BY EMMETT L. MOFFI IT.
IN ESSENTIALS, UNITY; IN NON-ESSENTIALS, LIBERTY; IN ALL THINGS, CHARITY.
$2.00 PER YEAR.
ESTABLISHED 1844.
RALEIGH, N. Q., THURSDAY, MARCH 3, 1898.
VOLUME LI: NUMBER 10.
Christian SUr\
The Organ of the General Convention
the Christian Church (South).
CARDINAL PRINCIPLES.
1. The Lord Jesus Is the only Head of the
chnroh.
2. The name Christian, to the exclusion
of all party and sectarian names.
8. The Holy Bible, or the Scriptures of
the Old and New Testaments, sufficient rule
of faith and practice.
4. Christian character, or vital piety, the
only test of fellowship or membership.
8. The right of private judgment, and
the liberty of conscience, the privilege and
duty of all.
Reflections?"
The following, for which The
Christian Advocate is responsi
ble, will be of interest to Bible
readers: “Charles Lunn and J.
J. Shragge, of Winnepeg, Minn.,
are the possessors of a rare coin.
Numismatics say that it is worth
from $5,000 to $6,ooo. The
coin is a Jewish silver shekel,
worth intrinsically about 52
cents, and about as large as an
American or Canadian halt-dol
lar. It appears to be very an
cient. On the other side is a
representation of Aaron’s rod,
with the words, “Jerusalem the
Holy" in Hebrew characters, and
on the other a pot of manna and
the inscription “Shekel Israel.”
Above the pot of manna there is
supposed to be a sort of efful
gence or scroll, hearing in the
middle a Hebrew character. Up
on the presence of this mark,
which experts can detect by heat
ing the coin, depends its gen
uineness. Experts state that the
coin is the shekel coined by Si
mon Maccabeus, the high priest
and ruler of the Jews, 140 B C.
Some Hebrews, from one
cause and another, may be gath
ering at Jerusalem, in Palestine,
but not all. During recent years
of persecution in other lands the
“wandering” Jew has been find
ing a home and a sale lodging
place in the United States. In
fact, it would seem that America
and not Jerusalem was now their
mecca. The following statistics
from a Jewish writer for the
American Jewish Historical So
ciety are of interest: The Jewish
population in the United States
has increased from 3,000 in 1818
to 230,000 in 1880 and to nearly
938,000 in 1897. Among the
States the Jewish population is
divided chiefly as follows: New
York, 350,000, or more than one
third of the whole; Pennsylva
nia, 85,000; Illinois, 85,000;
Ohio, 50,000 ; California, 35,000 ;
Maryland, 35,000; Missouri,
25,000; New Jersey, 25,000;
Louisiana, 24,000; Massachu
setts, 20,000. Immigration to
the United States in the last
twenty years is reckoned at
485,000.
The pension frauds being per
petrated in the name of the
“Union” on the Uuion in our
times is, so far as we know, un
parallelled in history, and abso
lutely shameful in proportions
and disgusting all the way
through and through to those
who really fought in the Blue, as
well as to those in Grgy^ It
seem that Congress is either
hopeless or helpless in checking
the miserable fraud, and our only
resort now seems the creating of
a healthy public sentiment
against such. To this end it is
encouraging to see some of the
ablest journals in the North fight
ing with pen and brush against
this growing national ill. Har
per’s Weekly is doing valiant
service in this held, and from a
recent issue we quote these tell
ing facts : “It will be recollected
that Tames A. Garfield stated in
1873 that the high water mark
had heen reached, and that from
that time on the pension list
would decrease. It must be ad
mitted, therefore, that the enor
mous increase in the number of
pensioners and in the annual ap
propriations for them since 1873
cause suspicion. In 1873 there
were 238,431 pensioners on the
roll. Since then 321,485 pen
sioners have died, and there
are now on the rolls 976,014
pensioners, of whom 733,527
are survivors of the war. In
1873 the amount paid to pen
sioners was $26,502,529, and
now the annual appropriation is
about $140,000,000. There are
now carried on the rolls 6,405
more “survivors” than there are
living survivors of the war. . .
,. . For the years 1894, ’95,
and ’96, sixty-eight per cent of
the claims for original pensions
under the general law were
fjaudulent. For the same years
sixty-eight per cent of the de
mands tor increase of pensions
under the general law were
fraudulent, as were eighty per
cent of the claims for increase
under the law of 1890. These
are some of the reasons why the
friends of the old soldier believe
that the pension agents and com
plaisant or self-seeking Con
gressmen are making him the
unwilling associate of fraudulent
mendicants.”
There never was a time in the
history of the world when for
eign missions received the study
and attention that it does to-day.
It is one of the most hopeful
signs of the times. And what
makes the sign even the more
hopeful is the fact that the agita
tion for the cause of missions is
so general and wide-spread
among the college young men
of our times. Besides the num
ber of these men who go into the
foreign field from the various
churches, there is a movement
among students themselves re
sulting in great things for the
mission cause. Says the Record
er of last week: “The public,
even the Christian, has not kept
informed of the wonderful prog
ress effected recently by the Stu
dent Voluhteer Movement in be
half of world-wide missions.
Three years ago, for example,
there were about twenty classes
for the study of missions in all
thecolleges and seminaries. Now
there are above 250. Ten years
ago church boards were calling
for more men for mission fields.
Now more men are offering than
can be sent, until there is an in
crease in missionary funds. Five
years ago most students went
out from colleges without having
the claims of world-wide mis
sions presented to them. Now,
in 800 seats of learning these
claims are presented not once,
but many times to every grad
uate.”
The past year has, in many
respects, been a favorable one to
all classes of people in this coun
try. There have, perhaps, been
as few idlers as we have had
around us for a number of years.
And the Lord has abundantly
blessed all who labored. It was
a year especially favorable to the
farmer, who has for several years
received very low prices for his
products. The truck farmers
made good crops, and sold for
good prices. Peanuts and corn
have advanced hopefully. Wheat
has sold for fancy prices, and to
bacco has been profitable. It is
the cotton farmer who has suf
fered most. He has been in hard
luck for some cause or other—
perhaps overproduction — but
with the rapid increase of cotton
mills throughout the country, es
pecially in the South, and with a
probably decreased production,
we nope to see tnem tn Deuer
shape this year. The Morning
Post speaking of this subject
says : “The year of 1897 was not
altogether unfriendly to the grain
growers of the country, especial
ly as compared with the year
previous. According to the sta
tistican of the Department of Ag
riculture at Washington, the crop
of 1897 shows a decrease in
quantity as compared with 1896,
while the net return in money
was greater. Corn led all the
other cereals in both quantity and
value with a yield of 1,902,967,
933 bushels. This represented
a.falling off of over 380,000,000
bushels as compared w'ith the
year preceding, but higher prices
increased the value by a little 1
over $10,000,000. Wheat, the
next crop in importance, showed j
a yield of 530,149,168 bushels in
1897, with a value of $428,547,
fConcluded on Fourth Page.]
Contributions
A DREAM.
BY W. F. PRICK.
I had a vision, a dream, one night
While all the stare were,shining bright.
And all the world was wrapped in sleep,
Upon the boundless, mystic deep.
I thought I saw the lovely form
Of Him who calmed the sea and storm,
And bade the winds to cease their roar
Upon the Galileesn shore.
I thought I saw him lingering high—
Suspended ’neath a golden sky,
While other beings from above
Kept company with him in love.
I thought there was a halo light
Of glory ‘round them shining bright.
While night and darkness fled away,
And earth became as bright as day.
I stood enraptured and amazed
As upward on the scene I gazed.
And wondered.what the vision meant.
And what could be the token sent.
But ah, alas! like pleasures flown,
The vision changed, the scene was gone;
But not before it gave me this—
A foretaste of its heavenly bliss. ■*.
Atlanta. Oeorgia.
ISAAC, THE HEIR OF ABRAHAM.
BY HERBERT SCHOLZ, A.M.
Part 1.
The south-western section of
Palestine embraces what was
known in the olden times as the
plain of Mamre. It was here
that Abraham lived from the
time of his separation from Lot
until his death. Here, also, his
son and heir, Isaac, lived all the
days of the years of his life. The
land lying between the river Jor
dan and the'Mediterranean Sea
was then known as the land of
Canaan. This land was about
fifty miles wide, and one hun
dred and fifty in length, making
an area of seven '.thousand, five
hundred square miles,—a section
a little more than one-seventh as
large as North Carolina. We
used to think that the land ot
Canaan was a very large land,
but an increases ot years and
knowledge has taught us that- it
was very insignificant in size,
compared with the countries of
modern times. From the various
descriptions given of it, we are
led to believe that it was a land
of considerable fertility and
richness. It is spoken of as *‘a
land that floweth with milk and
honey”, a figurative expression
denoting its adaptation to the
habitation of man. Yet this fer
tility and richness of the soil
does not seem to have been
evenly distributed over the coun
try. Some sections are s'aid to
have been better than other
sections. We find this condition
in almost every country. -Some
parts of Canaan were almost
barren,whileotherparts appeared
inexhaustible in vegetable
wealth. We must not overlook
the fact that the section of the
world in which Canaan was sit
uated is noted for the number of
its deserts. South of Palestine
is the great Arabian desert; west
of it is the great Sahara desert;
and east of it is the desert of
Persia. The country is spotted
with deserts. Hence, the land
of Canaan may be regarded as a
beautiful oasis in a desert land.
When Abraham came into this
country he found it inhabited by
people who bore the name ofCa
naanites. They were close
kin to the Chaldeans, and proba
bly spoke the same language,
only a different dialect. They
were governed by tribes. Every
tribe had its father, or chief, who
was the oldest man in the tribe.
This tribal government was the
earliest form of government. It
arose in this way: all the mem
bers of one family settled close
together, and bound themselves
together for protection under
their oldest representative. When
the family had existed for several
generations and its members
become so numerous that the tri
bal form of government was im
practicable, they changed from a
tribe to a kingdom, and chose
for themselves a king. Some
times several small tribes that
were related would form a con
federation and unite under one
kingdom. This is the way the
Canaanites did. The Ganaanites
were, for the most part, an idola
trous people. They had wan
dered away from the true God,
and were the worshipers ot idols.
Their occupation was chiefly ag
ricultural and pastoral. With
their flocks they moved from
place to place, pitching their
tents wheresoever the land of
fered them good pasturage and
abundant water. Sometimes
where there were no streams of
water convenient, wells were
dug ; and these wells, on account
of the labor expended on them,
and their importance to the peo
ple and their flocks, were regard
ed as prominent places in the
land, in the same manner as we
would regard a cross-roads’ store
and post-office in some back
woods’ section ol our country.
It was in such a land and
among such a people that Isaac,
the snbject of our sketch, first
opened his eyes to the light of
day. At the time of his birth,
his father was a hundred years
old, and his mother but a few
years younger. Like Samuel,
the prophet, and John, the Bap
tist, and Jesus, the Christ, he
was the child of promise, and
came into existence through the
special favor of God. His father
was a very wealthy man. His
home a home of plenty. Men
servants and maid-servants,
slaves and free-born, were ever
present in Abraham’s home to do
the bidding of their master.
Like the centurion in the time of
Christ, Abraham said to this
man, “Go”, and he went; and to
that man, “Come”, and he came ;
and to another man, “Do this”,
and he did it. Abraham’s flocks
and herds were so numerous that
it took immense tracts of pasture
lands to support them. The
shepherds under his employ
reached up into the hundreds,
and served him as common la
borers in times of peace, and as
soldiers in times of war. He had
gold and silver in abundance,
and all other comforts of life
which could possibly be pro
cured in those rude and primi
tive times. But notwithstanding
all these possessions, the young
lad, Isaac, did not enjoy so many
comforts and advantages and
blessings as the son of a rich
man enjoys in this enlightened
age. There was no stately pal
ace standing on the plains of
Mamre, with spires and domes
and turrets, glistening and spark
ling in the bright sunlight. There
was no beautiful grove, with
walks and flowers and shrubbery
and fountains of sparkling water
casting up its silvery spray: but
in the place of these, there stood
a simple, humble tent, its weath-*
er-stained folds acting as the on
ly shelter which the boy could
use as a protection against the
heat of the sun and the fury of
the rain. The floors of that home
were not covered with Brussell’s
carpet. No magnificent paint
ings adorned the walls. No cost
ly lounges and rocking-chairs
and pianos and chandeliers and
vases and marble tables fur
nished the rooms. Only the sim
plest furniture could then be pro
cured. Isaac did not have the
privilege of attending school
from the time he could talk until
he was grown. There were no
schools then. No churches. No
printing presses. No books.
tlis home was a very numDie
home compared with the homes
of the wealthy in our day. The
poorest man in our land can af
ford a better home than a tent.
Only a wandering gypsy, or an
itinerant photographer, or a
crowd of circus people will con
descend to live in a tent in this
year of our Lord. And yet, a
tent was the best home which the
great, the wealthy, the divinely
favored Abraham could afford.
But it isn’t a palace that is essen
tial to a good home. Beautilul
exteriors do not always possess
happy interiors. Some of the
happiest families live in log-cab
ins. The home of Isaac, not
withstanding its simplicity, was
a happy home. The reason it
was such a hoppy home is, God
abode in that home. Isaac’s pa
rents were God-loving parents.
They loved God and also loved
each other. Love was the power
which ruled that house ; hence,
it could not be otherwise than a
happy one.
If you cannot see and reason
in serving God, it is because you
have your eyes directed toward
satan.
“OLD TIME BELIGI08.”
BY REV. W. S. LONG, D.D.
A short time ago I met a good
brother who years ago enjoyed
singing a song with the title at
the head of this article. He tells
me that he still loves to sing it;
and I believe he still enjoys that
kind of religion. “It is good
enough”. I would that we could
see more of it. A religion that
makes people truthful, honest,
reliable, sober, loyal, and loving,
ready to meet their obligations
to, God and man. Paul says,
“Herein do I exercise myself to
have always a conscience void
of offense toward God and man.”
Such a religion will make its own
announcement. We need not
take time to publish it. It will
make its own publication. The
world gets tired of people whose
religion is talked or professed
simply. It wants a religion that
is lived, illustrated by a clean,
white life. The Saviour rebuked
the Pharisees for the religion
that was mouthed but failed to
find a place in their lives.
Would it not be well for the fol
lowers of Christ to follow him
truly? If we would follow him
truly we must follow him only.
“Ye cannot serve God and mam
mon.” He said little about his
good ness, but lived—“went about
doing good” — illustrating it.
Let us follow him. Others will
not fail to see it. If the light,
the true light be in us, it will
shine, make itself known. There
is no ostentation about God’s
works—no attempts at display.
Meekly, humbly he wrought,
and the world is blessed and
made to rejoice at his beautiful
life.
Elon College, N. C.
NO LIBOR LOST.
BY REV. D. E. MIL BARD.
The ministers of Jesus Christ
have this commission from the
Father: “Ge ye into all the world
and preach the gospel to every
creature.” This does not mean
that every one whom God calls
into his service shall traverse the
whole wide world and hold forth
the “Word ot Life” in every
land. It means that “the field is
the world” ; that the gospel is a
message for all nations, tongues
and peoples ; that as we go, we
are to preach—and that the mes
sage of salvation in Christ is to
be carried, by chosen prophets
of God, into all lands, even into
the remotest parts of the earth.
As ministers, we are servants,
having this treasure in earthen
vessels, that the power may be
of God. But though “allowed
of God to be put in trust of the
gospel”, how often do his ser
vants seem to labor in vain !
They work hard and pray much,
but how little fruit do they see of
their labor. Perhaps they have
worked with prayerful diligence
for years, and, instead of leading
hundreds to Christ, they can
count only a few who have found
“the pearl of great price” as the
result of their labors. After all
they have not labored in vain if
a few have been saved ; and of
ten we find the saying true—
“One soweth and another reap
eth.”
1 he Sunday school teacher
goes to his or her little* class ev
ery Sunday with an earnest and
consecrated heart, telling “the
“old, old story of Jesus and his
love”, apparently without results.
But such labor is not lost. What
is not apparent now will be some
time.
These workers (or Christ are
sowing the seed which will in
time be harvested by God’s reap
ers. We may see but little ot
the fruit and may feel that we
have done but little—but let us
keep on doing, and what we do
here will tell in eternity. For
"It is not in vain that the seed is shed;
if only one soul to the cross is led,
Thy labor is not in vain.”
And if it be ours to sow, that
others may reap, we need not
complain, nor be discouraged.
"What matter, friend, though you and I
May sow and others gather?
We budd and others occupy.
Each laboring for the other?
What though we toil from sun to sun;
And men forget to flatter
The noblest works onr hands have done,
| If God approves, what matter?”
Portland, Michigan.
REV. H. H. BUTLER.
The Pulpit.
THE HOLT SPIRIT NECESSARY TO A
KNOWLEDGE OF CHRIST.
BY REV. H. H. BUTLER.
“But ye are not in the flesh, but in the
Spirit, if so be that the 8pirit of God dwell
in you. Now if any man have not the Spir
it of Christ, he is none of his.”—Rom. S: 9.
We were made in the image
of God, and communed with him
as a friend, as a father, and he
lived in us as a temple ; though
this sweet and delightful union
was not of very long duration.
We, by our own disobedience,
by sin, broke asunder that bless
ed union with our God and sep
arated ourselves not only from
our Maker, but from all that is
good, and brought upon us dis
ease and death. But God
in his goodness and mercy and
great love did not entirely for
sake us—there is light in the
darkuess. He was not willing
that we should forever perish,
therefore a bright and glorious
star was seen in the East, and
wise men were guided to Beth
lehem’s manger, where they saw
the Son of God, who came to
.drive away the darkness and to
let in the light and life, which
had been destroyed by disobe
dience and sin, by his own suf
ferings and death upon the cross.
God gives his Son to make atone
ment for sin. “Come see the
place where the Lord lay.”
“Come, saints, and drop a tear or two
For him who groaned beneath your load;
He shed a thousand drops for you—
A thousand drops of richer blood.”
God also gives us his Holy
Spirit to renew our natures, so
that we may be restored to his
love and favor and made meet
for the inheritance we forfeited
by disobedience.
It is of the Holy Spirit that
Paul is here speaking. He
(Paul) declares that we must
have the Holy Spirit dwelling in
us if we would win heaven.
Some may understand the Spirit
as referring to the disposition of
Christ, though the context plain
ly confines its import to that
blessed Spirit who raised up our
blessed Lord trom the dead, and
who will in due time raise up us
also. He is called “The Spirit
of God”, and “The Spirit of
Christ”. Why is this? Because
God and Christ are one. Christ
is God. “Look unto me, and be
ye saved, all the ends of the
earth : for I am God, and there
is none else.” Christ is God,
and the Holy Spirit acts as his
agent. Now I want to show
you, my dear brethren and
friends, that we may and that we
must have the Holy Spirit to
know Christ our baviour.
I do not mean by ‘having the
Holy Spirit’ that we shall have
and possess those common ope
rations of the Holy Spirit which
all men experience and resist.
Paul did not mean that. Nor do
I mean those miraculous powers
which were given to the apostles.
There were many who were
Christ’s who never received those
wonderful powers. I mean those
special powers of the Holy Spirit
whereby we maybe enlightened
to know Christ—know him to be
our Saviour, and to be trans
formed into the blessed image of
God. In this way, my dear
brethren, we can and must have
the Holy Spirit to be fruitful and
happy.
In the beginning of our holy
religion, not a few, but whole
churches received and enjoyed
the blessed influences of the Ho
ly Ghost. The great apostle
prays that the whole church at
Ephesus might have “the Spirit
of wisdom and revelation in the
knowledge of Christ.” And also
that they might be “.renewed by
the Spirit in their inward man.”
And in speaking of the Church
of Christ at large, he (Paul) as
cribes their attainments to the
operations of the Holy Spirit.
Titus 3 : 5,6. “Not by works
of righteousness which we have
done, but according to his mercy
he saved us, by the washing ot
regeneration and renewing of
the Holy Ghost; which he shed
on us abundantly through Jesus
Christ our Saviour.” Now, my
dear brethren and friends, if it
was necessary for the Christian
Church, the whole church, in her
beginning to receive and have
the Holy Ghost to teach, guide
and comfort them, why is it not
necessary for us now? How can
we know anything without some
one to teach us? And how can
we know of Christ our Saviour
without the Holy Spirit to teach
us? How can we find our way
through this dark and sin-cursed
world without the Holy Spirit to
guide us? How can we receive
comfort amid the changing
scenes of this life'without the
Holy Spirit? God works upon
his children by the power and in
fiuence of the Holy Ghost. Our
need of salvation is as great and
as important as our fathers’ and
motl>er^’ was ; our sanctification
^Jost as rtecessary. Our strength
is no gijeater than that of the
early Christians, the work of
sanctification no easier that we
do not need the same divine as
sistance. Paul tells us that “The
promise of the Spirit is to you
and to your children, and to all
that are afar oft', even as many
as the Lord our God shall call.”
Paul did not mean to limit the
gift of the Holy Ghost to the
Apostolic Age, because he shows
us the great necessity of having
the Holy Spirit ourselves.
The Holy Scriptures teach us
to pray for the gift of the Holy
Ghost. Christ Jesus himselfsays,
“If ye, then, being evil, know
how to give good gifts unto your
children, how much more shall
your Heavenly Father give the
Holy Spirit to them that ask
him.” Jesus speaks to his disci
ples, saying, “Nevertheless, I
tell you the truth; It is expe
dient for you that I go away ;
for it I go not away, the Com
forter will not come unto you ;
but if I depart, I will send him
unto you, and when he is come,
he will reprove the world of sin
and of righteousness and of judg
ment: of sin, because ttf^y be
lieve not on me ; of righteouc
ness, because I go to my Father,
and ye see me no more ; of judg
ment, because the prince of this
world is judged.” You see now,
my brethren, that you cannot be
a Christian without having the
Hoi}' Spirit, and that you cannot
have the Spirit of God without
seeking. “Ask, and ye shall
receive ; seek, and ye shall rind.
So to have and enjoy the things
of God, we must seek for them—
we must pray earnestly to God
through our Lord Jesus Christ—
we must surrender our all in the
hands of Christ our Saviour, and
the Holy Spirit will come into
our souls and our hearts will re^
joice,—we must obey him. Acts
5 : 32, “And we are his witness
es of these things ; and sqJs also
the Holy Ghost, whom God hath
given to them that obey him.”
We are to knock at the door;
we are to knock down and lay
out dead every sin, and then the
door will open and we will find
ourselves in the gieat mansion,
in the presence of God, by the
gift of the Holy Ghost.
[ Cone Unit'd in Next Issue.]
Richmond College (Baptist)
is to be opened, in the higher
classes, to young women. And
thus co-education makes an in
road upon the Baptists in the
South. It will not be long be
fore all the colleges are opened
to both sexes—it’s useless for a
few conservatives and a few old
timers to try to withstand the tide.
The report that Consul-Gene
ral Lee will tender his resigna
tion is officially denied. No one
has ever given better satisfac
tion in this line of work than Gen.
Lee, and we are glad that he will
continue to hold the position.