mm
»®v®lr<l I® Rrlltlon 51*ri,lll, Ttmp®r«lic® I.lU,raI«r®, Htwi! mid the "iippoi I ol lb® Principle®, ®f Ifce
mm *
‘'RELIGION WITHOUT BIGOTRY, ZEAL WITHOUT FANATICISM, LIBERTY WITHOUT LICENTIOUSNESS."
VOLUME XIII.
SUFFOLK, VA., MARCH 20, 1857.
NUMBER 48
um
THE CHRISTIAN BUN
Published weekly hy the JSotybern
Christian Association at
iv> 'UvmutrVjfi,
Si 50 tf annum iti Wiifln
W. B. WKLLONS^Ed/tcIl
rJohn R. Holt,
Rllfrkd IgEusr, K
Editorial Couxatfift£|j§|MKyigp
Barrett, W II. Boyfl|
ExRCUTIVK CoMMITI^BHpWj^JWl!
Morinsr, J.McCuIly^/H.TtnftaivaAni
L. Hill. All comnMtfticatfonWHwbe ad
blild
flffWlKilby,Street, nearly opposite tbe re
eideMe -eif the Editor.
J. D. BROWN Paurflftu
ORIGINA
i
I KNOW THAT MY REDEEMER
L1VETB.
X
Br Invalid.
Though Sorrow,* wave* may o’er me roll;
And grievous fear* oppress my soul;
Though hope may wing her lastin flight
And Peace be vanished from my sight;
Though Disappointment* poise ned flings,
May goad me with their poignant pangs ;
And I be doomed by Fate to drain,
Tfc* bitter dreg* of Brief and P do ;
Yet still on# thoeght true solace glveth
To know that my Redeemer live th.
Though friends forsake and foes assail,
Nor loving tones my ears regale ;
No friendly band my own to clasp, .
Nor shield me Irom Terap'ation ’& grasp;
And though Misfortune's fier ce array.
Like,d*mons spring up in my way;
Or like a spectre, grim and gaunt,
£Iy nightly dreams Despair may haunt;
Yet still mv fears, one thought relie veth
To know that my Redeemer liveth.
„ And though dark clcnds o’erspread my skies,
And furious storms above me rise;
While angry blasts around ms howl,
And dashing waves around me roll;
And Jiiough tntect ions poisoned breath,
May sow ibe seeds of pain and death ;
And like a fiend grim War may roar
And Famine sulk from shore to shore ;
Yetstlll my tool one hope receiveth,, .
To know that my Redeemer liveth.
Elm Cottage Va.
RELIGIOUS.
For the Christian Sun.
ORGANIZATION-8ECOND SERIES
No. nn.
V CourmruoN*.
In the church covenant just published
we here virtoally • constitution. The
form is not precisely like others, for the
church association has peculiarities which
do not elsewhere appear. No o'her hind
of association has the rights of belief, or
local government, as primary bodies, and
hence not the peculiaiitiee of it* organ’zn
tiou. Aside from these prerogative*, the
cHnrc.h constitution is* like any other, ex
cept that it covers leas territory. The
■t model of one is a type of the other ; or
^/'Tntherall general constitutions grow from
^fhe locaChearilig its image, extending its
: a’trihutes, intensifying Hr relations. The
. flr«t contains the g^rm of all those which
v fellow, snace only he'ng needed to am
plify. The modem conference ia one
form of application ; the general conven
tion another.
what ia a coysTTTtmoa.
When any number of persona enter
»nto an agreement to earrv ont pnMie ob
jects, they are said to he organised.
When that agreement la reduced fp wil
ting, we call It a constitution. The same
difference exists between them as there
does between a verbal and writ*e» con
tract One advantage of the written a
greement is, that alt the specification* and
conditions are in black and white, and
tnake leas oenfusion and discord, heotnse
they cannot he forgotten, misunderstood
or evaded. It is often said that none but
knaves decline written obligations. A
constitution is the matured or written form
of organisation. It is a system of means,
for effecting a particular purpose. It la
herei of itself an and, or ultimate design.
With a oread, it is directly the reverse ; as
this in never a means, bnt an object. The
end of a liberal Christian’s /aith is the
Bible; that of a sectarian, a creed. The
former .Heads .organization to carry out
Bible truths ; the latter to enforce hie
ere id. Jt will hence be seen that the sin
or viitae of the act consists in the use to
which we put the instrument.
It HAS BWSN PUT TO A BAD PtBPOSK.
Do not think that a constitution it
tit has boon used badly;.
fOWr rial of wrath ia the creed,
but purify constitutional powers and apply
them to a nobler pnrpose. If wo believe
that ibe constitution ia not the criminal,
chaiscter which m affix to a human
the subject is understood, and
for certainly all will
architectmal forts of a
while thy god woft
another.
moss.
A constitution i* a means which like
be framework in a building, keeps the
larts to Jut her. Great fiinciples underlie
be base, and entering into the structure,
ire secured by organic connections. The
principles alone were useless, and Id were
ibe disconnected orgnos. Unite them
snd we bxva the body ; excite them, and
we have tbe action of the body. Put a
bead onto the body and w« base a judg
ment to oont^il the action. It will then
be seen that organic principles in consti
tutions comprise tbe frame work of asso-^
.dated bodies. Remove this organic sup
port aod tbe form is piostrale. Nothing
s moie important then to give form to
sxistence, and iu connection therewith
beauty and proportion. Tbe disparity
between the board-shanty and cottage is
»nly a difference of design. The one has
i carefully constructed frame work, tbe
uther, none. The church may be built
upon any model, or without any, hut the
superstructure proclaims inevitably the
taste of the master builder.
tS AN INSTHUMENT Foil PROTECTION.
Not only does a constitution give form
sud with it a model of taste, beauty, aud
proportion, but the supeislructure selves
tbe-purpose of protection. It is an instru
ment of guarantees In the local cbutJh
it protects an iufinity of sacred personal
rights, and In more general associations,
the integrity of the objects which form
the basis of their oigauixaiion. Suppose
that ministerial character is one of said
objects. Who would- commit his only
persocal estate to the care of a shabby
thing, in tbe shape of a half organised
conference, which is unable to protect
him from the iron shafts of envy, ambi
tion and jealousy I Who would ttusuhe
publishing interests of a denomination
with an imbecile, without adequate pro
tection ! Who would make bequests or
douste other moneys to associa ions which
furnished no constitutional guarantee*
for its safety ! Who would liust themsel
ves with fickle and irresponsible mana
gers ? 1 admit that such things have
been done, but loss, disappointment and
humiliation have followed Our position
to day is that of hundreds, who will uot
trust their money nor souls (in gov
ernmental relations] without protection.
Who blames them ! Having repeatedly
suffered the penalty of carelessness, the
world will excuse them for exercising a
wiser forethought; and would deep'se
them asffoofe and serfs in longer submit
ting to irresponsible rule. Meantime it
tr a pleasure to say that there are ample
guarantees for tbe highest interests of as
sooiations, only they must be applied in
constitution forms.
A FORM IS NECKSSART,
A constitution is a systematic form. In
the first plane it defines its modes of ac
tion, and secondly, it protect all kinds of
interests involved, or rather invested in
such action. Butrthere is uo otber way
of following the modes or applying the
guarantees except by a foiroal organiza
tion. I any formal, meaning one which
ie wgttfaw, systmffiiafia, AToeseplan needs
re adoption every time the body meets.
This periodical jargon is hushed into si
lence in the presence of specific modes,
where tba rights of meigbers are equal.
Settle the question of organio forms—
Jiaft your constitution with wisdom and
sare, and the influence of a matured
iystein will be seen ia useful measures
If the guarantees are equal to tjie interests
nvested, every member of the asaociation
jnjoy# protection in the highest sense.
Such aa iustituliou becomes a tower of
moral and physical strength, its viitues
Jeing its own mead of praise.
'A constitution it a creed.' Not so, my
brother, While a creed is au end, an ulti
mate dneigb a constituliou is a means',
pulling dowu creeds and building up the
lirble. 1 want you to help to perfeot this
instrumental mean* so as to do lbs work
‘It d«.-4r»y» reunions liberty.' Not so,
Wf the uhuleh owveuam expressly pro
oota it; and if otber constitutions are
iramed ||on the basis of this they will do
lie same.
OBJECTIONS.
*It is following the seats' No, I think
not. Thera it not a sect in Christendom,
which has a church covenant like the one
1 have presented, containing ■ as it does
notable guarantees of individual liberty
'Some of^pur fret ministers were a
gainst it.’ Grant it. They were also
: against the iupport of the miniatiy. But
would you make the ministry a pauper
institution because they did ? No I \ our
good sense warns you 6ff such humiliating
groand. Some cf our first ministers were
wiong on the support of the ministry, or
ganization and education. It is humilia
ting, to think of it, but it makes out no
case. Bad example is net good argument.
'll prevents natural growth.' I admit
such to be the case in the old , fashioned
creed, but the effect of a responsible sys
tem is quite different. The sciews of the
creeds compress the soul within a given
dimension. The form c f a responsible
system is^tted without compressing the
parts, and the life grows with its growth,
and strengthens whb its strength. When
ore garb becomes worthless, :t is rolled
up and laid aside and a new one proper
ed to order. The successive garment# of
childhood, youth and age only show that
the body grows and ia vigorous. The Chi
nese shoe which destroys the growth of
the foot, may be an emblem ot the creed
power, but never of a system of tespoasi
ble guarantee*.
Can the work be done I O, yea ! It may
take many year# to do it all, but tie soon
erw* begin the sooner we will finish, ^e
shall meet strong prejudices, aud fierce
and stubborn opposition.
The stumbling block of bad example
also lie in the pathway. The way of the
Lord must fiist be prepared^ Public senti
ment must be corrected* But this can all
be done By preaching, writing, acting
Bring bo cam*] weapons iato the work.
Don’t stop to resent the charg « of being a
creed-monger. Kern* ns bet that labor and
patience effect great changes. We occupy
an advantageous position as the work is
already begun. Come, brothers, put
shoulder to the wheel and move the work
forward !
J. R. Hoag.
BUSINESS A MEANS OF GRACE.
We oflen hear Christians complain of
tdeir leanness and emptiness, and attribute
it all to their business. If they are cor
rect in the cause of their want of religious
eujoy ment, then either they are engaged
iu a wrong business, or they are puisuing
it in a wroug manner. No lawful business
—and a Christian cannot engage in any
other—pursued in a proper rnauner, will
injure the religious enjiyments of the
child of God. He that has the love of
God tn his heart, and does his duty each
day, toward God and man, will never find
occasion to charge the blame of his lean
ness to his business. The true Christian,
who does all that ho does to the glory of
God, is never more happy than when full
of business. Letuitn counect his business
with God ; let him work for God every
day' nr the week, and consecrate- sib bis
income to the furtherance of his cause in
tha earth, and he will find that his busi
ness, instead of being a biudrauce, will be
a help—a real means of grace to him.—
Instead of letting his business swallow up
bis religion, bis leligton will swallow up
his business. To all the dear bnlbreu who
are ciippled in theirr sligious enjoyrneuts
by their daily callings, I would recoin*
mend the course pursued by Normand
Smith :
** When roused to a more entire conse
cration to God, falling in with theoommon
notion that a life of seculiar busines is in
comparable with a life of eminent useful
ness and piety, he seriously purposed to
abandon it. Hut more scriptural views
led him to continue in business, consecra
ting it to God. He put on record the
4 purpose to engage in u y businesa that
I may serve God in it, and with tbe ex
pectation of getting to give.’ From that
time it waa observable by all who knew
hjro, fltet be made rapid progress in re
jMion. There was a^ervor and engaged
pesaofapirit, a purity and elevation of aim,
that could not be as'■ understood or ooo
cealed. He rose towards heaven, like the
lark of the morning. Freni that time he
found no tendency in his worldly en
gagements to chill his piety, or to enchain
his affections to the earth. His business
became to him a means of Orace, and
helped him forward in the Divine life, jast
as truly as reading the Scriptures and
prayer.”:— Unity Magazine.
THE MINISTRY FOR THE TIMES.
It is alleged that one cause of the com
parative inefficiency of the gospe.l, is the
want of a cbrist an ministry adapted to
the peculiar wants of the present age. We
believe this is true ; but not in the sense
gererally received.
By a ministry suited to the times, is
usually meant an educated ministry, learn
ed in all which pertains to modern educa
tion, quick to perceive and flexible to (he
influences of the public temperament by
which the ministry ii surrounded.
All thi>, and more, may be made avail
able to the cause of Christ. In qualifi
cations ofjthis secondary sort, the cbristian
ministry of the present day are not infe
rior to their^ predecessors ; and are equal
to the members of the other learned pro*
fessicn*. But these are qualifications ac
quired by preachers, just as ether men ac
quire them.. Nurtured among the people,
themselves a part of the people, they must
necessarily share the onward progress,
and be in sympathy with the common
sentiments of tbe people, in all which
pertains to them as men and a^ citizens
All attempts by individuals or aasocia
tions, to promote a greater adaptation of
tbe cbnstian ministry to tbe imaginary
popular tastes and wants of tbe age, bare
lad and must ever lead 'only to a vitiation
of public sentiment, and to tbe secularize
tion of the clergy.
The gieat want of the times is more ho
liness, more laborions self denial, and de»
votioh to tbe salvation of souls, in the mm
istry.
Manners have changed ; hut hearts are
still “deceitful above all things, and des
perately wicked.’’ The old nations of the
earth have nassed away, but human na
ture remain*.
The gospel which suited the fishermen
of Galilee, tbe philosophers of Greece Rnd
the citizens of Rome, is “ the power of
God unto salvation, to every one that be
lie* eth." _ -
The gospel i* in the Bible ; and the
men whom the TToly Ghost, separates for
tbe preaching of the gospel, can save the
world, and fulfil their mission by preach
ing nothing else but the gospel. But they
must first feel its power in their own
hearts. Its unction of fire must dwell up
on their own lips. Its divine orgtn and
heavenward destination mu»t be manifest
ed in their own lives.
The grade of persona? piety in the min
istry of the present day is too low, and
the tide of worldlines* is too high. The
people should support them better, and
pray for them more. The world will
then have a Christian ministry adapted in
all respects as instruments of its own con
version — 21T. C. Advocate.
. CHRISTIANITY.
_.When I consider the &ouree fmm whence
Cbriatianity has sprung, the humility of itc
origin—the poverty of its disciples—the
miracles of its creation—the mighty sway
it has acquired, not only over the civil
ised world, but which Christian missions
are hourly.extending over lawless, mind
less, and imbruted regions, I own the aw
ful presence of the God head. Nothing
less than a Divinity could have done it !
The powers, the prejudices, the supersti
tions of the earth were all in aims against
it; it had no sword nor sceptre—its Foun
der was poor—its apostles were lowly
ishermen—its inspired writers, obscure
and uneducated—itscrmlle was a manger
_it* home a dungeon—its earthly dia
dem a crown of thorns I And.yet forth
Went—‘that lowly, humble, persecuted
spirit; and the idols of the heathen fell,
and the thrones of the mighty trembled,
and Paganism saw her peasants and her
princes knee down, and worship the Un,
armed Conqueror ! It this be not the
work of the Divinity, then I yield to the
reptile ambition of the Atheia - I see no
God-jvl.see no government b«k»w ; and I
yield my consciousness ?f an immortal
soul to bis boasted fraternity with the worm
that nourWfes ! -
*
RURAL.
|||?R MARCH.
JpSo#i»6^l,ov*R Sbkd. *
Had tbe weather'permitted, it would
bave been better to now clover seed on
your wheat fields last month, than (bis ;
but if circonwtsoeea bare occurred to pre.
Vent you from doing so, you may safely
do so any time during tbe current month
But if we bad our choice in the selection
of the precise time, when we would sow
our clover-seed, we would wait until tbe
frost was enlire|y out of the ground. We
wjuid then sow the seed, lightly harrow
it in with a light harrow, and following
tbe barrowing by a" heavy ro|ler, the hea
vier the better. And especially would we
subject tbe grow jd to these operations, if
tbe wheat crop showed any evidences of
having been up heaved by tbe contracting
and expaoding^wowers cf alternations of
frost and heat. Now we are aware that
many entertain the greatest horror at tbe
very idea or pulling the wheat plauta out
of the ground by the teeth of tbe barrow;
m ihisAorrer, however, we do not in
dulge. Experience, observation, and re
flection, teach ns better. The harrow, to
->e sure, will pull up many of tbe wheat
plants this we freely admit. But, then,
most of these will be returned by tbe roller;
the roller will not obly return a great
portion of the roots to the earth, but will
also bury many joints of the wheat plants
the most of which will take root and grow
into wheat bearing plants : thus, bv pro
moting tillering, it will more than com
pensate for any plants that may be killed
by the process of harrowing. We believe
that, for every plant polled up by the har
row, the roller, by tbe burying of joir.u,
rtfll cause two other plants to grow and
bear kernels. Tnis is not all; the har
rowing destroys grass and weeds, acts as a
cultivation lo the wheat plants, and by
attracting and absorbing the atmospheric
deposits, fertil-xes the soil, increases, its
temperature, encouragea the growth of
the wheat plants'Slid increases their yiel
ding powers, These are not ideal results
—not mere theoretical opinions,—but are
the actual results of experience and praet*
ice. 0
Whether, hoseter, you barrow and
loll your clover in upon your wheat crops
or not, as to you may be seen best, do not,
w« beseech yoii, omit to sow it, aa clover,
ia conjunction with lime marl, or ashes
forms the surest basis upon which the im
provement of land rests.
In conneclion with tha subject ef sow
ing clover-seed we would remark, that
lime should be in every soil on which
clover may be grown, as the analysis of its
ashesshow, that in every 100 parts there
are upwards of 85 parts of lime, and that
the proportion of organic matters capable
of nitrogenous substances to be found in
a good clover-'ey, is more than competent
to supply the demands of a full 3fop of
wheat, besides aTT the mineral substances
it needs, and hence it is, that, tha season
permitting, we always find an abundant
yield of wheat wbeb grown upon a clover
ley. when properly prepared.
Quantity of seed per acre—Net less
than 12 lbs of clover-seed should be
sown on every acre—and pains should be
taken to distribute it evenly.
Oats.—Every good farmer wi.l admit
that the oat it a most notable and neces
sary grain in the economics of the farm ;
hut admitting this, we ftar that the crop
ia too often put in under circumstances
which forbid every hope ot a profitably
product. Generally'speaking, it is con
signed to the poorest anJ most exhausted
! field ou the place—to a field whose soil
had been reduced to a condition of utter
! impoverishment by a long couise of im
provident culture, in whose soil it finds
neither bread nor meet, or if be wav
therein, they exist in such minute quan
tities as to be utterly insufficient to aour
ish aud sustain the crop. .Such practice
should aot bo, 1 he oat-crop, under fa
vorable circumstance* df m&oure, soil pre
paration of the land, location, and seas ou
HT he mad* to be a highly lucrative
Si
ADVEJm^SSjL
“PWtntKmafstent #Tffflfflr853B3«erdI the
paper, wilt be inserted as follow*: ^
‘ Oneequareof 14 Hneslnineertioi.il,> 0
For each subeequqpt insertion 25
One square 8 months 6,00
One square 12 months 10,00
Two squares 6 months 11,00
Two squares IS moaibs 1*.*’0 (
Each additional square *,00
3u*iness cArdsof 5 os 6 lines will be’fn
‘erted for $5 per ?
i TlllVb,gffi± **7
menttwoorrH ®*y#nr. Advertiee
menU to be cmjffffffry week will be
i nserted accordffd^^ree ment, between
one. Give it a wHf prepared bed bf
soil, and wherewith thereinto feed upon,
and it will return you its 30, 40, 50 and
80 bushels of grain to the acre. Instances
of much larger yields than the numbers
named bare been realised, and «s main
tain, that wbnt baa done, may be done
again ; provided the same pams be taken
to produce similar favorable result*. In
our day, aad in our immediate neighbor
hood, we saw 2400 bushels ot excellent
oats raised on a 40 acre field.
It is «omewbat lingular, but no less fre.
qnent, that we Lear farmers say that the
oat-crop is an impoverishing crop, and
that nothing will grow kindly after it ;
forgettipg to consider, that there was no
food, or but little, in the field whereon
they grew their crop of oats—or relief
their apology for an oat-crop—and hence,
that the unkindlinesa of the growth ot the
crop succeeding (he oats, was not arcri
bable to the oat-crop, but to their owu
bad management, ia having previously,
robbed the soil of nearly everything edibU*
or convertible into food. The ml-avp
is not more exhausting then other kindred
crops; but still everything that grows
must be fed.
In view of our opinion of the oat-c rop
we say fa ail candor that unless the soil
be good, or if not good naturally, made
so by manure, it is useless, with the view
of profit, of sowing it in oats,—and tbia
truth will hold good with every other jrop
that growe and bears food for man or aui*
mats. Feed your soil, and it will feed
you. Startie if, and we leave you to d raw
your own conclusions as to the nevitabla
result.
Djia twins.
Your marshes should be drained by
open ditches and covered drains. The
earth taken out el ditches should be com
posted with lime, marl or ashes, and when
the ditches and drains have releived the
marsh of its superabundant water, shovel
over the compost, spread it evenly over
the surface, And sow grass teed.
Permanent Pastures.
If yoii have no petnanent pasture pro
i vided for jour stock, it is full time to sup
ply this deficiency. If you have one al
ready, give it a top-dressing per acre of
5- bushels of ashes, 3 bushels of bone-dust,
and 1 bushels of salt; harrow it in and
then roll.
Eaklt Tunsrrs.
As there is no crop which’ pays better
when thrown into the market enrly, rnd
none more easily grown, than the turnip,
i where proper pah.* are taken, we shonid
advise all who may live near a good mar
ket to put in an acre, as sell lor rna.kct
as for home eonsump'ion.
With resfa d to the time of | U ti g them
in, without attempting to fix upon any
particular day, we will say as agential rule,
that (n the epring, they sLuUid be sown as
aoon as the ground ie entirely free from
firoet, the soil susceptible of being put in
first rate order, and sufficiently waun to
cause the seed to germinate. The sooner
the betSer, after this period, as the turnips
should be allowed an opportunity of ma
turing its root before the weather becomes
intensely hot.
Early Potatoes.
Tba earlier you gel your e-rlv potatoes
into market the belter price »n! they
bring—tbe better will (hey |>iy therefore,
as soon as tbe frost is out of the gi ootid,
anti the earth in a condition to l>e plough
ed am) pth, in first rate order, get it ready
and put in your crop of ear!j potatoes.
'Fkxcrs.
Exau ine all your feuoea. and have every
panned made s’ook-ptoof.
ftaas and Gates.
Have every hush, bramble, shrub and
briar, eradicated from the entire line of
your fences. This done,eradicate all that
may be growing in and alient your fields.
iMCt EMENis AND I’oOts.
Carefully over haul everything of thi*
sort on Vour place, and have all necessary
repairs forthwith tnade.so that, when ne«o
ed. every implement and tool you Own
may be ready for wi tk.
UuEsr, and In Latin Fws'.
As this is a trying mouth upon theae
animal*they should receive 'ncreased at
tention. t( Confined in a van!, Supply lUem
with pine houghs to bi»*ae upon, *
<k Bskediku Now*.
Give these plenty of fre*h water daily
Mid slop them three times a day. Always
Veep them supplied with charcoal, rotteuy
wood and rubes.—-lwerica* Farmer.