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Page092

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92 ' 1' HE PRACTICAL CHRIS' 1' IAN.


~ n


E. 0,


N, UxbrJdge, Feb. 5, 1841.


was lighted with the hope of returning life. ­Some


were there from the far south, and some


from foreign shores; some ~ olled along in


their splendid carriages, and some came Jean­ing


on 8 staff. A mixed multitude gathered,


as the crowds of old around - the pool of Be­thesda."


,


" I' thought again, if, in some distant and al­most


inaccessihle spot, a sp r ing should be dis­covered


whose waters Jlossessed the power or


conferring immortality, with the bloom of,


beauty and youth, the strength ofmanhood ,


and the wisdom of age, 10 all who should


come and drink, what crowds would gather


there, that tbey might taste and ~ never die!


How the news of the discovery would spread


from city to city, from lund to laud ! From "


llvery kindred, and people, and tongue under


the whole heaven, they would come 811/. 1" take


of the water of life freely." No expense of


lime and money would prevent millions from


ti)' ing thither."


" Again, the sound ofa Saviour's voice, with


the tenderness of heaven iu its ' tones of love.


seemed to fall on the ear as it said, "\ VIloso­ever


drinketh of the wnter thut I shall give


him, shall never thirst; but it shall be in- him


II well of water springing , up into everlasting


life." This is the sllring that confers immor­tality


ali those who drink."


" A dnughter of Samuria came to draw wa­ter,


und the Saviour of the world stood leaning


011 the well. He asked her ford hat water of


which if a UUlIl drink he shall thirst aguin ;


but he offered water froiu the well of eternal


life. Here at the Springs the sons and daugh­ters


of pleasure, or tlte children of sorrow aud


care, were comiug to draw water, and I longed


to cry ill their hearing, " Ho ! every one that


thi rsteth, come ye to the waters j and he that


hnth no mouey, come ye, huy and eut j yea,


come, huy win e undilli lk without money and


without price."


" These words of lite prophet lind those of


the Saviour are figurative, hut they are as full.


of rueaning 1I81hey lire of heuuty. Dwell od'


them, dear render, and admire thew, for they


ure addressed to thee j nnd huppy shalt thou


be if thou dost yielu to thll sw~ et i; vitation,


lllld drink and live lor ever."


" To this invitation there is 710 limit, " If ally


1IIa11 thirst, let him COllie." The filllnes;; of


the foulltllin ' justified the ullbounded offer. ­l\


Iillions hllve drunk till their, souls were SlItis.


fied. Hut the fountuiu is yet lull. Jcws and


Gentiles, bond lind Iree, are alike we! come. ­Corne


one, cOllie 1111, allll drink of the water of:


life freely."


= ====;===


L.:' l'TER FRo~ r " E. G."


Dear Paslor and Frieurl :


! kilOw of 110 way


ill which I eun expre~ s 10 you the exercises of


Illy mind, during Ihe Illte Conference, so well


liS through the Practical Chl · istian. I um con.


fident J shull do Ihis in a very imperfect man­ner-


too much so to be classelhvith the love.


Iy arlicles inserted there; yet, how can I for ·


bear speaking of the comfort, joy and peace


which were impllrted to ' my, soul at 1I1l1t time,


and which I havtl ' since felt, It was huleed 8


senson long to be remembered. I had so long


been deprive' · ofsuch privileges, and so neg ·


lecte, 1 lily , d u t i e~, that I hud strayed fnr from


tbe filld ; I hud wllndered from Illy Patlltr',


hou~ e; my ' mind needed to he stirred up. ­While


Illy brethren were sl'ellldng I wus lell


10 see more clenrly my errors, Rnd like the


ProdigRI resoh'ed . to .. eturn I1giti, n to my fiNt


love . I feel that I hllve fallen ' far short of


what I ollght to he, alld of what it is my duty


and privilege to. he. Jnlilled I feel unworthy


of Ihe Christillu ItRme. But I can truly !! ay


tlllIt while lit Confel'euce I _ enjoyed peace,


sweet pence of milld. It , wus goo, 1 for me to


he there, l\ Iy brothers lIIul sisters, one and


nil, I crave IlII intere! lt in your prayerll, that I


may follow in the stel's of our blessed Lord


and ~ Iaster- that I may be a burning alld a


shining light to all around. me. 0, 1rIl1yweall


live worthily of ourhigh vocation. l\ lfty we


so live while' hm'c 011 the ear1U, that the world


shnlltake knowledge of liS, thai we hnve been


witlt Jesus. ' fhus moy thllY be constrained


to taste and sell tlllli the L" rd is good, und we,


whell our en, l draws near, be ahle hHlividusl ·


Iy to 80Y with PlIul, ' I have fOllllht a good


fighl, I have finished my course, J IlIlve kept


the faith j henceforth there is laid III' for me I


CroWII of righteo liS ness, which the Lorll, tha


righteolls Judge, ~ hall give me at thot day;


lind not to me only, bllt unto all them also Ibal


love his apl'earing.' This is the earnest pray ·


er of your UII worthy sister in Christ,


The following bellutifill extract is taken


fi'Oln a recent public~ til) n of the American


truct Society.


" IF ANY ~ rAN TllrRST, LET IInr COME UNTO


IIIE AND DRINK."


" Some years ago I spent the 8ummerat- ­Spriugs,


Standing one day by the fountain


where the crowd gathered to drink health~


giving water, I wns forcibly reminded ofthese


gracious words of our blessed Saviour:" " If


uny mall thirst, let him != ome UlIIo me and


drink."


" Every age, sex, and condition were repres­ented.


The old tottered to the spring, and


raised the glass with a Irembling hand. The


young stood there in the flower and beauty of


youth, with light . hearts, alii I laughing eyes,


and cheeks that blushed wilh health and hap­piness.


The sick were supported on the arms


of friends, and as they drunk, the sunken eye


cannot certainly have been baptized into the


spirit ol- Jesus; ' and we marvel - not, consider­ing


the frequencyjof'such exhibitions, that so


many are rising . uP and crying eut-' Down


with the priests- down with the priests.' ­They


frequently make themselves ridiculous,


to say nothing worse of them, h Jstrue they


ar e zealou$, but who does notsee that it is for


a creed, not for a lift ? They CLUJ sec the sin­fulness


of believing certain doctrines, but they


cannot see the sinfulness of slavery and loar- ­or


any other sin that is fashionable. But the


scrihes and Pharisees of old, strained at gnats


and swallowed camels. •


Judglngfrom the pamphlet before us, we


think OUI' Unitarian friends manifested great


forbearance lind charity under the persecution


they endured; and must have recommended


themselves even to the consciwces of their op.


ponents, Hall they not, been possessed of a


good degree of thut gruce which ' Iluffers long,


and is kind,' they would have frowned with


unmixed indignation, upon such treatment us


they received. In nnsanctifier] hearts, this is


the first, lind about the only feeling that rises,


when wronged- especially by those who say,


' Lord, Lord,' but do not his will, And the


clergy will yet fiud that they h; ve to meet


SllCh II class, und that they will he formidable


to them. Though Reformers of the Chris/ ian


school, will doubtless treat them with some­what


of the compassion of Christ, weeping


over Jerusalem, others they will come in COl; ­tact


with, who have not learned to ' overcome


evil with good,' and ' wlmtsoever they mete


will therefore be measured to them! again' ­railing


for miling- c- wrarh fOI' wrath. But it


would ' be beuer for all to aim to pnl down


wrong with right; ' for opposites only can over­come


opposites.' Yet we are not sure that the


Unltarinns in Cincinnnti, in th e case under no­tice,


were decid~ d and fhirhful ennll~ h , in


their rebuke of the spirit they RIIW manifested.


The truth should always be spoken in love, but


it should be spoken plainly. Sectarianilm is .


one of the worst evils in our counrry- c- it would


be difficult to find llIany out of the Church


that will. compnra. with it- c- and . we . ibeli eve... it­can


be cilCcked only by th~ ; erio.;; and - s~ l ­ernn


warnings of those wlto ' have heen · with


Jesus.' It is a heaven- excluding sin. Love,


therefore, ofthe ' souls that cherish it, shonld


lend every Christi~ n to oppose it, as he would


any other prevailing'iniqnity. It is not enough


to say to such- You injure your fellow beings


by you.. exclusiveness- you are doing as you


would not be done hy, nnd you ought to be


more chllritable. They should be told, in the


spirit ofChrist, of comse, that they sin against


the gospel- that cherisbing such prejudices


and feelings, they ure making their last ' state


worse ~ h a n the first, and that dying unchanged


they must, according to the Scriptures, awake


in disappointment, beillg unprepllred, in con­sequence


of their . unlovely and harsh spirit,


to take up their abode in the manRions ofpeace.


Spiritual wickedness in high places, as well as


in low places, must be attacked, and exposed;


' not merely reprove~ in gentleness, when it


infringes upon our individual rights. This we


believe is the way to reform , tbe world"


But let everyone aim to grow up inlo the ' full


statureofa perfect man in Christ Jesus,' and


something within, the spirit of t~ nth, will en­ahle


bim to pursue that course in which he


will discover the most effectual way of pulling


~ own the strong- hollis of Satan, . and building


up the kingdom of the l\ Iessillh. w, II. F.


That this, my child- my only one,


May never feel the smart.


Of this unjust and cruel scorn, ._


That withers all the heart.


ORIGINAl. IVUSOJ:: L: LANY.


A NEW MANIFESTATION OF BIGOTRY.


Through the attention of a friend in Cincin­nati,


we have received a pamphlet containing


an account ofa ' RECENT ATTEMPT TOEXCLUDE


UNITARIANS FROM TilE YOUNG MF. N'S BIBLE


SOCIETY,' of that city; and we take this oppor­tunity


to tender our thanks for the favor. The


American Bible Society, of which the Society


in Cincinnati is a Branch, it is well known,


was formed for the purpose of distributing the


Scriptures ' without note or comment;' and,


to use the language ofthe pamphlet before us,


' it would be difficult to imagine ' any evilthat


would follow from the union of all sects of


Christians to do honor to that' Book, which is


their common standard of faith and duty. ' But


sectarianism is eagle- eyed, and discover", or


thinks it discovers, evils that do not lie on the


surface of things. Perhaps in the case under


notice, there was an anxiety to perpetuate the


somewhat prevalent idea, that Unitarlans ore a


kind of'semi- barbarians, and to keep them as


much as possible from public view, lest it


should be found out that they, too, sometimes


speck the language ofCanaan. lf the people


can only he made to believe that thi s class of


Christians are monsters, they will be uninflu­enced


by them; but should they be seen ac­tively


, engaged in a benevolent enterprize,


with their brethren of other denominations,


and especially he heard to speak- in praise of


the Bible, probably they might, in this' way,


soften some prejudices i- peradventure, entice


not a few from . the true faith. For though


they are often compared to Satan, we believe


it is admitted that they are somerinjes trans.


formed into angels of light, and are very at­tractive-


seeming tobe pious, and zealous, for


holy living. This may have been the reason


why their opponent',! were so scrupulous, about


having them take an active part in the meet­ings


ofl"" Soei" tY' · to · ... hich..."'" fmve referredr­But


we will not . dwell on this point. The


facts are as follows:


Up to the close of the last year, the differ­ent


denominations of the citY, had labored to­gether


harmoniously, in this benevolent enter­prize;


and, as it woulrl seem, ' few tl! ought of


division in such a caURe, But the demon of


sect was at work, and first showed itself in the


following protest:


" To S. 1'. CRACE, ESQ., President of the


Young Men's Bihle Society: Dear Sir- We


whose names are subjoined, beg leave through


you to present to the Young !\ len's Bible So­ciety


ofCincinnnti, our remonstrance against


the practice of admitting as · your anniversary


speakers and officers, . those who deny that


cardinal doctrine of all evangelical Christians,


the Supremll Divinity of ou \ jLord and Savior,


JesllB Christ; a doctrine so dear to us that we


dare not dil'eclly or ind irectly consent to any


association, which may bring it under any li­ability


to be injured or undervalued."


This singulllrly presnmptuous documellt was


signed first by six, and subsequently niue oth­er


clergyman. . The company was composed


of Preshyterians, Baptist, Episcopalians, and


Episcopal Methodists. ' Voe to the world,


ifsuch men could gain the ascendency; Tho'


they might be sincere, they woul « ldouhtless be


sanguinary. But their power ned infliience


are on the wane. There are now compara­tively


very few with whom even their severest


excommunications are ofany importance, save


as an evidence of their departurc from Christi­ianity.


.


\ Ve are glad, however, to leal'll that the


Society to whom the~ e individuals addressed


themselves, was not disposed to comply with


their request. It was ununimously voted, that


' the , course hitherto pnrsued' ( ullion) ' ought


not now to be departed from.' This ' we hope


will he a ~ arning to all others, who are pre­disposed


to such sectarian movements; and


we trust that all the Bible Societies in our land


will adhere " to the priuciple up~ n which they


started, al) d not he swoyed in the least- even


by a thousand party min~ sters. I f Christians


cannot so much as labor together for the pur­pose


of circulating the Bible, without ' note or


comment,' they ought to renounce theil' pro­fessions,


or repent and. seek, right hearts: ' They


POETRY,


The' Colored Mother of New- Enlland to


, her Infant,


Smile on my babe, thy infant mirth


Beguiles my heart awhile:


Thou hast not learned enough of'earth,


To know thou shouldst not smile.


Thy sparkling eye is fnll of light


, Thy heart beats high with joy, .


And wo or care, from morn till night,


Disturbs not thee, my boy.


Smile now- for o'er thy coming years,


A cloud of misery bends;


Disgrace and shame, regret and tear~,


Till earthly being ends!


Yes, yes- my child- that soul of thine,


Pure from ils_ Maker's hand,


Destined, \ JJey tell us, yet to shine


In heaven, its native land.


That soul, by God's all- wise decree,


Is shrined within a form


Ofhuman shape and symmetry,


With life - blood red and warrn ;


\ Vhose skin reflects a darker hue


Than that the white man wears,


And for thiscause,' thy early dew


Ofjoy must change for tears!


\


For this, from childhood's gladsome hour,


Through all thy onward track,


Are hurd and bitter things in store,


Because thy skin i, black!


Oh! I have horne this shame abo Ill,


. 1n hitterness and grief,


And till sweet peace a Saviour brought,


I never fou'lid relief;


A little girl to school I went,


With heart as light as air,


And as ' my steps 1thither bent,


) breathed lI~ y morning prayer.


Into a corner, all alone,


My place was there assigned,


My lessons, books, were oil my own,


A mate I could not find. >


At play upon my lonely state,


No ray ofkindnesscame ; ­They


spurned me as a thing to hate,


And negro was my name.


At night I reached Illy mother's cot,


With heart oppressed with wo,


And from my mother's lips I sought


The cause of all to know.


Great Father I who created all,


The colored and the fair ; ,


Oh! listen to a mother's call,


Hear, Thou, the negro's praY'r.


Yet once again, thy people teach


With lesson froin above,


That they may prilcti8e what they preach,


' And all their neighbors'love.


' Again, the gospel precepts give;


Teach them t. his rule to know,


" Such trel\ t1nent as ye would receilit,


Ell willing to buCow:'"


She said ' twas cnul prejudice.


That dwelt their breasts within,


Which caused the treatment such as this,


Ofthose of colored skin. '


1\ 1y hopCll were crush'd, my heart appalI'd


With this t! l0st foul disgrace,


. I1nd then my teacher, stupid called


. I111 creatures ofmy race.


\ Vhen e'er upon ttie Sabbath morn,


I've sought the httJse ofpray'r,


My soul has sunk beneath the scorn


The white nwn carrieB there.


Must thou, my child- my only 8ne­1\


1ust thou, too, feel the smart,


Ofthis unjust and crulli scorn, '


That withers all the heart?


For cause beyond thy weak control,


Hill! God for thee designed,


This degradation ofthe soul,


This slavery ofthe mind.


No: Scriptures say, that, ofo; U blood,


Has God created all '


The nations he has spread a~ road,


Upon tllis earthly ball.'


, Tis man, proud mall, makes this decree


Gainst him ofcolored skin; -


Who says, " he must a negro be,"


And cries, " unclean, unclean !"


I ,

Page 92 of Volume 1 from The Practical Christian 1840-1841

Ballou, Adin

1840