by ATKINSON Sc LAWRENCE.
The Christian Sun.
IN ESSENTIALS, UNITY; IN NON-ESSENTIALS, LIBERTY; IN ALL THINGS, CHARITY.
fl.50 THE YEAR
ESTABLISHED 1844.
ELON COLLEGE, N. C., WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 5, 1902.
VOLUME LV : NUMBER 44
Tip* CttPistiar* Sup
PUBLISHED WEEKLY.
The Official Organ of the Southern Chris
tian Convention.
CARDINAL PRINCIPLES.
1. The Lord Jesus is the only Head of
vhe church.
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.
L Christian character, or vital piety, the
only tost of fellowship or membership.
5. The right of private udgment. and
the liberty of conscience, the privilege and
duty of all.
A HIST3RICAL SKETCH.
Cypress Chapel Church, Nansemond
County, Virginia.
by thk pastor, rev. h. h
CUTLER. _ '
There are many sacred asso
ciations and much history con
nected with Cypress Chapel
church. This has been a place
of worship, probably nearly ever
since this country was first set
tled. It is, no doubt, the oldest
place of worship in this section
of the country. Tne ministers
of the church of England came
to this place and the services of
the Episcopal church were main
tained here tor many years. The
records of the parish preserved
by the vestry of St. Paul’s Epis
copal church in Suffolk, Va. tell
something of the Chapel on Cy
press Swamp.
These records carry us back
beyond the revolution of 177^*
It is not known in what particu
lar year this became a place of
worship. Neither the records of
the parish nor of the county tell
The old swamp that makes its
way to the great Dismal Swamp
—that old swamp studded with
tall Cypress trees—suggested,
no doubt, its name to the early
settlers of this part of the coun
try and the actual contact of this
place of worship to the swamp
-gave to the place and house of
worship the name which it now
bears, Cypress Chapel.
When the war of the revolu
tion closed and an independent
government was set up by the
people of the British Colonies in
America the church of England
which had prevailed in Va., lost
much of her influence and waned
for years after, until the places
of worship were abandoned in
many parishes, and the priest or
ministers of that church were
very few, and other forms of
worship were introduced and
other denominations began to
flourish where before they were
not known. Nine years after
the close of the revolutionary
war witnessed the first disruption
in this country of the Wesleyan
churches. Wesley .a member o
the church of England, had se
out, in England to reform cer
tain evil usages, which be be
lieved to exist in the church of
his fathers and in the progress
this work a separate organization
was brought into existence witn
more of life and vigor than the
parent body then possessed.
This new organization came in
process of time to be ca
Methodist and the new religious
party, with the new name,spread
with great rapidity allovertlns
new country and soon beca
body of great power. When
leading superintendents *
new church in the United S e {
permitted themselves to be or
dained and called Bishops it led
to a division in their ranks, and
a secession on the part of those
who opposed this, as they con
sidered,assumption of power and
unquestioned authority on the
part of the Bishops thus ordain
ed. This brought into existence
another denomination, which
while discarding the office and
power of Bishops discarded, also
the name of the church ot their
mother country and also the
name of the new organization,
Methodist, and assumed the sim
ple name Christian which would
fully express their relation to
Christ, the great head of the
church, the name by which the
Disciples were first called in
Antioch.
The ministers of this new or
ganization, being shut out from
the Methodist pulpits, naturally
took possession of the places or
churches which had been left va
cant by the clergy of the church
ol England and in that way the
old church at this place, Cy press
Chapel, came in possession of
the Christian denomination.
The exact time of the organi
zation ot this church is not
known. We, I believe, have no
records to show when it was
first organized. Though it has
been said, that it was organized,
sometime during the year 1798
I he hrst regular conference ot
the Christian denomination in
E. Va. met at this place on the
25th, day of Sept. 1818, 84 years
ago. There were at this confer
ence, Revs, ^lills Barrett, Joshua
Lives ay, Burwell Barrett, John
Livesay, James Warren, Francis
Williamson, Nelson Miller and
Nathaniel P.Latern. And among
the lay brethren were Thomas
Holloway,Stephen Smith, Herod
Burt and John Copeland. .The
church at this annual meeting
called to its pastorate John Live
say, who no doubt, did great
good in the name of his Master
at this place.
Among the first members of
this church we find the names of
John Harrell, Arthur Jones, Bar
sheba Jones, Abram Harrell,
Biscilla Harrell, Sallie Norfleet,
Mary Riddick, Mourning Park
er, Henry Skinner and Samuel
Wilkins, All the members who
were living then have long since
passed away, but the old church
still stands pointing sinners to
the hand of God.
All the ministers and lay
brethren who met here in 1818,
pioneers of the Christian church
have lain down their armor and
have gone to receive their reward
but the cause of the old church is
still living on,conquering and to
conquer.
From Porto Rico.
(Rev. D. P. Barrett’s letter to
his home conference and pub
lished by request of that body.)
Ponce, P. R-» Oct. 21, 02.
Dear Brethren and Sis
TBRStfcPF THE^ E. Va. CONFER
ENCE. Greeting :
I take this my last opportun
ity to write a word from Poito
Rico. It does my heart good
to tell you the work here is in a
growing condition. The work
in Ponce, the city in which we
first located, has already begun
bearing fruit, in that we have
three applicants for membership.
This may seem very small to
you but these aPPlica“tsf
voluntary. Since March of this
year your humble servant has
had all the preaching to do and
not being well acquainted with
the language I have put all my
efforts in the way of instructing
the people in the truths of the
Bible, and from that, without
any invitation,these have^pffered
themselves for membership.
We have done a great deal of
visiting. I cannot begin to tell
the number of visits I have
made. Visiting, while not so
pleasant a work as I have done,
at the same time it is very tell
ing in its effects. It would be a
more inviting work were it not
for the fact that our surround
ings, sometimes, almost become
the master of us. By way of
explanation on this point I need
only say that the people
are fearfully dirty and
one who has lived in an en
lightened country cannot imag
ine what pains the missionaries
are subject to in visiting these
poor people.
But as I had in mind to say
Bro, Innurrigarre who preached
for us from April 1901, left $he
work on Feb. 29th, of this year.
It fell to my lot to d<^ all the
preaching as our new Mission
aries had just arrived. In addi
tion to our regular Sunday ser
vices we had a midweek service
which has been well attended.
During the latter part of
March we made arrangements
to open work in Santa Isabel.
This is a town 12 miles east of
Ponce down near the sea shore.
Santa Isabel is a growing town
on account of its sugar industry.
There are six or seven thous
and inhabitants in that district.
It is well supplied with schools
and the outlook is hopeful. We
have rested a hall Hlfre and
have it well fitted up for our ser
vices. Bro. T. E. White is at
present located at this point.
On this same road, a 30 min
utes drive from Santa Isabel, we
have a very interesting little
work. Jauca has only 200 in
habitants but all seem anxious
to hear the gospel. They also
have good school advantages
and seem to take advantage of
their opportunities. I can truth
fully say I never saw people so
anxious to go to school.
There is being built from Ar
roy to Ponce a rail road. A
station will be built in Jauca and
this promises to be quite a step
forward for Jauca.
We have very recently open
ed work in Salinas which is a
drive of 40 minutes from Jauca.
This is a town of 6000 inhabi
tants. The town is well supplied
with schools, both English and
Spanish are taught. We have
preached only once in Salinas.
You see we have all our work
on one road at present. It was
not chosen by other missionaries
owing to the awful condition of
the road. The rail road that
runs from Arroye will connect
Ponce with each of our stations
giving us quite an advantage in
transportation.
This section which we occupy
is one of the richest in the whole
islaad and we think it one of the
most desirable sections to work.
There are sugar mills and sugar
plantations from one end of the
road to the other, with the ex
ceptioh of several beautiful green
pastures. When I say beautiful
green pastures this does not be
gin to portray to you the grand
eur of a Porto Rican pasture. I
only wish you could see it for
yourselves. j
Now brethren, our mission
field, Porto Rico, is, compared
with others, very small, but the
needs are without number. 1 am
glad to have had this opportun
ity to tell you just a few words
about our work. I trust each of
you will be interested in the
great possibilities of the Chris
tian religion for Porto Rico and
aid us in every way possible.
I should be delighted to know
that you would have a season of
prayer during the conference in
our behalf. Pray much for the
power of the Holy Spirit upon
us that we may be able to hold
up high the Teachings of Jesus
to a lost people.
I am yonr obedient servant.'
D. P. Barrett.
Why I Attend Church on a Rainy Sun
day*
1. God has blessed the Lord’s
Day and hallowed it, making no
exception for hot or cold or
stormy days.
2. I expect my minister to be
there. I should be surprised if
he were to stay at home for the
weather.
3. If his hands fall through
great weakness, I shall have
great reason to blame myself,
unless I sustain him by my
prayers and presence.
4. By staying away I may lose
the prayers which may brin^
God’s blessing, and the sermon
that would have done me great
good.
5. My presence is more need
ful on Sundays when there are
few than on those days when the
church is crowded.
6. Whatever station 1 hold in
the church, my example must
influence others. If I stay away,
why not they ?
7. On any important business,
rainy weather does not keep me
at home, and church attendance
is, in God’s sight, very impor
tant.
8. Among the crowds of pleas
ure seekers, I see that no weath
er keeps the delicate female
from the ball, the party, or the
concert.
9. Such weather will show me
on what foundation my faith is
built; it will prove how much I
love Christ. True love rarely
fails to meet an appointment.
1 o. Those who stay home from
church because it is too warm or
too cold or too rainy, frequently
absent themselves on fair Sun
days. I must not take a step in
that direction.
11. Though my excuses satis
fy myself, they still must under
go God’s scrutiny, and they
trust be well grounded to do
that.
12. There is a special promise
that where two or three meet to
gether in God’s name he will be
in the midst of them.
13. An avoidable absence from
the church is an infallible evid
ence of spiritual decay. Disci
ples first follow Christ at a dis
tance, and then, like Peter, do
not know him.
14- My faith is to be shown
by my self-denying Christian
life, and not by the rise or fall of
the thermometer.
15. Such yielding to sur
mountable difficulties prepares
lor yielding to those merely im
aginary, uutil thousands never
enter a church, and yet think
they have good reason tor such
neglect.
r6, I know not how many
more Sundays God may give me,
and it would be a poor prepara
tion for my first Sunday in heav
en to have slighted my last Sun
day on earth.—Frances R.
Havergal.
Christ’s Pease.
The world gives peace by try
ing to take us out of the conai
tions which bring trouble, or by
causing us to forget troubles.
Christ gives peace, not from
trouble, but in trouble. “My
peace”, he says. But he did not
find peace by escaping from the
storm. Out of the peaceful
atmosphere, he came into the
tempestuous atmosphere, out of
the celestial surroundings into
the earthly tempest; came that
he might carry others’ burdens,
bear others’ sorrows,be troubled
by the troubles of others.
One mother gives her sick
child into the care of a profes
sional nurse and goes off to the
ball, dismissing the sick-cham
ber from her mind; a second
sits by the side of her sick child,
with anxiety written in her lace
and expressed in every motion
of her body, until the doctor con
trives how to send her from the
room because she is adding to
her child’s restlessness. The
third mother supplements the
service of the professional nurse
by the serene and placid temper
which she brings into the sick
room, and the doctor declares to
himself: The mother is better
medicine than any I can give.
These are the three ways in
which men take troubles. They
forget them; they worry over
them ; they conquer them. This
last was Christ’s method.
He has given to us the secret
of peace in the sentence, “Let
not your heart be troubled, neith
er let |t be atraid; you have
faith in God, have faith also in
tpe.” Faith in him means faith
in a God who is in his world,
who is working out the world’s
redemption, who is making of it
in every generation a better
world ; whose hopes are infinite,
whose results are sure ; who will
not cease his work until the
kingdom of God has come and
the will of God is done on earth
as in heaven.
Let us learn to leave the
questions too large lor us to
solve and the work too large for
us to accomplish in his hands,
in his hands and content our
selves with doing, each in his
own place, with all our energy
the work that is given us to do.
f It is not our business to set the
world right. It is our business
to do what we can in our
little corner to set
that little corner right. That
was a wise teacher who, when
one of his pupils came to him
with anxious heart and fretted
face because the boy’s prayer
meeting did not go as he thought
it ought to, replied to him: God
took care of the universe before
you were born, and God can
L .ke care of the universe after
you are dead. Let us be content
to do our own work and let
everything else alone.
“I do the little I can do,
And leave the rest to God.”
—The Outlook.
Hrovrth in Grace.
The only way to grow in grace
and develop into robust Chris
tian manhood is by diligent cul
tivation of the gospel virtues.
Faith is essential to bnng into
experience, but by itself will
never accomplish the full pur
pose of the atonement. “Faith
without works is dead being
alone.” This is Bible doctrine.
We heartily commend it to all
pious souls who do nothing, and
yet dream of heaven and an im
mense reward in return for a
feeble faith and lifetime of loud
profession.—New Orleans Chris*
tian Advocate.