The Lutheran visitor. (Columbia, S.C.) 1869-1904, May 18, 1870, Image 1
ONE LOBE, ONE .FAITH, ONE BAPTI81t”-BPHE8IAH8 IT: 6.
iin"• |ii - ■-, — ——— — -»»■*» —— -■ ————. —-■ -.. ....... ...... -..—
VeW SERIRS, VOL 2—NO. 37
OLD 88RIRS, VOL IV.-NO. 80
COLUMBIA. S. C., WEDNESDAY, MAY 18, 1870
to be the care wife you f An* yon ongbt at once to bo stoned. la their
Killing to eater eternity mi prepared t rage amt ftiry they immediately took
If not, then pray, pray eanwatly, up atones, wh Ah were probably lytag
I»my traceaslngly, that God may nbont on account of repairs of thy
iireompniiy His Wont to yonr heart temple, in order to noon Him. 1W
with the Holy Spirit; that yojj may whole proceeding appear* to bar*
be yak-kemd, may be made spirit- been a tumultuous and dtaorderly
ually olive, and thus may be pre one, not regularly conducted, but
pared for the eternal world. I’my sudden and unnuthorued, Ilka the
new; do not defer It. Remember stoning of Stephen afterward. (Acts
the adage, ‘•I’rocrastinatMn is the vii: 58.)
thief of time.” To-momne may be —
too late. Will yoa lord the wanting Me *U. JJ—-Jus*. mt sesurftsf «•«!*•
and exhortationt
W, R The sense of thin terse nuwt bn
-; - - » r - sought A connection with fee enlgrcl
KMe Iiskifi of which our Lord hate just been
—— aprakAg. The Jews had onndetuaed
Taken from Ryle’s new role me our Laid and denoaiK-ed Ilia as a
of Kxpoaitory Thoughts oo the Oos- sinner »gainst the fourth command
pels. meat, becunar lie had doue a work
Me rb: it.—"If as; man nut *u hi*star on the Sabbath day. Our Lord
%fo Trisilo c
m t'CtusHitn
that ft was an opportunity not to be
lost, and followed np the advantage
gained by reading the eighth chapter
of the Epistle to The Romans. We
knelt down, and grace was gives me
to pray with fervor and eoofldcnce
for this man, who already inspired
me with so much affection. When
we arose, my companion shed many
tears. I am not aware that during
my whole life I have expertoueod a
moment of more perfect happiness
than that hi which I saw this soul
enter npoo the path which laadetfa
to eternal life.
I permitted him to remain under
this bieaaed influence, and waited
some time before asking him, “What
did yon think of the words wo read
together, of what God himself tells
as t" “Ah, Don M*nu«J," he replied,
"if I had known how to read, I
should have learned and understood
all these things, and I should never
have become a criminal; it A won
derful and beoutifal—I shall never
forge* it. Oh, if I only knew how to
read, I should not be oo on happy,”
"Hbonld yoa Hke me to teach you T
Khali we begin at onset* “Yea,
yea,* he cried joyfully, and with all
the energy which characterised him
“Oh, yes; you are really a father to
me. Oh, teach me, and Oed will
reward you.* “Very well,* said I,
“your application will prove to nx<
the resHty of your dentre.”
Minister, awl As Spirit of fas Aga
One secret of what may be called
the “worry” of the clergy may be
fo«wd A what in termed tbs spirit
of the age, meaning by this the bob-
supernatural and materialistic spirit
of the age. It is a day of vary
considerable theological tuiTnrtarai
One can no* but remark a lack at
faith or satisfying conviction. As
Mr Mooatford says in his recent
book on “MireeAs,” “vest numbers
•imply acquiesce A their creeds* and
timidly reead from even u ”» i ~g
about them.* The atmosphere at
the time is so unsympathetic one.
joy and month* manifested by my
door friend, Mr. Greene, <* bearing
the words of my oompaohm ; aad
from that time be took a lively A-
tereot A Am, recommending Mm to
God’s mercy in prayer. *> .
The time at length came when my
companion was A leave the prison
aad go t» Ac galleys. He wept on
taking leave of me, but still was able
to soy, “I regret deeply my separa
tion from you; bat let os be consoled
by the thought that Jeans will never
dr sort os, and that God’s love A
unchangeable. YVs shall meet agaiu
A HA peuseooo-ehill we notr
“Yen,” I replied ; “let os be faithful
even onto death, aad we shall receive
the crown of life.*
Such was the friend whom the
Lord gave me A my captivity—one
of tho ooaooAtiona accorded to me
daring that trying period. The re
membrance of this awn, who, when
he entered my prison, was bat a vile
criminal, A dear and precious A me
now. (A, how touching A this tnau
tfcotatwm of the great love of God
Awards sinners 1 Of any and every
EUPE^MOiLER
Us JM as nrlw si tssmsss, sa Iks 81a of
tntf, Its* Is A* Uuny-lkM jrssr af his **.]
During the earlier months of the
third year of my imprisonment, my
health became much enfeebled, and
uu several oceaaluua 1 found myself
enable, without assistance, A walk
a few pae«s A my
.fawn. Ikdr Widows and Student* of
jf. wsetarfid **00 per year, if paid la
Thoss who do sot pay wltLtu tbrw
sf tHa owe Ifcair yaar wtS. n>
a., ka ehamad Sftj easts addilMual.
s*t» or sursanass: f ,. ,X
Even this
trifling exercise was beyond my
strength. I felt, and my friends
shared the conviction, that the mo-
ment or my departure was not Air
distant; anti I rejoiced in the hope
of soon going A be with my 8a-
rionr.
The director of the prison, doubt
leas convinced of the serious nature
of my HI nans, offered, in the name of
hie ulterior oOrer, A give ate the
l«fivflege af choosing, aaonf Ae
other prisoners, one whom I might
employ as a servant. I accepted
this propueithm. “WO,” said the
a trade, “whom do yao select I* “Send
me yonr greatest criminal,” I replied.
There was at that trine A the prison
o young man about twenty eight
years of age, npoo wboae head mat
ed the weight of sonwal accusations,
for two of which alone be was con
demned lo thirty Are years of psoal
•frvitsdr. 1U bad been a leader of
brigs ads. lie was a ataa of Intense
energy and iatrppid courage, who
had ssore than ouee resisted those
this. ' He A not himself free from
Ae agitations of the times; he A
not nettled as his fathers were; he
has fallen upon a time of recanting
creeds, aud he A mars or less un
settled. Even if ho A as firm A the
creed which he has professed as Gal-
vin was A his, be A not superior A
the Aflaeaee* at bin day aud gener
ation. As Mr. Mount ford puts it,
the sermon when A comes A be
preached does not sound as it did
when it was written. “And the
words which, while they were mod
its ted A secret, srere fraught with
the spirit, being ottered A public,
The English language here foils to
give the full force of Ae Greek. It
is literally, '“If any man A willing Vo
do—has a wind and desire and in-
etioutieu A do God’s will* It A
not tho siasple future of the verb
“do.’’ There are tan distinct vert*.
The stress, therefore, A res Aug the
•paterae, must not be Aid entirely
oti “ifoing” U<*1N will. It A “If any
man is Killing to do.”
In interpreting tbA verse, I bo
lie w we iilttsl be carefol not to Ay
more meaning an the expression “tlo
liA will,* than our Lord meant It A
bear. I *itx ThA bemuse I observe
many mqieetable commentator* {date
sttcli a very a ble and cniapreheosive
sense npou “doing GodV wilt.* that
they wia* entirely oar Lord's pur
pose in spenkAg the wonts. They
atari wiA saving that A “do GodV
will,” we lauat have feitb A Christ,
now hearts, grace reigning witbA
uh, awl the like, and thus represent
our liord as saying in effect, “If any
man will become a true believer, and
a converted amo, be shall ‘know of
the dortrine,’” etc. I venture to
think that mu-lt interpretation com
plrtely misaea the marie, and is going
round in a circle. Of ronrse any
true believer knows trBe doctrine. I
believe that onr IxmiV object was
simply to cueonragc the honest
minded, sincere, single eyed inquirer
after troth. To such a matt, though
at present very ignorant, He say*.
“If yon really have a de*dre to do
God's will, A pfease lliui, and to
follow any light He gives yon, yon
will be taught of Him, yon will find
oat the truth. My dorlrine may be
hid from the wine ami prudent, but
it A revealed A babes.” (Matt, xi:
23.) I bold, A sAart, that we shonld
take as simple a vies aa possible of
the sentence, “If nay man will do
HA will,” awl be very careful that
we da not mar its usefiilaeas by
puttAg more meaning ou It than fair
Lord intended.
Religions.
ailrnud
M OPFIUK
r 14, fSJCI.
nscr 19, tbs
> daiij. Sun-
Train on
su, nnl wait
nud AuguMn
T 60 n n
... 8.SO s .»
...IS. 10 s si
... 3N r »
.. . A20 |» m
— b.nn f m
... 444 nm
... «.2»SSI
. .. Ml A
. lAJSp m
... *,!•> ®
... 1411.*.
only the ear of the natural man, aad
are powerless except as they may
chance A be approved by the A
teUect, testing them by logic, rhet
oric, history, and some of tho satsral
sendAiities. And the reason A very
simple, for the atmosphere of the
world aad of a worldly charrk A no*
that of a christinn study, with its
wiadoors opening Award Jerusalem.
And even a preacher may be really
4 A the spirit oo the Lord's day f bo*
he most be very happily oomtiMted
if he does not find that, with crossing
the street, no Ms way A the pulpit,
the spirit has been umbo or lam
quenched A Mas. Aad, frets ex
changing look* with the hroretu, he
A conscious that be A not qtrife
what ho was while A the presence
of the father*, and A sympathy with
Jeremy Taylor, aad Ms fellowship
with Baxter and Doddridge, and ia
the communion of the saints.”
J Brea A ehristAn In rain, exceed
t»giy great A the majority of perm me
fast live ami pass through the gate
way of death into the eternal world
anprrfiarrd to die. And this they
in, notwitiistandiiig that they hate
-tine apon liar, prea*pt upon precept,
haM * Httle ami there a little,” urging
£ i them the great neeensrty ot
y preparation for .truth and the
“hfe fo come.* They are constantly
warned, at aloemt every step in life,
nf the great rink they are ruiiAng of
lasiag their souls; and yet, sorb A
the strange iufittnation t Ait poasesat's
them, thnt they heeiHeanly rash on.
though they htoir it A at the iuuwi-
amt ri«k of tbrir eternal welfare.
Bom? one hna quite forcibly liketml
than to trains of welj foroAhed ears
spoa railroads of gbrne; which trains
mare noitelanlyalong, bat with great
rapidity. Upon these trains are
the different generations of men: all
af whom, with hero and there ao
exception, are engaged A the pdrauit
«f worldly pleasures, ef wealth, at
of eartldj fame, nnmiudful of the
»wfal destiny that swaits them, amt
which A drawing nigh with such
fearful velocity. Very frequently
barer they been informed that w A-n
the tram reaches fee end of the read
it plunges info a fearful abyss, ami
that all on board of it miserably
preish. To convince them, if poani-
We, more folly of the troth of this,
the man;;!ed corpses of the preocling
wrecked trains have been gathered
sp and laid alongsid'- of the road, in
AH \"icw of ail on board of the
passing train. Unmoved by the
«*ht, or else resolutely tmrnAg their
ry*s from It, they ooafmoe their
vsriwu* amnsemeats ami purwiit*
till they are miserwbly destroyed by
tha wrecking of their train. -
A What other possible manner can
this stolid indifference, so universally
manifested by man, be ratioimlly
■Wiooated for, than by believing him
to he tpirituully dead—dead in sin.
A this state tuen may intellectually
comprehend a statement—may be
•*1 alive to it mentHlly—but spirit
ually it does not at all affect them.
Thar minds are affected, but their
without looking below the surface."
There A, prrUapa, a reference here
to IiwAhV propimry aboal Mnriiib,
“lie shall out judge after the sight
of hi» eyes.” (Isa. xl: .\)
The prriu-iptr here lab! down A one
of vast iaiportauc*. Xothiug A so
commuo a« to judge too favorably or
too unfavorably of characters and
actuate, from srerriy lookAg at the
oat ward appearance of things. We
are apt A form hasty optoMas of
others, cither fiw good or sfll, on
very iuau Aricut grounds. TVs pro-
nonutv mate man A ha good and
others A he liud—some A hr godly
aud others to A- ungodly—without
anything but appearance to ahi onr
liq-Aw. IV« shoubl do well to
reOMiibrr our Itiiodnesa, aud to keep
A aiiod thu text. The laid are not
always so Aid. nor the good ao gis*l
a* tA-y appear, A potsherd may bn
covered over with gHding, sad look
bright ootstde. A nugget of gold
may be covered with dirt, aud look
worthless rnltAsA One man’s work
may look good at first, met yet tarn
out, by and by, A have beret done
tn*m the bases* nmtivsa. Another
man's work may Auk very quest ioa-
abto at first, and yet at loot may
prove (.'heist-like ami truly godly.
Front rashly “jmlgiag by apfwwr
suers’* may the Lord dallrer as i
new apeBAg book, and the name day
he had K A bA |>ork*C
We h-gan immediately ; and from
that ns ho cut be srisod every oppor
Antty for improvement, even seeking
sasistance from those among the
prisoners who knew hew to reed.
He employed thus the greater part
of the day. His Asprovemeot was
rapid, aad at the end of six weeks
be wan ehto to read tolerably.
He was regularly present at my
rooroAg rending of the word of God,
aad took port, wife unspeakable joy,
A several reiigioas and fraternal
gatherings which were held A my
cell daring my captivity. Prom day
to day his peace became more perfect.
He no lunger tarned his attention,
as A farmer times, A expedients for
effecting hA escape; for be had beret
brought to a condition of rumple*#
•nbmimAo A the will of God.
Out intercourse became more and
more fraternal and Christ tanlike; 1
frit happy A the society of tide man.
HA oflkciiou extended itself also A
all the other prisoner* ; A talking
with are be areal tented a deep in
tcrest A them; hr knew their wants,
and hi* greatest delight was A rrn
Palpit Beading
The Pirhyttrin baa a good oral
timely article upon the importance
of good reading A the palpit:
Another moat important portion
af pnblic worship A the reading of
the sacred Script nfos. and of psalsu
and hymns. In this some of nor
<m* mconutere, eumpsUod them to
give way. Hm-h had Ire hero, and
sorh was hr mill, though A prison.
Ev ery one hsral Mm—oot only the
jailors, bnt also hi* rompanions A
captivity, who had often experienced
I he dfeets uf hi* farntal «trength.
ThA man was give* to me as a sev-
' ant. Kv HenOy the director won
gisd of the opportnnity thus offered
uf *r|iaralAg him from Um- other*.
Howev er tb.it may 4 have I wen, I re-
reived him with joy, and felt myself
move,| with profonml resnpaasioo
for him on hearing bA history, as it
was whiled A me by. the jailor. It
was with pleasure, on tho other
hand, that he entered my service;
for bA pnsilAa was thereby greatly
anreilocated A every rew|iert. He
eqjnycd greater liberty, and hod
aAo I he privilege of rereirAg from
tame Is (tare, A my toons tbs vWU
of Ms old father, who formerly had
hern sfhiwsd to see him only at a
certain distance and A the prrarose
af the ufHrisU of the prison. By
IKDITII.
inalemiciit.
4—tf
edly, we had ohnest added, criminal
ly defective. They read the word sf
God ns If H were s Send language,
and imported a spiritual frigid ness
A them the moment they open its
tremendous Kfe A them t That dm
divine word A the power of Godt
Aw actor ooee sold that, oo fee stage,
fiction A altered as if it were truth—
whereas, A the palpit, troth A ot
tered as if It were fiction! Mrs.
8iddous could so pronounce a few
words as A make even no actor weep.
Garrirk, by fee utterance of an
indifferent clause, ooee act o soldier
A the street into a downright cry.
Why should not tbs word of God be
ao read A the pulpit as A awaken
joy or anguish, according A fee
moral condition of the benrerf Is
there not enough A fee etory of
Joseph, of Gideon, of Absalom, at fee
Prodigal Sob, of Urn Crucifixion, A
stir the foantaA ef tears 1 Arc not
some of the pealma, fee asstgs of
Moaea, and Deborah, aad Solomon;
the grand argument* of Panl about
oar catting, aad safety A God and
HA glorious advocacy of the remtr
rrctiou, uu (Beirut to thrill the secret
chord of rapture iff the betterert
heart f And ought they not A be
so read, if possible, si to convey A
fee mind somcthAg of their divine
fullness ? Let the preacher read
these portions, and many others,
with right tones aad inflections,
with n deep sense of their moral
grandeur, aad the eyes of hi* coo
gregatioa will torn toward him with
eagir look, indicative of apprecia-
tboroughly rimmlsnfiil yields fee
richest harvest. TriaA bring us into
the condition which A adapted to
produce the beat limits that can grow
npou human hearts. If we examine
fee Aside of a pearl ovster, we shall
find feat it A lined wife a glistening
layer which we call mother of peart.
This delicate lining, which gleams
with rainbow color* and radiates its
manifold hoes upon ns whichever
way we tarn it, A secreted by the
oyster, and to of the name nature
wife the poor!bnt fen round pearl
ia far mere vnlnaMe than the thin,
ontapreod layer. How Hindi the
eywbrr be induced A secrete it* pre-
eiona treasure A silvery sphered,
instead of expending aft its energies
A superficial work t It will net
make pearis unless it A put isto a
condition of trial. Let • portiele of
•and fall within its valves and the
oyster frets and worries over it-
True the atom of sand AsawlLbot
so likewise is the syotaw, ami the
single grata irritates it, as a geed
sized cobble-stone would trouble ns
if tied AA onr naked fleob. Sow,
I frequently saw him rendAg with
bA companions portions af tha Mow
Testament Hr distributed sAn sorh
tracts ee I had A my ponwesslon;
and firmness of hu demeanor pro
doeed an rxcelteat effect.
I was strictly forbidden A con
verse with the other prisoocta; but
he esteemed himself fortunate when
Ira was aide A act M the medium
of commaaicatioa between them and
me, A console them, or A give them
some religious book, which hr ac
companied with the words, “Don
Msnoel sends yon this A the name
of the Lord.” lira* day by day hr
advanced A the path of sterna? life.
The growing pence which his soar
epjoyed was depleted npoo bis cons
turns
Onr day I received a vbrit from
Mr. TV. Greene, a devout BngtAh
man, who had long been Interested
A the propagation of the gospel A
SpaA. Hr hod been a moat zealous
friend A the Spanish prisoners, snd
ctfrne to my retl A offer the eonno-
lattons of Ms frateroal slfretion.
During fee day which he passed
with me, be had ample opportnaity
A observe fee conduct ef my servant
As I become more thoroughly
acquainted with Ms character and
inch nations, 1 was convinced that, A
sptte of hA criminal aud drpraved
Ufa, his heart was still capable of
uoble and generous nenUwcuts. He
aaid A me, one day, “If I bod oot
had w icked anwcAtea, I should never
barn committed theft; bat 1 wan
urged on by cowards who ware afraid
A art aiooo, and, once fairly Unneh
ed, robbery noon became a habit * ith
me. At all events,” he added, wife
a satisfied expression, “1 have never
taken aayfeAg from fee poor, and
aeither my guu uor my dagger has
eras camnd a di--i> HH lo
I was a brigood, douhtlrea, bnt one
who can boast of having been so
wife honor.” Unhappy man I Cer
tain details ef bA hirtoty were
unknown A fee pnblic, and I was
tho only person A whom he commu
nicated them; for, had few been
revealed, be would probably not
have eeonpod capita) punishment. '
I feus gradually arrived at n thaw
oogfa naderstandlug of hA moat
secret freiiug*. One day, at fee mo
tion ami feeling. £et him emphasize
the mhjeetn and predicate*, iustead nf
the mere /best-words, wbleh evprecs
only reistAos: let him vary hA tones
with the change of thought; and
stndy the falling rather than fee
rising A fleet ion, and he will be hap
pily surprised at fee visible effect
on Me audience.
Maks op a congregation of a thou
sand Christians. Divide them AA
At* efasseo, uooordiug to the age A
wkicbHhey become Christians. Place
A the first class all Chore converted
under 20 yearn of age, and in the
stances of HA Ufr. Deeply Atereated
by my recital, Mr. Greene aeked him,
“How cm yoa endure wKb enlmoces
fee pronpert of spending thirty-flve
years In fee galley* T” “Ah, sir,”
replied my pocw frietul, "*lta are
thirty ire year* A the galtoya to a
man who was condemned A an
eternity of misery t Before I knew
Don MaoaM, I thought only of
escape, and, A Berompttfe A should
Bible at Urn third ohaptre of John.
During fee rendAg hA connteaaaee
laameil wife a constsatl) inarene.ur
joy. Mlm 1 reached fee sixteen^,
ssveutosnth and eighteenth verare,
i uhich I read riowly find foeribly, he
**fayou have so frequently lAt- ever modem Socmans many feAk.
aofflcAatferaove yon A They saw and knew at epee fe»« He
^■■fchtoneo and fee f n; of who apa*a A feem boldty ohriraml A
*"»'Sfet Ago you not afraid that bo Jehovah, aud Ops far greater
will continue A fee end of yonr than Abraham, bring very t.od. Th»
,|P» to hear the Gospel unmovedt they dal A* WAvc, »ud jfeenefore
iif such should really prove regarded Him a* a hlosphrmgg -mho
Master r.
i