I7S
ZIOK’S LANDMAEKS
night I went to bed, not knowing
whether I should sleep or not, but
it seemed that 1 got in a slumber,
when I heard these wmrds: “Jesus
has clothed thy naked soul.” Now
Mr. Editor, this is what I hope the
this love should continue. 0, should
we not strive to be of one mind and
one heart; for united we stand, di
vided we fall; for a house divided
against itself cannot stand. Thus
saith Jesus. That we may not be di-
to
lam anxious to know if it bo so with
the children of God. If it is, I hope
we can bear witness with each other
Yours in hopes of eternal life.
A LONE WANDERER.
Lord has done tor my soul, i j have commenced
altliough I have many doubts j the subject. At
fears about it. As :t m so with me, Spring session for the year 1869,
the New River Association, in ses
sion at Pilgrim’s Rest, Pulaski coun
ty, Virginia, being represented by all
her churches, and having correspond
ing, messengers from Mayo, Smith’s
River, Pig River and Indian Creek
Associations, in council with her, did
then and there unanimously agree
that she would give her churches
the benefit of one section or three
days meeting. That is, that each
church should hare one section meet
ing every five and a-half years, as
there are eleven churches in the dis
trict, and in their letters to the As
sociation each of the churches would
invite th'e mini.sters to visit them.-—
We could but shed tears of joy
while reviewing the manuscript of
mir beloved brother. Elder J.C. Hall,
to Elder A. J. Cassell. The spirit of
loceknoss and brotherly kindness with
which it is seasoned, ean make none
cither tlian a good impression where"
«tmr read. We hope our beloved
Brother Cassell will reconsider the
aDhject. We know Elder Cassell to
he a very conscientious and humble
#hristiau, consef|uentlT we can hope
fbr a good effect from labors, espe-
ciiilly wlien it is done in such meek
ness as Brother J. C. Hall’s commu-
liicatiou carries with it. May the
Lord bless it to the peace of all ag-
jfrieved.—Eo.
Boon’s Milt., Va., |
August 24th, 1870. j
Elder A. J. Casseli., Meadows of
Dan, Virginia.
Dear Brother Cassell;—I feel im
pressed to write to you, and therefore
I shall offer no apology for so doing.
As it Is written. Then they that fear-
6rl the Lord spake often one to ano-
tlier, and the Lord hearkened and
heard it, and a book of remembrance
was written before him for them that
feared the Lord, and that thoutrht
npoD his name. (Mai. 3:16.) As I
cannot see you to speak face to face,
1 take this method of speaking to
you, lipping that you will answer
through the same channel. It is
written, Behold, how good and how-
pleasant it is for brethren to dwell
togetlier in unity ! It is like the pre"
Clous ointment upon the head, that
ran down
upon
tlie beard, even
Aaron’s beard: that w-ent down to the
ski rts of his garments ; as the dew^
of Llermou, and as the dew that de-
.scended upon the mountains of Zion:
for there the Loi’d commanded the
blessing, even life for evermore.—
(Psalms 133.) Then how glorious,
is unity ! It is also written. Let
brotherly love continue. (Heb. 13:1.)
How earnestly we should labor that
Accordingly a section meeting was
appointed and attended at Meadow
' Creek. All was harmony and peace.
Also at Laurel Pork all was right.
For 1870 the section meetings were
given to Laurel Creek and Concord
churches. At Laurel Creek all things
went bn well. At Concord, Friday
before the third Sunday in the pre
sent month. Elder Dickens went on,
but few of the members met him to
make him welcome. Elder Daniel
Conner, from Smith’s River, was with
him and manifested the spirit of bro
therly foveas becometh all Old School
Baptists. On Saturday Elders Webb,
T. S. Vass, and your unworthy bro
ther, came in. I had fondly hoped
to meet with you there, but was sad
ly disappointed ; but met the news
that yourself and many of the cluirch
were bitterly opposed to the meeting.
There met the news that the New
River Assoeiation was drifting into
missionism, and that Elder Dickens
and myself were to have three dollars
per day for our .services, and other
brethren were to be paid also, and
that the inoney was to be collected
by a direct tax on the church. These
reports probably have reached your
cars, and frightened you off, as you
are the pasfor of the church at Con
cord, and it is customary for pastors
to meet their visiting brethren and
bid them welcome when they visit
their churches. Now my dear bro"
ther, I write to assure you that the
report has no foundation in truth.—
The New River Association is as
clear of missionism as any district in
the world. It never was lieard of in
the New River As.sociation that the
preachers who attended section moet-
ing.s were to be paid. If this fright
ened or was the cause of vour ab-
senee, I can inform you that you need
have no fears on that score. It was
also stated that we were coming and
were going to have a feet washing.—
If these things reached your ears and
caused you to treat the meeting with
con tempt, your fears were ill founded,
for we had no such thing in view,
but simply came there to meet the
brethren and preach the glorious gos
pel of the Son of God to them, and
as I knew that you was one of those
that are highly favored of the Lord,
I thought that you would be present.
But suppose that we had have had
a feet washing, would we have doue
anything wrong ? Did not Jesus say
ye ought to wash one another’s feet;
ought the servant to be greater than
hi.s Lord ? Did he not give the ex
ample? Would it have hurt you if
we had washed each other’s feet in
your presence, although you might
not liave gone into it ? I hope not.
Would you have said they arc doing
that wdiich Jesns never did? No.
But I am not aiming to defend feet
washing ; but to remove, if possible,
false impressions that have been made
on your mind, and all others that
may be in a similar case, as these re
ports are calculated to injure us before
the districts with whom we corres
pond. It w-as also reported that onr
section meetings resembled distracted
meetings. (Baptists talked .this )
Oh wdiat a pity. If any Baptist will
show' one single feature of a distract
ed meeting in a section meeting, con
ducted as we conduct ours, then I fur
one will cease to advocate them. It
is also said that they are so expensive.
This, I am told, is one of your objecs
tions to section meetings. Brother
Ca.s.sell do you actually tldnk that
Old Baptists feci that they are bur
dened when their brethren visitthem?
Do you think that Old Buptists set
down and count up the cost, to see
what it costs to entertain their bres
thren when they visit them? I hope
you do not; I hope your objection is
not based on that ground. We found
plenty that were willing to entertain
us at Concord. I think that our
widowed sister Lawson had a full
share of the company. Her sons
and her daughters, and danghters-in-
law, all were cheerful and happy in
company with those that enjoyed
their hospitality. I have no doubt
but others were equally deliglited,
and the cost will never be counted,
and they will always regard the
section meeting a blessing and not
a calamity. Then I hope you will
not, when you are contending
against our meetings, name eXr
pense, but that you will remember
that Jesns hath said, forsake not
the assembling of yourselves to
gether, as the manner of some is.
It is also one of your objections,
that it is a new thing among tlia
Baptists. I hare been accustomed
to think otherwise. These meetingji
are fur preaching, they are not foe
doing business. Well, the firet
Baptist I ever read of, came preachs
ing: la those days came John thjs
Baptist preaching, &c. Then rneetr
ingsfor preaching were introduced
by the first Baptist preacher that
we have any account of. There is
no account of a section meeting in
the Testament, i agree, neither ig
there of an Association, or mouthlT
meeting; but they met and they
preached, whether in section, or
Association, or monthly meetings,
it is not said. Tiien why say it Is
a new thing?' Why, Noah was a
preacher of righteousness. Paul
preached Sabbath after Sabbath,
and he preached after uight, and
even continued his speech until
break of d;^3n I suppose he preaefo
ed the gospel, and had stated times
to be at certain places, though Ido
not know; perhaps you can en
lighten my darkness on thesubject.
Did not Jesus say, go preach the
gospel to every creature, &c. He
did not say that they should stay
one day, or two days, or three days
in a place, but go preach, &c. Mie
seems to leave the matter to them
selves as to how long they staid in
a place. Now my good and precious
brother, why take such a decided
stand against section meetings?
Why persuade the churches to re
ject them? Why say that it is a
uew thing? My dear brother, is it
not right to preach the go.spel? If
so, it is right to have section meet
ings, for they are only meetings for
that purpose. Do you not send out
appointments to different places,
that you will be there at certain
times to preach for them or to them.
Tou cannot be at all the different
places at the same time. Of course
you have to divide your time into
sections. Webster defines the word
section thus: a cutting off a part.
So you start out on a tour of preach7