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i VOL. vvv THE ORGAN OF THE NORTH CAROLINA CONFERENCE-OF THE METHODIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH, SOUTH. A A A. -NO 10. ESTABLISH RALEIGH, N. C, WEDNESDAY, MAR. 11, 1885. iiysit!e in Advanrr, For the Advocate. 1 our iicorgriaCorrospoiHtciiec i BY REV. G. G. SMITH. ! .3 i J WO UK AMONG THE CHILDREN. In iSS I was the assistant pastor t.iv. Oniv AieillOUlM uuitu uit.ii in - r .1 1" a 1 il. : th Rev. II. H. Parks, then m ms 1 Linu- as a noDular and useful preac t, ! r : ,f,... 1 gr. i was oui a uuv, jiui iv,iii w ars old. X r became impressed witn th it the children had no I had never heard a ser was a child, intended for v, and as I had Sunday preaching. "TV. i vn ' i ft: tor;", oc 11 to Concurrence myself, with Bro. Parks I be nan some chi!drens: incai'.v'S. i lound no cmncuity found v in ieltirig the children to attend the meet- ""and no want of interest, was fcvi-vucr,t when thev came. 1 lie re- 3 -3 1 was a great cnnciren s revival. t'covj were converted, and over 60 I.iiii-ra tne LJuircn organized three 1 .as for Saturday, we had beside frne f .r large boys Tuesday night, and iircuU ay IS that about 98 per cent l: those wn'b "were converted or pro- l: tnose wr.o were c V;seJ religion held - to this I have b -4 -0 children. I am heid out. rrorn that been preaching to 1 1 1 m sure, ana stana SJi-iiV oy uiyeu 111 111c jjusiiiuii, lii.iL 1'ie ciying sin ci the Church is the fcegiect 01 the children. We glory in i?iir attention to them, and yet we are Ltti" ' v --in escape us, and go out in- work' of sin, by the thousands, lie we are ueicuuiug uui pvis, ui rymg to arsiue with the unconvicted. AX INCIDENT. Pardo'i any apparent egotism, but ;ear me tor my caus. Vc,e:i I was in Maryland. I began to 10M children's services at camp-ineet- ltrs ;iul on my return toGeorgia I con ir.ucd me custom. I was at the Cul erton camp-meeting. They had had 1 '-rent time. Dr. A. had preached a trand sermon; Dr. B. had preached a greater; jmd Dr. C. a greater than all. i'he good second blessing, brethren, j .ad held after meetings, and given in j 1 ; M 1 1 a , estimonv. mejusnop was present 1 .nc r-U nrou'oied, for aiter ail 10 o ae was converted, no one sought religion. I came in Monday, I said ) the r. E., Let me make my ap ointmenr. Give me S o'clock to sorrow for the children." J. W. Wal- fc ace,aPresbvterian, and one of Isreal's weet singers, was present, and we lad a childrens meeting. We preach ed the gospel, we asked up mourners. The altar was filled. Conversions jwere many, ana tne revival oegan in ood earnest.Bishop Pierce and I were at the tent and he avowed his inten- sv.on to send me out on thisEvangelistic work, among the children, and that is vhy I am in the field, filling the only active Sunday-school Agency in the :outhem Church, over twenty vears I have had for experience in this field, and have had time to test the Aork, and I can do no better service to young preachers than to say some thing of CHILDRENS MEETING'S. A service for the children should be a i'C'J rclhious service. These little five minutes sermonettes, aie of but little value. Say your Sunday- M. school meets at 9 a. m. the best hour I think,for it then devotesSunday after noon to a service for the children. The first work of course is Evangelis tic. They must be converted. The question of the old Episcopal Cate chism: "When were you made a Christian" ans. "In Baptism" has been replaced by some of our progres sives with, "When were you made a Christian?" Ans. "I was born one," but either answer will do away with effort for their salvation. They were not made Christians in Baptism, nor horn such, they must be raade Chris tians by Repentance toward God, and hnth in Jesus Christ. If I were to ind a large number of unconverted children in my Sunday-school, or Church, I would first pray and gel others to pray very earnestly for the ;lescent of the Holy Spirit, in convert : -g power, and would seek to awaken md convert them, by special effort. 1 h best way to teach is by example, pu)cl as I am jnst from SAVANNAH. here I have been holding a chil drens meeting, I will write of that. a rinity ( hurch has 680 members, and 25 of these were children, under fifteen, rhe Sunday-school was large, number nearly 300. It was admirably of hcered and equipped. Everything which money or capability to conduct yd teach, could do, was done in it. Ihe Sunday-school was famous for its jirge gifts its excellent appointments, hut yet this was the outcome of 9 boys under 15, in the Church, and 16 girls. 1 be ablest men of the Conferences had been the pastors of the Church, and now and then a sweeping: revival ; had followed earnest effort. The good j pastor. Rev. T. T. Christian,had taken in last year 176 new members, but j his heart was burdened for children, j It is not in my Conference, but I could go to help him, and I went. The preparatory work had already been done. It is already done in 4. C 1 1,. T I 1 U I I IV .1 IIIIIIilV'l.JKKJ N. Ml I II. Ill IIIJIII- J ' ing to cio, out 10 neip tne pastor in me reapin?. The services began by public an nouncement, that a week should be given to the children. On Sundav A. M. at 1 1 o'clock, I preached to a large congregation, on the Possibility of the Conversion of little children at I j met the Sunday school. The Superin i tendent, R.IJ.Reppard.President of the i Monteagle Institute, gave me the S hour. 1 talked to the children about personal religion. Perhaps 100 per sons came forward to the altar for prayer, and two joined the Church. The next morning and every morning afterwards for several, I met the moth ers. The MOTHER'S MEETINGS are a feature of these special servi ces, of the greatest value. My talks were on 1. A mother's Christian example. 2. The importance of early con version. 3. The need of parental control. 4. The mode of nurturing young Christians. 5. Encouragement. The people of the Church are of what we call the better classes, and I gave them faithful warnings against dancing schools, theatres, bad books, pra)"er lessness in homes, and e;peci ally I spoke of the fearful responsibili ty of mother's. These topics engaged us every morning, and we more than once open ed the meeting for experiences and Conference. Althougii the weather was very bad the lecture room was well attended by the leading women of the Church. THE CHILDREN SERVICE Was held ! i four o'clock every jifler- noon. 'lh first sermon was on 1. "The Kingdom of Heaven is at hand, and believe the gospel. 2. un tne new neart. 3. On the witness of the spirit. 4. On the gift of the Holy Ghost. 5. On love to Jesus. The gentle organist knew what to play and the children to sing. We had first several songs.then theLord'sPray er in concert, then a Jfymn, and then the sermon, which wound up by an invitation to the altar. The children were told God was their father, he loved them, he wanted them, .lesus was their Savior. They could know they were saved. They were asked to say how they felt. They spoke in meeting "1 love Jesus and I know he loves me," was their word of experi ence. I wound up the meeting by getting their pledge that they would pray twice a day for their pastor and tor me and took a little collection from them the poor children; 50 pro fessed religion, and 25 joined the Church. The excellent pastor was there to direct every service. I was merely his helper. He will nurture the chil dren will not (jo when I am not invited for it would be useless work. The pastor can do the work perhaps, but God has deemed that we shall in the work of the Church help each other, and one has one gift, and one another. The pastor whose children are not converted, is cruel beyond de gree, if he is too jealous of his preroga tive to ask for help. DR. POTTER Is always discreet and cautious. He has his theories and one of these is that a special worker among the chil dren, a Sunday-school Agent, ought not be a necessity, but he says some times and often is. This agency is i?ot popular in the general, although it seems to be in our Conference. To fling at it is common, and to discount it by making it a pocket to put a use less man into, for the time being, is a common proceeding "what is Bro. doing?" I asked of Dr. "Trying to collect his salary," he said. "I had rather be a dog and bay the moon than such a Roman." If I were not an agent, I would say no man can do more good than an ef ficient, and devoted Sunday-school Agent, but he must not be a wornout, impracticable indolent, cranky man, fit for no station or circuit, or district. Nor must he, if he hopes for success, follow the example of some agents, and irive himself to the mere educa tional part of the work. vv .1 1 RITUALISM AGAIN. I said there was a Ritualistic trend in Methodism. I see in my last N. Y. Advocate notice of a new book by a Methodist preacher. "Lessons for the Lenten Season." Poor Dr. Coke, brought over to the Christmas Con ference, the miniature model of an American Episcopal Church; prayer book, gown and bands, and good Francis Asbury, much against will, donned the gown and tried to wear it, but by the time Jesse Lee, got through with him, the Hide Epis copal Church sunk out of sight, and Methodism went on her way rejoicing. From that day to this some brethren have had a weakness toward the Liturgy and the gowns. Bishop Hun tingdon's son taking monastic vows, and some Episcopal priests I knew of imitating fne exploded ceremonies of mediaeval Rome, remind me much of these Methodists, who are oinsrto save our young people by giving them a water-colored copy of the Episcopal picture. For my part I am not ashamed of Methodism, and I want no feeble imitation of old-time usages, even if the Church does have them. So I don't enthuse much over some modern usages in our Sunday-schools that feed this spirit. The other day I saw some tracts. They were our Church series. A gothic door on one side, a Cross on the other, a real Episcopal cover, for a Methodist book, a Confederate trooper in a Fed eral officer's uniform. Am I a radical ? Well, forgive me. One hundred years ago my Virginia and North Carolina ancestors left the j Church in which they were baptized m Society. I joined 111 Society when I was 8 years old, and I am not dis posed to go back on the act, a'though so many of excellent kin are Church men. For the Advocate. Eivlon oi' the C'.mterejiro. BY REV. JAS. B. FLOYD. Mr. Editor: I wish to submit to the Committee on the division of the Conference and to those composing the North Carolina Conference, sotrse reasons why, iu my judgenp nft the Conference should b divi'led. The last writer, and perhaps others that have expressed themselves upon the subject, think that the better plan is to let well enough alone." The ad age is a good one, when it will do to apply, but in this case it is inapplica ble, and is indeed,no argument, 'united we stand, divided we fall" is equally inapplicable," in the matter under consideration. Now for the arguments in favor of division. Make a Raleigh Confer ence and a Greensboro Conference of the North Carolina Conference, and you will excite a spirit of emulation between the East and West that has not hitherto existed. Now, there is not only nothing wrong in this, but it is absolutely necessary to the greatest successive admit that a great deal has been done, a great amount of territory has been fenced, and much of it culti vated to some extent, and an incalcu lable amount of work still to be done everywhere. A vast number of Church buildings have been erected in locali tieswhere they were needed and much good has been effected, and Christi anity promoted, so far perhaps, it has been well enough, and is well enough, but how has it been in enterprises, in which the Church or Conference gen erally were interested ? Has there been success ? Is it well enough, Mr. Editor, when the wise and far-seeing brethren of the Conference conceived the idea, that a splendid Metropolitan Church building would enhance the cause of God and Methodism within our boundaries, that after steps were taken for the consummation of this en terprise; two decades should have well nigh past, and the building in complete, and that material should have lain upon the site, until time made its mark and called it old ? Is it well enough, that, after agents were worn to a hull, and agencies became hated, and tens of thousands of dol lars expended for a Female College in the town of Greensboro and, yet, now the Conference does not own a single brick nor piece of tin or slate or bench or book in that building? Again, Is it well enough, when it has taken an age to establish one College for edu cating the boys among one hundred thousand Methodists; we believe it is not well enough. There is a mighty power in the Methodist people of North Carolina, but it has not been brought fully into action. It has not been applied. It has been like a balky team to a heavy load. Many of the clergy have done their whole duty, but all have not, in fact some have either put on the brakes, if they have not actually pulled backward. We think many barriers would be removed by division. Let Doctor A. have his Western North Carolina Conference, in order to a proper and full development. Give to the West Greensboro and Daven port with all and every, etc. Aye, and Trinity also. The West has the intel lect, the East the money. Bui'd a College for boys in Granville or Wake, and a Female College in Franklin.We have alluded to the efforts of the clergy in the past, and as to the laity we would say one in fifty perhaps has tightened his traces. Too much territory, too far from the East to the West. Delegates can ue their money to a better advantage th. m in filling to overflowing the cof-fr.r's- of railroad kinp:s. Let us have more Bishops, (if necessary) thousands of 0 r -people have never seen a bishop. VVe hae plenty of material, Yates and E .Hhead and Mangum,to say nothing of Moore and Adams and Wilson. Again, not only the territory, but the number of delegates is too large. It is one of the great truths of the Bi b e that "in a multitude of counsellors is vttdom," but the North Carolina Conference is too multitudinous for its expression. It has been said that not all the talent is in the clergy, and pcrhnps if opportunity were afforded, o-irav delegation in the sessions of tl "!ver Conference to give expression to their views and feelings, it might have a tendency to awaken greater interest in the forty-nine fiftieths of theMetho dlst that seem to be lacking in this essential. There are other arguments that might be presented, but if the Editor will give space for what has b'ftrt3 written, this writer will not trou ble him nor his readers any further upon this subject. I shall most hearti ly '.acquiesce in the decision of the Conference upon this important ques tion and pray that the Great Head of th i Church may so rule that His will sh ill be done. With good will to all, 1 subscribe myself. 'Wilton, N. C, Feb. 16th, 1S85. For the Advocate. I? 'mii'iyeeisees ol'SSy-oiie Iays. i :...lEMARKAT3LE PHENOMENON THAT XOOK I LACE IN THE OLD BRICK ACAD- ! ..li .IV, L'.ASm.TRG, N. C., AI?OUT THIRTY -ttSIU' AGO. V , BY REV. SOLOMON LEA. As this has never been published, at the request of a Christian brother, I send )'ou a brief account for the Ad vocate. Rev. James P. Simpson was preacher in charge. He wras, then, in his prime. He prayed and preached with extraordinary power. A general revival prevailed around the whole Circuit. One of these protracted meetings was held at the Brick Acad emy in Leasburg. The meeting last ed about three w-eeks. It continued to grow in interest and power from the beginning to the end. The house was crowded at every meeting. Peni tents by scores knelt at the altar or rather at the benches all the time. How many professed religion I do not now recollect. The meeting was un usally demonstrative. Chrisdans were happy and shouted the praises of God. A local preacher from the neighbor hood became so much under the in fluence of divine power as to pass in to what is sometimes called a trance, and he did not get entirely over the effects in a week. While Bro. Simp son was at prayer, a prayer of extra ordinary power just about the close, there appeared a luminous, cloudy ap pearance coming) down from the ceiling and gradually desending over and upon the congregation. It con tinued for several minutes, and then gradually ascending until it disappear ed. While it was visible, the scene in the house surpassed anything I ever witnessed. More than half of the audience were professors of religion and they all seemed to be praising God at the same time; penitents were cry ing for mercy; sinners were overawed, looking on with fear and trembling. A lady who was present, told me re cently that she had a chill, produced, it may have been, by ihe awful solem nity of the scene. Numbers present gazed upon the luminous appearance, and there are now many witnesses whose testimony would not be called in question. A Christian brother with whom I conversed recently, remarked to the writer that he called the atten tion of two persons by his side to the strange appearance, and one of them immediately replied that the house wras on fire, at the same time rushing out to see. No alarm, however, was given. The writer of this article said to a prominent Christian present, that if the candles were put out, the house would still be light, and he respond ed, "yes." Another remarkable fact was observed by the writer, there was a pleasurable thrilling, tickling sensa tion over the body which continued for some minutes. What is the explana tion of this phenomenon ? Very, easy 1 very plain, says the skeptic. It was just I lmagina ion, superstition, lanaticism. It was a passing meteor says another. Others- say that it was supernatural. Such was and such is still the opinion of the writer. The supernatural is not impossible. The Scriptures give many instances. "Behold, the glory of the Lord appeared in the cloud." "For the glory of the Lord had filled ihe house of the Lord' "Then the glory of the Lord went up from the Church and stood over the threshold of the house; and the house was rilled with the cloud, and the court was full of the brightness of the Lord's glory." Ezekielio:4. Many other passages might be quoted; the above arc suffi cient. Gilderoy on D ;; ;"e re?. "Br.t what Alld. vh:!t !: ? :aCOU 'Hit tif!'.!i !i-Cr, doggerel iv.it i-'m! do-.:. An I go round from place to place, the people some of them frequently submit to me rhymes and "jingles' which they call poetry, and ask me to have these effusions published for them. 1 am not a publisher, and, if I were, I would not publish F.vervthinrr I see. As a matter of politeness, I have to look over the verses submitted to me, though, frequently, I would about as soon take an emetic. I am not a poet, or, if I am, I have not dis covered the gift, and hencs, I am more than willing to own mv incapacity to pass judgment on writings of this kind. I know, comparatively nothing about the rules of poetry, never having made them a study. When I was a boy, and the "duck- .down" just forming oa my upper lip, I thought I had the gift divine; and I then wrote, or scribbled, love -sick, dogo-erel stuff for nearly every silly ciirl who asked me to write. Some - times I made a rhyme, and at other times the rhyme wouldn't rhyine, no matter how hard I twisted the "duck dovn' at the corner of my mouth. I was a "fool," but I" didn't know it. The girls flattered my poetry wonder ful y, and this made me nearly kill myself. Making 1 erry is hard work, Mr- Editor tod Kara for injy bu. a hf .X poet. I didn't happen to bo born a poet. All the time I worked at poetry I was working against nature. Plain prose is hard enough for me. I love to read poetry I mean poetry. I don't know what it is, nor how it is made, nor what there is in it that is so charming, but there is a subtle something in real poetry that runs all through me. I know whether the the writer is a poet or not, by the time I have read four lines. If he is not, I stop. I don't know how I know this. Poetry seems to me to be instinct with life, or spirit. I suppose, Mr. Editor, you get regular tomes of "so-called poetry real doggerel stuff that makes you "heave." If they send you such stuff as they often submit to me, I know you are often disgusted. Now and then one of these poetr grinders grinds out a grist of poetical "grits" in memory of some man, who has just died. From immortality in such verse, Good Lord deliver me. I would rath er be forgotten, and go to my long home unsung,, than to be imnr rtalu ed, or rather demoralized, in pure, unadulterated doggerel, such a? some of the professional grinders of poetical "grits" get off in memory of the dead. Mr. Editor, when I go hence, do, if you please, don't fling any so-called poetry after me. Write me up in plain, simple prose just a fewr lines, without any rhetorical flourishes If they ask you to print doggerel for poetry, I wouldn't do it if I were you. I wouldn't defile my paper with it. I know some of them will get mad with you and order the paper stopped, but you have no right to afflict a thousand readers, just to save the feelings of one man, and to retain one subscriber to your paper. Editors would be more highly appreciated if the people could see what the editor keeps them from seeing. Suppose you send a batch of refuse doggerel to the would-be poet who grumbles at you. Shoot him with his own shot. If he has any sense he can see the nonsense of some other poet of his own line. I taste nearly all the poetry I see in my pa pers. Occasionally I find a gem of the first water. Frequently three or four lines are enough, and I pass by on the other side. You don't print much doggerel Mr. Editor. You must have a time of it with these fel- lows who are always writing such stuff, How do you manage? Gilderoy in South-western Methodist. j j God's love was so great that it could : not wait until we should come into actual existence; the very thought of us was the delight of his heart. Charles F. Deems. Wesley on Dross. EXTRACT FROM A SERMON. If you could be as humble when you choose rich apparel, which I fbtly de ny; yet you cold not be as beneficent, as plenteous in good works. There fore every shilling which you needless ly spend on your apparel is i:; effect stolen from the poor! For what end do you want thes ornament; To jjicasc vjuu; ,oi out to piear.e vour pi ear. e j own fancy or to gain the admiration and applause of those who are no wiser than yourself. If so, what you wear you are in effect taking from "the back of the neck; and the Ci.-.tiv and delicate food you are fnatci ing' from the mouth of the hungry, b ox morcy, for pity, for Christ's sake, for .he hon or of his gospel, stay your hana ! Do not throw- this money away. Do not lay out on nothing, yea, vto.se than nothing, what may clothe your poor, naked, shivering felloe " creatures. Many years ago, when i was at Oxford on a cold winter day, a young maid (one of those kept at school called upon me. I said, "You seem half starved. Have you nothing to cover you but that thin gown?" She said, "Sir, this is all I have." I put my hand in my pocket, out 1 found no money left, having j i;-:t paid away what I had. It struck me, will thy master say, "Well done, good and faithful steward?" Thou hast adorned thy wails with the money which might have screened this poor creature from the cold. () justice! O mercy! Are not these pic tures the blood of this poor inuid?' See thy expensive apparel i.i th-j 'U!:.e light! thy gow:, hat, headdiess! K cwhinjr ! about thee which cost niort. X'va". thv J Christian duty required tne to lay out in the blood of the poor! ( ! !.t.t wise ! for the time to come. B lit:! - ciful, more faithful to Cod ;;!H man : more abundantly clad (i ike :Ji and .th g-)od women professing godliness ) works. I conjure you all who Ji.ve any regard for me, before T go hence, that I have not labored, even in - this respect, in vain, for nearly half a cen tury Let Pit ee. befon- T d'! n ' Methodist conzrecation fully as nlain- iy as a Om;. cr congregation, only be more consistent with yourselves. Let your dress be cheap as well as plain. Otherwise you do but trifle with God and men, and your own souls. I pray let there be no cosily silks among you, how Srave soever they may be. Let not any of you who are rich in this world endeavor to excuse yourself by talking nonsense. It is stark, staring nonsense to say, "Oh. I can at ford this or that! 7 If you have regard to com mon sense, let that silly word never come fnto your mouth. No man liv ing can afford to throw away a;iy part of that food into the sea which was lodged with him on purpose to feed the hungry or clothe the naked. And it is far worse than simple waste to spend any oart of it in gay or costly apparel. For this is no less than to turn wholesome food into deadly poi son. It is giving so much money to poison both yourself and others, as far as your example goes, with pride, van ity, anger, lust, love of the world, and a thousand "foolish and hurtful de sires" which tend to "pierce them through with many sorrows." O God? arise and maintain thy own cause! Let not men and devils any longer put out our eyes and lead us blindfolded into the pit of destruction. IIoav to Die hi Faith. Would you be so happy as to die ir faith, take these advices : 1. lie careful to get faith before hand; for death is a time to use faith, not to get it. There were foolish vir gins who had their oil to buy when the bridegroom was close at hand. 2. Study to live every day in the exercise of faith, and be still improv ing and making use of Christ in all his offices, and for all those ends and uses for which God hath given him to be lievers. 3. Frequently clear up your evi dences of heaven, and beware of let ting sin blot them to you. 4. Record and lay up the experi ences of God's kind dealings with you, and be often reflecting upon them, that you may have them ready at hand in the hour of death. 5. Meditate much cn those promises which have been sweet and comforta ble to you in the time of trial, and beg that the Lord may bring them to yout remembrance when you come to die- j Willison. A w man in society with no Intel - lectual or moral aims is a woman standing in flowing robes amid dying wheels and shafts. Inferior. Subscribe for this Advocate. Price, 82.00 per annum, postpaid.
North Carolina Christian Advocate (Greensboro, N.C.)
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March 11, 1885, edition 1
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