AN OLD GEORGIA SERMON.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume 4, Issue 1003, 18 February 1882, Page 2 (Supplement)

AN OLD GEORGIA SERMON.

'A Baptist Gives His '.Ontfioir About Tjim ". BVTERIA'SS-BACKWOobs' PBEACIIIKGahdI , Wit.-Poshed tor a Prater.' -J A lady correspondent; of the Independent' gives a sketoh of a sermon, she, heardin Gejir-j gia nearly half a century ago,; fromwhich; give an .extract:,,.',,:;, .. ~.',■,, ; ,, ~ j .- The preacher was apparently., about pO; .years of age, large,', muscular' well-pro-.portioned,. Oh; entering .the! 'pulpit off his coat and hiing it on anailjbehjnd him'; then opened his collar;'and,wristbands', "and 1 .wiped hands. He-was clad in.s.triped cotton homespun, and his. shirt, was' of. the same 1 material. He had traveiled'.seyeral miles ,'that.iriornipg, and seemed almost; overcome 'by .'.the,', heat. But tho brptlireu sung a.couple.of hymns while he was fanning and cooling off, .and when ho rose, he looked .comfortable and good-natured. .... - ;,,.-.,,..',. .', .."'..'_" ; : He had preached there once or twicp,beforo, , but to most ofthe.audience.no ww a stranger. Hence, bethought it necessary, to. announce 'himself, which lie did'() 3" Old Cjub'axDavis from Scrived; county, .a fsoftehellßaptist. ~ ~..-..',-!. V,'. I'.l have given myself that uamo','" said lie ," because I bolievo the Lord elected me.fcom ;all eternity to go ahead in the backwoods; and grub out a patlrand blaze for. otlfe'r men to follow. After the thickest of it.is.cut: away, a good; warin Methodist'..brotuer "will .come along and take my trail, and.,make things a .little smoother aud a'good. deal noisier. And after all 'the ■ underbrush is cleared out, and the'owls, and wolves are skeered back, and the. rattlesnakes is killed off, a Presbyterian brother, in black broadcloth and white cravat, will come along and cry for decency and order. And they'll both do good in their spere. I don't despise' a lamtman, oven when he dou'fc dress and think as I do. You couldn't pay me enough to wear broadcloth summer nor winter, aud you couldn't pay a Presbyterian brother enough to go without it in dog days " God didn't make us all alike, my brethren, but every man has his own spere. When God has a place to fill, Ho makes a man aud puts him in it. : \Vhen lie wanted General Jackson He made him, aud set him liglitin' Injuns and the English. When he wanted George Whitfield, Ho made him to blow the Gospel trumpet as no- man ever bloweil it; and when He wanted Old Cinb-ax l.'avis, he mado him and set him to gnibbiii' in the backwoods, i

" But my shell isn't so hard but I cau seel good points in everybody; and as lor the: Presbyterians, they area long ways ahead of us Baptists and Methodists in some things. They raise their children better than any people on the face of the earth. Only' a few days ago a Methodist class-leader! said to me: Brother Club-ax, I was born a' Methodist, I was raised a Methodist and by! the grace of God Ihope to (lie a Methodist;! but, thank God, I've got a Presbyterian wife! to raise my children. And I believe, 'mybrethren, if the Lord should open the way for mo to marry again, Td.. try my best to find a Presbyterian woman, and run my chances ol brvakin' her into the saving doctrines of feet washin'nnd immersion afterwards.',' Just at this point he was interrupted by two spotted hounds that'had been continually : running up and down the pulpit stairs. Our of them jumped upon the seat and began to gnaw his coat-tails, in'jwhiob. was something lie had brought along jfor lunch. He turned 1 slowly.aroiiud, and took him by the ears and tail arid threw Hiiti out of the window behind him, as easily as if it had been a young kitten. : The other took warning and got out as rapid-; ly as possible, though not without howling' and yelling as if it had been half-killed, Hej then toned to the audience, and said, half 1 smilingly: "St, Paul exhorted the brethren to beware of dogs," I wonder whathe would do if he were in my place this morning? It; appears likel am compassed about with dogs,' 1 as David saidho was." " • •■■■'■■ ,;> ■•,,.■.

Ho hud 'scarcely commenced pfeachirig: again before there was a : terrible squealing and kicking amongih'e mules and hbts'eathat were tied to the' trees close by.' ■He put his head out of the ! window and said:—" No harmdono; my brethren. Justfacreturewith; a side-saddle on has brokeloose. • Will'some : brother head the animal ? for: no sister can walkhomethishotd&y." '. Quiet being restored; he continued:— " Well, my brethren, I will now try to say what I allowed about the Presbyterians*'-' " Asl said before, theyraise their children a heap hotter than we do. They behave better in church, and keep''Sunday 1 better, and read the' Bible ami learn the Catechism better than ours do. Hectare,uiy brethren, their children arc' limit' that Westminster Catechism by the time they can begin to. talk plain ' ; : . ■;/■■ . ' ' ■' '; ain't three weeks'since I was out'cat tle-huiitin' for two of my yerlin's had strayed off; aiid-1 stepped in at old' Brother Harkey's, oil Mitel Creek, and took dinner. He's a Deacon, in the l'resbylcrian Church over thar. ■ Well, as ; true as I stand here, -brethren', Sister' Harkcr..had her,litfclegal a-standin' right before her, with, toes just even with the crack ,'o'< thee ilooi'; and her hands was a hanging down: by her side, and mouth -turned up like a.chicken whenit drinks, and she was a putting this question to her out o' that Catechism I— • : - : , [' ■:■

'"What are .the benefits-which inthis life do either accompany or flow.: fromjustification, adoption and'sanctification ?.'; i-, . I

"Now, the question itself was "enough'to break the child down, ' But when she had to begin and that question all over (for that's the way it was in the book) and then hitch the answer to it,,,and which, all put together made this:—'The benefits which in this life do either accompany ot flOw-from justification,adoption arid'santification are peace of conscience, joy in the Holy Ghost, increase of grace, and perseverance therein to the end—l thought the child was the greatest wonder I'd ever seen in my life. She tuck it right through, too, without balkin' or. miasm' :the first work. • And she spoke so sweet and she looked so, like a little angel that before I knew it the tears was a runnin' down by cheeks as big as, buckshot, I've seen the day when I could have mauled and split a thousan' rails quicker and easier then I could have larnt that' thing 'and said it off like sho did, .... i "Now, my brethren, that child didn't understand or'know the me,anin''of one word o': that; ! ■ -It put me up to all Lkuew to take:it

in myself. Bufe jam lm Ijhat Eresbyteran ,youngun grow^|p,||nd ; |thlt ; Catechism will come backlto her.'mid her character will stiffen upuipr it, andaWll have the backbone of the matter in m?r for ,-j.',' Ifow, Lcan't put things into my children ithafl*ayi-lNotiliff. don't stay, anyhow. It's -likedrivinla.naiLinto.axottenJog."„ I flnlrgl^virf6T , gsr'liW i 3(); years,-.afterward, as. I, Tvouldj.Btand. at, the blackboard trying to fix f ules'and principles j 'ifr'the -mind; i)f a' dull'pupil/thiiremark Wbuld comei -back -to mi with its 1 peculiar pertinency."•■ '; : ■>' " : ••'!■>'! ■ : .- ; iiif "I tell yotf; ■my brethren, '■' he ■ continued, "if .oiir childrennad a little-more catechism, and thßiPresbyterians a little legs, it would •bebetter-forboth, .;.,.-... ;,,';; . : ,'.i i!,';:..! "Then we don't pray in our families they do., IknoW'their praye.rs;are, -mighty long,' and -they pray all over creation; Imt, after all, it's the right way. It's better than prayin! too little. •■■.:■. ;-. t ;,;. !r ■,-;',.-i.;- -i,i? ! >- i", Now, my ifather and; mother was gqod .Baptists; .and raised their- children!,to be hbnest.and industrious ■;■. but J neyer.heered one of themprayiin my life, andlwasmost •a grown'man before I ever' prayed.*, prayer myself, and it was on this wise:— -. i; ; : ; , "Therewas to be a big meetin' over in .Elbert county, and I knowed; a • pretty ; girl overithar'thatil,Wanted to go and see<;.,So,;l 'borrowed a:litfcle Jersey Wagon, wbioh'was ; aj [Stylish tiling in-them .days; and went oyerto 'her house'and stayed all night, aud engaged ■hereto-ride ito.'meetin'\yith.me:-next;!day,j -which was Sunday. :.-.:„;•, ; , ,--,,,: i..:.!..;-.-' : i " Wewentandhad,.a J miy as well say right; here that she ; was! afterward my wife—but a-comin' home I met! Ayitb a<powerful accident that-I've never gotj iOver ; to this day, -As I was, a-comin';down ai : steep hill, : some ipart of * the gearing give way I .and let.me and the 'w.aggin .on.my .cre'tur's! heels; and bein'young.andskeery,and;not much uSed -to wheels,',she■ wriggled,and kicked and tore from one eidejof .the, road.'to the .other; till I was 'pitched; head foremost as much as ten feet into a: deep gully,,and it's ii miracle of mercy that my neck wasn't broken on thespofc.'oiiir -, :m., "Expectin' to : bo .killed; eyory. minute,!! thought I oughtto ask. the, Lord for, mercy, ', But as I had never prayed in all my life, I j couldn't think of the first thing to say jbu) the, .blessin' my-father .used to. aak before ,eatm'when we had company, and -which was this:- 1 Lord, make us thankful .for "tyhjfc we're about to receive,'; , , \i,'.,i''!.'!■'•'■'■ ... "Now,'my brethren,''do. 'you'.'s'ppse I 'ariy Presbyterian-raised boy was ever puttp such a.'strait, as that for. a pmyerT;..No!,.Ho i would, have prayed for himself ,'an'd gone; 'off ; afterthe Jews,and 'the heathen's,\vhilstl :was ii-huntm' anda-.eet'tih'off that.blesaiil'J*'