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fSB.TO flS Blfim fill PElSmYl
“TO THE LAW AND TO "tIIE TESTI5l^0NY.”
¥ol. ylii-No. 7.
i^iison, N. G05 Febriiarj 15^ 1875.
i'Vliole No. 175.
Zif^irs Landmarks,
P. D. GOLD, Editor.
PUBLISHED BE\n-MOICTHLT
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FEBRUARY 15 th, 1875.
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> r,',5»,vi’5;ir-X’I AjiTTAVS sL.> rr
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MY lOXPEX.^K, W l’l«5FEHEU.“i^
For a g()od reason please direct letters to
me as follows;
P. D. Gold, Wilson, N. C.
hood and contrasting it witli Pic
Priesthood of Christ, and in order to
show more clearly some very marked
points of difference, the Priesthood ot
Mclchisedcc is introduced as illu.stra-
tive of the difference. It will there
fore frreaflv assist us to understand
that it is not of Alelchisedec as a man
that the Apostle speaks of being
“without father, without mother,
without descent,” &c. As a man it
is certain that Melchisedcc had on
earth, father and raotlier, and is by
regular descent from Adam and Eve.
Just asotliers who are born of the
flesh.
The Apostle is therefore speaking
of him not as a man, but as a Priest,
and contrasting the character and
nature of his priesthood with the
Levitical priesthood. The Levitical
priesthood was confined to the tribe
of Levi and consequently was by de
scent. In this jiarticuiar Melchi.se-
dec’s [u'iestly office differed—he did
not dc-scend from a lineage of Priests.
He was “witimut father and Avithout
mother” in t'\c p'destly office. The
! Eeviucal
^VAL^■UT Hill, T.AiwroosA Co., Ala.,
Dec. 25tli, 1874. .
Dear Brethren' and Sisters in the
Lord.—
Chri.dmas day I have
11 to rest my body from
the toils of this life, but I
Priest before hii
aid his mother
©aniffiEuicattij
Opelik.a, Ala., Dec. 28th, 1874.
Drotker Gold:—
\ 1| 0 I LXDMARKS, ofYoV. Ist,
n ‘ 1 s 1 there is a request over
V t' si jature of J. B. Salmon,
^ ul \I invilie, Iventucky, for
some one to give his views on the
first three verses of 7th chap. Heb.
and as I have not yet seen any re
sponse to that request, I Aviil very
briefly }iresenfc 'a few thoughts for
consideration, with a hope that some
one more competent will give a full
. comment upon the subject.
I will not record the text here in
full, but hope the reader will turn to
it in the New Testament and read
the full connection. All that is Avrit-
ten in the scriptures directly naming
Alelchisedec may be found in Genesis
14 : 18, Psalms, 110, and in 5th, 6th
mid 7th chapters of Hebrews. Sup
posing that the main point Avith
.Brother Salmon is respecting Mel-
chisedee’s being “without father, Avith-
ont mother, without beginning
of days or end of life.” I shall omit
other points in the text and direct my
remarks mainly to this.
In examining the connection of
tke subject Ave find that the Apostle
is speaking of the Levitical prie.st-
a Prieste.ss of the same family descent.
Again, the particular order or service
of priesthood with which Melchisedec
is contrasted required that the begin-
ning of the priestly or official days
should be at the age of thirty years,
and the end of the priestly office “to
do the Avork of the tabernacle of the
congregation,” should be when fifty
years old. Num. 4; 3, 23. lii tliis
sense Melchisedec was “without be
ginning of day,s or end of life.” There
was no specified age Avhen he should
be reco2;nized as Priest nor AA’hen
his official services should end ; but
being made “/i/ce unto the Son of God.”
Just so long as he Avas knoAvn as
Melchisedec, just so long did he abide
a Priest continually. Like unto the
Son of. God, Melchisedec blended
both King and Priest in one per.son.
Hence it is w’ritten that Christ “abid-
cth a Priest continually, after the
order of Melchisedec and not after
tlie order of Aaron.”
We see Avhat is tlie order of Mel
chisedec : so Christ hath no predeces
sor nor successor, none going before
him, and none to come after him in
the priestly office—no beginning of
his priestly day.s, nor end of Ids priest
ly life. He abidetli forever after the
order of Melchisedec a “Great High
Priest over the house of God” and
is “passed into heaven itself, there
to appear in the presence of God for
us.” Affectionately,
W. M. Mitchell.
iiu i iio. rest for my poor Aveaii
mind from the cares wdtii Avidch if is
neces.sar)Iy ' burthened. I am made
to wonder how you are spending this
Curistmas day, whether in Sweet
meditation of him, from whom, it
is said, the apjiellatlon Christ
mas is derived, or wliether .some are
thoughtlessly engaged in Av.orldly
pleasures. Can it be possible that
any of God’s dear chlidren are tlds
day eating and drinking Avith the
druuken ? Knowing that this is the
Avay the Christmas holidays are
usually perverted, I can but tremble
for the .safety of the pvcople of God,
especially the young. It is not im
possible tliat some Avho have put otr
Chri.st by an open profession are no\V
engage;! Avith the giddy world over
th.e intoxicating bowl, or in the ball
^or; Of jilay party. ■
WL-.,.'-idn yll v^uah, th.at,
.Avltatevc^thc circuin^ances may l>e,
or Avhatevei' inuu.,;r;‘as may be thrown
around tliem, there is no reasouablD
excuse for such conduct; nor can any
be accepted by him Avho has said,
“watcli and pray, lest ye enter into
temptation.” Nor does the Apostle
in his instructioiLS to young Titus,
give more latitude in that direction
to the young th.an to the aged, but
says, “young men likcAvi.se exhort to
be sober minded.” Titus 2 : 6. Breth
ren, Avhile Ave haAm reason to be glad
that Ave have received the doctrine
of Christ, and been delivered from
the doctrines and commandments of
men, Ave should not forget those
“things Avliicli become sound doc
trine.” Titus 2.
We have heard it said by some, as
an excuse for a slight departure from
the virtue of sobriety, that Christ
mas comes but once a year ! What
if it does not ; does the law of Christ
provide a license to its subjects to
get drunk tha,t often? No! That
form of religion Avhich only flourishes
during the Avarmer seasons of the
year, and never reaches its zenfP.i
except under the excitement of revi
val meetings, which fades Avith the
autumn leaf, and Avith it fails and
decays, is natural religion, and like
the dry leaf returns to its source, and
mingles a‘>’ain with the earth that pro-
duced it. But that pure principle of
grace Avhich proceeds from Cod rises
above these base elements and points
the soul tc him Avlio loved it Avith an
everlasting love. Wliatsoul, thongii
veiled by sinful flesh, is evef alive to
God,, and Avhere that love‘is sh.ed
abroad in the heart it is not withered
by the galling heat of jiersecution,
neither quenched hy the descending
floods of tribulation nor blasted by
the hoary frosts of Avintcr : But its
emotion.s, unaided by nature, often
•steal forth in solitude, or break forth
under the most trving scenes of af-.
fliction. What wondcrou.s love!
Tlie love of God in the hearts of poor
sinners ! The Avonderful atribute of
the Deity—the moving cause of the
plan of -salvation—the ppwfr Tiiat
drew us tojBrist—the principle that
binds • togetlier, and con
strains us ^J^rship and adore the
Ijord our Gtid'-: love tliat burns on
the-altej.y:6f:-our hearts through all
the., .phaiiges and vici.ssitudes of life.
This love Avill never bo di.sappoint-
e^,'it can never die, it is not de-
p'endent on circumstances, therefore
no circumstance can destroy it ; it
Avill endure through time, and to all
eternity. “Not that we loved God,
but that he loveiL iis.”H- If).
“Rifowr'y.
ought also to^iiive
verse 11.
Dear brcdiren, hovv dependent are
Ave for the ability to obey this divine
injnKction : to some extent depen
dent upon each other. How careful
I should be to render my,self an ob
ject of the love and fellowship of my
brethren. The morel exhibit ofthe
spirit of Christ the more I am esteem
ed by them. Our love to each other
depends much on ohr obedience to
Gb rist, hence in the absence of that
obedience, onr love grows cold, or
lukeAvarm.
Tlicre are many things in this .sin*
smitten Avorld Avhieh are calcnlated
to disturb the flow of love betAveen
brethren, Avhich things should be
carefully avoided by them. In all
their business transactions they should
be sure to under-stand each other, anl
avoid any liabillity to disagree m
their settlements. It is quite natural
for us to expect more indulgence from
a brotlier than a stranger, yet it is
not always that our brethren consider
themselves in a proper condition to
grant it, and we are apt to feel a lit
tle nnplca.sant if they appear a little
exacting : a little of the fire of hdl
is frequently kintlled in onr fleshly
nature, and it sonietinle.s destroys the
love and fellowship between breth
ren. It certainly requires a constant
vigilance on the part of Christians
and churches, to. keep the unity ot
(he Spirit in the bond of peace^.