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TIIE CHRISTIAN INDEX, PUBLISH RD EVERY WEDNESDAY MORNING AT MACON, GEORGIA. BY A COMMITTEE OF BRETHREN, FOR THF. GEORGIA BAPIIST CONVENTION. ♦+* TERMS OK SUBSCRIPTION, Two Dollars in advance: or paid within the year. If suffered tooverrnn the yea*-, Two Dollars and one half will be chained in all cases. SAMUEL BpYKIN, Editor. VOLUME XXXIX. \ Nfevv Series.—Volume XXVIII.) Book Notices. Amy and Kith : or Trusting Providence. By the author of Louis Mead, Ac., Philadelphia, Amer. Pub. Society. This Society is doing an excellent work in pro viding children and youth with reading which will elevate the thoughts and affeciions, w hile it inter ests the mind. No child can read this little book without receiving moral lessons of great value.— We wish the Society success. Emma Livingston, the Infidel’s Daughter; or, Conversations upon Atheism, Infidelity, andLni vcrsalism. By A. C. Dayton, author of Theodo sia, earnest, &c. 12m0., pp. 371. Graves, Marks & Cos., Nashville, Tenn. This is a republieation of a series of articles that originally appeared in the Tennessee Baptist. Its design is to meet and refute the practical in fidelity and Universal ism that lies concealed in so many hearts. There is just enough of story to give interest and vivacity to the argument, which is clear, concise and pointed. Its publication is timely, for the unacknowledged and most uncoir scious unbelief which it is designed to meet in a prevailing feature of the age. The above expressing our sentiments we adopt them from the Jour. & Messenger. The Christian Review. Under ti e editorial charge of Prof. Robinson, of Rochester, the Review maintains that high and scholarly ground in Biblical criticism and religious literature, which the public had right to expect from his well known qualifications for the perfor mance of the duties which his station assigns him. The contents of the April number, just re ceived, are : I. Ecclesiastical Miracles ; 11. Moral Philosophy ; 111. B iden Powell on the Immuta bility of Physical Laws ; IV. Dr. Edward Beech er’s ‘Conflict’ and ‘Concord V. The doctrine of Romans 1 ; 18—22. VI. The defence of Socrates ; VII. Modern Skepticism and its Refutation. The Biblical Reason Why, a family guide to Scripture readings and a hand book for Bilical students. Dick and Fiizgerald, N. Y., 324 pp. Si,oo. Sold by J. J. &S. P. Richards. This is a book of questions and answers concer ning the Bible, its facts and its truths. It ‘gives Reasons founded upon the Bible and assigned by the most eminent Diyines and Christian Philoso phers, lor the great and all absorbing events re corded in the history of the Bible, the Life of our Savior and the Acts of the Apostles.” This Book is very valuable; for, while we cannot from a cur sory examination vouch for the correctness of all the “Reasons” given, yet we will say that no one can read all the questions and answers of tlii book without being vastly benefited, not only in regard to more knowledge of the Bible, but of many less obvious reasons for circumstances and facts. Judging from its quotations and its allu sions to old writers and fondness for traditions, we would say an Episcopalian was its author ; but still much information is compressed in the book and its perusal, together with a sight of its many cuts, will do good. The Early Choice : A Book for Daughters— by the Rev. W. K. Moodie, D. D. Am. Bap. Pub. Soc., 376 pp. Extracts fromwts preface will best depict the character of this book, which from a few hasty glances is calculated not only to instruct, but to entertain and benefit. Its historical allusions, comparisons and examples, are calculated to im press the valuable lessons inculcated. “It embodies an attempt to train the you ig to connect happiness or sorrow with conduct and character —to impress their minds with the con viction that, as surely as rivers run downwards or vapors ascend, sin will end in wretchedness and holiness in peace. Adopting that as the wisest, because the most scriptural mode of teaching, an attempt is here made toshow the young the blessedness of choo sing ‘the good part,’ and the woe of turning away from ‘the Guide of our youth to convince them that we are happy when we are like minded with our God, but become the children of sorrow with out mitigation or escape, when we decline to choose ‘the good ways of the Lord.’ ” Lucy Hall : or responsibility realized, by Mrs. Sallie E. Hughes. Southern Bap. Pub. Society. A new* work ot 130 pages. It is a gracefully and naturally told tale of the school life of a your g girl who earnestly sought and obtained the pearl of great price, and who, by a consistent Christian life under temptations and provocations, evinced her sense of the res ponsibility resting upon her as a professor of ie ligion. A kind mother early convinced her of her responsibility to God, as a sinner; being awaken ed she consulted the Bible’s sacred page, learned the way ot life and embraced Jesus as her Savior, and in a beautiful, gently flowing stream she was buiied in baptism. Never forgeting the respon sibility which rested on her daily conduct, ’he walked joyfully in the path of duty, inspiring res pect in her giddy companions, and pointing out* by the contrast of her life to that ■of a worldly minded professor, the difference between the false and the true professor of religion. Review of ‘ Corrective Church DISCIPLINE”—No. 3. “ TREATMENT OF PRIVATE OFFENCES.” No. 4. It should be recollected that private offences, as defined by Prof. Hell, dis fer from public ones in this, that “The specific character (of the former) is that the act is not a crime against religion and morality, and (that) the object of the act is a brother.” It should he further remembered that, unless -this “specific character” of private offences is strictly observed, there can he no characteristic difference between pri vate and public offences—annihilate this distinction, and they become one and the same. How, then, does Prof. Hell recom mend that private offences (i. e. those acts, the “specific character” of which is that they are not crimes against re ligion and morality) should be treated as he did ? “lu the treatment of pri vate offences,” says lie, “the Saviour, in Mat. 18, gives the course to he pur sned-commonly called “Gospel Steps.” I remark — 1. That if the “specific character” of the act has not been determined, then the advice, above given, is prop er; but if it has, and the “offended” brother decides that the act is, what Prof. M. would term a private offence (i. e. ah act against neither morality, nor religion,) he ought not to “go and tell” his brother anything about it, un less he (the offended) has shown him self to be offended—in thiscase, he should apologize to his brother for having become needlessly offended, and pray to God to give him more magnanimity and a less suspicious dis position. 2. I deny that Hat. 18 was designed exclusively, or chiefiy as the formula for settling Prof. M.’s private offences. If one is in doubt as to the “specific character of the act,” hut is strongly inclined to believe that it is violative of some moral or religious law, he should then “go and tell” his brother, not his “fault” (for he does not yet know that it is such,) hut of the act it self; requesting his brother to explain what he meant by it. If the act turns out to he a “private offence,” then, perhaps, a mutual apology would not be amiss. 3. It may he inquired—aud I press the inquiry—how Prof. Mell ascertain ed that the act—the “offence”—the hamartia—in Mat. 18: 15, does not vi olate some moral, or religious law ? Under what, or whose authority does he thus interpret the Word of God ? When Jehovah speaks, let man he si lent. Shall Ills words he thus tortur ed, and despoiled ot their meaning by mortal man ? Let such a daring work fall to the lot of someone else, hut let me never, never presume to stop the mouth of Him, who spake as never man spake! Let me never presume to af firm, either directly or by implication, that that particular word (kamartauo,) which, as a generic word, is the most morally, offensive one in the Greek Testament—let me never try, under any circumstances, to destroy its mean ing. If Jehovah wishes to use a term, denoting a bad moral element, let Him use jt. “Tell him his fault,” is the direction next given. Is it possible that you have ascer tained that your brother lias commit ted a “fault!” If so, what is the “spe cific character” of his fault? Certain ly it is not an act which violates mor ality, or religion ; for then, accoiding to the definition, it is no longer a pri vate offence, and it is this class of of fences we are now considering. At this point it is proper to state that there is no word in the Greek cor responding to “fault,” which occurs in the 18: 15 Mat. The literal would read thus: “And if thy brother sin against thee, go and tell him between thee airtl him alone.” “Tell him” what ? Not merely his “fault,” hut his “sin”—his hamartia (which is the word to be sup plied, if indeed it is necessary to sup ply any.) With this word supplied, the text runs thus : And if thy brother sin agains thee, go and teil him his 3in between thee and him alone. It may be that the imperfection of the common translation lias given rise to an erroneous interpretation of the text, quite prevalent of late. Every one can see that the Savior gave directions for the offended brother to deal with a brother who had sinned against him. The directions were, doubtless, design ed to embrace not merely imaginary, hut real sins—not only such acts as the offended believe to he sins, but such as he knows to be such. The Sa viour, I affirm, makes no exceptions to the rule. He does not say what shall be the “specific character” of the act, only that it is a sin against a brother, “If thy brother sin against thee, go and tell him (his sin) between thee aud him alone.” Some may say, “This is a hard saying,” “Who can hear it ?” But, it may be replied, “these are the words of Christ, the only Lawgiver.” Let his followers, therefore, hear them, and be silent. In the next place, it must he appa rent to every thoughtful reader, that Prof. Mell is inconsistent. He says, “You may have miscon ceived him through misapprehension or misrepresentation. Your brother may be able to disavow, or, if he ac knowledges, to explain, and thus re move all complaint.” “Acknowledge” what ? That he lias committed an act, the “ specific character” of which is that it is not a crime against morality or relig ; on ? A strange acknowledge ment this, truly ! Again : “ Yon may thus be able to reclaim him.” “ Reclaim him” from what! From the state in which he lias involved himself by an act whose “spe cific character” is that it is not a crime against morality ot religion? Next sentence: “He may repent and make reparation.” “ Repent” of what ? Repent of an act, which Violates no moral or relig ious law ? Anew species of repent ance, indeed ! Finally : “When your brother tres passes against you,he trespasses against God also, aud against his own soul.” And yet the act is one whose “spe cific character” is that it is not a crime against morality, or religion !! “A little leaveneth the whole lump.” A. S. WORRELL. T illadega, Ala., Feb. 6, ’6O. Blooming in the Grave. —A metallic coffin, containing the body of a young lady, who had been buried more than four years, was lately opened in Memphis, Tenn. The body was in an excellent state of preservation—the hair, particularly, was very life like, and, what was more astonishing, a full blown camelia japonica, which some affectionate hand had twined in the tresses of the girl, was remarkably fresh look ing, the leaves retaining their soft, greenish hue to perfection. Forty -two Days without Food. —On the 11th ult., at the residence of her mother, in the township of Rainsville, Monroe county, Mich., Miss Martha Gale .died of cancer of the stom ach, after lingering forty-two days without ta king any food (excepting during two or three days, and then but very little, ard that wis soon rejected.) During much of th it peril and she did not even take so much as a glass of cold Water for days together. [Detroit Fr## Press. POETRY. From the Sunday School Times. LIGHT OF MY SOUL. “Unto thee, 0 Lord, do I lift np my soul.”—Ps. 25 : 1. My God ! why is this soul of mine So filled with vanity and mirth? So dead to every call of thine, Yet busied with the dross of earth ? This sinful heart can surely be No true indwelling place for thee. To all the threatenings of thy word, To all the promise of thy love, To every chastening of thy rod, To each insensible 1 prove ; In sin’s dark maze my soul seems driven, And fears she’ll miss the path to heaven. Forgetful of thy chastening rod, Forgetful of thy loving voice, Forgetting e’en thy scourging rod, Which smote me that I might rejoice, Oit called, oft chastened, still I’m far From tnee and joys, which near thee are. From this dark scene shall I not rise f Cast off the clogs that bind my soul, With clearer visions see the prize, Aud, by thy grace, embrace the goal? Lord ! when thou gavest my soul her birth ’Twas for a holier home than earth. O sovereign love, that purposed all my good! 0 love divine that paid my debt of sin ! Light of my soul! My strength, my daily food, My all in all! Still guard without, within, Point me each hour to Christ my living Lord, Nor leave me ever till I reach my God. Fro.n the Religious Herald. SUCCESS OF MISSIONS.—NO. 1. It is very common 1 with many good brethren who have not given much at tention to the matter, (and especially is it tlie case with those who contrib ute but little of their means to support the gospel,) to speak despohdingL ot the success of our missionary efforts. They look at the results which have at tended some other missionary organi zations, and comparing the number of converts, Ac., reported hj them, with the reports of our Board, they are al most ready to say that our missions have proved a failure, or, at least, that they have been very unsuccessful. — Now, a comparison of the success of cur missions with that ot other Boards, it fairly made, affords no ground for discouragement, hut on the contrary, ample cause of gratitude for the bless ings which have attended our feeble efforts. Believing that such a compar ison would bring out facts, which brethren who complain of our want of success are not aware of, 1 propose, in several articles, to compare the success of our Foreign Missions with several of the most successful of other Boards. On the Bth of May, 1845, there as sembly! in the city of Augusta, Geor gia, a Convention of Southern Baptists, who, feeling themselves forced to with draw from the old Triennial Conven tion, were yet determined to continue an organized effort to promote the great cause of Missions. The result o their deliberations was the formatio of the Southern Baptist Convention.— I cannot better express the results which have followed this organization, than by a brief extract from an ad dress by the Rev. T. G. Keen: “How apparently unpropitious at the begin niug! We were without money, with out missions, without missionaries, without men accustomed to manage such enterprises, with a country sparse ly settled. Comparatively few of our churches, scattered as they were, had been previously reached by the agents of the Northern Boards. But what has been already effected! A vigorous and efficient Board. Under its super intendance missions have been estah-’ lished on two continents. More than fifty missionaries, including male and female assistant teachers, have been sustained in diffusing the light of the everlasting Gospel ; and more than one thousand have been hopefully con verted to God, and have publicly pro fessed Christ in the ordinance of bap tism.” Yes, the history of our mis sions shows a gradual but steady pro gress, until there opens up before us at present a field “white for the har vest,” scarce equalled in extent and promise by any other mission in the world. But let us enter more specifically into the comparison with other mis sions, and see if we have cause for dis couragement from our comparative success. And in making this compari son, it would be manifestly unjust to compare the present state of our mis sions wiih that of older Boards, who had their churches trained to systemat ic liberality,their officers skilled in con ducting missionary operations, an ef ficient missionary torce in the field, and stations established, with native converts to help them on in their work, at the time when our infant Board commenced its operations, without any of these elements of success, and beset with all of the difficulties incident to a new enterprise. To make tne compar ison just, we must take some Board which began its operations about the time that ours did, or else we must compare the first fifteen years of the elder Boards with the fifteen years that ours has been in existence. I have not the statistics in hand to enable me to bring the comparison to a later date than the first ten years of our Board, and shall take that period. “ The A mericau Board ot Commissioners” was organized inTSIO, and in the year 1820 (ten years after their organization) they report, “ cash received in donations, $36,582,64;” they had sent out to the foreign field (mostly during the previ ous year) 42 male and female mission aries, two of whom had died ; they re port, at this time,’not a single native MACON, WEDNESDAY, MAY 9, 1860. communicant; and only about three converts. The old Triennial Conven tion (the first missionary organization of American Baptists) was established in 1814, and adopted as their mission aries Mr. and Mrs. Judson, who, by a change of views had been so prov icentially thrown upon their hands.— Burmah was their only foreign field up to the year 1822, when they estab tablislied a mission in Monrovia. Pre viously to tlie year 1824 (ten years af ter the formation of the Convention) they had sent out about eight male and female missionaries, of whom two had died ; and up to this time only seven teen natives had been baptized. In reference to the first ten years of our own Board, I quote from an article written by Bro. Poindexter, in July ISS6 —an article, by the way, which I would commend to the perusal of those who think our missions a failure : “The receipts into the treasury, with such fluctuations as are incident to such funds, have increased from $11,7-35.22, the lii st year of the Board, to $30,066.- 60—the amount reported last year (1855.) We have sent out at different times, thirty eight male and female missionaries, to China and Central Africa, of whom seventeen are now in the service of the Board. In China, ten baptisms have been reported, and five in Central Africa. In addition to this, we have sustained missions in Li beria, as the result ot which, about eight hundred have been reported as baptized. We had, at the time of the last report, twenty-three missionaries and assistants engaged in this mission. Thus it appears, that within the first ten years our receipts had reached within some $6,000 of the amount re ceived as donations by the American Board of Commissioners in 1820—ten years after their organization—and that, with smaller means and fewer missionaries, and notwithstanding our losses by the death and return of mis sionaries, (which have been very heavy,) we have reported more than one hundred and sixty limes as many accessions to our communion within ten years, as both the Board of Com missioners and that of the Triennial Convention did within the first ten yeais of their existence, (exclusive of their missions among th Indians of North America ;) and of these it may he remarked, that not less than one hundred and fifteen were converts from heathenism.” A further exten sion of the comparison, down to the present time, would show results equal ly favorable to the success of missions. I have taken the missions of the Amer ican Board of Commissioners and the Triennial Convention, because they have been among the most successful, and ate best known, perhaps, to our brethren. A comparison with other Boards will show equally favorable re sults. But perhaps a comparison of special mission stations would bring out more forcibly the relative success of our missions. I propose, in my next, to institute such a comparison. —. W. —. Southern Lap. The. Seminary. Greenville, S. C. FOR WIIAT AREYOU SELLING YOURSOUL? If not a professed follower of Christ, you who read these lines are bartering away the hopes of eternity, and are selling your soul at some price. You may fancy it is not so, and think the cont act may not be absolutely con cluded, but tiie negotiation is in pro gress, amLmnst finally he consumma ted. It may be you are deluded, and suppose that no such serious transac tion is taking place, but, your adversa ry is active and on the alert, and is cheating you out of your salvation.— What, then is the price ? Is it wealth ? If so, it can only he yours a little while. You are driving a hard bargain. Toil and labor, thrift and diligence, will have to he bestowed upon its acquisi tion ; you may encounter wearisome days and sleepless nights, before the point of your desires is reached, and, after all, fail to enjoy what you have hoarded up. The desire to heap* up your gains, will diminish the power of enjoyment, aud when at last you are wealthy, you may have no inclination to enjoy what you have acquired. And none ot your treasures cau be carried with you into the next world. All must be left behind, and as poor as when you entered into the world, you must stand in the presence of God. — Earthly riches cannot purchase you a title to the kingdom of heaven, or se cure you a seat there, hut there is a heavenly treasure you may acquire, by going to Christ for salvation—a treas ure which will enrich you here and hereafter. Oh ! do not sell your soul j for the perishable gain of this life; for ; it will yield you no enjoyment in the j life to come.—[Episcopal Recorder. I-rael's eye was thus turned to the 1 blood, as the seal of the covenant and the assurance of reconciliation. The “shed blood” was Israel’s peace then ; I and it is our peace now. It has spo ken to our aud pacified them. What more do we need to know for our peace, each morning and evening, than that this blood has real ly been shed on earth and accepted in j heaven ? We receive God’s testimo ny to it. And as those who know that God sees this precious blood on us and deals with us accordingly, we cast out the misgivings of unbelief; and rejoice in the sure reconciliation of the covenant: nay, emboldened by this blood, we pass in to the sanctuary and go up to the mercy-seat “ wfih a true heart, in full assurance of faith.” (Heb, x. 22.) SPIRITUAL HEALTH. HOW IS YOUR APPETITES Do you relish the word of God ? Hear what one of the healthy old saints has left on record—“ Thy words were found, and I did eat them ; and thv word was unto me the joy and re joicing of mine heart.” [Jer. xvi. 16.] Is it so with you ? Do you “hunger and thirst after righteousness?” Those who have a good will count ot their meal time. Do you long for the hour ot social prayer ? Do you an ticipate the return of the Sabbath ? If 1 not you are sickly, and this makes you dainty —you find all manner of fault with your minister—he does not dress the food to your fancy—nor, if he be a good man and a true, will lie try. Shew ! us a man so sickly that he has lost his i relish for the word of God, for secret * and social prayer, and no faithful gos pel minister can please his vitiated ap petite ; no, nor an angel from heaven. The f&ul t is in his stomach ; his soul is not in health. HOW IS YOUIt BREATHING? For the healthy expansion of the lungs is not more essential to the strength of the body than is prayer to the health of the soul. It is true we have adverte to this in our preceding enquiry; but it is such a vital point, that we are anxious to give it a mo ments separate consideration. A man who is very sick arid wasted, may, by clothing and coloring, seem pretty well when he walks out and appears in company ; but see him at home, his real sell, yon would scarcely know him. Now, are not both ministers aud pri vate Christians often painfully conscious that their apparent zeal in the sanctu ary is not sustained in the closet ? Alas, it is just here that our spiritual health begins to decline! And what is the remedy ? Oh, let us guard against he big satisfied with periodical devotion. It is right to have and to observe seas ons of devotion ; but we should seek to preserve a devotional spijrit in all the intervals. How could natural life be sustained by breathing a quarter of an hour twice or thrice a day; or to change the figure, we may say, with Dr. Payson—“lt requires constant rub bing and chafing to keep the blood cir culating in such frozen souls as ours.” If we walk in the company of vain, sinful, trifling thoughts all the day, we shall find some difficulty in shutting the door against them when, in the evening, we retire to our closet. If we are propelled by a high-pressure en gine of worldly-mindedness for some twelve or fourteen hours, it i6 too much to expect that it will stop at a moment’s bidding, and leave us calm and quiet for communion with God. But it may he said—“We cannot always he on our knees.” True: but we may often on the wing of ejaculatory prayer. Here is a safety valve for the sous, through which we may breathe all day long, and keep our souls in health. HOW IS YOUR PULSE ? How does the heart beat ? Oh, what a question is that, ‘ls thineheart right?’ There are two signs of a diseased heart —a feeble, and an intermittent pulse; there are others, hut we can only en quire concerning these. If you have lost the glow of warm and generous affection to Christ, his ways, and his 1 people, and are faint hearted, it is time for you to take the alarm; there is something wrong at the core. Christ is as precious as ever, for he is “the same yesterday, to-day and forever.” Go, then, to the great Physician ; tell him ail your case, aud beseech him to ‘heal your soul,’and restore unto you the joys of his salvation. Then a word about the intermittent pulse. Some times quick, sometimes slow, and now and then intercepted. It is a bad sign when our religion shews itself by fits and starts. There is a beautiful anal ogy between the operations of nature and of grace. llow steadily progres sive the former, “First the blade, then the ear, and then the full corn in the ear,” “The morning light shining more and more unto the perfect day.” Here are no paroxysms, no cessations. So it is with the healthful operation of vi tal religion. There is a “growing in grace,” —a “pressing forward” —a stea dy “perseverance in welldoing”—and till you attain to this, you cannot en joy soul prosperity. THE BOARD SYSTEM OF THE SOUTHERN BAPTIST CONVENTION. Postulate Ist. If the Board System of the greater organization he Scriptu ally wrong, the Board System of the less must be Scriptually and logically wrong also. Ergo: The Boards of all State Conventions,Education and Pub lication Societies, Associations, Colle ges, Seminaries and schools, must he wroDg. • Pos. 2d. If the only scriptual plan of Missions is for each single church— to maintain its own missionaries. Er go: The support ot one or more mis sionaries by two, three, or more chur ches is uuscriptural and a violation of the spirit and precept of Christiani ty. Pos. 3J. If the arguments of anti missioDaries thirty years ago, were, unsound, illiberal, and unscriptural, have the lapse of years —the spread ing light of evangelical Christianty, and the force and Spirit of Omnipo tent truth rendered these same argu ments, formerly repudiated and reject ed by those who now employ them, sound, liberal and Scriptural? Ergo: Is it not better to retain the old and well tried superstructure, based upon the good foundation of long experi ence, than to surrender it for untried experiments ? Pos. 4th. If, in union, there is strength, is not that union greatly stengthened by the multitude ot mem bers enclosed in it ? The more rods there are in a bundle the harder is it to break. Ergo: The union of all the Baptist of the South in one general organization for the propagation of Christianity, will be far more useful than the individual and separated unions ot small hands of Christians in separate and distant localities, opera ting upon remote and tar distant hea then lands.—[Wm. Carey Crane. A BAPTIST OUGHT TO TAKE A BAPTIST PAPER. Nor can the Christian, who from convictions of duty has connected him sell with the Baptist denomination, dispeuse with a paper which shall give him information concerning that branch of Christ’s visible church with which he is connected. He may and siionld feel emotions ot love and affec tion fur all who hear Christ’s image, whatever may he their church connec tion ; hut believing, as he does, that his own denomination comes nearer than any other to the Apostolic stand ards, he can not hut feel a special inter est in whatever concerns it; to him the news of a revival of religion will always ho pleasant, hut will occasion him a still higher joy to know that the converts are walking in all the ordinances and commandments of God, blameless; it will be a source ofgratifi cation to him to hear that Christian men and women are visiting the homes of the poor, the destitute, the vicious, the fallen, or that they are go ing forth, as new recruits to God’s sa cramental host, to battle with hoary er ror and ancient idolatry ; hut it he can recognize in these his own special brethren, he will feel a peculiar inter est in learning their labors, their diffi culties, their triumphs, lie is first a Christian, next a Baptist Christian, and hence lie needs, and must have, a knowledge of what his own brethren are doing for the cause of Christ. lie has an undoubted right, if he chooses, and can afford it, to periodicals issued by other branches or the Christian Church; hut his first duty is to aid in sustaining a Baptist paper.—Examin er. NO MIDDLE COURSE IN Re ligion. Often do we hear remiss professors strive to choke all forward holiness by commending the golden mean. A cunning discouragement; the devil’s sophistry ! The mean of virtue is be tween two degrees. It is a mean grace that loves a mean degree of grace; yet this is the staff with which the world heats all that would be better than themselves. What ! will you he singular,—walk alone ? But were not the apostles singular in their walking, a spectacle to tiie world ? Did not Christ call for this singularity, what do ye more than others? You that are God’s peculiar people, will yo.u do nopeculiar thing? Ye that are sepa rate from the world, will ye keep the world’s road ? Must, the name of a Puritan dishearten us in the ser vice of God ? St. Paul said in his a pology “ by that which they call here- j worship I the God of my fathers;” and by that which profane ones call puritanism, which is indeed zealous devotion, so let my heart desire to serve Jesus Christ. Old Puritan Writer. READING THE SKY. ‘Come here, Patty,’ said uncle Phil ip ; ‘and come here, Peter. You have read your books, and now I will teach you how to read the sky.’ ‘When the sky is clear, it says, ‘Love God ;’ when it is stormy, it says, ‘Fear God;’ when it is lit up with the sun, it says, ‘Praise God ;’ and when one part is clear and shining, and another part cloudy, then it says, ‘Love God, Fear God, and Praise God,’ all at the same time.’ Little Patty said she would read the sky every day ; but Peter said, if she did, she would he sure now and then to read it wrong. She would fear God when she ought to love him. ‘Never mind that,’said Uncle Phil ip ; ‘never mind that, Patty ; for you cannot be much wrong while you love, or fear, or praise God.’ BE PREPARED. No man knows what a day may bring forth ; what miseries, what liberty, what bonds, what good success, a day may bring forth ; and, therefore a man need every day be in the closet with God, that he may be prepared and fitted to entertain and improve all the occurrences, successes, and e rnergencies which may attend him in the course of his life. Tiie ‘Sister.’— There is something lovely in the name of sister, and its utterance rarely fails to call up the warm affections of the gentle heart. The thoughts that circle round it are all quiet, beautiful and pure. Passion has no place with its associations. The hopes and fears of love, those strong emotions, powerful enough to shatter and extinguish life itself, find no home there. The bride is the star, the talisman of the heart, the diamond above all price, bright and blazing in the noonday sun ; a sister, the gem of milder light, calm as the mellow moon, and set in a coronet of pearls. S'SF*’ Reader, I invite you in my Master’s name to come to Christ and he His disciple, if von want to be happy. Cease to seek happiness in the vain things of this world. Give up pride, the self-will, the sinful stub bornness of your own ways. Come to Jesus as an humble sinner, and cast your soul on Him, and then the rest. I have spoken ot shall be your own. | Terms ©i Advertising. For all transient advertising One Dollar per square of ten line* for the first, and 50 ctnts per square for all subsequent publications. RATES FOR CONTRACT ADVERTISING. 1 square of 10 lines per 3 months 4 00 . “ “10 lines “ 6 “ 700 “10 lines “ l year 10 oo These lines are the text advertising lines and th e charge is for the space occupied ten such lines as are used in the body of an advertisement. Lon ger advertisements in the same ratio. NUMBER 19. SABBATH SCHOOL COLUMN. PUNCTUALITY. The teachers must be punctual, and on the spot in time. The children must be taught to assemble in seriousness and quietness. They must be in their places, in readiness for the opening worship of the school. To atlowa hab it of heedless, desultory coming, is oft en to destroy completely the whole beDelit anticipated from the gathering. We cannot safely permit teachers and children to be absent from the wor ship, or to be tumbling in together, in a noisy disturbance of the tranquility and repose of its actual offering. This must never be considered a subordi nate matter. Wo have but a short time for the whole work of the day.— The loss of any part of it is important. And the idea cannot be suffered that the loss of the opening prayer is of less consequence than any sutisequent por tion of the privileges of the occasion. How to open a Sahhath School. The opening w'ort'hij) should be short, appropriate and engaging. A hymn ot praise adapted to the minds of chil dren, animated and awakening—a few words ot serious exhortation or ad dress from the Superintendent to the teachers and children—a prayer adap ted also to youthful minds, and ex pressed in such language and senten ces as they can perfectly comprehend and enjoy—these may all occupy ten to fifteen minutes—in no case to be ex tended longer. This commencing wmrk tests the skill and tact of the Superin tendent. In it his manner and voice should be prompt and completely au dible to all. His own real earnestness should command instant tranquility and attention. If he be truly quali fied for his post, he will be heard, rev eled and loved. Perfect order and si lence should reign throughout while he is thus engaged : and the whole as pect and influence ol the employment should indicate the presence of the Lord with his children, and the sin cerity and spiritual character an'd hab its of those who are seeking him. Order and Quiet. This serious, earnest spirit should pervade the whole occasion. We are dealing with immortal beings upon ev erlasting concerns, and the whole in fluence and feeling in the work should be coincident with this commanding thought. The general spirit of the place must be earnest and solemn.— There should be a quietness which is the very result of this solemnity of feeling in the minds of all. It is'dis mal to hear a Superintendent shouting for silence,, and constantly ringing a miserable bell, that seems itself to°be the very sound and Index of disgrace and iudifference. To have every teach er running to the library, when the li brarian can quietly pass around and collect the old books'and deal out new ones, is unnecessary. Children and teachers should be taught to keep their places and remain earnestly engaged in learning or instructing until the School closes. Vehemence unnecessary. A faithful and qualified Superintend ent will carry round with him that gen tle and gracious authority which re quires no vehemence ; that personal character which attracts and governs by attracting, rather than by any lan guage of rebuke or displeasure. “ It is this spiritual, healthful atmosphere which is wanting first of all, in the agency of a Sunday School—the at mosphere of order, of love, of real ear nestness in the Lord’s work as here ar ranged. Conversion of Scholars. Sunday School teachers deßire the conversion of their scholars, of all of them. Do they desire it enough to devote some of the hours of business to preparation-to put themselves to some inconvenience, and sacrifice, even, that they may win souls ? Do they pray, and labor, and wait ? Do they teach with a sense ot their responsibility, and spend each opportunity as though it were the last they should ever have to lead their young charges to the Sa viour ? K N O W M O RE THAN YOU TEACH. In order that a teacher may be com petent to his duties, lie should qualify himself, as well as prepare his lesson. He should endeavor to be well “up” in the subjects which he teaches. He should endeavor to acquire a pretty full knowledge of all which can illus trate and throw light upon them. I would lay it down as an all-important maxim, that the teacher should know much more than he teaches. He should not feel, when with his class, that he is working up to his full power ; that another draft upon his mental capital, in the form of an inquiry from an in telligent scholar, would meet an emp ty exchequer, and must be dishonored because there are “no effects.” You should fear to offer to your chil dren that which costs you nothing.— You should he like bees, continually gathering honey from every flower, to bring home to the young swarm in your Sunday-school hive. Teach your scholars to turn Scrip ture into prayer. Christ said, “If you love me, keep my commaudments,’’ and the end of all instruction is, to lead our scholars to obey the will of God. Dr. Franklin used to say that rich widows were the only piece of second hand goods that sold at prime cost