Newspapers / Zion’s Landmarks (Wilson, N.C.) / Sept. 1, 1875, edition 1 / Page 5
Part of Zion’s Landmarks (Wilson, N.C.) / About this page
This page has errors
The date, title, or page description is wrong
This page has harmful content
This page contains sensitive or offensive material
i Zion’s LandmarIvS: Wilson, N. C. it seems a dreary waste—a doleful place for a Christian, a vain bubble that lni'’sts and vanishes in the hand of those who grasp it. “The world lieth in wickedness.” “ But how can he that is dead to sin live any longer therein ?” Sin is not the propter •element and life of one who is cruci fied with Christ and who lives by tiiith in him. No marvel then, that David should so well express the experimental feelings of all in whom Christ lives when he said “ I had rather be a door-keeper in the house of my God than to dwell in the tents ■of wickedness.” I have no doubt, my dear brother, but that you have your trials both as a Christian and as a gospel Minister. But be not moved from the hope of the gospel by these things—they are ordered by infinite wdsdora for your srood—for the good of others and for the glory of God. Much has been said about minis terial qualifications andab-ility to un derstand and expound the Scriptures, but I am thouroughly convinced that the true qualifications are not on a worldly basis—not attained unto by reading and study as the sciences of the world are, because no man by iscientific se irching can find out God, nor can he find out his own relation to God as a sinner, nor the awful guilt of his tran.sgressions, his just ■condemnation and death, the way and plan of salvation, the knowledge of Christas the only Savior, the joys and comforts of an experimental knowledge of salvation by Christ, the forgi vene.s3 of sin as realized and felt by forgiven; an'd t/rre- bope and faith of a believer in Christ, These are all things which the keen vulture’s eye of worldly science hath not seen and cannot teach to othens. In the dealings of the Lord with his people, teaching them after a godly manner, orthe true principles of godliness—they are taken entirely a different direction from a worldly policy to attain heavenly knowledge and to qualify them to be useful to others. They are emptied from ves sel to vessel, sifted from the chaff of .self confidence and vain glory, tried in the fire of afflictions, temptations, poverty and distress, made to feel entirely ignorant, and even though they shonld be counted as wise men in a worldly sense, they are made to know that the Lord’s teaching “ tnrn- eth wise men backwards and maketh their knowledge foolish.” I think, brother H-, tliat we should by no means neglect a proper culti vation of the natural intellect in things adapted and proper for it, but if any should vainly rely upon this kind of knowledge to undcrshind and expound the go.q)el, he must and will be made to know under the Lord’s teaching that such pared with a revelation by of the Lord is foolishness. “He maketh their knowledge foolish.”— Hence, my brother, however back- knowledge corn- handed to mature it may seem, you. of God’s purpose, it is linked and in terlinked with good to those who love God that they may well say “We glory in tribulation also, for it worketh patience, and patience expe rience, and experience hope, and hope maketh not ashamed, because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost that is giv en unto us.” This glorious result is connected with adversity and tribula tion, and if we do not have tribula tion in some shape, in this world, how could it besaid tnat it is “through much tribulation that we enter the kingdom of God?” We often loose sight of the fact that “all things ^uor/i; together for good to them that love God, to them wdio are the called ac cording to His purpose.” Yes, they work together, not separately, and for this reason “ Count it all joy when you fall into divei;s temptations,know ing this, that the trial of your iAxi'nworheth patience.” But I know, brother Henderson, that you are not ignorant of these things. Though comparatively young in the ministry, you have been tried in the furnace by your straitened circumstances in life, growing mainly out of the continued afflictions and helpless condition of sister Henderson. But this heavy trial has furnished an occasion for you to realize more fully the power of God’s sustaining grace than you could have done under more favorable cir cumstances. It has also given op portunity to test the sincerity of your own faith and of the love of the breth ren in administering to your necessi ties. May the Lord bless you and family abundantly. W. M. Mitchell. etb, for he hath none to help him up.” After a year’s absence I was at Union Church, Rus.sell County—April and May Conference—on Sunday of May, preached in brother Hamp Portei ith get a good minister to Christ, must much of your ability by adversity. Looking at the subject of adversity from a worldly standpoint, it is a sad pictiU’G and fraught with but little comfort, but when taken in its results vicinity. Stayed one night w' each of the brother Porters, for the first time. Elder P. eomes to Union and Mt. Gilead on foot. "Yorks bard, is much fatigued, seems to have a pleasant bard working family.— Come and see us. Ifpleasant weath er I may be at Canaan soon. I preached last Sunday again at Society Hill. My regards to sister H. and the children, brother Renfro and others. Yours in love, W. M. Mitchell. Elder P. D. Gold: Dear Brother as I hope in our Lord Jesus Christ:— mt AVING long felt a desire to- see you and hear you preach, v^p and in order that you may have a more perfect know ledge of our Association, I will send you a Minute of it, that you may read it, and see for your own benefit. We are all desiring to see you and many others of most happy memory to us, of Old School Baptists in North Carolina. 'We desire yon to come to see ns; do take a preaching tour through Georgia, I don’t think you will ever regret it. There is many of the Lord’s little children in this part of the world ; many that liave owned what the Lord has done fur them, and many too (lambs) that are without the camp. I hope you and others will remember those little ones and kry to covne and feed their hungry souls. There are many of them that have talked with me in the Spirit June 3rd. Brother Henderson:—When I com menced writing you on the 1st I sim ply designed to say a few things -of family and neighborhood affairs, but soon I forgot that and my pen ran along in another channel without any previous design or premeditation so to do. You can do with It as seems best to you—and I will now say, We are in usual health—my wife often suffering witii sick-liead-ache. My infirmities continue, my general con dition I hope slightly better. MT are needing rain very much. Good season Monday in Opelika and out to brother Webb’s, wheat injured by rust, though some fine crops—oats in the main a failure—health of the neio'hbors as usual. M^e received brother C. C. IMoore and Ids wife, and sister Rn.ssell by letter last meet ing at Mt. Olive. Brother Moore is a Deacon. MT hav'e had no Church trouble since the exclusion of old sis ter Collins. She still co&ies to our meetings and sits where she formerly did, apparently enjoying preaching. Walter and Nannie never come.— From my very heart I do pity them —and pray God to bring them home lanffuao-G like this : “ I feel so nn- O O worthy and so sinful, so little hope, that I keep away from the Cburcli.” They say they are often afraid they are deceived themselves, and for fear tliey ndght deceive others they stay ofifi Dear brother, I can witness with these tldna:s ; I wanted them to be honest with me, and I beljeve they were. I stayed away a long time. putting off of thi.s tabernacle which shall come to pass, and then I hope to be with them forever and ever ; where wo will be troubled no more, where we will fear no more; and dear sister Phillips, where we will sin no more. Oh! glmlous habitation of eternal joy ; where tlie wicked cease from troubling and the weary are at rest. May the Lord help you, brother Gold, at your present work, and may von not be weary in well doing, in comforting the children of Zion, but continue as you liave been, earnestly contending for the fauh of God’s ele t, ever strengthening the weak, confirming the strong, and admon ishing us to our reasonable services. Mav the God of Elijah be your God in your trials, temptations and doubts, and fears, and throughout the journey of life here in this world, and may God enable you to be duti ful in the ministry, and to reprove and rebuke with all long suffering and doctrine. Oh may you rejoice amidst per.sccution.s, standing fast in the Lord Jesus Christ, and may you have patience to bear all reproaches that may be cast upon you by your (once socalled) brethren, and may it please the Lord to be with you and enable you by the eternal Power of his invisible Spirit to finish your course with joy, and the ministry wliich you have received of the Lord Jesus to testify the gospel of his blessed grace. I remain as I hope, your brotlier in the gospel, and if so, also in much tribulation, H. Paihsh. trying to get something better to tell them, but I had to go with what I had, and it looked to me like it w^as too little; and when the good Lord did help me to go and tell them the dealings of the Ixird with me, they all sat with their heads bowed down, with tears trickling down their aged cheeks, and not only they, but also those of the world did shed tears. Dear brother, I feel like a poor liobbler, I feel like a weak, poor sin ful creature; I sin daily, either in ! wore tliought O or deed; sometimes again with great joy of his holy will. in a gospel sense in the grand chain Onr Church still seems to be in a kind of timid stupor, torpor, or some thing I know not what. I have be come fearful that I sliall fall here.— M’’e must have co-operation and sup port, morally, socially and materially from our brethren, else we give ^vay under the crushing welghc. unto him that is aTne when ho when my poor sinful body is in the stand I sin, for I find I even there have foolish thoughts. I can heartily agree with our dear sister Phillips in her trials ; may the Ijord bless that precious sister and sanctify all her trials and to her good _ comforted me, may the I^ord inliu her writings have often ence her to write moi’e. M’lien I read the trials, and trib- “ M'0 fall- ulations of the children of God at a great distance, it makes me feel a great desire to sec them, but I doubt that I will ever see tliein here in tiiis woi’ld ; but I can look foward to the Aug. i6tli, i87o. Brother Gold:— Y desire is to know if Bap tists have any scripture to jus tify them in believing that two spirits dwell with a Christian ; it has been some trouble to me of late to know that some Baptists believe it, and some do not. I for one believe that the Spirit of God, or the Holy Ghost dwells within the Christian, for Paul says “know ye not that yc are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you,” and also “ if any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy, for the temple of God is holy ; which temple ye are.” I believe I know something of the dealings of the Spirit, and I al«fO acknowledge that the flesh is weak and often desires things contrary to the Spirit, but I have not yet been made to believe that the Spirit of the wicked one dwells in the flesh of a Christian. I have felt Impressed to make this inquiry through the Lahhharks, hoping, that any brother or sister who feels that thCy can give me any in structions in this matter will do so, and I hope I will thank them for it. M^ith my weak understanding of , the Scripture I have not been able to I find one word in it that would jnstity i me in believing that tliere arc two i spirits dwelling in a Christian, ifs> ' why sliould we be commanded to let not sin reign, in-our mortid bodies. Brother Gold, I have not written
Zion’s Landmarks (Wilson, N.C.)
Standardized title groups preceding, succeeding, and alternate titles together.
Sept. 1, 1875, edition 1
5
Click "Submit" to request a review of this page. NCDHC staff will check .
0 / 75