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Zions
Landmarks
DK VOTED TO THE DEFENSE OF THE PIUMITIVE BAPTISTS.
•TO THK LAW AND TO THK TESTIMONY.’
fOL. flL
1‘OETUY.
Tim «K\ OFGLAHS MINGLED WITH
fik;:.
Aft«'tk)(iat*ly (o Mr*. Dr. William* of
».l(iw*ll f'ountv, Toxa*.
Oil I of in wciulroin Uoautr
hoariiij:,
Sk'wmj; billow* rollirg to the •trand,
And ill the wul a nolemit iiiimie leaviiifi;
From harp* of tho*e who on the billow*
rtaii'l;
In robe* of white the faithful cons and
thtugktcr*
Victoriou* utand and ding the prai«e of God ;
They look for Him, aero** the changeful
water*—
Jxiok for the Cliriit, witli Hi* dividing liod.
Their Tolec# xpeak of one renunciation
Of earth and life, till «ii the mingled Sea,
C*at*from the world—the «trangc and faith
ful nation
Sing* Moae’x *ong of «ne great victorr;
Rut faithful aoiilit, though wave* of Gla*g
be glowing.
To light for them the rc4tful girare heyond.
Yet tlirough those wave* the vaulting fire
is llowitig.
And aurgea up with wild and hissing sound.
Til* strangling Fire runs wild through
every billow—
Will It engulf tlic ainger* on the Sea—
Will fiery depth* become their soordBing
pillow.
The furious deep a Fnrnaca and a grave 7
Oh ; shall,^their feet go dowu into the caul-
drtin—
within tbe&rvi'nt host-
Or shall they st.iad, .a* died the holy
children,
touch of Fire upon their luishod feet?
When .lolin was called for Ged'c deep reve-
ixtion,
Sii holy sileiuse®n the io/aely Islaiwl,
This eaiuo to him in grand and glorious
vision
And held him tranced through ail the woii-
drou* while
In Spirit this—a wrei^tiing Sea oeaMaiingkd
As if it were of Ghuis asj3 raijiant Fire!
To tread its waveti feom every cJij®.c* aair
singhid.
A living host to toueh a living Ijwi.
He saw that whieJi should come witli
oviaaiieing agejt,
He saw dii.at whieh skisald come to you and
mej
He read for im life’s dial and teat-stained
pages.
And painted trtic for im tliLs liquid sea.
He knew this Oceau which in billow*
breaking,
•Throws up a spray of such transcendant light
That they who stand arc ever watching
waking,
Alike in sunlight on the darkest niglit-
IIa*t thou not seen, tiie bright ligiit flow
ing beaming,
Hast thine own feel ne’er pressed the billowy
road.
Aye hast thou seen the thrilling fire-wings
gleaming
Through waves of glass which only lead to
God ?
Hast thou uot worn a robcof radiant w'hite-
ness
And stood to rise with every changeful roll,
And though all trembling from the fiery
brightness,
Felt Moaes’.Bong glad w.iking in tliy soul?
Oh I fearful *«a, ohi radutnt wrestling Ocean,
The ChrLstian’s life of struggling hope and
fear;
The harpe they hold the true evangel’* por
tion
Which they miwt touch though fire is burn
ing near.
Were sea* all glass the way were smooth
for treading,
A radiant plain and not a troubled sea ;
Were life all hope the heart were full of
speeding
To grasp at once the crown of victory.
But fire within the Sea of Glass is given,
To scourge the deep with scorching lava-tide ;
And fear the fire from the refineFs Heaven,
To bring to Him, the host of purified.
Sometime the Christ, for whom the host is
waiting.
Will come and touch the Ocean with His
Rod,
And the wild waves at the swift touch aba
ting,
Will all lie still before the mighty God.
The fires will fail from out the waters
passing
They will no longer burn in every wave,
The tongue* of flame swift on each other
chasing.
Will find their chains within the deepest
grave.
A newer light all bright and radiant tender
Will wrap with sweetness th« pacific Sea;
And God will give each brow a crown of
glory;
Ench.Hp the song—Eternal victory.
Sept 5th, 1873. Ajtx.v Spbagixs
CO,MMUNICATED.
[Esiperience of Sistor K. Anna Phillipif
Continued.]
The Sunday School—that pet of
tite Church and eysteni of bringing
up children in the fear and admoni
tion of the Ijord: I was very favora
ble to a Sunday school, teaching tlie
children the scriptures &c. I thought
surely none but the ultra illiberal
could object. Still I have been de-
ceiveti in other matters—I had veri
ly bdievttd other matters scriptural
until a clear analy.sis; and “if ye
love me” etc., led me on to make
the best—“observe all things what
soever I have commanded” &c. In
noticing their catechism for Sunday
schools—I found—first—“who made
you ? “God;” who redeemed you ?
“Christ.” Now this second answer
struck me as, at least, presumptuous.
The answer was for all—were all re
deemed ? Was it right to teach all
they were certainly, so sure as they
studied the e.itechism,
Who knew but they taught their lit
tle children a hdsehood. I had no
use for a catechism that did not ac
cord with the scriptures. None I
ever saw do.
But my main objection was to the
principle of basis. I found the sys
tem as an auxiliry principle, assisting
the Church. Was the Chui'ch in-
j deed the body of Christ?—And this
jhuge mass appended or attached to and dissatisfied.
his boly; Was it a solid part or A
fungus growth ? If a solid part, why
so entirely hid from ag»s pa.st? ]f
fungus, by what law’ attached to the
bofjy of Christ ? But L.im told it is the
nursery to the Church,—a nur.«ery
wherein to plant the seed and grow
the tender plant to a certain age, and
have it prepared to transplant in the
Church. Here then i^nners are con
verted and saved; the weak and in-
efiScient arm of the church can’trcach
them. So this also i.s a soul-saviug-
mnehine. It Is argued in jniblic
speeches that the Sunday schools con
vert many more souls than the
church—that the churches would die
out but for the recriiits from Sunday
schools. Then it would seem, if the
Missionary is the true church, it would
certainly die oat but for Sunday
schools. When did Jesus Christ, with
whom in God is hid the life of his
church, when did he tran,?fer that life
to a Sunday school ? Did the article*
of faith read correctly—scripture.s,
“onfy rule of f ith and practice.”
Where is the faith, or practice, or rule
f»r appending anything to the church?
And that appendage to fit, to pre
pare, to make Christians of children,
and at the proper time, have nothing
toido, or for them to do, but to trans-
Just like a tree from a literal hurseiy.
This principle I found altogether
contrary to the scriptures and I saw
no use in claiming the word of God
as-a standard—as an only rule of faith
and jjrach'ce,unlesss we respecetd it as
such. The law of Christ teaches that
bis body is complete and perfect of it
self—that it was fitlv framed towther,
built upon the foundation of the
apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ
himself being the chief corner stone.
Any addition was a fearful sin. He
is the life-of that body and all the
members are complete in him; and
because ye ure sons, because ye are
covenant children of God, God sends
forth his Spirit into your heart crying
Abba, Father ; and not because a
Sunday school, or a Mission or a
Missionary Baptht so called church
has a being
Then to patronize a Sunday school
and object as
religiously lawful. This is not so ;
so to patronize is to act a falsehood.
I think surely no one ever experi
enced more sorro,v of mind than I
did, at these convictions of truth, as
one thing after another wascondemed
and ray mind vras confinncti by the
unerring word of God. I did desire
to be a Missionary Baptist and of all
her members I was the most restless
Besides mv natural
redcemetl ? \ is to recognize its basis
iigiouslv
O w
pride was sO greaL How 5ould )
•ay to my fashfoWahle neighlwrs—to
my Iwloved friends—church
all her fixtures are fAlse ? vS\inday'
.school—the beautiful petted ‘darling,
is unscriptural, and hence'fiS a flt>f
to r>cognizc it by patronage. When
Iwould look at the popular sentiment
and feel a.*sured of the fall I should
take in public ‘estimation, anil every
waiy in a worldly sense,l[iffil(‘Orell tind
tried, as I could not go for, to do, and
say nothing against them. Silence
is cOKsIdered consent to 'Fiiy^t^ing
proposed. JeS^^as’Said “he that is not
for me, is against me.” If ye 'Icfvt ?sc
keep my commandments. “And this
is love that we fbidk lifter IiTS *Cono-
mandmerits. This is the command
ment, that tus ye have heard from the
beginning ye should walk in it !frorn.
the beginning,” notice and not from
AliSsIonary Bapti.st time. “Whosoever
trailsgresseth and ahiddth not in the
doctrine of Christ, ihiith not God. Ke
that abideth in the doctrine of Chrifit,'
he hath both the Father and the Soc.
If there come any unto you and bring
not this doctrine (of Cfari^) !reccive
him not into your houso, neither (by
silent submission or otherwise) bid
bim God speed, rof 'hethathiddeth
him God speed, is partaker 'of h‘s
evil dcetls, 2 John, ?, ili.
this came up against my pride aA'
popular opinion. I would look away
to Jusus while on earth as denied ami
put to death by popular opinion, ami
my soul was pierced within me
with sorrow, and I would mentally
pray him te give me faitli to overconre
the world.
Now I could see why the Primitive
Baptists did not patronize or appro /c
of their systems of Sunday schools.
I was told, however, ificy did not be-
llere in any kind of good Works not
cvoji to teach the children the bible
Th is I knew was false, for I had been
sent 0 Sunday school all my child
hood and girlhood days. The sohool
I attended was not denominational,
but all denominations joined and
taught the Bible and nothing else.
Aly teacher was generally a Methodist
class leader But why don’t they
all do so? Perhaps because they
generally live in the countty, so lew
and far between, that they find it
better to teach them altogether at
home. For to biing their children
up in the fear and admonition of the '•
Lord, the Primitive Baptists consider
an important ehristlan dut,3\ Thd
command Was given to parents, and
hence they consider it their own dmlj
work and conversation showing them
selves as under the fear and admoni
tion of the Lord. Is a school fulfill-