Newspapers / The Biblical Recorder (Raleigh, … / Nov. 15, 1893, edition 1 / Page 2
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THE HI BLHJA IkREC() Biblical liecorder. DAY, NOVEMBER 15, 1893 C. r. BAILEY, Editor and Pbopbixtob. CADDSLL, AOKXT AND CORBXSPOSDiyt. CONSTEAININQ LOVE. Christ, in the parable Of the Great Sap per, mentions the fact that the lord of - the feast commanded his servants to go out into the by ways and compel men to. come to his feast. This is a strong word, and carries with it the idea of constraining power. To ' con pel men to come to the gospel feast," In the sense in which the Saviour used it in this parable, does not carry with it we think the idea of unholy force, or violence, for this would be contrary to the spirit of the gos pel and the genius of Christianity and hence, the plan resorted to by Rome and by Mohammed of using the sword as an instru ment with which to propagate the faith, does not commend itself Mo those who hare right views of Christianity. ' - Bat the words of the Saviour in the para ble alluded to certainly imply persistent ef ' fort to save men, and a great deal of Chris tian warmth and Christian love in prose cuting that blessed work. We greatly fear that the coll formality and staid habits that have crept into many of our congregations, especially in our city churches, are opera ting very much against the progress of, our principles and the progress of the gospel as we preach it. ; It is a fact that none can dis pute, that as we progress in culture and re finement, there is a well-marked tendency to abandon what are regarded a3 the less re fineM habits of our ancestors. This idea is carried into our religious life and worship. If there should be seen in some of our city congregations the warmth and fervor, of primitive Christianity, when a great multi tude cried out "men and brethren what shall we do, there would be a great rattling of eye-giassea, and the high-toned sous of fashion Would be ready, to say, " that was almost a religious mob;n others might say, "it was rather a vulgar scene. , It is a well-known fact that when Moody and San key went to England that many of the Eng lish aristocracy that condescended to attend their meetings were disposed to criticise what they saw, simply because It fell short4 of the destitute worship to which they wereL We thank God for giving us many men and women, of .wealth and culture, as well as for giving us many of the poor of this . world from the by-ways and hedges; but we should carefully guard our worship" from that dead formalism which would deem it a breach of decorum for a poor sinner to cry aloud ia God's house for mercy, or for a rJ happy saint to express audibly by words, or even shouts, the joy felt within. . To' such an extent, however, have some of our con gregations drifted into this decorous formal ism that the pastors when conducting pro tracted meetings iather guard against any; special manifestation of feeling. The pray- ir, the singing, the preaching, all are modelled after this idea, and when sinners are invited to come to Christ, God's people are not even asked to 'go Into the congrega tion and persuade them to comeThey say they do not believe in persuading men to come to the gospel feast, or to Christ, when he himself has commanded his servants to com pel them to come. The cold indiffer ence, or the dead formalism, that would prompt a man to stand like a statue in a meeting near his own child, his neighbor, or even a stranger whom he knows to be a f inner, without making an honest effort tor bring him to Christ, is no recommendation to the discretion or piety of him who is in fluenced by it. There can be no doubt that the movement inaugurated by John Wesley was the result of the fact that he was weary with the formalism and fading piety of the Church Establishment in England.. The' fervor and noise that characterized the early Methodist meetings were but the natural outcome of his protest, and that of his fol lowers, against he chilling quiet and for malism of the Episcopal worship. There must always be a good deal of warmth, and more or less demonstration about true religion; and we would guard our p.-.: ion and congregations carefully from I ' ?2 sd influenced by those about them, or f:c i fa!.-3 views of Christian decorum, as i 1 1 'low tlieir methods of worship to degen ' 3i;t3 ttat cold stereotyped formalism h C '"lag to piety, and that hinders 3 in their growth in grace and 3 Mister has committed to their I " '" :r Jing them against the " 't c-1 work that would rob ' - tnth end earnestness of , ' 1 1 1 1 ra to cultivate that 1 i ItzjIs about us ' . 1 ' ' r earnestly for . " 1) l ) contrary Dsirmo to the cities, There is a very marked tendency now, especially on the part of young men, to leave the country, and the farm, and drift to the , cities. More or less of this may be expected at all times; but after all, is. the rapid growth of this habit best for the young' men, the cities, and tbe country at ; large I America has, since its settlement, been largely an agricultural country. , , There seems to.be something in the life of the far mer that develops a sturdy and virtuous type of manhood, and we can but hope that the day is far in the future that our people shall cease to ?be noted as an agricultual people,, To our young men,; then, who are growing weary with what they call the humdrum of country; and especially farm life, we would say, be very slow in deciding to leave the farm for the city. . All pursuits have their trials and their worries Farm life has its trials, but after all It is the most independent life a man can li vol One great advantage connected with life on the farm is found in the fact that those who lead it are generally stout and healthy.; Many a pale and debilitated merchant or resident of the city would give the accumulated wealth of years for the robust health" and vigor of the young man on the farm. ' Then, again, as we have just Intimated, there are fewer temptations thrown in the . way of young men In the country than In the city. To enjoy life, one must have a good appetite, must be able to sleep well at night, must have a clear conscience, and good morals. If one is a Christian his capacity to -enjoy life is greatly increased. If a man has these blessings he certainly ought V be content with his lot. Godliness with contentment is great gain." says an inspired apostle, and one can often more readily realize the force of this language In leading a life that has a tendency to promote both of these graces. If the young man, then, has anything like a fair showing,' let him stick to the 'farm. Many have learned by sad experience the force of thess words by Eugene Field "I am rick ef the roar of cities, . And of faces cold and strange; , I know when there is warmth of welcome, And my yearning fancies range ' Bark to the old homestead With an aching sense of pain ; ' But there'll be joy in the coming . ' -, When I go home again." - HENRY ITAlOT TJJPPEEVD: D. A genuine sadness fell over our city last Sunday morning when it was announced in the churches that Dr. Tupper, so well-known as the "able President of Shaw University, was dead. His death was not unexpected, as it had been manifest for some days that he was rapidly sinking, and the nature of his malady gave no hope of recovery. J. Dr. Tupper was born at Monson, Mass., April, 1831; and spent his early youth on his father's farm. His early education was limited, but mainly through his own exer tions after becoming of age he matriculated at Amherst College, where he graduated in 1$50, and then entered the Newton Theo logical institution, from which he also grad uated, just at the outbreak of the wan In the same year he was ordained to the minis try and joined the Army of the Potomac, with which he served as soldier and chap Iain with honor and piety. In this capacity he became acquainted with the Race, for the elevation of which he devoted the best en-, ergies of his blessed life. - , ' .-.In the last year of the war. Dr. Tupper Came to Raleigh as a missionary to the ne gro race, and in a few months had prepared the way for establishing Shaw University, which has since been under his watch care, and which, largely through his ability? has attained its present high plane as the fore most institution of. its kind in the world. But it is needless for ui to speak of this in siitution so well known North and South, though its grand history was wrought by his life. . - : Dr. Tupper's work has .been peculiarly blessed. We do not hesitate to say that no other man in our knowledge could; have done what he has done in our midst. ' Com ing among a people against whom he had but lately borne arms, laboring in the iutej? est of a then despised race, a " stranger in a strange land " indeed; his task was beset .with difficulties. Vet his energy, his Chris tian demeanor, his honest piety his righ teous character, and his gentle godliness, at once won for him the high esteem of all sects and classes, and enabled him not only to elevate the intellect and the character of the negro, but also to do much toward heal ing the gaping wound of war. Truly ' " His life was gentle, and the elements - .. Bo mix'd in him that Nature might stand up, And say to all the world, ' This was a man 1' Although the eortsof Dr. Tupper's life were devoted to a ppecial object, they were productive of general results; r.nd in thL his death is a public loss. Let 1 i t!.ank G o J that ti3 work was eo well acccnILhed; and nay ha ra!.:3 up another, worthy cf his man tle! And let us pray him Wkeep and comfort his noble companion and children, who have labored with him so nobly, in this sad hour. - Dr. Topper's funeral was preached from the chapel of Shaw University on Tuesday morning, before a large concourse of our citizens, by Dr. tl Skinner, after which his i remains were Interred on the University grounds. It cannot be concealed that In many com munities Christianity is becoming modern izes This century has seen the great eco nomic law of division of labor developed. In making a coat, one person furnishes the material, another af machine, another oper ates, and another sella. Thi3 is due to the rapid growth ' and increasing demands : of civilization. It is necessary to the times. But Christianity cannot be lived, or Chris tian works carried on, by division. .It is true that some are better fitted for certain paths than others. Bat all must join in the work.; .The tendency toward division of la bor in Christian life Is most prominent in benevolent societies. Men give to these so cieties, and feel that their part is done.;. But not so. It is very well to give freely and liberally of your means, but as Christ gave himself, so also must we give ourselves.' Our money may relieve physical want, but our words alone can relieve the distress that oppresses souls. Societies can distribute alms, and relieve much physical suffering; they may bear messages, but it is so often in a cold, mechanical way that the longing of the souV Is not satisfied I God demands our time as well as our. money. A society can never impress the goodness of God, the power of his grace, or the tender brother" hood of his sons on suffering mankind, as the personal contact of the giver who gives in the name of Jesus.' Societies have their plaoe, but they should not encourage men to depend on their check books alone. Wk wsrk very much impressed recently by a statement from a distinguished .social author that Masonic and Odd Fellow lodges were endeavoring to fill a place among men that should, have been occupied by the church from the : beginning. The divine commandment, "Love thy neighbor as thy self," should be the basis of our churches. It is almost the basis of the two organiza tions referred to above. We know that the churches have failed . to carry out this, the greatest and most sacred of all command ments addressed to Christians as to their earthly conduct; and we know if Christians obeyed that command there would be : no need for other organizations than the church of Christ. ; Alas, how often do we call each other brother when the spirit of brotherly love is not within us ! How often do Ma sons and Odd Fellows relieve the 'suffering of those whom they call brethren,' when the church has failed. Surely it should not be said that members of any earthly organiza tion are more brotherly than are the broth ers of the church, The church is a divine organization, and its members are brothers under one fatherhood, and they should live In closer, warmer and more sacred Jove than is possible under other conditions. Let us love our fellowman, let us relieve more earthly suffering, and save more souls. Let it not be said to our shame that secular or ganizations were governed by a more broth ly spirit than is our church whose very foundation is love, the law of Christ, and the hope of the world. '.".;. ; " Whitheb therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God." These words were not addressed to pas tors or teachers, or any special class.' They furnish the motiye for; your actions and mine, and for those of every child of God. It includes all Christians and all actions.' How often Is this command transgressed. Say you, we all sin, and sin more gravely than in transgressing this law, for we can't help it. But Christ says, "If ye love. me ye will keep my word." : And as we profess to love Christ, so ' should we make the "glory of God?. the motive of our action s whether our occupation be secular or sacred, for to ' the Christian all his occupations should be sacred. , . But the subject isjtoo general for a short editorial We wish to speak of newspaper disputes between the brethren. How many of us feel that what we do is for the "glory of Godw when we 'attack another- brother, and ascribe unholy motives to his work ? How many enter Into disputes," forget our' brotherhood, and decry another's character and ability, without considering God's king dom ? ; " Think on these things." tW . '" ' "v : ' Somb pastors, especially those who occupy " great " pulpits, and entertain " Immense " audiences, and preach "striking" sermons each Sunday morning, are accustomed to think that God called them for no other ob ject than to expound his word, praise his name, and prepare a certain number of dis- courses - eacn wees:," 1 isui mere is oioer work, iar more noble and more Christ like that we believe God bids us do.-; The. world is full of perishing souls who can never be reached irom the palpit. - The pastor must mingle with the people. It is not creditable for him to preach a gospel of brotherhood, and then refuse to relieve his brother, how- ever low his condition. It ia not creditable for him to preach the gospel of Christ, and fail to go to any extreme to save a soul. It is not creditable to claim to be a servant of Christ, and not. do his works 'and execute his law. It was once a cross to be a Chris tian, bat now how ofterfis the pastor's con dition better than hisfellow man's! He should always be happy, for there is a divine hap pin&s that all servants of Christ en joy, but it does not grow from easy circumstances, a great reputation, or a large salary. Jesus knew not distinction&mong men; he came to save all. . His field were all unsaved man-' kind, and to them he gave himself. lie did not stand in the pulpit and call for sinners; but went along the highways and hedges in search of the perishing. So to day the pas tor's work should hot be confined to the pul pit it is well enough that he preaches twice a week-but he should seek the lost wherever they arerit is easy to give a general invi tation, and announce services, but the true servant of God will not stop there, but will go to those who will hot come, tell them the story of Jesus, and jhow them his character by their works. . v v . ' . l il : . . J FBOM OUB TRAVELLING AGEJT. "".," ",B0BESOK ASSOCIATION. This body met with" the church In JXax ton, N. C, but the Baptist church being too small to accommodate the Association, the Presbyterians were very kind in furnishing their church for the accommodation of the Association..' ', 1, k .., : The churches were all represented, and while we did not have the large crowd which we are'accustomed to see at the meeting of the Robeson Association,; still we had a most harmonious session, and we feel that the Baptist interest was greatly encouraged and strengthened by this meeting. '. '. . Bra A. R Pitt man was again elected Moderator and this is the eleventh year he has presided over this body. It seems that no one else Is thought of in this connection, and certainly no more acceptable officer could be found. Bro. Pittman is very kind and courteous to every one, , with plenty of business and system to insure the successful carrying on of the work of the Association, and yet nqtoo much of the cold and taste less "parliamentary " to absorb the ease and sweetness of the work of the Association. ; When Bro. Proctor was re-elected Secre tary the.Moderator remarked that be hoped be would ever be retained in this position, and no utterance In the Association met a more hearty response.' Bro. Proctor Is one of those sensible fellows who stands behind and yet leads the work In the Association! I contend it is a duty he owes to other Asso ciations to make known the methods by which he has worked up this Association to its present efficiency and the harmony and apparent ease in which it does its work. ' The entire membership go to the Associa tion with no other thought than that we are to go ahead of what we did last year. This year the increase in State Missions was most gratifying. Notwithstanding the hard times,' all the churches gave much more to this ob ject than heretofore. t - ; All the objects were well discussed, and what we were glad to see was that these dis cussions were participated in largely by the brethren of the Association. We hope to see this prevail more and more in all our Associations. The appointing of commit tees to write these reports a year in advance will do much to bring about this thing. Then the writers of the reports will study the subjects, and will feel that they have something : to say which will Interest the Association.- '.. ',' Nobody: can dispense better hospitality nor more of it in the same length of time than an old fashioned Scotchman, and by the way, a lot of them are getting to be Bap tists. We enjoyed our stay greatly, did well for the Recorded, and now we are off to the Little River,, which meets at Mt. Ta bor church iu Harnett county. J. O. C. . PERSONALS AHD OTHER ITE1IS. T . . . The Virginia State Convention was in session last week. ... .We thank Bro.. X. Crea fnr ea tavors during last week. ... .A $3,000 Baptist church is in course M . il ai-t vi ertxuou ai xtamseur, a. u. ' . , . .Rev. E. F. Joneaof Gastonia baptized four converts on the. 6th inst, says the Ga zette. S!hViMVm-U. :,J;Wi ... Rev. Charles Durham has received a call to the pastorate of the church at Bry son City, Tenn. -. . . , ,Rev. J. L. Bennett was engaged in a series of meetings at Gum Springs, Anson county, last week. . v ...Rev. D. B. Nelson haschan address from Biltmore, N. C, to Yale Hen3 derson county, N. C. - ' .....If you fail to get the Recoudeh I us know, and we will do all that is posaV to correct the, mistake. . i V r " 3 . 7. Rev, W. II. It. Lawhon preached 1 farewell sermon to the church at Pee near Wadesboro, on the 5 th. ; 1 . . .'. . ; Rev, W. J; Fulford has tendered h'a resignation as pastor at Maxton. ; TLs church has refused to accept it. - . . , ...ReV. W. T. Jones, the new.pastoj 0i the Secopd church, Goldsboro, has irtived and taken charge, says the Headlight. .. . We areglad to learn that the Jiil'e Reader, which lately suspended, will be re vived in Richmond by Rev. E. I Pell . . i .Rev. J. K. Howell will take charge of the Rocky Mount pastorate on the 26th tnst. Miy God bless Bro. Howell's ministry here as he has elsewhere. ", ' ' . . ; ;Revs. E. P. Ellington and W, H. Wil son of Madison closed a revival at Somer field last week in which there were twelve professions of conversion. ; : t r .... We have received a copy, of a book entitled "Jesus Christ Himself : The Sam- le, Source and Substance of Salvation," by , O. Taylor, Tyrone, Pa. . v . . .The, Foreign Mission Board, Boston, of the Congregational church, closed their fiscal year with a debt of $33,000 which has since increased to considerably over $100,000. . . . Rev. Frank Dixon, the youngest of the three brothers who are Baptist preach ers, ia to be the stated supply of the Centen nial Church, Brooklyn, N. Y. Watchman. .... Rev. W. V. Savage recently conduct ed a good meeting In his church at Colum bia, Tyrrell county. It is stated that Bro. Savage is the only Baptist preacher in that county, - v; -' f ,7.;fiRev.- W J.' Wyatt writes s "I now have four churches, and our work Is In good condition. We have baptized fifty-Utree this year, and expect more in the near fu ture." ' t ' L;. It Is stated that in the recent revival conducted by Rev. J. L, White of Asheville, at Knoxville, Tenn., there were more than two hundred professions a glorious out pouring of the Spirit, indeed. !r. . ; We regret to learn that Miss Fannie E. 'Heck, President of the Woman's Central Committee of North Carolina, has been quite sick for the last ten days. Our readers will be glad to learn that she Is now recovering. ....Rev. Archibald Cree baptized two candidates at Jackson on the 6 th as a result of a recent meeting. Others are awaiting baptism. We are pleased to learn that this church has called Bro. Cree for another year. - , - . .... Rev. M. L. Ivesler and family re moved from Laurinbnrg to -Red Springs ca the 7th inst Bro. Kesler is pastor of the church at each of these places, and we are glad to learn hnt he is meeting with great success. 4 ....Bro. N. P. Stallings publishes aa earnest and worthy appeal in another col umn. He is without a co laborer in hi3 county, and deserves help, lie says: "I baptize a Methodist brother occasionally, and wish I could baptize all of them." . ... Rev. X C. Grumpier writes : " We expect to begin a meeting at Mt. Holly on the 12th, and will have the assistance of Bro. li. R. Carroll, v I now have care of Mt. Holly, Myrtle Hill and Olivet churches. Had I one more, my full time would be oc cupied." , v f ... i .Dr. N. B. Cobb has been called to the pastorate of the church at Pittsboro for another year. The Doctor says this is the best church for its size in the State, and that each month he finds some improvement in the church, both spiritually and struct urally; . . , . Rev. F. It. Jones, a Baptist minister from Chatham Va.i will preach at the fol io wing places on dates named : Eaton's church, Thursday, November 23d; Farming ton, Friday, 24th; Jerusalem, Saturday, 25th; Mocksville, Sunday morning and night of the 2Qih.Davl4 Timet. ..'.We are grateful to brethren W. R. Johnson and G. O.. Wilhoit for representing the claims of the Recoiider at the South River and Stanly Associations. It is need less to say that these brethren were success ful. With such friends all over the State, our usefulness would be unlimited. . ....It is very important that those who Intend attending our Convention send their names to the committee at Elizabeth City immediately. - The brethren desire to know just how large a delegation they shall havo to entertain, str that no one will be incon venienced. Don't wait longer, but let breth ren Aydlett and Ward have your names immediately.- ' : ' La . '.. ; ' .... Dr. J. A. Mundy has resigned the pastorate of the church at Greenville, S. C, audhas prevailed on his charge toaccc. his resignation. This pastorate has bet n occupied by Dr, Mundy fourteen years, as i his people were very loth to part with bio. It is stated that Dr. Mnndv haa received two calls, one to Wilson, N. O., and another to some point in Virginia. We hope our Sta' 1 may be so fortunate as to secure Brother Mundy. "' - '--j ;. ...We regret to chronicle the death ci Bro. A; L. Ferrall. which occurred sudder. oh the 0th Inst. Bro. Ferrall had been resident of Raleigh for many years, and L life was that of a good citizen and fait! ' servant of G'-d. As city health Inspei' he proved an exemplary ccr, both ia I character and ability cf Lis wcik. Ha ' forty nine years old at t!;a tina cf ti3 J end leaves a wifa rad Eavcrr.l cLUJrr, whom we extend cur wamrst gyrapat! this fad bereavement.
The Biblical Recorder (Raleigh, N.C.)
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Nov. 15, 1893, edition 1
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