Newspapers / The Biblical Recorder (Raleigh, … / July 16, 1852, edition 1 / Page 1
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'Drni))r titp'A tt to t3 .-t td) rn, trj t n. JiDUiiDMibAiJii ini&UjuJMllllikao- T0:US7. TCZZY, Editor. ) SDcuotco to Kjcligion, ittoralitti, Xitcratureasriculturionb' fiicral SnicUigcnrt. II. A. UCnctf 3, Pilfer. TOL0ME XVII KO. 29. RALEIGH, "N. C., FRIDAY, IDLY 10, 1852, WHOLE KO. 1110 his , A . A Religious'and literary Paper: uedWdeklr l Raleigh, N. C, at $2 00 per an- -payable in all case ,ir advance.. . -li letters on business -should be directed to blisliar.'Marcus A. Meredith., Letters contain 'jUinnnications, or rnny way relating to theed i . Apartment, shoula be addressed to 'Editor oi' Vl.v,L. Recorder. Private letters to the Editor. .n0 reference to the Recorder, address thus- "TJ,n.V.Tobey All comtnuaications, to insure attention, must .-Wted to Ualeiga, in. y..-Ft-paa.- - - pS-For further particulars see last page.. : THE LAW OF NEWSPAPERS. "J Subscribers who do not give express notice to the rc T Vlft&iT suTilcrilwrB.onlfir.he. dlgcbntia.uanc of . ifpgners, tnepuuusuers may coonnue to semi them V.ii charges"mreftaid. . Vnm the office to which they are directed, thev rjj responsible until they have .settled their bill, , tf ubicriber? remove to other places without in k-sin the publisher, and the paper is sent to the for -jetton. thy are held responsible.' a The courts.have decided that refusing to rake a nr or periodical froin the office, or removing and nz it uncalled for, is "prima facie" evidence of aeotinnal fraud EnosNcar toSaMa. ' Rev. Dr- Chase has jast collected a series of ttsnpon baptism, which he has edited and spared for circulation ia a book form. A por tion of these are fWiu his own pen ; others are Lhycther scholars. 1 he following was written Rev. u. . Samson, ana is a pari oi an ex fjedingl valuable dissertation upon the places of baptism mentioned in the New Testament. . The second locality, where John baptized, ailed Eton, cannot with so much precision be jseertain&l. Yet the following facts can be es tahlish'ed : it was situated on the Jordan, it .was t$t Roman or .about seven and one-third En g!isb miles south of ancient Bethsheanor Scjtho po!is; and it was at or near the great ihorough ftrefrom Galilee and Samaria across the Jordan to the important cities on the other side. That it tas on the Jordan i3implied in thefact, that so ene of the Kew Testament writers mentions myotber water than the Jordan in which John Vtiied. ; Eusebius and Jeronje describe . the Jocshi a3 well known in their early days ; im pfritDg that for the three hundred previous years usee Christ's day the place had been marked. Tie former makes this record : " iEnori, near to fcJnvirhere John haptwed, as in the gospel iteordlng to John. And even to the present tone the place is shown, eight miles from Scytho- polis, towards the south, near to Salim and the Jordan." The latter . records : " non, near Salira, where John baptized, as it b written in the gospel according to John ; and the place is now shown, at the eighth mile stone from Scytho polis at the South, near Salim and the Jordan." The testimony of -those ancient writers, who Bred so near. the time of Christ, and had such tmpls opportunities for investigation , fixes the it of Enon on the Jordan , and at seven and one-third English miles south of ancient Scytbo polis, or Bethsheanwhose ruin3 yet remain a distinct land-mark, bearing the name of Beisan. Among more modern authors, Brocardus, in the kter period of the Crusadss, makes this mention fifit : " Before Mount Galaad, towards Jezreel, finch is on the northern side of Mount GUboa, tkrel road passes from Jordan, to Salim, where Mo baptized. From Bethsan there are two Gtllic miles, (nearly three English ,) towards the west to Jezreel." . A reference to Dr. Ro binson's map will show that this road must have Jised all along the northeastern slope of Mount GSboa, tbreugb the plain to the river, and that kvasat the point upon the Jordan where' the fat thoroughfare from Western Galilee and Simaria crosses it, that John selected his favor- ule location for baptizing. Burckhardt has the klmur on the general locality Of Beisan he njt: 14 The ancient town was watered by a tiTernow called Moiet By san, ( Waters of Be b,) which flows in different branches through 4e plain; The town is built along the banks f tie rivulet. Having spoken of the moun- ranga north of Beisan, he says : " At one distant-to the south, the mountains begin pin." Burckharct crossed the Jordan,'two W distant fabout sir '"mile's)'" from Beisan, foa which point its ruins lay north-north-west Has the 2i of July, in midsummer, when' he rossed ; and at that season he found the stream tlghty paces broad and three feet deep. He 3s: "The river is fordable in many places iag the Bummer, but the few spots where it be crossed in the rainy, seasons are known lj to the Arabs. The river, for three hours fan the lake,' (Tiberias) flows on the west side the valley, then on the eastern, and at two saouth of the, ford returns Jo 'the western Near where we crossed,: to the. south, are called Lukkot. Burekbardt's statement to the waters of - Beisan, does vnot interfere 4 Josephus statement, -that the .valley was &out water except the Jordan ; since what lls a river" in one sentence, . ha : calls a 'pTdet" in another. As he crossed evidently the'place whereJohn;baptizQd, his state-. i!at &a to the sizo of the stream is valuable.-' ; is mention of the direction of the river from nearly dae Boath, shows, that, - according J Eusebius and Jerome's statement, Enon might f south of Beisan, and yet on the Jordan. We also, thatj at ihe point where. John bap-' the valley ran.'near the eastern mountains, ;Ti22 on the west "at plain where . & habitable k vould naturaDt stand. -,We see frooi his ! J-taU" Wars, IV. 8, t statement, also, that John's . place of . baptizing could not have been far from the thoroughfare by which Jacob and Jiis family and flooks crossed.- . , . - . . Dr. Robinson thus describes Am Jalud, " a very large fountain j near, Jezreel, which is about "eight miles north-west of Peisan : It spreads out at once into a fiae limpid pool forty or nity laet m diameter, m which CTeat numbers of small fish were sporting. .-In speaking of ihe stream which passes Beisan he says : This wour0,8eem probably to be' the nvuUi which comes down from the valley of Jetreel.t Whitatbii accbnnt shows that inTalestine tliere are pools-and' other places where- immersion might ba practised, it, of course, furniihes "he information as ta Enopr whict was eigh t Roman miles soutlr of Beisan. Tha celebrated English 1 travellers, Irby and Mangles,. make the follow ing statements on this locality: At one hour and twenty minutes from Bysan; V . the depth of the . ford reached above the bellies of the horses. We measured the braadthr and fnnnd it one hundred and forty feet. . . . About half a mile to the South is a tomb on a barrow call ed Sheikh-Daoud." The expedition of Lieut. Lynch, during the spring of 1848, has added soma important par ticulars, to what was before known as to this lo cality. In his account of the day previous to his passing the section of the river where Enon must have been situated, he records that, near their encamping place, (which on the map is two or three miles' below Beisan, V " the river describes a series of frantic curvilinears and re turns in a contrary direction to its main course. The river averaged to-day forty-five yards in width, and four feet in depth. The land par ty who visited Beisan, not fir from tha't town, " came to quite a large stream, evidently the same mentioned above. The followini dav. during which the position of ancient Enon must have been passed, Lieut. Lynch seems to have passed the most enchanting region on the river Of this day he says :-" The river, from its ec centric course, scarcely permitted a correct sketch of its topography to be taken. - It curved and twfstod north, south, east and west, turning, in the short space of half au hour, to every quar ter of the compass, seeming as if desirous to prolong its luxuriant meanderings in the calm and silent valley," Here and there were spots of solemn beauty. The numerous birds sang with a music strange and manifold. . . . Above all, yet attuned to all, was the music of the river, gushing with a sound like that of shawms and cymbals. .' . At times we issued from the fiuadow and silence of a narrow and verdue-tented part of the stream into an open bend," where the rapids rattled, and the light burst in, and the bird3 sang their wildwood song.' J Over and over, with a spirit resembling that of romance, the almost enchanted navigator repeats the varied beauties of that day's pro- Knowing now, as we do, Aom the .ancient Christian writers, that in the midst of this very scene stood " Enon, who can fail to see where the descriptive; John obtained -his expression " many waters' or much : water," for -these interminable windings of th river certainly gave many a 'shady retreat, and a shallow, gentle flow, for the administering of immersion ; and these rattling rapids' and dashing cataracts are, in their appropriate measure, 44 the voice of many waters." Further on, in reference to this same day's journey, Lieut. Lynch says : 44 In our course to-day, we have passed twelve islands,, all bat three of diminutive size, and noted fourteen tributary streams, ten oa the right, or west and four on the left bank. With the exception of four they were trickling rivulets; - The width of the river was as much as seventy yards with two knot3 current, and narrowed again t5 thirty yards, with six knots current; the dpth rang ing from two to ten feet.; ? About .five guiles due west from the camp, ware the ruins of Suocotb." Lieut. Lynch has so much of his own impressions to record this day, that he has mentioned littla or nothing of the observations of the land party, except that, on account of the mountain range running near the river, they were obliged, most of the day, to travel far to the west of the stream This, however, they were not obliged to do until further south than the site of ancient Enon. " It was the happy lot ; of your -correspondent, four dayg afterwards, on Tuesday, April ISth, to meet the party at tho Pilgrim's Bathing place below, when Dr. Anderson became his compan ion to Jerusalem. r Particular ' inquiries were made as to the shape of the country, and as to other particulars. No stream , or fountain : was , - L - " . - . - . . met bv the narty during the day on wmcn; wey traversed thepkun " -whew .Enjn once, stood. No relic of such a name seems to remain. ..Hie permanent record of the early ; Christians sanc tioned by the New Testament writers, ajud con firmed by all subsequent observation," leaves no doubt that Enon was at a passage of the Jordan in the romantic region, above described, and . at' a point which, might be accurately 'ascertained by any one who should - measure the distance from Beisan. ' H was my design to, visit this lo cality v a fcw days after meeting the party on the Jordan, and personally to examine it "but on ar riving within a day's journey of- the region, no rl.inson'a Tlesearches, vol. Ill, PP- 16?. . J Ly rich's Expedition, pp. 203, 207V - TheJbcation of the camp menUoned on p. 207, 't E. by N. from Rei san. which was two hours distant, evidently should Tead 'E. by S.,M Eelsaa being W. by A." Pp. 212, 213. ..'-. . . , persuasion, ox offer of money, could "prevail on my Arah, attendants to venture into the danger ous neighborhood. The replies to mvinauiries. however, and my own distant scanning of the re gion from mountain summits, left an impression hardly less definite and satisfactory than a per 8onal visit could lave given. From the New York Recorder. ' The Late Catholic Council at Baltimore The Roman Catholic church in this country has grown np almost entirely from the emigra tions of foreigners to our shores. Its main strength consists in the Irish population. There armany, German .Fjjnjclj, Jtnjiap snd r.ative American Romanists but the great body f the church is Irish, - As a - general rule, these are easily managed.. They hate, especially in New York; come usder the influence and control of Dr. Hughes. ' He is an Irishman of low extrao tion, and perfectly familiar with the' prejudices and weaknesses of the class from which he sprung He carries out the same system' here that O'Con nell used so successfully in Ireland O'Connell appealed to the prejudices of race ; and, setting Celt against Saxon, .Romanist against Protes tant, he prevented the consolidation of the pop ulation, and made himself the representative of the Celt and Romanist portion of the IrUh na tion. I The power which he thus acquired, h used for the aggrandizement of himself and his family, giving back to the Irish people if wc except the Emancipation Bill, to which he con tributcd, but which he in no proper sense ori ginated or carried no positive or tangible good This same course of agitation, by which he hopes to prevent the Irish from becoming Ameri can citizens, in the large and proper sense of the term, has been taken up by Dr. Hughes, in order to make it Rubservient, not to the interests of the Irish people, but to those of the Catholic church. Hence the tissue of ignorance and assumption with which he has addressed the Irish Catholic population of New York on late occasions. 'This agitation has been almost as successful as the vociferous cry of 44 R a pale ! rapale!"; which O'Connell rung through Ireland, and which brought such quantities of 44 rint" into his ! treasury. Dr. Hughes is all-powerful among the Irish Catholics of the first generation. These are ready to give into his hands their souls and their bodies, their consciences and their proper ty. 1 his control is aot bo absolute over those who have b?en born in the country, and felt the influence of the common school and the newspa per ; but the number jf the new emigrants is so great as to keep these in check, so that his con trol over the body remains nearly absolute. This Irish popedom of Dr. Hughes, however, is borne with ill-concealed vexation by the Catholics of other nations. The French and the German? have not been accustomed to such a regime. A portion of the clergy of this city have, if we are rightly informed, been released from the ec clesiastical supervison of the Irish archbishop, and are governed directly by the Pope. To this course the Pope has been driven to prevent re bellion. In other dioceses, where the same system has been tried, the non-Irish Catholic population have contended for the control of the churches which they themselves have built, and the funds which they themselves have contributed. This has given rise to the disgraceful riots among the faithful in St. Louis - and Buffalo. Protes tant ideas of the separation of church and state, and of the rights of the laity, have, by degrees, passed into their minds, and the bishops have found it difficult to keep the reins in their hands. This accounts for the special prominence given to defining the relation of the clergy of the Ro man church to the property which is contributed for educational or religious purposes, by Catho lics in this country, in the . pastoral letter sent forth by the late council of Baltimore. The statement which we made in reply to the Tribune, a short time since, that all that was given to the Catholic colleges for educational purposes was given to the Pope to be used solely for "ecclesiastical purposes, is fully sustained The prominence' given to the question of tem poralities, and to the covert attack against pub lic schools, in the letter, shows the weak point of the Catholic church in America. We give the following extract from the letter, hoping that it may be pondered by all who have imbibed the : unfounded idea that the grasping spirit of the Papacy has changed : ' 44 Among the causes which, in a few instances, and principally in days now happily past, led to the forgetfulness of the extent which bslongs .to the authority that wo exercise, must be reckoned the attempt to apply to the Catholic church, in the administration of the temporalities belonging to her, principles and rules foreign to her spirit, and irreconcilable with the authority of her pas tors. The result was such.as might have been expected. Peace and harmony were disturbed, the progress of religion checked or entirely im peded, and the church reproached with the mis conduct of her unworthy children. For the purpose of guarding against' the recurrence of uch evils we deem it necessary to make, a pub lic and authentio declaration of Catholio princi ples on this important subject. Whatever is iffefed to God, and solemnly consecrated to his jervice, whether it be " the material - temple in hich his worshippers assemble, or the ground set apart for the interment of those .who " repose in God's field, awaiting 'the promised resurrec tion ; or property, real or personal, intended for the purposes of diTine,goryice, or for the educa I tion. support and mamtensnce of the clergy fcvefy'such thing is sacred, and' belongs -to'the church, and cannot be withdrawn from the service of God without the guilt of sacrilege; Tbe -donor f donors of such gifts can exercise no right of ownership over them.' ' With these temporal things, thus 'separated frOui ' common "purposes and set apart for" the service, of the sanctuary, the church cannot allow any interference that is not subordinate to her authority, v The bishop of each diocese is the representative and organ of that authority ; and without his sanction, no arrangement, however ia it itself of a purely tem pbral nature, that has reference to religious wor ship, has, or can have, force wr validity.' When ever the bishop, deems it advisable to acquiesce ja "arrangements for the administration ojffihurch temporalities which have not originated with the ecclesiastical .authority, or which raayhave arisen from ignorance of its rights, or. from a tpirit of opposition to them, we declare thatsuch arrange ments have force , and . efFiet in the - Catholic church in consequence, of such acquiescence, and not from any other cause or principle whatever: And we furthermore declare, ihat whenever the bishop of a diocesa recognizes such arrangement or acquiesces in them, those charged with the care of church temporalities, , whether laymen or clergymen, are bound. to render an annual ac count of their administration to this bishop agreeably to the rule prescribed in such cases by the holy council of Trent. (Sess. xxii., dc re formatione, cap. 9.) u Wc exhort you, brethren, to sustain your prelates in their efforts to maintain the discipline of the church, ia this no less than in other mat tsrs. It w from them, and not from the stran ger, and still less from disobedient brethren, that you are to learn her . principles and those rules of conduct which the experience of centuries has taught her to regard a3 conducive to your real interests. In this, no less than in matters of faith and practice, you have to attend to the apostle's admonition 4 Obey your prelates, and be sub ject to them.' Heb. xii. 17. 44 The church claims obedience, not only when she teaches you the , truths of faith, but also when she prescribes rules of conduct." Permanency of Methodism The sermon of Rev. E. P. Humphrey, D. D., before the Old School General Assembly, at its late meeting, proposed a vindication of the Cal viniatio theology, as. held by- that body.- . The course of discussion and remark into which the preach3r was led, caused him to glance at Wes leyan Methodism in its general features, its dis tinguishing type, and the prospect of its perma nency. He regards all the great truths on which that religious system insists,' as contained in mod ified Calvinism, without its errors, which Dr H., as will be seen, views as both serious and far reaching. Wo quote for the interest of our readers his remarks on the inquiry which he discusses as to the continuance and future effi ciency of modern Arminiaoism: . It is now only a few years over a century since Wesley began his career. A religious system matures slowly. The truths asserted may, for a long period, hold in check the serious errors with which they are Combined. The errors, if not eliminated, will atlajst work out th3 dissolu tion of the system. It may, indeed, outlast many generations, but what are even ages to the life of a true permanent theology ? It is to be remembered, also, that the Armi nian scheme has yet to be reduced to a systema tic and logical form. Where are its written formularies pushing boldly forth , to their final and inevitable conclusions, all its doctrines touching predestination, free will and efficacious grace ? Wo have its brief and informal creed in some five and twenty articles : but where is its complete confession of faith in thirty or forty chapters? Where is its larger catechism ? Nay, where is even ; its shorter catechism ? Where is its whole body of divinity from under the hand of a master, sharply defining its terms, accurate ly stating its belief, laying down the conclusions logically involved therein, trying these conclu sions no less than their premises by the Word of God, refuting objections, and adjusting all its parts -.into V consistent and systematic whole ? It has furnished us indeed, with some detached negations and philosophical theories. ; We have, for example, its flat denial of onr doctrine of predestination ; but has it to this day met; for itself, the problem of foreknowledge in finite by a more plausible solution than the cele bratad sophism , that although God has the capa city of foreknowing all tilings, ho . choossa : to foreknow only . some things r Wo j have, ; also, its notion of the freedom of the will wherein there was supposed to be the germ of a systematic Ar minianism ; but this budding promise was long since '- nipped by the untimely frost of Jonathan Edwards' logic. It is clear that fan exposition of this theology which shall satisfy the logical consciousness is indispensable "to its perpetuity : otherwise it cannot take poriession of educated and disciplined mindV educated by the word and Spirit, of God, and 'disciplined to exact an alysis and argument otherwise, again, although it may exert a temporary influence', it will re tire before advancing spiritual and intellectual culture. It is al?o clear, that the first "century of its existence has not produced that exposition. Another century may clearly ."demonstrate that snch i pMa'ciioa3ii 'mKsslbl.e, by showing that the logicalfand scriptural element is not ia the Arminian system ; that the Uw of afSaitand crystallization is wanting to its dwjoiaedytrinci". jj pies; that this theology, combining tzxay pre- cious truthsand many capital errors, resembles a mingled mass of " diamonds and ; fragments of broken glass and broken pottery, 'which no plas tic kill of man or power of fire"1 can mould into one transparent, unclouded, many sided; :equ ride crystal, its angles all beainiijg: and its point II 1 ? - 'i I- .-.- if, . . . ; au uurnmg wuu iignt a Aoumoor maeea !. ; ' Again, it is to be seen : whether this divinity las not On the one hand, an. inherent -tendsncv to prelacy, as -In the Anglican church, and on the other, an inherent repugnance to the popu J Iir elements the representation of the peopl in church assembliesr-aa in the Wesleyan Soci ties m England and this country. , If the lease be so we must be permitted to doubt both its sooadness and-its permanency J,y.. ;onu viunner u rremains to oe aetermined whether ;: this divinjty can -abide any great day of trial. Are Its vital cneraiea nual t..- rhrK n work for. God as was accomplished by another theology between .the birth of John Calvin and that of James Armbios ?f C5ould it survive such a century of ceaseless struggles as that which culminated in itbe English Revolution Not only surviving itself,; could it uphold a great na tion through every terrible convulsion ; every exterminating war and ' treacherous peace ; its bow abiding in strength ; its quiver ever full smelling the battle afar off with the thunder o the captains and .the- shouting, lifting its brow and its war cry undaunted in the dreadful array its chariot plunging into the thickest of the fight and yet bearing aloft flaming and nnextinguish ed, its two sacred torches even the troth, man's heritage in the church and liberty, his heritage in the State ? And then is that theology equal to th task of exiling itself to another and distant con tinent, planting there two new commonwealths the spiritual and the civil, both free, each sepa rate from the other, and each independent o every power on earth besides : penetrating the vn ct. intarinr fnnnAintv sinri.ftil fif.tao i perous churches under every latitude, from the frozen to the burning zone, and under every me ridian, from our own resounding sea to the gol den shores of the West ? Let the . future ae solve these momentous problems,, and with them every question,' touching both the Arminian the ology and our own, as permanent or transient, as vital or decaying. ; J .-" . i . ; . . 7; , The Bible against Romanism. - We take the following frdxn the Personal Re collections of Charlotte Elisabeth, and commend it to our readers, as showing how Reman Cath olic prejudice and bigotry may be overcome by bringing them in contact with revealed truth : 41 The affair of the little deaf mute," says she, " at the convent, led me to turn my attention to some poor children similarly circumstanced in the streets of Kilkenny ; and while prosecuting this work, the Lord brought ; me to that dear 'dumb boy, whom you well remember as the brightest, most lovely of Christian characters. He was then very little, and had a brother of sixteen, one of the most genuine paddies I ever beheld. This lad was living very idly; a fine, sensible, shrewd fellow, who could read and write, and very soon made a great proficiency in; the finger language by helping me to in struct Jack. No one above Fat's own rank had ever taken an interest in him ; 1 did,"a atrong one ; and; as he was much with roe, and of a character most intently Irish, be became attached tome with a warmth of ds votion rarely met with among any other people. 44 One day Pat?made his appearance with ; an important look, his brogaris stamping the carpet with unwonted energy, his fine bare throat stif fened into a sort of dignified hauteur, and his very keen, hazel eyes, sparkling under the bushy luxuriance of chestnut curls that clustered about his face and fell on his neck. ' The very beau ideal of a wild Irish youth was my friend Pat. Seating himself as usual, he began : 44 I wouldn't like," said he, Vthat you should go to hell." . . . ; 44 Nor I either, Pat," said I. 44 But vou are out of the throe church, and you wont be 6aved, and I must convart ye." ; " j oat is very ina oi you, my gooa taa ; - it i am wrong, you cannot do better than set me right." - - - - f : .. - . 44 Sure and. I will.?' - , , . " But how?'! inquired J.: . j ' - h 44 With this," said .he, pulling out a small pamphlet, nothing the cleaner for wear. 44 You must learn my chatechism, and it's you that will be the good Catholic." n- Delighted with the boy's honest sal, I asked bim where I should begin ; and he no leas pleas ed at my docility, desired me to read it all, and then get it all by heart. ,1 premised to do the first at any rate; and oh, what a tissue of false hood and that Butler's Catechism" was! Next morning my teacher came early. . 44 Well, Pat. 1 have found out what makes you anxious about me ; here it is said that none can be saved out of the true church." . . - 4t That's it, sure enough." 1 ".But I do belong to the true church, and I'll show what it is so I pointed out to him two passages, and added, .".Now, I do love our Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity, and therefore 1 am om of ! those to whom St Paul wishes grace and peace ; ana uo you tnins an appostle would send his blessing to anybody who was not of the true Church?" -- :-J ' Pat shook his head ; "That's your catechism, not mine." - l - j- - r 44 Very true; Dr. Butler wrote yours, and God wrote mine,, . holding up the Bible, .(4which is test iif ;-r ;:. , U. - , M'M r:H. "That's not the.real Bible," persisted Pat ; 4my priest has the true Biblo-'v.;-;-'.,'-Tben asthim to lend you his;i" ; i e 1 wouian t get my ear puuea wouia i : " said he, smiling. 4But if he lent me his Bible he must lend me a cart to bring it home in, for it's as big 'as this tabla. Yours is too little, and doftnTt hold half the truta. . That is, why you ire so ignorant. 44I soda proved by showing bim '. Matthew Henry's Commentary, that the .Word of God would lie in a very small compass the, great bulk of the book being man's work. I. also urged on him the absolato necessity of reading what G od had given for our learning, and the danger of res-- ting on man s assertion, rat stood bi3 ground moit manfully,' astonishinj me by the adroitness 5 with which he parried my attacks, while1 pursu- i2, as h nopd, the gooa WJrK or my onver- . on. For. many a daj wa the controversy "car ried onBut renw the Bible without any oth er effect than that of bringing Pat to: read : the sacred Book, for himself y bat it opened Lto me the awful wiles of darkness by which the . poor and 'ignorant are blinded, while for the more educated . class such polished sophistry as M il ner's is carefully prepared. 1 reaped he fruit, however, six years afterwards, when, in a little English church, Pst'kneeled beside me md his brother, a thankful communicant "at the Lord's . uble. - - i . - .Addition to Cray's nrsy. A late number of the New- York Observef, quoting.from a Buffalo paper; says that . 'the fol lowing lmes were published; many years, ago, - anonymously, in a ; Rhode , Island .paper. .The author believed that Gray"bad not given to the subjects of his muse enough of religious charao ter , to m ake the charm complete ; hence; he wrote these verses, to follow the stanza la' the Elegy, beginning with tho word :: I ' Far" from the mad' ning trowds ignoble strife.' ' These additional stanzas were written bv the late lamented Jame D. Knowles, and published in the Rhode Island American, of which ho was. for a short time, 'joint editor with the late Pro fessor Goddard. Mr. Knowles had & talent fur poetry; of which he was-by noi means - ignorant, i . . , l .1 I . .':l..1 li. .t.....-. m but wurcn ne regiectea, to cuiuvato, Because oi si conviction that he was called, in other ways, to; serve his God and his generation. He was an earnest admirer of the productions of Thom as Grayv . ; . . C . . - S.-'- No airy dreams their simple fancies fired, ; .. - No thirst for wealth; tor panting after fame; Bui truth divine snblimer hopes inspired,;1 . 5 And urged them onward to a nobler aim.. Fiom every cottage, with the day, arose ' 7? The hallowed Voice of Spiritbreathing prayer J 4 And artless anthems, at the peaceful elose,.- like holy incense charmed the evening air. . tr v. , '3 '.. "v ; ; --1,'- -x j i '; :" -J'.-- - --- .- '- r ? S ' J-3 K " - v y 1 .. - -, -. s Though they, each loine of human lore unknown, The brilliant path of Science never trod, ., , - . The sacred Volu me claimed their hearts alone, Which taught the way' to glory and to God." ; ' Here they from Truth's eternal fountain drew " The pure and gladdened waters day by day y Learned, since our days are evil, fleet, and few To walk in wisdom's bright and peaceful way. ? Ia yen lmje pile, o'er wfilch hath sterniy pasted The heavy hand of all destroying Tfme. . " Through whose low mouldering aisle now sighs the' blast, " " .' .-"';. And "round whose altars, grass and ivy climb j.1- - They gladly thronged their grateful hymns to raise, Oft as the calm and holy Sabbath shone; . The mingled tribute oi their prayers and praise , In sweet communion rose before the throne Here, from those honored lips which sacred fire From Heaven's high chancery hath touched, they : : hear '-' :': "' X :yv"i .i..'--;. Truths which their zeal inflame, their hopes inspire, Give wings to faith, and check affliction's tear. When life flowed by. and like an angsL Death V Came, to release t!em to, worlds,pn. high, . Praise trembled still on each expiring breath, '" And holy triumph-beamed from every eye. ? ,"' a ' Then gentle hands their Vlust to dust consign; v . With quiet tears the simple rites ate said ; ;r And here they sleep, till at .the trump divine, ; , -The Earth and Ocean render up their dead.- I am not a Memher : i Why do pastors allow members of their church es, to move away,intber;yicinity of other church es, and not urge ! them to :takV letters of dismis sion with them I 1 have been greatly astonish ed in witnessing the ; Ladiffjjreiace of v pastors ia this respect. Some pastors seem scarcaly . tO look beyond their own church.' Tue inxiety to" swell their own numbers, or increase their peed niary resources, and fame have led then ia some cases, even to advise.their members cat to take letters. ' They give them letters of om mendation, and tell them "this is just as well. ' How injudicious to the cause of Christ is such a course. One half of the members : who leave thuseease to be useful. Their owa piety dwin dles, "and they often become a curse to the church where they locate. . : . When'ft man "comes 'among-us; and settles down, still holding his membership in some oth; er churches, we often find that he feels little of no responsibility. 44I am not a member," ho says. He feels as though there- was no ' respon sibility unless ; there is membership. ' Because bis name '.. is not .written down upon the same page with his brethren, ho can look on with all the indifference of a stranger. ' -r He feels quite at liberty to attend, as not to attend, the appointments of the church. When in the house of God, be "puts on his ' indifferent air. If he takes anjr partthe pastor must giro him a polite invitation. , ; Sometimes "bedposts himself up in one corner of the room, and looks on as one who has only to criticise his brethreal -It is impossible for a man to stand off at arms length thus, and not find fault with his bTEthrety and the pastor. '.; I ': '..'-' ; .' " -' He will sae things in the pastor that he will not like; He cannot - help doing so. for he has nothing to do but watch the pastor and : his brethren, and :Jiavmg no xesponsibuity, ce cas no sympathy, and is wholy rjtnablo to ntcr into and appreciate their, circumstances. He fs fall of gooa counsel hiaself, bni when ts girej it, ho must add, "Jtis'tctblag: to ue l ta'tit o member." '" '" ."-'' ' -1 - : ; The' calr war to keep- snch cea froa flidhs fault,' and close their mouths, is to roll the res possibility upon them, which thejecrtset with memtT6hip. - New I appeal to yoa, pastdnt, do not those persons who settle - down ia your coin. rounity, and hold their standing 'iu other - sister " churches, do they not oftea hinder tha'growth -of ytfur people, and occasion great: distrirbancec, " especially your church is a weak oca? j iet pastors thmk of these things when their mem bers arcfabout chacrir'r thcL 2:cstba. Jzur&il j a jg,,
The Biblical Recorder (Raleigh, N.C.)
Standardized title groups preceding, succeeding, and alternate titles together.
July 16, 1852, edition 1
1
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