ISO
ZION’S LANDMARKS.
tlic Old Baptists have been my meat
and drink ever since; I felt like I
wanted to be with them, but lived in
doubts and fears for five yeai*s. I
went to hear brother Hall; before
he preached he sung this song :
“Mixtures ot joy and sorrow,
1 daily do pass throngb.”
I thought it fit me so ^hat I could
not hide it; on my return I com'-
mcnced and told him somethin£r that
I did not intend ; I felt awful; I
would have given away everything 1
possessed it I had it back. Some^
time after that I went to the Bash
Arbour to hear him preach ; he said
in his discourse that he was aointr to
O O
tell a true mark of a Christian ; said
that when they would do good evil
was present with them; I thought
that I could say that; I saw such
beauty in baptism 1 wanted to be
baptised ; I could not stay away any
longer; after a short time, (some
four weeks,) I had the opportunity
and wmnt forward and told a part of
what I have here written; I was rC'
ceived and baptised by brother Hall;
it was a feast of fat things to mv
rso¥i2--doi!h ts
and fears come, with ups and downs;
I thought I was deceived and had de
ceived the church, and had reproach
ed the cause ; 0, my soul, what shall
I do ? I thought I would withdraw
myself, that I was not fit to be there,
although I loved them people; I
thought of that Scripture where it
says, if yo eat of this bread and
drink of this wine unworthily, ye
shall drink damnation to your own
soul; 0, the sighs, the groans, I can
not tell; I lay down and felt that I
could not live ; my prayer was. Lord,
if I am deceived undeceive me ; give
me one more evidence that I am
thine. The next day brother Boden-
hamer preached at Ma’s ; after seiw
mon he opened the door to receive
members; ray uncle and ray other
sister came forward and told a nart
of what the Lord had done for them
and Avere received and baptised.—
Brethren and sisters, 1 Avas made
Aviiling that dav to folloAv the Lord
in any example tliat he had laid
doAvn in the Scripture; I could say
it is enough, lie has done great
things, Avhereof I am glad. So I
have liad many ups and doAvns since
that, but I hope some day ere long
to surmount them all, if I am not
deceived ; I am assured He aauII do
right Avith all of His ; He is a Father
to the fatherless and a husband to
the widoAV. Brethren and sisters, I
will come to a close fearing I may
weary. May the Lord bless His
people and church and bring them
out of their cold and lifeless state.
Dear brother Bodenhamer, dispose
of this as you think best.
“ Blest be the tie (b.Tt binds
Our hearts in Christian love;
Tlic fellowship of kindred minds
Is like to that above.”
SARAH C. WYATT.
Grace be unto you, and peace Irom God our
Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ.—Paul
to the Corinthians, 1st chapter and 3d verse.
Here we see Paul, being an apos
tle of Jesus Christ, through the Avill
of God; Ave cannot deny he Avrote to
the dilferent churches throughout the
country, exhorting them to their duty;
and such exhortation ought to be in
this our day ; but not so ; and why,
because they are fearful of hurting
some one’s feelings. If the truth
offend, let it offend. If the right
spirit is there, you cannot make a
Christian mad. But in this our day
it seems that Christians Avill speak
evil of each other Avhen there is no
cause for it. It is a bad spirit. If
they hear anj^thing upon one anothcT
i it is a Christian spirit to go and sec
I the brother or sister and tell them
: Avhat you have heard, and if they
I cannot give you satisfaction, then you
' Avill have a right to talk about them,
and not until then. If it is of grace,
then let grace much more abound in
your mortal bodies, not an evil spirit.
The old boy is always ready to help
! you persecute one another. I say
j God forbid such a spirit should dwell
among His children. It is enough
I to cause hard feelings toAvards each
I other. If it Avas not for the cause of
; Christ, and the love I have for it,
you Avould ncAmr see my face again
at a meeting house ; but for the cause
with an aching heart I move
for it must needs be that offences
come ; but woe to that man by Avhom
the offence cometh ! But Avhoso shall
offend one of these little ones which
believe in me, it Avere better for him
that a millstone Avere hanged about
his neck, and that he Avere droAvned
in the depth of the sea.” Ho, my
Father’s children, be cautious in
these things. I am somewhat sur^
prised hearing such rumors as I do
from some of the family. “ Grace
be unto you, and peace from God our
Father, and from the Lord Jesus
Christ.” If Amu have felt that the
Lord Jesus Christ has borne your
sins in his body on the tree of the
cross, and has died for you, and has
rose again for your justification, you
Avill do Avell, my felloAv-traveilers to
another Avorkl, to keep in remem
brance of Him. If I do anything
AAWong, I am willing to own it. It is
bad enough to do a crime, arid Avorse
to deny it. We read in the Bible,
“let God bo true, but every man a
liar.” It seems that the truth of
God is set aside, and the human fam
ily is gone to the reverse of God’s
iigith. Much more could be said
upon this subject, but I Avill close for
the present, hoping that these fcAV
remarks Avill suffice.
Yours in Christ, as I hope,
JAS. CARNEY.
go
I on for the prize that I expect to get
I Avhen this mortal body of mine i.sluid
I in its mother dust and my soul Avill
' take its everlasting flight to that rest
I unknoAVn to all persecutors of the
^ children of God. If it is of grace,
.let it be of grace, and if it hoof
Avorks, let it be of AAorks ; Avithoutit
> is of the right kind of AA'orks, grace
; and Avorks Avill not mix together.
I O
“ Grace, it is u diariuiiig sound,
'Harmonious to a believer's e.ar.
It. heals his woutuks,
And drives away his fear.’’
Let grace reign, and peace be multi
plied unto you, and not be trying to
devour each other. (See Matthew
18th chapter and Tth verse.) “ Woe
unto the Avorld because of offences !
Near Daavsom, Tkrrel Co., Ga., )
March 4, 18G9. /
“ Upon this rock 1 will build my cluircb, and
the gates of liell sluil not prevail against
it.”—Matthew 16;18.
Brother Bodenhamer:—I feel dis
posed to offer some remarks to the
children of Zion upon the above text.
It Avas necessary that this expression
of our Saviour should have been
given at the time it was for the learn
ing and encouragement of his fol-
loAvers and the comfort of the be
lievers in aftertiinc. (I say necessary,
for Christ said nor done nothing but
Avhat Avas necessary and right.) This
seems to be a kind of opening up to
the understanding of the disciples of
Christ something of the eternal pur
pose and plan of God in the salva
tion of hi.s people and of uniting
them in one body ; and notAvithstan-
ding the disciples believed in Jesus
as the fulfilment of the j)roph,ecy
concerning Clirist as the promised
Messiah, yet they had not learned
the eternal purpose and spiritual na
ture of His coming and Avork Avhich
He Avas to accomplish; they yet
looked upon Him as a literal deliver
er or Son of David, and consequent
ly they staggered or faltered at the
spiritual view ; and Peter manifested
that carnality, over Avhich he had to
lament doubtless, under the rebuke
of his Lord. In many of the pro
phecies, Christ is spoken of in a fig
ure as a rock, a stone, and when Pe
ter confessed that Jesus Avas tlio
Christ, the Son of the living God,
Christ then told him that flc.sh and
blood had not revealed this to him,
but my Father Avhich is in heaven ;
and then to shoAV the relation that
existed betAveen tliem, lie says, “ I
say unto thee, that.thou art Peter,”
(Avhich name implies a stone,) and
upen the confession of Peter as to
the fulfilment of the prophecy in
Christ, as the Rock of Israel’s sal
vation, (He, from Avhem alone living
Avaters could floAV, and the tried stone,
the elect corner stone, and the stone
Avhich the builders rejected,) Peter
no doubt Avell understood Christ a-s
alluding to himself and not to Peter,
Avlien he says, “upon this Rock Avill
I build my Church, and the gates of
hell shall not prevail against it ; ’
and to shoAV Avhat relaiion Peter av;is
1 to bea^tav occupy in thi.s buil;ii)-g, ns,-
i one of the Judges that Avas to sic
1 upon tAvelve thrones, kc., lie said,
I “and I Avill give unto thee the keys
I of the kingdom of heaven, andAvhat-
I soever thou shalt bind on earth shall
be hound in heaven, and Avhacsoevcr
thou shalt loose on earth sh^ll be
loosed in heaven,” Avhich power Avas
I given to all the apostles, as the tAvelvo
I judges. The term Cephas Avas not
; original, but a given title to show
; the stability of the church, Avhich is
I built upon the foundation of tin-
apostles and prophets, Jesus ChiLsc
himself being tlie chief corner stone.
All these Avere chosen materials, elect,
precious, (because the connecting link
Is faith, Avhich is more precious tnatk
gold, and the sons of zhou ai’C called
precious sons, Lam. 4:2.) and Avere
all chosen in Christ before the foun
dation of the Avorld. The foimda-
tion of this building, the churcii, be
ing arranged and laid in election, ail
the materials must agree thereto.—
Men may rejoice in Avhat they have
done to procure the favor of God in
; eternal salvation, or tlie salvation of
I the soul, and boast of A\'hat they are,
hut I am persuaded ^he cliristlan’s
hope rests jipon this foundation, tlie
eternal, unchangeable love and pur
pose of God, manifest in election
and predestination to salvation of the
elect souls. The common salvation
■which Jude speaks of, and which