THE 'HE South African Baptist Union reports 34 or 35 churches, 34 pastors, II missionaries, 44 church buildings and 3,430 members. One of the churches is located in Pretoria, the capital of the South African Republic, and others are located in Johannesburg, Kimberley, Pietermaritzburg, and other places brought into prominence in the present war in South Africa. As we read the reports of the war in the daily papers, perhaps we have not before thought sufficiently of our Baptist brethren, whose homes and lives are imperiled in the present contest. The last annual meeting of the Union was held in Pretoria, and an address of welcome was delivered by President Kruger, Staats President of the South African Republic. Our readers will be interested to read his address. BROTHERS, SISTERS, and Reverend Gentlemen: I call you brothers and sisters because you believe with me in Christ. When I see how the gospel is being spread, I think of the words, "How beautiful are the feet of those who bring messages of peace." Those words are dear to me, and I rejoice to see the fulfilment of the Word. This is the peace which our Lord Jesus Christ brought to us. Who can describe the inward feeling of the disciples when the angels brought the tidings, "Christ has risen from the dead"? for it meant the salvation of the sinner from the bonds of sin. After that first Easter, the apostles spoke to every one in his own tongue. Churches were founded, and the gospel began to be preached among all the nations of the earth. And if we look at the events which have taken place, under the guidance of the Almighty, since that period, then we see that it was the dawn of a new era in the history of the world. Notwithstanding that the unbelievers persecuted the Christians, the course of the gospel could not be impeded, and although subordinate differences arose between the churches-the one understanding the Word in a different sense from the other the Christians became more and more united by the one great subject; and, as long as the churches adhere to the Word of God and Jesus Christ, they will continually grow in unanimity as regards the way in which the gospel must be understood; and I believe that the day will come to pass when all will understand it in the same light; then all will unite to work together for the suppression of sin, and the churches will be one and indivisible. Then the four angels, spoken of in the Apocalypse, as standing at the four corners of the world, will prevent the winds from damaging a single treethe trees representing the Churches on the earth, which will not be destroyed. John said: "And there was war in heaven," but Satan will be bound and cast into the pit that the churches may be sealed, and then comes the glorious state of the Church, the return of the Jews, the ingathering of the heathen, and all who shall be saved will then be in—and this will be the whole Israel who have struggled against sin. For this reason I am glad that I have been able to come here - to see and to feel that peace is preached also in this church in the name of Christ. I am glad to think of the day when all Christians will understand the Word of God in the same light, and the gospel of our Lord will be proclaimed all over the world. In the meantime we can always coöperate in love and peace, and where we differ we can always argue with each other in all brotherly love. As far as I know, the Baptist churches preach the peace of Jesus Christ, and therefore they teach the true salvation. My desire is that every one in this Republic should preach the gospel so that the name of my Savior and the everlasting gospel may be uplifted and made known to all who walk in the darkness and the shadow of death- to every nation and kindred, tongue and people -until the time shall come when every one will understand the Word of God. This is what I wish also for the Baptist church. Amen. R EV. JONAS GODUKA was formerly a minister of the Wesleyan Conference in Durban, Natal, but in 1892 he began to preach independently at Blikana, Herschel, and traveled through Fingoland, the Bashee river district, and Queenstown, preaching the gospel. The religious societies which he organized were known as The African Native Church. A number of societies or churches were formed under his preaching; and Mr. Goduka still continues to travel through the districts of Cape Colony, as well as in Basutoland, having been appointed as superintendent or presiding pastor, by the elders or leaders of these churches. It appears that Mr. Goduka's views had become similar to those held by Baptist churches, which led to his separation from the Wesleyan connection. He was, however, ignorant at that time that there were other churches holding substantially the same views in the world, but he arrived at his conclusions from the independent study of the Scriptures. Later, learning in regard to the Baptist churches in South Africa, he addressed the following circular to The African Native Church: FRIENDS: When I learned from a letter of one of the Baptist missionaries in Cape Town that they, the Baptist missionaries, are prepared to baptize all persons who were baptized by being sprinkled instead of immersion, I was at once led to study anew the New Testament writings, that I might be able to defend our own practice of sprinkling. I sought arduously to find authority in Scriptures for sprinkling as baptism. While I was studying in this manner it finally appeared to me that the Baptist position is right and impressive, and that baptism by immersion is clearly taught in the inspired writ ings; vide Matthew iii, 6; Mark i, 9; John iii, 23; Acts ii, 38, 39; Romans vi, 4; Col. ii, 12. Moreover, I find that all men the most profoundly skilled in the original language of Scripture and in the history of the Christian church, agree in stating that the term “baptizo” means to dip or to immerse, and that the primitive baptism was by immersion. (Riddle, "Christian Antiquities," etc.) Also I perceive that the Rev. John Wesley refused at Savannah in America to baptize other than [by] immersion. By greeting I close here. NEW LOCATION, QUEENSTOWN, Aug. 26, 1899. I am, dear friends, JONAS GODUKA. This circular was printed both in English and Kaffir. On a recent visit of the Rev. Chas. S. Morris to South Africa, in pursuance of his purpose to investigate the conditions of industrial mission work in various parts of that continent, he met with Rev. Jonas Goduka and various pastors of the Native African Church. They were much interested in their conversation with him, and in learning that in America there are large numbers of churches composed of the descendants of African ancestors, who hold the same views as themselves. A conference was arranged, which was held at New Location, Queenstown, on Sept. 6, 1899, at which, by invitation, Mr. Morris addressed the conference in regard to the views of Baptist churches in America, and answered many questions, and all apparently in the most satisfactory manner, since the fol To the Rev. C. S. Morris, Queenstown. DEAR BROTHER: Whereas, By God's grace, we the undersigned officers of the sect known as The African Native Church, have comprehended by persistent studying that baptism by immersion is clearly taught in the Word of God; And, Whereas, It has appeared to us that persons the most profoundly skilled in the orignal language of Scripture and history of the Christian Church agree in their rendering of the term "baptizo," that it means to dip or to immerse; and moreover, as we observe that in the primitive times baptism was performed by immersion; And, Whereas, We are strongly persuaded that the New Testament churches were independent of each other in their internal affairs and management, in which persuasion we are emphatically sustained by our brother missionaries, as well as by our leading deacons and other office-bearers of our churches; Therefore, Loyalty to the Scriptures compels us to adopt the Baptist views on the subject of baptism, as well as on that of independency of churches as to internal affairs. It is our fervent wish to promote the Christian religion in these parts, working together with you, and we pray that we may be accepted into the fellowship of your church on the abovesaid conditions. Our denomination is composed as follows: We have 13 ordained ministers and 5 on trial. We have 17 churches attended by 817 communicants, and 444 members on trial, there being a good number of adherents in each case. There are to day-schools, some of which enjoy the Government Grant. Sunday-schools are observed in some of our churches. In doctrine we agree with the Evangelical Christians. In conclusion we cordially request you to accept this humble address of ours as a small token of the high regard and esteem we have for you, and our heartfelt appreciation of the just cause you are bent on diffusing in our midst. May the one in whose vineyard you are called to work bless you. We are, Reverend Sir, your dutiful servants in the Lord, NEW LOCATION, QUEENSTOWN, Sept. 6, 1899. JONAS GODUKA, Presiding Pastor. In pursuance of this address twenty-eight pastors and representatives of these seventeen churches were baptized by Mr. Morris, and we are pleased to present a view of some of this extraordinarily interesting group. Subsequently the pastors and others dispersed to their various churches filled with enthusiasm, and with the intention of spreading the news, which had so providentially come to them, among their members; and there is little question but what all the churches will follow their leaders in adopting the distinctively Baptist position with which their views are already in substantial accord. It is proposed to change the name of this group of churches from "The African Native Church" to "The African Baptist Church.” To those who have followed the course of the history of Baptist missions and the extension of Baptist principles throughout the various countries of the world, this will recall the conversion of Judson and his wife, and their baptism in the Lal Bazar chapel at Calcutta, the baptism of Johann G. Oncken and his associates at midnight, in the river Elbe, near Hamburg, and other epochal events of the same ΟΝ NE of the curiosities of history is the divergence between the moral standards in the conduct of the British Government and the British people toward other peoples. The conduct of the Government of Great Britain in its foreign relations has almost uniformly been arbitrary, unjust and unworthy of the ruling power of a Christian nation; and the only thing which has reconciled right-minded people to its course, has been the equally uniform manner in which the British people have followed up the conquests of their government, and made them tell for righteousness, liberty and Christianity. From the time the East India Company attempted to banish Adoniram Judson from India, to the recent refusal of Lord Kitchener to allow Christian missionaries in the Egyptian Sudan, the course of the British Government has been one of hostility to Christian missions, until compelled to modify it by the demands of public opinion. The Government of India gave its official sanction to the corrupt and debasing public ceremonials of India, until forced to withdraw by the pressure of public indignation. The present governor of Sierra Leone has bestowed his official sanction and encouragement on a Moslem college just established and expressed himself as desiring the spread of Mohammedanism throughout all western Africa, and the plans of the Church Missionary Society for sending missionaries to Khartum and opening a line of mission stations from Egypt to Uganda have been frustrated by the action of the Sirdar, Lord Kitchener. But we know from the history of the past that these are only temporary reverses. The great free Christian spirit of the British people will override the arbitrary narrowness of their officials, and, as in the past, the British flag will mean liberty and Christianity wherever it flies. T The Current of Religious Thought in Japan is indicated by the comments on the appearance of a new religious magazine called the Saugan (Three Eyes), designed to uphold Shintoism, Buddhism and Confucianism, and to oppose Christianity. The new periodical is treated with almost universal contempt by the leading periodicals, both literary and religious. It is called "out of date," "opposed to progress," and inconsistent, because the three creeds which it advocates have no affinity, and their opposition to Christianity is the only thing they have in common. Apparently the new venture only serves to emphasize the obsolete condition of the class of thought it aims to represent. T The Death of Rev. W. I. Price, we learn from letters from Henzada, Burma, occurred through a sad mistake in taking medicine. His strength was much diminished by application to his work, and rising early one morning in a feverish condition, he took a pill, of quinine as he supposed, but really one from a box of strychnine pills which he had procured for use among the hordes of dogs which infest the towns of Burma. He at once discovered his mistake, and hastening to a physician was relieved of the poison, but in his weakened condition, his system was unable to endure the nervous shock and drain on his vitality. So passed away one of God's most faithful missionaries. |