KH)
□ re. Some; tinu; alter J :tUen(ied
i-r(‘uch!!)g at old Ivoatlu rwood, aod the
-nlieialing |)reaci)er,s of the day were
t>rotliers d’lin.er and McXcelcy, the
aitter t!ok a text from 2nd Cor.
d : 9. I thought that he was pnaieh-
;ng right at n>e, and th(' latter nart of
‘h;- versehore with great impression on
.’■!)}• mind. Tlnwe was no more ])!ea.s-
ttre for me. I \v(»;il(l attemi j)reaeh-
mgregularly, and would seethe nn-m-
.*>or; tog'ther, and longid o he
■vith them, imr to get there was a
r^iystei’v to me. [ would oeg the
Ijord liirn' and ig.iin to iaive meivv
upon I!!',; and wonld read my l>!i)ie
"ogitiarly blit it seemed tome ofnon.^e
under tliese troubles, i'iv hea.th Irc
eatne very delicate. I t ied to keejt
my st'eret hid ; but, dear retuh-r, if
you evt'r suilered with ;i sin-si-i\ S'Oil
aiu! pei'feet despiiii', you will know
how I suf!e;-e l. DiU'iug the time moth
er, .si>tci’ and three lifoihers wei'e re
ceived in the e.htj,■(■,!;.— but poor lee,
v.'hiit had I (lone to he such an out-
east with G(>d. 1 lelt that i was
forsaken thonah I would read mv
Bible bnt would not let at!v un(> see
me reading f)r fe;ir ih-cv wouid s;i\’
aomelhing t ) ni(' about it. If thev
he'd a religi ms convei’satiou i would
hitve nothing to sav. In thus w:iv
I wCiit on (roin time to iime foi'
■tigi teen nioiit: s, ii't ca: ii;- to se ■ or
be seen !>y eny pei'sou I was in m\-
room one day sin iv ng over mv aw-
!u! eondition whcii all iitonce it seem
ed as it a voice said : ].ift up voiir
liead iiiid i’ejoiee,in Kmmaniieijti’ieml !
I vi'iw iwmU- w.'-cl j ra>s; the
lord. Oh, how happv I was. Ma,
who Wits ill another p:irt ofthe h-aise,
kcai'ing imy ciime to s(.-e wha.t was the
ni’Uter : and, what a meeting with
h r. Sister and bi’otlmr, words ;u'e [o-
adetjiiate. It can 1m; mo;’e Ciisilv im
agined than desei'ibed. I went to the
doiir, everything looked eh;inged and
more boa!!lifill than (wei- and it :i|)-
p(;;u’ed as ii all n;ttiire was rejoieiiig.
Xow, I thought iill my troutiles were
evc'rat a;i on I, buta-lasf new troubles
arose—wtiy I not de;eive(l, and was i
not deceiving others? I went to
Pedigo the lirst Sunday in August
to hoar brothci-.s Turner and Minter
preach Bi-other TuriKT spoke mv
feelings so plaiii that 1 could seareelv
keep fiviiii ptaising God. At the
closi* ofthe ineoting they stijig the
iiymu
“Am I a snlfiier of dm crosa,
.\ fol oycr of the Lamb ?”
Never will I forget those words—-till
doubt held mt; captive. I attended
, lltmd (.‘reek the following Saturdav,
ami brothers Turner and WaJker
were lioth tliere ami preached, I
took my seat in the back part of the
house where I thought I woiikl be
more alone, and would beg God to
Iiave mercy on ma. I bad no ide;i
of joining the church that day—had
two splendid sermons. The church
was ojMtiied ;iud something seemed
to say, Go ! and I went forward not
knowing iiow I got there, was re-
ceivctl and baptized by d.car old
brother Ttirncr.
Brothel’ Gold, 1 hiive met with
i;iiinv doubts iiiidieai’s since, i)ut tiie
Jj()rd has promised to be vitii us in
onrsix iroublesand in the seventh i
lie ’wi 1 not firsake ns. i
!
Rememl)(T me in your prayers, aie i
the wishes of !
1
Your unworthy sister, i
1’attsy J. Jonks. i
. i
. . J
f Y • . *1 U 5 . .. J. 1
's ijIIiTtiii'yi!rivs. j
P. f). GOJG), EoiTom |
7’7," o J) o U a rs P e r A n n u vi . |
Wil-cii, Norlli ('arcilina . Si-pti'mbiM' la, 1871. |
y ii 1 t 1} f 1 a I . I
.Af’icndjA. It.l homp.son, refjnests ^
my views on Math. 11: 11,ami:
]\1 at h. 22 : 1 b. . |
• 'rii(‘ first nsids, “Verily I ,s;tv imto ,
yon, iunong iheni that ari* boi’n of wo- |
men there hath not rir-en a gre;iter ’
that) John the Baptist ; not wiihsiaiai
in.;, lie ihat is least in tlu' i-iingdom of
hciivcn is gi'catcr than he.”
Be ihose born of women wi'iiiidei’-
staiul aV men .save Ciirist, who in tli it
sense is not liO!-n of woiiien, is not ii
son of Adam, None of these wei'c
greater than John, i’’i’ophets weie
gr;-ater men than kings and do ni was
more iluin a pi'ophel Xo oih‘, as i
dohn, iiad i.cm hoiiori'd as 'he hit’- ;
liingei’ of Jesus, yet he tiial is h'ast in
t h(‘ kii.gdom of lu aveii i.s ui'eati'r l hrm
.John. lk:is may b‘ trne in !i'i;s
-ense—that ih-.U lau'n
Spirit i.s ureafer than tiiat whi h '-s
born of Adam,so mimh t hat even the
least oiu’ born in the kiiigdomofhea-
ven i.s greati'r than .lohn: the greatest
OIK’ ever liorn of women, or of the
Hesh.
lohn was born iimh'r the first dis
pensation or eovonant, hem-i- born of
women. l>nt th(> h>a.st om> born in the
uc'v or gi'spel (lispcnsadon i.s grent'a-
than John, ns Jesus was greater than
Moses, and the Itingdom of gra'-e
greater than the kingdom of works.
It is no! meant lhat John is not a
(‘hri.'tian, nor that those born after
the coming of Chri.st and liorn of tim
Spirit are not also by nature born of
women, but it is a forcible way of
e-xperieimed in up if' not in fids way,
that it seems to n-. that every genuine
saint has sometliinr/ hafler than any
thing in us. Ilem-'e we oftim wish
that ne wi‘re ’.'iieh as tluw—eouid feel,
look, think and live ns thi'y do.
Some iiett'h' thing is resiawed for
the go-pel dav than any thing whidi
was eiijoved uinhu’ the law, something
bettc'r for tli(‘ least gospel sa.iiit than
for the greatest of thos(‘ Jiorn of wo
men, even thou di he just nreeedes
the risin'j sun as tiie Iiright nmrnimg
s ar that risers jii-t before the .sn;i :
“God h'ivim p'-ovid'd some !)ett(‘r
thine fill’ ns tliat fhev without ns
shonid not be ])erfi-et.” ITeb. II : 40.
'Pile other sense in which this nas-
X
sage is tri’f' 's that Jc'sns was greater
than Jofim, JT(' is the fimt born in tin;
kingdom urii.riven and is the least of
all as a si'i-vimt. thou.th he is the Son
and the gre,,.:est of all. He made
hIni.sidf servant of all and served 'all
in the cnnijilefcst manner and with
the most perfect service, and is tliu.s
the leasi- of all.
Non’ wer(> ever so liumble as he,
none so affii(*ted, none over died as
lie; for tills he is e.x:iUc;1 above all,
(he oT('.if-(>st of ;iil, a*( bv inheritance
he was greater than all.
Theoi'iAj' passage in Afath. 2o; 15,
r'ri ]s. ’‘'Voe n'-|to vou, S(“r'bes an-J
Ph-'
ris(‘'s, hvnoenfc's, for ve eom-
aitd'-oul t'l make one prosel vte;
iH'd wh h” is nnd(‘ ve make
p i 'I y. ,s j,(
f (if t lie O.'nabe
contrasting the t'vo dispensalions. Nor
is it meant that John servo ! under the
first dispensadon, but Pint a fiir great
er glory wonld rest on (he least one
in the kingdom of heaven.
J’hi.s would applv, both to the
kingdom of glory aft('r the rc.surree-
tioii of the body, and likewise to the
kingdom of gra(;e aBer the re.surree-
tion of Jesus which would lie sot un
on the earth. la this kingdom each
true Christian feels that he is little—
less than others—else ii.Av could he
esteem others better tliaa himself?
Wiien we hear one say, in whose
Christianity we have the utmost con
fidence,-“if I were as good as you are
I sliould be glad,” it is a my.stery ;
how great then mv surprise to hear
that Paid said that he was /e.s.? than
the Ica^of cdl saints. How B that
•d- > (,vo fil'd mni’e the cliiM of hell
11,.111 •.-urir-e’ve-.’’
!i ■ tc-i» vini-t.-ii‘v
lud ^’liavis-'ies is dojiie-
l^el, and f-ln'O’ eond.-m’iation fori'told
!i\’ t'i(i ti-iK' .Tndge.
r'nn of the mo t wi''kcd and hiirffnl
oT h-• t) I‘rite's is that one that
wvirs die (Iri^ss of religion and is dis-
irnLiid in the gnisri of gondm^ss.
T!ie Pharisees were fiinnms in this
wav. '^onip senf-imental, affected t'oo
n'e. who'-e ehaiatv fas thev eal’ it'f
cannot allow anv doefrine that sepa
rates het'veen the nreeious and the
vih-’, are greatU* shocked at such a
chanter as this one, and JoHoall ilidr
nond ffrlinq towards one w’ho faith
j fill IV I'xnonnds smJi words,
j Bnt sound floctrine mleals heavy
i blows OI1 ('rrors, hence the S.avionr.
I tina Great Teacher, not onlv teaehesthe
j right wav, bnt he a'so forewarns his
i diseln'es against all false ways, and’the
I man that has an ear to hi'.ar will give
j heed to all the words of Jesus.
I AVill fidse teai’liers lie verv active
! and zealous in pron-igating their doc-
I • ^
jtrine.s? They com.pass sen. and land.
Thev will use all kinds of‘raftines.s—
invent a great mnnv )>Ieas for money
with which to desseminate tlieir doc
trines. Thev will urge in the most
soleiun manner that mem shonid help
tliem,'and they will jilead tlie word
(J God a.s authority for binding their
elaims on men.
Tlu'v will [irnmi.se great rcivards to
those that give frex;!}’^ to them for con
verting the heathen.
They will com’pass sea and land,
go every wljere, in order to p!a n
thenr traditions and teacliings everv-
whei’c. They are more eirnest. i'f
possible in tbeireffirts to pri'vaii than
the true .servants of God are. Gan
they make [iroslytes? t?an Ih(■■^'
iiave converts? A"e.s, the tc.xt jirovi^
lhat.
W'len tli(;'v make jiroselvtcs thev
are ev('ii worse than flu; Scribes and
Piiarisc(‘s theni.si’ives. Ho-’iV can tin
b-“ worse if the Pii-u’isee.s tiiem-'cl vc.=.
are so bad, for it does not say that
the pro.selyti’.s are two'bM more the
children ofliell ilian tiii'y were befu’c
thev wt'fe jirosclytcd, but that ’ihc
pro.s'clyie is twofold more the eli.ild c.if
hell than the. Scribes and I’harisrcr
arc that, made him snch ? The Scribn s
and Pharisees held the indh in
iini’ighteou.sncss—tli(i law of Moses—
lint tluyv jiervm’ted that in.o falseh.'tod
in teaching it, or they taught lies to
t!u“ir proselytes, licnce their prosc!yu-.s
i’( eciveil a/h.X’e system in a corrupt
heart and were worse t him tlioir tea(;h-
ers. To hold the truth in a false
.spirit is liad enough, but to hoIdJuGc-
hood in a bad spirit is ofcourse 'vorsc..
The Jew.s were never eomm'diided to
eompas.s sea and land to make jirose-
lyti^s of Gontilc.s, lienee this -was disc-
bedienee. Fai.se..teae!uT,- mi.sinterpret
the tndh, or teach fals(diood and tiieir
follo'wers imbibe botii the false spiril
amd the false doctrine of tdu'ir teachers,
and hence the more of this work is
done the more wickedne.s.s is perpe
trated and the worse the converts ary;
As if one were to counterfeit a gen
uine dollar—and another were fo
i‘)iinterfe'ife A first x^mmtrrfc'd Ac\i
second counterfeit wonld be le.s's li'sc
the geiiuiiie dollar than the first ecum-
terfeit i.s. Ci>mi[-it denomination,s vax
worse and v-orse, for tlau-are n-mvv-
ing and departing furl her it (-ni .Jie
truth continually. The haiven of
corruption works eontinuaily vitiiuing
the whole lump, and tlu* con verts t;;iue
the ti’iith more and moreand j cis"tnte
the followers ofthe lamb more birtf-r-
!y as they increase.
TiIR CotJXTUY Li.nu .A-SSOCL'.TIOX,
—This body of genuine B-iptists nj-
eeiitly lield its S‘.ssion at' Flat
,\m.'iig its gifted and faithfii preach
ers pi’i’seiit were Elders i\. N",
II. Ivloore, J. S. Duneron. II :'iir(’'vc„
J. A. Burch, F. L. Oakh’v and A.
Blalock, who was recently ordain ‘T.
The congregation numbered ra i' cst
six thou.saiid we e.stimafc. I'ric r o-
resentation of ehnrehes wa.s fu'! - • I
the session x-ery haniionions.
The Association changed the .ae
of holding iX .sessions. riercafic-; it
expects to meet in the « eek, on J ur.s-
day, AY'dnesday and Thursday, a ' er
the third Sunday in August.
We do not see why thi.s ehmge
will not he for good. It is hoped that
none of those who attend io in ai
preaching will remain away, but Yiat
there will he fewer of tluit number
present that meet fir tnischief.
The churches can also hold f -eii
regular meetings on the third Sumlay
in August. Another advariiage -.vij^
be that by holding a short 7;> - ion