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CHRISTIAN INDEX SAMUEL BOYKIN, Editor Macon, Ga., February 2, 1865. AGENTS. We earnestly request all the friends of the Index, especially ministers and postmasters to aid us in extending the circulation of the In dex. Any one sending fire new subscribers and the money shall receive an extra copy, gratis. ts Term of Subscription. Circumstances render it ill-judged for us to receive subscriptions for a period longer than four or two months. In future, consequently, w will credit subscribers at the rate of For two months $ 5.00, For four months 10.00, For six months 15.00, And will not take subscriptions for a length of time greater than six months. The Cross M Mark. Our readers will please remember that a cross mark on their paper signifies that the time of subscription will soon expire, and re new. _ ■ New Terms. We call attention to our new terms. It has become absolutely necessary to us to prevent great loss. As it is, we publish cheaper than most of the other religious papers, which issue a half sheet only and charge S2O. We are assured that our paper is now sent regularly from the post-office here, and as most of our mail routes are open, we can prom 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.