i
50
Z’ioo's Landmarks : Wilson^ N. C,
A few plain hints to my beloved
brethren, and I will close tliis already
too lengthly communication.
Since the war, many of us have
l)een obliged to some extent to resort
to the credit system in order to pros-
(*;ute our business, and many, very
many at this time, arc deeply- involv
ed in debt; such I know from sad
experience to be a constant source of
sorrow and regret. But let us not
faint under the heavy pressure, nor
reproach ourselves too bitterly for
this, f)r if we hive an honest heart
and juire desire to pay what vre owe,
there is a way; although it may still
be out of sight ; but be sure to main
tain an honest, free and open bearing
toward all mni and trust in the Lord
help-
who has once ]iaid us out of a
less state of insolvency, and he will
enable us to pay wliat we owe to our
fellow men. Be humble enough to
confc.ss your true condition, and beg
indulgence fir that which you can
not immediately pay, and then go to
work for your family and joiir credi
tors. ‘‘Owe no man an
love one another,”
does not, in my judgem
a r eason all 1 e i n d u I gen ce i n
p: but to
3: S;
prohibit
the credit
system, but shows that we should
pay our debts when duo, for we do
tiot owe them before. But to love
one another is always due, every mo
ment of ourdives, and we should be
constantly paying it np, and s till we
will be owing it—it is an obligation
that will never bediminished—stran>ro
iContbiu
?cu,
IIendkkson.
The above communication of broth
er llendci’son so sweetly expresses
then as they w’cre the day they first
started—it seems likewise of this
highly esteemed servant of God.
The Association then convened.—
Appointed Elders James Dameron
from Country Line and Aaron Davis
from White Oak—they botli preach
ed that day. Elder Davis preached
first, blit don’t know his text as I was
not there. Brother Dameron followed,
his text was, “My doctrine shall drop
as the rain and my speech shall
distil a" the dew, as the small rain
upon tlie tender herb, and as the
showers upon the grass.” Also by
appointment,Elders Bodenhamer from
Mayo Association, P. Hart well
from iSTw Jersey, and Andrew Hall
from Country Ijinc.
Sunday morning 4th.—Met at 10
o’clock. After praise and prayer,
Elder Bodenhamer pieached from
this text, “That as sin hath reigned
unto death, even so might grace reign
through righteousness unto eternal
life by Jesus Christ our Lord,” Kom.
5 : 2L
Brother P. Hartwell followed.—
His text was, “For the grace of God
that lirings salvation,” &c.
After thirty minutes recess brother
Says ihe Lord, “Enlarge the place
of thy tent and let them stretch forth
the curtains, of thy habitation:
spare not, lengthen thy cords and
strengthen thy stakes, for thou shalt
break torth on the right hand and on
the left, and thy seed shall inherit
the Gentiles, and make the desolate
city inhabited,”
The Kehnkee Association, instead
of going down, is now in a flourish-
hatred, })ride, harshnc.ss or fear, are
utterly incompetent to take part in
discipline.
Again, I have learned by cxjueri-
ing condition.
Hall followed. His text was, “1
h.ave a message from God unto thee,”
Judges 3rd chapter, part of the 20di
verse. Salvation .by grace was
[>reached which reminded us of the
prophet Isaiah when he said
watchmen shall ad see eye t
and they shall all lift np theik voices
ili
Thy
tfiget
my own feelings concerning the sub
jects he treats upon that
willing to withhold an
am not
.g, cv.. eiii’ncst com
mendation of it to the reader.s of the
i jAxdm.i hks.—[Ed.
OcTonsii lltii, 1874.
Dear Brother Gold:-
THS morning I seat myself to
5|Tb inform you and the readers of
Zion’s Landmakks that the
One Hundred and Ninth Scs-
tl
sion of the Ivehukce Association has
Just closed.
Elder C. B. Hassell, of Williams-
ton,-opened the Services of the Day,
Saturday, October 3rd, and preached
fi'om Micah oth chajitcr and from 1st
to 7th verses.
Thus our highly esteemed brother
Flas-'cll preached the Introductory
Sermon to the comfort and consola-.
and with thciii’
shall sing : when \iion bringest
the cajitivity of ZTn.
Monday.-—The Association conven
ed again at 9 o’clock. Having ap
pointed brother James S. Woodard
from Contentnea, Elder David II.
Moore from Country Line, and El
der P. Hartwell to occu]iythe Stand.
Brother Woodard W'ent forth and
preached from this text, “O that mm
would praise the Lord for his good
ness and for his wonderful worl ■3 t
the children of men.” Jlrother Moore
followed flora this text, “lor
thus saith the Lord, behold I send
peace unto her like unto a river, and
the glory of the Gentiles like a flow
ing stream,” Ac: Brotlier Heart-
well followed and preached from this
text, “The kingdom of heaven is like
unto leaven,” Ac.
Thus ended the ])reaching of the
gos{>el at oiir Association until its
next regular session. I have been
vi.siting Associations for over forty
IMay the Lord bless us all, is the
prayer of unworthy
John Vaughn, (Col’d.)
Remarks ;
Brother John Vaughn was a color
ed member at the Falls, N. C. He
was a licensed ])reacher—had been a
member about forty-four years.
He was gifted, so that he could
repeat almost the entire Bible. I
have never seen his equal of any
color—in his readiness in quoting the
Bible. His judgment vvas excellent
also in applying the scriptures. His
counsel to his colored brethren was
to remain with the white brethren in
church membership, advising that it
was better for all ; that race or color
should not divide the true church,
but each should abide in his lot, and
all love each other. He was a very
humble man, yet a faithful one. He
signed his name John AVugn, colored.
- It is said that once the notoi ious
P. T, Barnum, in one of his exhibi
tions at the Falls, made a harangue
of a religious order challenging a ref
utation, and that John AHughn re
plied in such an effective manner
that Air. Barnum hastily retreated.
Brother John gave good advice to
f3fj;acc; u\nd -hjb crfiOWit is well
worthy the imitation of all Christians
in that he kept aloof from politics.—
It behooves us all to avoid the cor-
riiption of a party-spirit, and to en
deavor to obey magistrates in good
will.
Brother John died in faith about
the end of the year just gone.—[Ed.
Foesyth, Ga., Dec. 27th, 1874.
Dear Brother Gold:—•
! years—ever since
10^—and have
lion of all God’s cliildren who were | never seen more love and peace man-
wlietlier , jfested than there was on thi.s occa-
HE subject of Church Discip
line lias engaged my close
attention for several months,
but I cinnot say that I liave
eniirelv satisfactory views in regard
to it, but have to think and act on it
as I do on all religious subjects, that
is, with fear and trembling, lest I
should depart from the law ot Christ,
either in the course pursued, or the
spirit with which it is pursued. To
administer church discipline we have
to be spiritual. AYe cannot fulfil the
law of Christ only with tlie mind of
Christ. “Brethren, if a man he over
in the hearing of his
voice
widte or colored. This long tried
servant of God iuis been nearly forty
years in the ministry and combating
Sion.
•igainst the enemy, both from the
[Kilpit and press, and never has failed
to feed and build up God’.s cliildren-—
and siaying the enemy on the other
hand with the sword. Alay God
strengtiien and bless liim. He re
minds me of Caleb and Jo.shua—they
said when they got in the Land of
Oiir enemy about thirty years ago
prophesied and compared us to the
liarrcn fig tree, that we should be cut
away for the new
down and given
school. But, God has said, conceru-
Canaau tliat thev were as
vigorous
ing us, Sing, O barren thou that didst
not bear, break forth into sing
ing, cry aloud,thou that didst not tra
vail with the children of God, for
more are the children of ihe desolate
than tlie children of the married wife.
taken in a fault, ye which are spiritu-
al, restore such an one in the sjyirit of
meekness f Ac., Gal. 6; 2.
Again, the scriptures say that the
government shall be upon his (Christ’s)
shoulder, that is, as I understand it,
Christ, in the gospel kingdom, rules
iu government, in tlie minds and
hearts of those in the church that are
.spiritual, but not in those that are
fleshly or carnally minded,, for “the
carnal mind is enmity against God,'
Ac. Those church members then,
that have a fleshly feeling in their
thoughts and actions on discipline,
either of partiality, sympathy, envy.
; ence and observation, if I am not de
ceived about it, tliat there are many
; church members, very useful and
' gifted in other particulars, perhaps
I .snrpa.ssing in otlicr respects, are use
less in discipline, and the scriptures;
hear out the .same idea, for instanre
one cannot liear with the eye nor
smell with the cans, and one member
of the church should not feel inde
pendent or superior to another mem
ber differently gifted, or differently
set in the body of Christ.—(See 1
Cor. 12tii chapter.) — Let tliose breth
ren tlien tliat do not feel gifted or
impressed to enforce discipline not
be offended with tho.se tliat do feel
impre.ssed to enforce it, for if they do,
they do so to tiieir own hurt,- and let
those that feel impressed with it
“quench not the spirit,” and fail to
do their duty through fear of man,
or through a feeling of nnwGrthine.ss.
If a church knowingly retain a mem
ber in disorder£l:he whole church be
comes in disorder, and cannot claim
the b]e.ssing of God, as a church on
earth, in any sense ; cannot claim the
favor of God manifested in the jireach-
ed gospel, or iugatherijigs, orTefre.sli-
ing sea.sons from the presence of the
Lord,but rather suffers deatli. “Know
ye not that a little leaven leaveneth
the whole lumj) ? Purge oii
I
fore the old j|e;
laven,
chapter. Tlije people ■‘genera
becoming very, corrupt, but
without the church we leave God to
judge, for he says lie will judge
them ; but, those within the church,
iu a church capacity, must judge, ac
cording to the law of Chri.st- written
in the scriptures and writfai in the
heart of the Christian.
AYe are forbidden to keep comjia-
ny with, or to eat (to commune) with
any man that is called a brother, if
he 1x3 a fornicator, (one loo intimate
with a woman, not his ivife,) or cov
etous, (some are SO'covoto'us that ..hey
will not pay their hones’L debts, but
take shelter behind some earthly
law of the knd,) or an idol.itor, (one
who worships or loves or sets his af
fections OH something else more than
on God and his cause,) or a railcr,
(one who uses insulting language,)
or a drunkard, or an extortioner, (one
who op]iresses the poor and others,
by taking advantage of their necessi
ties, and exacting too much from
tho.se who cannot help it. “There
fore put away from among yourselves
that wicked person,” 1 Cor. 5 : 11,
12, 13.
Thomas J. Bazbmork-
Elmo, Kaufman County, Texa.s,
October 31.st, 1874.
Elder P. D. Gold,—Dear Brother
■ (jREATLY de.sire to call our
beloved brother, J. C. Deu-
tou's attention to a few thoughts
^ ^ tliroiigh your paper, (our fami
ly medium, Zion’s Landmarks).
In the first place, my dear brother,
your term “ erudite,” is not appUca-