Page043

Page043

THE PRACTICAL CHRISTIAN. 43


THE ONE THINIJ NEEDFUL.


Y, es, reuder, one thing is needful, Muny


things arc pleasnnl, lIIany things desiral.~ le, ma. '


I,. ny things useful, many things important, but


one thing is ueedful: Ihat is, a heurt right in


Ihe ,~ j g h t of God Rllll at peace with man,- that


is, faith in J esus onr Snvior,- Ihat is, religion:


' W ithout it we are ' trouhled about mnny things,


There are griefs to be, horne wilhont comforls,


joys to pass uway withont hope, passions to


be restl'aineel without slrength, cxislence to he


endured w'ilhout purpose. ' VilhoUI; it a li: lle


excit ement , a fow yeurs ' of ac tivity ; transitory


D I , E D,


In South Uxbririge, Ang, : Jth, Car'oline


Elizabeth, youngest child of Eher und 1\ IIIry


Thompson, aged 1 yenr '!, nd 10 months. It


is certainly a grellt conso!; ltion to parents who


are !. Jereft of their chilclren, to think that al­ihollgh


they are tllken Ii'om their society, they


still live, IInrl nrel~ the pr esence of the ever­hlessed


Goel. Deprived of this nssurance,


they would indee, 1 mourn in despllil'. Bu! it


IIhould be I'emenibercd that without Christ,


' the world had !. Jeen without hope; nnd that


hen~ e the wai'mellt gratitnl1e is dne to the


grellt Father, for so ineslimable a gift. The


lovcly lind inte~ esling child, whose denth we


here notice, now reposes in paradise; for the


Jariguage of the Savior , is- ' S uffel' little child­ren


to corne ullto ' me, and forbid them not, for


ofsl1ch is Ihe kingdonl of heaven.' May this


tn; th so influence ' he r: lljnlls of ' ils parenls, as


to enable them to sny, and from full hea~ ls­'


The Lon\. gnve, and the Lord halh t~ kelJ


away; hlesSccl h~ the name' of Ihe Lord'- and


may it purify th ~ lI. l, also, ' even as C~ riHt is


pnre, that when ! Ie shall appear, they lIIay all ­pear,


with him in glory.' '


" He" died ere ';' is expanding ~ oul


Jhd ever burnl wilh wrong deaire••


' Had ever spurned ' 81Heaven's control,


Or IJ, ne. nched iL.... cred fires,


It died 10 sin, it died 10 cares.


But for II momentfelt. lhe rod:


o mourner! such ' the Lord dcclare~,


Such lire Ihe children of our God,"


W. H, F.


West Amesbur)', Aug. 7th, ] 840.


1\ 11'. Ellilor :- 1 take the Iihe~ ty to send you


the following extract' from n tract, printed for


the ' American ' Unitarian Association,' hoping


that it will be an ac~ eptable offe~ ng to the


readers of th e ' Practical Christian.' N. o. c.


answered, to the confusion of the inhabitnnta


~ f Babylon, and the . uuer destruction of her


walls. A meeting, ( ofwhich you will proba­bly


see theminutes in the Non- Resistnnt,) re­cently


' held in Lexington, Ia. has been very


instrumental in presenting to the public mind,


the principles of the Gospel in their own love­ly


gurb. The question is now, to quite an ex­tent,


. before the public mind of this vicinity­whether


javor- an active interest for the wel­fare.


of him for whom it is put forth- has great­er


power over man- a rational being that de­sires


to act only for his happiness, nud that acts


from motive- than violence- the destruction


of his :' happiness, to a greater or less degree?


To get this ' fairly before the public mind is an


important eud to be gained; for when it is re­,


membered what man is, the decision is.. hy no


means doubtful. For this reason it causes ev- • , - r


ery enfi- anchized heart 10 leap with [ oy that


such papers as the Non- Resistant and Practi­cal


Christian have made their appcarauco. c- :


Let them, then, be supported, and Ict them


continue to present the sublime truths to the


publiC, nnd espeeiully to the youth, that ' The '


Prince of Peace' has taught ! o the world- the


principles upon which there is eventually to


he built a government comprising nothing less


than a ioorld: for " of the increase of his gov­ernment


there shall be no end, upon the throno


uf David and upon his kingdom, to order- it


and to establish it with judgment nnd with '


justice, from henceforth even for~ ver.' t


As a consequence, many will put off their


enrnal wenponR, andgird on " spiritual," nnd


go forth to ' fight the battles of the Lot'd.' And


let it be rehenrsed a'gain and again, ' for their


encouragement, that in 80 doing, they engage


in a r. ause thnt will be ' gloriously tl'iumphant:


for " the zeal of the Lord will perform this."


J intend'ed to write briefly nt this lime, but


you will, if acceptnble, hear from me again. '


Yours, fOI' the reign of universal Peace,


EIREUIKos.


She~ an, Michigan, July 28,1840.


pleasures, an earthly soul, n painful death, a


sinner's doom, are our all. But with it, sorrow


comes to bless, immortal hope lights up the


fttlure, the SOUI'd energies are the soul'sser­vants,


and life is a pleasant pilgrimage to / I


pleasant horne. With it, there is joy unspeak­able,


there is elevation ot: spirit, years of he­nevolent-


action, u ' glorious pnssing- awny to


heaven, and bliss that never, ends.


Without religion, man is the powerlesa vic.


tim of the storms of life, or the deluded devo­tee


of . its hnrtful, pleasures, With relision,


man is the heir ofeternity, the brother of an­gels,


the friend ofJesus, the child of God. I


speak no fuble: ' Sophistry will not alway!!


choke the voice ofconscience. The voice of


boistrous mirth, the calls of business, the


health and merriment ofyoutli, the iron nerves,


the hold' heart, the ' reckless temper, cannot last


forever; the hour cometh 10 all of you, when


the folly, the madness ofyour sin and indiffer­ence,


shall be marie manifest; when the mor­tal


relations , oCthe spirit shall he broken up;


when the eye of God, with the searching


brightness ofa meridion sun, shall look into


every. soul : then, noridicnle willbe heard, no


money will bribe, no courage endure, but you


shall feel, shall confess, shall proclaim as a


wnrning to others, one tbing is needful. Oh!


choose that good part which shall not be taken


away. This is n solemn truth" yet who he­lieves


it? Does that young man believe it,


who violate~ the holy SlIbbatli, who spends his


nisrhts in the streets in rivalry, or in search of


voin amusements, who opens not his Bible,


. who hreathes not one prayer, nnd who scoffs


ilt holy things? Docs that young woman be­lieve


it, whilst pleasure nnd gaiety, dress and


flaltery" ure her deities? Does that merchant


believe iI, whilst the " cares of this world, and


the dcceitfillness of riches," a~ e choking the


word Qf God wilhin him? Render! do you,


' does any body believe it" whilst earth lind


eal'lhly things are so engrossing; whilst , there


is so much bitierness, and so little . love ; so


much vuin talk, and so little prayer; ' so much


thought ofself, nnd so little care for others ; so


Dent' Brother Bailon:-. I'mnch sin, and so little holiness: in fine, whilst


'" ' Vhen 1 read yonI' the Gospel of. Chn. st, , the eXllmpIe 0I' Chfi. st,


excellent. an< l. truly: Christian c~ l8ue, from your- I he preachlngofChi'ist i the - goodness of God, -


last qua, rte~ ly meetmg, to the frIends of the R~- till! fellr ofjudgrnent, are so powerless on our


deemer s kmgdom, I made n resolve ( Provl- souls? Allis! lIIen feel not their need of relig­dence


permillin~,) to he with YO~ ' . at yonI' next ion. They seek it not enrneslly. Like 1\' nr­qnarl,


erly ~ atherm~. , I hu\' e antlclp~ tellmu. ch tha, " Ihey are cnmbered about , much serving,"


happmess III meeting _(~ n that occnsl, on) With. even when they can sit at Jesus' fect lind hear


my ' dear brelhren and s r~ ters, 10 dehherate on his word. Be it not so with us- hnt let us


those things w~ lich concern our spiritual Zi- press home'to 0 ; 11' bosorns every considernlion


on j bllt PrOVidence has hellged nl' the WilY, which will impre~ s ur. 0n us the neerlfnlnetu1


and I cannot atten~- blll as you won III " re- oflove to God IIl1d ilIOn': of a conslant refer-joice


to hear from the hnlllhlest brothel' or sis- ence 0 f our wI10 Ie se Ives to tlIe liutul'e, ' of n


I~ r," who c~ nnot allend, I III~ e this" opportl~- lifo of earnest prayer and purest'pl'lictice. Thill


nlty , to aSSUIO , yon, that altllongh ahsenl m is what we wont. This is whnt we must have,


flesh, 111m with you! n spirit.", if we would 1mwcll und , lmppy. Let us re-


I am persuaded thiS convcnpon, and thc one lIlel. llber, thon, tIIe tIl'ings wIII'C II lIeIorIg to our


to he holden in Groton, will have an impor- "


b · ) l I l Ii I . fI . peace.


tOlIl earmg, ' ane exert a Illla tn n 1II. uence ;"",======~==========


, upon the clluse ofChristianily in our comlllu ;


nity. My heart pants to he with you, arll) no


slight barrier won 1,1 pro. ent my attendance. ,


, My prayer to GOll is, thnt your " h oarts may


be comforted; heing knit together in lovc"- ,


that , yon may be guided by that " wisdom


which is from above, which is first pure, tl¥ Jn


peaceable, gentle, and: easy to be entreated j',.


arid ' finally that your " assembling yourseh'CS


together" may prove a rich lind IlIsling bles­sing


to you, nnd thl'Ough you to 1111 mankind.


The LOI'II he with yon, anll bless you- amen.


Yours, in the bonds of Christian love,


NO. Ht JACKMAN.


, 1\ 11'. Bullou- Dear Brother:-


Althongh I


have no personulacqnaintunce with you, yet


I presume to ' transmit n few lines to you- for


it is quite s4ffleient for me to know thnt you


are ' set for the defence of tho Gospel.' The


Practical Christian has fonnd its way to thi!!


western ' regi 6n. It is a fl" Uitlitl sonrce of- hoth


instl'llction and encpumgernent. It cheers us


on to the gre ui work hefore us. It causes us


. .


to rejoice, becnuse it advocates the doctrines


, - of Him at whose birth hy angels was shouted


tlte joyful proclamation of " Glory to God in


the highest, !! nd ' on earth pence, good will


toward men."


In this vicihity Ihere nre not a few WIIO


sympRthize with you and your colleagues in


the elllerprize in which you ar e engagell, and


a fow eo- Inborers. There is gnmt reason to


heli e\' e, from whllt has alreudy I. men IIlllnifest.


ed, Ihllt the pray ers of malJYgenuine , hearls,


unllllown to ' iIs; are continulllly Rscending for


the sllecess of the reformRlion- even that ref­ormalion


whi ch is redemption from sectarinn


bigotry- hondage ofstrongest fetter- and from


trust in Ihe nl: ~ lol' of flesh- of tn; itors most


, treacherous to the peace and hllppiness of Ihe


ltulIllln rac e. S nch prnyers. wit'f he heard lIud '


to view under the figure of the salt? Are become much interested, and who is about to


professsed christians redeeming the world by unite his influence with the Church and Soci­tbis


means, from corruption and sin? Or has , ety here. He resides on the Kentucky side of


the salt lost its savour, so that it is good for the Ohio, and sought Illy acquaintance soon


nothing? And isnot the great mass of the mor- after my arrival in the city. In a letter of re­al


, world becoming corrupt and dead, for the cent date, he ' snys-" The Restorationist sys­want


of its redeeming and persevering influ- tern, us for as I " understand it, appears to be in


ences P aceordnnce with the teuchings of the Bible


Have not the leavening qualities ofholy exam- and reason, and it seems to me must commend


pie almost become extinct? Does the world, itself'to every inquirer for Truth. The doc- .


by seeing the good works of'Christiuns, glori- trine that Glill is our Father, all/ lour unfail­iy


their father who is in heaven? If it be not ing friend, afilicting only for our good; that he


lo s• the inquiry ought to go through the church, has purposed, in the dispensation of the tul­it


ought to touch _ every heart- what am I do- ness of times, to gather together in one, ull


ing? 1 Am I exerting 11 purifying and leaven- things ill Christ, mid in such a wny as not to


ing influence? Am I by example redeeming violate the IIgeirey of the creature, appears to


- t he world from death ? me, when properly presented to the minds of


_ Are the world constrnined to sny,~ w1) en our men, must toke awuy their alienntion, and re­example


is before them-;-" sirs, we would see concile them to God."


Jesus?" Our Savior was called the Prince of Alllong the books recently · published, with


Pea~ e. Are we his professed disciples- which 1 have been particularly pleased, since


peace- makers? Do we follow after peace?- ) came to this country, is n work on'v'I'he Be­.


Is the kingdom of peace established in our nevolence and Rectitude of the Supreme Be­own


souls? or do we harbor a disposition, of ing.' Its au'ifior is Rev. Asa Shinn,' a highly


re" lmge and retaliation, for real or inlllginary respectuhle clergyman of the Protestant Melh ·


wrongs? Do we confine our nets of humnni- . odist Church. Ii is a volume of 403 pages,


ty to friends, or to those ' who love tis? Ii so, ol; d is written in on excellent spirit. The


what do we more than otl, ers? . Do not sin- chnpter on punishment engaged myspecial at­ners


even the same? tention. ! n this he reasons with great force


Should onr minds exhibit such a frame as against the Calvinistic view of the eternity of


this, let us be assured that the kingdom of flnure punishment. He rejects with equal ,


, God ' is not ' fully set np in our hearts. That emphasis, !~ I e doctrine of no future punish­kingdom


i~ righteousness, peuee, andjoy in the ment- because, as he sa) s, " it obviously saps


Holy GhOSI. Whenever our mindsshall he- the fourulution of responslbility, denies a Iu­come


: absurhnd with the holy principle of ture judgment, nullifies the warnings of the


Love, the fountain huviugbcen made sweet, Bible, and opens wide the door for nccnlllulut­or


purifiell, WIll not send forth hiller ~ vll te rs.- iug ungodliness 111111 crime;" , Of the Restol'll­:


rhe tree b': ing good, willnot'produco corrupt tiouist system, he speuks with ' respect. ' He


fruit. Now if this he n correct cOI; c1u~ ion says-" it appears, in a gl" Cut measure, to do


that the Apostle has tll'lIlyn, w~ mUSI udwllIvl- justice to Ihe truth of divine revelation." Yet


ellge that tltere is sOllie radical defe ~ t in IflC he is not n Restorationist. He udmits thatlhe


Christion worill. The fountain is not yet eOlulition ofsi1111ers rflU)' be miligated hereof­pure


enough to send forth sweet wllter. The tel', lind, rellsons upon the design of punish­hmnches


do nllt dra 1V Iheir ~ upport illlli nour- lIIent precisely as Restorotionists do, but rlisn­islnneut


froll1; the true vine', und conseqvenlly I'OIVS theil' conclusions. He is evidently oc­Ilick


that spirituality and vitnlitv wliicb nre cupying ulltenable ground. He musl ndvance


so essentially , important to the p; od ucti~ n of or recede. ' fhe lutter he ' willuot be ' likely


goof! fj'niu. til do. His work is received wilh vurious de­,


Alil)'. l1& e.- pucifying . iufiuaDCC£. C) U) oly~~ vo- ~ g, rlli< 1!. 0 '(. 1' 11 [ 01'. '_ Solll~~ I!~ h.,. grnti fied with


complete the work, and make it perfect. ' it, ~ hile others ~ ive it lin u/ lqualified condem-


S A 1840 . nutlOn. The editors of the Western Chrisrian


lIugns, ug.. B, F. N. ",


, Advocllte, say liS tenllency Will he " 10 muke


I


Restorationisls." In this op'inion I fully con- '


LETTERS CONTINUED.


cnr.


Il is gratifying, lImidst tlie conflicting opin­ions


now jlrevllilin g in the thcological world,


to witness the ~ rudulll approximntion of ull


sects 10 the distinguishing featnre . of our failh.


It is trne, no uvowlllcnt of predilectioil fonhis


faith may have h~ en made.. But practice has


... spoken where the tongue hilS been silent. ­Every


movement of beneficenc'a at this tlay is


predicllted upon the enlarged plan which em­hmces


the highest interests of Ihe humar; fum­ily.


As the spirit of this plan is more widely


diffllsednhe, Christian world will display more


of the belluty orho/ iness, and the Gcntile world


experience mOl'e of the saving power of Re-ligion.


' Fraternally yours,


E. M. STONE.


Cincinnati, Aug. 25th, 1840.


Dear Sir and Brother:-


My time ho~ been


fully, nnd I hope not uselessly occupied, since


• my residence in , this city. This remark I


lIIu~ t howe\' er qualify, lest ' I convey on erro­neous


impression. I should, perhaps, speak


more correctly, 10 soy that my'time hns been


flllly occupied when well . I mode a jOllrney,


' the ! aslofJuly, iuto ; Indinnn, where I WIIS tnken


sick wi~ h hillious intermitlcm fever, und wns


confined Sp. venteen driys, before I recovered


~ ufficlently to endnre the fatigue of return: ­'


Vilh ' lhe blessiug of u kind Providence, I / IIll


now gllining strength rnpidly, anI! I WII!! IIble


, io vrellch once lust Snbbuth. On my way 10


ludiana, I pmised Ihe " night with " iJur mUlual


friend Cumpbell, who resid es in Hurl'ison. I


i1renched by appointmeul in his church ; to n


' verY, respeclabl1l audielice. I hud an appoint-ment


to prench in the , neighhorhooll of my


f!' ienlls in Indiana, but Wnil unable to fill it­my


illness commencing on the morniu'g' ' of the


designated Subhath. ' A very large assElInblage


gnthered to hear, ' and went owuy ex(. ressing


regret at the disnppointmenr.


" I have requests to prench in Kentucky, nnd


elsewhere, which l , shnll comply with ns litst


as health nnd other duties willpermil. Atthe


church iiI this city, I have every Subhnth ob­served


' some new attendant to hear my expo­sitions


of " the Gospel of the bles~ ed God ." ­A


healthy spirit of inquiry appears to prevail


and several , have b~ en added 10 the. cHurch


since 1 last addressed ' YOll . As I then re'


marked, I fin; I'much of the true filith latent in


the bosom of ti. e dominant sects; and hnve ex­perienced


the most conrteous treatllient from


many who do not !! yrnpRthize fiJlly wilh Olll'


views. Yet I do not exp ect to see all instan­tan


eous and simultaneous rush' fl'OlII, these


qUllrters to the slandllrd we have raised. i do


1I0tdllflire it. I desire no lIIushroom growths.


I have recently had severlll pleasant lind in­teresting


inteniews with a gentleman who has

Page 43 of Volume 1 from The Practical Christian 1840-1841

Ballou, Adin

1840