92
Axkins’ Station, Pope County, Ark.,
February 12th, 1877
I will now endeavor to give my
view on tlie following text:
Study to shew lhy.«elf approved unto
ibnl, a workman tliat needeth not to be
a'lianied, rightly dividing tlie word of truth.”
—2nd Tim.2: lo.
This is one of Paul’s charges to
Timothy, who was his s^n in the gos-
j)el. He commences this chapter
with these words: “ Thou therefore,
my son, be strong in the grace tliat is
in Christ Jesus.” Not to be strong
in himself, but in God’s grace. This
is a lesson to God’s preachers down to
the present. He tells him in order to
strengthen him in the idea. Never-
theless the foundation of God stands
sure, as much as to say, you need not
fear men nor devils. But to declare
the whole truth, the condemnation of
the wicked, is as true as the eternal
Justification of the righteous—
they are both true—and they (the
wicked,) should be sure not to take
what belongs to the children or
church of Chri.st, nor try to feed, as
Paul has it, “ dogs,” “ nor cast your
pearls before swine.” Paul says,
“ Who, hath saved us and callal us
with a holy calling, not according to
our works, but according to his own
purpose and gi’ace which was given
us in Christ Jesus before the world
began.” This is very .strong meat,
but it is part of the word of truth,
and the church that it belongs to will
grow and thrive on it. But, says the
anpiuiau, Paul was speaking of him
self and Timothy; yes, and all of
God’’s people from Adam down to
the end of time. Jude gives some of
the same strong meat, he said, to
those he called brethren. He tehs
theiiu they were sanctified by God the
Father, and preserved in Christ Je
sus and called. Does it make them
mad, to j.re.ich it to them ? I answer.
No, it fe food to them and a death
blow to the wicked. They often say.
If that doctrine be true! as good as
to say. We don’t believe it! but if it
be true God is unjust and partial.
But, it is the duty of God’s rainis-
!iert to study the scriptures, and all
that is found recorded to proclaim
without fear cr favor. Paul tells
Timothy that he had not shunned to
declare the who.le coumsel of God,
and then gave hint a solemn charge
to preach the word, in which isChrist
and all he has eoramanded iu the
written, word. It is the preadter’s
duty to .study the scriptures so. that
he may be able to stop the laouth of
gain-sayers and to apply the promis
es where they belong.
If there is one promise of eternal
life to tls/J. wicked' I never have found
i,t. BAt Paul said, “ It is a faithful
saying and worthy of all acceptation,
that Christ Jesus caiaeinto the world
to sa,ve sinners (not to help do. it), of
whom I ana chief.’” Peter then
tells his persecutors,. This is thestone
that was set at naught by you build
ers.. We have plenty of them (build
ers in, this day,) that the word of
truth, descriles. But some have
said, you iiad better not poiut
them out: if I was to. feil to do it
I would not be a workman of the
household of God ; fo*- I would seek
to please men, and if it be so I am
not tlie .servant of God. But uow
X will finish Hjy q^uotatiou.. “But
Zion’s Landmark.
the .same is the head of the corner,
neither i.s there salvation in any oth
er, for there is none other name under
heaven given among men whereby
we must be saved.” I will ask, is
there'anv jiiace left for arminianism ?
But, said one, Peter .said tlie promis
es were to all. AVe will sec whom
Peter was addre-ssing when they
heard these things, that is, the things
jn’eaclied by Peter on the Day of
Pentecost: there were threethon.sand
person pricked in their hearts or con
sciences ; they prayed out. Men and
brethren, what must we do? AAT all
know if they had been like our mod
ern teacliers they would have .«aid.
Come lip and give us your hand and
we will pray for you. But not .so:
Kepentand be baptized, every one of
you. Did be mean the whole miilti-
tu'ie? I say, he did not. But ev
ery one that was convicted for sins.
AVe .see some were cut to the heart and
were mad and accused the apostles of
beiiio: drunk. So we know he had
no allusion to that class.
Jesus says, “ Blessed are they that
mourn, for they shall be comforted.”
And Paul said, “ He that beginnetli
a good work in you will perform it.”
There are two proofs to the point:
and to your children, when they see
their needs as yon now see yours.—
“ And to all that are afar off, even as
many as the Lord our God shall call.”
These afar off are God’s people
among the Gentiles; for, Clirist said,
“Otiier sheep have I which are not
of this fold.”
This shows very plainly what Peter
meant,and whom the promises were to.
luisiue.ss «lu-
ty to .study the won! of truth so that
of tlie preacher to divide truth and
error? I will .say ro yon, tliat truth
and error never were mixed. Truth,
when preached in its purity will con
demn and expo.se error. Said Paul,
•‘The Spirit speaketh expre,ssly that in
the latter days .some shall depart
from the faith.” Some are ready to
.say. Can a man depart from what he
is not in po.s.session of? Paul was
sjieaking of men that crept into tlie
cluirch to cause s])lits and corrup
tion. The faith of God’s elect is
held and preached nowhere but in his
church, and when the fa'se deceiver
leaves or is ca.st out of the church, he
is cast out from the faith — and that
is just what Paul meant. John .said,
“ They went out from us, (the true
church) because they were not of ns.”
They had only been living where the
faith was preached and went out or
departed from tlie faith, as Paul said,
and gave heed to seducing or lying
spirits, speaking lies and calling it
the gospel. We have been eye-wit
nesses to many in.stance.s of this kind.
Paul said again, that “Men of your
own selves shall arise up in order to
draw away di.sciples after them.”
1 was an eye-witness of many of
the distre-ssing things that took place
in the division. Tlien 1 was only a
a young jireacher, hut studied the
scriptures in order to try and (iiul tlie
true cause of the division ; they .still
retained the original Articles of
Faith, hut I soon found out tliat
they did not adhere to them, for tliey
preached an arminian doctrine, and
run head-long into every institution
.set on foot by anti-chiist or Popery.
ye are not of my sheep, as I said un
to you. Aly sheep hear my voice,
and I know them, and they follow
me.” He also loiows them that ai\*
not his, for he tell.i us he knew who
wonhi believe on liiinand who would
betray him. “Therefore I say unto
v’on ye are not all clean.”
By this we .see tlie word of truth
describes two classes of people. And
we, as the servants of Chri.st, should
not take what belongs to the chnrcli
and trive to the vvoidd or anti-christ.
Tlie word of truth fells ns in the 3rd
chapter of Matthew', “She shall bring
forth a son and his name shall lie
called Jesus, for he shall save hi.-
people from their sins.”
Abnei: IIebx.
he may be able to apply the scrip
tures where they belong. They were
given to and for the people of God.
Paul said all .scripture was given by
the inspiration of God, and without
revelation from God we cannot un
derstand the word of truth, for the
natural man understandeth not the
things of the Spirit or what vasgiven
by the Spirit. Paul, in tiie 11th
chapter of Romans, in reviewing
God’s wonderful works of the re
demption of his people, in the 33rd
ed mi.ssionisiirrirbrder to carry out
his pernicious plannings, jMid 1 soon
.saw the Missionary Baptists were fol-
lowiii”- the same track, and it was
then that I took my sword in hand
against them and every false way;
and now I have no compromise to
make with them nor any of the sects
of the day, for the word of truth
leaves them all outside of the church.
AVe hear them speaking perverse
things to draw away di.sciples after
them. This we have also seen to
our sorrow, when the Missionary
ver.se says, “ O the deptli of the
riches both of the wi.sdomand knowl
edge of God ! how unsearchable are
his jndgments,and his ways past find
ing out.” AV’e see these wonderful
mysteries of the mercies of God’s love
and grace to and for his people can
not he understood without a revela
tion from God; flesh and blood can
not understand nor reveal the won
derful plan or covenant of grace *hat
contaiius all the blessings and graces
that tke church or people of God
stand in need of, either in time or
eternity^ David said, “He hath
made witk me an everlasting cove
nant ordered in all things and sure,”
for this. ^ all my salvation, and all
my wishes, and all ray desire. Da-
vul was personating Christ as the
Mediator. There can be so* failure if
it is ordered in every par^ and sure),
for there is no power btist of God,,
therefore tire eternal salvatloai of
God’s jieople stands- sure, without
one cojidition to be- perfonraxl by
them.
If I lUiclerstand tlie word of triatli,
duty
Baptists would ari.se and preach })cr-
verse and false things, and use every
means in order to draw away disci
ples after them. This was one of the
most trying'times that Baptists had
met with from the days of the rise of
the Pope, or Beast. It behooved the
true ministers to study the scriptures
and use the sword and not let natural
friendship influence tliem, but be
slayers of our brethren in the flesh, if
the Spirit and the word justified it.
We see in this war that brother was
atrainst brother, and father and .son
against each other. The word of
Truth says, Cursed is he that has
said. aoiSi okd usau,, B B not tbwe
uttered the word of God deceitfully ;
and likewise. Cursed is he that with
holds the sword from blood.
This shows very plain that the
minister of the gospel should preach
the-truth as he finds it in the AVord,
if it slays his father or brother. AVe
are commanded to know no man af
ter the flesh. Said an old man,. We
cannot see the cause of .some u>®n aiuk
women believing the word of Truth
and some not believing it. Christ
KEliUKKE ASSOCl.VTION lilSTORD
In answer to the rej>eated inquiries
as to the character and cost of this
work, I would say, th.at it i.s to in
clude a brief sketch of the churcb
from the commencement of the Chris
tian dis[)en.sation !;> tlie present time,
as well as a History of the Kehukee
Association from its formation till
now.
The supposed co.st of the book is
§1.50, It may be more or le.s.s, ac
cording to tlie number of subscribers
obtained. The money column con-
tributwl goes towards compensating
the author ami thereby .st'cnres tlie
fortbcornlug of the work—tbi.s also is
to le.ssen the cost of publication.
Subscribers are to liavetbe work at
it.s actual co.st—no profit to be charg
ed. Money for the contribution col
umn or lor the book will not be re-
ciuired,until the work is taktii from
1
the pres-s, and the probability is that
two years will elap.se before that is
done.
All snb.scription pajiers should he
returned to me by the fii’stof Sep
tember next. Jos. D. Biggs.
Williamuton, N. C,, March 1877.
* Sf- I
Sicii.-, of the Times, Primitive Patliway
; .and Primitive B;ipti.-1 will ple.ase copy.
saitl,, “ Ye believe not oo me- becaAise:
Aftori, -G.'i,, March .>0th, 1877.
Ehhr P. D. Gold,—Dear Brother in
Christ:—
Sometime in June or July last I
wrote a communication in which I
gave the time and place wdicre the
Union Association w'as to convene—
which •was Cat Creek Church, Berri
en County, Ga.
In a private letter to me you stat
ed that .said communication W'as mis
placed, and since the meeting ot the
Association I see you iiave published
it. And, lest some brother or friend
at a distance .should be mi.sgiiided by
its appearance iu the columns of your
paper, I w'ill here fake occasion to
say, the Association for the present
year is to convene, if the I^rd will,
with AVayfair Church, Echols Coun
tv, Gu., Saturday before the third
Sunday in October, about six miles
from Nailor, and about the same dis
tance from Stocton, on the A. & G.,
R. R. At the pro[>er time I expect
to send a further notice for publica
tion to the Landmark and Primi
tive Pathway.
As my sheet is not quite full I
will pen down a few thoughts for
yonr cotssid.iera'tiioni,. though I am
q,ujte unwell and. iiavo been for the
teu difcys.. I will q^uote froui.