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v- ‘o.>ißiiaHitatown**<*W b**-4>.-Wreiwd. •*•, •*• 1
the (Thrixiitrn Index. ‘
The Law of Newspapers.
1. Sut*i<<rib<-*rs who do not give express notice to the
<: <itrirv, ere eonsidere.l ns wishing ta> oont.inue their
srh.*©riptivn. *
2. If subscriber* order the dieeontinnanee ot their
nows pi per?, the publisher :riay eonUnne to 6end them
iintil all irreiragee re paid.
Ts sa'weribera neglect or refiwe to take their nows
papers from the otfic>*e to which they are directed, they
are h©!l responsible nnti! they ha v* settled the bill*
10-1 ordered than: diseonthitied.
4. If sishseribers rentore to other place* without In
forming the publishers and the newspapers are sent to
the former direction, they are held responsible.
5. The Conns have decided that, refusing to take
newspapers from (.he olfiee or removing and leaving
•hem uncalled for, i optima fne* ‘.videneo of intention
a frand.
o Tlje U nited States Courts have also repeatedly de
ei led that a Postmaster who neglects to perform his
duty of givitg reasonable notice, as required by the
Post Office Department, of the neglect of r. person to
take from the office newspapers addressed to him, ren*
dors the Postmaster liable to the publisher for the sub
scription price.
From t*ie Eiamlner.
THE BAPTIST CHURCHES.
Notes on their Principles and Practice.
In my last paper, I referred to the con
viction in a uau’s own mind of hid duty
to preach tbo gospel, as one of the evi
donees of a call to the ministry. I endea- i
cored to show that this waff essential. If I
a man bn a no other feeling than ft desire
to enter the ministry, becanae he thinks it ;
a more agreeable calling than law or mod
iqiuc, he had !>otter not enter into it. Hie j
motive D who]Jy se-ifish. His dosire is j
• mselil lu; will .H'-vr
vrorhllv and sinful; for ft surely sinful to
profess to undertake tlo work of God, j
irom a desire to please ourselves. And ;
Un it'd, the -nine motive which led a man ;
into the. ministry, would easily lead him
out of if. If ho found that the ministry j
was a very different thing from what ho j
had supposed—if ho found that it would ;
not elevate him to the position after which ;
.he aspired, what is there to prevent him
* from abandoning it altogether, and aoek
ing some more congenial occupation? Is
not this the reason why, at the present ,
time, so many are leaving tho ministry,
and engaging, in secular or semi-socular
pursuits; and why so many more are seek
ing every opportunity to do so!
But suppose n man has become convinc
ed that he is called „f God to preach. lie
could n**t turn a deaf ear to- this impres
sion, without- doing violence to his con
science, and, in his own view, disobeying
Qi#J. He feels that a woe would rest upon
him if he did not preach the gospel, and
that a curse would rest npon all his endea
vors if he left this duty unfulfilled. Here,
then, is one evidence of his call.
But this is not enough. Wo may I're
quentiy mistake onr motives. We may
overrate our capacity. Wo may thus run
before we are sent. Hence, we frequently
see men in the ministry who have mani
festly mistaken’ their calling, who ore use
less as preachers, while they might have
been very useful in sortie other situations.
What then, in addition, is needed, in order
to assure a man that he has not mistaken
the voice of God in this matter?
I answer, he in the next place lays his
convictions before his brethren, who know
bis walk and conversation. He asks them
to tell him, in the fear of God, whether or
not their convictions correspond with hia
owu, whether or not they in truth believe
that he is called to undertake this work.—
They use bonnd to take up this subject
with solemn deliberation. They do wrong
if they lo not employ all the means in
their power to coine to a right decision.
The y must hear him preach, until they are
able to form an opinion of his gtffa, hi*
knowledge of *he Scriptures, and his apt
ness to teach. If, after a sufficient trial,
tix v cannot be convinced that tlx- brother
poss sacs ministerial gifts, they must bon*
Of-tiy t :1! him s<>; lie may conclude
that he has mistaken his duty, and that
with a goad conscience he may devote him
self to some other calling. It was well
rhat it was in his heart to huild the tern
pie of the Lord, and he shall have his re
ward, though the Master sees tit to com
mit the work to another, it. on the other
hand, his brethren are convinced by their
knowledge of his Christian character, apt
ness to teach, ami acquaintance* with the
Script ores, that he"s called to the minis
trv, this mil on and harmony of hi* convic
tions with their* may a?9nr© him that he
has not mistaken the voice speaking with
in him,, hot*that it is his duty to dovote
Umseif. either wholly or in putrt, to the.
mini*-> H t ion of t!*f word. ‘ ’iififc
fr is md improbable that to my
. -ear Seem better
than fanatjciaacu mpßwwßpifiW, at lky
i possibiy r may call it, humbug. They will
] ask how a chmeli meeting can judge of 1
I the quiilifieatioiis <Tf aynan who has spent
.half of bis life in* : studies of which thev
■ know nothing, and. may intimate that this
| notion of the ‘interference’ of God, for the
j sake of enabling men to dfecide snch ft ques
tion, i ohihlrtU and rmpertinenl. 1 am
! prepared to meet ail this. There ar • ;
: truths which some uaon cam never see, but ;
j they may be truths notwithstanding. Tbe^
! natural ijiind .undersDirtde'h not the things
j of the Spirit, neither can he . understand
t
: To ftll such objections I reply by asking
; the simple question, le there any Holy
j Ghost? In the fees of all thi* ridicnle, I
j maintain that He who attended on high,
st the present moment confers gifts upon
his disciples, for the building np of His
j church; and-that he reveals the. presence
j of these gifts by the conviction which ho
| awakens in tho mind of tho individual,
’ mid in the minds of his brethren concern
! ing him. I know of no better way than
this by which a man may ba introduced j
to the work of serving Ghrist in the god- j
; pel of regeneration. If any man kno9 i
of any better, let him propose it. It is not
i sufficient that he think lightly of this way.
I This is not enough. Let him propose his
; more excellent war. Lot him do it open*
j ly, plainly, without disguise, find make no
I higgling abont it. Let us have both ways
; plainly set before us; let the people of God
! place them side by side, and determine j
! which iB according to the teachings of the :
1 Now Testament.
It will bo seen, from what I have *aid, i
I that the act of a church, in lieensinga can j
i didate, is one requiring nnd serious I
consideration.
It is a matter of great oonsoquenoe, both
to the candidate and to the church of
Christ. To him it involves frequently a
cb.iuge in his whole course of life, and a
new direction to ail his energies. It’ he
; enter upon n calling for which he has no
• aptitude, his life is, for the most part,
1 thrown away. When a Christian brother
: asks onr advice on a subject of so much”
magnitude, we are surety bound to give j
him the soundest and most deliberate opin*
ion in our power. To the church of Christ
ii is a matter of momept. To advise a
brut her to leave his prose ut field of useful
etfter trp’ofi- ftT- wlffch he
hus no adaptation, is to tlirow away art
important helper, and burden the ministry
with a brother who, in that situation, cat* j
render it no service. I
But this i not alt. The brother tor i
our (xm-viction as to his. call to the work of ■,
the ministry. When we vote to grant him i
a license, we deliberately say that we, in j
the fear of God, believe hitn to be called :
by the Holy Spirit to this work. We can- j
not say this in truth, unless we have taken j
, means to ascertain his qualifications. Wo 1
cannot say it in truth, unless, having ta- j
ken means to ascertain the facts, we have 1
arrived at this deliberate conclusion. If j
| wc have arrivedat the conclusion, wc shall !
with pleasure make it known to onr broth- :
c-r. If we have not arrived at it, we can- |
: r.ot say that we hare, without incurring j
tiie gnilt of falsehood. It may giv ne I
pain to disappoint the expectations of a \
; brotijer. This, to bo sure, we would gladly •
avoid, but we cannot make ft lie about it. j
We cannot say that we believe one thing, .
when, in our hearts we Imliev* the oppo- I
site.
Such seems to me to he the nature of the
obligation~nnder which we are placed in !
the act of licensing a candidate for the
ministry, I fear, however, that we have :
become very thoughtless on this subject.
It is frequently said,, if the brother wants |
;'o preach, let him preach, and on this
ground, a liceuee is voted. Now this is
manifestly wrong. If he wants to preach, I
he can preach without our sanction, if he j
can get any one to hear him, and if he j
preach no heresy, we cannot prevent him j
by any ecclesiastical proceeding. This is ;
not what he wants. He desires to know
whether brethren recognize in him the gift 6
which will render him nsefnl in this pecu
liar field of labor, and this is the question :
which, in the fear of God, they are called
upon to answei. Again ; I have seen li* I
; censes granted without an inquiry, oh the
‘ ground that the license is only for a year.
He asks ns for onr conviction, and we give
him what is no conviction at all, because
the iicenac is only for adimited time.—
Sometimes the fear of offending friends
and relations, urges a church to tho same
Jesuit. All tills is bad. It is eating false
h tods. Weaf#asiod to answer one ques
tion, arid we answer another, when truth
and the love of Christ would clearly teach
us to speak in simplicity and godly sin
cerity.
Another error on this subject is creeping
into our churches, of u very mischievous
character. A young mah, perhaps even a
boy, gives evidence of pioly, and joins a
church, lie, with the natural fervor of
youth, exhorts hie companions in a confer
ence’ meeting, or he may have distinguish
ed himself in school as a promising pnpiL-
It is at once suggested that he should
study for tho ministry. The Education
.Society is ready to receive him, if he can
present a testimonial from the church. —
lie is t<xt young to famish any evidence of
adaptedness to the ministry, To license
such a person would he abanrd. The ful-
Iwiug coarse is adopted: The church cer
tifies that they believe him te hare talents,
ifenliehi, Georgia, Thursday, January 31, IBst>.
w ii, witirpMipeyodiicbtioT:. will ift him
1 for the ministry; that Js, they do not eerti- :
ty that they believe him m#w -to
ministerial gifts, but that education will
either furnish or develop them.- With tliic
certificate he -j* admitted u beneficiary,
\ and if is .certain that, unless some grow*
■ immorality prevent, he will become a ruin-i
tis ter. In the course >f six or eight years]
;be presents iiimself for a license. He hasj
. learned .to write ap obgiyiu oi any <*th**vjj
di.-.c'U)Rv. Jet flic Teeomjnendatiou oLHmR
church, lie ha* spent u largo pari
extent, disqualified him for any other call
ing. They seem to have no choice, and a
license is a matter of course.
The evil here is alarming. The mere
boy is placed in a course which decides
his calling fir life, a calling which he can
not leave without seeming to have aposta
tized, and ho must go thronghTt or be dis
graced. Young men and boys are not un
freqoently placed in this course, at an age
when no jadicioua parent wouk| allow a
i son to choose for himself irrevocably a
j secular profession. And yet we nrge
i young persons, under these circumstrnces,
to pledge themselves to the ministry. Os
their course of life while pnrsning their
education, the- church knows nothing. —
Whether they have been thoughtful or
tbonghtless, industrious or idle, earnest ;
Christians or mere formal professors, no one ‘
ever makes any inquiry. The license is
! granted, and the young man is, by their
I authority, a candidate for ordination. Can
this be the way to build up a spiritual and
I earnest ministry?
| Os the temptations which beset a young
I man when pursuing a course of education,
few persona are aware, and it requires/
deeper piety, and a more matured charac
ter to resist them* than is commonly sup
posed. Tho beneficiaries of Education So
cieties possess, in general, the same moral
and religions standing iib other young men
in college who profiles personal piety.—
Now, suppose twenty young men, profee-
Sots of religion, to enter college, and pur
sue their course to the close. It Vi H be
well if five of these twenty maintain a
consistent religious character, attending,
meetings for prayer with constancy, on
every occasion standing up fearlessly fb
right, and bearing testimony everywhere
to lav'esr.of Kdigi<Jii'. the
“Sffe
conscientious, willing to be on the Side of
right, where there was nothing to rose.-— “j
Some would toon become Christians only in.
name, known to profess Christ only, by
their presence at the communion table;
some would be seen equally active for
Christ and for the world, and a few would
be known as the worst enemies of religion,
taking part withrthe irreligious and profane
and furnishing by thoir participation Jn
it, an excuse to other* for every form, of
ill-doing. Ido not think that in this,
statement I exaggerate the facts. In spe
eitdiy favored localities it may be other
wise, but’ I think, after some consideration,
that I have made the supposition no more
unfavorable than the reality. Now, is it.
safe to take these twenty, together, and
I place them under circumstances in which
they will ail, if they choose, enter the min
istry; nay, where they must enter it, or
| lose character among thoir friends? Does
not t system of this kind require some
i modification? (Jan we thus fill tho minis
! try with Btich laborer* as the Lord will
bless? Are we not expecting from ednea
i tion what education can never do, nay,
what it is very liable to undo? Wbnld it
not be better to wait a little longer, and
try onr candidates further, before we place
! them in such a coarse? Are we not in
danger >-f laying onr hands npon novices,
: and thus doing an irreparable injnry both
| to them and to the church of Christ?
i I write these things with pain. I am,
; however, dealing with facts, and facts j
i which should be in the possession of every ]
i one who is called to form a judgment in
this matter. KOGER WILLIAMS.
AN UNPROFITABLE HABIT.
Some persons are in the habit of dwell
ing upon, and greatly magnifying, every
i little injnry they receive at the hands of
! others. They thus render themselves very
i disagreeable to those into whose cars they
| are continually pouring their complaints;
j and ut the same time greatly Injure them*
j selves in tho estimation of such, whilst ;
i they are contributing very much to their
i own personal misery. How much better
! would it be were such persons to bury their
own little troubles, or at least to keep
them entirely nut of sight! It is to be
presumed that they do not sufficiently re
lieve upon the trno nature of their conduct,
else they would certainly l>e more careful
to avoid it than they are. Jamieson forci
bly exposes the great folly of such conduct
by the following illustrations:—“A man
strikes me with a sword, and inflicts a
wound. Snppose, instead of binding tip
the*wound, 1 arn showing it to everybody,
■’ and after it has been bound up I am taking
i off tiio bandage continually, and, examin
ing the depth of the wound, and make it
faster till my limb becomes greatly inflam
ed, and my general health is materially af
fected; is there a person in the world who
would not call ine a fool? Now such a fool
is he who, by dwelling upon a little iiiiu*
rie?, or insults, or provocations, caußes
them to agitate or inflame his mind. How
yftush batter were it to pat a bandage over
THE TRUTH IN LOVE.
’ the wound, and never lo b Hr it agdu !” -
; fra ‘"Hift iJiforfmd JdteOr'hgCf.
THE VOW FULFILLED.
Mexsrtt. Etlijor* : —The. upmbtyr f your
excellent -paper vf Uuk-£3th ih*£-jr cyntsiue
p, • a i nterecting article, -'The
Af^'i*tftte : i End.” It relates the iierci*e
•“* pho, with appr-.-hjjjailian of
-iii ! / u V laW*.
hf *( would be mithfnl tb.bi
, ‘ but who xn'beiug restored,
’’.ncglectej to fulfil his engage
or rtsken by death through paralysis.—;
Wnile this melancholy instance of the aw
fui consequence’* of recreancy to divine
mercy was so evident, there is reason to
snppose that there are hundreds and thon
fiao Js of similar eases that escape notice.
It n the decision of a learned and expe
rienced member of the medical faculty,
tlmt the number who are conscious of their
condition at the time of their departure
from life is exceedingly small in eompari
fl >n with tho number of deaths, If, in-
Jced, it were otherwise, doubtless the
<|e atii-acenes of many, who sink away un
der the debilitating effects of disease or
the etnpor of opiates, manifesting little
Spiritual concern, would be terrific, proof?
<>f the horrible results of neglected vows
.andubnsed mercies.
But I hare the pleasure of presenting ft
<jnse of the opposite character; one that
thlds a bright rav npon tho shaded pi*>
fiira of human life. Some time since, an
fged lady was affected with illness so se
vers and protracted, as to induce her to
Suppose it would terminate in death. She
had for t.hirty-five years been a consistent
member of -a Presbyterian church. As
she now contemplated the solemn change
that seemed to await her, she enjoyed n
g>bd hope of acceptance through Christ.
Biit she also reflected upon her past * life,
and endeavored to examine whether she
.bad been faithful to the Savior of her sonl
and th foundation of her hopes. As she
1 ut,y and reviewed her life, it occurred to
her, that she had never followed the exam
ple of Christ to £ho ordinance of baptism.
I'bat whereas He had commanded those
who believe on him to be baptized, and
hid hinisejt suffered the ordinance in go
ing down into ti;o water and being baptff
ted, (Fbeesatnethose fcbftt would be
■HisdiaeipW to obey iTfdyfrUmt hiTTr[Mpiit~
therbfoce rire sprinkHug Ujat •
nufier the gnime of w*V-.
what Christ cMurmmded.
to fid, she sought counsel of her pastor
Hho visited her, and who as usual tried*to
epnVinco her that it was a matter of trivial
i|iportance. Bat he did not succeed. The
a ore sheoonsidei-ed the subjnet, the more
(soar her duty appeased; ami she resolved,
tlut. if the Lord would restore her to
health, she would follow his commands.—
ghe was, indeed, restored. But ehe, un- |
like the individual formerly referred to, re- \
7jhnbertd her resolution, not to violate, i
felt to fulfil it.. Painful as it. was to tear !
I'ffaelf from the long established assoeia- I
finis and to endure the charge of fanati- j
ciim, -&c;, she presented herself before a ,
Bjptist church, anil relate*! her experience
a&i candidate for admission after baptism.
Itjwould be difficult to describe the int®-
i4tot tho occasion, as the writer led down |
fito the typical grave of her Re<locmer, !
that aged disciple, who sought thus to fnl- !
lirhor duty to Christ and to be bn nod :
vrjth Him by baptism, tier placid sea- ]
fcni'cs, her matronly step, and her calm and |
. fiqavonly expression, ns she rose from the ;
Water, combined to declare that she real- !
ift-d “the answer of a good conscience” to- !
▼ml* Him, with whom obedienoc is better i
fiian sacrifice.” And with the experience j
fiat in keeping his commandments there j
is groat reward, she went on her way re
jo if ing. — Watchman &Re factor.
SOCIAL VALUE OF PREACHING.
.Withont unduly magnifying my office
l aea minister of the Gospel, I may boldly,
jind without fear of contradiction, affirm
lyjfu one trnlr faithful and zealotis preach
er of God’s Word, to whatever section of
( iirist’s Chnrch he may belong, does more
G check the progress of vice and crime,
tt promote obedience to law, foaid tho ad-
of individual virtue, and to
liaintain social order, than a hundred po
litical, moral, and philosophical essays, or
i trari the-utterance of the strictest views
f justice, or the severest, inflictions of
judgment. It is tiins that the beautiful
lager y of’the Prophet is realized, “In
>ad of the thorn shall come np the fir
!;” and those who were once their coun
t’s terror and disgrace, become its orna
?nts and defence. Blind is that.country,
and wretched must it be, where the worth
a frtithfnl preacher is not known, till
e want of this, the friend of humanity,
proclaimed by tho aboundingsof iniqni
, the prevalence of strife, confusion, nnd
ery evil work. The pulpit —and let it
t be considered n n vain boast—next to
he Bible, which it is intended to explain
nd enforce, is the strongest pillar of hn
uan society; it is the great break-water
hut keeps back the mighty surgings of
mgodliness, and preserves the land from.
: !ti inundation of ruin; it is that which
done can be depended upon amid th rev
dutlona of hnma’u affairs, and the clash of
itfinan passions, to, preserve to the raun-
I irch his cxowi;, to the noble his honors, to
:he rih aaa tk •njoyawat of bis weaitW,
ii*d to the workman the reward 61 hid ia
bor. VVhitt lover qf hiispecies, then, must
not uphold the ministry of the Word—an
insulation which, for eighteen centuries,
iiat taught the poor to suff r wans, the nf
fitetod in patience to poss ss their pnuis,
th* anxipws to be careful for nothing, and
th# to hope In God.— lien. J An
gtU Jm/ytt*.
CRITICISING SERMONS,
foot i* stated in the life of the Rley.
Dr. Alexander* which #bow.* the, ill effects
CPf •injarffebiw
of the •anctuery. He says, that when a
] boy, living in a retired portion of the
| country, and without the stated means of
i grae©, on one occasion a traveling clergy
man delivered a sermon which left a deep
impression on his mind. This, he tolls ns,
however, was entirely obliterated when he
reached home, by the disparaging remarks
by his parents on the performance. And
this, we fear, is frequently the rosnlt of
similar incautious conduct. Too many
look upon the sermon as a mere exhibition
of elegant composition and rhetorical ef
fort. They fail to recognize in it the
preached word, or to remember that the
minister is not using his own weapons, but
the sword of the Spirit.. Christians too
frequently evince the e..nio disposition,
! and are dissatisfied unless the sermon
| comes fully up to their own expectations,
I or is adapted to the peculiar frame of mind
jin which they may be indulging. No one
| can tell the effect produced upon others
* by a message, which, indeed may not have
j suited our own case, but have fully met
| tho wants of others equally ready. Satan
; is always busy at work to destroy the seed
j sown, and if the unconverted find that
| those who profess themselves to be chris
| tians are dissatisfied with the manner or
! matter of the preacher, it will take but
; little to obliterate any good impressions
made. Every gospel sermon, however
poor the language, or unfortunate the dic
) tion, may be blessed by the Spirit of God
i —and we should take heed, lest without
( being aware of it, we are assisting in
quenching his blessed influence. “The
Lord is in hie holy temple, let all the earth
keep silence before him.”— -Episcopal Re
corder.
PRACTICAL PRAYER,
poor
i but industrious^vutin, depend ing for bn ppm t
r-npon daily Itjbor. HiV wile fell sick,
hot bffirigablWYq.hife.a- nurse, lie was
obliged tt?'con fijie himself to the sick bed
and family. .His means of support being
ent oflf, he swm found” himself in
Having a wealthy neighbor .near, he de
termined to go and ask for two bushels of
wheat, with a promise to pay as soon as
his wife became so -much -.better that he
could leave her and return to his work.—
’ •Accordingly, be took bis bag, wefit to the
j neighbor’s, an<l arrived -while tho family
! was at morning prayers.
| As he sat on the door stone he heard tho !
j man pray very earnestly that God would
l elothe the naked, feed the hungry, relieve
j the needy, and comfort all that mourn.
The prayer concluded, ho stepped in and
made known his business, promising lo
pay from the avails of his first labors.—
j The farmer wsr very sorry that lie conld
; not accommodate him, but ho had promis
j ed to lend a large sum of money, and he
I presumed neighbor A would let him
j nave it.
• With a tear fur eve and a sad heart, the
! poor man turned away. As soon as he
! left the houRC tho farmer’s little son step
! pod np and said—
i “Father, did you. not pray that God
j would clothe the naked, feed the hungry,
i relieve the distressed, and comfort monrn
j ere?”
i “Yes; why?”
i “Because, fathsiyif I had yonr wheat I
■ would answer that prayer.”
; It is “needless to add that the Christian
i father called back his suffering neighbor,
I and gave him as much as he needed.
Now, Christian readers, do yon answer
j your own prayers?— New York Evangelist.
THE GOOD PASTOR.
• “No character on earth has such moral
beauty. It is indeed a happiness of this-pro
j lession that it involves no injury of rivals —
| that one's success is another s ruin. He is
| the village peacemaker, the school visitor, :
i and the comforter of the sick and dying, as
. well as the preacher of righteousness and
| salvation.
By his very office he is a public benefac
tor, a fountain of good influences. II eis the
trusted friend of all his people, their coun
sellor and guide. To him it belongs to con
firm the wavering in faith—-to inspire hope
: and courage in those who are ready to do
! spair; and to cheer the spirit that is about
j to plunge into the awful night of death. His
j work is complete when he sees those to
: whom he had preached, departing from life
! in peace and in triumph. Leigh Richmond,
i in his Young Cottager, thus describes the
i death of that poor child :
! She turned towards me ith a look of sur
| prising earnestness and animation, saying,
j ‘You, sir, have been my best friend on earth;
you have taught me the way to heaven, and
j l love and thank you lor it; you have borne
with my weakness andJgaoVance; you
i have spoken to me ofjfcfieloveof Christ, and
ho has made me feel it in my heart; l shall
I bias fee* *• ke—k will Rover leave
# ‘
J. T. BLAIJN, Printer.
me nor forsake me—Dear Sir. God hiess
you.*
Who would not prefer this benediction of
a dying child to all the applauses of success
ful ambition l This is the pastor’s joy and
crown. His reward is not in fame—hut in
good accomplished, in tears dried, in sorrow
soothed and human spirits redeemed. The
greatest minister he who has saved from
death the greatest number of his feiiow’ be
ings. r ~
The secret ot h)s~power.lfes in preserving
pure and stainless this sacred character.—
t&r>px :■! en to talent and’StlO
ffyrandl?sfry:fb;- ‘But ttfer afl the Strong
est influence which one man over
another, is a superior moral being. It is the
power of a sincere heart, of devotedness, of
purity of life, of patience under suffering, of
love and humility.
Pascal distinguishes three kinds of great
ness among men—power, intellect and vir
tue. “Great geniuses have their empire,
their renown, their elevation, their victories,
and have no need of external grandeur.—
They are not discerned by eyes, but by spir
its—but that is enough. The saints have
their empire, their renown, their elevation,
their victories, and have need neither of ex
ternal glory nor intellectual fame which do
not belong to their order of minds, and which
can neither add to nor take from that emi
nence which they require. They are seen
riot by eyes or by the curious spirits of men,
but by God and by angels—God alone D
sufficient for them.”
He i•e is The distinction at which the min
ister of Christ ought to aim. All cannot be
great men. But all can be useful. All can
be devoted to doing good, and exert that in
fluence which comes from a holy life.
GOOD SECURITY.
“L'ncle Oliver,” said the pastor of a
country chnrch to an elderly farmer of his
flock, “I wish von would carry a load of
wood to old Mrs. W., the widow of our
Christian jirother, who lived so long just
beyond you on the road to D.”
“I will try to do it,” said tho farmer,
“but to whom shall I look for the pay?”
“Read,” said the pastor, “when you first
go hoine/the first three verses of the forty
first Psalm, nnd then if you want any bet
ter security for payment, call on me.”
It was bnt a few days after, the old gen
tleman met his pastor, and said*, “I like
6Tat Hccnvitv you mentioned, and have no
fear that it will fail me in the time of need;
for my heart so felt the assurance, when
reading it, that I could scarce close my
eyes that night.”
Thus it is .often fonrid that the “Word of
tnjth,” is most precious, when with child
like trrist. it is received into the mind and
heart. We do not need to wait for the
time in which tue-quoiriise is to be fulfill
cd; for tbo given by the Holy
Spirit, when the Word is. taken a- a prac
tical truth, and obeyed elWotffullv.” :
’ Perm-jp-ance. A pious old negro, who
lived in ii region where the people .were* in
the habit of .getting religion every tfme it
new ministor came ar<<urid, and then los
ing it again before the next quarterly meet
ing, was once asked how he acc< united for
these facts in accordance with his belief in’
tho doctrine of the final salvation of all
true believers. He replied. ‘When the
people gits religion themselves, they are
mighty apt to lose it us quick as they go f
it; but when religion gits them, it takes
bolt and holds on, and never lets cm go
nntil it take ’em clean np to heaven. Wc
suppose the old negro’s explanation is tho
Bible solution of the difficultyi
♦ ♦- ♦ •**
The Jews.— By recent accounts we learn
that efforts in behalf of the Jews in Eu
rope, are attended with encouraging suc
cess. The London society have ninety-one
laborers, of whom fifty-ono are converted
Israelites. Iu Poland, during the past
thirty years, four hundred Jews have been
converted: in the Duchy of Posen, eight
hundred Jewish children are in Christian
schools ; in Berlin, there are two thousand,
baptized Jews ; in one chapel in London,
seven hundred adult Jews have been bap
tized, and other efforts are made in Con
| stantinople, Basic, and Strasburg. While,
j it may be admitted that some of these ap
i parently good effects may .be spurious,
there must bo much that is genoin-snd en
couraging to Christian effort
; Mutual Forbearance.-* That house will
be kept in a turmoil where there is no tol
erance of each other's errors, no lenity
shown to failings, no meek submission to
injuries, no soft answer to turn away wrath.
If you lay a stick of wood upon the andi
rons, and apply fire to it, it will go out;
put on another 6tick and they will burn;
add half a dozen and yon .will have a
grand conflagration. There are other fires
subject to the same conditions. If one
member of a family gets into a passion
and is let alone, he will cool down, and
possibly bo ashamed and repent; but op
pose temper to temper, pile on the fuel,
draw in others of the group, and let onu
harsh answer be followed by another, am!
there will soon be a blaze which will en
wrap them in its lurid splendor.
Jewish Prosperity. —The Puritan Re
corder has an inferieting letter from Mr.
M ss., now prosecuting an agricultural and
; religious mission among the Jews at Jafla^
Number 5.