I
L-
ZION’S LANDMARKS.
165
umi wt; hiive his grant for the one as
well as the other? As for my part I
cannot help thinking, if you will be
so good as to measure the devil’s
track in forbidding to marry, and
his track in forbidding meats, and
his track in forbidding drinks, tmu
will find the measure of his foot, and
track, and eleven foot, in all three
to a hair’s /breadth ; for all three
equally evoffs God’s word and per
mission to the three things above
Stated. But my intention as a wri
ter is never to leave any of my rea
ders in the dark, but to let plain
truth speak her owm homespun lan
guage. God has not denied men no
where in his word the use of a w'o-
man, but has prescribed rules in that
word how to use them and forbid
whoredom. Is not this right, ye
men of temperance ? So God has
not in his w'ord denied men the u.^e
any meats, they may choose to
eat, yet his word forbids gluttony
and revelling. Is not this right?
So God in his word has not forbid
men from drinking alcohol, brandy,
rum, whiskey, gin, toddy, wine, cider,
ale or beer. And if an})- can from
the New Testamera show to the con
trary, then I will say I am mistaken.
But if you cannot, then I say a dev
il (loctnne. For God's ■wbr(t*’aliows
men to have a woman, but not to
couainit whoredom; God’s word al
lows men to eat, but not to be glut
tons; so God’s word allows men to
drink whatever they may choose, but
not to be drunkaials. If this is nof
truth, and all right according to
scrlptnrc, I am yet a fool. So then
temperance doctrine is a good doc
trine; but here is tiie hypocrisy and
lies, because she calls herself Tern
pcrance, when her name is
(TO ISE COtvTIXUED.)
IluviNTOX, Wilkinson Co., Ga.,
September 28, 1868.
Dear Brother Bodenhamer:—My
mind is such that I must write a few
words for the Landmarks, in the -way
of consolation to the little lambs of
the fold, whom I esteem greater than
myself. Not long since I received
a private letter from a dear sister
that 1 regard as one of the dear
daughters of Zion, and she request
ed me to let her hear what I think
of her religiously, and I feel dispo
sed to speak a few words of comfort
to her and to the little children scat
tcred abroad, if the Lord will.
My dear sister, and those that
have obtained like precious failli, we
hear each other occasionally express
ing our feelings of unwortbiness.—
Oh, what a blessing it is for us to
feel unworthy of the favor of our
great High Priest. It is the great
est evidence that ive are the highly
favored of the Lord, if indcei ive
■find no good in ourselves, no merit
on our pait. This is the evidence,
my sister, that you and those that
travel the same v/ay are led by the
Spirit of the Lord, because the
Apostle says, that “the Spirit lust-
eth against the flesh and the flesh
against the Spirit, and these are con
trary the one to the other, so that ye
cannot do the things that yo would.”
Again Paul says, “ for that which I
do I allow not, for what I would that
do I not, but what I hate that do I;
now'then it is no more I that do it
but sin that dwellcth in me ; for I
know that in me, that is in my flesh,
dwelleth no good thing, for to will ig
present with me, but how to perform
that -which is good I find not.” Now,
ray dear sister, you see how the case
was with the Apostle. Now wuis he
always in possession of these two
principles or not? You answer, no.
Well then, wdien was the two princK
pies found in him ? When it pleased
God, who separated him from his
mother’s womb and called him by
Ilis grace to reveal His Son in liira
that he should preach the unsearch
able riches of Christ. Then he say^s
that he “received it not of man nor
by the will of man, neither -was he
taught it but by the revelation of
Jesus Christ,” And the Prophet
says, “ all thy children shall he
taught of the Lord, and great shall
be the peace of thy children.” Hence
wo discover all that have the expe^
rience of the Apostle are the chil
dren of God, and in themselves con
sidered thejr are -wholly unworthy of
the blessings of God; not fit, to be
baptised, not fit to eat and drink in
His house, not fit to wuish each
other’s feet. But in Christ they are
worthy to partake of Ilis ordinances
—in Him is all their fitness. But,
say you, 1 have so many doubts and
fear-., and it seems to me that a
Christian would not .suffer so much
uneasiness about being deceived.—
This is the way that you expressed
yourself to me, my sister, and if I
know anything about the Christian’s
travel, there is no one else that has
those doubts and fears but a Chris
tian. But 1 do so many things that
I feel condemned for, and I cannot
do what I conceive to be ray duty ;
I can’t pray when I -want to ; I can’t
cry when I see the brethren shedding
tears of joy, say you ; I have to pass
through all these things, which makes
me feel like one alon»^. Why ? Be
cause I am compelled to confess that
I have a little hope in Christ, and 1
have so many more sore trials and
temptations to nass through than
any one else seems to have, that it
puts me lower than everybody else
that I believe to be a child of grace.
I ask the question then, are you
willing to be the least m the house
of God ? If so, though you consider
yourself so small, you have the mind
of David and Paul, and the mind of
the great Head of the body. David
says, “ I had rather be a doorkeeper
in the house of my God than to dwell
in all the tents of wickedness.”—
Paul, in the consideration of his own
qualifications for the Apostleship :
“ I am not meet to be called an
Apostle, and am less than the least
of all saints.” Then, like you, with
the spiritual eye, he could behold so
much imperfection in himself that he
felt less than the least of all saints.
And again we hear him saying, that
“ it is by the grace of God I am
what I am.” And we hear him cry.
ing out and saying, “Oh w'retched
man that I am, who shall deliver me
from the body of this death. I thank
God, through Jesus Chvist our Lord,
so then with the mind (that is the
mind of Christ) I myself serve the
law of God, but with the flesh the
law of sin. There is therefore no
condemnation to them which are in
Christ Jesus, who wmlk not after the
flesh but after the Spirit.” Oh what
a glorious blessing it is for us to feel
ourselves unworthy to claim the ap
pellation of a Christian. It is the
operation of the Spirit of Christ,
the light of Divine grace, that leads
to this point. We are prepared by
this operation to praise God for rich
and redeeming grace, and all of our
worthiness to serve God is in the
merit of Christ. Then let me say to
you, my Father’s children, be of good
cheer, your Priest and King has ac
complished your warfare; He was
delivered for your offences and raised
again for your justification. May
the Lord bless you and keep you by
ilis grace, is the prayer of your un
worthy correspondent.
H. TEMPLES.
The sacrifice of the wicked is abom
ination : how much more, when he
bringeth it -with a wicked mind.
Adams County. Illinois,
Sept. 20th, 1869.
Dear Brother:—Having a small
remittance to make, I had a thought
of dropping you and jmur readers a
few theughts on the subject of the
cold and apparent decline of Zion,
and the cause of the cold and almost
lifeless state into which the professing
children of God have fallen. Christ
has said, Ye cannot serve two mas
ters.” I have been a professed Bap
tist forty-two years. When in 1827
the brethren and sisters met at their
church and other meetings, in the
place of engrossing all the time in
conversation on the subject of the
politics of the day, (not that there
were not issues on which politicians
of the purest patriotism differed,) but
their, or may I not say our, minds
then
were enga
ged in contemplating
the amazing heights and depths, with
the length and breadth of the amazing
Grace of God manifested in the gift
who though
of a dear Redeemer
rich, foi Ilis bridle’s sake became
poor, that she might be brought nigh,
by the blood of the covenant, ordered
in all things and sure. One of old
said : “ Her covering is of wrought
gold, (imputed righteousness) ; she
shall be brought in unto the King in
raiment "of needTewoHcl’''' i'es, tile
conversation of the Old Particular
or Primitive Baptists, wherever you
met them, was the same—of Christ
and Him crucified. Means or instru
mentality was not relied upon, yet
each little one appeared as much en
gaged in the discharge of each and
every Christian duty as though their
eternal all depended upon their walk
or conversation. But how now, and
for the last fifteen years ? Not as
it was thirty years ago. For who
now can tell a professor of religion
from a devotee of mammon. Some
of the preachers have run after lucre;
might I,not have said, many of our
preachers are found in the front ranks
for the honors and emoluments that
flow through the good will of base
and entirely worldly societies ; and
some of these even entered, without
knowing much about them, and then
put under an oath never to reveal
what they have heard, as though
they had forgotten that Jesus said :
“What ye hear in the ear that preach
upon the house top.” Our churches
here in the Northwest do not hold
church fairs or donation festivals,
(the meanest of gambling,) yet some
of our bretliren suffer their minor
children to participate with the chil-