T
andmark.
DEVOTED TO THE PllIMITIVE BAPTIST CAUSE.
“TO THE LAW AND TO THE TESTIMONY.’’
Vol. X.—No.
Wilson, N. C., December 1, 1876.
Wiiole No. ^18.
Zioirs Landmark.
Ry the help of the Lird, this paper will
eo?iteiid for the ancient hindinark, guided by
its stakes of truth,and strengthened by its cords
of love.
luBtinj.
al years ago, but was never puj^-
iisiied. “Father, I Wait” was writ
ten durint; lier last illness and ex-
presses much of her conversation to
ns while on a bed of mental suffering.
But we truly feel that for her to die
teas eternal gain, and that she now
enjoys that blissful freedom on the
fartlier shore.
Yoiir very unworthy sister,
I. F. Ceutchek.
MY MOT'HEirS PRAYER.
I saw her bent form in the moonlight kneel
ing,
Rearing .so plainly all Time’s ruthless scans;
Her withered liands clasped in the sweet ap
pealing,
Her faded eyes uplifted to the stars.
Tlie light of night lay on her like a ble.ssing.
Touching the silver of her shining hair,
As tliongh the angels some great light re
pressing
Left half its glory on her bowed form there.
The stars looked down, not pitying—not in
.sorrow,
But with deep eyes of anger in their glow,
As if they knew the coming of a morrow
VVliicli would exalt her from a place so
low.
home cloud had come between her heart and
heaven.
Some olden cloud she thought forever fled ;
But witli its coming was a sweet stiength
given
To pierce it through and see his face in
stead.
She went child-like, not trusting her own fin-
.Tq lift the vail which had grown dark
again ;
Jlut with the faith w'hich faltering, yet still
lingers ’
In loving hearts of three score years and
ten.
My eye.s saw fiot the beauteous hand or.t-
stretching
With cup tilled full of holy Spirit—wine,
Nor saw tiie soul of my sweet mother reacli-
ing
To clasp the chalice and the hand divine.
But well I knew the asking was receiving
Of myriads of blessings when she asked but
one;
And joy was hers above the heart’s conceiv-
It iiones to reject all TR.VDtTlONs AND
INSTITUTIONS OF MEN, and regard only the
BIBLE AS THE STANDARD op TRUTH.
It urges people to search the scriptures and
ohev .Jesus as the only King in the holy hill
of Zion, keeping themselves unspotted from
the world.
It aims to contend for the iny.stery of the
faith in God and ilie Fathrr, Jesus the Medi
ator, and the Holy Spirit, the Jilessed Com
forter.
All lovers of gospel truth are invited to
write for it—ifso impressed.
May grace, mercy and peace, be multiplied
to all lovers of Jesus.
San Marcus Valley, Texas, Sept. 15, 1876.
Elder F. D. Gold,—Dear Brother
in Christ:
By request of some brethren and
friends I send you for publication
two poems, written by my sister (the
late Mrs. K. Anna Spragiiis). “ Aly
Mother’.s Prayer” was written sever
When it knelt humbly at the Father’s
throne.
I oft have hoard my mother’.s voice ii^ pray-
In deeper anguish than she felt that night:
I’ve heard her pray for thoughtless children
straving
Too near the pit where darkne.ss has no
light.
I oft have heard her tones in sorrow break
ing
On the wild night where death was hov
ering near,
Her quivering heart-strings with one burden
achiiig,
That God would listen and requite her
prayer.
Yea, often times this blessed, patient mother
Hath littered sweetly many a blessed
prayer.
But to my soul they were .not like this other,
Kpoke with the moon-light on her silver
hair.
’was sweet to see when she had come with
smiling.
The furrows changed to blessed lines of
pea ce;
No inward storm the outer calm despoiling,
But holy signet resting on her face.
I knew her soul was satiate with a blessing,
Her spirit feet with holy wings were shod ;
Her heart had found in luimhle, sweet con-
^ fes.sing,
The peace which comes when we have been
with God.
Oh ! make me humble, thisffr the voice of
pleading ''
Spake ill its trembling at the mercy seat;
All other blessings it pas.s.sed by unlieeding,
And asked this only at the Father’s feet.
1 knew the joy which pa.=seth understanding
Was in her soul, and faith above niiicli
gold ;
, One hone most ^■>r*^'cioi|s .S;^jk.e a sweet eoip-
maiiding
That every fear move back witliin its fold.
Father, I wait—in tears forever sowing ;
Waiting wlien thou shalt give me golden
sli eaves:
Waiting and wandering, hoping, never know-
i"g
How deep my hailing thy sweet Spirit
Waiting the day mysteries great revealing,
When I thy secrets shall all understand ;
And worsl.lp thee with all the bli.ssful feeling
Which thou wilt grant us in the promised
land.
Father, I wait—oh ! tell me 'tis not faithle.ss,
The faint, tried heart which ever pleads
with thee ;
’Tis very dark—but say it is not pathless,
The gloomy desert thou hast spread out
for me.
With garmehts dyed as his from sodden
Eilom,
Going from Bozra as he went before ;
Oh! sliall 1, waiting, reach the blissful free
dom,
When thou shalt take me to the farther
shore.
Father, I wait—thine in deep tribulation,
Bought with the price which flowed on
■ calvary ;
Baptized in .soul, in the deep, red libation
For helpless sinners, that they might go
free.
In the deep valley of the myrtles sighing,
Or lip steep mountains to the nigged brow ;
I toil and wait the blessed, sweet replying
To all the prayers I whisjier thee }»elow.
Father, I wait—I would not ask to hdsten,
I know ’tis good to wait before thee here ;
I know the wailing will hut still and chasten
My soul to meet thee, when thou shalt ap
pear,
FTlive me hut patience, Fatlier, and fresh hop-
The grkve may win her tottering foot-steps
early,
The grave-dust gather on lier sliining hair;
Blit in rernerahrance let me hold this dearly.
More dear than all—this one .sweet, hum
ble prayer.
When slie has passed beyond the thorns
which pierce her,
Unto the rest so perfect—waiting near,
And life’s hot trials for my .soul grow fiercer,
I beg the [ileading which was given her.
Oh 1 make me humble—to the humble com-
eth
The best that heaven to the earthly give—
Removing flies which burning bright con-
snraeth
The better blessings which we might re
ceive.
In after days, oh ! let me still remember
My motlier’s prayer, and feel it sweetly
When the winds of time have brought me my
December
With silver snows of three score years and
ten.
Anna Spragins.
FATHER, I WAIT.
Father, T wait, oh ! give me patient waiting
To bear the cross which was so hard to
take :
Give me the faith which has no strange abat
ing,
1
Strengtli for the day, love for the cleaving
pain;
Make me remember even in my groping
To live is Christ -to die, eternal gain.
Anna Spragins.
Guadalupe county, Texas.
And love to feel that I .suffer for thy sake.
To live is Christ—aye words of wondrous
meaning,
To sufler all the shame, the guilt, the pain,
Brow bared to thorns—for heart no gentle
screening:
This is to live—but all ! to die is gain.
Father, I wait, and take my cup of sorrow.
Each day more hitter than the yesterday ;
But billowy time is bringing the to-morrow,
And peaceful resting whicli will last for age.
I have bent low—ni}’- steps almost to failing ;
The cross so heavy, and the hill so steep.
My star of hope like a dim vision failing,
Till thou hast blest me in tlie dreams of
sleep.
Father, I wait—oh! make me patient, stron-
And ready—willing to be crncified :
And if the days, oh ! Fatlier, he iiiucli Ion-
get,
Give sweet assurance that my strength
abide.
Thy love be o’er me as in one sweet vision
When I laid helpless all my cares on Tliee;
Let me but once more feel the sweet transi
tion.
From waves of crimson to thy crystal sea.
Flat Shoals, Ga., Oct. 24th, 1876
Brother Gold:—
1 noticed a communication from
brother Respess, in the Land.mark,
in reference to the Towlaga As.socia-
tion ; also some remarks from your
self. It caused my mind to refer
hack to the history that Ezra gives of
laying tlie foundation of the sec
ond temple, and also the union and
fellowship that existed between the
Towlaga Association and lier sister
Associations lieretofore. He says :
“ Alany of tlie priests and Levites
and chief of tlie fathers wlio were au-
eient men, tliat had seen the first
liouse, when the foundation of this
hou.se was laid before their eye.s, wept
witli a loud voice, and many shouted
aloud for joy.”
I feel to thank God and take cour
age tliat the set time, as I hope, is
near at liand wlien I will he permit
ted to meet and receive the Towlaca
hretliren as in days that are past. .1
feel to liope the Lord lias enabled
brother Respess to lay tlie foundation
upon wliicli the hiiildiiig will go up
to the prai.se and glory of our blessed
Jesu.^i, wlio will liave ids people to he
one. I would advi.se the brethren to
read the history as given by Ezra in
Imildiuo tlie temple. Tliose things
are for our learning and are profit-
aiile, and often afford comfort and
consolation to the .saints of God in
their afSictious. and trials they have
to meet in trying to serve and follow
their Jesus. I liave been intimate
witli tile hretliren of tlie Towlaga
Association, and perliajis more so
than many out of her hounds. I
joined tlie Bapti.st ehurcli in her
bounds five or six years before they
tvitlidrew from the Missionaries,
vvliicli they did in the Fall of 1837,
riie next year tliey were constituted
into an Assooiatiou, having twenty
oluirclies or there about, (I speak
from memory) and were called the
Primitive Towlaga Association. I
remained in lier bounds until about
tlie first of January 1860, I attend
ed tlie mo.st of her associations dur
ing that time and have attended the
mo.st of them since. In ray removal
I settled near them in the bounds of
tlie Primitive Western Association
and joined one of lier churclies.
If I remember correetly, in the
year 1842, one of the cliurches of the
Towlaga Asssociation sent up a query
to know liow they should receive
members coming from the Mi.ssiona-
ries. The answer was, AH that liad
joined them since the division should
he received by cxqierieiice and bap
tism : tliose before, by confession of
faith, dhe advice was received,
adopted and practiced by thediurch-
es until about 1860 j then, I under
stand, some of tile cliurciies began to
receive Missionaries without baptism.
Tills was agitated among tliem sever
al years before, and continued in
strife and controversy until, I have
learned, the most if not all receive
Missionaries witliout baptism.
At tlieir a.ssociation in 1848, tliere
was a query .sent up from one of the
eliurches asking advice with regard
to receiving, hoiding and excluding
Masons, &c. Tlie answer given wa.s.
not satisfactory to some of the As
sociations, and they tried to get her
to reconsider lier answer; failing to
do so tliey drojiped correspondence.
Tliere were efforts made for sever
al associations afterwards to liave tlie
question reconsidered, and on failino^
to do so all the A.ssociations with
whom she corresponded, stopped their
corre.spondenco. The churches pre
vious to this denied tlie right to their
memliers of joining and visiting the
masonic lodges. Controversy and
confusion got up among tliem until
tliey suffered their niemher.sh]ji to
unite with Masoius. And as Ezra
say s ; “ Yea, tlie liand of the prin
ces and rulers Iiath been chief in. this
trespass.”
A few years hack they receivtNl in
to tlieir body and united witli a liody
of brethren claiming tliemselves to be
tile OcmrJgee A.ssodation, and claim
ing tliem.solves to be Primitive Bap
tists in faith and practice, and wlio
were a minority of the Ocmulgee
Asgociadon, led off by, Eld. T. Ox
ford ialtisopposllioai totlie thirteenth
t