Zion’8 Landmark.
61
many others to my raiiul in the same
section, who arc somewhat troubled
upon the subject of fellowship with
the colored race; and, I also saw
that they claim their Church to be a
white mail’s cliurch.
The above things filled my heart
with unspeakable sorrow, awd my
mind with sad forebodings. I felt a
](n«sing desire to say something to
those wavering ones, to ask. Whom
should they serve, Christ or anti-
(rlirist? If Christ, read the Testa
ment, did lie or his apostles make
anv destinction in color? Did they
even mention a Church that was to
fellowship none hut the white race?
i.sn’t such bringing politics into the
;ilmrdi? What God has cleansed,
call not thou common or unclean.
Our forefathers, who formed the
Kules of Dt^corum and Articles of
Faith for the Primitive Baptist
(diureh, believed tlie word of God,
that he had a people in every na
tion, kindred, tongue, &c., and did
not exclude the colored race. Then,
should we, who are more degenerate,
make any change? add to or take
from ?
Still, the above sect claims to be
on the old beaten track which the
Primitive Baptists have deviated
from, who have removed the ancient
landmark that their fathers set. It
maie such a deep irrtpreasien upon
my mind I desired tiiat somebody
would take the matter in hand and
speak a word in due season to those
troubled upon the subject. And
when I returned and found the Dand-
MARK awaiting me, it so liappened
that the editoi ial was the first to greet
my eye, and oh ! it relieved my mind
of such a burden, that some one else
had foreseen the evil consequences
that might accrue from giving heed
to the agitators of non-fellowship
witli the colored members—that you
had taken the matter in liand and had
expressed s;> many thoughts that had
passed through my mind.
If anytliing grieves me sorely, it is
to hear of' disturbance or confusion
in the Baptist Church, or any disa
greement among its members.
Bettik Langley.
Reach Tr^ Grove, Jfash'County, N. C-.
January lOtii, 1877.
Elder P. I). 'Gold,—Dear Brother :—
I have taken my pen in hand this
morning, the Lord being my helper,
to write a few lines for your inspec
tion. If my sinful heart deceives me
not, I am indebted to tlie dear breth
ren and sisters for the precious com
munications I have read in the col
umns of the Landmark. Although
I feel that I am a poor excuse to try
to write about heavenly and divine
things, yet, if guided by the right
spirit, you may gather some com
fort; for I believe that the Lotd’s
people speak as they are moved by
the Holy Spirit; and I believe that
the words spoken by the mouth of
die Lord’s ministers are just as true
to-day as they were in the days of the
apostles, and are just as profitable for
doctrine, for reproof and correction,
In the begiiitdng was the Word and
tlie Word was God : in him was life
and the life was the light of men.
We ought so to let our light shine
tiwit tlio world might see our good
works and glorify our Father which
is in heaven. I understand the
light spoken of here by John to he
the light which shines in the hearts
of poor convicted sinners when tliey
are shrouded in darkness and all
hopes are passed, when they are beg
ging the Lord for mercy, saying.
Lord, save or I {lerish ! I remem
ber well when I was at this point,
when I thought there was a chance
for others but none for me. It seem
ed to me that I had sinned away the
day (d‘grace, and thought my case
was an outside one. I would go to
the lonely thicket, and fall on my
face and shut ray eyes and say. Lord,
have mercy on me, a poor sinner; let
thv will be done—not mine—for I
feel that I am not worthy of the least
of thy blessings ! I felt that if I had
lieen dealt with according to my just
deserts, I would not have been spar
ed till then.
When I came to the place where I
thought there w^as no hope for me, I
remained in that condition more than
a month, and telt that I was willing
to exchange with the brute creation.
Night after night passed, amt I was
afraid to shut my eyes, for fear I
would not see the sun rise again, and
felt that I w'as forever lost. But I
had to wait my appointed time to be
delivered, as the Israelites dhl when
they came to the Bed Sea, “ Stand
still, see the salvation of the Lord!”
And then that light shines in our
hearts when they were shrouded in
darkness, bat the darkness compre
hended not. Yes, I remember the
time when it shone in my pear,
heart, and hope that I was then de
livered from my load of guilt and
sin that I had been carrying so long.
But oh my soul! here came another
trouble: I liad doubts and fears, and
something seemed to say, You are
deceived, you are no better now than
vou were before ! But tlieu another
voice seemed to say. If you love me
keep my commandments ; if you are
in Christ you must be buried with
him—not the going down into tlie
water that washes away the filth of
the flesh, but the answer of a good
conscience; and as such, it becomes
us to let our lights so shine tliat tlie
world may see we are a separate peo
ple, and partake not with them in
any of their evil deeds, and keep
ourselves unspotted from the world.
Brother Gold, may tlie Lord bless
you and your family, and may your
work prosper that the Lord’s people
may hear from one another, is the de
sire of your poor unworthy brother,
if worthy to be called one.
H. Batton.
Decatur, Illinois, July 2nd, 1876.
Elder P. D. Gold,—Dear Brother m
Christ:—
As it is my duty to remit to you
for the Landmark, you will jilease
find two dollars enclosed, which you
will please place to my credit.
By your permission, I have a de
sire to speak to your patrons on tlic
subject of the Religion of Jesus Christ.
And while many miles intervene
between you and me, vet from my
acquaintance with you ami your cor-
resjKindents and the readers of your
valuable pajier, how glad I would
be, if it is the Ixird’s will, to see you
all face to face in the flesh. If our
gospel he hid it is iiid to them who are
lost, Paul says in Galatians 1 : 18,
“ But I certify you, brethren, that
the gospel which was preached of me
is not after man;” 12th verse, “ For
I neither received it of man, neither
was I taught it, but by the revelation
of Jesus Christ.” There is no ques
tion but what there is a kind of teacli-
ing or preaching that is after man’s
wisdom, and the children in nature’s
night can understand, and arc made
to be giad when they hear these min
isters speak great swelling words of
men’s wisdom. Isaiah 61 : 1, “ The
Spirit ot the Lord is upon me, be
cause the Lord hath anointed me to
preach good tidings -unto the meek,
he hath sent me to bind up the brok
en hearted, to proclaim liberty to tlie
captives, and the opening of the pris
on to them that are bound,” &c.
If the ministers of Christ can bear
testimony to what Paul and Isaiah
have said, and ad who have been
translated out of the kingdom of
darkness into the kingdom of God’s
dear Son, and have been made to re
joice in the hope that God, for
Christ’s sake, has cancelled or blot-
tel our sins out; can w^e not all re
joice in God our Savior, for the gift
of his Son, not t» make a way possi
ble, but to save his people, not in
their sins, hat from their sins; and,
furtliermore, will cause bis believing
children to sit together in lieavenly
places in Christ? This seems to be
their privilege here in this world ot
sorrow. Not only this, but God has
blessed his Church with gifts of va
rious kinds, but all for the comfort
and edification of his body or Church.
How careful should w'e be with these
gifts which seem to be for tlie special
comfort of Zion. As Paul says, He
neither received it of man, neither
was he taught it, but by the revelation
of God. Paid says again, “ We
preach not ourselves hut Clirist Jesus
the L)rd, and ourselves your servants
for Jesus' sake.” Peter’s te.stimony :
Blessed arc thou, Simon Bar-jona,
for flesh and blood hath not revealed
it unto thee, but my Father which is
in heaven. Except the Lord keep
the City, the watchman waketh but
in vain. Thou art Peter. On this
rock I build my Clmrch and the
gates of bell shall not prevail against
it. The rock, which is Christ, and
is the stime one which followed na-
*
tional Israel, and is to the organized
Church to-day, as he w-as to tlie an
cient worthies who all died in faith
in this Redeemer, is to-day a
stumbling block to them, while to
others he is their shield and hiding
place. Yes, he is as the shadow of
a great rock in a weary land to the
believer in him, as their Redeemer
I and Savior.
Who is this that oometli up from
Eklum wit’* died garments ? Sur^
enough he stained all his raimant for
the people he so much loved ; yes,
became sin for us ; that is, he stepped
in our law-room and stool for his
Bride or Church ; and when justice
called for her own dues, tho’, on the
part of the Church or holy of Christ,
! mercy could Hot l>e 9us{>ciided at the
expense of justice—the law being ho-
Iv, ju.st and gootl, yet a near kins
man had the right of redetnj>iioa —
And Paul says, “ Husbands, love
your wives, even as Christ also lov
ed the Church and gave himself fbr
it.” And tliose are the characters
that Isaiah was talking to when he
said, “Anointed me to preach good
tidings unto the meek.” The Savior
says. They are blessed characters.—
Lsaiah says further, he was “ to hind
u[) the broken liearted, to proclaim
liberty to the captive.s, and the open
ing of the prison to them that are
bound. This is what God has said
of ins great mercies and grace which
are only treasmed in the Great Re
deemer ; and he came not to do his
own will, but the will of him that
sent him, and that will is fullv car
ried out in all the acts of Jesms while
lie was liere in the flesh. And tliis
IS what Paul means when he says,
we should be to the praise of liD
(God’s) glory, who first trusted in
Ciirist, the humanity, who was made
under the law for an express purpose,
to redeem them that are under the
law. Hence the gospel consists in
nothing short of Christ in the flesh,
what he procured to his heirs, and
that is what Paul means—to know
nothing but Cltrist and liim cru
cified, as the way, tiie truth and the
life. But, is this all ? No! There
.seem to he some strict command.-'
p;:ven to those of his household who
are of like precious faith. And faith
being the suRstanee of thing# hoped
for, tjje evidence of things not seen.
Oh that the Lord would iucrea.se our
faith, for if we had faith no larger
than a grain of mustard seed, we
could say to the sycasiore tree. Be
thou plui-ked up by the roots ! and
to the niountaias and hills, Be ye
removed.
Now these things have reference
to our transgressions—both original
and daily. It is ottly then that we
can look to Jesns as our advocate.—
Then we are humbled; and, for a
few moments our trials and moun
tains of troubles are gone only to re
turn again. (
Paul speaks of another thing that
was given him for an express pur
pose, whicli was a thorn in the flesh,
and how earnestly be besought the
Lord to take it away. But Paul and
the rest of his companions of like
precious faith no doubt have learned
that the trial of our faith is decided
ly neee.ssary in order to our happi
ness here'in the flesh, I have often
thought, in cases of difficulties among
brethi^en and sisters in the Lord, of
the grain of auistard seed ; and bow
easy we all are, i»t the right spirit, to
settle difficulties. Yes, even moun
tains or tall trees can be removed, or
troubles Hitt led.
I want to direct the minds of fht
ministering brethren to the great re
sponsibility that is resting on them,
not only as being self-sacrificing in
worldly pursuits which are calculated
to interfere Avith our traveling to and
fro to preach the unsearchable riche;
of Christ; but also, to tell theb’-etb-
ren and sisters of their duty to God
and to one another, and that we all
should feel equ.ally incere.sted in the
prosjMirity of Zion, and that we are
not only to wi.sh and pray for the-
prosperity of tho kingdom or C'lmrch
of Christ; but wc are eommandcxl to
bear one another’s burdens. .\ikI