“Looking unto Jesus the Author and Finisher of our faith.”
VOLUME XLVI.
RALEIGH, N. C., THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 9, 1893.
NUMBER 6.
She $Jwfcstia» fun.
The Organ of the General Convention of
the < hristiao Church
CARDINAL PRINCIPLES.
1. The Lord Jesus is the only Head of
the ehu eh.
2. The name Christian, to the exclusion
of all party or sectarian names.
;i. The Holy Hible, or the Scriptures
of the oid and New Testaments, suffic
cnt ,u e of faith end practice
4. Chretum character, or vital ) letj
he only test of fellowship o merat>er;bip,
5. The right of private judgment, and
he liberty of conscience, the privPege
wd duty of all.
Table of Coqter\ts.
Selections.
The Necessity of an Aggressive
Spirit in < hurch Work . 62
Charity Work in Japan. 62
Divine and Human Controversy.. 63-64
Going Aloft. 64
Religious Enthusiasm. 65
A Word for the Preacher.. 66
The Duty of Forgiveness. 66
The Salvation Army. 66
The Sunday School Lesson. 63
From Elou College. 64
From Pastors and Field.
Elou College Notes. 65
District Meeting. 65
Gleanings. 65
Editorial.
Editorial Notes .. 66
Manhood. 66
Liberality. 66
Graham......... 66
A Visit to Christian Chapel.66-67
From Durham.%. 67
Notes from Harvard..... 67
The Childrens Corner. 68
Suffolk Letter.
Nothing worthy of mention has oc
cured daring the past week, in this
vicinity, and this illustrates a great
truth in our own lives and in the
history of the church. There are
silences in every life; times when
there are no marked experiences, no
radical changes, no signs of progress*
no evidences of growth. It was so
with Moses: forty years in Midian
keeping the sheep of his father-in
law. The middle period of his life
was one of obscurity, silence; and
yet at the end of that period be be
gan his great work. At the end of
that obscure path was the “bush on
fire” with the divine presence and
“vocal” with the divine voice. So
was the life of Jesus at Nazareth a
period of silences, obscurities. Very
little is known of his life at home
with his parents except that he “was
subject unto them.” His filial obedi
ence is a divine lesson for childhood.
But at the end of those eighteen
years he entered upon that work that
has filled a large portion of the world
with his name and doings. Those
periods of apparent stagnation are pe
riodic of greatest thoughtfulness. .They
are the pauses in life’s sentence that
give meaning and emphasis to its ac
tivities A book would be unsatis
factory without periods Life would
soon be a piece of Machinery, run
ning, running,monotonously, if w< ath
er and booms, and health, kept busi
ness and even church work up to the
highest mark alwa's. More business
and religious failures are made un
der booms and excitements than at
the most quiet periods. Men never
know their strength till they reach
the reaction, the low point in trade
or religion. The church can meas
ure its power in bad weather and
hard times. This winter is good
schooling. At the end of this period
there will come, brightness The
country pastor cannot say he has had
no time for study. He could do noth
ing else These srowbound days
and nights have been so quiet that
he ought to come out in the spring
full of the divine message. So
you see there are compensations for
silences—inactivities. VVeareall like
those wells which, in long bright
months, are always giving but not
receiving; they run dry. 1 hen
when rain and snow come and ac
tivities cease these wells are quietly
imperi eptiLly, replenished. So ought
we to be.
in my last letter the types made
me say senator Renna instead of
Kenna as it should have been.
W. W. Staley
Feb. m, 1893.
Bethel, N. C.
Dear Bro. Clements: —Pleaseallow
me space in the Sun to say that Sat
urday and Sunday, Feb. the 4th, and
5th, was the regular time for preach
ing at Bethel. The Lu iness of the
church was attended to on Saturday.
Sunday morning the Sabbath school
was conducted by Bro J. M. Fitch,
the superintendent We h id preacl -
ingja few minutes after eleven o’clock;
at the close of preaching the Lord’s
supper was administered.
On Saturday the members and
friends met at the church before the
time for preaching and d d. seme
work on the church yard, which im
proved the appearance and rendered
it more attractive. There is much
interest manifested in the church by
all.
1 desire to return my thanks to Bro.
and Sister J. M. Fitch for a nee
present given at the right time—
when needed
Fr ternally,
Thomas W. Strowd.
Feb. 6, 1893
A. Pastor Taken by Surprise by His
People.
Dear Bro. Clements : —In my let
ter to the Sun of last week 1 told you
1 had just moved, and now I want
to tell you of something more pleas
ant than moving. Last Thursday
night I heard a rap at my door. In
answer to this I opened the door and
ladies and gentlemen began to enter
till my house was well nigh full, and
I noticed as they filed in, each had a
package in hand which was deposited
on my dinning table, till it was load
ed with the said packages, meanwhile,
I stood near the door and looked on
with as much composure as 1 could.
It was the Providence people“pound
ing their pastor,” and they did it
well. The donations were many and
valuable. It has been a long time
i since the larder in our home was so
full as it was when we got through
packing away our many good things
they brought to us that night. The
gifts ranged from a-to a barrel
of flour. Mrs B. and I join in re
turning than ks to these kind heart
ed people. May God help me to be
more faithful as their pastor.
J. Pressley Barrett.
Norfolk, Va.
The World’s Fair Once More,
The local directors of the World’s
Fair, aided and abetted by their
natural allies in every part of the
land, seem determined to .secure a
repeal of the Sunday closing ady
passed by the present Congress.
Whatever persistent impudence
can do, they will certainly accomplish.
In answer to much of their silly
talk we wish to say once m >re that
the civil Sabbath is not an innovation
now for the first time sought to be
foisted upon the American people.
It has from the beginning been a
recognized institution in this country;
and is guarded and protected with
more or less thoroughness by the
statutes of every one of our States.
The crusade against it is un
American and anti-A.merican. All
that we ask of the Federal Congress
is not to initiate a policy at war with
the whole past history of our
legislation. We put in our plea and
demand, not as Christians, but as
citizens. As Christians, we ask
nothing of the Government except
to be let alone; but as citizens
we claim the right to resist any
movement that threatens to break
down our civilization. Again, also,
we raise our voice in behalf of the
laboring classes of the land, to whom a
weekly day of rest means than more
to anybody else. If the nation should,
in its official capacity, become a
Sabbath breaker on a large scale,
then the way will be opened for the
| imposition of unending toil upon the
struggling poor. In their interest we
insist that Congress shall not reverse
its action—Christian Advocate.
-^ m ——*
A man with a bank account and a
' church dun is an Achon in the camp.