy religion of our Lord.\nWorldly and carnal-minded men in the early ages conceived the idea of\npopularizing the religion of Christ and commending it to the world by\nmixing pagan ceremonies, customs and superstitions with it; adorning it\nwith philosophy and the pagan ideas of refinement. But all this only\ncorrupted and degraded it.\n\nThe Romish apostasy now has some forty _holy days_ in a year, and\nas many human laws about observing them, while those involved in\nit gormandize, drink, revel and gamble on the _Lord\u2019s day_, and\nthus encroach upon the laws of a civilized and enlightened people.\nProtestants are patronizing them in this, and recognizing their\n_holy days_, and at the same time making nothing of celebrating the\nsufferings of our Lord, on the first day of every week, as all history\nassures us was the practice of the first church! Instead of recognizing\nthe glorious resurrection of our Lord, in the assembling on the first\nday of the week, they talk of the _Sabbath_, and instead of \u201cthe\ncommunion of the blood and body of the Lord\u201d\u2014the commemoration of\nhis great sufferings for us, they listen to a pitiful ditty called \u201ca\nsermon,\u201d and then put on long faces and keep Christmas, Good Friday,\nEaster, etc., not named in the law of God at all, but derived from\npaganism. If we had no other objection to sectarianism but this,\nwe would stand clear. People who see nothing in \u201cthe first day of\nthe week\u201d\u2014\u201cthe Lord\u2019s day\u201d\u2014but _Sabbath_, or _rest_, and see not\nthe importance of celebrating the Lord\u2019s death, commemorating his\nsufferings, in obedience to some of his last instructions, such as the\ninjunction, \u201cDo this till I come\u201d\u2014\u201cDo this in memory of me\u201d\u2014need to\nbe enlightened before they can be regarded as worshipers in any true\nsense, under Christ. This is the very life, the heart, the soul, and if\nit be left out, all is a sham, an empty pretence\u2014nothing. The question\nis not about Christmas, Good Friday, nor Easter, of Romish and pagan\nauthority, but of \u201cthe Lord\u2019s day,\u201d and \u201cthe communion of the blood and\nbody of the Lord,\u201d having the supreme and absolute authority of the\nGreat King.\n\n\n\n\nPREACHERS BELONGING TO NO CHURCH.\n\n\nWe think it is quite proper for men who belong to no church to make it\nknown, and then if people want to uphold such anarchy, disorderly men,\nas preachers of the gospel, they can do so with a clear understanding.\nIf preachers can live out of any church and do the will of God, other\npeople can do the same. This is not all nor the worst of it. These men\nclaim not only that they can live out of any church and do the will\nof God, but they claim that they can do more good out of any church\nthan in one. This only needs to be run out to its legitimate result to\nsee the absurdity of it. Outside of _any church_ is not only outside\nof churches of human device, but outside of the church of the living\nGod, the pillar and support of the truth. The Lord has established one\nchurch, one body, one kingdom. He gave himself for that church. He\nbuilt it on the rock. He sanctified and cleansed it with the washing of\nthe water by the word. He made one new man, so making peace, or _one\nnew church_. It is the Lord\u2019s _one flock_ of which he is the one\nShepherd; the temple of God, in which God, Christ, and the Holy Spirit\ndwell; the kingdom which we have received that _can not be moved_.\nOutside of _any church_ is outside of _this church_. Outside of this\nchurch is the world, and inside of it is the kingdom of God\u2014all\nspiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ.\n\n\n\n\nA CHOIR.\n\n\nWe find some brethren call a few members of the church who sit\ntogether and lead the singing a choir. This is no choir in the popular\nsense, nor is it at all objectionable, specially if the singing is so\nconducted that the members generally sing. But this is not the meaning\nof choir. The choir in a church is composed of artistic performers,\nwho _sing for the church_; sing difficult pieces that the masses can\nnot sing, _for music_ and _musical display_, to attract, entertain and\ngratify the people\u2014to charm them with _music_. These are _professional\nsingers_, chosen without any regard to their piety, and frequently\nwithout any regard to their moral character. They sing to show how they\ncan sing, amuse and entertain.\n\n\n\n\nCOURTESY IN FELLOWSHIP.\n\n\nAny man who is a christian, or is in Christ, can be received into the\nfellowship of the church. If a man is not a christian, not in Christ,\nhe can not, in any consistency, be received into the church or into\nthe pulpit. We would not give much for any man\u2019s principles, who can\nset them aside for a little act of _courtesy_, or a little pretence\nof _liberality_. It is nothing but a sham, an empty pretence and\nhypocrisy, to receive a man into the pulpit, and recognize him before\nthe people, to whom you would not give the right hand of fellowship.\n\nIt is liberality to allow every man the same liberty you enjoy, but\na sham, a pretence and hypocrisy to recognize him as a preacher of\nJesus, when you do not believe he is in Christ, and would not give\nhim the right hand of fellowship and take him into the church. Nor is\nit _courtesy_ to receive such a man into the stand as a preacher, but\n_hypocrisy_. A man who is in Christ is a brother, and, if a preacher of\nChrist, may be received as such, in good faith. Such an one has a right\nto all the privileges of the body of Christ, by virtue of being in it.\nBut the man who ignores the law of the King, and recognizes persons who\nare not in Christ as brethren, christians and preachers, instead of\ndisplaying a broad liberality, an extended charity, shows that he has\nno settled principles\u2014that he disregards principles and law.\n\nWho ever thought a Mason or an Odd Fellow was discourteous for not\nrecognizing a man as a Mason who did not belong to the order? Certainly\nno man of intelligence. They have their initiation, and without it you\nare not in the order, and they do not recognize you, charitably or\nuncharitably.\n\n\n\n\nPRAISE GOD BY SINGING.\n\n\nWe never heard Dr. Knox announce a song to be sung in public, while we\nwere with him in Prince Edward Island, when he did not say, distinctly\nand very audibly, \u201cWe will praise God by singing,\u201d etc. This opens out\nwith the right idea. How grand and sublime to _praise God_ in song! We\nought to sing in worship, not for music, or even fine singing, but to\n_praise God_, to _worship_ the Lord our God as an act of _devotion_\nto God. We ought not to enter into it with the heart set on _music_,\neither instrumental or any other sort, but on God and our gracious and\nmerciful Lord Jesus the Christ. The words ought to be read frequently\nand a few words of comment on them, calling attention to the _sense_,\nthe praises, thanksgiving and supplications. Then people who know not\nGod will see, as many christians appear to fail to see, the propriety\nof the word in one of our hymns: \u201cLet those refuse to sing who never\nknew our God.\u201d It is a contradiction of all common sense of the very\nmeaning of the worship in song, for those who never knew God, or who\nnever even professed to be christians or tried to turn to God, to say\nnothing of vile characters, to attempt to enter in the worship in song.\n\nWe care not how well people sing if they praise God, give thanks and\npour out their souls to him. Enter into the song with heart and soul,\nand sing out with full voices, enraptured with the _theme_ of the song,\nHim whose praises they sing, the salvation he graciously gives and the\nimmortality he proposes to bestow. The theme of the song is the great\nmatter. To sing with the spirit and the understanding is commanded,\nand to teach and admonish in singing is also commanded. The main body\nof the singing now done is not with the spirit nor the understanding,\nnor is anything _taught_ or any one _admonished_. This is _no worship_.\nSinging merely to make music is no more worship than performing on a\npiano or violin.\n\n\n\n\nCHRIST WILL COME.\n\n\nBut that Christ will come\u2014\u201cthat same Jesus\u201d\u2014as literally as he was\nseen go up into heaven from Mount Olivet, we entertain not one doubt.\nThat the dead will be raised and pass the final judgment, after which\nthe wicked will go away into everlasting punishment\u2014into the fire of\n_gehena_, where the worm dies not and the fire is not quenched, at the\nsame time that the righteous enter into life eternal\u2014we entertain not\none doubt. These are clear and awful matters of divine revelation, and\nthe main matters to set forth and enforce on men, and not theories\n_about_ these great matters. Is it true that a man may \u201close his\nown soul?\u201d that a man may be \u201ccast into hell?\u201d that \u201cboth soul and\nbody\u201d may be \u201cdestroyed in hell?\u201d that wicked men \u201cshall go away into\neverlasting punishment?\u201d that they may be \u201ctormented day and night,\nforever and ever?\u201d Is it true that God \u201chas appointed a day in which\nhe will judge the world in righteousness, by that man whom he has\nordained; of which he has given assurance to all men, in that he has\nraised him from the dead?\u201d Beyond all question, it is true. In raising\nJesus from the dead, God has given assurance to all men that he will\njudge the world in righteousness. The assurance that God will judge the\nworld in righteousness is the reason for repentance. He commands all\nmen, everywhere, to repent, because he has appointed a day in which he\nwill judge the world in righteousness.\n\n\n\n\nONE RELIGION.\n\n\nIs there one true and divine religion in the world? The answer of the\npeople in this country generally is, that there is. Touching this\nanswer we entertain not a doubt. There is in this world one religion\nfrom God, and of supreme and absolute authority. It covers the whole\nground, and leaves not the least room for any other. All others are\ndepartures from it, corruptions of it, or amalgamations with something\nelse. That one religion was given by Christ and his apostles. Christ\nis the Author of it. He is the Alpha and the Omega\u2014the Beginning and\nthe Ending. \u201cAll authority in heaven and on earth is given to him.\u201d\nHis religion, and no other, has the divine, the supreme, and the\nabsolute authority in it. There is not one particle of divine authority\nin any other. All others are usurpations, existing in antagonism and\nrebellion, and will be overthrown.\n\nThe Papal religion is a compound, or an amalgamation of Judaism,\nChristianity and Paganism, the latter, by far, preponderating. Its\ngreat love for, and attachment to the Latin, is in deference to\nPaganism. While it contains some truth, and some parts of the religion\nof Christ, it can not be said, in truth, to be _that religion_.\nIt is another, a departure, an apostasy; beyond recovery, and the\ndivine command to the people of God involved in it, is to \u201cCome out\nof her, that you be not partaker of her sins, and that you receive\nnot of her plagues.\u201d Rev. xviii. 4. God says, \u201cHer sins\u201d (the sins\nof Mystery Babylon) \u201chave reached to heaven, and God has remembered\nher iniquities.\u201d This iniquitous system, as a distinct religion, was\nnot in the world for ages after the true religion was established. We\nneed inform no one a little acquainted with the New Testament, that\nno such being as the Pope was in the church, nor in the world, in the\ntime of the apostles; nor does he appear in the early history of the\nchurch at all. We might as well look into the Bible or early history\nfor an account of Mohammed, or the Mormon prophet, as for the Pope.\nNeither the Pope nor Mohammed appear at all in history, for hundreds\nof years after the establishment of the only true religion. Nor was\nthere a Cardinal or an Archbishop, during the same period. These\ndignitaries were not _developed_ till long after the founding of the\nNew Institution. The entire priesthood of the Papacy, as now found, as\nalso the Nuns and Sisters of Charity, are wanting in all the history,\nand, we may safely say, in everything written in the early centuries.\nThere is not a trace of them in the Bible, except in prophecy, nor in\nany writing, for hundreds of years after the apostles. This any man\nknows who has read and reflected at all.\n\nThe idea of the Papacy existing, except in embryo, insidiously coming\nup, without a Pope, a Cardinal, an Arch-bishop, a Bishop, a Priest, a\nNun, or Sister of Charity, for centuries after Christ, is one of the\nmost preposterous things ever imposed on the credulity of mankind. Yet\nthe very mention of these dignitaries is lacking in all the writings of\nseveral of the early centuries, either in the Bible or out of it. There\nis not a trace of them in any writing of the period of which we speak,\nJewish, Christian, Infidel or Pagan. There is nothing clearer than that\nthe Papal religion came up too late to have the least claim to be the\ntrue religion. The same is true of the Mohammedan religion. The true\nreligion was in the world long centuries before Mohammedanism had an\nexistence. It was born too late to be the true religion.\n\nThe true religion was born in Jerusalem. The Papacy was born in\nRome. Rome has been its seat\u2014its Eternal City. It did not begin in\nJerusalem, but in Rome. Mohammedanism was not born in Jerusalem, but in\nMecca. It did not originate with Jesus but with Mohammed. A religion\nnot known till hundreds of years after Christ and his apostles, most\nunequivocally is not the true religion. We need not trouble the reader\nwith the mention of any religion, born at a later date, in another\nplace, or originating with another person. Such a religion certainly\nhas no claim to be the true one. The true religion originated with\nJesus, in Jerusalem, and in the time of Christ and the apostles. Any\nreligion that did not originate with Jesus, in Jerusalem, and in the\ntime of Christ and the apostles, and that does not appear in the\naccounts found on the pages of the New Testament, nor any writings of\nthe first three centuries, is out of the question. If the very name of\nany religion, the person with whom it originated, and other important\nmatters connected with it, are not found in the Bible, nor a trace of\nit in history for hundreds of years after Christ, it is out of the\nquestion.\n\nIs there any way to determine what the true religion is? Is it anywhere\ndistinctly set forth, revealed and embodied in writing, so that we can\nfind it separate from everything else? It is distinctly set forth by\nChrist and his apostles, separate from everything else. They revealed\nit as complete religion in itself, containing all things necessary to\nlife and godliness\u2014the final the last will of God to man. It is the\nculmination, the embodiment and consummation of infinite wisdom and\ngoodness in one religion, for all nations of men that dwell on all\nthe face of the earth. Can we find it? Can we tell what it is? Can we\npractice and enjoy it? We claim that we can find it, practice it and\nenjoy it. Can we determine what it requires us to believe, what it\nrequires us to do, and what it promises us? If we have to say no to\nall this, we are in a deplorable condition truly. But we claim that we\ncan find the true religion, determine what it is, practice and enjoy\nit; that we can determine what it requires us to believe, what it\nrequires us to do, and what it promises us. This being so, there is\nnot an excuse for any man being irreligious, taking up with a wrong\nreligion, thinking that something is the true religion that is not,\nbelieving something that it does not require, doing something it does\nnot command, or hoping for something it does not promise.\n\nThere is one book in which the religion of Christ is set forth. That\none book is the Bible. In that book the one religion, the only true\nreligion, is set forth; set forth correctly by the unerring Spirit of\nall revelation and all divine wisdom. Not another religion is found in\nthat book, now in force. No man goes to that book to find an account\nof the Pope, a Cardinal, or an Archbishop of the Papal type. No man of\nintelligence goes there to find an account of Mohammed, or the Koran.\nNo man of intelligence goes to the Bible to find an account of the\nChurch of England, its origin, rise, or any part of its history. No\nman goes to the Bible to find an account of Lutheranism, its origin,\nrise, or any part of its history. There never was a Lutheran before\nMartin Luther lived, in the sixteenth century. No man goes to the Bible\nto find an account of the origin of Presbyterianism. There never was\na Presbyterian before John Calvin. No man goes to the Bible to find\nthe origin, rise, or any part of the history of Methodism. There never\nwas a Methodist before John Wesley. We do not go to the Bible to find\nan account of George Fox, Ann Lee, Joe Smith, etc.; nor of Quakerism,\nShakerism, or Mormonism. These persons are not Bible characters, and\nthese religions are not Bible religions. They came not into existence\ntill long ages after the last words of the Bible were written. The true\nreligion had been in the world ages before these were born. This ends\nall controversy about their claims to be the true religion. The true\nreligion was a finality. In its closing words it forbids any addition.\n\nThere is not an item in any religion in the world that is right that\ndid not come from the Bible. All parties admit that all that comes\nfrom the Bible is right, and all that does not come from the Bible is\nwithout authority. Their differences are about what is not in the Bible\nand not about what is in the Bible. They all believe the Bible, but\nthey do not believe what each other have in their other books that\nis not in the Bible. It is not the Bible that makes the Baptists,\nfor there is nothing in the Bible about the Baptists, and then the\nEpiscopalians have the Bible and believe it as much as the Baptists\ndo, and it does not make them Baptists. It is not the Bible that makes\nEpiscopalians, for the Presbyterians have the Bible and believe it as\nmuch as the Episcopalians do, and it does not make them Episcopalians.\nIt is not the Bible that makes Presbyterians, for there is nothing in\nthe Bible about Presbyterians, and then the Methodists have the Bible\nand believe it as much as the Presbyterians do, and it does not make\nthem Presbyterians.\n\nThe movement about the beginning of this century was not to establish\na new church, or a new religion, but to return to the Lord, find the\nold religion and the old church; receive, believe and practice what the\nold religion, as set forth in Scripture, requires, and nothing else.\nNo movement can go back of this, nor rise above it, if it does what it\nclaims. What remains for us, is to stand to it, maintain it and carry\nit out practically and faithfully.\n\n\n\n\nA. CAMPBELL\u2019S SUCCESSORS AND CRITICS.\n\n\nSome fifteen years ago a few of our more advanced men gradually\ncommenced opening up to our benighted minds, the fact, that A. Campbell\nwas not the great man we had thought he was; that he was not the\nscholar we had thought; that some of his chief ideas were erroneous,\nand that we should have much trouble in _undoing_ what he had _done\nwrong_. We were growing up many young men, and being illiterate and\nunlearned, we knew not but we had over estimated A. Campbell, and\nthat some mighty men were rising among us, that would throw him in\nthe shade. But we had one comfort all the time, and that was that we\nwere not alone in the opinion that A. Campbell was a man of superior\nlearning and parts. We noticed that he attracted the fire of the great\nguns of the infidels, the Universalists, the Roman Catholics, the\nMethodists, the Presbyterians, and sectarians in general. He attracted\nthe attention of the great men of Christendom, distinguished the hills\nof Bethany, and gave them a name that will extend down to the end of\nthe ages. No man on this continent called forth anything like the same\namount of attention he did, for the space of forty years. It was not a\nmere fortuity that gave him notoriety, but sound learning, correct and\nabundant information, persistent and determined work, with a fixed and\nsettled purpose, to which he addressed the energies of his life. He was\na mighty man in the highest sense, and to this the impression he made\non the people of this great country, will testify till the Lord shall\ncome.\n\nWe have been amused with two classes of men among us. Those of one\nclass were adjusting themselves for the mantle of A. Campbell to fall\non them when he would depart. Had that mantle fallen on one of them,\nhe would have appeared like a boy with his father\u2019s great coat on\u2014it\nwould have fit nowhere. The other class are finding his errors and\ngoing beyond him. But it is remarkable, that in almost every instance,\nthese _advanced_ men prove to be wrong themselves. Instead of their\ndiscovering some _new truth_, they resurrect some _old error_. We do\nnot think it is advancing very far ahead of A. Campbell to resuscitate\nthe Romish and Restorationist idea of an obscure Scripture. We\nfrequently think of the man\u2019s invention, that claimed that he could\ngrow sheep _without wool_\u2014it is more curious than profitable.\n\nIt is not _inventive_ genius we need in the Church, nor _explorers_ to\n_invent_ something new, or to _make discoveries_; but we need humble\nand honest men, who know and love the truth, and will press it on the\nworld. We know humble men, of but limited talent and information, who\nare building up churches, reforming men and women, and bringing them to\nGod. We know also men of considerable learning and talent, who do not\nturn a bare dozen to the Lord in a year, and who build up no churches\nnor anything else, but who are starting subtleties, speculations and\nquestions to no profit, but only tend to subvert the hearer. Why can\nmen not be content with the plain truth, the precious truth that makes\nmen wise to salvation, through faith in Christ? It is easily learned,\neasily preached and readily believed and obeyed to the salvation of\nthe soul. It is for the people, the whole people, and adapted to them.\nThe kind of greatness we need, is that which manifests itself in\npreaching great truth in plain and easy terms, and bringing it to the\ncomprehension of the people. The command is, and will be till the Lord\ncomes, \u201cPreach the word.\u201d\n\n\n\n\nAUTHORITY OF A SINGLE CONGREGATION.\n\n\nA single congregation of the Lord in any community can administer\nand execute the work of the Lord in all its parts. This is true\nof every congregation. When assembled it is a divinely-authorized\nbody to act in the matters of the kingdom of God. There is no other\ndivinely-authorized body on earth to act in the matters of the kingdom\nof God. This body is under the old commission from the Lord: \u201cObserve\nall things whatever _I have commanded you_.\u201d\n\n\n\n\nCLASSIFICATION OF MISSIONARY MEN.\n\n\nWe have been trying to classify our missionary men, so that we can\nthink of them with intelligence. We put them down as follows:\n\n_First._ Men who go ahead and preach, and continue on preaching. These\nare missionary men in the true sense.\n\n_Second._ Men that contribute liberally of their substance to support\nthose who are devoted to preaching, and see that their money goes to\nthe men that do the work. These are missionary men also in the true\nsense.\n\n_Third._ Men who _devise plans_, inaugurate missions, and call on other\npeople to give the money, stand ready where the money comes out, or at\nthe missionary box, to catch it, and propose, when they get $10,000,\nto send _somebody to preach_! These may be great on _devising_,\n_planning_ and _inaugurating_; but we can not work ourself into the\nbelief that they are _missionary men in the true sense_. We want to\nsee some proposition for _them to go_; and we want to know that they\nare _going_. This hanging on to rich churches and fine salaries, and\nproposing to receive the _money of the people_, and send somebody to\npreach, is not \u201cthe Lord\u2019s plan,\u201d nor any other that will stand in the\nday of judgment.\n\nThe people of God can find plenty of good preachers whom they know to\nbe worthy, who are devoted to preaching the gospel, and not ruining or\ncorrupting it, to whom they can apply all they can give, and not have a\ndollar consumed by secretary, or any \u201cmiddle man,\u201d but all will go to\nthe laborer who is worthy of his hire\u2014to the man that does the work.\nThe means thus given will do four times as much work as if sent through\nso many hands, and all go as intended by the donor. The work is not a\n_local work_, and needs no concentration of funds, but is at the door\nof every man, and the way is open for every man that has it in him to\ndo anything, to do according to the ability that the Lord gives.\n\n\n\n\nINFLUENCE OF THE DANCE.\n\n\nOne dancing-master in a community, with some concessions of a preacher\nwho has an easy conscience on the follies of the age, a little in his\nfavor, with one saw of his bow across the strings of an old fiddle,\nwill inveigle a whole community of wild and thoughtless young people\ninto the dance and hold them there half a night, and not one of them\nwill complain of the _long meeting_. Restraining these influences is\nnot so easy. It requires a combined effort of all the godly. We have\ndone all we could to restrain those terrible demoralizing influences,\nand a noble band of as true men and women as live have stood by us and\nencouraged us by extending their patronage and words of comfort. Truly\nare we thankful to these and to the Lord who has put it into their\nhearts to do what they have to aid us. We have this consciousness, that\nto the best of our ability we have done our part. We have tried all\nthe time to exercise the best wisdom we could, and have continually\nimplored the Lord for wisdom and strength to perform the difficult part\nof the work, in the providence of God committed to our hand.\n\n\n\n\nNO MODIFICATION OF THE DIVINE PLAN.\n\n\nNo modification of principle has ever made any impression on our\nmind, only the impression that he who proposes it, is ready for\n_back-sliding_. There are some principles that are self-evidently\nright. They _can not be modified_. We may depart from them, but can\nnot modify them. The law of God is supreme in its authority. It is\nabsolute. Those of us who have taken it can stand by and maintain it,\non the one hand, or depart from it on the other. We can not change it\nor modify it. There are but two things for men to do, who are not under\nthe law of God. One is to come under the law. The other is to reject\nit. There are also but two things for those who have come under it. One\nis to observe it. The other is to abandon it.\n\nWe are thankful to be assured that the great body of those who have\ncome under the law of the Great King, are well pleased with him and\nhis law. They regard it as holy, just and good, and regard every man\nwho departs from it _untrue_. The _true_ stand by it, and the _untrue_\ndepart from it.\n\nBut, we have a few claims to put in for the law of King Jesus, and we\nwant the attention of our _liberal_ men to these claims:\n\nWe claim for the law of King Jesus that it is most magnanimous and\n_liberal_. It excels in its _liberality_ all laws ever published. It\noffers citizenship to all who will come and be naturalized, with full,\nfree and equal rights. It offers to all, the privilege of becoming\nchildren in the heavenly family by _adoption_, and makes them all heirs\nof God and joint heirs with Christ, on the _same terms_. It offers the\nsame pardon and on the same terms to all the world. It offers the same\ndivine designations to all, the same gospel, and the same spirit of\nlife; the same Bible, and the same law for all. The same grace of God\nhas appeared to all men. God is no respecter of persons, but he who\nfears and works righteousness is accepted with him. It has the same\nliberal terms of union and communion for all who come to God.\n\n\n\n\nONE WAY TO GOD.\n\n\nWe will, for the sake of the inexperienced, state the argument. When\nwe set forth _the way_, as laid down in Scripture, we are in the\naffirmative\u2014must show it to be _the way_, maintain and defend it. When\n_some other way_ is affirmed, we affirm nothing and have nothing to\nprove, but simply deny. It is no part of our work to prove that there\nis no other way. We simply have nothing to prove. Let him who affirms\nthat there is some other way prove it. Call on him for his proof, and\nin default of any proof he loses the case. He trusts his soul, and\ntries to induce others to trust their souls, on another way, for which\nhe can bring no proof. This is the \u201cvantage ground.\u201d _The way_ is in\nthe Bible, and can be easily pointed out. _Another way_ is not in it,\nand can not be pointed out. Let him try it who pleases\u2014it simply _can\nnot be done_. Charitable or uncharitable, narrow or broad, liberal or\nilliberal, _another way_ can not be pointed out in the book of God.\n\nLet there be no cavil. We are speaking of gospel subjects, and the way\nset forth for them to come to God.\n\n\n\n\nPOPULAR UNION MEETINGS.\n\n\nSuppose a modern popular revivalist such as Mr. Moody, in one of his\ngreat meetings should tell his audience that he would read the great\ncommission of our Lord to his apostles, and proceed to read as follows:\n\n\u201cGo you, therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them into the name\nof the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit; teaching them to\nobserve all things whatever I have commanded you.\u201d\n\n\u201cGo you into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. He\nthat believes and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believes not\nshall be damned?\u201d\n\nThen, suppose he should follow this up with the words of Peter, in\nreply to the three thousand on Pentecost, when they inquired, \u201cWhat\nshall we do?\u201d when he said, \u201cRepent, and be baptized every one of\nyou in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and you\nshall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit,\u201d or that he should also\nquote the instructions of Ananias to Saul: \u201cWhy do you tarry? Arise,\nand be baptized, and wash away your sins, calling on the name of the\nLord;\u201d what think you would become of the great union meeting and the\nwonderful co-operation of so many parties? They would disperse almost\nas rapidly as the Jews did from our Lord when he overthrew the tables\nof the money changers and drove them out of the temple. They would hear\nhim no more.\n\nThese great union meetings, in which many of different parties unite\nand co-operate, put a part of the word of God\u2014the language of the\nSpirit of God\u2014on the same level with their partisan peculiarities and\nopinions, and ignore all together, the human and the divine! They make\nno difference between the human and divine, in ignoring, but simply\nignore the matters in which they do not agree, no matter whether human\nor divine. We make this difference; _we ignore all that is human_, and\n_recognize all that is divine_. The true union ground is _the divine_.\nWe are not to unite simply on what we agree about. We may agree in\nthe wrong\u2014the erroneous\u2014the false. The true ground is to ignore\neverything that did not come from God, and recognize everything that\ndid come from God. The entire revelation from God to man is that on\nwhich to unite. All included in that is of supreme authority, and all\nnot included in that is of no authority at all.\n\nMen may join in union meetings, co-operate in them or unite permanently\nin them, but so long as they are alliances, leagues or confederations,\nin an understood, settled and persistent ignoring of clear instructions\nfrom the Lord in reference to the way of salvation, the approbation of\nthe Lord will not be there. It matters nothing about the number that\nunite in these meetings, nor the variety of different parties, nor how\nmany conversions may be claimed, the approbation of the Lord is not\nthere so long as his authority is ignored in deference to people that\ndo not receive it.\n\nThese meetings, the different parties pushing into them, and the\nvarious preachers participating in them, are simply demonstrations of\nthe confused state of the public mind. Neither the preachers nor the\npeople are settled. They are out at sea and ready for anything new, or\nanything better, but know not where to find it. They have become so\nbewildered that they can trust in almost anything, except the clear\nrevelation of God. Whatever a man thinks is right, that is right to\nhim, unless he thinks _the law of God is right_. They can not admit\nthat that is right if a man _does think it is right_! But _it is\nright_, whether they think it is right or not, and will be right for\never and ever.\n\n\n\n\nWHERE IS THE ARMY OF THE LORD?\n\n\nWhere, then, is the army of the Lord? It is not in an aggregated body,\nsome vast assembly headed by great clergymen, making display and show,\nof imposing ceremonies and vast assemblies. Like the ancient disciples,\nthey are \u201cscattered abroad,\u201d and are going \u201ceverywhere preaching\nthe word.\u201d In their humble homes, their neighborhoods, among plain\nand sincere people, they are sowing the good seed of the kingdom of\nGod, training their children in the way of the Lord, and, by their\ngodly lives, personal influence and pious instructions, spreading the\nknowledge of God, and building up congregations. These are scattered\nin all these States, and in all the principal Territories in our\ncountries. Some of them are found in all the British Provinces, except\nNewfoundland, in America, in England, Ireland and Scotland, in Wales and\nAustralia, as also in Jamaica. If we could enumerate these, we should\nfind a larger army of them than many think. All of these, true to\ntheir principles, and at work where the work is in their reach, and\nmost convenient to them, and so far as they, in any respect, promote\nthe work, advance the cause, and build up the kingdom of God, they are\nco-operating in the same great work of _saving man_, and are \u201c_laborers\ntogether_ with God.\u201d Their work is \u201cassociated effort\u201d in spreading\nthe knowledge of God, and filling the world with his glory. They are\n_standing together_ as one man, and \u201cstriving for the hope of the\ngospel.\u201d\n\n\n\n\nFUTURE SUCCESS OF THE LORD\u2019S ARMY.\n\n\nWe believe that the heart of the great body is true as ever, and\nthat the army is stronger than ever, and there never was a greater\ndetermination to maintain every word that proceeds out of the mouth\nof the Lord, than at the present time. A vast army of young men are\nrising, true as ever lived, determined to maintain their ground, and\nwill maintain it till the last. The pens of many are already employed,\nand many more are ready for the conflict. Thousands of preachers are in\nthe field fighting the battle, and more are coming, and the ground will\nbe maintained every inch. The Almighty Arm is underneath and will carry\nthe work on.\n\n\n\n\nFEET WASHING.\n\n\nThere is no evidence in Scripture, or in any early writing, of any such\npractice as _washing feet_, in time of worship, or associated with\nworship, either public or private, as a religious rite, an ordinance,\nan act of devotion, or in any other way. There is no intimation that\nthe washing of the saints\u2019 feet alluded to, I. Tim. v. 10, was a\nreligious rite, or an ordinance connected with worship, any more than\nlodging strangers. It is put down in the list of \u201cgood works,\u201d and not\nreligious rites or devotions.\n\nIn like manner, the feet washing mentioned, John xiii. 1-10, was not\nin time of worship, nor at the time of the Passover, but \u201cbefore the\nfeast of the Passover,\u201d and after supper, or \u201csupper being ended,\u201d he\n\u201crose from supper and laid aside his garments, and took a towel, and\ngirded himself.\u201d This was not in _public_ at all, but in the _private\ncircle_. It was not in a meeting, nor in time of worship at all, but\nafter a common meal. The washing of feet was not a new thing with them,\nnor were any surprised at _feet washing_, for it was common, and a\n_necessity_. That which was new about it, was for the Lord and Master\nto wash the servants\u2019 feet. Had the order been for the servant to wash\nthe Master\u2019s feet, there would have been nothing new to them in it. But\nthey were abashed at the idea of their Lord and Master washing their\nfeet. With this view, Peter said, \u201cLord, dost thou wash my feet?\u201d\nThe Lord responded, \u201cWhat I do you know not now; but you shall know\nhereafter.\u201d Peter persisted, not against _feet washing_, but against\n_the Lord_ washing _his feet_. \u201cThou shalt never wash my feet.\u201d\n\nIf washing the saints\u2019 feet had been a religious rite connected with\nthe communion, how could Paul have omitted it, when giving that which\nhe received of the Lord? See I. Cor. xi. 20-34. He says, \u201cI received\nof the Lord that which I delivered to you.\u201d He then proceeds to tell\nus what it was. See I. Cor. xi. 23-25. This was instituted on \u201cthe\nsame night in which the Lord was betrayed.\u201d The occasion of the feet\nwashing (John xiii. 1-10) was not on \u201cthe same night in which the Lord\nwas betrayed,\u201d but \u201cbefore the feast of the Passover.\u201d The feast of the\nPassover was over before the communion was instituted. We think the\nfollowing is true in regard to the matter: That the feet washing was\n_before_ the Passover, and the institution of the communion was _after\nit_; that two days intervened, and that the two things done were also\nat _two places_, the one at _one place_ and the other at _another_. The\nwashing of feet did not occur at the same time nor in the same place of\nthe institution of the communion, nor is there the least evidence that\nit ever was practiced in connection with the communion in the primitive\nchurch, nor is there the least authority for it.\n\nWe have never witnessed anything of the kind, but we have been informed\nrepeatedly that where they practice this ceremony now, they only wash\n_one foot_ of each person. We would like to know where they get this.\nIt is not in John xiii. 1-10.\n\n\n\n\nSUCCESS TO GOOD MEN.\n\n\nWe desire to see every man succeed who is for the \u201cright way of the\nLord,\u201d and hope the Lord and his people will hold up the hands of every\nsuch man. We know the Lord will hold up the hands of every such man;\nnever leave him nor forsake him; but will grant him grace and glory,\nand withhold from him no good thing; and we know, too, his people, when\nthey have time to reflect and the means of knowing before them, will\nstand by the good and true, the sincere and faithful. They will let\nreligious adventurers pass, and turn their backs on them. They want\nno charlatans under the garb of religious teachers. Be good and true,\nfaithful and honest, sincere and sound, in the true sense, and there is\nno danger of the people getting to think you are _unsound_.\n\n\n\n\nOUR PLEA.\n\n\nOur straightforward and direct appeal to the people to turn their\nbacks on all that is human and accept all that is divine; on all\nthat is of earth, and receive all that is from heaven; to open the\nScriptures and receive all that came from the Lord, as set forth in\nhis own revelation; receive the religion of Christ itself, as he has\nlaid it before the world, in his own word, and nothing else, is so\nmanifestly correct, indisputably safe and right, that it can not fail\nto strike the mind favorably. It is simply a plea to turn away from\nall human religions, and except the only divine religion. This is the\nsum and substance of the whole matter. We have thrown overboard all\nthat is human, and simply maintain what is divine. If the Bible can\nbe maintained over all human books; if the religion of Christ can be\nmaintained over all human religions; if the doctrine of the Lord, and\nthe commandments of God, can be maintained over the doctrines and\ncommandments of men; if \u201cthe right way of the Lord,\u201d can be maintained\nover the wrong ways of men, then the plea we have been making can be\nmaintained.\n\nBut we should not expect to revolutionize the public mind at once. Such\na thing is impossible in the nature of things, and is not desirable. We\ncould not maintain the position if gained in that way. We desire a\nhealthy and a reliable state of things. Sudden revolutions always\nleave things in an unsettled state. A gradual change is transcendently\nbetter. It is, then, not of impulse, sensation or emotion, but of\nfaith. When the testimony comes to the mind gradually, and the faith\nbecomes stronger and stronger, it finally rises to \u201cthe full assurance\nof faith;\u201d a settled conviction, and the soul is established. But the\nleaven is working in the meal, much faster than many are aware of, and\nthe mind of the people is changing, and the way is opening more and\nmore. We have never seen a reason for a doubt about the righteousness\nof the cause, and the possibility of maintaining it, since the day we\nentered it. We are now as firm in the conviction that it is the only\ntrue ground, and the only ground that can be maintained, and the only\nground on which all the true Israel of God can unite and stand, as we\nare that the Bible is a divine book. In all this the past year has\nfurnished additional assurances.\n\n\n\n\nNO CAMPBELLITES.\n\n\nThere is no such thing in this country as Campbellism, nor is there\nany such body of people as Campbellites. There is a people in this\ncountry that have gone back to our Lord to learn what he gave to the\napostles and authorized them to preach, and to the apostles and learned\nwhat they preached to the world, and what they taught the church; who\nreceive what the apostles preached and taught, and believe it in full;\nno more, no less. In this they claim to receive the religion of Christ\nitself, as he and his authorized ambassadors set it forth. They receive\nand believe it on the authority of its divine founder, the Lord, from\nheaven, and enforce it on all who hear them, as the only complete,\nperfect and divine system in the world; the only true religion; the\nreligion of Christ itself. They claim to be Christians, followers of\nChrist, children of God. The body to which they belong is simply the\nbody of Christ, the kingdom of God, the church. Christ is their head;\ntheir infallibility. They believe on him. They obey him. They hope for\nall he has promised, and fear all he has threatened. To be in him is\nto be in his body, in the kingdom, in the church, to be a Christian, a\nfollower of Christ. They receive him and all he has said, but reject\nall that did not come from him. This is no Campbellism, nor Methodism;\nbut the religion of Christ itself. That is what we are for, and we are\nfor it because it is from God, and has the authority of God in it.\n\n\n\n\nCONVERTING THE CITIES.\n\n\nThey must be brought to know that they must be revolutionized, created\nanew, conformed to Christ, and then taught to worship according to the\nScriptures. The work is not to be done by wholesale, nor by the device\nof man. Nor need we think we can take the great cities by getting a\nfew rich or popular men. We must preach the gospel to _the people_,\nthe _whole people_, and turn _them_. The gospel invariably commences\nwith the humbler classes, and works up through them till it reaches\nall grades. It did not commence by converting emperors, kings, or\ngovernors; nor did it reach these for a long time. It did not commence\nby converting rich men, but mainly with the poor; but in time reached\nthe rich. It did not commence with converting priests, but after a time\nwe read that a great number of priests became obedient to the faith.\n\nIn the main, this has been the case in our time. We commenced with the\nhumbler people in the cities and have reached through to every class.\nWe gained the attention of vast numbers of people in the country, and\nturned them to the Lord, when they were poor. They have been prospered,\nand gained wealth; gone to the cities, and thus augmented the churches\nthere; but, in many instances, they are not the good people they were,\nnor loving and maintaining the truth as they once did.\n\n\n\n\nA HAPPY MEETING.\n\n\nAt Lower Blue Lick, in Robertson County, Kentucky, in the month of\nSeptember, 1875, Elder Franklin met his beloved father in the gospel\nand veteran in the cause of reformation, Eld. Samuel Rogers. He thus\ndescribes the happy meeting, and expresses his high regard for a true\nman of God:\n\nOne morning when we were in the stand, waiting a few minutes for\nthe audience to assemble and become composed, we saw once more the\nvenerable form of Samuel Rogers, making his way up the aisle. We could\nscarcely restrain our emotions when we saw the old saint, bringing\nbefore our mind in visible form what has been our lifetime idea of one\nof the old prophets. We met him in the aisle, when he spoke out with\nthe tears tracing down his noble face: \u201cBro. Ben, I am in the land of\nthe _dead_ and _dying_, but shall soon be in the land of the _living_.\u201d\nWe could give utterance to no words. Peter said, in the mountain of\ntransfiguration: \u201cIt is good for us to be here.\u201d So it was to us on\nthis occasion. More than forty years had elapsed since we first saw\nhim, and he appeared to us _old_ then. He is now in his eighty-sixth\nyear. He sees to read without glasses by holding the print close to\nhis eyes, and hears better than when we saw him last. He converses\nwith readiness and ease, and his voice is remarkably good. His plain\nand striking comparisons are as ready as ever. He styles a dry and\nprosing exhortation, after a good sermon, \u201csnow in August.\u201d He tells a\npreacher, trying to be learned and profound in his preaching, that he\n\u201cputs the fodder too _high up_ in the rack\u2014the sheep can\u2019t reach it.\u201d\nThe main trouble is that there is no \u201cfodder\u201d there. He says: \u201cWe used\nto have _men_ and _women_, but now we have _ladies_ and _gentlemen_.\u201d\nHe says he still _eats his dinner_ and _supper_ and lets the rest of\nthem _dine_ and _take tea_.\n\nWhen at home he spends many hours alone, and some of the friends\ninquired whether he did not get lonesome. \u201cNo,\u201d said he, \u201cI never get\nlonesome. I talk to the Lord and he talks to me. I talk to him in\nmy prayers, and he talks to me in the Bible.\u201d This is keeping good\ncompany, and a glorious way to keep from getting lonesome. He reads\nup and keeps fully posted in all that is transpiring among us, and is\nfully alive to all the dangers now threatening the cause\u2014the insidious\nsteps now tending to undermine and overthrow all we have done. Still,\nlike Paul, none of these things move him. He is firm as the everlasting\nhills. He has settled convictions and purposes, and can not be\nturned away from them. He can see, as Solomon says, that \u201cone sinner\ndestroyeth much good,\u201d but adheres to another saying of much importance\nfrom the same source: \u201cFret not thyself because of evil-doers.\u201d The\nLord is with him and he is as happy as he can be, full of love and\ngood-will to God and man. Thanks be to God for the faith of Christ that\nhas the power to bear up the spirit, to console and comfort him in\nextreme old age, and opens to his view, now that he is about to let go\nthis world, \u201ca house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens;\u201d and\nnow that he is about to surrender up this life, that opens to his view\na life that never ends. Blessed be the Lord who is pleased thus to deal\ntenderly and kindly with him in his near approach to another world.\n\n\n\n\nCHURCH DECISIONS.\n\n\nBut may not public opinion, or even the Church, decide wrong? It may,\nand, no doubt, does sometimes. So may any court, man can establish;\nand it may turn out that the world may become so bad, or the church\nmay become so perverted or corrupted, that a man can not get a fair\ndecision. Still, it is the best that can be done, for us all to be free\nalike, before the court of public opinion, and the church, and if we\nshould get a wrong decision here, the last or final appeal is to the\ncourt of heaven, to the judgment of the Great Day. But in a country\nlike this, where a man has been among a people all his life; been an\nupright and true man; conducted himself with consistency and propriety;\nthere must be something very singular in his course, and peculiar\nindeed, if he can not get a fair hearing and decision from public\nopinion, or from the church. There must be something very peculiar in\nhis course to unsettle their confidence; to start doubts in their minds\nin reference to his soundness; to fill the public mind with distrust.\nThere must be something not _straightforward_.\n\n\n\n\nREIGN OF A THOUSAND YEARS.\n\n\nWe know of no proof that the righteous will be raised a thousand years\nbefore the wicked. The Lord says, \u201cThe hour is coming when all that are\nin the graves shall hear his voice and shall come forth; they that have\ndone good to the resurrection of life, and they that have done evil to\nthe resurrection of damnation.\u201d We see no _thousand years_ between the\nresurrection of those that have done good and those that have done evil\nhere.\n\nThe quotation from John v. 28-29, above, connects the coming of Christ\nand the resurrection, and the following connects the coming of Christ\nand the judgment: \u201cI charge you, therefore, before God and the Lord\nJesus Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dead at _his appearing_\n(his coming) and kingdom.\u201d II. Tim. iv. 1. Other Scriptures show the\nsame. At the close of Matt. xxv. it will be seen, as it is from other\nScriptures, that all will be judged at the same time, and at the same\ntime that the righteous \u201center into life eternal\u201d the wicked \u201cgo away\ninto everlasting punishment.\u201d This connects the coming of Christ, the\nresurrection, the judgment, the separation of the righteous and the\nwicked, and the entrance into life on the one hand, and the going away\ninto everlasting punishment on the other hand.\n\nWe listened to the Millerites in 1843, read pretty much all they wrote\nabout a thousand years\u2019 reign of Christ, between the resurrection of\nthose who are Christ\u2019s and those who are not his, and whatever the\nthousand years may mean in words, \u201cthe rest of the dead lived not again\ntill the thousand years were ended,\u201d we find no clear evidence of its\ncoming between the resurrection of the righteous and the wicked. Sundry\nScriptures show that the judgment of all, will be at the same time.\n\nChrist sitting on the throne of David does not make him a king, in\nthe temporal sense, as David was, but only that he is in the royal\nfamily, and, in the sense of that Scripture, he is now in that reign,\nand not to be in the Millennium. In the end he will deliver up the\nkingdom to God, even the Father, when he shall put down all rule, and\nall authority and power. For he must reign till he has put all enemies\nunder his feet. See I. Cor. xv. 24, 25. \u201cWhen all things shall be\nsubdued to him, then shall the Son also himself be subject to him, who\nput all things under him, that God may be all in all.\u201d I. Cor. xv. 28.\nThe Lord has come to receive a kingdom, and is now reigning over that\nkingdom\u2014a kingdom not of this world\u2014and on David\u2019s throne, in the\nonly sense he ever will be.\n\n\n\n\nMETHODIST CLERICAL PRETENSIONS.\n\n\nWho duly appointed the ministry in the Methodist body? A body that is\nnot, and admits that it is not, the body of Christ! Where did this body\nget authority to appoint a ministry? It has no authority to appoint\nany thing in the kingdom of God. Who \u201cdivinely called\u201d the ministry\nin the Methodist body? Not the Lord, for he has no Methodist body. He\nnever called a man to minister in a body that he never authorized. The\nmen called in that body were not called of God at all, nor divinely\ncalled. They either _called themselves_, or were called by a body that\nhas no divine authority in it, and therefore are not divinely called.\nNor are they divinely qualified. The apostles were divinely qualified.\nThey had the Holy Spirit to guide them into all truth. They never\npreached any Methodism, nor built up any Methodist churches. They never\nauthorized a Methodist steward, class-leader, circuit-rider, presiding\nelder, or bishop, any more than they authorized that unmeaning _bread\nand water love-feast_, the band-society, the class-meeting, circuit or\nconference, either quarterly, annual or general. The Methodist church\nhas not a duly-appointed ministry, a divinely-called and sent, or\ndivinely-qualified ministry in it. Its worship, ordinances and\ndiscipline are not duly nor scripturally administered. Indeed, it has\nbut little in it that hears any similitude to the original church. To\ntalk of its having a divinely-qualified ministry will strike any one\na little acquainted with the Scriptures with peculiar force. A more\nabsurd idea could hardly be uttered.\n\nThe apostles were divinely called, sent and _qualified_, and should\none of them appear in a Methodist revival, where persons are \u201cseeking\nreligion,\u201d crying, \u201cWhat shall we do?\u201d as they did on Pentecost, and\nanswer as Peter did on that occasion, \u201cRepent, and be baptized every\none of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins,\u201d\nin the place of the loud response, \u201cAmen,\u201d dismay would run all\nalong the line, and the _divinely-qualified_ ministry would want the\ndivinely-qualified apostle out of the meeting. His voice would be a\n_strange_ voice in their meeting. If he were to tell the seekers, as\nAnanias did Saul, \u201cWhy do you tarry? Arise, and be baptized, and wash\naway your sins, calling on the name of the Lord,\u201d they would soon want\nhim out of their meeting.\n\n\n\n\nMOODY AND SANKEY.\n\n\nThe above named men referred to in the following, were popular\nevangelists among the sects, and, though not educated for the ministry,\nor ordained to that holy calling, performed all the functions of those\ndivines who claim to be called and sent of God. The recognition they\nreceived in the great cities of the land, by clergymen of all sects,\nBro. Franklin regarded as a surrender of their clerical pretensions and\nas equivalent to an acknowledgment of the fact that any christian man,\npossessed of good christian character, and a knowledge of the word of\nGod, may preach the word.\n\n J. A. H.\n\nIn the operations of Moody and Sankey, as also others that have\nconceived virtually the same idea, and their surroundings, we have some\nlessons of much importance. To some of these we now invite attention:\n\nIn all the principal parties there are some clerical pretensions.\nThey nearly all have some kind of clerical standard, that a man must\npass, to enter into holy orders at all. They have some kind of regular\nprocess through which a man must pass, to be an authorized minister,\nor to be permitted to minister in holy things at all, or to make\nordinances valid administered by his hands, or to give him official\ngrace and functions. But here come Moody and Sankey, Whittle and Bliss,\nor Hammond, without ever having been tried by the _clerical standard_,\nor ever having passed through the regular process to holy orders, and\nnever made clergymen at all, preaching and exercising ministerial\nfunctions. All sorts of clergymen are rallying to them, recognizing and\nindorsing their work! What becomes of clerical pretensions in all this?\nClergymen of all sorts recognizing and indorsing _laymen preaching_,\nand laymen exercising all the functions of the ministry, who have never\nbeen measured by the ministerial standard, and never have been made\nclergymen. In this they are conceding that their clerical pretensions\nand claims are empty\u2014that there is nothing in them, that men that\nhave never been measured by the standard, nor made clergymen at all,\nhave as good a right to preach and minister in holy things as they.\nIn this they concede that the clerical cloak is nothing, and that men\ncan and may rightfully preach the word of God, without having it on.\nThe people ought to lay hold of this concession, read the Scriptures,\nlearn them and teach others, and thus go on till they fill the earth\nwith the knowledge of God. No man need wait to have clerical hands laid\non him to authorize to preach Jesus, or teach the saints in the way of\nrighteousness. To know the gospel and the teaching of Christ, and be\nable to preach Christ and teach saints the way to heaven, prepares any\nman to preach and teach. To appear in a proper manner and exercise a\ngood influence in preaching and teaching, a man must be a christian,\nand have a good life as such, a life of piety and devotion,\ncorresponding to the preaching and teaching. But a man is in no shape\nto appear before the world as a preacher of Christ, and a teacher in\nthe kingdom of God, who has no standing in the church of God, where his\nhome is, and a good recommendation to satisfy those abroad that his\nstanding is good at home.\n\n\n\n\nTOO LATE FOR THE CARS.\n\n\nOn going to the depot we found our information about car time was\nwrong, and we got to the depot just in time to see the train go out\nand leave us. This has two lessons in it: 1. That it is not true \u201cthat\nwhat a man thinks is right, is right to him.\u201d The time we _thought was\nright_ proved _not to be right_. 2. That we ought to be cautious about\nsaying, \u201cThere is time enough yet.\u201d\n\n\n\n\nLORD\u2019S DAY MEETINGS.\n\n\nChurches should not be compelled to hear preaching every Lord\u2019s day,\nand that the dullest and dryest kind, from the same man, the same\nthing, over and over again; but instead of this, have a variety of\ngood songs; sundry readings of interesting Scriptures, from different\npersons, each occupying from five to ten minutes, with two or three\nprayers at suitable intervals, and words of exhortation. The overseer\nwho can so conduct these matters as to interest the whole congregation,\ndevelop and bring out the most talent, and make the whole the most\nconducive to the edification of all, is the most efficient and\nsuccessful overseer, whether he can preach or not himself. No man,\noverseer or not, ought to appear before the people publicly more than\nis acceptable to them. Many men kill themselves off by talking too much\nand being too officious.\n\n\n\n\nLAYING THE CORNER STONE OF A CATHOLIC CATHEDRAL.\n\n\nBut what was to be done? What was all this about? We are ashamed, for\nhumanity\u2019s sake, to tell. It was to see a bishop _pow-wow_ over a\ncorner stone, _bless it_ and _lay it_ for a Romish meeting house! That\nwas what all this was about! What was there in that? No more than any\nother pagan ceremony. No more than to see any other Irishman laying\nany other stone or brick in any other building, aside from tradition\nand superstition. This is the procedure of the Anti-christ, the Man of\nSin, the power gone out to deceive the whole world with sorceries; a\ncompound of Judaism, Paganism and Christianity, but described in the\nbook of God as the Apostasy. It has corrupted the four quarters of the\nearth with its abominations and idolatries. It has two hundred millions\nof the human race under its domination. It has caused the blood of\nfifty millions of martyrs to flow. But the tide is receding. The wheel\nis turning back. His secular power has departed. He does not have\nVictor Emmanuel to bow down and kiss his great toe, nor to come and\ncrave favors of him. But he goes to Victor Emmanuel to know what favors\nhe can have. This puts the shoe on the other foot. Prince Bismarck\nbanishing the Jesuits from Germany, is another turn in the same\ndirection. The revolution in Mexico is in the same direction. The\nPope gets no favors in all these moves. He is strengthening his hands\nin the United States a little just now, but this is only temporary,\nand, we trust, will only serve to open the eyes of the people in this\ncountry. Our people need a few demonstrations to rouse them from their\nslumbers. They need to be made sensible who they are that want their\ndrinking saloons, and want them open on Sundays, that intend to parade\nour streets with bands of music and long processions on the Lord\u2019s day,\nwho they are that are trying to undermine our common schools and ruin\nthem, who they are that publish in our faces that our marriages are\nall null and void\u2014that we are all living in adultery because we were\nnot married by priests! We need a little more of this impudence in our\nfaces to rouse us up and cause us to see the viper we have taken into\nour bosoms, and see what claim this Mystery of Iniquity has on our\ncharities.\n\nIt refuses to allow its adherents to become members of the Masonic\norder, because it is a _secret Order_. The trouble is that it is a\n_secret Order_ itself, with its _sworn members_ and _bound priests_,\nits prowling Jesuits, nuns and friars, the most dangerous and complete\nand perfect\u2014the consummation of all secret Orders, from the hired\ngirl in the kitchen, and the hired man on the farm, up through every\nposition held, every situation in life, and every office held by a\nPapist, to communicate intelligence to a set of men bound up in this\n_Order of secrecy_, who are not even citizens in our Government, that\nthey may report to the Holy See in Rome! It is a secret, Pagan and\nJewish mixture with Christianity; an intriguing, insidious and stealthy\nscheme, prying into the secrets of every nook and corner of every land,\nand every move of every civil government on earth, and a friend to no\ncivil government on the face of the earth, only so far as it can be\nmade subservient to the purposes of the Pope.\n\nThe new Cardinal in this country is a minion of the Pope, and, without\nbeing a citizen of the United States, when he pleases to do so, will\ncontrol the vote of some six millions of our population; and this all\ndone by the _secret workings_ of the Papacy, without any man seeing\nthe secret wires that are pulled to do it. These priests, bound all\nover by religious _vows or oaths_, in a _secret conclave_, plan\nschools to be taught by nuns, all in the _secret Order_, and gather\nup vagrant children, while many of their own children are beggars, to\nmake Romanists of them, and shut them out from the light of the common\nschools and colleges of this country.\n\nThen how do these priests propose to gain power? Do they propose to\ncome out in open day; publicly teach the people and enlighten them?\nNot a word of it. Do they propose to discuss their claims? Not a bit\nof it. How then are they doing this work? _Insidiously._ It is all in\nthe dark, except an occasional demonstration like that we had here\non the first Lord\u2019s day in July. What were the people taught on that\nday? Did any one hear any instruction? Thousands of dollars were\nexpended. Thousands of people were weary and exhausted, but no one\nwas enlightened. No one was taught even Romanism, except those, who\nfrom the word of God have learned the power of the grand delusion, the\nmystery of iniquity that now works. They can understand the power of\nthe sorceries practiced to deceive and allure unwary souls.\n\n\n\n\nUNIVERSALISM UNBELIEF.\n\n\nThe mission of unbelief, in this direction, is\u2014\n\n_First._ To force the Bible to agree with the Atheist, in theory, that\na man\u2019s conduct in this life, no matter what it may be, can not destroy\nhis happiness in another life.\n\n_Second._ That there shall be no reward in another world, for virtue,\nrighteousness and obedience rendered to God in this life.\n\n_Third._ That there shall be no punishments in the world to come, for\ndisobedience, corruption, and crime, committed in this life.\n\n_Fourth._ That the death of Christ amounts to nothing, as the\nconsequences of sin all follow now, and fall upon man just as they did\nbefore he died.\n\n_Fifth._ That repentance amounts to nothing, as the punishment of sin\nis simply the natural result of a violation of a natural law, and must\nfollow its violation whether you repent or not.\n\n_Sixth._ That there is no pardon of sin\u2014that as you put your hand\nin the fire, the burn must follow\u2014as you spend your money, you must\nbecome poor\u2014as you dissipate, your physical energies must be impaired;\nso, as you sin, in all cases the penalty must follow.\n\n_Seventh._ All this being conceded, the grace of God is at an end.\nThere is no such an attribute as mercy in the government of Jehovah.\n\n_Eighth._ No love of God is manifested either in the life or death of\nJesus, nor has his death produced any change in the world.\n\nNo wonder that infidels hail this theory with joyfulness, flock around\nthe Universalian preacher, and call him \u201cbrother.\u201d His operations are\nfatal to the Bible, to the mission and divine authority of the Lord\nJesus, and better calculated to turn the whole subject of religion into\nridicule, than any open infidelity ever advocated in the world. By this\nkind of circumlocution, the Bible is now sought to be subverted, and\nits influence upon the world destroyed. But all men of discernment can\nsee, that this is only a scheme to pull down and destroy\u2014that it has\nno efficacy to save, to make good, or improve mankind\u2014that it can do\nno good, in any event, to one soul of our race, either in this world or\nthe world to come. It is only an instrument, one of the most effectual\ninstruments of unbelief, in destroying all good, all virtue, and all\npiety.\n\n\n\n\nPERSONALITY OF THE DEVIL.\n\n\nDenying the personality of the Devil. Here we have more _negative\npreaching_\u2014more _denying_. What a world of gospel there is in this!\nWho is to be saved by denying the personality of the Devil? Who is\ncomforted and built up with this sort of stuff? The infidel laughs. The\nUniversalist nods assent; but who repents? The scoffer is delighted.\nThat is the man for him! But does he quit scoffing? We have recently\nheard of a man who had stripped his feet bare after a rain of a warm\nsummer\u2019s day, and, walking up through the mud to an old preacher,\ndenied the personality of the Devil; when the preacher, pointing behind\nthe man, replied: \u201cHe must be _alive_ and _personal_, for _there is his\ntrack fresh in the mud_!\u201d Another preacher allowed that when the Devil\nhas a man so completely blinded that he does not believe there is any\nDevil, or that he is a personal being, he never expects to have any\nmore trouble with him. He will never listen to the truth any more.\n\n\n\n\nCLERICAL YOUNG PASTORS.\n\n\nThat there should be occasionally a young man, with the views that\nhave been fostered and encouraged by some among us, of a \u201cpastorate,\u201d\nwho would assume authority to cast persons out of the church, and give\nletters of commendation, is not strange. There were some even in the\ntime of the apostles, when no such views of a \u201cpastorate\u201d existed, who\nassumed such prerogatives and \u201cprated against us\u201d (the apostles.) In\nIII. John 9, 10, we have a reference to one of them. \u201cI wrote to the\nchurch,\u201d says John, \u201cbut Diotrephes, who loves to have the pre-eminence\namong them, receives us not. Wherefore, if I come, I will remember his\ndeeds which he does, prating against us with malicious words: and not\ncontent therewith, neither does he himself receive the brethren, and\nforbids them that would, and casts them out of the church.\u201d We have\nfallen on the track of a few young men, and some old ones, of this\nstripe; but their race is short. The brethren, whatever else is true of\nthem, are not prepared for clerical assumptions. They will not have the\nmanacles put on them. Such men will not trouble us long. Some of them\nwill go over to sectarianism at once, thinking that the shortest road\nto a \u201cpastorate.\u201d Others will go to law, medicine, or to nothing. But\nthe main body of our young men are true and noble in the highest sense,\nas humble and faithful as can be found anywhere. They are studying to\nknow and do the will of God. We are not sure that, as a class, they are\nnot generally sounder than their instructors in the gospel.\n\nWe regret to see anything like collision or rivalry between old and\nyoung preachers. Young men get a little _fast_ sometimes, and old men\nbecome a little _cross_; but these matters will all work their way out.\nAs a humorous writer said some years ago, after writing a long piece\nabout nothing, as a burlesque on certain persons, \u201cWe are all poor\n_critters_.\u201d We need a great deal of mercy and grace.\n\nIt is a little trying for old men, after toiling a lifetime in the\ncause, and when they are struggling under the infirmities of age, to be\nshoved aside, as we know some of them are, and treated with contempt by\nthe young men who ought to be a comfort and consolation to them. The\ncause is the Lord\u2019s, and we are his, and we shall all give account to\nhim. Let us keep pure ourselves, and keep the church pure; let us make\na record of which we shall not be ashamed when the Lord shall come. We\nmust study to bear our burdens, and to do so without murmuring. What we\ncan not cure, we must endure.\n\n\n\n\nEVERLASTING AND ETERNAL.\n\n\nEverlasting and eternal are from the same in the original. \u201cEverlasting\npunishment,\u201d and not everlasting annihilation, nor everlasting\nextinction of being, nor everlasting non-existence, is what the Lord\nthreatens. Matt. xxv. 46. At the same time the righteous enter into\n\u201clife eternal,\u201d the wicked \u201cgo away into everlasting punishment.\u201d The\noriginal word _aionion_ here is translated, in the common version,\n\u201ceternal\u201d in one place, and \u201ceverlasting\u201d in the other. There is no\nreason for not translating this word the same way in both places. It\nmeans precisely the same in both places. At the same time we repeat,\nthat the righteous enter into \u201clife eternal,\u201d the wicked \u201cgo away\ninto eternal punishment.\u201d The same word used by the Lord, in the same\nsentence to express the duration of the life of the saints, is used to\nexpress the duration of the punishment of the wicked. It is as likely\nthat the life of the saints shall terminate, as that the punishment\nof the wicked shall cease. There is no word in any language that more\ncertainly expresses unlimited duration than this word _aionion_. It is\nused to express the duration of the life of the saints, the praises of\nGod, and even the existence of God. A word may be used with less than\nits full import, but _never with more_.\n\n\n\n\nENDURING HARDNESS AS GOOD SOLDIERS.\n\n\nIt matters not from what cause we suffer, whether inability on the\npart of brethren, or parsimoniousness, we must bear hardness as good\nsoldiers of Jesus Christ, suffer and toil on, for we shall reap if we\nfaint not. We must not raise up a money-loving and worldly people;\nand in order to this end we must not be _money-loving preachers_, nor\n_worldly_ men ourselves. This is our security against the evil of\ncovetousness.\n\nWe do not believe the Lord will accept meeting in two or three\nconventions in a year, and making three or four contributions and a few\nspeeches for missionary work. We must have more telling evangelizing\nthan this. This kind of work is demoralizing the brethren and drying up\nall the veins of generosity in them. We shall have more and more _dying\nchurches_ till we change our course and go out into the field as we did\nthirty-five and forty years ago, and hunt up these churches and wake\nthem up. We must not live with the idea of _sending_ some one to them,\nbut we must _go to_ them; and they must not be _helpless creatures_,\nand think to support those who go to their relief by _relating their\nstories about their being few and poor_, but do according to their\nability, and not let the preacher who visits them sacrifice more than\na dozen of them, and they only do their little _occasionally_, and he\nmaking his sacrifices _every meeting_. This will not stand in the day\nof judgment.\n\n\n\n\nHOW A PREACHER MAY STAND FAIR.\n\n\nAll we have to do to stand right before the people, is to _be sound_\nin heart, in the faith, in the life; true to the gospel of our Lord\nJesus Christ; honest and faithful in the whole matter; maintaining,\ndefending, advocating it, as the only divine and gracious system\nfor the salvation of a lost world; enforcing it on men for its own\nsake, and for the sake of humanity. Our safety is not in a tribunal\nof learned men, who are _censors_ for us, but in the _judgment of an\nintelligent and enlightened brotherhood_. They render no hasty judgment\nand make no uncertain decisions. They do not anathematize nor hate\nany man. They do not pronounce on a man for a single utterance or an\ninadvertence. But when a man becomes perverse, his general course and\nbearing evincing alienation, and a disposition to be in the wrong\u2014an\naversion to the good, the true and the faithful\u2014they begin to lose\ntheir interest in him. Every step he takes in the wrong direction\nlessens the affection for him in the hearts of the people of God, till\nhe finds himself cut off, if not literally by the action of a church,\nthat which is equally as fatal, the general turning away from him, and\nutter failure in any sense to support him.\n\nMay we all maintain soundness in the faith, in the gospel, integrity to\nit, faithfulness to it in all things, soundness in character, purity\nand holiness. May we strive to live nearer and still nearer to God.\n\n\n\n\nDELAY IN TURNING TO THE LORD.\n\n\nIf a person has delayed turning to the Lord, till some hindrance comes,\nso that he can not take the steps, or do what the Lord has commanded,\nto become a christian, he has simply delayed till he can not become a\nchristian. If he defers on any account, he simply defers becoming a\nchristian. At some point, a man passes the possibility of becoming a\nchristian. That point, or period, is generally thought to be at death.\nSome still sing, \u201cWhile the lamp holds out to burn, the vilest sinner\nmay return,\u201d but this is not true. It is true that after death none can\nturn to God, but it is not true that before death all can turn to God.\nThe apostle speaks of some men who were living in the literal sense,\nbut whom he compares to \u201ctrees twice dead and plucked up by the roots.\nSuch a tree as that never grows again.\u201d He speaks of other men \u201cpast\nfeeling,\u201d and others, still living, for whom nothing remains \u201cbut a\nfearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation, which shall\ndevour the adversaries,\u201d and still others for whom nothing remains but\n\u201cthe blackness of darkness forever.\u201d Some are given over to believe the\nlie and be condemned.\n\nOur opinions are worth nothing in reference to those who can not do\nwhat the Lord commands. We do not know a thing about the salvation of\nany person only as the Lord has promised. He has promised that \u201cHe who\nbelieves and is immersed, _shall be saved_,\u201d and commanded, \u201cRepent,\nand be immersed every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ, for the\nremission of sins.\u201d He who obeys the command has the promise. Outside\nof this we know nothing about it. Not only so, but if we give some\n_charitable opinions_ for those who can not obey, or in reference to\ndeferring, on account of hindrances, these cases will become more\nfrequent, and these opinions will be applied not simply to cases where\npersons _can not_ obey, but where they can not _conveniently_, and in\na short time we have a system of salvation for those who _never obey_,\nand the gospel is set aside by our _opinions_.\n\nThere are but few sick persons that can not be immersed. We have\nimmersed some half-dozen in the most critical situations, and some\nof them in less than two days of their death, without any physical\ninjury, and with great relief to the mind. But we only allude to this\nto show that there are not many cases where it is not possible to obey\nthe gospel, and not because this is the _time to obey_. It is not the\nproper time to be baptized, or to make a profession. The proper time is\nwhen persons first hear and believe the gospel; when their health, and\nstrength, and reason, are unimpaired, and they can voluntarily _yield\nthemselves_ to the service of God. When we come to die, one promise of\nGod is worth more than all the opinions of uninspired men put together.\n\n\n\n\nWIELDING THE SWORD OF THE SPIRIT.\n\n\n\u201cThe sword of the Spirit\u201d is defined by the Spirit himself, through\nPaul. It is the word of God. \u201cWhy is it called the sword _of the\nSpirit_? Because the Spirit _gave it_, and not because he _uses_ or\n_wields it_.\u201d The Spirit gave it to men that they might use or wield\nit. There is not a more unsupported theory in this apostate age than\nthe one that teaches that the Spirit wields the sword. He did not do\nthis even in the age of miracles. Jesus said to his Father \u201cThe words\nthat thou gavest me I have given them.\u201d Given to whom? To the apostles.\nWhat did he tell them to do with these words, or, which is the same,\nthe gospel? He commanded them, \u201cGo into all the world and preach the\ngospel to every creature.\u201d Preaching the gospel is preaching the word,\nor wielding the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. After\nJesus died and rose and ascended into heaven, he sent the Spirit\nto guide the apostles into all truth; to bring all things to their\nremembrance. On Pentecost the Spirit came, and they spake as the Spirit\ngave them utterance. The history says, \u201cWhen they heard this\u201d\u2014the word\nspoken\u2014\u201cthey were pierced in their heart.\u201d The Spirit brought the word\nto their remembrance, and the apostles preached it\u2014spake as the Spirit\ngave them utterance. In Solomon\u2019s porch, Peter preached, or wielded the\nsword\u2014the word of God. Philip wielded the sword in Samaria. Peter\nwielded the sword at the house of Cornelius. Paul commanded Timothy to\n\u201cPreach the word.\u201d This was wielding the sword of the Spirit, the word\nof God.\n\nThis whole theory about the word being a dead letter, whether so\nintended or not, is the very thing to neutralize the gospel, and cause\nhonest people who believe the gospel, to wait for some immediate power\nto do something more for them before they come to God. This very\ntheory, in the place of being Scriptural, is directly opposed to the\nvery spirit and intention of the Scriptures, and is, we doubt not,\nchargeable with hindering more souls from turning to the Lord and\nreceiving the salvation of God than all the out-and-out infidelity\nin the country. They hear the word of God\u2014the gospel of their\nsalvation\u2014the power of God to salvation to every one that believe\nit, and honestly believe it. They hear the preaching of the cross of\nChrist, the wisdom of God and the power of God, and believe it with\ntheir whole hearts; but the preacher says you must wait till the Spirit\nmakes it effectual, and till the Spirit quickens you and prepares you\nto receive it, about which there is not one word in the book of God.\n\n\n\n\nWE ARE NO SECT.\n\n\nWe belong to no _sect_ or _heresy_, no \u201cdenomination,\u201d and recognize\nnone in any sense, only as existing in opposition to the will of\nGod\u2014in a rebellion against the government of God. We know sects\nonly as antagonistic powers to the law and kingdom of God. They are\nheretical and schismatical, in alienation to each other and to the\nkingdom of God. We find them in no complete union on anything of\nimportance, except in opposing the gospel of Christ. In this they are a\nunit. Never did loving brethren more completely unite than they one and\nall do in this. One voice sounding out the gospel precisely as preached\nby the apostles, and propounding the terms of pardon as they came from\nthe ambassador of Jesus, to whom he gave the keys of the kingdom of\nGod, will silence all their jars among themselves, their differences\nand disputes, and bring them all around side by side, facing the common\nfoe. It will call out their confusion of tongues, and the cry, \u201cLo!\nhere, and lo there,\u201d will be heard on all hands. The cry is raised.\n\u201cTo your tents, O Israel! to your tents! Danger! danger! dangerous\ndoctrine! Do not hear him! Keep away! keep away! He will unsettle your\nviews!\u201d\n\nWhy are they all opposed to this? There is a very good reason for it.\nIt is opposed to all of them. In its very nature it proposes to sweep\nthem all away. It leaves not an inch of ground for one of them to stand\non. We came not with a new doctrine, but with the gospel of Christ, a\ndistinct entity in itself, not only having no fellowship with any other\ngospel, but pronouncing a curse on man or angel who shall preach any\nother, no matter whether near like it or not near like it\u2014a perversion\nof it or mutilation. The gospel of Christ itself is the thing to be\npreached, and nothing else; the power of God to salvation to every\none that believes; the preaching of the cross, the wisdom of God, and\nthe power of God. To this nothing is to be added, and from it nothing\nis to be taken away. In this gospel, Christ, the \u201cone Shepherd,\u201d is\npresented, and the one kingdom of God, or one body of Christ. All the\nfollowers of Christ are members of this one body, or citizens of this\none kingdom. There are no \u201cdenominations\u201d of them. They are all members\nof his body, citizens of his kingdom by faith, the children of Abraham,\nheirs of God and joint-heirs with Christ, saints, holy brethren. They\nknow no other king but the \u201cKing of kings, and Lord of lords.\u201d Their\nKing, in his times, will \u201cshow who is the only Potentate.\u201d Their King\nhas no negotiations with any other spiritual kings. He puts them down\n_against him_. He has no communications nor negotiations with Pope\nPius, or any other Pope. He has no _fraternal greetings_ for any of\nthem, but his Father has sworn with an oath that he shall reign till he\nshall put down all rule and all authority and power\u2014till he has put\nall his enemies under his feet.\n\nThe kingdom of Christ recognizes no other kingdom. It is an absolute\nmonarchy. Christ is the Monarch. He has no Parliament, no Senate or\nCongress, no legislative body in his kingdom. As the rightful Sovereign\nand the absolute Monarch, he is the Law-giver. His will is the law,\nas spread on the pages of Scripture\u2014the absolute authority\u2014and his\nsubjects have simply to consult the law, ascertain what it requires,\nand _obey it_. They are not responsible for the law. They need not\ntrouble themselves about results or consequences. Do as the Supreme\nAuthority commands, and leave the consequences with him. He is so wise,\ngood and great, that he will bring all out right, for all those that\nput their trust in him. His subjects stop not to counsel with those\nwho have other laws, to compare them with the law of the Lord Messiah,\nto see how near they are to his, or how far from it. They have no\nauthority to make any other laws, no matter how near like his law, or\nhow far from it. Their business is to throw aside all other laws, and\naccept him as their Monarch, and _his law_, and _obey it_. This is\nsimply all there is of it. He who is not for him is against him.\n\nThe citizens of his kingdom have no authority from him for negotiating\nwith any sectarian party, about union with his people, comparing their\nviews and determining how nearly they agree. He has left them no\ndiscretionary power to compromise with anybody, or to stipulate terms\nof union and fellowship. He has stipulated the terms for us all. If we\ncomply with these terms he receives us, and we are bound to receive\neach other, and certainly will desire to do so. If we comply not with\nthese terms he will not receive us, and no saint has any right to\nreceive us. No man has a right to prescribe terms on which to receive\nany man. The terms are already prescribed in the law of the great King.\nWe must not go to man, but to the King, to know who shall be received.\nIt is not a question whether _man_ will receive us, but whether the\n_Lord_ will receive us.\n\n\n\n\nMAINTAIN A PURE FAITH AND WORSHIP.\n\n\nWho, in the midst of all this demoralization, will stand for God, for\nthe anointed and for the eternal Spirit; for the only supreme and\nabsolute, the final authority, the revelation from God to man, as\nset forth in the Bible? We must maintain this or we shall be ruined\nforever. We must resist all broad-guagism, liberalism, this terrible\ndemoralization, and maintain the purity of the religion of Christ\nitself. We have taken our stand on the highest ground and must maintain\nthe highest purity and order, the greatest perfection and refinement\nof which we are capable. We must maintain pure morality, pure faith\nand worship, utter abstinence from follies and all doubtful practices,\nall things held in suspicion among good people. It is a time for\ngeneral humiliation and supplication\u2014one mighty and united appeal of\nall the true and holy to heaven to save us from the general avalanche\nof iniquity that threatens the ruin of the country, and specially of\nreligion. Jews may look on with a sneer, infidels may mock and scoff,\nand hell may appear to exult; but the Lord God the Omnipotent reigns,\nand the wicked will be overthrown. It matters not how popular they may\nbe, how great their talent, how much money they may have, nor how great\ntheir number, the strong arm of the Almighty can reach them and bring\nthem down. Their doom is certain.\n\n\n\n\nTHINGS NOT FORBIDDEN.\n\n\nWhere has God forbidden infant baptism? Where has he forbidden\nsprinkling for baptism? Where has he forbidden the offering of incense,\nthe counting of beads, in worship? What harm is there in all this?\nThis is sophistry, deception, delusion, and that, too, of a very low\nand unworthy order at that. Where is the divine authority for doing\nthis or that? If there is no divine authority for doing this or that,\nin religion, or worship, that very circumstance is _divine authority\nagainst it_. \u201cWho hath required this at your hand?\u201d is the inquiry\nof the word of God, to all such as introduce things into religion\nor worship, not authorized in Scripture. We may add nothing to the\nreligion of Christ, the faith or practice, the precept or example, the\nworship, the rewards or punishments.\n\nThose who consider themselves free to do anything _not forbidden in\nScripture_, are out at sea, pretty much cut loose from the Bible. They\nhave in their horizon a broad range. They are not in search of divine\nauthority, not engaged in that for which there _is divine authority_,\nbut things for which there _is no divine authority_\u2014things _not\nforbidden_. They are not studying how to do the commandments, but\nwhether men can not be saved without doing the commandments; how to\nobey the gospel, but how men can be saved without obeying the gospel;\nnot how to build up the church of God, set it in order and keep it in\norder; how to worship according to the Scriptures; but how to make\nthe church attractive, entertaining and popular. Their theme is not\nthe gospel, nor is their mission turning the world from darkness to\nlight, and from the power of Satan to God; but to so model and fashion\nthe church as to please the world as it is, in its unconverted state,\nwithout the work of turning it to God. Let them have their way, and\nthe church, in a short time, will be so let down that men will need no\nconversion to come into it. There will be no cross nor self denial in\nit. Be careful and not fall \u201cinto the trap,\u201d as Luther did. If there is\nno divine authority for a thing, that is enough. We need no Scripture\nforbidding it.\n\nWe can unite on the things required in Scripture\u2014the things\ncommanded\u2014but we never can unite on the things not forbidden. There\nare too many of this latter class; they are too various, contradictory\nand inconsistent. Let us stick to the things that are written. These\nare divinely authorized. The things not written are not divinely\nauthorized. Let us stand to the prescribed terms of pardon, the\nprescribed life of the saints, and the prescribed worship. Those who\ndepart from this _are going back_.\n\n\n\n\nBRANCHES OF THE CHURCH.\n\n\nWhen we say the body, we do not mean any sort of body, or any kind\nof body, but _the body of Christ_; _the one body_ into which all\nwere immersed in the time of the apostles. This is the same as in\n\u201cthe Church of God,\u201d \u201cthe kingdom of God.\u201d The body of Christ has no\n_branches_ except the individual members. There are no _branch bodies_.\nThe kingdom of God has no branches. Every citizen is in the kingdom,\nand those not in the kingdom are not citizens at all.\n\nThe Church of God, the body of Christ, or the kingdom, is a divine\ninstitution. The Lord built his church on the rock, and no man who\nunderstands the matter, \u201cloves the Lord Jesus Christ with all his soul\u201d\nwhile he says, \u201cI care not to what church a man identifies himself.\u201d\nThe man who identifies himself with the Church of God, or the body of\nChrist, identifies himself with God, Christ and the Holy Spirit\u2014with\nthe entire heavenly family. This is what we _care for_. But identifying\na man with those bodies styled _branches_ is another matter. We can not\nlove the Lord Jesus Christ with all the soul and _care not_ whether we\nare identified with his body, or, which is the same, with him or some\nother body or person.\n\nBut let us inquire about these branches. Are they branches of the\nChurch of God? The Church of God has never _branched any_ that we\nknow of. The body of Christ has no branches except the individual\nmembers and they all belong to _the body_, and not to a branch of the\nbody. A man is simply in the body, or not in it. The kingdom of God\nhas no branches. A man is simply _a citizen_, or _he is not_. If our\ncorrespondent desires to know whether he is in a branch of the Church\nof God let him trace the _branch_ with which he is identified back to\nwhere it _branched off_, and see what it branched off from; whether it\nbranched off from another branch, or from the main body. If it branched\noff from another branch, then he might trace that other branch and see\nwhat it branched off from. Before he gets back to the _body_ he may\nfind some _branches_ that are no credit to anybody.\n\nThe departures from the body and from the law of God are not honored as\n_branches of the body_. They are styled in Scripture a \u201cfalling away,\u201d\nthe _apostasy_. They are departures from God, from Christ and from the\nHoly Spirit. The great apostasy is styled the Man of Sin, the Son of\nPerdition. That is the first branch. We do not want to be identified\nwith it, or any branch of it, or any _branch of a branch_ of it. We\nhave gone back to the body of Christ from which it departed, and become\nidentified with that body itself, and will recognize no departure from\nit, no matter how many pretty names may be given to it, nor how many\ngood people belong to it, but will still hold it to be an apostasy, or\na departure from God. There can be no union in _branches_ only _branch\nunion_; there can be union in the _one body_, in the one faith, under\nthe one Lord, and nowhere else, such as the Lord will approve.\n\n\n\n\nWHOM THE LORD RECEIVES.\n\n\nThere is no half-way fellowship to which we can receive persons,\nand allow them all the privileges we enjoy, and they not in full\nfellowship. It is not a question about _our_ receiving a person, but\nthe Lord receiving the person. The very _act_ in which the penitent\nsinner comes and is received by the Lord is baptism. When he comes in\n_full assurance of faith and penitence_, and is immersed into Christ,\nthe Lord receives him. All we do in the matter is to execute the law of\nChrist. The entire matter of inquiry is about _how the Lord receives\npersons_. This is all we inquire about.\n\nWhen we turn aside from the way the Lord receives persons, and receive\nthem in some other way, it is no difference what that other way is. It\nmay be styled more _liberal_ than the way in which the Lord receives\npersons, but the Lord does not propose to present something more\nliberal than men; but he is a Law-giver, and lays down the law on which\nhe will receive men, and if men desire him to receive them, they must\ncome in the way laid down in _his law_. But if we only desire to be\nreceived by men, we can consult them and learn the terms on which they\nwill receive us; but when we act thus we must not deceive ourselves,\nand think we are becoming servants of the Lord in so doing. We are\nsimply becoming servants of men.\n\n\n\n\nNOT OF ONE CLASS.\n\n\nIn what sense except an extremely _general one_ are the Romish,\nEpiscopalian, Methodist and Presbyterian clergy of one class? Not that\nthere is much fraternity, fellowship or agreement among them; nor even\nthat there is any general sympathy, harmony or co-operation; nor that\nthey are engaged in _one work_. They belong to separate kingdoms. In\ntheir official acts they never act together. If they act together at\nall, it is not officially, nor in any sense, only on certain occasions,\nto be friendly, courteous and polite toward each other, but with the\ndistinct understanding that it is _not official_. Their actions are\nas distinct as those of a United States Congressman and a member of\nthe British Parliament. They are both _officers of State_, and so far\non _common ground_, and, as such, treat each other with respect and\ncourtesy; but, in their official acts, they have no fellowship, and are\nnot under the same government. In the same way the clergy of the\ndifferent parties we have mentioned, in their official acts never act\ntogether, and have no fraternity. They are not acting under the same\ngovernment, nor are they officers in the same kingdom. The official\nacts of one of them are not regarded by another at all.\n\nIn what sense, then, are they _classed together_, or what is it that is\n_common_ among them? Simply that they are _ministers of religion_, or\nmen whose lives are devoted to religious instruction, and matters of\nchurch. But not of the same order, nor of the same church; not of the\nsame religion; not of the same faith, nor of the same practice. They\ndo not speak the \u201csame thing,\u201d nor are they of the \u201csame mind and the\nsame judgment,\u201d or \u201cperfectly joined together.\u201d They are not of the\n\u201cone fold and one shepherd.\u201d They are not \u201cone as we\u201d (the Father and\nthe Son) \u201care one;\u201d nor were they \u201call baptized into one body,\u201d nor are\nthey in \u201cone body,\u201d with \u201cone Spirit\u201d and \u201cone hope,\u201d under \u201cone Lord,\u201d\nand with \u201cone faith,\u201d and \u201cone baptism,\u201d and \u201cone God and Father of\nall, who is above all, and in you all.\u201d\n\nWe have not a railing accusation to bring against these men as a\nclass, nor do we hate or denounce them; nor have we an unkind feeling\ntoward them. We can recognize every good trait they have; all the\nmoral influence, the learning and intelligence, as well as their\ndevotion to their several causes. We can make all reasonable allowance\nfor early training, association and education, and admit all their\ngood intentions. We can treat them with all the common courtesies and\ncivilities of an enlightened and a refined age, as gentlemen, and moral\nand orderly men. All this and much more we can do. What we can not do\nis not from any unkind feeling toward them, nor because they have\ntreated us with a special indignity, or given us any personal offence,\nor anything of the kind. But it is because we can not, without\nsetting aside principle that we are as certain is correct as we are\nthat the Bible contains a revelation from God, recognize their airs,\npretensions and claims. We can not without ignoring, overriding and\nutterly disregarding matters of the most vital, fundamental and central\nimportance. It is not the class of men that we denounce, or that we\nspeak against, but the _positions they assume_, the work they are doing\nand the obstruction they are in the way of the work of Christ.\n\n\n\n\nHOW THE WORLD REGARDS DANCERS.\n\n\nThe people of the world look upon a member of the church, that enters\nthe dance, as let down, degraded, and his profession trailed in the\ndust. \u201cLook there,\u201d he exclaims, \u201cthat lady is a member of the church.\nI saw her immersed, and have seen her commune; she is no better than I\nam, and I know I am no Christian.\u201d If the dancing professors could hear\nthe numerous remarks thus made, in regard to their letting themselves\ndown, degrading their profession and putting themselves on a level with\nthe world, or below that level, their faces would burn, if they were\nnot too much hardened to exercise a lively conscience.\n\nWe are only deceiving ourselves, and that too, most woefully, if we\nthink that the dancers, theater-goers, horse-racers, gamblers and\ndrunkards, claiming to be members of a church, are on their way to\nheaven. Their baptism is all nothing. Their communion is mockery, an\ninsult to the Majesty of heaven and earth. Their sitting in choirs\nand taking into their polluted lips the pure words of praises,\nsupplications and thanksgiving, in the midst of the pure worship of\nsaints, is a desecration of the appointments of God.\n\nWhen we think of saving men, we must not think merely of getting them\ninto immersion, or into the church, but, in the true sense, we must\nturn them to God\u2014turn them from their sins. The love of sin must be\ndestroyed in them, and the love of God established. They must, in the\nfull import of the term, be made \u201cnew creatures,\u201d conformed to the\nimage of Christ. We must see in them not simply a desire to see how\nnear they can be like the world, and not be excluded from the church;\nhow deep they can dip into the follies of the world, and not be lost;\nhow near the verge of perdition they can run and not fall in. But they\nmust \u201clove not the world, nor the things of the world,\u201d make it a\nmatter of prayer, and study how to live and walk with God; how to have\nthe continual care and gracious providence of God over them. No man is\na profitable member of the church, that simply escapes being turned\nout, any more than he is a good citizen who barely escapes fines,\nimprisonment and the gallows, or who does everything and any thing that\nthe law does not expressly _forbid_. A man may be a bad and worthless\nfellow and not be fined nor imprisoned. So a member of the church may\nbe bad, and not only worthless but injurious to the church, and not be\nturned out. There may not be enough spiritual life, moral standing and\nrespect for the law of God, in the church, to enforce the law of Christ.\n\nMay we awake to the state of things, cry aloud and spare not, and never\ncease our supplications to heaven till we see an improvement. We are\nonly deceived in dancers to allow them to remain in the church, and\nthus permit them to enjoy the idea that they are Christians.\n\n\n\n\nSAVED WITHOUT BAPTISM.\n\n\nJesus don\u2019t say, \u201cHe that is not baptized shall be damned.\u201d Suppose he\ndoes not. Baptism is a commandment. To do a commandment is an act of\nobedience. To refuse to do a commandment is to refuse to do an act of\nobedience. The Lord will take vengeance on them who know not God, and\n_obey not_ the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. But our friend says,\n\u201cI believe if a man willfully and stubbornly refuses to receive the\nordinance of baptism, that man will be lost.\u201d What, then, of all those\npeople who have the Bible in their houses, printed plainly in their\nmother tongue, and know that baptism is commanded, or may know it, as\ncertainly as they know their names, and will not be baptized? And what\nof the preachers who encourage them in it? The Lord\u2019s will is that they\nshould obey\u2014be baptized. They refuse to do this. They _know_ his will\nand _do it not_. Will they be saved?\n\nBut there are cases in which baptism is impossible. There are cases\nwhere the gospel can not be administered. Where the gospel can not be\nadministered, we can not have the promise of the gospel. But will they\nnot be saved by the _atonement_? The atonement is the reconciliation,\nand reconciliation is by the Mediator, or by the belief and obedience\nof the gospel. But what of those who can not hear the gospel? They are\nnot gospel subjects. The gospel can not be administered to them. What\nwill you do with them? Nothing. Where the gospel can be made known\npreach it to the people. Where they can believe and obey it, urge\nthem to do it, that they may be saved. Gospel salvation is the only\nsalvation we have anything to do with. It is freely and graciously\noffered to men who believe and obey the gospel. The work of the\npreacher is to preach the gospel to all and exhort all to obey it,\nshowing that \u201cGod commands _all men everywhere_ to repent,\u201d and that\nthis repentance is in view of the judgment.\n\nBut what of infants? Gospel salvation, or the salvation of the\ncommission, is salvation from sin, or remission of sins. Infants have\nnever sinned, and need no remission of sins. They need nothing only\nprecisely what a saint needs\u2014to be raised from the dead, changed,\nimmortalized and glorified.\n\n\n\n\nRECOGNITION OF, BY SECTS.\n\n\nWhat do we want recognition of any sects for? What do we want to come\non a level with them for? Not one of them has a creed that is indorsed\nby any party but his own. There is not a party in Christendom that\nreceives or believes the Methodist creed except the Methodist party.\nThe same is true of every other party. Their creeds are not even\npopular, only as they agree in the _human-creed_ idea _that they must\nhave a human creed_. What a coming down, for a man that has a creed\nthat they all believe\u2014the Bible\u2014to come down on a level with a man,\nstanding on a little _side platform_, discarded by every religious\nparty, in the world, except his own. We do not want his recognition and\ndo not intend to recognize him till he abandons his _side platform_.\nThe Evangelical Alliance have been trying, twenty-five years or more,\nto make a platform and are as far from making one that these parties\ncan stand on as they were at the beginning. What use have we for\ntampering in this way? We have a creed that every party in Christendom\nadmits to be right. The Bible is that creed. We have a doctrine that\nthey all admit to be right\u2014\u201call Scripture given by inspiration of\nGod,\u201d as Paul says, \u201cis profitable for _doctrine_.\u201d There is no doubt\nabout it. We have \u201cthe faith once for all delivered to the saints\u201d\u2014the\nbelief \u201cthat Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the Living God,\u201d and not a\nparty among all the contending parties doubt or denies this faith. The\ndoubts are not about what we hold, but about what these others hold.\nWe hold and practice no doubtful baptism. The burial of a penitent\nbeliever in baptism is valid baptism with all the parties of any note.\n\nWe can take down the books from their own libraries and show from\ntheir standard works that all we hold, teach and practice, is found\nin their main works, indorsed and sanctioned in numerous ways. We are\nnot standing upon any doubtful ground. We know we are right, and what\nremains for us to do is to make every possible effort to attain to a\nmore perfect practice of what we know to be right, and not be trying\nto get recognition from any of these modern parties. They will never\nindorse us till we abandon our ground, and this, many among us will\nnever do.\n\n\n\n\nWEALTH OF ALEXANDER CAMPBELL.\n\n\nFirst. This matter of gaining wealth does not depend _altogether_ nor\n_chiefly_ on loving money. If it depended altogether or chiefly on\nloving money, many more would gain wealth than do, for no doubt more\nlove money as ardently as those that obtain it. Men who love money\ndevote themselves to schemes of money-making, or what they consider\nsuch, and, in some instances, break at it, and come out bankrupt. A.\nCampbell never did devote himself to making money. But he was right\nin two respects: 1. He was a good manager in temporal things. 2. He\nwas an economist. He knew the use of money and never wasted it. He\nbuilt no fine houses, rode in no fine carriages and drove no fine\nhorses. He was a plain man. He had everything necessary for comfort\nand nothing for show. We think he lived in the same house in which he\nwas married, adding considerable, but plain buildings to it, affording\naccommodations for his numerous guests, but nothing costly or fine,\nin any part of it. In this he was a noble example. On the one hand\nnot an indication of parsimoniousness, and on the other, not an item\nof extravagance. The same was true of the entire outfit, furniture,\ntable and all. There was an abundance for all, and nothing wasteful or\nextravagant.\n\n_Second._ This thing of gaining wealth is not fully to be explained.\nIt is not to be ascribed entirely to the _art_ of man, to his great\nbusiness capacity, his industry or energy, for we find plenty of men\nthat have these qualities, but accumulate but little. Wealth gathers\nround some men as naturally as it departs from others, when no man can\nsee the reason. Some call it fortune, others luck, and, in other cases\nwe say, they know how to make it. True, there must be the industry, the\nenergy, the management and economy; there must be the good judgment,\nsagacity, etc. These are main articles in running the world, but wealth\nbears no just proportion to these. We speak not of a fortuity, which\nbrings an estate at once, but of the growing up of an estate. There is\nsomething lying back of all industry, economy, management, foreseeing\nsagacity, etc., call it fate, luck, fortune or providence, or what we\nmay, that no philosophy or reason can fully explain. Men accumulate\na vast estate without struggling for it, aiming at it, or seeming to\nthink about it. Alex. Campbell was of this class. We can see that he\nmanaged well, that he wasted nothing, that he saw that business was in\nshape, etc., but this does not account for the amount that accumulated\naround him. Much of it came in a way that he knew not, and certainly\nnever _planned_.\n\n_Third._ Alex. Campbell did not _raise himself up_. God raised him, not\nfor _himself_, nor for us to _glory in him_, but for _his own glorious\npurpose_, and he did not leave him without the _means_ to accomplish\nthat great purpose. He always provides a way for a man to do the work\nfor which he has raised him up. Alex. Campbell could not have gone, as\nhe did, at his _own charges_, traveling thousands of miles, and for many\nlong months at a time, and through immense districts of country, where\nhe had no kind brethren to entertain him and support him, if the\nmeans had not been provided. Nor could he have started, maintained\nand sent forth a publication, coming in collision with all the\nreligious publications in the world without the means to sustain him.\nGod provided him the means, so that he never lacked. No man ever had\nthe power to stop his mouth by cutting off his support. He stood\nindependent, except upon God, who was with and prospered him. How could\nhe have founded a seminary first and then a magnificent college and\nprosecuted his great work without means? How could he have supplied\nhis extension table, always extended in his long dining hall, along\nwhich the vast numbers that visited him at all seasons, but specially\non commencement occasions, sat, were fed and satisfied, and went away\nadmiring their noble host, of whose munificence they had partaken,\nhad not the Lord prospered him? God enabled him to give examples in\ngenerosity, hospitality, and to push on his great work. It was of the\nhighest importance that he should be free from all pecuniary pressure\nand embarrassment, and the Lord kept him in that condition all the\ntime\u2014made \u201call grace abound\u201d to him. Growing _rich_ and _money making_\nfrom the _love_ of money, or _money\u2019s sake_, were ideas that occupied\nno place in his great mind or heart. He made and used money, as God\nintended it, as a _means_ for doing the work of God, and _means_ that\nthe work could not have been done without.\n\n_Fourth._ But how did so large an estate accumulate if he did not love\nmoney, or love \u201cfilthy lucre?\u201d We answer that a large amount of his\nestate came to him as he explained to us, when we visited him, in the\nonly conversation we ever had with him about his temporal affairs, and\nthat a very brief one. We can not remember the particulars, but we do\nremember distinctly all that is of any interest here. Several large\nitems\u2014items that would have changed the amount _largely_\u2014came to\nhim without the most distant idea of ever making money. This occurred\nin his listening to the importunities of friends to loan them money,\nand securing it by mortgaging lands then cheap, and these lands thus\nfinally falling into his hands, by the failure of his friends, to whom\nhe had loaned the money, to pay. These lands remained in his hands\nmany years, and he was not necessitated to sell them. As the country\nimproved and railroads were constructed, these lands proved to be\nin important places, where in many years they grew up in into heavy\namounts in value. In this there was no _far seeing_ nor _reaching_ for\n\u201cfilthy lucre,\u201d nor any thought of obtaining it. He simply listened to\nthe requests of his friends to _help them_, and in many long years it\nturned out to yield him a heavy amount.\n\n_Fifth._ His talents put forth in Bethany, the works he issued from\nthere and the establishment of the college, made employment for\nmany persons, called a number of these as educators and students,\nestablished the church there, and resulted in building up quite a\nvillage. This enhanced the value of the fine tract of land owned by him\nthere, and certainly without his foreseeing and working to that end,\nmade a considerable item in the estate he left behind him.\n\n_Sixth._ The sale of his various works toward the latter part of his\nlife brought a considerable income. This could not have been foreseen\nand planned to make money. In the early part of his life, and the time\nhe put forth his most vigorous efforts, he had no assurance that such\nworks as he issued would ever be a source of profit. Men who start out\nto make money do not start out _against_ the main current of mankind.\nWe have some now whose business is _making money_, but they do not\nstart out nor travel the road trod by Alex. Campbell. They do not make\na square issue with the religious world, nor war upon the men in power.\nThey do not generally think that is the way to the gold mines. Had he\nbeen starting with money in his eye, his keen perception would have\nseen something of more promise than a square fight with the popular\nclergy of the world; the creeds, councils, conferences, assemblies,\netc. It, however, turned out that his productions found a sale that\nresulted in an income. There was no close management or calculating on\nhis part, nor careful looking after the matter.\n\nBut the pen of Alex. Campbell was a terror to men who did not love \u201cthe\nright way of the Lord,\u201d and his words were burning; but the idea that\nhe was morose and unamiable is entirely an erroneous one. His very\nnature was amiable and lovely; and, in his devotions, he was as humble\nas a child. We never heard any man who could pray like he could. His\nterms, in addressing our heavenly Father, were characterized with a\nsense of the absolute dependence, profound awe and reverence of us, the\ncreatures of mercy, and the simplicity of a child. All was easy and\nutterly without affectation.\n\nThe reader may think we have occupied too much space with this matter.\nWe think not. There are great lessons in these matters.\n\n\n\n\nFAITH, REPENTANCE, AND BAPTISM, DO NOT PARDON.\n\n\nFaith changes, purifies or christianizes the heart, or converts the\nsubject in heart. Repentance changes, purifies or christianizes\nthe man in character, or converts him in character. But this is\nall simply a change _in_ the man, but no change in his relation or\nstate. It is simply preparing the man to enter into a justified\nstate, or a state of pardon. There is no forgiveness of sin in all\nthis. There is no salvation of the soul from sin here. The salvation\nof the soul from sin, pardon or forgiveness of sins, is as distinct\nfrom all the preparation of heart and life, or all the change in the\nsubject, as heaven or earth, as the work of God and the work of man.\n_Man_ believes, repents, feels and confesses, but _God_ pardons. No\nbelieving, repenting, feeling or confessing, saves the soul or pardons.\nIt is God that pardons. Nor does baptism save the soul. It, too, is but\nthe act of the creature; but it is the initiatory rite, consummating\nor transition act, where pardon is promised in the divine process. The\ncandidate is baptized \u201c_into_ the name of the Father, and of the Son,\nand of the Holy Spirit.\u201d All the prophets bear witness of him, that\nthrough his name, whoever believeth in him, shall receive remission of\nsin. His is the only name given under heaven and among men whereby man\ncan be saved. When we come into his name, there is salvation, or\nforgiveness of sins. As many as have been \u201cbaptized into Christ, have\nbeen baptized _into_ his death.\u201d In his death, his blood flowed to wash\naway sin. When man comes into his death, he comes to his blood that\ncleanses from all sin. When he enters the body of Christ, he comes to\nthe life, to all spiritual blessings in Christ, to the salvation of our\nGod.\n\n\n\n\nPROTRACTED MEETINGS, EXCITEMENTS. ETC.\n\n\nIt has been a question of serious doubt with some of the most excellent\non earth, whether the protracted meeting is compatible with the genius\nof the Christian Institution, and whether more evil does not attend it\nthan good. But from the day we engaged in the service of our Redeemer,\nto this hour, we have had no doubt of the propriety of protracted\nefforts for the conversion of men. It is true, these efforts may be\nmade in such a _manner_; such policies and appliances may be employed\nand a resort may be made to such means of excitement, as would be\nwholly unjustifiable. But this may be done on any other occasion,\nas well as at the protracted meeting, and the fault is not in the\nprotracted effort, but in the _means_ employed.\n\nAll efforts made to excite men without enlightening them; to rouse the\nfeelings without informing the judgment; to produce action without the\nknowledge how to act, are wholly unscriptural, and equally at war with\nthe best interests of mankind. To hold a protracted meeting, while\ntalented orators shall picture to men, in the most startling manner,\nthe sinfulness of sin, the lost condition of man, the awfulness of\ndeath, the ineffable bliss of heaven, and the unutterable horrors\nof hell, without giving any adequate instructions how to obtain\ndeliverance from sin, or the dangers of punishment, and an ultimate\nadmission into the felicities of the eternal state of the blessed,\nwe all admit to be as irrational as unscriptural. Indeed, we can not\nconceive anything more incompatible with all enlightenment and all\nrevelation, than to awaken the human soul to a sense of its danger,\nwithout affording a knowledge of the means of escape. That such,\nhowever, is the case in thousands of the revival movements of our\ntimes, no intelligent person can deny. Who has not seen the penitent,\nwhen the invitation has been extended, come, inquiring, \u201cWhat must\nI do to be saved?\u201d and not a man on the ground who could answer the\nquestion. Who has not heard the preacher invite, persuade and entreat\nthe sinner to come to the Lord, assuring him that he who seeks shall\nfind\u2014he who comes shall in no wise be cast out\u2014that if any man knocks\nat the door, the Lord will open to him, and, when persons, induced\nthrough such invitation, come seeking the way, not a man present could\npoint it out? We have all witnessed occasions of this kind. Nay, more,\nwe have known such seekers to come, time after time, seeking, honestly\nand devoutly seeking, but still not finding! Yes, this is not the\nworst. We have heard the preacher advise them to join the church, that\nprobably the Lord would bless them, that persons had been known to \u201cget\nreligion\u201d after joining the church, etc., etc., and we have known them\nto take this advice, join the church, and remain for years, _seeking_\nall the time, and still failing to find! Every community can testify\nthe same.\n\nNow it is not strange that men should become sceptics, under the\ninfluence of such a system as this. It is a failure. It makes false\npromises, and men try them and find them to be false. Such a system\npromises, that they who seek shall find, and hundreds, even thousands,\nhave sought\u2014have done, and have done _honestly_, all the preachers\npointed out for them to do, and have failed to find. They know\npositively that the system is a _failure_, for they have tried it, and\nfound it to be such. It is precisely what we might expect, that persons\ntrying such a system, seeking and striving honestly for years and not\nfinding, should be brought to doubt that there is any truth or reality\nin the whole concern; and we have no doubt, that such unenlightened\nexcitement will be chargeable with a large amount of the unbelief, so\nrapidly increasing in our times.\n\nBut if the preachers on all such occasions, were enlightened, so that\nwhen any sinner is awakened, becomes penitent, and desirous to know\nwhat he should do to be saved, and he _could_ and _would_ tell him\nforthwith what God required him to do, in the unequivocal language\nof the New Testament, who can fail to see that the results would be\nentirely different? This, we affirm, may and should be the case in\nevery instance, and we hesitate not to say, in the most unequivocal\nlanguage, that such _is the case_ under the preaching of enlightened\nmen. We go even further, and declare with all possible emphasis, that\nGod never authorized any man to preach who could not, on any occasion,\npoint out to the believing, inquiring penitent, what he should do to\nbe saved, or what he should do to enter into the kingdom of God. We\nhave it recorded from the Lord\u2019s own lips, and from the lips of his\ninspired apostles, what they directed inquirers or seekers to do, to\nobtain pardon and admission into Christ\u2019s kingdom, and any preacher who\ncan not or can, but has not the honor to do it, give their holy and\ninfallible directions to the dying sinner, _seeking_ his way to God,\nwas never called, sent nor authorized by God to preach the gospel, and\nshould not be regarded as such.\n\nIt is also of the highest importance that we employ gospel means for\nthe awakening sinners and arousing them from their slumbers. Some\npreachers have contracted the habit of making an immense variety of\nappeals to affecting occurrences\u2014describing sympathetic scenes, simply\nfor the purpose of producing feeling in the audience. Great injury may\nbe done in this way, by arousing human sympathy, moving the soul and\ncausing men to act, who do not love the Lord and have not had the first\nserious thought of consecrating their lives to his holy service. We say\nnot this, because we fear too much excitement, too much feeling, or too\nmuch interest, but because the excitement is not of the right kind. The\nwork is of no value unless it be the Lord\u2019s work.\u2014It is not his work\nunless done by his acknowledged and approved instrumentalities. The\ngospel is his power for salvation. The excitement produced in a\ncommunity by preaching Christ\u2014the work produced in the heart by\npreaching the gospel, is the Lord\u2019s work. It is a divine cause,\nproducing a divine effect. But if the cause be merely human, the effect\ncan be no more than human.\n\nWe want the protracted meeting then, to deliver an unbroken series of\ngospel discourses to the people\u2014that we may be enabled to call off\ntheir attention from the ordinary cares of life, and more especially\nfrom their sins, and place our glorious Lord and Redeemer before their\nminds\u2014induce them to consider him, in all his gracious condescension,\nhis life filled up with acts of kindness, goodness and humanity, his\nprayers, agonies and tears, his wonderful death, his descent to the\ngrave, his victorious conquest over death and his triumphant and\nglorious ascension into heaven and coronation, as the King of kings and\nLord of lords\u2014that he is now exalted to the heavens\u2014to the throne of\nthe universe, to grant repentance and remission of sins, and that there\nis no other name given under heaven, nor among men whereby ye can be\nsaved.\n\nWhen a full exhibition of Christ\u2014of the gospel, is made to men, in a\nseries of discourses, and their hearts are moved, their souls filled\nwith love and gratitude to him whom they discover to be their only\nBenefactor, their Lord, their Savior and only Redeemer, then we meet\nthem with his own infallible directions, as they fell from his own lips\nand the lips of his holy apostles, and we never find it fail to give\npeace to the soul, and if carried out to give the utmost assurance in\nafter life and death of acceptance with God and an eternal reward. Go\non, then, brethren, with the protracted meetings, and preach the word\nof the everlasting God to sinners as long as a man can be found who\nwill bear it, and then be careful to take care of the young converts\nand keep them in the work of the Lord.\n\n\n\n\nSCENE IN A HOTEL.\n\n\nOctober 7th, we started for Lebanon, where we had an appointment at\nnight. The rains not having extended east, the road was fine and we\nglided along beautifully and reached Germantown about twelve o\u2019clock.\nNot being acquainted with any person in the place, we drove up to\nthe only public house we saw, and called for dinner and horse fed.\nOn entering the bar room, the landlord skipped around the counter,\nand running his keen eye over the immense assortment of intoxicating\nliquors which lined one end of the room, politely inquired what we\nwould drink. We answered, \u201ca cup of cold water sir, if you please, when\ndinner is ready.\u201d His countenance fell, but he recovered himself and\ninvited us to take a seat. Presently in came a dirty, rough looking\nfellow, with his greasy pants patched from top to bottom, and placed\nhimself at the counter, with his feet about as far apart upon the floor\nas his legs were long, and rolled up his red eyes as he looked out from\nhis bloated face, while the landlord called out, \u201cWhat will you have\nsir?\u201d He answered, \u201cHand down old Rough and Ready,\u201d when a huge bottle\nof the fiery stuff was instantly set down. He poured a common sized\nglass tumbler two-thirds full, swallowed it, smacked his lips and took\nhis seat. During this time he uttered some dozen or two of the most\nhorrid oaths he could think of. One after another came in till some\ntwenty had entered the room in a similar style, among whom there was\nnot one, not excepting the landlord, who was not a profane swearer. Now\nthe dinner bell rang, and in a perfect rush we gathered round the table\nwell spread with the bounties of life. The stream of oaths continued\nfrom almost every mouth. Presently my right hand man commenced\nentertaining the company by giving an account of his travels among the\n_Hoosiers_, how ignorant they were, and that he had some notion of\nturning out preacher among them, as he was certain he could have made\nlots of money in that way! Poor silly creature thought we; you must get\nsense enough to eat your dinner in a civil manner, when you are in the\ncompany of a stranger, before you can even be an impostor.\n\nShould we call at such a house to stay over night, we should surely\nleave, after finding what kind of company we had fallen into. To be\nannoyed by the awful stench of tobacco smoke, spit and snuff, with the\nwretched scent of a company of men who are never sober, is what we will\nnot endure if there is any other chance.\n\n\n\n\n\u201cFAITH COMES BY HEARING.\u201d\n\n\nHow remarkable the difference between the apostles\u2019 method of producing\nfaith, and that pursued by some modern preachers. The latter class\nfrequently theorize on faith, and the method through which it comes,\nbut the former, understanding his mission more perfectly, first, set\nforth the things to be believed, and secondly, the witnesses by which\nGod intended to prove them to the world. An august phalanx they are\ntoo! consisting of all the prophets and apostles. \u201cThey all bear\nwitness of him.\u201d Suppose we could see them standing in a long rank,\nand among the most distinguished we could see Enoch, Elijah and the\nvenerable Abraham. We could place our eyes upon the great commander of\nthe hosts of the Israel of God, and the mighty law-giver, who feared\nand trembled, in the midst of thunderings and smoke at Mount Sinai,\nviz. Moses.\u2014We look again and behold Samuel, Isaiah, Daniel and\nEzekiel. Passing the lesser prophets, we behold the commanding face and\nhear the voice of John the Baptist. Still gazing we behold Peter, James\nand Paul and last of all the eye rests upon the venerable John. We then\npause, and reflect upon the tears, the poverty, nakedness, hunger,\nthirst, stripes, imprisonments and deaths through which these men\npassed and inquire what was all this suffering for? The fact re-echoes\nback upon us in the awful and sublime sentence: \u201cFor the word of God\nand the testimony of Jesus Christ.\u201d Did they thus suffer on this\naccount? They did. Could they have been anything else but faithful men?\nSurely not. They must have been the most sincere and solemn men the\nworld ever produced: Well could they have been mistaken. Impossible.\nThe things concerning which they bore witness they SAW and HEARD. \u201cWe\nwere with him in Jerusalem, in the land of the Jews, and _saw him_\nafter he rose from the dead.\u201d We say then emphatically that they could\nnot have been insincere nor mistaken, and what they said must have been\ninfallibly true.\n\n\n\n\nWHAT MUST I DO TO BE SAVED?\n\n\nAwakened sinners feel that they must do something, but they see, or\nthink they see, some \u201clion in the street\u201d\u2014some difficulty in the path\nwhich they have marked out to Christ, which prevents them from finding\nthe Savior in the pardon of their sins. The chief reason, perhaps, why\nevery inquirer does not rejoice in a felt sense of God\u2019s pardoning\nlove, is, that they seek in their own way. They endeavor to arise and\n\u201cgo to Jesus,\u201d in their own strength. No sinner ever did find Christ,\nseeking thus. He must first arrive at the point where he can feel his\nown helplessness, before Christ will help him. When he does realize\nthis helplessness, then God will meet him and give him the new heart.\n\nWould you know, then, what you must do to be saved? The essence of the\nwhole matter, we think, is this:\n\n1. You must resolve that you will put off the interest of your soul no\nlonger, but that you will go earnestly about the matter, and seek and\npersist in seeking, until your sins are pardoned. 2. You must see your\nown helplessness and feel it. 3. Having arrived at this point, humbly\nsubmit to Christ. With the prodigal, let the feelings of the heart be,\n\u201cI will arise and go to my Father\u201d\u2014He can help me\u2014I can not help\nmyself\u2014if he save, well\u2014if not, \u201cI can but perish if I go.\u201d\n\nAnd, did ever a sinner perish with such feelings? No, thanks to Christ,\nnot one! Try it, dear sinner, try it.\n\nWe clip the above from the _Presbyterian Advocate_, as a specimen of\n\u201cthe blind leading the blind.\u201d Why is it that when men attempt to\nanswer Scripture questions, they can not give Scripture answers? When\nthe Philippian Jailer propounded substantially the above question, the\nholy apostle answered him, \u201cBelieve on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou\nshalt be saved, and thy house. And they spoke unto him the word of the\nLord, and to all that were in his house. And he took them the same hour\nof the night and washed their stripes; and was baptized, he and all\nhis, straightway.\u201d Acts xvi. 30-32. When this pagan officer asked what\nhe should do, he was not blindly told that he _could do nothing_\u2014that\nthe first lesson to learn in salvation was that he _could not do\nanything_, but he was told what to do, and forthwith did it and was\nsaved.\n\nWhen Saul asked the important question, \u201cLord, what wilt thou have me\nto do?\u201d he was by no means told that he could not do anything. But he\nwas told to \u201cArise, and go to Damascus, and there it shall be told\nthee, all things that are appointed _for thee to do_.\u201d Acts xxii. 9-10;\nsee verse 16. Would God appoint things for men to do, and say, \u201cWhy\ntarriest thou? Arise, and be baptized and wash away thy sins, calling\non the name of the Lord,\u201d if he knew they could not do anything?\n\nWhen three thousand cried out, \u201cMen and brethren, what shall we do?\u201d\nthere was no blind guide to say, \u201cYou can do nothing,\u201d but there were\npresent apostles, under the influence of the infallible Spirit of all\nwisdom, who said, \u201cRepent and be baptized, every one of you, in the\nname of Jesus Christ, for the remission of sins.\u201d Acts ii. 38.\n\n\n\n\nEVANGELISTS\u2014PASTORS.\n\n\nThe evangelist is not an officer in a church, or for a church, but his\nwork is at large, to build up the churches, strengthen them and turn\nsinners to the Lord. He should introduce the gospel into new places,\nestablish churches, and in due time set them in order. He is not an\necclesiastic, an official dignitary, who has much to say about his\n_office_ and _authority_, but a _gospel man_, a man of influence, and\ncan command respect and do a good work.\n\nA shepherd, or, which is the same, _pastor_, is not an officer at all,\nbut a figurative term applied to him who takes care of the flock. The\nflock means the church, and the shepherd is the correlative of flock,\nand is applied to an overseer, or one who oversees or looks over the\nflock as a shepherd. \u201cPastoral work\u201d is, then, the work of a shepherd,\nor overseer, who can not be a novice or a young convert.\n\nThe work of the evangelist is now needed as much as ever, and the\nevangelist is by no means done away. So the shepherds to take care\nof the flock are now needed as much as ever, and the teachers are in\ndemand as much as ever. These are not now raised up and qualified by\nmiracle, but by ordinary means; nor is the work gone that they are\nseverally to do. The evangelizing is now needed as much as ever; so is\ntaking care of the churches and teaching the disciples all things that\nJesus commanded. True, as our brother has said, there is no office in\nthe church except overseer and deacon. The office of an evangelist is\nnot a church office.\n\nWe have a glorious army of young men now called into the field, capable\nof one of the noblest works ever done by men. They have it in their\nhearts to do that work; but if they are perverted they will be ruined\nand will never accomplish the work to which they have given themselves.\nThey must not, on the one hand, be discouraged and disheartened, but\nencouraged and their way opened; and, on the other hand, they must not\nbe arrogant, conceited and vain, but humble, gentle, and kind; examples\nof piety, purity and moral excellence. They must not think to leap into\nauthority by virtue of being preachers, but, by faithful labor and\nnoble deeds, win their way and gain an influence among the people of\nGod. If, now and then, one of them is puffed up, filled with conceit\nand arrogance, the same is true of other classes of men, and it is no\nargument against them as a class, but against the individual.\n\n\n\n\nTHE SECRET OF SUCCESS IN PREACHING.\n\n\nNothing short of the highest morality and the most perfect\nsubordination can ever secure complete success. Most indispensable is\nhigh reputation in all its public functionaries. A religious body whose\npublic organs do not sustain purity of morals, chastity of address,\nand dignity of character, with most elevated natural and acquired\nattainments, can never do much towards the purification and elevation\nof the debased and degraded children of men. So important is this that\nsome rule seems to be necessary to enable us to distinguish those who\nlabor to show themselves off to a good advantage, from those who seek\nthe honor of the blessed Master. It is one thing to preach in such a\nway as to make the people think of and confess their sins, but it is\nquite another thing for the mere actor to show himself off, in such a\nway as to induce the hearers to say, _he is the greatest man we ever\nheard_! A fine speaker may present such a beautiful theory on faith,\nas to delight a popular audience, without producing faith in a single\nsoul, while the most immethodical speaker, whose heart is greatly\nimpressed with the facts to be believed, will throw out the great\nrealities of revelation with such earnestness and zeal as to make\nbelievers wherever he goes. Just so fine theories on repentance may be\ndelivered in the shape of sermons, and listened to with applause,\nwithout inducing any one to think of repenting, while some old-fashioned\npreacher reasoning upon righteousness and a judgment to come, in the\nmost immethodical manner, will cause sinners to tremble all around. The\nreason of this is not that one class has method while the other has\nnot, but one class presents the mighty truth of God, while the other\nsimply presents a fine theory concerning the truth. The result is that\nin one case the truth itself is believed and admired, while in the\nother case the fine theory is the only thing seen, and the preacher who\ndelivered it the only object adored.\n\n\n\n\nTEDIOUSNESS IN PUBLIC DEVOTIONS.\n\n\nWe wish to allude to some errors into which some elders have fallen,\nfor their advantage. We have an opportunity of being better acquainted\nwith some difficulties in churches than the elders themselves can.\nWhen we visit some congregations, the elders complain that they will\nnot turn out to meeting. The brethren say the reason more will not\nturn out is, that the elders are in the habit of preaching long and\nuninteresting sermons, which they have heard over and over again, until\nthey know every comma and semi-colon. And now the congregation has\ndwindled down to insignificance, and the few who are faithful enough to\nattend are annoyed with a lengthy harangue on the subject of the\nnon-attendance of the members. There is certainly a great impropriety\nin this course. But few men are able to interest an audience with a\nlengthy discourse on every first day of the week. Those men who have\nbeen most successful in holding large audiences, where they preach\nvery frequently in the same place, are usually very brief in their\naddresses, and very fearful of wearying the patience of their hearers.\nSome men of very fine talent have lost their audiences, on no account\nbut their tediousness; and if it thus fares with men of talent, what\nmay we expect from men of slender abilities? It is very wearisome to\nthose, who can hardly be induced to attend the place of meeting at any\ntime, to hear a brother of limited information, and a poor speaker, for\nthe space of an hour or an hour and a half. Time seems doubly long to\nthem.\n\nThe uneasiness seen in this class, causes all the rest to be uneasy,\nand every one wishes the sermon to close. Some begin to leave, others\nbegin to button up their coats, get their hats and whips ready, look\nat their watches, and appear almost on the rise, while some through\nrespect try to appear contented. Let the fault lie where it may in\nsuch cases, it is as certain as any thing can be, that the preaching\nis doing no good. If the same brethren would make their addresses\nvery short, and be as interesting as possible, they would not have\nto complain half so often about the delinquency of their brethren in\nattending meeting, and secure the reputation of much better preachers.\n\nThere is another kind of tediousness, almost as insufferable as long\nsermons. The selecting and singing of long hymns, in a cold and formal\nmanner, after a tedious sermon, can have no good effect. Lengthy\nceremonies in administering the communion, are always in opposition\nto its good influence, and very wearisome to the restless. But last,\nthough by no means least, it is not to be endured for elders to detain\nthe audience, while they may consult together five or ten minutes,\nabout appointments and other matters of this kind, and then be very\ntedious in announcing them. All matters of this kind ought to be\ndespatched with readiness.\n\n\n\n\nRESURRECTION\u2014ADAMIC SIN.\n\n\nWe doubt not that precisely what was lost in Adam will be restored in\nChrist, or, that whatever the injury that resulted from the agency\nof Adam was, it will be removed by Christ. Whatever was included in\nthe word \u201cdie\u201d will be counteracted by what was included in the words\n\u201cmade alive.\u201d The penalty inflicted on account of the Adamic sin will\nall be removed from the whole race, in Christ, the second Adam, or the\nLord from heaven. No man will be lost in the world to come on account\nof the Adamic sin. There is not an intimation in the Bible of any man\nbeing punished in the world to come on account of _original sin_. The\npunishment in the world to come is threatened in view of _our own_, or\nwhat schoolmen call \u201c_actual_ sin.\u201d The penalty sentenced on account\nof Adam\u2019s sin has fallen, as a _consequence_, on the whole race. By\nChrist, in the resurrection, this _consequence_ will be removed, and\npardon, through the blood of Christ, will release _all who come to the\nSavior_, from _their own_ sins, or their _actual_ sins, and thus save\nthem from punishment in the world to come.\n\n\n\n\nPAYING PREACHERS A STIPULATED SUM.\n\n\nIf a man, or a certain body of men, wish to control the labors of a\nfarmer or mechanic, and apply them as they may see proper, it is but\nthe voice of reason and Scripture that they give him a reasonable\ncompensation to support him while performing his labor. In precisely\nthe same way, if any man, church or co-operation, wish to control\nand appropriate the labors of the preacher of the Word, they should\ngive him a reasonable compensation. But when the question is under\nadvisement, of employing a man at a certain point, and for a certain\namount, the question is not whether he _will preach_, but whether he\nwill preach _at that point_ and for _that amount_. He is bound in his\ncovenant with the Lord _to preach_, but the Lord has left him to select\nhis own field of labor. He selects his field, performs his labor, and\nlooks to the Lord for his support. But all this does not say, that his\nbrethren should not promise him a certain amount, and with the utmost\npunctuality fulfill their promise.\n\n\u201cI do not think it is right to promise a certain amount,\u201d says one,\n\u201cwe can not tell what we shall be able to give.\u201d Did you hire that man\nto work on your farm without promising him a \u201ccertain amount?\u201d Did you\nbuy that farm that you are in debt for without promising _a certain\namount_? We judge not, and not a small amount at that. Why, then,\nshould men, constantly in the habit of promising _certain amounts_\nfor everything else, be so cautious about promising the poor preacher\nof the word of God\u2014the man to whom society is more indebted than any\nother man, for all that is pure and good, a _certain amount_ to subsist\nupon while he sojourns in this life?\n\n\u201cI thought you said the preacher should trust to the Lord for his\nsupport,\u201d says one? Certainly he should, just as you trust to the Lord\nfor his preaching. You trust to the Lord to enable him to perform his\npreaching according to arrangements, and he trusts in the Lord that\nyou will be enabled to support him as promised, the same as your hired\nman trusts in the Lord for what you promised him, or as you trust in\nthe Lord for the products of your farm. Yet the preacher knows not the\nability the Lord may give him, nor what amount of money he may need. It\nmay be more or less, but it is not his reward for his labor, but merely\nhis support\u2014or, if you prefer it, his _board_ while he labors for the\nLord. But he does not intend to spend the whole reward of his labor in\nthis life, but is laying up a good foundation against the time to come.\nThey are prodigals who run through all their earnings as fast as\nearned. The Lord does not intend his servants to do this. He gives them\na subsistence as they pass along, or money for their expenses, but the\nmain bulk of their wages is laid up in heaven, and can not be estimated\nby dollars and cents. May God put it into the hearts of the children\nof God to look to the temporal wants of the young men who have entered\nthis great work.\n\n\n\n\nSELF-LAUDATION.\n\n\nTo see the mere worldling, whether the politician, the lawyer,\nphysician, or whatsoever, an egotist\u2014full of self-laudation\u2014giving\nhimself the glory for everything good, and acquitting himself from\neverything evil, is contemptible enough in all conscience. Nothing can\nsink a man faster in the estimation of sensible men. But in the kingdom\nof Christ, where all is purely of the grace of God\u2014where none has\nanything that he did not receive, and where all are held responsible in\nproportion to the ability that God gives, and where each one has to get\ndown upon his knees, before his holy and perfect Master, and confess\nhis weakness, imperfection, shortcomings, and nothingness in the sight\nof God, how transcendently ridiculous to see egotism, self-laudation\nand an effort to glorify the creature in the place of the Creator! And\nhow perfectly incompatible, too, such a spirit with the meek and lowly\nspirit of Christ and the apostles!\n\n\n\n\nPREACH CHRIST, NOT OURSELVES.\n\n\nPaul says, \u201cGod forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of\nChrist.\u201d Again, he says, \u201cI determined to make known nothing among\nyou, but Christ and him crucified.\u201d I come not to you with excellency\nof speech, and the wisdom of men\u2019s words, but with the demonstration\nof the Holy Spirit and of power. He further asserts that the gospel\nwhich he preached, he did not receive from man, but by the revelation\nof Jesus Christ. Many such expressions are found in the writings of the\nholy apostles going to show the precaution constantly used by them,\nlest the glory of Christ should be attributed to them. The very first\nsentence that escaped the lips of Peter in Solomon\u2019s portico, was to\nthe same effect. \u201cWhy look ye so steadfastly upon _us_, as if by _our\nown_ power or holiness, this man had been made whole?\u201d He proceeds:\n\u201cThe _name of Jesus Christ_, through faith in _his name_, hath given\nhim this perfect soundness in the presence of you all?\u201d\n\nThe good Cornelius tried Peter, at the same point, on his first\napproach into his presence. He fell down before the apostle and was\nabout to worship him. Peter told him to stand up\u2014that he himself\nwas also _a man_, and demanded of him why he had sent for him. After\nhearing the account given by Cornelius, of his prayer, his having seen\nan angel, and what the angel said to him, the apostle began upon the\ngreat burthen that he carried upon his soul. In a few words he declared\nthat God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power.\nThis was the great subject the apostles carried upon their hearts.\nRespecting themselves, they knew not what would befall them, save the\ntestimony of the Holy Spirit, that bonds and imprisonment awaited them;\nnor did they count their lives dear unto themselves, but they counted\nall things but loss, if they could but win Christ.\n\n\n\n\nTHE CHURCH OF CHRIST A PROSELYTING INSTITUTION.\n\n\nOne of the most striking differences between the Mosaic and Christian\ninstitutions is, that the latter is a proselyting institution, while\nthe former was not. Errorists among the Jews, contrary to the spirit of\ntheir institution, ran into great proselyting efforts; while errorists\nin the kingdom of Christ, contrary to the spirit of their institution,\nleave the spirit of proselyting. Those Jews who had such a desire for\nproselyting, should have been Christians, and the Christians who have\nno zeal for proselyting should have been Jews. It would have suited\ntheir capacity, views and feelings better, to have been born into a\nchurch as they were born into the world; and a sign in the flesh, such\nas circumcision, as a mark of distinction between them and the rest of\nmankind, put upon them when eight days old; and when the numbers of the\nchurch were replenished by natural generation and birth, and not in an\ninstitution where men can not enter except by being born again\u2014where\nthey are begotten, not of corruptible, but of incorruptible seed, by\nthe word of God, which liveth and abideth forever\u2014where men can not\nenter by natural generation, but must enter by _regeneration_ or not\nenter at all.\n\nIf men who have no zeal to proselyte, had been born in an institution\nwhere every child born of church members is also a church member, they\nwould have suited well to them the lessons from the law of Moses on\nthe Sabbath day, and perform the dull and spiritless ceremonies of\nthe synagogue. No doubt they could have gone through the performances\nwith as much formality and as little grace as a Jewish rabbi. Many\nof these, if they had the priestly robe, Aaron\u2019s rod, the pot with\nmanna, the shew bread, etc., would figure much more decorously back\namong the types and shadows, than they do here among the good things\nto come. They are better adapted for the letter than for the spirit,\nfor they almost convert the house of God\u2014the spiritual building, where\nthe spirit of God dwells, and where we are required to worship in\nspirit and in truth\u2014into the dry and irksome ceremonies of the Jewish\nsynagogue.\n\n\n\n\nOBSERVING THE SABBATH.\n\n\nWhat is there in teaching that Christians must keep the seventh, or\nSabbath day, to impart or perpetuate spiritual life? The very seed\nof ruin is in such teaching. There is no Christ in it. It did not\noriginate with Christ, but is anti-christian. The Lord never taught\nhis disciples to keep the seventh or Sabbath day, nor did his apostles\never teach this. The first Christians did not meet on the seventh\nday \u201cto break bread,\u201d but on the _first day_. When they met on the\nfirst day they did not observe it as the Sabbath. It was a different\nday from the Sabbath, took its rise from a different event, and had\na different object and entirely different associations. The Sabbath\noriginated in God\u2019s _resting_ on the seventh day. It pointed to this\nrest and originated in it. It had no Christ in it, did not originate\nwith Christ, nor point to him. It had nothing in it to bring him, or\nanything he ever did to view, and nothing can be done more directly\ncalculated to draw the mind entirely off from Christ than to fill the\nmind of the christian with the Sabbath, and get the first day of the\nweek and all its hallowed associations and memories out of his mind.\nThe first day of the week derives its entire religious significance\nfrom the resurrection of our Lord, and the commemoration of the\nSavior\u2019s sufferings keeps his death continually before us, pointing\nback to his death for our sins, and forward to his second coming.\n\nAre Christians to be perverted and their minds and hearts carried away\nfrom the death of Jesus, his resurrection and his coming, and all the\nsublime associations and memories connected with the first day of the\nweek; turned back and put to the meditations of a Jew, commemorating\nthe rest of God on the seventh day, after he had completed the work of\ncreation? Nothing can be more anti-christian than this. This is Judaism\nin the most deadly type. It is literally turning away from Christ to\nJudaism; from the day that brings the great event to view, that lies\nat the foundation of the faith and the entire kingdom of God; the\nresurrection of our Lord from the dead, and the death of Jesus for our\nsins. If purposely designed to lead us away from the Savior and ruin\nus, nothing could be more completely suited to the purpose than this\nJudaizing, Sadducean, no-spirit, no-angel and no-resurrection theory.\nThe theory, on its face, carries its own condemnation; but, in the\nnumerous cases of ruin wrought by it, we have the demonstration of its\ndestructive character.\n\n\n\n\nMARK THOSE WHO CAUSE DIVISIONS.\n\n\nWe have no confidence in men and theories that have no power except to\nscatter, tear down and destroy. The time has come when the brethren\nshould put their mark upon all this description of men we care not\nwhat their idol may be, who are simply prating, whining, complaining,\nand murmuring among loving disciples gathered by the labors and\nsacrifices of other men, but who never built up a church, healed a\ndifficulty, or promoted peace any place in their lives. Nothing is so\nridiculous as for such men to go grumbling round the country, finding\nfault with everything, pulling down other men\u2019s labor, and building up\nnothing, all the while prating about _progression_ and _reformation_.\nTremendous progress, that miserable prating, whining, and grumbling\nthat never builds up anything but always pulls down, catches the\nsheep and scatters them! Mighty _reformers_ they, who never reformed\nanybody since God made them, who never built up a church or gave any\nprosperity to the cause, any place, or did anything more than scatter\nand devastate! Atheism has done this much, and will do it again. If men\nhave found any new light worth anything, and are themselves men of any\nforce, improvement will appear; fruits will follow their labors. But\nnothing can be more manifest than that God did not send those men who\nonly spread desolation, who only pull down, scatter, and kill, we care\nnot what fine theories they propagate, nor how prettily they may talk.\nWe want men who will preach the Lord Jesus Christ, who will regard him,\nadore him, and obey him, and not a set of self-willed men, who idolize\ntheir own notions, and are determined to have them and propagate them,\nif the Lord\u2019s name is forgotten, and the fold scattered asunder. Mercy\nand peace upon the Israel of God. Mark them who cause divisions and\ncontentions.\n\n\n\n\nRELIGION AND POLITICS.\n\n\nAre we, as disciples of Christ, citizens of a kingdom not of this\nworld, a religious community, to be distracted, disconcerted, and\nthrown into confusion? or, are we drawn to a common center, by an\nattraction so heavenly, commanding, and binding, that no side-influence\ncan divert us from our course? The Lord is about to test us, prove us,\nand show whether we are true, sincere, and men of integrity to the\ngreat principles which we profess, and have been inculcating, or will\nturn traitor to them, despise them, and trample them under our feet. We\nhave been preaching union upon the Bible, and the Bible alone, to our\nneighbors; but, the time has come to test us practically, and compel us\nto apply our philosophy in an instance of the greatest moment, and best\ncalculated, of all others, to show its power\u2014its moral and spiritual\nefficacy among ourselves.\n\nWhat course shall we take, then, during the coming campaign? Shall\npreachers of the gospel of Christ enter the pulpit, with exciting\npolitical news in their heads and hearts, and make Kansas-Nebraska, and\nanti-Kansas-Nebraska, Slavery and anti-Slavery speeches? Shall their\nthemes be the Constitution, Liberty, Popular Sovereignty, North, South,\nFillmore, Buchanan, Fremont, American, Democratic and Republican. Shall\nthese be the themes that consecrate the house of God during the coming\nmonths, while thousands are perishing for the word of God, and dying in\ntheir sins? We say, and would if we had a voice louder than the seven\nthunders of the Apocalypse, and more immutable than the oath of the\nangel of God, standing with one foot upon the land, and the other upon\nthe sea, say, _no_, by NO MEANS, for the following reasons:\n\n_First._ Jesus and his apostles, in all their official acts, never\nattempted to correct the political institutions of the country, no\nmatter how corrupt they were, but left them, and those who made them,\nto take care of their own responsibilities. We must follow their\nprecedent, or we are not the disciples of Christ.\n\n_Second._ Our Lord and his apostles, in all their official procedure,\nnever made a decision, or gave even an opinion, upon the merits or\ndemerits of any form of civil government, republican, monarchical,\neither limited or absolute. They left all these matters to take their\ncourse, and lifted their thoughts above them to a spiritual kingdom,\nthat shall endure when time shall be no more. We must do as they did,\nor forfeit our claim to be one with them.\n\n_Third._ The Lord and his apostles never made a decision, or gave an\nopinion, on any system of slavery, though slavery existed, in some form\nor other, in every country where they preached and wrote, in all their\nofficial career. We must humble ourselves to the same limits.\n\n_Fourth._ We have the infallible directions of the Spirit of God, to\nbelievers, connected with slavery, both masters and servants, and these\ndirections we must give, when we speak on the subject at all, or depart\nfrom the faith, because we are opposed to it. Every man who does not\ndo this, manifestly repudiates the practice and teachings of the holy\napostles.\n\n_Fifth._ Jesus and his apostles did not found slavery of any kind, and\nneither our Lord nor his religion can be responsible for any system of\nslavery or its results, no matter how good or how bad. Slavery is an\ninstitution of the world, as all other political institutions are, and\nneither the kingdom of God nor its subjects are responsible for its\nresults.\n\n_Sixth._ Our Lord and his apostles never formed an issue between the\nkingdom of God and the kingdoms of this world. How utterly preposterous\nand absurd it is, to the mind of one who has noticed, that our Lord\nnever made an issue between his kingdom, or his religion, and any civil\ngovernment or kingdom of the world, to see some misguided creature\ntrying to form a direct issue between the kingdom of God and whatever\npolitical institution he may chance to fall out with and trying to set\nthe citizens in the kingdom of Christ in battle array with the citizens\nof the civil government! Such a man has no use for a church only as a\nkind of battering-ram to beat down some sinful institution that he\nhas just perceived is to ruin the nation. He would have the kingdom\nof God a convenient engine, properly adjusted and poised, himself\ncommander-in-chief, so that he can now bring it to bear upon Masons,\nthen upon Odd Fellows, anon upon Sons of Temperance, then upon Slavery,\nor any other monster that may rise. But the man who stands upon an\neminence lofty enough to discern the kingdom of God, beholds an\ninstitution with an aim transcendently higher than deciding upon the\nrights and wrongs of the political governments of the world, amending,\ncorrecting, and perfecting them; the superlatively noble, grand, and\nbeneficent object of translating _individuals_, whether high or low,\nrich or poor, bond or free, whether their political institutions are\ngood or bad, out of darkness into light, and out of the kingdom of\nSatan into the kingdom of God, and in their few remaining days here,\nno matter what their earthly condition, prepare them for guests of the\nredeemed hosts who have washed their robes and made them white in the\nblood of the Lamb, in the house not made with hands, eternal in the\nheavens.\n\n_Seventh._ Christianity is _the thing_ to be promoted, and not to be\nused as a mere _instrumentality_, by men who care nothing about _it_,\nand who are doing but little to advance _it_, to promote some object of\ntheir _own worldly ambition_. We must promote Christianity _itself_,\nand not employ it as a mere means to promote something else.\n\n\u201cWell, sir, what would you have a christian do in regard to rulers and\ncivil governments?\u201d says one. When acting as a citizen in the kingdom\nof God, or in the house of God, \u201cPray for kings and all that are in\nauthority, that we may lead a peaceable and quiet life, in all\ngodliness and honesty.\u201d \u201cBe subject to the powers that be,\u201d remembering\nthat \u201cwe have no continuing city here,\u201d and that \u201cthis world is not our\nhome.\u201d When acting as a citizen of the civil government, be candid,\nquiet, peaceable, and kind, and do just what _you think right_,\nallowing every man the same privilege, as Christ has left us all free\nhere, and leave the event with God.\n\nThere are spiritual-minded persons in almost all the parties around\nus; and if we determine to know nothing but Christ, nothing but pure\nChristianity, and confine ourselves strictly to the clear revelations\nof heaven\u2014preach the pure gospel of the grace of God\u2014preach Christ,\nand determine to know nothing else, while a mere carnal and worldly\npriesthood harangue their assemblies on politics, mix up church\nand State, law and gospel, turning their religious organizations\ninto mere political engines, the very thing we have condemned the\nRomish priesthood for, thus wounding the feelings of all the more\nspiritual-minded members and splitting their parties asunder, thousands\nof them will seek a church where the name of Jesus has charms, where\nthe Lord is loved and worshipped, and where the true worshippers\nworship the Father in spirit and in truth. Let us keep the way clear\nfor such, receive them to the fold of Christ, and show them how they\ncan serve God and get to heaven, whether they can ever understand the\nslavery question or not.\n\nMany of us have labored long and hard and sacrificed the main energies\nof our lives in gathering the many thousands to the fold of Christ that\nnow throng places of public worship, and we can not remain silent and\nsee them scattered by the indiscreet and imprudent course of brethren,\nin thrusting upon them, and seeming to think that their souls\u2019\nsalvation is suspended upon their rightly understanding the question of\nAmerican slavery. We admonish the brethren to have nothing to do with\nany such question in the church. The Lord has not required the church,\nthe preachers, or religious editors to make any decision, or to hold\nany particular class of opinions on the subject, nor can any man be\nblameless and push any such question into the kingdom of God. _We will\nstand square upon the Bible, by the Lord, the apostles, and every man\nwho will stand by them._ The Lord direct us!\n\n\n\n\nPRAYER BOOKS.\n\n\nThe Church of England has abounded toward her people in all wisdom and\nprudence. In doing so she has supplied them with the \u201cPrayer-Book,\u201d not\nonly for weak members, who can not pray, but for her strong members,\nspecially the clergy, giving the very words they must pray on all\noccasions. In this exuberance of her benevolence she has supplied a\ndeficiency in the will of God, an omission in the law of God, an item\nthat Paul overlooked when he \u201cshunned not to declare the whole counsel\nof God;\u201d an item not in the \u201call things that pertain to life and\ngodliness,\u201d mentioned by Peter, nor in \u201call Scripture given by\ninspiration,\u201d mentioned by Paul, to \u201cperfect the man of God and\nthoroughly furnish him for all good works.\u201d There are many among\nthem that can _read_ prayers, as they have them in print in the\n\u201cPrayer-Book,\u201d and do _read them_, but we are not aware that they have\nany more that can _pray_ than those who have no such \u201cPrayer-Book.\u201d\n\nIf we can not learn from the Lord and the apostles how to pray; from\nthe Scriptures, so that _we can pray_ we would not learn from all\nthe prayer-books ever printed. Read the prayers of the Lord and holy\nmen, recorded in Scripture, and the instructions of the Lord and the\ninspired writings; take the \u201cConcordance\u201d and run through the Bible,\nread and study all you find about it, and practice it daily, and you\nfind not only that you can learn _how_, but to _love_ to pray, and to\nbe impressed continually with the _importance of it_. Let the desire be\nin the heart in the words, \u201cLord, teach us how to pray,\u201d and you will\nsoon learn to ask for any thing you need.\n\n\n\n\nUPWARD TENDENCY\u2014REFORMATION NOT A FAILURE\u2014MISSIONARY WORK.\n\n\nThe effort we have made, and are now making, at reformation, can\nnever prove a failure upon any ground, unless it be that we have not\nmoral courage enough, as the disciples of Christ\u2014have not sufficient\nintegrity to the great principles of the gospel, to which we have\npledged ourselves, to maintain them against the mighty torrent of\nopposition from the various ranks of bigotry, prejudice, and partyism,\ntogether with the combined influence of unbelief and sin. The position\nwe occupy can never fail. While the holy prophets live and speak in\ntheir writing; while the preaching of the apostles, their lives,\nmiracles and martyrdoms, live in the memory of men; while Jesus lives,\nand the throne of the Almighty, upon which he sits, stands unmoved,\nthe position we occupy can not fail. The gospel will live and he who\nbelieves it shall never die. The men who believe the gospel, who love\nit, and hold on to it\u2014keep the faith, press it to their hearts, love\nand reverence him who gave it, will live co-existent with the years\nof God. They will never fail; their lives, in this mortal state, will\nfail; but they, at the same moment, will triumph. They are not in any\ndoubt and uncertainty, in calling upon their fellow man to return to\nthe faith as it was at the beginning. They have no fears that they are\nwrong, or that they can possibly be mistaken in making the best effort\nin their power to determine precisely what the ancient faith was,\nseparating it from everything else, and maintaining it before the\nworld. They know they are right in this. In one word, they believe the\ngospel, maintain and defend it, and nothing else. It is the system they\nbelieve, maintain and defend and nothing else. They may not understand\neverything contained in it, as others who have other systems, do\nnot understand everything in their system; but the system itself we\nknow to be right, infallibly right and that we are infallibly right\nin maintaining it; not because we understand everything contained\nin it; but because we know the author of it, and know him to be\ndivine\u2014infallible. We know him, love him and regard him; therefore we\nknow that what proceeds from him is infallible, and love it and regard\nit.\n\n\n\n\nMEN CAN BELIEVE AND DO BELIEVE.\n\n\nWhy does the speculator offer one dollar more to-day, than he did\nyesterday, per barrel for flour? Because he believes the news he has\nreceived, of an advance in some other market. Why does that pork dealer\nadvance the price one dollar per barrel? Because he believes the news\nof an advance in some other market. Why does that trader refuse that\nbank bill? Because he believes the statement in the detector, that it\nis under par. Look through the various departments in life, business\ntransactions and all, and see what a vast amount of it is done by\nfaith. All business men are daily and hourly acting in matters where\nthousands of dollars are involved upon faith, and acting with great\nconfidence, too. Look at that man at the post office, opening a letter\nand reading! In a few minutes you see him stopping quickly and closing\nan engagement, involving thousands of dollars! What is he acting upon?\nFaith in the letter just received and read. Look at that other man,\nwaiting for a dispatch. Presently he receives and reads it. In a few\nminutes he is waiting the arrival of the cars. As the cars approach,\nyou notice him eyeing the passengers as they come out of the train.\nPresently he rests his eye upon a man. In the next moment the man is\narrested! What is he acting upon? Faith in the telegraphic dispatch\nhe had just received. Thus we perceive men are constantly acting upon\n_faith_ in all the affairs of this life.\n\nIs it possible that men who are thus constantly, and without\nhesitation, acting upon faith, will have the assurance to apologize\nfor their unbelief in matters of religion, by saying they cannot\nbelieve? It will also be observed that the men thus acting are not\nmerely a few credulous and thoughtless persons, but business men of all\nclasses\u2014men of the first order of mind, thus showing that they _can_\nbelieve and _do_ believe, in matters of great importance, and thus\ndemonstrating that they can believe in matters of religion, as well\nas others, if they will but give a candid attention to the evidence.\nThe same faculties of the mind exercised in believing the news of the\nday, political, commercial, or of sickness, health, or accidents, etc.,\nare exercised in believing the divine testimonies. The same mind that\nbelieves the testimony of men, is exercised in believing the testimony\nof God. The difference in the effect produced upon the human soul,\nby divine testimony, or divine faith, from that produced by human\ntestimony, or what is purely human faith, is not that the same mind,\nor the same faculties of the mind are not exercised in both cases, nor\nis it owing to the difference between divine and human testimony; but\nthe difference is in the things believed\u2014the difference between divine\nand human things believed. Heavenly things believed would, beyond all\ndispute, make a different impression from that produced by the belief\nof earthly things, however true they might be. A mere earthly truth,\neven if proved by divine testimony, could produce no more than an\nearthly impression; but a heavenly truth, if proved by earthly\ntestimony, would produce a heavenly impression. The same mind that\nunderstands and believes that there is an advance in the flour market,\nbelieves that the Lord rose from the dead, but the effect produced\nby the faith in one instance, is very different from that produced\nin the other instance; not because different powers are exercised in\nbelieving; nor because the testimony differs; but because the things\nbelieved differ.\n\nThe relation a thing believed sustains to the believer, is the main\ncause of its effect upon him. Robert Owen, who professed to have\nread, and traveled forty years, without being able to find any\nevidence of the truth of christianity, has lately become a believer in\nSpiritualism. How is it, that he is so slow to believe in one case,\nbut so ready to believe in the other? The reason is to be found in\nthe relation these two things to be believed, sustain to him. The\nbelief in modern Spiritualism involves nothing, requires nothing and\npromises nothing. It is merely a speculative subject, for vain and\nidle curiosity; placing no man under any new obligations who believes\nit. It is a very suitable thing to catch a man of a perverted mind and\nheart; one who has rejected Jesus; resisted the testimonies of the Holy\nSpirit, and despised the Bible during an earthly pilgrimage of many\nyears, which God has mercifully and graciously granted him. But the\nfact that Jesus of Nazareth is the Son of God\u2014that he is divine\u2014that\nhe is alive and lives forever and ever, is a fact sustaining a\ndifferent relation to time. It is not a speculative fact for idle\ncuriosity; not a mere theme for empty, cold and unfeeling hearts; for\nidle, confused and wandering brains; but a fact, intimately connected\nwith all mankind; a fact, in which the destinies of all men are\ninvolved; one, too, bearing upon the lives and conduct of all men. Here\nis the reason that many are so slow to believe this, the greatest and\nmost important of all the facts presented for the belief of mankind:\nit _requires a holy life_. A strange feature truly is it, in men, that\nthey should prefer to believe that which requires nothing, proposes\nnothing and promises nothing, to that requiring the purest life, most\nexalted character, and ennobled feelings, promising the approbation of\nthe Almighty now, and eternal joy in the world to come!\n\nWhat reason can any man give for such opposition? No man believes that\nthe Lord Jesus Christ ever made any human being worse. No man sincerely\nbelieves that the Bible makes any person worse; or that the Christian\nreligion does any harm to any one of our sinful race. No human being\nsolemnly believes that any harm could result from the universal\nprevalence of pure christianity, as set forth upon the pages of the\nNew Testament, throughout the world. All men, upon cool and deliberate\nreflection, must be satisfied, that if all the peoples, nations, tribes\nand tongues of the earth, were fully under the power and influence of\nthe Bible, mankind would be infinitely blessed by it. Not a sceptic in\nthe world can give a reason for his opposition to the Lord Jesus and\nthe Bible. O, that men knew Jesus! O, that they possessed his spirit\nand temper! O, that they would love him and be blessed by him!\n\n\n\n\nCHURCH MEMBERSHIP.\n\n\nThe act of uniting with a church is not with the idea of being\n_changed_ or _made better_, in ourselves, but to be placed in the right\nrelation. The man who is a christian ought to be united with other\nchristians in a congregation where he can worship according to the\nScriptures. It is one thing to become a christian, and another thing to\nfind and unite with a congregation of christians where the ordinances\nare kept and the authority of Christ is maintained.\n\nIt is one thing to become a member of the body of Christ, or, which\nis the same, enter into the kingdom of God, and another thing for\na person to unite with a local congregation. The Ethiopian officer\nbecame a christian, or entered into the kingdom of God, or the body\nof Christ, in obeying the gospel; but this did not make him a member\nof any particular local congregation, where he would meet with other\nchristians and worship. This required an additional step. By faith,\nrepentance and baptism he entered into Christ, or in the body of\nChrist, or became a christian. But if he has thus come into the general\nbody, or thus become a christian, and then united with the Baptist\nchurch, or any other church, where he can not worship according to the\nScriptures; where they do not commemorate the sufferings and death of\nJesus regularly on the first day of the week, as the first christians\ndid; where they have an unauthorized name, a human creed and other\nthings contrary to Scripture; he has a right, and more, he ought to\nseek a gospel church where he can worship according to Scripture.\n\n\n\n\nBELIEVERS ONLY TO BE BAPTIZED.\n\n\nBaptism, the initiatory rite, or the act of entering the church, is a\ncommand. All commands must be preceded by faith. The divine authority,\nrequiring baptism, must be recognized, before the command can be\nobeyed; and the divine authority can only be recognized by faith.\nHow, then, can a command be obeyed by one without faith, without a\nconsciousness of divine authority, or even the knowledge that the\ncommand exists? Such a practice subverts the command of God in every\ncase where it obtains, and if it should become universal, would set\naside and annihilate all obedience to the command to be baptized. In\nevery case, where an infant is baptized, and prevailed upon, in after\nlife, to be content with its baptism and infant membership, one person\nis effectually prevailed upon never to obey the command to be baptized,\nand never, personally, to bow to the authority of Jesus in voluntarily\nentering into covenant with him. The person is deceived, and made to\nthink, when come to the years of accountability, that two things have\nbeen done that never have been done, viz: 1. That the command to be\nbaptized has been obeyed. 2. That the requirement to enter into the\nchurch has been complied with. Neither the one nor the other has been\ncomplied with at all.\n\n\n\n\nTHE KNOWLEDGE NECESSARY BEFORE BAPTISM.\n\n\nSome person,\u2014name not known\u2014writing from Ripley, Ohio, inquires\nwhether persons baptized when very young, under excitement, having but\nlittle understanding of the import of baptism; and, after coming to\nmature years, become dissatisfied and desire to be baptized over again,\nshould he then be baptized again? This question is entirely outside of\nthe New Testament, and purely a question of opinion. Among the many\nthousands baptized by the apostles, there were many, evidently, who\nhad but an imperfect understanding of the whole matter, not only of\nvery young persons, but many very illiterate persons. Yet there is\nno account of any, on coming to a fuller understanding, who desired\nto be baptized in the name of the Lord. It matters not how little\nunderstanding persons have, if they believe in the Lord, repent of\ntheir sins, confess and obey the Savior. Nor is the circumstance that a\nperson afterward understands the matter more fully, a reason why such\nan one should be baptized again; but simply an evidence of a proper\ngrowth in knowledge. There has been much said about the measure of\nunderstanding that must be had before baptism, that would cut off one\nhalf of the apostolic converts. Conversion is simply _turning to God_,\nand there are but few who aim not to do this.\n\n\n\n\nPAUL AND JAMES, ON JUSTIFICATION BY FAITH.\n\n\nThe difficulty in this case is not to be solved in dreams about\n_different kinds of faith_. Writers may speculate upon different\nkinds of faith till doomsday, and neither extricate themselves from\nthe difficulty, nor their readers. James and Paul were speaking of\nprecisely the same kind of faith; but Paul\u2019s \u201cdeeds of the law\u201d are\nnot the same as James\u2019 \u201cworks;\u201d or no man can avoid a contradiction.\nPaul and James are both speaking of the faith that justifies man,\nbut neither of them are speaking of faith _alone_. Paul and James\nwere speaking of the faith of Christ, by which the heart is purified,\n\u201cwithout the deeds of the law\u201d of Moses, and both would have agreed any\ntime, that by the deeds of the law of Moses, no man could be justified\nin the sight of God. But the deeds of the law of Moses and the deeds of\nthe gospel\u2014the \u201cgood works which God has ordained that we should walk\nin them\u201d\u2014as mentioned by Paul\u2014Eph. ii. 10\u2014and the works of James,\nare not the same by any means. Paul was arguing against opposing Jews,\nwho contended that men could be justified by the works or deeds of the\nlaw of Moses, and maintained in opposition to them, that, by the deeds\nof their law, no man could be justified in the sight of God; but man is\nnow; justified by the faith of Christ, that works by love and purifies\nthe heart\u2014through the deeds of the gospel\u2014the good works of the\ngospel\u2014not the deeds of law, but the works of faith, like the works of\nAbraham, of which James speaks.\n\nNeither Paul nor James believed that justification was by faith alone.\nNeither of them believed, or taught, that justification was by the\ndeeds of the law of Moses. Neither of them believed that a man could\nbe justified by faith, without the works of the gospel. Justification\nis by faith, not in the law of Moses, but in Christ; not alone, but,\nas Paul has it, in the \u201cgood works (of the gospel) which God hath\nordained that we should walk in them;\u201d or, as James has it, in the\ncase of Abraham, his faith, wrought with his works, and through the\ndivine appointment of both his faith and his works, the Lord justifies\nthose who come to him. It is neither faith nor works, either of law or\ngospel, that justifies the sinner. It is God that justifies; but he\nonly justifies those who come in a proper spirit, to his appointments.\n\n\n\n\nCONTROVERSY.\n\n\nLet no man infer from this, however, that we favor, or in any way\nencourage, a _love for controversy_. This is another thing entirely.\nBy no means do we love controversy. It is deplored always, or at\nleast the occasion of it. But shall a man, because he deplores\ncontroversy\u2014because he is sorry to come in collision with men\u2014because\nhe knows unpleasantness will arise, and the smooth surface will\nbe ruffled, evade the issues between light and darkness\u2014between\nchristianity and everything else? We did not make these issues and are\nnot responsible for them. They exist whether we say anything about them\nor not, or whether we see them at all. The simple question is, whether\nwe will stand by christianity and maintain it\u2014whether we will face the\nissue, in a kind, a manly and noble manner, or shrink, depart from it\nand allow it to be crushed down. Our motto is, _Meet the issue fairly\nand squarely, in every instance of opposition to the gospel, in that\nway that shall prove most effectual_. Let there be no evasion, but\nstand firm and present an unbroken front.\n\n\n\n\nCONTROVERSY ABOUT THE SPIRIT.[A]\n\n\nMany brethren are inquiring of us about the Spirit, \u201ccorrect views\nof the Spirit,\u201d and of \u201cthe influence of the Spirit,\u201d and insisting\nthat we should respond to some things that are published, etc.; but,\nfor the present, to all this we must simply say, that the Lord knows\nour hearts. He knows who have the Spirit, who are led by the Spirit,\nwalk in the Spirit, mind the things of the Spirit and endeavor to keep\nthe unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. He knows them who are\nhis, who love him and keep his commandments. Blessed be his name; he\nis able to keep them from falling, make all grace abound to them and\npreserve them to his heavenly appearing and kingdom. With them, his\ngreat work is a reality, a real work, the greatest and best of all the\nworks in which human beings have ever engaged; and they believe he is\nwith them, will be with them while they shall struggle for his cause in\nthis world, and will be with them in the day when God shall judge the\nsecrets of men by Jesus Christ, according to the gospel. In him they\nhave put their everlasting trust;to him they have committed their\ncause, and to him they look for their final reward. They fear not what\nman can do to them, nor what he can say of them, but they fear him\nwho is able to save and able to destroy, who is able to kill and able\nto make alive. We have nothing at stake only the cause of truth, of\nrighteousness and humanity. We have no theory of our own to maintain,\nno philosophy to defend, nor pride of opinion to guard, but are willing\nto learn of the most humble disciple in the whole kingdom of God. If\nany brother really has more of the spirit of the Lord than we have, we\nenvy him not because _he has more than we_, but we are only sorry that\n_we have less than he_.\n\n * * * * *\n\nBy the way, as we now appear agreed that the Spirit of God should be\nactually received and enjoyed by the saints, whether that agreement\nbe enforced by the terms of Scripture merely, or from the heart,\nGod knows. There remains but a single point of importance in our\nmind. That is not, and has not been, whether the Spirit of God is\nactually received and enjoyed by the children of God; but whether any\n_teachings_ are communicated to man, or revelations made, either before\nor after conversion, to saint or sinner, except _through the senses_.\nAre not the revelations of God inscribed upon the sacred pages of the\nBible, the only teachings from heaven, for both the church and the\nworld, and are not these imparted to man through the senses? We do not\nbelieve that there are any revelations from God, or teachings, binding\nupon man, for saint or sinner, only those in the Bible, and these are\nimparted to man through the senses. If this is sensuous philosophy,\nthen we are in for it.\n\n[A] A discussion of the subject of Spiritual Influence was carried on\namong the Disciples during the Decade, beginning in the year 1856.\nBenjamin Franklin\u2019s position, and indeed the gist of the controversy,\nis presented in the opening and closing paragraphs of an editorial in\nthe _A. C. Review_.\n\n\n\n\nSECTARIANISM.\n\n\nMuch as has been said upon the evils of sectarianism, within the last\nforty or fifty years, it is still true, that no one has given the\nsubject too high a coloring. Its evils are equal to the most brilliant\ndescription we have had. Indeed, it is difficult to conceive how any\none could speak, in too strong terms, of this one evil; yet, the sin of\npartyism, like many other sins of these times, is so fashionable and\npopular, that it is scarcely seen to be a sin at all. It is true, all\nseem to look upon it as a sin, for a man to create partyism and strife\nin the party to which he belongs, or any other party. But, to keep up\nthe parties now in existence, and defend the peculiarities upon which\nthey are predicated, and from which they receive their very existence,\nis considered _serving God_. Now, if it can be considered service to\nthe Lord, to build up and keep up that old mother and mistress of all\nheresy, the Roman Catholic Church, then, why was not the very mystery\nof iniquity, already working in John\u2019s day, doing service to God, in\noriginating that grand establishment of sin and iniquity? Surely, it is\ngiving as much glory to God to set on foot a great or a small religious\nscheme, as to keep it in motion after it is once started.\n\nIf it is doing the will of God to build up and sustain the Episcopalian\nChurch now; surely, he was doing the will of God who originated\nit. This, no one will doubt. The same is true of the Lutheran, the\nPresbyterian, the Methodist Episcopal and all the indescribable parties\nwhich have descended from them. If it is service to the Lord now, to\nbuild them up, it was equally as great service to him to originate\nthem. It is a fact, too, that all these parties honor their originators\nas the greatest and best men the world has had.\n\nNow, how much should the opinions of these parties be considered worth?\nor, how much are the most earnest and solemn decisions they ever made,\nto be regarded? They would consider us highly uncharitable, if we did\nnot regard these decisions as most solemnly true. Well, if the Roman\nCatholic Church ever made an earnest, an authoritative decision, in the\nworld, it was when she declared Martin Luther a heretic. And what man,\nsince his day, has broken off from an old party and established a new\none, without most earnestly and solemnly being declared a heretic? No\nsuch man can be mentioned. The old party always decides that a new one,\nthat breaks off from it, is a heresy. In this way, all the parties now\nin existence, have been decided _heresies_, and the leaders in them\n_heretics_. Yet, these _heresies_, as they have styled them, headed\nby those who have been decided _heretics_, have grown up, and are now\ncalled \u201c_evangelical churches_.\u201d How is all this? If the Lord never\nauthorized them to be started, did he authorize their perpetuation?\nAnd if he did authorize them to be started, were not the old parties\nawfully wicked in condemning them, when they were doing the will of the\nLord?\n\nIt, then, presents a fearful picture\u2014turn the matter which way you\nmay. If the parties, passing sentences, were wicked, and opposing the\nwill of God, then are almost all wicked and sinful\u2014for all the older\nand more popular, have passed such sentences. But if those upon whom\nsentence has been passed, are sinful, and under condemnation, then\nthere are but few good, for such sentences have been passed upon nearly\nall. Such is the dilemma, in which partyism has involved the religious\nworld.\n\nIf ever the adversary of man discovered an effectual stratagem, by\nmeans of which to defeat all piety, and do execution in opposing the\nfaith of God\u2019s elect, it was when he succeeded in sowing the seeds of\ndissension in the church of God. Our Lord\u2019s words show that he had this\nbefore his mind, when he uttered the solemn prayer, John xvii. 20; \u201cI\npray not for these alone, but for them also who shall believe on me\nthrough their word; that they may all be one, as thou, Father, art in\nme and I in thee, that they also may be one in us; that _the world may\nbelieve that thou hast sent me_.\u201d Here it is clearly implied, that if\nthose who believe, through the word, were _one_, the tendency would be\nto induce the world to believe. Nor is this any more clearly implied\nthan the opposite, viz: that the lack of union among believers, leads\nto unbelief. How vain and imaginative the thought, that the existing\nparties of our times, will ever be instrumental in the hand of God, in\nconverting the world, when the structure of their own organization, in\nitself, has a continual tendency to infidelity. Are we told that such\nis an ungenerous charge? Well, who can avoid it? The language of the\nLord, just quoted, clearly implies that the faith of the world depends\non the unity of believers; and we all admit, that the world cannot be\nconverted without faith, for \u201cwithout faith it is impossible to please\nGod; for they that would come to him must believe that he is, and\nthat he is a rewarder of them who diligently seek him.\u201d The matter is\ntoo clear to be misunderstood. The Lord saw that the world would not\nbelieve, till his people were _one_; hence, he prayed that they might\nbe one, _that the world might believe_.\n\nNeed we pray for the conversion of the world? need we send missionaries\nto convince the pagan nations? need we print and circulate bibles? need\nwe build churches, and preach with the zeal of apostles, in all the\nlength and breadth of the land? I say, need we do all this, thinking\nto convert the world, while we maintain our own unhallowed divisions\namong believers? And, if we do, what evidence have we that the object\nwe have in view will ever be attained? Not the least in the world; for\nso long as the Lord prays that we may _be one_\u2014that the _world may\nbelieve_\u2014we need not expect the world to believe, while we are _not\none_.\n\nIt is true, we may convince, convert and save some, under the most\ndisadvantageous circumstances; but what is this, compared with the\n_world believing_ or being converted? It is only a drop to the ocean.\nWhy not, then, come back to this great obstacle, and remove it, that\nthe conquests of righteousness and grace may extend over the earth?\n\nIt is confessed by all, in our time, that the Lord\u2019s people are a\nspiritual people, and if any have not the Spirit of Christ, they are\nnone of his. All are aware, too, that carnality is the opposite of\nspirituality. What, then, is an evidence of carnality? I. Cor. iii. 3,\nPaul asserts: \u201cFor ye are carnal.\u201d What reason does he give for this\nassertion? \u201cFor,\u201d says he, \u201cwhereas there is among you _envying_, and\n_strife_, and _divisions_; are ye not _carnal_, and walk as men?\u201d He\nhere alludes to their divisions, as an evidence of their carnality, or\nwant of spirituality. But he argues the case further, as follows: \u201cFor\nwhile one saith, I am of Paul; and another, I am of Apollos; are ye not\ncarnal?\u201d He here continues the charge, that their following different\nleaders is an evidence of their carnality. It should be kept in mind,\ntoo, that the divisions among the Corinthians were of the mildest form.\nIf they could not be justified by the apostle, none since his time\ncould be, for none less offensive have ever existed. If the Corinthian\nchurch, then, deserved the charge of carnality, as they certainly did,\nhow will the parties of our times escape the same charge?\n\nNow, let reason ask\u2014let righteousness ask\u2014let every thing great and\ngood ask: Can the believers now on earth, sincerely, devoutly and\nfervently, pray and labor for the conversion of the world, to the Lord\nJesus, in this state of carnality? It is alleged that _carnality_, or\nthe absence of the Spirit of God in the hearts of believers, is not the\ncause of division? Then who are they that _separate themselves_? Let\nthe Scripture answer: \u201cThese be they who separate themselves, _sensual,\nhaving not the Spirit_.\u201d There is no higher nor surer evidence of\nsensuality, carnality, and the absence of the Spirit of the Lord, than\ndivision among the professed followers of Christ.\n\nWhile this evil exists among the believers, can we pray in faith for\nthe conversion of the world? Can carnal professors, in the absence of\nthe Spirit of the Lord, without a sufficiency of the love of Christ,\nto fellowship but a small portion of those for whom Christ died,\nand who profess to love and serve him, hope that God will make them\ninstrumental in converting the world? No, we need not flatter ourselves\nwith the fond conceit, that anything like general saving influence will\never be felt by the world, until those for whom Jesus prayed are _one_.\nThe meek and lowly Spirit of the Lord is displaced by the proud and\nfierce spirit of the partisan. The lovely and inviting character of the\nfirst church has disappeared and in its stead we have the inducements\nof gorgeous worldly and fleshly establishments. In the place of even\nbeing truly turned from sin to righteousness\u2014from the power of Satan\nto God\u2014we have conversions that merely consist in opposing all creeds\nand parties but the one into which the converts happen to fall, while\nthey frequently love the Lord no better than before their conversion.\nIn the place of that universal philanthropy exhibited by our Lord\u2019s\ndeath, for the whole world, such converts are merely filled with party\nbigotry, which _dislikes_\u2014yes, even _hates_\u2014every body not of the\n\u201csame faith and order.\u201d Under the influence of such religion, people\nlive near each other, see each other every day\u2014yet associate not, nor\nallow their children to associate, nor even worship the Lord their God\nin the same house. And why this careful separation? They differ in\nfaith! What difference? Well, they cannot tell exactly, but the learned\n_doctor_ who sermonizes for them, knows the difference. Go to him, and\nhe will explain it to you. This is no extreme case. Nine-tenths of the\nmembers of churches cannot tell the difference between their own church\nand another. Yet, it is so great, that they cannot fellowship the other.\n\n\n\n\nDANCING IS A HEALTHFUL EXERCISE.\n\n\nTo make serious reply to this deceitful, deceptive and empty pretence,\nis a little hard to do. To see a person who can not go three squares\nto the house of God on foot, especially if it should be a little\nunpleasant, who can dance till midnight, \u201cfor amusement,\u201d speaking of\nits being _healthful_, is ridiculous in the extreme. It may be, for\nanything we know, that for any person who has become so useless as\nto sit, day after day, and not move enough to circulate their blood,\ndancing would prove healthful. But there are a thousand things better\nfor them. A visit to the sick, to the poor and the distressed, with\nsomething for their necessities, would be vastly better for both soul\nand body. Almost any kind of useful labor would be more healthful, and\nleave vastly less remorse of conscience. But if a person has such an\naversion to labor to visiting the sick, the poor and needy, or doing\nanything useful, they deserve no health, and the world will only be the\nbetter off when they are out of it. More health, permanent happiness\nand real enjoyment are found in an industrious and useful life than all\nthe seekers of pleasure ever knew. The man of useful life has no time\nfor pleasure and amusement. His time is taken up, wholly taken up,\nand he is so happy in it, that it appears short, in constant acts of\nusefulness. But pleasure-seekers are constantly devising how to while\naway time, to pass it off or murder it. Time appears the greatest\nburthen they have, through their whole life, and, at death, the trouble\nis, that they have not more time. The good man appears pressed through\nlife to do the good he desires to do, but when death comes, his work\nis done, well done, and he dies in hope of hearing the Lord say, \u201cWell\ndone, good and faithful servant; enter thou into the joys of thy Lord.\u201d\n\n\n\n\nPRAYER.\n\n\nThere is nothing in Scripture called \u201cfamily worship,\u201d and yet what\nwe mean by that expression, is the oldest worship in the world. Holy\nmen in every age worshipped God in the family. But the time and manner\nof conducting it, is left to the sense of propriety, and discretion\nof the head of the family. Paul says: \u201cI will therefore, that men\npray everywhere.\u201d 1 Tim. ii. 8. He also speaks of remembering the\nbrethren in his prayers, _night_ and _day_. He could not do this,\nwithout praying \u201cnight and day.\u201d The Lord went out into a mountain and\ncontinued in prayer all night. Luke vi. 12. The first disciples\n\u201ccontinued with one accord in prayer and supplication.\u201d Acts i. 14.\nCornelius said, \u201cat the ninth hour, I prayed in my house.\u201d Acts\nx. 30. This, we presume he got from pious Jews, as it was before\nhis conversion to the christian faith. \u201cWhen they prayed the place\nwas shaken where they were.\u201d Acts iv. 31. These are but meager\nspecimens of what the Scriptures say about prayer. The history of\nthe first Christians is full of prayer. If you wish to know where\nthey prayed you only need find where they were, for they were\n\u201cinstant in prayer\u201d\u2014\u201cprayed night and day\u201d\u2014\u201cprayed always\u201d\u2014\u201cprayed\neverywhere\u201d\u2014\u201cprayed without ceasing.\u201d They prayed \u201con the house-tops,\u201d\n\u201cin the house,\u201d by the \u201csea-shore,\u201d \u201cin the prison,\u201d and \u201cin the\nassembly.\u201d They prayed wherever they were. We should do the same.\n\nThey spent much more time upon their knees, than the professors of\nreligion in our day. The sin that we fear is not that brethren do not\npray in their families, but that they do not _pray any place_ half as\nmuch as they should. Now if the first Christians prayed wherever they\nwere, even when confined in a prison, why should any man who wishes to\ndo the will of God hesitate to pray in his family? Can any man show\na better place, ordinarily, for reading the Scriptures and prayer?\nCan there be any objection to this place? Are not christians required\nto pray everywhere? Will not God hear a christian in his family? No\none doubts that it is as suitable and appropriate as any place on\nearth. \u201cWhy then, is it not commanded?\u201d Because there are thousands of\nchristians who have neither houses or families, and the Lord has left\nthe way open so that they can worship God just as acceptably in\nwhatever place they may be, as the man who has an orderly family and\nhome. The Lord has left the head of the family free to determine the\nappropriate place to worship. But woe to that christian who objects\nto the family circle, as a suitable place, and then does not worship\nany place. But we never saw a good reason and do not believe there is\nany, against the orderly custom of reading a portion of Scripture and\npraying in the family, and we believe that those fathers and mothers\nwhose children never heard them pray, will most solemnly lament it when\nthey see the Lord Jesus at his coming. \u201cPray without ceasing, rejoice\nevermore, and in everything give thanks.\u201d\n\n\n\n\nWE HAVE A PERFECT GOSPEL TO PREACH.\n\n\nWe claim that the religion of Jesus Christ is a complete, perfect and\ndivine system, in itself; distinct from, superior to, and as high above\nevery thing else as heaven is above this earth; and that all who desire\nto do so, can determine what it is, practice it and be christians. We\nclaim that the gospel is complete, perfect and divine; distinct from,\nand independent of, everything else, and that he who desires it, may\nknow precisely what it is, believe it with all the heart, obey it and\nbe saved by it; otherwise the Lord could not be just and good in\ncondemning the man who does not believe it, or does not obey it. The\nmatter, therefore, with us now is not to determine what the truth is,\nor the gospel; this we have long since settled. We, as a people, know\nthe truth, the saving truth, the only saving truth, as a whole, or in\nits embodiment, or concentrated form, though many may not understand\nit in detail, and the great matter now is to practice it, enjoy it and\nadvocate it. God intends or purposes it for all mankind, as much as\nhe did for us. It is now our duty to make it known among all mankind;\nor, as Paul expresses it, \u201cto make all men see what is the fellowship\nof the mystery, which, from the beginning of the world, hath been hid\nin God, who hath created all things by Jesus Christ; to the intent\nthat now unto the principalities and powers in heavenly places, might\nbe known by the church, the manifold wisdom of God, according to his\neternal purpose.\u201d\n\n\n\n\nBIBLE NAMES.\n\n\nBut there is one course infallibly safe for us, and that is to follow\nthe New Testament phraseology. We ought not only to use New Testament\nnames, but should pay some regard to the frequency of the use of those\nnames. When a man uses the name _christian_ more in one half hour\nthan it is used in the whole New Testament, it is a clear evidence\nthat there is something wrong with him. The same is true of the name\nDisciple, or any other designation found in the Scriptures. The man who\nis truly under Jesus, not only uses New Testament designations for the\npeople of God, but uses them in the same manner as found in Scripture.\nWe never find \u201cChristian church\u201d in Scripture. We find no \u201cDisciple\nchurch,\u201d or \u201cDisciples\u2019 church,\u201d in the New Testament. Such names are\nincongruous. Yet they are current in some sections of country. In\nsome parts of Kentucky and Indiana you hear of the \u201cChristian church\u201d\nvery frequently. In the Western Reserve, Ohio, you will hear both\n\u201cDisciple church\u201d and \u201cDisciples\u2019 church\u201d very frequently. In the New\nTestament \u201cthe church of Christ\u201d is found; but \u201cthe church of God\u201d\nmuch more frequently. The members are called Christians, Disciples,\nand frequently only designated \u201cpeople of God,\u201d \u201cchildren of God,\u201d\n\u201cbrethren,\u201d etc. By giving a little attention, we can converse in the\nsame way. In nine cases out of ten, we can express ourselves in the\nsimple words, \u201cthe brethren,\u201d \u201cthe church,\u201d etc., and be as perfectly\nunderstood as if we would adopt the most sectarian designation.\n\nThe adoption of all names unknown to the New Testament, is wholly\nunwarrantable. There is no matter of more importance than this. Let us\nlearn to use the precise language of the New Testament, and use it in\nthe same sense as used there; and, above all, see to it, that we not\nonly call ourselves Christians and Disciples, but that we be indeed\n_Christians, Disciples_.\n\n\n\n\nINDIVIDUALITY AFTER DEATH.\n\n\nWill the dead maintain their _identity_ and _individuality_? Is there\nany clear light on this? We will not discuss it, but refer to a few\nevidences. Fifteen hundred years after Moses died, and before any had\nrisen from the dead, he held a conversation with Jesus in the mountain\nof transfiguration. He had not lost his identity nor his individuality.\nHe did not lose his consciousness. See Matt. xvii. 1-4; Mark ix.\n2-4; Luke ix. 28-30. The rich man died, and in _hades_ he lifted up\nhis eyes in torment. See Luke xvi. 23. He did not lose his identity,\nindividuality or consciousness. Nor is there any account of his\nexistence being such as he had before he was born. Nor did Lazarus\nlose his identity, individuality or consciousness. These men were both\nidentified, conscious, and retained their individuality. They were not\nin the same place or state, though both were in _hades_. There was a\ngreat gulf between them\u2014the one in Abraham\u2019s bosom, and the other in\n_tartaros_.\n\nWe are not to assume that, because we find _soul_ and _spirit_ used\ninterchangeably in some instances, they always mean the same, much less\nthat they always mean life. When Paul prays that the \u201cwhole spirit and\nsoul and body be preserved blameless,\u201d he does not use the words soul\nand spirit in the same sense, any more than he uses the words soul and\nthe body in the same sense. He does not use the spirit, soul and body,\nin the same sense, or as meaning the _same thing_, but each having its\nown meaning. The word soul is used with more latitude than the word\nspirit. The word _soul_ is frequently used in the sense of _person_, as\n\u201cthe soul that sinneth shall die;\u201d \u201ceight souls were saved in the ark,\u201d\nand other cases. The word soul is used in the sense of _life_, in some\ninstances. But it is used synonymously with spirit, in the following:\n\u201cAre not able to kill the soul.\u201d Matt. x. 28. Man can kill the body and\nthe natural life, but the soul or spirit, man can not kill. The living\nbeing that dwells in the body, or the \u201cinner man,\u201d does not die when\nthe body dies. This \u201cinner man\u201d may be \u201cat home in the body, or absent\nfrom the body and present with the Lord.\u201d This \u201cinner man\u201d may be\ncaught away to paradise, in the body or out of the body. But we cannot\ngo into the discussion of these matters, now.\n\nWe do not receive the idea of men losing their identity, individuality\nor consciousness; the transmigration of the soul, or the pre-existence\nof the soul; nor the atheistic idea that \u201cdeath is an eternal sleep.\u201d\nWe can find better, and certainly more profitable themes than these, on\nwhich to dwell, both in our meditations, preaching and writing. Let us\nbe careful and not get out where the water is too deep\u2014we might find\nit over our heads.\n\n\n\n\nBELIEF IN THE BIBLE IS INFALLIBLY SAFE.\n\n\nIt is infallibly safe, because no man has ever been able to show any\nevil consequences that could possibly follow the believer, upon any\nhypothesis. No man of any reason has ever doubted the safety of relying\nupon the Bible, if it be true. But we go beyond this, and declare,\nwithout hesitation, that if it were possible for it to prove untrue, it\nis infallibly safe to believe and rely upon it. Its moral precepts, to\nsay the least, are good as any on earth. Its requirements in all our\npresent relations are competent to make us as good and happy as we are\ncapable of being in this life. And, certainly, if it could possibly\nprove untrue, the belief of it could not endanger our happiness in the\nlife to come. Beyond all controversy, he who believes and practices the\nBible, attains to the highest perfection and happiness of which\nhis being is capable in this life, and stands as good a chance for\nhappiness in the life to come as he who rejects it. And if, in the end,\nthe whole could be shown to be a mistake, no man living can show that\nthe believer in the Bible can possibly be in danger, in this world or\nin the world to come. No evil consequences can possibly follow the\nbeliever, in any event. It is strange, if that which is infallibly\nsafe, should not prove true.\n\n\n\n\nREVELATION OF THE MYSTERY.\n\n\nGod is unchangeable; the same yesterday, to-day and forever. Jesus,\nthe manifestation of God in the flesh, and the exact representation of\nhis person, in whom dwells all the fullness of the Godhead, bodily;\nthe concentration and embodiment of all divine benevolence, goodness\nand perfection, is unvaryingly the same\u2014the constant, the ever\nblessed and merciful philanthropist. Christianity, as set forth upon\nthe sacred pages of the New Testament, is but the revelation of the\nmystery from the beginning of the world, hid in God who created all\nthings by Jesus Christ, but the development of the eternal purpose of\nGod, the unfolding of the infinite benevolence, mercy and goodness, in\na gracious system of pardon, restoration and final redemption, for all\nthem who obey him, through the proclamation of the glorious gospel of\nthe blessed God. It was the infinite goodness that prompted it, the\ninfinite will that resolved it, the infinite wisdom that devised it,\nand infinite power that executed it. God first purposed the gracious\nscheme of benevolence. He then promised it to Abraham, saying, \u201cIn\nthee, and in thy seed, all the nations of the earth shall be blessed.\u201d\nHe succeeded this promise by many clear predictions of the prophets,\nand divine testimonies from their hallowed lips. Yet these things were\nnot understood by mortal man. Great and good men believed the promise\nand the testimonies of the prophets, rested in hope and died in faith,\nwithout understanding; fully appreciating or comprehending the full\nimport of the good things to come. Eye had not then seen, ear had not\nheard, nor had it entered into the heart of man to conceive the good\nthings God had prepared for them that love him. The things now revealed\nin the gospel, had been hid for ages, and not made known to the sons of\nmen. Christianity is now a mystery explained, a secret revealed\u2014that\nwhich was hid in God, made known\u2014the purpose of God developed\u2014a\npromise fulfilled according to the Scriptures of the prophets, and the\ncommandment of the everlasting God, made known among all nations for\nthe obedience of faith.\n\n\n\n\nEARNESTLY CONTENDING FOR THE FAITH.\n\n\nAn apostle has thought it needful to enjoin upon us, \u201cEarnestly contend\nfor the faith formerly delivered to the saints.\u201d An old soldier of the\ncross, when about to put off his armor, rejoiced that he had fought a\ngood fight, kept the faith and finished his course. In the course of\nhis warfare, we are informed that he disputed \u201ctwo whole years\u201d in a\ncertain school, or contended for the faith. This warfare, disputing or\ncontending, is an advocacy, a defence and maintenance of the faith once\ndelivered to the saints. The first thing, in order to this advocacy,\nis to ascertain what the \u201cfaith once delivered to the saints\u201d is, and\nthe next thing is to advocate it, maintain and defend it with every\npower. The faith exists in two forms: 1. In its concentrated, embodied,\nor constitutional form, as it is presented for the confession of the\nnew convert, in a single proposition, that it may be received or\nrejected by either an affirmative or a negative answer. 2. In its fully\ndeveloped or detailed form, as we find it spread upon the pages of the\nchristian Scriptures. This is the creed of the church by which she is\ngoverned and guided in all her journey through this world.\n\nThe whole of the detailed or fully developed creed, so far as its\ntruth or authority is concerned, is in the concentrated, embodied or\nconstitutional creed. Indeed the whole system of christianity was in\nthe purpose of God, which he purposed in Christ before the world, in\nthe promise to Abraham, in the good news borne by the angels to the\nshepherds of Bethlehem, in the last commission, in the same sense\nthat it was in Christ. But it was not put in due form for mankind to\nconfess, receive and place themselves under it. The same that was in\nthe \u201ceternal purpose\u201d of God, in the promise, in the good news of\ngreat joy and in the commission, was in the announcement, \u201cThis is my\nSon, the beloved, in whom I am well pleased,\u201d in the confession of\nPeter, \u201cThou art the Christ, the Son of the living God,\u201d the same that\nJohn testified that we might believe, when he said, \u201cThese things are\nwritten that you might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of\nGod,\u201d or that God uttered in the mountain when he gave him honor and\nglory, or the same is contained in any one of these that is contained\nin \u201cthe gospel.\u201d Any one of these expressions, and many others that\ncould be maintained, contain christianity in its concentrated, embodied\nor constitutional form. These all embrace Christ. All christianity\ncenters in him, comes from him and is authorized by him. Through the\nholy witnesses of Jesus, men are made acquainted with Christ, convinced\nthat he is a divine person, the Son of God and the Savior of the\nworld; and, in the confession, receive him as their only Leader. This\nis simply receiving christianity in its constitutional form, without\nhaving examined its details or knowing what they are. We do not,\ntherefore, read christianity through, sitting in judgment, as we do, a\nmerely human composition, noticing every expression to see whether it\nis good or true. When we become acquainted with the Author, find him\nsent from God, declared his Son in his resurrection from the dead,\ndivine and infallible, we place ourselves under him, and receive his\nholy instructions implicitly, only wishing to know that they are from\nhim.\n\nChristianity, therefore, in its embodied, or constitutional form,\nembraces christianity in its details. \u201cThe faith once delivered to\nthe saints,\u201d is simply christianity, the complete system as the Lord\ngave it. All who have confessed Christ intelligently, have received\nchristianity, committed themselves to it. This is \u201cthe faith,\u201d that\nwhich is to be advocated, maintained and defended. The man who has\nreceived it with the whole heart, practices it, and enjoys it, is a\nchristian. The requirement of heaven resting upon him is, to earnestly\ncontend for the faith, advocate, maintain and defend it.\n\n\n\n\nTHIRTY YEARS AGO.\n\n\nWe showed from the pulpit, fully thirty years ago, that the answer\nof Peter to the three thousand on Pentecost, was not the same as the\nanswer of Ananias, to Saul, of Tarsus, and the answer to Saul was not\nthe same as the answer of Paul, to the Philippian jailer, and gave the\nreason for the difference. But that was not a difference between _then_\nand _now_, but difference in view of the difference in the conditions\nof persons at the _same time_. The same difference is observed now,\nby all intelligent preachers, where they find the difference in the\nconditions of persons. If a man is a believer, they do not command him\nto \u201cbelieve on the Lord Jesus Christ.\u201d If he has repented, they do not\ncommand him to repent. Or, if he has been immersed, they do not command\nhim to be immersed; but to go on and unite with others who have been\nimmersed into Christ, and observe all things, whatever the Lord has\ncommanded. But attention to this is no difference between _then_ and\n_now_, nor did the preacher, thirty years ago, fail to observe this\ndifference, any more than now. On the contrary, the preachers then\ngenerally understood this better than the preachers do now.\n\nWe noticed the articles in question, carefully, to see the difference\nin the condition of things _now_, demanding the different treatment,\nbut in vain; we did not see it. The plain state of the case is, that\nthere is no _general difference_, and we now need the _same gospel_,\npresented in the _same manner_, as they needed then. Preaching always\ndid take better effect, when presented in a pleasant manner, than when\npresented in an abrupt and repulsive manner. This we knew thirty years\nago, as well as we know it now. All that can be truthfully said about\nthis, opens the way for no change\u2014no _new departure_. Whatever was\nthen true in this respect, is true now. A good and acceptable _manner_\nin presenting the gospel was appreciated then as much as it is now, and\nwas of precisely the same value. It was understood then as well as it is\nnow, that every improvement in manner had its value, and more attention\nwas given to the _matter_ then, than now. There was then more sound\npreaching and teaching, than there is now, and less that was unsound.\n\nWe need solid and sound men now, faithful and true, not to preach\nsomething different, but _the same_, not in a different _manner_ from\nwhat we had thirty years ago, but in the _same manner_; not to _undo_\nwhat has been done by the labors of the holy men of the past fifty\nyears, many of whom have fallen asleep in Jesus, but a few remain to\nthis present; but to maintain, defend, perpetuate, and transmit it\ndown through the ages, to the end of time. We want men that will not\ndemoralize the people, specially our young preachers, by opening the\nway for something _new_ and _different_; but maintain the same things,\nand be of the same mind, and of the same judgment; not preparing the\nway for something _new_, but maintaining and defending the _old_,\n_tried_ and _unquestionable_; not getting ready for _change_\u2014_new\ndeparture_\u2014but \u201cpreach the word\u201d\u2014\u201ccontinue in the things they have\nlearned, and been assured of,\u201d and not demoralize our young preachers\nwith the idea of being on the wing; on a flight from one thing to\nanother, in some wonderful career of progress; but exhorting them\nto be \u201crooted and grounded in the truth;\u201d yes, more, in the \u201c_love_\nof the truth;\u201d not only to maintain \u201csound speech that can not be\ncondemned\u201d\u2014\u201csound words,\u201d but the very \u201c_form_ of sound words.\u201d\n\n\n\n\nJESUS REVEALED AS THE SAVIOR.\n\n\nWe turn our eyes to the infant in a manger in Bethlehem, and place\nthem upon the child of promise, born according to the divine purpose,\nto whom God had been pointing from the beginning of time, who is to\nbe the rise and fall of many nations, and the hope of the world, and\nfind that all the divine prophets, and holy Seers of olden times, have\nbeen looking to him; that the attention of all heaven is directed to\nhim, and, that the object now is, to engage the attention, enlist the\nhearts, and center the affections of the whole family of man in him\nwho is called Jesus. Accordingly, wonders surround him of a stupendous\ncharacter, when he is born. Angels of heaven appear, exclaiming, \u201cWe\nbring you good news of great joy, which shall be to all people. Unto\nyou, this day, in the city of David, a Savior is born, which is Christ\nthe Lord.\u201d After a few incidents connected with his birth, and up till\nhe is two years of age, he passes pretty much without observation,\nthrough the period of his minority, and the time comes for the Lord\nto make him known to Israel. We look and see him approach John the\nBaptist, demanding baptism at his hands. The good man knew him not as\nthe Messiah, though he knew him as a kinsman, and, in humility says,\n\u201cI have need to be baptized of thee, and comest thou to me.\u201d The Lord\nreplied, \u201cSuffer it to be so now, for thus it becomes us to fulfill all\nrighteousness.\u201d With this righteous explanation, the Baptist walked by\nthe side of his Lord, not knowing him to be his Savior, for he says, \u201cI\nknew him not, but he who sent me to baptize, said, \u2018On whomsoever you\nsee the Holy Spirit descending and remaining, that is he.\u2019\u201d Down they\nenter, hand in hand, into the water. The immerser takes his Redeemer in\nhis hands, and lowers him till his person is buried in the waters of\nJordan, and then gently raises him up. As they ascend from the water,\nthey lift their eyes and behold the opening heavens, and the descending\nSpirit as it forms a visible appearance, and rests upon him whom God\nwould have revealed to Israel. At this moment, the Almighty Father\nspoke from heaven, in the audience of the people, announcing: \u201cThis is\nmy Son, the beloved, in whom I am well pleased.\u201d\n\n\n\n\nCAN NOT A MAN KNOW THAT HE IS A CHRISTIAN?\n\n\nThe grand question to be solved, in this generation, is, whether men\ncan follow the Lord, the only Potentate, the King of kings and Lord of\nlords, as their only Leader, receive his truth as their only guide, his\nfaith as their only faith, his religion as their only religion, and be\nsimply his disciples and no more. Is there such a thing in this world\nas christianity? All the conflicting parties around us admit that there\nis. Can we determine what it is? If we can not, no man knows whether\nhe is a christian or not. If we can determine what christianity is,\nthen, why not adopt it, and nothing else? Can we determine what the\ngospel is? If we can not, then, no man knows whether he is a believer\nor not, and knows not whether he will be saved or lost. If we can\ndetermine what the gospel is then, why in the name of reason not preach\nthe gospel and nothing else? If we can not determine what the church\nof Christ is, then no man can determine whether he is in the church of\nChrist or not. If we can determine what the church of Christ is, there\ncan be no excuse for forming any other church, or belonging to any\nother.\n\nIf we can not determine what christianity is, we can not determine who\nis near to it, or far from it. If we can not determine what the gospel\nis, we can not decide who comes near to it, or swerves far from it. If\nthe right way can not be known, no man can tell who is near the truth\nand who is far from it. If we can not tell which the way to heaven is,\nwe can not tell who is near and who is far from it. The world is lost.\nWe are enveloped in impenetrable darkness. The light of heaven is blown\nout. Hell has triumphed. All is thrown into chaos. An eternal confusion\nspreads a universal reign. Doubt, uncertainty and gloom extend over\nthe whole habitable earth. The purpose of God has failed, and the\nmalignant purpose of hell has triumphed. The hope of all nations is\nlost. Our world is ruined!\u2014Black, fearful and awful despair prevail\neverywhere among men. Is this the condition of our world? Tell us,\nall you who think that the man is a bigot, a simpleton and pretender,\nwho says he can know the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom he has\nsent\u2014that he can know the truth that makes man free\u2014that he can know\nthe gospel\u2014that he can know christianity\u2014that he can know that he is\na christian\u2014that he can know the true church; tell us, all you who\ndespise this man for claiming that he can know all this, if you say\nyou cannot know these things, how do you know whether you are right or\nwrong, in the way to heaven or hell? How can you tell, if you know not\nthese things, whether you are near right, or far from it? How can you\ntell anything about it?\n\n\n\n\nEXALTED POSITION OF JESUS.\n\n\nThis glorious person is the soul of the Bible, the center of the whole\nspiritual system, the attraction for all nations, the ruler, not only\namong the saints on earth, but also the armies of heaven. God gave\nhim honor and glory, the apostle says, when he proclaimed him his\nSon in the holy mountain. He walks at the head of the army of God,\nthe true Israel, and among the inhabitants of the earth, proclaiming\nwith all authority, both in heaven and on earth, \u201cI am the way, the\ntruth and the life; no man cometh to the Father but by me.\u201d \u201cI am the\nresurrection and the life\u201d\u2014\u201cI am he who was dead and am alive, and\nbehold I live forever and ever\u201d\u2014\u201cI have the keys of hell and of death;\nI can open, and no man can shut; I can shut, and no man can open\u201d\u2014\u201cI\nam the bright and the morning star, the root and the offspring of\nDavid\u201d\u2014\u201cI, if I be lifted up, will draw all men to me.\u201d \u201cIf any man\nwould be my disciple, let him take up his cross and follow me.\u201d Such\nare a few of the many expressions setting forth the exalted position of\nthe Christian\u2019s King and the Christian\u2019s Lord. When he was coronated\nin heaven, crowned Lord of all, the Almighty Father swore that he\nshould reign till all his enemies should be put under his feet\u2014that\nto him every knee should bow, and every tongue should confess. Lift\nup your hearts, all you saints, and behold your King! He is the head\nof the church. Set your affections on him, follow him, and consecrate\nyourselves to him forever more.\n\n\n\n\nPUBLIC OPINION\u2014INFANT DAMNATION.\n\n ST. LOUIS, MO., May 18th, 1874.\n\n _To the Editor of the Globe_:\n\n I will give a reward of fifty dollars to any one who will\n give the name of a Presbyterian minister, who is a member\n of a Presbytery, under the jurisdiction of the General\n Assembly of the Presbyterian Church, of the United States\n of America, who has, at any time, preached the doctrine of\n infant damnation; and I will give fifty dollars additional\n reward, to any one who can point out any article in the\n Confession of Faith or Catechism of this Church, teaching\n this horrid doctrine. As infant damnation has been charged\n upon Presbyterians in an editorial, of recent date, in the\n _Globe_, the above reward is offered for the proof. That\n the elect are incapable of sin, is also stated in the same\n editorial, to be a doctrine of the Presbyterian Church. This\n also is untrue.\n\n W. H. AUGHEY.\n\n\nWe publish the above to show where the _pressure comes_, and not that\nwe expect any \u201cfifty dollars reward,\u201d for such men as the writer of\nthis, always have a loop-hole through which to escape, but we will see\nwhether the Presbyterian ministry believe \u201cthis horrid doctrine.\u201d If\nthey do not believe the Confession of Faith, they are sailing under\n_false colors_ and their profession is a sham. If they do believe\ntheir Confession of Faith, we leave the reader to judge whether they\nbelieve \u201cthis horrid doctrine.\u201d Let us hear the Confession: \u201cGod from\nall eternity did, by the most wise and holy counsel of his own will,\nfreely and unchangeably ordain whatsoever comes to pass; yet so as\nthereby neither is God the Author of sin, nor is violence offered to\nthe will of the creature, nor is the liberty of contingency of second\ncauses taken away, but rather established.\u201d _Con., page 18, God\u2019s\nEternal Decree, chap. iii._\n\nThe reader will see nothing about infant damnation in that. Very well;\nlet us see what is in it. This is in it\u2014that God did foreordain\nunchangeably whatever comes to pass. There is more than this in it\u2014he\ndid this \u201cfrom all eternity.\u201d Now let us hear the Confession tell what\none of these decrees is: \u201cBy the decree of God, for the manifestation\nof his glory, some men and angels are predestinated unto everlasting\nlife, and others foreordained to everlasting death.\u201d _Con. page 18._\nWhen was this done? \u201cFrom all eternity.\u201d What was it done for? \u201cFor\nthe manifestation of his glory.\u201d What was done? \u201cSome men and angels\nare predestinated unto everlasting life, and others foreordained unto\neverlasting death.\u201d That makes a plain case of it.\n\nLet us hear the Confession again: \u201cThese angels and men thus\npredestinated and foreordained are particularly and unchangeably\ndesigned, and their number is so certain and definite that it can not\nbe either increased or diminished.\u201d _Con. page 19._ This decree of\npredestination and foreordination is _particularly_ and _unchangeably\ndesigned_, and the number thus particularly and unchangeably designed\ncan not be _increased_ or _diminished_. But it will be said that this\nis not said of _infants_, but of \u201cangels and men.\u201d So it is. But _when_\nwas this decreed? \u201cFrom all eternity.\u201d These _men_ \u201cforeordained to\neverlasting death\u201d were thus \u201cparticularly and definitely designed\u201d\n\u201cfrom all eternity.\u201d We may not be able to explain precisely the\nmeaning of the words \u201cfrom all eternity,\u201d but they evidently mean\nbefore they were created. Before they were born, then, some men\nwere foreordained to everlasting death. When they were born they\nwere _infants_; yes, _infants_ \u201cparticularly and unchangeably\n_designed_\u201d to everlasting death. Those of these infants foreordained,\n\u201cparticularly and unchangeably designed to everlasting death,\u201d who die\nin _infancy are lost_. Here, then, in the Confession of Faith, which\nPresbyterian ministers profess to believe, is the doctrine of _infant\ndamnation_\u2014yes, \u201cthe horrid doctrine,\u201d whether they believe it or not.\n\nBut then infant damnation is no worse than the damnation of adults who\nare foreordained to everlasting death, particularly and unchangeably\ndesigned to everlasting death, the number so definite that it can be\nneither increased nor diminished.\n\nLet us hear the Confession again: \u201cThose of mankind that are\npredestinated unto life, God, before the foundation of the world was\nlaid, according to his eternal and immutable purpose and the secret\ncounsel and good pleasure of his will, hath chosen in Christ, unto\neverlasting glory, out of his mere free grace and love, without any\nforesight of faith or good works, or perseverance in either of them,\nor any other thing in the creature as conditions or causes moving him\nthereto; and all to the praise of his glorious grace.\u201d _Con., page 21._\n\nIn view of this, where is the difference whether infants or adults? The\ndecree of God\u2014his design\u2014settled the matter before they were born,\nand made it so definite, that the number can neither be increased nor\ndiminished, and that, too, without any foresight of faith or good works\nin the creature. The immutable _decree_ and _design_ of God has settled\nthe matter, and that, too, before time began. The elect can never be\nlost, and the non-elect can never be saved, no matter whether infants\nor adults. To unchangeably foreordain an infant to everlasting death,\nis no worse than to foreordain a man to everlasting death\u2014_design_ him\nto it before he was created. But we must, since the account is opened,\nadminister yet another item or two on this matter. \u201cCalvin\u2019s Institutes\nof the Christian Religion,\u201d is a standard work among Presbyterians,\nand used as a text-book in their theological schools. Let us hear from\nthis work, Vol. I. page 166: \u201cHence appears the perverseness of their\ndisposition to murmur, because they intentionally suppress the cause of\ncondemnation, while they are constrained to acknowledge it themselves,\nhoping to excuse themselves by charging it upon God. But, though I ever\nso often admit God to be the Author of it, which is perfectly correct,\nyet this does not abolish the guilt impressed upon their consciences.\u201d\n\nCalvin here says, to confess that God is the Author of sin, which is\nthe cause of condemnation, \u201cis perfectly correct.\u201d Let us hear him\nagain: \u201cI confess, indeed, that all the descendants of Adam fell, by\nthe Divine will, into that miserable condition in which they are now\ninvolved; and this is what I asserted from the beginning, that we must\nalways return at last to the sovereign determination of God\u2019s will,\nthe cause of which is hidden in himself,\u201d Inst., page 166. Here Calvin\nsays, \u201cAdam fell by the Divine will.\u201d Let us hear him once more: \u201cIf\nGod simply foresaw the fates of men, and did not also dispose and\nfix them, by his determination, there would be room to agitate the\nquestion, whether his providence or foresight rendered them at all\nnecessary. But since he foresaw future events only in consequence of\nhis decree that they should happen, it is useless to contend about\nforeknowledge, while it is evident that all things come to pass rather\nby ordination and decree.\u201d Inst., page 171.\n\nHere it is argued that God foreknows \u201conly in consequence of his\ndecree.\u201d But we must hear this great master in the Presbyterian Israel\nagain: \u201cI inquire again how it came to pass that the fall of Adam,\nindependent of any remedy, should involve so many nations, with their\ninfant children, in eternal death, but because such was the will of\nGod?\u201d Inst., page 170. Is there any infant damnation in this? But\nhe says, \u201cindependent of any remedy.\u201d He does so say, but _for the\nnon-elect there is no remedy_. They and _their infant children_ are\ninvolved in eternal death, and that \u201cbecause such was the will of God.\u201d\nIn these passages we have it clearly taught that God is the Author of\nsin; that not only Adam, but many nations, _with their infant children,\nare involved in eternal death_, and that, too, _according to the will\nof God_, because he _willed, designed\u2014decreed it_.\n\nSee one more item from the Confession, chap. v. sec. 4: \u201cThe almighty\npower, unsearchable wisdom and infinite wisdom and goodness of God, so\nfar manifest themselves in his providence that it extendeth itself to\nthe first fall, and all other sins of angels and men, and that not by\na bare permission, but such as hath joined with it a most wise and\npowerful bounding, and otherwise ordering and governing of them, in a\nmanifest dispensation to his own holy ends.\u201d It is seen from this that\nthe Confession teaches that even the providence of God extends not\nonly to the first fall, but to _all other sins of angels of men_, and\nthat not _by a bare permission_, but such as has joined with it a most\nwise and _powerful bounding_, and otherwise _ordering and governing of\nthem_, in a manifest dispensation to his own holy ends.\n\nLet us hear the Larger Catechism, page 195: \u201cThey who have never heard\nthe gospel, know not Jesus Christ, and believe not in him, can not be\nsaved, be they never so diligent to frame their lives according to\nthe light of nature or the laws of that religion which they possess;\nneither is there salvation in any other, but in Christ alone, who is\nthe Savior only of his body, the church.\u201d What becomes of all those\nwho die without remedy, with _their infant children_? If Presbyterian\nministers do not believe this horrible doctrine of infant damnation,\nit is because they do not believe their own Confession of Faith, and\nstandard works. We can supply them with plenty more of the same sort,\nif there is any demand for it.\n\n\n\n\nTHE WARNING.\n\n\nThe antediluvians would not be warned by the preaching of Noah, and\nsuspected nothing till the flood came, and swept them all away. The\nJews in like manner would not be warned by our Lord and his apostles,\nand could not be aroused from their apathy and indifference till their\ndevoted city was invested with armies. So shall it be at the coming\nof the Son of man. Great trials are upon those who intend to maintain\ntruth and righteousness. May we be able to stand the coming conflict.\nThe love of many is growing cold, and those weary of the restraints of\nChrist are coming to the surface. Let us not slumber, but watch and\nstrengthen the things that remain and are ready to die. Let us hold\nfast and be faithful, lest the trying hour come on us unexpected. Let\nus sing, and sing with the spirit and the understanding: \u201cNearer, my\nGod, to thee.\u201d May we find grace to stand in the evil day, and having\ndone all to stand.\n\n\n\n\nHOW THE CAUSE OF REFORMATION WAS ADVANCED.\n\n\nWith preachers from the farms, shops, stores, law offices, doctors\u2019\noffices, with a little learning, and many almost without it, we carried\nthis cause forward, and in defiance of all opposition have triumphantly\nplanted it in all directions in this and in many other countries. The\npower was not _in the men_ but in the truth of God; the clear and\nunquestionable truth, that could be made plain and reliable to all men,\nand that, too, with very little learning or talent. The ground taken\nwas invulnerable, manifestly right. The Bible is from God, divine, and\nadmitted by all to be right, and there is not a reason in the world for\nnot taking and going by it. We have struck down all human authorities,\nhuman names, and humanism of every sort, and restored to the people\nof this generation to a wonderful degree the divine, the supreme and\nabsolute authority of the Bible, and are now commanding respect in a\nremarkable degree, not as a _new denomination_, but as the people of\nGod, called out from the world and from Babylon, and planted upon the\nRock of God.\n\nThe man that runs against this cause and opposes it is not simply\nrunning against men and opposing them, but against God, and must come\nto nothing. The cause is simply right, infallibly right, and nothing\nopposed to it is right. In this view we started in it, and have never\nhad a doubt about its correctness and supreme authority over everything\nelse in the name of religion. In our incipient movements every member\nwas a _preacher_, if not _publicly_, _privately_, and every preacher\nwas at work, as opportunity opened the way, in private, the social\ncircle, the prayer-meeting, the established and regular meeting on the\nLord\u2019s day for the commemoration of the suffering of Jesus, anywhere\nand everywhere, as a sense of propriety dictated on all occasions.\nThere were additions at almost every meeting, whether for prayer, or on\nthe Lord\u2019s day, and frequently when there were no meetings. All were\n_missionaries_, and missionaries _all the time_. Great numbers were\nalmost daily added to the church, of both men and women. Indeed, many\nof the sectarian priests became obedient to the faith.\n\nWe had _discipline_ in the church\u2014order, and the members were looked\nafter; not only the popular and rich, but the afflicted and the poor.\nAll were enlisted in the work, and had time to give attention to it.\nThe evangelists were self-sacrificing men, seeking the salvation of the\npeople, and preached in private dwellings, school houses, in barns,\nmills, groves, anywhere and everywhere that a few people could be\nfound, who would hear the word of the Lord. The people crowded out to\nhear, and, hearing, believed to the salvation of their souls. They were\nof one heart and of one soul. The Bible was their book. \u201cThus saith\nthe Lord\u201d was their watchword, and a man that would sneer at it would\nhave been regarded as a skeptic. \u201cIt is written\u201d would be heard in the\npreaching and conversations. \u201cThe chapter and verse\u201d were demanded. It\nwas not the _novelty_ of the cause that gave it the victory, but the\ncertainty that it was right\u2014that it was from God and of supreme\nauthority\u2014that carried it to the hearts of the people. It was not\nunsupportable human schemes and devices that gave it power among the\npeople, but the invulnerable nature of the cause itself. It was not\nthe polish of classical and plausible men that carried it through the\ncountry, but the manifest authority of God in it.\n\nJesuits can only excel in being Jesuits; schemers can only excel in\nscheming; but \u201cthe excellency of the power\u201d that pushed this cause\nthrough this country was not of Jesuits nor schemers, but of God; the\npreaching of the cross, the wisdom of God and the power of God. We knew\nnothing but Christ and him crucified, and went ahead with our plain and\nunvarnished story of Calvary. God was with us.\n\n\n\n\nA PHALANX OF YOUNG MEN.\n\n\nA grand phalanx of younger men, with fine education, abundant talent,\nand as true hearts as ever beat, are rallying to the principles, coming\nto the rescue, and have set their seal that \u201cGod is true,\u201d and that\n\u201cthe word of God is not bound.\u201d Ten of these for every one of the old\nmen falling are making their appearance. They are rousing up all over\nthe country, and new pens are coming to the rescue. God is with these\nyoung men, dwells in them and will hold them up. They are not mercenary\nmen, but men of God\u2014men of faith. We could name scores of them. They\nare found in all directions. They are reading, working, preaching\nthe gospel and bringing sinners to the Lord. These are for the old\nground\u2014\u201cThe Bible and the Bible alone.\u201d Many of them are now wielding\nmaster pens, and are master speakers. They are becoming masters of\nthe situation. They will walk through the progressive elements, like\nSampson carrying away the gate-posts, or pulling down the pillars of\nthe house. While others will become \u201coffended because of the word,\u201d\nthese will love the word, and all the hallowed principles involved,\nmore and more, and stand true till the Lord comes. They will hear them\nringing out the old watchwords, \u201cIt is written,\u201d \u201cThus saith the Lord,\u201d\netc., etc. They will find a formidable array of these\u2014a wall of them\nthat can never be broken down.\n\nThey will find that the great masses of the followers of Christ have\nnever been perverted, have never departed from their principles, and\nhave not the least idea of ever doing so, but intend to stand by them\ntill the last. These are the great stamina of the cause. A few city\npeople, who read but little, have studied but little, and are governed\nby _sound_ and _show_, do not control in these matters, nor a few _rich\nmen_. The great body of the numbers who are scattered abroad, hear\ngood gospel preaching, take the papers, read them, and read the Bible,\n_decide the course_, tell the story. These are not led away by a few\nglittering words, by sound, nor by clerical pretensions. You need not\nread to them your dreamy philosophy, metaphysical speculations,\ndistinctions where there are no differences, prosing through your long\narticles of twenty to thirty pages; they will not read all this, nor\nwill they believe without reading. They are plain and practical people,\nand must known what they are doing. These know the gospel and love it.\nThey know the right way of the Lord and will not walk in any other way.\n\nWe work in faith, rest in hope, with the strong and blessed assurance\nthat this cause will live and go on triumphantly when our part of it\nshall be finished. What we are concerned with, is how to do our part,\nthat may still remain, to the best purpose.\n\n\n\n\nBODIES RESURRECTED, NOT SPIRITS.\n\n\nThere is nothing in the Bible about the _resurrection of souls or\nspirits_. The resurrection has to do with _bodies_, not _souls_ nor\n_spirits_. It was the body of Jesus that rose from the dead. It was\nbodies that came forth after Jesus rose and were seen of many. Mortal\nbodies shall be quickened. The resurrection has nothing to do with the\nspirit in the way of _raising_ it or making it _alive_. If man becomes\nextinct at death there is nothing to raise from the dead. Other beings\nmight be created, but the words _resurrection_ and _creation_ are not\nof the same meaning. The _creation_ of Adam was not the same as\n_raising_ Lazarus from the dead. We use the two words, or find them\nused in the Bible, _create_ and _resurrection_, to express two distinct\nideas. If man becomes extinct at death there remains no man to raise\nfrom the dead. Other persons might be created, and there would be no\nidentity to lose, for they would not be _identical_, but _others_. We\nneed plain Bible truth; the matters of the Bible, and not theories\nabout the _pre-existence_ of spirits or the transmigration of _souls_.\nThe plain truth of the Bible will _save us_; idle speculations will\nruin us for this world and the world to come. Let us study and preach\nthe clear truth of divine revelation and enforce it on our race. It is\nthe only hope for all nations, kindreds, tongues and peoples of the\nearth.\n\n\n\n\nANOINTING WITH OIL.\n\n\nTouching the \u201canointing with oil in the name of the Lord,\u201d we think no\n_literal_ \u201canointing with oil\u201d is enjoined. The _praying for him_, in\nthe Christian dispensation, answers to the \u201canointing with oil,\u201d in the\nold institution. It is simply a figurative allusion to the anointing,\nand not the actual use of oil. The praying for the sick, in the name of\nthe Lord, _is the anointing_.\n\nThe Lord raises sick people up, in numerous instances, without any\nmiracle. He may do this now, in answer to prayer, when consistent with\nhis will. It matters nothing that we can not tell _how_ he does it. He\n_can do it_. This is enough.\n\n\n\n\nGIVING UP PRINCIPLES.\n\n\nThere is nothing more important for individuals or bodies of people\nthan clearly defined and well settled principles. To stand the test,\nand be of any importance to the world, the principles of an individual\nor a body of people, must be correct, and of vital importance. They\nshould also be clearly defined, well understood, and constantly kept\nin view. It is then not only safe, but of the highest importance to\nadhere to them with the most determined pertinacity, fixed purpose\nand inflexible firmness. When principles are of the character we have\ndescribed, it is dangerous to swerve, shrink or depart from them, in\nthe least degree. Adherence\u2014the most strict, rigid and determined\nadherence\u2014to correct, clearly defined and settled principles, of\na vital character, is indispensable to permanence, stability and\nhappiness. If the principles thus defined are divine, departure from\nthem is _apostasy_.\n\nWe are not speaking of _subtle principles_, requiring the utmost\nstretch of intelligence or learning to understand, or even to perceive\nthem, when clearly set forth. There may he principles of this kind,\ncorrect ones, too, but we think, _never practical_. That which is\npractical and vital, is never so subtle as to require the utmost\nstretch of intelligence, either to set it forth or understand it. The\nBible has its deep things, profound and wonderful, requiring the utmost\nstretch of human intelligence to set them forth, or understand them;\nor, it may be, deeper than human intelligence can fully fathom, but\nthey are not the practical, and if vital in any sense, it is not vital\nthat we should understand them. If we could not be Christians, serve,\nor please our heavenly Father, without understanding all such, it would\ncertainly put it out of the power of the masses, to be acceptable at\nall. We know this is not so.\n\nIn precisely the same way, in nature, there are certain things that\nwe must know, or we can not enjoy the blessings God has in nature for\nus. There are certain principles in nature that are _practical_ and\n_vital_, and we must know them and act in continual reference to them,\nor we will come to inevitable ruin. But they are not subtle, deep and\nprofound principles, requiring the utmost stretch of intelligence to\nset them forth or understand them. These lie upon the surface, are the\nfirst things we come to, and may be easily learned, and understood\nsufficiently for all practical purposes. God has wisely arranged, in\nboth nature and grace, or in the temporal and spiritual kingdoms,\nso that what we _must know_ may be easily learned, thus showing his\nbenevolence in both, and that both have marks of the same Authorship.\nIn these matters there is no excuse for being misled. In other words,\nif any one is misled, he must be an _easy dupe_, a _willing victim_.\n\nIn religion, on the part of the man of faith, certain principles\nare settled, and not to be opened anew, and investigated from the\nfoundation, every time any new phase may appear. Certain other matters\nare so self-evident, that they need only to be well stated to satisfy\nany ordinary mind. These are the matters that move the world, and\nnot the abstruse and subtle things. They are the matters that carry\nconviction to the mind, settle the understanding, and leave it in a\nstate of satisfaction and rest. They call out the response, almost\ninvoluntarily, _that is so_. It does not have to be proved again.\n\nAs an illustration:\u2014In a union meeting in which we participated, many\nyears ago, and after the discussions had continued eight days and\nnights, in which some ten parties participated, on the last evening of\nthe meeting, a gentleman rose and inquired if he might speak, at the\nsame time explaining that he was a sceptic. The chairman said that it\nwas no church meeting, and if he intended speaking to the point before\nthe meeting, he should be heard. Several expressed a desire to hear\nhim, and no one objected. He said he only intended to say a few words.\nPointing to those of us who contended for union on the Bible, he said:\n\u201cIf the Bible is true, these men are right, for they insist on your\ntaking _the Bible and going by it_. If the Bible is not true, _I am\nright_, and there is no show at all for the balance of you.\u201d That is a\ncase that needs no argument.\n\nBefore we belonged to the church, we spent a few days in a worthy\nfamily. The head of the family was a class leader in the M. E. Church,\na kind-hearted and good man. He was zealous, and desired to benefit\nus religiously, and made sundry attempts to talk to us. We knew but\nlittle about the matters of which he talked, and really did not desire\nto say enough to discover to him how little we did know. But after\nfurther acquaintance we inquired of him as follows: \u201cIf a man will take\nthe Scriptures, read them, believe them, and do what they require,\nwill he not be a Christian?\u201d With somewhat of an air of surprise, he\nreplied: \u201cNo; he must have something more than that.\u201d This \u201csomething\nmore than that\u201d was the perplexing part. What more could there be than\nthe Scriptures require? _Then, if there is something more than the\nScriptures require, how did any man find it out?_ And, still further,\nwhat is it? _If it is not required in Scripture, how does any man know\nthat it is required at all?_ Of course we mean on the human part, or\nthat which is required _of man_. When we inquire how a man is to obtain\na crop of corn, we do not mean how he is to _make soil_, how he is to\nget atmosphere, sunshine, rain, etc., but how he is to perform _his\npart_. If the soil has not in it the qualities to produce corn; if the\nright state of atmosphere is not given, the sun does not shine, and\nthe rain does not come, he is not to blame. It is useless to preach\nabout the properties of the soil, the atmosphere, the warm sunshine,\nthe rain, etc., in showing a man how to grow corn. On all these matters\na man might preach philosophically, learnedly and correctly, but not\nanother grain of corn would grow, for all his fine talk. This is not\nthe _practical_ nor the _human part_. But the man must be instructed\nhow to put the ground in order, how to plant and cultivate, in showing\nhim _how_ to obtain a crop of corn, _with_ the divine blessing, but\ncertainly not _without it_.\n\n_First._ We have long since settled the question about the authority of\nthe Bible. That is no more an open question, unless we please, for the\nsake of argument, to look at it as an open question. We receive what\nthe Bible says _implicitly_, or because _the Bible says it_.\n\n_Second._ Then it is _the rule_, and there is not a reason in this\nworld for not taking it and _going by it_. It is the rule, the final,\nthe absolute authority. It must be received in all things.\n\n_Third._ Then the gospel preached by the apostles\u2014precisely, no more,\nno less, no other\u2014must be preached by us. What they preached then or\nin their time must be preached now or in our time.\n\n_Fourth._ The gospel preached by the apostles was precisely what the\npeople were required to believe, in their time, and what they did\nbelieve to the salvation of their souls. This same gospel precisely is\nwhat the people in our time are required to believe, and what they must\nbelieve to the salvation of their souls, or not be saved at all.\n\n_Fifth._ The things commanded to be done in the preaching of the gospel\nby the apostles were the things which they did that they might be\nsaved. The same things precisely which they were commanded to do, and\nwhich they did to be saved, are the things now commanded to be done by\nthose who believe the gospel, that they may be saved. These things must\nbe done now for precisely the same purpose as they were then.\n\n_Sixth._ If, with precisely the same faith, the same things are done,\nfor the same purpose, the same result will follow. No man can give a\nreason against this conclusion.\n\n_Seventh._ When persons are turned to the Lord now or have become\nchristians, the same instructions imparted to the first Christians\nshould be imparted to them, to show them how to serve God and be\nfinally saved. If this is not so, then no man can show how we are to be\nguided to the everlasting city.\n\nWe give these as a few of the clear principles from which we can\nnot turn away without apostasy and utter ruin. These are vital and\nfundamental matters, and no man can infringe on them or treat them with\nindifference without being held in distrust. No man will turn round\nand repudiate all of them at once, but those who turn away will depart\nlittle by little, introducing a little _new_, leaving a little out, and\nencroaching on these principles, first in this and then in that. Such\nmen will flounder and think themselves abused if we do not think they\nare perfectly _sound_. But there are some things we _can not think_.\nWe can not think white is black, or that black is white. We can not\nbelieve without evidence. If men desire us to think they are sound they\nmust give us the evidence to prove it and we will rejoice to believe\nit. They can easily do this if they are sound.\n\n\n\n\nMY CHURCH.\n\n\nWe never say _my church_. There is no being on earth who has a right\nto say _my church_. The Lord says, Matt. xvi. 18: \u201cOn this rock will I\nbuild my church.\u201d He has a right to say \u201cmy church.\u201d He gave himself\nfor the church. The church belongs to him. He sanctified and cleansed\nit. This church, in Scripture, is frequently styled simply \u201cthe\nchurch,\u201d and in our conversation about it, in nine cases out of ten,\nwe can be understood sufficiently explicitly, if we say \u201cthe church.\u201d\nWe read of \u201cthe church in Jerusalem,\u201d \u201cthe church in Corinth,\u201d \u201cthe\nchurch in Rome,\u201d \u201cthe church in Ephesus,\u201d etc. We may say \u201cthe church\nin Cincinnati,\u201d \u201cthe church in Covington,\u201d \u201cthe church in Louisville,\u201d\n\u201cthe church in Indianapolis,\u201d etc. It is called in Scripture \u201cthe\nbody,\u201d \u201cthe body of Christ,\u201d \u201cthe church of God,\u201d \u201cthe church of the\nliving God,\u201d \u201cthe kingdom of God,\u201d \u201cthe kingdom of heaven,\u201d \u201cthe\nkingdom of God\u2019s dear Son,\u201d etc. These latter designations refer to\n\u201cthe whole family\u201d in the aggregate. This body, or building, or temple,\nis the one of which Solomon\u2019s temple was only a type. According to\nScripture, _there is no other church but this_. The Spirit of God is\nin this. The life of Christ is in it. God dwells in it. In it is life.\nOut of it there is no life. It does not belong to the members, but\nthey _belong to it_. It does not _belong to the preachers_, but _the\npreachers belong to it_.\n\nWe repeat, there is no other church but this according to Scripture.\nThis church originated in Jerusalem more than eighteen hundred years\nago. It was established in about one week after our Lord ascended into\nheaven. The King was coronated and crowned Lord of all. The great High\nPriest had entered the true holy place, not with the blood of slain\nbeasts, but with his own blood, to make one offering in the end of the\nages to purge us forever from our sins. The Spirit of God descended,\ninspired the apostles, and the church was established. That is the\ntrue church, according to Scripture, and there is no other church\nthat has one particle of divine authority in it. The Romish Church\nwas born hundreds of years too late. There is not a trace of a Pope\nin Scripture, except in prophecy, referring to him as the man of sin\nand son of perdition, nor in any other writing for centuries after\nthe founding of the true church. Nor is there a reference to a Roman\nCatholic. There really was not one in the world, much less a Romish\nChurch. For the first three centuries there was no church but one, \u201cthe\nchurch of the living God,\u201d in existence. All others have come into\nexistence since then, and have not one spark of authority.\n\nDoes the reader say, \u201cYou are not in that church yourself?\u201d We are not\ndiscussing that question; but if we are not in it the loss will be as\ngreat to us as to any one else not in it.\n\nSpeaking of this church, or building, Paul says: \u201cI, as a wise\nmaster-builder, have laid the foundation, and other foundation can no\nman lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ.\u201d No man of any\nintelligence thinks there is but one kingdom of God, or but one body of\nChrist. If we are in that we are in Christ, in the Father and in the\nSon. To be out of the one body, or one kingdom, is to be out of Christ,\nout of the Father and of the Son. There is no union with the Father and\nwith the Son, only in the body or in the kingdom.\n\nWe have no time to pursue this matter at present, but can easily,\nwhen we have time, amplify and explain to any extent, showing that\nthe principles now only briefly sketched, pervade the Scriptures\nthroughout. It means something to be in the kingdom of God, as it does\nto be \u201cin the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy\nSpirit,\u201d \u201cin Christ,\u201d \u201cin the Father and the Son.\u201d It is to be in a\nstate of justification, or acceptance with God.\n\n\n\n\nTHE BIBLE AND BIBLE MEN.\n\n\nWe have identified our fortune\u2014_our all_\u2014for this world and that\nwhich is to come, for time and eternity, with the Bible. It is the only\nrevelation from God, the only guide for a sinful world. Christ, who is\nthe only Light of the world, is seen and apprehended through the Bible,\nand in no other way. All claims to revelation, separate from the Bible,\nare mere empty pretences, idle and unfounded delusions and impostures,\ndeserving to be exposed and banished from the earth. They, as a general\nthing, are wicked and malicious inventions, aimed to subvert and\nthwart the merciful and benevolent purposes of the Bible. The Bible\nis the only book from God; the only book that can be defended; the\nonly book upon which all the pure and holy can unite. Those who adhere\nto the Bible, are happy while they live, and happy in death. It is\nemphatically _the book_ for man. We are for it, now and forever, and\nagainst all that is against it, or subversive of it, either directly or\nindirectly. We are for no half way work, no compromise nor equivocal\nground. Let every man be for the Bible, or against it; on the Lord\u2019s\nside, or against him; for christianity, or nothing; for heaven, or\nhell. We want no man who stands in doubt. If a man can not define his\nposition, so that all can tell which side he is on, we have no use for\nhim. We count no man whose position is doubtful. All men whose position\nis doubtful, are really on the enemy\u2019s side, and would surrender any\npost we have, if the opportunity would offer. We are not to be gulled\nby these, nor induced to depend on them. We would greatly prefer that\nthey would stand where they belong, so that all would know where to\nfind them.\n\nWe have identified ourself with Bible men. Their cause is our cause,\nand their God is our God. Their work is our work. With them we are\nenlisted in a mighty effort to circulate the Bible as far among the\nnations of the earth as possible. We are proud to stand among the men\nof the Bible, to be enrolled with them, and in the enjoyment of their\nfellowship. The prospect before these is brighter now than ever before;\ntheir work is going on more triumphantly, and success is more certain,\nthan at any former time.\n\n\n\n\nBAPTISM OF THE HOLY SPIRIT.\n\n\nSince this practice of praying for the baptism of the Spirit is\ncontinued with such pertinacity, we have concluded to make a few\nremarks upon it. For the sake of making our remarks the more easily\napprehended, we will arrange them numerically, as follows:\n\n_First._ The baptism of the Holy Spirit was a miracle. It does not\nexist in our day, for miracles are not done now, not designed to be,\nnor of any use if done. Miracles can not be done but by the will of\nGod, nor can they be suspended, but by his will. He did them when they\nwere needed, and suspended them when they were not needed. No man\ncan allege that miracles ought to have been continued in the church,\nwithout alleging that the all-wise God ought to have done what he has\nnot done. This is absurd.\n\n_Second._ The baptism of the Spirit was _seen_. Nothing of the kind\noccurs now that is _seen_. Therefore, there is now no baptism of the\nSpirit.\n\n_Third._ The baptism of the Spirit was _heard_. Nothing of this kind is\nheard now. Therefore, there is no baptism of the Holy Spirit now.\n\n_Fourth._ Cloven, or divided tongues, like as of fire, sat upon those\nbaptized with the Spirit. Nothing of this kind sat upon those claiming\nto have been baptized with the Holy Spirit now. Therefore, none have\nbeen baptized with the Holy Spirit in our day.\n\n_Fifth._ Those baptized with the Holy Spirit, spoke with tongues. None\nclaiming to be baptized with the Holy Spirit now, speak with tongues.\nTherefore, none now are baptized with the Holy Spirit.\n\n_Sixth._ Those baptized with the Holy Spirit prophesied. None claiming\nto be baptized with the Holy Spirit now prophesy. Therefore, none are\nbaptized with the Holy Spirit, now.\n\n_Seventh._ It is wrong to pray for the baptism of the Holy Spirit,\nbecause it is a gift that does not belong to us. Simon, the sorcerer,\nasked for a gift that did not belong to him, on account of which\nthe Apostle said, \u201cThou art in the gall of bitterness and bond of\niniquity,\u201d and instructed him to \u201cpray God, if perhaps the thought of\nhis heart might be forgiven him.\u201d\n\n_Eighth._ It is wrong to claim to have the baptism of the Spirit,\nbecause the claim is as false and delusive, as to claim to be an\nApostle. It is as shallow, empty and unfounded as the claims of Mormons.\n\n\n\n\nSMALL IMPROPRIETIES AND ANNOYANCES.\n\n\nTo pour the wine, or divide it into several cups, before thanks, at the\nLord\u2019s table. We thank the Lord for the _cup_, and not _cups_. Thanks\nshould invariably be given for the _one cup_, while the wine is in the\none cup.\n\nFor some one to start and push his way out through the assembly while\nan invitation is pending. This is a most manifest impoliteness and\ndisorder.\n\nFor some one that has eat about three dinners at once, to doze and nod\nin time of preaching, and in the midst of the exhortation, just when\nthe preacher is trying to make an impression, to stretch his limbs,\ngape and crowd up to the pulpit, and get a drink to extinguish the\nfires burning within him. This is ridiculous.\n\nTo see some great strapping saphead get up in the middle of a\ndiscourse, and go stamping out, thus interrupting the whole audience.\nIf these could _see themselves as others see them_, they would be very\nclear of showing themselves, as they frequently do.\n\nTo see a beautiful young lady sit in time of preaching, and then\nstand in time of an invitation, with her mouth spread and a broad and\nsupercilious grin upon her face.\n\nTo see some fellow draw his watch and snap it at the preacher, as he\nshuts down the case, as much as to say, \u201cI consider it is time you\nwould stop.\u201d\n\nTo see a lady sit and play with her infant, in time of preaching, laugh\nat its little pranks, and try to induce others around her also to laugh\nat them.\n\nTo see a lady get into a quarrel with her babe, in time of preaching;\nslap it, jerk it, hold it, and thus keep it squalling for about half an\nhour. If the preacher can keep the thread of his discourse, in a case\nof that kind, he is a pretty good preacher.\n\nTo have some man standing near the preacher, in time of prayer, chewing\nan enormous quid of tobacco, and about once in half a minute, hear a\nlarge spoonful of the filthy spittle splash upon the floor.\n\n\n\n\nONE IMMERSION.\n\n\nCertainly not, but one immersion \u201cinto the name of the Father, and of\nthe Son, and of the Holy Spirit.\u201d There is but one immersion commanded\nin Scripture; that one is _in water_, and \u201cinto the name of the Father,\nand of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.\u201d Peter said, \u201cCan any man\nforbid water that these should not be baptized, who have received\nthe Holy Spirit as well as we?\u201d Here the _water_ is mentioned as the\nelement in which they were to be immersed, and they had already been\nimmersed in the Holy Spirit; and in the next verse we are informed\nthat \u201che _commanded them_ to be immersed in the name of the Lord.\u201d The\nimmersion _in water_, then, is the one commanded, and the only one.\n\nThe immersion in Spirit is not commanded; and the command, if it\nexisted, to be immersed in Spirit could not _be obeyed_. Suppose the\nLord would command any one to be immersed in the Spirit, how would\nhe obey? No man ever was commanded to be immersed in the Spirit, nor\nwas any man ever commanded to immerse any one in the Spirit. Man can\nnot immerse in the Spirit. The immersion in water is commanded, and\nis the immersion \u201cinto the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of\nthe Holy Spirit,\u201d \u201cinto Christ,\u201d \u201cinto one body,\u201d the initiatory rite\ninto the New Institution. Immersion in the Holy Spirit never initiated\nany one into any institution or anything. It was never commanded.\nNo man ever administered it. The Lord was the only administrator of\nthe baptism of the Spirit. It was a _promise_. It was a miracle. It\nimparted miraculous power. It never occurred except on Pentecost, and\nat the house of Cornelius. On Pentecost the subjects of it were in\nChrist before it occurred, and at the house of Cornelius they were not\nin Christ after it occurred till they were immersed in water. In both\ninstances they spake with tongues and prophesied.\n\nWhen Paul wrote the letter to the church in Ephesus there remained\nbut \u201cone immersion,\u201d the one of the last commission, connected with\nsalvation, the remission of sin, or induction \u201cinto the name of the\nFather, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.\u201d This is Paul\u2019s \u201cone\nimmersion.\u201d It is not \u201cone pouring,\u201d \u201cone sprinkling,\u201d or \u201c_three_\nimmersions,\u201d but \u201cone immersion.\u201d _Three_ immersions has not one scrap\nof authority in the commission or anywhere else. In the same sentence\nwhere the apostle has \u201cone body, one Spirit, one hope, one faith,\u201d he\nhas \u201cone immersion,\u201d and it would be in no more direct violation of his\nlanguage to talk of _three_ bodies, _three_ Spirits, _three_ hopes,\n_three_ faiths, than of \u201c_three_ immersions.\u201d There is no method by\nwhich the language can be so tortured as to get _three_ immersions\nout of the words, \u201cimmersing them into the name of the Father, and of\nthe Son, and of the Holy Spirit.\u201d Such a thing was never thought of\ntill the dispute about the Trinity sprung up. This dispute originated\nit. There is not a trace of trine immersion till more than a hundred\nyears after the apostles were gone; till the shallow nonsense of infant\nsin, infant regeneration, infant immersion and infant damnation were\nintroduced. Here, and not in the Bible, the friends of trine immersion\ngo to find it, and here they find it among those who taught that\ninfants were _guilty_ of original sin and liable to eternal damnation;\nthat infants must be regenerated; that the stain of Adam\u2019s sin must be\nwashed away; that this can not be done except in baptism, to prepare\nthem for heaven. They practiced no infant sprinkling, but infant\nimmersion, and, in time, trine immersion, or immersed them three times.\nWe think some of the Greeks do this to the present day.\n\n\n\n\nINNOVATIONS IN THE CHURCH OF CHRIST.\n\n\nIn reading the history of the church, one is overwhelmed to see how\ninnovations have crept in and eat the vitals out of the church. At\nevery period of the church, when there was any vitality in it, any\nspirituality or devotion to God, there has been a constant effort on\nthe part of the enemy, through some well-meaning, but worldly minded\nprofessors of religion, to work things into the church, or to work\nsomething out of it, in the nature of the case calculated to corrupt\nand destroy it. We must be awake to these wily man\u0153uverings and guard\nagainst them, or they will ruin the great work so well begun and so\nsuccessfully carried on in our time. The insidious, wily and stealthy\nmachinations of the Grecian and Gnostic philosophers, did an immense\nwork in corrupting the primitive church. Many of these did this, too,\nwith the best intentions in the world. They thought it would be a\ngrand acquisition to the Christian religion, an accomplishment and\nrefinement, to append to it philosophy, and require every preacher\nto be a philosopher. These were constantly edging into the pure\nreligion of Christ their fine philosophical notions, pagan customs and\nceremonies, and destroying the church whenever they did it. On the\nother hand, learned Judaizers were foisting Judaism into the church at\nevery opportunity. Between Judaizers on the one hand, and Gnostic\nphilosophers on the other, they amalgamated Christianity, Judaism and\nPaganism, and made Romanism. It was easy to obtain the idea of infant\nmembership from Judaism, the idea of image worship from Paganism, and\nthe idea of one true church from Christianity, and thus incorporate a\nsystem with a membership based in the flesh, making all the infants\nmembers, without any regeneration, under pagan idolatry, in worshipping\nimages, and at the same time, with the idea that they are the true\nchurch.\n\n\n\n\nTHE BIBLE GROUND.\n\n\nFor fifty years, we, as christians, have stood on the Bible alone,\nas a rule of faith and practice. Till recently, no difficulty was\nexperienced in reducing it to practice. For forty years after the\neffort was first made in this country, to return to original ground,\nto the apostolic faith and practice, and restore the ancient order\nof things; submit to the law of the Lord in all things; we found no\ndifficulty of consequence. But on the other hand we realized our\nvantage ground, answered all the cavils of creed-mongers, fought our\nway through, built up churches on Christ, set them in order under the\nlaw of God, and thus were happy in the Lord. No people in this country\nhave ever been as happy and prosperous. All worked well. We silenced\nall opposition.\n\nBut more recently, subtle schemes are on foot to invent an excuse for\nsomething like the traditions of the elders among the Jews, substituted\nfor the law of God, the unwritten traditions of Rome, that has assumed\nthe place of the law of God, or the doctrines and commandments of\nmen, in our time, embodied in human creeds. One man finds a \u201claw of\nconscience,\u201d another \u201ca law of love,\u201d another thinks we are not under\nlaw, but under grace, but does not notice that Paul\u2019s law, that we are\nnot under, is the law of Moses, and, that Paul\u2019s grace, that we are\nunder, embraces the \u201claw of Christ;\u201d the \u201cperfect law of liberty,\u201d the\n\u201claw of the Spirit of life.\u201d Another man finds a law of expediences,\nmore extended than the Jewish Talmud, or the unwritten traditions\nof Rome. He soon has more opinions than faith, more expedients than\ncommandments of God, more charity than law or gospel, more love\nfor the pious unimmersed than for immersed believers, more charity\nthan hope. His gospel consists largely of tuning-forks, note-books,\nhymn-books, choirs, organs, concerts, festivals, church fairs. He is\ngreat on themes not in the Bible; the unwritten word; the traditions\nof the fathers. These are dead weights on the body. They are enemies\nwithin, sensual, not having the Spirit. We must meet them with the same\narguments that cut our way through sectarianism forty years ago.\n\nWe must rouse the spirit of the glorious pioneer men who fought the\nearly battles, cleared away sectarian rubbish, built up churches all\nover the land and set them in order, and never stop till there is an\nend to all the subtleties and sophistries, and all the insidious devices\nnow subverting \u201cthe right way of the Lord\u201d and spreading dissension\namong the children of God. We must stop all the loopholes being\ninvented for the introduction of _humanisms_, and _innovations_ of all\nsorts, put away from among us the corrupt, the enemies of the cause,\nand the worldly, and inculcate the pure teaching of the New Testament\namong all, and live nearer to it than ever.\n\nWe met all this twaddle about a printed hymn-book, a meeting-house,\netc., not provided for by divine legislation, before we were in the\nChurch one year, from sectarians, and answered and exploded it. Now we\nhave men among us that talk of _progress_, _learning_ and an _advanced\nage_, who have _advanced back_, and are trying to build an excuse\nof the same matters for human legislation. They want to supply the\ndeficiency in the law of God by human law. With them there is no church\ngovernment in the law of God, and, therefore, we must make one. After\nwe have governed the churches by the law of God, fifty years, they have\nadvanced to the discovery that there is no church government in the\nlaw of God. What do they propose? To make a church government. There\nis a shorter road than this to sectarianism, and one that will be much\nless trouble, and that is, to go back at once to some sect that has\nset aside the law of God, and made one of its own, and adopted it.\nThey have made as good human laws as we can make, and better, for they\nare old and experienced hands, and we would be but new and bungling\nbeginners. The efforts we have seen are mere _abortions_.\n\n\n\n\nTHE WORK OF THE DISCIPLES.\n\n\nOur heart is enlarged and our spirit is stirred within us, when we look\nat the great opening before us. The Lord has not raised us up, put into\nour hands such immense power, and made us such a great people, without\nan object. He has a great work for the Reformers of the nineteenth\ncentury. We, as a people, are set for the defence of the gospel. We\noccupy the only ground upon which man can stand and successfully do\nbattle with unbelievers, with schismatics of every sort, and maintain\nthe unity of the spirit in the bond of peace. We are the only people\nwho occupy the proper ground for the evangelization and salvation of\nthe world. We have cut ourselves loose from every thing but Christ.\nWe present him to the world and defend him, both in his divinity and\nhumanity, as the ineffably glorious person in whom dwells the fullness\nof the Godhead bodily. We believe in him, in all he ever said or did,\nin his religion, beginning, middle and ending, and nothing else. We\nwill defend him and all he ever said and did. We will defend his word,\nhis doctrine, the whole of it. Our work is not to defend our views, our\ndoctrines, or ourselves, but to defend our Master and his doctrine. Our\nwork is pre-eminently the following:\n\n_First._ To convert the world to Christ, put men under him as their\nLeader, Savior and everlasting trust, to follow him for evermore.\n\n_Second._ To collect from Babylon\u2014spiritual Babylon\u2014the wandering,\nbewildered and confused children of God, bring them back to their one\nshepherd, one fold, and unite them in one body under Christ, their only\nliving head, that their name may be one, that they may be one, as he\nand his Father are one.\n\n_Third._ To defend the faith once delivered to the saints, maintain it\nand spread it throughout the world.\n\n_Fourth._ To inculcate piety, humanity, works of righteousness\u2014in one\nword, implicit submission to Jesus the Lord in all things.\n\nThis is our work, and this, the Lord being our helper, _we will do_.\nWe are pledged to Jesus, the Christ, to do this, for his glory and\nour good, and, by the grace of God, we will do it. We are not our\nown; we are the Lord\u2019s. The work we are in is not our own; it is the\nLord\u2019s. The Lord our Righteousness is our King. It is his will\u2014his\nbidding that we do this work. _He has commanded and the work must be\ndone._ Brethren, see to it that the armor is in order, that it is on,\nproperly adjusted, and every man at his post. Keep your eyes upon our\nCommander-in-Chief. Whatever he requires do it. No matter where he\ncalls you to go, go at his bidding. He will bring us off conquerors,\nand more than conquerors. Go not in your own strength, nor in your own\nname, and rely not upon your own wisdom. Go in the strength, in the\nname and wisdom of the Lord. \u201cO, Lord of hosts, blessed is the man that\ntrusteth in thee!\u201d\n\n\n\n\nNOT TO KEEP COMPANY.\n\n \u201cBut now I have written unto you not to keep company,\n if any man that is called a brother be a fornicator, or\n covetous, or an idolater, or a railer, or a drunkard, or an\n extortioner; with such an one no not to eat.\u201d\u2014_I. Cor. v. 11._\n\n \u201cLet every man examine himself and so let him eat.\u201d\n \u2014_I. Cor. xi. 28._\n\n\nThe passage evidently has reference to common associating\u2014in visits,\nordinary, eating and the like. Such a man should not be in the church\nat all, to say nothing about communing. Christians should not visit and\nreceive visits from such persons, or associate with them, but make them\nfeel keenly the smart of being thus low and corrupt.\n\nThe remark of the apostle, \u201cLet a man examine himself, and so let him\neat,\u201d is misapplied almost invariably every time it is quoted. It\ncertainly has no reference to examining to determine whether a man is\nworthy to commune or not, for he says, \u201cLet a man examine himself, and\n_so let him eat_.\u201d The examination was to _precede_ the eating, and not\nto decide whether he should eat or not. The matter of trouble among\nthe Corinthians was not to determine _who_ shall eat, but _how to eat\nworthily_. They were not to do this by coming together and eating a\npagan feast, not discerning the Lord\u2019s death and blood, by partaking of\nthe loaf and wine, as the Lord appointed.\n\nIt is not the work of the administrator to tell who are communicants,\nwhen administering, any more than he should tell who should sing, pray,\nor give thanks. The communion was delivered to the church, and we are\ncommunicants by virtue of being in the church. If any are walking\ndisorderly they should be dealt with, and not allowed to continue in\ndisorder, but forbidden to commune. The whole church should be kept in\norder and all worship, not at the Lord\u2019s table only, but in all parts\nof the worship. The question is about _who are members of the church_,\nand not about _who shall commune_. All the members should commune, all\n_christians_, and there should be no others in the church.\n\n\n\n\nEXTENT OF ONE MAN\u2019S INFLUENCE.\n\n\nEvery preacher that becomes secularized, and ceases to employ his\nenergies in behalf of the poor, of mercy, of righteousness, of God, is\nan immense loss to the world. There is no calculating or estimating\nthe difference in the condition of the world, in the day of judgment,\nall growing out of the indolence or indifference of one man, though he\nmight see that he was effecting but little in his operations. Let any\nman of reflection select a preacher of but humble abilities, who was\noperating zealously in the great cause of truth only twenty years ago,\nand trace the effects which a finite being can clearly see have grown\nout of his labors, and he will be astonished to see how different the\npresent state of society would have been, had he relaxed his energies.\nBut, let his influence extend twenty years more, and where will be\nits boundaries? Let it extend one hundred years and who could compute\nit? But all this may be but a drop to the ocean of the vast train of\ninfluences that would all have been lost by one man failing to act\nhis part. With this before us, is it strange that God should hold him\nhighly accountable?\n\nBut this is not the worst case. Let a man of talent, influence and\nenergy, fall from his station, and become an apostate and enemy, let\nthe cause be made to bleed and suffer from his want of reputation,\nwhile he hurls back his javelins with all the malice and fury of the\nPrince of the bottomless pit; and then, compute the change made in the\ncondition of the church and the world? No one, short of the Infinite\nBeing Himself, can compute the vast number that will be seriously\ninjured, in one century, by such a miserable being. Who, then, can tell\nthe difference his conduct can make in the condition of the world, at\nthe adjudication of all things? Let preachers, then, remember that they\nare laborers together, and that no one can be lost without an injury to\nall.\n\n\n\n\nPULPITS.\n\n\nWe have, in our own mind, long since repudiated pulpits entirely, as a\nuseless, and worse than useless appendage. No work done, that we know\nof, with the idea of usefulness, more completely misses its aim than\nthat of erecting pulpits in which for men to stand to preach the gospel\nof Christ. We have, for a long time, utterly refused to go into many of\nthe castles we find around the country. In many houses the preacher is\nhoisted high in a pulpit, from twenty to thirty feet from the nearest\nperson to him, and many of his hearers fifty and sixty feet off. This\nis all as irrational as it can he. If there had been a special study\nhow to defeat the preacher, no better method than this could have been\ninvented.\n\nIn a large house, there should be a platform some fifteen feet square\nand sixteen inches high, with a small table, the height of a common\ntable, for a Bible and hymn book, which the preacher could set in front\nof him, if he desire it, or if not, set back against the wall. There\nshould also be a few chairs on or about the platform for speakers,\nwhere there are several, or for persons hard of hearing. The speaker\ncan then advance forward near enough to the people to address them\neffectively, and they can see him from head to foot. The floor of the\nhouse should rise some twelve inches in twenty feet. If the house is\ncrowded, persons can then be seated all round the speaker, leaving\nhim simply room to stand. There should be two brilliant lights back\nof him, near the wall, elevated a little above his head, and some ten\nfeet apart, so as to shine down each side of him into the book before\nhim. If the speaker desire to stand back near the wall, he can then\ndo so; or if he prefers, as we certainly do, to stand on the front of\nthe platform, he can have the privilege, and have room to walk about a\nlittle, which is both a relief to the speaker and audience.\n\nIf the house is small, the platform should not be more than ten feet\nsquare and eight inches high.\n\n\n\n\nWHY INFIDELS OPPOSE THE BIBLE.\n\n\nNeither Joseph Barker, nor any other man on the continent can give one\ngood reason for his hatred of the Bible, or desire to ridicule it.\nSuppose it were all he says of it; superstition or what not; why is he\nso enraged at it? What is it that exasperates him so? What is it that\nputs such men to so much trouble? We suppose the stories of witches,\nghosts, etc., the signs of the zodiac, the moon, etc., etc., are\nsuperstitions, but they do not trouble us, and we do not think it worth\nwhile to war upon them. Why do not modern sceptics put the Scriptures\ndown on the same list with these, give them the go-by, and be at no\nmore trouble about them? Ah, why not? Simply because they can not.\nThey have within them spirits that can not rest. The Bible is a book\nthey can not let alone. It will not let them alone. It follows them by\nday, and thunders in their ears at night. It is before them when they\nrise up and when they lie down. It is before them in public and in\nprivate. It alarms them with the terrible announcement that the dead\nshall be raised, that the world shall be judged in righteousness, and\nthat the Lord shall render to every man according as his work shall\nbe. It annoys them with terrible threatenings, fearful punishments and\nrighteous retributions. It follows them with the only impartial history\nthe world ever had, spreading out alike the good and the bad, and\nshowing up the entire history of man.\n\nWhy do they not let the Bible alone? If it is only a fable, a legend,\nor mere fiction, why trouble about it? \u201c_Let it alone!_\u201d says the\nsceptic, \u201chow can I let it alone, when it constantly tells me of every\nsin I ever committed, describes even the thoughts of my heart, and\nexposes every wicked desire I ever had? I can not let a book alone that\ndescribes and publishes me to the world as a sinner.\u201d What of all that,\nif you do not believe it? There is the trouble. The apprehension that\n_it may be true_, after all, hangs about men. They may rant, ridicule,\ndefy, scoff and laugh, but the fearful apprehension still rises,\nthundering, \u201c_It may be true, after all_.\u201d There is no getting rid of\nthe fearful apprehensions, the wonderful forebodings, the consciousness\nthat all scepticism might be a mistake, after all. They know they have\nnothing settled, nothing established, no fixed principles, no certain\nknowledge. They know that they are acquiring no substantial knowledge.\nTheir work has not been to settle any thing, to fix any thing. They are\ndrifting about, floating in an uncertain current, not knowing whither\nthey are going. With them, all is in doubt, uncertainty, and obscurity.\nThey are completely unsettled, wandering in the dark, and without a\nresting place. They are poor and miserable, blind and naked. They have\nno encouragement, no support, and no promise, and nothing to promise\nanybody else. Their pursuit is an empty chase, without any promise or\nhope. There is not a more vain and empty bubble in this world, than\nthat pursued by these men. They are working without an object. They\nknow not what they are aiming at. Their work is not to prove any thing,\nto settle any thing, or establish any thing; but to unsettle, confuse\nand throw into doubt. What have they done for the world? What do they\npropose to do for man? Nothing, only to pull down religion, do away\nwith the church, and put the Bible out of the world! They appear to\nthink that the principal thing now required to do, for the happiness of\nthe world, is to rid it of all religion. But where is the evidence that\nthey are doing any good? Where have they made the people happy? Where\nhave they done any good? What good are they now doing? None under the\nshining sun.\n\n\n\n\nMIRACLES.\n\n\nWhat is a miracle? A miracle is not, as Hume defined it, \u201csomething\n_contrary to the laws of nature_,\u201d but something above the laws of\nnature, or something that the laws of nature, in their legitimate and\nordinary operations, could not produce. For instance, the laws of\nnature, in their legitimate and ordinary operations, from parents, can\nproduce offspring, and bring them to manhood and womanhood. But the\nlaws of nature, in their legitimate course of operation, never produced\na man and a woman, without parents, or never brought into existence\na man and a woman, at sufficient maturity to care for themselves and\nlive, without parents. No law of nature, in its legitimate and ordinary\ncourse of operation, brought Adam and Eve into existence, at maturity,\nand without parents. In other words, no law or laws of nature, in their\nlegitimate and ordinary operation, ever began the human race. In the\nplainest terms, no law of nature ever produced a human being without\nparents. In other words, it is not a miracle for children to come from\nparents, but it was a miracle to create the first human pair. All who\nadmit that the human race ever had a beginning, must admit that it\nbegan by miracle. It is not a miracle for an oak to produce an acorn,\nnor for an acorn to produce an oak; but it is a miracle to produce an\noak without an acorn, and equally a miracle to produce an acorn\nwithout an oak. The laws of nature, in the legitimate and ordinary\ncourse of their operation, never produced an acorn without an oak,\nor an oak without an acorn. The first acorn, or the first oak, was,\nunquestionably, a miracle. The first man was a miracle. The second man,\nthe Lord from heaven, was a miracle. Isaac, the child of promise, and\nthe only son of Abraham, as Jesus was the child of promise, and the\nonly begotten of the Father, was a miracle. To sum all up, and express\nit in one sentence, everything,\u2014every species of animal, insect and\nvegetable, began by miracle. The laws of nature create nothing, give us\nno new species or kind, but simply propagate and perpetuate that which\nwas given by miracle at first. By the established laws of nature, the\nhuman race have been propagated and perpetuated, but the human race had\nits commencement in miracle.\n\nThe laws of nature never raised a man from the dead, instantaneously\ngave hearing to the deaf, speech to the dumb, or sight to the blind. No\nlaws of nature can heal a leper in an instant, multiply \u201cfive loaves\nand a few small fishes,\u201d till the amount will be sufficient to feed\nfive thousand persons, leaving \u201ctwelve baskets full of fragments,\u201d\nor enable men to speak in some fifteen or seventeen languages, never\nstudied or learned in the ordinary way. A miracle may suspend laws of\nnature for the time being, do something above them, or something that\nthey never perform; but to be a miracle at all, something must be\ndone above all human art, device or ability, and something which we\nknow the laws of nature, in their legitimate course, and ordinary\noperation, never perform. When anything of this kind occurs, we\nknow that it could not have taken place without foreign and direct\ninterposition. This is a miracle; it is above and superior to all human\nart or device; above and superior to any thing ever done by the laws of\nnature, as well as different from anything they ever do.\n\n\n\n\n\u201cAFFIRMATIVE GOSPEL.\u201d\n\n\nWe heard an illusion to the fanciful idea that some have conceived\nof preaching an \u201caffirmative gospel,\u201d or, as some have expressed it,\n\u201cpreaching the gospel _affirmatively_,\u201d or, as we suppose, to come a\nlittle nearer their idea, merely to preach, maintain and defend the\ntruth _affirmatively_, and let the _negative_ alone; or still, if\npossible, to be more fully understood, to preach _truth_ and not preach\nagainst what is _not truth_; to preach what _is to be done_ and not\nwhat _is not to be done_. Look at the following Psalm I.:\n\n 1. \u201cHappy is the man that walks _not_ in the counsel\n of the ungodly.\u201d\n 2. \u201c_Nor_ stands in the way of sinners.\u201d\n 3. \u201c_Nor_ sits in the seat of the scornful.\u201d\n\n\nThese three items are _negative_\u2014things that the man whom the Lord\npronounces _happy, does not_. This is not leaving the negative part\nout, but inserting it first, and pronounces the man happy that does not\nthese things.\n\nIn contrast, the Psalmist of Israel proceeds to give us the following,\nwhich is affirmative:\n\n 1. \u201cHis delight is in the law of the Lord.\u201d\n 2. \u201cIn his law he meditates day and night.\u201d\n\nThe Lord gives the following guarantee to those who do not say the\nnegative part, but do the affirmative:\n\n\u201cHe shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that brings\nforth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither, and\nwhatever he does shall prosper.\u201d\n\nWhat an awful contrast with this is the ungodly:\n\n\u201cThe ungodly are not so; but are like the chaff which the wind drives\naway. Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, nor\nsinners in the congregations of the righteous.\u201d\n\nTo this the Lord adds the following conclusion:\n\n\u201cThe Lord knows the way of the righteous,\u201d or _approves_ it, \u201cbut the\nway of the ungodly shall perish.\u201d\n\nThe negative is to be preached and taught in all that pertains to\npreaching and teaching as zealously and faithfully as the affirmative,\nand is to be regarded equally as much of divine authority. The first\ncommandment the Lord ever gave to a human being was negative. It was in\nthese words: \u201cYou may not eat of it.\u201d This was negative\u2014what must not\nbe done. The Bible abounds with this negative teaching, setting forth\nwhat may not be done. Look at the following list, gathered from I. Cor.\nxiii. 4-8, setting forth affirmatively and negatively, or what love\n_will and will not_ do. First look at the affirmative side, or what\nlove will do:\n\n 1. It suffers long.\n 2. It is kind.\n 3. It rejoices in the truth.\n 4. It bears all things.\n 5. It believes all things.\n 6. It hopes all things.\n 7. Endures all things.\n\nThis is the affirmative side, or what love _will do_; but the divine\nauthority does not stop at that, but tells us what love _will not do_.\nSee the following:\n\n 1. It is not envious.\n 2. Vaunts not itself.\n 3. Is not puffed up.\n 4. Does not behave itself unseemingly.\n 5. Seeks not her own.\n 6. Is not easily provoked.\n 7. Thinks no evil.\n 8. Rejoices not in iniquity.\n 9. Never fails.\n\nThe negative is longer than the affirmative in this enumeration.\n\nThe man with his affirmative gospel is like the man with his two oars,\nfaith and works, to his skiff. He pulled one alone for a time, and run\nround and round one way, and then pulled the other, and run round and\nround the other way, and then seized both and pulled them at the same\ntime, when his skiff moved straight ahead beautifully. We must take the\nwhole of the divine teaching, the affirmative and negative; what we are\nto believe, and what we are not to believe; what we are to do, and what\nwe are not to do. We are to show not only what is truth, but what is\nnot truth; what is of divine authority, but what is not of divine\nauthority.\n\nHad some of our affirmative gospel men been in the place of Paul, when\nhe came to Athens, they would have made no attack on the altar with\nthe inscription: \u201cTO THE UNKNOWN GOD,\u201d but would have gone on\nwith their affirmative gospel. Paul was not of that type of preacher,\nbut brought their view of the unknown God into direct contrast with\nthe revelation of the true God\u2014the Jehovah. He admits that theirs was\nto them an \u201cunknown God,\u201d\u2014\u201cGod who made the world, and all things\ntherein\u201d\u2014\u201cLord of heaven and earth,\u201d and who \u201cdwells not in temples\nmade with men\u2019s hands,\u201d and \u201cis not worshipped with men\u2019s hands, as\nthough he needs anything, seeing that he gives to all life, and breath,\nand all things, and has made of one blood all nations of men to dwell\non all the face of the earth, and has determined before the times\nappointed, and the bounds of their habitation; that they should seek\nthe Lord, if haply they might feel after him, and find him, though he\nbe not far from every one of us.\u201d\n\nNot content with this attack on their altar, and the inscription on it,\nhe proceeds to quote and turn their own poets against them: \u201cCertain\nof your own poets have said, \u2018For we are also his offspring.\u2019\u201d Hear\nhim as he proceeds, and see how he wades into their ignorance and\nsuperstition, and, above all, how utterly exclusive he is: \u201cFor as much\nthen, as we are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the\nGodhead is like gold, or silver, or stone, graven by art and man\u2019s\ndevice.\u201d\n\nNow for the charitable part of his discourse: \u201cAnd the times of this\nignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men everywhere to\nrepent.\u201d \u201cThe times of this ignorance\u201d was before the gospel came, and\nthe \u201cnow,\u201d brought in contrast with it, is since the gospel has come.\nSeeing that the light has come, men are inexcusable to be in ignorance.\n\nHe proceeds to give a reason for the commandment, \u201cto all men\neverywhere to repent,\u201d in the following words: \u201cBecause he has\nappointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness\nby that man whom he has ordained.\u201d But he knew that some man might\ncall that in question, when he closed up with the following: \u201cWhereof\nhe has given assurance to all men in that he has raised him from the\ndead.\u201d That is, he has given assurance to all men, by the resurrection\nof Jesus Christ from the dead, that he will judge the world in\nrighteousness, by that man whom he has ordained. The logic runs thus:\nAs he raised Christ from the dead, he will judge the world; and as he\nwill judge the world, all men, everywhere, are commanded to repent, in\nview of the judgment.\n\nThe inscriptions to the unknown God must be set aside, with all the\ndoctrines and commandments of men; the traditions of Jewish rabbis\nand Romish priests, with all the unauthorized lumber of Protestants,\nand the devotees to each and all of them, must be shown that they are\nunauthorized, and the man who shuns to do this, only does half work, or\nrather, only half does his work, and will be responsible to the great\nShepherd and Bishop of souls.\n\n\n\n\nHOUSEHOLD BAPTISMS.\n\n\nIt is claimed that whole households were baptized, and that these must\nhave included infants; as, for instance, the following:\n\n1. Lydia and her house. All that is said of Lydia is found in two\nverses, Acts xvi. 14, 15, and the passage contains not one word about\nan infant, or a child of any sort. It is stated that \u201cshe was baptized\nand her household.\u201d But it is not stated that she was a married woman,\nthat she had any children, much less that she had any infants; and,\ntherefore, there is nothing here about any infant baptism.\n\n2. The next household mentioned is that of the Jailor, Acts xvi. 33.\n\u201cAnd they\u2014Paul and Silas\u2014spoke unto him the word of the Lord, and\nto all that were in his house. And he took them the same hour of the\nnight, and washed their stripes, and was baptized, he and all his\nstraightway. And when they had brought them into his house, he set meat\nbefore them, and rejoiced, believing in God, with all his house.\u201d Here\nare two things stated of these that can not be said of infants. They\nspoke unto him\u2014the Jailor\u2014the word of the Lord, and _to all that\nwere in his house_. The Jailor rejoiced, believing in God with all\nhis house. Here it is asserted of the household that they rejoiced,\nbelieving in God. The word of the Lord was spoken to them, they\nrejoiced and believed in God. This can not be said of infants.\n\n3. The next case of a household, which we shall mention, is that of\nCornelius, Acts xi. 14. Here, however, is conclusive evidence that\nthere were no infants, for the angel said, \u201cSend men to Joppa, and call\nfor Simon, whose surname is Peter; who shall tell thee words whereby\nthou and all thy house shall be saved.\u201d Infants are not _told words\nwhereby they are saved_. Those who practice infant baptism do not tell\nthem words whereby they may be saved, and do not believe they are saved\nin or by baptism.\n\n4. There is but one other household mentioned in the New Testament,\nin connection with baptism. That is \u201cthe household of Stephanas.\u201d I.\nCor. i. 16. In the same letter we find one thing affirmed of this same\nhousehold that can not be affirmed of infants. \u201cThey have _addicted\nthemselves_ to the ministry of the saints.\u201d I. Cor. xvi. 15. This is a\nthing infants can not do.\n\nThere were, then, no infants in these households, and nothing\nparticularly strange about that. The writer has baptized many\nhouseholds and never baptized an infant.\n\n\n\n\nKNOWING AND NOT DOING.\n\n\n\u201cThat servant who knew his Lord\u2019s will, and prepared not himself,\nneither did according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes.\u201d\nSee Luke xii. 47. From this language there is no escape. If the men of\nwhom we speak, say, they are not servants, then they will be condemned\nfor refusing to be his servants. There can be no middle ground, no\nneutral ground. \u201cHe who is not for us is against us,\u201d says the Lord.\nWe are not simply to do some benevolent deeds favorable to the Lord,\nor to his cause, but we must be on his side, belong to him, be his;\nidentified with him; one with him, so that his cause is our cause, and\nhis will is our will. But to the mystery again: How can it be, that a\nman can love the Savior, his people and cause, so as to defend them,\ngive his money to aid them, have confidence in them, and be pleased\nwith their work; but decide to stand, in relation with their enemies,\nin the same state with them, and not in relation with the Lord and with\nhis people; in the same state with them?\n\nWhat a fearful thing it is to be _against the Lord_, and to encounter\nhis terrible sentence: \u201cShall be beaten with many stripes.\u201d Why should\na man stand in such a condition a single day? We see not how a man\ncould rest for an hour with such a responsibility on his soul! Why\nshould any man not be willing? nay, more, why should he not _seek_ to\nplace himself under the guidance of Him who is so wise that he can not\nerr, and so good that he will do all things well? What a blessedness\nfor man, that he can have infallible wisdom to guide him, and almighty\npower to save him! How can it be possible for any well disposed man\nto stand aloof from the Lord and from his divine arrangement for our\nhappiness, and trust to his own wisdom and his own strength, when\nhe could have the wisdom and power of God pledged for his security?\nWhy not come to the Lord; let his kind hand lead, and his gracious\nprovidence guide in the way of life everlasting.\n\nThere were old men, too old to be on the muster roll, and boys too\nyoung, the history informs us, who fought in the battle of Bunker\nHill, in the American Revolution. These received much praise for their\ngood will to the cause and the service they rendered: but they did not\nbelong to the army and received _no pay_. In the same way, we fear,\nmany of these good friends that defend the cause and even pay their\nmoney to support it, will lose their reward, because they have never\n_enlisted_. _They do not belong to the army._\n\nMany such men have noble wives striving to serve the Lord, to train\ntheir children in the way of righteousness and bring them to God. These\nare dearer to them than life. Can they stand out in the ranks of the\nenemy, and see their companions who gave them their hearts and hands in\ntheir better days, struggling to save their precious children, and not\nstand by their side, aiding and encouraging them? What a responsibility\nthere is here! They know their Lord\u2019s will, and _do it not_ and _will\nbe beaten with many stripes_!\n\nThe Lord suffered and died for these. He hung on the ignominious\ncross for them, as well as for us all, and poured out his warm\nheart\u2019s-blood to cleanse them from sin. All this appeals to them. All\nthe exhortations of saints, their prayers, songs, tears and solicitudes\nappeal to them, by all the tender mercies of God and the infinite\ncompassion, to come to the Savior and live. If they resist all this,\nturn their ear away from it, and, in the midst of all these entreaties,\ngo down to ruin, what an everlasting source of regret it will be to\nlook back and see what was done for them, but all in vain! \u201cTurn you,\nturn you,\u201d says the prophet, \u201cand live.\u201d \u201cYou would not come to me that\nyou might have life,\u201d says the Lord. \u201cHe is not willing that any should\nperish, but that all should come to repentance.\u201d \u201cThe Spirit says,\nCome, and the bride says, Come, and whoever will, let him take of the\nwater of life freely.\u201d\n\n\n\n\nTHE BIBLE VS. HUMAN CREEDS.\n\n\nIt is admitted on all hands, by all Protestants, that we should receive\nnothing more than is contained in the Holy Scriptures.\n\nIt is also admitted, that we should receive nothing less than is\ncontained in the Scriptures.\n\nIt is admitted, that the Holy Scriptures must not be altered, but must\nbe received precisely as God gave them to the world.\n\nIt is acknowledged that the Christian Scriptures constitute a \u201cperfect\nlaw of liberty.\u201d\n\nAll acknowledge that this perfect law of liberty was given by the\ninfallible wisdom of God, and by his undeniable authority.\n\nNow, the precise opposite of this is true of every human creed on\nearth. For instance, it is admitted\u2014\n\nThat we may receive more than is contained in any human creed in the\nworld.\n\nIt is admitted, that we may receive less, or that we are not bound to\nreceive everything in any one of them.\n\nIt is universally admitted that they may be altered and amended.\n\nIt is admitted, that no creed but the Bible, constitutes a \u201cperfect law\nof liberty,\u201d hence, those who use other creeds are frequently altering\nor amending them.\n\nIt is admitted, that no creed but the Bible, was given by the\ninfallible wisdom of God.\n\nThese are undeniable truths, admitted by all Protestants, as must be\nseen by the most common observer. Now we ask any man in his right mind,\nhow it can be, that it is _safe_ to receive a creed, not containing\nall that a christian is bound to receive, containing also some things\nthat may be rejected, one that may be altered, one admitted not to be\na \u201cperfect law,\u201d and one not given by the wisdom and authority of God;\nand yet _unsafe_, to receive as our only creed that Book, containing\nall that a Christian dare receive, no less than he must receive, one\nthat dare not be altered, that is \u201cthe perfect law of liberty,\u201d and was\ngiven by the wisdom and authority of God?\n\n\n\n\nGLORYING IN THE CROSS OF CHRIST.\n\n\nThe Apostle Paul says, \u201cGod forbid that I should glory, save in the\ncross of Christ.\u201d Why glory in the cross?\u2014or, why not glory in his\nmiracles, in his feeding five thousand, his calming the sea, raising\nthe dead, opening the eyes of the blind, or giving hearing to the\ndeaf?\u2014or, why not glory in his own resurrection, his ascension,\ncoronation, and being crowned Lord of all? Because it was not at any of\nthese points Peter denied him; it was not here that he was condemned;\nit was not here that he suffered\u2014that he was put to shame\u2014that he was\nmocked, derided and despised. But Paul looks at him when he was on\ntrial, when Peter denied him, when he was condemned; when he was\ndelivered into the hands of enemies, despised and degraded; when he was\nnailed to the cross, crowned with thorns, and buffeted; when all his\nfriends had forsaken him; when all the angels had withdrawn, and the\nAlmighty Father had turned his face away\u2014had forsaken him\u2014and he was\nin his blood\u2014in the agonies of death, with the sins of the world upon\nhim; we say, Paul looked upon him here, and gloried in him. It was not\nthe cross that he gloried in, literally. The expression is metonymical.\nThe cross stands for Him who hung upon the cross. \u201cGod forbid that I\nshould glory, save in him who hung upon the cross.\u201d We are not to glory\nin men; neither in Paul, Apollos, nor Cephas, but in Christ.\n\n\n\n\nTHE PARDONING POWER IS ONLY IN GOD.\n\n\nIn precisely the same way, the appointment in the case of Naaman, in\nitself, had no virtue to cure leprosy. If another leper had gone to the\nplace the next day, and dipped himself, he would not have been healed.\nNaaman did not go home praising the waters of Jordan, nor exulting in\nhis dipping, nor his faith, but he said: \u201cBehold, now I know that there\nis no God in all the earth, but in Israel.\u201d II. Kings v. 15. The Lord\npurposely selected an appointment that had not in it, in itself, any\ncurative efficacy, that the man might know the cure came directly from\nGod, and might believe and put his trust in the God of Israel. The same\nis true of the appointment for the Israelites, bitten of the fiery\nserpent. The Lord wisely selected something that all men would know had\nno efficacy, in itself, to heal the bite of the serpent, that the glory\nmight be given to God and not to the brazen serpent. It is no question\nabout whether the Lord _could_ have saved the Israelites in some other\nway. No one doubts that he _could_. But the question, in this case, is\nsimply about what _he did_. The people did not heal themselves. Their\nfaith did not heal them. Their prayers did not heal them. Their looking\ndid not heal them. The brazen serpent did not heal them. _God healed\nthem._ When did he do it? When they obeyed him. Where did he do it? In\nhis own appointment.\n\nThe faith of the army of Joshua did not throw down the walls of\nJericho. There is nothing in faith, in itself, to do a work of this\nkind. The marching round Jericho, did not throw down the walls, nor\nhave any tendency to throw them down, if they had continued to march\nround till this time. The blowing of the trumpet did not throw down\nthe walls. Nor did the shout of the army. God broke down these massive\nwalls. When did he do it? When they obeyed him. Where did he do it?\nIn his appointment. The work was just as much of God, as divine and\nmiraculous, done in this appointment, as if it had been done without\nany appointment at all. The appointment was precisely such an one, as\nto direct the heart of the people to God, as the author of the victory.\nBut had they refused to march round the walls, shout and blow the\ntrumpet, though they might have prayed till now, the Lord would not\nhave answered them nor saved them. In all these cases, they might\nhave prayed for saving power till they breathed the last breath, and\nno saving power would have come. The saving power was promised, but\npromised in certain appointments\u2014not because the Lord _could not_, but\nbecause he _would not_ save in any other way, only as he had appointed.\n\nThe same is true of saving men in our time. We have no dispute about\nwhat the Lord _can_ do. The only question we have is about what the\nLord _will_ do. The Lord will do precisely what he has promised, and\nno man in the world can produce one particle of evidence that he will\ndo anything else, to save any man. If the Lord had said, \u201cHe that\nbelieveth and prays, and is prayed for, shall be saved,\u201d every one that\nprays and is prayed for, would be saved. But such, it is admitted on\nall hands, is not the fact. Many pray, and are prayed for, who, it is\nadmitted, are not saved or pardoned. The Lord\u2019s appointment is, \u201cHe\nthat believeth, and is baptized, shall be saved. Repent and be baptized\nevery one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ, for the remission of\nsins, and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. Why tarriest\nthou? arise and be baptized, and wash away thy sins, calling on the\nname of the Lord.\u201d Here is the Lord\u2019s appointment, and he who comes\nhere, has the promise of the Lord that he shall be saved, or pardoned.\nThis appointment is like those we have been looking at. It is evident\nto all, there is no virtue or merit in faith, in itself, to save a man.\nIt is equally evident that there is no merit or virtue in repentance,\nin itself, to save any one. It must be equally evident to all, that\nthere can be no virtue, merit, or efficacy in baptism, in itself, to\nsave or pardon. It is God that pardons. Who does he pardon? Those who\nobey him. When does he pardon them? When they obey from the heart, that\nform of doctrine delivered to them. \u201cBeing _then_ made free from sin,\nthey have their fruit unto holiness and the end everlasting life.\u201d\nWhere does he pardon them? In his appointments.\n\n\n\n\nTHE ACTION OF BAPTISM.\n\n\nReferring to the position of the disciples on the action of baptism, a\ncorrespondent says: \u201cThat, in regard to the sacrament of baptism, the\nwhole christian world have been in the dark, from the earliest history\nof the church until within three hundred years, and much the greater\npart are still behind!\u201d He adds, \u201cNot deceived, be it remembered, about\nsome things not essential to the ordinance, but _in regard to the very\nnature of it_. And what is yet more singular, denominations possessing\nmuch the greater share of learning are most in the dark!\u201d He proceeds,\n\u201cNay, even the christian fathers, who were, some of them, Greeks, and\nmen of learning, and who certainly should have known something about\ntheir own language, were in serious error upon this very subject!\u201d\n\nAll this is said, by our worthy friend, in reference to our position,\nthat nothing but immersion is baptism. It contains several items, and\nto give them all possible conspicuity we notice them separately.\n\n_First._ His first trouble is about the whole christian world being\nin the dark, if our position is true. This expression, \u201cthe whole\nchristian world,\u201d must be simmered down a little. We strike out of\nit, then, all the christians of the first two centuries, as not in\nthe dark, for they held and practiced nothing but immersion for\nbaptism. This is sufficient, if we could say no more. But we add to\nthis all Baptists of modern times, who have not been in the dark on\nthis point. No fact is better authenticated than that for the first\nthirteen centuries immersion was invariably practiced by all professed\nchristians, except, after the third century, in cases of extreme\nweakness, where they thought immersion could not be endured, they\ndecided that affusion would do; but these could never hold office in\nthe church. Even the Episcopalian church, in the time of Mr. Wesley,\nalmost invariably immersed. Now sum up all these, and then decide how\nlarge the number in the dark, and you will find that the sprinklers are\na mere drop in the bucket.\n\n_Second._ The above shows that they have not possessed much the greater\nshare of learning, but much the smaller share of learning.\n\n_Third._ The christian fathers, so called, are not to be entered in\nthat list. They were on the other side, and practiced immersion and\nnothing else. The remark of the Cyprian shows that he is defending\nsomething new and in doubt; hence his remark that \u201cit is of equal\nvalidity with the laver of salvation.\u201d There was no doubt about what he\ncalls \u201cthe laver of salvation,\u201d but there was doubt about sprinkling.\nThe one needed argument and the perversion of the passage in Ezekiel to\nsupport it; the other was universally acknowledged.\n\nWe admit that the evidence is abundant \u201cthat pouring and sprinkling\nwere used\u201d from the beginning of the fourth century not only to the\nrise of the Anabaptists, but till now; but that pouring and sprinkling\nwere held in doubt, in general, and utterly repudiated by many,\nis equally abundantly proved. The discovery that _baptizo_ means\n_immerse_, and nothing else, could not have been made by any of the\nfathers, for at that time no one denied that such was its meaning. In\nthe few instances where sprinkling or pouring was used, it was not on\nthe ground that _baptizo_ meant pour or sprinkle, but on the ground\nthat pouring or sprinkling would do in extreme cases of weakness where\nthey deemed the persons unable to endure immersion. No man can produce\none scrap of authority to show that any man at that early period, or\nfor many long centuries after, ever attempted to defend pouring or\nsprinkling on the ground that _baptizo_ meant pour or sprinkle. Those\nwho practiced sprinkling or pouring generally in the early ages, did\nnot think they were doing what the Lord commanded, or what the apostles\npracticed, but something else that _would do_. Luther, Calvin, Wesley\nand Clarke, admitted that the ancient practice was immersion, but\nthey thought sprinkling or pouring _would do_. This was the ground of\nargument for many long centuries. The idea of trying to prove that any\nperson was ever sprinkled or poured upon, for baptism, in the time of\nthe apostles, is a mere modern invention, and the idea that _baptizo_\nmeans sprinkle or pour, is of equal modern date. These are new grounds\naltogether, taken by modern men, who have been driven from the old\nground. It will not do in our time to admit\u2014as all the ancients\ndid\u2014that the apostles immersed\u2014that immersion was the ancient\npractice\u2014that _baptizo_ means _immerse_, and nothing else, but that\n\u201cthis rite has been _changed somewhat_,\u201d and that _something else will\ndo as well_. This is too barefaced for our time, and the opposition\nhave changed their ground, and are now trying to make us believe that\ntheir practice is sustained by the meaning of _baptizo_ and the ancient\npractice.\n\n\n\n\nSHORTER CATECHISM FOR UNIVERSALIANS.\n\n\nDuring our discussion in Decatur, Ill., we presented the following,\nsubstantially, as the \u201cShorter Catechism\u201d for Universalians to test\ntheir pretences to a belief in the Scriptures:\n\n1. Phil. iii. 18, 19, Paul, speaking of the enemies of the cross of\nChrist, says, \u201cWhose end is destruction.\u201d Can a man of sense believe\nthat the end of a man is destruction, and at the same time believe that\nhis salvation? The _end_ of a man will certainly be his last state, and\nif that is destruction, his end can not be salvation.\n\n2. Mark iii. 29, the Lord says, he who shall blaspheme against the Holy\nSpirit, \u201chath never forgiveness.\u201d Can a man of sense believe that a man\nwho \u201chath _never forgiveness_,\u201d shall be saved? To save a man without\nforgiveness, would be to save him _in his sins_.\n\n3. John iii. 36, the Lord says, \u201cHe that believeth not the Son, shall\nnot see life, but the wrath of God abideth on him.\u201d Can a man of sense\nbelieve that those who believe not the Son, shall _not see life_, and\nyet believe that they shall _see life_?\n\n4. Rev. xxii. 19, the Scriptures say of certain persons, that \u201cGod\nshall take away their part out of the book of life, and out of the holy\ncity, and from the things which are written in this book.\u201d Can a man of\nsense believe that a man whose \u201c_part is taken out of the book of life,\nand out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this\nbook_,\u201d can be saved?\n\n5. Heb. xii. 15, the Scriptures speak of men \u201cfailing of the grace of\nGod.\u201d Can a man of sense believe that men may \u201cfail of the grace of\nGod,\u201d and be saved? What! saved without the grace of God?\n\n6. John viii. 21, the Lord said to certain persons, \u201cYe shall die in\nyour sins; whither I go ye can not come.\u201d Can a sensible man believe\nthat men shall \u201cdie in their sins,\u201d and that whither the Lord went they\ncould not come, and still believe that all will be saved? Do not refer\nto what the Lord said to his disciples, for he said more than this to\nthem. He said to his disciples, \u201cWhither I go, thou canst not follow me\nnow; but thou shalt follow me afterward.\u201d John xiii. 36. This he did\nnot say to the Jews. But he did say to the Jews, \u201cYe shalt die in\nyour sins: whither I go ye can not come.\u201d Is that true? It is. Then\nUniversalism is not true.\n\n7. Heb. x. 26, 27, Paul says, \u201cIf we sin wilfully after that we have\nreceived the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice\nfor sins, but a certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery\nindignation, which shall devour the adversaries.\u201d Can men of sense\nbelieve that a man for whom \u201cthere remaineth no more sacrifice for\nsins,\u201d but for whom their remains \u201ca certain fearful looking for of\njudgment and fiery indignation which shall devour the adversaries,\u201d\nwill be saved?\n\n8. John v. 29, the Lord declares that \u201cthey who have done evil\nshall come forth to the resurrection of damnation.\u201d Can a man of\nsense believe that those who have done evil can \u201ccome forth to the\nresurrection of damnation,\u201d and yet all men be saved?\n\n9. Rev. xx. 13-15, we find an account of the dead standing before\nGod and being \u201cjudged every man according to their works,\u201d and the\ndeclaration is made that \u201cwhosoever was not found written in the book\nof life, was cast into the lake of fire.\u201d Can a man of sense believe\nthat the dead shall be raised and judged according to their works, and\nthe wicked, or those whose names are not written in the book of life,\nshall be cast into the lake of fire, and yet all men be saved?\n\n10. Gal. v. 2, Paul testifies to certain men, \u201cChrist shall profit you\nnothing.\u201d Can a man of sense believe that those shall be saved whom\nChrist shall profit nothing?\n\n11. Heb. vi., Paul declares of certain persons, that it is impossible\nto renew them again to repentance. Can a man of sense believe that\nthose can be saved whom it is impossible to renew again to repentance?\n\n12. Heb. ix. 27, Paul says, \u201cIt is appointed unto men once to die,\nbut after this the judgment.\u201d Can a man of sense believe that \u201cit is\nappointed unto men once to die, but _after this the judgment_,\u201d and not\nbelieve that God will judge men after death?\n\n13. Luke xvi. 22, 23, we read of a \u201ccertain rich man,\u201d that \u201cthe rich\nman died, and was buried; and in hell he lifted up his eyes, being in\ntorments.\u201d Can a man of sense believe that a man after he died and was\nburied, was \u201cin torments,\u201d and believe that there are no torments after\ndeath?\n\n14. Matt. xxv., the Lord says of the wicked, \u201cThese shall go away\ninto everlasting punishment; but the righteous into life eternal.\u201d Be\nit observed, these righteous are in the life of a christian already,\nor before they go into _life eternal_, and the wicked are in all the\nhell there is for them in this world already. But here at the time\nthe righteous enter _eternal life_, the wicked enter _everlasting\npunishment_. The same Greek word _aionion_, in the same sentence,\nexpresses the duration of the _life of the righteous and the punishment\nof the wicked_. Can a man of sense believe that the Lord used _aionion_\nin a limited sense in one place and an unlimited sense in the other?\n\n15. Luke xiii. 23, we are informed that a man inquired of our Lord,\n\u201cAre there few that be saved?\u201d The Lord did not answer his silly\nquestion, but said to him, \u201cStrive to enter in at the straight gate;\nfor many, I say unto you, will seek to enter in and shall not be able.\u201d\nCan a man of sense believe this statement, that they shall not be able\nto enter, and still believe that all shall enter? Do not begin to think\nof entering the church here now, for we know that all who seek to enter\nthe church are able.\n\n16. Ez. xiii. 22, the Lord says, \u201cWith lies ye have made the heart\nof the righteous sad, whom I have not made sad; and strengthened the\nhands of the wicked, that he should not return from his wicked way, by\npromising him life.\u201d Can a man of sense believe that he strengthens\nthe hands of the wicked, that he should not return from his wicked\nway, by promising him life, and still believe that he is doing good in\npreaching that all men shall have life?\n\nWhen our Universalist friends get so that they can answer these\nquestions and explain the difficulties involved clearly and\nsatisfactorily, the people may become satisfied that they _are not\nsceptics_.\n\n\n\n\nPOPULAR AMUSEMENTS.\n\n Remarks upon a communication complaining of the increasing\n prevalence of _revelry_, under the plea of \u201cinnocent\n amusements.\u201d Published in the _A. C. Review_, for July, 1860.\n\n\nWe have no doubt that many professors of religion are greatly sinning,\nas well as disgracing and dishonoring their profession, in the manner\nabove described. But there is one trouble in writing or publishing\nany thing for that class. They are beyond the reach of writers. They\nsubscribe for no religious publications, pay for none, and read none.\nThey read nothing, unless it be some silly love tale, book of fashion,\nor mere novel. They can only be reached at all through older, wiser,\nand better heads, and then only occasionally, and but slightly. In most\ninstances, the slightest reference to their inconsistent lives of folly\nand vanity, is regarded as a mortal offence. We were threatened, not\nlong since, with being held _personally responsible_ for alluding to\nthe mischief done by dancing masters, in a public discourse. It turned\nout that one was present, and, as if to publish himself as a live\ndancing master, distinguish himself and render himself as notorious as\npossible, immediately after the allusion to men of his calling, he cast\nhis eye around the house, and saw all eyes upon him, when he bounced\nfrom his seat and went stamping out of the house, as if he intended\ntrying the strength of the floor, every time he set down his foot.\nHis _profession_ was too sacred to be alluded to without his being\ninsulted. Some of the people, we learned, called him _Professor_\u2014\u2014!\nTalk of preaching for such men! of writing to reform them! They would\nnot hear an angel from heaven, unless he would wink at their dancing.\nThey would not hear one who would rise from the dead, unless he would\nwink at their sin. If they could, they would lead our fair daughters\nto ruin, chuckle over the feat achieved, and dance on the graves of\nheart-broken fathers and mothers. They are leeches upon society,\nsucking the very life\u2019s blood from the veins of better people, who\nsuffer themselves to be gulled by them, and, at the same time, grinning\nlike a weasel while cutting the throat of a chicken, and sucking its\nblood.\n\nThe entire clan of amusement manufacturers, from the poor music\ngrinder on the street, up to Barnum, are pulling down, discouraging\nand destroying the good built up by the hard toiling and struggles of\ngood people. It is useless to talk of their being gentlemen, polite,\nor moral; their work is to pull down, to ruin, to destroy, and to\nsink men and women in hell. Their work is against every prayer, every\nexhortation and sermon; every Sunday school, church and gospel mission.\nWe may preach and pray, toil and struggle in tears, with our hearts\naching and bleeding, trying to save men, and so long as we countenance\nworthless and silly amusements, we shall not be successful in saving\nmen. Not only so, but if we allow those who are determined to run their\nlength in all these amusements, to hang upon us, they will sink us all.\n\n\n\n\nACTIVITY IN THE MINISTRY.\n\n\nThe preacher\u2019s life should be one of activity and industry, one of\nenterprise and diligence. The preacher can not be a _gentleman of\nleisure_. This is not his profession. He can not afford an hour or two\nevery morning in primping, turning himself first this way and then that\nbefore a glass, smoothing down his hair, stroking his mustache and\nfitting on his attire. He can not afford another half-hour sucking an\nenormous cigar and filling a filthy spittoon, a thing that ought to be\ntolerated in no parlor, or genteel society. He should be a man of no\nidle habits, such as lounging upon cushions, loafing on the streets, at\nthe corners, in shops, stores or places of business, or idleness. He\nshould rise early, unless prevented from getting to rest sufficiently\nearly, by preaching at night, dress himself out and out for the day\nin fifteen minutes, and spend at least five hours in his books. This\nshould be a regular work, an every day work. Five hours only brings him\nto about ten o\u2019clock in the morning, about the proper time to see sick\npersons, the poor, or any whom it may be his duty to visit. Three hours\ncan now be devoted in this way. This brings him to one o\u2019clock. Allow\nhim two hours to take refreshment and rest himself. Now it is three\no\u2019clock, a good hour for him again to be among the people, where he may\nfrequently spend two hours profitably.\n\nIf the preacher is a man of enterprise, he can have an engagement for\na sermon, a lecture, a meeting for prayer, or something of the kind\nalmost every night, either in the church, or some place in a short\ndistance in the community, where he may be waking up some interest\namong the people. It is the business of the preacher to seek an\nopportunity for something of this kind, and have some work all the time\ngoing on round him, arresting the attention of the people, rousing them\nfrom their slumbers, setting them to thinking and working.\n\nIt is useless to stand and preach in one pulpit and wait for the people\nto come there, thus depending upon that wholly for saving men. We must\ngo beyond that, find every nook and corner where a few people can be\ncollected and preach the word to them, exhort them, persuade them and\nplead with them to turn to the Lord. The preacher must make it an every\nday work to preach. We must get in the way of preaching from house\nto house and from place to place, thus filling the whole land with\nthe doctrine of the cross. We must be men of activity, perseverance\nand zeal, not waiting for \u201ccalls,\u201d but penetrating the land from its\ncenter to its circumference. We must go into the field and do the\nwork of the Lord, and the Lord will open the way and take care of us.\nWe are anxious to see an army of zealous, powerful and enterprising\nyoung men, willing to go out into the world and convince the world of\ntheir ability and usefulness, by saving men, building up churches and\nextending the cause. In this way, they will soon make an opening for\nthemselves and secure a permanent field of operation. How much more\nnoble and manly this, than looking round for a rich church, raised up\nto hand by the labors of other men, where a young man can sit down with\na fat salary and merely live upon the labors of those who have gone\nbefore him.\n\n\n\n\nSUMMARY OF ARGUMENTS ON THE ACTION OF BAPTISM.\n\n\nIt is a fact that our Lord was baptized of John _in_ Jordan. Is it then\nmore probable that he was sprinkled of John _in_ Jordan, than that he\nwas immersed of John _in_ Jordan?\n\nIt is a fact that after the Lord was baptized \u201che went up straightway\n_out of the water_.\u201d Is it more probable that \u201che went up straightway\nout of the water,\u201d in going from sprinkling, than from immersion?\n\nIt is a fact that the people were baptized of John in the river of\nJordan. Is it more probable that they were sprinkled of John, in the\nriver of Jordan, than that they were immersed in the river of Jordan?\n\nIt is a fact that \u201cJohn was baptizing in Enon, near Salim, because\nthere was much water there.\u201d Is it more probable that he sprinkled in a\nplace, because there was _much water_ there, than that he immersed in a\nplace because there was _much water_ there?\n\nIt is a fact that Philip and the eunuch, both went down into the water,\nand he baptized him. Is it more probable that they both went down into\nthe water to sprinkle, than that they both went down into the water to\nimmerse?\n\nIt is a fact, mentioned by Paul, as a result of baptizing, that the\n_body is washed_. Is it more probable that the _body is washed_ in\nsprinkling, than that the body is washed in immersing?\n\nIt is a fact, stated by Paul, that \u201cwe are _buried with him in\nbaptism_.\u201d Is it more probable that we are buried with him in\nsprinkling, than that we are buried with him in immersion?\n\nIt is a fact, stated by Paul, that we are _buried with him by baptism_.\nIs it more probable that we are buried with him by sprinkling, than\nthat we are buried with him by immersion?\n\nWe have now presented eight questions on the probabilities of the case.\nNow for the possibilities of the case:\n\nIt is a fact that the Lord was baptized in _Jordan_, and it is a fact\nthat he went up straightway out of the _water_. This shows that when he\nwas _in Jordan_, he _was in the water_, or he could not have gone \u201c_out\nof the water_.\u201d As a question of fact and possibility, could the Lord\nhave been _sprinkled in the water_?\n\nIt is a fact, stated by Paul, that in baptizing, or, as a result of\nit, the \u201cbody is washed.\u201d As a question of possibility, can the body\nbe washed, or, as a question of fact, is the body washed at all, when\nsprinkling is performed in the usual way?\n\nIt is a fact, stated by the Apostles, that \u201cwe are buried with him\nin baptism.\u201d As a question of fact, is this done in sprinkling? As a\nquestion of possibility, _can persons be buried in sprinkling_?\n\nIt is a fact, stated in Scripture, that \u201cwe are buried with him by\nbaptism.\u201d As a question of fact, are persons buried by sprinkling? As a\nquestion of possibility, _can persons be buried by sprinkling_?\n\n\n\n\n\u201cA MIGHTY GOOD FOUNDATION.\u201d\n\n\nSome years ago, our Bro. Burnet resided some eight miles in the\ncountry. We were in Mt. Healthy, a short distance from his residence,\nand took an omnibus for the city. In a few minutes the omnibus stopped\nin front of the residence of Bro. Burnet, with two respectable looking\ngentlemen in it, one sitting facing the residence and the other with\nhis back towards it. The one facing the residence said, \u201cHere is where\nMr. Burnet resides.\u201d The other replied, \u201cWho is he?\u201d \u201cA celebrated\nCampbellite preacher,\u201d was the answer. \u201cWhat do the Campbellites\nhold?\u201d inquired the other. \u201cThat the Bible is their foundation\u2014their\nonly creed,\u201d was the reply. \u201cThey have a mighty good foundation\u2014a\nvery good creed,\u201d answered the other. \u201cYes,\u201d was the reply; and here\nthe conversation ended. The same must be the response of every honest\nbeliever in the Bible. It is certainly a good foundation\u2014a good creed.\nIf there is any good doctrine, or _teaching_, as the word doctrine\nmeans, in the world, it is in the Bible, and the man who takes the\nBible, finds it in his book. If there is any sure foundation for all\nour hopes beyond this life, it is found in the Bible. If there is any\nsure lamp to the path of weary and dying pilgrims in this world, it is\nthe Bible. All other books are nothing compared with the Bible. It is\n_the book_ of all books, _the authority_ of all authorities, the only\nsure and infallible guide from this world of sin to the land of rest.\n\n\n\n\nA HARD QUESTION FOR PREACHERS.\n\n\nThe Lord said once to a preacher, \u201cSimon, lovest thou me more than\nthese?\u201d This question has been variously expounded. It has had at least\nthe following three interpretations given to it:\n\n 1. \u201cLovest thou me more than these other disciples love me?\u201d\n 2. \u201cLovest thou me more than thou lovest these other disciples?\u201d\n 3. \u201cLovest thou me more than thou lovest these fisheries?\u201d\n\n1. The Archbishop of Cincinnati had the honor\u2014if it be any\u2014of giving\nthe people the first of these, in the debate with Mr. Campbell. He\nthinks the Lord meant, \u201cSimon, lovest thou me more than these other\ndisciples love me?\u201d He thinks Peter did love his Lord more than\nthe other disciples did, and this is one of his mighty arguments\nto prove that Peter was the first Pope. But how Peter could answer\nsuch a question as that, unless, indeed, he was already the Pope,\nand _infallible_, we can not conceive. Certainly the Lord did not\nexpect Peter to know whether he loved his Master better than the\nother disciples loved him, unless he was infallible. The Lord himself\ncould have answered that question, but certainly no man could. Such a\nquestion was not only, in the very nature of the case, one that no man\ncould answer, but one that could have no practical bearing nor use.\nNot only so, but the answer of the Lord was inappropriate, if he had\nintended Peter to be Pope. He commanded him, \u201cFeed my sheep.\u201d This was\nthe last thing he would have commanded him if he had intended him to be\nPope. In that case he would have commanded him, \u201c_Fleece_ my sheep,\u201d\nand not \u201c_feed_ my sheep.\u201d The business of Popes has ever been to\n_fleece_ the sheep, and not to _feed_ them.\n\n2. The question, \u201cLovest thou me more than thou lovest these other\ndisciples?\u201d though Peter might have been able to answer it, would\ncertainly have been one of but little importance. Not only so, but the\nlanguage is scarcely capable of this import, and, therefore, it is not\nprobable that such was the intention of it.\n\n3. The sum of the question was, \u201cLovest thou me more than these\nfisheries?\u201d Or, to express it more fully and liberally, \u201cLovest thou me\nmore than thou lovest these fisheries?\u201d The state of the case was, that\nthe Lord had _called them to be preachers_. They had from the beginning\nbeen under a mistaken notion. Their idea was, that Jesus was to be a\nking in an earthly kingdom. This, they supposed, would all take place\nin his lifetime, on this earth. It never entered into their minds\nthat Jesus would die before his reign commenced. It specially never\nentered into their minds that he would die by crucifixion. When he was\ncrucified and actually dead, they thought he was defeated, that his\nenemies had triumphed, that all was lost and their mission at an end.\nIn this view, Simon Peter said, \u201cI go a fishing.\u201d Another disciple\nreplied, \u201cI go along.\u201d This was utterly giving all up for lost. Poor\nmen; like most preachers, who quit their proper work of preaching the\ngospel, and turn aside to some secular avocation, they did not prosper.\n\u201c_They toiled all night and caught nothing._\u201d What a caution to\npreachers who turn aside from their work! The Lord appears to them and\ninquires of them, \u201cChildren, have you any meat?\u201d They reply, \u201cWe have\nnone.\u201d He commands them, \u201cCast your net on the right side of the ship.\u201d\nThey cast the net and take the most astonishing draught of fish they\never saw. He caused their business to prosper beyond anything they had\never experienced. Their prospects in this avocation were now brighter\nthan ever before. They are now in the midst of an excitement of\nprosperity, intensely engaged with their nets and fish. Every thing is\npurposely made as attractive and fascinating as it can be. While it is\nall before their eyes, in its most exciting, fascinating and attractive\nform, the Lord tries them, puts them to the test: \u201cLovest thou me more\nthan these?\u201d probably at the same moment, pointing his finger to the\nnets and fish. Peter replied, \u201cLord thou knowest that I love thee.\u201d The\nLord commands, \u201cFeed my sheep.\u201d That is, \u201cIf you love me more than\nthese fisheries,\u201d and are willing to forsake these and do my work,\n\u201cFeed my sheep.\u201d This question, \u201cLovest thou me more than these?\u201d is\none of so much importance that it is repeated three times over, and the\nLord says to them, \u201cI will make you fishers of men.\u201d This remark he had\nmade to them when he first called them from their fisheries. After this\nlast charge, \u201cFeed my sheep,\u201d \u201cFeed my lambs,\u201d we have no account of\ntheir ever fishing any more.\n\nWe find that there are many preachers in our time to whom the Lord\nputs the question, \u201cLovest thou me more than these?\u201d Not, however\nthese _fisheries_, but these _lands_, cattle, horses, mules, bank\nstocks, railroad stocks, houses, barns, mills, shops, stores, offices,\npolitics, wives, children, fathers or mothers. He is very exacting and\nspeaks very decidedly. \u201cIf you love these more than me, _you can not\nbe my disciples_.\u201d This is most fearful language. What is the test?\nThe test is simply this, if we love the Lord more than these, we will\nfollow him and do his work. If we love the Lord less than these, we\nwill forsake the Lord\u2019s work and follow these. This is a matter that\npreaching brethren ought to put to their consciences. Can men who have\nthe ability to preach Christ, who have tried it and know they can\nsucceed, and whom the Lord has blessed in their efforts, turn from this\ngreat work to the pursuits of the world, at will, with impunity? We\ndo not believe they can. It is a fearful thing for them to do so. We\nknow men of great ability\u2014men who can shake up society from its center\nto its circumference, if they will try, whose talents are measurably\nburied, or what is the same thing, devoted to the world. These will\ncertainly give a most strict account.\n\n\n\n\nMAN\u2019S ACCOUNTABILITY.\n\n\nEvery sane man _can_ and _does believe_ and _decide_ that _he will do\nthis_, and that _he will not do that_, every day of his life. Hence our\nLord, when he wept over Jerusalem, cried, \u201cO Jerusalem! Jerusalem! how\noft would I have gathered your children as a hen gathers her brood,\nbut _ye would not_.\u201d In this view of the subject, the man of God could\nsay, \u201c_Choose_ ye this day whom ye will serve.\u201d In the same spirit, the\nLord says, \u201cIf any man _will_ come after me, let him deny himself, and\ntake up his cross daily and follow me.\u201d To the same amount, the apostle\nPaul says, \u201cTo whomsoever _you yield yourselves_ servants to obey,\nhis servants ye are.\u201d In the same Spirit, the New Testament closes,\nsaying, \u201cWhoever _will_, let him come.\u201d This justifies the Lord in\nsaying, \u201cHe is not willing that any should perish, but that all should\ncome to repentance.\u201d This all being so, the Lord, in referring to the\nlast judgment, refers to the wickedness of man, as the ground of their\ncondemnation. He says, _they who have done evil_, shall come forth to\nthe resurrection of damnation. They who _do his commandments_, shall\nenter by the gates into the city, and have a right to the tree of life.\nThe Lord says, \u201cBecause I have called and ye refused; I have stretched\nout my hand and no man regarded; but ye have set at naught all my\ncounsel, and would none of my reproof: I also will laugh at your\ncalamity, and mock when your fear cometh; when your fear cometh as\ndesolation, and your destruction cometh as a whirlwind; when distress\nand anguish cometh upon you. Then shall they call upon me, but I will\nnot answer; they shall seek me early, but they shall not find me; for\nthat they hated knowledge, and did not _choose_ the fear of the Lord.\nTherefore shall they eat of the fruit of their own way, and be filled\nwith their own devices. For the turning away of the simple shall slay\nthem. But whoso hearkeneth unto me shall dwell safely, and shall be\nquiet from fear of evil.\u201d Prov. i. 24-33. This, my friends, is the\nwisdom of God. It will stand when all human reasoning will go for\nnothing.\n\n\n\n\nTHE NEW AND THE OLD.\n\n\nWe do not desire to prevent discussion and investigation, or to deprive\nbrethren of great inventive genius from exercising their extraordinary\npowers, nor to deprive men of the pleasure of making discoveries; but\nwe are not favorable to allowing every man the privilege of taking\nout a patent right for everything that may be new _to him_; because\nit may not only be old with others, but _useless_, or even an old\nand oft exploded error. What we need now is, not so much men to make\ndiscoveries and invent something _new_, as men to push the _old_, the\nwell-tried, and that which is known to be valuable. We do not desire,\non the one hand, to be everlastingly hearing some new thing, nor, on\nthe other hand, prohibited from hearing any thing new. We do not desire\nto be ever learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the\ntruth, nor to be never learning; but to have our eyes open to anything\nprofitable, that may be advanced, and continue in the faithful practice\nof what we know. But the main work is to push the truth through the\nworld which we already have. Nothing is more sickening and disgusting,\nthan for some mere boys, who have hardly read a half-dozen volumes, to\nstart out under a pretence of discovering _new_ truth, \u201cgoing on to\nperfection,\u201d explaining the inner and outer man, the inner light, inner\nconsciousness, conscience, the will, new modes of revelation, the\nmanner of the Spirit\u2019s work, etc., etc. We have had a perfect surfeit\nof all this kind of thing.\n\n * * * * *\n\nWe do not need proud and vain young men to invent something new and\nglorify themselves, but humble and devoted young men, who will be\ncontent to \u201cpreach the word,\u201d \u201ccontend earnestly for the faith once\ndelivered to the saints,\u201d and persevere in pushing the gospel through\nthe world. We have no faith in these young _sap heads_ who are trying\nto render themselves famous by pointing out to the world the errors of\nAlexander Campbell. It is true that it is not absolutely impossible\nthat even a very young man should discover some important new truth, or\nan old one, that had, for a time, been neglected and covered up, but it\nis not at all probable; and certain it is, that it is not the province\nof young men to spend a large share of their time in trying to present\nsomething new. We claim not to have comprehended all truth, so as to\nrender it impossible for any thing more to be discovered; but the main\nwork is to impress the truth we have upon the rising generation, and\nbring as many as possible under its influence. We want humble, working,\nand pious men, to spread the principles of the gospel through the world.\n\n\n\n\n\u201cMY KINGDOM IS NOT OF THIS WORLD.\u201d\n\n\nNo people can or ought to prosper that will not respect the wisdom of\nGod as set forth in both the teaching and example of our Lord and his\napostles. We can not make ourselves, as a great, rapidly increasing and\nprospering body, an exception to this rule. If we desire and intend\nto prosper in the great and good work of uniting saints, building up\nthe church and saving men, we must confine ourselves strictly to the\ngospel\u2014to the things of the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus\nChrist\u2014determined to know nothing but Christ and him crucified\u2014to\nglory in nothing but the cross of Christ. Our mission, as a religious\nbody, as a christian ministry, and as christian writers, is not of this\nworld. The weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through\nGod, to the pulling down of strong holds. \u201cWe wrestle not against flesh\nand blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the\nrulers of the darkness of this world, against wicked spirits in the\nheavenly regions.\u201d Our King commanded one of his men, when he drew a\nsword, and commencing battle with it, struck off the ear of the servant\nMalchus, to _put up the sword_, adding that they who take the sword\n_shall perish by the sword_. The apostle Paul fits out the christian\nsoldier and equips him for his work. The following are the habiliments\nfor the warfare: The loins are to be girt about with _truth_, the\nbreast-plate of _righteousness_ is to be put on, the feet are to be\nshod with a _preparation of the gospel_. The shield of _faith_ is to be\ntaken, the helmet of _salvation_ and the sword of the _Spirit_, which\nis the _word of God_. Here is the christian armor\u2014our preparation\nfor war. There is nothing carnal about it\u2014no preparation to war\nagainst flesh and blood. We must hold fast to this armor\u2014the heavenly\narmor\u2014and use it with skill, resorting to no other, and we shall see\nthe tall sons of men in thousands fall before us and join the army.\n\n\n\n\nPOLICY IN PREACHING.\n\n\nPublic men must be prudent, judicious and noble in their bearing,\npresenting the truth in the love of it. Men must not miscalculate their\ninfluence, their power, and time for presenting things. Preachers\nmust know _when_ and _where_ things are to be said and done. Many men\ndrive their audiences away, by their repulsive course, and think it\nthe opposition of the people to the truth, that drives them away. We\nspeak plainly on all the great issues between ourselves and the parties\naround us, in the pulpit, and yet seldom give offense, and never fail\nto have a good hearing from the parties around us, and seldom fail to\ngain some of them to the truth. And, what is better, when they are\ngained, _they are gained indeed_\u2014not by persuading them that there\nis but little difference between us, but by making them both _see and\nfeel_ the difference, _and convincing them of the truth_. Any thing\nshort of this is of no account.\n\nSome men are for using a little Jesuitism. They would preach on\ncommon ground matters till they draw their hearers on and gain their\nattention. But we have nothing to do with any such policy. There is\na vast amount of the most important and plain truth in the gospel,\nthat the parties around us know comparatively nothing about, and\nconsequently have no objection to it. They will hear it and be pleased\nwith it. The main matter is to develop fully and largely, in the\nsimplest style possible, with heart and solicitude for the happiness\nand salvation of the people, the whole scheme of redemption from the\nbeginning, as if the people knew nothing at all about it. This must\nbe done with power, and not in a prosing, indifferent and unfeeling\nmanner. It will find way to honest hearts, in almost any community in\nthis country.\n\n\n\n\nTHE CAUSE OF CHRIST IS ABOVE PARTISAN POLITICS.\n\n\nWe have done a noble work, and that work is not to be foiled, defeated\nand destroyed by men who know not our Master and love not his cause.\nWe have been raised up by the Lord to be a mighty community. God has a\nmission for us, a great mission, and we are not to be defeated in it.\nThat mission must be done. The Lord has put into our hands facilities\nfor doing this great work, and he requires it at our hands. That work\nis simply to restore his own pure religion to the people of this\ngeneration, and build up the church as it was at the beginning. We\nhave ascertained that the Lord laid but one foundation, reared but one\nbuilding upon it, had but one temple, one body, one family, but one\nchurch. This one body had but one head, but one leader, and we are to\nkeep our eye on him, follow him, love him and serve him for ever. We\ncan not turn aside to the strifes of the world, from our legitimate\nwork. We have preached union among the children of God, struggled\nfor it and prayed for it long and ardently, and we now appreciate\nits value more than ever, since we feel its power and influence in\ntime of trouble. An influence that can bind us _in one body_, in _one\nfellowship_, in the midst of such commotions and excitements, is not of\nthis world. It is not an earthly influence, but above the earth. It is\nfrom God. We know each other as the children of God, the disciples of\nChrist, as christians, and not as political partisans. We know not a\nman because he belongs to this political party, or that; not because he\nlives on the one side of a geographical line, or the other; not because\nhe holds to this political creed or that; but we know him because he is\na child of God, an heir of the same inheritance, and redeemed by the\nsame blood of the Covenant. The bond that binds us together is not an\nearthly bond, and it is not limited by time. It is the _love_ of God.\nIt is not limited to this world, but shall last co-existent with the\nyears of God. It shall live and be fresh and vigorous when all worldly\nschemes and policies and their advocates, shall be forgotten. Those who\nenjoy it shall also live beyond all the turmoil of political strife,\nbeyond all the struggles and trials that beset our faith in this life.\nMay we not live in vain, but do good in our day and generation. Mercy\nand peace upon the Israel of God.\n\n\n\n\n\u201cCOME OUT OF BABYLON.\u201d\n\n\nThe Lord calls to his people wherever they may be scattered in Babylon,\nsaying, \u201cCome out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her\nsins, and that you receive not of her plagues.\u201d We live emphatically\nin the time for extending this cry, and we must extend it. The warning\nto those in danger, is a most righteous and benevolent warning, and\nthose who hear it shall praise God forever, that it has reached their\nhearts, and induced them to abandon the devoted city. There is no\nescape for one soul, only by fleeing to the Lord, and that can only be\ndone by abandoning all human laws, and adhering to the law of the Lord.\n\u201cSee that ye refuse not him that speaketh; for if they escaped not who\nrefused him that spake on earth, much more shall not we escape, if we\nturn away from him that speaketh from heaven; whose voice then shook\nthe earth; but now he hath promised, saying, Yet once more I shake\nnot the earth only, but also heaven. And this word, Yet once more,\nsignifieth the removing of those things that are shaken, as of things\nthat are made, that those things that can not be shaken, may remain.\nWherefore we receiving a kingdom which can not be moved, let us have\ngrace, whereby we may serve God acceptably, with reverence and godly\nfear.\u201d Thanks to Heaven, there is a kingdom that can not be moved.\n\u201cNot every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the\nkingdom of heaven; but, _he that doeth the will_ of my Father who is\nin heaven.\u201d \u201cHe,\u201d says the Lord, \u201cwho hears these sayings of mine, and\ndoes them, I will liken him to a wise man.\u201d \u201cHe who hears these sayings\nof mine, and does them not, I will liken him to a foolish man.\u201d Our\nwork is to try and call the attention of all nations to the sayings of\nour Lord, and induce them to hear him. They must hear him, or be lost\nfor ever.\n\nCome out of Babylon, O you saints of the Lord, wherever you are, and\ncommit yourselves to the hands of the Lord. \u201cCome out of her, my\npeople, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that you receive\nnot of her plagues.\u201d Hear the holy John describe her destruction: \u201cA\nmighty angel took up a stone like a great millstone, and cast it into\nthe sea, saying, Thus with violence shall that great city, Babylon, be\nthrown down, and shall be found no more at all. Rejoice over her, thou\nheaven, and ye holy apostles and prophets; for God hath avenged you\non her.\u201d \u201cAfter these things, I heard a great voice of much people in\nheaven, saying, Alleluia: Salvation, and glory, and honor, and power,\nunto the Lord, our God; for true and righteous are his judgments; for\nhe hath judged the great whore, which did corrupt the earth with her\nfornication, and hath avenged the blood of his servants at her hand.\nAnd again, they said, Alleluia, and her smoke rose up forever and ever.\nAnd the four and twenty elders, and the four living creatures fell down\nand worshipped him that sat upon the throne, saying, Amen; Alleluia!\nAnd a voice came out of the throne, saying, Praise our God all ye his\nservants, and ye that fear him, both small and great. And I heard as it\nwere the voice of a great multitude, and as the voice of many waters,\nand as the voice of mighty thunderings, saying, Alleluia; for the Lord\nGod omnipotent reigneth. Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honor\nto him, for the marriage of the Lamb has come and his wife hath made\nherself ready.\u201d\n\nWonderful things are before us, and let us be in readiness for their\napproach. When Paul was leaving the disciples, expecting to meet them\nno more in the flesh, he said, \u201cI commend you to God and to the word of\nhis grace, which is able to build you up and give you an inheritance\namong all them that are sanctified.\u201d This same word, another Apostle\nsays, is able to save your souls, and the Lord says, \u201cThe words which\nI speak to you shall judge you in the last day.\u201d His word lives and\nabides forever and ever. If we were making our dying request, and that\nto the dearest friends we have on earth, we would request them to\nabandon all human authorities and hold on to the word of the Lord for\never.\n\n\n\n\nPREACH \u201cFIRST PRINCIPLES.\u201d\n\n\nThere is no telling the evils that have arisen in some old\ncongregations, from preachers assuming that their audiences knew all\nabout what are usually called first principles, and not preaching\nthem. In this way, they never get their audiences to understand the\nprinciples of the gospel at all. They preach to their half-sleeping\naudiences, not _hearers_, some little, exhortatory sermon, of\ntwenty-five or thirty minutes, and not a syllable is recollected two\ndays. The people are thankful that the sermon was short, and the\npreacher thankful that \u201cservice\u201d is over. In this way the gospel has\nliterally been shut out of some churches, and year after year passes\nwithout any thing like a clear development of the gospel, and neither\nthe church nor the regular hearers understand the gospel, or know the\ndifference between the gospel and something else. This also gives rise\nto textuary preaching and preaching a sermon \u201cto develop a single\nthought.\u201d We heard of one preacher who delivered a sermon on the\ntext, \u201cAnd there shall be no night there.\u201d The wording was soft as a\nsummer breeze and as harmless as a butterfly. Now, we must say that\nwe abominate this as mere trash. We want good, sound, solid and manly\npreaching, containing principles and practical instruction, that will\nmake an audience _think_ and _feel_, and _that to some purpose_. Let us\nadvocate the cause, maintain and defend it, with zeal, earnestness and\npower. Unfold the great principles of the faith, spread them out and\nlet the world see them, and see at the same time that we intend they\nshall prevail. The principles are self-evidently right, and there is\nno reason why any man should be ashamed of them, or afraid to advocate\nthem. They can be carried through the world, and we have the men and\nability, and, the Lord helping us, we shall spread them throughout the\nland.\n\n\n\n\nDEVELOPING THE TALENTS OF THE YOUNG.\n\n\nWe must make an effort to bring out our young people. If they are\nbrought into the church, and not employed any way, not induced to do\nanything, nor in any way made useful, one half of them will be led off\ninto the world again. A bishop who understands this matter, will engage\nnot simply the attention of the young, but their ability, whatever it\nmay be, and bring it out. We fell in company with a bishop of this kind\na few evenings since, on the cars, who informed us, if our memory is\nnot at fault, that out of about forty male members in his congregation,\nin Illinois, all but some three took some part in the public worship,\nby way of reading, prayer, or exhortation. We have recently heard of\nseveral churches of this sort. These can worship without a preacher,\ncan \u201cdraw out an audience,\u201d and will, in a short time, send out\npreachers. Bishops who thus bring forward their young men, are bishops\nindeed. They do not imagine that their work is to sing, pray, preach,\nbreak the loaf, rule, and do every thing, and that the duty of the\naudience is simply to obey them. It is the work of a Christian bishop\nto develop and bring out the talent in the congregation, and apply it\nto the work of the Lord. Here is where our preachers are to come from.\nThe church must furnish the preachers of Christ. No other institution\nwill ever do it. We need not look to our colleges to make preachers.\nThey will never do it. We need the colleges as much as any of our\nbrethren have ever thought; but not to make preachers, but _to educate\nour young men who want to preach or do anything else_.\n\n\n\n\nWHAT A PREACHER MUST BE.\n\n\nHe must be earnest. Men who preach the gospel of Christ must be\nearnest. They must not trifle with the gospel and the souls of men.\nThe theme is too vast, the responsibility too great and the issues\ntoo momentous to be treated in a careless, indifferent and prosing\nmanner. The idea of a man speaking of questions of life and death,\neternal happiness and eternal misery, the glories to be revealed at\nthe appearing and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the terrible\ndestruction that shall be the destiny to all who obey not the gospel,\nin a cold, dull and unfeeling manner, is preposterous. These are the\nmost awful, momentous and sublime themes that ever dwelt upon the lips\nof men; and let him who speaks of them, remember that he is pleading in\na case of life and death. Let him speak with earnestness, spirit and\npower.\n\nHe must be a man of perseverance. A man who can not preach a week\nwithout any success, and not become discouraged, had better go home.\nHe is not the man. It is nothing strange to preach a dozen or fifteen\ndiscourses without success. Let him preach again. If he still has\nno success, let him humble himself before the Lord, in most fervent\nprayer, and make another effort. If he shall still fail in one place,\ngo to another, and try again. Remember Noah, who preached one hundred\nand twenty years, without an addition, and preach on and pray on. Trust\nin the Lord, and work on.\n\nHe must be a man that can not be discouraged. He must be determined\nthat he will listen to no discouraging tales. When met by some\nfaint-hearted, sickly, and half-believing brother, who doles out his\nstory about the troubles among the brethren, the opposition to be\nencountered, and how \u201chard a place it is,\u201d where he is operating, he\nmust pay no attention to it, but rise above it, and bear it in mind\nthat there are good and honest-hearted souls in every community, who\nwill receive and obey the gospel, if it is faithfully presented. Keep\nthese in your mind, preaching brother, and try to save them, and you\nwill succeed in a vast majority of cases. Inspire your audience with\ncourage and confidence, especially the brethren. Allow no whining,\ncomplaining, and saying, \u201cWe can\u2019t do anything,\u201d and believe nothing\nof the kind. You _can do something_, and you must tell the people so,\nand _keep on_ till you do it. You must not work in doubt, but in strong\nconfidence that you have the truth\u2014that you are advocating the cause\nof righteousness\u2014that God is in it, will be with you, never leave you\nnor forsake you\u2014that you can, by the help of the Lord, make the cause\nprosper, and will do it.\n\n\n\n\nTHEORY AND PRACTICE.\n\n\nIt is one thing for a man to _say_ he is for the Bible, the whole Bible\nand nothing but the Bible, and it is quite another thing to _learn_\nand _practice_ some of the first and clearest lessons of the Bible.\nThe only authority there is in the Bible for preaching the gospel at\nall, requires that it be preached in all the world\u2014to every creature.\nYet, strange to say, the first thing many seem to think of, and the\nonly thing, is the mere vicinity where they reside. They are frequently\nfew, weak and uninfluential; can get no preacher to their vicinity; or\nif they do get one once in a great while, they entertain him with an\naccount of their weakness and inability to pay, make him sacrifice more\nto preach for them than they all sacrifice to support him. In other\nwords, if they ought to give him thirty dollars, by a hard stretch they\nraise fifteen dollars, and send him off fifteen dollars minus what he\nought to have had. After thus disheartening him, breaking him down and\nstarving him, or especially his wife and children, they comment upon\nthe old adage, \u201ccharity begins at home.\u201d\n\nDeclaim against foreign missions, and prepare to give the State Board\ntwenty-five dollars if the Board will send them one hundred dollars\nworth of preaching. After they treat a preacher in this way a few\ntimes, he is compelled from absolute necessity to abandon them. Thus,\nisolated, forsaken and helpless, they take no publications, know\nnothing of what is going on, pine away and die. This shows the utter\nfallacy of little, weak and helpless congregations keeping themselves\nisolated. They should act with their brethren, report themselves, be\nknown in all their efforts, and send in their contributions, no matter\nhow small. The ground of complaint here is, however, more on the part\nof preachers than any place else. In all our preaching, we should\ninculcate a missionary spirit, the importance of acting in harmony,\nunitedly and with energy in all our undertakings to evangelize the\nworld.\n\n\n\n\nTHE CONVERTING POWER.\n\n\nMen are talking of justification by _faith alone_; but the main trouble\nis, that they have no faith. They have no confidence in the gospel,\nthe power of God. They have no confidence in preaching the cross\nof Christ, the power and wisdom of God. They have no confidence in\npreaching Christ to save the world. They never preach Christ with any\nanimation\u2014any spirit or power. They have deserted God\u2019s ordained power\nto save men, and are dealing out their insipid theories of spiritual\ninfluence, their views and philosophies, which have nothing in them to\nsave, if they were all true. Preaching theories of the Word or of the\nSpirit, of the mode of the Divine existence, or of anything else, has\nno power to convert or save any one. All the preaching of Calvinism\nor Arminianism, of Trinitarianism or Unitarianism, of Necessity or\nFreedom, or all the other theories ever preached, whether true or\nfalse, never saved one soul of our poor fallen race. But the preaching\nof the gospel, preaching Christ, the cross of Christ, is the ordained\nwork for the Christian ministry. This is unequivocally the power God\nhas authorized them to exercise in saving sinners. We know it will save\nsinners, from the following three reasons:\n\n1. The Holy Spirit declares it to be \u201cthe power of God, to every one\nthat believes.\u201d\n\n2. The apostles and first ministers of Christ preached it to the\nsalvation of thousands in a single day, and millions in a few years.\n\n3. We are preaching the gospel almost every day of our life, and find\nit bringing sinners to Christ. We have all faith in the gospel, the\nancient gospel, preached in its purity and simplicity, as the only\nmeans of saving man. It will save men. It is the power of God to save\nmen. We realize this more and more every year. The blessing of the\nLord is attending every man who has faith in Christ, in his word, and\npreaches the gospel honestly.\n\nBut we know that those brethren who oppose us in this, are wrong, for\nthe following reasons:\n\n1. The Lord never said that their theories upon any subject, were the\npower of God unto salvation to anybody, either Jew or Greek.\n\n2. The apostles never preached in their style.\n\n3. They convert nobody when they do preach.\n\n4. The church dies under their preaching in every instance.\n\nBrethren, have all confidence in the gospel of your salvation; preach\nit, advocate it, propagate it; perpetuate and hand it down to the\nfuture generations. We have all confidence in it; expect to lean upon\nit while living and when dying. \u201cWe commend you to God and to the\nword of his grace, which is able to build you up, and give you an\ninheritance among all them who are sanctified,\u201d said an old saint, when\nleaving a church, and when assuring the disciples that they should see\nhis face no more. The gospel will live; and, those who have confidence\nin it, love it, preach it, and practice it, will live co-existent with\nthe years of God.\n\n\n\n\nIMPERFECT MEDIUM FOR A PERFECT REVELATION.\n\n\nHuman language, perfect or imperfect, is the only medium through which\na revelation to man ever was or ever can be made. We do not claim\nfor the _medium_ that it is perfect, but the _revelation itself_ is\nperfect. The imperfection of language and instability form the occasion\nfor new translations and revisions. Revelation, when first given to\nman, was perfect and the language employed to convey it to the mind\nof man answered the purpose. In the providence of God, the original\nlanguages through which revelation was made died, and consequently\nceased to change. But, in the very nature of things, a living language\nis always changing. The circumstance, however, that language is\nan imperfect vehicle through which to convey divine things, is no\nobjection to the divine things thus conveyed to us. It maybe a reason\nwhy our knowledge of revelation will never be perfect in this life;\nbut certainly no reason why revelation itself shall be considered\nimperfect. It may be alleged that revelation to man is more difficult\non account of the imperfection and instability of language; but the\nsame difficulty lies in the way of every kind of communications to men.\n\nThe true state of the case is, that the medium of language is\nsufficiently perfect and entirely adequate for all the purposes of\na revelation to mankind. The communication from God to man found in\nthe Bible is sufficiently clear and intelligible for all the purposes\nof its original design. The man who will make an honest effort, can\nunderstand the will of God concerning him\u2014can discriminate between\ngood and evil, right and wrong, the way to hell and the way to heaven.\nBut the man who will not make an honest effort, would not be a\nChristian if one would rise from the dead before his eyes. If he had\nseen the Lord in person he would have found occasion for caviling. The\nseed of the kingdom must fall into a _good_ and _honest_ heart.\n\nIt is useless to fall out with the medium through which revelation has\ncome to man. The best medium in existence was employed, the very one\nthrough which we communicate man with man, and the one with which man\nis more familiar than any other\u2014the medium of _language_.\n\n\n\n\nOVERLOOKING HUMBLE BUT GOOD MEN.\n\n\nWe have lately been reflecting upon an opportunity for doing great\ngood perfectly within our reach, to which many are paying but little\nattention. Who among our brethren are thinking how many humble,\nunassuming and comparatively obscure men we have, who are actually\ndoing a great work, and not only doing it at their own charges, but\ndoing it without thanks or even credit from their brethren? While we\nare paying much attention to a few men of popularity, influence and\nfame, we are overlooking a large number of the best, truest, most\nself-sacrificing men the Lord has given us. These, too, are the men who\nare doing the main body of the work, and they are the main supports\nof the cause. They are men of good sense, piety and devotion; men\nof excellent character, an honor to the cause and a credit to the\nbrotherhood, who are penetrating the private neighborhoods, preaching\nin private houses, school houses, barns, shops, and open groves,\nand bringing thousands to the fold every year; and in the place of\nthe brethren making any arrangement to support them, or even saying\nanything to encourage them, they are saying discouraging things of\nthem, such as that \u201cthey can\u2019t preach\u201d\u2014\u201cthey are little preachers,\u201d\netc., etc.\n\nNow, we desire to hear of some old church, where wealth abounds,\ninstead of monopolizing money and talent in preaching in their midst,\nwhere probably they can do but little good, making arrangements outside\nto sustain some good man, such as we have described, to visit those\nby-ways all through the land, where most numbers may be converted and\nthe work of the Lord greatly extended. We have the men to do this\nwork, good men, men in whom we have all confidence, who desire to\ndo this work, and are doing it measurably without charge. These men\ndo not desire large wages for their work. Indeed, they have shown,\nin many instances, that they will work on, pay or no pay. But they\ncould do vastly more if they were supported. Now, the idea of our\nfixing our eye upon a few talented men, paying them large salaries,\nand wholly neglecting these, is manifestly wrong. It is sinful. We\nsaw six or eight preachers such as we allude to, together in Mexico,\nMissouri,\u2014and we find them in every community, and we vouch for the\nfact, that more than one-half of all the accessions reported are from\nmen of this description.\n\nWe live in a time when humble men and good men are overlooked; when\nworking men are forgotten and neglected; and we desire to make a plea\nin behalf of these. They are the men who are willing to go into all\nthe highways and by-places\u2014to preach in the private house, the school\nhouse, the barn, the shop or the grove. A large proportion of all the\nwork that has been done is the result of the sacrifices, labors and\ntoils of this class of men. They are the men that will now do the work,\ndo it well, and with less expense than any others. There are hundreds\nof men of this description that have never received one hundred dollars\nin a year for all their hard labor. We have in our mind several of\nthis class, who have brought into the fold large numbers every year,\nand have received for their labor comparatively nothing. Will not the\nbrethren make arrangements to do something for these brethren? They are\nwilling to go among the poor, the destitute, and preach to them the\nunsearchable riches of Christ.\n\nIf those who have means to expend for the cause, will look to this\nclass of men and to their work and aid them, they will do one hundred\nper cent. more with their means than is generally the case. These will\ngo where another class of men will not go, and do a work that another\nclass of men will not do, and yet a work every way as important to\nthe conversion of the world. Send these men all through the land, and\nconvert the country, and then we can easily convert the city. We have\na large number of this class of men who can be employed for two, three\nand four hundred dollars a year, to preach a great portion of their\ntime, and they are the only men who can and will penetrate all the\nnooks and corners of the land. The Lord help us to appreciate these\ngood men, and see that they are aided in their labors of love and work\nof faith.\n\n\n\n\nSUGGESTIONS TO A YOUNG SCEPTIC.\n\n\n A young gentleman had called for the reconciliation of\n certain points in the New Testament narratives, which, to\n his mind, seemed incongruous. After noting each of the\n points separately, in the _A. C. Review_, for May, 1859, the\n editor added:\n\n\nBut, my dear sir, the reconciling what to you may be apparent\ndiscrepancies, is no reason for your becoming a Christian; nor should\nyou think me unable to reconcile them, or should I really be unable to\nreconcile them, or should all men be unable to reconcile them, that\nwould still be no reason why you or any man should reject Christ. The\ninability to reconcile these matters may arise from our ignorance and\nnot from the fact that they are irreconcilable. It would not be a\nreason for rejecting the gospel, if the statements of these witnesses\nwere really in themselves irreconcilable or inaccurate. The inaccuracy\nmight easily have found its way into their testimony, in translating,\ntranscribing, or interpolation, and Christ still be divine. The\nwhole matter rests _upon Christ_, and not upon the congruity or the\nincongruity of the sacred narratives, unless their consistency can be\nso impaired as to destroy their testimony concerning Christ. The matter\nis not whether you can reconcile all the statements of Matthew, Mark,\nLuke and John, whether you can show their consistency and understand\nthem throughout, but whether you believe in Christ or not, whether you\nwill receive him or not. Can you say, sir, that you are pondering in\nyour mind whether to regard Jesus as _divine_ or an _imposter_? This\nis the question for you to fix your eye upon. You have not time now to\nstudy the whole Bible and decide upon a sentence at a time, whether you\nbelieve it or not. It would take you a long time to become a Christian\nin that way. You should not go to the Bible for that purpose, but go\nthere to learn all about Christ, the purity of his life, his wonderful\nteachings, his miracles, his perfect knowledge of what is in man, the\nfulfillment of all the prophecies in him, with an eye simply upon\nthe question\u2014is he the Christ, the Son of God? You can shape your\ninquiries in different forms, though constantly bearing upon the same\nquestion, by inquiring as follows: Was Jesus perfect in his life? If\nhe was, he was more than man, for no mere man ever was perfect. Were\nhis teachings perfect? If they were, they were not of man, for no mere\nman ever gave the world perfect teachings. All merely human teachings,\nin all the world, and in all ages, have been imperfect, and, it is a\nmiracle in itself, for a perfect being to appear among men, in human\nform, or a perfect system of teaching to be presented by him to man. He\nemphatically _spake as never man spake_.\n\nCan it be possible that you, my dear sir, are vacillating in your mind\nwhether Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God? Can you doubt whether\nhe was the friend of man? whether he loved man? whether you would be\ninfallibly safe under his guidance? Can you doubt whether he was good?\nwhether his teaching was good? whether it was safe? You must feel\nconscious that he is the Christ, the Son of God\u2014the friend of man\u2014that\nhe loved man\u2014that he went about doing good\u2014that you are infallibly safe\nin following him\u2014that his teaching is good\u2014that it is divine. You would\nnot now deny him for the world. Your eternal all is in him. If the\nworst things infidels have ever said of him were true, it is better and\nsafer to follow him, than them; for they admit that he was better than\nthey, and his teaching better than their own. As you value your soul,\nfollow him.\n\n\n\n\nDIALOGUE ABOUT THE PREACHER.\n\n\nThe following dialogue between Dr. Pietus and Dr. Fastidious, occurred\nin a social company, in a parlor, and, thinking it might be profitable\nto some brethren, and even churches, we have concluded to publish it\nentire, without recommending or condemning it; therefore, we let it\nspeak for itself:\n\nDR. FASTIDIOUS.\u2014I have, for some time, desired an opportunity to say a\nfew words, though confidentially to you, Dr. Pietus, touching our\npreacher. I think he is not a suitable man, for such a prominent place\nas this. You know that we frequently have men of distinction here.\nBesides, our city is one of prominence, and we ought to have a man of\ndistinction.\n\nDR. PIETUS.\u2014I think our preacher is a good man, Doctor, a sound man, and\na man of great moral worth. I thought he gave us one of the best\nexhortations at the prayer-meeting, on last Wednesday night, I ever\nheard. Did you not think so?\n\nDR. F.\u2014I was not there. He is so uninteresting that I but rarely go to\nhear him. I know that he is a good man, and sound enough. But then, he\nis a very _common_ man, and not sufficiently showy and eloquent for us.\nWe need a first-class preacher in a city like this; a man who can draw\nout an audience.\n\nDR. P.\u2014I never think of such a thing as a preacher to _draw Christians\nout to meeting_. The Lord draws me out to meeting. He has promised\nto be there, and I have never found his promise to fail. I am never\ndisappointed, for I go to meeting believing that he will be there,\nand I always find him. But those who only go because they love some\npreacher, frequently get disappointed; for the preacher being a\nfallible creature, often fails to attend. But I do think our preacher\nis a good preacher. I do not know where we could get a better man.\n\nDR. F.\u2014We need a man of distinction and notoriety, who will attract\nattention, and draw out an audience. I would then go out and try to do\nsomething. But, I have no faith in doing anything, till we have a more\nattractive preacher.\n\nDR. P.\u2014My dear sir, we will never get a preacher who can draw\nout an audience, unless _we draw too_. As much depends upon a church\nin drawing out an audience as the preacher. No preacher can draw out\nan audience unless the church does its part. We must do our part as a\nchurch, or no preacher in the world can do us any good. I still think\nour present preacher has done about as much for us, as any man could\nhave done under the circumstances. It is not a different kind of\npreacher we need, but a _different kind of a church_. We need members\nthat will attend the public worship, sing, pray, exhort, and stand\nat their post. In one word, we need a church that will stand by the\npreacher, encourage, sustain him, and hold up his hands.\n\nDR. F.\u2014I never saw such a man as you are. You can be satisfied with any\nkind of preaching. I never saw you present when any man preached, when\nyou did not appear satisfied, no matter how bungling he was.\n\nDR. P.\u2014I think but little about preachers, have fewer favorites, and\nmore rarely speak in praise or complaint of preachers, than almost any\nman you can find. I am not thinking of the _messenger_, but of the\n_message_.\n\nDR. F.\u2014I can not bear a prosing, stammering and dry preacher. I have\nnot heard our preacher present anything _new_ in three months. I like\nto _learn something_ when I go to hear preaching.\n\nDR. P.\u2014When were you at meeting last? I do not recollect seeing you for\nsome three months in the meeting house.\n\nDR. F.\u2014I have been pressed with\u2014I have not been very well\u2014the preaching\nhas not suited me, and there are many in the church that should have\nbeen excluded long since.\n\nDR. P.\u2014No wonder you have heard nothing _new_ from our brother; for\nyou have not heard him at all. If his preaching had been the best in\nthe world, it would have done you no good, while you did not hear it.\nI will tell you, my dear brother, how to make preaching better to us:\nRead the Scriptures every day; pray night and morning; talk to every\none you meet _about religion_, and your heart will be full of the\ntheme. You will then like to hear any man who can preach at all. Attend\nall the meetings, participate in the songs, prayers, exhortations and\nall the other parts of public worship, and you will then be interested\nin all that you hear from good men.\n\nDR. F.\u2014Your notions of preaching will not do. Our city is one of\nintelligence. This community, you must recollect, is highly enlightened,\nand we must have a man here that keeps pace with the age. We frequently\nhave statesmen, lawyers, physicians and men of the first rank in\nattendance, and it is useless to think of interesting these with any\n_common_ talents. We must have a man of taste, refinement, and highly\naccomplished.\n\nDR. P.\u2014When did our Lord ever try to arrest the attention of the elite\nof this world by _show_, by mere human _polish_ and _flourish_? Never,\nnever, Doctor, as you certainly know. Are you not aware, my dear sir,\nthat the wisdom of God is not in this vain and worldly thing that you\nspeak of? Sensible people, those truly enlightened and great, can\nunderstand the gospel, appreciate and receive it, when it is simplified\nand made appreciable to the masses of the people. Not only so, doctor,\nbut the class you aim to please, though enlightened in the things of\nthe world, and accomplished, they are more unenlightened in the things\nof the kingdom of God, than many that you never think of pleasing. I\nam for a preacher that will try to please the Lord, whether he pleases\nyour distinguished men or not.\n\nDR. F.\u2014We have had some of the best speakers in the world here, and the\ntruth is, the people here know what good talent is, and they will not\nbe satisfied with ordinary men. The people here have been well taught.\nNo man can attract attention here unless he is a superior man.\n\nDR. P.\u2014That the people here have heard some men of good preaching\ntalent, is true; but that they are well-read and well taught in\nchristianity, is far from true. That they understand Jesus or the\napostles well, is far from true. Many perfectly country places and\nrural districts contain far more gospel light than may be found in\nthe bounds of our congregation. We presume that we are wise, while\nmany plain men from the country are astonished when they converse with\nus, that we are so ignorant. To be plain with you, my dear brother,\nI know of no place where there is, at this time, more need of plain,\nold-fashioned, New Testament preaching than here. It is not worldly\nshow that we need; we have that now in abundance. We need the simple\nteachings of Jesus, solemnly and affectionately impressed upon our\nhearts, by some good man who loves us and will try to save us. In the\nplace of being inflated with the conceit that we are well taught, far\nadvanced and highly elevated in christian attainments, so that no man\nexcept one of the most exalted accomplishments can teach us, we should\nbe sensible of what is the true state of the case, viz: That almost\nany plain and good man who preaches among us, can teach us many useful\nlessons that we do not know.\n\nDR. F.\u2014I can not agree with you. I have had my face burn more than once,\nin listening to some ignorant brother, blundering and trying to preach,\nwho evidently did not understand his mother tongue, and that, too, in\nthe presence of some distinguished persons. I can never countenance\nsuch a state of things.\n\nDR. P.\u2014Doctor, I had rather hear some good man, who can not speak his\nmother tongue correctly, tell the plain story of the cross of Christ,\nin the love of Jesus, and in the spirit and power of a holy man of God,\na thousand times, than to listen to one of your _showy men_, who can\npreach a beautiful sermon without any Jesus, Holy Spirit, love of God,\nor anything else, but _the man himself_ in it. I desire preaching that\nwill convert men to Jesus\u2014to christianity and not to men. The converts\nwill then love Jesus, meet and worship him and do those things that are\npleasing in his sight. We do not want a man here to _worship him_, but\nto preach Jesus to us and teach us to worship Him.\n\nDR. F.\u2014With your views of the subject, we shall never do any good. We\nshall never draw out an audience, nor accomplish anything. I am in\nfavor of procuring a man at a salary of $2,000 or $2,500, that will\ncommand the respect of our city. Then we shall do some good. I am\nwilling to give liberally when such an arrangement can be made, but\nI do not think our preacher is doing any good, and shall not give\nanything for his support.\n\nDR. P.\u2014I am sorry to hear you speak so. Nothing, in my estimation could\nbe more disastrous to us. This would consume about all we could\npossibly raise, so that we could not raise a dollar for missions, for\ncolleges, the poor or anything only to pay a man to preach _to us_. At\nthis rate our large congregation would only just be able to support\nitself and bear its own weight! Who is to convert the world at this\nrate! If we can not do anything more than sustain ourselves who are to\nsupport missions, build colleges and take care of the poor? If you had\nsuch a preacher as you want, he would have to do everything himself,\nor you would not be satisfied. Not a brother in the church would ever\npray, exhort, or do anything that would call forth a gift, or develop\nany talents that might be among our numbers. Hence in all these city\nchurches where some great man is the center of attraction, they rarely\never bring forward any young preachers, or develop any new talent. They\nsimply monopolize talent brought out and developed some place else. I\nam in favor of preachers of ability, not only in our city churches, but\nas far as possible, in all the churches. But the way must be opened\namong us for the development of talent in the church. Our pride must\nnot despise incipient efforts\u2014plain and humble men, nor human weakness.\nIt is in all men more or less, though not always developed in the same\nform.\n\nDR. F.\u2014I think if we had such a preacher as I wish, we would draw out\nan audience, convert many people and greatly extend the cause in one\nyear.\n\nDR. P.\u2014No, Doctor, that would not be the case. The preacher we have is\njust as good as any man we can get. He is a man of unquestionable\ntalents and piety and if we stand by him, aid him and encourage him,\nthus showing to the world that we respect him, those without will also\nrespect him and he will succeed. If we had the most gifted man on\nthe continent and the members of the church would treat him as they\nhave done our present preacher he would do nothing. By our absenting\nourselves, we virtually say, what you have in so many words said, that\n_our preacher can do no good here_. When the members of the church thus\nspeak and act, neither a man nor an angel can do any thing; and, if I\nwere the preacher, I would not stay a moment with brethren who would\nthus treat me. I would go where I could be appreciated. Doctor, come to\nmeeting and let us make one good effort and see if we can not bring our\nchurch out. Let us produce a change in the church, and then probably\nour preacher will do well enough. I think we need a change in the\nchurch more than in the preacher, or preaching.\n\n\n\n\n\u201cTHE LOVE OF CHRIST CONSTRAINS.\u201d\n\n\nThe preachers who love Christ better than partyism, will preach Christ,\nwill call the people to Christ, and induce them to love him, and love\nall that do love him. They will inquire _his_ will, and do it. They\nwill exchange the love of party for the love of Christ, and find it\nso much higher, holier, purer and happier, that they will ignore all\nparty feuds, wrangling and strifes, and maintain simply \u201cthe faith once\ndelivered to the saints.\u201d No doctrinal corrections, or corrections in\nordinances, or in organization and government, will ever amount to\nanything, or save a people, who have not the _love of Christ_. We may\nbe told that we may be mistaken, that they do love Christ. We cannot\nbe mistaken in this, for the Lord says, \u201cFrom the abundance of the\nheart, the mouth speaks. A man full of the love of Christ, will speak\nof Christ. The theme of his heart will dwell upon his tongue. Where\nChrist has promised to be, they will be with him.\u201d \u201cWhere two or three\nare met together in my name, there,\u201d says the Lord, \u201c_I will be_.\u201d How\nmany go to these places where Jesus has promised to be? How many go to\nthe Lord\u2019s table, to remember his dying love? How many of the preachers\nwill sit down together, as loving disciples, and meditate upon his\ndying love, his great suffering, as he bore our sins on the accursed\ntree?\n\nWhen we have lost friends, we go to the grave, and think of them, try\nto bring them up in our memories. We talk with our friends about them,\nand about seeing them and meeting them in another state. How often do\nthe professors of religion, in our times, think of the grave of Jesus,\nhis resurrection, his coronation? How often do they commemorate his\nsufferings, and meditate upon his great love to us? His name is almost\nset aside, his sufferings almost forgotten, his love, even his dying\nlove, scarcely mentioned! Yet the word of the Lord, when translated\ninto English, thunders in our ears!\u2014\u201cIf any man love not the Lord\nJesus Christ, he will be accursed when the Lord comes.\u201d We shall hear\nthese words, and be judged by them, in a day when we shall feel their\nforce. Jesus is the \u201cone Lord,\u201d the one object of love, the one head\nand king. Shall we make an effort to rescue the people from party\ninfluence, and win their hearts and affections from all the frivolous\nobjects upon which they are placed in partyism, and place them upon Him\nwho is the express image of the invisible God, the brightness of the\nFather\u2019s glory, and in whom all the fullness of the godhead dwells\nbodily? Who, with the love of Christ in his own breast, can fail to see\nthat the work now for good men, is to call the attention of all men to\nChrist, to his word, his cause, his church, his salvation, his way,\nthat they may love him supremely, and be his for evermore?\n\n\n\n\nCONCLUSION OF THE YEAR.\n\n\nDear Reader, we are now about closing another year. This number\ncompletes our weekly visits for another year. The time appears short\nsince we made the first visit this year, still, fifty-two weeks have\nrun their course. Another year has fled, and is now numbered with the\nyears before the flood. The good deeds of the righteous are entered on\nthe records of eternity, to come up to their everlasting honor in the\nday when the righteous judge shall award to every man according to his\nworks. Not only so, but all the crimes, the transgressions, and acts of\ndisobedience of every variety, in a long catalogue, have gone up and\nbeen registered in the book of remembrance before the Lord. What a list\nmust that be! What a spectacle must this world be, with all its dark\ncrimes and acts of rebellion against the Majesty of heaven and earth, to\nthe eye of the omniscient One! Every den of drunkenness, debauchery,\nprofanity, lying and gambling, lies spread open to the All-seeing\neye. Not an oath falls without his notice, not a fraud, a deception,\ncheat, lie, or crime of any sort escapes Omniscience. All, all sins,\ntransgressions and misdemeanors of every sort are treasured up and kept\nin store for the day of final account.\n\nWhat adds to the solemnity of the matter is, that no amends can be\nmade in acts of the past. There they stand irrevocably, so far as we\nare concerned. The Lord may wash away every stain in his own precious\nblood, where persons come to him in a proper manner. But even this\ndoes not amend for the past. It takes away our guilt, and is a means\nof saving us. But the wrongs done remain wrong and will so remain for\never. Repentance changes not the wrong done. In the same way, the\ngood neglected, during the year now closing, will so remain for ever.\nWe can do good, it is true, the coming year; but that we could have\ndone, and that it would have been our duty to have done, if we had\ndone good all last year. Opportunities for doing good never return.\nOther opportunities may come, but they would have come if no previous\nopportunities had been neglected. You had an opportunity this year to\nhave ministered to the wants of the poor widow, the orphan, the sick,\nthe afflicted and distressed, but these opportunities are now gone, and\ngone forever. If neglected, there is no remedy; that neglect remains\nforever. We may repent, obtain forgiveness and do good in time to come,\nbut all that good could have been done just as well had there been no\nprevious neglect, and would have been more liable to have been done,\nfor one delinquency opens the way for another and has a tendency to\ninduce it.\n\nIn closing the year, it is well enough for us to cast an eye back over\nthe ground, not to amend the year now closing, for that is impossible,\nbut to see where the delinquency has been, and determine that a similar\ndelinquency shall not be found in the work of the coming year. In\nthis way, we may profit by looking over the past. What, then has been\nentered to our account on the records of eternity? What have we done as\na great religious body? What have we done as individual congregations,\nor communities? What have we done as families? What have we done as\nindividuals? What have we done as teachers in the Sunday schools? What\nhave we done as preachers of the gospel? What have we done as religious\neditors? Now is the time to review and see how the account stands\nbefore the Lord. If the Lord should call on us for our annual report,\nARE WE READY?\n\n\n FINIS.\n\n\n\n\n JOHN BURNS,\n Publisher & Bookseller,\n\n 717 OLIVE STREET,\n ST. LOUIS, MO.\n\n Invites the attention of authors and others to his\n facilities for PUBLISHING\n\n _Books_, _Tracts_, _Pamphlets_, _Catalogues_,\n _Sermons_, _Programmes_,\n\n LETTER HEADS FOR PREACHERS,\n\n AND ANYTHING IN THE PRINTING LINE.\n\n Your orders are respectfully solicited for anything that\n may be wanted for your library.\n\n Publications of the Christian Church\n\n Is my specialty, yet I supply Books in every department of\n literature and learning, by mail, at my expense, on\n receipt of publisher\u2019s retail price; this brings\n the book-store to your door.\n\n Church Records, with Printed Headings, only $1.00;\n Church Letters, very neat and Convenient,\n One Hundred in Book, with Stub, $1.00;\n 50 in Book, 60c. Communion Sets,\n Photographs of Styles sent on Application;\n Contribution Records, $1.00 and $1.50.\n\n _Collection Envelopes, Baptismal Suits, Sunday School Supplies,\n Superintendent\u2019s Record Books, Class Books, Song Books,\n Scholars\u2019 and Teachers\u2019 Helps, Sunday School Papers,\n Maps, etc._\n\n A LARGE ASSORTMENT OF REWARD CARDS.\n\n BANNERS FURNISHED ON APPLICATION.\n\n ANYTHING YOU MAY WANT FOR CHURCH OR SUNDAY SCHOOL WILL\n RECEIVE PROMPT ATTENTION.\n\n Special Discounts to Preachers, Students, and Sunday Schools\n Purchasing Libraries.\n\n TERMS: CASH WITH ORDER.\n\n Correspondence Solicited and Prices Quoted when desired.\n\n\n\n\n A SYMPOSIUM\n \u2014ON\u2014\n THE HOLY SPIRIT.\n\n \u2014BY\u2014\n A. B. JONES, G. W. LONGAN, T. MUNNELL,\n J. Z. TAYLOR, A. CAMPBELL.\n\n BOUND IN CLOTH, 75 CENTS.\n\n The Publisher presents this volume to the Public in the\n hope that much good may result. It contains the mature\n thought of some of our ablest writers on an important\n Bible theme. While Symposium may be a novel thing among\n us, the Publisher would fain hope that an appreciative\n public will commend this method of presenting a subject\n from different angles of vision. It is believed that the\n times are propitious for the Disciples to make themselves\n more widely felt by their contributions to the religious\n literature of the age. It is the ambition of the Publisher\n to make this volume the first of a uniform Series; each to\n be composed of Essays on the living issues in Christian\n thought. The subjects for the different volumes will be\n chosen so as to make the Series comprehend a wide range.\n Should the plan be successful, the whole Series when\n complete, will form a unique and valuable addition to the\n libraries of wide-awake religious people. The Publisher\n sincerely hopes that the reception of this book may\n demonstrate a general desire on the part of the public\n for books of like merit and method; and that he may be\n able in this convenient form to send broadcast over the\n land the richest thought of the ripest minds among us, and\n be of service to the Master\u2019s cause, and to his day and\n generation.\n\n WHAT THEY SAY ABOUT\n SYMPOSIUM ON THE HOLY SPIRIT.\n\n This is an elegantly bound little book. The style is of\n the highest order, all of the authors being first-class\n writers. The subject is profound, and so is the treatment.\n It has been handled in a masterly manner. The authors are\n not agreed, but it is a book of investigation and not of\n controversy. While the reader may not agree with some\n of the writers, he will feel that everything is said in\n a fair and manly way. The subject is viewed from every\n stand-point, which makes the treatise valuable to those\n searching for the truth. As the name indicates, this\n little book truly presents a feast.\u2014_C. M. Wilmeth._\n\n Brethren A. B. Jones, G. W. Longan, J. Z. Taylor and\n Thomas Munnell. These are among our most thoughtful\n writers. They have done their work well, and we commend\n the book to all who feel an interest (and all ought to) in\n having and holding correct views on the subjects of the\n influence of the Holy Spirit as our indwelling comforter.\n The book concludes with a selection\u2014The influence of the\n Holy Spirit in Conversion and Sanctification\u2014from the\n writings of A. Campbell.\u2014_Dr. W. H. Hopson._\n\n A neat little volume, executed in faultless style. It\n consists of several essays, original and reprint, from\n leading thinkers of the Christian Church. It opens with\n an article by Elder A. B. Jones, upon \u201cConsciousness\n and the Holy Spirit,\u201d and this is followed by one by G.\n W. Longan. There are essays by Thomas Munnell and other\n writers, upon the same subject, taking a different view of\n the same subject. But the most important in the volume is\n an old essay of A. Campbell, on the Holy Spirit. To those\n desiring the views of able men upon this question we would\n commend the book.\u2014_B. W. Johnson._\n\n Address all orders to JOHN BURNS, Publisher,\n 717 Olive Street, St. Louis, Mo.\n\n\n\n\n WHAT THEY SAY ABOUT\n\n THE LIFE AND TIMES\n \u2014OF\u2014\n BENJAMIN FRANKLIN,\n\n Taken altogether, this book is deserving of hearty\n approval as a valuable contribution of material towards\n the proper understanding of the work of a past generation,\n and of the life of one who, whatever may have been his\n errors, developed in his life many of the characteristics\n of true greatness\u2014an indomitable worker, a ready writer;\n a powerful preacher, whose strong practical sense,\n boundless energy, and earnest devotion to his work would\n have made him a man of mark in any department of life;\n and which in his chosen department, lifted him out of\n poverty and obscurity to a position of great influence and\n successful leadership, and won for him the admiration and\n affection of multitudes.\n\n The publisher has done his work in creditable style. The\n book ought to have a large sale.\u2014_Isaac Errett._\n\n LIFE AND TIMES OF ELDER BENJAMIN FRANKLIN.\u2014We have just\n received a copy of the above work, from the office of the\n publisher, John Burns, St. Louis, Mo. It is a very handsome\n volume of 508 pages, good, plain type, on nice, white paper,\n and neatly bound in cloth.\n\n We were very anxious to see the book, and rejoice that\n it has been published. We regard it as a valuable addition\n to our Christian literature, and think a copy of it should\n be put into every Christian library, by the side of the\n lives of Stone, Smith, Johnson, the two Campbells, Walter\n Scott, and others. These biographies of our great and good\n men should be read and studied by all, and especially our\n young preachers.\u2014_J. M. Mathes._\n\n The work comprises a biography of Elder Franklin from\n his childhood\u2014embracing his early life and surroundings,\n his conversion, consecration to the work of preaching;\n his early efforts, trials, sufferings and encouragements.\n There are in this portion of his life some touching\n and pathetic incidents concerning his wife\u2019s struggles\n with poverty. His labor and growth as a preacher are\n recorded, his mistakes and faults are presented with\n fairness. His career as a writer is given, his connection\n with the various questions that presented themselves as\n matter of controversy with the denominations and among\n the disciples, his positions, changes and arguments are\n presented with fairness. Short sketches are given of many\n of the associates of Elder Franklin.\n\n The style is plain, direct and very attractive. We found\n it difficult to lay the book aside when we had once looked\n into it until we finished it. Our readers will find it an\n interesting and instructive volume. We hope all of them\n will get it and read it.\u2014_D. Lipscomb._\n\n The publisher has done his work well. There is nothing\n flashing nor fanciful in its make up. The man whose deeds\n it records was a plain, practical man. On pages 68 and 71\n is a very just tribute to the humble, patient woman, the\n wife of Benjamin Franklin, who waits a little longer until\n the summons comes to call her home. The paragraph is a\n just and beautiful tribute from an affectionate son to a\n pious and devoted mother. Read it.\n\n I hope that the book will have a very wide circulation.\n Let every one who can do so buy and read the Life and\n Times of Benjamin Franklin.\u2014_B. B. Tyler._\n\n We are much pleased with a cursory glance at its\n contents. The tribute of love and affection which\n Joseph Franklin pays to his mother, when reciting her\n trials and tribulations as the wife of a poor and\n struggling preacher, and when recalling her devotion and\n self-sacrifice in the darkest days of a pioneer\u2019s life,\n starts tears unbidden from our eyes, and causes us to\n thank God that he has given to the Church such peerless\n and faultless mothers.\u2014_John F. Rowe._\n\n We have received from the publisher, John Burns, \u201cThe\n Life and Times of Benjamin Franklin.\u201d It is a very neat\n and attractive volume of 508 pages. The publisher deserves\n much praise for the mechanical execution of the work.\n It is printed on good paper, and in large type, and old\n persons can read it with pleasure. We will speak of it\n again when we shall have read it.\u2014_Dr. W. H. Hopson._\n\n Benjamin Franklin was a great man. He was one of\n nature\u2019s noblemen. He was not a favorite of fortune. The\n golden gods never wove a chaplet around his brow, nor\n emptied their treasures in his lap. He was one of the\n hardy sons of toil. His greatness was not the greatness\n of accident. He made himself great by the nobility of his\n life. He loved God and the truth. He never trimmed his\n sails to popular breezes. He was always on one side or\n the other of every important question, and generally on\n the right side. Though you might not always agree with\n him, you always knew where he stood. He gave no uncertain\n sound. He was a man for the people. His simplicity, his\n faith, and his devotion to the truth were simply sublime.\n In this lay his power.\u2014_Frank G. Allen._\n\n There is a real charm in biography, especially when the\n deeds and struggles of a valuable life are recorded. Few\n studies are so fascinating to a thoughtful man as that of\n the growth of a human soul, the upbuilding of a noteworthy\n human life. We cannot think of a man who has made his mark\n in the world, without wishing to know the processes of his\n development; to mark the conflict of forces within, and\n limitations without, under the moulding power of whose\n interactions he became, at last, what we know him to have\n been. In this case it is the world-old story of struggle\n and conflict of a strong, earnest nature, grappling\n bravely with adverse surroundings, and pressing forward\n with indomitable energy to final victory. The world is\n full of instances, doubtless, which illustrate the power\n of man over outward circumstances; but there are few such\n which are more satisfactory, I think, than that of the\n life traced in the volume before us. From the materials\n now accumulating, the historian of another generation will\n be able to do the chief actors of the last twenty-five\n years the justice of impartial judgment. Since each shall\n be present in the grand assizes of heaven, he can the more\n willingly commit his reputation on earth to the care of\n impartial posterity.\n\n The enterprising publisher, John Burns, deserves much\n credit for the handsome shape in which the book is brought\n out.\u2014_G. W. Longan._\n\n It might be thought, by some who read the work, that\n there is too much of the \u201cTimes\u201d and not enough of the\n \u201cLife\u201d of Benjamin Franklin; but as the author justly\n claims, it could not have been done otherwise and be\n faithful. I regard the book as a faithful portraiture,\n which, indeed, should be allowed by all, especially since\n in the statement of propositions and differences, the\n author gives both sides.\n\n A good part of the life of Bro. Franklin was the life of\n an editor, and my pen is uneasy to say something about the\n manner in which he conducted religious periodicals, but I\n must restrain it. Editors and preachers now-a-days think\n theirs is a toilsome, weary lot. Dear me! Well, let them\n read the Life of Benjamin Franklin and become ashamed of\n themselves.\u2014_L. B. Wilkes. O. A. Carr._\n\n Address all orders to JOHN BURNS, Publisher,\n 717 Olive Street, St. Louis, Mo.","title":"A Book of Gems, or, Choice selections from the writings of Benjamin Franklin","tradition":"scripture-revelation","translated_text":null,"word_count":133708}