DEVOTED TO THE DEFENSE OF THE PRIMITIVE BAPTISTS.
TO TUJB to Tlliy TIi:STI3iIOifY.”
Voi.UMK XL
Wilson, North Carolina, June 1, 1869.
Number Kx
mfR-Mnur^^^t^jsnonFami
JJodur.
and the customs and habits of its cit
izens very different from -what they
were when I last visited the place.
M«. BoDENH.v'Ji!jt—]JBAB SiK •—Papa’sf;iTii-1 T r ^ i t t i
the nrst place i observed tnat
»t,y will if>;! under many obligations to yon, if a
you wii! iiavctiir foi’owing lines published in j darkuess and glooin broodcd ovcr the
itioii’a Lam’niarks, which were composed on
she eb'atli oi' my only brother, who died 4th of
tib'fitember, iStil-, :it Cninp Winder, Richmond,
Virgiulu.
Vonrs very re.speetlully,
L. M. MoNEELY.
i’d.iy 1st, l-StjO.
Peace rest upon tlie (jiiiet mound,
And ^reon the grass that wave,
And sweet the rlowers that bloom roimd
'I'h-; looeiy VVilUo’s grave.
'li'ie martiid irump ho heeds uo more,
Ror I'eels distressing pain.,
ills earthly pilgrimage is o’er—
J);isi turns to dust again.
While kin.lred for their loved one w'eei),
And miss liiui at tlieir home ;
Let well appointed augels keep
Tncir guard around his tomb.
‘ c)ur frioml has died—v,e too must die,
And leave, ibis world of strife.
11 may we nach beyond the sky,
A iiind iii t r.uitiss life.
PETER LONG.
GreeiiviiU. 'h.'nd Count.y, Illinois.
city, and loweiung clouds hung heavily
upon it, £0 that nothing could be
seen clearly, but every thing the eye
beheld tvas enveloped in gloom. I
noticed also that the business of the
city, and the '.veil ordered labors of
Liue: la Maraoiy of Willie S. McKeely. | the .King’s gery.'ints were well nigh
suspended, and tlieir work deranged.
I thought I could see, also, a want of
that friendsiiip and love I had form
ally observed among the inhabitants,
and oven a coldness and reserve
among the watchmen.
Under my deep mortification and
grief at this sad state of things, I
groped about tlie city in quest of
some one thai could tell me tlie true
cause or causes, wliich ha(l so sadby
worked to produce so great a cban'-c ;
but I knew not whom to approach.
There appeared to be two or more
parties in the city, and each was
ready to screen itself and cast the
blame upon others. I fell in corn-
pan}’, liowever, with an experienced
j watcliman, who.'''e care-worn and hon
est countenance inspired mo witli oon-
fidence, and from him I obtained the
following detailed account of the caus"
es and the nature of their troubles.
He told me that, in the fir.st place
he would begin with the watchmen
themsclve.s, many of wliom were as
much to blame, if not more, than the
otlier citiizens of the place. As it
was their duty, by tlie order of the
King, to watch over the city ami its
inhabitants, and both by precept and
Macomp, III., 18GT.
Walking’ About Eion.
TENTH VISIT.
Ih'oihci' B ^denhamer :—In in j
visit to Zion, the city of the
p-eafc King, I saw, as was intimated
n my last, a great change take place
I h her peace and prosperity ; a cloud
Rrose and ov.-r-cast the city- with
igloom, and its inhabitants were
■ b'-ouglit into trouble, and mourning,
and woe.
, Although the task IS an unplcas- example to tcacli the laws, duties ami
ant and painful one, I must, fbr the obligations pertainingto thekingdom,
pulormution of the reader, and as a King had commanded them most I
wanung- to tiiose who shall live here- .olenmly, saving: “If tlie watdrmaii i
alter, give a true and faithful history .gg sword come, and blow not tlie
r ^ I trumpet, I will rcfpiirc the blood of
I As soon as I got within the city 11 the slain at his band.” (In substance.)
iw that a great cliangc had taken
place in many re.spects, and although
the form and structure of the place,
with its gates, streets and courts were
Avicked, and |
“Yet if thou warn the
be heed it not, thou hast delivered
thy soul.” (Ezk. 33 : 1, 9.) “Blow
ye the trumpet in Zion, and sound an
alkiut tlie same, yet the general as-j nlama in my holy mountain.” (Joel
of tilings was greatly changed, | 2 : 1.) “Take heed therefore unto
yourselves, and to all the flock over
the Y/hicIi the Holy Ghost hath made
you over-seers.” (Acts 20 : 28.) “I
charge thee therefore before God,
and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall
judge the quick and the dead at his
appearing and his kingdom ; preach
the word ; be instant in season, out
of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort
with all long suffering and doctrine.”
(2 Tim. 4 : 1, 2.) “In all things
shevdng lliyself a pattern of good
works.” (Titus 2 : 7.) “He that is
greatest among you, let him be as
the younger; and lie that is chief, as
he that doth serve.” (Luke 22 : 26.)
“Let each esteem others better than
himself.” This, and much more had
the King commanded liis watchmen
respecting their duties, to the siib-
; jects of the King, and to one another
j as fellow hiborefs i'n lue good -work,
j ^
i The station these men filled was so
exalted and honorable, and the
promise of their King to protect and
support them so positive, that one
could hardly conceive how they/ should
ever become dclinuuent or unfaithful
in. the discharge of their duties. And
yet it was even so with many of
them. Aly informant told me that,
by degrees many of these v/atchmen
became careless about watching ov^er
the city-, and some even slept wliile
the enemy was about. Some want'-
ed to change places vdtli odiers and
not labor where their King had placed
them at the petition of the citizens. |
Some became envious and jealous of j
others whom the King had set in a !
j
conspicuous place, and whom the j
people esteemed higher for tlieir'
work’s sake and faithiulno.ss.
When they convened the people at
their .solemn assemblies, instead of
oacli one feeling, as Iieretofore, to ■
prefer others to take the lead, and to |
give them the uppermost seats at their ;
feasts, some was found to be jealou.s j
of others’ good names and gifts, and
sought to injure their good standing
and inlluence, and to strive to get
above them. Some went so far as to
even make his brother on offender for
a word, and would hint to the citizens
behind his brcthc/’s back, that he was
not true to the King. Tims matters
■worked among the watchmen, who
should have been the hist men in -aTl
the King’s dominions to give off'ence;
and soon it was manifest that confi
dence and unity were much impaired
among them, and many began to ab
sent themselves from tlieir solemn
convocations. While these examplc-y
were set by the watclunon, and they
were tliusdelinquent in ihcirdulies, io
is not surprising that the citizeioB
should also become indifferent, and
even corrupt in practice. ''LikeprieyL
like people ” was as true in this case
as it was in the days of ilosca, (chap.
4 : 9.) TTie citizens hecavno .‘•dad: in
their duties to their King and to on‘
another ; they neglecte.I iLicir work :
tliey forsook their meetings; they
neglected reading the King’s law-,
and a.sking hi.s advice, and becamie
ini([!iity; a.bounded the love of many
became cold. Backbiting and fault
finding took tlie plaee of charitv
to others no more guilty. Instead
of hearing the burdems of others, arid
being ready to sympathi.se withtlicni,
too many ivero found I’cady to add to
their alliictiou by siding wiih their
accusers. Some became tired of the
King’s service, and would even .'speak
slightly of hi.s lawes :mii ordinances.
These were ofteii found working i'or
their own selfisli aggrandisoiiiCH.t
when they should Imve been e.ngagcd
in the King’s service. In lhi> way,
an 1 many otliors, 1 was told, did the-
■'.vatchmen and the citizen.- provoke-
tlie (lisplcusure of the Iving of Zion;.
while, at the same time, mv inform-
ant, and .some other faithful watch
men, were engaged day and night in
reproving, rebuking ami horring,
with ail long suffering and doetiiue)
say'ing in the name of the King :
“Bememhev from wlienco thou art
fallen, and repent arid do tlie fi;-st
woi'ks ; or else I will come unto thco
quickly, and will reniuve the candle
stick out of his placi', e.xci'pt thou
repent.” (Rev. 2 : 5.)
Those unfaithful wa.iclmu-n v/cre,
many of them at lea.st, such as had.
crept into the city urmwaves, for the
■Rant of vigilance on the part of I'he