Lexington weekly intelligencer. (Lexington, Mo.) 1871-1887, 1876-11-11
l BAPTIST BROTHER GIVES HIS
OPINION ABOUT THE PRES
BYTERIANS.

was a stranger. Hence, he thought 1t
necessary to announce himself, which
he did as ''Old Club AK Davis. from
Scriven county, HalfHard and Halt
Soft Shell Baptist.
II have given myself that name,"
said he, because l believe the Lord
elected me from all eternity to go ahead
in the backwoods and grub out a path
and blaze the way for other men to fol-
low. After the ulickest oft is cut away,
u good warm Methodist brother will
come along and take my trail, and
make things little smoother and a good
deal noisier. And after all the under
brush is cleared out, and the owls and
wolves are skeered back, and rattle
snakes is killed off, 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 despisc
Il larnt man, even when he don't dress
and think as ! do. You couldn't pay
me enough to wear broadcloth, summer
nor winter, and you couldn't pay Il
Presbyterian brother enough to 90 with
out 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,
He makes man and puts him in 1T.
When He wanted General jackson, He
made him, and set him to tightin, 1n]uns
and English; when He wanted George
Whitfield, He made him for to blow the
gospel trumpet as no other man ever
blowed it; and when He wanted Old
Club-Ax Davis, He made him, and set
him to grubbin' in the backwoods.
"But my shell isn't SO hard but 1 can
see good pints in everybody; and az tor
the Presbyterians, they are long way
ahead of us Baptists and Methodists in
some things. They raise their chill
dren 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, was born a Meth
odist, was raised Methodist, and by
the grace of God hope to die Meth
odist; but, thank God, I've got Presby-
terian wife to raise my children And
l believe, my brethren, it the Lord
should open the way for me to marry
again, I'd try my best to find Presby-
terian woman, and run my chances OF
breakin' her into the saving doctrines OF
feet-washin' and immersion afterwards. -
Just at this point he was interrupted
by two spotted hounds that had been
continually running up and down the
pulpit-stairs. One Of them jumped up
on the seat and began to gnaw his coat;
tail, in which was something he had
brought along for lunch. He turned
slowly around, and took him by the
ears and tail and threw him out of the
window behind him. as easily as if it had
been young kitten. The other took
warning, and got out as rapidly as
possible, though not without hoWllne
and yelping as if it had been half killed.
He then turned to the audience, anC
said, smilingly: s'St. Paul exhorted the
brethren to Beware ofdogs.' wonder
what he would do if he were in my place
this morning. 1t appears like | an
'compassed about with dogs as Davie
says he was"
l. He had scarcely commenced preach
ing again before there was terrible
squeaIing and kicking among the mule:
and horses that were tied to the tree
close by. He put his head out of tn,
. window, and said '.No harm done. my
brethren. Just cretur with a side-sad
| die on has broke loose. Will som'
| DEOLu6I ucdu Iu6 AOl Nv 5AosS
can walk home this hot day"
Quiet being restored, he continued
"Weil, my brethren, l will now try
to say what l allowed to about tn
, Presbyterians.
LAS l said before, they raise theil
children heap better than we do. The.
) behave better in church, and keel
Sunday better, and read the Bible ant
larn the catechism better than ours dc
: declare, my brethren, their childrel
larn that Westminster Catechism b.
the time they can begin to talk plain.
.. ut amt three weeks since l was ou
tle-huntin'-fo two of my yearlin'
had strayed off; and l stopped in a
old Brother Harkey's, on Mud Greek
and took dinner. He's deacon in tn
. Presbyterian church over thar. We'll
] as true as stand here, brethren. Siste
Earkey had her little gal a-standin' righ
, before her, with toes just even with thu
, crack O the floor, and her hands wus
hangin' down by her side, and her mout
e turned up like chicken when it drinks
and she putin this question to her on
) O. that Catechism:
r What are the benefits which in thi
life do either accompany or flow iron
Justification, adoption, and sanctlfica
tion?'
Now, the question itself was enougl
to break the child down. But when sh
had to begin and say that question Al
5 over (for that's the way 1t was in tn
book and then hitch the answer to il
t and which all put together made this
> The benefits which in this life do eithe
; accompany or flow from justification
J adoption, and sanctificatlon are peac
) of conscience, Joy IN the Holy Ghost
t increase of grace, and perseverance
therein to the end'-I thought the chill
was the greatest wonder I'll ever seel
in all my life. She tuck it right through
too, without balkin' or missin' the firs
word. And she spoke so sweet and sh
looked SO like a little angel that betor
. l knowed it the tears wasa runnin' dow
my cheeks as big as buck shot. Fv
l seen the day when could have maule,
and split thousan' rails quicker an
easier than could larnt that thing an,
said it off like she did.
"Now, my brethren, that child didn'
understand or know the meanin' of on
word O. that. 1t put me up to all l knew
to take it in myself. But just let tha
ASoo} eSiie1h = yooh5 ua ~" oP' oh'
every word of that Catechism will com
back to her, and her character will stii
, fen up under it, and she'll have the back
bone OF the matter in her tor life.
"Now, ] can't put things into IN
children that way. Nothin' don't stay
, somehow. It's like drivin' nail into
rotton log"
This last remark never forgot. Fo
, thirty years af1erward, rs l would stan,
= at the blackboard trying to fix rules an
principles in the mind Of a dull pupil
this remark would come back to me
; with its peculiar pertinency.
IL tell you, my BRETHREN" he contin
ued, "if our children had y little NOR
e Catechism, and the Presbyterians Ii,
; tie less, it would be better for both"
: "Ihen we dom pray in our families
+ like they do. L know their prayers ar
, mighty long. and they pray all owe
e creation; but, after all. it's the righ