SIGNS OF THE TIMES.
DEVOTED TO THE OLD SCHOOL BAPTIST CAUSE.
“The sword of the Lord and of Gideon.”
VOL. XII. NEW VERNON, ORANGE COUNTY, N. Y., JANUARY
1, 1844. NO. 1.
The Signs of the Times, devoted to the cause of God and
Truth, is published on or about the 1st and 15th of each month.
BY GILBERT BEEBE, editor:
To whom all communications must be addressed.
TERMS.—$1 50 per annum; or if paid in advance $1.
Five dollars, paid in advance, in current money, will secure six copies for one
year.
☞ All moneys remitted to the editor by mail, in
current bank notes of as large a denomination as convenient, will be at our
risk.
INTRODUCTION TO VOLUME XII.
Eighteen hundred and forty-four years, according to the
common register of time, have now elapsed since the angelic messenger surprised
the shepherds in Jewry, with the news of a Saviour’s advent to our guilty
world. A new, a glorious era was on that day begun on earth, worthy of the
anthem which was sung by the heavenly choir. That Prince and Saviour’s name was
brought down from heaven, announced and interpreted by an angel, because his
name expressed the work which he came down from heaven to do:—“For he shall
save his people from their sins.” Joy, love, and gratitude, swelled the hearts
of Simeon and Anna, who long had waited to see the salvation of the Lord. Nor
were these two devoted children of the Lord alone in their joys; for all who
waited for the Salvation of God to come out of Zion, [partly illegible] with
them, in the transporting raptures of that grand event. The Saviour came; the
heavens bore record that he was the Son of God. His star appeared in the
eastern sky, and the wise men were guided by it to the humble birth-place of
the King of Glory. Angels amazed looked on—beheld the condescension of the
blessed Redeemer. From his manger to his cross, he was treated by the
religionists of that age, as his truth and his people have been by the same class,
from that period to the present time. Loaded down with reproach, slandered,
derided, persecuted, and blasphemed, he was a man of sorrow and acquainted with
grief. To do and to suffer all that was written of him in the law, the prophets
and the Psalms, were his meat and drink, until he had accomplished all his
Father’s will; and then, with extended arms and bleeding heart, most solemnly
declared “It is finished!” and gave up the ghost.
Sinking down under the load of the transgressions of his
dearly loved people, he poured out his soul unto death,—was laid into his
grave, and suffered his sepulchre to be watched by a guard of soldiers; but at
the appointed morning unbarred the doors of death, and left the environs of the
new tomb. Begotten from the dead, his Father recognized him, “Thou art my Son,
this day have I begotten thee.” He ascended to God; he made himself known to
some of those for whom he died, and gave them assurance that he was risen
indeed, and become the First-fruits of them that slept. Henceforth he is seen
standing in triumph upon Mount Zion as the Lamb that was slain, and saying, “I
am he that was dead, and am alive; and behold I live for evermore, and have the
keys of hell and death.” Who that has tasted his love, felt the application of
his atoning blood, been clothed in his spotless righteousness, can contemplate
his advent, his life, death, and resurrection, and exaltation to the right hand
of the Majesty on high, with cold indifference, or need the revolving wheels of
time to bring about the season of the year in which it is customary to
interchange congratulations, or wish each other a “HAPPY NEW YEAR!”
Why should the enemies of our God, the persecutors of our
Saviour Jesus Christ, the despisers of his gospel, and those who hate his
people and his truth be more happy, that a new anniversary of the advent has
arrived? It cannot be because, that, by the constant stream of time they are
hurried on still nearer to the perdition of ungodly men; and certainly not
because they feel an interest in the Saviour’s cause, but it must be regarded
as an evidence of the blindness of the horrible state in which they are.
With this new year we are permitted to present our patrons
with a sheet of our new volume of the Signs of the Times. We need not
recapitulate all the difficulties we have had to encounter, and all the labors
and toils we have been sustained under; it is sufficient for the present to
say, that, “Having obtained help of God we continue.” Because our God changeth
not, we are not consumed; and because his mercy endureth forever, we are
encouraged to go on with our work.
At the commencement of our new volume, our brethren have a
right to expect us to state what are our prospects, our views and our feelings
in regard to our publication.
In regard to our prospects, we hope to be sustained, in a
pecuniary point of view, by the liberality of our friends in patronizing us, by
contributing as formerly to aid us in meeting the expenses of the work. We have
not the ability to print and publish a sheet like this, semi-monthly, without
the aid of our friends, nor do they expect it at our hands. It is for them we
labor; for them we first engaged in the work, and when they think proper to
withdraw their aid, the work must stop. We commenced our publication when there
was no other publication of the kind in the field, and when there was not
another brother of our order within our knowledge willing to hazard the expense
of getting up such a publication. We advised with such brethren as we knew to
be with us in sentiments, and they gave us all the encouragement they could to
go on.
When the first meeting ever called by the Old School
Baptists of the United States, was held at Black Rock, Baltimore co., Md., we
attended, and by vote of that meeting, our publication was recommended to the
favorable consideration of the Old order of Baptists throughout the country. It
was exceedingly doubtful, however, at that time, whether a sufficient support
could be obtained to meet one half the inevitable expense of the work: but with
the assurance of our brethren that they would exert themselves to sustain us,
we undertook. Our brethren redeemed their pledge, and with the assistance of
our enemies, whose violent opposition led them to publish us in their minutes
and other publications, and thereby advise the oppressed among them of our
undertaking, we were successful in our efforts. With much hard labor,
indefatigable perseverance and strict economy, we struggled through the first
three or four years of our toil, encountering the most severe embarrassments,
until at length we had obtained a subscription list of nearly 3,000 names, and
spreading over nearly all the states and territories belonging to our country.
Our paper in the mean time had been the means of making the Old order of
Baptists acquainted with each other throughout the United States, and formed a
defence against the inroads of religious innovations of those who bore our own
name. Thousands who had felt themselves left alone and forlorn, and like the
ancient prophet, had lamented that the Lord’s altars were thrown down, his
prophets killed and their own lives sought for, were visited out, comforted and
encouraged to buckle on their armor, and again face the enemy. From various
causes, our list of subscribers is reduced to about 2,000, and of that number
several hundred do not pay; some are supplied gratuitously, and others from
inability or neglect, omit to forward their dues. The patronage of our order is
now divided among several periodicals, which have been commenced subsequently
to ours, and our opposition to certain heresies which have obtained in some
sections of our wide spread country has had a tendency to circumscribe our
circulation. We do not wish to be understood as complaining of the existence of
other papers in the field, far from it:—if the same cause in which we are
engaged is subserved, if the same important truths which we have contended for
is asserted, and defended, it is of very little consequence by whom. It was not
for our convenience we were induced to embark in the work, and however much our
embarrassments may be increased by the multiplication of periodicals,
purporting to set forth the doctrine and order of Old School Baptists, we will
cheerfully hail as welcome cotemporaries, such as contend for the faith once
delivered to the saints.
We feel a desire that brother Jewett may be sustained, as we
feel convinced that his utmost energies are enlisted in behalf of Sion, and his
periodical will exert a healthful influence on the Old School Baptist cause.
The Primitive Baptist also publishes much solid truth, but (pardon us) we do
think that a periodical purporting to present the doctrine of the Old School
Baptists ought to be under the supervision of a member of our communion.
Of the “Western Predestinarian Baptist,” we have hitherto
forborne to remark; we have only seen a very few numbers, and have not been
able to form so distinct an opinion of it as we could wish. The wide spreading
heresy of what is termed the “Two seed doctrine,” ought to receive no
countenance from those who claim to be Old Fashioned Baptists. From the days of
John the Baptist until the days of Elder Daniel Parker, the doctrine was
unknown among the Baptists, and God has been considered the Creator of all things.
We doubt not that many well meaning brethren have been drawn into the error,
and some have withdrawn their subscriptions from our list because of our
opposition to the new theory, and others because we have refused to suffer our
columns to be filled with long articles written in defence of that absurd
theory. We have been complained of bitterly as being unfair to oppose that
theory and refuse its advocates the use of our columns for its defence. If the
two seed doctrine had ever been held as a part of the faith distinguishing the
Baptists of former ages, we should not feel at liberty to shut out the defence
of its advocates; but as it is a new theory among those who claim to be
Baptists, we treat it as we do the arminian, the Campbellite, and the Arian
heresy. And if our course should subject us to the loss of all our subscribers,
and in addition thereto to the loss of life itself, we cannot wink at, or in
any manner, directly or indirectly, countenance what we conceive to be involved
in that absurd doctrine.
We have no disposition to claim for ourself infallibility.
None can be more sensible of the imperfections which mark and mar all that we
say or do; but a sense of our weakness and liability to err, does not exonerate
us from the responsibility resting on us to oppose what we know to be a
departure from the simplicity of the gospel of Christ. Our desire is to contend
only for the Faith which was once delivered to the saints, both publicly and
privately, in the pulpit and through the press; but for the ability to do so we
are as dependent on God as are any of our brethren.
Finally, brethren, we close this introductory address by an
APPEAL TO YOU.
Are there not many among you, who by making a little extra
exertion, could double or triple the number of subscribers in your respective
neighborhoods, and thereby enable us to discharge all liabilities now standing
against this establishment; and greatly improve our paper; and last, but not
least, greatly enlarge the number of copies supplied to indigent brethren and
sisters who love to read, and have not the means to pay.
We are far from believing that it is time to throw off our
armor; the enemy still comes in like a flood, and it becomes us who have taken
a stand against the delusions of the times, to deport ourselves as good
soldiers of the cross of our illustrious Leader, and never yield one inch of
ground to the common foe. “Put yourselves in array against Babylon, round about
all ye that bend the bow; shoot at her, spare no arrows,” is the word of our
Commander. Let not a rag of her stolen livery remain to hide her abominable
iniquity.—“Take away her battlements, for they are not the Lord’s.” And as we
follow our Captain to the field of combat, let us cheer each other with words
of comfort; not forgetting that we have some in our ranks who have been sorely
bruised and wounded by the enemy; these need our care and sympathy, some young
recruits also which the Lord is bringing in require to be drilled and
encouraged. We have nothing to lose in this warfare, we have every thing to
stimulate us to press forward.
“The weakest saint shall win the day,
Though hell and death obstruct the way.”
We have the assurance of our God that the saints shall triumph through the
blood of the Lamb and the word of their testimony. Onward, then, ye soldiers of
the cross, to victory—
“And when our General, Christ shall come,
With sound of trumpet, (not of drum,)
And we’ll march up the heavenly street
And ground our arms at Jesus’ feet.”
As for ourself, we hope that our eleven years’ campaigns
have made us somewhat familiar with some of the devices of our old adversary,
and some of the base trickery of his legions; we feel disposed with all the
ability our Lord shall bestow, to stand to our post; and although “less than
the least of all saints,” record the progress of truth, and the exposure of
error.
