Christian index and South-western Baptist. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1866-1871, August 26, 1869, Image 1

Below is the OCR text representation for this newspapers page.

CHRISTIAN INlffif aMi SOUTH-WESTERN BAPTIST. • * »■ • VOL 48-NO. 33. A RELIGIOUS AND FAMILY PAPER, PUBLISHED WEEKLY IN ATLANTA, GA TERMS.—CIub# of Four, ($3.00 each) per annum...sl2.oo Clubs of Three, ($3.33 each) per annum... 10.00 Clubs of Two, (3.50 each) per annum 7.00 Single Subscriber .... 4.00 J. J. TOON", Proprietor. Give. •See the rivers flowing Downwards to the sea, Pouring all their treasure Bountiful and free; Yel to help their giving, Hidden spiings arise; Or, if need be, showers Feed them from the skies. Watch the princely flowers Their rich fragrance spread, Load the air with perfumes. From their beauty shed ; Yet their lavish spending Leaves them not in death, With fresh life replenished By their mother earth. Give thy heart’s best treasures, From fair Nature learn ; Give thy lofe —and ask not, Wait not a return ; And the more thou speudest From thy little store, With a double bounty God will give thee more. — Proctor. Bought with a Price. I know the price that Jesus paid, I know the portion on Him'laid; His body broken on the tree, His soul, like wine, poured out for me. And can I call myself my own ? Each blood-bought pow’r is His alone, He was the pries, tqe smitten Lamb, And I the sucred purchase am. Till heart shall fail, and eye grow dim, I’ll think, I’ll speak, I’ll live for Him ; Too happy, if before His throne, He shall confess me, then, His own. His own, redeemed from death and sin! • ' His o wn, the jasper walls within ! His own, the endless ages through ; , A trophy, but a victor too ! — J. E. RanJcin, in Cong. Recollections of My Brother. As l have seen but a short notice of my deceased brother, Rev. R. H. Taliaferro, I hope I shall be pardoned for a contribution to his memory. He was born in Surry county, North Car olitta, March 27th, 1801; died in Jackson county, AJabama, June 11th, 1869. He was converted and baptized under the ministry of Rev. Oiiphanl, pastor of Fisher’s river JBaptist church, in his 20th year. His cross was great. Then, in that section, it was thought that religion belonged to age and infirmity, and he, being young, was greatly persecuted. At home he received no encouragement, except from his mother, a quiet aud pious member of the Methodist connection. When he was satisfied that God had converted his soul, he approached the sick bed of his mother, and asked herAdwiae as to what denomination he should which she replied ; “ Join the Baptists, my son; your father is a Baptist in sentiment, and it may have some influence on him. I wish I was able, 1 would be baptized with you.” She died without being able to carry out her pious wish ; but her son tarried not, and followed the Master. He lived a quiet member in North Caro lina for a few years, and removed to Roane county, East Tennessee, in 1824 or 1825. Soon after his removal, anew church was organized, called Prospect, in which organi zation he participated, and became an active member. An elder brother, C. Taliaferro, was baptized into the fellowship of this church, soon after its organization, became a preacher, and died, much lamented, in 1856. The two brothers commenced holding prayer meetings in the territory of the newly-consti tuted church ; exhortation and preaching soon followed such gatherings. Constrained by the love of Christ for souls, they were in the ministry without intending at first to embark in so great a work ; but when in, they never looked back. In their labors and lives they were united, and in their deaths they were divided but for a few years. I cherish their memories, for under their earliest efforts my father, 62 years of age, and his youngest son, were converted. My brother was iif “ labors abundant.” The narrow limitsof Prospectchurchcould not contain him. He was fail of the missionary spirit, and sounded out the word of the Lord in every valley and mountain gorge in East Tennessee, the Lord adding to the churches wherever he went. Nor did he forget the section that gave him natural and spiritual birth, in North Carolina his labors were greatly blessed. Middle Tennessee and North Alabama heard his stirring voice,, besides frequent visits to other sections, too tedious to name. He was unselfish in his labors. He embarked in the ministry poor; never asked individual, church nor Board for assist ance; never hinted that he needed help; car- ried with him no begging nor appealing looks, but always looked happy and cheerful. “ Wy wife, Betsie, is my Board,” he would good humoredly say to those who wished to know how he could support his family 'and perform such continuous labors. And to “Betsie’s” praise, be it written, she supported her labo rious missionary handsomely, made no ap peals for help, and her finances were never deranged. She survives her missionary, and is now managing a good competency. A large and inviting field opening to his watchful eye, in North Alabama, he removed to New Market, in Madison county, about the year 1845, exercising his active ministry in that place, and in the surrounding country, till he made his final earthly removal to Point Rock creek, Jackson county, Alabama, about the year 1850. Here he comfortably settled himself, and curtailed his labors to a narrow compass, adjusting territory to age. From this field he was taken to his rest and reward. Not even a summary of his labors and successes can be given. He kept no journal. He believed a journal was kept on high, and he cared not for earthly records. Few men of modern times have baptized more persons, built up more feeble churches, and organized more new ones, than R. H. Taliaferro; and eternity alone will reveal the number of souls converted under his evangelical ministry. His gifts. He “ coveted earnestly the best gifts,” in order to do the greatest good. He selected exhortatiou as the best gift that the ascended and glorified Master had given, and in this he excelled. He never cared to preach FRANKLIN PRINTING UK)USE, ATLANTA, GA., THURSDAY, AUGUST 26, 1869. a sermon in the usual way. Any minister might take the pfilpit and preach, so that he might “ follotV fa. exhortation.” He often remarked, “almost"any one can preach, but few' can exhort.” Those who have heard him exercise his “gift,” will never forget the re sults. In doctrinal and expository preaching, he never excelled. These would have dFamped his genius, and crippled his gift of exhorta tion. Nor did his mind belong to- the doc trinal or expository cast. He had no taste for, nor sympathy with, dogmatic theology. “ Repent, siuner! right now,” was the bur den of his messages. These appeals were urged with deep sympathy, a clear, ringing voice, accompanied with “strong crying and tears,” and it told upon the unconverted. His education was quite limited. If he spoke a grammatical sentence he was not aware of it, yet no one could criticise him. When he ascended the pulpit, the"critic would say, “ there is a fine-looking man ; he has an honest, earnest look; he loves souls; he makes no pretensions to learning; I will spare him and hear him.”* He was not a pastor. Ofnhishe wa§. fully aware, and' would Accept the position only till‘it could be filled. His peaceful nature could not brook the difficulties which qgcar in the pastoral life. He was an evangelist, and knew it. In his own language: “lam a recruiting officer; others may drrtl and com mand the soldiers.” The thousands be has recruited tor others to drill and command, eternity will report. Ilis powers of endurance were great. God had given His recruiting officer a constitution adapted to his work. He could hold a pro tracted meeting for weeks, preach, exhort, pray and sing, night and day, and seemingly, never tire. He was a man of peace. His intercourse with all men was pleasant. He was a good judge of men, and had the will, as well as the capacity, to adjust himself to them, to do them good. With rich aiid poor he was at home, making all classes easy. Like a patri arch he presided over his family, making them and all visitors happy. God blessed him with plenty. He had a good living when he died, much time as he had spent in the ministry. His home was one of the theatres of the late alternate ly overrun by contending All he had was preserved in a remarkable manner. He died, like a patriarch, surrounded by all his descendants, in the midst of the bounties of Providence. table was free to all; nor were the poor nfjjlected by one a heart, and with suWwmeans. -a I labored >vith, nor hjtdkl seen since 1847. AbouVaadUbth he dfed, he proposed that we East, Tennessee, the last week in July, arts together for a while, in the field of our early ministry. Arrangements were made, but alas! we never met. He has gone, and lam left. I feel sad and lonely. My two preach ing brothers are gone, and I remain on my watch-tower till my Master relieves me, “ The time is short.” H. E. Taliaferro. Tuskegee , Ala., Aug. 13th. ’69. Letters on the Doctrines. To T. 11 ......., Esq., Toomsboro, Ga. Dear Brother : In the present letter 1 am under promise to consider the question : “ Is man’s disability consistent with his account ability to God ?” The law of God is given to man as a rule of moral action. Obedience to it includes all his powers, and at all times. “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God, with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength .” “ Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things written in the Book of the Law to do them.” What are “ the things witten in the Book of the Law,” to the violation of which a curse is annexed ? We might take up the Decalogue, and by careful study, obtain a correct knowl edge of the spirit of these commandments as they set forth our duties to God, ar.d to man. We are saved this labor, however, by the Great Teacher, who gave, in the hearing of His Apostles an epitome of the whole law. He concentrates all the meaning of both tables into two verses, Mark 12: 30, 31 : “ Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with ail thy strength . . .Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.” He adds, “ On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.” The law of God, then, is the law of love. “He that dwelleth in love, dwelleth in God, and God in him.” An apostle expresses it briefly when he says : “ Love is the fulfilling of the law.” The young man who went running to Jesus and asked : “ Good Master, what shall I do to in herit eternal life,” possessed no just under standing of the commandments, when he said, “all these have 1 observed from my youth up;” for when the Saviour applied the true test, he was found to be totally deficient in the great principle and motive to obedience. Let us not indulge inadequate or mistaken views as to the universality and strictness of this law. It is every where binding, over all the powers of all men, at all times, under all circumstances, and for all the period of exis tence. On this subject Dr. Dwight says: “ Thou shalt devote, with supreme affection, all thy powers to the service of the Lord thy God, throughout the continuance of thy being; and thou shalt do unto others, who are included under the word neighbor, that is all intelligent creatures, whatsoever thou wouldst that they, in the like circumstances, should do unto thee ; and this also thou shalt do throughout the con tinuance of thy being. The peculiar perfection of the obedience here required, is the univer sality of it. No other law requires the abso lute consecration of all our powers to the observence of its precepts, or extends its de mands to every moment of our existence.” Now, has man the ability to keep this law? Can he love God with all his heart ? Can he love his neighbor as hirnself ? “ The carnal” (that is the unconverted) “mind is enmity against God, it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be." This is a bold declaration, made by the apostle Paul. Many may question its correctness; if so, then let the one who has kept the law, “ cast the first stone.” But if no such appear, let au appeal to our sad failures teach us that, “ there is not a just man on earth that, doeth good, and sin neth not.” “ AU have sinned and come short of the glory of God.” Os all who have vio lated the law of love to God and man, must we conclude there was not one who conscien tiously made the effort to obey in all points? That all were so perverted j n their moral feel ings and dispositions, that no single one has been found to put forth the best powers of his nature to fill up the measure of this just de mand ? If so, then let no one heuceforth deny universal and total depravity. But if one can be found who kept the law, then one has lived who needed no Saviour ; and having gone to heaven upon his own obedience, has proved Peter to have been mistaken when he said of Christ, “ There is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we -must be saved.” Should any accuse the law of opposing human salvation by frustrating the Divine purposes of mercy, I have only to repeat the reply of Paul to a supposed objector: “Is the I.'W then against the promises of God ? God forbid ; for if there had been a law given which could have given life, verily righteous ness should have been by the law. But the Scripture hath included all under sin, that the promise by faith of Jesus Christ, might be given to them that believe.” That this holy law demands obedience need not be argued; for to deny this, would be to deny that there is a law ; for that is. no law which leaves to the subject the right to obey or disobey at discretion. “ The soul that sinneth it shall die.” “Sin is the transgres sion of the law." Then he who violates this law incurs its fearful penalty, “Cursed is every one that coutinueth not in all things written in the Book of the Law to do them The law reqnires perfect obedience, but without affording the ability to meet its own require-' ments. It does more, it points out the reasons of this weakness without giving aid in their removal. “For when we were in the flesh, the motions of sin, which were bythelaw, did work in our members to bring forth fruit unto death for without the law sic was dead .... The commandment which was ordained unto life, I found to be unto death.” Not withstanding all this, “The law is holy, and the commandment holy, and just, and good.” This “’holy commandment,” requires nothing of man but what is right and best. “ The law of the Lord is perfect .... The command ments of the. Lord are pure .... They are mo# to be desired than gold, yea, than much litre gold.” Here is a good and holy law, given by the Divine Sovereign to his subjects, which they have neither the ability nor the will to obey. They "would not if they could, and they could not if they would ; and yet this law says, in words of inexorable author ity, “ The soul that sinneth it shall die.' 1 It is said the Roman Emperor, Caligula, placed his laws so high that his subjects could not read them; they were therefore forced to remain in ignorance of them; and yet he was cruel enough to inflict on them the severest punishments for the violation of these un known statues. He loved blood, and sought every excuse for murdering his people. But here is One “whose mercy endureth forever,” whose law is quite above the moral ability of his subjects, and yet who inflicts on the impenitent violators a penalty infinitly worse than mere temporal death. Caligula placed his law beyond the roach of his Man has placed himself belojv the law of God. The Roman law was mirposety ob scured by the- emperor; the Urvine law was placed in the hand and before the eyes of man as.a>mirror in which he might see his rmjserfection. The Roman emperor gave a of action, that he might obtain an excuse JtaHtegtroying tRe people.' God has given as a school master to brixigOns to Christ.” The former manifested the latter, wisdom, justice and goodness. Man ought to love God with all his heart; it is right he should do so ; he owes it to his Maker, Preserver and Benefactor. If it be right for him thus to love, it is also right that he should be required thus to love ; but a re quirement amounts to a nullity if unaccom panied by a forfeiture or penalty. If because, “ they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a repro bate mind, to do those things which are not convenient,” and thus their hearts became full of hate instead of love; and because they are evil it becomes impossible for them to love that which is supremely good ; must the law on this account be repealed, or its penalty revoked? Must this self imposed inability ex empt him from duty? If he be required to love his neighbor as himself; to look upon the whole family of man as one common brother hood ; to watch with tender sympathy the in terests, and labor as opportunity may offer, to promote the happiness of others ; and yet his heart is so selfish that he uniformly says to the needy who asks alms at his hands, “ Depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled, but gives them not those things that are need ful for the body ;” and from long indulged selfishness, he is really a stranger to that ele vated philanthropy,and those kindly emotions which move us to obey this law, shall he on these accounts be excused ? Shall the law be pronounced severe, because it condemns the guilty ? But you ask me, “suppose a man does the very best he can all the time to keep the law, and then fail, is he accountable for that failure?” Let me also ask a question ; What was the cause of the failure ? Was the cause in himself, or in the law ? Did the law require more than was necessary, more than was right? Or was he morally disqualified to obey a righteous law ? You may reply, he found a law in his members that when he would do good, evil was present with him, so that he could not do the things he would. Then if this moral disability attaches toman, and he cannot rid himself of it, ought he to be held responsible for not doing those things which he was unable to do ? I will ask another question. Is this disability “ from heaven or of men ?” If from heaven, then man is not accountable for it, but if of man, he is. Man’s weakness is a fact. Some one is accountable for it, for it is a great evil. But God is not its author, for all he made, “ was very good.” We are forced then to accept the inspired account of it, and look upon man as the guilty author. “By one ma?i sin entered into the world, and death by sin, and so death has passed upon all men for that all have sinned.” Adam sinned, and thereby lost his ability to keep the law; after ward he “ begat a son in his own likeness, after his image,” who inherited the fallen nature and adopted the wayward practices of that father : so that now we may all be said to be “ a sinful nation, a people laden with iniquity, a seed of evil doers, children that are corrupters.” Now, if from my sinful father I inherit the disposition to sin, ought 1 to be held responsible for the consequences of this sad inheritance ? ‘By all means. 1 do not inherit condemnation for his sins—“ Those who turn back to the iniquities of their fathers, shall not escape.” By turning back and adopting their sins, they become ours— wife indulge our evil dispositions, we are guilty.” “ But we inherit Cur disabilities.” True, but men are not condemned for their inability to keep the law, but for the indul gence of an indisposition to do so. “ The soul that sinneth, it shall die.” In many instances the children of drunkards inherit their father’s fondness for ardent spir its; and although they may grow up moral, sober men, yet sometimes in after years they yield to this appetite, and follow the bad ex ample of their fathers, whom perhaps they saw laid in a drunkard’s grave. Are these sons exempt from guilt because they inherited a taste for strong drink ? Suppose a man should indulge his desire for intoxicating liquors until he becomes a confirmed drunk ard ; he is then unable to reform ; abstinence would soon tevYpinate his existence; he has stimulating drinks into his-very being; jthey are the vital element; take them from* him and he dies at once. Does his inability to reform justify his drunk enness, or exempt him from accountability to God and mans for his great wickedness ? Further, support, in a fit of delirium, this drunken man takls the life of his child? He is crazy, he does hot know what he i9 doing, he thinks it is a demon he is slaying. Is he not as guilty before God and man, as if he had been sober. gHe is mentally unable to decide any ques||»n of right and wrong, or even to restraintymself from the murderous deed; but is thi|i inability any excuse what ever for his sins'? j May we not conclude that a disability when|self-imposed, increases the guilt of the disobedience which it necessitates ? Then we must conclude that “as many as are of the W'orKs of the law are under the curse.” This is “ ministration of con demnation,” not cjf justification or salvation, for, “by the deedk of the law, no flesh shall be justified in His Light.” Shall I, my bro4ier, leave the subject here, shall guilty, helphXs man be left to perish in his sin ? Is his hopeless, cannot salva tion reach him ? but not through the law, only through L “Bv thgjaw is the knowledge • ■ the gospel is the knowledge of The law is given to discover sin, the ifospe: to reveal saltation through the Son <|i God. The law is die dreary rock. The soul of man is the Andro meda chained to the rock ; Satan is the mon ster ready to devo. r ; the gospel is the Per seus which by the ’-word of the Spirit, slays the monster’s power, breaks the legal chain, and sets the soul at liberty,” which is at once espoused by Jesus. “ What the law could not do in that it was weak through the fwh, God sending His own Son, in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh ; that the righteous ness of the law might be fulfilled in us.” “ Christ is the enq of the law for righteous ness to every one believeth.” “There is therefore now, no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus. For we who were Jar off made nigh by His blood. He is our Peace, who fiath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of parti tion between us. Having abolished in His flesh the enmity, even th*. law of commandments .... that He mightßeconcile both unto God, in one body by tlia cross, having slain the enmity thereby.” As our completeness in Christ, our exemp tion from the condemnation of the law, our privileges and blessings as under grace, be come the sweet experiences of the hearts, can we not, from the overflowing gratitude of our adoring spirits, say, “ O ! the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge ot God! How unsearchable are his judgments, and His ways past lauding out! ” Yours most truly, E. W. W. Harvest Home; CHAPTER 11. “ Oh! not in the outward world atone. May ihe beautilul brTio the soul made known, In its own far depth*, in its inner life— Silent and pure—is,|ts spirit rife.” It was ChristmasA merry party of ejhUdren were asscmO J at Mrs. Montmarie’s house in the - The gentleman hitaself was an admirable specimen of our early French settlers, whose gay disposition, warm heart and polished manners made them such welcome additions to every social circle. He was dignified and stately in person, with a frank, kindly ex pression on his fine features, and now and then a merry twinkle in his eye, as he fur thered the plan of some mischievous young ster. The other inmates of his dwelling con sisted of his wife, their four children—Emile, Clara, Helen and Hartly—Frederick and Christine Errendorf, th“ children of a nephew, and Lucy Lorrimer. Emile, a noble-looking boy of twelve, was the eldest, Clara ten, and the twins, Helen and Hartly, eight. The sitting room was abandoned to the children, and every table and sofa strewed with flowers. “ Come and see my new pony, papa’s pre sent to me,” called Emile from the win dow, pointing, at the same time, to a beauti ful little animal a servant was leading round to the stables. Helen and Christine dropped the ribbon they were tying round Dolly’s waist, Hartly’s gothic church came tumbling down in a moment, and all rushed to the win dow. Fred. Errendorf, a clumsy boy of about Emile’s age, in his eagerness to get a sight of the pony, gave Lucy a jostle which disturbed her balance, and down she fell to the floor. Emile hastened to help her up, and Hartly, his face crimson with anger, clenched his tiny fist—“ You’re a bad boy, Fred. Errendorf I I’ll make mamma send you home this minute.” And off he started, out of the room before Clara could prevent. He met his mother just outside the door, coming to see what the loud tones meant. “ Mother, I want you to send Fred. Erren dorf home.” “Why, my son; what is the matter?” she asked, with a look of surprise at his flushed face and eager tones. “He pushed Lucy down!” “Not intentionally.” Then entering the sitting room—“ What is the matter here, Clara?” “ Nothing but Hartly’s temper, mamma. Fred, brushed rather too roughly past Lucy, and she fell over, but there is no harm dorffe/ “Are you hurt, my child,” said Mrs. Montmarie, bend ing over Lucy’s low stool. “No, ma’am,” was the quick reply, turning her head away. “ It was an accident I am sure, Fred,” said the lady, noticing his look of sullen pride. “Os course it was ; I couldn’t mean to push a girl down, especijlly a lame one.” (Lucy winced as if a pin stuck her.) “ There; shake hands with Hartly ; he’s a hot headed little champion,” and bidding them keep the peace, on Christmas day at least, Mrs. Mont marie left them again to their sports. Clara, to restore Fred’s good humor, proposed a game of dominoes to him and Emile. Helen and Christine resumed the interesting dis cussion whether a doll’s sash should be tied behind or before. Hartly seemed bent on consoling Lucy. A large tear was stealing down her cheek ; he put his rosy face close down to her dark lucks and whispered : “Are you hurt, Lucy ?” “ No, but I wish 1 had two strong feet.” “Sister Clara read.to me, this morning, about a lame man our Saviour cured. lam going to ask Him to*cure you.’’ Lucy smiled at this bright idea, then said thoughtfully, “ Mamma says if I learn to bear it, it may be better than being cured ;” and as if the remembrance inspired the ac tion, she wiped the tear away and turned to admire the new doll, much to Helen’s grati fleation, who felt mortified at Lucy’s indiffer ence to its glossy curls, and eyes that could open and shut. Its charms fully eugrossed the trio until dinner-time, while Hartly watched the progress of the young, lady’s toilet-with almost equal interest* No pleas ure was complete to Helen without his sym pathy, and all Hartly’s childish troubles w'fere carried first to hii} twin-sister. Mrs. Mont rnarie was careful to encourage this feeling, knowing how beneficial an influence they might exert upon each other through life by its means. After dinner the boys went out to see the pouy, which they had been disap- pointed in doing, after it had so innocently caused Lucy’s tall, and the girls gathered in an eager group round Mrs. Montmarie, in her room. She had undertaken to dramatize Beauty and the Beast, for them to act in the evening, and there was no end to the consul tations, suggestions and alterations, as the arrangements were discussed. Mrs. Mont marie listened patiently to them all, amused, and often surprised at their quick perception of the different parts, and the characteristic traits displayed in the discussion. (To be Continued.) What Can be Bone l I see, by perusing your paper, that some of your correspondents are beC'-ming deeply interested in the cause of Temperance, and de-ire that something may be done to hinder the progress of intemperance. A sister writes: “Will the Christian Index call the atten tion of the Baptists in Georgia to the estab lishment of Total Abstinence Societies for the safety of our childreu ? Our sons are be ing destroyed by the example of those whose uames are enrolled on the church books.’’ It is true that a great many of the mem bers of our church profess to know God, but in works they deny him. Surrounded by such, it is a irom mr >*mL u ’ lrain * U P ,°T children in' thy- way yhey aftntQd go.. Thty "uVe enemies to God and, tivAhtnr . Now the question is, “What can be done to arrest these evil "influences which are going out from the churches, and' destroying our sons and daughters, *and spreading vice and immorality in the land? Something must be*done. For many years past we have been having temperance mass meetings, total abstinence societies, and the order of the Sons ol Tem perance, dzc., &c. ; aud these all seemed to do well for a time, but failed to accomplish the work intended. Our Associations have passed resolution after resolution condemning intemperance, and recommending the churches to use their influence againsjxit. But after all these efforts on the pa> d “ the friends ot temperance, the ’'Slivered. 5 continued to move onward, reflation and dis tress in the world, and it is stiU increasing with fearful rapidity. Multitudes of the ris ing generation are becoming drunkards. Why have we failed in our efforts to sus tain the cause of temperance, and stay the evil tide of intemperance? There certainly must be a cause for the failure. It is evident that we did not commence our work at the proper point. We have been operating too far from the centre of influence —the church of God—and, therefore, our labors and influ ence, to a great degree, have been lost. In ordec that sweet and pleasant waters flow down the vallies, the fountains must be made jiure and sweet. In order to have good fruit we must make the tree good. We may pluck off the bitter fruit and cast it away, but when the tree blooms and bears again it will be the same kind of bitter fruit. So, we must make the churches good, pure and holy. Let them cease to be habitations and hiding places for drunkards, dram drink ers, gamblers, dancers and players, where they are encouraged, led and nourished. Then their influence will be glorious, and move onward like the waves of the sea. If the’ resolutions whioh have been passed by our Associations had been first introduced,’ and adopted by the churches, and then recom mended to the Associations for their adop tion, long since intemperance would have ceased in our land. Associations may pass resolutions a thous and times —temperance societies may make every effort possible to promote the cause of temperance; but if the churches refuse to act, and to purify themselves from the stains of in temperance, no permanent good will be ac complished. If the cause of temperance pre vails, it must be encouraged and sustained by the church of Christ. The churches must become temperance societies. Let every church pass a resolution saying, “ No person can become a member of this church, or remain a member of it, who in dulges in the use of intoxicating drinks as a beverage, or supplies others with such drinks, directly or indirectly , to be used as a bever age. 2. No person can become a member of this church or remain a member of it who engages in the play or the dance.” Let such rules as these be adopted by each church, and strictly adhered to, and intem perance would soon cease. Then peace would sit on every hill and blessings flow in every rill. Then the church would appear “fair as the moon, clear as the sun, and terri ble as an army with banners,” and vast mul titudes would be saved from the world ot woe. Fvery one who drinks intoxicating drinks as a beverage, and every one who engages in sinful amusements should be excluded from the church. lam sure that this position can be sustained by the word of God. J. M. D. C. Tennessee. Sufferings of Christ. The subject of the sufferings of that myste rious and two-foid Being called Son of J/tmand Son of God, has had attention paid to it recently in your excellent paper; and though it may have been ably discussed, 1 apprehend not exhaustively so. 1 send you, therefore, an extract in point from that very evangeli cal work, “Fountain of Life,” by Rev. John Flavel, published more than two hundred years ago, which, to my rnind, is so clear and comprehensive that it must be conclusive. For if, as he says, the two natures of the God-Man so ran into each other, and were so fused together that the humanijy could not suffer without the divinity participating in that suffering, it follows, as a necessity, that when the Man, the sen of Mary* was ihirsty, the eternal Logos, the second person in the triune God was thirsty ; and that when the humanity of the one was hungry—weary — exhausted of his strength— slept —the Divin ity, united to the humanity, though it was hypo statically as the school-men say, was huugry, weary, exhausted of his strength, and worst of all, slept. 1 repeat it: If the Divinity and the humanity of the God Man, Christ Jesus, were so mixed end so fused to gether in His person that the one could not suffer without the other participating in that suffering, it follows that the Divinity is liable to fall into any or all the above named states and conditions of imperfect human nature, which, to ray mind, is an impossibility, if not ap absurdity. But here is the extract: The two natures being thus united in the person of the Mediator, by virtue thereof, the properties of each nature are attributed to and do truly agree in the whole pewon ; so that it is proper to say, the Lord of was crucified, Ist Cor. 2:8; and the blood of God redeemed the church, Acts 20 :28; that Christ was both in heaven and on earth at the same time, John 8:13. Yet we do not believe that one nature doth transfuse or im- part its properties to the other, or that it is proper to say the Divine nature suffered, bled or died; or the human is omniscient', omnip otent, omnipresent; but that properties of both natures are so ascribed to the person, that it is proper to affirm any of them of him in the concrete, though not in the ab stract. The right understanding of this would greatly assist in teaching the true sense of the afore named and many other dark passages in the Scriptures.” Again. “Hence follows, as another excellent fruit of this union, the concourse and co operation of each nature in his mediatorial works ; for in them he acts according to both natures : the human nature doing what is human, namely, suffering, sweating, bleeding, dying; and his Divine nature stamping all these with infinite value; and so both sweetly concur unto one glorious work and design of mediation. Let all Christians rightly inform their minds of this truth, of so great moment in religion, and hold it fast against all subtle adversaries that would wrest it from them. The learned Hooker observes, that ihe divid ing of Christ's person, which is but one, and the confounding of His futures, which are two, has been the occasion of those errors which have so greatly disturbed ihe peace of the church. The Ariaiis deity, levelling Him with oilier created beings. The ApoUinaTi fans nlaimed His hunrUnjty. The Sabellians affirmed that the Father and Holy 'Ghost* were'.incarnated as well as the Si#n; aod -were forced upon that absurdity by another error; hamely, the defying fcfie three distinct persons in the Godhead,'and alfirming'they were lut three names. The Egitychians confounded both natures in Christ, denying any distinction of them. The Seleuffiaris affirmed that He unclofhed Himself of His humanity when He ascended, and has no human body in heaven. The Nestorians so rent the two names of Christ asunder, as to make two distinct persons of them. But ye beloved, have not so learned Christ. Ye know he is l,True and very God ; 2, True and very Man; 3, That these two natures make but one person, being united insepara bly ; 4, That they are not-confounded or swallowed up in one another, but remain still distinct in the person of Christ. Hold ye the sound words which cannot be condemned. Great things hang upon all these truths. O suffer not a stone to be loosened out of the foundation.” W. B. Stephens. Muscogee county, Ga. “Our Daily Bread.*’ A beggar boy stopped at a rich man’s door— n “I am houseless, and friendless, and faint, and poor, Said the beggar boy, as the tear-drop rolled Down his thin cheek blanched with want and cold. “ Ohl give me a crumb from your board to-day, To help the beggar-boy on his way.” “Not a crust, not a crumb,” the rich man said, “ Be off and work for your daily bread!” The rich man went to the parish church, His face grew grave as he trod the porch ; And the thronging poor, the untaught mass, Drew back to let the rich rcmmpass. The service began, the chorai hymn Arose and swelled through the long aisles dim ;. Thee the rich man knelt, and the words he said Were—“ Give us this day our daily bread!” Affection. Talk not of wasted affection; affection never was wasted; « If it enrich not ‘he heart of another, its waters, return ing Buck, to ihei’r springs, like the rain, shall fill tjiem full ot refreshment; f. ... i That which the fountain sends forth returns again to the fountain. Patience, accomplish thy labor, accomplish thy work of affection! Sorrow and silence are strong, and patient endurance is godlike. Therefore accomplish thy labor of love, till the heart is made godlike; Purified, strengthened, perfected, aDd made more wor thy of heaven! — Longfellow. Deferred Items. BAPTIST. Converts from Romanism. —The Baptist Tidings, giving an account of the labors of a converted Romanist, says : “This makes the fifth Baptist church organized from converted Roman Catholics by the labors of Mr. Dra roches since he came to Detroit, twelve years ago—two in Michigan, two in Ohio, and one in Canada.” m The Freedmen. —The Board of the Amer ican Baptist Home Mission Society is asking $>70,000 from the churches, for the education of colored preachers in the schools of the South. We hope it will receive that sum, and more. Calvinism. —The Second Baptist church, Philadelphia, “ has always had a high Cal vinistic tone, and some of its older members have been accustomed to regard the most of the Baptist churches in the city as hardly as sound in the faith as they might be. How ever, God has blessed that church at different times with gracious revivals, and during the last winter and spring a season of refreshing was enjoyed and more than sixty gathered in.” Muller. —Life-of-trust Muller neitherowns the Baptists of England, or elsewhere, as his brethren, nor do they acknowledge him or his institutions as theirs. He separated from them in 1832, as a Second Adventist. Open Communion. —The Christian Era, in a notice of a letter written from London by Mr. C. A. Richardson, managing editor of the Congregationalist, says: Os the practice of open communion- he does not give a very favorable account. “The communion,” he remarks, “is administered in the ‘lecture room’ every Sabbath at the close of the morning service. Mr. Spurgeon is an open communionist, and the invitation *as to ‘members of Christian churches.” Only about 300 persons were present. Ten dea cons officiated, and there was a seeming haste about the entire service, which was completed in twenty minutes.” Mr. Spurgeon has some 2,500 members in his church, open commun ion at that, and yet it seems that only 300 persons, outs and ins, attend the sapper. PBESBYTERIAN. Woman’s Rights. —Tli a Biblical Repertory says : “ If angels, in attempting to change the sphere of their activity, became demons, we shudder to think what women will become if the present effort should be successful. Fallen angels aie invisible, inaudible, and intangible. This, unhappily, will not be the case with transmuted women. When the change takes place, men will have to pray to be transfer red to another planet.” Against Revivals. The Examiner & Chronicle says: Two Presbyteries in Canada have pronounced revivals contrary to the Confession of Fhith. It is true, we suppose, that the Confession and Catechisms nowhere recognize conversion as a condition of church membership, and means to bring about con versions are not provided for or recognized in those “ standards.” Giving.— -The Old School General Assem bly enjoined the session of each church “to set in operation some plan by which the indi viduals of each congregation shall all be duly reached, and opportunity given to every per son to contribute to the Lord’s treasury ; and further, to provide that the children of the Sabbath schools be duly instructed In the duty and privilege of systematic giving to God’s cause, and opportunity be afforded them to contribute regularly.” WHOLE NO. 2458 Restricted Infant Baptism. —The South ern Presbyterian General Assembly, at its reoent session, Mobile, decided: “Itis an in fraction. of our standards for one of our min isters' to baptize the infant child of a parent, or the ward of a guardian standing in loco parentis, who has not professed personal faith in Christ, but who was baptized in infancy.’’ LUTHEBAN. Prayer Meetings. —A Pennsylvania Lu theran miuister was recently put op trial be fore his District Conference. His chief offence lay in the fact that he had hiding pro tracted and prayer meeting/ CONGREGATIONAL. A Novelty.- —A Congregational ohurch, in Eastern Massachusetts, not long since, deoided that the withholding of assent from certain points of doctrine, should not be a barrier to church membership, but should vacate the right to vote in it! Unitabjanism. —The English letter of the Christian Register (Unitarian) says: Save the Evangelical Magazine and Christian Wit ness, all the periodicals of English Congrega tionalism are in the hands of men who, if not altogether Unitarian, sympathize to a very large extent therewith. Temperance. —The following resolutions w»re adopted reoent ly- by th-*.old South church, Wo#detter,'Mastf.‘: That a Christian church cannot reasonably expect God’s bless ing while it ignores the temperance cause: That the manufacture, sale, or use of ale, strong# beer, lager beer, cider, wines, or intoxicating liquors of- any kind, as a bev erage, is unchristian, and cannot fail to bring reproach to our Zioiv EPISCOPAL. Trench, as a Speaker. —“ Keynote.” in the Examiner dt Chronicle , gives the follow ing aocount of Archbishop Trench, as heard in the debate on the Irish Disestablishment Bill, in the English House of Lords: Here is a man we will be glad to see and hear, but will never want to hear again. His delivery is absolutely horrible. The Lords leave one by one, or put their heads togeiher for a chat. The galleries snicker. For an hour the great J)r. Trench sing-songs on. It all sounds like a burlesque on the universal pulpit intonation of the English Church. The Archbishop, like the inebriate, would admirably answer the purpose of an “ example.” High Chttrchism. —According to Zion’s Herald, an Episcopal minister in Newfound land kindly offers to re-marry sli whom Wes leyan ministers shall “ have joined together,” and to baptize infants that “ unauthorized ipersous” have sprinkled. “Papists without the P.”—A stained glass window recently erected in an English ritualistic church represents Peter with a cardinal's scarlet cloak, a double croSs, and a Pope’s tiara. New Exegesis. —At the Maryland Diooe- • sail Convention, it was said, with the appa rent sympathy of a considerable number of High Churchmen, that when the Scriptures speak of Christians as kings and priests unto God, we are to understand by kings, bishops —and by priests, the clergy of “ the church !” METHODIST. Invocation of Saints. — At the recent Methpdist National Camp-Meeting, -during % season of great interest, while the congrega tion sang with fervor a familiar hymn, Rev. J. S. Inskip, with both hands raised, “ in voked the spirits of Wesley, Fletcher, and all the redeemed in heaven, to help them ac cept the truth in all its length and breadth.” That will do very well for a kind of Pinch beck Romanism. Subterfuge. —Certain Northern Methodist bishops, several months since, made proposi tions to the Southern Methodist bishops, look ing toward an ultimate union of the two bodies—which propositions were, from the necessity of the case, declined. The Zion's Herald , the organ of Northern Methodism at Boston, says: “The object of this advance of our bishops was probably to give our minis ters in that section an advantage in prosecu ting their work, showing larger catholicity on our part than on theirs.” i If this is true, what disgraceful hypoorisy ! ROMANIST. Pious Politics. Father Stanislaus, a French monk, ascribes the Irish Disestab lishment Bill, altogether to the influence of the Virgin Mary on Mr. Gladstone! Marriage. —The Catholic priest at Macki nac, declares that a marriage by a Justice of the Peace is no marriage at all; that parties so married are guilty of adultery, and that he will not allow them to come inside, of his church. He said to his congregation: “I will put them out with the dogs, where they belong.” And again : “A marriage outside of the church of Rome is spurious, and such parties are living in open adultery.” “ Liberal ” Romanism. —Father Hyacinth, of Paris, not long since said, amidst “ thun ders of applause :” “ There are three religions in this world, the Jewish, the Catholic, and the Protestant, and all three are equal in the eyes of God.” UNITARIAN. No Mediator.— One of the most intelli gent, cultivated and serious disciples of Uni tarianism, said recently : “As for myself, 1 need no Mediator between me and God. I have nothing to do with Him which I am not willing to do with Him face to faoe.” Doctrinal Laxity. A speaker at the American Unitarian Association said : “ We have buried the dead carcass ot theology, and mean to leave not even a head stone to mark its grave, and hejicefouth the sum and substance of our creed, our ritual and our catechism are ‘to go about doing good.”* That is—he will have the effect without the cause: he removes the foundation, and will go on building the house nevertheless. Progress (?) —The new President of Har vard University has signalized the beginning of bis administration by abolishing morning prayers. r BPIEITUALIST. Low Morals.— William B. Potter, M.D., who claims to be a Spiritualist of the orderly type, says : “ Rapping, table-tipping, writing, personating, healing, trance, speaking, seeing, hearing, and business mediums, are generally ‘a low class of people ,’ often the very dregs of society, and are generally controlled by a low, tricky, deceptive class of-spirits, whose companionship and magnetism tend to drag their mediums down to a still lower plane.” No wonder he says also: “ Where you find the most Spiritualism, there you will find the most individualism, which tends tdfUnitari* anism, UniversalLsui, scepticism, infidelity, domestic discord, divorces, fr.ee-love, Bloom i>rism, Vegetarianism, Fourierism, and Radi calism of every kind, good, bad and indiffer ent.” ■ • Immorality.—, The Religio Philosophical Journal, a Spiritualist authority, says: “In licentipusness we find *n out-cropping of the God-element in man. It seems somewhat difficult to attain the end desired, and to toake plain to all that vice may be virtue, and dis cord, harmony. •) We do say, however, that virtue is one condition, vice another, both equally commendable in the sight of God.’