Zion's Landmark
15
Loanis and appoint canvassers to
w'our the fields f(U- money, and take
all tins matter in tli'dr own hand, in
raising up and. educating *|)reacher.s,
and sending them olf and directing
them V,liere to go to preach; and
call all Vv'ho tipposc them anti Mis-
si'.narics, and deride us as old fogies
and eoi-rupt, &c., because \vc go not
into the same exe.osscs, &c.
lint Klder Shelton savs, lu; stands
between the two errors. 1 tried to
g(‘t there nyvself once. While with
the Missionaries [ became dissatisfied
with their nu'asiires, whidi seeuaed to
me to he unscriptnral. I smight a
rcibrmation among them : i did not
vait t* leave them. The Prituilive
iJapiists seemed to me then pretty
much as they now appear to Elder
Shekel!, and 1 thouglit I would get
b'tween thciu. Eat, after looking
awhile at mv grounds, I found the
bed was too simrt to stretch, on, tlie
covei'ing too narrow to cover witli.—
1, h.aa to take the position that hu
manly deviset! means should he used,
or they should not he used. If they
should he used wiiere was tlie limit
to tliem ? If men x)uld build up
Theological Seminaries, they should
iiave money given them for th.e pur
pose. If tiiev could send out mis
sionaries, tluy should of course pre
pare them for it by educating them.
If they sent them out they ought to
feed and clothe thcmi ; it would be
reason to make it palatable. We
must fraternize wdth all to some ex
tent.
I saw tliat all denominations w'ere
thus preaching and acting. They all
said, Salvation was by grace. The
Catholics said so ; the Episcopalians
said we believe in salviitioii by grace ;
we are in the happy medium ; the
Methodist jireaehed free grace and
no works, and said he avoided ex-
i tr-emes; tlie Missionary Baptist
! said, it was all of grace and no works
were in it, and declared that his de
nomination wason the middle ground ;
and hencc' there is no extreme ground
except what tlie Primitive Bajitists
o(-‘CU[)y, if these denominations are to
be believed. But the h’rimitive or
Old Scrc'ol Ba[)tists liad long ago
found that two could not w’alk to
gether except they were agreed ; that
meat migiit say tliey believed salva
tion was of grace alone; but when
they preached that there i.s something
you can do, or neglect it, just as you
with your natural mind please ; and
that if you do it you will be saved,
bat if you neglect it you will be lost,
I could not see that it leas \ll of grace,.
When they told me, that if money
enou"h were given thev could send
the gos[)el everywhere, I could not
see the power of God in that.
Primitive Ba[)tists had long ago
seen tliere was no Bible consistency
in being’ in affiliation wdth all sorts
liisliouest for them not to do it. If I of worldly organizations; hence they
they could semi them they had the I
right to direct tiiein.wbicre to go, and
to control their operations wdyju
gone, if tliey have this right tl’iey
also can so shape their carnal reason
luid corrupt passion as to malto them
plausihic to !uen. If they can do all
this they can use their clerical infiu-
cnce to scciu'c rnomw for their op !ra-
tioiis, telling tiie people if they wdll
give ihein money enough tlie world
will be converted; b;it, if they with-
liold the money, many souls wdll be
lost tlu'ough their fault. Thev can
also deny the power of i'cvelation and
the divine agency of the Holy Ghost
in the new birth. All of wduch
tilings I saw they had adopted, and
were preaching and proclaiming.—
Eor wh.ea these prendses are admit
ted such conclusions inevitably fid-
low : when the first steps are taken in
this new departure ail these results
follow of course.
On the other hand, I felt that the
Bible taught that the Lord Jesus
called and sent his servants to [ireach,
and that they preached his j)Ower,
and were controled and directed by
liim, and not hv man. I felt and
w’ere compelled to withdraw from
thos(; tliat walked disorderly. How
could they be joined with idols, or
idolaters,-- «nd not i.*e cs)i’ru[)tc*l -
Primitive Baptists could not admit
the new doctrines ajul manners of tlie
New School Baptists ; hence a divis
ion was necessary. Before the divis
ion, ofcour.se, these new measures of
coiiiproiiiise and these new institutions
were brought into the Churches; if
they had not been tliere wouki have
keen no need of a divi.sioii. For
.sometime before the division, many
©f these new measures, that originat
ed about one luindred vears ago, were
brought in and the majority wais often
pleas'ed with them. But the old-
fishioned, faithful brethren, wdio de
sired to conted earnestly for the faith
once delivered to the .saints, could not
fellowship such a curse. Hence, in
relief to their conscieiiees, and for the
sake of gospel peace, tluw withdrew.
It is true they were generally in the
minority, and witlidrow from those
that walked disorderly : for the lord’s
people are generally fewer than other
people. Tliis division was a sail
tiling ; but were not the departures
that it describes ns as tho.se who are
of the faith older than the world and
that if the Lord he for us we have no
need of aii.x iar'es and societi. s ot
men, but regard it as our whole duty
to fear God and keep his command
ments.
It seems to those opposing us that
we are contrary to them, and troub
ling them. Allah said to Elijah,
Art thou lie that tmiihletli Israel?
But Elijah said, I have no'- troulded
Israel, bat you am! your fiither’s
house, ill that you have departed from
his way.s.
Jerehoam likewise built altars at
Betiud, ami Haii, fearing tlie ten tribes
wideli went off would return co Jeru
salem to worship; lienee he built his
altars at Betlie! and Dan, to keep Ids
people there. So those departed fnmi
the Lord’.s ways ha'>e erected their
altars in imitation ; for they preach
their salvation by grace, and mi.x in
something that seems sound, in order
to keep their people content, and that
they may not return to the true old
mother to worshiji ; hut they have so
many golden calves and other idols of
men’s fashion that it must he nltter>
hitter bondage to a true Israelite to
worship there. No wonder he wants
to enmpromiso and find a middle
ground, or something better. ■ But
when the scales fully fall from his
eyes lie must see that there is only
one right wav, and that Christ is the
way, and the trutli, and the life ; that
all is in him and not in Churches, or
, Boards, or Associations, or in man,
lint all in Jesus, As it was In this
rc’-foing off of thti_j(m, Irlbys by de
parting from the trtitli o!i both sides,
,so I doubt not there was bad feeling
and strife on both sides in the late
division of Baptists ; hut as the true
worship remained at Jerusalem and
the true worsliIp[)crs sought that
place; so, in this instance, tlie trutli
remains with the Primitive Ba[itists,
and the true w.m'sliippers fellowship
what they believe. Jerehoam made
priests according to Ills own finiey, so
the Missionaries have erected and en
dowed their schools to prepare their
preachers, &c., d'c.
I will quote some extracts from
Benedict, a standard liistoriau of the
Missionaries, to prove their corrup-
I tion by one of their own party. He
I wrote in 1859, and said ;
I
j “ Fifty years ago not an agent for
! eolleetiiig funds fii-r any object of he-
I revo'enee or literatim’ was to he seen
i in the whole Bajvtist field * * *.
j No one then dreamed of so soon see-
attention to the preaching they luar.
that the/ are ahie to detect any un-
sonndness in the doctrine they ad
vance. But this is not so generally
the ease witli the great mass f>f oiir
members as it was in a former age
* * But so greathas tlie stai d-
ard of orthodoxy keen lowered from
formei’ times, and so little altontion
do most of oiir Cluireh momhers of
tlie present day pay to the doctrines
advanced hv the ministers, that this
whole storv will prnhahlv he new to
most of them, except of the older
class.”
Again, lie says on pages 86 and
87 :
The manner of eoridncting them
(A.ssoeiations,) 1 attended while young
* * was les.s forniai than now in
many ji'aces, and there was more
])reaehiiig and exhortation ; nioro
frecdnni for men ot less brilliant pow
ers of speaking to take a [lart in doc
trinal exercises; and an entire ab
sence of agents to bespeak the good
will of the peojilc in favor of tiu’ir
different oljeets; at ilnit early period
then’ were none of the distrai-ting
isnis of late times, nor of the eonfiiets
whii’h they always engender which
have so o'ten tnarred the enjoyment
ot A.ssoeiational meetiims.”
c>
Now, the foiegoing are .some quo-
I tations from a historiati of the IMis-
sionaries, one of their own number,
written in 1859, in wldeh he eotn-
pared his jicople with what Ihqitists'
were fifty years before that lltiie; for
•lie had been among them fiftv vears,
and was an eye witness. What com-
metit is neiessary? None! One
tliat has eyes can see, and eoniment fi r
otlii rs svould, do no sood.
But Elder Shelton pei'hapswil! sav
die is not that .suit ot a ^lisslonavi;^.
hut stands on middle graund. Well,
missionaries are si’Ut oulier hv God
or by men. There is no middh’
grouiid between. What is not trtie is
false, and what is not of God will
perish.' Good men perluqis at times
endeavor to im[!rove on theold plans,
hut '.vhat does it nui into? Mdi\-..
into corruptions a}way.s. They wa.x
worse and worse. Jdie tipostoiieplau
is tor men to go according to the
teaeliings of the Holy Sjiirlt jitiul
preach wheieycr they have an opvis
door : and it is.the duty e>f bretliress
to help them as they have oppo>ytiuii ■
I tv and ahililv. The Chvnrli should.
t » ►
I also desire that the gospel he preacli-
i ed to parts beyond, and pray tln-
Lord of the. harvest to send laborers
into his vineyard^ and pray tliat tio-
word of the Lord lie non hindered
have course and he glorified.
Now. 1 do not (smsfder that telliim-
such ati arniv of agents, in the j the truth i.s throwing firebrands. 1.
believed that he taiU’-lit the school in 1 from ti’ulii which forced it a sadder
vvliieh his people were prepared to I
preach, and that filthy lucre did. not I
form any motive in prompting them. :
T believed that he had the same jiow- !
{’!■ now in sending them !>y his Spirit i
that he had while on earth, and that ;
lie went with them everywhere. I |
saw no middle ground. I .sank do'.vn ;
in mire w'len I attemntod to stand ;
between them ~ the oILs.sionarie.s |
and Friniitive Baplisis. If a between ;
gi’ound is proper, let us have some j
thing ?
When I anxiously looked around
for the people who were dislaiit from
all others, abiding stce.dfasily in the
apostles’ doctrine and fellowsliiji, and
who tints were separated from the na
tions and dwelling to theinselve.q it
seemeit to me that thev were the
Primitive Baptists. They bore the
name Primitive baptl-ts, and in some
sections Old School Baptists, to li.s-
tiii'>-nisli tliem from Missionnrv or
grace, and .some works as co-ordinate . j New S.dmo! Baptisis. If tliere were
some heavenly, and some earthly call only one kind of Baptists there would,
of couive, I’/O no need of different
names to designate them. We are
as eo-ccpial ; soniedivi-ue power, and
some munev as motive.s; some Bible
doctrine mixed with enough huma,u
i field for so many difiereiit objects,
I and that tlio Imsinevs would become
i a distinct matter rtf itidispensahle iie-
j ee-siiy I'or carrying forward our be-
I nevolent plan', and for perfectingonr
; deiiigminntioiuil work,
i A'^aln, on page 141 lie say.s ;
•‘The Fuller .system, whic'i make.s
j. it eoiisistenr for all the iieralds oi tlie
: (‘ro.'^s to i'rnl upon men everywhere to
j repent, was well received by one !
! eia-s of awn’ miiiister, but not by .tlie |
' stamyeh d’eu.’nders of the old tlieor'yol |
. a, limited aionement. According to I
I their view all for whom Chri.-t snlfer- |
etl and iiied would certainly he dfec- ;
tnally called and saved.
Again, on page 142 he .says:
Few pcr.sons may no-.v he found 'm
most ot our eongregatioiis \\ lux are so
nut ashamed. o.f our name, believiiMig i well iufornietl, andi who. pay so much ;
hope I am stating tlie truth in the
spirit ui meekiie.ss toxv
EEHUKEE HISTORY,
The Kcliukee Association at her-
last (Oetoher) .session decided to liavt-
her History written up to t!m (u'c.^ent
time; and olitainC’d tli.e eoi.si'iit ot’
Elder C. B. Has.S(:B of Williamsiou,
N. C., to ]>ri'p,are the same for puhii-
eation. .\ll pi’rson.S- wisdiing oi.e or
more copifs of .sard work are lequi'sied
to enter- their nanu’.s on some ono of’
the Aub.scrii»tion Piijiers sent out to
to t!'>e varion.s agents, or .si’nd their
names directly to Joseph D. Biy.g-s,
Will’a-mston,. N\ (1.,. Clerk of said, As-
so,eia.tioji,.
Nftvviwbier, i8I0,