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CHRISTIAN INDEX
SAMUEL BOYKIN, Editor
Macon, Ga., February 2, 1865.
AGENTS.
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ise to subscribers the certainty of getting their
papers.
Dr. J. S. Baker
Has accepted the office of Corresponding Sec
retary of the Educational Board of the Florida
Baptist Convention, and has entered upon the
discharge ofhis duties. From a circular sent to
us by him, we gather that vigorous measures
are being adopted to secure funds for the pur
pose of educating the children of indigent or
deceased soldiers of the Confederacy.
The Educational Board was appointed by
the last Florida Baptist Convention for this
purpose, and consists of brethren who give
their time and labor gratuitously to this noble
cause, and their endeavor is to establish in
each county auxiliary societies, which shall
collect money and put the children to school
as economically as possible, but not more chil
dren than those for whose tuition sufficient
money has been collected. The Board also
desires, when the funds and subscriptions on
hand will justify the measure, to provide an
Asylum for the benfit of those orphans of in
digent soldiers who could not otherwise obtain
an education. The ■york before this Board is
a grand one, and we hope its success will r bo
equal to the merit of their cause.
Dr. Hodge,
Os Princeton, New Jersey, who has always
pretended to be a great friend to the South,
and even a defender of slavery, has gone over
to abolitiopism, horse, foot and dragoons ; and
he attempts to repel the insinuation of incon
sistency, on the ground that he had always
maintained that while “ slaveholding” was
not always and in every instance a sin, yet he
has held and taught that the particular “ con
crete system” of slavery in the Southern States
is “essentially and inherently unjust and
wicked.” In reference to the case of Dr.
McPlieeters, of St. Louis, Dr. Hodge, speaking
of the poffitian of neutrality held by that gen
tleman in regard to the contest between North
and South, says “ he mightjas well be neutral
between God and mammon, Christ and Belial,”
and “ that the object of the present rebellion
is to establish a great slave empire, the great
body of the Northern people fully believe.”
And what if it should be ? Is it any business
of yours what species of domestic institution
a nation numbering millions, and capable of
judging for themselves under the light of the
Gospel and of reason, should establish? If
slavery in the South is so very iniquitous, why
is it that you never rebuked us before the whr ?
“Why is it that you never denounced the system
and anathematized its upljplders, instead of
hypocritically truckling to Southern wealth
and honoring and applauding our Thornwells
and our Palmers ? If we have been so guilty
and deluded all along, was it Christianlike in
you to permit us to remain so without an effort
to reclaim us? But if for the last twenty
years you always considered the particular
“ concrete system ” of slavery in the Southern
States “essentially and inherently unjust and
wicked,” were you not grossly deceiving us
slaveholders in regard to your own personal
character ? Away with you for a hypocrite!
Cold Prayers.
“ Cold prayers shall never have any warm
answers. God w'll suit his returns to our re
quests. Lifeless services shall have lifeless
answers. When men are dull, God will be
dumb.”
How true it is, that fervency in prayer ob
tains God’s answer! For fervency indicates
earnestness, #hd earnestness implies a true
sense of need ; and a sense of need manifest
ed in prayer shows confidence, wnich honors
God. And those who honor God are honored
by Him.
Index for Soldiers.
Contributisns for supplying Missionaries
and Chaplains of our army with the Index,
are earnestly solicited. Our gallant soldiers
should have religious papers, and Christians
must supply them. Let Churches take collec
tions, let individuals remit, and let amounts
be sent up to the Associations for this purpose
ts.
“Endure! Endure! Endure!”
These were the words of the eloquent Dr.
Pelmer, in his Fast-day sermon in Milledge
ville, when endeavoring to enforce upon the
minds of his auditory the proper spirit in
which we are to conduct tljis war of secession.
Success he deemed certain, if our people would
but resolve tc endure all the ills and trials and
misfortunes incident to the struggle, and of
which the great boon of independence and
self-government is far more than worthy.—
And we desire, this day, to impress upon
our readers, and, if possible, upon all our
people, that in the union of the words endure
and persist , lies the whole secret of honorable
and glorious success to our cause.
We may be called upon to suffer much ; we
may be forced to endure great trials; we may
be almost drowned in a sea of misfortunes;
but as long as our proud spirits quail not; as
long as we remain defiant and threatening; as
long as we bear up under our calamities and
resist the invaders, we are unconquered and
unconquerable. Let us, then, proudly lift our
selves in our disdain of disaster, cast haughti
ly from us all weak and vain despondency,
and determine that, come what will, we never
will give o’er the contest ’till our enemies rec
ognize our independence.. Unmistakable evi
dences of such a spirit on our part, sooner than
marshalled hosts and bannered array—sooner
than victories and bloodshed— will gain us
triumph to our cause; for our enemies, them
selves convinced that subjugation, even if Eu
rope permitted it, is an impossibility, will soon
weary of the hopeless contest and make terms
of peace with us on the basis of our indepen
dence.
Away, then, with doubts and fears! Away
with despondency! Away with all wavering
and hesitation ! Away with that drivelling
spirit that asks “if we have not got enough” !
Away with all poltroonery and cowardice and
money-loving selfishness ! The independence
of our country deserves every sacrifice we can
make: upon its altars let us lay ourselves, our
property, our comfort, our all— a holocaust to
freedom and to honor !
This spirit animating us, and soon the splen
dors of the sun of peace and happiness will
flood our country, and nobly reward us for all
our toils, sacrifices and misfortunes!
The Peace Mission.
Prayer unceasing should be offered up by
all God’s people for success - to our peace mis
siqn that has gone to Washington. The Com
missioners need firmness, wisdom and discre
tion they need ability to uphold the honor of
our government, penetration to discern chica
nery on the part of Lincoln, and knowledge
of the proper course to pursue in every cir
cumstance : while they must see that we ob
tain our rights and secure the object of our
bloody and protracted struggle, yet they must
mercifully regard the necessities of our suf
fering people: they should temper firmness
and candor with moderation and patience :
they should let patriotism and human kind
ness relieve pride and a desire for glory ; they
should unite in themselves meekness and
suavity, with a proper degree of dignity and
self-respect; and while they endeavor to main
tain our honor and seek to uphold our interests,
yet it is not necessary for them to strive for the
enemy’s degradation.
All these .things call for prayer on the part
of our people. Interests so vast and conse
quences so mighty, demand the exercise of the
highest human attributes. The ‘peace, hap
piness and prosperity of unnumbered millions
depend upon the prudence, sagacity and good
judgment of tKose commissioners, and, doubt
less, the great rational heart is throbbing with
anxiety and suspense, and will wait, with
painful impatience, to know the failure or suc
cess of their mission. He inhuman
who could be indifferent under such circum
stances : they would deserve and would receive
universal execration who could desire aught
but a happy termination to this effort for the
attainment of peace.
But what a wonderful spectacle it is to be
hold a mighty nation hoping and praying for
the success of an earthly mission for peace, and
yet careless and indifferent in regard to the
heavenly mission of Jesus Christ! Holding
its breath in suspense, when regarding the
efforts of three men to establish peace between
two nations, and yet almost unconcerned rela
tive to the peace mission of the Sop of God,
who seeks to reconcile a world to the Almighty
Governor of the Universe! The issues at
stake, though in a measure analogous, are yet
not to be compared with each other, so much
does the mission of Jesus transcend the mission
to Washington, and so far do the interests
involved in the heavenly mission exceed, in
importance, the interests involved in the earth
ly mission!
O, men and women, why is it that ye are so
concerned about temporal things and so indif
ferent to eternal things ? The failure of our
commissioners can result, at most, in a mere
prolongation of the war, to be followed, after
all, by worldly peace and prosperity and hap
piness ; but the failure of Christ’s missioh to
any one of you, is for that one an eternal loss
of happiness and an endless accumulation of
wo, beyond the power of lanugage to express.
Sinners, sinners, behold in Christ Jesus the
, Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the
world—who makes peace between God and
you ! He has settled the terms of peace, and
it is but left for you to acquiesce in those terms,
for the war between you and your Maker to
oease, for hope to take the place of fear in your
bosoms, for tranquility to supereede anxiety in
your hearts, and for a far more exceeding and
eternal weight of glory to be yours, after
death. Believe —trust in the efforts of your
Peacemaker, Jesus, and all will be well with
you, for time and for eternity.
A work has been published by E. A. Free
man, Oxford, Eng., with the title, “A History
of the Federal Government, from its Rise to
its fall.” This is significant.
Peace;
We all desire peace. Its joys are so en
chanting to our view that, in order to obtain
them, almost anything consistent with natonal
honor and integrity would be granted. It
looms up before us, the one grand object for
which each heart longs; and few of us there
are who would not be willing to make great
sacrifices to secure for ourselves the safety, the
gratifications, and the blessedness of peace.
We have known enough of the horrors of war
fully to appreciate the blessing of its absence:
we have experienced sufficient of its discoe
forts to desire its immediate discontinuance :
we dread its undeveloped barbarities in the
future, and wish to shun them with undisguis
ed eagerness. No class or condition of socie
ty attempts to conceal its weariness'of War
fare ; no individual is willing to meet puttie
indignation by advocating war for its own sate;
and could the object of our struggle be attain
ed otherwise, the contest would cease by uni
versal consent. Why is it that we dread var
so much? Why is it that we desire peftceso
ardently ? Because of the loss of life, of prp
erty, of comfort and of joy that war entais.
Because it brings bereavements,
als, sufferings, distresses and agonies: because
it deprives wives of husbands, children of fa
thers, sisters of brothers, and mothers of sons’,
because it breaks up and separates families,
sets fire to the old family homestead, and turns
widows and orpbansloose upon the cold chari
ties of the world : beauso it destroys the sav
ings of years, mars the fairest of prospects
and blasts the brightest of hopes : because it
fills the mind with the most fearful forebodings,
brings demoralization upon society and im
pedes the march, of science, civilization and
religion : because it desolates fields, gives vent
to the fiercest passions, and marks its path
with ruin, death and disgrace: because it
clothes the land in mourning and desolation*
dyes its hills and plains with the blood of the
brave, and spares neither age, sex nor condi
tion: because it is a mighty engine of horrors
—the fearfulest scourge that God ever sends
upon a sinful world.
No wonder, then, that we all desire peace.
But, oh ! what a wonder it is, that, with all
the horrors and terrors of God’s judgments
impending, the sinner does not desire peace
with God ! What a wonder it is, that, with
the Omnipotent for his enemy, the sinner does
not sue for peace 1 What a wonder it is that,
with the wrath of God hanging over him, with
eternal burnings awaiting him, with the black
ness of darkness and weeping and wailing and
gnashing of teeth staring him in the face, the
sinner yet maintains his war with God! What
a wonder it is that, with anguish and sorrow
attending him in this world and with misery
beyond all hope of alleviation awaiting him
in the world to come, the sinner yet refuses
the terms of peace ! What wonder it is that,
with death most certain and ever near, with
the awful day of judgment steadily approach
ing and with an eternal fiery indignation ev
er threatening him, the sinner can yet com
placently continue to live carelefss and uncon
cerned as tho’ there were no future, no death,
no judgment, no hell, no God! Sinner! arouse
thee! Make thy peace with God. He offers
you terms of mercy and these are they.: He
that believeth on the Lord Jesus Christ shall
be saved ! Oh, sinner ! why will you contin
ue your warfare t Know you not that God is
pacified, and waiting to be gracious? But so
it is. And he is holding out his hands and
begging you to come unto him and accept his
offers of peace. Oh 1 sinner, sinner, delay-not.
Now is the accepted time —now is the day of
salvation. “Turn ye, turn ye, for why will
you die.” “Seek ye the Lord while ha may
be found ; call ye upon Him- while he is near.
Let the. wicked forsake his way, and the un
righteous-man his thoughts; and let him re
turn unto the Lord and He will have mercy
upon him—and to our God, for he will abun
dantly pardon.”
Sincerity in Prayer.
“God hears no more than the heart speaks,
and if the heart be dumb, God will certainly
be deaf.”
Sincerity and confidence in prayer compose
its true efficacy. The reason why so few of
our prayers are answered, is that they come
not from the heart —are not sincere and con
fiding. “With the heart man believes unto
righteousness ” —with the heart he feels and
trusts ; and the prayer that has no heart in it
is no genuine prayer, and, of course, will not
be heard.
Murmuring
“ Every murmurer is his own martyr —he is
a murderer : he kills many at once —his joy,
his comfort, his peace, his rest, his soul.”
Murmuring is’ rebellion ; and as no king
punishes anything as quickly and severely as
rebellion, so God makes murmuring effect its
own punishment almost immediately, in the
loss of all that conduces most to men’s happi
ness and * safety. Beware of jmurmuring
against God! No disrespect can be higher—
no insult deadlier ; for it arraigns, at once,
all of God’s highest attributes.
Temptation.
“ The less the temptation is to f in, the
greater is that sin.”
Small sins, as they are called, rarely have
the excuse of strong temptation ; and when a
man commits such, it arises from a natural
viciousness. A man, therefore, who, when
little tempted, sins, exhibits that which con
stitutes the essence of wickedness —a heart
that loves to sin. Such a man’s sins are
greater than his who, overcome by a strong
temptation, falls, perhaps more to his own
grief than that .of any other.
The Memory of an Eye —Have you ever
thought of it ? The memory of an eye is the
most deathless of memories, because there, if
anywhere, you catch a glimpse of the visible
soul as it sits by the window.
The Inner Life
Bv the agency of the Holy Ghost we are
born again. Anew life is communicated. It
is the life-of the spirit, and is in striking con
trast with the carnal life. Our lives are said
to be hid with God in Christ. What a grand,
beautiful and consoling thought this is! It is
not an illustration, or an abstraction, or a pos
sibility, but if we are Christians, it is a fact
as incontrovertible as that God reigns. Hid
with God—that is, identified with his nature
and deposited with his being, an i therefore as
safe as his omnipotence and truth and eternity
can make it. This inappreciable favor,Nhis
life of the soul, is not of merit—it is of grace
—the grace of Jesus Christ. Do not these
thoughts humble you, Christian brother,
and dissolve your heart in grateful love ? If
they do not, take warning, for you are not
born again—your life is not bid with God.—
It is painful to believe that thousands of pro
fessoiswill pass through life under a-misera
ble delusion as to their religion, and will go
down from the very doors of the church into
the death that never, never dies. Have you
this inner life ? That is the question preg
nant with your immortal destiny.
This sweet and beautiful life is known by
its developments. What are its fruits ? Su
preme love to God and loathing of all sin ; a
a firm faith in his word and a cheerful acqui
escence in his providences, whether afflictive
| or encouraging; resignation to -his will with
1 reference to life, health, estate, family and
| country; love to all who love God ; a chari
i table, forgiving spirit; a low estimate of all
! earthly good, especially property ; a habit of
j prayerfulness at all times ; satisfaction in the
! confession of sin and pleasure in penitence;
1 constant thoughts of God, his power, wisdom,
justice and mercy; a pleasing relish for com
munion with him, through praise, thanksgiv
ing, and all acts of public and private worship;
an absolute, unconditional.subordination of
all we have and are to his honor and glory ;
an earnest longing for the salvation of souls
and the universal establishment of his king
dom. In addition, the inner life is exhibited
in good works—in habitual and large chari
ties—in sustaining the church and the minis
try—in visiting the sick —in counselling the
weak and reclaiming the backsliding—in short,
jin every good word and work. Try yourself,
1 dear brother, by these tests, far if you are
| not born again, you are lost, irretrievably
! lost.
The Virginia Plan of Educating Soldiers’
Orphans.
At the annual meeting of the Baptist Gen
eral Association of Virginia, in June, 1864,
the following persons were appointed a Com
mittee to provide for the education of the chil
dren of deceased and disabled soldiers* viz :
Colin Bass, Esq., Wellington Goddin, Esq.,
ltev. A. E. Dickinson, Hon. R. L. Montague,
J. B. Jeter, D. D., J. L. Burrows, D. D., and
W; F. B. Broaddus, D. D.
The Committee have matured a plan of op
erations, which, it is hoped, will greatly fur
ther the object. They propose, not to origi
nate schools, but to patronize such as now ex
ist, or may hereafter be brought into existence;
to limit their efforts, except in special cases,
to aid in giving a good English education;
and, in making their appropriations, to be
controlled by neither sectarian, sectional nor
social distinctions. It has been determined
also to assist soldiers, disabled in the Confed
erate service, who may desire to resume the
studies that were laid aside at the call of pa
triotism for ‘ the might slumbering in their
arms.’ Several t young men, now that they
can no longer remain in the army, owing to
wounds or impaired health, have applied to us
for appropriations, by means of which they
may prepare themselves for some position of
usefulness. This class will find the Commit
tee ever ready to extend to them prompt and
cheerful aid, and are invited to make their
wants known to us.
In order the better to cultivate this great
field, sub-committees have been appointed at
prominent points to look out and place in
schools those whom we propose to benefit, and
to aid in disbursing the funds entrusted to
the Committee. Thus we hope to extend our
operations to every county and every neigh
borhood in the Commonwealth.
These sub-committees embrace gentlemen of
the several religious denominations, and some
who no profession of religion ; all the
schools in the country, without respect to the
denominational proclivities of the teachers,
are patronized ; and every child, without ref
erence to the religious tenets of its parents,
shares the benefits of our operations.
[The above is taken from a circular pub
lished by A. E. Dickinson, Corresponding Sec
retary, in the Religious Herald.]
Neglect of Private Prayer.
“It gives the enemy an advantage against
the soul, and, by damping the ardor of spir
itual affections, strengthens inbred corrup
tions. It fosters spiritual sloth, engenders
worldly-mindedness, blunts ther edge of con
science, induces a laxity of Christian .morals,
and eventually, if persisted in, creates an in
disposition to the public duties of religion.”
What a fearful picture! And yet many
Christians at the present time, we fear, are
living in almost total neglect of private devo
tion. O Christian, wake up, and be no longer
so slothful and remiss !
Neglecting Religion.
“ It was a saying of Bede, * that he who
comes not willingly to church will one day go
unwillingly to hell.’ ” *
They to whom religious duties are averse,
may rely on it that they are notin the road to
Heaven. Men who neglect religion now,
cannot complain if the Savior neglects them
in the day of judgment. They who are un
willing to serve Him now, He will be unwilling
to save in the great day of final account.
Lift up the Standard.
“ In the last days perilous times shall conic.”
These seem now to be upon us. Perilous to
the cause of righteousness"; perilous to the
Truth ; perilous to spirituality and to the souls
of men. Let us see if these times are not row
upon us. Hear Paul's description of tlmm: j
“ For men shall be lovers of their own selves,
covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobe
dient to parents, unthankful, unholy, without
natural affection, truce-breakers, false-acousers,
incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are
good, traitors, beady, highminded, lovers of
pleasure more than lovers of Clod; having a
form of godliness but denying the power there
of.” Is not this an appallingly graphic and
accurate description of the times in which we
live ? No proof is necessary to the observant
Christian. But “ who is among you that fear
eth the Lord, and obeyeth the voice of His
Servant ” ? To you must the warning be given
and the standard lifted up. “Do ye not after
their works: for they say, and do not.” The
profession ot godliness is not unpopular, but
the practice of piety is quite unfashionable.—
The truths of religion are admitted. This
much the Scribes and Pharisees did, and yet
“except your righteousness shall exceed theirs,
ye can in no case enter into the kingdom of
heaven.” The Savior asks with emphasis,
Why call ye me Lord, Lord, and do not the
things which I say ? Why acknowledge in
word Ilis divine authority, and in act deny it?
Why profess allegiance to Him and serve your
self and the world ? He says, They profess
that they know God ; but in works they deny
Him, being abominable and disobedient, and
to every good work reprobate. Church-mem
ber, are you not here described ? If not,
what are the works by which you prove your
knowledge of God? Think! Your Master,
if you be a servant of Christ, says, “ Not
every one that saith unto me Lord, Lord, shall
enter into the kingdom of heaven, but he that
doeth the will of my Father which is in
heaven.” Consider—what part of that will
are you doing ? You have professed to know
Him, but this is not enough. You have been
baptized, but this is not all you must do. —
You have come to the communion table, but
this is not finishing the work He gave you to
do. You attend the preaching of your pastor,
perhaps aid in paying his salary and attend
the prayer-meetings of the Church, this is all
well as far as it goes, but this is not “ fighting
the good fight and finishing your course.”—
Your labor must come up to your profession,
or you are obnoxious to the charge which the
Saviour laid against the Pharisees—you “ say
and do not.”
What are your professions? What vows
did you take upon you when you were- bap
tized into Christ?
Ist. You professed to be a disciple of Jesus,
a follower of Him. In this you were under
stood to have a teachable disposition, a desire
to learn of Him for the purpose of practicing
His precious doctrines and precepts. You
were to admit “no human teacher to be lord
of your conscience.” You were to obey all
His will, so far as it was possible. You were
to observe a “ steady, consistent, uniform per
severance in the ways of Christ.” You were to
“ search the Scriptures.” Have your works
proved your profession ? or do you belong to
the class who “say and do not”?
2nd. You professed to be a subject ot Christ
the King, and therefore, to honor and rever
ence Him a3 your Law-maker. You were to
obey all His commandments, so far as you
were enabled by his grace. You were to pro
mote, by labor and influence, by example and
precept, the welfare of his kingdom. You
were to commend it to the gainsayers and re
bellious by an unwavering adherence to all its
requirements. You must decide as to whether
you have done all this.
3d. You professed to be a ehild of God ; that
you were “ born not of blood, nor of the will
of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of
God ” ; that you were a partaker of the Divine
nature; that you were in Christ and He in
you; that you were one with Him, complete
in Him ; that your body was the temple of the
Holy Ghost; that you were dead, and your
life was hid with Christ in God ; that your
affections were set upon things in heaven;
that you were anew creature in Christ Jesus ;
that you were risen to newness of life; that
you had put off the old man with the affections
and lusts thereof, and had put on the new man
which is created in the image of Christ- You
professed not to love the world, nor the things
of the world, but to be constrained by the love
of Jesus ; you were crucified unto the world,
and it was crucified unto you. Then you had
not the spirit of bondage again to fear, but
the spirit of adoption ; whereby you cried,
Abba, Father.
Has your life been in accordance with this
profession ?
4th. You professed to be the salt and-light
of the world; your influence over others was
to turn them from sin, to save them instru
mentally from death ; you were to be a co-la
borer with God in the great work of human
redemption and eternal life; you were to teach,
to enlighten, to impart knowledge of salvation
to others, and this was to be done by your*
good works ; you promised that you would
induce others to glorify your Father which is
in*heavcn by the purity of your life, the intel
ligent zeal of your deportment, and your firm
and faithful vindication of a pure and spiritual
Christianity.
Has your life vindicated the sincerity of
your profession ?
Lastly. You professed to be one of a peculiar
people; that you were in the world, but not of
it; that you were a n\an, a woman, but more
than a man, a woman—a Christian, the high
est style of man; that, as Homer made the
gods act like men, your religious principles
made men act like gods ; that your principles,
your motives, your desires, your aspirations,
aye, your very nature, was singular—all were
of God. Your life was to be peculiar, not con
formed to the world; your conversation was
to be in heaven ; you were to follow Christ,
while others followed man ; you were to bear
the cross, while others sought for pleasure;
you were to labor in Christ’s vineyard, while
others loitered in sin ; you were to search the
Divine oracles, while others read the folly of
brainless heads ; you were to lay up treasures
in heaven,- while others had their good things
ho e ; you were to visit the fatherless and
widows in their distress, and keep yourself
unspotted from the world, while others went
to the house of mirth, the theatre, the dance,
the places where time is murdered.
O, fellow-disciple ! have you walked worthy
of this high vocation ?
They that profess and do not practice are
called deceivers and hypocrites. May God
save Ilis cause and people from the perils of
these times! W.
Secret Prayer.
“ Closet duty speaks out most sincerity. He
prays with a witness who prays without a wit
ness.”
This is true. Secret prayer is earnest prayer
—it is such prayer as a man makes who wants
to pray, and who feels the necessity of it. He
is, indeed, a sincere penitent who in secret la
ments before God. He is a sincere petitioner
who prays not to be seen of men. And such
God will reward.
Brief Mention.
We learn from the Herald that Rev. J.
B. Taylor, Jr., in his recent trip to Alabama,
collected over $5,000.
4r * *
Two Cumberland Presbyterian churches
at Pleasant Hill, Ala., have paid over, the
present financial year, more than S2BOO, and
engaged to pay some SIBOO more for the sup
port of an army missionary. They number
only about one hundred members, two-thirds
of whom are females. Verb. sat.
* * *
The Church Intelligencer says: “It is
well known that the Episcopal church has
never adopted, and does not countenance, the
scheme or measure that is known as. ‘ the re
vival system.’ ”
■ * *
On testimonial of their inability to pay,
disabled Confederate soldiers are admitted
into the University of Virginia without charge
for matriculation, tuition or room rent.
* * *
The last North Carolina Presbyterian
Synod “ enjoined it on the ministers, ruling
elders and .Christian masters within its
bounds, to give more attention than ever to the
moral and religious instruction of our colored
population.”
* * *
The Synod of North Carolina consists
of 3 Presbyteries, with 189 churches, 108 min
isters, 13 licentiates, and 10 candidates for
the ministry.
*
Rev. 11. M. McTyeire, with reference to
the Methodist Episcopal and Methodist Protes
tant churches. says : “ The question is often
asked, Why should these two Methodist
churches continue separate ? Really, I see
no sufficient reason for it. They hold the same
doctrines precisely ; only on matters of polity
they differ, and that difference is neither ma
terial nor irreconcilable.”
■* * *
Among “ the official acts performed by
Bishop Atkinson, N. C., during his autumnal
visitation,” as reported in the Church Intelli
gencer, was this: “At Woodville, Bertie
county, admitted to Deacon’s Orders, Mr.
Richard Ilenry Jones, lately a minister in the
Protestant Methodist- Society.” Protestant
Methodists do not constitute a church, then,
and R. 11. Jones is now for the first time Rev.
** * -
Owing to the vacancy of the pulpit of the
Presbyterian church of Norfold, caused by
the deportation of its late pastor, the Rev. G.
D. Armstrong, D. D., by the action of the
commanding General, the Rev. C. L. Wood
worth, chaplain of the 27th Massachusetts
Regiment, will officiate as pastor until further
orders. — Extract from a Yankee order.
Camp near Petersburg, Jan. 10, 1865.
Editor Christian Index: Thinking proba
bly you have a soldiers’ fund on hand, I re
spectfully ask that you send me as many copies
of your valuable and interesting paper as you
can spare, and I have no doubt but they will
be instrumental in doing good (which religious
reading never fails to do). I desire them for
distribution in the regiment. Hoping soon to
see your good old paper, I am, very respect
fully, Edwin J. Burch,
Company E, 48th Ga. Reg’t.
[We have no soldiers’ fund on hand, and
can send ho papers, unless money is sent us
by someone. Who -will send it?—Ed.
Spurgeon lately published a sermon on bap
tismal regeneration as taught in the English
prayer book. It must have been pretty tart,
as it called forth numerous replies from vari
ous clergymen of the church of England.
NELLIE NORTON:
BY REY. E. W. WARREN.
A truly Scriptural argument on the subject
of slavery. It is conclusive, and affords con
vincing proof from the Word of God, that
slavery is an institution ordained by heaven.
Its delineations of character are admirable ;
its plot simple, but interesting ; its interest
unflagging to the last. It is a work that will
settle the minds of all who read it, concerning
the divine authority of our “ peculiar institut
tion.” Price $5, sent by mail. ts
Rags.
Our friends the ladies will oblige us by col
lecting rags for us, and if they cannot send
them now, let tliem send as soon as possible.
We will pay 20 cents cash per pound. Send
.by Express, and write telling the number of
pounds sent. Always give some mark by
which we will know the package and be able
to identify the sender.