The Christian Sun.
BY" J. O. A I'KINhON.
IN ESSENTIALS, UNITY; IN NON-E8SENTIAL8, LIBERTY; IN ALL THINGS, CHARITY.
$1.50 THE YEAR
ESTABLISHED 1844.
ELON C ALLEGE, N. C., WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 1904.
VOLUME LVI : NUMBER 6 *
Cl'pistiart $Ur(
0
PlIBJ.i8HKl> WJCfcKl.T.
The Official Organ of the Southern Chris
tiau ■ onveqtion.
CARDINAL PRINCIPLES
1. The Lord Jesus is the onfy Held of
the church.
S. The name Christian. to the exclusion
of all party and sectarian names.
8. The Holv Bible, or the Scriptures of
the O'd and ^ew Testaments, sufficient rule
Of faith and practice.
4. Christian character, or vital piety, the
only test of fellowship or membership.
5. The rlgfot of private Judgment and
the liberty of conscience, the privilege and
di$v of all.
The Man Unoonsoiously Dead.
i
“Mr. Bryan cannot tell when he
has enough..He cannot
grasp the fact that he is dead, nor
how dead he is since he died.”—
Christian Sun Jan. 27.
The statements above, written
; manifestly in a spirit of unfriendly
| criticism, in reality contain a very
} great compliment to the person
I spoken of. The same may be said
1 about every truly great man who
has held aloof from the grasp of
{ sordid greed and sought to bring
the world over to his way of think
ing.
The apostle Paul never knew
' when he had enough. Five times
i was he given thirty-nine stripes on
his bare body, thrice was he beaten
with rods, once was he stoned,
three times in shipwreck, a night
and a day ho floated on the bosom
of the raging deep, in journeyings
often, in perils of waters, in perils
of robbers, in perils by his own
countrymen, in perils by the heath
ien, in perils in the city, in perils in
I the wilderness, in perils in the sea,
in perils among false brethren, in
weariness and painfulness, in watch
ings often, in hunger and thirst, in
fastings often, in cold and naked
ness,—and what was all this for?
Why did he keep on in a course
that led through such troubles and
dangers? because he had a doctrine
to proclaim which he believed true,
and he had the courage of hi; eor
victions. No he didn’t know
when he had enough, and we may
count ourselyes fortunate that be
didn’t. Had he known wh m be
had enough, we might still be in
heathen darkness and under the
lash of some brutal tyranny.
Neither did he know when he was
dead, nor how dead he was when he
died. Some of his unfriendly crit
ics dragged him out of the city
once and stoned him, apparently, to
death. They left him as dead, but
lie refused to stay dead. We are
glad of that also, because he
preached some mighty interesting
sermons after that, and wrote some
edifying letters, to which we have
all fallen heir.
We admire the man who holds
.to what he believes true, and per
sists? in preaching it, even though i
•everyone else is against him. It is i
a matter of* history that the major- 1
ity have always been in the wrong, i
It was so about the time of the 1
flood. It was so at the crucifixion i
■of Christ and the stoning of St. i
Paul. It is so even in this en- i
lightened age. The man who can- i
not tell when he has enough usually
(
succeeds, even if he doesn’t live to
see his successes. The man who
refuses to stay dead, even after ev
erybody says he is dead, will very
likely give uneasiness to his would
be murderers, just as long as he re
fuses to die. Instead of our blam
ing a man for refusing to lie down
and die at the bidding of others, he
should be commended for venturing
to live on awhile longer. Especially
is this true when there is no cause
for death. A failure to attain unto
the eminence of one’s aspirations is
surely not a crime calling for the
death penalty. And yet it is al
ways the wav of the world to kick
a man down hill if he has under
taken to climb to the summit and
failed. Neither does the world stop
to inquire whether the barriers were
of the insuperable kind It is easy
to chime in with the crowd and
halloo “Crucify him!” but it takes
rare courage to follow, .even afar off,
and then stand around the cross, in
sympathy with the victim.
We wish long life to the men
now living who never know when
they have enough, and who persist
in staying alive and well in spit$ of
advertised funerals. They are the
hope of the country in religion, pol
itics, literature and science, and
through them the spirit of progress
will be kept alive, and great things
be accomplished for God and the
wellbeing of man.
Herbert Scholz.
Covinjton Latter.
*J|t*Since coming to Ohio, I have
observed many interesting facts in
the customs of society. I will
mention one or two of these. The
first funeral I was called to ’ attend
interested me much, as the customs
observed were entirely new to me,
and yet I must say in some respects
they were beautiful and most im
pressive/; The body of the deceas
'd was that of a mother eighty
years old. It was not placed in the
coffin until after the service, but
remained, as if in repose, upon a
couch in the center of the room.
Around this couch sat the entire
family, while the many friends fill
ed the room. Standing thus in the
presence of the dead and of the
family, I was deeply impressed
with the solemnity of the scene.
It seems to me that this custom is
so much better than that which
sends the family to an up stairs
room, away from the dead, away
from their friends, where they can
not hear the words of comfort de
d trued for them in the funeral ser
mon.
%* Recently I was called to attend
die funeral of a most singular char
lcter. The remains were those of
i lady who lacked only, one month
md a half of beiug 96 years old.
Fhe strange thing in her life, al
hough a cripple from childhood
due to a fall) was the fact that dis
itisc was never known to touch
>ody her body, never having been
sick a day in her life, even to the
lour of her death. There was no
sickness preceding her death—she
simply slept herself away. For a
nonth before her death, she slept ,
dmost continuously, awaking only ,
sccasionlly to eat. This is the
most remarkable case that lias ever -
come under my observation, and so <
far as I know, is without a parallel ;
in human history—for it is the only ]
case I ever heard or read of in ]
which for nearly 96 years disease I
absolutely refused to.touch a frail, i
human body.
♦^Another custom which is en- !
tirely new to me I observed in the
burial of the dead. The graves are
about six feet deep and are all car
peted, usually with brussels ear pet.
While this is new to me, I
must confess that it seems to take
away some of the roughness of the
house of clay.
%*In many instances the mourn
ers at a funeral may be distinguish
ed by the fact that the men wear
their hats during the funeral ser
vice; this is more common with the
Dunkards, but not exclusively
among them.
%*Another custom in reserving
seats in the church for the family,
is to indicate the seats reserved by
turning under the end of the cush
ion of the seats so reserved.
This is a well to do country, so
cially and financially, and yet I be
lieve it is the best country 1 have
ever seen for giving a man a chance.
Almost every one, without excep
tion, works. The rich and the
poor do their own work in the
main. Well-to-do ladies do their
own housework and in many cases
do their own washing. .This ne
cessarily removes a stroj^ line of
demarkation between the rich and
the poor. If I were a young woman
and had to make my living in do
mestic service, I would rather live
in this portion of Ohio than any
place I know of, for here service is
no discredit to one’s standing. I
know a number of ladies who
stand at the head of well to do
households, who were once servant
girls. They have married men of
good standing and means. 1 do
not say that the position of a ser- L
vant girl is of itself a passport to
the confidence of the people, but do.
sav a servant girl who has good
character and is well fitted for her
place, will find service no bar to
the higher walks of life. This is
well nigh an ideal state of society. .
Why should service hinder advan
cement in the social world? An- ■
other good thing I have noticed, ,
bearing on the work of the* people,
hard work does not seem to shorten .
their days. People of 70 and 80 ,
years seem to be quite active in }
service, and there are many of them. (
I guess the cold weather agrees \
with them.
%*Make your mark high or you
will surely strike low. This is
said with reference to the aims of
social and business life, but really
is it not just as true of the spiritual
life? It is sometime said, that I
wish people to get too much. Sup
pose that were true, (though T
dunk it is not) is it not far better
:o aim high In the spiritual life, for
we shall not go above our aims,
•ban to aim low, and fall below
;hat? Never too high, if in Christ.
%*A recent writer deplores a
lurry trial because it will disturb
lie peace of the church. If the
jhurch has the peace of Got! which
jasseth all understanding and
vhieh helps the hearts and minds
>f His people through Christ Jesus,
i heresy trial will not disturb its
aeace. - If the church has not this
aeaee, then it needs to be disturbed
)y something, till it seeks and gets
his peace. It’is certain that the
>eace of God will do more to make
leresy trials unnecessary than all
niman agencies combine<L Again
:he church is most disturbed by
leresy when it is least spiritual and
nost non missionary. Let us rec
)gnize one point: Stagnation is the
Mother of disease, while activity
tends to develop life. This is just
is true in the religious life, as it jn
the physical. Mark it when and
where you will, and you will never
find heresy breaking' but in the
mind and life of a Christian whose
heart is aglow with the love of God
and whose life is truly devoted to
the one great work of spreading the
gospel. Heresy trials originate
mainly in the minds of men who
are devoted to human learning, as
such, rather than to a loving study
of the Word of God. Mark the two
thoughts.
%*Xo Christian life can be at its
best till filled with the spirit. This
is true, because of the work which
the spirit alone can do in the salva
tion of a life. Having worked con
viction into the heart He has made
ready for the impartation of a di
vine life to the soul that is dead in
sin. As a child born of its moth
er, because her watch care for the
preservation of that life for its train
ing and usefulness; even so it is
with him who is born of the spirit,
for henceforth the spirit takes spe
cial charge of life, if allowed, for
specific purposes. First having
given the life, the spirit’s first con
cern is for its preservation. He
seeks to protect the new life from
the powers of the world. To this
end He prays for us, He groans in
intercession, that He may stir up
the gifts within us till our immor
tal souls are moved to seek the full
ness of Jesus.
Second, having brought the life
>f the believer to a permanent basis,
:hrough faith in Christ,, the spirit
now seeks to lead such an one to
separation from all sin. It is in
his separation, when completed,
hat the child of God yields conse
crating his alt to the service of God.
Let no Christian forget that this is
i vital point in his experience, for
vithout this separation from sin
ind a real consecration to God, y’e
lannot receive the fullness of Jesus
hrough the baptism of the Holy
Spirit.
Third, having received the life
through the new birth, and having
separated it from all sin and conse
crated it to God, the Holy Spirit
conies in sanctifying power. In
this act two great things are done
for the believer. 1. He is filled
with the joy of the Lord which
is the strength of His people. 2. He
is qualified for service as nevei be
fore. The difference in our service,
before the baptism of the Holy
Ghost is given and after, is just
the difference between the service '
of the disciples before and after
penteeost. At least it is on the 1
same line. Their upper room ex-. <
perience draws the line between the '
beginning of their experience and
their full preparation for service.
Before pentecost they were incon
stant, sometimes enthusiastic and
sometimes lukewarm, biit the work
clone for them on the day of pente
cost cleared up all this and put
them definitely on the Lord's side
and in most active and fruitful ser
vice.
Evidently the need of the ministry*
antf the church today is the pente
costal experience, for it will take^
them out of the lukewarm and un
decided state of the Christian life,
and make them “out and out” for
God, both in spirit and in service.
Our one danger along this line
comes from the fact that we are apt
to be satisfied with the beginning
of the Christian faith, rather than
to go on to a definite experience in
the baptism of the Holy Ghost,
which alone qualifies us for our* ful
lest service. Many say they be
lieve all this, but they think it is a
gradual development of the life and
yet they never claim to reach it.
This is the defect in much of our
profession. Let us go on to the
fulness of the life in Christ.
J. Pressley Barrett.
——\
We congratulate the Baptist de-\
nomination of the United States
over the announcement from Presi
dent Wm. R. Harper, with “the
advice and consent of Jno. D. Rock
efeller,” that the University of Chi
cago is no longer a Baptist institu
tion. That Chicago University is
a high flyer, and to our way of
thinking it has never been a Bap
tist institution. The Baptists may
feel easy and breather freer that it
is gone from them./ It has always
been au .exponciYt of the so-called
higher criticism and has promul
gated some wild and radical views
in theology, by no means of the
Baptistic faith. It is presumed
that the university will now be a
free lance, and no end of new and
wonderful doctrines may ber ex
pected to hail from that quarter.
The editor was pleased to preach
morning and evening last Sunday
in the Greensboro Christian church.
The day was inclement and streets
muddy., but good congregations were
present at both services, no larger,
however, than the average for'this
church. Pastor Johnson and his
co-laborers are certainly doing a
splendid work there. We wish
everybody who has put a dollar into
this as a mission point could see the
beautiful building, worship one day
with the large congregation and
touch the enthusiasnf and lively iu
interest of this wide-awake ^people.
He would go away proud of his in
vestment.
Congress has passed a bill to
make a loan of §4,600,000 to the
St. Louis Exposition. More niou
■y, by many millions, is to be spent
upon this Exposition than? upon
my similar one the world has ever
seen.
For 50 yiars, remarks an ex
•hange, one of Spurgeon’s sermons
tas appeared in print every week,
tnd still there remain unpublished
mough for several years to come,
fhough dead he yet speaketh.