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- - - I -! - - . . 1 I - i ' imMi zzu.rjLjr..rrWMiiiTr'g..: rrJ-'-r -r -ni: " 8watw'iiiaMi!t By-tux JnJgrtraws- ' "., " , - , - - , - .-- - i - -. - - - 3- :-- y -v v.. .s . . - , , i - ! wur-.w m::i. .in r i'iho mmHmmm,if-m'mim i. -w n - wmwv- '""""" ' ' ' 1LIZ..11 i r -t; LiLL The Biblical Recorder: Jix:i-'r-r' ! 't:v, -:77V::,Hnv8; v;.,.-. ---;-:M"r': r1 "vr- '--'J 5i-V - - . - .tvr-,-.. me biblical Uecorder. PUBLISHED fcVERf WEDNESDAY f t.'.i. ST EDWARDS, BBQUGHTQN ;& CO., -';tr RALEIGH, N. C. ' - OOce: Cor. Harjett and Salisbury Sta.' .- ffS3? OF. SWBSCRIPllON; V eopyVneVeaH. .'i . ;n. J fi 00 One copyrpix;mont:;:r:trr. 1 00 I Clubs of ten, ..............20 00 Remittances most be sent by Registered "Letter. Post office Order, Express or Draft, payable to the order of the Publishers. ; INTERNATIONAL S.S. LESSON THIRD QUART4.lt, 1883. . Lesson X. Aognst 26. ;' GIDEON'S ARMY. Judges 7: 1-8 C S. FABBISS. HOSE STUDIES. M. God glorified in the deliv erance of his people... Ps. 20. T. God glorified in the cb&s- ' tisement of his people. Isa. 10: 12-20. God glorified .in-;Jesns t?-s v f rtj Christ.. John 5: 41-47, T. God glorified in the apos- J, tea:.. ...... .Acus:iM6. F. God glorified in our sal- Tation. . ....... v . i. .Rom. 3: 195?. S. God glorified in .human weakness.. ... Cor. 1:26-31, S. God glorified Jn our ser- Tice v.. l pet 4: 711. J GOLDEN TEXT. "The sword of the Lord and of Gideon " Judges 7: 2a Time about 1222! Place, near the hill Moreh, 15 or 20 miles southwest of the sea of Galilee.- -. Introdnctlon. . The history of Israel has bees eventful since the death of Joshua, which occurred two hundred years before the time of the present lesson. They forsook God and wor shipped idols j but suffered at the hands of the heathen in consequence. Pour Judges have ruled them since Joshua. They were Othniel, who defeated the king of Meso potamia; Ehud, the Benjatnite, who deliv ered them from the Mnabites; Deborah the prophetess, who defeated the king of Hazcm Then came Gideon, who delivered them from the ijidianitea. THE LESSON. 1. tiideon,, 1. Then Terubbaal. -who is Gideon, and all the people that were with him rose up early, and pitched beside the well of Harod : so that the host of the Midianites were on the north side of them oj me nui 01 Moren, in the valley. 1. Jerubbaal. Means a. Contender Afftinct Baal." aTbiname was given him because ue mrew uown tue aiur oi Baal in his own family, and cut down the grove about it. Such bard masters had the Midianites been, that tbe crops of the Israelites were de stroyed and there was famine. Ae Gideon was threshing a little wheat secretly, lest the Midianites destroy it. God's angel ap peared to him and told him that Gd bad chosen him to deliver Israel from its ene mies. Be was a naan the least of a poor family ol tlig wibe of Manadeh ; but God selected him for tbe woik as he afterwards teitcted David from amosg the sous f Jtsse. (1). The obscurity of a man is no bar tohisaoinga great and good work. f his heart is in the hand of the Lord. (2). God cal.s ihe poor into hia woik - hristhtmeif was poor. ,4Out of tbe heart aie the issues of lite." All the people that were teak him These, Gideon had brought together by means of messengers he had teat ihrougb out the tribes ot Msnasseb, Ahher, Zebuloo and Naphtali Their number was 32 000 The veil vf&trod - The well of trembling The hill of MvreK. Exact location is un known. JftdianiUt Tins nation wa so called because they were descended from Midian, fourth son of Abraham by Keturab. They were powerful and influential. Sys Whitney : We my iuppose that the bulk of ttiis nation inhabited tbe region extend iu from tbe eastward of Mmh ni nirfnm perhaps along tbe frontier of Pakstme, down to the shores of the eastern gulf of the Red 8ea, and that some of the wander ing branches of it were occasionally found in the Sinaitic peninsular. In the valley Probably the valley of Jezoei II. The Army made Smaller. - 2. And the XxtrA nntn C.iAn' T).. i- that are with thee are too many for me to give the Midianites into their hands, lest Israel vaunt them selves against me, saying, Mine own hand hath saved me. a. Now therefore go to, proclaim in the ears of the people, saying, Whosoever is fearful and afraid, let him return and depart early from Mount .Gilead. r&nd there returned of the people twenty and two thousand ; and there remained ten thou sand, i 4. And the Lord said unto Gideon, The people are yet too many ; .bring them down unto the water, and 1 will try them for thee there : and it shall be, that of whom I say unto thee, This shall go with thee, the same shall go with thee ; and of whomsoever I say unto thee, This shall not go with thee, the same shall not go.. 5. So he brought down the people ' unto the water; and the Lord" said tmtoGideoa, Everyone that lappeth of the water with his tongue, as a dog lappeth, him shalt thou set by himself ; likewise every one that boweth down tipon his knees to drink. .1.. . ;i , , ,.-, 6. And the number of them that lapped, putting their hand to their mouth, were three hundred men ; but all the rest of the people bowed down upon their knees to drink water. : Ul - 2. The nennlA tSnt wMy. a ney were av.uoo; the force of tne enemy numbered 135,000. . From man's standpoint it .would seem there were too few But this was the Lord's battle, and he only needed enough tff carry out his strat- ee v.5 Tj&t Ltrnsl ttav&ki Uoiu7iu. n. - jr --w v w ww to v w derstood their boastf ulness - Had the 32 .000 iougnt ana gamed -a victory, they would have taken the frnrr tn thfmolv . ft (Jne of man's great faults is, that, he usually - has too high an opinion of himself and too hit. v4tt XlllB ADrwoal VHa mr(a In t K rou. awai-v r F " ua wn vsov va, ami V GI lh TlirHplilM Ih.f Bront Kaitto' It was a special command (see Deuteronomy OA. Q ; 1 . . . . - w. of. x purpose was to iree tne army or cowards before the foe was met,-as their leaving ,tben would rout the others. ;Me . of strong faith are uuily , men r of true courage. And Mere returned twenty and f ' thotUuiuL- L(itvinr in thu arn, n. only 10,000 soldiers. - Enough to discourage ' upon whom much denenda is u tnnrf &f warfare ; (lj , Cbrisuanity, as, did Gideon, wants orave ana i&itulul fearts to wac ard to own Christ before men, you belong i ou w me army ot oa out to tne world, ; ' 4. But Iher SU to ha till anlthBr 1a j "f W-M IWVlUVt ,tC?. i The 10,000 were brave men, but too- many ; for God's purpose." ' Besides,' ne knew tbe hearts -of th fmthfnt said to Gideon, therefore, The people are yet w muiijf,. .uou wuuieu 9 'impress tnem with the fact that it was not they who were to conquer, but himself. ). A church can get' along quite well with the aid of the , wuridlv-wise. ! Drovtded .ih. iinv' Any church that has only a tew of these has iajv luituy u.cluucio, aiiu id wouia be a good idea to fy them and let them go back home 4o the worlds . " '" , - Every one that lappeth 'of the wdter UA hit tongue;: a a dog; -Travellers ay that this mode of drinkine is freauentlv rn. . sorted to in the East. . Tbe baud is held STJoon.ahsrw. a n mnvoit tmm tliA wit t. the mouth' with 'wonderful dexteritv. ac quired by much practice. The water is not held' toithe mouth and J sucked irony the hand ; hat by a alight is thrown into the r ;: I : II V V . ' V I Li M . 'I I - I 1 I UlM .'II 1 11 WM ; . iiaeh,.ioot60$T60 I - ' i ",i ii l ' , j t r ' ' 1 . , f t - r. . " ' V ' - J 1 1 do 18-00' 40 OQl 00 " ' 1 Tlie dnan of Volume ;48. ' V;:',! '. mouth, with great rapidity, thus suggesting, the use the dog makes of his tongue in drinking. Some commentators say that the' moral quality suggested by ih's means of drinking 1, that those who prostrated them selves to drink showed more self-indulgence ; besides the prostration brought out their long practiced habit of bowing them selves before Baal. However, God knew bis men and chose them. The manner in which they drank water was a sign- to Gideon who they were. These were but. three hundred men. (1). The lesson to be learned from this is, that God fights his own battles ; but employs human agencies. At all timesGod must have the glory. Tbe three hundred selected for Gideon's forces could not cooquer the 133,000 beatbeov On the other hand. God could have slain the mighty 'host without the aid of' this 800; Yet he wanted their aid. ; So he wants the aid'of men, women and children to-day, to help put down eviL . ILL The Ylctory. 7. And the Lord said unto Gideon, By the three hundred men that lapped will I save you, and de liver the Midianites into thine hand : and let all the other people go every man unto his place. 8. So the people took victuals in their hand, and their trumpets : and he sent all the rest of Israel every man unto his tent, and retained those three hundred men: and the host of Midian was be neath him in the valley, vinoi - ; ;.;; 7. 8. Bv the three hundred men that lapped wilt I five you How this was done is told in the succeeding verses. Before the battle, at Eight, Gideon and his servant went up near to the camp, and heard a dream from the lips of one of the enemy. It reassured him. as its interpretation was tnat Israel would overcome the host encamped below them. When midnight bad come Gideon's men were divided into three companies. Each mail had a. torch in a Urge empty pitcher and a trumpet A trumpet and a torch generally, m an attack at night, repre sented a company of soldiers. Hence tbe 'deception. At a given signal from Gideon the three hundred trumpeu resounded, tne Ditchers were broten, tirree nunarea lamps flashed through the darkness, and from the three hundred men came tbe fearful war cry,- i Be swora oi ine iora ana i Gideon I ! The result was tnat eacn mvaaer turned uoon bis neighbor in tbe darkness. the Israelites seized the fords of the river Jordan, and the Midianites were cut to pieces annihilated. BUYING W1TH0DT MONEY. From a Hermon delivered June 17th, 1883, at the Metropolitan Tabernacle, London. BY CHARLES H. SPURGEOST. He that hath no money; come ye, buy, and eat." Isaiah 55 1. We have before us the figure of a merchant selling his wares, and cry ing like a chapman in the market, Ho ! ' To attract attention he calls aloud,- " Come ! Come! Come !" tbrte several tinies'and he adds to this the crv of Bay ! Bnv F Shall tbe Great King thns liken himself to a trader iu the- market earnest to dis pose of hia goods ? It is even so, and J therefore call upon on to ad m re the mere- of tbe L'rd. In the fifty-third and fiftv-fonrth chapters, this Divine Merchantman has been spread rng oat Li3 wares What treasures they ari ! Look to the fitty third chapter: what see you there i Behold the ptari or great price, the Lord Jesus Christ. Be hold him wounded for our tranegres- eioos, ana oruisea ior oar iniquities This is srv costly a treasure that heav en and earth could not match it. Where else should we find a sacrifice for sin, a justirler of many? This anointed One of God, upon whom the chastisement of our peace was laid who would not have him to be his Saviour? Surely with such a treasure to display we ought not to cry long for buyers, for eiery truly wise man will exclaim, " This is what I need: a Saviour, and a great one. . An atonement ior sin is the one thirjg needful to me." To this you are invited in these words, " He that hath no money, come, bny, and eat." ..--. ' In the fifty-fourth chapter the Di vine Merchantman' seta forth , the rare possession of Ais everlasting love. Read from verse-seven, or a small moment have I forsaken thee: but with great mercies will I gather thee. In a little wrath I hid my face from thee for a moment; but with everlast Jng kindness will I have mercy on thee, saith the Lord thy Redeemer. For the mountains shali depart, and hills be removed; but my kindness shall not depart from tbee, . neither Shall the covenant of my peace be re moved, satth tbe Liord that hath mercy on thee.", What, more can be set forth to win men's hearts ? First,, a full atonement and now love ever-! lasting,' making a covenant confirmed by oath Shall, there be need often to cry. " Uome aud buy. "when such. celestial wares are displayed before. us r , ... . - , . , , ... .. . 'Added to this, we see . a little ' fur ther' on the blessing of heavenly ed-, vacation. J-vikw tne eleventh yerse: r j. win lay iuj stones wir,n, jair colors, and Jay thy foundations: with Sapphires. " And ? I will, make thy. wmaows ot .agatea, ana toy gates ol Carbuncles and' all thy holders of pleasant stones." 'This is rare build ing, is it not ? There should be quick JtiV.-:!; -;?-!..- rf--? . . maraetr iorHsucn "an array oiJcnoice things: sapphires - and agates what would 'yoo have more ? . Here are all manner of precious stones, and all of jthese given freely I : The only terms are "everytnmg tor nothing I ; Heav en for. asking i" All the treasures of God are freely bestowed upon the Bons ox men wno -are willin? to ac-t cent them as gifts of grace. ' .-s-niit I ; As af ; this .were not enough, Hho iuord brings out a -fourth ; blessintr. namely, tverlaeting safety y by faith: fMn .righteousness shalt thou be es tablished: thou -shalt be far from op pression ; for thou shalt not fear: and Xrom riterrori; lor . it shall not' coma near thee. No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall -rise against thee in lodgment, thou shalt - condemn."- Se curity is ;woxth; infinitely more than gold. To be protected by divine the North Carolina Baptists, Devotee! to4 Bitle Religion , Education, "Literature, Agriculture, -'and General Jritelligence.. " wisdom from 'every possible harm, is tha vuS'rr.iftWnf KcliftVATH in ' .TpsnH" To" be saved,; And made safe forever, ii not - this, worth worlds I ' Never: swas there - market like the goapol maH Ket; ana never-' were .. aucn . warwi spread out before the eyes of men as those which are , here presented , to yon. I shall, therefore, with the more hopefulness speak to those who Laen bn vers, and urtre upon you the invitation of the text,' tie that nata no money, come ye, buy, and eat j', a ' First here it'l&xscumoi. of the buyer,;, I helieve he'18 here this morning.; ,1 hope he will recognize his own portraiV-though it is by no means a flattering one. It is troth itself, a photograph taken by the Bfcu light of heaven. It is the portrait of a poor, pnxulefis, broken-down crea ture, reduced to the extremity of want:; here it is " He that hath no money," u- ' Of course, by this is meant am org other things Che man who literally has no money.) Among the Jews of our Lord's day,! there existed an idea that a man who had money was at a great advantage with regard to heav enly things, so, that when the Lord said. How hardly shall they that have riche3 enter into the kingdom," they exclaimed with wonder, " Who then can be saved?"' as if they thought that if the rich could not be easily saved then none could be. The Word of God contains nothing to encourage fcueh a notion. The rich man is never extolled in the Old Testament, but he is often spoken of most slightingly. It is the glory of the Messiah that "the poor have the gospel preached unto them,",and it is the glory of the gospel that it is freely provided by the bounty of God for the beggar On the dunghill. Let no man's heart ; fail him this day' be cause he saith, " Silver and gold have none." - Having nothing, you may yet possess all things. You are at no disadvantage in God's market be cause your pocket is empty: you may come penniless and bankrupt and re ceive the exceeding riches of his grace. But we understand the refer ence of the text to be mainly spir itual, and so the portrait here is that of a man who has no spiritual money, no gold of good rj ess, no silver of sanc tity he it is that is invited to come and buy the wine and milk of heaven. He thought that he had accumu lated so me little savings of good works; but his imaginary righteous ness turns out to be counterfeit. Had he not been honest, had he not been saber, had he not attended a place of worship,and repeated forms of prayer? Did not all this make np a little for tune of righteousness ? He thought so, but then ne was ignorant ana deluded: be knows better now, for he has found out that all bis righteous ness is base metal: he could not pass a penny's worth of it in the shop of his own conscience, much less in the market of heaven; he knows that it would at once be detected, and nailed to the counter, lie hnds that his silver is white metal of the basest sort, and that his gold is a sham: he has not the face to oner it anywhere; yea, he is so afraid of being seized by justice as a coiner tnat, like a wise man, he has bidden his sham right- eousness in tne eartn, ana has - run away xrom it, ne is now more afraid of hia righteousness than of his unrighteousness. He would think it just, as possible for .hiiur to ;-be I saved by cursing and sweating, as by me merit oi ms own woras. nis good works are in ill odor with his conscience, for he sees them to bo defiled within and without with sin: a 'rottenness is in tne Dor.es oi ms righteousness, and thus he is without merit ot any sort, bee his poverty: his original stock; is gone, and all his savings have melted away ! ' ; 'There is yoor portrait,' my 1 poor iriend ! Do you recognize it ? I hope you do. 1 hear you say, " Yes, that is myself. I am without money." Then to you the word of this salva tion is sent He that hath no mon ey, come, buy, and eat. ; s ; .No i money I" Then he cannot pay -ms ota aeots. tus sins rise np hefore him, but be cannot make Amends for them.- What a long file is needed' to hold the record of. his debts; it most be deep as the;bottorn feBS pit, " and high as heaven. ' He owes ten thousand talents, and has nothing to pay": he has not a stiver,' he; has no money whatever ! ' He is reduced to bankruptcy, and cannot bav a farthinz in the Dound. Moreover, he cannot meet his pres V . .... ent expenses, roor man r he must hvehe must eat the bread of heaven, and he must dnnk of the water - of lifef but he has nothing with 'winch to procure 'these good things. . His soul hungereth, 'yea,' even f ainteth after the mercy of God, but he has no price with fwhich to 1 procure it This day he would pluck his eyes out to be pleasing God;-bnt he - has noth ing to oner which the Lord 'could accept. He is reduced to such beg gary tnat iiKe tne' prodigal he ' cries, I perish with hunger." ' )-He cannot': face the future: -He hardly dares to think of it; and yet the thought of ; it. will come in." - He remembers the needs which will snr round him on a dying bed, and ' the terrible demands: of the resurrection morning when thu ringing .trumpet shall introduce him to the dread As size, and he : shall stand before his God to render his account. ' He knows that ne cannot answer him for 'one sin of a thousand; :,He' dreads -the thought of the world to cornel1 He has nothing with which to meet the raleigh, j.o, Wednesday; ;afgijst 15, demands of the eternal future.. ? He has no money.". nothing that will past current in the day of judgment.' n is urougufc , iy . vuo icmm atogv vv spiritual . destitution; i poverty , has come upon him like an armed man. This is terrible plight to be in; yet I wish that every sinner here might be reduced to it, lor when he so reduced and brought low, grace will come in, and the tide will turn. The only hope for a man who has "no money" must be outside himself. It is idle for him to look into his own coffers: he mnst look away from himself: and his only chance iu thus looking is to appeal to charity, and plead for merov's sake. He cannot buy it. is only God's mercy that talks about his buying: he must beg, ho must entreat for love's sake. This is an essential part of spiritual poverty; and I would that every unreeenerate person knew that in him there dwell eth no good thing, and that he were convinced that he must look out and look up for salvation, and that upon the ground or mercy, since he cannot expect to obtain any blessing upon the looting of Justice, or as a matter of debt This is the man who is called to buy heaven's wine and milk. Do you want a fuller portrait of him r Look at the twenty-first verse of the four teenth chapter of Lukes. Gospel, where he that made the feast and said, " Bring in hither the poor and the maimed and the halt and the blind." This man is so poor that he cannot buy bread, o maimed that he can not run for it, so halt that he cannot stand up to receive it, and so blind that be cannot see it; yet such a per son we are to bring into the royal banquet of mercy. If you would like another photograph turn to Revela tions 3:17, 18: Thou knowest not that thou art wretched, and miser able, and poor, and blind, and naked." This portrait was taken by John, who had an eagle's eye, and saw deep into the lnwnrd misery of the heart. To the "wretched and poor, and blind, and naked," the Lord says, "I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, ; that thou mayst be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayst be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eye-Balve, that thou mayest see. ttospel riches are sent to remove our wretchedness, and mercy to remove out misery. It is to these wretches, these blind beg gars, these naked vagrants, that the gospel is sent. This day I have to present the promise of God and the exhortation of mercy to those who have failed in life, who are down at the heel, broken and crushed. Ob, you utterly lost ones, to you is there opened a door of hope. The Lord has come into the market, and he bids you buy of him wihout money and without price. WHT HE IS CHOSEX. II. Now a minute or two upon Ihe second point, the selection of the buyer. It is a strange choice, and it leads to a singular invitation, " He that hath no money; come, boy, and eat." . In the : streets round about this Tabernacle, especially on a Sat urday evening, you may note sales men standing before their shops, and crying out vociferously,' "Buy I Buy! isuy r jmo one can refuse to bear their noise;, but if they, knew that a person bad no money, 1 think they would save, their breath so far as he is concerned,: They want ready- money customers, and plenty of them. What wonid be the use of crying, Rnv f Ttnv ?" tn a man knii nnooA is empty ? ' .Yet, these are the very persons, whom the'iLord selects, and to them he cries, "Uome, buy, ana eat." What is the reason ? Well, first, these need mercy most. Oh, poor souls, when the Lord Jesus lobks on you he does not look at What you have, but at what you have not. : He does not look at your excel- lences, but at your necessities. He is not looking out for man's fullness, but for man a emptiness.. The Lord Jesus never gave himself. lor- our righteousness; but he "gave himself for our sins." Salvation is by grade. and it is - presented to those who 'are lost, zor they are the people whom it win suit: now snonia those. who are not If st value salvation ? I say that uoa selects tne mot poverty-stricken nrst Because, tms character most jieeds his ; pitying love. The great ness 01 your necessity is that which gives you a first call from the God of all grace. : JN ot merit, but: demerit: not desert oi reward, but desert: of wrath,; is the qualification for mercy. f Attain. Vi i o ikipoAta. oknaAm Va. pause he is such an tms as will exhibit in his own person thtf power f divine grace, lithe Lord Jesus Christ takes one that is twretched and miserable, ana poor, ana Diina, ana naked, ana !if i he satisfies all his necessities by .being Tiches for ' his wretcheinees, comfort f Of, his misery, wealth for his 'v.rMti,tn T AM ll4M A . J raiments for nakedness,- i then all the world will see what a great Savior he is, and how wonderfully his salva- won meeLs tue necessities or me case. -II von 'and l were onlv1 little sin ners I do not .see how Christ , could be anything but a little Saviour to us ; ; and if he only met oaf smaller wants, a small supply would sumce. Ah, friends, it pleased the Father that m him should all fallnets dwell; and he wills that this. .fullness shall he' seen. When he . takes a man whose needs areas, large as the sea, whose wants areas many as the sands on the shore, whose danger is deep as the bot- lomiess piu ana wnose sin is DiaCK as Tophet's midnight ; and when he makes that man into a child of God and an heir of heaven, ah, then all intelligences are amazed, and cry out, "What a Saviour is ths i What pre cious blood is this I What a fullness this must be which satisfies such im measurable wants I" As it is one end of Christ's work tot glorify divine grace, . therefore he calls first upon those who have the most need, for in them his grace will be best displayed. Let me add that such an empty, penniless soal, when he doeset mer cy, 'will prize it and praise it. He that has been shut up in tbe darK lor years values the light of the sun. He that has been a prisoner for months, how happy he is when the prison doors are opened, and he is at liberty again! Let a man once get Christ, ho has bitterly known and felt his need of him, and he will prize him beyond all things, and find his solo delight in him. The impotent man at the Beautiful gate of the temple, when his ankles received strength, walked, ay, and ran, ay, and leaped. He leaped, praising God, before all the people, He could not do enough to show his delight and his gratitude. Oh, for a few leaping Christians. The Lord Jesus loves us to prize the mer cy which cost him so dear. Shall he aie on tne tree ana give us oiessings to treat with contempt? No, no. We will love him much because of his priceless gifts to us. Therefore the Well-Beloved delights to invite those who manifestly have no merit, and no spiritual power, becauee he knows that when they tasto of his love they will overflow with praise to his name forever and ever. You hare beard of the old woman who said that if ever she got to heaven the Lord Jesus should never hear the last of it; many of us are of that mind : we shall never praise the Lord sufficiently through out eternity. If I do but once cross the golden threshold, and stand with in the pearly gate, my heart, my soul, my tongue shall extol my Redeemer world without end. This shall be the one and only contention among the birds of Paradise, who shall sing the most sweetly to the praise of infinite compassion. .None oi us win yield tbe palm m that contest; we will see which can sink lowest in the sense of obligation, which can rise highest in adoring love. Singers are wanted for tbe celestial choirs, and there are no voices so sweet as those which have known the force of spiritual hunger and thirst: these take the alio notes, and sing "Glory to God in the high est." THE BLESSED INVITATION. III. I have now in the third place to notice the invitation. The man who has no money is to come, buy. and eat. It looks odd to tell a penniless moil to come and bay, does it not ? and yet what other word could be used? Come and buy. has a meaning of its own not to be o: her wise ex pressed. In buying there are three or four stages, and the first is desiring to have the thing which is exhibited. The man who buys has first the wish that tbe property in the article should be vested in himself. Will you not de sire that Christ, that forgiveness, that eternal life, that salvation should be come yours ? Do you not long for the Lord to grant it to you." .Men in the streets, as I have said before cry "Buy ! buy 1" because buying means hriRineas. Thev are not unwilling that people should stop and look at their goods they even ask them to walk in and see for themselves! but they aim at finding buyers, and not gazers. If a man were to come into the shop and turn over all the goods, and nev er purchase anything, the tradesman would begin to cry, " I3ay I isuy I with quite another accent ; for he does not want a crowd to look at him, but he wants people to buy of him. Many of you who are here this morn ing have only come to hear what the preacher has to say, ana to criticise I his style and language ; I pray you rise to something, better than that Gome, and buy! Let us do business this morning for God, and for our own rionla. Do not waste the : nrecious market day of the Sabbath. ; People 1 a . 3 l . J I come, ana go, ana near sermons, ana read ' books, and all for a sort of amusement they do not come to downright business with; the Lord. See, how they select striking sentences and cull sparkling and delightful ex tracts, ana take notes of telling anec dotes ; but all this is comparatively wasting time. "Come, buy I Buy 1 Buy!" - Do you mean business? Then; come and buy. Do not stand huck stering by the year, together. Come to terms, and make an end of nest a- tion. -If yon have no desire you will not bny,; and I shall effect' no sales. Again 1 cry, 'Uome, buy, and eat" 'Buy" .'This means next to agree to terms, for there cannot be any pur chasing, howeyer much the buyer de sires to buy and the seller to sell, till they agree to terms. Now, our diffi culty with God's goods is this : whereas ordinarily the buyer cannot ba brought up to the seller's price, in our case we I cannot get; men doton to God's price. They trill persist in offering something or other as a price. They talk to us thus-r"! cannot be saved, for X do not see any good thins: in mvself. .Sir, if l had a deep- sense of need, then I could be saved or. ' Sir. if I could pray , better :" or, ."Sir, ,if l had more repentence, or more love, 1 could then believe in1 Jesus." v Oh," yes, if you bad a price in your ( hand, you wouia pay.. lor i heaven a .blessings, would vou not ? But then, you see. they "are not presented to you upon such terms.' jfrice is out of the quea tion. God's terms are that there shall be no terms . of purchase at all ; yon 1883, : ;; are to be nothing, and Jesus is to be your all in all.! - When you will come down to that, then take tbe goods, the bargain is made ; eternal life is yours. But the text says a little more than that it says. "Buy, and eaf'& much as to say, make it yours in the most complete sense. If a man buys a loaf of bread it is his: but if he eats it, then all the lawyers in the worm cannot aispute mm one oi it he has it by a possession which is not 1 only nine points of the law, lint atl the law. when a poor soul hath con- fidence enough to take Christ and to live upon him as his own. savin?, "This Christ is able to save me, I take him unto me and I am saved," why, I the devil himself cannot unsave you. TI71 L J J t ... . -II . A I uai, js to u i viae mm irom vnnss r There is the bath, and I wash therein and am clean : what then ? Who can obliterate the fact that I have washed? The righteonsness of Christ is be stowed upon me, and put on by me, who can teat off., that glorious dress ? Christ fed upon is ours beyond all question. No method of possession is more sure and safe than that of eating what yon have bought: Feed, then, on Christ, the bread of heaven, and though you be in yourself the poorest of the poor, yet he is yours forever and ever. ' See, then, the blessed invitation, the whole of God's mercy in Christ, infinite love and boundless compassion are to be had for no price at all; they are freely given to every man who has no money with which to procure them. The height of love meets the depths of poverty and fills them up. He that has nothing is invited to have all things, for he is the person for whom they were provided in the eter nal purposes of God. FRAGMENTS OF A JOURNEY. BY N. S. PITTMAN. NO. IV. Our first night in Monterey, State of Neuvo Leon, to our "weary pilgrim band" was not a solid wall of sleep between the sun-setting and the sun rising. "Vague wishes Unexpressed, Strange fancies, Bweet unrest," discloses the experience not only of the vouthful theologue tb whose "maiden fair to see" "distance lends enchant ment," but also of the fathers and grandfathers who "love them when they are old." Vhen the mountains of the Orient were fringed with the silver lace of the morning sun, the citizens of Mon terey saw bunches of gesticulating Americans talking on plazas and street corners. A native Mexican escorted a company of us to the post office be fore breakfast Men and women of toil were moving hastily along the streets. Buyers and sellers were busy in market places. Everything about me reminded me of the smell of the musty book 8 of the ancients. The Orient and the Occident have met in Monterey. The streets are parallel and rectangular. 1 hey are narrow and excellently though roughly paved with stone. With magnificent masonry, tbe squares are solidly walled, except here and there a closed door adjacent to an open window, which is defended by a network of iron bars reaching almost to the level of the street. The stores are on the corners and the resi dences between. A truant eye would discover a bit of indoor life. Very few homes have more than one floor. Here a home of poverty and wretch edness. There a home of wealth and music So it is everywhere in the world. John the Baptist goes from a dungeon to a throne eternal. King Herod goes from a throne to a dun geon eternal. Solomon and David had thrones earthly and thrones celestial. Material, wealth is not incompatible with spiritual, wealth. B:u the tern poral palace is- sometimes a gang-way to the eternal penitentiary. in the rear of tbe dwellings are courts or plazas in which are shelters for cooking, and clusters of shade trees abont the wells, and seats for circlM of talkers. In the court of the Hefley Hotel our pilgrims - joined with the Mexican oretnrea in noiaing prayer meeting. In the soft light of the even ing moon, while the bells of Papal Cathedral were ringing their rhythmic chimes, we sang and prayed. Many of our hearts were lull, out Mexican brethren; were;; overjoyed. Judge Stewart, of Georgia, and JJr, ttoyce. of the Seminary, and others, snoke through an interpreter to the Mexi cans. The members of the Monterey church wept and rejoiced. Many who were f not Christians " were deenlv moved. "IhmkJIhall rrythat eAAiiA in mv TnAYtwtr tin fi Via a von BUvUv iu a j aubiuvsj Mr V uwaivu p and I hope to meet the. Hefley Hotel nnncrrficr&tion aronnd Ltod a throne. We visited the Baptist chnrch house., Some brethien slept in it during the nikhti we tarried m the city.1 'It was' too small to seat all of us. The pastor i Riiy; S. TTrevi no. 'who Was con - verted Under the ministry of Westrup; the martyr, missionary, who planted the church in. Monterey. Bro. Tre- vino is sustained by the Home Mission! Board of New York. The baptistery is in the church-yard. . This little churcd house isJ under the shadow of a magnificent Catholic cathedraL But we were told that the popular feeliny. is becoming bitter against the Catl olics. , , The. prospect for the Baptir in Mexico is exhilarating!. Bro. Wf rap,, brother of the slain mission -s is encouraged in teaching a scho " :J Monterey.'. t Eer. W.'D.i Powell; jJ vent man of God, is meetin. glorious success in Saltillo, f Number 6. from Monterey,lrt Bey,: W M. Flour noy, a native a man of robust form and devoted to Christ, is laboring with success in Progressed He made a speech at Waco. Our visit to Mex ico was a joy to him. : Rev. Rod riquez, a good, clever young man, who has been at the , Baptist Theological Seminary, will do great work for Christ in his native land. He made a speech in English to the excursionists. It was good. " We had a pic-nic day in a foreign I land. The wind now and then fainted, I We did not. Our eves were wide with wonder. It was the busiest dav nf m I life.. Let me tumble a few obaerva- tions. I saw twelve oxen drawing a solitary cart The oxen were like V,, . m. i some unriscians. The voices were fastened on their horns, and every jolt was a pain, a thousand pack-donkeys came across the mountains burdened with many sorts of marketable pro duce. Their drivers goad them and starve them and bruise them and kill them. . "He whose toiL Patient and ever ready, clothes the land ' With all the pomp of; harvest shall he bleed. And struggling, groan beneath the cruel nanas Even of the clown he feeds V Four miles from the city is the Hot Spring. Many of us visited this most delightful section of Taumaulipaa We bathed m the tepid water which is said to be a cure for every human malady. We visited " the house in a tree." High in a mighty tree, pil lared on four massive limbs is a house with accommodations for a few visit ors. I climbed the long stair-way,' and in that house McConnell and I saw Castilian beauty. The tree stands in a spacious yard in the suburbs of the city. Uur ramble about the Black Fort, where many Americans were slain in 1S46, was singularly painfuL The great walls of the fort are at least twelve feet high and eight feet thick. They are slowly falling down and crumbling into dust Wo wandered among the breast-works of the be siegers, and the voice of history re peated to us the roar and the crash and the groans of the awful battle waged there thirty-seven years ago. We silently walked over the grounds to see the unhonored and monument- less bones of the brave Americans who, with thougnts of " mother, home and heaven, faced their tern bio foes in that far-off land. - ? A crowd of us gathered at Bishop's Palace, which crowns a height near the city. This is to the American the chief point of Monterey's historic in terest, because it was the chief point of Gen. Taylor's attack. When Gen. Worth bad stormed and captured the Palace, the city lay helpless at Tay lor's feet The Palace is now converted into a so' t of barracks, occupied by weak, uncouthly clad soldiers, who entertained us with their clumsy mil itary calestbenics. There are many evidences of by gone munificence in the massive struc ture. Though weather-beaten and time-worn, much of its stone masonry is perfect Its dome is sublime in its decay. But its firmament is not like the angelic interior of the dome of our Washington Capitol. We climbed up the ramparts of the castle and looked down on the dozing city. There were hots covered with cactus shreds, and palaces with tes selated walls, and cathedrals with lofty spires, and plazas in the quiet shade, and straight streets leading to the dim distance. " And the sky-line is broken By the Mountains Divine ! And the planet stands op Body-guard before God, And to cloud-land and glory Transfigures the sod." Yonder is La Salla, the queen of mountains, with diadem of ame tine cloudlets upon her head an ; pers ef daisies on her feet Wh sun has said good-bye to all tb mountains round about Mont makes La Sal la's cheeks radi , his kisses. Gen. Taylor's fl j tory was placed on La Sal' , and the Mexicans surrendr The evening before Estados Uhidos Mexica' cloud Bailed up from the and thunders pealed . poured and the air w, blackness. Mexicans with our divisions of ' have only two perir son estacion ide 7 1 lasts from about t October. The f comprises the it evening's rain within about e; Ri ver was dry . . 1:5 : Gardens are the morninf heat.... The " the moun; ; ,:' rent of ai seats in could n ; ... , , ,v withoo . . . " pure ' seek' ' ' and - sle ;-, ; . ' 1 1 ? ; f .J.lvl, 114 00 $24 00 S5 00 4QO0 80 00 MiVU 40 00 60 00 60 00 75 00 80 001 JO 00 00173 001250 00 i Bpecial notices charged 20 cents per line. No contracts made for every-other-week advertisements, nor for' special position in paper. '..,,,. ' I ' Obituaries sixty words long, are Inserted free of charge. When they exceed this length one cent for each word must be paid in advance, the new sarcophagus of John Howard Payne, I Would wreathe it with the rarest flowers of the tropics in mem ory of . i - : v , , . Home, swext hokx. , : ( : ,4 t : 1 1 ., ' ' .rU ': ' COOLNESS CROWDS A SHEEUT IN 1 TE0UBLE, Ac-, Ac ; " Dear Recorder : I guess you never1, had a news-letter from this place be fore I know you've never had one from this scribe. Doubtless many of your readers ; would like to know where Saluda is," and what it is.' WelL it is on the top of Saluda Mountain; 2500 feet above the sea; 13 miles from Hendersonville, oh the Spartanburg & Asheville R. R., about 40 miles from Spartanburg, j So much for the where.? At S& a pleas ant resort for the people: of the low-: country during the fiery heat of dogr, days and August suns. Here arc two , hotels, both packed to their utmost , capacity with the denizens of North , and S. Carolina, and were there two other houses - opened to-day, they, would be filled within a week or two. : , While I .was sojourning here with , my family, the worthy bishop of Spar- tanburg came up, bringing his clunr ' with him. j Re hugged the floor in ' the dining-room all night for the want of a bed, while the young -ladies ' "hunted soft planks" on the parlor floor for the same reason. It is scarce-1 ly necessary to add, that that pastor and choir spent next night in Hender- ' sonville. Do yon ask why the pladl 1 is so crowded? The; capacity is lim ited, not being able to accommodate -more than 125 persons. The air is s cool and pure and crisp so like elixi .. the water is ice-cold without the i troduction of ice; the companyia ; , lite, sociable refined; the place q": and retired-all these are disside. , in selectinea place for a seaso; resc , Dr. W. W. Duncan and f ..' , of Wofford College are surnme . . here and enjoy it very much. I said there were ' two ho telB not advise as1 to which one v ' 1 best to go to. I heard a s " that illustrates my predica- traveller in a mountain cc ; " a lad and asked him for d' ; ' a certain place. Said the ' i: are two : waysy either of . take yon there, and no 1 ... , you take,; yov'U imeh 1 - . i? f otherS v Another anecdote ... from saying I anythir t fare. In ante-bellur -Thompson" kept th'v the leading hotel Dr. had earned .. "keeping a good all men in his p? the same) and p bled at his far the hours at wl a long," lean, man presente dinner. Th unseasonabi being "off "on," but could. T "scared t ' be sum? ham an : " milk, . . , "sit d he di Belf, , . - , ' "1 - - - -r,m j b& , ' tl -t's r 1 " far J-t .; Jit ( 1 it tU i ,1 p ?ia -9- J i i
The Biblical Recorder (Raleigh, N.C.)
Standardized title groups preceding, succeeding, and alternate titles together.
Aug. 15, 1883, edition 1
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