Christian herald., August 31, 1883, Page 5, Image 5

CHRISTIAN
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HERALD
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“ not been bom in periods of tran­ they are interesting; but as aids to years ago, and if you will descend before him to the light of day;
quility or of deep religious con­ human thought they are in most of and bring them up we shall give and he was not slow fo confess his
bakshish 1” fears. “ Never mind,” cried Mor-
sciousness. They are weapons of their contents gone into disuse. you a handsome
war, offensive and defensive. And They are gravestones which mark “ Bakshish !” said the Arabs, kind­ decai to him from the top, on ob-
so far from producing unity of be­ the tombs of dead
ling at the soumL J' if tbere..!? 1&. jerving^his alarm, “ you will get up
lief their meridan line has been the ‘ There is but one road to Chris­ be a bakshish in the case, we must by thehelpbftheGod of Jacob.”
central line of storms. This was tian unity. It is in turning the have it, for we are the lords of the He betook himself again to prayer,
certain to be from their very struc­ back upon formularies of doctrine land.” “ Well, down you go,” said in which he continued for a much
ture and method.
They were which are not authoritative, which we, throwing the rope over their longer time than Wore his descent.
stringent, unelastfc,without 'pro“' are valuable only or chiefly «»his­ shoulders, “ and you shall haYC.the When we got him in motion, he
vision far .growth*..,. They tussumed torical landmarks, and going back bakshish.” “ Nay, verily,” said dangled very uncomfortably mlfie
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to be the voice of bodies of men to the one creed which is a unifier tliey,“^
collectively divinely inspired, and, because it is a simple statement of Jacob do what he pleases.” Jacob cutting of the rope next his arm­
n a modified sense, infallible.
historical Christianity, not a com­ was ready at our command; and pits. By and by he became silent
4. Thus constituted, creeds have plicated philosophy of the universe. when he had tied the rope round We found it no easy matter to get
ut themselves in the place of the If there ever is a church universal, his body, below the shoulders,' he him pulled up, and we had to keep
ible. Under a plea of interpret- with a common faith, the symbol of received our parting instructions. the rope from the edge of the well,
sacred Scripture they have that faith will be, if not in exact We asked him to call out to us the lest it should snap asunder. When
emanded of the faithful that phraseology, at least in spirit and moment he should arrive at the he came into our hands he was
ley shall see the Scripture only essence’, the Apostles’ Creed. It is surface of the water, and told him unable to speak, and we laid him
rough the creed. Even to-day the earliest; the nearest the Master; we should so hold the rope as to down on the margin of the well,
clergyman on trial for heresy in the simplest and purest; unstained prevent him from sinking if there that he might collect his breath.
ial church by bleed—of persecution nr smoke, was any considerable depth of the “ Where is the backshish ?” were
uld be allowed to defend bin?- of battle; the unquestioned faith element. Wo told him also to puli "first words fie üttëreJ on regaining
f by showing that the creed and of the Christian church universal.— out one of the candles with which his faculty of speech. It was im­
he had stored his breast, and to mediately forthcoming to the extent
Bible were at ^disagreement, Christian Union.
. of about a sovereign, to his fullest
not lawful in a church court
At Jacob’s Well.
As he looked into the fearful pit on satisfaction. A similar sum we
appeal from the creed to the
lc. A licentiate in swearing to
On arriving at Jacob’s Well, we the brink of’ which he stood, terror distributed among onr Arab attend­
pt the creed agrees to regard it found the mouth of it, which is in took hold of him, and he betook ants. The book from having been
¡. the substance of Scripture, the middle of the ruins of a church, himself to prayer in the Hebrew so long stepped in water and mud
s that began merely as expos­ by which it was formerly sur­ tongue. We, of course, gave him below, was with the exception of
er became mandatory. When mounted, covered by two large no interruption in his solemn exer­ the boards, reduced to a pulp, in
E Church held the State in its stones. These we were unable to cises, as, in the circumstances of the our effort to recover it we had as­
s, the creeds became arbiter of remove ; but a half dozen sturdy case, we could not but admire the certained the depth of the well,
s liberty, property, and life, Arabs, from a small Hamlet close spirit of the* devotion which he which Î3 exactly 75 feet. Its diam­
sands have been slaughtered by, did the needful for us, in ex­ evinced. On a signal given, we lcf eter is about 9 feet It is entirely
enying the dogma of transub- pectation, of course, of a due re­ him go. The Arabs assisted in hewn out of the solid rock, and is
iation.
ward. The opening over the well holding the ropes, and we took care a work of great labor. It bears
us creeds which misinterpreted is an orifice in a dome or arch, less pthat he should descend as gently as marks about it of the greatest an­
cripture, which were full of than two feet in diameter. Our possible. When-our material was tiquity. “The well is deep,” w’as
| philosophy, which were based Samaritan friend was the first to .nearly exhausted he called out, “ 1 the description given in by the
false and mental philosophy and enter. He held by a piece of rope, haVc reached the bottom ; and it is Woman of Samaria to our Lord.
Hkions of civil government now which we kept in our hands, till, at present scarcely covered with It still, as now noticed, has the
iiated or utterly perished, swinging himself across the mouth water.” Forthwith he kindled his same character, although, to a con­
proved audacious, despotic, of the well, probably so-called, he light; and, that he might have siderable extent, it is, perhaps filled
ruel.. Protestant creeds have* found footing on the margin of the every advantage, we threw him with the stones that are thrown
Bd less authority, but have excavation over which the dome kown a quantity of dry sticks, with into it to sound it by travelers and
ed upon the liberty of men by extends. Mr. Smith and myself, which he made a blaze, which dis­ pilgrims.— Dr. Wilsons “ Lands of
influences iq, a manner dispensing with the superfluous tinctly showed us the whole of the the Bible."
ly less cruel than if it had parts of our dresses, followed his well, from the top to the bottom.
John Knox's Courtship.
estrained by the civil govern- example, the Jew, Mordecai, keep­ We saw the end of the rope at the
A curious anecdote of Knox’s
ing fast hold of the rope, till, with lower part ; and we put a knot
upon
it
at
the
margin
above,
that
marriage to Lord Ochiltree’s daugh­
h has l>een the change in the the assistance of Jacob, we got a
we
might
have
the
exact
measure
ter
is contained in a letter written
The
nd methods of human thought firm footing beside him.
reeds have lost much of their Arabs, entered, one after the other, ment when Jacob might come up. by Mr. Robert Miller, minister of
rity and significance. Men without difficulty. All within was, After searching for about five Paisley, to Wodrow, the historian
no not believe them will not hitherto darkness, but by the aid of minutes for the Bible among the of the sufferings of the Church of
[e them. Tho spirit of the a pocket of lucifers, we lighted our stones and mud at the bottom, our Scotland, dated November 15,1722,
oes not express itself in them, candles, and were able to look down kind friend joyfully cried out, “ It It is as follows :
We were
John Knox, before the night of
light in seminaries they are the well to a considerable depth. is found ! it is found
partially abandoned in active, It was now time to disclose our ■•not slow, it may be supposed, in the Reformation broke up, traveled
■1 life. Tin y are crumbling plan of operations to our native giving him our congratulations. among several honest families in
■ties, no longer holding the attendants. " Jacob,” said we, “ a The prize he carefully put into his the west of Scotland, who were
■orhood in subjection, and so friend of ours; an English traveler breast ; and then he declared his converts to the Protestant religion.
■ited that they no longer are and minister (the Rev. Andrew readiness, with our aid, to make Particularly he visited oft Lord
■ed, and the guns are gone Bonar, of Collace,) dropped the five thé ascent. Ready, however, he Ochiltree’s family, preaching the
■)•“ garrison. As a part of books of Moses and other inspired was not to move. He was evidlkt- gospel privately to those who were
■tory of the human mind records into this well, about three ty muc11 frightened at the journey willing to receive it. The lady
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