The Lutheran visitor. (Columbia, S.C.) 1869-1904, March 14, 1873, Image 1
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COLUMBIA, 8. C.. F
BAPTISH."~EPHESIAIS IV:6.
AY, MARCH U, 1873.
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Sfe
ftor the Lutbrtnn VWtor.
Synod—A Defines
a few article* upon
^Leewl oabj^ wh,< * fonnH th *
this paper. i Non# can
2! that »n WdW M»*
8 * u8#> ** ,lwd * 1 ’
_th*f are thrown in times
and aceleaiastieal strife.
* a fault u* tlfcit of being
the princ
to defend the principles
— iMtl °u witlMihimi wc stand
^noected. This me.v haw its source
iB ***** or *"*»** for
jjrty controversy. Amt there are
luo rboae who trouble themselves
fittle about the opinion yntettaiued
then bj others, thinking it a show
0< - voaksesB, or an implication of
thdrotra wantoi Arm ness arid cou-
Itteace in tbeir posit iou to thus set
abottt a defeuee of it. Sadi a view
ml lilwlj has its real ground in
to what is consistent, if
wg indeed in open disregard of en
lightened convictions of truth and
jtty. Truth is consistent, eminent
; vi o, »ad do uiau who truly has a
high regard fur it cau rest satisfied
a soy relation where his conduct or
put&Ki conflicts with What he pro-
hMB and conscientiously holds.
3oeh woald be a standing inconsist
ency, alike exposing the man to the
las to
plniu. To
honestly
to Luther
profession
with is u
truth as
OLD SERIES, VOL 5-NO. 234-
—
of others, as
self reproach. Bat to
nkthwan minister vr
what is distinctiv
this matter of a
aadcondact agreeing th
most important one :
held ay the church he Uns pledged
kiasdfto defend. He conscientious-
tho coufessiOnal utter
of the church. In the exercise
if bis jadgment and liberty he is
led to embrace that system of
troth embodied in the A$gustana as
throng bout Scriptural. The vows
of the Lord and of his church are
upon him to hold, defeud and teach
ate truth, W# eon ndl are it.
thus apprehended and sincerely held,
will control his life public and pri
vate. He can uot do that, either
i^enly or secretly, which would be a
denial in woril or work pf the con-
feanwi which be has madi. ills ob-
Bgatioua to his ordination vows are
paramount to any other, and lie
would be alike false to hisiconscience
imd false to those holy relations
which he sustains to Gdnl and his
ehureh, to occupy a position incon
■stent with these. Connection with
»y ecdroiastieal organization or
that denies the faith lie holds
Of) !
the. truth,
which he
a
make of
is point:
an not, in
church,
would be a compromise
attending inconsistency
«uld uot be guilty.
These considerations wtyl exert
wauroliug influence upon every earn
Lutheran minister. T|ie Luther
church is rent by divisions. In
*hc past score of years this tendency
toaeparation ami independency has
■auifesteil itself to an alarming ex
tent. Some of these division* are
**gel.v influenced by nfere party
Mnt,though standing on a solid doc-
binal basis. Others possess but a
®odicnm of Lutheranisrii. Others
stili have nothing save the name,
with no more of cbprity than
whom they so loudly condemn.
^ oae of os cau cast the (irsfc stone,
though some are as iintent upon
throwing them as if that were their
*P* c hd vocation. . But onjr object is
B °t to attack any of these, much less
te show that we are bet^r than all
What we wish
these divisions now im.
a Lutheran minister
this rent condition of t
co **i^ct himself with any of these
^pnizatioqs bearing the • name Lh-
te«r«» without an honest considera
j 00 ot their doctrinal differences.
} ^ has upon him the rows of a
Iberau minister, and has taken
e,n iu sincerity ot heart and hon-
esl y of purpose, he can njht but in-
| e «igate the grounds o4 each iu
0 * r to determine for himself this
JBestiou: Will my connection with
, 18 0r l h»t Synod be a compromise
^ truth which I hold f His
'‘“elusion concerning this should
J.ermme the forn tmg of bis syuodi-
H re ‘ at ion«. All may *ot attuch
Ri!L 11511,16 iln i ,orta,, <'e to jkhese con-
rations, but those who desire to
.J^oaiatent because trijth is oou-
,^ ut tCt '^ aU( l do ponder them.
,fl ay be apropos to this discus-
i and in place here to consider
^fl***tion of a union of Lutheran
^ n. . ^ho that loves the church
mt does not grieve over her
for tv U1 "“ e w * 10 has no concern
or is not willing to give up
mere synodical
geographical boundaries and forgat
historical prestige, has little of tbs
Christian spirit. Hat should tha
union of our Synods h* a contndimg
consHleration» Ought w« to labor
for this and pre eminently f Should
this be iu the foreground of our
activity f Very Air from It Union,
affected at the sacrifteo of truth, is
nothing worth ; nay, mure, it is pool
lively pernicious, and i* the end ran
not hut he attended with a greater
loss than gain. So union should bo
thought of save oa this basis: th
con/etmion m tkr ckumklp »almha»»l
of tk* truths «/ <h*r$ word. W*
can not go aback of this a»d regard
as turn fundamental whatever Is die
tinctive to the Lutheran confession,
and thereby seek for a basis for
union iu what all receive in common.
This would be to say that the La
theran church has no system of doe
triue, nothing distinctive; sad would
prove indeed that she waver had a
right to separate ex is tenor. Buell
union would be merely asternal,
both in its nature and affects, and
violative of the spirit of genuine
Protestantism. It would be mure
like the anion of Homaoiaes. For
some wise end the Head of the
church permits these divisions of
bis body. Though they have their
cause iu human imperfection and per
varsity, and often start from the
most wicked motive#, yet they are
permitted by God, who will overrule
them for hi* greater glory. And
through the agency of this rent
body of Christ the gracious designs
of God are being carried forward.
“The kingdom of heoveu eometh,*
notwithstanding these apparent bin
draucea, and eometh through them
as the organ. But when this king
dom stands forth in its perfected
glory then we all shall be ear eves
as be is one. But even now the
church is moving towards this glo
nous unity. That revealed troth,
through which eometh salvation, is
continually accomplishing thin
Bow
order and harmony can
this apparent confusion and
tical strife, we can not now antler
stand, bat such is the will and pur
IHwe of God, and it shall be aceom
plished. These riynodical orgaaix*
lions are uo more than tnatrucnru
talities employed by (lie church Amt
establishing the kingdom id heaven
on curtb. They have and will
change. And with them will go
individual names, and forms of gov
ernment and geographical bounds
riea, and all shall be one. But the
truth will abide forever the sama.
But the time is not yut, and until
then our duty is to bear faithful tea
tnnouy to the truth, and uot to waste
our time iu fruiUeas efforts at union.
He labors most certainly iu the
cause of unity who is moat faithful
iu deletion of truth, and his work
will abide longest In the light of
these facts bow maoy labor foolishly,
and speud their misguided seal in
fruitless endeavors!
These aie general principles which
we will now proceed to nav.
In making this defence of the Geu
eral By nod, (*re, of course, write only
for ourselves, and are a sri/rea*#*-
tuted defender,) we wish to ho clearly
understood by all who read ua. We
are iu the General By nod from ehefos,
though originally thrown here provi
dentially. The controvenaee through
which the Lutheran church of thia
country has passed imposed upon
us the duty of investigating for our
selves the questions so much agi
tated. This coat ns no little dis
quiet of mind. We would gladly
have turned from them, but oould
uot. 'The result has been a settled
conviction that the Lutheran Church
holds the pure truth of God's word,
os contained in* her distinctiv# con
feseion—the Augustan*. Marc than
what is clearly taught in that coo
fession, or can plainly be inferred
from it, can not consistently be re
quired of any oue in order to hi* fall
Lutheran orthodoxy. This criterion
is a good one, and the General Byn
od tried by it is sustained. From
this position than it follows:
LTlfll we defend the General Spm
oJKk because ice regard it more La-
theran than others. We claim, that
tried by its confession, it i* Lutheran
—unequivocally so. There may be
those auiotig ns who do not heartily
accept of thia doctrinal basis, but
these do not claim that their views
are sustained by it. If pressed they
woaUl dissent from the doctrinal
statements contained in the eoasli
tution of Byood. Under this the
most rigid Missionriaus might preach
the moat distinctively Lutheran views,
touching baptism, the parson of
out any eonffte* with
bnats. Other* might
Mad wording of our
Aofatarg
man (Ml •
in* the duration - tl^u Ii>iwI
By nod racist tc honestly that
can be bat one
affirmative. This fc»
■•drib by which we efclm
frmu thorn we mmsi twwlbrwu j
In
*av h ^HMfftdKhm, lent they by their
That th* Gao
mrry Urn views
wa acknowledge. But is
to ha Mt Is
Inal Uharty i
regulated by the wordaf Godf
truth faithfully pveawhril will
ffMMst y«« an
If God has
*uh envy na*p> ai
hB amght the gprrrr
oa to unaah «| 1>
rnfc* and hatffi “an
kn the Mouth Dana T* the
uf the aatkuu, they found it
• name island where * ship's
by
»p the hilt
religion in death I Fro® the pren
ence of Christ, from the Joy of the
redeemed,*foam^the rest of hesveu !
From these thing*, and from *11 they
include ami promise, men turn away
a* if it www * privilege to be shot
out from all forever.
The real cause of all thia indiffer-
sea ts in the alienation of the heart
from God. Those who are disfweed
to And truth iu the religion of Christ
do so. Those who feel they need
sal ration In the way of the Gos|«l,
who realise that they are in danger of
bring font and are convicted of their
sin fulness, du not try to frame ex
Hteraity too will take sway
all mens' anvils, objections, and self
re 11 snee—speech leas and without ex
by and by.
>i prayer*,
gifts have of
fto treasury of
hardy
"Often sad Regularly
may ha
trios
11**
duo-
Jdlai
RJ RHP
whish In saans at lis parts has Canity
l>ro4 tw-va Tha lIlaatMliaa la
■pnMRpppiiiMiP;: minproiw:; -' SipPaifffflgffHffiRgiCfllPII' ^ i : ffip,
hi aange to
*hair ilttafiiui #owa Htw* ta
b^Wwn*» Ssl4ff » Vlff wm ffPaffw of#
nmeStoe to »a euaaJiiv ■ilk IkSS in
^mma am mm WR* s^m m|P AaCi
priaaipln
sue for » momanl aaarni It m a
HMrtaua and for ramchtag
hi
aye, sauce, li m
grratar degree tha* any
J Jk^i S mm* -** gjf oiim r-w-m /
• ■ m ^fo** ww mugrwmm »*f %wwwtFwmm
ad mat >siwa*c in *
in foil, and that return
M bring upon thorn tha
jnat thau ha ram from
sad *w .tag hts hat
**tie!a, safe, all awfo P*
Oa had not am *
am a chraAiua land, nor a troop of
11 hot ho had
were no eow* in all the town
famous for giving milk, for raak
she showed a big bag. I thought 1
would get * pailful in this w*y, bot
she gives leas and leas.*
“Why, Joe, th* beat cow in crea
tioo would dry np if not milked
regularly and often! Mind you, of
tou and regularly.”
Boor Joe hang his head sad Mt
with * heavy .heart. He knew that
it was bis laaineat that had ruined
hi* cow, and disappointed bis hopes.
Bat be left the deacon standing
alone In his field, with his head also
hanging down. “Ah F said he to
himself, “I see bow it is. Milk your
eow ‘regularly nod often’ or Mm is
ruined. I myself have stopped work
ing regularly in oar Sundayuohooi.
and though I go in now and then,
occasionally, yet I hare lost my in
torest in it The cow has dried np.
Then I need to aet apart so much in
charity and gave it regularly, and
since I bought that last pastnre lot.
and harried to pay for it, I have
of Beacon Stockton. I will
not say that Mr*. Stockton, the dea
owt's good wife, had nothing to do
with this. I will not any that the
milk room m the north side of
the bouse, an beautifully fitted up
by tha deacon and always kept
an clean and sweat; that the long
row of bright pans every day aet out
In the ana, so ebeerfa! that their
wry ferns refevtnd the light of day ;
that the large, cool churn, with its
thermometer attached to it, had
nothing to do with this everywhere
neteted bettor. He that ns it may,
it is certain that one bandied pounds
batter were wanted
could be had.
There was Joe Hunt, who lived in
a small, anpaiotod, window broken
buses, about a mite from Deacon
Stodkuwh. Joe was a good natured,
fog batter as yellow and sweet, and IP™* only occasionally. I feel less
so creamy and rich, as the ,ike do give for lees than
when I gave regularly. The cow has
dried up. So with our church. We
u*ed to contribute statedly and foe
quently to the arose of Christ. Some
of us, I among the rest, thought that
these collections came too often, and
so we have them ooly now *pd then.
O dear! oar charities since this
change have not been half what they
were formerly. The cow has dried
up! By God's help, Til see that the
cow is milked often and regularly.”
The next Sabbath the deacou was
in the school, with a large class of
boys whom be had gone out and
hunted up. The next contribution
was the heaviest they had had for a
long time. The church collections
returned often and regularly ever
since, and are growing larger every
year. They have all found out that
if a cow is to give mach milk, It is
creature, always woo absolutely necessary that she be
during why be had such poor lock in
the world. This was a potrier. He
would spend half the forenoon, with
diked often and
John lodd, DJD.
regularly—Jtor.
Nor do wv say that it might mst he« BH
a ouweequaui. But it ta as worthy at I CMuC*
ourwelvrn, and iqjssllur to our forth
reo, to put this forwnd mm a rmmm
lor our continued separate Byaodmal AhmM tor
•listener. If nothing weightier than «
this wave to thWway waaould not jun "In
tify our position Thaws nr* wssghta
reaaons in farm at an mu wt
can be accomplished, itiHl to
hwfor* 4| Jpnarwrj tobfo pan »Mh off.
i w&^«ttiviac£%h" iS - u "
why they
and W
where P*
have thrown ua, wa wteh a aura foaa
datum on which to stand Thin wa
have. IUuut*»».
Selections.
Tbs Marries d M.
"Man b (fod .
jm/SUmimiik
i forwAff «i dMMMMHHp H
ffodTroAsai# for
la
Of al l
of oar God
tor cakalated to create to as great I he say*
love far him, aad ta rates aataatoh as * “Charily
Jnat think at IMP*
that ha woatd s vaa
hie bosom away,
this sin stained world' to
tans end to dm the lerold*
t fleyc g i» - - a
g mw BiBIRiinPB M wremBfo
%v t!Tk .VI 'r. ■
f-k* mMBffw wff
Herbert* **Parana's Charily.*
rejarlMua at the truth
be uit| t i
are
4 ^ U ■ I .. to , i #' .. , a-*. 4
%wr ) Mri IMH W Bill
to be Ktrwars tm aot attaading to
a Mismsr of aadb serums imfmrtaaua
. .. I** * wM
have foe seal saved attends
to the matter, as he, w ha, whaa foa life
ta ta parti, ta tlnssghtfel aad eafwflh!
to guard aftitai the daagar. The
• ninsaoa t asalare life ts
With the Caros of this world
Is hta
%
l ,.i( ataai aad rreat tliiean wmk omI kmtiHir u iUA»Md
*w* , vvm 1 n^^wtw^wjpppo# w wvmt w* ^^rw^m^*w^auH|a SUte SSTOW mpa*w wsspsuemma
«* then, then great vir by are. that It Is
U u • >,(, t u t| mM — )t«
•re *^*iredjp jg
? ta,- < ju » %a
DWhr
l
vafoariy wfoa ha had
man t Buppoee
within tern Me i
ilnoinmi him to
heU t Humble as this trey
you, dear reader, was It not prohabfo
that a pore, holy and am toiled Being
as God to, would have had ae merey
at all oa a beta* who had so
him f Here w* saw hi* great
and here we should think of oor and
condition as lost sheep, who moat
need the merey of God.
BshaU the heathen / They are yet
mostly tn tbs dark, M baviag ayan I be diattagalahadh ; gtviag them
they see aot, ami ears they bear aat* whe
While these poor benighted people and are are* charged; so to hi*
are undone, wa lire la a gospel toad shanty to ^bat a memos. Those at
-a buol of Christianity. And tore) foa door, wham God puts to hto
does it aot become m to look at the w»«, aad makaa hto neighbor*, ha
f ’L V«ai4 m UujA fe I in 1^ »-, n in is mwMfflft A- — RittiiJR
■ 1TW Mm* DHpi II (Min will M Hi
ifimiffT wi JumbI r kASttJi ffo* f Arrel
Alt throe excuses of youth, of atod-
A» hard Uaren and dearths, ho dto Ufa, and aid ago, tm not coming
to Christ are fodaad worthless in the
sight ef God.
|q*f m a great feri- Haligtoa to
tha only guide oaa toad as oat
of tha tehyrinlJb of its mvatenos toto
the dear saalight at God 1 *
The ertdeoona of
and «h*fe hto **ra stack
working those who are nbto la the
i rhanty. Tel to all hto ehartty
nusti t fold
of God, aad with
htos before ho will
foal always
to hove
God's merey will a
toward you if you
hearts aad raftwe him now.
This to an ad vanned age. Whoa to tm rihorttahto than
wa go forth over the world haw are
we struck with tha many advene*
manta of science. And to tha ad
vaace of aatoarn God's kingdom has
not stood atm. W# are now ha
foM * few yammihkffapdfe^Finfo. tis i:
lest lawny with It. For though three
ho aifew* hto ahmriiy *
Bat wvi
amoral urtvi
mpaamrepwua* .* w
toga, aad aaampttoa tom off tow •
--He thnA hmh ut, . l.
regretreo MHw gre^reww
J‘ 4; aad that
that the time of •xoooea is
paasing away. We proas the thought
I
Indeed, foam what da
U
I i
fo*l God aaff kaaptag hto
awola f From tha Joys <
now, .fffefl ft^'cn the
la his pockets,
against the aaaay side of his house,
pondering on the question why lie
had such bad luck. At last, casting
hto eyre npoa the hill aide for away,
be saw the deacou** cow* feeding at
their leisure. Blowly, but sorely,
tha thought broke In upon him, that
if he had bat one of those rows, be
would be made. Why, be would
it* v*e l^ti liar aqittal to the deaoou's,
milk to sell, calves to raise, pig* to
tarn into fatted hogs, and who
knows what beside*! Full of the
grand scheme, he laid down his pipe
till he had pot on hie coat and hum
sd np a little more tobacco, when be
reeaamd the pipe and went puffing
straight on his way tn Deacon Stock
ton's.
lie soon found the deacou, busy
re usual, but aot hurried.
“flood morning, deacon. I want
ffiS* lunw rfustii ® atmM mtuMMUaok naimk W
to i»a> one of your rows.
“Indeed ! And where weald you
iffihillliiflHfflHlIhiit. jMri|| gMg||flii«n i - u
| aihmi.iiflf T' isffpw g-
“fib! in the street, almost any-
re Isrww *;■«
“And how can you pay for her f
far you talk about buying.”
“Why, HI work for you ou the
Harm Now, what's your prior, dea
roc, for ana of your vary beet rows f
t don't want any but the beat, mind
ye.”
“Very well, Joe. If you will come
for me fhithfaliy for two
lieginnlng tomorrow, you
shall have year pick of all my flock.”
“It’s a bargain, deacon ; 111 do it”
Hare enough, Joe was on hand the
next morning bright and early; and
a* delighted waa bis wife that she
urged and coaxed and held him np
to bis duties. Tbs two months pass
ad away, and Joe drove his selected
eon home to great triumph. They
eat to milking her and feeding her
to the street. For a few days aha
did pretty well, but gradually the
row grew thin, her bag shrivelled
np, and bar milk grew lees in qonn
trig and poorer to quality.
Almost two months after be had
harems owner of the row, Joe met
the deacon.
“Deacon Htoektou, are you sore
there was no mistake about that
sow f Yon didn't obeat me, did yoof”
*, yo* had your choice of
all my eowe; and 1 told yon then,
jro* now, that 1 have no
oow in th* world.”
“Wall, aha don’t give much milk
nod she's almost dried up.”
“Where do yon paatureTher r
“In; tha street,, to be sore; and
fine long gnu®, too, ebe^Ande there ”
“How often do you milh^ber P
“Oh! at first I milked her t wice a
day ; bat whoa aha kind o’ fell away,
1 milked her now and thro, when
r»yia* wdPr^jo*. ,
A SHORT DUXOGtHB.
“How do you de, Deacon A.T
said his friend, as be met him in the
street; “and bow is your church
prospering P
“I am well, sir,” rejoined the Dea
eon, “and so are our people. But
we are in a miserable condition.
We are cold and lifeless, and, what
is worse, our minister seems to be
discouraged.”
“Perhaps yoor difficulties,” replied
his friend, “have their origin in the
fact that yon do not prog enough.”
“They may be,” added the Dea
oon; “bat I fear a greater difficulty
is that we do not pat as well as
pray.*
They are io debt to their minister
the salary of nearly a whole year,
and bow ooold it be expected that
be ooold be otherwise than discour
aged f Gould he expect a people
would be profited by the Gospel
when they would not pay for it t
And there are other oongregutione
besides that of which this good dea
oon formed a part, which are labor
ing under similar trials for the same
cause. No church can expect their
minister to be a benefit to them un
less they remunerate him for his
services. “The laborer is worthy
of bis hire,” and it will be ill with
throe who withhold it.
Two or Thrss.
“Ane stick’ll never burn! Put
more wood on the fire, laddie; ane
stick'll never barb P my old Scotch
grandfather used to say to his boys.
Some limes, when the fire in the
heart burns low, and love to the
Saviour grows Aunt, it woffid grow
warm and bright again if it ooold
only touch another stick. We are
weak and imperfect A hundred
things—health, digestion, anxieties,
little frets and care*—hinder our
souls’ progress. The spirit can not
•oar, for the flesh constantly keeps
it down. There is a true life begun
in ns, but it flickers like a candle in
the wind.
What we need, next to earnest
prayer to God and communion with
Christ, is communion with each
other. “Wnere two or three are
gathered together* the heart burns;
love kindles to a fervent heat.
Friends, let us frequent the society
of those who are fellow-pilgrims
with us to Canaan’s happy land.
“Ane stick’ll never burn” as a great,
generous pile will be sore to.—Chris
tian Banner.
Nature rod the law say, “Do some
difficult thing * Faith hi the Gospel
says, “8s* what the Lord has done
forme.”