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CHRISTIAN INDua AND SOUTH-WJ VOL 48-NO. 38. A RELIGIOUS AND FAMILY PAPER, PUBLISHED WEEKLY IST ATLANTA, GA TERMS.—CIubs of Four, (3100 each) per annum... 312.00 Club* of Throe. (?3.33 each) per annum... 10.00 Club* of Two, 13.50 each) per annum 7.00 Siusle Subscriber 4.00 J. J. TOON, Proprietor. The Scene of Calvary* Lo, darkness rules the present hour, This night appears infernal power; Behold the coming band; See, one disciple leads the van ; Another dares deny the Man, Nor does the strongest stand. One friend betrays—the rest have fled, JVus to Calvary is led— Nor is he led unbound; Elders, and priests and, people cry, Away! away! yea, let Him die! Though not a fault is found. Servants, rise up, and smite the Lord ; They mock Him with insulting word; Speak blasphemies aloud; Spit on llim, buffet, blind His eyes; And false accusers round Him rise, Sworn to persuade the crowd. Hail mystery sublime, unknown ! And only fathomed on the throne, Where Jesus reigns adored. Ob 1 may we count Thy pains as ours, And wake the soul’s impassioned powers, To praise and bless the Lord. John Barton Gii-bert. Protracted Meetings. Ii is not the object of the writer to elabo rate an argument upon this subject, but to present such views as may be suggestive to pastors and churches. A religious meeting grow ing out of the healthy spiritual condition of a church, is not the kind of meeting to which he refers. To such a meeting, it is not probable any one will object, if conducted judiciously and on gospel principles. To secure such a spiritual condition, the proper organization of the church is necessary. The pastor and other officials are in po sition, and in the regular and syste matic performance of their respective du ties. Added to this, every member is a regular “ soldier of the cross,” and has his or her respective duties to perform. The pastor is the executive and keeps this or ganization at work. Under such an adrninis t,ration we have reason to expect a continued outpouring of the Spirit of God, because it is the. legitimate use of the Divinely appointed means of grace. Such an organization, work ing in its legitimate sphere, never fails to reap a continued harvest of spiritual blessings. It is not. a protracted meeting that such a church propoees, buL it is a constant use of the means of grace, and a constant effort to pro mote “ daily growth in grace, and in the knowledge of the Lord.” The whole tenor of gospel teaching and apostolic example, points to a constant effort on the part of the church as a whole, and of the members indi vidually. It is compared to a “ race,” to a “ fight;” it is called a “ struggle,” for which we are to “ gird on the whole armor of God;” that we are “to work out our own salvation with fear and trembling.” It is needless to refer to passages, to show that the work of a Cnrist.iun church is a constant work, for such passages will rise unbidden by the score to the mind of every Bible reader. Nothing nvjw: is .tec. sburi . to allow that such an'Or ganization and such an administration of its affairs, are in accordance with Scriptural au thority and apostolic example ; and it is equally obvious that a different course is both uuscriptural and unapostolic. That there are examples of such working churches and working members in modern times, the reader need only refer to the churches under the administration of Spurgeon and his compeers ; and there are hundreds of chnrches this side of the Atlantic, to whom the “ Sun of Righteousness” never goes down. They have taken the gospel and the apostolic example as their guide, and hence they reap a constant harvest. I now wish to place in contrast with this, the operations of the system of protracted meetings, as general)y existing among our churches. Evens in this, 1 am happy to say, there are some noble exceptions. As usually practiced, a protracted meeting is agreed upon and appointed in each church, at sometime between the first of July and the last of September, annually. No question is asked as to tiie condition of the church, the spiritual condition of the several mem bers, their relation to each other, whether members are living up to their duties, etc.; indeed, nothing is considered but the time of the year. The time is appointed, the pastor comes with some “helps,” consisting of other pastors, whom he usually proposes to help in their turn. A series of sermons, with the usual religious exercises—first, appeals to tfie members to feel, and to pray, and to try to “get up” a revival; secondly, appeals to the unconverted ; then an invitation to the mourners’ seat. If any com *, they are ex horted by personal appeals, in the midst of singing by the congregation, to repentance and faith. This curriculum continues for a series of days, according to the length of time the members can from their business, and in some proportion to the physical en durance of the preachers. A greatei or less number, in the midst, of this excitement, pro fess con version and are baptized, the meeting adjourns, the people go home, and the preach ers congregate at some other church, t,o go through the same pound, until about the first of October, w hen.the protracted meeting season has passed, and other matters must now claim the attention of pastor and people for one more year. All must admit that this is a simple state ment of fads. Enough has been said to show that such a system is inconsistent with Scrip tural teaching and practice, though a volume might be written to unfold this fact in every conceivable light. I now propose to suggest some of the ten dencies of those periodical, spasmodic, cut and-dried protracted meetings. Let us con sider lh it* effects upon tile church members. They are taught by this practice, sustained as they are in their spiritual teachers, to re gard the Christian religion as a periodical affair. Practice teaches in defiance of precept. The pr< may occassionally talk to the contrary; But he is simple iudeed, if he supposes that an, occasional sermon can up root errors which all the practice of divines mas been so successfully implanting for a quarter of atcehtury. Trie members are sat isfied to maintain a moderately moral exterior through the year, provided they can manage to meet their pastors in a glow of religious enthusiasm in fodder pulling time. They are taught by this practice to recognize the leisure time of the year, or when all branches of business relax to some extent, as the time to get pious. As it is only through the in fluence of the active, growing church, in union witu their pastor, that the unconverted can be reached and brought to the Saviour, what church, whose light shines only for a days in the sacred period” be against tie strongholds his lhe way to keep our lamps i Our Saviour taught B place their candle on a candle- give light. This modern the candle under a bushel FRANKLIN PRINTING HOUSE, ATLANTA, GA., THURSDJ until “dog days,” when their Sirius appears to enlighten the world for a “ little season.” But I turn to its effects upon another class. A number of persons at these times, profess conversion, and are brought into the church. After they are baptized, the meeting adjourns, and these young converts, so far as the church and the pastors are concerned, are left to themselves. The “ big meeting,” and its ex citement belong to the past. No special intruc tion, no special prayer, either with or for them —no systematic plan of instruction, of watch care, or anything else, is ever talked of, oreven thought of. Experience, as well as Scripture, teaches that such young converts are young plants that require tender nursing. But we are taught by this periodical system practi cally, that faith is all that is required. This doctrine will do for the Campbellite, but not for the Baptist. The apostle teaches, “ add to your faith, virtue, and to virtue, know) edge, and to knowledge, temperance, and to temperance, patience, and to patience, godli ness, and to godliness, brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness, charity. For if these things be in you and abound, they make you thatye shall be neither barren nor unfruitful'' The reflecting mind often looks w r ith pain upon the truly awakened, at these times, in view of the confusion and jargon through which they must get the light to guide them to eternal life; and when a hopeful convert appears, it is melancholy to reflect through what spiritual darkness he must pass, unaided and untaught, by those very people who now, in a spasm of excitement, are manifesting such great interest in his spiritual welfare. Equal ly painful is it to reflect upon the members who ’re misled and deceived, and left either to be cold, indifferent members of the church through life, professing to have a name to live while dead, or to abandon their profes sion altogether. Alas! how fruitful a source of apostacy and infidelity, is this human ma chinery. It is needless to dwell upon the effect upon the people of world. To their minds, in their soberest moments, it is irrational and unscriptural; and the most valuable material are often driven off to Ritualism, Catholicism, indifference or infidelity. We turn, lastly and briefly, to its effect upon the pastors. It is painful to admit that pastors have been led, to s > great an extent, to ignore their pastoral duties, in their de pendence upon these annual outbursts, that thousands of church members, having grown up under this system, do not know' that a pas tor has any other duties to perform, but to preach. The holy, sacred influence of the pastor upon the individual members and upon the whole community, his pastoral visits, his attention to the sick, indeed, all the influences in the varied relation of pastor, are lost Contrast an active, spiritual, praying, work ing membership, having a qualified pastor in their lead, with a church led on by their elected pastor, who fires a blank cartridge oc casionally along during the year from his pulpit, and raises a little fox-fire in the fall, by way of variety. Let us follow the practical workings of this system. The pastors begin their annual work by preaching a sermon to their respective churches once or twice a month, (as agreed upon) ignoring alf other pastoral duties (ex cept to marry uncouple occasionally) until some time in May or June, wheu they coip mbt wrran results in an agreement to help one another carry on their protracted meetings. Accordingly, about the first of July, they, to a great extent, leave their churches, even without their preaching, to attend these meetings, proposing as a “ val uable consideration” to make up for lost time at the protracted meeting. This is illustrated in the ease of a stock-minder, who neglected to feed the stock for three months, proposing to crowd them with a surplus during the week succeeding. Or rather it is a moral improve ment drawn from medical science. In lieu of large and frequent drafts of a noxious drug, the chemist succeeds in extracting the essence of the article, and administers it in smaller and more agreeable doses. We may imagine the condition of a church and congregation upon w’hom such a meeting is precipitated. They have been irregular attendants upon his occasional preaching ; the Sunday school, if it has any existence, is in a dying condition ; the weekly or Sabbath prayer meeting is unknown ; pastoral visits are so utterly neglected, that such an inter view with a family would take all parties by surprise ; the pastor is never known to con verse, even with his members, upon any re ligious subject, except, perhaps, some contro versial point; the dissensions between church members, which, with Scriptural measures, might have been healed in an hour, are allow ed to rankle and fester in rememberance ; the celebration of the Lord's supper has prob ably not been attended to for a year or more, the direct command “ do this in remembrance of me,” is utterly ignored, the soul reviving influence of this holy ordinance is lost to the membership ; and such a church, living in neglect of known duties, living in the sight of the world in sin, shrouded in spiritual darkness and apostacy, with a pastor at their head who utterly disregards nearly all the duties of his pastorate, whose influence, as a pastor , is no more felt (because of duties un discharged) than if he had no existence; it is such a church that proposes to come forward an,l iu a blaze of excitement persuade others to forsake sin and come to Christ! Such a condition of things needs no comment. If this were an isolated case, there would be some relief. But every candid observer knows that this is generally the “ plan of operation,” in most churches who propose to live and flour ish on th* j se annual arousernents. It is painful, during the progress of these meetings, to read the multiplied accounts, heralded forth in our religious periodicals, of the number of conversions and baptisms, as the trophies of these unscriptural and irra tional proceedings: They trumpet to the world their successes; but do they ever bal ance the account by a subsequent recital of their losses, of the unsanctified material drawn into the churches, of the apostacy and infidel ity which results? This is a record which they cannot make out. Many of its most painful realities are concealed from human vision. But, alas! the day will come when “ the books will be opened.'' Tile idea is sug gestive. Let wise men be warned. It is needless to pursue the subject farther. A thousand evils suggest themselves to every reflecting mind. 1 entreat our ministers to look upon this matter, not in the spirit of controversy. Who could not write a plaus abie argument on the opposite side of this question? Who cannot prove, with pen and paper, that a horse-chestnut is a chestnut horse ? lam not aiming to draw you into a controversy. This matter concerns the dying souls of millions. I exhort you to investigate this subject in vour closets, and debate the matter with that God to whom you will soon have to render your final account. 1 exhort you, if >ou are an evangelist, to be an evangelist. If you accept the position of of pastor, with God’s help, be a p&stor. If God has called you to be a pastor, perform your vows. He does-not hold you respons ible for work outside of that which he has assigned you. Do not leave your own charge to attend district meetings, or union meetings, to discuss abstruse points of theology, which God has never revealed, and which he never intends you shall, in this life, know anything about. If in the discharge of your pastoral duties your people are in a healthful, spirit ul condition, actively engaged in their respec tive duties, a perpetual revival will grow out of your church. It will be “as a well of water springing up unto everlasting life.” And I will say to our churches, elect your pastor, and expect him to act as a pastor, and not as an evangelist. If your churcj) cannot employ a pastor, let it employ one who will simply preach. But if you need a pastor, (as you do) employ him as such, and expect him to organize the church for the great work which God has assigned to you. A. Layman. Baptist Consistency: What is it? Brother Editor : There are many things, more especially two or three, I am exceed ingly anxious to have settled. 1. Is there but one, or are there- many ways to serve Christ? 2. Is there one, oV are there divers baptisms? 3. Is there consistency in the general rule or rules governing the points raised in the above questions? 4. Is there such an organization as the church of the Lord Jesus Christ? 5. If yea, what is its composition, as to material? And how, or in what way is admission gained into it? So anxious am I know the exact requisi tions laid by Christ on His followers, that 1 entered into a solemn agreement with a Meth odist lady, of high culture and general pru deuce, to go with her, if she would show New Testament authoiity for any water baptism other than the baptism of believers. If she fails to find authority for baptizing infants, and the unconverted, then she is to come with me. And I will make this same bar gain with any Pedobaptist, whether Doctor of Divinity or otherwise. As Baptists, we say that the Church of Jesus Christ, according lo New Testament teaching, is composed of regenerated persons, baptized, voluntarily, upon a public profes sion of their faith in Christ, by one authorized to administer the ordinances of Christ and His Church. Now, do we believe as above stated, and do we practice what our faith de dares? Let us see. A member with us, for some reason, unites with a Pedobaptist church, and refuses to recant. Our rules charge him w>th heresy and exclude him from our fellowship, declaring him a heathen man and publican. His church at length ordains him to “ the gospel ministry,” and he seeks an opportune day to visit his old church and brethren. Now, what are they to do? What can they do? Why, as a matter of courtesy, the deacon suggests, “Invite him into the pul pit, that he may preach us a good sermon.” Now, brother Editor, what effect docs this church act nave upon the expulsive act ? Does it annul it, and thereby restore him ? or is he recognized as a member of both church es? Or does it simply raise an honorable way of getting out of the Baptist church? Or is it merely a rule of convenience? Will you explain our conduct, so tha twe and Pedo baptists can understand exactly what we do believe and mean by such practice? Again, we, as Baptists, believe immersion, and immersion only, Scriptural baptism. Now, please tel! us the difference between the excluded member and all Pedobaptists, so far as Scriptural rule and right is concerned, if ours is Scriptural and right ? Re simply adopted their views and practice, and that was enough to exclude him from the church, and brand him as a heathen and publican. As Baptists, we would not think of asking a regenerated man of the world to preach; in deed, I have never known one called upon to pray in public, or at the family altar. Yet our practice is to preach them and pray them when they visit us. Is our practice predica ted upon what we believe? or is its predicate deference to our good Pedobaptist neighbors ? I am anxious for the information sought. Is there such a thing as consistency taught in the word of God? and does it bind our con sciences, and will God hold us responsible for all departures? If Scripture teaches sprinkling and pouring as well as immersion, then we ought to practice its teachings. We ought not to hinder the progress of Christ’s kingdom by adhering to immersion alone, if other modes are taught. If others besides believers are entitled to places in the church, then is it our duty to bring them in? We ought not to oppose any of these things sim ply as Baptists, or as a convenience, or be cause we were raised in the faith. A creed is not sanctified simply by believing it, nei ther does God accept it because it apparently works and takes well with the masses. The Roman Catholic church, by her Popes and priests, claims the highest sanctity, and wields a tremendous sceptre of influence, not only in the old, but also in this new world of ours. Lastly, brother Editor, does the New Tes tament teach anything on the points raised ? Or, as Mr. Beecher says, is it silent? If my good Methodist sister brings for ward a “thus saith the Lord” for her prac tice, then 1 shall cease to be a Baptist, and will let my brethren know it. On the con trary, if she fails and comes to us, then all shall know it. B. L. Ross. Fort Valley , August 14 eh, ’69. We cannot answer the enquiries of our corres pondent at length—but will attempt to do so in outline. 1. There were no diversities of church-build ing in apostolic times. Those inspired men or ganized churches upon one model only. *3. In our own day, there is but a single class of churches conformed to this primitive model. These churches, if we rightly interpret the Scrip tures, are such as have been contra-distinguished from others by the name, “ Baptist,” because they, recognize no title to membership short of regen eration, in credible profession at least, with its symbolic exhibition through immersion into the name of the Trinity. 3. As this model is divine, it is, for that reason, authoritative, and must control the action of Bap tist churches, in the investiture of their members with the ministerial office. They cannot right fully place in that office such of their sons as by doctrine and practice depart from this model in any of its elements: for that would be, to em power them to assail and overthrow what is of divine appointment, in the name and with the sanctiou of the churches. And when a son of theirs commissioned to the ministry, embraces and persists in such practice and teaching, they must withdraw official position and ecclesiastical fellowship from him. 4. In thus absolving themselves from all re-* sponsibility for the errors of such a minister, Baptist churches do not pronounce hitn a “ pub lican,' 1 if free from charges of immorality, nor a “ heathen,” if he still holds those truths of Chris tianity which save the soul. Dr. Johnson argues, in “The Gospel Developed,” that in cases of an “honest difference of opinion,” if the life has been upright and the spirit Christian, “a disso lution of membership without censure may be allowed,” and suggests the addition of another column *o our statistical tables for the record of instances of that kind. But even those who hold giat censure should be inflicted in the customary forms of excommunication, must concede thaf this action docs not preclude confidence in the character of the exscinded minister, as a faith^l man—a believer in Christ (according to the vital sense of that term)—and one able to teach oth ers, ns regards the fundamental truths of revela tion. 5. A wordV&en, as to the consistency of per mitting a minister separated from the communion of a church uMer these circumstances, tp occupy its pulpit after connecting himself with another denomination :? (a case, by the way, scarcely more likely to occur than the admission of a regenerate man, from all denominations.) Assuming that he enters the pulpit, not to broach the questions on which he dissents from the faith of the church,‘but to confine himself within (he limits of the confidence which the church enter tained towaifffUim when he was cutoff, —this may be done without inconsistency, as regards Baptist princsj|bs, on two suppositions. First: If it be true that preaching is not an official act; in any such as being created for the office, or restricted tevit. Secondly: If there be, both in churchship fnd the ministry, a moral as well as a positive element —the former not shut up within the the latter, but capable of ex isting without i&.--and if when the church meets to worship, apa; t ’from the observance or the or dinances, and tt/fl minister appears before the peo ple to preach the Glad Tidings, omitting the points in dilute as to the primitive model of church building, they are, alike, acting within the sphere, not of tee positive in its rigorous limita tion to the lette-, but of the moral in its larger liberty of the spirit. These are suppositions on which our correspondent is abundantly able to pass judgment, f; himself; and we will only say that our mind bans to the latter. To conclude: The New Testa meg t is not silent on those of belief and practice which make up the peculiarities of Baptist churches. On the contri.ryGt is most full and explicit. As to the proper line of action toward other denomi nations, of course, it says nothing; for the canon of Scripture wa-B*closed before these denomina tions had come into existence, through departures from the apostolic model in matters of external order. Clearly, in this state of the case, the wiser (not to say safer) general rule , on the part of Baptists, is, to jdo their own work, in their their own way, and by their own men —following, in all things, the pathway oi the word, with sin gleness of eye, uijer the illuming of the Spirit. —Ed. Reverses. 0 When mirt’j is full and free, Some sudiiAa gloom shall be; When haughty power mounts high, The watcher’s axe is nigh ; AH growth has bound; when greatest found. It hastes to die. When the rich town that long * Has laiu its huts among, Uprears its pageants vast. And vaunts—it shall not last! Bright tints it at shine are but a sign Os summer past. And when * une eye surveys With fond i/Joriug gaze, And yearn.'g heart, thy friend— Love to its jrave doth tend ; All gifts befSTfsave truth, but grow Towan j.au end. — John, U«nry Ne'^nan. . ' 4 ¥ir>lit I used to hoar a good old preacher, gone to heaven long ago, preface his discourse, with painful confessions, damping and puzzling all about him, for we knew him to be a good man. Now, the effect of such tilings is that ailudod to in a passage of Macaulay, found in his review of Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s Progress. “ Mr. Ivimey calls him the depraved Banyan, and the wicked tinker of Elstow. Surely Mr. Ivimey ought to have been too familiar with the bitter accusations which the most pious people are in the habit of bring against themselves, to understand literally all the strong expressions which are to be found in Grace Abounding.” Confessions of a griev ous character are often heard in prayer meet ing talks, and especially in the prayers made on those occasions. The effect is merely damping and depressing. We know the text of these things : “Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed.” But the meaning is, rather, do so privately, in the case of personal griev ances. There may he occasions for public confession, but not often. Even these, for the most part, ought to he general. I will append a couple of anecdotes, one of them, perhaps, invented, and leave whom it may concern to make tiie application. The first is a story of a class meeting. A brother had been quite ingenuous and profuse of confessions not greatly to his credit. The next brother that rose, expressed his gratifi cation at the heartiness and fullness of the expose, and added he could hear testimony that it was all nothing but tiie truth. Whereupon brother number one whispered huskily, “ I’ll thrash vou for that, when we get out of this place!” The other story is retd, as reported to me by one who was on t in; spot. An old preacher had labored with a cohi-ntai ted church two years without apparent fruit. Fie became distressed —proposed a protracted meeting as a resource. The brethren obstinately insist ed the circumstances did not invite it—any thing else. They could not be persuaded to make preparations. But the old man went on. Announced a day to begin a brush arbor. On the day appointed no one came to assist. However, the old man having two strong, well grown sons/and a wagon and male ser vant, began the work. The labor proceeded several days, and was nearly completed, when the members of the church, stirred up with the old preacher’s earnestness, began to drop in, one by one, to apologize and assist. But the old man said to them, sternly, “ Don’t come to me and tell me how mean you are— I know all about it. Go off into the woods and t<;)l God and so would not hear a word. The day for preaching to commence arrived. The people turned out en mafse. The Spirit of the Lord clothed Ilia servants with power, a great revival commenced, and forty were added to the church, sthe sequel is sad. The body, now grown numerous and “re spectable,” turued.out the old rnau and called a learned and eloqui-nt man. There is an •old adage, Let well enough al >ne. But 1 have.,transcended my text. Qui Vive. Learn to Wait. —Of all the lessons that humanity has to learn in life’s school, the hardest is to learn to wait. Not to wait with the folded hands that claim life’s prizes without previous eflbrls, but, having struggled and crowded the slow years with trial, see no such result as effort seems to warrant —pay, per haps, disaster instead. To stand firm’at such a crisis of existence, to preserve one’s self poise and self-respect, not to lose hold or to relax efforts, this is greatness, whethe? achieved by man or woman, whether the eye of the world notes it, or it is recorded in that book which the light of eternity shall alone make clear to he vision Carnal Enmitt. —Lady Byron oQce said significantly to a friend* who spoke of some causeless dislike in another: “My dear, I have known people to be hated for no-other reason than because they impersonated conscience.’* Reply Protracti-d Ju-lM y ply. I shall nnHHH <• :ss, at ihte t.ime.VH|| particles. It. particles in such ill*- .-ii s id*- ration. Liddell & Scott rious uses of kai haHH plained. Their lirstH’j words and sentences]** clitic te ans wci\- to qu^Kk a speech, kai must before, which it lakes Hj is used after English letters for tH| likewise after an is “ iisej after its «’j to connect the loose of nut* I dred. The same authors rem a conjunctive particle, ua to the fact, that the worqi it stands is to be elistinaU preceding; and UstuLfl. or adversative ! hiv-*j| .■.-•{.>*t-i;ilv in^H Jig , . "It ;y J*' “ I A - I-* ’ ~f BHB w 4.,2jNram| dialogues.A*?@¥aMߧ| the 19th c^B between ,MS - jjiS^H In tur; cnee t<> /^B Wj ill ust rate 'ffl^|a B|| '. ; ,'\ m m .is' ■’''./-iv;'-’’ l| -■ *■. ’’.^'■j-j in bir;sdlil, alternately, beginning of each speech. this remark. In the conversation of Jesus and Zaccheus, ihe narrative is continuous (with ini) until Zaccheus speaks, in the Bth verse, and then de is used. It (de) is used again when Jesus re plies to Zaccheus. (Luke Bth chapter.) In the conversation between Jesus and the ruler, Luke xviii, 18, “And (de) Jesus said to him,” “And (de) le said,” “And (de) Jesus, hear ing it, said.” Examine, also, Luke xvi, 24 ; Luke xv, 27; Matt, xii, 1; Matt xiv, 15; also verse 27 ; Matt, xv, 23, etc., etc, Apply this same rule to Acts xix. It is a conversa tion between Paul and the disciples, and r. u < ; TANARUS! —^.’a-,-..,, determines the connection of the thoughts of any one discourse. The writer (Luke) is the speaker in opening the chapter, and closes his first remark with the words, “he said to them.” Paul now speaks, and simply asks a question, “Did ye receive the Holy Spirit when ye believed?” De now marks the be ginning of the answer of the disciples. Then te , equivalent to de, designates Paul. De then points out the disciples. Then de brings in Paul. Then de, at the beginning of the 6th verse, designates Luke as speaker, “And when they heard this, they were immersed in the name of the Lord Jesus.” The, conclusion is clear, to my mind, that Paul does not utter the 6th verse. It is, be yond all question, tire language of Luke. I would remind brother Cooper that I am not discussing classic Greek. The New Tes tament is not written in such. Neither am 1 discussing the uses of kui, de and te when combined in meaning with other particles, as qe, men. gar, ei, and others. G. T. WILBURN. Forgiveness. Night. Imd spread her dark curtain round me, as I sat watching the gathering storm. Nearer, nearer comes the rushing whirlwind —the mighty monarchs of the forest bend tiieir heads before the blast—the house is shaken to its foundations—all nature trem bles; but what is this ? My soul, that has be fore, in the’ midst of tempests exulted its mighty King— fears? Before—the rolling of Ilis chariot wheels, the lightning of Ilis glance has called forth awe and adoration at the glory of His power. Now I can see but the onward rushing of an offended, avenging God. Why is it ? Why do I tremble at the ap proach of my King'? Adam feared and hid himself at ’the voicetif God because he had obeyed the suggestions of the Evil One. 1 harbor an enemy in God’s temple; one has injured me, and I cherish resentment. Now the unholy feeling looms up before me in all its deformity, and beneath the searching eye of God I sink in fear. “ Forgive,” whispers the voice within. “I have done her no wrong; she has with out cause injured me; I justly feel angry,” answers inclination. “That is naught, and you Aim done wrong to her, to your own soul, and to God, by hard and unforgiving thoughts. Forgive!” “ I am willing to do what I can for her; I have not, nor will t treat her otherwise than kindly, but she has not, in word or deed, manifested any regret for her treatment of me. Why should 1 forgive?” “‘Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive them that trespass against us’ Can you pray thus? You dare not, and call down on your soul the curse that you cherish in your heart; but ‘if ye forgive not, neither will your Heavenly Father forgive you.’” Thus with heavy lashings does conscience punish the sinning soul, and for all its shrinking she stays not her hand. “But hark! ‘My Father!’ Oh, now the spirit melts within me.' Am I not acting rather as a child of Satan than of God ? My Father, I yield, I forgive ! Oh, forgive me !” “If ye love me keep my commandments.” “ Lord, what wouldst Thou have me do?” “ First, be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift.” The struggle is ended, and now 1 bear a kiss of peace to the one who has injured me. “ Why do you kiss me? because I am wick ed?” “No; because 1 am.” So, by words of love is reconciliation made complete, and with God’s peace in my soul, 1 go again to watch the storm. Now is no f«Ajr t but with joy 1 witness the triumph of His power. “ Love casteth out fear, but fear hath torment.” How often do we suffer because love is not in us perfected, and how jamall an object qf earth do we permit to mde from us our Father’s face? “If we love not our brother whom we have sehu, how shall we love God whom we have not seen?” “ Wherefore let him that loveth God love his brother also.” So shall wo be Sis disciples. Augusta. unit.tion of His example, whenever the spirit of strife and contention as to which shall be greatest in the church is manifest, just come together and wash each other's feet.” He holds it, then, not a stated religious ordinance as a part of our religious wqjrship, but a spe cial command of an exceptional character. EPISCOPAL. Fuee Sittings in CiiUßCif.—Bishop Little john rejoices that there are five churches in his diocese, Long Island, with free seats. He argues for this plan on the ground that “ one *of the loudest notes'announcing that the Messiah had come into the word was that to the tmor the goswL.Mitj.% preached ; and what Vverclni i est *s‘lTn tus door against the poor, whether by design or as the result of its sys tem, is a tree already smitten with the cause of death, and ready only to be cut down as cumbering the ground.” Powder. The renowned Ritualist of Brighton, Eng., Rev. Mr. Purchas, has intro duced into his church, the ceremony of “rub bing black powder on the members of the congregation.” ROMANIST. Spain.— The London Christian World says : “ Upon the very spot where lie the re mains of 36,000 of our fellow-creatures who suffered martyrdom during the time of the Spanish Inquisition, and which has lately been excavated, stands the man of faith with the Bible in his hands, and offers one of the Gos pels of the New Testament for half a penny.” Priestly Arrogance —“A Berlin court has fined a Roman Catholic priest heavily for having, while performing the marriage cere mony, boxed the bride’s ears.” The Jesuits. —There were 4,138 members of this order in 1854; now there are 8,554. The Virgin Mary. —Tne Romanists of Burlington, Vt., have elected the Virgin Mary as the patron of the city ; the choice has been confirmed by the Pope; and Burlington is henceforth to be known as the City of the Mother of God. Sorcery. —An old woman from Benevento has been cast into prison at Rome as a sor ceress, and will be immediately prosecuted for magic. UNITARIAN. Bridging the Gulf. Offended by the style of the Zion's Herald (Meth *dist) in speaking of the “intense anti-Christianity” of Harvard University, (Unitarian,) the Christian Register savs : “ It is several years since Unitarians have been denounced as Ue ists, or their best men compared to Judas Iscariot. In fact, Orthodox men have frank ly exchanged civilities with Unitarians. Bow doin; College has recently given a degree of D.D. to HoratioStebbins; Colby has invited Mr. Alger to deliver an oration; one of the most popular of the Orthodox writers, the author of ‘The Philosophy of the Plan of Salvation,’ has just dedicated a religious wot k to a Uniiarian minister. Dr. Bellows, Dr. Hedge, Andrew Preston Peabody, have been welcomed into many Orthodox churches. Dr. Gannett has just been invited to meet with an association of Or%>dox ministers in Milwaukee. The long-expected era of good feeling seemed indeed to haee arrived.” DISCIPLE (“CAMPBELLITE”). Baptismal Remission.—A writer in the American Christian Review argues that Bap tist immersion is not valid gospel baptism, because it does not convey remission. He says: “ If 1 have been correctly taught, man cannot believe the gospel until he understands it; he may understand it and not believe it; but to-believe it, and at the same time not understood it, is something I do not under stand. Then' for us to claim remission for what we did in the Baptist church, before we understand the gospel, is something that 1 cannot receive. 1 think it right in all cases to rebaptizo all that have not obeyed accord ing to order and knowledge.” SPIRITUALIST. Explanatory. —A Spiritualist, whose name “carries great weight, ’ to explain the phe nomena of spiritualism, says that the “ mys terious rappings proceed from the sub de rangement and hyper-effervescence of small conical glandular bodies situated heterogene ously in the rotundusof the inferior acephalo cysts; which, by coming in unconscious con tact with the etherization of the five superior processes of the dorsal vertebrae, also result in ‘tipping,’ by giving rise to spontaneous combustions with certain abnormal evacua tions of multitudinous echinorhyncus bicornis, situated in various abdominabls orifices. The raps occur from the ebullitions of the former in certain temperamental structures; and the thieves anu receivers of stoiß^BHl # PmjßiT Themes. —The Chicago correspon dent of the Christian Observer says: Last Sabbath, on one side of Wabash Avenue, in a dancing acaderijy*.saloon, Balch, the Free Religious hierophant, held one of his instruct ive “ conversations” on Dree Trade. On the other side of the street, Evarts, the embass ador of Christ, was discussing “ The Religious Uses of Travel.” With a large body of sin ners before him, many of whom might never be in a church again, he gave a sort of cyclo paedic abstract of the wonders of the sea. He discussed currents, and tides, and rivers, and fishes and light. andjih.ade ,Tq the server, where wai the difference between the two teachers? There was Free Trade— without Christ —and “Religious Uses of Travel,” with a few moral reflections, which Balch or Frothingham would append. Tho world wants something very directly opposite to itself, to startle it into conviction —and the Gospel of Christ is just that opposite thing which can rouse it to a sense of the real sit uation. Our Colleges. —At the recent meeting of the Philological Association, at Poughkeepsie, N.Y., President M’Cosh, of Princeton, stated that he was “ prepared, from a pretty exten sive acquaintance with the Universities of Great Britain, and with some of those on the Continent, to say that the average attainments of College graduates here and there are about equal.” • Unhealthy- Taste.— -A newspaper quotes President Finney, as saying, in a prayer : « O Lord! we so abominate ourselves that we could spit in our own faces and kick our selves into hell.” Woman. —The ladies of a Congregational church recently prevented the choice of a minister as pastor, because, preaohing as a candidate, he was “so unfortunate and short sighted” as to utter the following statement: “ when women become degraded through sin, they suffer less from remorse aud compuno tion of conscience, than men.” The Conyre gationalist thereupon says: “Had these ‘ladies’ enlightened their minds by a little study of the Amazonian denizens of the Five Points, and North Street, and reflected upon the proverb that ‘ the sweetest wine makes the sourest vinegar,’ they might nave been saved from any folly like that here reported, if indeed it occurred —which we vin much, doubt. We do not believe the ladies of the beautiful town referred to, are prepared to vo.e down the equator, or array themselves against any of the stubborn facts, either of life or revelation.” We incline to side with the ladies in this matter. Dress and Credit. —“ The New Bedford Standard says, a lady in that city recently appeared in church neatly dressed in calico, and concludes that it would not be dangerous to lend the husband of such a woman money.” A Bad Sign. —The Watchman and Re flector says: One certain Sabba'h at a “ watering-place,” among forty church mem bers one Bible was found ; a little text that preaches its own sermon. J> The Pulpit and the Bar. —Set a barrister to expound an act of parliament eighteen hun dred years old; let him address the jury upon it twice every week in the year; let each juror pay five shillings a quarter for a seat in the jury box ; let the barrister call upon the jury tor a monthly collection to enable other bar risters to expound the same act of parliament to other juries; when the court room falls out of repair let the jury be called upon to pay for its restoration; and when the barris ter has thus put himself upon an outside equality with the minister, let him have five years’ work, then five more, let him double the ten and add five, and then we shall see how he compares for freshness, variety, and power with a pains-taking minister of Jesus Ohrist. — Canadian Baptist. Prating for a Pastor. —Not many years since, a certain Vermont church was in need of a pastor. One Sabbath, the minister sup plying the pulpit, well known for his eccentric turn of mind, prayed for a “ man from the Lord,” in this fashion: “Send us not an old man in his dotage, nor a young man iu his goslinghood, but a man with all the modem i improvements." A Pretence of Popularity. —lt is said top be a common practice in Paris to hire pooA people to attend the fashionable churches, so that the preachers may say that they always have crowded houses. Two or three sous pay for a worshipper.