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DEVOTED TO THE ‘ DEFENSE OF THE PR
VOL YI.
“XO TITK TO XITE TTnSTIMONY.”
WILSON, NORTH CAROLINA, JANUARY 15, 1873.
Music.
TloTf STTcpt ponnds, tliey sootb? rny heart,
Vfh n torn bv sore aflliciioii’s ama.' t;
1h wildest dreams I bear tbem ol't,
Policicus, melodious, soft.
1 iOTft the warhlit pr of (be bird
‘Whose Fone so oft in spriiip;' is heard,
“!'is evtr music to mv car.
■’Tts srnt to sti engtbeu and to cheer.
I love it in the tnorning bright,
When hearts arc; free and glad and iight,
it sends a thrill of joyous glee
To think its songs me meant for me.
’Tis Cod who gives it rtrength to sing.
To -make the woods witli music ring;
’Tis Hr wlio makes ns love to hear
Tbe r gladsome notes so puie and clean
Where’er it be my lot to dvre'i
(hi higliland roe!;, in mossy dell:
In (Ottage poor or jailace fair.
May music be my pleasure there..
I stirrow for tliat sickly mind,
Who ne’er in music ouglit can find
A charm to drive dull care afar,
When troubles dark their pleasures mw-.
Oh music good f eve y k’nd
I® ever suit, cl to my luiiid,
Ko maUer if its sad oi gay
A solemn chant or mci ry lay, -
'SSusio poficns, music refines,
Mu; if cm-hriits, may it be mine,
K’er to feci i's soot ing t o’.ver
, Jiln ia death’s da.ik and trying hour.
But music here can never be
Bo sweet as that above to me;
In tii.vt lu-ight land of iicrfcc t love
Where sainis in endless intmbcrs move.
M. A. THOMPSON.
P
;PoETRt'. I (’ui'iiig this time 1 learned to play the
liddle and 'I beca’iie one of the
chief among the yung peojtle in
their parties and dances, and in this
form of life I gloried, I had for
gotten all my former priyers and
promises I had made in my child
hood and gone after my own W’ay
which I then enjoyed, I seldom went
to preaching of any kind and if any
spuke to me of sneh, or rebuked me
it would stir my wTath against them.
As for the Bible I had no use for it
and did not read it, no more than if
there had been no such thing in the
world. Oh 1 miserable condition
that I ivas in. I do at times reason
with myself in this way, a.sking wliat
wa.s in me to cause the Imrd to love
me, surely there was nothing, hnt if
I was loved it was in Christ, for if 1
urn one that yvas eho.sen in liim to bo
conformed to him it was according to
his purjiose to come to jiass and not
according to our ivorks, cither of
righteousness or wickedness: all the
Father gave me shall come to me and
him that cometh unto me I iviil in
nowise ca.st out: all that hath heard
and hath learned of my ■ Father
cometh unto me: wo have to learn the
filthiness of our v/ickedne.ss and
Novemhkr 9th, 1872, righteousness before we can or wdll
come to Christ, I believe I have
been eTperimentally taught the filthi-
r.e.ss ol both. I liiid no pround to
O
build a hope on citlier. I have told
you a little of my love to sin. Now
X will inform you of the w’ay the
Lord lias led me out and killed me
to the love of .sin, if indeed he has :
about the age of nineteen I was
awakened and I .saw I was a sinner
OMMUNICATED.
Dear brother Goi.d :—Havim-
liad the privilege of reading a few
numbers of the “Landmarks’’ I
fttn w’ell pleased with the doctrine it
contains; I have en^dosed tivo dollars
in tills letter for your paper one year.
Dear brother as I am wTiting
for your paper I will tell
yon a little about my experience of
gTK 0 in early childhood from the a j;e
of about eight years old to about
twelve I had very serious meditations
on eternity at times and desired to be
a good child and when alone I would
try to pray for the same, but from
.the age above mentioned I fell In
love with the ways of the world and
was hardened in sinful practices so
that I befame an enemy to religion
and pursued after my own way,—
I h.a(i a great habit of sivearing and
-^'ursing, so that I seldom uttered a
jiuntence witliout an oath of some sori.
against God and in his sight I saw
also that I was pas.sing from time to
eternity and I would have to go to
judgment M’itli all my sins, if I re
mained in the condition I -was in I
should be lost, but at this time I was
not affected with much fear and the
reason was I had a way in my view by
which I thought I could escape llie
M'ratli ofGod: and sin, being very sweet
to ray desh, I would .^ay it is time
enough yet to reform; thus I continu
ed a short time, but the impre^ious
gan to promise I (vould leave olf sin
ning and do
would love me and pardon me for
what I had done, but my convictions
Vvonld ease off my mind and I w’ould
do the things I had promised not to
do, after making end breaking many
promises, I .sav/ I vras getting worse
instead of getting better and in order
to bind myself I would take an oath
to the Lord I Avould not do those
things again but that proved of no
more strength than the other; now
thought I, it will not do to go on in
this way for in the place of doing
good I am doing worse, so I con-
ded to leave off trying to do good
for it is no use, for I can’t do rio-lit.
About tins time I dreamed and saw a
cloud rise in the west about the size
of a man, and in a minute or two it
spi’cad over the heavens and became
exceedingly dark and tlie lightening
Hashed from it and enme in the house
I was in, and light(3rl on me and I
drank it; this increased my troubles
for it appeared if I did not turn I
would have to drink the nre of hell
forever. Thus I promised again and
tried to pray to the Lord to have
mercy on me and enable me to keep
the promise, but I broke it: now cried
I, what shall I do, for I am sinning
both Avays, if I go back I sin there, if
I try to do rigid I sin there for I lie
to the Lord, wh.ich appeared to be as
great a sin as I ever committed. I
can’t go back for I shall die tliere; I
can’t go forward, I have tried and I
sin by trying to do right, thus I stood
looking this Avayand that Avay crying:
Oh! Avhat shall I do to be saved, at
this time it came in my mind to read
the scriptures. So I read them, the Liav
was the first part I read, Avhich seemed
very seAmre to me but I thought I
must keep it; about this time I got
rid of my outward sinful practice's and
I lived for a Avhile as upright as I
AA’cll could and I rested here, thinking
I was doing my duty: the next I saw
Avas my sinful heart.
I discovered that cauI thoughts
Avould AA’ork in my mind and the Iuaa’,
saying the thought of fbollshness is
this
wonH
mourning
sin and the soul that sins shall (ise,
AA’lien they Avould assail mj^ mind I
Avould try to banish them out, but I
could not; noAv ray troubles began to
increase again and my burden Avas no\v
greater tliaii before I had reform 1 f
had lived u})right but my heart w’as
evil and evil thoughts Avould floAv in
me in spite of all I could do to resist
them; Avhen I Avould pray they Avould
Avork in the very prayer, here I Avas
cut loose from all hope and I sank
down in the lowest depth of grief; I
could do nothing but cry, God be
merciful to me a sinner, in this coiidi-
tto.a and through all mv traA’cl, f
AVGuld desire to be alone for I avcjs
ashamed to let any one knoAV I \A’as in
distress,, thus I AA’Ould retire to some
secret place night and day to pray; in
condition I Avould
■>ne for nothing wa«
any enjoyment*’*!^ ’r>\0, -(br ik- •
my life Avas soon to be ended and I
should be plunged into torment, 1
could now view God hjly and his
law holy and pure and good and I
.such a sinner I could not see hoAv tl.«
Lord could haA’e mercy on me, but
the very breathings of ray soul Averc,
God be merciful to me a sinner: Avhile
in this state of grief and sorroAV, I
dreamed I climbed up a high hill
and I had gotten to the top of it, I
Avent on to the further side whicli
'was up and down, so much so, I
saw DO Avay to go down hut t
thought I must go down and as I
stept off the edge there was a pillar
under my feet that let me down, and
as I Avas going down a light slione
on me and I felt light and good and
the hill vanished away and I was in
a straight narroAv street; from that
time my burden Avas gone and all
the Avorks of nature looked glorious
and beautiful; I was filled with love
to the Lord and his people and
those 1 loved Avere the Old Baptists,
though I knew nothing about them,
I had never spoken to one of them
on a religious subject, neither liad t
heard them preach but a few time*
and that Avas Avhen I cared nothing
about them. I visited tlm first
(juartei ly meeting after my deliver-
h