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Jolxxxii.-no 36 THE ORGAN OF THE NORTH CAROLINA CONFERENCE OF THE METHODIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH, SOUTH. ESTABLISHED 1855 f For the Advocate. or J K. i:d wards and His 4jHei 5 011 Holiness. L. L. NASH. r .tved a card from the Rev. J. E. I Li - L 1 - A 1-1 - v ft me of entire Sanctifi n tausht by Mr. Wesley and luv of Methodism, a question .-ition tt,fl found" -tlier conversion is enough to a? to salvation of a soul or not. I secure the a believer m the doctrine of Chris- rhurch from the first, and never --Honed bv nny of her ministers as I qU oSe of uutil within the last few am , nd I hope I shall not be con "TC?pml presumptuous in attempting to iter l)r. Edwards' question. I am Sareofthefact that those who hold , the views of Mr. Wesley on this sub- Vf are regarded bv their brethren So diVsi" with them," (I use the term U them advisedly ; for it is correct. K iv.-.-. rr;Vi ma wlmn wta nisi). nill Cine13 ' lt" u """" " " -' j. have honest convictions on this subject; W .after much thought and prayer, I I m fuiiy persuaded that it is a question I of too much importance to be dodged I or passed by unnoticed. I presume Dr. I j.vards desires a full answer, an as I d::!kult a his problem may appear at that it can be answered to the stisfac t:oa of all unprejudiced inquirers. The first thing to be considered in this investigation is : What is neces sary to qualify us for heaven? We must 20 to the Scriptures for an ans wer to this question. "That ye put of concerning the former conversation the old man. which is corrupt accord ing to deceitful lusts; and be renewed in the spirit of your mind ; and that ye put on the new man, which after God jj created in righteousness and true holi ness." (Eph. iv. 22, 23, 24.) From the above passage we learn that, it is not this or the other degree of moral sood which the soul is to receive by Jesus Christ, but it is the whole image of God, and it is to be formed .accord ing to God: and he is to bear that as fully as Adam bore it in the beginning. '"Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall seethe Lord.'' Hebrews (12-14.) Here holiness is made the absolute prere quisite for heaven. Let us ascertain what is implied in Jioliness. " Applied to human beiugs, holiness is purity of neart or disposition ; sanctified aftec tiocs; piety; moral goodness, but not perfect." Webster. There is only one absolutely perfect being ; but the man '.vho is lioly is a perfect Christian. anctifieatioii in this world must be complete ; the Avhole nature must be sanctified, all sin must be utterly abol ished, or the soul can never be admit ted into the glorious presence of God. Xow are all who are justified entirely sanctified ? Is every converted person entirely clear of all filthiness ot flesh and spirit? Dr. Edwards affirms this, f oeny it. It was at this point Mr. usiey and Count Zinzendorf disa greed. The Count aiiinued that Entire Sanc tatiun justification arc in the ".ate instant ; and neither is increased -rciminihed. lie believed in the im :!ca righteousness of Christ, and "purno-1 all rnorf iflpnf inn nf ! fWn no 1 nothincr morn. Mr. Ws1ev fended that justification was an act pardon that passed in the mind of xja on the condition of faith in Christ; Zt as '00u as the sinner believed ;;5Jasparaoned he was born again. W became a babe in Christ : but there ,va Still rr,ots nP K?ff ' ilnilnHl uillClUCOO 1 Gill it ill ilio, I -ci although he might not be consci jt; 01 f?yIn remaining in him at the C ; p h;s,coversion, that the experi !,"nL 1 Utfistians affirmed that as a , u.ui rule converted persons are pain f C0?f10u3 of evil in their hearts, justification. He affimed i::1186"1 does not reign in any who ttJornofGod, but the? are immedi ?cVc;n,sclous that they need to be reaped from all filthiness of flesh and and t0 be wholly sanctified, be U U - y r,e I)rePard for heaven. Xow Ki?n i5nrht' John Wesley or Count orti)oes it fblloV, if Mr. y. risLt' a11 who die without 1 thtni gf ntire Sauctification are lost? Vav Pni -nrjl- Dr- Edwards' ad hominem i 0 V- fQVQ scare-crow. I'frhn -J always contended that kouM v maiutained their justification iW.fi ? fanctified wholly before they Uto iflterm-. IIe urS8d Ms Peo- fav tn v UJiieriection,as tho only sure IW JLiueu me. JBteS fn?? .yith ?ome wh0 rr 1 sanctincation, as a lion :any separate from justifica-bnaXa.r;-ar(3 all justified persons as v-iu-jurjy sinners nnfH fi,-rr thr.r,rv V, !V1 , lcacn theZmzenciortian if', tliat ere is no inbred sin in r,'e(l persons tlmf ..1.1 e of the- are ' be- ?er, and lust felt in the -mingless. I nresnmo Tr . forgotten tho Methodist u,:a Point, and has been so JSl;ir ad Pnblisber. 1 ,rce. he differs from me when he does 1 v'ot look like me) as weak, and far in the 1 " , nf rrocressive thought. But I 5 1 g&s not only unnecessary,but hurtful, f ngaCalvinist in faith, he asserted -at bcv.evers could do whatever they i ,i!-'u.u anf 1 t-i i rcVCC VJI lne expenenc h-iU hin of.God contradict the 1 '"i f f'fl-r-. Nfie,i . i 18 no sm iu auy who Etvn ' ?nlQSS they are taught to 1 r. ."tit rif win ic ,. . . Ifthm-o" 1 ess of flesh or spirit. Narv 1' Ung m0i"e tlian Pardon Riiv ovi -?1t-liS for beaven, a great hric,.tit!'aatlous i.i the Xew Tcaia- long in his own life and experience cleansed from all sin, that he does not fully sympathize with babes in Christ. Pause a moment, my dear brother, and let a younger Christian tell you how it is with us, who are at war with evil af fections, and who feel the necessity of going on to perfection, and are praying that the "very God of peace would sanctify us wholly, throughout, spirit, soul and body, and preserve us blame less to the cominsr of our Lord Jesns Christ." Although we are conscious we have not attained, yet we rejoice in hope, because He who hath called us is faithful, and will do it according to His promise. If what I have written is unsatisfac tory, the following taken lrom some conversations between the liev. Messrs Wesley, and others, may throw light on the subject : 41 Q. 1. When does inward Sauctifi cation begin ? A. In the moment we are justified. The seed of every virtue is then sown in the soul. From that time the be liever gradually dies to sin and grows in grace. Yet sin remains in him ; yea, the seed 01 all sin, till he is sanctified throughout in spirit, soul, and body. Q. 2. What will become of a heath en, a Papist, a Church of England man. if he dies without being thus sanctifi ed? A. He cannot see the Lord. But none who seeks it sincerely shall or can die without it ; though possibly he may not attain it. till the very article 01 death. Q. 3. Is if ordinarily given till a little before death? A. It is not to those who expect it no sooner, nor consequently ask for it, at least, not in faith. (?. 4. But ought we to expect it soon er? -1. Why not? For although we grant : (1.) That the generality of be lievers whom we have hitherto known were not so sanctified till near death : (2.) That few of those to whom St. Paul wrote his Epistles were so at the time he wrote : (3.) Nor he himself at the time of writing his former Epistle : yet this does not prove we may not be to day. Q. 5. But would not one who was thus sanctified be incapable of worldly business ? A. He would be far more capable of it than ever, as going through all with out distraction." The above extract is about as satis factory to me as anything I have seen ; but I do not claim to be ahead of . the founders of Methodism in these mat ters. I give them, with all I have written for what they are worth, with no feeling of unkindness for those who differ with me, and with the hope that they may burn nobody's fingers. I understand the above to be the teaching of the Holiness brethren whom Dr. E. condemns. Lcasburg, N. C.,Aug. 27M, 1887. Fcr the Advocate. Our IjCUci From Gilderoy. It has been too hot for anything. The nights are cooler now and longer too. 'Blessed is the man who invented sleep." What a restorer of vital pow ers it is. When I want a good night's rest I let supper alone, terribly alone, and then sleep, deep, sweet, iefreshing sleep comes down all over me and locks me in its arms all night long. I get up refreshed, renewed, invigorated. There is no bad taste in my mouth, no dullness in my head, no soreness, no sourness in my stomach. Supper is death to most dyspeptics. It drives sleep away from the eyes and slumber from the eye lids. Supper and sleep will not go together in my case. I see many others who lose sleep from too much supper. They take this, that and the other drug for nerve or heart dis ease, as I used to do, but the whole trouble comes of having put the stom ache on a strain. Give it rest. If you must eat and will eat, do, for your " stomache's sake," eat but little, and let that be very light as light as pop corn,or lighter if you can. Eating is, after all, largely, a habit. More people kill themselves from "stuf fing" than ever starve to death. Preach ers are particularly liable to sin along this line. They eat too much, too often, at too many places, too rich food and too many condiments. Brethren don't, for the love of Christ, don't let the good sisters kill you. They'll do it, dead sure, if you give them helf a chance. They'll make you eat yourself todeath. They mean it for goodness, but it will prove a dangerous and delusive snare, if not death, if you yield to them. Keep a tight grip on your appetite as you go round from house. There is both health and grace in eating little there is to most men, particularly to dyspep tic men. The character of the sermon depends largely on the state of the digesjjon. This is a fact. Many are the scoldings the church has got because the preach er's stomache was out of tune. I've been there, I know how it is. I can tell the state of ome men's digestion when I hear them preach. It is a ner vous, bitter, vicious, growling kind of people, a gospel that kills, but does not make alive. There is more tongue and temper than grace in it. It does not commend Chist, does not show a Chris tian spirit in the preacher. There is an inordinate propensity to rebuke peo ple, publicly, for little things. No good comes of this. It does harm, more harm than good. The occasions that justify public rebuke now are few and far between. I knew one man, a strong RALEIGH, N. C, WEDNESDAY, SEPT. man too, who was absolutely terriffic 011 rebukes at night service after eating a hearty supper. An officer of his church asked me : " What on earth m.ikes our preacher do these unlovely uungs.'" loo -much supper too much supper," was my reply. He was more favorable to the people at eleven A. M. generally. The process of di gestion was well advanced. A long walk and fresh air had put the preach er in a gracious mooa. A lady said to me not long ago, "Our pastor is a holy man, fine preacher, and we are devoted to him, but at times he seems to be out of sorts, he scolds the church, thinks everything is wrong and that nobody is doing right. What do you suppose makes him do that way?" "Impaired digestion," Ire plied. "Well," said she, "he is a confirmed dyspeptic." " Well, my sis ter, you will have to bear with him, pray for him and be patient with him, for he will have these unlovely spells, those moods, when he will do those un lovely things, involuntarily, and, per haps,; unconsciously to himself. They are infirmities, physical weaknesses, for which your pastor is not morally re sponsible, unless, indeed, he brought them upon himself by voluntary sin. Fve yet to see a man or woman wholly free from imfirmity of one kind or an other." Yours, GlIiDEKOY. For the Advocate. Just ;i Question of Privilege, BY REV. A. J. JAKRELL. Mr. Editor : Your Georgia Corre spondent is out again on the holiness question. And lest some one should imagine he was writing about things in Georgia, I beg to say he makes not the remotest reference to us or our holiness teachings. He thinks he has found some good brethren from some other clime that are . not Wesleyan in their views, and forthwith " unlimbers" six field-pieces, and brings them to bear on them. But why he should want to shoot them through a Southern paper, is beyond my pen. And why he want ed to bring them into his letter at all, when the only matter m hand was Bishop Key and the Georgia Holiness Association, I cannot even imagine. So far as Southern matters and teach ings are concerned, he and Dr. Edwards are both, alike, riddling men of straw. There are no such men as they are shooting at, anywhere South. If any elsewhere, they are abundantly able to take care of themselves. But lest some one should still think his remarks apply to us. May I plead " guilty," or " not guilty" to each of his six artillery indict ments ? 1. Depravity. "They teach that conversion does not affect it ; Wesley, that it does." " Not guilty" in word, thought, or deed neither have we ever been. 2. Justification. " They teach that it is mere pardon ; Wesley, that it is complete renewal." This is exactly what we teach, and what have always been taught. Perhaps we would not have said "mere pardon," for it is "free" pardon but nevertheless par don it never touches the nature of a man. But stop. Was your correspon dent dreaming when he said, Wesley taught that " Justification teas complete re?iewal?" Was he? Wesley taught renewal, and profound renewal, but never as involved iu justification. We al ways put that mighty renewal in Re generation, and have one of our hardest fought battles to get the church to put the standard of Regeneration as high as it ought to be. I wish the church did but know how high we lift that stan dard. We believe mightily in Regener ation. 3. Growth. " They teach that sanctification is merely gradual growth' ' (merely) ; " Wesley, that it is." This is our uniform teaching. Only we say there ought to be a " gradual growth" before sanctification, and we know there is a rapid one after it. Let us hear from Mr. Wesley on gradual sanc tification : " In London alone I found G52 who were exceedingly clear in their experience. Every one of these (with out a single exception) has declared that his deliverance from sin was instantane ous ; that the change was wrought in a moment. Had half of these, or one third, or one in twenty declared it was gradually wrought in them, I should have believed this with respect to them, and thought that some were gradually sanc tified, and some instantaneously. But as I have not found, in so long a space of time, a single person speaking thus, I cannot but believe, that sancti fication is commonly, if not always, an instantaneous work." Wesley's works vol. vi. p. 4G4. Tjerman, vol. 1. p. 462. How does this sound for Wesley on "Gradual Sanctification?" Howbeit, anybody knows there is a gradual work before, and rapid one after it. 4. Death to Sin. "They teach that it is by faith alone ; Wesley, by patient, self-denial, to which faith is given as a reward." So we do teach, and teach also that this faith can com only after utter self-renunicaiion . But Wesley don't need an interpreter here cither. " All who think so" (that long time and course of self-denial must go before sanctification) "must think we are sanctified by works, or what is tho same thing, by suffering. For oth erwise, what is time necessary for ? It must be either to do, or to suffer, whereas if nothing be required, but simple faith, a moment is as good as aiiagq." 17G4. 5Professiox. "They teach that we must tell it to the world or lose it ; Wesley, that we must be careful in speaking of ourselves, and call this blessing by no special name." We teach that it must be told, or be lost, but we also teach that it must be done with care and great humility ; both of which Mr. Wesley taught us to do. Will the reader turn to plain account pamphlet pp. 17-18 and read Wesley without an interpreter ? Do read for yourselves. G. Too Common. "They teach that it is very common and easily secured ; Wesley," that is rare and difficult." Alas ! alas ! how uncommon this experi ence is ! Would to God it were com mon ! Our beloved Zion would no longer languish if it were. No such hope in the very near future. Too many good men fighting it for that. Sanctification " easy?" " Crucifixion" easy? The man that said it, surely never hung on the cross : surely not. O, why will not beloved brethren spend all their time and brain and ink in helping us utterly " to destroy the works of the devil?" How can they get their consent to pull anybody back ? How can they help from pushing all men on and up ? How ? LaGrange, Ga., Aug. 25t7i, 1887. For the Advocate. Vacation Notes. From Our New Yorlt Correspondent. BY JOSEPH S. TAYOR. Not having seen New York for seven weeks, I can not write a letter from that city, as usual, but shall give in stead some account of places I have visited during my absence. ATLANTIC CITY, N J. This town is leading all other sum mer resorts along the Atlantic Coast in point of population and prosperity. It is the only breathing spot Philadelphia has, and is chiefly patronized by Quaker CUy's sweltering thousands. Pittsburg, Baltimore, and New York, also con tribute largely to the success of the place. The present population numbers at least 100,000, and the resident popu lation is about one-tenth ot this num ber. There are daily excursions, some times ",.'71 any as ten or a dozen, from all the neighboring county. There are numerous Sunday excursions from Phil adelphia for clerks and others unable or unwilling to go, oh Saturday. Never in the history of the place has there been such a rush of visitors ; and this in spite of the mosquito ! What a pest he is constantly presenting his bill and as constantly meeting destruc tion in lieu of payment. The town is laid out in the form of a rectangle whose shortest sides face North and South nearly. The long avenues, parallel to the ocean, are call ed Pacific, Atlantic, Arctic, and Baltic. The cross avenues are named after the Atlantic States beginning with Maine on the North. The City is built on a sand bar which has become an island, the highest part of which is scarcely ten feet above the ocean level. It makes every resident pale to think of a tidal wave, which, it it ever comes, must swamp the entire city and make exit impossible. Atlantic City is a godless town. It has churches, of course, but they are for the most part empty, and even were they full, unable to accommodate a fourth part of the population. There is no Sabbath to speak of. The Mayor does indeed make some show of forcing an observance of the sacred day, but 4ihe city executive feels somewhat like managers of a boarding school : they have to look out for the success of the concern first ; and if the majority do not demand or desire, rigid morality, must go by the board. The noisy merry-go-rounds of Atlantic are closed on Sunday and the theatrical beer pavil ions do not furnish the usual entertain ment. But the saloons, the hotels, and many of the stores and booths make moro money on Sunday than on any other day of the week, save perhaps Saturday. It is not an exclusive place. All classes go there. Every color, race, and circumstance is represented. Ocean Grove is distinctively religious, Spring Lake intellectual and blue-blooded, Long Branch and Newport fashionable, but Atlantic City is all of these to some extent, and none of them in a marked de gree. As a health resort it is unquestion ably desirable. It is the paradise of invalid babes. From all over the country people come to draw the in spiring air of the sea. It is the best tonic for a debilitated system. Better than all Physicians, surer than all medi cines, to hundreds and thousands, is a daily stroll on the beach or both in tho surf. No man can say, however dog matical, what climate or locality is going to be safe or beneficial to a given case of sickness. What cures in one case kills in another ; and this is the reason why so many people go annually to die thousands of mile away from home and alllse most dear on earth. Physicians too frequently recommend these death-journeys in the case of con sumptives who have passsed the cura ble statre of the disease. It seems to be deliberate cruelty to permit, much more to order, such people to go from home. But it may safely be said that very many people, and especially chil dren, owe their lives to Atlantic City's salubrious climate. 1 attended a Mennointe Sunday-school Convention the other day. It was held 7, 188 I at Schwenksyille, Montgomery county, Pa., and represented the schools of the Eastern Pennsylvania Conference. Among the topics discussed were these: 1. To what extent are Sunday-school " Attractions" conducive of its true ob ject? Distinguish allowable and un allowable attractions. 2. What claims has the Sunday school cause upon the individual church member ? 3. What is the nature of a good les son-help? llow snould helps be us ed? 4. How to raise money for school and mission purposes ? 5. How to train children to become Apostles of the Savior, as well as in struct them ? Several points gave rise to prolonged discussion. Among these were : 1. Are church festivals and fairs Christian modes of giving ? 2. Is the tenth demanded by God? 3. What is the tenth ? Or the tenth of what is demanded ? The majority inclined to the belief that a " church has no right to go into business ;" and therefore fairs, festivals, and the like, are not true modes of giv ing. If the church desires to give lec tures and entertainments for their own sakes, it being so understood by those who patronize them, well and good; but to advertise a package party, or an ice cream festival "for the benefit of the Mission fund" is to solicit contribu tions on false grounas. If a man gives to God with the expectation of getting a part of his gift back again in the form of cakes or ice-cream, he is not o - o fT-t VI nor at all. He is simply exchang- ing. A church can never train its members in Christian giving by any such methods. The minority contended for the tenth. What this tenth is may be illustrated thus : A manufacturer sells $100,000 worth of goods in a year. Meterials and expenses cost $00,000. His living is 5,000. This person has three in comes : $100,000, $10,000, and $5,000 the first gross, the second net including his living, the third net deducting his living. The tenth of his income is eith er $10,000, $1,000, or $500; which is God's ? Rev. C. VanderSmissen thinks $1,000 belongs to God. For the Advocate.. . 'JTEic Plan of Endowment. Mb. Editor : Please publish the following "Plant for raising endowment fund for Trinity College :" In June last. I sen to each P. E. in our Conference by mail, a number of printed notes and a bundle of this circu lar. I have been somewhat surprised, that some of the brethren seem never to have seen the Flan, or the printed notes. If any P. E. failed to receive the papers referred to, I shall be glad to know it. I still have a few blank forms of notes on hand. Very truly, L. S. Burkiiead, for Committee. Aug. 29th, 1887. TliAN FOR RAISING ENDOWMENT FUND FOR TRINITY COILEGE. The committee appointed by the Board of Trustees, at a called meeting in Raleigh, N. C, under instruction of our last Annual Conference (see Conf ence miu. p. 32.) beg leave to submit the following plan for raising an En dowment Fund for Trinity College : 1. Your committee believe that an Endowment Fund, of at least one hun dred thousand dollars ($100,000, should be raised as soon as possible, and that such an Endowment is essential to the proper growth and the largest pros perity and usefulness of the College, as well as to the proper development and growth of Methodist Christianity in North Carolina. 2. In order, therefore, to secure this Endowment Fund, we most earnestly recommend that a direct and persistent appeal be made, publictly and privately to all our people in every pastoral charge so as to reach all our churches and Sunday Schools within the bounds of the entire Conference, in order to raise at least one hundred thousand dollars ($100,000) in cash if possible, or in cash, and notes payable in install ments of one and two years, and that this public canvass begin the first of June, 1887, and be continued until this matter shall have been effectively brought before all our people. And that each Presiding Elder and Pastor shall labor to bring to the front in this united effort to endow Trinity College, as many of our layinen as possible, in order to interest and arouse all our peo ple to proper effort in behalf of this great work : provided every body shall be at liberty to give before the first of June, to this object as much as they please. 3. In order to facilitate tne accom plishment of this important object, a sufficient number of printed notes shall be sent to each Presiding Elder and Pastor to be used by such of our breth ren and friends, as may not have the ready cash, to pay down, the amounts they are willing to donate to this En dowment Fund. 4. All the cash raised shall be sent forward as speedily as possible to Jas. A. Gravr, Esq., Winston, N. C, Treas urer of the Endowment Fund, who shall receipt for the same and also deposit, or invest said amounts of money, as he shall be directed by tho Board of Trus tees ; and all notes taken shall also be placed in the hands of the Treasurer of the endowment fund for safe keeping, and for collection as they fall due. 5. The Treasurer of the Endowment . $2.00 PER AlfHraJKI Payable in Advastt Fund shall pay over annually to the; Treasurer of the faculty of Trinity Col lege, the interest which may accrue on the Endowment Fund, taking I113 rs ceipt for the same, which interest shall be applied exclusively to the payment of the current, expenses of the College . G. The Endowment Fund sh&ll e forever held by the Board of Trustees of the College and by their successors in office and by the officers of the Boaril and their successors in office, ani by the Faculty of Trinity College, and by the Conference now owning, or the Conference, or Conferences which may own said College, sacred and inviolate, and never be applied as a whole, 01 im any of its parts, to any object, or use whatsoever, but the one and sole pi'rpsw for which it was intended by its con tributors. 7. In order to secure the Endow ment Fund and the annual payment of the interest the Treasurer of the En dowment Fund shall execute and dcliTsr into the hands of the Board of Trustees of the College, and infavor of the col lege, a bond with good, solvent and ap proved security, for such sum as the Board of Trustees shall require, which bond and security of the Treasurer shall be annually reviewed and approved by the Board of Trustees of Trinity CoV lege. For the Advocate. A lissquolcd Passage " What I do thou knowest not now; biat thou shalt know hereafter," is the un wearied language of God in His provi dence. He will have ckedit every tep He will not assign reasor sb cause He will exercise faith . Cecil. Reference here is to John 13-7., and the question is, is the usual construc tion put upon the passage, as stated! above, the true one? The doctrine cf God's providence is frequently arsr done. Some things which ought to he referred to Him, are not, and some things which ought not, are ascribed to his act. Again, the doctrine that in the future world God will explain all the mysteries of His present providence is overdrawn and misleading. One thing is very certain, it is not deduced from the above text. There is no pas sage, made to do o much unnecessary service as this. It is quoted thousands of times to teach, at least, a doubtful doctrine. Faith in God gives the Chris tian all the reason he requires for providential acts in this world, without any promise, of almost impossible re demption, to occupy future existence with explanations of every single act of the Divine administration. And lie no where makes any such promise. "The Judge of all the earth will do right" is the substance of every breath that faith draws, and the fullest possible explana tion of the government of earth and hell and heaven. Let us examine the text. There are two questions : (1.) To u-hat J act did; Jesus refer when he said to Peter, " thou knowest not what 1 do now, but thou shalt know hereafter?" and (2) what great principle did he intend to teach ? The original words in the phrase " thou shalt know hereafter," do not remotely refer to a future state of be ing. Peter objected to so great con descension on the part of Christ as the washing of his feet. Christ reminded him that all the outgoing of grace that cleansed and saved the soul was from Him, and added "after I get through this service I will explain my meaning." " Thou shalt know" I will tell yon my object in conducting this service ' hereafter" after these acts conclud ed. Next, what great dorine did he in tend to teach? Certainly not that of furnishing a reckoning of all His acts to the inhabitants of heaven. I once heard of a woman who said the first thing she wanted to know when she got to heaven was why God had taken her child by death. The very thought is preposterous and absurd. What pos sible good could it do to know any more than faith knows now of all such things . No ; the doctrine taught was condescen sion and humility toicards one anothir. So after Christ had concluded the service he redeemed his promise to Peter : "I have set you an example. If I, 3'our Lord and Master, have washed your feet, 3ou ought to have the same spirit of condescension towards each other." He did not intend to establish a sacra ment for it lacks all the elements of such but simply by an object lesson to teach them a great principle of religion. I humbly conceive that heaven will furnish some better employment than calling God to account for the afllictivc acts of His providence in this world-.. E. A. Yates. Sometimes a fog will settle over a vessel's deck, yet leave the topmast clear.Then a sailor goes up aloft and gets a lookout which the helmsman on thd deck cannot get. So prayer sends the soul aloft ; lifts it above the clouds iu which our selfishness and egotism be fog us, and gives us a chance to se& which way to steer. It is the part of wisdom to let world ly cares and enjoyments hang loosely about us, so that when " the inevita ble hour" comes we may let them fall like a mantle, and take our departure uuregrettirgly. Ripened fruit falls easi ly. So when the heart of the Christian is truly weaned from the world, death may come at any time and find him ready.
North Carolina Christian Advocate (Greensboro, N.C.)
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Sept. 7, 1887, edition 1
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