m-:
m
j
174
liave V('. broii;^]it U3 up oiit of Egypl
todio iii tiic wilderness? for there is
no bread, neither is there any water;
and our soul loatheth tills light
bread.’’ 'VVluit peojile are referred
to? Israel only, v.dio had been
liroiiwbt Id’ EiyP'" ''‘dioni
may we apply it in a gospel sense?
'lo the spiritual Israel only, who
h.ave been brought ui) from the bon-
da're, of sin. The people of I.srael
spake amiiiifst the Lord, and he sent
fiery scrjiciits a.nior-g; tlieni to punish
them f ir their sin, vrhieh consisted in
that particidar iustaiice in murmuring
against the ])rovidenee of God.
Kow, this will not ajiply to the
other nat ions of ilie cartli, who wore
not involved in (he .sin ol tiie Israel
ites, nor under the same government,
at all; but totiie national Israel alone.
Tim fiery .serpents bit tliem, and
many people oI Israel died. This
ehastiseuK'ni' proTuced great fear,
and caused the jieople to eonfess tiicir
sin, and imsort to dJo.se.s as their In
tel«.‘-'.-.or, wiio prayed to the Lord in
thc'ir behalf fm- relief.
And the Lord saidyinto Moses,
make thee a tlery serpent, and set it
come to
upon a iiolc ; and it sli
jur.s, tiiat every one tliat is bitten,
when he lool.etli upon it, shall live.
And Moses made a serpent of bra.^-s,
and put i! upon apo!e;and it came to
pa.'.-;, that ii’a serpent had bitten any
m;'.:), wh;r^ he iKMK'ul the seriK’ut of
iHTiSS, U(
iivcu-"
S'iranwK antidote!
'i'j.io swuents llnu bit the pc pic w£.re.
poisonous, inllictinga deadly 'vVountT:
Tiie aiuid'ile w.is not
poisonous,
jicither w'ould it bite, vet it was
in
ITS
one offering lie hath perfected forever
them that are sanctified. Those onlv
for whom he died believe on him,
nor can t' cy believe without special
revelation. Here then, is just how
much God loved tlie world, “that
whosoever belicveth in him might not
perish, bu have (verlasting Hie,”
lie loved the world just that imudi, as
the Saviou'- has oxiiressed it. The
promise of eternal life is to tliosc “who
by him believe in God who i-aised
liim from the dead.” It is by him
seldom got the chance of hearing
preaching; I thought if I could hear
preaching I could hear somediing
that would do me some good.
One day while trying to pray I
viewed my Saviour nailed to the cross
and I on my knee.s at his feet, and
my sins had helped to nail him there.
I seemed to get worse and worse all
the time; I got so I neither worked,
eat, nor slept. These words would
know which was the right Church.
My hrother was going to join th»>
Missionary Baptists, and he wanted
me to join with him, but I lir.d a
great desire toknow thcright Ciuirch.
I asked the Lord to sliow me the
right wav, and I believe he led me in
the right wav, and inv lot was cast,
run through mv mind
that eternal life is given to those who
bv him believe, &c. Hot those v.Iio
by themselves believe, as some tell
us.
Th.e Saviour was lifted upon the
cross, amtthere died to saiisty the
law for his peoiile. Tlieir faith, which
is the evidence of things not seen,
embraces him as a full and' complete
Saviour, in this manner God com-
inendeth ids love toward us,that while
we were •yet sinners Christ died for
us. “It is of faith tiiat it might be
by grace, to toe end the promise
might l>e sure to all the seed.” ' It is
only those vriio lv>ve l;een deliver^
from the bondage of sin and death
that believe, and to such only have
we the authority to ajiply the text.
It embraces eviaw believer and there
it .stops. Tnere is no projiosition to
the dead sinner to look anti live, but
to the erring jicoplo of G>al I would
sav, that Christ nissesss.s a healing
“ ITo'.v often hare I thought,
Why shoiihi I longi r lie ;
Surely the blessing I have sought
Is not for such as I.
among the Old Baptists, and I Ijelicve
I am made to rejoice that my lot is
cast among them.
I W'ent before the Church at Old
Leather Wood, Ileury County AM.,
and was received incompanv with a
“ Rut whither can I go ?
There is no other pool
Where stre.ams of sovereign virtue flow
To rrmke the sinner whole.
“ rrerc then frotn day to day
I’ll wuit'and hope, and try ;
Can .Jesus hear a sinner pray,
Yet suffer liim to die V
younger si.ster into tlieir fcllow.sliip,
and was miptized by brotlier .lohn
II Martin, on Sunday morning, in
tlie year 1844.
Bretiiren, I nave been through
many trials .since that time :
lialm for ever
wound, am! a saU’ nn-
“Xo, ho is full of grace,
Ile'tiever will permit
A sou! ihat fain would see his face
To perish^t his feet.”
There was a protracted meeting,
(klethodiflt) there vrere several of my
old school mates professed ; it seemed
that I was left out, and there wa,s no
(Inuce for me.
“ IJore on my heart the burden lies,
And past offrnces pain my eyes.”
1 went on in great trouble, trying
to jiray, but there was nothing good
tiiat I could do; it seemed that I was
one of the vilestsinners in theworld.
I went the next Baturdayto anoth
er mcetiug ; when I got in tliey were
“ ^Mixtures ofjo v and sorrow
I da.by do pass through ;
So:netiuu‘H Rm in the valio'’,
And sinking down with woe.
“Roinotirnes I arn exalted ;
On eagle’s wings I fly ;
I rise above my troubles,
And hops lo reacli the skv.
“Soinefimcs I’m fall ofdoabting.
And think I have no grare ;
Sonif-times Fm fuilofpraisin.g
When Christ reveals his i'aca.
“Sometimes my hope is so little-
1 think J’ll throw it by ;
Sometimes it set:tns sulhcier.t
If I were called to die.”
ire moident m
iio'soa r.' wi'
biis wTliTcr
iling up mourneis. One of tny
neitrh.bor girls eaine lo me and asked
■' me ■■nY'-Vs''-4>wa.uajLXjM.,_f()r. hut I
Hi.s atonement covers original sin, i-e'IM rl, out she pulled me up ; there
I married in the year 1845 to
Benjamin Davis, and moved to Town
Creek C.hurcii; there I lived ’till the
year 1858, then moved to Georgia,
am! my husband went to the war. and
there diet.!, which etiusetl me great
trouble, mid 1 becamedise-atisfieu and
--mw^...4xt_djA..yus.,_aii,L stayed tvro
rite liimucss olTlm-e that Avercpoison,
ami illd bite. “Cod, sending Ids own
Hot; iii the iilicuess ol s.iijiul ihAsh, :iud
for sin, eoiideir iied .si.n in the llesh,”
Boiii. 8 ; 8. Tiie poi,sm)ed^.^si‘aciite3
Iiad only to look niioii the serpent of
brass and live; blind unbelief could
find no healing virtue here, but timse
pO'.sessed Avith liAmly .sensibilities, and
eauaciiv to look we.i’c tlie sole beiic-
iieiai'ies. Mow, “ as JM)ses lilted uj)
the sei’pcnt in the Avikierness, even
so ” (in like manner) must theS.)n of
man bo iiitetl iij) ; that Avhosoever lie-
lie .'eth ill him should not peri.sh, but
have eli-rna' life.”
As IHo.'C.s lif.ed Uj) the serpent to
the ariHcted Israelites Avho were suiTer-
iiig the cha.stisements due lo their
sin, as the pettuliar, chosen and maui-
fesied people of Co:i, rd'ter their de
liverance I'roni oitprcssiou and bond
age. even so uiusl tlie Son of man be
llficd up, that whosoever bclieveth iji
!iim,&e. None .arc embraced here but
bilievers, tl ose wlio have siiiritual
lile,Avho have eyes to see, and hearts to
luuierstiuid, and I do not feel autlmr-
ized to extend the application fur-
tlicr than th.c SaA'iour did him.self.
Mow, in ]ireachiug Christ, due regard
sh.ould he ]>aid to the little Avords
which often serve, to dehue the
Avhole sentence. “-1?, Moses lifted
un the serpent In the Avihleruess, even
t'O, must the Son of man,” &e. We
s’uould not cxteml the application
lurtlicr than the iigure authorizes,
'’.Ihe Son of man referred to in th.e
text is the Sou of Cod, and ivas lifted
uip on tiio OIOSS, to die, thejust for
s'-:e unjust, that ha might bring us to
Cud,; without (his offering we AAonid
iiave all been lo.-t forever, but by ilia
and faith ia him evidenees tlic fact
that eternal life is given yop in him,
and by him. Your belief is not tiie
cause of eiermil life, hut the etrcct.
“As many as wci’c ordained to eternal
litb believed,” (Acts,)
J. E. Yh ILoxincnsox.
seeihed to be great trouble on my
mind: thcA- told mo to balieAm, but I
knew I could noL for I ,was as one
duml), 1 could do notliimg.
I Avent on in that Avay until some
time in the night, I don’t remember
when; but Avhenl Ibund myselt 1
Tj.oyp Rpiungs, Tloyd County, On.
■July 2-3!ii, 3 873.
Dear Jiroiher Gold:—
was praising my i'A.iker; i viewet
my Saviour coming to my relief,
everything seemed to be praising the
Lord ; I tliouglit evcrvthing looked
II' ITAA'E tliought of Avriting a | the brightest and lovliest I ever saw,
jyicce for your p;,ij)er but 1 feel i j- jgjj; Pefure a.s I did then ; mv
A:'.o so unworthy 1 can t do auv
£. ,r,1
’’MY' tiling a.s I ouglit, except the
Lon! will help me; I feel if a child
burden was gone and I felt as light
os a feather, and my mouth aaws filled
at all I am less than the ieaH of all
Cod's cliildrcn ; I feel the need ot j
the prayers of all my bret'ireu. j
I Aviil try, in my AA’cakiiess, if the '
Tjord Avil! permit, to tcli you what I |
Imjie the Lord has done for my poor i
soul. j
I wa.s very vonng'Avheu T first .-aw i
with praises,
to mv
Saviour ; but before the next morn-
ing my inind was filled Avith doubts,
I thouglit I Avas at a “ mourner s
bench” and I was deceived ; I knew
j did not feel as I did before, xis I
AAV.S going boinc that evening I gf>t
Amry Avet; it still seemed to press on
w • T 1 n 1 r r i iua^ mind that I aauxs deceived, and i
mvseit a sinner, i don t know that i I v ^
tried to jiray and ask God if I Ava.s
(leeeiAmd to undeceive'me.
* I Avas taken sick on
felt A’cry imieli_yk-‘^t>’cssed on aeeount
of my sins: sometimes I would be in
a groat deal of troahle, but could not
tell Avhat Avas tin; matter; I liionght
I was going to die, I did not think
ihat I ever could ^i\'e ’til! I ■ was
grown ifl remained in thateondition.
I AA'ouid go out to some .«ecrct ]>iace
and try to lu-ay, but ' eonl-l not; I
could only say. Lord, Inive merev on
me a ]>oor sinner. It seemed to me
that Cod Avas too far to hear ;:’ich a
vile ."iimier as I aaus.
I Avent on in this AAmy until f Avas
nearly grown; sometimes I Avotild go
in lively eompany, but my trouble
AA’ould return. It seemed that I be
came .so mucli trouliled that I could
mV, kve. It .-v-eme-d that every ihiiys
T (IM AAtassij; I tried to pray. I
Avas
Avcll as I recollect, and went on in
this way about three days, in .a great
deal of trouble, asking the Lord to
show me Ayhelher I Avas deceived or
not.* While lying on my bed plead-
iutr' with the Lord to show me my
true condition, it seemed to me that
I viewed the heavens' open and my
Saviour sitting on his tlirune, Avhich
relieved mv mind.
years, and reiuroed baelc Lo Georgia,
to Hock Greek Cinircii, where In'o ’v
beio'ug. '' '■ f *.
Brethren, prav for mound mine, i,
think I have liad uiiuiy ehasSsements,^
but I think they were for my good
the Lord’s will must be done. I
have experienced many doubts
fears, my mind is often dark tmd,
loiiidy I fed uuNA'orthy to be among,,
and bear tlio mime of being one of
the Lord’s children, and if one surely
there is none Lass, or if a saint the
least ol alb
Dear breathren and sisters, I'cmom-
ber me in your prayers at tlie throno
of Cod’s grace. Y^uur unwoithy
sister if a sister at all.
Farewell,
Elizjlbetji M. Davis.
Near Lexixgton. Ga., Oct. 1st, 1873.
Dear Brother Gold:—
Q- notice in my oominunication some
a|3 errors which I think wciecommit-
ed in setting up the type, in the
Laxdmailk.s for Bopt. 1st, 1875 ;
page 155, 2nd coinrau and 25th line
“ Sweet is the meniovy of tl.y grace,
3\fy God, iny !r.'avenl\ Iviiy; ;
Let age to age th}' riglitcoasnes.s
ill songs ofgloiy .cing.
“Goti reigns oi hiLdi, but never confines
ills goo Jnt.s.-, to tlie skie.s;
TLi'imgh iil the earth his bounty shine.s,
And every waul supplies.”
from tiie top
ihould read, “ and on
things ATCiit.” it i.s printed and ML,’
things Avent.” Again : 3rd oolmnn Isc
line, should read, if than %cc
Brethren, my next trouble was to
appj^y it to iiieo,” it ia. prir.ted “it’
‘there are’ applyit to, men.” Again,
3rd line should read “ for the term
immortal or immortalityB It is- print-
(xi “ for the term ‘ immortal or mor-.
ialityd” Again, 2!)th line from th.e
tO[) .should read “ and as to the rcs-
urrcctiou.” It is printed ‘“it D
the lesurrcetion.”’
Please correct these typogreplucal
errors ; .as many might nutl>e able to
unsterdstand Avhat 1 mean as it now
reads. •
Your unworthy brother in gweat
tribulation. " »
D. Yf. Patviam.
A