The good news comes to you, and other music quotes

The posting of quotes by human authors does not constitute agreement with either the quotes or their sources. (I try to confirm the sources that I give, but may miss on occasion; please verify when possible.)

"The good news comes to you today singing over you, incorporating you into the story, into the greatest love song ever recorded." -- Lauren R. E. Larkin

"Don’t forget that the same blood responsible for the Rebel Yell all those years ago is still flowing through the veins of Southern Sacred Harp singers today." -- Tom Daniel

"With shape notes, people of pedestrian musical abilities or less can do what musicians train for years to do, and still many professionals cannot, that is, pick up music and just start singing it." -- Tim Cook

"We are abandoning a convenience store approach to musical worship." -- Douglas Wilson (stated in the sense of this abandoning being a good thing)

"I like beautiful melodies telling me terrible things." -- Tom Waits

"If music be the food of love, play on, give me excess of it; that surfeiting, the appetite may sicken, and so die." -- William Shakespeare

"Music is the universal language of mankind." -- Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

"If people could join voices in song, then from experience they would want to join voices in song." -- Tim Cook

"Where words fail, music speaks." -- Hans Christian Andersen

"I would rather have friends than money in the bank." -- Dewey Williams

"There is no music until a sound is made." -- Jonathan Riggs

"Shape-note singing is...not an arcane pastime that is interesting because it comes from a foreign culture. It is music that thrills me to my toes; it appeals to my highest and best emotions." -- Kat Kinkade

Suffering as a Christian, Matthew 10:16-28

Matthew 10:16-28:

¹⁶ Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves. ¹⁷ But beware of men: for they will deliver you up to the councils, and they will scourge you in their synagogues; ¹⁸ and ye shall be brought before governors and kings for my sake, for a testimony against them and the Gentiles. ¹⁹ But when they deliver you up, take no thought how or what ye shall speak: for it shall be given you in that same hour what ye shall speak. ²⁰ For it is not ye that speak, but the Spirit of your Father which speaketh in you. ²¹ And the brother shall deliver up the brother to death, and the father the child: and the children shall rise up against their parents, and cause them to be put to death. ²² And ye shall be hated of all men for my name’s sake: but he that endureth to the end shall be saved. ²³ But when they persecute you in this city, flee ye into another: for verily I say unto you, Ye shall not have gone over the cities of Israel, till the Son of man be come. ²⁴ The disciple is not above his master, nor the servant above his lord. ²⁵ It is enough for the disciple that he be as his master, and the servant as his lord. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebub, how much more shall they call them of his household? ²⁶ Fear them not therefore: for there is nothing covered, that shall not be revealed; and hid, that shall not be known. ²⁷ What I tell you in darkness, that speak ye in light: and what ye hear in the ear, that preach ye upon the housetops. ²⁸ And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.

1 Peter 4:16 Yet if any man suffer as a Christian, let him not be ashamed; but let him glorify God on this behalf.

The foundation of the suffering

• The nature of the beast – wolves, predators (verse 16)
• The impulse of the nature – hatred, enmity with God (verse 22)

The progression of the suffering

• Begins with hate (verse 22)
• Proceeds to verbal attacks, name-calling (verse 25)
• Advances to physical persecution (verse 23)
• Progresses to legal opposition, incarceration (verses 17-19)
• Ends with execution, killing the body (verses 21, 28)

The counteraction to the suffering

• Behold (verse 16)
• Be wise (verse 16)
• Be harmless (verse 16)
• Beware (verse 17)
• Speak (verses 19-20, 27)
• Flee (verse 23)
• Fear not (verses 26, 28) 

A preacher has graduated, and other quotes

The posting of quotes by human authors does not constitute agreement with either the quotes or their sources. (I try to confirm the sources that I give, but may miss on occasion; please verify when possible.)

"The fact that a preacher has graduated with honors from some theological center is no proof that he is a man taught of the Holy Spirit." -- Arthur W. Pink

"Whenever a Christian layman, minister, writer, teacher, or whoever it might be, gets to thinking that there is something important about him, he or she will always cease to be effective as Christ’s witness." -- Richard D. Phillips

"Politics is like the weather — it changes a lot, people drone on about it constantly, and “good” is mostly subjective." -- Arthur C. Brooks

"Only the Government would believe that you could cut a foot off the top of a blanket, sew it to the bottom, and have a longer blanket." -- Heard

"Empty wagons rattle the most and empty vessels ring the loudest." -- N. P. Neilsen

“To misrepresent anything will never get you anywhere except on the bad side of life. From now on make the sunny-side of life your motto.” -- A. N. Whitten, in “Reminiscences of A. N. Whitten,” The Dublin Progress, October 8, 1943, p. 5

"All great events are made up of lesser events which all must of necessity be ordered by HIM who determines all things to come to pass according to HIS purpose." -- Mike McInnis

"No attribute of God is more dreadful to sinners than His holiness." -- Matthew Henry

"What we fail in asking, Lord, fail not in granting." -- A prayer

Sacred Harp Markers, Bethel

The Bethel Church and Cemetery historical marker is located near Frankston in Anderson County, Texas – about 5-1/2 miles south of Frankston off of State Highway 155, 1/2 mile east on County Road 327. The marker was created in 1994.

Some people mentioned on this marker, at Find-a-Grave:
Daniel Cook
Elizabeth Willingham Cook
(Their son is linked to their memorials, though the memorial has the wrong gravestone picture)
Daniel Parker
James Madison McCarty

Marker Text:

BETHEL CHURCH AND CEMETERY

  The Rev. James Madison McCarty (1802-1869) is the first Primitive Baptist minister known to have served in this area. In 1853 Bethel Primitive Baptist Church of Christ was established as a member of the Union Association organized by Daniel Parker.

  Church services were held one weekend a month. Members of the congregation participated in holy services of communion and foot washings during conference meetings. Singing for the services was performed in the non-instrumental sacred harp method. The church was the primary religious and social gathering place for the Sandflat community.

  The oldest documented burial in the Bethel Cemetery is that of the infant child of Daniel and Elizabeth Willingham Cook, who died on August 7, 1855. Among those buried in both marked and unmarked graves in the cemetery are veterans of the Civil War, World War I and World War II.

  After the railroad was built through the county in 1900, bypassing this area in favor of Frankston to the north, the Sandflat community began to decline. Worship services at Bethel Church ceased in the 1940s. The cemetery remains as a reflection of the area’s heritage.

(1994)

Fellowship Church, in Tour of Purifoy

Next day Bro, Warren conveyed me to Fellowship. Fellowship Church was constituted Feb. 26, 1837, by the presbytery composed of Elder Helm Roberson and Deacon William Powell. Their first pastor was J. G. Eden, the next was J. Harlen, then R. W. Carlisle, then E. J. Wilson, (now excluded from the Primitive Baptist Church) then Benj. Jowers, then J. J. Cleveland and A. J. Whitten. The last two named have been serving the church since 1874. Total membership, as reported; to last Association, is thirty-five; present clerk is A. F. Whitten; regular, meeting time, 4th Sundays; yearly meetings, 4th Sunday in July; post-office, Alexander City, Tallapoosa county, Ala. (pp. 403-404)

On looking over the notes of my tour I fine (sic) that Pleasant Hill Church, of the Wetumpka Association, was constituted Sept. 28, 1878, with five members, by Elders. J. J. Cleveland, A. J. Whitten, J. H. Shirley and R. W. Carlisle. J. L. Lambert was their first pastor; R. Y. Williams their first and present deacon; and B. D. Towns their first and present clerk. They have no pastor now. (p. 408)

From “A Recent Tour of Elder Purifoy,” by J. H. Purifoy, The Gospel Messenger, Vol. 11, No. 10, October 1889, pp. 402-408

[Note: The Fellowship Church was in the Hillabee Association in 1889.]

Issues of The Gospel Messenger on Archive.org

From 

A Souvenir of Ministers of the Primitive Baptist Church

Lemuel Potter, 1895

Empty

“Empty wagons rattle the most and empty vessels ring the loudest. The minister's words should flow forth from a full heart, not from an empty head. If he must thunder forth his message, he should not do so out of an empty cloud.”  -- N. P. Neilsen

O timings of sadness and woe

Today I post my obligatory rant on the government imposed clock change, in the spirit of the Christmas holidays, with a hymn that may be sung to the English carol God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen.

God bless you meddling government,

From those whom you dismay:

The bumbling crime, you mess with time

To gain an hour a day,

To save us all from our own selves

As if from work we stray.

O timings of sadness and woe (sadness and woe),

O timings of sadness and woe!

Please consider “bless” in the first line within the same Southern tradition as we often say “bless your heart.”

Thy way is in the sea

The following hymn by Baptist minister John Fawcett appears in Hymns Adapted to the Circumstances of Public Worship and Private Devotion (Leeds: G. Wright and Son, 1782). In his hymn book Fawcett connects the thoughts of the hymn to 1 Corinthians 13:9. The opening line is also connected to Psalm 77:19.

Hymn LXVI. C. M.

I Cor. xiii. 9. We know in part.

1. Thy way, O God, is in the sea,

Thy paths I cannot trace;

Nor comprehend the mystery

Of thy unbounded grace.

2. ’Tis but in part, I know thy will:

I bless thee for the sight;

When will thy love the rest reveal

In glory’s clearer light?

3. Here the dark veils of flesh and sense

My captive soul surround;

Mysterious deeps of providence

My wond’ring thoughts confound.

4. When I behold thy awful hand,

My earthly hopes destroy;

In deep astonishment I stand,

And ask the reason, why?

5. As thro’ a glass I dimly see,

The wonders of thy love,

How little do I know of thee,

Or of the joys above!

6. When will the day of perfect light,

The happy morn arise,

That shall remove the shades of night

From my beclouded eyes?

5. With rapture shall I then survey

Thy providence, and grace;

And spend an everlasting day

In wonder, love and praise.

This hymn appears in The Shenandoah Harmony with the tune Stroudwater by Amzi Chapin. In the Old-Line Primitive Baptist Hymn and Tune Book it is paired with Aaron Williams’s Mear. From what I have seen, this hymn does not seem to have a strong connection with one tune more than others.

A Body of Practical Divinity, and other links

The posting of links does not constitute an endorsement of the sites linked, and not necessarily even agreement with the specific posts linked.

• A Body of Practical Divinity, Of the Officers of a Church -- "His qualifications, such as before observed, must be known by the members of a church, and must be proved and approved of by them..."
• A Debate Between Mark Bennett and G. M. Thompson -- "A Debate on the Modern Missionary Enterprise"
• A Souvenir of Ministers of the Primitive Baptist Church, 1895 -- "By the last decade of the 1800’s, there were a number of attempts to provide a personal and photographic introduction of some of the more prominent ministers of our order."
• Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez's mom shows the socialist disconnect from reality on taxes -- "“I was paying $10,000 a year in real estate taxes up north. I’m paying $600 a year in Florida. It’s stress-free down here."
• Big United Methodist questions: Has left embraced 'exit' plans? Do 'coexist' clauses work? -- "Notice, of course, that the [AP] story is framed — beginning to end — in terms of LGBTQ rights, as opposed to this denomination’s existing doctrines, which have been reaffirmed over and over in previous meetings."
• Cleaning Up the Lemon Mess -- "Yesterday’s oral argument revealed plenty of dissatisfaction with Lemon. Justice Gorsuch reflected the mood when he called Lemon a ‘dog’s breakfast,’ said that Lemon has produced a ‘welter of confusion’ in the lower courts, and suggested that it’s ‘time for this Court to thank Lemon for its services and send it on its way.’"
• Former FEC Commissioners Say Ocasio-Cortez Could Face Serious Prison Time For FEC Violation -- "Ocasio-Cortez never disclosed to the FEC that she and Chakrabarti, who served as her campaign chair, controlled the PAC while it was simultaneously supporting her primary campaign, and former FEC commissioners say the arrangement could lead to multiple campaign finance violations."
• Millennials believe calling yourself a socialist is sexy -- "Teenage girls hating capitalism?  Where do they think their smart phones come from?  Try going to the mall in Cuba.  What kind of shopping is available in North Korea?"
• Oprah Winfrey Promotes “Shout Your Abortion” Movement -- "Oprah Winfrey waded deeper into political waters this summer by promoting the “Shout Your Abortion” movement and its attempts to normalize the killing of unborn babies."
• Stop Preaching to “Non-Christians” -- "Many “non-Christians” don’t know that they are “non-Christians”.  If you asked them, they’d say they were Christians because they don’t know what it means to be a Christian."
• Supreme Court seems inclined to retain cross memorial in Maryland -- "The case is being closely watched because it involves the place of religious symbols in public life, but the particular memorial at issue in the case is a nearly 100-year-old cross that was built in a Washington, D.C., suburb as a memorial to area residents who died in World War I."
• Trump Aims to Stem Vet Suicide With Outreach, Local Grants -- "President Donald Trump's administration is seeking to stem the number of veteran suicides with a plan to boost outreach by awarding grants to community programs."

Men are a race curious, and other quotes

The posting of quotes by human authors does not constitute agreement with either the quotes or their sources. (I try to confirm the sources that I give, but may miss on occasion; please verify when possible.)

"Men are a race curious to know of other men’s lives, but slothful to correct their own. Why should they wish to hear from me what I am, when they do not wish to hear from You what they are themselves." -- Augustine

"I remained too much inside my head and ended up losing my mind." -- Usually attributed to Edgar Allen Poe, but this attribution is uncertain

"I do not suffer from insanity, I enjoy every minute of it." -- Often attributed to Edgar Allen Poe, but of more recent origin - not by POE

"A throne is only a bench covered with velvet." - Napoleon Bonaparte

"Art is science made clear." - Wilson Mizne

"Just because everything is different doesn’t mean anything has changed." -- Irene Peter

"All children – born and unborn – are made in the holy image of God." -- Donald J. Trump

"If you don’t tell the truth in love it’s not the whole truth." -- Heard

"I am struck by how difficult it is to find correction without respect and love prescribed in the New Testament and with how difficult it is to find correction with respect and love in real life." -- Bart Barber

"If you look at the world, you’ll be distressed. If you look within, you’ll be depressed. But if you look at Christ, you’ll be at rest." -- Usually credited to Corrie ten Boom

"The ark was sufficient for that which it was efficient." -- Tim Naab

"We may not realize what it means for God to be our strength until we’re weak enough that He’s our only option." -- Jon Bloom

A sweeping history, and other music links

The posting of links does not constitute an endorsement of the sites linked, and not necessarily even agreement with the specific posts linked.

• A sweeping history of gospel music in prose and song -- "Malaco probably has the largest collection of license-able gospel classics of any label in the country."
• B. M. Smith: A Loving, Caring Spirit and Front Bench Stalwart -- "But B. M.’s real love was Sacred Harp. He loved it to the point of obsession; it was the only music on his playlist."
• Chuck Wagon Gang Update -- "Now, the Chuck Wagon Gang is furthering its history by signing with Sonlite Records. The group is working in the studio on a new album, produced by Jeff Collins and David Johnson, which is a tribute to The Carter Family’s storied career."
• ‘He slipped away peacefully’: Monkees bassist Peter Tork dies at 77 -- "It is with beyond-heavy and broken hearts that we share the devastating news that our friend, mentor, teacher, and amazing soul, Peter Tork, has passed from this world."
• How Did Joseph Scriven Come to Drown? -- "Joseph wrote his famous hymn in 1855 to comfort his mother who still lived in Ireland."
• Industry Pioneer Lou Hildreth Passes Away -- "Lou Wills was born on July 13, 1928. She began her career at a very young age, singing with her father and siblings in The Wills Family."
• NEA National Heritage Fellowships, 1983: Dewey Williams -- "After he retired from farming, Williams devoted himself full-time to teaching and performing Sacred Harp music."
• Old-time music beats inside a Sacred Harp -- "She rekindled those musical moments at the Sacred Harp Singing School at Spivey Hall on the Clayton College & State University campus during a two-day workshop this summer."
• Sacred Harp Convention Will Return March 9-10 — At St. John’s UCC at Pinckney -- "Singers of this Early American form of singing love to come to this 1870s church because of the building’s wonderful acoustic qualities and because the building is reminiscent of the churches of Colonial New England where this style of music originated and of the rural South where it was lovingly preserved."
• Sacred Harp Singing -- "Don’t forget that the same blood responsible for the Rebel Yell all those years ago is still flowing through the veins of Southern Sacred Harp singers today."
• The Nashville Number System Defined -- "The Nashville Number System is a shorthand method of notating music developed in the 1950s by Jordanaire singer Neal Matthews and harmonica player Charlie McCoy."
• What is Music? -- "...music is an arrangement of sound and silence. That may seem obvious at first, but what I want you to realize is that sound is necessary. There is no music until a sound is made."
• Who Uses the Nashville Number System? -- "However, if you want to reach your full potential as a musician or a songwriter, you need to be able to read and write number charts."

William Hubbard (1809-circa 1882)

Biography/Obituary of Elder William Hubbard, whom A. N. Whitten described as “the old Cornfield Preacher” who studied at “Pinenut and Candle College,” from The Gospel Messenger (Volume 9, No. 4, April 1887, Butler, Georgia, pp. 161-164), by E. B. Bush of Colquitt, Georgia.

ELDER WM. HUBBARD. 

Elder Wm. Hubbard was born in South Carolina, on the 22d day of April, 1809. His parents, Jno. and Mary Hubbard, moved to Hall county, Ga., in 1818, bringing him with them, then a boy nine years of age. Elder Hubbard was raised to manhood, and married to his first wife, Margaret Morgan, in Hall county, in 1829, and from that union one son was born, who died in the late war, in Virginia. Elder Hubbard told the writer of his conviction for sin, which took place while he was witnessing the solemn service of feet washing in which his first wife — who was a member of the Baptist Church — was participating. After his conviction and deliverance, he joined the church called Liberty, in Lumpkin county, Ga., and was baptized by Elder James Whitten, on the fourth Sunday in June, 1831, and soon after was ordained to the ministry. 

In 1843 his wife died, and soon afterwards he was married to Miss Sarah A. Whitten, of Murray county, Ga., who still survives him; and of this union five children were born, only two of whom are living. At the time Elder Hubbard was ordained there were no so-called Missionary Baptists, but shortly afterwards the great question of foreign missions and the institutions of the day sprang up to the dividing of the Baptist denomination. And in this, as well as on all other questions which threatened the destruction of the church, he took the right side—that of the Primitive Church—and maintained it until the day of his death. In this great controversy public sentiment and prejudice ran so high that he was threatened by a mob; and on one occasion, when threatened at Valley Grove Church, in Murray county, a company of young men rode up by him, when he was nearing the church, with clubs in their hands, and saluted him very politely. They rode along together on horseback, and when they arrived at the church, he hitched his horse, and the young men hitched theirs close by his, and all went in the church together, he taking the stand and the young men taking seats near by. After services, a conference was held in which was considerable confusion and discussion on the mooted question of missions, etc. After conference the meeting adjourned, and he and the young men who sat by so attentively, rode away. Upon inquiry it was ascertained that these young men had heard that certain citizens, and perhaps some members of the church, who were favorable to the Arminian cause, intended to mob him, and his opinion was the Lord put it into the hearts and minds of these young men to protect him. This, however, was unknown to him until after it had happened. 

We feel that although an uneducated man, Elder Hubbard was one of God’s ministers. He had been preaching fifty-three years in the Primitive Baptist ranks without a charge against him, so far as is known by the writer, and having been called upon to fill the highest position within the gift of the churches. He was Moderator of several Associations during his ministerial career, including the Upatoie, Harmony, and in 1880, when the Flint River Association was constituted, as he had moved within their bounds, he joined that Association and was elected Moderator at its first session, which position he held with great satisfaction to the brethren, until the hand of affliction was laid upon him. He was taken ill while on a preaching tour, in Berrien county, Ga., in 1882, and had to return home, where he suffered for several weeks; and after he sufficiently recovered, he visited Brother J. A. Pickron, and while there relapsed and was again brought low by reason of an aggravation of the disease with which he had been suffering. In all his sickness—though being deprived in his last days of articulation—his mental faculties were as clear as when in health. One day while the writer, who was treating his case, was at dinner, he had a vision in open day light, with eyes wide open, in which he said all nature was changed, and it seemed to him as if he was in a perfect paradise. It seemed to him as if the glory of the Lord was shown to him in undescribable brightness— even the trees, houses, and everything else, shined brighter than gold or silver—and when I walked in the room where he was lying, he spoke and told me of what he had just seen. He bore his afflictions with great fortitude, and expressed himself as only waiting for the summons to come. Brother Hubbard leaves a widow and two children, together with a host of the brotherhood, to mourn his death. And well may we say to the bereaved they mourn not as those who have no hope; but to rejoice with the consolation of believing that our loss is his eternal gain. He can now, to all earthly appearances, hear the welcome news: Well done, good and faithful servant, enter into the joys of thy Lord. 

Brother Hubbard had been a faithful minister of the gospel fifty-three years. What a record! We feel the Lord has seen best, in his infinite wisdom, to take our brother from us for his good, and while it has thus pleased him to do so, there is a void in the hearts of the brethren which will be hard to fill. Brethren, pray that the good Lord may send us another minister who will have the gift of teaching as did Brother Hubbard, for we are in a desolate condition as to the ministry, and will be more so, as one and all the ministers in our immediate section, will soon move to Florida. 

Sister Hubbard, widow of our departed brother, still lives with her daughter, Sister Sarah A. Buckhalts, in Terrel county, Ga., and I hope that the brethren in that section, and all other sections, will see that her needs are supplied. Yours, in hope of eternal life, 

Colquitt, Ga. E. B. Bush.

Sacred Harp Markers, Shoal Creek

This marker is located at the site of the old Shoal Creek Baptist Church meeting house, in Cleburne County, Alabama, in the Talladega National Forest.

This marker has text on both sides.
Side 1:

SHOAL CREEK

BAPTIST CHURCH

The first of three Baptist Churches was built on 

this site about 1842 as white pioneer settlers

increased. The present building was constructed

about 1895. The only surviving church book

 begun in 1898, shows sixty-eight male and

seventy-six female. In the early years

of the twentieth century the population decreased

to the point that the diminishing membership

ceased meeting here in 1914. Occasional events,

including weddings, reunions, and “old-fashioned”

church services are held at the church by reservation.

Since 1921, an annual Sacred Harp shape note singing

held each Labor Day is the only regular service.

(Continued on other side)

ALABAMA HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION 2017

Side 2:

SHOAL CREEK

BAPTIST CHURCH

(continued from other side)

The 2.83-acre site is private property surrounded

by the Talladega National Forest: the U. S. Forest

Service maintains the road leading to the site.

For more than a century, descendants of early

settlers have periodically maintained the building

and its adjoining cemetery. In 1986 they formally

organized the Shoal Creek Church Preservation

Society under the leadership of William Lee

Jones, grandson of an original builder. This

non-profit entity represents scores of area families

bearing such names as Cheatwood, Holley,

Edwards, Coleman, Roach, Dunn, Thompson,

Johnson, Knighten, and Jones.

ALABAMA HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION 2017

This marker was erected, dedicated, and unveiled on Monday, September 4, 2017, at the annual Labor Day singing at the Shoal Creek Church. The Shoal Creek church web site presents pictures of the dedication and gives the original text for the marker, some of which was not included. Concerning Sacred Harp, the wording was slightly different: “A Sacred Harp shape note singing, begun in 1921, occurs here every Labor Day, drawing hundreds. While this is the only scheduled event each year...”

The biblical season

“I don’t do ‘Lent.’ I LOVE the emphasis upon worship, prayer, fasting, and reflection. I just wish we’d do more of it on the Lord’s Day—the biblical season for such. Maybe for Lent folks could give up the other stuff we’ve crammed into our Sundays?” – Bart Barber

[Note: Ash Wednesday is always the Wednesday seven weeks prior to Easter Sunday and the day after Mardi Gras (Fat Tuesday).]

From A. J. Whitten

Appointments of I. J. Taylor, North Carolina.

If the Lord’s will, will preach at Bethel (of Suwannee, Fla., Association) January 10; Hebron, 11; Prospect, 12; Salem, lo; Mt. Zion, 14; Little Spring, 15; New Hope, 16 and 17; Shady Grove, 18, 19 and 20; Etoinah, 21; Union Grove, 22. He will need conveyance. The Georgia appointments were too late for insertion in December issue, as were Eld. Hancks’, of Alabama, and Eld. Stuckey’s, of Louisiana.

The Primitive Baptist Church at Fellowship, Tallapoosa county, Ala., on Saturday before the fourth Sunday in November, 1887, after preaching by Elders J. J. Cleveland and L. C. Peters, while in Conference, declared unanimously that they would not hold in fellowship any members that allied themselves with any secret institution; and made it also my duty to inform you, and to request its publication in The Gospel Messenger.

Your little brother, if one at all. A. J. WHITTEN, Sr.

The Gospel Messenger, Volume 10, No. 1, January 1888, inside front cover

John Gill: View on Ordination

John Gill: “…churches, which are religious societies, have a right to choose and ordain their own officers, and which are ordained, αυτοις, ‘for them,’ and for them ‘only;’ that is, for each particular church, and not another (Acts 14:23).”

John Gill believed that “He must be a member of a church, to whom he is to be ordained as a pastor.” He adds further, “His qualifications, such as before observed, must be known by the members of a church, and must be proved and approved of by them; yea, they must be satisfied that he has gifts for ‘their’ edification; for a man may have gifts for the edification of one church, which are not for the edification of another; and this should be known, previous to their choice and call of him.”

A Body of Practical Divinity, Of the Officers of a Church

The well-being of all nations

I believe that the “all people” of 1 Timothy 2:1 is the same group of people as the “all people” of 1 Timothy 2:4. I know that some have said this in order to make a soteriological point (and this is indeed a part of my soteriology), but I see another important point. In a passage that will specifically address political prayer, Paul has identified as our first object of prayer “all people.” We are obligated, I believe, to pray geopolitically for the well-being of the people of all nations, not only our own. We are further obligated to pray for people of other political parties. There are people who I hope will lose at politics, but there should be no one who I hope will suffer. I should oppose people’s ideas because I think even they would benefit from what I advocate. This is one reason why prayer should be the first step in Christian political engagement. If I have to pray for all people first, that fact in and of itself will probably filter some of what I would say or do afterwards in the realm of political engagement.

Bart Barber (pastor First Baptist, Farmersville, TX)

He heard my cry: Follow up

On February 10th, I wrote about a song for which I was searching: I was lost: He heard my cry. The “lost” has been found!

The song was written by William Burton Walbert (1886-1959). He wrote the words and music. He Heard My Cry was song number 48 in some songbook – book title, publisher, & year are presently unknown. Vaughan Music Company probably published it in one of their convention books. Walbert was a son-in-law of James David Vaughan, and took over the business after his father-in-law’s death. Below are the words as they appear in the published copy. The words in parentheses in the chorus represent the words repeated by the bass, alto, and tenor. (Actually the alto and tenor use only part of those words, while the bass uses all. For example, the alto and tenor sing “I was lost” while the bass sings “I in sin was lost.” Again the alto and tenor sing “doomed to die” while the bass sings “doomed at last to die.”) The chorus is repeated after each stanza.

1. Once my soul was lost in sin, and the tempter ruled within,

Hope was gone and all was dark despair;

I had sought in vain for peace, but my soul found no relief

Till I took it to the Lord in prayer.

Chorus:

I was lost (I in sin was lost), doomed to die (doomed at last to die),

Not a ray of hope shone out for me;

But the Lord (But the blessed Lord) heard my cry (heard my feeble cry),

Saved my soul and gave me liberty.

2. Now the heavy load is gone and my life is filled with song,

Jesus keeps me happy, glad and free.

Some glad day on wings of love, I shall reach my home above,

There to live with Him eternally.

3. What a meeting that will be when that blood-washed throng we see

Marching down the streets of shining gold;

Singing, all with one accord, “Holiness unto the Lord,”

Heaven’s glories then will all unfold.

Equality is Medicine, and other links

The posting of links does not constitute an endorsement of the sites linked, and not necessarily even agreement with the specific posts linked.

• A Step-by-Step Primer for Church Discipline -- "Church discipline makes sense when you understand what the church is."
• Church History Made Before Our Eyes: United Methodists Make History, Affirm Biblical Standards of Sexuality -- "The United Methodist Church stands as the last mainline Protestant denomination that has not yet fully surrendered to the sexual revolution. The church has long agonized over this issue, with many in the church advocating for capitulation while a slim conservative majority still held to an orthodox teaching of marriage and sexuality."
• Dilapidated Buildings, Small Budgets, and Struggling Congregations: How Irresistible Grace Creates Steadfastness in Ministry -- "In 2019, as I look at my own ministry, I need to recall more often that 10-year-old boy sitting on the church carpet who came to Christ, not because of human ingenuity, but because of God’s grace."
• Donald Harris Slams His Daughter Senator Kamala Harris for Fraudulently Stereotyping Jamaicans and Accuses Her of Playing Identity Politics -- "My dear departed grandmothers...must be turning in their grave right now...Speaking for myself and my immediate Jamaican family, we wish to categorically dissociate ourselves from this travesty."
• Don’t Ignore the “Speed Limit”: How the Sufficiency of Scripture Should Make Us Patient -- "The Bible’s speed limit signs are posted everywhere, but our focus on numbers and fast growth causes us to speed right by them. These signs call us to a ministry characterized by patience."
• Equality is Medicine, Not Food -- "I do not think that equality is one of those things (like wisdom or happiness) which are good simply in themselves and for their own sakes."
• Gay rights activist set fire to his own home in fake hate crime, Michigan police say -- "The Michigan case is gaining national attention alongside the situation involving Jussie Smollett, another alleged hate crime victim who became the accused."
• Hey Calvinist, Enough of Your Revivalism -- "What we want is revival, a genuine work of the Spirit, not a product of human technique."
• In search of the King James Version -- "So, when we finally found an 1873 original that we could borrow, we photographed it at high resolution and had it typed at 99.995% accuracy."
• Senate Democrats Block Bill to Stop Infanticide and Care for Babies Born Alive After Abortions -- "During the debate, several Democrats misled the Senate about the bill and falsely claimed the measure would ban abortions or ban late-term abortions. They made the usual pro-abortion claims that pro-life lawmakers hate women or somehow abortion is women’s health."
• Should Christians “Disown” Gay Sons and Daughters? -- "...a person who chooses to pursue homosexual activity cannot remain in good standing in a local church, as with anyone living in any significant and unrepentant sin.
• Unfriending Facebook -- "Facebook needs to face the fact that life is not a Facebook page consisting of superficial posts of fun and games."
• 4 Reasons You Should Preach through Jonah -- "Jonah confronts all of us with God’s sovereign will."

‘Post-birth’ abortion insanity

“I actually saw the phrase ‘post-birth’ abortion in a headline. Has the world gone mad? (Don’t answer that!). The corruption of man manifests in the corruption of language,” posted a friend of mine on Facebook.

You might think what my friend wrote is unbelievable. Unfortunately, it is sad but true. To understand this in not “far-right” hysteria or “pro-life” propaganda, one might notice the horrid article “After-birth abortion: why should the baby live?” in the Journal of Medical Ethics (Volume 39, Issue 5).[i]

One reason this is on our minds, in the news, and the subject of opinion pieces this week is because a sufficient number of U.S. Senate Democrats (44) blocked S.311 - Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act on Monday.[ii] In addition, there are the recent comments by Virginia Delegate Kathy Tran and Virginia Governor Ralph “Blackface Klansman” Northam that promoted abortion during labor and letting born infants die.[iii]

From the text of the bill itself: “To amend title 18, United States Code, to prohibit a health care practitioner from failing to exercise the proper degree of care in the case of a child who survives an abortion or attempted abortion…(1) If an abortion results in the live birth of an infant, the infant is a legal person for all purposes under the laws of the United States, and entitled to all the protections of such laws. (2) Any infant born alive after an abortion or within a hospital, clinic, or other facility has the same claim to the protection of the law that would arise for any newborn, or for any person who comes to a hospital, clinic, or other facility for screening and treatment or otherwise becomes a patient within its care.”

What couldn’t vote for that? 44 Democrats, apparently! – 44 Democrats voted against the “Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act” (including all six would-be Democratic presidential candidates).[iv] Regardless of how one wants to spin right and left, these facts check out and are not disputable.

Here’s what some others have to say:

• The Age of Infanticide: The Senate Will Not Even Protect Babies Born Alive – “Yesterday’s vote shows the bare teeth of the pro-abortion movement and the death grip it holds upon the modern Democratic Party.”
• Senate Democrats Block Bill to Stop Infanticide and Care for Babies Born Alive After Abortions – “During the debate, several Democrats misled the Senate about the bill and falsely claimed the measure would ban abortions or ban late-term abortions. They made the usual pro-abortion claims that pro-life lawmakers hate women or somehow abortion is women’s health.”
• WALSH: You Can No Longer Be A Decent Person And A Democrat – “The legislation would not restrict abortion at all. It had nothing to do with ‘reproductive rights’ or ‘choice’ or ‘fetuses’ or any handy euphemism. The point was simply to protect those children who are born after a failed abortion.”
• Why Did Senate Democrats Refuse to Protect Infants? – “They believe that unwanted human beings have no moral status, even after birth.”
• 362 Infants Born Alive as Result of Botched Abortions Died in Last Decade – “…how many babies are born alive as a result of botched abortions?  How many are left to die or killed? While much of the devastating truth may never be known, what we are able to know is startling.  According to the ACLJ’s research and statistics recorded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 362 babies born alive following a botched abortion have died in the last decade.”

And from the left:

• A Republican-backed bill to protect “abortion survivors” just failed. It still matters. “The issue came to the fore earlier this year when Virginia Delegate Kathy Tran said in a committee hearing that a bill she was sponsoring would technically allow abortion when a woman was showing signs of labor.”[v]

Al Mohler points out that opponents of S.311 - Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act argued “that the practice does not exist” and afterward that it was already illegal! He asks, “If it is already illegal, then how would this law do anything to deny a woman’s right to choose?” concluding:

“The opinions against yesterday’s bill look less like rational arguments grounded in reality and more like Alice in Wonderland—lunacy, fantasy, and deep rabbit hole of deadly logic. Words no longer matter as pro-abortion advocates make every desperate, unfounded argument against a pro-life bill imaginable—even a bill that would have protected the life of a baby outside the womb.”

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[i] The authors explain that they “call this practice ‘after-birth abortion’, rather than ‘infanticide’” in order to emphasise that the moral status of the individual killed is comparable with that of a fetus (on which ‘abortions’ in the traditional sense are performed) rather than to that of a child. Therefore, we claim that killing a newborn could be ethically permissible in all the circumstances where abortion would be.” They argue that an infant cannot “be considered a ‘person’ in a morally relevant sense.”

[ii] Though the majority of Senators – 50 Republicans and 3 Democrats – favored the bill (I believe two senators did not vote, and one seat remains unfilled). The Senate Bill was first introduced January 24, 2017, and the House Bill was introduced December 21, 2017 and passed in January 2018. This bill passed in the House last year. 

[iii] Democratic State Representative of Virginia, Kathy Tran sponsored Virginia House Bill 2491, which would eliminate certain requirements in their current state law. When asked if a woman could request an abortion when she is about to give birth, when she is dilating, Senator Tran responded, “My bill would allow that, yes.” The Governor of Virginia, Ralph Northam (a pediatrician you might not want to use, by the way) spoke in favor of a mother’s right to let her child die after birth. In fairness, both have tried to walk back their comments after they received hard criticisms. Regardless, their walking back of comments will not “walk back” the results of Virginia House Bill 2491 should it be passed by the State Congress and signed by the governor.

[iv] Cory Booker, Kirsten Gillibrand, Kamala Harris, Amy Klobuchar, Bernie Sanders, and Elizabeth Warren

[v] And yet the bill’s origins precedes Tran’s comments by about two years.