Below is the OCR text representation for this newspapers page.

6 Kalex m& jiaftist j. J. TOON, • - - * Proprietor. Rev. P. SHAVER, D.D., Editor. THURSDAY, JANUARY 9, 1868. Unsound Doctrine and Scepticism. In that charming work, How to Stu*y the New Testament, Dean Alford remind? us that the first three Gospels.furnish no aenror it/ whatever for their appropriation to the writers by whose names they are known; and that, while we may ‘ gather almost with cer tainty from the fourth Gospel who it was that wrote it, his name is nowhere told us.’ “We are to value them for what .they are,” infers the Dean, “ not for what they say they are.” Much less can what others say they are, rightly become the rule of judgment .to us ! And this principle, if not, applies to the whole Scriptuies, which Burke de scribes as “ a most venerable, but most mul tifarious, collection of the records of the di vine economy —a collection of an infinite variety of cosmography, theology, history, prophecy, psalmody, morality, apologue, al legory, legislation, an and ethics, carried through different books, by different authors, in differ ent ages, for different ends and purposes.” These all shine by their own light —a light sufficient to flash convi6*i on OX i every nvind i which does not persist in ‘l&oking at them, as ■rat the sun in an eclipse, through blackened glasses.’ As we have never been a Traditionist with regard to the doctrines of Christianity, just as little have we been one in relation to its evi dences. We hold that, in the last resort, Scripture must not only interpret , but prove itself. The Protestant Church of France put this question substantially on the right foot ing, we conceive, when she professed to accept the Canonical Writings, “as the most certain rule of our faith, not so much because of the common consent of the church, but because of the testimony and persuasion of the Holy Ghost, by which we are taught to distinguish between them and other ecclesiastical books.” This (with the explanation of the next para graph) is the true ground—not rejecting the external evidences, but assigning the first place and the greatest weight to the internal— esteeming the former, indeed, an outpost, which we may not cravenly relinquish, and from which the artillery of truth may “do fatal execution ” upon its assailants, but ac counting the latter only the citadel, which, so long as it is held, holds the cause harmless. We do not disown Paley ; we prefer Paul before him—prefer Paul as an apologist. He who brings his intellectual and spiritual nature into proper comnyinion with the Epis tles of the great Apostle to the Gentiles, will have no need for “A View of the Evidences of Christianity”—none, to dispel lingering clouds of doubt from the horizon o' his own mind—none, in the effort to guide whose starting-point is an honest desire to know and an earnest purpose to obey the truth, to the goal of Assured Belief. We do not understand “ the testimony and persuasion of the Holy Ghost” as excluding what may be styled the rational proofs of their origin which the divine records supply— whether philosophical, historical, or herme neutical.-, It assumes these—breathes through them—builds on them. It passes forward to the moral —the embodiment of truth, and right, and love, in the teaching, and, still more gloriously, in the person of Jesus, the “ De us-Homo ” —and to the spiritual —the personal experience of the power of Christianity, for illumination, renewal, and progress in holi ness. It is but another name for the three modes of proof, in their harmon : ous blending, and a recognition of the supernatural agency, which alone clears the vision to perceive them and stamps their transforming impress on the soul. (This recognition—we remark in passing— breaks up the hollow semblance of agreement between Orthodox and Liberal theologians, which the Christian Register fashions when it represents both as holding that “ the only test and criterion of truth, however revealed, is the spiritual sense of man.” Liberalism exalts reason, dwells on “ the dignity of hu man nature,” finds in the soul a “ living germ” of goodness which only needs com pleteness. With it, therefore, ‘ the spiritual sense of man.’ when sitting in judgment on revelation, acts without aid (because none is held to be requisite,) acts under the (unac knowledged) bias of the fall. So, Scripture stands for trial at the bar of our depravity ! Orthodoxy, on the contrary, teaches that the apostacy of our nature warped as well the faculties of understanding as the faculties of affection, and that the inward process of re covery, while it demands renewal for the lat ter, demands, no less, illumination for the for mer. ‘The spiritual sense of man,’ with it, therefore, becomes competent .to judge of revelation only when, under the power of the Holy Ghost, this mingling obscuration of the tructi carnal enmity toward it is so far ‘realized,’ and so far broken, that “the truth commends itself to the conscience (as it were) in spite/of ourselves.” Here, and here alone, our depravity is arraigned for trial at the bar of Scripture 1 What systems, then, can ;be more diverse and irreconcilable than Ortho doxy and Liberalism at this point ?* But the present paragraph is a digression, and we re turn from it.) If the views which we have been urging are sound—if the Scriptures are their oion demonstration —if their teachings constitute their clearest and most convincing proofs, (when “confirmed, brought home to the whole being of man, head, heart, and spirit” by the Holy Ghost,) —one con clusion follows irresistibly. “The moment the peculiar doctrines of revelation are denied or obscured,” a part, and that “ the best part, of the internal evidences of Christianity, is * Only the former can say with Coleridge, in his ad vocacy of “prevenient aDd auxiliary grace”—“ls not a true efficient conviction of a moral truth, is not the creating of anew heart, which collects the energies of a man’s whole being in the focus of the conscience, the one essential miracle, the same and of the same evi dence to the ignorant and the learned, which no supe rior skill can counterfeit, human or demoniacal? Is it not emphatically that leading of the Father, without which no man can come to Christ? Is it not that im plication of doctrine in the miracle and of miracle in the doctrine, which is the bridge of communication be tween the senses and the soul; —that predisposing warmth which renders the understanding susceptible of the specific impression from the historic, and from all other outward seals of testimony ? Is not this the one infallible criterion of miracles, by which a man can know whether they be of God ? ” THE CHRISTIAN INDEX AND SOUTH-WESTERN BAPTIST: ATLANTA, GA„ TH URSDAY, JANUARY 9, 1868. destroyed;” and, since it is precisely in the department of these evidences that she wears # visible and decisive insignia of her origin, scepticism is especially apt e the sway, in proportion to this ob -3r denying of doctrine. This point is obvious on simple statement ; and We pass on, by way of legitimate deduc tion, to say, with Lorimer, that “ Calvinistic views of theology have a closer connection with the Evidences of the divine truth of the Gospel than many imagine;” for, in these views the peculiar doctrines of Christianity have their most explicit, comprehensive and lOminous unfolding. The Eighteenth, for ex ample, was the least Calvinistic century of English religious life; and who that is famil iar with its literature has not felt how, when the works on the Evidences produced by it leave the external argument and that portion of the internal which is simply rational, they take low ground and wage feeble warfare, notwithstanding the talent and learning of the authors? When, at the opening of that cen tury, the infidel writings of Matthew Tindal were unsettling the faith of many, not a few of the bishops and clergy of the Established church, (Wodrow tells us, on the authority of Stewart,) shewed a disposition to return to the Calvinistic sense of the Thirty-Nine Ar ticles, frankly confessing, in conversation, that, otherwise, “ it would be very hard to defend Christianity feists.” - Not only “ hard,” forth as religious belief is a matter of logic, impossible. The peculiar doctrines of Chris tianity are the keystone to the arch of its de fences; and where that is thrown out —where its true and full proportions are cut away— the inevitable result is, that block after block falls from its place, until the whole structure lies a heap of untenable ruins. As has been said by another: “Consistent Arminianism leads to Pelagianism (though many are hap pily better than their principles, and stop short in the course,) and Pelagianism leads to Arianisin, and Arianism leads to Socinianistn, and Socinianism leads to Infidelity.” Unbe lief enters through the door of a belief false in part. We have a notable confirmation of this truth in history. The marvellous early pro gress of the Protestant Reformation is due to the fact th?it it brought out afresh the full in ternal evidence of Christianity—its peculiar doctrines, as a power over the heart and the life—its Calvinism in creed and in experience. Whence came the no less wonderful arrest that fell on its march? Whence its lapse, in due season, into a cold, irreverent, dreary Rationalism ? That other causes wrought to ward the production of these results, we hatfe no disposition and no need to deny ; but fore most among the agencies for evil, we are sure, was the infection of theological schools, the pulpits, and the churches, with Arminianism. Unsound doctrine . smoothed the way to Scepti cism. We say these things to quicken the walch fulness and confirm the fidelity of the breth ren in “ holding fast the form of sound words, in faith and love which is in Christ Jesus.” While we say them, we are not unmindful that Calvinism in experience may, by happy inconsistency, exist, more or less perfectly, without Calvinism in creed, and, for a season, retard the inroads of grosser doctrinal error. But it is the tendency of creed and experience to seek the same level; and when they settle down together on the plane of Arminianism, it proves a quagmire, and They sink, by sure degrees, into the underlying slough of Infidel ity. How necessary, then, that we should all “ earnestly contend for the faith once de livered to the saints ” —contend for every “jot and tittle ” of it! The Office-Bearers of the Churches. • Does not the blame for the low estate of Zion cleave largely to those who are her ‘office-bearers? So thought the Synod of South Carolina, when, several months since, it asked the Presbyterian General Assembly “to appoint a day of fasting and prayer for ministers and other church officers, in which they should repent of their own coldness, and beseech God for a baptism of the Holy Spirit upon themselves.” So, too, thought the Evangelical Ministerial Association of Cin cinnati, when, quite recently, “ in view of the need of increased spirituality in the churches and the consequent necessity of a revival of religion,” it appointed a committee “ to make arrangements for a prayer meeting of the ministers and official members of the churches ,” which should continue, without intermission, from 9 in the morning to 9 at night. We speak on this subject, as one belonging to the class thus singled out for special self searching and supplication ; and speak, there fore, the more freely because what we say is taken home to ourselves. Is there not cause— we ask our brethren who serve the church, who serve Christ, in the ministry—is there not cause to fear that we have not been duly alive to our official responsibility and duly laborious in performance of our official work ? Have those words, “It is required in otowarde, that a man be lound faithful,” rung in our ears as they should ? Have we suffi ciently ‘watched for souls as those who must give account, that we might do it with joy,’ both on their behalf, and on our own ? Have we lived among men with meet remembrance of our calling, “to open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God?” Have we rightly ‘ stirred up the gift of God that is in us,’ “ for the perfecting of the saints, for the edifying of the body of Christ?” Have we striven to “ be an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity?” And if we have failed in these things, may it not be that the Lord is chas tening us, —is keeping back the fullness of his blessing from our labors, that we may be brought to recognize, bemoan and forsake our short-comings? Oh, in this season of transi tion from the old year to the new, let us ponder the paths of our feet,” and seek sti'ih aii increase of zeal, fidelity and heavenly riindedness, that the words of the poet may fiVd their fulfillment in us: “Th«y in the current of destruction stand, And warn the sinner of his woe; lead on laoa«euers armies in the evil day; And--with the everlasting arms embraced Themselves around—stand in the dreadful front Os battle high, and war victoriously 'Vith death and hell.” ■ May we not venture, too, to enquire of j deacons, whether they have sought with due I diligence, to ‘use their office well,’ that they might thus ‘purchase to themselves a good degree, and great boldness in the faith which is in Christ Jesus?’ Have they, “served tables”—the table of the Lord, the table of the pastor, and the table of the poor,—as those “ not greedy of filthy lucre,” but inci ting others, by their own liberality, to the cultivation of a liberal spirit? Have they given to “the temporalities” of the church, the unceasing watchfulness, and prompt action, and persevering, systematic labor, demanded by the influence which these things exert over its “spiritualities?” We beg brethren to weigh these questions prayerfully, as questions which it becomes them to ask themselves, and as questions which they must answer, by and by, when God asks them. Oh that great grace may rest on them—may live in them, repiaring all negligence of the past, and fill ing the future with all holy activities! May the year on which they now enter prove, through their quickened industry and reviving ardor, a ‘year of the right hand of the Most High,’ in every one of our churches ! Our Southern Zion—in Our Exchanges Georgia. Several have been received by letter and seven by experience, into the Second Baptist church, Augusta; H. A. Williams, pastor—We gather the foregoing information from the Baptist Banner. The publication of that papeftas been resumed at Augusta; Jas. N. Ells, edito™ terms, $3 a year in advance. It launches on a stormy sea, but we hope it may have a prosperous voyage. > Florida. Rev. W. Johnson has become pastor of the Olustee church, near Providence.—A writer in the Religious Herald says: “Elder Todd, who resides in the vicinity of Tampa, is a convert from Pres byterianism. This ecclesiastical change, which occurred after he had entered the ministry, was the result of an attempt to collect from the Scriptures and from standard Pedobaptist works material for a discourse to be delivered in vindication of infant baptism. Having reluctantly undertaken the task at the earnest solicitation of many of his brethren, he addressed himself to his preparatory studies with a sincere desire to reach, in his investigation, the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. Before the time arrived for the delivery of his anxiously expected sermon, he had become a confirmed Baptist. The exercises were of course postponed sine die." Maryland. Rev. 0. F. Flippo, editor of the Baptist Visitor, has resigned, after a connection of seven years, the pastoral care of the Newtown, Rehoboth, Pitts Creek and Chincoteague churches.—The Execu tive Board of the Maryland Baptist Union Associ ation has adopted a resolution “ earnestly request ing all Mission churches to take, as soon as possi ble, the necessary steps to procure a parsonage for each church, and, when in the country, to provide a few acres of land adjoining.”—Forty persons, within a few months, have been added to Franklin Square church, Baltimore; Rev. W. E. Hatcher pastor —A correspondent of the Lousiana Baptist says: “ Dr. Fuller’s church has grown plethoric, and meditates a division into two bands, one to remain in possession of the old “seventh,” and the other under the leadership of their pastor, to remove out on Madison Avenue and build a new church. Dr. Williams’ church is also large enough for division, and with a few more years of prosperity will probably colonize.”-Since the close of the war, Dr. Fuller’s cfiUr.’h, apart from numer ous donatins by individuals, has contributed $24,- 000 to benevolent purposes. Louisiana. John Barron was ordained to the ministry, Dec. Ist., atßamah church, hitoohoe Parish. Ser mon by Rev. G. W. Hartsfield. South Carolina. Rev. W. D. Thomas has forwarded to the Green ville church, his resignation of the office of pastor, “from the conviction that, in ‘the present dis tress,’ the church may be usefully served by some contiguous preacher, and the gifts of their late pastor be employed in some other field.” Texas. Mrs. Margaret Houston, relict of Gen. Sam. Houston, died at Independence, Dec. 3rd., of yel low fever.—Benj. Phipps has been ordained to the ministry, at Mt. Olive church, Kaufman county. Rev. F. M. Law changes his field of labor, owing to the expense of living at Houston, and the ina bility of the Marion Board to aid him. —The Board of the Texas Baptist Convention ‘ requests the Boards at Marion and Richmond, or the President of the Southern Baptist Convention, to take meas ures to have the next meeting of the Convention postponed until May, 1869.’ It asks also an ex pression of opinion on this point, from the Boards of State Conventions and General Associations South.—Farmington church, Grayson county, has had 23 accessions recently. Tennessee. A meeting of nine days at Dixon Creek church, Smith county, resulted in twenty-five accessions —The Baptist, Memphis, resumes publication with the new year. The number for January 4th, has reached us. Virginia. Rev. A. Routh reports twenty-four baptisms at Castle’s Woods,Russell county. The church was constituted in July with twenty-four members . Rev. E. Kiser pastor. —Rev. J. R. Bagby resigns charge of Mt. Tabor church, Amelia, and excepts charge of Muddy Creek. West Virginia. A writer in the Religous Herald says, “ that during twenty-five years’ residence in Taylor County, West Virginia, he has never known a Baptist church closed in consequence of the in clemency of the weather.” (Stimpea of the <®iim BAPTIST. Denominationalism. —The Examiner <& Chronicle says: “There are at the present time many signs of a re awakened denomina tional life in our churches, signs of a higher regard among us for those views of church order which make us a distinct and peculiar people. There is occasion for congratulation in this.” Ministerial Education. —A church is mentioned in one of our exchanges as acting on the rule “ that each church, able to do so, should educate its future pastor .” The con ception is an admirable one. Union. —The zeal for union seems to have reached even open communion Baptists. The Morning Star, the Free Will organ, says: “ There are various bodies of Baptists, larger or smaller, scattered throughout the Southern States, or over the British Provinces, whose general views of Christian doctrine and prac tice are so nearly alike, and have at the same time so much in common with our own, that measures shoul I at once be taken to bring about a mutual acquaintance, and so promote a closer and more intelligent mutual sympa thy.” The only “ body” of the kind in the Southern States that we recall just now, is the “ Union Baptist Church,” as it styles it self: a small sect in Virginia, of but two or three churches, the founder of which, “ Rev.” Janies W. Hunnicutt, isLfcetter known in the political world as of the New Na tion, the ultra-RadieaiQfcran at Richmond. German German Baptists in America number 4^175; added last year by baptism 354, by lAfer 257. In Germa ny, Denmark, Switzerland, they number 15,299; additions since 1864 amounting to 6,956. J American Preachis(j. —A minister, one of Spurgeon’s students |prmerly, now preach ing in New York, wrifjps to the Sword and Trowel: “In thq pulpier of all denominations the mass of the are on geology, bot any, or some other branch of learning, and Jesus is given a lower place.” Novels. —ln a notice of the gradual devel opment of Dr. Wayland’s mind, when young, the American Baptist says : “ He now became a thinking instead of a reading being. Nov els became particularly offensive to him, as they do to every true ffinker. The present generation of Americans are becoming a race of novel-readers instead of scholars, and we fear that very few of tiiem will ever awake, as Dr. Way land did, to the consciousness that man was designed to bt» 4 a thinking being.’ ” PEE SB Y * BRIAN. Church Music. —A‘ correspondent of the Presbyterian Banner jVrites : “ I was in a church a Sabbath or tma ago, where about six persons did the prai*t>r&of Cod for some two hundred. Can o*e psiSse God for another ?” Giving.— ln referfsSfe to “ sustentation ” funds, the Cental Pwm&rian says : “ How much did our to this great in terest last' year? over $18,000! That is onlym&al one half cent a week for each This is a resulwhat should fill us all and humiliation before God, the churc!| and Ehe world. Is it to be repeated? If sy| is not TEKEL writ ten upon us?” LUTHERAN. Lecture Delivery! —The correspondent of the Methodist thus describes the manner of Hengstenberg, from whom he heard recently a lecture in the Berlin 'University : “ Though he would call his posture sitting, he yet turns in his chair; stands up; sits down again; wheels around on one side ; rests his elbow on the back of his chair; looks out of the window at the falling leaves ; then springs up again; pulls his chair into position, or out of position, as the case may be; drops down in to it again ; wheels around; tugs at his coat; buttons and unbuttons it repeatedly ; and all the while reads a manuscript which it is a wonder, amid all his odd twitchings, is not torn into fragments and scattered all around him. Thus his lecture goes on until the clock-stroke stops his gyrations, and sends the galvanic man out of* the room. His voice is as convulsive as his bddy. He may say one-half of a word in a whisper inaudi ble to many of his students, while the other is roared out with a lion-like violence.” CON GREGATION ALIST. “ Exclusive.” —ln an article on the wants of the American and Foreign Bible Society, the Independent says : “It is a great pity that the body of Baptists are driven from coope ration with the general Bible Society by the exclusive resolutions of 1836 denying aid for the Burman Bible.” * Slander. — The Congregationalist dc Re corder quotes from the private letter of a fe male friend, “a teacher to the freedmen in the far South,” the following monstrous tradud tion of our people: “jkyvould like to convey to you a true picture of the character of the Whites here. 1 had no conception of such abandoned, God forsaken people. They hate us, theyijAfcthe freedmen, they hate the hate knowledge, and they hate God—and* He seems to have de serted them. In almost every other man, upon a knowledge of their character, we learn there lives the spirit of Mrs. Stowe’s ‘ Le gree.’ And horrors so dreadful have been perpetrated in nearly every home here that we shrink and quiver at their recital.” The Doctorate. —The English Independ ent says : “ The truth is, that Yankee degrees are a pest, and we devoutly wish the Ameri cans would keep them at home, and not let them loose upon us. They make the wear ers ridiculous, destroy the value of distinc tions fairly won, and bring learning itself in to contempt.” EPISCOPAL. Romanizing. —Rev. Drs. Newton, Smith, Stone,Tyng, Butler, and others, have published a declaration with regard to the open and secret tendencies in the Protestant Episcopal Church to conformity with the Church of Rome, in which they say : “The essential principle of these tendencies is an.entire subversion of the Protestant and Evangelical character of our Reformed Church. It transforms the minis try of the Gospel into a Priesthood ; Baptism into a magical rite; the Lord’s Supper into the Sacrifice of the Mass; evangelical reli gion into bondage to manifold observances and ceremonies ; and the One Church of Christ, ‘the blessed company of faithful people,’ into the body of those who recognize and conform to a mere sacerdotal system. These tenden cies, already far advanced in England and this country, are materially aided by a sub tler and less clearly pronounced sacerdotal ism, which finds expression among us in an exclusive view of the Episcopal Church ; in unscriptural conceptions of the sacraments; in superstitious ideas of the power of the ministry; and in a legal rather than evangel ical view of the Christian life. The influence of these tendencies we believe to be eminent ly injurious to our Church, by the reasonable prejudice which they excite; fatal to the per formance of the great mission of our Church in this land, by their contrariety to true lib erty and the true progress of the age; dan gerous to souls by their hiding of the free grace of the Gospel; and dishonorable to Christ by their substitution of human media torship, in the place of the ‘One Mediator, Christ Jesus.’ ” Discipline. —To illustrate the want of dis cipline in the English Established Church, one of the most influential papers in that country states that a bishop spent £B,OOO in attempting to displace an immoral incumbent, and failed. Alas ! Alas !—The London Record quotes a late Ritualistic sermon which said that “Protestantism has inquiries as to Jehoia kim’s great grandfather and the number of knives brought back from Babylon,” but has “no mass,” “ no bottle for eucharistic wine for future use.” METHODIST. Contributions. —Eighty-one “charges” re ported to the South Georgia Conference, the collection of $79,057.02 —an average for each charge, of $976.01, and for each member, of $2,95. Wesleyan Thanksgiving. — The South Carolina Methodist Conference adopted a re solution, “in order to keep the membership of the church properly informed and interest ed in the origin, history, progress, peculiari ties and success of Methodism, that the 24th day of May—the date of the conversion of John Wesley—be set apart by this Confer ence for Annual Public Services, to be cele brated by sermons, addresses, Sunday school festivals, or otherwise, in all our charges, to this end.” Pulpit Reading. —The Western Christian Advocate says : “We have observed with in terest the strong movement by other denomi nations in the direction of extemporizing, and not without concern have we seen a tendency among ourselves toward reading. The first is an unquestionable advance, and the second as undoubtedly a decline. Once we were a race of extemporizers, with scarcely an ex ception, mighty in logic and appeal. To-day we hear from our pulpits too many essays, smooth but powerless. We hope the day is distant when the Methodist ministry, will bind itself with paper withs, and sacrifice its pulpit power and prestige to frigid accuracy.” Tobacco. —A Lay Delegate to the Arkansas Methodist Conference gives his experience in that body, from whieh we clip this passage : “ He proposes that if the preachers will stop the use of tobacco, and estimate what the en tire amount of tobacco consumed by them costs, he will pay ten per cent, annually on that amount to the Home Missionary cause. But ‘Layman’ felt small enough be fore thepreachersturned him(oose. Sornesmil ed, some looked indignant, and some defiant. One Presiding Elder jumped up, and looking fiercely at ‘ Layman,’ demanded the proof that Jesus Christ did not smoke tobacco. Some objected to the nauseous subject being intro duced upon the Conference floor. Some want ed 4 Layman’ to extend his proposition to the ladies, and pay ten per cent, on all the snuff consumed. Some had been recommended to use the poisonous weed by eminent physicians. Some wanted to put a ‘big price’ on tobacco so as to scare off ‘Layman.’ Some excused themselves upon the ground that their tobacco was given to them. No one accepted the proposition, and no one came to the relief of Layman,’ while he silently faded away into insignificance. This was his last effort to be conspicuous, or to do good among the preach ers.” REFORMED. Gibraltar. —The Christian Intelligencer styles the (Dutch)Reformed church “the Gi braltar of Protestantism.” Preaching (?) — A letter from Boston, in the Christian Intelligencer , says : “ A friend recently heard a young man preach from ‘Be hold the Lamb of God,’ and instead of giving it a reasonable treatment, he stated his subject to be : ‘The Mental and Moral States recept ive of reflex influences, as most perfectly illus trated in the soul’s looking upon Christ as a model of all that is good, self-denying,’ etc. “ One Church in a City.” —The (Dutch) Reformed churches in New York, “are not in dependent of each other, but are all under the control of one corporation, and the pastors, five in all, have no eclusive relationship to any one of the five churches, but each pastor is a sort of circuit minister, in turn, to each one of the churches.” ROMANIST. Protestant Schools. —The Universe, the Romish Philadelphia organ says : “ The Cath olic father who sends his children to a Pro testant school, is far, far worse in unnatural crime than the mother who exposes her in fants on the path of the wolf. Children are given as blessings. To send them where their faith is certain to be poisoned, is ingratitude to our Saviour, of parallel heinousness to the, pride of the fallen angels against the Almighty. Those angels are now devils in heli for their sin; the Catholics who send their children to Protestant schools -have, inevitably before them, eternal companionship with those fiends. And what of the children themselves? As sure as their grace of faith perishes, and in almost all eases it perishes, their souls are lost.” * UNITARIAN. “Liberal” Estimate of Greatness. —Says the Watchman and Reflector: “ Some little time ago we stepped into a shop where ‘liber al publications’ were sold, and there listened to an earnest conversation between a young man and an old New Englander, called forth by ‘Ecce Homo,’ and recent issues of ‘ The Life of Jesus.’ The youthful inquirer was somewhat astonished to learn that the old gentleman could see nothing especially Divine in the character of the Founder of, Christian ity, and exclaimed, ‘Pray, sir, tell me what you think of Him 1 ? ‘I think,’ replied the liberal progessive, ‘ that Jesus of Nazareth was a very good man, but not, by any means, a great man !’ ” UNIVERSALIST. Hatred of Orthodoxy. —A writer in the New Covenant , expresses the opinion that if children can’t attend Universalist Sabbath schools they had better go nowhere; that they had better be taught nothing than taught orthodoxy. DISCIPLE (“CAMPBELLITE.”) Baptismal Remission. —Rev. B. F. Ma nire in the American Christian Review, clear ly sets forth the doctrine of justification in immersion, as held among adherents of the (Bethany) Reformation : “The death of Christ is the only meritorious, the sole procuring cause of salvation. Baptism is only and sim ply one of the conditions of the enjoyment of pardon in this life. It is connected not with a change of heart, or of life, for it pro ceeds from these, but with a change of state or relation. It is the act by which the truly penitent believer passes out of a state of con demnation into a state of justification—the act by which he is ‘ translated out of the kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of God’s Son.’ Unless preceded by sincere faith and genuine repentance r .it is a vain and use less ceremony. And even in the case of the penitent believer, it has no power, efficacy, or virtue, in and of itself. Asa condition of the enjoyment of pardon, it derives all its impor tance, all its significancy, all its power, from its divine appointment. It is God who be stows the blessing, and this He does of His own favor in and not for the deed. Baptism, then, is not the only thing to be done in be coming a Christian ; it is not the first , nor is it the most important; but it is the last, the consummating act.” SPIRITUALIST. “The Reason Why.” —“An Important Dis covery,” a tract addressed to the editors of America, professes to give an explanation, from the spiritualistic stand-point, “of the fact that such an immense proportion of the so called ‘communications’ from the‘spirits’ are full of blunders, made up of sonorous nonsense, lend their sanction to such infidel sentiments, and induce ‘so mu< h loose, im moral, and licentious conduct among the de votees of this system.’” The explanation is, that “ no spirit can directly control a spirit or a mortal belonging to a sphere more than one discreet degree below himself;” that “not one per cent, of the communications to mor tals have come from spirits above the second sphere;” and that “all spirits of the second sphere are low, gross, undeveloped, many of them being extremely selfish, dishonest, licen tious, tricky,” etc., etc. MISCELLANEOUS. Our Women. —In the Herald of Health, Eliza Archard (we do not know whether she is maid or matron) says: “ The women of America are physically the weakest women in the world, and seem pleased to be told of it.” Hollow Profession. —A writer in the Church Union says, in reference to many cur rent professions of liberality : “Christians are impatient with their Baptist brethren for stick ing so pertinaciously to close communion ; but the Pedobaptist father, who has a decided ob jection to his children being immersed, is no less illiberal. And the Pedobaptist minister who preaches diversity of form in the pulpit, but shows a decided preference (or unity of form when called on to immerse a believer, is not only illiberal, but open to the stric tures in Matt. 7: 3. It is hard, I know, to walk ourselves in the same straight path which we mark out for others: but we have no more right to shrink from it than we have to profess what we dare not practice. Sprink ling or pouring, we have a right to imagine, is proper baptism, and that immersion is un necessary trouble; but if we really believe this, Christian priticip'e teaches us to openly profess it, and be as close as our neighbors.” Ultra Reform. —The Plymouth Brethren in Italy, in their revulsion against the hier archy, will not use the title “Pastor,” but substitute for it “Conductor.” The Negro. — The New York Observer recalls the fact, that when “one of our most eminent, accomplished and gentlemanly cler. gymen, entered the house of Rev. John An gel James, his wife said: ‘We should have been happier to see you if you were a ne gro.’” (fyorresjondenq. Miscellaneous Matters. It may be that some of your readers, for old acquaintance sake, if for nothing else, might be interested in a short communication from the undersigned. A few of them have a right to know what I am doing as State Evangelist. My health has been much better this year than it was last; and I have preached almost every Sabbath, and frequently on week days, to churches and congregations which would otherwise have been destitute. Our people seem literally to hunger and thirst for the Word of life, and the gratitude and joy with Which they receive it is deeply affect ing. Protracted meetings (of which I highly approve,) might have been conducted at some points, with every prospect of accomplishing good. But the business engagements of the people and the want of ministerial aid, ren dered such efforts inexpedient. I preached a few times in the coast counties, and deeply regret my inability to have done so more fre quently. In a recent communication to the Missouri Baptist Journal , brother Landrum, says, “As to the religious aspect of this part of the country, it is sufficiently gloomy. There is not a pastor wholly em ployed in the ministry, except myself, for hundreds of miles—from Brunswick, Ga., to Charleston, S. C.” A Presbyterian gentle man, residing near Brunswick, in a letter re ceived this day, says, “We will be very glad to have you to come and see us when you can. We often talk about you, and wonder when you will come to see us. We don’t hear preaching very often. No Baptist nor Pres byterian minister this year, and I am afraid we never shall have them again.” He adds, that the only religious service enjoyed by the Waynesville people, is the reading of a ser mon once a month by one of their Elders, with prayers, etc. I preached to the poor saints in that region last year, (the first Baptist preaching they had had in two years,) and baptized a few of the elect. Lack of means bas prevented my doing so again this year, though my heart still yearns after them in the gospel. Not only are the whites suffering for want of the means of grace ; the blacks are rapidly relaps ing into barbarism from the same cause. It was my privilege to attend several Asso ciations in the interior of the State during the past fall, all of which gave unmistakable signs of growth in divine knowledge and grace, and increased zeal in the Master’s cause. The churches, in their “ deep poverty,” are making great sacrifices to sustain the various causes of benevolence, especially Domestic Missions and Sabbath schools. For my services as an Evangelist this year I have received up to this time $279,50. I have been deeply interested in Dr. Manly’s reminiscences of “ Forty-five years ago.” It was in the fall of that same year, 1822, in which my venerable brother was engaged in that wonderful revival in South Carolina, that 1 obtained hope in Christ, and was baptized by Rev. C. O. Scriven, into the church in Sunbury, then in my sixteenth year. In a few months thereafter, I commenced exhort ing publicly and preaching in a small way ; and, having put my hand to the plough, I have not looked back, nor have I “ come down” from the “ Great Work” to engage in secular employment. In my experience, the ques tion has been fairly tested, whether they that preach the gospel in Georgia, can “live of the gospel.” True, my living has been, and is still, scanty enough. But I rejoice in God, that He has given me grace to hold on my course, through poverty and many privations, to this present time. “ Forty-five years ago!” It seems but as yesterday. Well hath it been said, “For what is your life 1 It is even a va por, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away.” Os those, with whom I was first associated in the ministry, all have passed away, and “I, even I only am left.” I have more friends in Heaven than on earth, and I trust more treasure also. Much of my pub lic life has been spent in revivals of religion. God has added many seals to my poor minis try, (among whom are several ministers of the gospel,) and it has been my happiness to baptize thousands into His church. These things are recorded, not in a spirit of boast ing, but to the glory of His distinguishing grace As some of our prominent brethren have seen proper to invite correspondence from our Northern brethren, with the Southern Baptist Convention, and as one or more of your cor respondents have declared themselves favor able to reunion, it may not be amiss to ex press my views on the subject. Soon after the elbse of the war, I sent for the New York Examiner and Chronicle, and read it carefully for twelve months. Its tone was bitter to wards the people of the South, and if it con tained one expression of kindness towards Southern Baptists, it escaped my notice. In the last number of the Index and Baptist, brother Editor, you have an article of the South,” in which the American Bap tist takes the ground, that it never can recogn ize us as true members of the Christian church and worthy partakers of her commun ion, until a change of feeling and conduct shows our hostility to the principles of freedom and justice is heartily renounced. There is every reason to believe, that this is the real attitude of the masses of Northern Baptists towards us. Assuming this to be true, it is beyond my comprehension how the Bap tists of the South can maintain their self-re spect, not to say their fidelity to Christ, and enter into pretended fraternal correspondence with them. The effect of such correspondence woul be to give currency to their hiinister 8 among us, and to expose our churches to the heresies which prevail among them, while no good, that I can think of, would likeiy come of it. Ido not speak “as one having author ity but, as one who must soon “ give an ac count,” I desire to warn my brethren of im pending evil. The new edition my History of Georgia Baptists, is about completed. But not having obtained a sufficient number of subscribers, its publication must be deferred until times improve. I trust it will see the light some day, even though it may not be till the author shall have “ceased from his labors.” J. H. Campbell. ThomatviUe, Dec. 30th, 1867. News from Kentucky. I have glorious news to give you from Ken tucky. There is the greatest revival influence manifest in this State, that I ever witnessed in my life anywhere. It is computed by one of our missionary brethren, that there is an average accession to the churches throughout the State, of 400 per week. But his only data are the newspaper reports, which perhaps do not edver half the real average. I doubt not that it reaches at least 1,000 per week. Within a small compass around where I now am, I have the following report to make from churches: Hopewell church has received 25 members—Elder Goodman and brother Jew ell doing the preaching and exnortation; Hanging Fork church, 91 accessions—Elder W. W. Durham in attendance; Peter’s Creek church, Elders Durham and Gillock in attend ance; Salem church, 25 accessions, Elders N. G. Terry and John Jones in attendance; New Salem, about 40 accessions, Elder Wm. Semonds present; Antioch, 50 accessions; Cave City, 19 accessions, Elders Robt. Gil lock, Bibb, and Terry present; Trammel’s Fork, 20 accessions, Elder Ham in attend ance; Middle Fork, about 10 accessions, El ders M. F. Ham and G. Witherspoon, attendance; Dripping Springs, 18 accessions, Elders Terry and Brown present; Gilead church —number of accessions not known, but it was very large—Elder W. Semands pres ent; Bethlehem —the meeting is now pro gressing. stany have already united with the church, and a great interest is still exhib ited. These churches are all near together. The interest in other parts of the State, is equally as encouraging as in this region, if all the reports I hear are correct. Truly God is doing great things for us, whereof we are glad. The work still goes on. To the great God be everlastingly all the praise. Our colleges and schools are doing well in Kentucky. Georgetown College, you know, is presided over by Elder N. M. Crawford, D.D., formerly of Georgia. He is one of the ablest men in America. His learning is extensive, his eloquence sublime; his abi'ity as a college President, unexcelled. George town College is doing nobly indeed, under his control. I would heartily recommend this institution to any and all parties everywhere. May Dr. Crawford be long spared to preside over it. I will return to Gallatin, Tenn., in a few days. T. E. Richey. Scottsville, Ky., Dec. 29 th, ’6B. Grafefiil Recognition of Kindness. Lumpkin, Ga., Dec. 26, 1867. Index & Baptist: Please allow me to ac knowledge the reception of sweet contribu tions (sweet, because including sweet literal and spiritual food,) made by kind hands on one of the fortunate days of this year, now almost at its close. One of these contributions was a nice quantity of clear honey, just such as a family needs in any climate. This, to gether with other things, was from sister John Dowd. Thanks to her, for her remembrance of the preacher’s family. The other sweet contribution consisted in—Ist, Bickersteth s Works, containing more than six hundred pages of just such reading as I needed; 2nd, Jones’ Church History, in two volumes, a work that I had desired, but did not possess; 3d, Three volumes of Samuel Davies’ Ser mons, with which I am well pleased in many respects; 4th, Dwight’s Theology, in four volumes; sth, Shuckford’s Connections, in four volumes—fourteen volumes in all. These books were accompanied with the fol lowing note: “ Dear Bro. Goss : I send you some books, thinking they may be useful to you. Please accept them. Respectfully, M. A. Holliman.” Thanks to this sister, also. She could not have shown her liberal ity in a more acceptable manner to me. I desired more books added to my library, but was feeling too much straitened since the rav ages of the late war to spend money for that purpose. Thanks, then, to these female con tributors to the cause of God in this once hap py and prosperous land, but now anything else but that. The first-mentioned sister has been a long-standing member of Richland church, in this county of Stewart. May God bless her and her husband, and ail her family. Sis ter Holliman has long been a very pious member of the Lumpkin Baptist Church. May God answer her many prayers offered on the part of His cause here, as well as sanctify this late contribution to the advance ment om s cause generally. May He full fil his promises to this widow and her chil dren. Execuse me for mentioning these evidences of the fact that, amid all the lack religiously which abounds in our land, there are some female hearts still concerned for the cause of our Divine Redeemer. For, if Jefferson Davis honors Southern ladies for patriotism, because they so readily sent their sons to de fend the South, and so readily sent their car pets to the soldiers for blankets, and denied themselves of so many former comforts with out complaining, and labored in the house and every way for the promotion of the com mon cause, why may not the man of God re cognize even publicly suoh female works as