PER ANNUM.
$2.C0
THE ORGAN OF THE NORTH CAROLINA CONFERENCE OF THE M. E. CHURCH, SOUTH.
REV. F. L. REID, Editor.
gsTABLISHED 1855,
RALEIGH, N. C, WEDNESDAY, OCT. 26, 1887.
VOL. XXXIL, NO. 43.
For the Ahvocatf.
, orgia Correspondence.
Our
r.Y i:kv
smith.
, 1 , you are taking good care
r;"hoM Kev. Vou will tiiulhim
7 ,rl-.Vr of the situation at Con
1 ,!'. Hro. Bumpass seems to be
.'.I'l of sorts because Dr. Ed
ii!in, Mr. Wesley was not bv
valnVu consistent with himself
Sca'he'siH'ke on the suWej of
M ju perfection, and the Dr. is
1 LvV'hmt at Bro. Bumpass inti-Vr'M-'tliat
the Doctor had misread
v Vc-lev and slandered him.
iMv- Mr. Wesley never dreamed
rhit l'e AV;IS infallible, and never
luiKil anv one for (littering-with
' ,.r,wt his preachers, and the
list;,rv of the exercises through
n-l'vli' he passed on this line is a
Jyir interesting chapter in History.
s;r,!v ;! a matter of fact it should
i.'.'UVi at. It does not at all alter,
', itr'ivi the truth of any dogma
... tar as to give his right of
1-,,,'iiit'!! n one side or the other. I
'f I ,-an sav with some positive
vli:;t Mr. Wesley believed, and
f-i.iiik v, la ii his views are clearly
hi out. it will be seen that Bro.
i';-,-is a far from believing all
f i Hr. Edwards, and yet
".' o:i'.a!iv both agree with him.
;ri.T.!.Y FOR rilKAt'ltKKS.
.iiu matter of fact like this
;-. -,-uled, and I am a little
hu-threii each getting on
. Me of the shield, and
g ene another with mistakes,
are right.
Weley found himself as a
i:Loot student of Theology
; K --.!! sere f almost unmixed
A
i o oe
11 r-
od elturcli-
l: hate a dissenter, and a
tand by tlie chureh
vie despised, and Sectors
v good companions for
i ouiivs. lie read -Jeremy
iielv Living. It aroused
v.v:
read Wm. haws "Serious
!o
Life." lie and Char-
1 l he
dxtv miles to 3Ir.
; !!. and had an intervievv"
austere, mystical legalist.
i i!ioi(e.vu viii; n.
li:;:-;: in Perfection, with all his
Lv.u. and it was this doctrine which
.;:Vv iife to the Holy Club, but he
i.i-cA-d this inward" holiness, and
;..i i'.;a.v:i!-(i correctness of lite, so
: iLa io salvation, were to be se-Uu-'i
forks. Self-denial the
:-:v;it ;!. its, Methodism, seperation
the world, this was the way to
:iu- that Holiness without which
ham can see the Lord. For seven
Mr. Weslev believed and
r l
',,:,:! s-x.xjd Christian Perfec
y works. Justification came
Saiii.-tificatinn, and it was by
hi sI works. Then he met
babk-r. then he learned the
Lor:
! .
wynf faith and then he changed his
'itv; on Regeneration mid riyht
'': tin ,:dsfd,e ins been in fide,
''"''' '.- !,!., nl tiis fittfi'fiversi.
Mr. Wc-J-.y been supposed by
aiy t; hold the same views of IJe--jriit-nitiou
held by Calvinists, by
b.is'.-.i'.uiiaus and by many 3Ielho
l;"o. I eiituie to say not one con-
r..vi...l j- i ,i
iM.ni, as v. e c(tuiiL nun, uihi
'v..-t!y. 1 think in five hundred,
K'iK'k-s the height Mr. Wesley be-v-d
j ii-t after his conversion that
;ii atiaiiic-u wiio was eoii-
1,1" "t-gan to in-each as fully as
: - tlie Count that the "man
v.'as justiiied by faith I'y.s saved
i :ii i ' si,, llil-if'd It lid UUtirili-d,
:"-'! Hiii fuiuul that he must low
;': views of Christian Perfection,
:V tlii- statement that it was
: iii ;iU believers. He then ar
;tt tho eiiclusioii that there
p twt, states of Christian HIV, in
,'v;1' -iu,dly sincere Christians
'iu. V'rnd and divided the
...j.:!l!;ai family into two parts.
I
.viuistian and the Pertect
.;'uuiK The Christian was the
'.t .(;,(!, he vas pardoned, he
;Z h-ly changed; he had the
of the Spirit, he had do
over all sin inward and out-.v!-
''lit he had inclination toward
. (i"ii:g, which often troubled
I ' !l! .(-vi( lei iced an impure heart.
, luflieation of these inclinations
iiristian Perfer-tiVm. Toward
;:J-!!j from his conversion, and
f-r a i - -!" nearer to it, and he
jf l:;';ilv reached it before death.
ill I
. 1,4-1 r i t :xl.
til,),' u.l;Jl he often preached tAventy
. j'1 1, ,,rpt mentioning the doc
Wfv , i 1 1,10 01)-v elninge in his
li5s (,hl opinion was as to
'lu :i! hi'mment, I le had sup
M v. W(,rks, before pardon
;,i,l.;y'ii:!it.n of acceptance; he
;;U;,;;',''!' ;'l pardon before Sanctifi
, ;t!id said that Sanctitication
i.iMi; 1;'itn. In the advocacy of
I, '. iSOHiliio- if .-..;,-... 4- 1,,. -,,-..1,1
;. llltefield did not no-roe with
ii !,ll,rut CIarles, his brother,
'tv. 1M::L years a most ardent
it, and it was at this
Kill . j -.-- Ji v hum
."-'- I
;''Hi!(l f.
''I.. I it. LifLilli-lif if rin1
eau find no satisfactfry
! til; (ii.iinrni I fliinV lw.
it
dyit did not tien cml
Mis letter to .John Smith
.''"V-
It
,lline 'ears aftel lllis
n iv'- (leelares he had not
-vi,:;' '.' Perhaps Ir. Wes--
v ;" an the instantaneous-
nes of this perfecting work,liave 1 een
more misunderstood than any of his
views, lie did believe it n'iiuhe
aircn in an instant, and we w'ere to
look for it, but it was given to self
denying,patient waiting lie Imd not
the remotest dream of ones claiming
it,by naked faith of his own volition",
and when men began to profess it,
merely because tin y ttnjlit they
had believed, he was verv (direful in
his enquiries. Occasionalv for
twenty-three years, he had preach
ed on the subject, and about 171
what he had taught as possible, was
now declared by many to be certain
for they had attained, the state of
.mre love, lie was delighted. His
lypothesis was after all correct. He
lad interpreted the book aright. He
was not anxious to discredit the wit
nesses, one may be sure. Xaturally
affectionate and trustful and unsus
nicous he rejoiced in these profess
ions, but Charles, whose fervor was
greatly cooled, was not credulous.
He did not believe these, platings as
he called them,and he wrote his short
hymns, against them: at last things
got to such a height in London, that
John himself had to lay a hand on
Thomas Maxrield, and Bey Briggs.
The Holiness Hand became angered
with Mr. Wesley and left the So
ciety, ami then lie sent out his Plain
Account, Ins last utterance on this
subject. It isuseless for one to deny
that Mr. Wesley taught:
1. That there is a v state of grace
subsequent to conversion, that is
called Christian Perfection.
2. That it may be attained by faith,
at any time when it shall please God
io give us this faith.
It is useless again, to deny that
Mr. Wesley taught that External
Practical Holiness, dominion over
sin, constant joy and peace, was not
dependent upon this grace.
2. That the grace of entire sancti
tication was very rare.
. That wheirposses.-ed, it should
be professed with great caution.
The GeorgiaHolinessAssoeiation has
rejected all his teaching on this sub
ject,except thcPlain Account as they
understand it, and by that they
s-iouM be judged.
i hope this exhibit of Mr. Wesley's
views will have some nmuence m
bringing about a chartitable judg
ment from brethren toward each
other. He was in doubt himself.
He and Charles differed, so did he
and -Joseph Pensori (see his letters)
and he allowed in all kindness these
diiioreiiee.-'. After thirty yea v:' ex
perience as a pastor my trouble has
been, not that brethren do not reach
Pcrfevtioi's heiyi)i that they are
not fully converted.and do not live as
converted people should. If I could
get them well justified there would
be little trouble on the other line.
Tlie want of perfect agreement
with Mr. Wesley's views may cause
a search into the Piblc and Christian
Experience, and the question shall
be settled there. There is no doubt
of the fact that the present Holiness
movement in the church is modern,
as much so as the Woman's Mis
sionary Movement. It .began about
twenty years ago in the formation of
tlie National Aossociation, oi which
Pev. 1. S. Inskip was President,
but there is as little doubt that the
views presented by Pev. J. T. Crane
and Pev. J. IL Baxter, and accepted
by many of our church, are modern
too, that they are new, does not
prove them false. On one point we
are all agreed. That is, Ave ought
to be, and we may be holy, and that
none of us have reached the top. We,
I think.can all accept this statement.
1. That there is a state of grace in
which we can have conscious peace
with God, and constant dominion
over sin.
That this -state is reached by
Entire Consecration and faith ih
Jesus Christ.
Pro. Jarrell has received a promi
nence he has not sought for, and is
perhaps misunderstood. That I difr
fer with him, he knows, but how he
feels to those who do, will appear
from the private letter f take the
liberty to publish.
LaGkaxok, Ga.,
SKL'T. IOtu, 'st. j
Pkaii (iKoiigk : I n -ached home
from the Tabernacle at C ville, Fri
day night and found yours. Glad to
get it, as I always am. Glad you liked
that sermon. My only ground of con
sent to Pope Callaway's request for pub
lication was that it touched a. matter of
gravest moment and of universal ap
plication. And I tried to touch it in
such a way that men and even children
could see and understand.
The letter in IJaleioii Christian
Advocate, I almost felt con
strained to write, to keen tnc read
ers of that paper fromtln dug we held
such views. 1 know you charged them
on others, but as there was some discus
sion then pending in that paper, its
readers could hardly have helped sup
1 losing we held t thei n too. I never I icard
them'uttered, except conce in Georgia, or
in tlie South, did it then, I instantly
1 (egged him never to express them again.
Xo matter what lie himself believed, to
reach onlv H esieyan ineoiogv. j
atve never 'heard a word since f rom
.h.i mid never heard a word at any time
from any other person.
We make nam paccouhl o,u- soil- un
man standard. We agreed years ago
bv spontaneous consent to hunt our
whole battle within the lids of thai
book. , . ., , , , ,
Thanks for voiir sweet spirited leitei.
Put you need not fear that you have
hurt my feelings, Don't tlunk oi it a
moment. Pray much lor me L hardly
feel like J am measuring up to my duty.
I know I am not and it pains me.
Xever forget me". All well and send
lv jOR
For the Advocatk.
A Letter From Kx-Gov. If olden.
I see by your issue of the 12th in
stant that you have a new outfit for
your paper. The former sheet was
presentable and good looking, but
tliis one is compact, clear, business
like, and very handsome in its typo
graphical execution. Persons who
write for the press like to have their
productions in clear plain type, on a
white sheet, without friars or ma
cWe. And they are pleased too with
typographical accuracy, that is, that
every word in the paper should be
critically correct. In these respects
the Advocate is what it ought to be.
T say this as an old Printer. I print
ed a paper for twenty-five years, and
the bayetteville Observer was older
than my paper, and I do not hesitate
to say that in typographical work
they were uniformly the best look
ing- papers, and tlie most correctly
printed in the State. I read all my
proof, locals, advertisements, and
marriages and deaths, besides the
political matter and the selections.
And this every Kditor should do
who expects to have a correct paper.
1 have been reading your paper for a
number of years, and I can truly say
it is nearly entirely clear of errors
or mistakes. I can see that you have
lirst-class printers, which shows
itself in tlie location of the articles,
in the use of the rules separating the
articles, in the manner in which' the
advertisements are displayed, and in
the general contour of the sheet,
which results from its make-up.
Your printers are ail fine young
men, very industrious and sober,
and devoted to the interest
of their employer. And you, my
dear brother, ought to be very
grateful, as I know you are, for
the good Providences which have
alw ays been over you. Your friends
have the happiness to believe that
you were cut out exactly for your
place. You preach every week in
print to not less than thirty-five
thousand souls. You preach old
fashioned, ilat-footed, unadulterated
Methodism, or Christianity, to your
readers, and you observe closely the
teachings of the Master, which were
followed in the teachings and labors
of such men as AVesley, Fletcher and
bitfield, bo on, iny byotiioT, xi
yoai- noble iife y !: lor the eternal
iife of others. God will abundantly
reward you, and men and women
who love the Lord will sustain you.
lie-member always that you preach
the Gospel, which is love. And that
love "envieth not, vauneth not its
elf, is not puffed up, is not
easily provoked, thinketh no evil,
hopeth all things, endureth all
things." Love hath for its essence
and model the Lord Jesus Christ,
who freely gave himself for others.
I suppose there are now in this
State about eight or ten religious
papers, and some ninety secular pa
pars. Secular is defined as "per
taining to this present world," or as
" woridly-niindedness." So we have
the religious papers,and the worldly
minded papers. Doubtless they all
do good in their way. I have no
purpose to assail any of them. Some
of the worldly-minded papers possess
a good moral tone, and all of them
are more or less the advocates and
defenders of what are called good
morals. IUit nearly all of them, I
believe, defend and commend danc
ing, theaters, and operas. They are
the devotees of what they call "pleas
ure." I observe that my young
friend and brother, Daniels, of the
Daleigh Chronicle, is inclined to ap
prove the course of Miss Abbott, m
Xashvilie, in her reply to Dr. Cand
ler, who had pointedly characterized
theater-going and actors and operas
in a recent sermon, she being pres
ent. Dr. Candler simply performed
his duty as a man of God. The pul
pit and a few religious papers, with
the exception now and then of a se
cular paper like the Wilmington
Star, are all that raise their voices
against this increasing iniquity. I
wish the pulpit in this city, and
every where. Avouid be more pointed
than' ifc is in its warnings against this
worldly-mindedness. "The fruit of
the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long
suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,
meekness, temperance." How much
of this fruit is found in operas, or
theatres? The Master says that
where our treasure is there our
hearts will be also. I imagine Miss
Abbott cried and spoke with disap
pointment and indignation at the
prospect tnai tne sermon oi jm.
Candler would diminish the profits
of her opera. All the world loves
money, and covetousness is on the
mercase,and I do not suppose this ac
complished and cultured lady is an
exception to the rule. The two cities
of Nashville and Chattanooga have
acted consistently with their charac
ter. One applauded her warmly in
the house of God, and the other
made her a present. No doubt many
backslidden Christians joined in
these honors to Miss Abbott.
One of the best women whoever
lived was Miss Hannah More, of
Bristol, England. We quote from
a book printed in 1851, entitled
"Hannah More, or Life in Hall and
Cottage, by Mrs. Helen C. Knight."
Miss Hannah More was the friend
of the great actor, Garrick, of Dr.
Samuel Johnson, the greatest man
then living in England ; of Edmond
mirke, Mr Joshua Reynolds, Mr.
Wilberforce, and many other per
sons of distinction. When a young
lady she wrote dramas for Garrick,
attended the theatre, and shone in
the best London society. Dut her
biographer states that afterwards,
on the death of Garrick, " her views
of theatical amusements has already
become modified by an increasing
observation of their effects, and a few
years later she came to regard them
dangerous to morals, and hostile to
Christian virtue." But are not good
plays harmless, nay, improving?
was asked in her day. Her reply
was as follows :
Are not then good plays harmless,
nay, improving?
fThere will still remain, even in
tragedies," she replies, " otherwise the
most unexceptionable, provided they
are sufficiently impassioned to produce
a powerful effect on the feelings, and
have spirit enough to deserve to oecome
popular, an essential, radical defect.
What I insist on is, that there almost
inevitably runs through the whole web
of the tragic drama, a ) imminent thread
of false jn-ineiile. It is generally the
leading object of the poet to erect a
standard of honor, in direct opposition
tojthe standard of Christianity. "World
ly honor is tlie very soul, and spirit, and
life-giving principle of the drama. It
is her moral and political law. Fear
and shame are the capital crimes in her
code. Love, jealousy, hatred, ambi
tion, pride, revenge, 'are too often ele
vated into tlie rank of splendid virtues,
and form a" dazzling system of worldly
morality in divert emit radiation to the
spirit of Christianity. Tlie fruits if the
spirit and the fruits of the stage, of the
parallel were followed up. would exhibit
as pointed a contrast as human imagi
nation could conceive."
But may not the stage become so
purified as to render it at least harm
less and unojectionable ? Miss More
answers as follows :
" What the sfcigc might be under an
other and an imaginary state of things,
it is not very easy for 'us to know, and
therefore, not very important to in
quire. Nor is it the soundest logic to
argce on the possible goodness of a
thing, which, in the present circum
stances of society, is doing positive evil,
from the imagined good' that thing
might be conjectured to produce in a
supposed state f unattainable improve
ment ; for unfortunately nothing can
bed :ae until not only the stage itself
has undergone complete purification,
but mitil tiie audience shall be purified
also. We must first suppose a state of
sor.i'pjr m w). :-li !jc-titor3 vrill lie
(iis)' ,.V1 to relish aii that is pure, ami
to reprobate all that is corrupt, before
the system of pure and uncorrupt thea
tre can be adopted witli any reasonable
hope of success ; there must always be
a harmony between the taste of the
spectator and the nature of the spec
tacle, in order to produce pleasure, for
people go to a play not to be instructed,
but to be amused."
Ve would point the latter to those
principles laid down to AVesley by his
mother : "Whatever weakens your rea
son, impairs the tenderness of your con.
science, obscures your sense of God, or
takes off the relish of spiritual things,
in short, whatever increases the
strength and authority of your body
over your mind, that thing if sin to you",
however innocent it may be in itseif."
But I will not trespass further by
extracts, which might be greatly
multiplied. I would put these opin
ions and sentiments about the stage,
from this illustrious Christian wo
man, now in glory, in opposition to
Miss Abbott, and the thousands of
writers now-a-days who defend this
iniquity of the opera. It is hardly
necessary to say these things to
Methodists. The mind and the
heart of the Methodist Church are
fixed against operas and theatres.
I neglected in the first part of this
letter to refer to the head of your
paper. Tt is new, and very hand
some. And your correspondents,
and their Avri tings are very valuable,
and add greatly to your paper. I
have not space to enumerate them,
but I read them all with pleasure
and with profit. Especially the let
ters of my dear old friend and broth
er, the Kev. Dr. John E. Edwards.
I feel that a great light will go out
when his light shall cease to he seen
in the window of your sheet. May
the Lord bless him as he grows in
wisdom and years, and raise up men
just like him, to serve the Church,
when he is gone.
Yours in the Lord,
AY. AY. 1 Ioldex.
llideiyh, Ar. C, Oct. 20th, '87.
For the Advocatk.
A Card.
Dr. .John E. Edwards asserts that
he can " quote 3Ir. AVesley to prove
any phase of the subject" i. e. any
phase of the doctrine of Christian
Perfection. T demand the quota
tions, and the redemption of his
lledge. 1 ie is to give the quotations
from AVesley1 s works. Not from
Tyerman, or any other author. The
Bev. 1L E. Bumpass asked if Dr.
Edward's statement was not a
slander on Mr. AVesley, and was
called a smart, and impertinent
young man. He may regard me with
the same charity for demanding a
redemption of his pledge. But the
church will look with eagerness for
the quotations, and hold Dr. Ed
wa rd s a s 1 ound to produce them . I
presume this demand upon the Doc
tor k is about as clear as mud."
L. L. Nash.
Leasburq, Oct. lSth, '87.
Opinions in Brief.
Monroe Enquirer and Express :
It appears from the results of the
late elections in Michigan, Texas
and Tennessee, that the local option
method is the safest for success to
the great and righteous cause of pro
hibition. Itu.skin :
"In all tilings throughout the
world, the men wlio look for the
crooked will see the crooked, and
the men who look for the straight
will see the straight."
Christian Standard :
Soft words : and hard arguments
are always safest and best. Let us
agree where we can ; disagree only
where Ave must. Let the kind words
and pleasing behavior be conspicu
ously illustrated by us, no matter
how it may be received by those
with whom we deal.
Southern Christian Advocate :
All the criminals of the State are
not inside tlie Penitentiary walls,
and it may be doubted whether the
worst ones are there. Many an ac
complished rascal goes imwhipped
of justice, and some of them may sit
on cushioned pews in our most ele
gant houses of worship.
For the Advocatk.
Tlie Rambler.
The I Gambler laid aside his pen in
the spring and settled down to the
prosy business of raising a church
debt. It was prosy. Disgusted at
such a choice all the goddesses of in
spiration skipped his acquaintance
and left him m the midst of peach
blossoms and pretty warblers, and
sunlit show ers, and crimson-cheeked
mornings, with a heart as impervi
ous as a- superannuated mile-stone;
and the other day when he tried to
conciliate the tickle beauties they
tossed their heads and turned up
their noses and passed by on the
other side.: Baising church debts is
a good business for a man who wants
to feel lonesome.
Now that the Bambler is ready to
return to his trade he is grieved to
discover that his hand lias lost its
little cunning and that his tongue
cleaves to the roof of his nmuth.
3Ien who scribble are rarely men of
action, and men of action do not usu
ally keep enough unexpended en
ergy in stock to run a pen. AVe are
still looking for the man who can
raise a church debt and has enough
energy left to pay for the trouble of
earning it. That is after he has set
aside the regulation amount to be
expended in talking about his
crosses.
AVe are exhorted to "quench not
the spirit," and we obey the injunc
tion when the spirit is a bad' one.
After all, are we really bearing a
cross, or are we only cross ourselves V
Says my irritable neighbor (one's
neighbor may not be far off), when I
lie down at night and say I have had
a dozen crosses, the painful con
sciousness crosses one that I, my
self, have been the Grossest one of
them all.
"A dozen crosses!" AVe pro
nounce the-: Avords without a shud
der. How beautiful is our resigna
tion! How calm we arc, how per
fectly undisturbed as we solemnly
declare that a dozen times a day we
taste of all the horrors of the cruci
fixion! The baby is fretful; the
cook latcjthe bucket in the welljcom
pany coming to dine and it is wash
day'; the gate left open and the pigs
in 'the garden; things gone wrong
at the store ; things wrong at home ;
things wrong everywhere ; these are
crosses These are our crown of
thorns, our stripes, the tearing of
cruel nails through our hands and
feet, the earthquake and darkness
of our Calvary ! In the name of all
the silent sufferers, whose pale faces
reflect the sun while eating the
bread of affliction and whose inner
peace is not disturbed by the stale
ness of the crust, let us hear no more
talk about our crosses.
" No cross no crown." The cross
is put in one end of the scales, the
crown in the other to balance, you
say. That is why people who think
the crown a very small thing bear
such little crosses ; they don't want
to tip the scales. But the cross and
the crown have no business in the
scales. God did not put them there ;
he does not want a man to bear a
cross for thb sake of a crown. He
will not pay you to love him. You
do not appreciate the love of your
child who is affectionate for the sake
of the property you are going to
leave him. The faithful child loves
his father, not his father's property,
and vet he knows the property will
be his by-and-by. A e are to love
God for His own sake, but we know
we will inherit the crown.
The word "crown" has lost its
significance as completely as the
word "cross." Pious gossips have
talked about crowns of gold until the
world has come to believe that the
saints are expecting a coronation day
when all the hidden wealth of Cali
fornia and the precious stones of
Brazil and Asia will be exhausted in
supplying dazzling head ornaments
for the newly-made kings of heaven.
An unreverential sinner is not too
reverential to ask : If everybody in
heaven is to have one of these crowns
what will they be worth a dozen ?
But He who, in this life, covers us
with "loving kindness and tender
mercies" will not in the world to
come put his children off with a glit
tering trifle. It will be "ciWnof
righteousness," "a crown of rejoic
ing," "a crown of life," and' my
crown will not bedenreciatedjan iota
if millions receive the same inheri
tance. E. L. Pell.
For the Advocate.
The Necessity of Confession.
BY REV. J. C. ROWE.
The necessity of confession as an
element of religion cannot be denied.
Christ says " Whosoever, therefore,
shall confess me before men, him
will I confess also before my father
which is in heaven. But whosoever
shall deny me before men, him will
I also deny before my father which
is in heaven." Matt. 10: :;
To make this confession does not
require that we should at all times,
if at all, make a full tabular state
ment of the points of our faith.
Neither is this duty fully performed
when we "make our huinble confes
sion to Almighty God, meekly kneel
ing upon our knees," just he Tore re
ceiving the Lord's Supper. It is all
right to receive the sacrament but
we must confess Christ afterwards
and in other ways. Peter received
the sacrament from the 1 an ids of
Christ and in the same night, with
the taste of tlie sacramental bread
and wine in his mouth, denied
Christ and swore falsely. Let us
not imitate his sinful eond'm-t. Con
fession of Christ involves an ac
knowledgement of the
truth of his
claims and relation to
;alv;i t ioii.
He Avas the son of Cod.
When
Ave acknowledge his Divine Sonship
AA'e rhe above Soeinianism ; nd Ari
anism. He was also a man of sor
roAvs and acquainted with grief.. He
hath borne our griefs and sorrows,
lie Avas Avounded for our transgres
sions. He Avas bruised for our iniq
uities. The chastisement of our
peace Avas upon Him and with His
stri
ies avo arc neaieu. in: is our
iator between us and God. Ho
c mi atonement for our sins.
. his is the only name gicn un
heaven Avhercby Ave must b3
1 11 c
meV
J1UU
Aim.
der
saA'ed. AVe look for and receive par
don by faith in Him. The-e points
of faith in Him raise us above Deism.
In our confession of Christ Ave culti
vate both the habit and spirit of
prayer, but our prayers arc all offer
ed through Him as our high priest
interceding for us in heaven. This
confession of Christ is not made by
formal statement. But it is most
clearly made by a daily life of obedi
ence to His commandments. "Let
your light shine."
"Confess your faults one to anoth
er" is the command oi the Apostle
James. When a man ha wronged
his brother, either by Avord or ac
tion, he ought to make confession of
that Avrong and ask forgiveness of
the injured one. We so often,
through envy or misjudgment, do in
justice to others. AY hen this is done
we ought to confess our error and
mistake. This is the only a. ay to re
move the tarnish from our own char
acters. It is hard to live an active
life and not experience collisions of
plans and interests. Thee collis
sions generate hard thoughts, un
kind Avords and, too often, sinful ac
tions. And instead of fretting over
evil-does, either real or imaginary,
avc ought kindly to tell others of
their faults, and' confess our oAvn.
"An honest confession is good for
the soul." Honest christian confes
sion is also good for society.
ANOTHER FEATURE.
Sometimes persons are troubled
Avith special temptation. They have
not and do not trespass on the rights
of others. But they are under the
galling yoke of some sin or appetite.
It is profitable for such persons to
select one or more persons of sound
judgement and ripe experience in re
ligion and confess their troubles to
them. By so doing they AviJl often
find the remedy they need in the ad
vice giA cn them. The man or avo
man who would betray the confi
dence so reposed in them is not Avor
thv of the name of christian. There
is many a poor, weak man battlin
rr
a era in st the difficulties of his sur
roundings with some hidden trouble
like a deep-rooted cancer in the
heart, eating the joy out of his life.
A"e ought to consult each other free
ly and candidly. AVe Avouid impart
strenght to others and receive
strength ourselves. There are some
things in which avc must bear our
oavii burdens; but there are many
times Avhen avc ought to "bear one
another's burdens" and so fulfill the
laA' of Christ.
Albemarle, A". C.
For the Ahvoc.vik.
A Pertinent Inquiry.
How can a farmer have just
enough money to pay hU cotton
choppers in the Spring and his cot
ton pickers in the Fall, and have
none for his church till later?
A. D. Betts.