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CHRISTIAN INDEX SAMUEL BOYKIN, EDITOR. MACON, GA., JAN. 8, 1861. A Full Sheet- We issue this “week r. full sheet in ordßgSg! publish a number of communications came to hand. Hereafter we will continuer half sheet; except iu the “Soldier’s Edition,” which any present subscriber can secure for himself individually by remitting an extra S5 ; and which any one can obtain by paying” according to the terms —§10 per year : §5 for Six months; §2,50 for three months. / Obituaries. We this week publish a number of obitua ries that have been on file for some time, and it was partly for this purpose we issued a whole sheet. After this we will publish only 10 lines gratia ; and will abridge the obitua ry to that extent, but are nevertheless willing to publish 20 lines when 20 cents a line is pre paid us for each extra line in writing. Soldiers’ Edition. Our conscience will not permit us to lose the opportunity we enjoy for benefiting the soldiers of our army, and so we have conclud ed to issue a Soldier’s Edition of the Index, beginning on the first of February next. . This edition will be of FULL SIZE and will contain two pages of matter especially de voted to the soldier. We send about 3000 In dexes to the army ; and we feel convinced that, besides the usual denominational and editorial matter of tho paper, we should publish for thoir benefit appropriate miscellaneous read ing, which cannot be done on a half sheet. — In our Soldier’s Edition, therefore, the first and fourth pages will consist of choice matter culled with a special eye to the taste and wants of our gallant armies: these pages will embrace miscellaneous religious pieces and other articles calculated to improve the mind and heart, or benefit the body of the soldier. It will be our aim to make them as interest ing and beneficial as possible. But this full edition will demand an in crease of price—its oost wiU > therefore, be for any number Per year SIO,OO Six months. 5 00 Three mor lt h s 2,50 We soli c n (} te contributions of the friends of him this edition. are constantly - ‘Wging us to send them copies of bur paper ; and since Tracts and Biljles are so difficult to obtain, we do not see to what better advantage a generous religious public can apply the mo ney they are willing to give for the spiritual benefit of the soldier, than to send him an equivalent that avails itself of the mails to go immediately into the hands of those who are risking all for us. We cannot do too much for them; and we should rejoice at the opportunity of gratifying them, and so easily supplying a pressing demand of theirs. Let us show our appreciation cf their services and our grati tude,for all they are enduring and risking for our sakes. We hope contributions will conic in speedily and freely for this purpose, so that our Soldier’s Edition may bo large; and we desire Chaplains and others who particularly desire to circulate the Index to inform us. , [fiisg’ INDIVIDUAL SUBSCRIBERS by increasing their subscription to TEX, Dollars, may secure the whole shed for themselves. This will give to each the privilege of choos ing between a full sheet for §lO and a half sheet for $5. The half sheet will be composed of the two inside pages of the whole sheet. To Christians. And what new year words does it become us to address to Christians ‘. What, except that, amid the almost universal coldness and deadness, we urge you to a strict performance of duty, to a closer walk with God, to a loos ening of your hold upon the world, to a hun gering and thirsting after righteousness ! O Christian, ho is but a poor soldier of the Cross who permits the caics, and riches, and excite ments of this life to choke the seed of reli gious life in his soul, and stunt his usefulness, and drown his spiritual affections, and destroy his peace of mind! lie is indeed a weak Christian who cannot, even amid the distrac tions of war, find time for his religious duties! He is an unprofitable servant to his ever blessed Lord and Master, who allows his affec tions to dry up, and his usefulness to cease, and his profession to he spoken atrainst, thro* idleness or careless or remissness or delin’ quency! C hristians, since the new year has dawned upon you, scan your own souls and faithfully measure its forward or backward progress, in the year just past, and vow unto your God re newed fidelity and self-consecration; and let not “war’s rudo alarms” nor the world’s allur ing charms seduce you from the path of duty, or beget coldness in your bosoms, or engender a worldly spirit in your hearts. In your closets seek grace from on high to overcome the temptations of the day, and, by a diligent imitation of sainted worthies in the schooling of your minds and in the discipline of your lives and in the restrainingof your affections, seek to attain eminence in godliness and use fulness ! • “No cross, no crown.” In a manner rejoice in your present trials : but let faithfulness triumph, and prove to an observant world that, even in war, Christians can grow in grace and piety. O, let not these trying times diminish the world’s respect for religion, by your practical failure to exempli fy it# virtues and to prove its regenerating, purifying and elevating power! sXoOO ! One church in Alabama, lately sent §I,OOO to the Banner, to send papers to the army.— Won’t four send each SSOO, to the Index for tho same purpose ? • New Year Reveries. 1863! Eighteen hundred and sixty-three! _Ah‘ what tales of blood and heroism will you tell to on-coming gonerations! What of sorrow, suffering and distress ! What of a nation, as as the sun ever shone on, struggling |Br life and independence ! What of tlic an guish that mantled many a cheek with pale ness, and of the grief that spread wanness over many a mother’s and wife’s countenance! What of the blood that liberty-martyrs, God’s gift to a heroic people, poured out so freely upon fSe altar of honor and independence!— What of the wintry blasts and freezing rains endured by the gallant men that nobly kept watch and ward over the destinies of their land ! ’ What of the sacrifices made by patri ots and what of the dee’ds accomplished by noble women, and what of the faith of a na tion tried by calamity, yet proudly defiant and hopefully determined ! Dark hours of eighteen hundred and sixty three, ye are buried in the past! Would that your calamities and sufferings could be for gotten! Would that the scenes which palled a nation’s heart in gloom could bo remember ed ho more! But, no! Even your defeats shall render the future but more bright and’ glorious ! Your misfortunes shall bring into stronger reliet the joys of successful accom plishment ! And your grief-clad hours shall, by comparison, make brighter still the glory tinted days of peace and prosperity! Asa messenger from the Eternal, you visited us with trials : an angel of Decrees yon poured out upon us, from the vials of wrath, destruc tion and dismay! But, your purpose, what ever it he, is accomplished! Your end is achieved—your worst has been done ; and not yet are we overwhelmed—not yet vanquished —not even desponding. Eighteen hundred, and sixty-three! ‘"We cast you from, us with all your woes- Wo liail your young Successor as the Harbinger of good news—as the Recorder of glorious a chievments—as the Bearer of century-renown 1 ed success. Farewell to you! And yet, while we give the parting hand, we thank you for your les sons of endurance; we thank yon for nerving us to the pitch of deathless resistance: we thank you for opening our eyes to the foil de signs of our remorseless foes: we thank you even for your sufferings and deprivations; for these have taught us how we prize indepen dence and have proved our never-dying love for liberty, and have manifested the scorn that seethes in our souls for a would-be inter meddling despot. We thadffi you for the trials that have brought out the virtues of our people’ and shown them to be proof against misfortune and calamity. Ah! who would be the vassal of a sordid North! Who would bow in bondage to the slayers of our dearest of kin! Who wouid kiSs the feet of a vulgar military despotism !- Who wonld yield to the base destroyers of our rights and property ; and cringe before the desolators of our altars, homes and liberties! Forbid it every principle*of honor and mau- independence,! Le.t the sufferings and sac.- nfices of the past—its glory and renown—in pel us to mightier efforts to attain success ! Let the dead heroes Os 1801, ’O2 and ’O3, from their graves admonish us, for their sake's, and for the sake of all that is dear to the human breast, not to give over Jthis strugglo till the 6un-light of glorious success gleams upon our arms and streams forth from the flashing folds of our victorious banners ! 1864 ! All bail to the new year! He comes clad in mourning but he shall put off his weeds and yet wear the smile of glad ness. He finds us a people stricken and dis tressed by the ravages of war, but lie will leave us a land smiling with hope and joy. Sorrow endureth for a night, but joy eom eth in the morning: the night of our sorrow is passing away, and the glory-light of suc cess will soon beam upon our country. Not in vain has been all our struggles : not in vain our sacrifices: not in vain our fixed determination to be free. Never shall it her said that the bones of ourglorious dead moul der in vain—that their heart’s blood flowed but to make us the tamer ‘in the presence of insolent conquerors ! Never! Never! While the incense of a hundred battle fields ascend to heaven, a sacred holgpaust to South ern liberty, independence and valor; while that proud spirit which ever existed in the Southern Cavalier’s bosom still burns and blazes: while wives and husbands and little ones remain tp be defended : while arms are left to wield the sword, and unblanched hearts to guide our councils, never will it be said that Southerners yielded to the base invader! But it may be that we shall have a sea of trouble yet to pass through. Our only course will be to go forward. He who led Israel through the Red Sea has surrounded ns with such difficulties as force us onward through a sea of blood and suffering to tho promised .land. Ahead of us still gleams that pillar of fire which ever yet has lit up our hearts with hope and encouragement—success and inde pendence still lure us on to victory. Behind us are the red-handed pursuers with subjugation and desolation in their rear: on each side devastation, banishment and thral dom, worse than Egyptian bondage await ®s. Nought remains for us but to fight for free dom till freedom is achieved, as achieved it will be, For Freedom’s battle oft beguD, Bequeathed from heeding” sire to son, Though baffled oft, is ever won. [Byron. O ye Southerners, arise in your might and let the would-be Despot see who it is he dares attempt to subjugate ! And yet, while yous hearts are all iron and your nerves all steel, forget not that God is yorar help—that He it is who will trample down your foes for you l Go to Him in meekness and penitence and from his Councils shall issue orders for your enfranchisement. Let self-aggrandizement cease, and let our country claim all our hearts. By deeds of glory that shall rival Marathon and Thermopylae, wrench victory from, a cruel foe. Let 1564 prove, indeed, the year of cur deliverance. ’Then shall wo prove ourselves worthy sons of worthy sires, aud fit for free .dom’s wreath of glory. In character# of living light let 1801 he written upon our nation’s history, as the year j wherein we forgot all else but our country’s j good and for her welfare surrendered all our wealth, our comfort and ourselves. Hail, then, 1864! To your faithfulness and honor and valor and patriotism a nation com mits its destiny. The Situation—Baptisticslly • v - ! Speaking. The Baptists of the South have taken no mean part in the drama of 1861, ’62 and ’63. They have done much to arouse a patriotic spirit of resistance to Northern invasion, and to excite in the popular mind an undying op position to Yankee conquest ; and of. their name a full proportion has helped ta swell the ranks of our armies. Indeed we might fear lessly assert that no other denomination has, even in proportion to its numbers, furnished more men to battle for Southern fights ; and the numerous obituaries of Baptist soldiers, incontestably prove their valor. Twice, thus far during the war, has the Southern Biennial Baptist Convention held its sessions, once in Savannah and once in Augusta, and each time resolutions of the most devoted patriotism, were pasted, and much special prayer offered for the welfare of the Confederacy. In ail the States East of the Mississippi, except iu Ten nessee, the Baptist State Conventions have not failed to assemble, and at each the .most pat riotic action has been taken ; while tho vari ous District associations of tho respective States have all convened at their appointed times and places, except where desolating war prevailed, aud have transacted their usual business, not one ever neglecting stated and fervent prayer for the country. And all these religious gath erings have beeii, for the times, numerously attended, and large sums have been sent up for missions and army evangelization. Cut off, pretty much, from .intercourse with our Foreign missions, contributions for that pur pose have been restricted, which has di minished the labors of the Foreign Mission* Board, at Richmond, Va. ; but as a compen sation for this decrease of effort, a correspon-* ding activity has taken place on the part of the Domestic Mission Board, stationed at Ma rion, Ala. , In supporting army missionaries, printing tracts and'distributing papers in the army, the Baptists have been exceedingly libera], op erating chiefly through two organizations— the Board of Domestic missions of tho South ern Baptist Convention ami the S. S. and Publication Board of tho General Association of Ya. Both of these Boards are highly effi cient, and besides supporting hundreds of missionaries in the army they have distrib uted uncounted Hubi;B of tracts, papers and Testaments in the army; and the good accom plished by these efforts has been visibly im-‘ mensc. • i..dependent of these organizations, many District Associations have employed army and domestic missionaries and kept them actively engaged in the field of labor. Bap tist missionary operations among the Indians of the Great West, (so very prosperous before the war,) have been mostly broken up, and the missionaries and their families scattered, tho’ still under the patronage of the Board of Dorn. Missions. The Foreign missionaries of our Denomination in Africa and China, have managed to sustain themselves during the war by loans and individual exertions ; and where health permits are Still encouragingly engage and in bringing such as shall be saved, into the fold of Jesus. At the opening of hostilities the denomination was supporting in China, 6 male and 6 female missionaries and 8 native assistants ; in Liberia 18, and in Central Af rica 4 males and.2 females ; while at home it was supporting 150 domestic missionaries, in the States, 7 whit<? missionaries, wish the fam ilies of such as were married, in tile Indian Territory, and a large number of native preachers- The exertions of the denomina tion ace now very properly directed to “army missions.” Four of our denominational pa pers have been forced to suspend by the war East of the Father of Waters, while six still maintain their existence —one of which, the Confederate Baptist, is anew paper started since the war began. On the other side of the Mississippi there were two Baptist papers, one ofwhich, tho’ a half sheet, was in vigorous existence, when last heard from, and intense ly Southern in spirit: thus was the Louisiana Baptist, published at Mt. Lebanon, La. The 0 papers.alluded to above are the Religious Her ald, of Richmond, Ya. ; the Biblical Recorder, of Raleigh, N. C.; the Confederate Baptist, of Columbia, S. C.; the Baptist Banner, of At lanta, Ga. ;* the South Western Baptist of Tus kegee, Ala., aifd the Christian Index, of Ma con, Georgia. Besides these is published the Child’s Index, of Macon, Ga., a child of these war times, a Baptist Sunday school paper, which has gained in one year a circulation of 10 or 12 thousand. These papers have all ex erted a strong and decided influence in favor of religion, missions, army evangelization and Southern independence. The Georgia Bible and Colporteur Society, which has a Depository a t Macon, Ga., has been engaged in printing Tracts and circula ting papers in tho army. It aids in distribu ting Testaments and Sunday school books, and is an organization of considerable usefulness and efficiency. The Baptist Theological Seminary, at Green ville, S. C., with an able faculty, has suspen ded for want of Students —(the army claiming all the young men)—-and is ready to go into operation at any time. While, as far as we know, all the other male colleges of the Con federacy have suspended, Mercer University of Ga., a Baptist College, having a. noble pres ident and an able faculty and with which arts’ connected a theological department and i\ * rgo preparatory school, still continues its exerci ses, owing to the liberality which providedjor | its soetestation an adequate fund. Through-j out the country numerous Bap. Col- . leges are enjoying a flourishing existence. In the churches many Sunday schools have been j maintained; but there is a great, scarcity of \ j Suuday school hooks, a waff whi ell the Sun day School Board of Greenville, r S. 0., a ifetv l creation of the last Southern Baptist Conven tion, is seeking energetically to supply, by the publication of apro{ l ri:> the most indispensable books wtH'bc pVrfv'tfcd. B. Manly, Jr./D. D.. is President, and Dr. J. A. Broaddus, Sec., of this Board. Taken al together, our denomination has not been idle during the war. It has sent httadredtrofniis sietiaries to the army, aided in tjie publication,: and distribution of thousands of pu.pgrs,- tracts and Testaments ; though it might have done and still should do far more. It ha*-’ increas ed in numbers: numerous ordinations bate occurred : revivaTsTidve been vc'fy’tfninercus: pi aver-meetings for the country have beeji general, especially in the cities and yet it must be confessed that great religious apathy has prevailed and still prevails. Whilst there ban been much neglect in’ the support of pas tors, many churches have acted nobly in this respect, but it must be recollected that most of the male church members are.in thq army. We might'say - of oilier denominations ’that they have acted nobly fill through the war/tin'l are enjoying, under the cireuihfctftncvs, a reas onable degree of prosperity and spirituality : eachofithem still maintains denominational pa pers ; but our immediate purpose has beeii to throw together a few hasty remarks concern ing our own Denomination, as a matter of fu ture reference for the historian or antiquarian. New Year Words for the Sol diers. Faithful watchmen upon ihe towers flf“lij>* erty, for you a year “if glory haffpn-sed, And’ for you lias dawned a year of trials and suffer ings ; hut the same indomitable spirit stud he- i'oic patriotism which lias thn* far ied.y*,u on ! ovill still incite to deeds of v*lor and complaining endurance. For this wo .honor you, and for this we give such piahe as is rarely accorded to human being’s. Nat for hire have ye exposed your brows to the storms of heaven, and bared your •’boeonffi to” the lead en hail of death v but impelled by love lor your country and your country’s hoiuir and, safety, you have risked and endured and suf fered, till, like Angels of IXeliveranoo, ye d,e sorve the halo of glory over to crown your’ heads and encircle your names. Wa exiead to you greetingsof the new year, atid inyfqte for yoil thebeneficeni ekreof a'merciftl <?*.!. To His keeping we commfend you, and’ oT'Rhn beseech for you sa ety, victory, and all early return in peace to the embraces of loved ones at home. But, remember, that for tlios'e ioyfed ones, There is no safety save in you* sL-tng right arms, and that for peace there i uu hope save in your undaunted valor, and that there is for your country no honor nor independence except it be won by bloody victories through your owu matchless bravery. Soldiers, your country is gazins*at you in love and confidence, and reposes her destiny into your kcepiDgl Be not faithless to the trust; but, evor watchful, valiant and deter mined, struggle on, that goon, in effulgent brightness, the day of*peace and happiness’ may dawn, and your land proudly assume its destined rank among the national brolhorhood of earth! ’* 4 Rev. Wm. Huff. In this number will be found a letter from brother A. E. Dickinson, the efficient Super intendent of the S. S. and Publication Board of Yu., that is engaged, (,like our Domestic Board,) in ministering so nobly to the spir itual wants of our soldiery,-and brother I>. gives us to understand that a continuation of contributions is needed to maintain that high point of usefulness that his society has attain ed. He says: “We have but one brother who gives his en tire time to agency work.; Consequently, cur reliance in the future, as it has been in the past, must be on the voluntary contributions of the churches, each giving as his own heart and judgment may dictate. These things be ing so, >vc appeal to our friends to make to army evangelism an offering, with theopenir.g of the new year—a cheerful, liberal offering according as the Lord hath prospered them.” The agent alluded to is brother lluff who is now in Ga. visiting some of Our churches for the purpose of making known the spiritual wants of the soldiers, explaining the opera tions of the society he represents and collec ting funds for evangelizing the army. Wo heartily commend him and his cause to the liberality of the brethren and sisters wherever he may go. Rgv. S. Landrum. We are rejoice to learn of the safe per formance of an operation on Bro. Landrum’s face, for what he apprehended was Cancer. A • piece was taken out of the cheek just below the left eye, ar.d the skin drawn over the place We learn that it has healed up finely and like ly to prove a permanent cure. Change of Address The correspondents of ltev. J. S. Baker will please address him at Moritieellp, Fla.,.here after. Guilt upon the conscience will make a feather bed hard ; but peace of mind . make a straw bed soft and easy, JH Nothing is hard if Jesus is enjoy nothing is satisfactory, if he withhold ■ I Mosaic Work. • Tho Baptist Female School of Greenville, S. C., is in a flourishing condition, while tho Furman (Male) Institute has^ttpended.—See the advertisement of Mercer Wmversitv and cf I brother Wilkes in this number.—The Monroe j Female University is a deservedly prosperous ’ institution.—Mormon ism is making gn ai pre | gross in Denmark.—The Herald reports 2L3 | baptisms and conversions by the Baptist Mis | tiiouaries in the army, for October last.—The Herqid says, “i he church that neglects the ! poor Jbseivcs the frown of God—and will with | er under it.”—The first native Chinese min ister of the church of England was ordained Hii&MSksi 25. last Easter dqy.—Baptists who neglect to send their own religious journals to the army are wanting.in a proper Christian mid charitable spirit.—The Christian coipmis- Vion of Philadelphia, besides 480,768 Bibles aiid Testaments, granted by the American Bi ble Society, received’ 1,500 Bibles from the British and Foreign Bible Society ; and yet the Philadelphia ‘Presbjteriau’ wrote bitter things against Dr. Hoge sow# months ago, be cause he received a grant of the Scriptures for our country from tho British and Foreign. Bible Society—The Eagle Manufacturing Com pany ofCdlumbus,Ua., has given an unsolic ited donation of SIO,OOO to the Southern Chris tian Advocate, designed to keep it up, and to enable it-to enlarge its dimensions.—On one of the Sandwich islands, a most interesting aud important morning prayer-meeting has been kept up fur more than 25 years.—r'J'heS. School Board.of the Southern Baptist Conven tion has nearly ready an edition of 4,000 cop ies of a question book for general use.—Our City.— The OoHfederate Baptist speaks of Richmond as “that Eden of African church es \” This was spoken reproachfully—but if these churches were the worst things iu Rich mond, it would be, in comparison with what it now is, indeed an Eden I— Eel. Herald.— —The charitable collections of tho year, in the Georgia Methodist Episcopal Confer ee’.?,‘amount to near $250,000; of which $07,- Odl were for missions, and $73,968 for the en dowment of Emory College.—During the re vivals ot and around Rochester, N. Y., last year, 1,001 children from tho Sabbath schools up lied with the churches.— The last words of a hood Woman, The wife of a Bishop iu Eng land died recently, aud being a woman remar kable” forner piety and excellencies of charac ter her last words were expected to be full of interest, and so they were. Just before she expired the good woman said to her atten dants; “ Remember to give the Bishop his warm soup every night.” —The New England SoißiT. TheAnortal remains of Whitfield are deposited in a vault under tho pulpit of a .church in Newburyport, Mass., in an open collin. The bare bones and decaying mould <*>fuie greatly good and greatly ehquent man are, etr to speak, “on exhibition,” and may be “inspected and handled by any body who will pay for the privilege.”— “Favorable <Jom , I’AttisoN,” A “Tankeo” paper published at Fcrnandina, Fla., says that the two schools ior “freedmen” there “in cleanliness and gen eral deportment in faci ity of acquisition, and in all, save perhaps apparel, will compare fa vdrnbly with the common schools of the North.” Rev. S. G. Hillyer will remove to S. W. Georgia, and teach and take charge of the Gum I’ond church. Rev. F. M. llaygood has resigned the charge of tho Macon African church, of which he has bad charge, and lias accepted the appointment, under the auspices of the S. S. and Publica tion Board of Yirginia, of missionary to the hospitals in Macon. We have had the pleasure ol turning over to lire. Barrow, as the result of our appeals for him, about SI2OO, and will say that more will bv no means come amiss. fi i The Irish Revivalist, Henry Grattan Guin ness, has fully identified himself with the “Plymouth Brethren.” Dr. Albert Barnes is recovering from a re cent illness, though still feeble. In the recent election for Chaplain to thtT U. S. House of Representatives there were 11 caiididates. Among the number were—Rt. Rev. Bishop Hopkins, Episcopal Bishop of Vermont, and author of the “Bible View oi Slavery,” and Rev. W. 11. (/banning, of the Unitarian church, Washington. Bishop Hop kins received 55 votes and Mr. Ohauuing 85, Rev. Wm. Fiinn, recently chaplain of the 16th Georgia Regiment, has received and ac cepted the appointment of Pres. Commission er to Gen. Johnston’s army. I)r. Brantly’s salary has been raised to S6OOO by the 2d Baptist church, Atlanta.— Well done! Rev. S. G. Daniel will continue to serve the Albany church, next year. Ilis health has not been good during the past Summer and Fall. Brd. Maihtry’s health is feeble, too. We believe Bro. D. W. Gwin will serve the Griffin church. I Rev. S. Landrum 1 as had a successful ope- Vation lately performed on his left cheek for what ho fearod was Cancer. He has recover ed and we hope is permanently relieved. Dr. J. W. Jane's has settled in Macon as Confederate Hospital Surgeon. We reget to learn of the death of an inter esting son of Bro. Wm. C. Wilkes, aged thir teen. •’ * ‘* Foreign Iteme. Another “large building is to be erected v at the iffiiaectou Seminary, the fuud&eing con tributed from the estate of the late George Brown of Baltimore, Md. TT” . . -T” luc spirit is spiending in Swe den. Anniversaries of various religious .’’and benevolent societies have lately been held in b.ucuholni, and the reports present a cheering view. Daniel -B. Warner, the newly elected Presi dent pf Liberia, was born in Baltimore, in 1815, where he learned to read, and went to Africa with bib father in 1823. lie is of una duiieriited--African-ldoed, good personal ap pearance, and nn energettft>bonetit, and sagac ious man. lie writes good prosq, and has been an active local preacher in the Metho dist c'litirch for twenty years. Rev. D. A. W. Smith, and Rex. ,J. D. Cal burn tlieir wives, sailed in the Washington from New York on the 3d inst.,.as -Baptist,missionaries by way of Liv erpool jpr Rprmjjk, ....*••■ ‘ The congca£*tionnlchurches of New Eng land have never withdrawn fellowship from Rev. L. Beecher, fur his belief and advocacy of the doctrine of the” pre-existenCe of tho hu man sou! thus testifying that this is not a fundamental error, ip their judgment. At the mot annual State Convention of Con neeticut Oongregationalists, held at Hartford, it appeared H at “infant baptism had fallen off; in some sections of the State there had been no baptisms in one fourth of the church es.*” _ Tll ° publication by the American Bible So < io.y, of an edition of the Old Testament with a special view to circulating among the Jews, meets with much Encouragement from these descendants of Abraham. The Bible is in course of translation into the language of the Yorubas, Central Africa, and it is expected that the native christans will, duringthe present year, have the whole of the New Testament, and seven books of the Old iestament in their own language. The,Scotch missionorics to tho Abyssinian Jews have been permitted to enter on their work, by the king, with the full sanction of tho Archbishop.- The king said to them, “Not only among the Jews Shall ye teach, but also among the Mohammedans and the heathen, even among all who do not know the Saviour, until durkne:-H is turned into light. I desire, by instruction, to lead all into the knowledge of the truth : but iSod only can do it effectual ly. In outward matters I will, support you, and be a father to you.” - —i b ——— The Child’s Index. Union Point, Ga., Dec, 5, 1803. Mr. Editor. —Enclosed find five dollars, for the, Child’s Index for ths year 1863. I will keep one copy for my lirtle ones and distrib ute the others among the chiltben of the poor. Thomas R. Thornton. We publish the above with pleasure as an endorsement of our Child’s paper, and as a good example for others to foUpw. The price of tl;e Child’s paper has Leen raised to S2,CO foi single copies and SI each copy when five or more are taken. Tho Child's Index has received recommen detions from various Associations in Georgia, South Carolina, Virginia and other States.— The following resolution was adopted by the General Association of Yirginia at its lastsos sion: Ilesolvcd, That we most cordially recom mend the Child's Index, published at Macon, Ga., by Rev. S. Boykin, as a first-rate Sunday School paper, and as eminently worthy of the hearty support of Baptist Sunday Schools and families-iu Virginia, and throughout the Con. federate States- All those \vho desire a handsomely illustra ted and beautifully printed Baptist paper for children should subscribe at once. Address • S. BOYKIN, Macon, Ga. ’ Indexes Wanted for ’the Army. Such appeals as tho following are made to us frequently ; and we earnestly hope that the many liberal friends of the soldiers, through out the country, will make us a remittance to meet the demand with our Soldier’s Edition : Headquarters Army of Tennessee,) Dalton, Ga., Dec. 28, 1863. j Rev. S. Boykin — Dear Sir —Having been detailed to collect and distribute religious works for this army, and appointed agent for the Tract Association, I have a Depository near the Depot and Post Office, for the purpose of furnishing Chapluir.s and Missionaries with all the religious read ing I can procure. If you wish to Tiruish the soldiers with your paper, I will he pleasod to distribute to the Chaplains and others all you may see pro per to send to my’ tare. Many fail to getyour paper (and ethers) because of the frequent change and movement of the troops. The bet ter plan is to send them to an agent. Very truly, S. M. CHERRY, , Chaplain P. 11. C. S., Box 17, Dalton, Ga. Brief Mention. “I baptized six negroes of my charge a low weeks ago, and have three to receive the ordi nance next Sabbath.” J. F. SWANSON^I