Tag Archives: Freebies

Free Brotherhood Periodicals

Among the items that Jimmie Beller (for whom the free eLibrary is named) kept and enjoyed, there was a special place for brotherhood periodicals, journals, magazines, or whatever you would like to call them.  He had a good-sized collection of them when he passed away.

Today, we are presenting a couple of them for your perusal.

The Expositor

Edited by Winfred Clark, the one copy of this periodical that we have contains two full-length sermon outlines.  One on 2 Peter 3, and the other on the Ruth, chapter one.

The Expositor (May 1982)

The Bible Way

This short-lived periodical (lasting 3 years) was a 4-page endeavor, edited by Ken Butterworth and John Shaver.  The only issue we have in our possession appears to be the final one.

The Bible way (November 1986)

Like yesterday, these periodicals are scanned and presented as they originally appeared.  We hope you find them useful and edifying.

-Bradley S. Cobb

First Century Christian

First Century Christian

In the 1980s and 1990s, Roy J. Hearn and others put together a periodical called “First Century Christian.”  It was a very good paper, with lots of good articles and well-known writers adorning its pages.  It has long been out of print and unavailable to most people.

We have located a handful of issues (eleven, to be exact), and with permission, have scanned them and are making them available for FREE in the Jimmie Beller Memorial eLibrary.  But you can also download each of them straight from this post by clicking the links below.

Just a note: Unlike most of our other offerings, these files are the actual scans.  We’ve not done any editing, converting, proofreading, or anything like that.  So, what you see in these files are exactly what you would have seen if you had subscribed to First Century Christian years ago.

Without further elaboration, we bid you ENJOY!

First Century Christian (January 1993)

First Century Christian (October 1991)

First Century Christian (May 1991)

First Century Christian (November 1991)

First Century Christian (July 1991)

First Century Christian (December 1991)

First Century Christian (June 1992)

First Century Christian (July 1992)

First Century Christian (September 1992)

First Century Christian (March 1992)

First Century Christian (May 1992)

-Bradley S. Cobb

What does the Southern Baptist Convention have to do with slavery?

Last month, we made available a couple Baptist history books in the Jimmie Beller Memorial eLibrary (to read our explanation of why we did it, read here).  We received some encouraging comments from posting those books, and so we are going to give you another one, which we truly think you will find worthwhile.

If you’re wondering what all this has to do with the title of today’s post, keep reading.

Today’s free book is called “A History of the Baptists in the Southern States.”  It was written by Benjamin Franklin (B.F.) Riley, a noted Baptist professor, back in 1898, and was published by the American Baptist Publication Society.  In other words, this is a purely Baptist book, not one written by someone with an agenda against them.

Southern States(0)

It is important that we note that, because some of the things he writes about are things which most modern-day Baptists don’t know–and many would probably staunchly deny.  For example, there is an entire chapter on how slavery, and the south’s defense of it, was the reason why the Southern Baptist Convention was created.  There is another entire chapter on the Baptist Church and the Negro, in which it is stated that if not for slavery, black people would be barbarians.  Add to that a section dealing with Alexander Campbell, and an explanation of several of the different Baptist branches (Freewill, Primitive, Two-seed-in-the-spirit Predestinarians, Seventh-Day Baptists, and more), and you have a book that is well worth reading.

As always, we have taken this book and completely reformatted it, adding footnotes where necessary, and given it a thorough proofreading.

This book is FREE in the Jimmie Beller Memorial eLibrary, or you can purchase a copy of this new edition in print from Amazon here.

To read it online, or to download for later reading, simply click the link below.

History of the Baptists in the Southern States (eBook)

-Bradley S. Cobb

So, we’ve missed a month… have a gift on us.

I’m sure you’ve noticed, but we haven’t posted anything new for about a month now.  I could rattle off a lot of different things that have happened which kept me from getting things done here, but the gist of it is that we’ve been swamped with life, work, and death here locally.  And with everything going on, pressing for my time and attention, something had to give for a while, and posting new material here was the victim.

But we’re back!

So, today we’ve got a new freebie for you, and tomorrow we’ve got a GREAT BIG ANNOUNCEMENT!

I’m really trying to hold my tongue (so to speak) on what we’ve got in the works (and it involves some material that has never before been available ANYWHERE–and some of it is going to be free!).  So, please check back in tomorrow for the big announcement!

Today’s freebie is pertinent, considering the political divide in our country.  One one side, you have people calling capitalism and free enterprise “evil,” and on the other side, you have people who point to Socialism as “evil.”

In 1951, Dr. James D. Bales presented a lecture at Harding College, entitled “Christ and the Problem of Private Ownership of Property in the Present-Day World.”  In this lecture, Bales addresses the biblical evidence regarding ownership of property, and shows how it applies to the economic systems of Free Enterprise and Socialism, and shows which system fits with biblical commands.

We have taken the time to proofread and reformat this lecture for you, just like always!  To read online, or to download for later perusal, simply click the link below!

The Right of Private Property (James D. Bales)

-Bradley S. Cobb

Freebies for the New Year

First, allow me to apologize.  The day after Christmas, I wrote that a book called “Origin of the Disciples of Christ” was available as a free download in the Jimmie Beller Memorial eLibrary.  Well, I meant for it to be there, but apparently I didn’t get it done.

It is there now (look under “Restoration Movement”).

But there are also a couple other free books added to the Library, that I want to tell you about.  And these might seem strange, so I’m telling you about them now, so you’ll understand why we are posting them.

First, there is a book called “A History of the Rise and Progress of the Baptists in Virginia.”  It was originally written in 1809, and then updated in 1894 (or thereabouts).  It gives some of the history of a man named Jacob Creath Sr., who later left the Baptist Church to simply be a Christian.  His nephew, Jacob Creath Jr., is one of the best-known gospel preachers of the second half of the 1800s.

Virginia Baptists

In addition to Mr. Creath, there is random mentions of others who left the Baptist Church to join “the Reformers” or “the views of A. Campbell.”  That is, some of the men described in this book left the Baptist Church in order to simply follow the Bible, and become a Christian as those in the Bible did.

Also, and this is perhaps the most interesting feature of this book, it gives some tidbits about the doctrinal stances of many of the first Baptist Churches in Virginia.  And this may surprise you.  Most of them were decidedly not Calvinistic at all.  They rejected the idea of the direct operation of the Holy Spirit, and asked men to respond to the gospel of Jesus Christ.  Not only that, but several times in this book, allusion is made to baptism being required in order to be made right with God.  That is, it sure reads like they taught baptism was for the remission of sins, in order to be saved.

Secondly, there is a book titled “A History of the Baptists in the Middle States,” by Henry C. Vedder. You might start scratching your head here, too, but let me explain.

BaptistsMiddleStates

In this book, there is a chapter on controversies, and the first half is dedicated to the Restoration Movement’s effect on the Baptist Church in the 1820s and 30s.  For the most part, Mr. Vedder is fair with the discussion, even stating that his Baptist brethren were ignorant for taking issue with Alexander Campbell’s Sermon on the Law (which can be found in Historical Documents Advocating Christian Union, also free in the Jimmie Beller library).

In addition, he mentions very plainly that the first Baptist Churches in New York were very anti-Calvinistic as well.

It is very interesting that the Baptist churches of today in those areas are descended from men who they would call heretics.  But it may just be the other way around…

Both of these books can be found in the “Church History” section of the Jimmie Beller Memorial eLibrary.

-Bradley S. Cobb

Post-Christmas Freebies

We’ve got some new free stuff for you!

front-cover

This book contains the most important documents of the early Restoration Movement writers, as well as a couple second and third generation writings.

*The Last Will and Testament of the Springfield Presbytery (Barton W. Stone)
*The Declaration and Address (Thomas Campbell)
*The Sermon on the Law (Alexander Campbell)
*Our Position (Isaac Errett)
*The World’s Need of Our Plea (J.H. Garrison)

Also included are introductions to each document/writer by Charles A. Young.

origindisciplescover1

William Whitsitt was a Baptist professor whose stated purpose was to prove that the church of Christ (known popularly as “the Disciples of Christ”) was nothing more than the offspring of the Sandemanians, a group which Baptists and some others had labelled as heretics years earlier.  George W. Longan, a preacher of the gospel, wrote a book of in reply, exposing the ludicrous reasoning (if such it could be called) of Whitsitt, and made it abundantly clear by also including scathing reviews of Whitsitt’s book–reviews that were written by his own Baptist brethren!

Updated, with a whole bunch of brand-new footnotes by yours truly.

BOTH of these books are now available in the Jimmie Beller Memorial eLibrary (look under the “Restoration Movement” heading).

-Bradley S. Cobb

The Preacher Who was Kicked out of the Church…

martindale-elijah

Elijah Martindale, a pioneer preacher of the 1800s, was quite an interesting character.  If you read the free preview edition of the Quarterly (you can download it here), then you got to read some of the interesting things that happened in his life, including the fact that he was kicked out of the church that he was preaching for…

because he preached the truth on baptism and salvation.

There are a lot of interesting things that happened in this man’s life, and we only touched a few of them in the Quarterly.  But today, we are giving you a much fuller picture.

Today’s addition to the absolutely free Jimmie Beller Memorial eLibrary is The Autobiography and Sermons of Elijah Martindale.  Take a look at what you can read in this free eBook:

  • Chapter I.
    Birth and Early Training — Emigration to Ohio — To Indiana — Indian Troubles — Returning a Second Time to Our New Home — Religious Impressions.
  • Chapter II.
    Marriage — Deep Conviction for Sin — Christian Experience and Baptism — A Journey with William Stubbs — Uniting with the Newlight Church.
  • Chapter III.
    Ordained to the Ministry — First Sermon — Poverty and Persecution — Mourners Uncomforted — Preaching Near New Lisbon — Flattery.
  • Chapter IV.
    The Jerusalem Doctrine Calls Down Persecution — Voted Out of the New House — Some Things Lacking — Controversial Preaching — Ministers Exhorted to Faithfulness.
  • Chapter V.
    Preaching the Gospel — Desire for Union — Love for the Erring — Zeal of the Old Preachers
  • Chapter VI.
    Preaching Near Middletown.
  • Chapter VII.
    Preaching at Bentonville.
  • Chapter VIII.
    A Flourishing Church at Hillsboro.

Sermons and Articles

  • Chapter IX.
    On Family Training.
  • Chapter X.
    The Gospel Invitation.
  • Chapter XI.
    A Sermon on Supporting the War
  • Chapter XII.
    Sermon On Prayer.
  • Chapter XIII.
    Letter To Church Members.
  • Chapter XIV.
    Object And Form Of Local Churches.
  • Chapter XV.
    On Exhortation.
  • Chapter XVI.
    Parable Of The Ten Virgins.
  • Chapter XVII.
    Religion And Politics.
  • Chapter XVIII.
    Where Is The True Church Of Christ?.
  • Chapter XIX.
    Letter To My Brother John.
  • Chapter XX.
    Extract From Speech Delivered At An Old Settlers’  Meeting At New Castle, Ind.
  • Chapter XXI.
    Sermon delivered at the Christian Chapel, New Castle, April 13, 1873.
  • Song I Used To Hear My Father Sing.
  • A Brief Excerpt Of The History Of The Martindale Family In America.

I found this to be a very interesting read, and I think you will too.  It’s not that long–actually only 67 pages.

If you like the church, the truth, conflict, and history, you’ll get all of it in this book that we’ve proofread, reformatted, and made into a nice-looking eBook just for you!

Read it online, or download it for later reading by clicking the link below:

Autobiography and Sermons of Elder Elijah Martindale

-Bradley S. Cobb

Three Free Books

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I hope that caught your attention.  We were busy last week and didn’t get as many books added to the Jimmie Beller Memorial eLibrary as we wanted, so we’re making up for it this week!

Today, we’re adding three more books for your enjoyment!  And here they are:

The Gospel and Its Elements

By James Challen, this book could be called a doctrinal history of the Restoration Movement.  By that, I mean that he writes about the biblical doctrines and practices pleaded for (without mentioning the names of anyone involved) by people like Alexander Campbell, Walter Scott, James Challen, and others.

To download it, just click the link below:

The Gospel and Its Elements (James Challen)

A Primitive Missionary Church

Written by H.L. Hastings (a big name in the late 1800s for his fight against atheists and skeptics), this sermon is all about the church in Thessalonica.  While we might not agree with everything he says, it is a worthwhile read–and it isn’t that long.  The download link is below:

A Primitive Missionary Church (H.L. Hastings)

The Disciples of Christ in Illinois and Their Attitude Toward Slavery

Originally given as a lecture before the Illinois State Historical Society in 1913, N.S. Haynes presented his manuscript for publication in their official minutes.  It gives a very brief history of the Restoration Movement, then a brief history of how the Restoration made its way into Illinois, and then briefly shows the attitude of many of the brethren in the state toward slavery prior to the Civil War.  It is an interesting historical piece, and we have taken the liberty to correct a few historical errors that the author made (with notations of what was changed appearing in footnotes).

You can download it and read it here:

Disciples of Christ in Illinois and Their Attitude Toward Slavery

-Bradley S. Cobb

The 1957 Lipscomb College Bible Lectures

We are sorry for not getting more posted this week.  We will be making up for that next week, where each daily post from Tuesday through Friday will (Lord willing) contain multiple additions to the Jimmie Beller eLibrary to finish celebrating the one-year anniversary.

We spent the early part of this week at the hospital with one of the families from the congregation here in McLoud.  Kitty Patterson, a wonderful friend and sister in Christ, was hospitalized last week, and the doctors discovered a 4-inch cancer that ended up getting into her stomach, intestines, and colon.  They gave her no chance of surviving the surgery, but through the prayers of her Christian family, she came through it with flying colors.  She will be hospitalized for close to another week, and then will have to be in a rehab center for several weeks while she recovers.

I know you’ll understand when I say that being there for her and her family was tops on our priority list, and getting new posts done fell by the wayside until today.

And now, on to our new addition to the Jimmie Beller Memorial eLibrary.

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What we are giving you today is a series of lessons, given by some very prominent preachers of the last century.  It is the 1957 David Lipscomb College Bible Lectures (Part 1).  I don’t know if a part 2 was ever published, but if it was, I don’t have a copy of it.  🙂

If you’d like to know what is contained in this eBook, you have two choices: download it and read it, or just look below.

Contents

  1. The Hope Of The World (John H. Banister)
  2. The Place Of The Bible At Lipscomb (Batsell Barrett Baxter)
  3. The Pattern For Personal Development (E. G. Couch, Jr.)
  4. Facing Denominational Trends (Carroll B. Ellis)
  5. The Scriptures—Our Pattern (Reuel Lemmons)
  6. The Pattern—The Bible (Jim Bill Mcinteer)
  7. Christ, Our Pattern In Teaching Our Young (Wyatt Sawyer)
  8. The Pattern In Sound Doctrine (Rex A. Turner)
  9. Lessons From The Past (Howard A. White)
  10. Where There Is No Pattern (Athens Clay Pullias)
  11. Principles Of New Testament Congregational Cooperation (Cecil N. Wright)
  12. Facts That Support Our Faith (Joe E. Sanders)
  13. Christ-Centered Living (Ernest O. Stewart, Jr.)
  14. The Objectives Of Lipscomb (Athens Clay Pullias)

To read this fully-reformatted eBook, or to save it for later perusal, just click the link below:

Lipscomb Lectures – 1957

-Bradley S. Cobb

Studies in Philippians

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With today’s entry into the Jimmie Beller Memorial eLibrary, we have reached the conclusion of the R.C. Bell series, “Studies in the Scriptures.”  Just go on over to the eLibrary and download his volumes on Romans, Ephesians, and Galatians under the “Commentaries/Bible Studies” section if you missed them.

Today’s addition to the library is “Studies in Philippians,” a series of twelve “essays” on this inspired letter from Paul to the Christians in Philippi.  At the end of each essay is a series of questions for discussion, making this a good tool to use in Bible classes or personal study.

To read this online, or to save it for future enjoyment, simply click the link below!

Studies in Philippians (R.C. Bell)

-Bradley S. Cobb