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T. D. MARTIN, Editor,
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From Curti?’ “Progress of Baptist Principles.'”
— o—
THE ONLY SCRIPTURAL
SUBJECTS OF BAPTISM.
■■■o—
BAPTIST VIEW STATED.
— o—
quite a hundred years ago was born
one who for many years was a Baptist
minister of great usefulness. It has been
the lot of the writer of these pages to
preach occasionally in the pulpit that was
once his, and to administer the rites of re
ligion to several of his descendants of three
successive generations. Three of his chil
dren, eleven of his grandchildren, and
trtfcrr -frro xtr mx of hie gr
drenfbave, to the knowledge of the author
joined the same denomination, by a pro
fession of their personal faith in Christian
baptism. Nor is he aware of more than
one of all his descendants having reached
the age of twenty who has died without
being baptized, or who is now living with
out having submitted to that ordinance.
Most of them have made a profession of
religion early in life, and pue most satis
factory case, some years ago, at the
age of ten years. It was when some of
these young persons were about to be bap
tized that the writer was naturally led to
consider the progress in this country of
those principles of which their great grand
father Lad been so powerful an advocate.
Then it was that the ideas of this work
first presented themselves to the anther.
And these circumstances are now men
tioned both for the encouragement of pi
ous parents who dedicate their children to
God by prayer, as showing bis love and
faithfulness to children's children, and also
to relieve the scruples ami fears of cueb
Ohristians as suppose that infant baptism
is required in order to render his gracious
promises to C!:rietiau parents more firmly 1
sealed and sure. Baptiste maintain as j
strongly as others the duty of all parents
to bring up their childreu in the nurture j
and admonition of the Lord. They ac- :
knowledge the propriety of Christians con- !
secrating themselves and every relation ;
they sustain, 10 God, whether as husbands,
or as wives, or as parents, and humbly j
dedicating all connected with them. Thus ■
uro their children holy, and thus their I
wives or husbands. If any special survi
oeo seem wise and tit to impress all this in
regard to any relation, the Baptists are
ever glad to avail themselves of it. Ihey
have quite as usually as other Christiana j
soaght of God’s ministers a nuptial bless- ;
iag, where a merely civil ceremony would !
have answered all legal purposes. They j
are accustomed daily to implore God’s
blessings on their families, and over each |
meal. Sometimes Christian parents have
preserited their children by public prayer
offered in the house of God, that he would
bestow npon them his heavenly grace, and
pour his blessings on their seed. But
Baptists have ever opposed transferring •
baptism, a divine ordinance instituted for
the believer, to the person of an uneou- j
scious babe. This perverts a Divine iasti- j
totion, and can do them no good. All
that is proposed can be better accomplish- [
ed by prayer alone, while it robs them in ‘
after years of this commanded confession j
of Christ, when personal faith would give ‘
it vitality and usefulness. With as much
propriety might Christians baptize the an- j
believing wife on account of the faith of
the believing bnsband, aa the unthinking !
infant because the child of a Christian.
Not long since, a converted Roman
Catholic professor of theology from Italy,
when at his request the subject of believ
ers’ baptism bad been explained to him,
quickly asked, “But what then of those
who die in infancy—are they all lostr’ It
was instantly replied that his remark sug
gested the most fatal objection possible to
infant baptism, namely, that it takes for
<ok Clirietian 3nitex.
dan
fiat Wid.ifi . it info of . ft*.
INFANT BAPTISM CONCEDED*TO B 8 UNSCRLP
* “... fVRAL, * iS.,. ’
Many intelligent Christians, many min
isters of the Gospel, \vbu have not locked
closely at the history o.t this controversy,
are lit tli- aware how com pie rely the re
jjßH&htk of t-be last hundred year* have
proved the truth of such
views belie,vers’ One * after
another weghab ar
been given up, and argued against by the
most enlightened Pedobaptists themselves,
in fact, that the whole system is crumbling
to pieces, and is admitted to have no foun
dation in Scripture.
A hundred yeats ago, the substitution
of sponsors was probably esteemed as a
sufficient apology for the want of personal
faith, with a large portion of those who
preached infant baptism. In the Episco
pal Church it is to this day formally stated
in their catechism, as if it were consider
ed the strongest argument in its favor;
Ques —“What is required of persons ro
be baptized?”
Atts. —“Repentance: whereby they for
sake Bin; and faith, whereby they stead
fastly believe the promises of God made
to them in that sacrament..’’
Ques. —Why, then, are infants baptized,
when by reason of their tender age they
cannot perform them?”
Arts. —“ Because they promise them
both, by their sureties; which promise,
when they come to age. themselves are
bound to perform.”
This ground, however, is now little
thought of. Except in the Catechism, or
to children, no one would think of using
it. Sponsors would do all very well as an
authority for infant baptism, provided we
Could only get sufficient authority for the
sponsors. The use of them has been given
up by the Presbyterians, aud most, of the
reformed churches, since the Reformation,
as a corruption. No authority for them is
to be found before the time of Tertullian,
a. and. 200. Indeed all uses for which such
an argument could be seriously brought
forward in the present day, most be based
upon the authority of the church to alter
prtmtwve
Dr. Bub sen justly says: “The theories re
specting Pedobaptism, according to any of
tne systems of the Reformation,“would be
perfectly unintelligible to the ancient
Churches, and cannot be brought into har
mony with their consciousness and monu
ments, except by fictions aud convention
alities. But these fictions and convention
alities are also require*] for our own age,
and it cannot be denied that on the whole
they prove inefficacious and insufficient, j
and do not satisfy the public conscience, j
Those who deny this fact show as much an j
ignorance of the real state of the world, as i
of the nature of Christianity.”
It. used to be supposed that there were j
many clear and direct proofs of infant bap- !
tisrn, both by command and example, to ,
be found in the Now Testament. But Dr. j
Woods, of Andover, admits candidly that |
“it is plain that there is no express precept ■!
respecting infant baptism in our sacred i
writings,” and that consequent]} “the j
prooi that it is a divine institution must j
be made in another way.” Knapp, also,
in his “Theological Lectures,” says that i
‘there i ■ no express command for infant. |
baptism, as Morns justly concedes,” and i
thinks it “sufficient to show that it was i
not forbidden by Christ.”
But all this onlv represents the state of j
theological opinion in a past generation, j
Now it is v ry different. When, fo v in
stance, the “North B.itiba Review” is ar
guing against the Pnseyite writers in the
Church of England, it does not hesitate to
urge .mh assertions as these: “Scripture ;
knows nothing of the baptism of infants.” i
“There is absolutely not a single trace of
it to be found in the New Testament.— j
There are passages which may be reconoil- j
ed with it-, if the practice can only be j
proved to have existed, but there is not i
one word which asserts its existence. Nay, ;
more; it may he urged that 1 Corinthians, ,
vii. 14 is incompatible with the supposi- I
tion that infant baptism was t hen pract iced j
at Corinth.”
The Abrahamie ovonant, making bap- i
tism come in the room of circumcision, !
used to be greatly relied upon. The two
covenants, it was said, were substantially
the same, and Romans iv. 11. was always 1
adduced to prove that circumcision was, as
baptism now is, “a seal of the righteous
ness of faith.” In reply, Baptists were ,
accustomed to point, out that, 1. Circuui !
cision was a seal or pledge of certain tem - j
poral blessings to all who rightly received ‘
it; hut.baptism is no seal or pledge of any j
thing of the kind. 2. C : renincision was j
not a sign or seal of eternal life to all who j
i truly and properly received it; but baptism ,
1 is. 3. Circumcision was to all thedescen- !
! dauts of Abraham the sign, not of their \
own faith, but of the faith “which ue had,”
and all the blessings of which it was the
seal flowed through the faith of another,
i. e., Abraham; while baptism is’tne sym
bol of bur own faith, and none, of the
blessings of which it is the seal can flow to
us otherwise than through this medium,
i It. was because the first covenant, was found
| faulty in these respects that a better cove
nant was established upon better promises.
Pentteid, flefirfia, T#sdat, July 10, I*sl
By-aegree:’ thn'wfcjfo
r ®esf Op 3
r by thb able*tj]®fctffer9 of
The contradictory views |BBttWkd.iii re
gard t if, even f>j the same- writers, bad
long been pointed out this took
piece. Thus, Matthew Henry',’ for exam
ple, m one place baptism we
are info tire covenant.” In an
other-place he insists, that “baptism be
long* to those lohty are.in that
least by profession) and to none other.-*-*
i'farinikme. of K • •evieg.'-pim*?*^’ tin&Jfr
•covo pfirfflr \*t ft]■'’ Tirave a
right t<> the initiating seal.” So as to”
church-membership; in one place he tells
us that “baptism is an ordinance of Christ,
whereby the person baptized is Solemnly
admitted a member of the visible church;”
yet, in the same Treatise, he assures us
that baptism “is an ordinance of the visi
ble Church, and pertains therefore to those
that are visible members; their covenant
right and their church-membership enti
tletb them to baptism Baptism doth not
give the title, but recognizes it, and com
p.etesthat. church-membership which be
fore was imperfect.” It is this obvious
contradiction which, running through all
the writings of the Congregationalist and
Presbyterian defenders of this spstem, has
silently caused it to lose its power on the
mere thoughtful advocates of this rite,
from Coleridge to Dr. Hodge. Certain it
is that the whole of the ground is given
up, and admitted to be of no divine au
thority in favor of the system.
Perhaps no man’s thoughts have more
weight at this time than those of Coler
idge. After showing the error of inferring
the title of infants to this rite from the
cases of household baptism, be adds:
“Equally vain is the pretended analogy
from circumcision, which was no sacra
ment at all, but the means and mark of
pational distinction. Circumcision was in
tended to distinguish the Jews by some in
delible sign, and it was no less necessary
that Jewish children should be recogniza
ble as Jews than Jewish adults, not to
mention the greater safety of the rite in
infanej. Nor was it ever pretended that
any grace was conferred with it, or that
the rite was significant of any inward, or
spiritual operation
In his’ Notes on Jeremy I’avion, he re
•‘pfefs sLes?* ti&Huirk* In additrg?-
“This is eleiuyfor woman had no cor
responding rite, but the same result was
obtained by the various severe laws con
cerning tl.eir marriage ‘with and
other actions.” This, it might, however,
be said, was the language of a mere phi- ;
losopber, hot a fair representation of any i
ecclesiastical body of Christians. But I
when the Old School Presbyterians began i
to be attacked by the Episcopalians, who :
plead .the analogy of circumcision and of j
the ancient Jewish church .in favor of ad- !
mitting good and bad into Christian
churcbes, the “Princeton Review” aban
dons the covenant of circumcision, and as
sumes so far Baptist ground. Dr. Hodge j
says: “It is to be remembered that there j
were two covenants made with Abraham, i
By the one, his natural descendants thro’ |
Isaac were constituted a commonwealth, j
an external, visible community. By the j
other, his spiritual descendants were con- 1
sUtuted u church. v * * There can j
not he a greater mistake than to confound |
the national covenant with the covenant j
of grace, aud the commonwealth founded i
on the one with the Conrch founded oa j
the other.
“When Christ came, the commonwealth :
was abolished, and there was nothing put s
in its place. The Church remained * * * .
a spiritual society with spiritual promises, j
on the condition of faith in Christ, In no I
part of the New Testament is any other j
condition of membership in the Church ‘
presented than ‘hat contained in the an
swer of Pnilip to the eunuch, who desired
baptism : ‘lf thou helicvast with all thy
heart, ihou may os t. And he answered and
said, I believe that Jesus is the Son of
Godd The Chmcb, therefore, is in its es
sential nature a coilipany of believers, and
not an external society requiring merely
external profession as condition of mem- j
bership.” This language may fail to draw j
any distinction between the visible church- j
es and the invisible Church, yet the veiy I
confusion makes the completeness of his j
abandonment of circumcision as any au- J
thority for infant baptism the inure obvi- j
oue.
THE MOUNTAIN ROUND ABOUT JERUSA- i
LEM.
“Ab the mountains are rouu about Jeru*.!
salem, so the Lord is round about his peo- j
1 pie.” —Psalm 125: 2.
i The mountains round about Jerusalem ;
are the following The Mount of Olives, :
. and the Mountain of Offense, so calleld j
j from Solomon having erected altars on it j
i to strange Gods—these are parts of the j
. same hill, ana are on the east of Jerusa* !
: leui; the Hill of Evil Counsel on the south, !
j so called from Caiaphas having a house !
! here, in which he propounded to the San
. bedrim, his wicked policy of the expedi
i eney of putting Christ to death; and the
‘Mount, of Gigon on the west, with the
; heights of Mizpeh, and Seopue, but con
siderably farther off on the North. Os the
four mountains by Which Jerusalem is im
• mediately surrounded, the Mount of Ol
ives highest. Its hight from the
’ brook Kedron, which flows at its base, is
THE TR(J#B IN LOVE.
p&cjtoned at 600 ten. It is the first, that
g&eets the eye of the traveler who approach-
Jerusalem from the Bethlehem or Jaffa
Pk'aa; it is the first object also that he re
cognizes from what he has read of Jernea>
lein in the Bible aud books of travel. Sur-
Jerusalem from whatever quarter
ho may, surrounded and sheltered by its
iy.irde of hills, there are, perhaps, few pas
ges v\hich the scene will recall m< re
and more frequently to his nit mo
jjjHHppn tiffs :—“The mountains, round
’t Jerusalem.”
—♦ ° *-
WHAT IS IT TO BE SAVED.
Reader—l dare say you have oft< n
heard ministers speak” of people “being
saved.” You have probably a secret feel
ing in your heart, that when you die, you
would like “to be saved.” But after all,
what is it to be saved? Listen to me, and
I w T ill try to tell you what the Bible says
about it. Alas! there are many who talk
of “being saved,” and yet know nothing
of the meaning of the words.
To be saved is not merely to profess and
call yourself a Christian. You may have
all the outward parts, of Christianity, and
yet be lost after all. You may be baptized
into Christ’s Church—go to Christ’s table
—have a Christian knowledge—be reck
oned a Christian man—and yet b a dead
B<*nl all your days: and at last be found on
Christ’s left hand, among the goats. Not
reader, this is not salvation. Salvation is
something far higher and. deeper than
this. ...
To be saved, is to be delivered in this
present life from the guilt of sin , by faith
in Jesus Christ, the Savior. It is to be
pardoned, justified, and freed from every
charge of sin, by faith in Chist’s blood and
mediation. Whosoever with his heart be
lieves in the Lord Jesus is a saved soul.
He shall have eternal life. This is the
first part of salvation, and the root of all
the rest. But this is not all.
To be saved, is to be delivered in this
present life from the power of sin , by be
ing bom again, and sanctified by Corist’s
Spirit. It is to be freed from the hateful
domiuion of sin, the world and the devil,
by having anew nature put in us by the
Holy Ghost. Whosoever is tbns renewed
in the spirit of his mind, and converted, is
assayed soul. He shall not. ffcribli. He
■Sfa enter mt >TheW|NoPwPi9pl
is the second part of salvation. Blit this
is not all.
To pe saved, is to be delivered in the !
day of judgment from all the awful conse
quences of sin. It is to be declared blame
less, spotless, faultless, and complete in
Christ, while others are found guilty, and
.condemned forever. It is to hear those
comfortable words, “come ye blessed,”
‘while others hearing those fearful words,
“Depart, ye cursed.” It is to be owned
‘and confessed by Christ,’ as 90c of His
‘dear children aau servants, while others
are disowned aud cast off - forever. It is j
to be pronounced free from the portion of j
the wicked—the worm that never dies— j
the fire that is not quenched—the weep- ‘
ing,’wailing aud gnashing of teeth that j
never ends. It is to receive the reward j
prepared for the righteous—the glorious |
body—the kingdom that is incorruptible— j
the crown that fadeth not away, and the !
joy that is forevermore. This is complete \
salvation . i
Such is salvation. It ia to be saved
from the guilt, power, and the conscquen
j.ces of sin. It is to believe and L-a sancti
: fied now, and to be delivered from the
jj wrath of God in the last day. He that
has the first part iu the life that now is,
shall undoubtedly have the second part in
| the life to come, if he is faithful unto death.
What God has joined together, let no man
t dare to put asunder. Let none dream he
shall ever be saved at last, if he is not
born, again first. Let none doubt if he is
sanctified here, that he shall assuredly be
saved hereafter.
Reader take notice, the chief object of a
minister of the Gospel, is to set forward
the salvation of souls. I lay it down as a
certain fact, that he is no true minister who
does not feel this.
For what purpose do you suppose we
I minsters are sent for? Is it merely to
wear a surplice, and read the services, and
preach a certain number of sermons? Is
it merely to get-a comfortable living, and
be in a respect able professi n? No! in- j
; deed.! We are sent forth for other ends
| than these. We are sent to turn men
j from darkness to light, and from the pow
!er of Satan to God. We are sent to per-
Lsuade men toffee from the wraih to come.
! We are sent to draw men from the service
[ of the world to the service of God, and to
! awakeu the sleeping—to arouse the care
! less, and by all meins save some.
Think not that all is done when we have
j set up regular services, and persuaded
| people to attend. Think not that all is
| done when full congregations are gathered,
I and the Lord’s table is crowded, and the
1 parish school is filled. Wo want to see a
! manifest work of Spirit among people—
an evident sense of sin—a lively faith in
Christ—a decided change of heart —a dis
tinct separation from the world—a holy
walk with God. In one w ord, we want to
see souls saved , and we are fools and im
posters—blind leaders of the blind—if we
rest satisfied with anything less.
Reader, take notice, that the grand ob-
I ject of having a religion, is to be sa/oed.
* This is the great question that you haye to
| ■ ■ ? 1 . —^■
settle with your conscience, and to wbi<?h I
want yon to attend. The matter is not
whether you go to Church or Chapel, whe
ther you go through certain forms aim
ceremonies—whether you observe certain
days and perform a! Nrtiffn number of re
ligions duties. The ’matter is, whether,
after ail, you will hp Stivecl. Without this,
all your religious goings fire weariness,
and labor yi vain.
Never, content wjth anything
short of a saving religf&n. ’Surely to have :
a religion gives peace in life
nor hope In
to come, is childish folly.— J?ev. J. C.
Ryle.
A RICH MASTER.
There was a minister, who for nearly
fifty years bad continued pastor of the
same church. He was settled over it
when the dew of his youth was upon him,
and he had labored on till gray hairs be
gan to thicken, and his physical strentgth
to fail. Mst of those who were members
of the church at the commencement of
his ministry hadgone to their long home.
Os the childrerftmany had grown up, and
had removed to other and distant parts of
the land. A large number of farms had
been sold to men who were indifferent to
religion, or attached to other communions.
This, together with failures and changes
in business, had greatly reduced their pas
tor’s salary. His prospects for a support,
should he outlive his power of performing
ministerial duty, were by no means flat
tering.
“What is to become of Mr. X ,”said
one of a number who w T as spending the
evening in a social manner.
“Oh, he will be taken care of,” said an
other, “he serves a rich Master.”
“The Lord will see that he is never left
to want. He has been a faithful and labo
rious minister,” said another.’
“What makes you think he will never
be left to want?” said the first speaker.
“The Lord has promised to take care of
such men.”
“It becomes the Lord’s people to see to
it that the Lord’s promises are kept. He
has indeed promised that bread shall be
! furnished to hia faithful servants, and his
S people must gee that it is furnished.”
! The-writer was greatly impressed by the
: .*^jML
• enced hia conduct,
I the jrublic that it may influence the eon
| duet of others.
When’ God has promised that a thing
shall bo done, we are not to refer the mat- ;
ter to his omnipotence, and dismiss all
care in relation to it. If it is a matter to
be effected through human agency, we are
to inquire what duty the Divine promise
imposes upon us. If we were converted
to be laborers together with God, in the
accomplishment of his purposes, then a
knowledge of hia purposes relative to any
thing within the sphere of our agency is
sufficient to impose obligations upon us.
Has God promised that the Gospel shall be
carried to the isles of the sea? Then as
loving children, zealous for our Father’s
honor-, as zealous laborers together with
him, we shall do all that lies within our
power to carry the Gospel to those isles.
Suppose your earthly parent has given
| his public promise to pay a certain man a
; certain sum. Suppose alto, that relying
j on your affection and zeal for his honor,
i he has placed a portion of his property in
| ycur hands that you may promote his in-
I terests ana his honor. Would you not
| stand ready to pay the sum promised?-
! Would you -sot attend to the matter, and
! if p-cvision not made from some other
1 quarter, would you :,ot promptly pay it,
i Mat your father’s pledge might be redeem
’ ed?
; Is not this precisely the relation which
i the Christian sustains to his heavenly Fa
‘ tlier? Is not every property-holder en
| trusted with his property that he may era
| ploy it to the honor of his Father? is it
i not his duty to see that bis Father’s promi
ses are kept?
What divine promises are outstanding
| in your neighborhood—promises towards
! the keeping of which it is your privilege
I aud duty to do something? Consider, in
i quire, and act as becomes a redeemed sin
| uer and loving child.— JY. Y. Observer.
SABBATH-BREAKERS REWARDED.
James the First, of England, in order to
aggrieve his best and most religious sub
jects, published his “Book of Sports,” li
censing all kinds of amusements and plays
on the Sabbath, rnd ordered it to be read
from every pulpit on pain of hie dipleas
ure. The corrupt clergy, of course, read
it; the conscientious refused, and were de
prived of their livings. This horrible per
version of the Sabbath had its appropri
ate influence in still further demoralizing
the public, so that in the course of time it
became necessary to check it. Charles
the First, however, revived the book of
sports, with a like effect. Now mark the
providence of God. A recent writer thus
adverts to it:
“Behold now the thunderbolt descend
on that line of princes, four in number,
who turn the Sabbath afternopn into a
season for revelry; who, with their cour
tiers, eat, drink, and are merry, while the
bravest and best pine in prison, or die
broken-hearted in a foreign land. James
dies suddenly —a profane swearer, often
drunk, often obscene in his conversation
J. T. BLAIN, Printer.
and actions, a toward Jid a hypocrite, the
1 creature of profligate favorites, with inno
cent blood on his a betrayer of the
Protestant cause, and from the first to lasi
an absolute tyrant. His son Charles, a
tyrant too, plunges England into civil war,
loses his crown and life, and Laud perish*
es before hirn by the sentence of an indig
nant parliament. Charles 11, untaught by
aaversity* is smitten bv the stroke of
death, after a life of infamy, as ‘he sits
amidst his guilty paramours, playing at
the gambling table, at Whitehall, on the
Sabbath evening evening James 11, a
bigot, and a.tyrant, the turbulent persecu-*’
tors, with his brother, is driven, after dis
astrous battles and campaigns, to die in a
foreign land. In after days, two of his
descendants attempt in vain to regain the
English throne, and the Sabbath breaking
race of the Stuarts have perished from
among the dynasties of the world.”
SAY YOUR PRAYERS IN FAIR WEATHER.
So spake a sea captain to one of his
sailors, who was much affrighted in a
storm. The poor sailor had never been to
sen before, and, feeling himself and ali the
crew to be in imminent danger, he betook
himself to prayer. The captain differed
from the sailor in this, that at that partic
ular juncture, it was necessary for all
hands to be at work.
The saying of the captain, and the cir
cumstances surrounding him, made a deep
and lasting impression upon the mind and
heart of the young sailor. The storm
without subsided, but that created within
his breast still continued. “Say your
prayers in fair weather,” was never forgot
ten by him in his voyage through life.—
The hurried repetition of the Lord’s Pray
er was succeeded by repentance toward
God, and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ;
and from that time forth, the sailor prayed
in fair as well as foul weather. He be
came a soldier of the cross and a preacher
of the gospel.
It so happened on one occasion while he
was preaching, the captain enterod his
church. Immediately, the quondam sail
or, looking toward him, exclaimed, “Say
your prayers in fair weather!” Wuai a
delightful and profitable train of thought
was thus started, especially when the cause
was explained bv the
LjprcaclierJ.o the wondering audience f How
suggestive 6f the thought is that plena
saying! The lauguago of the disciples on
the ship, in the sea of Galilee, in the bin
\ der part of which the Saviour seemed to
sleep, was, “Save, Lord ! we perish !” It
has been aud will be the language of thou
sands when exposed to dangers, by sea
or on land, which threaten immediate
death.
If au epidemic prevails, and hundreds
or scores are carried off daily, the people
are admonished to pray, and they heed
the admonition. This is x-ight, and yet it
is proper, also, to say our prayers in fair
weather. We are constantly in danger,
and know not what a day or an hour may
bring forth. The Saviour, therefore, di
reels his disciples to “pray always.”—
When engaged in lawful business, we may
pray for success. The husband and wife
may pray for each other always, and so
may parents for children, and brothers and
sisters for themselves, the household and
neighborhood.
The pastor should pray always for hi*
flock, and nis people should always pray
for him. When we partake of God’s
bounties, we should pray 10 him to feed
iur souls with the bread of life. When
we partake cf God’s bounties, we should
pray to him to feed cur souls with the
bread of life. When we clothe oursefoes,
or our little ones, what prayer is so proper
as this, that the Lord would clothe them
and us with the robe of bis righteousness?
When wo go out, or when we come in,
what should prevent our prayer to God,
that he should go out and come in with us?
We are commanded in whatsoever we do,
to do all to the gfory of Him who created
and sustains us. We should be “diligent
in business, fervent In spirit, serving the
Lord,” then our prayers will be beard, and
our alms, like those of the good Cornelius,
will be bad iu remembrance in the sight
of God. Let us not pray only in tho
storm, but in fair weather also. And so
let us observe the Saviour’s direction,
“pray always,” in the exercise of a living
faith.
HUMAN ELEVATION.
“I know,” Chanuing, “but one eleva
tion of a human being, and that is the ele
vation of the Soul. Without this, it mat
ters nothing where a man stands, or what
he possesses; and with it he towers—he is
one of God’s nobility, no matter what
place he holds in the social scale. There
are not different kinds of dignity for dif
ferent orders of men, but one and the same
to all. The only elevation of the human
being consists in the exercise, growth, and
energy of the higher principles and powers
of his soul. A bird may be shot upward
to the skies by a foreign force, bus it rises
in the true sense of the word only when it
spreads its own wings, and soars by its
own living power. So a man may be
thrust upward in a conspicuous place by
outward accident, but he rises only so far
as he exerts himself* aud expands his fac
| ultiee, and he ascends up by a free effort,
1 to a noble region of thought and action.”
Number 28.