Jv.
Zion’s Landmark
»S¥ftTg» THS BSFfiSSS TSS PBlMWIfS fiiPTIWS.
“TO THE LAW AND TO THE TESTIMONY.’’
Yol. ix-No. 31.
Wilson, N. C., September 15, 1876.
Whole No. 31§.
Zion’s Landmark
By the help of the Lord, this paper will
contend for tlie ancient landmark, g;uided by
its stakes of truth,and strengthened by its cords
of love.
Tt hopes to reject all tradition.^ and
INSTITUTIONS OF MEN, and regard only the
BIBLE AS THE STANDARD of TRUTH.
It urges people to search the scriptures and
oboy Jesus ii.s the only King in the holy hill
of Zion, keeping themselves unspotted from
the world.
It aims to contend for the mystery of the
faith in God and ihe Father, Jesus the Medi
ator, and the Holy Spirit, the Blessed Com
forter.
All lovers of gospel truth are invited to
write for it—if so impressed.
May grace, mercy and peace, be multiplied
to all lovers of Jesus. . x
©ararairaitattii
Near Lexington, Ga., June 23tli, 1876.
Dem' Brother Gold:—
Having 8ora« leisure time, and feel
ing somewhat impressed to write on
the following subject, I proceed : “ Be
not righteous over much, neither
maheithyselfowoT wi.se : w'hy shouldest
tliou destroy thyself? Be not over
rjcked, neither b^hou foolisld:
before tljiy
■hiccl.
‘•\Vhat was written aforetime was
written for our learning, that we
through patience and comfort of the
^oriptures raiglit have hope." Poor
fallen men are creatures of extremes in
almost every thing they engage in or
profess, and even those W’ho are sub
jects of saving grace are too often
found going to great extremes, mani
fested sometimes by complaining ’ of
themselves, to their brethren, as beins:
so unworthy and unfit for even a
place amongst Christian people ; when
it is known by their brethren that
their walk and Christian conversation-
are unexceptionable, when it may be,
while complaining of themselves, their
inward object is to excite pity, or get
applause of their brethren ; for if
their brethren were to agree with
such complainers, and let tliem know
tliat they thoug*ht of them precisely
as they thought of themselves, it
might not set so well. It might be
like the two old sisters who were in
conversation. One was telling the
•other how bad she was, and what a
poor., unfit, and unworthy creature
she was, &c. The other, being more
experienced, replied : That’s just what
I have always thought of you, and
now you have come out at last: when
the comjilainer, in excitement, re
plied: Well, I reckon, after all, I am
as good as you are, any way you can
fix it. This I do not doubt, said the
other, but there is no use in com
plaining so much to others ; for if
we could get their pity or applause it
would be entirely unprofitable. There
was one extreme properly exposed.—
Another extreme equally disgusting
is that cf framing themselves as be
ing so careful and successfuHn guard
ing against evils, in which they see
others indulge, and telling how par
ticular they are now, and have been,
in discharging every duty enjoined
upon them, and how careful they are
now, and have been, in guarding
against evils that might interrupt the
peace of the saints, and complaining
greatly of others who have not been
so careful and guarded as they them
selves have been. Such are just where
they can see plainly the mote in t|ieir
brother’s eye, but see not the beam in
their own eyes.
If such are the children of God
(which is not impossible), they will
soon he brought low under the chast
ening rod of their heavenly Father,
and he made to abhor themselves in
dust and ashes, so to speak, and com
plain only of themselves, willing to
bear with any brethren who can put
up with them, because they had been
looking too much outwardly and not
enough inwardly, and had become
overmuch righteous, and foolish,
overwise in their own estimation.—
If, howevi^r. such ^fault-finder.s are
Kot the children God, they will
continue more aiu^ more to praise
themselves, and find fault with oth
ers, till they fully expose themselves ;
till their own destruction (religiously)
is brought about, which would prove
to the best interest of the church.—
Let none say, “ I am not liable to
such evils." The depravity of human
nature is alike in all, and “ the heart
(or carnal mind, which all have,) is
deceitful above all things and desper
ately wicked, who can know it ?’’—
Jer. 17 : 9. And even ministers them
selves are no better than their breth
ren, but all are liable to err. They
complain greatly of inferiority, weak
ness, inability, and unworthiness in
themselves, which no doubt they feel,
indeed, hut to be always complaining
of it they find to be unprofitable to
themselves, and of no benefit to oth
ers ; and to make it worse, they claim
to see all sufficiency in their preach
ing brethren. In this they may some
times dis.simulate. To illustrate: af
ter the church at Black Creek, Mad
ison Co., Ga., called me to serve them,
twenty or thirty years ago, there was
an old brother David, a sound gospel
preacher, living in the neighborhood
(though his membership was at Mid
dle Eiver, Franklin Co.), and he al
ways attended our meetings, and
would sit in the stand with me, but
I never could get him to pneacli.—
His reply when asked was, What!
I preach, and you here : never!
never ! ’’ Once I deterra inkl to try
a new plan with him. So, when I
got to the place, brother David met
me gladly, and as usual went up in
to the stand with me. After being
seated, I said to him: “ Brother Da
vid, I am tired ; if you please preach
to-day.’’ His reply, as usual, was,
“What! I preach, and you here;
never ! never ! ’’ Then I said, “Now,
brother David, I am going to talk
plain to you, and do pray don’t take
offense. I want you always to come
and hear me, but I never intend any
more to invite you to preach here.—
If, however, you at any time feel it to
be your duty to preach, let me know,
and you shall have an opportunity to
discharge your duty.’’ At this he
began rubbing his hands and groan
ing earnestly, and soon remarked : “ I
reckon I must try a little to-day."—
He went on and preached greatly to
my relief and comfort; and, after that,
never failed to preach there as long as
he was able to get there, which was
several years after. Others, I have
noticed, who like him seem to try
how much their brethren will beg
and persuade them to preach, when,
if their brethren were to object to
their preaching, simply because they
were so hard to get at it, they would
become offended likely, and would
visit them no more; or, if other
present seemed to be pre-
overwise; very particular indeed
about others, and insensible of their
own condition. Hence the great im
portance of self-examination, care and
watchfulness, lest any of us, before
we are aware of it, become righteous
tongmSpCTP^IWPTTrc;
pearance would speak out to their breth
ern. “ Some men’s sins are open be
forehand, going before to judgment;
and some men they follow after."—
1 Tim. 5 : 24, 25. He is wise in
deed, and not overwise, who knows
and feels his own errors, with his un-
worthines, his ignorance, with his ut
ter destitution in liiraself: and, with
out complaining so ranch, if he is a
preacher, his brethren will learn
enough of it, by his preaching with
the ability which God giveth. Such
are not overmuch righteous, nor filled
with a self-exaltation. But if minis
ters become unmindful of their weak
ness, and become exalted in them
selves, the consequences are disas
trous, and cannot be hid. The church
at Laodicea, with its angel or minis
ter, was in a luke-warm condition,
and said, “ I am ridh, and increased
with goods, and have need of noth
ing," when intact she was wretched,
and miserable, and poor, and blind,
and naked."—Rev. 3 : 17. Now,
to have been either entirely cold,
down, heavy under a sense of her mis
erable and destitute condition, or hot,
light, moveing and active, revived,
and rejoicing, would have
been preferable to this lukewarm
state. Cold water is heavy, and is
still, and is lowest down; hot water
is lighter, active or moveing, ',but
lukewarm is the most offensive to the
stomach. As saints then were in
that awful state, it is entirely reas
onable to believe they may be so
noiflMkome righteous overmuch,
overmuch or overwise, or wise
above what is written.
I must notice the lastch&^^eto tlic
same charactei', “Be not overmucli
wicked, neither he thou foolish; why
shouldest thou die before thy time?"
Some may ask the question, Can the
saints become overrauchwicked ? An
swer: They are all thus subject, so long
as they have the carnal or fleshly
mind, waring against the Spirit or
mind of Christ, which dwells in them.
For proof, notice tl^e case of Peter,
who, when overmuch righteous,
said, “ Though all men shall be of
fended because of thee, yet will I
never be offhnded.”—Matt. 23 : 33.
Again, when overmuch wicked, he
began to curse and to swear, saying,
“ I know not the man."—Matt, 26:
74. Again, immediately after Jesus
had jironounced the great blessing
upon Peter, and had given unto him
the keys of the kingdom of heaven,
Jesus began to tell the disciples about
ust befall him at Jerasalem ;
i^errauch righteous, l>e-
t^liom thee, Lord, this shal I
not be unto thee." But Jesus turned
and said unto this same Peter, “ Get
thco behind me Satan, thou art an of-
fense unto me,*for thou savorest not
the things that be of God, but those
things that be of men,”—Matt. 16 :
22. No doubt but Peter was
earnest and sincere in what he said,
but nothing we do is made right be
cause we are earnest and sincere. If
prompted by theflesh,and we are made
righteous overmuch or overwise, it
is by no means pleasing to the Ijotd,
but offensive. And can any claim to
be more able to guard against and
overcome the flesh and the devil than
Peter was ? Surely not. Once a
minister of ability and high standing
was very zealous in contending for
the faith and order of the primitive
saints, standing firm with the Old'
School Baptists for several years; but,
eventually, about the year 1850, he
became offended with an overwhel
ming majority of his brethren,because
they differed with him in his belief
that God used his ministers and
their preaching as means in his hand,
by and through which he quickened
and saved sinners from their sins.—
His brethren were all willing to bear
with him and live in peace; but he
would not bear with them, but toofc
up charges against two leading breth
ren in the Church, where he was a
member, and the pastor. Every ef
fort possible was made to reconcile
him, but lie could not be persuaded
to let the brethren differ with him on
that point, and live in peace. To use