North Carolina Newspapers

1 i. a THE ORGAN QF THE NORTH CAROLINA BAPTISTS-DEVOTED TO BIBLE RELIGION, ED UCATION, LITERATURE iAND GENERA L INTELLIGENCE. Volume 88.; it r.-- j RALEIGH, N, C., WEDNESDAY, JULY 81, 1889. Number' fThe Biblical Recorder. PUBLISHED EVERY WEDNESDAY. OFFICE. Corner Hargett and Salisbury Sta., Raleigh, N. C. v Twlms or Subscription : One copy, one year.. 2.00 'One copy, six mcnths........ .-. ..v. .. ... ... ' 1.00 Clobs of ten (copy extra to sender), . . ... . . 20.00 I Remittance must be sent by Registered Letter, postoffice Order,. Postal Note, Express or Draft, -tfyabletotheorder of the Publisher. . I Obituaries, sixty words long, are inserted free Of charge, wnen tney exceed tbia length, -one cent for each word asast be paid In adTance. - The Editor Third Tear with the . Recorder. Bis Sole Management of tbe Paper.' Its Saccess, AcIofiaence of the Baptist State Ccavention. . - ? . , Id my last article I bad reached the time when 1 bad bought half of the Recorder book, and by mutual consent took entire ntrolof the raperThis was near the ose of 1855. Daring the ensuing year I secuted my business as best I could and not only extended the circulation ot the Recorder bat secured by solicitation & Material increase in i its correspondence. This I regarded as essential to its success. 1 Of the Contents of the paper, while I jnanaged it, I have bat little to say. I wrote for it as well as I could, and never iieard any complaint of its not being suffix ciently Baptistic. - I never believed in any btber system of religions faith as a whole, Wid felt no misgivings of conscience when I Judged it necessary to set forth Baptist doctrines and principles with as much dls linctnessas I could command language to do.. When in mf reading I encountered articles or newspaper paragraphs which misrepresented our principle or practice, I felt it my duty to straighten p the matter, kndif necessary bring it to the test of scrip ture. And here I may add that while reli gious controversy, as sometimes conducted, may be and often is an -evil rather than a benefit; it is of much importance that the organ of a denomination keep before its Readers the leading and distinctive doctrines jwhWi they profess.. To. this end .well in. Etructed ; correspondents, who have' more leisure for preparation than -editors, may render valuable assistance. - Thus, ; while the younger readers would become better Indoctrinated, the -older ones . would be strengthened and confirmed In their faith. Baptists of all professed christians ought to be able to give an intelligent reason of iheir faith and hope in Christ. i in the several religious journals which It is the happiness of the writer to peruse, he 4nds much .more of i religious intelligence than of religious doctrine. This is ooubt less owing to the progress the cause is now happily making. But the correspondents should bear in mind that religious intelli- ?enee, however interesting, is not doctrine, and that it Is practicable and often toeU to incorporate both in their communications. The idea here presented is strikingly illus trated in the Interesting sketches now being furnished by our venerable father in Israel . Ryland. . This writer cannot speak for thers, but can say be reads said articles th increasing interest, xne guts ana ex- Uencies, toils and eacri flees of the beloved whom he writes are oy no means over drawn. In early life and in his native State It was the pleasure of this writer to hear man v of these preachers of the past as they stood forth before the people with power and eloquence "holding forth the Word of life. And now, as the hand of time is pringing him nearer and nearer to the great Ehanee which they have already passed, he i - . . a m . a san but anticipate roe scenee oi rois grana galaxy of christian heroes faithful soldiers bf the bloodstained cross as tney appear pef ore their heavenly K!ng to bear the wel- me "well done.' I A rain I have fallen into another digres- aon a fault which writers of my years not infrequently oommit. But after all -we yrite or read for benefit or interest, and if We don't find it in one direction we are apt to seek It in another, and sometimes, yea ?f ten, we may count ourselves happy if we nd it at an. - - - Bnt to return to the thread of my story. was attended with the usual and occurrences common to the different seasons, and to the editor one very nnnnnnV oftanrrence. Xt nappenea in tne inonth of ADril. 1856: that is, he married:. Went into the new houjo be had bought na ntrAl. noon 'the many little duties nf hnnse-keeping. To him, of sonnA. the vear was q uite different from IU previous ones. The gayety of the bridal riait to his frtends in Caswell was somewhat folored by a request just at that time to Sraaoh tiut fnneral diLeorirse of A beloved iater in Christ who. after ministering for nany years comforts to the public servants f her Lord, bad fallen asleep. Tbe editor ln Attended the anniversaries at Wake "orest, Oxford, &c. and no doubt wrote of "ieir proceedings with more interest and armth than be had been accustomed to o. Bnt when in Kaleigh his situation 'ggests an anecdote related by a wealthy jmer who resided In Halifax county, Vir nia, who, when pressed repeatedly by his Sr fo7nberaJ 5PS IZ Jects, . becoming somewhat wearied by his importunity, replied: My brother, I find it a pretty hard ' Job: to prepare for two worlds at the same time." A young editor with bis bride, a new house to furnish, and the entire dutieB of his office to perform without assistance, had, to say the least, his hands bH. ; - ' - i-.-. -Having omitted to mention it In its proper plaee,.I will now say the Baptist Btate Con vention, in 1855, held its session in the town of Warrenton; but as nothing of unusual interest occurred in its proceedings. I can only add that for a large delegation it was a meeting of much harmony and good feel ing, and in this respect in striking contrast with some 1 bad attended in previous years. In union there is strength. . Education and missions were now- receiving much atten tion. The body adjourned to meet in Ral eigh in October, 1856, the year of which this article treats, and without further al lusion to other things X will here speak of what occurred in that memorable Conven tion. Its sessions bad previously been held In the old church house when it met in Raleigh, but the body had so increased that the house did not afford accommodation, and this meeting (1856) was held in the Common's Hall of the Capitol. The sub ject of education had been discussed and agitated till it had reached a higher point of public attention than ever before, at least among trie Baptists: ana wnen tne report on that subject was read a proposi tion was made for subscriptions to increase the endowment of Wake Forest College, which was then small. The discussion of the subject brought out more zeal and elo quence than had ever been witnessed in this body belore. 1 cannot now recall but two of the speakers. Rev. W. H. Jordan and his half brother Dr. A. M. Poindexter, of Virginia. The latter, by the force of his arguments and the power of his eloquence, completely carried the Convention. I bad often heard him, but never belore speak as he did on this occasion. The result was a subscription of $40,000 added to the endow ment fund of the College, the largest amount ever subscribed for any one object by the Convention.; The sessions of the Conven tion held in 1855-'56 produced a decided impression on many parts of , the State. The Baptists were more and more aroused to increased activity and seal, ana our mis sionaries, whose number had increased, were carrying the glad tidings to many des titute fields. The lookout was more prom ising, and the Recorder was witness to it alL . J. J. JAMES. Yaneeyville, N. C Old Baptist Preachers of Virginia, . i BY S. RILA2JD. An Omaibus. There is a large class of ministers whom I saw in my younger days and became par tlallv aeauainted with, but 1 do not Know enough of their character to justify me in attempting its minute portraiture. i pro pose, therefore, in wis paper to present them in a group. rrr::r rr ; trrr Samuel L. f&ratighan. of the Northern Heck of Va., is described by R. B. Semple in n. small book, as a man oi gigantic power. He was tall, ooen-faeed. beaming with good wffl. of a loud, clear but musical voice, ana brim-full of deep pathos. The only time I remember to have seen and heard him was at my father's house. ;s The large parlor was erammed with neighbors who had come at early twilight to hear the strange preacher. ftome one 1 Know not waoaaa aeuvereu . Hrtf bnt nrosv. eomniierous sermon. At its close. Straugfaan rose and, without tak leg a text, began to speak of the privileges of God's people in the present state. I must have been a very small boy, for I re call only one illustration in his address. As the spies brought baca irom uanaan a clus ter of the sr rapes of Esbcol for a pledge and J prophecy of the luxuriance of the land, so nd often elves us a foretaste ot neaven hm in the wilderness as a sort of first fruits of the abundant harvest in the blessed fntnr. The whole room was stirred. Some were melted to silent tears. Others uttered nrlA bnt distinct accents of praise to ttod. and others shouted aloud forf joy. But the preacher went on rolling out words of Are and love, till, overcome himself with emotion, he sat down and covered his tace, aa if run thoughts were too big for utter ance. '. . Retibin Ford presented to my young and onvinna Ave, at a meeting of the Dover As sociation, a large, venerable form, with lnriff f7rftT hair, and a sonorous voice that eommaaded the attention of the giddy roul m at v reader should be inqaisi V te enough to inquire into the history of Ma Ar old man ana snouia nna tnat ne AcaA before I was born March 14, 1805 he will please f write the name of John Courtney in the place of Re u bin Ford -to exempt me from the charge of anach !! frr I ha va only, hanging PP in the chamber of memory, the imposing form of the patriarch, quite distinct, but the name Is faded by time). At any rate Ford was Q Antemborarv with, and yery similar to, John Courtney; and like him left a fragrant name among the people pi roe next gen eration. - " Samuel Harriett Bedford, who baptized J. B. Jeter, the two Witts, and several other preachers, was a gooa mau, Christ but a moderate preacher, though venerated by the whole community.- He always traveled on horseback with a long stemmed pipe projecting from bis pocket a Bible and hymn-book iu his saddle-bags, and always ready to attend a. funeral, to marry a couple, or to bold a night meeting at a moment's notice. : " He that is faith ful in that which is least is faithful also in much. ;; Jacob Grigg. an Englishman, an eloquent and orthodox divine, who served the First Baptist church of Ricbrrond, for some time, and was put forth at the Dover Association to preach on the Lord's day, was an emblem Of strength and weakness. He migrated to some Western State and became grossly addicted to drunkenness f After years Of humiliation, he came back to Virginia a redeemed man, but bowed down with the deepest penitence. We all forgave him, because we thought liod had forgiven him, but he never forgave himself . "Let him that thinketh he standeth, take heed lest he fall." He gave me a thrilling account of Robert Hall whom he had often beard in England, saying that the charm of his preaching was its simplicity and colloquial style. On one occasion when Hall began his sermon, the hearers sat back in their seats with cold indifference. As he ad vanced, they gradually leaned forward as if anxious to catch the falling words. Pres ently theyrosa, unconsciously, one after an other, to their feet and stood in a breath less, incumbent posture. And finally they placed their hands on the backs of the pews before them and with stretched out necks and fixed gaze seemed to drink in the mel ody of his discourse. If this is not an ex agge rated account, we poor creatures have got to learn how to preach 1 Samuel (?) Davidson,oi Campbell county, presents an extreme picture in another di rection. He was the pastor of Stonewall church In the lower skirt of the county. He was never guilty of "rubbing his back against college walls," nor of rubbing his brain against tne brain of .men wiser than himself. His strongest argument against " laming " was that he had never been to college, and he had gotten along remarka biy well. Hj a process of literal interpre tation he had persuaded himself and his people that feet washing is an ordinance of Christ aud of pennant obligation. Accord ingly, once or twice a year, the church as sembled and went through a regular and formal ablution of one another's feet the brethren serving the brethren, and the sis ters, the sisters. It was brought before the Strawberry (?) Association once, I think. either by the foes or the friends of the cus tom, and the inquiry was into the legiti macy and bindingness of the custom. The body wisely voted that the pastor and mem bers of Stonewall should be allowed to wash their feet as often as they needed washing, but that they should not make the omission of the custom a bar to fellow ship with other churches. This was ex actly right. Bro. Archibald Maeolay, of New York Uity. witn hia Mulberry Street church, celebrated the Lord's Supper ev ery Sunday morning. JNobody objected. and he and his people objurgated nobody for a different course. It is when extreme men magnify their difierences and insist. each, that his views shall be universally adopted, tnat strife and schism get the as cendency and new sects originate 1 An evangelical body of Christians once split into two, because one party regarded the Psalms of David as the only words to be lawfully sung in a gospel church 1 So far as my knowledge extends, the seceding body still exists, and the only element of discord was the one here stated. Speaking of cleanliness reminds me of a visit I made to Elder Davidson's people during my Lynchburg life. They were having a pro tracted meeting and I rode down to see and hear and help, if need be. An old brother Matthews was already in the stand, and preached the only sermon I ever beard that didn't have some good in it. H e commented on Acts 8: 32-40. When he got to the phrase "a certain water," he argued stoutly that the word certain signified that the water was deep enough to baptize inl Near the close of the discourse he paused and looking . over the audience,, asked, " Are there any eunuchs bere to-day I If so, come and be baptized' The administration of the ordinance by the pastor was ludicrous and disgusting in the extreme. Seizing the ill-dressed candidates, and pronouncing the baptismal formula with irreverent haste, he slung them into the water and pulled them out in the most unseemly manner. One poor creature came up out of the stream and rolled herself over and over on the new plowed earth until she was a spectacle of nltn and lolly l It was the first time, and I trust may be the last, that I was ashamed of the beautiful rite that my blessed Lord instituted when he said, " Thus it becometh us to fulfill all righteousness. w How touch ing and significant is this ordinance when performed slowly, reverently and believ ingly for the honor of the Master! I beg our pastors never to hurry tnrougn the sol emu service merely to convince gainsayers that twelve men can immerse three thou sand in one day! i Absalom Waller belonged to a preaching family some of whom have figured in Ken tucky and some in Virginia. He had very light, almost white hair in his youth. His voice was effeminate, : unless when ' ap- proacning loudness, ana , ms general car riage indicated restfulness and composure of mind with fixedness of purpose. I never heard him preach,' but he was : classed among the leading ministers of bis day and left a fragant ; memory to? Spottsylvania county, where his name is embalmed in a large and flourishing church known : as 41 Waller's." My impression is that he brought up a large family of children who took a high social position, but I've lost all traces of them by roe disturbing enects ox the war and the lapse of years. r . ; . John Bryce was first associate pastor with "Father Courtney." and then sole pastor of the First church of Richmond. He was portly and graceful man; of black hair and a benevolent visage, and of self-possessed bearing In the pulpit I do not know Why his pastorate was brief in tne metrop olis. It requires, constant study and sys tematic vi8itingtd hold one's ground in a city where rival churches are courting the popular favor, and 1 do not think ne was intensely studious, or active in his pastoral calls.' He became the pastor of Fredericksburg, and found his salary so. small as to impel him to the practice of law. When R. B. Romnla HiaanAdnd him from R fifth ndiver- gence and received the excuse that nis in;' come Was too scanty for his support, he re plied, "Bro. Bryee, if you were to receive a thousand dollars, you would spend twelve hundred, and if your income were raised to this last sum, you would go beyond it in outlay." From this remark I presume the kind hearted man was not a good financier, for he did engage in the legal practice, aud ultimately removed to some part of the West where he hoped to find a wider field. Re ports came back to his native State that he was not as abstemious as Paul exhorts Timothy to be in 1 Tim, 3: 3: but as to the truth of these rumors, or whether be learned wisdom from experience. 1 have had no means of ascertaining. He certainly was a person of generous impulses and of a sym pathizing heart: and, I trust, if he fell, that he rose again, wiser and stronger by th error. He was married four or five times, and. blessed witn loving wives, was an affectionate and faithful husband. John (t) Johns was an old man when Clopton, Jeter and Witt were raised up to occupy the area in which he had labored in the early years of this century. 1 never heard him preach, but was occasionally at his house and saw how kindly he felt to wards the new comers and' how respectful they were to him. Old men should never cherish jealousy towards the young, nor should these pot on airs as If they were the men and wisdom would die with them. This old man told me a bit of his personal history to prove that old folks can't safely adopt new fashions of dress. 1 will put it nearly in his own words ; " I was going to start to Richmond in a few days to sell my tobacco, when my two daughters begged me not to go to the big city wearing my pants hanging on my hips in the old fashion, but to wear suspenders, which all the gentle men had then adopted. I told them I pre ferred the old style, bat to please them I agreed to wear them if they would knit me a nice pair. This they cheerfully prom ised to do. Accordingly I put on the sus penders when I started to the city. But the next morning when I got up to attend the warehouse, I forgot all about the- sus penders and left them dangling down be hind all day while I was busy with the mer chants! When I came home I told the girls, they said, "Well, father, we'll give vnn nn onii rvannvAf nnAn n naipdnM " William X (t) Hiter lived in the latter part of the days of persecution, and used to describe with a zest the old times and ttiS old preachers with whom he had asso ciated. He was never troubled himself. but he saw how the truth had prospered in proportion as it bad been opposed, and he was confirmed in his convictions of its di vine origin and its final triumph. He trav eled much and kept a diary of his journeys. his efforts and his experiences, bat they are not such as would Interest the reader. tnougn tney evidently interested Mm ex ceedingly. Indeed, like Bro. Johns, he kept up the old fashions, not as to dress only, but also as to the methods of conduct mg worsnip, until roe young people re volted. I was once present at a meeting in which a sermon of close fitting truth had lust been uttered, and knowing his predi lection for long windedness, I ventured to suggest for I was in the pulpit that any thing added might divert the consciences of the hearers from their sins and do positive narm. ne appended a tedious ' exhorta tion" to the sermon, as was the old custom. and, I still believe, to. the detriment of the audience. But he was so hurt by mv offi ciousness I bad to make an humble apology., xms was not ne nrsc nor the last time that my tongue got me into trouble. ; SpUbe Woolfolh, ot Caroline, sent his son Charles to Andrew Broaddus, while I was his pupil, and by going home with the son I learned something more of the father. He told me that in his young manhood none-stealing was a capital offensa in Vir ginia, and that be had seen a man hung for Mia ciuuw. now jignuy aia tne oia-time people . value human life 1 i I heard him preach occasionally at Borruss's old meet .ing-nouse. He began by saying he would "grind his peck of corn only once," t e,, would be brief and would not repeat; and then gave us a variation of the Savior's life from Bethlehem to Calvary, It was the old story, but recited with tenderness and reverence. Everybody loved ' Uncle Bpiioe," and, though not learned in the schools,: he did good by being good. Is there any better way f . WOliam Leftwich. of Bedford, the father; of two preachers James and George W T : M :. - m -. .ueiiwico wan lor many years tne ieariess ehampion of truth in his county, and was greatly blessed in his work. I heard blm,- with sincere pleasure, only oceeln Rev. 22: 17" The Spirit and the bride," &c , and if that was a fair specimen of his preach ing, he was no ordinary man. The Bap- tists are not skilled in bringing out their strong advocates, and if. these have not in themselves a little "modest assurance". they often live and toil and die in obscurity. Bat the Master will honor them. :i " Robert T. Daniel, whom I saw and heard only at the General Association in Lynch burg about the year 1830. labored partly In Virginia and partly in North Carolina. He was a lovely man out of the pulpit and a lively one in it. I hops to learn more of him when we meet in the heavenly country.4 Robert Hurt, of Halifax, the familiar friend of John Kerr in their young days. was with him at a camp-meeting in that county about 1831, and was of the same. type of preacher, except that he was less impetuous. A. M. Poindexter, greatly his junior, had preferred some charges against him on account of his supposed worldhness, but they did not materially impair his standing. Alluding to that difficulty, be introduced bis discourse on that occasion by saying meekly that he had more serious' changes against himself than any which fallible man had ever brought against him. but that he was stilt trastiog iu the mercy of God. His modest way of uttering this apology seemed at once to disarm criticism, and be was heard with respectful attention. Not having informed myself as to the charges and evidence, I confess I was in clined to the charity that "hopeth all things." N. B. As I can't get all the passengers into my "omnibus," I shall have to make another trip. Whens. When a person tells me that he does not go to church because the poor are not wel come there, 1 cannot resist the conclusion either that he has never been, or that he is-: poor in other, respects than in lack of money. There is a poverty of character. manliness, perception, far worse than any of purse. r WheD a church member tells me that he is going to the faith-cure prayer meetings instead of the church prayer-meetings. I can only utter Elisha's prayer for his ser vant: "I pray thee, O Lord, open his eyes,, that he may see." He will be of little or no use to church or world any more until that happen. When a young minister says he finds it much easier to preach extempore than to write his sermons, I have sympathy for bis congregation. . .. When a poor woman who has- not the means to support herself and children says she has to pay ten dollars for prayers for the repose of her sister's soul in Purgatory, 1 Teal tnat fmmehndT fa nnuttMinir .n imruw sition on ignorance and poverty which is no better morally than highway robety. When a member of another denomination . says he has.changed his views of doctrine and wants to unite with mine, and at the same time seeking a small loan to help him oat ox immediate necessities, 1 loos into bis record to discover how many other churches he has belonged to and borrowed from. A Christian should not be suspicious over much, neither should he squander over much on church tramps. When a politician says he seeks no office and is visiting Washington purely for pleas ure, I look in the newspaper each morning to find out if he has yet received the ap - pointment to something he professedly does not want. i ueu luc ucbuuub ui. a cuarou axe iu do found hi the vestibule before and after ser vice, welcoming strangers and smiling ev erybody into ood spirits, I congratulate the pastor, and perhaps envy him a trifle. i When the saloon keepers offer the argu ment against prohibition that it does not prohibit, I feel a good deal more confident that it does. And when they raise corrup tion funds to defeat it, I know that every good man ought to vote for it. ; ,v When a real-estate agent tries to use pas tors as his assistants in disposing of valua ble ne r lots and plots by offering them a land or money consideration, I instinctively question the real valus of what be has to sell, and fear the buyer would be more sold than the property. v When a man tela me that he believes Shakespeare has done the world as much, good as the Bible, I do not know bow well he is acquainted with Shakespeare, but I do know he must be vastly ignorant of the Bible. . -. . : - - When a woman tells me that she does not go to church any longer because a sis ter there once criticised her poor clothes and dowdy bonnet, I know that she is the unconscious victim of pride, and thinks more of her neighbor's opinion of her dress than she does of her duty to God and the eternal welfare of her own soul-Laurens in Chicago Standard. -