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THE CHRISTIAN INDEX, published every avednesday morning AT MACON, GEORGIA. BY A COMMITTEE OF BRETHREN, FOR THE GEORGIA BAPTIST CONVENTION. TERMS OF SUBSCRIPTION, Two Dollars in advance: or paid within the year If suffered to overrun the yea* 1 , Two Dollars and one half will be chained in all cases. S \MI EL BOYKIX, Editor. VOLUME XXXIX. PRESTON & LUMPKIN CHURCH ES. ’ The following statement, Letter and Reply were sent to us by the Lump kin church, with the request to pub lish them.— [Ed. Index.] EXPLANATORY STATEMENT. A female member of the Preßton church was charged with a high crime. Upot) the trial, a majority of the church professing not to be satisfied with the proof of her guilt, refused to ex clude her. After the final action of the church, some 20 or 30 members with drew—some with letters of dismission and some without letters. This mi nority have called upon certain church es to meet, by delegates, at Preston on a certain day, to determine which is the true church, they or the majority. LETTER TO LUMPKIN CHURCH. Preston, July 3rd, 1860. To the Baptist Church at Lumpkin. Hear Brethren: In behalf of a company of brethren and sisters in Christ, you are request ed to send your Pastor, to meet in council, at Preston, August 15th, at ten o’clock, a. m„ to consider the pro priety ot recognizing said company of brethren and sisters, as Preston Bap tist church. The following churches are invited, (vizQ Pineville, Beunavista, Union, Antioch, Shilo, (Sumpter,) Rehoboth, Ebernezer, Pontown and Americus. Affect i- natel y yours in Christ, JOHN M. SHEPHERD, J. J. CIIAPPEL, E. P. BEAUCIIANESS. J. D. STAPLETON, Committee. REPLY OF LUMPKIN CHURCH. Lumpkin, Ga., July 12th, 1860. Dear Brethren : The Lumpkin Baptist Church, in de clining to accede to your request, as ex pressed in your letter of the 3rd inst, have appointe 1 us, a committee, to pre sent to your consideration, the reasons of her refusal. Ist. The I nmipkin church recognises j no warrant in the New Testament for such a council as you have called ; nor for any council to pass judgment on the act of a church. It is easy to con ceive and appreciate the necessity, in some instances, of calling upon sister churches to mediate, by advice and counsel, in those cases, of much doubt and intricacy, where the church is un willing to act without such friendly assistance. Various reasons may jus tify a church in summoning to her aid the piety and wisdom of other church es. The utmost that the brethren called upon, can do, is to advise / they have no authority to hind or coerce. — But yours is a different case, and the results, sought to bo accomplished, are widely different; inasmuch as the council, you have invoked, is to deter mine which is the true church ; your selves and those associated with you, or the majority whom you accuse of disorder? Its decision is intended to be of effect, and to bind somebody, either morally or legally, or else its ses sion will result in an abortion. Where do you get New Testanveut author ity for binding any one by the deci sion? If it can legally bind no one, where is the use of its session ? It must be evident to you, and to all right thinking people, that the council can possess no binding authority. The want of jurisdiction attaches to it in the beginning, and follows it through all its deliberation. It can not deter mine anything. After it shall have performed all of its functions and ex hausted all of its powers, the churches will not be bound by its action ; on the contrary, it will be under the highest obligation to disregard its decision.— Having no jurisdiction, and conse quently no authority, either express or implied, inherent or derivative, it can impose its mandates on no one. The body that might, thus summarily, and unscripturally, be decreed to be a church, would be no less nor n3 more a church, than before the decree was is 6ued. Nor would the church, un churched, be any less a church, than before. Are not these propositions and conclusions true ? Can you show how it is possible to invest the deci sions of an illegal body with the essen tial attribute of legality ? A council called without authority, setting with out scripture warrant, is informal and illegal; and its solemn adjudications are utterly null and void. Os course, the Lumpkin church could not be a party to a proceeding so lacking in these essential elemeuts of regularity, legality and jurisdiction—a proceeding that would not bind her, and which she would be under no obligation to respect, no matter what might be the result. 2nd. The Lumpkin church, claim ing for herself, sovereignty and inde pendence, could never submit her .lights, and what is more, her existence as a church , to the arbitrament of any class of men, nor any ecclesiastical council on earth. This position of sov ereignty and independence, carries with it, the right, inherent and inali enable, of disciplining her own mem bers. Whenever she has jurisdiction over the offence and the offender , she claims that her judgment is final; and, in the name of Christ and by the authority of the word of God, she de mhnds complete respect for her jndg t ment on the part of her sister church es. She can not, and will not consent to have her acts—acts performed with- (Drgan nf % <s. |la|i. Cmibnifttm: ftdwfdr to Jjftssnras, LUligwn, mtir % Intefs af % gcitoimitafimt. | in her own exclusive jurisdiction and dominions, passed upon, nor her rights invaded, not her existence jeopardised by any earthly tribunal, however imposing or august it may be. She would fetl it to be her duty to carry this determined persistence in the maintenance of her rights of sovereign ty and equality, within her own do minion, rights which are indispensable to the proper eniorcement of disci pline, and which lie at the foundation of her existence as a free and indepen dent body, to the extent of severing ev ery tie that binds her to her sister as sociated churches, rather than submit ♦o a successful invasion from any quar ter. Hording these views of her own rights, she can not, without a reckless abandonment of principle, trench up on the rights of another; on the con trary, the duty is paramount to abstain from any act that may in the most re mote degree, imperil the rights, or put in jeopardy, the existence of a sister church. The golden rule is as applica hie to churches as individuals; and the results of strictly obeying it, are salutary beyond'the conception of the wisest and best of the earth. 3rd. Even if the majority had have united and concurred in the request, this church would have declined send ing a delegate to sit in a council con vened for such a purpose. The prece dent would be a dangerous one; and the ultimate consequences might tend to the overthrow and subjugation of the churches, and the destruction of their powers and supreinay by the erection over them, of a power higher than they are—a power unknown to the primitive churches—a power hos tile to our republicanism, arrogant in its pretensions, and despotic in its gov ern ment. Y ou are respectfully reminded that a council, called, by the Emperor Con stantine, to settle a difficulty between two pastors, was the precedent for call ing the council of Nice in A. D. 325, from which, in process of time, grew up one of the most formidable and co lossal hierarchies the world has ever known. Infants in time, grow up to the vigor of manhood ; sou little coun cil of local pretentions, called to settle a local dispute, grew finally into the proportions of a giant, that folded in its Briarean arms, States, Empires and Continents, the curse of 15 centuries, and the scourge of civilization and Christianity. Against this spiritual despotism, the Baptifet have waged an unceasing warfare as far back as his tory unveils the past, for which they have suffered persecution even unto death. Beware of small beginnings. Power is aggrandising, and never vol untarily takes any backward steps or relinquishes its dominion. Its pro gress is onward and monopolising, un til liberty languishes and dies in its nil fraternal embrace. 4th. It should be the policy of sister churches to localize all such difficulties, and confine them to the particular re gion that gave them birth. They should never be permitted to widen out and extend to other communities. It is apprehended, yea historically cer tain, that the council would only aug ment and scatter the flames. The ma jority would not be bound by its ac tion if against them. It the decision should be in favor of tin minority, they would claim the benefit of it, and at once set about the assertion of their supposed rights. The association, would then become the receptacle of a dispute, over which, it has no jurisdic tion, and which was not contemplated in its organization. If the association should so far invade the rights of the church, as to constitute itself into an appelate court, the difficulty is at once magnified in its proportions, the dan gers are increased, and the breach sud denly becomes too wfide ever to be bridged over. By far too many outsi ders become interested partizans for anything like a speedy reconciliation. Woe, be, to any association that ever enters upon such an arena of strife!— She scatters firebrands in her own midst, that may ultimately consume her. Principle, policy, expediency, all unite, in forever closing the doors of associations against all such cases. In this section, the temptations to for ensic displays, and star performances, in our associations, are too alluring to be resisted. Such exhibitions, so hu miliating, and so derogatory to the Christian character, of even some of our ministers, are fatal to everything like that calm consideration and cool judgment, so essential to an impartial settlement of all such cases. Affectionately, therefore, we beg you to abstain trora any further move ment in the direction you have indica ted. Either re-unite with the church, in disorder, though it may be, and wait for time, and a kind Providence to cor rect the evil; or else use your letters in the formation of a separate church. Those who have no letters are in disor der, and their duty is too plain to need a suggestion from this church. By living an orderly, upright life, by dwel ling near the throne of grace, by es chewing all strife, by repelling ail in termeddling from without, and culti vating those things that make lor peace, the dissension will as certainly he healed as that God dwells in Zion. Rare indeed, are the churches that do not fail at times to satisfy all their members. If in all such cases the dis satisfied party seeks redress by deny ing the existence of a church, and cast ing off its authority, no church can maintain its organization, or enforce its discipline. It becomes the duty of church members, at times, to submit to wrong, for the saka of the good that may come of 6uch submission* Rel^l MACON, GA., WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 8, 1860 lion and insubordination to church au thority, rarely ever succeeds in right ing the w T rong. It is not unfreqnently a dangerous and fatal remedy. We beg to state, in conclusion, that we do not profess to know anything of the guilt or innocence of the accused, about which this difficulty has oc curred. All we know is, that a sister was accused ot a high crime, and that a majority of the church professing not to be convinced of her guilt, re fused to exclude her. In behalf of the church, we are Yours fraternally, J. M. CLARK, W. L. MANSFIELD, S. WARNER, J. R. ROCKWELL, Committee. lo John M. Shepherd and others, committee, Preston, Ga. REYIEW OF • “CORRECTIVE CHURCH DISCIPLINE.” Deductions from Previous Principles —Church Sovereignty and Indepen dence. No. 10. The points in the article now to be. noticed are as follows: Ist. That ‘there are cases in which a minority may pronounce the majori ty no longer a church.’ As ‘when a church not only in fact, but ostensibly and by profession, departs from the faith, and order that Christ has given * * * if it denies that the im mersion ofa professed believeris alone baptism, and avows and practices in fant sprinkling *’ * * * * jf it should by resolution deny church sov ereignty.’ These are a few of the ‘ca ses’ in which Prof. Mell concedes that a minority would be j ustifiable in pro nouncing ‘the majority no longer a church.’ 2d. That ‘a church has the right, if it think best, to Uke into considera tion the conduct of her offending mem ber, even though the case may have been irregularly, and, if you please, wickedly brought before her.’ 3d. That there is no escape from ex pulsion, even though the charge be ‘wickedly’ preferred. 4th. No error indiscipline can justi fy a minority in pronouncing the ‘ma jority no longer a church.’ Some other positions will be notice I incidentally. Let us examine the above fairly and dispassionately. 1. The first proposition—that a mi nority may, in some cases, pronounce the majority no longer a church—is. readily admitted. The second—that a church has the right to entertain a charge irregularly and wickedly preferred against a mem ber —is what may, it seems to me, be justly styled a theological enormity I J. The accuser acts ‘irregularly’-—i„ e., brings into the church a matter which ought not to be introduced.— The church sees the irregularity, and makes it her own by entertaining it. Y r et she has the right to do this!! 2. The accuser ‘wickedly’ prefers a charge agaiust a member. The church sees the wickedness, and makes it her own by entertaining the wicked charge! The inquiry J*ere arises, whence does a church derive this light ? From the Scriptures ? In what chapter and verse ? Please be specific. There is no such record in God’s word. A license to propagate wickedness comes alone from Satan and his emissaries. Does someone say, ‘the right is implied in church sovereignty !’’ It may be re plied, ‘the church has no sovereignty aside from that intrusted to her by Christ ; and what that sovereignty is, must be learned from Ilis word.’ If the doctrine is recorded, it can be poin ted out. Let those who teach such doctrine find the Scripture that con tains it. If they cannot do this, let them condescend to give a reason to support it. To receive such theology without Scripture, or even reason, to sustain it, is too great a tax on credul ity! In opposition to this doctrine, I af firm that for a church to entertain a charge ‘irregularly’ and ‘wickedly’ pre ferred, is sinful. 1. Because it is contrary to the spir it of the New Testament. ‘Let no man deceive you with vain words: for be cause of these things cometh the wrath of God upon the children of disobedi ence. Be not ye therefore partakers with them,’ (Eph. v : G, 7.) ‘Lay hands suddenly on no man, neither be par taker of other men’s sins,’ (1 Tim. v. 22.) ‘‘lf there come any unto yon, and bring not this doctrine, receive him not into your house, neither bid him God speed ; for he that biddeth him God speed is partaker of his evil deeds.’ (2 John : 11.) Now, whatever else these passages teach, no one will deny that they teach that it is sinful for a Christian, or for a church, to become a partaker in other men’s sins ; which must be the case whenever a church entertains a charge against a<nember, ‘irregularly’ and ‘wickedly’ preferred. 2. Because it is contrary to common sense. Suppose a citizen’should ‘irregular ly’ and ‘wickedly’ accuse his neighbor before the bar of his country, and the court should, with a full of the facts, entertain the charge; would not the court become a party to the wicked ness ( Would it not sanction the wick edness, endorse the guilt, and be just ly chargeable with the whole? Such j are the teachings of common Bense. — I Analogy, taken from all correct human j governments, sustains this view ; and not only so, but teaches us that the man wishing to plant a suit‘irregular ly’ (i. e. contrary to law,) and ‘wicked ly,’ would be ‘non suited’—the charge would not be entertained. A church, therefore, has no right, religious or moral, to entertain a charge ‘irregularly’ and ‘wickedly’ preferred. Prof. M., it appears, does not wish openly to sanction this monstrous doc trine ; yet it will be seen, from a care tal examination, that his conclusion cannot follow without admitting it. — After stating that some writers believe the doctrine, he says, ‘ln all this these writers may be mistaken.’ He then speaks of the matter (of entertaing the ‘irregularly’ and ‘wickedly’ preferred charge) as merely an ‘error’ of the church! He then 6ays it has been shown that an ‘error unintentionally committed, does not annihilate a Church ; nor does it afford ground suf ficient for a minority to unchurch the majority.’ If we are to take assertion for proof, Prof. M. has ‘shown’ this ; it not, not. But let us present his ar gument in a few words: ‘Some writers contend that a church has a right to entertain a charge ‘irregularly’ and ‘wickedly’preferred; but in all this these writers may be mistaken ; if they are, the decision of the church —to en tertain Buch a charge—would be but an error, which could not annihilate it: (therefor) So it will be seen that a member under dealing, cannot escape expulsion by retiring with the minori ty ot the church; and that such minor ity, so far from shielding him by their rebellion, subject themselves to the same penalties he endures.’ If sophistry knew any blush, her cheek would crimson now! What con nection has this conclusion with the premise ? None, necessarily. Tin’s conclusion can follow, with log ical certainty, 1. Only when it has been established, as a rule without ex ception, that a church has the right to entertain a charge ‘irregularly’ and ‘wickedly’ preferred. But this, we 1 have already seen, can never be the case. Prof. Mell himself admits that, i hu all this these writers may be mis taken.’ Or, 2. When it shall have been established, as an invariable law, that a majority are incapable of commit ting a fatal ‘error’ in discipline. In his intermediate steps, before reaching his conclusion, he says, ‘an uninten tionalerror’ cannot annihilate achurch; but in his conclusion hear what lie says: ‘So it will be seen that a mem ber under dealing cannot escape ex pulsion by retiring with the minority of the church, and that such minority * * subject themselves to the same penalty he endures !! Can you, sir, be in earnest? Would you take ad vantage of the ignorance of your read ers? Y'our argument, fairly stated, now runs thus: ‘No unintentional er ror in discipline can afford sufficient ground to justify the accused and the minority in retiring from the majority. Alias retired with the minority of the church at B : therefore they ought not to have retired, and deserve exclusion for so doing!! I commend this syllo gism to the consideration of all logic ians. If your ‘major premise’ had read thus: ‘No error in discipline, whether intentional or unintentional, can justi fy the accused and the minority in re tiring,’ etc., your logic would have been correct, however bad your theol ogy might have ; but your ‘major pre mise’ says, ‘uN-intentionalerror.’ Now please tell us what conclusion ought lo be drawn, if we make the ‘major pre mise’ run thus: ‘Every intentional er ror,’ Ac. ? Would you affirm that no unintentional error in discipline can justify the minority in retiring, with the accused, from the majority? What say you ? If you say yes, you declare that the church is infallible ; but this you, in so many words, deny. If you answer no, you must give up your con clusion above. Y our conclusion, when properly modified, reads thus: ‘So it will be seen [it follows] that a mem ber under dealing cannot [justly] es cape expulsion by retiring with the mi nority of* the church, provided the church, in arraigning the accused, has committed only an UNintentional, un important error; otherwise, it may be the duty (and sometimes is) of the” ac cused to retire with the minority,’ Ac. Y our error above consists in drawing your conclusion from your major pre inise, as if it were universal, embra cing bo,th intentional and unintention al errors, when it is particular (inclu ding only unintentional errors.) An unintentional departure from the law of Christ may be denominated an er ror ; but when the departure is inten tional, treason or rebellion much more properly designates the act. A full discussion of the subject before us in volves the use of the terras error, treas on, rebellion, Ac. Then we may fiarne as many independent questions. (Conclusion of No. 10 next week.). LITERS BOREALES. Number 5. Providence, R. 1., July 22<3, ’6O. Dear Index: In the fortnight that has elapsed since the date of my last letter to yoor readers, I have been absent from home, and have seen several things, to which in a pre eminent sense, the appellation “ great ” belongs. Let me see: First, there is a great city; second, a great ship; third, a great rail-road ; fourth, a great water fall, and fifth a great feat. Suppose this present letter to be a sort of lay sermon, and take these five topics, for its heads. And first, the great city— I mean New York, the rapid growth and extension of which excite my sur- prise whenever I extend ray rambles into its suburban regions. I am very well aware that New York is not so great as London, or Paris, or as some ot the capitals of the far eastern coun tries; but it is nevertheless an aston ishing town. It will very soon cov er the whole island of Manhattan with its business and crowds, as it now does with its municipal control. I had occasion to visit some friends, residing a few miles up the Hudson, and the railway station at which I stopped, near their residence was, at “one hun dred and ffty-second street ” of the city ! A short walk brought me to Broadway, along which, as well as along the avenues, the city has planted gas-lamps, and the people are building blocks of handsome houses and of stores. There will soon be a dense city above as well as below’ the magnifi cent area of the Central Park. New Y ork is great not only in its extent and populousness, but also, in its varied enterprise, in its architectural display, in its municipal extravagance, in its official ignorance and corruption, and in the filthiness of its thorough fares. The fact is, w r e have no city on this Western Continent that is at all to be compared with New Y'ork in any of these respects. It is decidedly a great place. Second : A great ship. 1 have lit tle need to mention the “ Great Eas tern.” I spent a forenoon upon this monster of tfie sea—this unrivalled mammoth among ships. It takes an hour almost to get an external impres sion of her vast size from some com manding outside stand point. I viewed her from the street and from the river, upon her opposite sides, and all the while the sense of hergreat ness grew upon me; I went on board —entering through a gang way in her side and found myself in a huge room, stretching from side to side of the ship, and showing her iron ribs and frame to great advantage. I ascended a long flight of stairs to her main deck, and stood amazed at the scene which spread itself out before me. A furlong off, I saw a multitude of people throng ing the bows of the ship, and in the midst of her, hundreds were travelling the galleries of the wheel houses, and the balcony bridge which unites them. It is quite a little journey from one mast to another, and from one funnel to another of her smoke pipes. Giv ing hasty attention only to the steering apparatus, the steam donkies and oth er deck novelties, I went eagerly down into her cabins and state-rooms, and lower still, into her penetralia, where her hundred furnaces are wont to glow, though they were then dark and cold— where her mighty machinery, here, the paddle wheel system, and there, the screw engines spread their pon derous bulk and their Briarean arms, where the coal bunkers and the stokers and the firemen are found—fifty-feet below the ‘‘high life” of her saloons ! She is a marvellous ship—marvellous in size, in construction, in ingenuity, in capacity, and not marvellous only in decoration and high finish. In these respects our marine can furnish her superiors, in such steamships as the Adriatic and our lakes and rivers in many of their “floating palaces.” But the nineteenth century will hardly reproduce the greatness of the “Great Eastern .” Unless she should prove an unexpected practical success, she will remain the single marvel of the age among steamships. She is magnificent—a naval Mastodon! Just think of the fact, that ten thousand men would not exceedingly crowd her available space in case of emergency. It is announced that she will be closed to the public, at the end of this week, and after a trip to Cape May, will go back to her island home. May great success attend her. Third: A great railroad. This is the New York and Erie railroad, which connects the Hudson River with Lake Erie, by a main trunk of 400 miles, and has several branches which swells its total length to about GOO miles. It has cost about fifty millions of dollars. It traverses a region of great physical variety, and beauty and fertility. It crosses deep ravines, climbs bold hills, spans broad river, stretches through sweet pastoral scenes, and in the chan nel of a great and growing traffic, be tween the ocean and the inland seas of New York and the West. I passed over its main trunk as far as Elmira, and along its chief branch to Canan daigua, and my day’s experience of its fine scenery, its engineering marvels, its broad, spacious cars, and the cour tesies of its officers is a very pleasant memory —in spite of a slight mishap of my own, which befell me in my journey, and leaves me a little lame to day. Fourth: A great water-fad. I reached the Falls of Niagara by the Central Hail Road of New York, which by its extent, its va6t business and its admirable management, is en titled to rank “A, No. 1” among Amer ican railroads. Os Niagara, I shall not attempt to say anything descriptive.— It is daguerreotyped upon the mind of every one who has seen its gran deur, and to those who have not, words will not adequately interpret the name. Fifth : A great feat. This was the “ascension” of M. Blondin across the Niagara river on a rope. This daring Frenchman performed the feat, for the fourty time, while I was at Niagara. Just below the marvellous “suspension bridge,” he has stretched his cable across the angry, seething flood of Niagara, and as unconcernedly as if he were only eating his breakfast, he crossed and re-crossed the river— his feet muffled in baskets, and his di- versions, by the way, sundry surpris ing swings and summersaults, which made the multitude of spectators shout, or shrink from the sight, according to their nerve. To these live great sights —the last of which I reckon great on its fool hardiness—l might properly have ad ded a sixth, for there it hung in won derful strength and grace combined, close by Biondin’s rope, the Suspen sion Bridge , which connects the Uni ted (States and Canada at Niagara Falls. I have not time to describe it, but 1 never see it without a thrill of admiration at the genius and daring which conceived it, and the science and skill which achieved the wondrous work. Let me add, as the last noticeable thing I will mention of my fortnight’s tour, that I travelled the six hundred and fifty, miles, between Niagaia and Providence, on my return journey, in the very short period of twenty seven hours. This is certainly a fast age. R. REFORM. The rapid growth of the Baptist de nomination for the last century, and its freedom from the fires of persecu tion which, for centuries before had impeded its progress and purified its membership, has prevented that spir itual maturity w hich belongs to, and should always characterize the church of Christ. It is now time for us to pause, in this rapid march, examine the elements of which we are composed, the foun dation upon which we stand aud the supertfracture we are erecting. The elements which now form the Baptist churches may be styled a Het erogeneity . There are Calvinists and Arminianists, there are the missionary and the anti-missionary, the spiritual and the formal, the Christ loving and the world-loving, the prayerful and the prayerless, the humble and the proud, the useful.and the useless, the church going and the home staying, the self denying and the self-gratifying, the children of light and the children of darkness. With such a conglomera tion, ’tis no wonder that the voice of discord is often heard in the camp, and that scenes of strife are familiar occur rences. This is Satan’s master stroke of policy. In the early history of Christianity, when he would extinguish its puie spirit and paralyze its holy energies, he converted Constantine and made him head of the church, to tolerate Christianity : soon after he christened the statue of Jupiter into the name of Peter, and united in unholy wedlock, the rites of heathen idolatry, with the forms of a holy Christianity. He can never successfully assault the citadel of a pure Christianity till he either guilefully profess conversion and join the church himself, or induce some of his faithful followers to do so. “The prudent manforeseeth the evil and hideth himself, but the simple pass on and are punished.” Yerbum sat sapienti. The Foundation upon which we stand—the word ot God—is the same in name. We have retained the orig inal name, but have lost somewhat of the substance. Never did a people adhere more strictly to the Divine Word, than our ancient brethren ; thro’ the long dark night of persecutions which lasted for centuries, they were just what th eyprofessed to be; those noble sires bequeathed to us a sacred trust which we should never betray, to which we should never prove recre ant. We profess to accept as true, that the word of God is the rule of faith and practice. Asa Denomination , we make much boast about the sound ness of our foundation, and we are prepared, on the slightest challenge, to prove, from the sacred pages, the correctness of -our position ; and this is right. But as individual Christians, we are not so fond of resorting to the same source for justifying our manner of life. Indeed, in too many cases, it becomes the law of condemnation, rather than of justification. *Tv e are much more familiar with Bi ble teachings on the subject of baptism and church polity, than with what it says about secret prayer, personal con secration, Christian zeal, beneficence and brotherly love. We diseant with pious indignation upon the absence ot obedience to the plain teachings of the Bible upon the part of Christians of other denominations, but manifest an enlarged charity towards our own want of faithfulness : the mote in our broth er’s eye greatly amazes us,but we sleep quietly with a beam in our own. As a denomination we are willing to take the Bible strictly construed as a rule of faith, and practice, but as individ ual Christians we give its teachings, as to a godly life, a latitudinarian conse cration: it has for us a great many fig ures of speech upon the subject; and, after all we aie willing to fallback up on the apostolic complaint, ‘in me, that is in my flesh, dwelleth no good thing,’ and ‘therefore it is no more I, but sin that dwelleth in me’—and upon apos tolic justification : “By grace are ye saved—not of works, least any man should boast.’t Now, ‘as the body without the breath is dead, so faith without works is dead also.” “Not every one that saveth Lord, Lord, shall enter into the king dom of heaven, but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.” “The doer of the word shall be bles sed in bis deed.” The Superstructure is marred in the hands of the builders. Materials not Terms of Advertising. For all transient advertising One Dollar per square of ten linea for the first, and 50 cents per square for all subsequent publications. RATES FOR CONTRACT ADVERTISING.* 1 square of 10 lines per 3 months.. S 4 00 “10 lines “ 6 “ 700 “ “10 lines “ 1 year 10 00 Therife lines are the text advertising lines and th e charge is for the space occupied by ten such lfne* as are used in the body of an advertisement. Lon: ger advertisementsin the same ratio. N. S., VOL. 28, NO. 32. designed for a place in so beautiful a spiritual building, are used. Quarry stones without polish are set where the tried ones should be ; and those which cannot be squared are put in for their extreme beauty. Wood, hay and stub ble are used where living stones alone can stand, and the consequence is, our building wants symmetry, polish and durability. Again : the good materials used are not properly polished and put togeth er. The master workman, or overseer seems not to have marked the pieces with a view to their appropriate place iu the building. An intolerable ab sence of judgment, or want of faithful ness is most apparent, and hence our superstructure cotters to its foundation, when assaulted by the storms and sub ject to strifes so prevalent. We some times tremble for our work ; but frhy should we i It must be tried by the fire, sooner or later. We will lose much of our work, and suffer great ap parent loss; but the silver and gc'd and precious stones in our building will remain as good materials. As, however, the work is not yet comple ted, and we are still adding here and there a piece to this mighty edifice, let ns be 9ure to do faithful work in the future. The crisis which is upon us cri< , aloud for reform; and such re form as is necessary we shall endeavor hereafter to shew. Reformer. SABBATII SCHOOLS. No. 2. In this article I propose to test the importance of Sabbath schools by their immediate results. I might without being subjected to the charge of qnib ling, urge that each truth comprehen ded by the judgment of the scholar, imprinted on his memory, received in to his heart, or made to control his con science, may be considered not only as a most valuable, but a direct and im mediate result, vindicating the impor tance of these instruments of blessing, and commending them to the Christian heart, not only as something it ought to approve but as something to which it should consecrate its efforts and en ergies. But what was designed, and it is presumed was understood by the term immediate , was that Sabbath schools were blessed to the conversion ofchildren ; that in childhood they bore the fruits of holiness. In the kingdom of grace, there is as in nature, “seed time and harvest,” yet it is not essential that seed “lie buried long in dust,” nor is it necessa ry that Autumn should come before the harvest is ready to be garnered.’ The grain may be sown in the Spring, and in the Spring the crop may be gather ed. God has given in the conversion ot Sunday-school scholars the evidence of His approbation. In the writer’s own family there are two of his children to whom these nur series of piety have been directly bles sed, and the church to which he be longs contain a large membership of young persons who were baptized while pupils of the Sabbath-school.— Nor is this church an isolated case.— There are others in the writers knowl edge furnishing the same gracious tes timony. Attention is called at this point to the exceeding small number of child th ip the communion of those chnrcli- no attention to Sab. schools, and to the large proportion of young people in the communion of others, that regularly and seduously keep them in operation. The reason we think is transparent. The Gospel is the means employed by God in the salvation of souls. But the Gospel to be made an instrument of blessing must be so pre sented as to come within th’ ge of the intellect of the hearer. J. oannot be profited by that which he does not comprehend. The mode in which truth is presented by the pulpit cannot be grasped by the minds ot children. The shaft, aimed at the head and conscien ces of men, pass over the heads of lit tle ones. It is not so when the te ..-ti ers of righteousness approach the fee ble intellects of the young—they come down to their mental stature and em ploy such modes of thought, and form ot words, as can be thoroughly under stood, and that same Gospel, accom panied by the Spirit of Grace, becomes the power of God to their salvation. It is wholly immaterial to the posi tion assumed, that immediate results justify the importance of the Sabbath School, how they ensue, if their exis tence be proved. Facts are what we want, and they are abundant. Before closing this part of my sub ject, indulgence is asked for present ing to my readers a touching and beau tiful illustration corroborating and en forcing what lias been already urged. A pet child of about six years of age entered a school some two years ago. Three truths entered his little mind : 1. That God created him. 2. That God was good. 3. That he should pray to God. Going home after the exercises, he climbed into his father’s lap and com menced to catechise him. “Papa, who made you ?” “God made me, son.” “Who made ma ?” “ God ‘made ma; he made every thing.” * “Papa, I love God. for making me ; do you love God, too, for making you ?” Tbe*father answered, “yes; but”— according to his narration before the church when applying for membership —“O what a pang! bow my conscience smote me when I reflected that I had told my innocent child a lie /” The sequel was, his adoption into the