Newspaper Page Text
6
Cjrt Christian site.
Rev. H. H. TUCKER, D. D., - - - Editor
■ SATURDAY, JANUARY 6, 1866.
Editor’* Salutatory.
The undersigned respectfully presents him
self to tlie readers of the Index as temporary
editor. Ilis connection with the paper may
be what meu call permanent, but under pres
eireu instances it is thought best to promise,
(and that too, subject to the contingencies of
this uncertain life,) nothing more than a few
months of editorial service. If his career
should be brief, let it be considered only as
the first e< urse, the mere appetiser of a pro
tracted repast which will improve as it pro
ceeds. The publisher is a man of determined
purpose, and has both the will and the means,
if the blessing of God be added, to make the
paper all that the religious and literary re
s lives of the country will allow.
Never but once before, and that was when he
entered upon the work of the Gospel ministry,
has the editor been so oppressed with a sense of
responsibility. Then, he passed the thresh
hd 1 that led to ministerial duty with tears
and with trembling, and almost fainting under
his heart-burden. He will not say that he is
so burdened n>w. But knowing that his con
gregation is suddenly increased in a moment,
as it were, from hundreds to thousands, and
that his utterances are not mere spoken words
hr permanent r cor Is, and that hoe iters up
on anew and untried field for which it may
be that he is wholly unadapted, he confesses
•o a dirinking which may be unmanly, but for
iiieii his high sense of the importance of the
duties before him must be his apology.
Negative merits, to some extent at least,
tfa* editor thinks he can promise. Nothing
shall intentionally appear in this paper which
is undignified, unkind or uncourtaous. If in
a moment of haste or forgetfulness, a word
should be uttered which is inconsistent with
tin- spirit of Jesus, it is apologised for in ad
vance, and the forbearance of the reader in
voked in behalf of one, who with many efforts
a I prayers, has never been able to bring his
practice up to his theory.
It’ a word of pleasantry should sometimes
find its way to the surface and leap out into
air, it is hoped that even the gravest reader
will not lie offended. Smiling columns, like
s-n:!:ng faces, are most attractive; and that is
i. -t the highest order of piety which tends to
tieisin. Still the editor is fully sensible
t if the habit of the paper as well as of the man
ought, at all times, and especially in a
* : as the present, and after the awful ex
periences of the hist four years, to be thought
ful and sober.
Now that society is disorganised by the
great upheaval that has just taken place, and
n. *w that much distrust between the
\% hites and and so much soreness of
fivling lietweeWlie North and the South, the
editor will try to remember and be guided by
the saxing of the Saviour: “ Blessed are the
peace makers, for they shall be called the
children of God.” His endeavor will be to
ritllllOlk* conflicting c': .dents by presenting to
each side views from the stand-point of the
other, and by inculcating principles of mutual
forb -aranee and forgiveness. Extremes will
be avoided, and with the most conservative
spirit, a golden mean pursued.
The editor is himself a Southern man—
Southern by birth—as were his ancestors be
fore him toe six or seven generations—South
ern in all his habits of thought and sympa
thy s. But lie hopes lie is still a Christian
man. and as such, bis attempt will be to ele
vate himself and his readers above sectional
feelings and pandering to no prejudice, to take
a wide and catholic view of the interests of
the whole country, and indeed, of the whole
ra • Tie will spare no effort to supply sub
stantial :ni wholesome nourishment to the
minds and souls of those who look to him for
it: to give a wise direction to public opinion,
and to make truth and duty attractive to all.
\Y th those aims he commends himself to the
n lulgence of his readers, to the prayers of
the pious and to the favor of his God.
11. 11. Tucker.
4 * ISitferlo hath the Lord Helped Us.”
TheL< rd had just delivered the children
of Israel, over whom Samuel was judge, from
the hand of their enemies. Samuel, in order
t* keep the people in constant rememberance
of this deliverance, erected a monument anil
called the name of it Eben-Ezer. This name
: s a compound of Hebrew words, signifying
literally. “The Stone of Help.” Such a
m nument as this would keep fresh in the
minds of the people, the event it was designed
to commemorate, and the name would serve
to remind them that on the occasion referred
to, thev needed help and received it.
It has always been common among the peo
ple of God, even at ordinary times, but par
ticularly on occasions of special blessing, not
ride- 1 actually to raise a stone in commemo
ration of God’s goodness, but to exclaim in
words or in substance—“ Hitherto hath the
Lord helped me.” How familiar is Zion’s
song ?
“ Here I raise my Ebenezer,
Hither by thy help I’m come,
And I hope by thy pood pie: sure,
Safely to arrive at home.”
Perhaps many have sung these lines with
out understanding them. The expression,
“ Here I raise my Ebenezer,” as we use it, is
figurative, and denotes that we make a record,
not on a stone as Samuel did. but as it were,
on our memory and on our hearts—a record
testifying that up to this time God has been
onr helper, and that it is by his providence
that we are sustained.
The beginning of anew year is an impor
tant era in the life of every one. A certain
number of these annual revolutions of time,
each one of us is destined to see. That nmn
lx-r is now less by one than it ever was be
fore. Perhaps one or two more such subtrac
tions tnav exhaust the number, and we shall be
removed to a world where time is no more.
Or it mav be that what a prophet once said to
a certain man, may be fulfilled in the writer
or in the reader, as it was in the unhappy man
to whom it was addressed :
“THIS YEAR THOU SHALT DIE ! ”
Years are important things. At tie end of
THE CHRIST IAN INDEX: ATLANTA, GEORGIA, SATURDAY, JANU ARY 6, 1866.
each one we seem to pass a milestone which
marks our progress to the tomb. These mile
stones are not many in number, at the most,
and the passing of each one is an era which
is worthy of notice. At every such epoch,
nothing is more proper than that we should
look back over all the course that we have
come; reflect on all that we have received,
and all that we have enjoyed, and exclaiming
in our hearts: “ Hitherto hath the Lord
helped us,” raise up an Ebenezer over against
every milestone in the path of time.
How much and how constantly have we
needed help. In infancy, without parental care,
a few hours would have terminated our mis
erable existence. The you- gos no animal is
so helpless, and Providence seems thus to
leach us, that the very first lessen of life—
the lesson of our helplessness should be
recommended to the last, in mature years
we are in fact just as helpless as we were
in the first day of infant life. What can
we do w hen disease is in the air, and the very i
breath we inhale to sustain life is freighted ;
w T ith the seeds of death? We fly to our
strongholds like frightened creatures, and en- *
trench ourselves behind the poor preventives j
which science has discovered, but the angel of j
disease flies right through our barriers and
does its work of death. We who write and I
read to-day, are safe thus far, the cause of |
which, though invisible, is not the. less real.
Disease itself is invisible, and so is the hand \
that has delivered us from it.
How r helpless is a man arnid a storm of I
bullets! Yet many who will read these lines j
have passed through the leaden tempest un
hurt! Whose hand turned aside the whistling j
shot and bursting shell ? None but His who j
numbers the very hairs of our head. In that ;
awful hour, vain was the help of man. Lm>k !
back, soldier, and see if in the rage of battle j
you did not need and receive the aid of a ‘
merciful and overruling Providence.
But aside from that .helplessness w hich per j
tains to the things of this life, there is another
kind of imbecility, which it is even more im
portant to consider. We are sinners—God is
holy. Suppose we were yet without help
Suppose Christ had not died for the ungodly.
What step could we take to work out out
own salvation? Or now that Christ has died,
if we do not avail ourselves of his death, what
is our condition ?
Thank God if w-e have needed help, we have
also had it. We are alive. We could not
have kept ourselves alive—God has kept us.
We aie out of perdition. We could not h tv
kept ourselves from the destruction with
which the fallen angels met. God the Son
has been our helper. lie loved us before the
world began, and it is by virtue of his medi
ation that we are spared for a time, and al
lowed a season of probation here. In this
sense the whole world may be said to b<
partakers of Christ’s salvation. The blessings
of Providence to the race are as much the
purchase of the atonement as the blessings of
grace to the elect.
We ought to remember that the help we
have had has been undeserved. Nor can it In
said that as God has created us, He ought t<
sustain and save us. If we had always a etc.
in obedience to His will, we might urge tin
argument with better But when our *■
whole life is a perpetual contradiction of His
will, we cannot demand blessing from Him as
matter of right. God cannot be under obli
gations to make himself partireps erhnims In
sustaining his creatures in sin. The interces
sionof a Mediator justifies Him in suspending
the blow for a season, and thus His mercy
gives us time to repent and opportunity to be ;
saved, but if when the day of grace is over,
we are still rebellious, lie is so far from being
under obligation to sustain us, that lie is actu
ally under obligation not to do it.
We must remember, too, that the help we
have had, has been in many instances unso- j
licife t. Help for the soul was volunteered
before the world was made. Help for the
body is with many, never a subject of prayer,
with others the subject of feeble, infrequent,
! perfunctory and faithless prayers, and with
most of us, perhaps, of prayers incited nit re
ly by the lusts of life.
We should also observe that the help we
have received has been in many cases more ,
and better than we could have conceived of. ,
and, therefore, more than we could have aske ! j
if we had been disposed to ask. Aside from
salvation from sin, which, without revelation,
we should never have dreamed of, we have j
many temporal wants that we know not of, i
but the pain of which, if they were misapplied, j
would make us very miserable. It requires
as great an exercise of wisdom to know what
our wants are, as it does of power to be able
to supply them. Hence, if nothing were I
given us but what we especially ask for, we 1
should roon be very destitute. Nor are we j
able to appreciate the magnitude of the least,
of the blessings we receive. A moment of
life in this world may make us a degree or
many degrees happier in an eternal world.
We somtimes wonder why the puny infant i
and the sick and the aged are allowed to linger
and languish for days or months. God counts
these days and months and moments, lie
knows that they are doing their work. It
mav be that every moment will add another
jewel to the crown—another city to the scep
tre. Thus a life which seems to us to lx* a
burden and almost a curse, may be a blessing
which transcends our utmost conceptions.
And all the help, undeserved, unsolicited
and beyond our powers of appreciation, has
been bestowed in spite of our forgetfulness,
thanklessness, sin and rebellion. We have
persisted in sin, and God has persisted in
goodness. So resistless is the flood of infi- j
nite benevolence that even sin, like mountains,
cannot stay its tide.
How different our feelings are towards our !
gracious Benefactor, from what they ought to
be ! How tame our gratitude—how weak
our love. To say nothing of preceding years, j
we have just passed through four dreadful
years of peril and blood. Our friends have !
perished, alas, alas! But we are here. Smit-1
ten it may be, impoverished and bereaved,
but still alive, and still partakers of Provi- :
dential goodness. We have been preserved
from the terror that cometh by night, and the !
arrow that flieth by day, from the pestilence
that walketh in darkness, and from the. de
destruction that walketh at noonday. Thou
sands have fallen at our side, and ten thousand j
at our right hand, but it has not come nigh us.
Goodness and mercy have followed us all the
days of our life. “ Hitherto hath the Cord
helped us,” and let every saint say, “ Bless
the Lord, O, my soul!”
How wicked are they who never think of
God. Is there any depravity so deep as that
which forgets the God of providence and of
salvation, or which, if it remembers, remem
bers only to dislike and disobey ? Surely
God’s mercy is infinite or it would have been
exhausted long ago.
Unconverted men often say that they can
not be driven, but that they may lx- led. Let
the goodness of God then lead them to repen
tance. Is there anything greater, more lovely,
more winning, more attractive? Is there any
thing that can surpass the goodness of God?
If this cannot lead men they can never be led.
Arid if the y can neither be driven nor led,and
persist in alienation from God, what must
their future be? The Lord fans helped them
hitherto, but there is no promise that he will
help them any more. Impious and daring,
every breath they draw is another experi
ment upon divine forbearance to which there
is a limit.
Let saints and sinners seize the present mo
ment. L.et every heart-throb be a throb of
gratitude and love. From these motives let
all our life take its color, and thus every deed,
and word, and breath will be an Ebenezer,
and be an acknowledgment that the Lord is
our God, and that we aie Ilis people. lie
who has helped us hitherto, will not forsake
us. Dying, we may whisper with pale lips
and spent breath, “Ebenezer,” and having en
tered the celestial city, join hands and voices
with the redeemed, and looking back to earth,
exclaim, w ith unutterable gr ititude and witli
joyous emphasis, “Hitherto hath the Lord
HELPED US! ”
Tile Frcedmeii.
For months past, many of the Freedrnen
have unfortunately been possessed with the
notion that at “Christmas” the lands would
be divided among them ; and a few were even
so insane as to imagine that they would live
in fine houses and ride in carriages and have
white people to wait upon them. Others again,
more rational, hut still foolish, supposed that
while the lands would not be divided among
them in fee simple, they would still be able to
rent lands and conduct farms on their own
account, forgetting that even if they had the
lands they would be bare of houses, barns and
fences, and that live stock and agricultural
implements,and also provisions enough to last
till a crop could be made, say next October,
would still be wanting, and that while they
were accumulating these things of which there
could be no prospect, starvation would over
take them. How they came by these wild
notions of independence, it is needless to in
quire, but the effect upon the minds and upon
their condition has been most unhappy. They
utterly refused to make contracts for the year
1866 on any terms whatever. Many of them
organized themselves into societies, the object
of which was to sustain each other in the po
sition that they would never work as hired
laborers, but only as independent farmers.
brought no
the
would come. Towards the close of the week
the dream began to vanish, and the reality
broke upon them that they must either labor
for hire, or not labor at all. Some took
one course and some the other. Those who
desired to hire laborers, generally succeeded
in doing so. But there seem to be vastly
fewer laborers employed than formerly, partly
because many of the blacks were not anxious
even with the stern facts before them, to en
gage themselves, and partly because the whites
did not wish to engage them ; and this was
partly because they had not the means to en
gage them, and partly because they lacked
confidence in the reliableness of their labor.
The result is as above stated, that many who
have hitherto been always comfortable and
well provided for are now suddenly out of
e nployment, and almost without means.
Suffering, mortality and crime, and a general
disturbance of social peace among all classes,
would seem to be the natural consequence of
this condition, a consequence which all fear
may soon be upon us and which many confi
dently predict. May God put it into the
hearts of these poor people to do what they
can for themselves, and into the hearts of oth
ers to do what they can to assist them, and so
order his Providence as to avert the evils
which to mortal eyes seem inevitable.
Rapiint liecoiDtriielion.
We have on hand several ably written ar
ticles in opposition to union of organization
on she part of Northern and Southern Baptists.
We beg leave to say to our esteemed corres
pondonts that as the Baptists where our paper
circulates, are almost unanimous in opposition
to this measure it is needless to discuss it.
One of our correspondents while he argues
strongly against the movement spoken of,
still expresses the wish that that state, of feel
ing may soon take place which will remove
one of the present obstacles to union, even if
for other reasons such change should be deemed ;
inexpedient; and in this wish, we think he is
joined by all good men.
Fosfion or Northern Baptist*
A writer in the AT. T. Examiner &• Chron- \
icle, who signs himself G. W. E., whose initials i
taken in connection with the place of date, |
Hamilton, N. Y., will suggest his name to !
many, has published an article of nearly two j
columns in length, for which he desires South- j
ern circulation. If we thought the article
would even tend towards the object which the
writer proposes, which object is conciliation,
we should gladly publish it entire. But we
think that the greater part of what he has
written would do more harm than good, if
published here. And if the utterances of one
who is evidently moved by a right spirit, are
so thoroughly distasteful to the people of this
latitude, that we cannot re-publish them here,
what could we expect from those whose spirit
is not so good ? The fact is, the stand-point j
of the Northern and Southern Baptists is so j
different that it is impossible for them to think
alike or to feel alike. We trust that time and j
grace may do their appropriate work. We
quote an extract from G. W. E.’s article,
though there are some expressions in it about
sin, &c., which are not calculated to produce j
the best impression here. We also desire
especially to prernisejthat the “ union of hearts
an<l hands” of which he speaks, does not ne
cessarily imply a union of religious organiza
tions, a thing which any one who knows the
feelings of both parties, as we do, must decide
to be wholly impracticable. Neither party is
prepared for it, and it is far from certain that
this measure would be expedient, even if the
feelings of the parties were all that could he
desired. The article is headed
“ THE SOUTHERN PROBLEM.”
1 greatly mistake the temper of my Baptist
brethren in the North, if they exact any hum
bling confessions of their brethren to them as a
condition of restoring* fellowship. They do
think you have been - greatly in the wrong in
the part you have taken in the late Pro Slavery
rebellion ; but the sin, whatever it may be,
has been mainly against your country and
your God To them you must answer. If
you settle the controversy with them, we have j
nothing to ask for ourselves. In common
with thousands of others, our families are
r >bed in the habiliments of mourning, for
fathers, sons and brothers, slaughtered in this
dreadful strife. But you are suffering like
afflictions, and we would rather sit down with
you, and mingle our tears with yours over a
comne n grief, rish feelings of un
seemly triumph—much less of unchristian re
venge* ******
As bivthren of the same faith and hope, we j
are willing to let “ bygones be bygones,” and i *
join hearts and hands with you in studying !
and working for the things which “ make for ! ,
peace,” love, mercy and good fruits. Truly, ! ]
a most stupendous work has been thrown by ‘
Providence on the hands of Baptists, North
and South ; and it cannot be well done wi h
outa union of hearts afi'd eo operation of hands.
Here are millions of hum, n beings brought
into anew social existence, invested with all
the rights of a common humanity, who must
be educated and Christianized. More than to
any other—more than to all other denomina- |
tions, do they look to Baptists for intellectual
and spiritual light and instruction. Can we
not rise above all party and .sectional dilfi-r
----ences, and, under a solemn sense of the tre
mendous responsibility imposed upon us by
our common Head and Lord, address our |
selves, with united hearts, to the duty before
us. The peace, and safety of the South, tin*
honor and welfare of the whole nation, and the j
cause of the Redeemer,” depend upon the right
discharge of the duty. .
I have been moved to write this article
solely to aid in the work of conciliation, by
showing that the barriers alleged by our
Southern brethren are not so great on tin* part
of the Nor has they think. I have used lan
guage simply to give what l suppose to he ■
the Northern idea, and not to give offence.
G. W. E
“ Let your women keep silence in thechur- j
dies,” is an apostolic injunction which we of the
South have seldom or never violated, and
which we trust will ever be held as sacred
throughout the world as any other part of the
word of God. Yet we take great pleasure in
copying from the New York Examiner, the j
following thrilling narrative of facts, and
heartily join in commendation of the honora
ble woman :
Words fitly Spoken.— The opinion wide- j
ly prevails, that no ordinary occasion will
! justify a woman in public disputation. Bit
i such occasions may occur, as the following ah- ‘
i stract of an interesting incident, communicated j
jto the Evangelist, indicates. The writer is
j a lady of Leavenworth, Kansas, and she was
’ herself the heroine which she mod
: estly describes. Apreacher had givenU
! notice that he to Protestants at
: the Roman Catholic church, and this lady was
induced to attend. The sermon abounded i
with falsehoods and slanders difficult to be 1
listened to patiently by an intelligent person.
At length he came to assert that “Protestants
have no sacrifice for sin”—he was speaking of;
the “host”—and added : “You are the only ;
people under heaven of whom this can be j
said. Why, the Jews had a sacrifice ; even
tht- heathen had a sacrifice. We have this ;
you Protestants have no sacrifice.” He then
asked: “ What sacrifice have you ?’ and in
the midst of a profound silence, triumphantly
repeated the inquiry : “What sacrifice have
you Protestants ?” Without knowing what
she said, or how she said it, the lady answer
ed, a voice clear and strong: “Jesus Christ,
crucified once for all!” The priest tried to
proceed. “ Once fin* all /” repeated the voice,
with firm and solemn emphasis. “Put her
out!” cried the Jesuit, as soon as he recovered
himself. But as a movement was made by j
zealots near by to execute the order, Col.
Jennison, well known in Kansas, with seve- I
ral others, surrounded the offender, with as
pect so resolute that no one dared to carry
out tlx* priest’s wishes, nor did he think it safe
to reiterate the order. Resuming his dis
course, confusedly, he repeated the words
which had interrupted him, saying, in his be
wilderment: “Yes, crucified once for all;”
and after this unintentional contradiction,
stumbled lamely to his conclusion.
i
Ord ina! ion* Ex|raortli na rv.
On Saturday, December 16, 1865, a Pres
| bvtery, consisting of Drs. W. T. Brantly
i and 11. Id. Tucker, met at the Baptist church
■ at Bethesda, Greene county, Georgia, and in
i compliance with the request of the church,
ordained Wm. A. Overton to the work of the
Gospel ministry. Public examination of the
i candidate by Dr. Tucker. Introductory ex- I
. cruises, sermon and charge to the candidate by
Dr. Brantly. Ordaining prayer by Dr.
Tucker. Benediction by the candidate. On
Saturday afternoon the Presbytery repaired !
to Greensboro, a distance of ten miies. and
| there on Sunday morning, December 17, at :
; the request of the church, ordained Philip P.
Robinson to the ministry. The examination
! was conducted in private. The order of ex- j
| ercise, was the same in other respects with
; those of the preceding day. Sermon and j
i charge by Dr. Brantly. Ordaining prayer by
Dr. Tucker. Benediction by the candidate.
In the afternoon of the same day, at the re
quest of the same church, two negroes were
ordained, Valentine Kingand Boatswain Early,
the Presbytery consisting of H. H. Tucker
and Philip B. Robinson. The examination
was conducted in private, but was thorough
and satisfactory. Sermon and charge by Dr.
Tucker. Ordaining prayer by brother Rob
inson. Benediction by brother King.
From the above it will be seen that one of
Presbyters ordained four men in two days,
two white and two black, and three of them
in one day; and that another ordained two.
men— two at once, on the very day on which j
he was himself ord lined. The occurrence is
at least unusual—perhaps such as never took
place before, and is not likely to be repeated.
Certainly it is a inattpr of gratitude to God,
that he is putting more laborers into his vine
yard.
Brother Overton is a prominent citizen
farmer, of Greene countv. Brother Robinson i
has been a successful lawyer for some years,
and brother Early has accepted a call to the
pastorship of the Penfield African church.
Ulinisteiia! Support.
Consecration and support of the ministry
are correlative duties. When a minister of
the Gospel consecrates himself to the work of’
w nning souls and of edifying the saints, he is,
in the judgment of every equitable mind, e n
titled to a support from those to whom he
devotes his time and talents. “If we have j
sown unto you spiritual things,” says the ,
apostle, “is it a great thing if we reap your
carnal things?” And he further developes
the truth upon this subject so as to leave his
meaning stripped of the shadow of a doubt.
Read what he has written : “ Even so hath
the Lord ordained that they which preach the
Gospel, live of the Gospel.” j •
The support of the ministry is an ordinance
of God, as much to be observed as any other \
divine enactment, and all who acknowledge |
the claims of the Gospel in other things,
1 should recognise this as a duty also. But it !
! may be asked, what are we to understand by j
| the support of the ministry ? Is it the pay
ment of a certain, stipulated amount? The |
j writer thinks not. A minister should neither :
! be allowed to want, nor should he be made
i rich by his parishioners; but he should be
j enabled to live in a style upon an equality
i with that of those among whom he lives and :
j for whom he labors.
If his people are able to live in luxury, and j
| do so live, he should be so well supplied as
j not to excite the contempt of his neighbor;
i fa* that could not tail to reflect, upon the
church to which he ministers, and thus hinder
the success of the Gospel. It is plain that if
a minister fall into contempt, on account of j
the pinching po\ei*ty to which his people con
sign him, the greatest injury will fall upon the
church in the end. A discriminating public
will think meanly of a people who subsidize a
minister’s time, talents and energies, and then
leave him to eke out a scanty subsistence as 1
best lie may. Self respect,, to say nothing of
i higher motives, should prompt a church to the j
; liberal support of their minister. It is to the
j interest of a church that the pastor should be
able to reach every class of the community, i
and hence they should support him so well
that he will feel no embarrassment in going
into the best circles.
The idea of consigning a minister and his
family to the obscurity of penury is as unwise
:asit is unjust. His support is voluntary and
is, to all intents and purposes, a debt of honor,
I and no right-minded man will be less inclined
| to remunerate him for his services, as far as
pecuniary aid can do it, because he cannot ren
der a compulsory claim. Neither scripture
nor custom permits a minister to make a spe
cific charge for services rendered, and unless
men act towards him from the promptings of
a self-directing equity, he will stand before the
! community helpless as an infant, while lie has
; all the instincts and feelings of a man. The
| writer has known instances in which a minis
j ter paid for a conveyance at a livery stable to
ride into the country in orderTo make some i
| young couple one for life, without receiving a
1 cent in return, and that too in cases where the j
parties were able to remunerate him. He j
has also known instances in the city among j
well to do people, where the minister has re
ceived similar These facts are
\ mentioned, not by way of complaint, but to
show how little relianee a minister can place :
upon what are usually denominated the per
; quisites of the office, and to present in stronger
light the necessity for securing him a support
beyond any such contingencies.
The church should study the comfort of
j their pastor and his family, while, he studies
their spiritual welfare, and should not dismiss
I their obligations when they have paid this or
that amount. They should know, beyond a
peradventure, that he has enough for all his j
reasonable wants; hence not a week should 1
pass without sending Lim some token of their j
love and appreciation. Little presents, in 1
themselves of small value, serve as links to
keep up the connection between the pastor and
his charge, and also help to lighten the intol- !
I erable burdens which he is sometimes com- i
polled to bear. But all which I have written j
thus far, looks to the material support of the i
ministry, and now 1 propose to write some
! thing relative to moral support. A minister
cannot long ho; ! out in a community which
gives him no evidence of appreciation. But
he has a right to look to his brethren for earnest
and hearty co-operation in his efforts to extend
the kingdom of the Saviour. As Aaron and
Hur held up the hands of Moses while he
j prayed for the success of Israel, so should the
j church hold up the hands of the pastor while
! he prays and struggles against the powers of
darkness. It is natural for men to desire sue
cecs in what they undertake, and this desire
oft< n looks no further than self-exaltation, but
if a minister has correct views of his high
vocation he desires to succeed because God
will be glorified thereby. When the time for
public service in the sanctuary arrives every
well wisher to the cause of religion should re-
I pair to the place of meeting, and contribute,
by his or her presence and influence, to the
! success of the occasion. Nothing can have a
more depressing influence upon the mind and
heart of a minister of the Gospel, than to
have the c >nvictim) forced upon him that he is
: connected with unreliable people.
To continue his labors with such will seem J
too much like wasting the energies of life—too
much like beating the air, and sooner or later j
the most energetic will must succumb to such
continued and adverse circumstances.
A noble-hearted, courageous, unselfish min- ;
ister may labor on for years under the most
trying discouragements, but at last it will be
found “that the hair breaks the camel’s back. ’
Religious people ought to be the last to run
after novelties and sensations, and yet they
are often found foremost in the unworthy
pursuits. Ministers should be selected, not
for their brilliancy, but for the solidity of
their characters, and to this end they should
always be proved. It is not the meteor that
illuminates the path of the benighted traveler,
but the fixed star which twinkles on through
the hours of darkness until relieved by the j
light of blushing morning. The work of the
ministry is a serious undertaking, and when |
he has solid merit he will he found standing
at his post, with scarred front and battered ;
shield, while the brilliant and dazzling splen-j
dor of the eccentric genius “has paled its in- j
effectual fires.” When such a man has been j
found—a man prepared to work earnestly, j
faithfully and perseveringly—he should be
supported and encouraged until the Great
King shall relieve him from the cross and
place upon his victorious head the crown
promised to those who shall endure to the
end. Then happy will be the meeting of
pastor and people in that bright land where
“falls no shadow, rests no stain.”
_c. -a— —-
The Pastoral Office.
No relation in society is more responsible,
and save that of parent and child, few more
intimate than that of pastor and people. In
deed in some respects the Pastoral office is
paramount to the parental. As the counsellor
in the most important matters that ever inter
• est the human mind, the pastor must, if he
would rightly and fully discharge his functions
pc ietrate into the recess of the heart, and be
come thoroughly acquainted with its most
secret workings. He must be ever ready to
admonish the wayward, comfort the distressed
and encourage those who weary and ready to
halt, toil along the Christian pathway. Above
all, he should atlbrd an example of patience,
earnestness and practical piety, that his flock
may learn how to live as much from his life
as from his words.
An office such as this is not easily filled, nor
should it be assumed lightly, without duly
considering its importance, in the selection
of one who shall hold to them this high and
holy relationship, a people cannot exercise,
too much circumspection. The qualities which
are requisite to make a good Pastor are not
to be found in every man—indeed, we may
say in very few in any imminent degree.
Many make their choice solely by reference to
a man’s ability in the pulpit, a test which is
far from being the only one. Preaching to a
people is not being their pastor; this is indeed
one of his duties, but we are by no in aits
sure that it is the most important. The min
ister who calls to sec his pe iple occasionally,
preaches an eloquent sermon, and then retires
to setlwto more of them until his next appoint
ment, may win much fame as a preacher, but
he will do iittle good as a pastor. His sta
tion requires more than this. He must indeed
labor in the desk ; but he must likewise labor
at the fireside. He must not only hold up
the claims of the gospel to the multitude, but
he must urge Divine truth upon the hearts
anil consciences of individuals. It does not
suffice that he have a general knowledge of
human nature. He should have particular
and special knowledge of the characters and
spiritual wants of each of the people of his
charge.
To acquire this it is not necessary that he
should establish himself in a confessional that
the weaknesses and errors of ever y one may
be poured into his ear. lint it does require
that his position be one of permanence, it is
not reasonable to suppose a clergyman any
nearer endowed with an intuitive knowledge
of men and things than the lawyer or physi
cian. Men of these professions often labor in
one field for half a score of years before they
become well established in business, and the
merchant not uutrequcntly remains at a local
ity half a lifetime in the effort to place his
fortune on a sure foundation. What is there
in the ministerial calling that renders change
of place more necessary for it than for others ?
Does the minister require less time to acquire
that accurate and intimate acquaintance with
those whose spiritual welfare he is to overlook
than others have to know those with whom
they have to deal ? The proposition which
we sometimes hear that every clergyman
should change his field of labor once every
four years, has no foundation in truth. On
tin •, contrary, if he aims at being a pastor in
the full acceptation of that term, and his people
will heartily co-operate with him in his endea
vors, the longer they remain together the
more, fraught with mutual blessings will the.
relationship become. There is something in
expressibly noble and touching in the picture
of a venerable clergyman who has grown old
in the service of one community, “ nor e’er
has changed, nor wished to change his place
who nightly retires to his pillow attended by
the fervent prayers of every heart in his par
ish ; who has evi r ready a listening ear and a
sympathizing tear for every plaint of sorrow ;
who, while in the desk he earnestly strives to
ill lire to brighter worlds, as anxiously tries to
lead the way.
It is lamentable, but true, that in this coun
try we have few really good pastors. The I
increased attention paid to the subject of min- |
isterial education has given us some divines!
whose pulpit exercises are a great improve,
ment on those of former years. But rare
indeed is it to find one who, in addition to
preaching fine sermons, is zealous in discharg
ing every duty of his office—who weds him
self to a church with the determination of
making it his lifetime task to build up her
membership and establish her faith. The
causes of this may be spoken of hereafter;
but as many customs are now likely to be
buried with the past, we trust a reform may
be made in this particular. In nothing is re
form more needed, and if it be rightly made,
the result must be most salutary.
35e Hen of one Work.
Dr. Chalmers began life with ambitious
hopes. At first a dull scholar, his intellect
afterward richly developed itself, and mathe
matics became his favorite study. After his
admission to the ministry, and during his set
tlement at Kilmany, he became a professor
of that branch in the University of St. An
drew’s. Fie was then an unconverted ‘man,
and as such he could easily be a pluralist.
He felt that “after the satisfactory discharge
of his parish duties, a minister may enjoy five
days in the week of uninterrupted leisure for
the prosecution of any science in which his
tastes may dispose him to engage.’’ After
the mighty revolution that was wrought in his
soul by saving grace, all this was changed. His
nearest neighbor, with whom he was very in
timate, once said to him, “I find you are busy
with one thing and another, but come w hen
I may, I never find you at your studies for the
Sabbath.” ‘O, an hour or two on Saturday
evening is quite enough for that,” was his
prompt reply. Afterward all was changed,
and the same neighbor, observing it, said, “I
never mine now, sir, but I find you are at
your Bible.” “All too little, John, all too
little!” was the significant reply. Speaking
of the preaching that was the result of this
fidelity in the closet and study, one of tile
hearers said, “He would bend over the pulpit
and press us to take the gift as if he held it
that moment in his hand, and would not he
satisfied till every one of us had got posses
sion of it. And often, when the sermon was
over and the psalm was sung, and he rose to
pronounce the blessing, he would break out
afresh with some new entreaty, unwilling to
let us go till he, had made one more effort to
persuade us to accept it.”
In a letter to his mother, he writes : “You
may tell my father that 1 have at length come
to his opinion that the peculiar'” business of
the profession demands all the time, all the
talents, and all the energy that any minister
is possessed of” In retracting before the
General Assembly the publication from
which the first extract was taken, he says: “I
now confess myself to have been guilty of a
heinous crime, and now stand a repentant
culprit before the bar of this venerable A*
sembly.” Alluding to his early ambition,
he continues: “Strangely blinded that I was!
What, sir. is the object of mathematical sci
ence? Magnitude and the proportions of
magnitude. But then, sir, 1 had forgotten
two magnitudes. I thought not of the little
ness of time; 1 recklessly thought not of the
greatness of eternity !”
Pursuant to this change, the unbounded in
terest that afterward attended his ministry
broke out. Nobl s sat at his feet; rapt thou
sands hung upon his lips. Reformations ap
peared, and the conversion of a soul was more
to him than the applause of a world. lie
did not become a recluse and devote himself
to the studies that might by many be sup
posed indispensable to maintaining his popu
larity at the expense of eternity, lie became
pastor. The, one he did ; the other was not
left undone. Through lanes an i alleys, in
garrets and cellars, fearless of odors or infec
tions, In* hunted the lost sheep. T his he did
through years of his ministry at Kilmany, at
Glasgow, at Tron, at St. John’s, and at St.
Andrew’s. Sabbith schools, and Bible class
es and mission churches multiplied upon his
hands, till the edifices lie had caused to be
erected couid be counted by hundreds.
For the Index.
TIl Tcefi!,
13 Y A PHYSICIAN.
Man is provided with two successions of
teeth —those of childhood, twenty in number,
called deciduous or mi He teeth, and those of
adult life, thirty-two in number, sixteen in
either jaw, are, called permanent because they
continue until old age. The teeth of child
hood commence making their appearance on
an average, about the sixth month, and com
plete the same between the second and third
year. These are succeeded by the perma
nent teeth, commencing between the sixth and
seventh year, and ending about the twelfth.
The wisdom teeth are developed between the
eighteenth and twenty-first year.
The teeth in relation to their functions are
divided into three classes, incisors, canine and
molars; the first have a cutting edge like a
chisel and are intended to cut the food— thev
attain their utmost development in the class
of animals known as rodentea, such as the
rabbit, bea er, squirrel,&c. The canine (do; )
teeth are used for tearing the food, and obtain
their most perfect development in the carniv
ora—animals which subsist, principally on flash
—the tusks of the boar and elephant are canine
teeth. The molar teeth are intended to grind
the food like a mill-stone, and are so situated
with regard to the fulcrum of the jaw as to
exercise powerful pressure upon any substan
ces placed between them—the instinctive mo
tion by which, in order to crush a very hard
body, we place it between the molars, is cer
tainly connected with this arrangement.
These teeth are most highly developed in her
bivora—such as the horse. It is thus found
that man is provided w ith a masticulating
apparatus to cut, tear and grind his food, and
is therefore ah omnivorous animal ; and in this
is an argument furnished by the Creator
against the one idea doctrine of the vegetari
ans.
Teeth are composed of three substances—
tooth bone or ivory which constitutes the bulk
of the tooth—enamel which forms a crust over
the crown of the tooth—and a cortual sub
stance which forms a covering for the root.
Hie crown of the tooth is excavated into a
cavity which contains the pulp, which is sup
plied with vessels and nerves through a small
opening in the root. One variety of tooth
ache is produced by the exposure of the sensi
tive pulp in the crown of the tooth from cams
j or decay, 1 bat is when toom~Wos a cav’u’y’
1 iii it. This variety of toothache is liable to
j constant recurrence from the contact of cold
! water, cold air, etc. with the pulp, and tin-only
I effectual remedy is extraction of the tooth—
j “killing” the nerve is a proceeding ofdoubt
j ful propriety. Another kind of toothache is
j caused by inflammation of the membrane lining
j the root of the tooth —this usually terminates
! in a “gum boil” which when op. ned affords
! complete relief.
!
j The enamel which covers the crown of the
I tooth when once destroyed is never reproduced,
and hence the importance of preserving it
from decay. Certain substances act upon this
enamel and destroy it. Os these, the most
important are certain acid medicines, such as
sulphuric, muriatic and nitric acids with tin ir
combinations. To obviate this inconvenience,
all tnat is necessary is to wash the teeth well
after taking any acid medicine, or indeed any
medicine whatever. The teeth should be well
cleansed after eating, for small particles of food
remain deposited in the intervals between
them, undergo decomposition, and thus grad
ually destroy the enamel.
——-<***►► -tm
General Grant’s Tour. —A dispatch to
the New r York Herald says:
General Grant had a protracted interview
with the President this morning, and commu
nicated to him the results of his observations
during his recent trip through Virginia, North
Carol ni, South Carolina, and a portion of
Georgia lie was everywhere received with
tokens of personal respect, and none were
more forward in such manifestations than the
leaders in the late rebellion. The discon
tented, who stayed at home during the war,
and the women, are our bitterest enemies.
Words of Wisdom. —Ague said: “Give
me neither poverty nor riches,” and this will
ever In* the prayer of the w ise. Our incomes
should be like our slmes : it too small, tln * v
gall and pinch ns, but if too large, they w ill
cause us to stumble and trip. But wealth,
alter all, is a relative thing, since he that has
little and wants less is richer than lie that has
much, but wants more. True content ment
depends upon what we have: a tub was large
enough for Diogenes, but a world was too
little for Alexander.
\ Model Woman.—‘■ 3)i< 1 you not say,
| Lllen. tliiit Air. 1} is poor ? ”
“ A cs, ho has only his profession ”
“ Will voiir undo favor his suit ‘?”
“No ! and 1 can ox poet nothing from him.”
‘‘Then, Ellen, you will have to resign fash
ionable society.”
“No matter —I shall see the more of Fred.”
“You must give up expensive dress.”
1 “ dh, Fred admires simplicity.”
“ A on can’t, keep a carriage.”
I>ut wo can have delightful walks.”
“A on must take a small house and furnish
! it plainly.”
“ Yes, for elegant furniture would be out of
place in a cottage.”
“Aon will have to cover your floors with
thin, cheap carpets.”
“ rhen I shall hear his stops the sooner.”
A Religious Phenomenon. —At a recent
quarterly meeting of the Methodist Church
South, held at Mexico, Mo., the services eon
sist< and of pray ng and singing ; no preaching,
though several preachers were present. The
explanation of this singular procedure is, that
j the ministers could not. out of regard for their
! n li.ion, or their consciences, take die new
constitutional oath; aid not wishing to disre
j gard the law, the abstained from {reaching.
