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THE CHRISTIAN INDEX, PUBLISHED EVERY WEDNESDAY MORNING - AT MACON, GEORGIA. BY A COMMITTEE OF BRETHREN, FOR THE GEORGIA BAPTIST CONVENTION. TERMS O V SUBSCRIPTION, Two Dollars in advance: or paid within the year. If suii'ered rooverrun theyea'-,Two Dollars and on k h u.f will be chained in all cases. SAMUEL BOYKIN, Editor. VOLUME XXXIX. POETRY. ; Twilight Hour. Gen. 3 chap. 8 v.; Luke 24th chap. 29 v. I love this holy, quiet hour, When evening sheds her purple light, And folded is each leaf and flower, Beneath the smiling stars of night. Eich bird hath sought its leafy nest; And cares their wings have folded down, While thought and fancy in my breast, Weaves a sweet song my day to crown. This hour when God was wont to come, From his high throne and talk with man ; Devotion draws me nearer home, Than when the early day began. I pass my actions in review ; Etch sinful thought and idle word, And plead for grace that doth renew My soul while waiting on the Lord. Upward I lift my heart to God, In praise lor all his love and care, While Jesus from his bright abode, Comes down to bless my evening prayer. This cool and pleasant eventide, For meditation is most meet; 0, Holy Spirit, come abide! Thy presence brings refreshment sweet. ’Tis sweet to feel how all my life, Blessings have crowned me undeserved; How through the angry waves and strife, Love hast my tiembliug heart preserved. Then let me dedicate anew, My life in service, Lord, to thee, And every evening as the dew, 0 shed refreshing grace on me ! E. S. W. Lumpkin, April 3, 1860. Review of “Corrective Church DISCIPLINE” “ TREATMENT OF PUBLIC AND MIXED OF FENCES.” No. 6. Tiie article now to be considered, commences thus : “How should pub lic olfences be treated? When one lias been guilty of open immorality, shall gospel steps be taken ? Is it de manded that a thief or a drunkard, or a debaueher, should be approached first in private, and then in company with one or two others, before he is ar raigned in presence of the church?— Certainly not; for no private repara tion can atone for or counteract the ef fects oj immoralities ? ’ (Italics mine ) It is needless to multiply words unnec essarily. What does Prof. Mell mean by “ immorality ?” There is a great necessity fur an accurate and pointed definition of this term. Websffer says immorality is “an act or practice which contravenes the divine command or the social duties.” If this definition is accepted, I must enter my objeetion to Prof. Hell’s doc trine, by showing that some immo ali ties may be atoned for in a different way to the one he suggests. Every personal offence—sin against a broth er—“contravenes the divine command, ‘ whatever ye would that men should do unto you, do ye even so unto them.’ And, in the language of Prof. Mell, “ When your brother trespasses (sins) against you, he sins against God also.” I>ut “where there is no law there is no transgression.” No one can sin against God without “contravening the com mand,” or law of God. According to Webster, any harsh or abusive words, spoken by A, against his brother B, would he an immoral act. Should the act he regarded as an “immorality ° then, Prof. M. being judge, “no pri vate reparation can atone for” it. The Saviour seems to teach a different doc trine. lie says : “If thy brother sin against thee, go and tell him (his sin) between thee and him alone: if he shall hear thee, thou hast gained thy brother.” The gr at object is now at tained—your brother is gained. Don’t trouble the church or any one by talk ing of it. “But suppose some of the members of the church are cognizant of the difficulty, ought they t. report the matter to the church ? I answer no. “But suppose all the church know it, what then ?” It would be, even in that case, as well for all to learn from the parties themselves, or from their friends, that the difficulty has been amicably settled, and keep the matter out of the church entirely. But when the church, if as a church she inquires into the matter, learns that the trou bles have all been settled, she certain- j ly ought not to pursue the matter any further. I conclude, therefore, that, if Prof. M. accepts Webster’s definiE some “ immoralities'’ ought to be set tled without being brought into the church. But it may he that this definition Will he discarded. A definition of umrality is here appended : “Religion,” says Dr. Dagg, (page 103, Moral Sci euce,) “implies love to God, and the attendant affect ions found in the sane tified heart. It has an external form, consisting of duties positive and mor al. Positive duties are those for which no other reason can he given, than the will of God made known by express precept of revelation Moral duties are those for which reasons may be assigned, derived from other manifes tations of the divine will. The chief coucern of moral philosophy is with the latter class. To these, the name morality, especially applies. The same distinguished writer says, in the same connection, “ We may as well seek for a universe without a God, as for a system of morality without re ligion.” Again, he says, “As true morality begins with God, so it ends with God. and morality, in its rela tion to God, is nothing different from religion.” (Drgan of % Contmitton: hetmfch to Hlissions, Mdtgion, anHlje Inttrfsfs of % flutist gcnMinalwn. It is easy to deduce from the above extract, what the amiable and learned Dr. Dagg would call an immoral act. Asa moral duty is one “for which rea sons may her assigned, derived from other manifestations of the divine will,” an act which violates a moral duty, is an immoral act, or an immorality. According to this doctrine, if A be comes angry with B, speaks unkindly to him, and abuses him, A is guilty of an immoral act, or an immorality. If this act is an immorality, would Prof. Mell be willing for such an of fence (sin) to he settled privately ? Does not Matt. 18: 15, clearly provide for all such cases ? So I think. If he will not accept either of definitions quoted, will he be so kind as to define, for himself, what he means by morality ? The truth is, if I am able to compre hend his use of the terms, he has used morality as quite distinct from relig ion, and has made morality stand even higher than religion. In proof of this, I reter to the fact that, in his view, if if an act violates God’s law merely, it may,according to one admission* of his, he settled between the parties private ly ; but, from the latter part of the quotation in the first part ol the arti cle, it appears that if the act may be denominated an immorality, it cannot he atoned for by private reparation. Religion contains morality, as a whole contains its parts. “We may as well seek for a universe without a God, as for a system of morality without re ligion.” Prof. M. shows considerable ingenu ity, (if lie will pardon me for kindly saying so,) in mentioning “ the thief, “the drunkard,” and “the debaueher,” as the representatives of immoralists.-- Why did lie not use some other terms, less criminal than these? May not some other acts be termed “immorali ties” as well as these ? But let this pass. lie says, again : “If the offender is proved to be guilty of a gross offence against religion and morality, he should be at once and without delay, expelled.” Here, there seems to he some relaxation of the rigid rule.— What is a “gross offence?” A great of fence, ora palpable offence, it is to be presumed. Would he call all offences against religion and morality, “gross” offences ? If not, then what treatment would he prescribe for such as are not “giosß ?” He answers this question himself: “in public offences, not in volving gross immorality, a milder course may be pursued ; and correct ive discipline may be successful and complete short of excommunication. This, I think, is.sound doctrine, quite a modification, however, of that in the first extract. By gradual concessions, Prof. M. seems to be approaching the truth. Throwing aside a large number of cases, which would he included in his definition of'a “public offence,” a con siderable part of what he sa}’s about their treatment, may be readily admit ted.—lst. Not every act against relig ion, or morality, is a public offence.— Avery large number of such offences are personal offences, and should be settled privately. 2. Not every “act against the church in its organized capacity,” (a part of his definition of public offences,) is a public offence. Some such acts are public offences; others are even praise worthy. The former should be treat ed as public offences; the latter should receive praise, Many of this latter class have occurred in the history of the churches. I disagree with Prof. Mell on anoth er point. He says, “No ope should he condemned without a hearing.”— The murderer, the man well known to be living incest, and many such like cases, form exceptions. What is the use of citing a mu derer whose black crime is known to the whole commu nity, to appear before the church ? Would his acknowledged prevent liis exclusion ? When a church member’s guilt has been established in the mind of the community, and the crime is such as cannot he atoned for, his presence be fore the church is not at all necessary. Tbe church should exclude him with out any formal trial. “ Mixed Offences.” It has already been shown that ; “ Mixed offences” are absurdities ; of course, any treatment for such often ces is itself absurd. What is said on this subject deserves no further notice. A. S. Worrell. Talladega, Ala., Feb. 22, 1860. * “When thy brother trespasses (sins) a gainst thee, he trespasses (sins) against God also.” From the Religious Herald. SUCCESS OF MISSIONS.—NO. 2. One of the most successful missions of modern times (if not the most suc cessful,) is the mission to the Karens; and yet, in comparing that mission with our’s to Central Africa, we will see no cause for discouragement, while we will he compelled to acknowledge less success. When, in the year 1831, the devoted Boardman entered upon his labors among this remarkable peo pie, lie found afield already “whitefor the harvest.” Though so weak that he had to be carried on a litter to the Karen jungles, he entered with enthu siasm upon his work, and at once be gan to gather in the precious sheaves. He was soon called by the Master to “come up higher,” but was permitted, before his departure, to witness a large namber of conversions ; and from “the MACON, GA., WEDNESDAY, MA\ r 23, 1860. land of rest” he has continued to wit ness an abundant harvest reaped, by his successors, from the seed which lie had sowed. The Karens are now a Christian people, and are sending out missionaries to the surrounding heath en. And yet we have no ground of discouragement because our missions show no such results as these. The Karens could scarcely be called a hea then people, and were even better pre pared to receive the gospel than the hardened sinners of our own land, who have so often turned a deaf ear to it. They had no established priesthood or form of idolatry, hut believed in the ex istence of God, and a future state of rewards and punishments, and cherish ed a set of traditions of unusual purity and containing many doctrines strik ingly similar to the truth* of Scripture. They had also a singular tradition, that their race would not always he degra ded, but that “white strangers from across the seas would come and teach them the words of God.” When, there fore, Boardman went amongst them, they had hailed it as the fulfilment ol their tradition, and embraced the gos pel as eagerly as did the Ethiopion eunuch, when Philip, by divine direc tion, joined himself to his chariot and “preached unto him Jesus.” In our Central African mission there was no such preparation as this ; hut from Bowen’s first entrance into the country, the people have been eager to hear the gospel; an f d though the mis sion was only established in 1853, and has had many difficulties to contend with, from the death and return of mis sionaries, Ac., they have reported a large number of convents, and the prospects for the future are bright and brightening. If Southern Baptists will only discharge their duty in reference to this field, we may c nfideutly look for results equally as encouraging, when it has been in operation as long as the Karen mission. And before leaving this comparison with the missions of Northern Baptists I am constrained to remind our breth ren, who speak depreciatingly of our success in comparison with their’s, that our fathers helped to lay the founda tions of these missions, and that South ern Baptists are entitled to rejoice in their success up to the year 1845, as a blessing upon their efforts, and an an swer to prayers offered by them in common with those of our Northern brethren. Yet?! in reading the histo ry of the early Bunnan missions, we will not allow that fanaticism which forced us to relinquish their prosecu tion, to cause us to forget that we have an equal right to speak of our Judsons, and our Boardmans ; but equally with our brethren of the North, we will re joice at the success of the gospel in that dark laud, or drop a tear to de parted worth upon the graves of those heroes and heroines of faith who were the pioneers of American missions. I shall have time at present, merely to make a passing allusion to several missions, which I had intended com paring somewhat minutely with those of our own Board. We are frequently pointed to the success of Romish mis sions, and are told of the thousands, and even hundreds of thousands, that they number their converts by ; but it is a sufficient reply, that the religion whicn they have taught the heathen is but little differtnt from their former idolatry, (merely a slight change in their ritual,) and it is exceedingly doubtful whether their “converts” are at - all benefitted by the change. And yet, to gain proselytes to such an emp ty form, they have put forth efforts aud made sacrifices which should put us to the blush, and which, if made in the cause of truth, would show a far more flourishing state of things than exists at present in any of our missions. Sure ly we have nocause of discouragement in comparing the success of our mis sions with those of Rome. Ttie mis sion of the Moravian brethren to Greenland has been one of the most successful of modern missions, and yet their missionaries labored there for eighteen years, with the most com mendable zeal, and perseverance, be fore they witnessed the first conver sion. And tlins I might go on, and take up one after anotheV of modern 1 missions, and show that their ultimate success has been the result of years of fruitless toil. In 1816, Judson wrote to Luther Rice, who w T as at that time laboring to stir up our churches to sustain the Burmau mission : “If any ask what success I meet with among the natives, tell them to look at Ota heite, where tiie missionaries labored nearly twenty years, and not meeting with the slightest success, began to be neglected by ail the Christian world, i aud the very name of Otaheite was | considered a shame to the canse.of mis sions ; but now the blessing begins to ! descend. Tell them to look at Bengal, ; also, where Dr. Thomas had been la- ; boring for seventeen years, before the first convert, Krishnu, was baptised. When a few converts are once made, things move on. But it requires a much longer time thali I have been here, to make a first impression on a heathen people. If they ask again what prospect of ultimate success there is, tell them, as much as that ihere is an almighty and faithful God, who will perform his promises, and no more. If this docs not satisfy them, j beg them to let me stay and make the attempt, and let you come, and give us | our bread ; or, if they are unwilling to risk our bread on such a forlorn hope as has nothing but the word of God to | sustain it, beg them at least not topre | vent others from giving us bread. And j if we live some twenty or thirty years, ’ they may hear from n§,” Thus it appears that a comparison of the first years of other missions with the first years of our own, affords us ground lor abundant gratitude for the past, and bright anticipations for the future. * I had designed enlarging somewhat on the wonderful manner in which Providence has opened up missionfields to Southern Baptists, but I have ex tended this article so far that I can now barely allude to it. After Judson’s fifteen years of toil and suffering, Bur mah proper was as completely closed against missionary effort as when he first entered the field, and though his unwavering faith could say that the prospects lor Burmah’s redemption were “as bright as the promises of God,” they seemed to his supporters at home dark indeed. Dr. Morrison (the first Protestant missionary to China,) contented himself with the work of translation, and at the expiration of twenty years there was no public preaching ol the gospel, and mission aries were permitted to reside only at a tew ports. The history of our ope rations, in this particular, has been in deed cheering. So soon as Bowen en tered Central Africa, it was opened to as many missionaries as vve might send, and the natives have been eagerly cal ling for more men to tell them “God palaver” ever since. About twelve years alter our missionaries entered China,the walls of exclusiveness, which so long closed nearly all of that vast empire to the messengers of salvation, are suddenly broken down, and a per ishing harvest of four hundred and for ty-five millions is now inviting us to put in the sickle. The gates of Japan, so long barred to foreigners, are thrown wide • pen just as we are ready, with the means and men, to enter it. And Brazil, which Popish bigotry has so long degraded, now declares toleration to Protestantism; and opens up a wide,extended field, which only South erners can cultivate, and which our Board has j ust sent the devoted Bow en to occupy. In reviewing our past history, then, and comparing it with that ol other missions, we have reason to bo grateful that we have been bles sed tar more than the feeble efforts we have made gave us a right to expect. And in contemplating the future, we may confidently look for the most glo rious results, it we will only have faith and energy to “go up and aud possess” the inviting fields which are spread out before us. -. W. —. South. Bqp. Iheological Seminary, Greenville , C., April 23, ’6O. ALBANY, NEW YORK, LETTER. Albany, May Bth, 1860. Dear Brother Boykin: Y our kind “commission” of the 30th Git., came duly to hand. Be assured that it will ever afford me pleasure, as tar as possible, to continue the inter change ot those Christian courtesies with my Southern brethren which be gan with the first day of my profess ional career, and which I devoutly pray may never end. It is my joy that no where in print, private letter, or most confidential act, is there the face of any purpose or ex pression designed to wound the feel ings or forfeit the confidence of any patriot or chiistian, East, West, North, or South. The longer my life is ex tended, and the more I observe the movements ot all classes of our fellow men,the more catholic grows my heart, and the more comprehensive my re gards. But all my ambition, and what lit tle ability I possess, are absorbed in parochial toils, and von must not ex pect much from my pen. As an earnest of good intentions, however, please use as you please the enclosed communication. It was writ ten by a sister who joined our church with the dear candidate described, and wdiose baptism has excited so much public interest. In the same mail with this goes some corrected statements to brother Walthall, at Raleigh. Herein it is suggested that yon reprint from each other, and so allow your respective readers to know about that “head” so “gently immersed.” Yours very truly, E. L. Magoon. jjglP Our readers may have seen an account of a young girl, baptized iu Albany, N. ~by Rev. E. L. Magoon, when she was in a helpless condition. We here present a full account of tfte ; occurrence obtained by special eorres ’ pondence. I A TRIBUTE TO KATE McROWN. THE BAPTISM. On the first Sabbath iu April, in Dr. Magoon’s church, there were eighteen candidates for baptism. Before the ordinance was administered, the Pas tor stated that there was a young girl, who had been connected with the fe male Bible class, past the hope of re covery with consumption. At her j earnest entreaty, and with the consent ;of her only surviving parent, which | she persisted in soliciting until she could withhold it no longer, he had consented to baptize her. The Pas tof told her that he did not think in her state of Tiealth such an act of obe ience w’as required of her, and that it was not a saving ordinance. She had been tailing for eleven months, was much emaciatej, she might die in the j j water. She with a fidelity that par- j took of the sublimity of faith, and the’ cheerfulness of obedience, determined to follow the footsteps of her Saviour, and confess Christ before the church and world. “ Will the church receive her to their fellowship? 9 ’ was the ques tion asked. She was received with out a dissenting voice. “Obedience is truly better than sacrifice.” She came in leaning on the strong arm of her uncle. There was such love and trust in her heart that it gave strength to her feeble footsteps. She was literally dressed in her! white grave-clothes which had been prepared by loving hands as for a bride, for she might become such by death. As she appeared from that dense mass gathered within the church, in the still ness, sobs as from one great heart broke forth. The Pastor secured her in his arms fiom the frout of the baptistry. Like a child she lay there. lie pressed his forehead on her chest, and when they rose from the watery grave they were so radiant I was reminded of the trans figuration. From the widowed mother a cry came, wrung from the tried spirit, as she rushed to the baptistry aud saw that she was safe, “ God bless my child.” As I marked the great drops ot sweat standing like beads upon the brow of our pastor, I felt that the mar tyr spirit died not out centuries ago with the flames which the persecutors of Christianity kindled. Here was the servant of Christ, ready at all times, and under all circumstances, fearlessly to discharge his duty, “though it led far from the easier path which thous ands tread.* 1 I will pay a just tribute to the Christian heroism of his charac deeply would he have been blamed. W nil the intrepidity of the man of God who follows his master fully, and was aware that the multitude were as rea dy to cry “away with him” and to hurl the first stone at defeat, as they were to offer warmest congratulations at his success. Yet he risked the chan ces, and gave such happiness to that young believer. “She was planted in the likeness of Christ’s death,” and when the hymn arose “in its full volume of sweetness above the rich strains of the solemn organ, in its anthem roll,” “ and see the place where Jesus lay” died away, “she felt that she by faith had seen it in baptism, and was so happy,” and that the promise of the resurrection was hers. She was removed to the psstor’s 9tudy, and several hours after sat down to the Lord’s supper, and partook tor tlie first time on earth of the emblems of the broken body and shed blood of the dying Lord. To her it was emphat ically the last supper. Then we sang a hymn, as they in that upper room centuries ago, did, and went out, and Jesus will eat of the fruit of the vine with her in his father’s kingdom. They bore her toiler home “ refresh ed,” and she whispered to the Pastor, “ I have fought a good fight, I am ready to be offered up.” THE FUNERAL. When May morning dawned, which brings delight to so many young hearts, as they go to cull the lovely flowers, which fade in plucking, to twine about the brow of the Queen of an hour, she went forth from the friends who loved her, from the mother who bore her, alone, yet guarded by an innumerable company, crowned with a diadem un fading as the tree of life, with the im mortal blossoms in her hand given by the Saviour himself. On that day month she bad given herself to the church militant, and her name was enrolled among its members, but now, she was in the church tri umphant, and her name inscribed be neath her Lord, the Lamb’s. Again a vast multitude are gathered within the temple of the Most High. There is weeping and lamentation, mingled with submission and praise. The hand that smiteth will sustain the stricken ones. As surely as He lives, who sent the shaft quivering through the bleed ing hearts of that mourning mother and those beloved sisters, Jesus will heal the wounds which he has made. Perhaps while her companions sang the hymns which she loved best, her sainted spirit was fanning her mother’s cheek as she sank beside that same baptistry and uttered such another cry of anguish for her who lay in her coffin with the choicest flowers bloom ing around her. A month before her child was safe in life, infinitely safer now in the life immortal. Well might the angel say, “she is not here but is risen.” And while they lay that fair young head beneath the sod, from which violets may spring, it is but the crumbling casket which once contained a jewel. Jesus needed it for his crown, He only lent it to her mother. Spurgeon's Sermons. —T he s e vol umes are, it would seem, still iu de mand. At the recent “trade sale” of books in New York, there were sold at fair prices no fewer than thirty six thousand volumes of Spurgeon’s Ser mons*! Missions in New Zealand.' —lt is well known that Missionary effort has been largely successful m this deeply interesting section of the world. The ‘ following, however, is painful: The Wesleyan missionaries are much an noyed and hindered by receDt politi cal movements. But a worse evil still is the introduction of intoxicating li j quors by European traders. Young men of promise are arrested in their course of improvement by this destroy er ; from drinking they fall into gamb- ling, !icentionsne?s, and every vice. — , The same countries that send mission- j aries to elevate the people, send rum i to sink them below the level ot the ! heathen. BIBLE & COLPOBTEUR WORK. Way Maries for April. A travel of more than two hundred miles on the cars brought me tm SAVANNAH. This is the largest city in Georgia. Is situated on the South Western bank of the Savannah river, eighteen miles above its entrance into the Atlantic ocean. It is built on a sandy cliff, about, forty feet above low tide. It is constantly visited by large vessels from New Fork, Liverpool, and other Am erican and European ports. The city is regularly laid out, contains many beautiful squares and public walks, adorned with the pride of China trees, which contribute much to the ornament and comfort of the place.— Rev. S. Landrum is the Pastor of the Baptist church. Their membership is very large. They have two sermons and Sabbath-school on Sunday. Pray er-meeting Tuesday night, and Lec ture on Thursday night. These meet ings are oil well attended. The church and congregation gave me one hun dred dollars for the Bible and Col porteur Society. There are four Afri can Baptist churches here. I only visited the first. It has about twelve hundred members. Their pastor was absent. I tiied to preach to them. The house is very large, in its most distant part stood the quoir who lead the music, or rather they, (white folks like.) sang for the congregation. Oh ? how poor is such singing, compared to the thrilling notes of a whole con gregation, sending forth praise to God. The Savannah people are hospitable, kind and liberal. Long will I re member a week spent in their midst, and especially the pastor’s family, with whom I made my home my stay in the city. I visited * ° / '*ub lie Orphan Asylum, for femal in ! e Was much pleased with its management. It has 25 children, one Teacher, a Matron and assistant Matron. The children do everything about house keeping;, and are taught many things about books, Ac. They sang several beautiful songs for me. All looked cheerful and are doubtless very hap py. Hope other places will form sim ilar institutions for girls and boys. WALTIIOURYILLE Is a small town in Liberty county. Tne Baptists gave me $16,50 for my cause. They have a beautiful little meeting-house. Ic is called a Lecture room, and is owned by the NEWrORT CHURCH. This church now worships in a house about 45 years old. It has about 15 white, and 1,000 black members.— Spent a Sabbath with it. Truly it was delightful to meet with, and prea’ch to the hundreds of colored people pres ent. The house is large, was dense ly crowded by black people, the whites only filling a few seats. Their singing was led by a colored man. Nearly ah of the vast assembly united iu the songs of Zion. I was remind ed of that day when all will unite to sing the songs of joy on the other side of death. How vastly superior was this to what I had heard in the organed churches of the beautiful city of Savannah. Rev. 11. E. Cassidy, is the laborious and efficient pastor ot this church, and alternates between it and the church at Sunbury. A brother from Riceboro’ gave me $5, one from Mclntosh sl, also 25 cents from Louis ville. CENTRAL RAIL ROAD. Left Savannah on this road at an early hour in the night, for Macon, a distance of 192 miles. When first seated in the car, thought to myself, what a long ride, and what a dreary and cheerless night. Soon a gentle man and two ladies came in and seated themselves near where I sat. I had seen them before, therefore I felt free to converse with them. The gentle man read a newspaper and slept, al- j ternately. One of the ladies was soft toned and mild, yet very social and | pleasant. The other lady carried a light in her conversation. Occasional- ly she slept, but when not asleep she ; kept a thrill of interest in the other wise cheerless car. Her conversation j was instructive, literary, religious and entertaining. All on board felt that j it was good to have her along. About , day dawn we had a gentle shower of rain. While the car stopped for a few minutes at the station, the birds sang sweetly without,and the cheerful notes j of the joyous lady w T ere still sounding within. Oh! what one person can do towards making happy a company of passengers. THE GEORGIA BAPTIST CONVENTION. Will not attempt an account of it, for it has already been given. Re ceived here for Bible cause, from Au gusta, S2O, Jeffersonville, $5, Stark ville, $5, Palmyra, §5, Worthing’s Store, sls, and sl, each, from Griffin, LaGrange, Albany, Rome and Macon. During the month I received for the Society, in contributions, slßl 25, for books sold $285 49, and for Index, $97 20. Bible and Colporteur Socie ty also held an annual meeting. Du ring these anniversaries our Society received, in cash, about $1,400 00. Beached home, went to the “Twi- 1 light Prayer-meeting. Had a full house. It is perhaps the oldest daily prayer-meeting on the continent, hav ing been kept up by the pious young j men of Mercer University, for about j 28 years. More anon. F. M. Haygood, Ag’t. 1 Terms ol Advertising. For all transient advertising One Dollar per square of ten lines for the first, and 50 cents per square fer all subsequent publications. K ATES FOR CONTRACT ADVERTISING. 1 square of 10 lines per 3 months $ 4 oo “ M lO Hues “ 6 “ 700 “ “10 lines “ 1 year 10 00 These lines are the text advertising lines andtl e charge is for the space occupied bv ten such lir(g as are used in the body of an advertisement. Ton. ger advertisements in the same ratio. N. S., YOL. 28, AO. 21. SABBATH SCHOOL COLt MX. j THE S. S. AN AUXILIARY - TO Parental Efforts. An objection sometimes madetothe Sabbath Schools is, that it infer- its with household instiuction. If this were so—if it took the religious in struction of their children out of the hands of their parents —if it occupied the only time the parent could devote to this object—if it in any way contra vened the proper tuition of the fireside then it ought to be dispensed with.— For family religious instruction is a positive ordinance of God, and woe he to that family in which, for any reas on, it is not attended to. But it is cer tain that the Sabbath School never was designed to interfere with family instruction, and however plausible the objection to it on this ground, tacts will not sustain it. The truth is, that those very parents who are most alive to the religious instruction of their children, and who make the most strenuous efforts to secure this, wel come most gladly the Sabbath School, not as a substitute but as a worthy co worker. The Sab. School is an arrange ment that does not weaken proper home influence, but brings to bear a stimulus wdiich often times cannot be secured at home, and adds to the force ot appeals in favor of religion derived from a parent’s love and authority, all that there is in the new interest in the child’s welfare created in the mind of the teacher. The teacher may do— sometimes has done—the very thing for which the parents have been pray ing and laboring for yea:s. He may, through the Divine blessing, drop, in to a heart prepared for it through the instrumentality ot the parent, the seed which shall bring forth the fruits of pi ety, or give that direction to the im moral mind which shall carry it on ward and upward to the footsteps of the eternal throne. Sometimes takes the place of a religi ous parent. And while the Sabbath School does not interfere with the instructions giv en by parents who can impart it, it renders an immense benefit to those who cannot give the proper instruc tion. The opportunities of some par ents were so limited in early life, and their acquirements are so slender, or they may be so occupied with their children bread, that they either have not the know-edge or else not the ; time necessary topfepare themselves to give their children the home train ing they ought to have. “IIow,” says an eloquent writer, “is the fat her of'a ! family,who is perhaps possessed of only the humblest capacity, and whose ed ucation was of the meagerest sort, who is obliged to leave his home for the field, the factory, or the shop, before his children are awake, and who re turns exhausted with his labor, only when they are too drowsy to receive instruction, and the intervals of whose Sabbaths scarcely suffice to recruit, him for his week’s toil; how is such a one to perform properly and effectual ly, the office of religious instructor? Or how can a poor widow, of limited intelligence, who is obliged to rise ev ery day with the dawn, and toil with her needle till the night comes, to pro cure food and clothing and shelter fur her children, give them Jine iq on line, precept upon precept, here a little and there a little, until their minds are im bued with the noble and sanctifying, trn'.hs of the gospel ? And just here is where the Sabbath School comes in with one ot its most blessed works, and does for these parents what thev can not do, and yet what their own welfare, and that of their families, the Church and the State, require to be done.” Or supplies the place of negligent or irreligious parents. But, besides such parents, there are tliose who, though professedly pious and well qualified intellectually for the instruction of their children, yet make their circumstances an excuse fur al most, it not wholly, neglecting {.’ is duty. Their sense of religious obliga tion is so small, and their worldliness so great, that they will not rightly at tend to this matter, and’ unless some other agency does the wmrk, it will not be done. And then, again, there is still anofh |er c^aßß of parents, larger far than eith ier or a ’d of those yet mentioned—those ! who are not professedly pious : Ihe ir ; religious and the followers of false re : ligions. The children of such not on | ly do not receive any sound home re ligious instruction, but they are often | trained in shaine and sin. Sabbaths such have indeed, but.they are spent in destructive amusements, idleness, ; and dissipation. Books they may have, but they are the corrupt stuff that teems from an idtidel and licentious press. Meeting places they have, but they are indeed and in truth the very | synagogues of Satan. The offspring of j the vicious poor, or of the sin-hardened in better circumstances, they are too literally like lambs scattered on the I mountains and exposed tosavage beasts These must be cared for; the church must care for them. She is not to sav within herself, “Let the parents attend them;” or, “Let them perish.” Xo, no, no! JShe is bound to see to it that, to the utmost possible extent, the pure and transforming influences of our Di vine religion shall be breathed about them all. Now, observation shows tis that the instrumentality which most readily and effectually teaches such children, is the Sabbath School. Do unto others as you would have oth ers do unto you.