62
Zion’s Ijandmark.
while the Churches are being bur
dened with the desire to hear from
the gifts of God to the Churches in
lier scattered eonditior, it is as
imicii the duty of the members to rts-
sist tlie ministers on their way as it
is the minister’s dntv to go as Paul
said. If you have received of
our spiritual tilings tiiink it not hard
if we receive of your carnal things.
I d n’t understand that the ministers
are to bare all the burden in their
calling; but it is equally necessary
for the bretliren and sisters to place
tiiemselves in like situationsand then
do as they would wish to be done by,
and then all things will work togeth
er for good to them that love God
and are the callwl according to hia
pur,»oso.
May we all fare well on the prec
ious promises of God onr Savior, and
live in oliedienc'O to his will, is the
desire of
Your unworthy brother,
John H. Myeks.
I li i t 0 t i a I
(“Remove na M«e aiicisrU land-\
t.’' I
\ mark, which thy fathers have »et.'
UEMAKK8 ON ELOER SHELTON'S
LETTER.
From what Elder Shelton says, as
well as from other information as to
some of the Primitive Baptists of hie
swtion of Alabama, I judge that they
are entangled with worldly institii-
tion.s. Some of their Churches and
Ass(,oiations liave Masons, Odd Fel-
h»ws, Grangers, &e., as members.—
We have no oljection to men of the
world being Masons, Odd Fellows
or Grangttrs. But we ittsist that the
Churcli of Christ should he separate
from all worldly institutions.
Brethren.you should be lights and
CKamples to men. Here is a man
tronbled about the institutions of the
Missionaries, ami who is desiring to
make an escajxj; hut when he w*nld
flee to the city of refuge, behold,
even Jerusalem hold-s alKXuinatious
in it. What shall he do ?
Years ago, these worldly institu-
tfons crept into the Cliurehos, as
other fbrthdden practices orept in
among tiie ancient Israelites. What
was their teinody ? It was to purge
out the old leaven by repenting of
their al)omitnitioas and turning back
(♦ the old landmark. M'e would
say, tliat your duty in Alabama and
elsewhere is to witlidraw from all that
walk disorderly, and defile not your
selv'cs by sno!» marn'ages, or uiiioas
witb uuhcliovers. Be ye dead to the
rudiments of the world and the Ix>rd
will recjelve you. Come out of Bab-
y'lon, or such confusion.
This i.s wiiat Primitive Baptiste
have done iu:4 arc doing, from time
immemorial. Tliov rannot s.ay that
Uiev are as pure iis they should be.—
Jmperf(x;tions attach to man. But
they withdraw from these forbidden
practitx's as they are manifested.—
AUnit forty-five or fifty yeare ago,
there was a general separation in this
;ukI the surrounding States, and our
A.sstKuations a.s,serted their independ-
cttce of institutions Mrltich had been
bnaight into tlve C'huroljes a few
years before under tlw mRwenoe of
the novel d 'ctrinesof Andrew Fuller.
Now Elder Shelton desires relief
from the same difficulties. In their
great distress, the Israelites cried un
to the Lord, who fought their battles
for them.
Let liim Inonestly examine the doc
trine and ways of the Prioiitive
Baptists, and sec if he finds the
marks of Israel among them, even
though they be rusty and burdened
with the rubbish of slack.lesa and un
lawful union with ihe world. Is
there not a true Chnndi of Christ
somewhere? Who holds the doc
trine of Christ in its essential unity
and completeness? All denomina
tions hold j)art of it in the letter bwt
mixcKl with their own interpolations,
as ir»n and clay are mixed. But
there is a people that hold and con
tend for the unadulterated doctrine,
ordinances, power and words of
Christ, fvs infinitely above all the ad
ditions and inventions ot men. They
are the true Church. Their gar
ments may be defiled, as were those of
some of the seven Churches of Asia.
They should repent and their con
duct should be conformed to the holy
w >rd of God. Again wo say, Let
our brethren see that they put no
stumbling-block in the way, by de
parting from the tVnth. I think
Elder Shelton can find some genuine
Baptists in Alabama, winsre he oonld
realize rest for himself.
With him I unite in deploring the
division among Baptists, ft is need
ful though that heresies come, that
the true sheep may he separated from
the goats, and thus each be made
manifest.
As to the question of disorder that
Elder Shelton proposes. First the
case «f one who refuses to wash feet,
and another breaks the Sabbath, and
then both offend the Church of Christ.
I have this to .say. In a gospel
Church, where any members persist
in disobeying the commands ot our
Lord, all offenders should pretty soon
1)C delivered over to satan for the de
struction of th» flesh. Of course if
one offender is retained who r(2^ntB
not that sh#\vs partiality. In the
Church of Christ those who liave
the Spirit of Jesus do not regard the
Sabbath as the Pharisee did, still they
will not be merely serving self on
that day, or djvote what we call Sun
day to worldly labor. To show
works of mercy,*visit tlie sick, attend
preaching, read the se'riptures and
alwtaii* from unnecessary manual la
bor, are appropriate labors for Sun
day. The Jewish Salfoath ended in
the letter with the Jewish system.—
The Christian’s sabbath oi’ Sunday
comraetMorates the resurrection of Je
sus. A Baptist who would violsde
the hoj>e and Joys of the resurrection
on that day, and not pay a pnq>er re
gard to it would show himself an un-
worriiy follower of Jesus and shsnld
be dealt,with.
Christians should not soil others
feet also, by slandering one anothei,
or backbiting, or falsely accusing
each other. If A sees B acting im
properly, one good way to wash his
feet is to go and (ell him in a meek
spirit of his fault. He should go in
a meek spirit or he might rub off the
skin, or break a bone. When I was
Baade willmg tojoia the Primitive ur
Old School Baptists, I saw no spots
iw them that offended me with them.
I w.as defiled and humbled in my
own sight; bnt they were lovely. I
tliink I saw them in Christ—all fair
as having doves’ eyes.
A Cliurish that departs herself
from any of the ordinances of Christ
is in a poor plight to enforce discip
line. Baptism a»d the Lord’s Sup
per are the ordinances of Christ—
feet washing is an example that Je
sus has set for his people wherein
tliey show their love for each other,
and that they serve one another as
occasion may offer and, above all,
that Jesus has washed them—washed
them from sin, washed their conduct,
for faith in him heals their defile
ments.
I think there are genuine Baptists
and a good nnmlxT of them in Ala-
Ixjma that are arrayed in white. But
they are not lovely to the world, so
strange is their faith, doctrine and
vie\ys; so unpopular. One has to be
come very lowly and humble to see
them in their i)eauty.
Let not Elder Shelton I>e kept
fi’(»m hia duty bijcause of these faults
in some of our brethren. If he is
truly in earnest he will be guided to
a people that know the truth.
Hoping that this 4orrespondenoe
and discussion may he profitable to
all concerned, and that any of our
brethren there or elsewhere who are
married to the world will put away
their strange wives, and be joined
only to tlie Lord, and that those who
are enqnireing for old way may
also liave all their high thonglits
brought into caj>tivity to the obedi
ence of Clirist and be satisfi(»d with
him, I remain yours to serve.
NOT TO BE FORGIYEN.
PI)H«outh, N. C; July 3rd, 18T6.
Eldt'r P. D Ooldy—Dear Sir:—
Please give me your views through
the La.ndmark oil Matt. 12: 31,
82, and you will oblige your foiend,
J. B.
" Wherafore I say unto you, all manner of
sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto
men : bu( tlie bltwphemy against the Holy
Ghost shall not be forgiven unto men. And
whosoever speaketJi a ward against the Soti
of man, it shall be forgiven him : but whoso
ever speakelh against the Holy Ghost it shall
not be forgiven him, neither in this world,
neither in the world to cot»e.“
This it .secui.s to me docs not mean
that all sins will be forgiven to all
men, so that all will be savt'd, except
those who sin against the Holy
Gho.st; but it means and says that
ali manner of sin, it matters not how
grievous and how shocking its heui-
ousness, will l>e forgi\t3ii. Paul the
per.'.«c«tor, the adulterer, drunkard,
liar, the immor.al man genernlly, are
among seriptural examples to prove
this.
Offences and sins against Jesus the
Stin of man would be forgiven. The
be.st evidenoe to any one that they
will be forgiven is that one abhors
himself as a sinner and repents of
them ; the I>est evidence to him that
they are forgiven is that he loves
Jesus.
But there Is a blasphemy against
the Holy Ghost that shall n«ver b«
forgiven, neither in this world nor in
that whfoh is te eome. Whether
this means that it should not be for
given in the then Jewish worhl,
which bad not ended, bnt did end
with the pa.ssing away of the Jewi.sli
.system, or in the gospel worl-i wnieli
followed and which is now ; or,
whether it means that it shoirld not
be forgiven, neither in the duration
of this natural world, nor that elern.a!
world which succeeds it, into which
all will pass at the end of time; in
either view it amounts to this, that
such sins will nevei’ he forgiven.
Those therefore wlio contend that
there is no everla.sting punishment dio
so under the fearful hazard of contra
dicting the word of God. How
much safer are those who give lioii'T
to God by believing and obeying hi.-*
word. How vain are the.se notioits
of a God so fnll of mercy that 1m?
cannot punish or condemn a sinner,
wlien every dispensation of God
proves him to be a God of holiiuv#
and justice, as well as a God of mer
cy. Why .should death andsufl’ering
so reign, even in this life, where it i-
manifest that both rewards and pun
ishments are not complete, if Got!
is too merciful to punish transgn>s-
sion. Here the righteous sHffnr oft
en more than the wicked do; for*
they receive their evil things in this
life, while the wicked receive their
good things. Bnt tUe wicked is
snared by the work of his own hands,
and his own heart hath deceived
him ; neither can he pluck the lie out
of his right hand. Becau.se God doe*
not cha.stise him for sin here, as Im'
chastens the righteous, therefore the
wicked says he will never punish,
neither in this world nor in that
which is to come. But the pangs of
genuine conviction in tlie soul for
oueMay will convince a nuin there is
a hell.
What that unpardonable tin
further than it is here described, 1
know not. The Phari.s(5es said, Je
sus cast out devils by BeeLebub tlu,"
prince of the devils, tlius charging
the wonderful work of the Holy
Ghost to the prince of devils ; for Je
sus ca.st out devils hy the Holy
Ghost. This was the greatest of alJ
wickedne.ss, so that none guilty of It
should ever find pardon. This is
b!a.sphemy against the Holy Ghost—
the Spirit of God. A wor«l uttered
againt tlie Son of man could l>e for
given, hut blasphemy against the
Spirit of God never would be.
To ascribe the operations of grace
in a true Christian exi>enenoe to the
devil, to say that the power of tlie
Holy Ghost iu castingsatan out of tli«
heart is a delusion or work of tlve
devil, is very much like that sin.—
None have committed it who f«if
GckI ami repent if their sins.
THEY 00 NOT LIKE TO HEAR OF
OBJECTIONS.
The following is an editorial itetii
copied from the Biblical Recordet':
“ A brother sugge«t8 that the Seminary at
Greenville is running tlie Southern Bapli.n
Convention. Dr. Boyce, he says, was Prw»-
dent and took pains to put Greenville men cm
every committee. We siippo.se it was wit-h-
ont design. But if Greenville cannot only
- --0 — -- - - ^
furoiih us our theology, but also run the iiki
chinery of the denomination, why need {ftiuif
people complain ?”
From the above item it eeeim that
onC| at least, of tlieir meiulxrs is a
Hule teiukr because of tbe iuilae»ce