Part 32

DR. P.—No, Doctor, that would not be the case. The preacher we have is just as good as any man we can get. He is a man of unquestionable talents and piety and if we stand by him, aid him and encourage him, thus showing to the world that we respect him, those without will also respect him and he will succeed. If we had the most gifted man on the continent and the members of the church would treat him as they have done our present preacher he would do nothing. By our absenting ourselves, we virtually say, what you have in so many words said, that _our preacher can do no good here_. When the members of the church thus speak and act, neither a man nor an angel can do any thing; and, if I were the preacher, I would not stay a moment with brethren who would thus treat me. I would go where I could be appreciated. Doctor, come to meeting and let us make one good effort and see if we can not bring our church out. Let us produce a change in the church, and then probably our preacher will do well enough. I think we need a change in the church more than in the preacher, or preaching.

“THE LOVE OF CHRIST CONSTRAINS.”

The preachers who love Christ better than partyism, will preach Christ, will call the people to Christ, and induce them to love him, and love all that do love him. They will inquire _his_ will, and do it. They will exchange the love of party for the love of Christ, and find it so much higher, holier, purer and happier, that they will ignore all party feuds, wrangling and strifes, and maintain simply “the faith once delivered to the saints.” No doctrinal corrections, or corrections in ordinances, or in organization and government, will ever amount to anything, or save a people, who have not the _love of Christ_. We may be told that we may be mistaken, that they do love Christ. We cannot be mistaken in this, for the Lord says, “From the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks. A man full of the love of Christ, will speak of Christ. The theme of his heart will dwell upon his tongue. Where Christ has promised to be, they will be with him.” “Where two or three are met together in my name, there,” says the Lord, “_I will be_.” How many go to these places where Jesus has promised to be? How many go to the Lord’s table, to remember his dying love? How many of the preachers will sit down together, as loving disciples, and meditate upon his dying love, his great suffering, as he bore our sins on the accursed tree?

When we have lost friends, we go to the grave, and think of them, try to bring them up in our memories. We talk with our friends about them, and about seeing them and meeting them in another state. How often do the professors of religion, in our times, think of the grave of Jesus, his resurrection, his coronation? How often do they commemorate his sufferings, and meditate upon his great love to us? His name is almost set aside, his sufferings almost forgotten, his love, even his dying love, scarcely mentioned! Yet the word of the Lord, when translated into English, thunders in our ears!—“If any man love not the Lord Jesus Christ, he will be accursed when the Lord comes.” We shall hear these words, and be judged by them, in a day when we shall feel their force. Jesus is the “one Lord,” the one object of love, the one head and king. Shall we make an effort to rescue the people from party influence, and win their hearts and affections from all the frivolous objects upon which they are placed in partyism, and place them upon Him who is the express image of the invisible God, the brightness of the Father’s glory, and in whom all the fullness of the godhead dwells bodily? Who, with the love of Christ in his own breast, can fail to see that the work now for good men, is to call the attention of all men to Christ, to his word, his cause, his church, his salvation, his way, that they may love him supremely, and be his for evermore?

CONCLUSION OF THE YEAR.

Dear Reader, we are now about closing another year. This number completes our weekly visits for another year. The time appears short since we made the first visit this year, still, fifty-two weeks have run their course. Another year has fled, and is now numbered with the years before the flood. The good deeds of the righteous are entered on the records of eternity, to come up to their everlasting honor in the day when the righteous judge shall award to every man according to his works. Not only so, but all the crimes, the transgressions, and acts of disobedience of every variety, in a long catalogue, have gone up and been registered in the book of remembrance before the Lord. What a list must that be! What a spectacle must this world be, with all its dark crimes and acts of rebellion against the Majesty of heaven and earth, to the eye of the omniscient One! Every den of drunkenness, debauchery, profanity, lying and gambling, lies spread open to the All-seeing eye. Not an oath falls without his notice, not a fraud, a deception, cheat, lie, or crime of any sort escapes Omniscience. All, all sins, transgressions and misdemeanors of every sort are treasured up and kept in store for the day of final account.

What adds to the solemnity of the matter is, that no amends can be made in acts of the past. There they stand irrevocably, so far as we are concerned. The Lord may wash away every stain in his own precious blood, where persons come to him in a proper manner. But even this does not amend for the past. It takes away our guilt, and is a means of saving us. But the wrongs done remain wrong and will so remain for ever. Repentance changes not the wrong done. In the same way, the good neglected, during the year now closing, will so remain for ever. We can do good, it is true, the coming year; but that we could have done, and that it would have been our duty to have done, if we had done good all last year. Opportunities for doing good never return. Other opportunities may come, but they would have come if no previous opportunities had been neglected. You had an opportunity this year to have ministered to the wants of the poor widow, the orphan, the sick, the afflicted and distressed, but these opportunities are now gone, and gone forever. If neglected, there is no remedy; that neglect remains forever. We may repent, obtain forgiveness and do good in time to come, but all that good could have been done just as well had there been no previous neglect, and would have been more liable to have been done, for one delinquency opens the way for another and has a tendency to induce it.

In closing the year, it is well enough for us to cast an eye back over the ground, not to amend the year now closing, for that is impossible, but to see where the delinquency has been, and determine that a similar delinquency shall not be found in the work of the coming year. In this way, we may profit by looking over the past. What, then has been entered to our account on the records of eternity? What have we done as a great religious body? What have we done as individual congregations, or communities? What have we done as families? What have we done as individuals? What have we done as teachers in the Sunday schools? What have we done as preachers of the gospel? What have we done as religious editors? Now is the time to review and see how the account stands before the Lord. If the Lord should call on us for our annual report, ARE WE READY?

FINIS.

JOHN BURNS, Publisher & Bookseller,

717 OLIVE STREET, ST. LOUIS, MO.

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Publications of the Christian Church

Is my specialty, yet I supply Books in every department of literature and learning, by mail, at my expense, on receipt of publisher’s retail price; this brings the book-store to your door.

Church Records, with Printed Headings, only $1.00; Church Letters, very neat and Convenient, One Hundred in Book, with Stub, $1.00; 50 in Book, 60c. Communion Sets, Photographs of Styles sent on Application; Contribution Records, $1.00 and $1.50.

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A SYMPOSIUM —ON— THE HOLY SPIRIT.

—BY— A. B. JONES, G. W. LONGAN, T. MUNNELL, J. Z. TAYLOR, A. CAMPBELL.

BOUND IN CLOTH, 75 CENTS.

The Publisher presents this volume to the Public in the hope that much good may result. It contains the mature thought of some of our ablest writers on an important Bible theme. While Symposium may be a novel thing among us, the Publisher would fain hope that an appreciative public will commend this method of presenting a subject from different angles of vision. It is believed that the times are propitious for the Disciples to make themselves more widely felt by their contributions to the religious literature of the age. It is the ambition of the Publisher to make this volume the first of a uniform Series; each to be composed of Essays on the living issues in Christian thought. The subjects for the different volumes will be chosen so as to make the Series comprehend a wide range. Should the plan be successful, the whole Series when complete, will form a unique and valuable addition to the libraries of wide-awake religious people. The Publisher sincerely hopes that the reception of this book may demonstrate a general desire on the part of the public for books of like merit and method; and that he may be able in this convenient form to send broadcast over the land the richest thought of the ripest minds among us, and be of service to the Master’s cause, and to his day and generation.

WHAT THEY SAY ABOUT SYMPOSIUM ON THE HOLY SPIRIT.

This is an elegantly bound little book. The style is of the highest order, all of the authors being first-class writers. The subject is profound, and so is the treatment. It has been handled in a masterly manner. The authors are not agreed, but it is a book of investigation and not of controversy. While the reader may not agree with some of the writers, he will feel that everything is said in a fair and manly way. The subject is viewed from every stand-point, which makes the treatise valuable to those searching for the truth. As the name indicates, this little book truly presents a feast.—_C. M. Wilmeth._

Brethren A. B. Jones, G. W. Longan, J. Z. Taylor and Thomas Munnell. These are among our most thoughtful writers. They have done their work well, and we commend the book to all who feel an interest (and all ought to) in having and holding correct views on the subjects of the influence of the Holy Spirit as our indwelling comforter. The book concludes with a selection—The influence of the Holy Spirit in Conversion and Sanctification—from the writings of A. Campbell.—_Dr. W. H. Hopson._

A neat little volume, executed in faultless style. It consists of several essays, original and reprint, from leading thinkers of the Christian Church. It opens with an article by Elder A. B. Jones, upon “Consciousness and the Holy Spirit,” and this is followed by one by G. W. Longan. There are essays by Thomas Munnell and other writers, upon the same subject, taking a different view of the same subject. But the most important in the volume is an old essay of A. Campbell, on the Holy Spirit. To those desiring the views of able men upon this question we would commend the book.—_B. W. Johnson._

Address all orders to JOHN BURNS, Publisher, 717 Olive Street, St. Louis, Mo.

WHAT THEY SAY ABOUT

THE LIFE AND TIMES —OF— BENJAMIN FRANKLIN,

Taken altogether, this book is deserving of hearty approval as a valuable contribution of material towards the proper understanding of the work of a past generation, and of the life of one who, whatever may have been his errors, developed in his life many of the characteristics of true greatness—an indomitable worker, a ready writer; a powerful preacher, whose strong practical sense, boundless energy, and earnest devotion to his work would have made him a man of mark in any department of life; and which in his chosen department, lifted him out of poverty and obscurity to a position of great influence and successful leadership, and won for him the admiration and affection of multitudes.

The publisher has done his work in creditable style. The book ought to have a large sale.—_Isaac Errett._

LIFE AND TIMES OF ELDER BENJAMIN FRANKLIN.—We have just received a copy of the above work, from the office of the publisher, John Burns, St. Louis, Mo. It is a very handsome volume of 508 pages, good, plain type, on nice, white paper, and neatly bound in cloth.

We were very anxious to see the book, and rejoice that it has been published. We regard it as a valuable addition to our Christian literature, and think a copy of it should be put into every Christian library, by the side of the lives of Stone, Smith, Johnson, the two Campbells, Walter Scott, and others. These biographies of our great and good men should be read and studied by all, and especially our young preachers.—_J. M. Mathes._

The work comprises a biography of Elder Franklin from his childhood—embracing his early life and surroundings, his conversion, consecration to the work of preaching; his early efforts, trials, sufferings and encouragements. There are in this portion of his life some touching and pathetic incidents concerning his wife’s struggles with poverty. His labor and growth as a preacher are recorded, his mistakes and faults are presented with fairness. His career as a writer is given, his connection with the various questions that presented themselves as matter of controversy with the denominations and among the disciples, his positions, changes and arguments are presented with fairness. Short sketches are given of many of the associates of Elder Franklin.

The style is plain, direct and very attractive. We found it difficult to lay the book aside when we had once looked into it until we finished it. Our readers will find it an interesting and instructive volume. We hope all of them will get it and read it.—_D. Lipscomb._

The publisher has done his work well. There is nothing flashing nor fanciful in its make up. The man whose deeds it records was a plain, practical man. On pages 68 and 71 is a very just tribute to the humble, patient woman, the wife of Benjamin Franklin, who waits a little longer until the summons comes to call her home. The paragraph is a just and beautiful tribute from an affectionate son to a pious and devoted mother. Read it.

I hope that the book will have a very wide circulation. Let every one who can do so buy and read the Life and Times of Benjamin Franklin.—_B. B. Tyler._

We are much pleased with a cursory glance at its contents. The tribute of love and affection which Joseph Franklin pays to his mother, when reciting her trials and tribulations as the wife of a poor and struggling preacher, and when recalling her devotion and self-sacrifice in the darkest days of a pioneer’s life, starts tears unbidden from our eyes, and causes us to thank God that he has given to the Church such peerless and faultless mothers.—_John F. Rowe._

We have received from the publisher, John Burns, “The Life and Times of Benjamin Franklin.” It is a very neat and attractive volume of 508 pages. The publisher deserves much praise for the mechanical execution of the work. It is printed on good paper, and in large type, and old persons can read it with pleasure. We will speak of it again when we shall have read it.—_Dr. W. H. Hopson._

Benjamin Franklin was a great man. He was one of nature’s noblemen. He was not a favorite of fortune. The golden gods never wove a chaplet around his brow, nor emptied their treasures in his lap. He was one of the hardy sons of toil. His greatness was not the greatness of accident. He made himself great by the nobility of his life. He loved God and the truth. He never trimmed his sails to popular breezes. He was always on one side or the other of every important question, and generally on the right side. Though you might not always agree with him, you always knew where he stood. He gave no uncertain sound. He was a man for the people. His simplicity, his faith, and his devotion to the truth were simply sublime. In this lay his power.—_Frank G. Allen._

There is a real charm in biography, especially when the deeds and struggles of a valuable life are recorded. Few studies are so fascinating to a thoughtful man as that of the growth of a human soul, the upbuilding of a noteworthy human life. We cannot think of a man who has made his mark in the world, without wishing to know the processes of his development; to mark the conflict of forces within, and limitations without, under the moulding power of whose interactions he became, at last, what we know him to have been. In this case it is the world-old story of struggle and conflict of a strong, earnest nature, grappling bravely with adverse surroundings, and pressing forward with indomitable energy to final victory. The world is full of instances, doubtless, which illustrate the power of man over outward circumstances; but there are few such which are more satisfactory, I think, than that of the life traced in the volume before us. From the materials now accumulating, the historian of another generation will be able to do the chief actors of the last twenty-five years the justice of impartial judgment. Since each shall be present in the grand assizes of heaven, he can the more willingly commit his reputation on earth to the care of impartial posterity.

The enterprising publisher, John Burns, deserves much credit for the handsome shape in which the book is brought out.—_G. W. Longan._

It might be thought, by some who read the work, that there is too much of the “Times” and not enough of the “Life” of Benjamin Franklin; but as the author justly claims, it could not have been done otherwise and be faithful. I regard the book as a faithful portraiture, which, indeed, should be allowed by all, especially since in the statement of propositions and differences, the author gives both sides.

A good part of the life of Bro. Franklin was the life of an editor, and my pen is uneasy to say something about the manner in which he conducted religious periodicals, but I must restrain it. Editors and preachers now-a-days think theirs is a toilsome, weary lot. Dear me! Well, let them read the Life of Benjamin Franklin and become ashamed of themselves.—_L. B. Wilkes. O. A. Carr._

Address all orders to JOHN BURNS, Publisher, 717 Olive Street, St. Louis, Mo.