Below is the OCR text representation for this newspapers page.

CHRISTIAN INDEX AND SOUTH-WESTERN BAPTIST. VOL. 47-NO. 49. A RELIGIOUS AND FAMILY PAPER, PUBLISHED WEEKLY IN ATLANTA. GA. J. J. TOON", Proprietor. FOB TERMS SEE FOURTH PAGE. Sliall the Work Cease? T take up my pen in anguish of spirit. Re cent events, and the facts which surround our denominational enterprises and the cause at large, have stirred my feelings, and 1 hope to be pardoned for pouring out my grief on pa per. First of all, it is an abiding cause of la mentation with us in Alabama, that we are losing by removal, or secularization, many of our verv best and ablest men. I have before alluded to this subject, in terms that in a case or two appear to have been regarded shin gent. I have something to say on the other side ; for not without reason, one of these dear brethren to whom l expressed my re grets, replied with a manner peculiarly digni fied and solemn, “ Necessity knows no law.” And while Udo so, brethren* at least, who have sometimes said to me, “ft the fault of the pastors themseives, that they are not sus tained—they don’t speak out plainly enough,” will hear me patiently. Any of these pastors would content themselves w r ith living like their brethren, however poorly that might be. A good pastor is always woith more pecuni arily, by the harmony, order, and industry he promotes, than the cost of his living; to say nothing of his use in spiritual things, the spe eial province in wh’ch he is called to labor. Let a community be without the preached word for a single year, and you will see a fearful deterioration of morals, and correct habits in the community. The dullest must have observed this. But that community im perils the souls of its people; it has r.o one with special adaptation to console in the hour of bereavement; no one to befriend in eases where all other friends fail ; no “ son ot con solution,” fraught with the Spirit’s commis sion to “ comfort them that are cast down ” with sorrows earth cannot heal. It a single church cannot care for him as its own peon liar pastor, certainly two or three are never too poor to doit, in the degree and way I have indicated. What, at present rates, is to become of our Institutions of learning, literary and theologi cal ? Are we going to sustain them or not? Shall religious education pass out of our hands or not? Shall we turn over our rising fami lies and our rising ministry to other denomi nations? Or, what is far more to be depre" cated, shall we turn them over to the State, soon, perhaps, to ignore the B.ble, and train men for the pulpit in the errors of a re-hashed German rationalism. These are serious ques tions that must be practically answered right now, in the affirmative or negative. Our col leges,are on, the Vecge. some of them, of sus pension, or discontinuance. Our only fully equipped theological institution, (tiling up rapidly to an unprecedented point with young men, licensed by the churches, and eager to fit themselves for the great work, is ill iimni r.ent danger. Its Faculty, consisting of Drs. B >yce, Broadus, Manly, and Williams, un surpassed in qualifications, are, if possib’e, more emphatically the choice of the whole denomination that when at first appointed. Their proved adaptation, devotion, and self denial, have constantly won upon the affec tions of all good men. TWy are men who, the moment they should indicate any disposi tion to give up their places, would eagerly be sought in far more lucrative and less respon sible positions. Shall we deseit these noble men in their noble work ? No !no !! do you say ? Then say so tangibly. “ Love not in word nor in tongue, but in deed and in truth." Does any one say, well the limes are too hard ; sad as is the thought, we shall have to let the Furman University, ar.d the Howard College, and the Southern Theological Semi nary go? Stop a moment, if you please. Had not those who have given notes or bonds to those institutions better pay the interest., a part of the principal, or even the whole? Have your other ertditors wholly excused you? Is it right that they should do SO? Are you prepared to give up all ante war claims yourself? Has the Lord prospered nobody enough to give something outright? But if all this will not do, how are we to obtain preachers and pastors for our chut ches? Take the illiterate men who have done, such “yeo man’s service ” in days gone by ? Very well; I wish there were much more of this spirit than I find. I doubt if God ever raises up a church w hich has not in its own membership the means of perpetuating itself, of edifica tion, of growth and usefulness. But 1 find that the churches themselves rarely think so. I have rarely known a church and congrega tion of any size, these last twenty y'ears, who were fully satisfied w ith any man not deemed the very best in all their knowledge; and this is grow ing more so. The truth is, we have but a few men, who, particularly in the towns and villages, are thoroughly accepta ble. Learning, ability, eloquence, were never more sought after. These cannot be had without training—not always, even then. And there is danger of our losing our hold on the “ centres of influence,” as they have been called, as in former years, and retiring entirely to the country. 1 am far from disparaging the country. 1 have labored much in it. I know its people and love them. Nay, I be lieve that the conservative power of Christi anity always has been, and will be, mainly in the country —among the “common peo ple.” at least, whether in city or country. But a good city church, kept pure from the great temptations of such a locality, is a vast engine for good, and, if it were not, it is not to be neglected, and the teeming population left to the tender mercies of error, vice, and sin. What shall I say of our papers? Brother Shaver, or Jeter, or Graves, occupies a place of far greater responsibility than most preach ers. The publishers of the |>apers these brethren edit, are rendering untold service to the denomination and the cause of saving truth. No man can make any pretensions to being an enlightened Christian, who does FRANKLIN PRINTING HOUSE, ATLANTA, GA., THURSDAY, DECEMBER 17, 1868. not read religious newspapers, and keep up with the efforts of Christians to carry out the great commission; and yet we sometimes find deacons and leading members without any means whatever of obtaining such infor mation. Shall we sustain these weekly mes sengers, and reap the personal profit to our selves and families, or choose “ darkness rather than light?” We can not keep alongside of our enterprising brethren (if other denomina tions, without colleges, schools, theological institutions and religious newspapers. Shall we decline such holy emulation, and retire from the work. Are we too poor? Then so are others. Are we in danger of want? So says not the “ goodly apparel ” so generally* worn ; so say not the costly ornaments many of our daugh ters wear. Even at this time, the annual ex ports of the Southern Stages are greater, per capita, than those of aay other people on earth. There is yet another topic I wish to touch, of more magnitude than any that has gone before. What shall be done with our Do mieATle and Foreign Missions ? "'Shall 'our Boards, whose judicious management has al ways met our approbation, be deserted, be cause one of them has, for once, miscalculated the resources of this long-distracted country, and assumed obligations difficult to be dis charged ? What individual or business firm has not done the same thing these last years? Shall we ever be brought to think of merging them into Northern Boards? We can not yet, with becoming Christian sinceiity and heartiness, so closely identify ourselves with our Northern brethren. It would be unna tural : all know this. The country is to<. large for such union at any future time. It poverty again be made an excuse, we know that the churches of tlie first century were poor as ours, and that they did wonders in the diffusion of the gospel. r l he problem to be solved in this connection is indeed a seri ous one ; but so is the problem <>f provision for our loved ones at home. We do not, how ever, expect to abandon them in despair. A duty once clearly before us, despair is the worst possible policy. A little courage —a brief, though it may be a desperate, struggle —and we may hope to be on firm ground again. The country will be recuperated un der almost any auspices. The sun never shone upon another country of such resources as ours. A superior population never inhab ited any country. But enough for once. I have perhaps al ready said far more than will be excused. I am fully awnire that among the most unpar donable things a man ever docs, is to present truth unanswerably; that, no suavity of man ner or spirit can always atone for such an of fence ; and I have presumed to do this very thing. It is no boast. The truth lies on th e Very surface, level to the capacity of the sim plest. But lam grfjwlng any in the ministry —have “seen service,” and am not very easily alarmed. Besides, if mature age has any pe culiar claims, 1 may begin to plead them. It all this will not do, “ Strike, but hear me.” No, brethren ! We lack the love o.' souls. “The love of Christ” does not sufficiently “constrain us.” But, after all, it strikes me that I ought to beg the reader’s pardon. lain reminded of prayer meeting lectures and admonitory ser mons. When you wish to say something to delinquents, they are not there. You prepare your lecture, and it falls on the ears of those who are prayerfully striving to do well, w hom you desire, on all decisions, to cheer and con sole. So the Subscribers and readers of your paper, I persuade myself, little need to be ex hot-fed to duty. No. It’s those who do not takeand road a good paper,of whom we stand in doubt. But how shall they be reached ? Perhaps as church-going people sometimes report what they hear to non-church goers, jour readers may tell their brethren the things they read. E. B. Teague. More about Preachers, their Wives ami Children. When I read tha piece in the last Index, written by “ One of Them,” about preachers, their wives, and children, l thanked her kind ly for defending our cause. 1 say our cause, for I, like the writer, am a preacher’s daughter and a preacher’s wife, and all true preachers’ wives know and sympathize with each other. Our troubles are about the same. I, like her, do not believe that preachers select worse women for wives than other men, or have worse children than other people. It is true that they sometimes make a bad choice, but not because they are preachers. It is only because preachers’ wives are not much better than other wives, that they are said to be worse wives; and it is the same with the children. People think because they are preachers’ children, they ought to be belter than other children, and if they are not really better than other children, it is said, “they are the worst children in the world.” Preach ers, their wives and children, are poor, frail, erring creatures like other folks, have the same trials and vexations, that other people have, and many more. We poor preachers’ wives have to bear the burden of bringing up the children, almost alone, for pur husbands are frequently from home, and w hen at home, much of their time is spent, in their study, and we try to keep the children, with of their little troubles and noise, to ourselves, so as not to interrupt them; consequently they knew but little about the many trials that often cause a mother’s heart to ache. Ah! how- much good the sisters of the pastor’s flock might do, by frequently visiting their pastor’s wife, in her loneliness. If they only knew how much we appreciated these visits of love, and their words of comfort and cheer ! Yes, when I have, kept a lonely watch by the bedside of a darling little one, my husband far away, engaged in the great work of win ning souls to Christ, not knowing but his dear ones at home were all well; I say, then I have so earnestly wished that some friend would eonre. It would have been like an an gel’s visit, and appreciated as such. The pastor’s fl*»ck may all be good friends of his, yet these little tokens of love mani fest their appreciation of his servioes, and their special regard for his welfare. And there is no telling how much good this does him. It binds him by tender ties to lus peo ple, he feels that, they love and care fur him, and their spiritual interest lies near to his heart, and he feels encouraged to devote his time, his talents, his all, to his blessed Mas ter, and he goes forth strengthened and com forted. Ah! if the churches would only think of these things, and oftener manifest their love and interest for their pastor, how many times they would lighten his heart, and cause him to tread the rugged path of life more cheerfulty. Ruth. “Tempting G»<l versus Trusting God.” In the Religious Herald of November 19:h, there is a j >int article, with the above head ing, from a “valued friend,” and S. G. Iliil yer. By one before them, Muller’s book is declared to be “founded on, and to foster delusion,” and here we have in the heading, and the phase, “he is not chargeable with tempting God, unless it may be when be re fused to answer inquiries into of his wants,” a modest intimation -that he did tempt God. It is quite clear “trust in God is one thing, and to rely pn that trust for the accomplishment of what ought to be accomplished by the use of means which Gu.l has appointed and placed within our reach, is a very different thin:;” and that “the latter is tempting God,” is also clear; but to say that “ the man neglect in gpfujgbing and sowing,” when God bus decreed that in the s a cat of his face he should eat his bread, gives him the soil, sends rain and sunshine, “ trusts God” is impossible —he is a sluggard, an infidel; nor does this case in any point re sernble Muller’s. The ease of “ the sick man wh > dismisses his physician for the purpose of exhibiting his trust in God,” cuts, to say the least of it, b >ih ways; and if such a step be tempting God, then the poor woman wb<> had an “issue of blood” for twelve years, j and pressed through the crowd to touch Jesus, j that she might be healed, must have tempted God; for in going she must have “exhibited her trust in Go I.” And if she did not for mally dismiss her doctors, to whom she had already paid her living without benefit, she w« nt regardless of them. “The primary design of George Muller in attempting the erection of an Orphan House at Bristol,” is better stated by himself, on page 145 of his book : ** That l set about the work for the glory of G >d ;” not to “ prove to his brethren the efficacy of prayer”—“ i. e., that there might be a visible proof, by God supporting, in answer to prayer only, the necessities of the orphans, that he is the lir iny God, and mod willing, even in our day, to answer prayer.” Here, it is man lest, the glory of God was Muller’s prime object in es ablishing the Orphan House. And he claims nothing but v\ It at he cvi-ry w Inuv fioJl tends is attainable hv every true and humble child of God. Again, and again, he denies that he has the “gift *'f faith,” mentioned in 1 Cor. xii.: 9. Y- t it is claimed by the ar ticle in the Herald, that, in Muller’s case, it is a “special gift;” and wh le 1 concede the right of judgment to those who contend that Muller has the “gift of faith,” 1 think it safer to take his statement, after a long and thoroughly sifted experience in “comparing spiritual things with spiritual.” It is assumed that “ Muller did not con clude that it was G id’s will for him to under take the work, until he had first proposed the plan to his brethren an! found that they viewed it with favor.” On page 115 Muller savs: “I have been every day this week, very much in prayer concerning the Orphan House, chiefly entreating the Lord to take away every thought concerning it out of mv mind, if the matter be not of I im ; and have also repeatedly examined my heart concern ing my motives in the matter. But I have been more and more confirmed that it is of God.” And by reading the next page it will be tound that he consulted only his co-laborer Craik, simply as a precautionary step, not so much to decide him in the undertaking, as to expose any unsinctifi-d motives with which he might be possessed ; and without further consultation, thu “ first actual step was taken in the matter,” which was to call a public meeting, at which “1 intend,” said lie “to lay before the brethren my thoughts concern eerning the Orphan House, as a means of ascertaining more clearly the Lord’s mind concerning the matter.” It is asked : “ Did not Muller err in regarding ali direct appeals to man for aid, as inconsistent with trust in God ?” I answer no, in so far as the design of his undertaking was c mcerned. Why may not the many orphan homes in this country claim what Miilfer does for his? Why should his be singled out above all others as sustained by the piayer of faith? Who claims for the one at “ Lauderdale Springs, Mis-.,” that the orphans are fid, clothed and educated alone in answer to prayer, or, as gainsayers will have it, by “indirect appeals or means,” nevertheless the “ most striking, shrewdest, sensational and successful adver tisements ever seen ?” Such a claim would be too barefaced, and would meet the con tempt it would j i-si 1 y merit. Dr. Hillyer asserts that “ Mr. Mix ler does use besides his prayers, abundant means, which are cal culated to secure the aid of his fellow-men. It is true, he may not make a direct appeal to any individual, but he must, of necessity, make an appeal some way. An indirect ap peal is an appeal, just as truly as if it were direct.” The world, or my good brother, does not rely upon these “indirect means” to accomplish their undertakings —build up their enterprises. And if I should assert that he, as the head of ihe “Monroe Female Col lege,” in the annual announcements, was making “appeals” for money, he would have jus*, reason to be offended. Muller makes no appeal in his published reports; he has a much higher and holier purpose in giving publicity to the dealings of the Lord w r ilh him, to strengthen the faith of Christians, and I do think one’s motives should not be disre garded in determining the merits of this case. He further says: If no appeal had been made, “ha never would have reoeived the first do nation,” and that it ts morally certain that the don .tion would never have been made, if the donor had not known the want of it.” I think i*. is equally certain the “first donation was received before his plans were made pub lic, or he had consulted with any one save Mr. Craik. This may be learned on page 116. I would ask if it does not tax one’s credulity to believe that the means whi h some insist that Muller used, could have met the many exigencies of the case—>ent r just in time, needed supp ies to save the orphans from Want, and the institution, with its founder, from di-grace? An annual report of what ] the Lord, has done, through him, for the or phans, schools and missionaries, in which no want is expo-ed, save those that are pa-t, which h ive been uniformly supplied, and suc cess attended his operation-, is not an “ap peal,” nor is it likely to induce many men to contribute; and it seems to me absurd to suppose, that the wants of himself and the Orphan House—of which people were ignor- I ant Ht /he time—woul<»%sve been supplied, « or the people so thoughtful, and inclined, always just in time, to meet their wants and make good the word of God, upon any other ground than that God, in answer to prayer, put it into the hearts of the people to give. If we were required to say whose faith is most childlike and honoring to God, most convincing to the world, and comforting to the heart, would we not be constrained lo say : Muller’s ? There are some reasons why tire “ Life of Trust” would be unpopular, both with Pedo baptists and many Bip ists, and it is very significant that so few of the former have commended the book. No unbiassed, hone-t, humble seeker after Truth, can read Muller without the conviction that the author studied, prayerfully, Gol’s W u-J; more, perhaps, than any living person, and above all things, desired to know and do what it required. And as he had to be immersed. Pedob.ipt ists feel that it is a dangerous book to commend or put into the hinds of their people. On the other hand, he presents views and exec utes pians so diverse from those Adopted and cherished by Baptists—about which much bitter feeling ha- been engendered, and parties formed—that many of them feel there is risk t > these if Mil ler’s hook he commended in high places,and b ■ widely circn'ate I. “Babes” live near God, and he designs to “reveal” things t « them, that are “hid from the wise and prudent.” G. F. C. Prayer for Ministers. Will not our btvthr n generally inaugurate in their churches, a special prayer meeting for the ministers of our denomination? Or ar E ast. pray for them more in the regular prayet meetings which are already established and k. pt up? There is no class of Christians ahtt needs prayer so much as ministers; an I there never was. a time in in;- -i—ov. J**sW**-, when they so much needed th .> sy mpatby and petitions of the saints as at the present. The ministerial work in the. S mth is of greater magnitude than ever before, and the tempta tions of ministers are more numerous, and, humanly speaking, more irresistible. The devil seems to be marshalling his whole strength for a successful attack upon <>ur min i-try, just where he first unsuccessfully tempt ed th • Siviour. If 1 at all tmdets:and his present tactics, it is his plan to drive God’s mini-ters into secular pursuits in seaieh of bread. Ills text is, and has been since the war, “Y’ou must live,” from which he preaches to ministers. And first, he lias been laboring to show that man must live by bread alone; and in the second place, that man can not have any assuiance of bread, except by dili genily prosecuting some secular business. And he has most wonderfully succeeded in establishing his first proposition in ihe minds of many of our ministeis, at and quite as many believe bis second. The consequence of which is, they have given up their pulpits and taken upon themselves secular callings; and I great ly fear many more will be convinced of the truthfulness of his positions (as he would have all believ*), and follow the example of too great a number of our brethren who have become secularized. Have we not reasons to fear? How many pastors do you suppose there are in Georgia who are giving their whole time to the work, who have not been tempted to distrust God lor a support, and to resort to their own personal exertions to pro cure bread for their families? I venture they are greatly in the minority.- Just think of the facts. The great majority of our minis ters, as a denomination, are already secular ized, and lo that extent their usefulness is cir cumscribed; and then a large majority of the m’mi-trv, who are not thus secularized, are being severely tempted to divide their time w ith secular pursuits, and we have reasons to be alarmed fi»r the ministry. And will not brethren everywhere pray God to enable His ministers to say and feel in their hearts, that “man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeih out of the mouth of the Lord”? They ou-ht to do it; for they and their children w ill suffer for spiritual food, in proportion t<» the success that Satan has in tempting God’s minisU rs. They ought to doit ; for there is no human instrumental itv that would be so efllc ual in pulling a stop to this sad tendency, as the prayers of the church and the corresponding consequence which would follow true piayer, viz.—gieater liberality in the support of the ministry. Oh, that our brethren in the country, in our towns and cities, could be induced to unite in making this a suEject of constant prayer! 1 feel confident that I only speak the conviction of every tiue minister’s heart, when I say, if they could hear their brethren praying for them —that they might be wholly consecrated to the work of preaching the gospel of Je sus—that they should never become entangled with the business of this world—and see them at the same time making some effort, some sacrifice, to keep them and their families from ! actual suffering, the devil would be put to flight and driven from his strong holds, and God’s cause made to prosper as it never has prospered in our day. YYuat a work there is ibr our church members to do ! Can you not i induce them to engage in it? F. M. D. Nm time**. Go- The Fault ; and Where-It Lies. My people, with many hundreds of others, think that they are too poor to purchase any thing but. the necessaries of life, and unfortu nately fu* them, they do not consider-reli gious newspapers and magazines such. These are classed as luxuries which, in their condi tion, they feellt would be downright extrava gance to indulge in. Money must not be wasted, say they ? for it is the principal thing in these days. Alas, it has been so all their dicys Sunday schools require money, there | fijre they are dispensed wiih. The Index costs money,’ therHßire. they shut out the tidings from our general Z <>n, and the cry of the benighted, “ help us.” The most they can, or will spend, is a small amount for a parson, whom they dignify with the name of pa-tor, to preach once a month. With souls and in tellect so stinted, you cannot expect aught but ignorance and its coneomitan’, feebleness. The mind, like the body, requires a generous diet for vigorous-and continued «fi ;brt. Chri stian cßarity, result from spiritual ami nmutal culture. A church of but. few members, properly in structed and educated, is a power that will accomplish something for Christ. An unin structed membership, however large, is a mass of weakness. Its list of communicants is like the muster roll ot a company of inva lids. The world would move backward, if its progress in intelligence and charity de pended on such as these. Who is responsible for this state of things among some of our churches? Unquestiona bly their preachers. They have not instructed their people in their DUTY to tueih souls, TO THKIK CHILDKEN, TO THE WOliD, aild tO the SAViOUIi. They have not preached against, the SIN OF WILFUL IGNORANCE; they have not taught the DUTY OF MEN I AL AND SPIRITUAL CULTURE; they have not urged the NECESSITY AND DUTY of acquainting themselves with, the wants of the j Master's king Join, and with the opportunities for extending the territory of Zion. They have ordained as teachers, men who need to be taught. They have put into the pulpit, men who would have been good demons, but who are poor preachers, because they are not “ apt to teach.” In this regard, they hive laid aside the law of Christ for expediency, and cutsed the churches in so doing. I exhort the ministry to repent, and for the time to come, to do their whole duty to their people, and “lay hands suddenly on no man”—not to lay hands at all, when the scriptural qualifi cations do not exist. Let them r turn to the practice of early Christianity, and we will have an abler aa I more devoted ministry, and abler and more devoted churches. “ Like priest, like people.” Cephas. “ One of Them.” I m a com til tin ieiUioH in your i«->ne of November 26:h, in which “One of Them” asks the readeis of the Index to review the list of their acquaintances, and see if minis ters’ families do not stand as high in the moral scale as others. Accepting the invita tion, I began by setting down the number of ministers and their families with whom lam acquainted, with the following result; Num ber of ministers, 29 ; number of children in their families, 10 years old and upward, 123. Morals of the children : Three very w ick< and ; eleven, as the world would say, of an average wickedne.ss-»-that is, they make no preten sions to any thing like religion, but are re spectable, good citizens. Thirty-eight more make no profession of religion, but occupy what the world calls an independent moral j position. Seventy one are worthy members I of the church. Now, sir, 1 conclude that the j accusation, that preachers’ children are worse : than others, is indeed a slander, and should be so published to the world. I can not find twenty-nine families of any other class of men, who have 123 living children, w hose mor al and religious statistics are so favorable. Readeh No. 1. Religions Periodicals. A correspondent of the Religious Herald, Cincinnati, says: Four things should be re q iir and ot a man coming into the church—to s t his family the example of total abstinence; to lead them at the family altar ; to take them to tftc house of God ; and to furnish them with a good religious paper. The number of such papers, taken in tha congregation, should be reported in the New Year's sermon, and have a column in the statistics ol the Minutes of the Assembly. My pastorate begtin with more ihan a hun dred members. I received afterward more than a thousand, and our annual reports counted up such as ha f been st paiated from us by di-cipliue till approximating forty y ears, when the number became large. Now in age, solitude and retirement, my thoughts iuii hack to the persons with whom I was con versant in my I letter dais. Os this number of apostates 1 can hardly think of one who regularly read <>ur paper. Such facts as this should hive weight wi h those who would keep trouble out of the church. On the other hand, few, if any, distinguished for in telligence and doing good, are without such piper. lie who rt-ads a first class religious paper a \ ear, takes fifty-two steps'; in ten years, five hundred step's: and m fifty years, two thousand and five hundred steps in the march of intelligence and moral worth. I have been sin prised to find by written documents and other ways, how small an amount of school learning was possessed by some useful, able and injelligent On Utians. My surprise passed away when I found that, for halt a century, they well read an ably conducted Conducted religious paper. On the other hand, a person wi*h early a I vantages of edu cation, by barring the windows of his soul against the periodicals of the kingdom of heaven, lives in ignorance, better seen by others, at and more ridiculous to others, than to himself. Old Pastoks and New. — Or. Withington of New bmy, once, in a charge to the people at an ordination or installation service, said, substantially, “ Don’t tell your new minister when he calls upon you, how much you loved your old minister. It is very common with many people when anew minister comes among them, to keep telling him bow much they loved their old minister, it makes me think sometimes of a certain man I knew, who lost his wife and married another, and he kept telling his second wife how much he loved his first one, when everybody knew he quarrelled her to death.” The Seng of a Tired Servant. “ One more day-* work for Jesus,” One less of life tor me ; Bui heaven is nearer, And Christ is, dearer. Than yesterday, to me ; His love and light Fill all my soul to-night. One more day’s v-ork for Jesus. How glorious is my King! , *Tis joy. not duty. To speak His tieaoty : My s_ul mounts on the W'ing At the mere thought How Christ her life hath bought. One more day’s work for Jesus: Sweet, sweet the work has been, To tell the story, T.* show the glory, Where Christ’s floek enter in. How it did shine In this poor heart of mine! One more day’s work lor Jesus: In hope, in faith, in prayer, His word I’ve spoken, His t read I've broken. To souls faint with despair, And Imde them Hee Tu him who-hath saved me. . One more day’s work tor Jesus: Yes..’tis a weary day ; sßc: And Chnsf it» all Before ills face 1 fall. O. blessed work for Jesus ! O, rest at Jesus’ leet! There toil seems pleasure; My wants are treasure, And pain Ibr him looks sweet. Lord, it I may, I’ll serve thee more another day. The Christian at Work Right. Low to myself l said the word ; With deeper thrill through voice and will II rang as with a shout ! Such power was in it to be heard. And from that hour my soul grew still, And put away its doubt. A battle-cry is in that word A three to wield on deadliest Held. Which he who grasps shall feel As if his hand had drawn a sword, And triumph were forestalled and sealed With the first battle peal! A royal word ! a conquering word ! Which none could speak With lips so weak But straight they should grow strong; As if. unknowing, lliey had heard The mighty hosts of victors speak, And echoed the new song ! The grand word ! the eternal word ! Given ns whereby to glorily This daily work and care, Building our temples to Ihe Lord Alter the heavenly house on high. Where the city lies four-square. And straight and perfect live, do grow— Whose image is in lorm ot LI is From heavenly height to height. So let the Will-be done below ; Oh, Uniy. it needs only this. And thou art named Delight. One Word for Jesus. One word for Jesus I would speak ; Dear Lord what shall it be? My faith is dim. mv voice is weak; Yel. looking upward. I woo'd seek To speak one word for lliee. One net for Jesus l would do, And vel I know not how ; But while his bleeding wounds I view, And all my sinful past review, 1 long to do it itovv. One song for Jesus I would sing One hear'.-e»irapturing song And a-k that Christ, iny Priest and King, Would lake the tiinelnl ottering To charm a listening throng. One line for Jesus I would write One fine, unlading line And ask that his unerring sight Would quicken it with heavenly light, And Pless the effort mine. One word : what other word than love? One act: what act bill prayer? One look upon his cross above: (I’d gaze lorever there.) One song—a blessed, holy hymn Os his redeeming grace ; One line—Come ye who re lost in sin, And seek your Father’s face. One word, one look, one act. one song— Jesus in each i-liall be— One, Put to la»t Ibr evermore ; Lord, teach them unto me. Tract Journal. Pedobaptist Testimony on Communion. In the last number of The Christian In structor, the excellent organ in this city of the United Presbyterian Church, we find (says the National Baptist, Phil ,) an article on Baptism and Communion. Alter stating that each of the Christian denominations seems just now to be engaged in discussing s«>me question us special interest to itself, and spec ifying instances in others, the editor goes on to sav : “ In the Baptist church also there is a ques tion of no less absorbing and eventful inter est very largely occupying public attention. It is a< to whether there shall be in it a strict ly exclusive and clos*, or a general and open Communion. The theory of this church has been understood to be that no person can be admitted to the Lord’s bupper who is not a member of a church ; that no person can be a member of a church who has not been baptized ; that no person can be understood to be baptized who has not personally pro fessed faith in Christ, and after that been im mersed ; and that thus as none but members of the, Biptist church are understood to have been thus baptize t, none but such are to be admitted in it to the Lord’s table. The con sequence has been, that while the members of this denomination are among the most genial, warm-hearted and earnest Christian men, and of large philanthropic and benevo lent views, )et as a body and in reference to Communion, they have been regarded as ex clusive* and close, and as keeping all others literally at a distance.” The discussion among us of the relation of Baptism to Communion is briefly spoken of, and the article concludes as follows: “ Having written thus much, as our atten tion has been specially called to this subject, we may add that however much is said about libeiality nowadays, its desirableness and the duty and necessity for it at t’te Loro’s table and everywhere elsp, yet we must say that with our views of the position of the Baptist church on baptism and church-mem bersh'p, no course but the exclusive or close one can be consistently pursued by it. Asa church, it mu-t give up its exclusive view of the mode of baptism, or it must hold fast close communion. If its members firmly anti truly believe the one, they must practice the other —otherwise, as all orderly evangelical church es regard baptism as a pre requisite to church membership and communion, and as the Baptist church believes that only immersing is baptism, it would follow that, in prac ticing open communion and admitting per sons to the Lord’s table who had not been immersed, they Would beguilty of admitting persons who had not, in their view, been bap tized at all. Let this church, then, either give up its view of baptism, or hold fast its view of communion. So also let every church have its profession and its practice agrep. Union is the proper basis of communion. If there are differ* nees between men that are deemed of such importance asri o justify the existence of separate churches, then let these differences be freely and heartily laid aside and open communion follow in all its fulness —or, if this is not done, if these differences continue, then let each be coutent with its own oommuuion.” iSHOLE NO. 2419. Two Pictures. In a scantily furnished chamber lies an aid Scotch minister with thin, gray hair, and wrinkled skin. But his brow is high and broad; his deep set eyes are bright and piercing; a smile plays round his lips; and though feeble and dying, he looks calm and happy. Let us speak to him and say: “Do you think yourself dying, dear sir?” He his eyes calmly upon you, and slowly he replies: “ Really, friend, I am not anxious whether lam or not; for il' I die r I shall be with God; if 1 live he will be with me.” Now let us step into yonder mansion. En tering a richly furnished chamber, we find a dignified personage infolded in warm robes, and seated in a largo easy chair. He, too, is feeble and dying; but the. light in his eyes is unsteady, and he looks like a man ill at ease with himself. Let us also ask hint a ques tion : 5‘ Mr. Gibbon, how does the world appear to you now ?” The eloquent historian of the Roman Em pire (for he it is) closes his eyes .he replies: ' ... .... ' “AH are ftljjThiliiHpfwhit t kck, I serthey have beeiAeting; when I look forward, all is dark and doubtful.”— Protestant Churchman. Every Longing' Satisfied. My soul thirsteth for God, for the living God—Ps. 42: 2. If any man thirst let him come unto me and drink.—John 7: 37. Let me not be ashamed.—Ps. 31: 1. Whosoever believeth in him shall not be ashamed.—9 : 33. I am in trouble.—Ps. 38: 6. He shall deliver thee in six troubles. Yes, in seven there shall no evil touch thee.—Job 5: 19. Canst thou by searching find out God ? Job 11:7. The Lord is with you while ye be with And if ye seek him, he will be found of you.—2 Ch. 15: 2. God be merciful to me a sinner.—Luke 18 : 13. This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus carne into the world to save sinners.—l Tim. 1 : 15. Is his mercy clean gone forever?—Ps. 77 : 8. His mercy is everlasting.—Ps. 100: 5. The mercy of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting upon them that fear him.—Ps. 103: 17. His throne is upholden by mercy. —Pruv.'2o: 28. Prayer Under Injury. Shortly afier his removal to Washington county, Penn., Rev. Joseph Patterson joined with a company to buy homesteads from a Mr. McClure. The title proved to be worth less. The other members of the company proposed to employ a lawyer to attend to the whole case, make the titles good, or recover damages. “ No,” said Patterson, “ 1 have read in my Bible of a wonderful counsellor. Him will [ employ.” The others failed in their suit, for Mr. McClure absconded. One day Patterson was passing McClure’s house, when his wife called him in and handed him a leather purse containing his purchase money. “ Before my husband left he told me to be sure and hand you this money, or you would pray him to death,” “My counsellor was the best,” said the old man. “He never lost a case; will plead without a fee.”- Pretbyie rian Banner. -<r * V*P**t* Superstition of Pkd<>baptism. —A writer in the Preslnyleiian Index says: “In more than one instance, I have felt constrained, un der v* ry trying circumstances, to refuse to administer baptism. A child of ungodly pa rents lies at the point of death. A minister of the gospel is called in to baptize it. What is lie to do? If he remains true to his con victions he is liable to be charged with bigot ry and cruelty, but if, through timid fear, he \ields to the solicitations of weeping friends, he will give countenance to the dangerous error, that baptism is essential to salvation.” And a correspondent of the Baptist Visitor: “A case once came under my own observation where lhe child of a Baptist was sick, and nigh unto death, and there was an Episcopal lady in attendance on the child, and after having in vain persuaded the mother to have her child baptized, as she called it, she watched for an opportunity and did it herself, in the absence of the mother, fearing, lest the little one, dying unbaptized, would be lost.” Free Churches. —in answer to the ques tion, “ Why do so many churches fail to reach the poor?” the Young Men’s Christian Asso ciation, St. Louis, said, “It was because the poor, being naturally proud and sensitive on account of their poverty, misunderstood the churches, and do not believe that they are welcome,” and also because “the pastors, of ficers and members are too selfish in the en joyment of their religion, and have too little love for souls.” They also came to the con clusion “ that the only remedy for the evil is, first, to build plainer churches, and invite the poor cordially to them, proving the sin cerity of this invitation and making it con sistent by abolishing the system of pew-rent ing; second, to seek out the poor and carry the gospel to them.” A Queer Gesture. —The Irish correspond ent of the Na>hville Christian Advocate says of Rev. John Kelly, Liverpool: His invari able gesture, when excited, is to put his left hand b< hind his back, and play with the but ton of his coat. That gesture, if such it may be called, at once advises the congregation of the approach of something good. It is the introduction to a grand burst of solid and thrilling eloquence. Christians and the Fashions. —There are many now that have followed the world and followed the fashions till God seems to have given them over to the devil for the destruc tion of the flesh. They have little or no re ligious feeling, no spirit of prajer, no zeal for the glory of God or the conversion of sin ners; tbe Holy Spirit seems to have with drawn from them.— Finney. Choice of Texts. —Rev. Mr. Dew, for merly of Thompson, Conn., who was some what peculiar for the selection of curious texts to his sermons, on one occasion made choice of this : “ Mo&b is my waskpot,” and derived from it the doctrine that “God makes use of sinners to scour saints .” Trivial Objections to Ministers. A moustache prevented a minister from getting a call on the Hudson: We Once heard of a woman who said she would never vote for a man wlio did not wear a white cravat, and others are affected by things as foolish. Infidel'tt —ls I know anything, I know this, that the people who talk about the weak ness of the evidences of Christianity, are generally persons who never looked into them. — Bellows. Cnußcn Music. —Programmes of the mu sic are printed, and distributed in the pews of some of the fashionable churches in London. Aged Ministers. —Dr. Spring, now nearly ninety, says the best thirty years for work are after fifty.