i
174-
ZION’S LANDMARKS
Sparta, N. C., )
September 1, 1871. j
Brethren Bodenhamer and Gold:—
I feel this morning, as if I Avished
t(j say sometliing of my trip to the
Country Line Association.
1 AATis in company witli the breth
ren iiCtlie ministry at their different
uiipointments; the people seemed to
liave a desire to liear the word of
tiie Lord in its purity. They had
large congregations gt most of their
ap])ointments. We had a pleasant
time, though the rocks Avere tolera
bly rough in some 2)ortious of the
country, and the hills A^ery steep,
yet for all that, I think I got doub
ly jjaid. I got acquainted Avith
many of the dear saints of God,
that 1 ncA’er Avould if I had remained
at home. I feel glad that I Avent
Avith the brethren. 1 Avill noAv give
the names of some of the bretbren
and friends Avith Avhom Ave stopped:
The first night Ave stopped at Mr.
W. Parker’s; second day, preached
at Falls of Tar River. Stayed Avith
Brother Odum, and preaclied at
about the remarks of an old lady,
about our little brother Preacher
Ave had along at Flat River. He
preached-at that place and she said
those elder brethren told him Avhat
to say. I think she must be greatly
in the dark, God is able to indite
matter in his heart; I wonder if she
Avould tell her preachers Avhat to say,
if she had the chancef Ifslie Avishes
to tell preachers Avhat to say, I Avould
say to her to tell her preachers not to
preach the do and live system, money
and no grace, any longer. I left on
the 8th of August, and returned
home on the 24th, found all well,
my love to inquiring friends and
thank them for their kindness: I
will here conclude by offering you a
fcAv thoughts: Acts 2:28 verses,
Avhich read as follows: Thou hast
made known to me the ways of life,
thou shalt make me full of joy with
thy countenance; Avhat do we under
stand by these remai'ks and Avhom is
he speaking to.^ Is it to the Avorld
or to his chosen one in Zion.?* If he
is speaking to the world why do
Peach Tree the third day; fourth they not adhear to the doctrine of
ilay traveled; turned in for the night jour Lord* and Saviour Jesus Christ
with Squire Roling, in Guilford but not so he is speaking to Zion
county; next day, preached at Suit’s
Scliool House to a fine congregation:
thence to Brother Horner’s; stayed
all night; Brother Topping preach
ed next day at Tar River. Fell in for
the night Avith Brother Williford,
and heard the- ijrettiest singing I
ever heard in any family, in my life;
iiimself, Avife and four daughters, all
Baptists, and another daughter and
son Avho have hopes. This is one
I'amily, it seems, that is God’s favor
ite; He has blessed them in ba-sket
and in store, and the gift of singing.
Preached next day at Camp Creek to
large congregation; three persons
gave in on Saturday, several more
desire to unite Avith the people of
God; next day at Pine Grove; no
meeting house at the ,place; there
Avas a large croAvd not to be on the
the little flock. How do we come in
possession of this life here spoken of
the Acts of the Apostle.^ Is
it of man or of God.? Is it of man.?
if so the scriptures condemn us, for
Ave are not to put our trust in an
arm of flesh, and therefore God has
put it in the mind of the Apostle to
speak that you be warned of these
facts in due time and if the people
do not heai’ken to the facts set forth
in the Avritten word of God, they are
not believers of the truth as it is
in our Lord Jesus Christ, on the
other hand if you are in possession
Sabbath and there Avas good order
among the people. Stayed with bro.,
1). Moore tAvo nights, and had a pleas
ant time with him and family, next
day at Shiloh, stayed with brother
A. N. Hall, a pleasant time Avith
him and family, next day on our
Avay to Storie’s Creek. I partly
broke down, but happened to be
close by a shop; soon was on the
road again, stayed all night Avith
brother Obryant, Avho was a Avhole
s 'led baptist; next day at Flat River,
a large gathering stayed Avith bro
ther Blalock, next day at Wheeler’s,
there was a large croAAxl stopped at
lirother Malones, next day at the
Association, Avhere there Avas the
largest congregation I ever saw at
an Association. It aatis thouglit
♦ ’» t ^
their Avere from 6 to 8 thousand peo
ple. I never saw better behaAUOur
in so largo a croAvd. We staved
Avith Mr. Pearce & Son, during the
A'lsociation; aa^c Avere pleased -with
tiieir company and-Avith tlmir hospi
tality. I forgot to
say something
of this life here spoken of, you are
a believer of the truth as it is in
Jesus Christ, you cannot help it,
you are made to believe it Avitboiit
your consent; he is the father of all
believers in Christ. He Avill give
grace and glory to them that walk
uprightly and no good things Avill
he Avifhhold from them, He is God
and will do all of his pleasure, yes,
he has the right to put you in posses
sion of it as you are of that chosen
family chosen before the foundation
of the Avorld. From your natural birth
up to the time appointed of the fa
ther to, make knoAvn to you the
hidden treasure that he, God, has in
store for you, he causes you to enter
the school of Christ, Avhero his
chosen ones learn the AAuy that
leadeth to life eternal. Then you
remain astonished at that Avhich is
done, for no poAver of yours could
have imagined it. Paul to ' the
Romans 1st chapter 16th verse.—
For I am not ashamed of the gospel
of Christ, , for it is the poAver of God
unto salvation to every one that be-
licAuth to JeAAU first, and also to
the Greeks, 17th Averse. For there
in is the righteousness of God, re-
Aualed from faith to faith as it is
'vritten, the just .shall IIa'c by faith,
so faith is the gift of God, and
Avhen you come in possession of that
faith Avhicli is from heaven you say,
Avith truth that salvation is of the
Lord and froiii no other source can
it come, if it conies from any -other
source it is Avprtli nothing, no man
can say that Jesus is the Lord but
by the Holy Ghost. And
hoAv can you say that salvation
is of the Lord.? You have
got to knoAV this by being adopted
into the heavenly family. See 1st
Cor. 12 : 13 A’crses. For by one
spirit are Ave all baptized into one
body; Avhether avc be Jcavs or gen
tiles, .Avhether Ave be bond or free,
and have been all made to drink in
to one spirit. My dear readers I
Avill here tell you about the Journey
I once took with a riian whom I
once kncAV. I lived in the old coun
try for some length of time, from
some cause or other I had to leaA^e
the old country, apd travel to a new
one Avhich is called the laml of
Canaan^the promised land and the old
man took up the march Avith me,
but Avas very much grieved at the
march though he did not knoAv where
he was going,, but to folloAv the young
not help the other.
seemed to groAv Avorse
the disease
and
Avorse-,
^ _ .-'''•-‘o
one he Avould go. While traA’elinsf
o ^ o
from the old
one to the noAv
Ave had to travel through a desola
te place scarcely coidd Ave get
one foot before the other;
sometimes it is called a Avilderness
this Avilderness I think represents
the Avilderness of sin, many teni})ta-
tions Avere presented unto us by the,
wicked one, he is mighty in his OAvn
poAver, but when one comes which
is stronger than he is, he has to give
back, Ave see that he tempted our
Lord and Saviour Jesus Ciirist, af
ter he was baptized by John in the
river of Jordan, he, Christ aaris led
aAvay into the Avilderness. ■ He aatis
tempted by the spirit for forty days
in the Wilderness; some say that
it Avas God that tempted him. I
sometimes aa'c Avould feel a little
better some times Avould be foi'ced
to shod a fcAv tears, how sAveof- it
Avould feel to one and not to the
other and Avhy, because it Avas bet
ter to the old man, Ije Avanted to re
turn back to the country from
Avlience he'eame, but the young one
Avould not, said he must g-fi' on, it
Avould never do to turn back, forfit
Avould be death to liim. He,seemed,
to have, a view of soinethijig that is
ahead, that the old man did not scX5
and feel, it looked beautiful and
lovely though’there are many difficul
ties to pass througli and over; when
A\m would meet with them Ave could
not see Iioav aa’c could get along, but
there are finger boards all tiie Avay
ready to direct you safe on your '
journey, which read as folloAvs:
“Look unto me all ye ends of the
earth and be ye.saved, for lam God
and there is none else.” . Again I am
the Avay the truth and the life,, so Ave.
march biiAvard to the promise land,
though hungry and thirsty avo go
begging for mercy; no one seems to
do not say so, for God Avill not
tempt himself, Iioav can he do it,
Avhen there are three that form the
godhead. The father the Son and
Holy Ghost these three are one; so
it is imposible for one to ofi’end the
other for they bare record of each
other in heav'en and Iioav can these
things bo so. After the forty
days he- hungered here the spirit
could not tempt him any longer;
so my brethren the children have to
undergo the same fiery trials; the
spirit is the Avicked one which is the
devil; so Avhile avc ^vere traveling on
our journey, he would throAv many
of his neAv gins in the way to tempt
us and so he Avill all tlrose that
travel through that country, which
causes us to grieve and mourn and
to lament, the things Ave once loved
Ave noAv hate, those things AAdiich Ave
hated Ave uoav loAm, tlie old man
Avould mutter and grumble Avishing
to turn back, the Journey is becom-,
ing wearisome to him, sick and fainty
no physician to heal.us, not knoAv-
ing Avhat Avas tiie matter one could
come to our relief, Ave hardly can
go, head boAA^ed doAvn, mourning
and With grieving over a hard lieart-
the old man mutters and grumbles
AAnshing to'return back to the old
country, Avhile the young one seems
to have a desire to go forAvard and
rejoice at his ups and downs^. : - Thou
has made known to mo the. ways .of
life, Ave see here one is gaining
strength the other is getting weaker,
the hnrden is getting heaA'ier all the
while he finds that his strength is
firiling, and Avliat to do he knows
not, Avhen there is no Bhysician. near
here he begins to inquire, is their
no mercy in store for such a sinner
as I am.? I knoAV I am vile, IknoAv
I am AAucked, not Avorthy to call
upon tiie Lord to have mercy upon
such a Avretch as I am, I knoAv not
Avhat to do, for I see and knoAv 1
have sinned against a holy and a
just God, I am nothing but a sink
of sin. I give nj) all for lost, 1
have no strength of my own hei'c.
Lord I give myself up to thee, for
all my poAAmr has failed. It thou
damn me it is just and right; I have
no AA'orth or merit of my oavu to plead
but only to look unto thee. If tliou
hast any mercy in store for such a
wretch as I am, be -pleased to, bostoAv
it on me if it can meet Avith thy
heavenly and divine Avill. Here avc
come to aiiother sign board AAdiicll
reads as folloAvs : All thy clfildren
shall be taught of the Lord, and
gi'eat shall bo the peace of thy chil
dren., Again, Come unto me all ye
that are heavy laden, and I aauU
give you-rest, my yoke is easy and
my burden is light; now poor mourn
ing soAil are you Avilling to trust in
such a God as this.? If so you can
find one that is able to help in time
of trouble. I Avill be unto tlicm a
God and they shall he my people;
here tlicy can begin to rejoice, they