Newspapers / Zion’s Landmarks (Wilson, N.C.) / Oct. 1, 1876, edition 1 / Page 5
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Zion’s Landmark : Wilson, N. C. the hotnesteaJ law. Brother Patman, I write not with any intention to wound your feelings, for 1 do not want to offend any of God’s little children. But, again, my brothci', we oiff’er in thinking the saints have any right in taking part with fellow-citizens in secret organiz- ations; ami we think secret, societies are works of darkness ; and, saints arc commanded to have no lellow- (shi;) Vvitli the unprofitahie works of darkness, but ratiier re{)rove them.— And again, we are commanded not to be unequally yoked with unbelievers. Sure!}' chri.stians do not think it right to assemble in .secret wuth ungodly men and take an oath to keep a se cret! If there is so much good in it let your light shine. Je.sLissaid he had done nothing in secret. It is said that the Grangers have their chaplains, perhaps we are informed Tight. Are you, Christian, willing to be brother to them? are you satisfied to join them in their form of prayer? A^et, the precious brother says he sees no reason wdiy the Church or breth ren should complain. If, in these worldly movements, their conduct is legal and honorable, and while in the relation in which they stand to the Church of Ciu-ist, they are sound in the faith, and fill their places as or derly members—.says he sees no reas on why the Church should complain. I can’t see how any Christian can be an orderly member, or sound in faith, that is a brother to the world and partaker of the world. And if the love of the world be in you the love of the Father is not there. Brethren, you cannot serve God and mammon, A'or if you be dead to sin, liow’ can ✓YOU live in it? Xou may take it *fbr granted, if you love sin, that you are not born of God. ' Dear brother Gold, w’e are ofopin- , ion that there is speculation in most of these secret societies. My advice to my dear brethren and sisters is, to have nothing to do W’ith any of these secret organization.s of men, hut take the word of God for the man of their counsel, for there are ample and full directions,sufficiently and plainly giv’- en in God’s w'ord, for all his cho.sen. May God grant to keep us from every evil work, is my prayer—Amen. AAjur unworthy brother in Ciirist, if one at all, John G. Williams. Eeniark.s; Both of these dear brethren, and our brethren generally, are agreed on the principles here discus.sed, I Blink. It is our duty to obey the powers that bo, though not to act dishonestly. Elder Patman, i have no idea, would vote fur a candidate in favor of law-religion. We are endangered if we become involved in the bitter strife of poli- ' tics. Look at the newspapers of oiu land—and you see slander, abuse, hard cliarges, and false accusations almost filling tiieir sheets. See how such papers .stir up the malice, hate, and strife that flood an afflicted conn- ti-y now'. The minds of the people are poisoned against each other, party is' arrayed against party, in such a manner that one can see but little hope for our nation. We hope that Baptists will not be carried away with this deluge of bitterness. It be comes us to set an example of peace and forbearance. Mdiere is our salt- nes.s, and the light that should be a pattern to men ? On the question of homesteads we believe our brethren generally are agret'd. The principle is, that each man .should pay his debts, and tiiat law'-makers have no right to legislate so as to exempt the debtor from {)a}>- inr his debts, or to deprive the credi tor of his rights. That is, legislators have no right to legislate in favor of a certain class of men to the detri ment of another class. The hiw'- Ujukers have no right to give me property at the expense of other peo ple and without their consent, it is true that such is not meant in home stead law's. But they allow one to keep so much of Ids proj)erty against all claims of creditors however just. I think the law itself gives evidence of the corruption of the people. No State in a healthy condition would want such a law'. We exnect our 1 brethren to pay their debts, if they can, just as though such laws did not exist. Ifanyl)ody takes advantage of them, and defrauds a crediU'r, and lives on wdiat belongs to others, let the Churches deal w’ith him accord ing to the rule of Bible dLscipline. • However, if a brother uses his homestead to pay his debts and sup port his fandly, showing an honest disposition to do right, could any one of merciful and just feeling oppress or blame lum for so doing ? it is that class of delators who take advantage of this law to keep and live in ease on their property that iias brought such laws into di.-repute. It is'tiie taking ailvantage of this law thus tliat lias compelled^some of our As.sociatious to pa.ss resolutions forbidding Bap tists to take homesteads. If all would do right there would be no need of sucli resolutions. These are hard times on many of us. As for my.self‘ I have never known what it was to be out of debt since 1 was tYronty-one years of age. I think that from experience I can make allowance tor a poor debtor un able to pay, and can say, that the brother w ho has this world’s goods, and can w'ait on his poor debtor, and show him favor is a great friend t$ him, and I commend such, and hope that our brethren generally who are creditors will show kindness to their debtors ; and that our brethren who aje in debt will not take advantage of this kindness or any law of the land, but w'ill pay their debts as much as pc.ssible, and let us all live like brethren; and let even the world know that we are honest and merci ful from principle. I had hoped that nothing more would be w'l’itten on this subject, but perhaps this is timely. Brother W’illiams and brother Pat man, I have no doubt, love each oth er and are agreed as brethren on the principles of the bible.—[Ec. THE KINGDOM OF LIGHT. ' And there kIuiII be no night there.” Eey. 22: 5. How w'onclerful is this ! a day with out a night! a w'orld having no darkness! It is loo wonderful for our comprehension now, while in the flesh ; “ For w’e know in part ” only ; and “ now we see through a glass, darkly.” Ah ye.s, we are now in a world of light and shadow, night and day; and wherever light dwells there is the abode of darkness too.— And the darkne.ss is not only around us, but also within us. “ For, be hold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the peo ple.”—Isai. 60 : 2. Truly this condition and place is one of gloom and ignorance, and therefore it is dismal and deplorable. Let us first a little consider and in quire into it, and then we may the better understand and the more ap preciate the other world, where there is no night. We read that “In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. And the earth was without form and void ; and darkness Nvas u[)on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. And God said. Let there be light: and there was light. And God saw the light, that it was good : and God divided the light from the darkness. And God called the light day, and the darkness he called night. And the evening and the morning were the first day.”— Gen. 1 : 1 to 5. Now then, we learn that darkness is a condition of the earih, and always belongs to it; and as earthliness is a necessary condition to darkness,the utmost circle or bound ary of the earth and all that is earth ly is the extent and circumference of darkness, beyond which there is no night, no darkness, but where shines everlasting light. Therefore, since darkness depends upon an earthly object, it is not a pos itive property, but a negative state— not a substance, but a shadow only. It is the absence or shutting out of that real, positive essence which God maile and named Day, and saw that it was good. Therefore, the reason why one is in darkness, or the cause of darlcness, is not that there is no liglit, but because some opaque, dense or earthly object comes between, and either partially or totally obscures and shuts out the light. So, only draw aside the vail, or remove the dark glass, and the ever-shining light of day is there, arid everywhere, in "■'all its brilliancy to vivify and warm, bless and gladden all, and all things. Darkness and night, then, are nothing more than earthly shad ows, and the earthly objects whicli cast these shadows are so many heavy vails, behind which tlse light is con cealed from view, and through whicii it shines out. Consequently, no ob ject or being of earth has any light in itself, and if it possesses and gives forth any light, it is received and re flected from the fountain or source of ligijt, which is always above the earth. The sun is the source of all natural liurlit of this material and lower world, and his fnll-orbed face makes the light which God called Day; but when this revolving earthly globe moves between ns and the sun, then there is darkness or night. Night! The mere name seems fearful and ap palling, and conveys to one’s mind a sombre volume of solemn meaning. For the black pall of night naturally connects itself in the mind witli sin and death, and these with guilt and shame and woe. Wicked men and savage beasts skulk away from the ' light of day ; but they creep forth from their lurking places into the darkness of nighi to perpetrate their horrid crimes and deeds of violence. So the Lord Jesus saith, “ And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because there deeds were evil. Lor every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither coracth to the light, lest his ' deeds should be reproved. But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that tliey are wrouglit in God.”— Jolin 3: 19. 21. And concerning' the machinations of Anti-Christ, or mystery Babylon, and those voil of understanding who are lured and caught by her, Solomon says, “and he went the way to her house, in the twilight, in the evening, in the black and dark night.”—Prov. 7 : 8. 9.— So the darkness of this world is ev erywhere and all-pervading, over spreading the heart and mind and soul of man, as well as all animate and inanimate nature; for there is a gross opaeiiy in men’s natural life and nature, and all things worldlv, which inakes the soul of man itself a dark dungeon as black as night. The reason is, man has sinned, and sin has enshrouded his whole beina: with o the black pall of death.. And this is the darkness which fell upon Egypt, a darkness that could be felt,, leaving its appaling blight everywhere, sweep ing off aU her first-born, and laying her pride and glory and strength in the grave. O ! the black and blast ing storm-cloud of sin has shut out from the soul and mind of man ev ery precious ray of blessed truth, and bound him down in a noisome ced with strong bands of darkness, ignor ance and superstition ; and the terri ble, black night of death has cut him ofl from all the sweet and joyous sun beams of life, and left him as misera ble as the accursed city of fallen Bab ylon, of which it is said, “and is be come the habitation of devils, and the hold of every foul spirit, and a cage of every unclean and hateful bird.”—Rev. 18 : 2. How truly did the Master say, “But if thine eye be evil, thy whole body sliall be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in tliee be darkness, how great is that darkness!”—Matt 6 : 23. The history of the world, even the relig ious world, fearfully exemplifies this. For “Sill hath reigned unto death ;” and not only is there pliysi- cal contagion and moral evil in man and all the world, but man has even turned executioner upon himself, until in every valley and mountain retreat, and every nook and corner of the earth, the sword of both ma.vistrate and priest has found its victims, darkening all of the beautiful earth with its grim shadows of death, and sending up a universal wail of moan- •ing from houses made desolate and dark and hearts and llvessmitten and blighted with grief and sorrow. Siu-li is night! But let ns now turn from this blackness of night, and contemplate the sweet light which shines u[)on ns to gladden and bless us. If there was nothing but darkness and n ight, then there would be only the horror and desolation of death, and all would be as it was before God made the light, when “ darkness was up on the face of the deep.” Nevertlie- less, in our present earthly state, night is necessary, and it fulfills a good and wise end, both in a natural and spiritual sense; therefore God “bath made everything beautiful in his time.”—Eccl. 3 : 11. For In the present earthly state of development and growth, waste and repair, the cessation, quiet and repose which night imposes upon all nature, ena-
Zion’s Landmarks (Wilson, N.C.)
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Oct. 1, 1876, edition 1
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