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About Christian index and South-western Baptist. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1866-1871 | View Entire Issue (Nov. 3, 1870)
CHRISTIAN INDEX AND SOUTH-WESTERN BAPTIST. /OL 49-NO. 48. {s3 00 A YEAR.} \ RELIGIOUS AND FAMILY PAPER, f’CJBIiISKED WEEKLY IN ATLANTA, OA AT $3.00 PEE ANNUM, Invariablv in Advance. f, J. TOON", Proprietor. Jerusalem My Happy Home. e A few verses of this hymn, modernized, are familiar to most persons, but the complete poemie little known. It was composed by a prisoner in the tower of London, during a time of religious persecution. The original manuscript, signed “F. It. 8.,” >8 now in the British Museum. Hierusalem, my bappie home! When shall I come to thee? When shall my sorrows have an end ? Tby joys when shall I see? 0 bappie harbor of the saints! 0 sweete and pleasant soyle! In thee noe sorrow may be found, Noe grief, noe care, ooe toyle. In thee noe sickness may be seene, Noe hurt, noe ache, no sore; There is noe death, nor ugly dole, But Life for evermore. Noe dampish mist is seene in thee, Noe colde nor darksome night; There everie soul shines as the sun , There God himselfe gives light. There lust aud lucre cannot dwell; There envy bears no sway ; There is noe hunger, heate, nor colde, * But pleasure everie way. Uierusalem! Hierusalem! God grant I once may see The endless joys, and of the same Partaker aye may be! r Thy walls are made of precious stones; v Thy bulwarks diamonds square; Th v gates are of right orient pearle, Exceedinge rich and rare. Thy turretes and thy pinnacles With carbuncles doe shine; Thy verrie streetes are payed with gould, fcSurpassinge cleare and fine. Tby houses are of yvorie, Thy windows crystal cleare; Thy tyles are made of beaten gould Ob God, that I wore there! Within thy gates doth nothings come That is not passinge cleane; Noe spider’s web, noe dirt, noe dust, Noe flltbe may there be seene. Ah! my sweet home, Hierusalem, Would God I were in thee! Would God my woes were at an end, Thy joys that I might see! Thy saints are crowned with glorie great, r l hey see God face to face; They triumph still, they still rejoice; Most happie is their case. We that are here in banishment Continually doe moane; We sigh and sobbe, we weepe and waile, Perpetuallie we groane. Our sweete is mixed with bitter gaule, Our pleasure is but paine; Our joyes scarce last the looking on, Our sorrows still remaine. But there they lire in such delight, Such pleasure aud such play, As that to them a thousand yeares Doth seeme as yesterday. Thv vineyardes and thy orchardes are Most beautiful aud faire: Full furnished with trees and fruits, Exceedinge riche and rare. There cinnamon, there sugar grow, There narde and balme abound : What tongue can telle, or heart containe, The joys that there are found ? Quyt through the streetes, with silver sound, The flood of life doth flowe; Upon whose baukes, on every syde, The wood of life doth growe. There trees for evermore bear fruite, . And evermore doe springe ; There evermore the angels sit, And evermore do singe. Hierusalem, my happie home, Would God I were in thee! Would God my woes were at an end, Thy joys that I might see! Obsequies in honor of General Lee, at Mer cer University. When the tidings of that death which has called forth the grief of a whole people, reached Pen field a desire was felt, both by the Faculty and the students of the University, to give expression, at once, to their own feelings of bereavement and sorrow. The exercises of the University were therefore suspended for the day; and a more pub lic and solemn expression of the general grief was deferred, until the return of the President, who happened to be absent, in the discharge of official business. Immediately after the announcement of the suspension of the usual exercises, the stu dents assembled in the chapel, and the following resolutions of sorrow, and of condolence with the students of Washington College, were adopted: Whereas, Whenever it pleases Almighty God to remove from earth a great and good man, it is natural and becoming that those whom the dis pensation touches most nearly should grieve, even while they submit to the Divine will; and where as, it is their duty, also, to acknowledge the worth of such an example, and to honor it by a reverent and loving recollection; therefore be it Resolved, That we, the students of Mercer University, have heard, with profound sorrow, of the death of General Robert E. Lee; and that, as Southern boys, we mingle our tears with those of the bereaved South, over the illustrious Defender of the “ Lost Cause.” Resolved, That in the death of General Lee, the world has lost one of the grandest examples of patriotic devotion and exalted heroism, and one of t;e most beautiful examples of private virtue, ever displayed before the eyes of men. Resolved' That the cause of Southern education has lost in the death of General Lee, one of its ablest and most distinguished supporters; and that we recognize, in the position which he held as presiding officer of a sister College, an addi tional reason for our sorrow at his death. Resolved, That we hereby offer to the students of Washington College, our fraternal sympathy and condolence for the death of their great and good President, in whom they have lost both a Teacher and a Model, and to whose memory both they and we owe a lasting debt of reverence and love. Resolved, That we will wear the usual badge of mourning, for thirty days. Resolved, That a copy of these resolutions be sent to the students of Washington College. John J. Brantly, Jr, ) F. T upper, C A George, 1 committee. W. W. Arnold, j J. W. Cain, L. G. Render, J On the return of the President, the chapel pul. pit was at once clothed with the emblems of mourning, skillful lingers, prompted by the sym pathies of full hearts, and guided by a refined taste, arranged, in graceful folds, the ample drape ry, which completely covered and concealed the pulpit. In pleasing contrast with the sombre hue of the covering, bows and flowing ends of white material were placed, at such points and inter vals, as to relieve the whole drapery of any ap pearance of heaviness, and to assist the eye in following the outlines of the suspended portions. A beautiful wreath of natural immortelles , placed in the centre, completed the contrast of hue, and supplied one of symbol, also. A meeting of the Faculty was then called, at which the following resolutions were adopted: Whereas, When it pleases Almighty God to remove from the world a man of exalted character and distinguished usefulness, it is the duty of those upon whom the loss has fallen, gratefully to acknowledge the Divine goodness in having fa vored them with so rare an example of human excellence, and humbly and devoutly to acquiesce in its withdrawal; therefore Resolved, That in having bestowed upon the world such a man as General Robert E. Lee, in whom were united the grandest qualities of hu man character, God has conferred a signal bless ing upon mankind ; and that we thankfully adore the providence which gave him to the South, as its leader and bulwark in the hour of peril; as an example of fortitude and dignified submission, in ' the time of failure and adversity; and as a pat tern of gentler virtues and Christian grace, in the I walks of private life. Resolved, That the death of General Robert E. Lee has affected us with the sorrow which a sense of personal bereavement excites; and that we mourn for him, as children for a father. Resolved , That we hereby tender to the Facul ty of Washington College our warmest sympathy in the irreparable loss which they have sustained by the death of their illustrious presiding officer. Resolved , That, on Tuesday, the 18th inst., the regular exercises of this University be suspended, and that the day be consecrated to the memory of General Robert E. Lee; that, at 10J- o’clock, on that day, funeral obsequies be observed in the College chapel, and that the bell be tolled, as an expression of public grief, from 12 o’clock, noon, to sunset. Resolved , That as a further token of respect to the memory of the glorious and lamented Dead, we will bear the usual badge of mourning, and that the chapel pulpit shall continue clothed in mourning, for the remainder of the present term. Resolved, That the Secretary be instructed to send a copy of these resolutions to the Faculty at Washington College. In accordance with the resolution, consecrating Tuesday, the 18th instant, to the memory of Gen. Lee, and providing for commemorative services, the Faculty, the students and the citizens assem bled in the chapel, at 10J o’clock, on that day, when, after a solemn requiem, sung by the choir, and reading of the Scriptures by Rev. Dr. Brantly, Prof, of Belles Lettres, a discourse, commemora tive of the life and character of Gen. Lee, was de livered by Rev. Dr. Tucker, President of the Uni versity. The distinguished speaker prefaced his remarks by saying, that if it should be objected that it was unbecoming and improper for a minister of the Gospel of Peace to speak in terms of praise of a soldier —of one who had become renowned as a man of war, —he would justify himself, from the commission under which he exercised his minis terial office, lie would read from the Sacred Ora cles, two narratives, in which it would be seen that the very highest eulogiutn had been pro nounced upon two soldiers —in one case by Him who “ spake as never man spake,” and in the other, by one of the inspired historians. lie then read the account of our Lord’s interview with the Centurion, in the Bth chapter of Matthew, and the account respecting the Centurion Cornelius, in the 10th chapter of the Acts. He then spoke of Gen. Lee as a soldier, giving him the very highest rank among the greatest captains of the world; and said, that if Gen. Lee had been a sol dier only, however distinguished, this was not the place to speak of him in that connection. But he was more than the greatest soldier of this or of any age ; and then went on to speak of the exalted traits of character which distinguished General Lee, and dwelt upon the fact, that these were crowned and made glorious by the lowly graces of the Christian. But Ido not propose to give an analysis, even, of the discourse, much less to re port it at length. It is sufficient to say that il was thoughtful, earnest, patriotic, and thoroughly ap preciative of the character of General Lee, and was delivered with more than the speaker’s usual force and impressiveness. After the discourse, prayer was offered by Dr. Brantly, then a requiem was sung by the choir ; after which, the benediction was pronounced, and, in a few minutes, the chapel bell began its solemn tolling, which was continued, at intervals of one minute, until sunset. This was not the least im pressive part of the solemnities of the day; and few persons could have heard those measured and mournful tones without being subdued into sym pathy with the spirit of the occasion. “ Os all sounds of all bells,” says Charles Lamb, “ most solemn and touching is the peal which rings out the Old Year.” But yet more “solemn and touching” is the knell which announces the departure of an immortal spirit from the scene of its brief sojourn on earth to the shores of eter nity. Few persons are so thoughtful—few yield themselves so readily to the influences which turn the current of thought and feeling back upon the past, as to hear in “ the peal which rings out the Old Year,” as Lamb did, a summons “to the gath ering -up of the mind to a concentration of ail the images which have been diffused over the past twelvemonth —all I have done or suffered, per formed or neglected, in that regretted tune.” To most persons, that “ solemn peal” is exhilarating rather than subduing; inspires gaiety, rather than “ tender regrets" and serious rnusings, and sends the mind forward to dwell, in pleased contempla tion, upon the brighter prospects which hope spreads out before it. But in the sounds of tfie tolling bell, there is a power, not easily resisted, which awakes the thoughtless to reflection ; a voice, not easily disregarded, which summons the careless spirit to look back with earnest scrutiny upon the past, and to contemplate the solemn fu ture. They tell us, not merely that a certain por tion of the time, which shall begin afresh on the morrow, has passed away; they mark, not merely one more stage in a current which is still flowing; but they tell of time which has come to an ever lasting end; of a current which has ceased its flow forever; and there is no lightest sound of hope in them. They proclaim that a life like ours has closed upon earth ; that one around whom were the same temporal interests, hopes, and com forts—the same sweet and endearing connex ions as those which now surround us, has left them forever. The most careless ear is arrested; and however thoughtless we may be, for a time at least, we are compelled to give place to solemn reflections; our minds are turned away from the living scene around us to contemplate death and its dread issues. Always affecting, under whatever circumstances it may be heard, there is a peculiar power in the sound of the tolling bell, when heard, at this au tumnal season, amid the scenes of nature. At this “ melancholy season of the year,” the signs of de cay and death are all around us. Nature, in obe dience to the Divine voice, is crying to us, “ All flesh is grass, and all the goodiiness thereof is as the flower of the field : the grass withereth, the flower fadeth, because the Spirit of the Lord blow eth upon it. Surely the people is grass.” Every chilling wind that moans through the waning wood, whispers this lesson; every wandering stream,choked with the relics offormer luuxriance and beauty, proclaims it in melancholy murmurs; and it is painted in sombre hues on every part of the landscane. And as we tread the paths of the fading groves, where rustling heaps of fallen leaves speak of that mysterious passing away which is the doom of every mortal, the mournful tones of the tolling bell fall upon the ear, and enforce the lessons of Nature, in her decay, with a touching, soul-subduing pathos, which not even the most obdurate can resist. But if the tolling bell speaks only of death, — if there is no voice of hope in its iron tones, — this is not the only lesson which this fading, dying Nature teaches: in her voice there is hope. Even in her decay and death, she speaks to us of “ the things that are unseen,” and that die not. It is in hope, in confidence, that she commits to the bosom of the faithful earth, and to the kindly in fluences of the unchanging heavens, her vernal germs—the dying trust of plant and tree ; and in doing so, she teaches us that just as her living forms pass, through death, to anew and more vigorous life, so it is only through the same pro cess of decay and death that the perishable forms of humanity can “ put on incorruption” and the life eternal. Lucretius. “ Free Religion.” —E. C. Towne has start ed in Chicago a monthly, the Examiner, to advocate what he styles “ Christianity with out Christisin.” His definition of his pur pose includes these two points : “ To root up the theological heathenism—total depravity, divine wrath, damnation, and blood atone ment, which choke Christian truth and ortho dox teaching. To expel from true Christian religion every form of Jesuism, or regard for Jesus as more than a mere man, and all Bib lioiatry, or regard for the Bible as more than a collection of mere humau writings.” Ministerial Delusion. —That minister is under a great delusion who thinks that he ought to do all the work himself. His great work is to set the church at work. His ser mons, his conversations, his parish plans, should all look with a steady purpose in that direction. The English Bishops. —A correspondent of the Church Record says that “ the learned Bishops are not sound, and the sound Bishops are not learned,” FRANKLIN PRINTING HOUSE, ATLANTA, GA., THURSDAY, NOV EMBER 8, 1870. Is3oo A YEAR.} Circular Letter. To the Churches of Stone Mountain Associa tion : Your Association, at its late session, was requested, by one of the churches, to “ re commend some plan of systematic benefi cence;” and having considered the matter, recommended that the Envelope System be adopted by the churches. The Association further resolved, “ that the Moderator be in structed to address a Circular Letter to the churches, [through the Index and Baptist,] urging the adoption of tl/e proposed plan.” In performing this duty, 1 will call your attention, Ist, to the fact that the Scriptures plainly and forcibly enjoin the duty of giving to the support of Gud’s cause, —of giving statedly, and in proportion to our ability. Vide Ephs. iv: 28; II Cor. ix: 5 —12; Prov. xxviii: 27; 1 Pet. iv: 11; Acts xx: 35; Prov. xix: 17. To the truths taught in these texts, and others of like import, I affec tionately and earnestly invite your attention. Is it not important that we follow some plan —the best one that we can devise—that the work of “ bringing in the tithes ” may go forward steadily, uniformly, systematically ; that our prayers and our alms may, together, go up before the Lord? Aye, is it not time that we look upon giving, and love it as an act of worship, and make haste to offer to the Lord the first fruits of all our increase ? But to the plan : To the lack of some system in giving, the smallness of our contributions is, no doubt, in great measure, to be attributed. The Envelope System is simply carrying out the plan set forth in 1 Cor. xvi: 1,2. The details of the plan as worked elsewhere, may be briefly stated. A package of envel ops, 52 in a package, is provided for each con tributor. Each envelope has printed upon it the name of the church and general objects of contributions. Each one is dated so a3 to correspond with the 52 Lord’s days in the year, is numbered, and has a place for the contributor's name. Each contributor enclo ses his or her weekly offering, specifying, if desirable, the particular object for which the contribution is intended, and hands over, at the appointed time, to the appointed receiver, the sealed envelope. The Church Treasurer, in a suitable book, keeps a correct record of contributors and their offerings. The dea cons, with the pastor, form a Disbursing Com mittee, appropriating the funds according to their discretion, or order of the church, as may be determined. Collectors may be ap pointed, to aid deacons in gathering up arrears from delinquents. In specially recommending this plan, 1 may say, it has been a success wherever it has been tried, among various denominations of Christians. Again, it commends itself, in that it con templates srnalloffenngs, frequently, and while the yearly aggregate may be considerable, the amount is paid with little trouble; far easier than to pay all at once, or in quarterly installments. It seeks a contribution from all the worshippers, and on every Lord’s day. It leaves the matter of giving wholly with the individual and his God, at the time of ac tual offering. It secures, as well as any plan, secrecy— no one seeing or knowing what his neighbor gives. It reminds oue every Lord’s day*, to put something into the Lord’s treasury, which re minder we all need. It dispenses entirely with agents, special high-pressure efforts; it appeals for money in behalf of the benevolent enterprises of the denomination, and lastly, it has, as I have already said, from experience, proved to work well, and accomplish more in raising funds for missions, the poor, and other interests of the church, than any other plan. It must be borne in mind, however, that no plan will work of itself. To be success ful, it must be diligently attended to and kept at work. To you, brethren of Stone Moun tain Association, and all others who approve, it is earnestly recommended. Try it, prayer fully, persistently, patiently, remembering that ourselves, and all we call our own, be longs to God. He will bless the effort thus made to glorify Him. His frown will rest on those who fail to “ honor Him with their substance.” As our brethren of the Associ ation have recommended this plan, let every pastor and deacon present the matter to the churches, let every church try the plan, and then, from experience, w T e can discuss its mer its or demerits a year hence, when we meet to “ set in order things pertaining to our Zion.” Wm. Henry Strickland, Mod. Stone Mountain, Ga., Oct. 25, 1870. Young Men’s Christian Associations. The church, as organized in our own de nomination, is of Divine institution ; and, as Baptists, we regard it as the only earthly or ganization recognized, and the constitution of which is defined in Holy Scripture. That combinations for missionary and other de signs, outside of and auxiliary to the church, though temporary, perhaps, in their existence, are generally admitted as permissible by the spirit of the gospel, and for which the Divine Record furnishes examples. Associations of young men, from different cnurches and denominations, for the develop ment o f religious gifts and home missionary work, are of recent origin, but have become very numerous and efficient in our own coun try and in Europe. Why they are not nu merous in the South, I am unable to say. That they are, properly conducted, capable of great good, and aids to the churches, I have no doubt; yet at the same time it must be admitted, unless their action and aims are re strained within due bounds, their influence and effects are injurious to the churches. Having had considerable experience and ob servation of the working of these associations, I have arrived at several conclusions as to their good or evil tendencies, some of which I will state. One, and probably the great source of the unhappy results of the operations of these associations, must be attributed to the mod ern tendency of the religious world to multi ply machinery for moral and religious work. We cannot be content with the simple forms which the Scriptures supply,—and which simplicity all experience, whether in worldly or religious effort, teaches, is most conducive to power and success, —but we must multiply complex combinations for every phase of moral and religious enterprise. We are apt to forget that the motive power, if we may so style it, for all the machinery of thqse so cieties, if they are to succeed at all, is solely to be found in the churches, and, reduced to firßt principles, in the faith and prayers of the individual membership, working- with the church, and that the further we get from this source of power, whatever the machinery by which we may seek to connect ourselves with it, the less we can accomplish for Christ. To illustrate this, take a not uncommon instance of machinery driven by a steam engine; where we sometimes see so much gearing at tached that the whole power of the steam is exhausted in moving the machinery, leaving no surplus to accomplish the work for which all was designed. Now, this natural tenden cy, unless constantly watched and restrained, inclines these associations to forgettheir proper position as aids and subordinates to the churches, and to interfere with and assume the legitimate fVork of the churches. Again, the members of associations are too often led to regard their work outside of their respec tive churches, and in connection with the as sociation, as satisfying the claim of Christian duty, and remain comparatively silent and inactive in thi church, forgetting her prior, and far superim; claims to their services. But there are ways in which such organi zations may work to the great spiritual ad vantage of the younger membership of the churches and thi general advancement of the cause of Christ, without infringing upon the province of the churches. By their means we become intimate and harmonious with those of lATier denominations, better in formed and more liberal in our views of them. And herein we not only advance our own spiritual if erests, but the general cause; for the wmrld “ takes knowledge ” how those of different names aud faiths harmonize on the essential points, recognize each other, and work together the children of one family. We need noiTTn this work, compromise our distinctive iinational convictions, but to feel sufficient confidence in the truth of our position, to hold our differences in abeyance until assailed, or a proper opportunity to promulgate occurs. It must be con fessed that, as fcnjF’.sits, our good nature has ofteu been impo#’; J on by indiscreet and un kind remarks t’j. intimations in common meetings, rarely, however, in these associa tions. But whvfMyer we mingle in such com mon meetings, it’ should be understood that we are unflinchi; g Baptists, not ashamed of our convictions ready, when assailed to defend the faith “once delivered,” and my own experience teaches that we are never likely to hear anything that is really offensive. Perhaps others may differ in their experience. These associations greatly develop and ex ercise the intellectual and spiritual power of those members who need encouragement to work and exercise their gifts in the social church meetings, and who are often neglected, in this respect, -v their pastors. The five minutes rule, als >, which universally limits the exercises of the associations, forms in them the necessary habit for the interest of meetings, of saying and praying a good deal in a few words. Associations usually engage in mission Sabbath school work; but with many, as with myself, the conviction exists, that this is the exclusive work of the churches, and that in this labor every member should be made to feel i'« a prime duty to engage, so that the largest fi?ld may be fully cultivated. But where the association, as some do, con fine their efforts in this work to canvassing for scholars, systematically, and directing them to such spools as the parents prefer, there is no objection. Yet herein is a legiti mate branch of work for the church. O. Atlanta, Oct. 22. i Something Left Undone. Labor with W.-a. zeal we will, Something .till remains undone; Something uncompleted still Waits the lising of the sun. By the bedstle, on the stair, ‘At the tlr. uphold, near the gates, With its or its prayer, Like a newkeant it waits— Waits, and will not go away; Waits, and will not be gainsaid ; By the cares ‘f yesterday Each to-di | j • heavier made. Till at length it is, or seems, Greater than our strength can bear: As the burden of our dreams, Pressing on us everywhere. And we stand from day to day, Like the dwarfs of times gone by, Who, as northern legends say, On their shoulders held the sky. — Longfellow, Baptism of Tables. In your last number (2509) it is stated that tables is not found in either the Sinaitic or Vatican MSS. But the word in our common Greek Testaments, is klinos, a couch, from klino, to recl+ne, to lie down, as did the ori entals at meals. If table were meant, it would be trapezia , as in Acts vi: 2, “ serve tables,” not klinos. But, in Mark vii: 4 and 8; Heb. vi: 2 and 9, 10, the word baptisma —the noun always used when the Christian ordinance is indicated—is not employed at all ; but bap tismos, referring, as Dr. Clarke and others ob serve, to Jewish ceremonies. The context in all these places show that the aucient rites are the subject of conversation ; and hence, in Mark, we have the Scribes and Pharisees blaming Jesus that His disciples eat with defiled, unwashed hands. He charges them, with adhering to the traditions of men in washing pots, etc. So in Hebrews, the doc trine of baptisms, baptismon, not baplismalon, the word that designates New Testament 1 baptism. Also, in the 9th chapter, we have the tabernacle and its furniture, with meats aud drinks, and divers washings and cleans ings, baptismois, a word employed in Jewish ceremonies, never in regard to New Testa ment duties. Schleusner defines baptismosby three words only— lotio, purgatio, ablutio, employed in all the Levitieal purgations. Many learned interpreters have overlooked the difference in those two words — baptisma and buptismos. Even the learned and honest Prof. Stuart, who, when one in his classes observed that the Rev. Air. -1 says that baptizo don’t mean to immentk , answered, “ He don’t know Greek;” even Me supposed the plural was used in Heb.f i: 6 to give dignity to the subjeet—not seeming to perceive the distinc tion in the words. A. S. Messengers or Delegates? Duiingthe discussion of a question in a Baptist Association some time since, we heard a speaker say that he was responsible to his church for his vote on that question, and that he would certainly incur her censure if he did not vote in a certain way. In a subse quent portion of his speech, he remarked that the assembly of which he was a member were messengers simply, and not delegates , and that he wished the word delegates dropped from Baptist usage. Now, to our apprehen sion, either of these propositions may be true, but both certainly cannot be. If those who represent the churches in Associations are messengers simply, not vested with any au thority, they are not responsible for any vote they may cast. They are sent merely to re port upon the condition of their churches, and to bear such funds as may be entrusted to their charge for benevolent enterprises. W hen there is no subject upon which the Associa tion is competent to legislate, thi3 is the whole of their functions ; and in such case, they are messengers only. They may, as a company of Baptists, express opinions and take votes on any subject they may choose; they will, however, be responsible to nobody for such votes. Nor will there be a constituency bound by their decisions. But it may be, and frequently is, the case that the representatives of churohes in Asso ciation assembled are both messengers and delegates. Some of our Associations have established High Schools. The proper man agement of these is a matter of interest to every member, and they expect those whom they send to the Association to cast their votes in accordance with their notions of w hat is proper. The persons thus sent are mes sengers in a general sense ; they are delegates in special reference to the school. They are charged with an authority and are responsible to the churches that appoint them for its ex ercise. Suppose, however, that the school is the property of the Convention, of which the Association is a constituent, are the represen tatives of the churches delegates in reference to this school? Generally, they are not; sometimes they may be. The management of the school has been delegated to this Con vention, and perhaps by it to a Board of Trus tees. Yet it is delegated only, not transfer red. The people, whose property the Insti tution really is, have a right, art, all times, to give an expression of views in regard to its management, and when they choose men who shall give expression to these views through the Association, these are delegates as well as messetigers. They have no authority to leg islate for the church —to say that one shall do or undo. But they are competent to give direction to the enterprises in which the As sociation may be engaged. We admit that the theory of the Baptists is repugnant to delegated authority. We hold to the independence of eaoh individual church, nor do we apprehend that we can hold this too tenaciously or guard it too jealously. W e cannot have it too clearly understood that when our representatives are delegates, they, are delegated for a specific purpose, aud that outside of that they have n-f authority what ever. Let them never suppose for an instant that because they can vote about a school or the establishment of a mission that they there fore have the right to loose and bind the churches in matters generally. * Short Paragraphs. Our intuitive perception of right and wrong is a safer guide upon moral questions than reason. When men begin to cast about for arguments with which to defend some course of conduct, we may feel sure that they are troubled bv a consciousness of having acted amiss. When we know that we are right, that conviction may come in a way that we know not; but it is assuredly not a conclu sion drawn from a string of syllogisms. Some people are silly enough to pronounce a lack of sectarian zeal a virtue, and to call indifference to articles of faith Catholicity. Bigotry, we all admit to be bad. But one may be earnest in his belief without being bigoted ; and if he be not his be lief, he had almost as well have none. A man is not apt to labor very actively for the advancement of religion who thinks all sects about equally right. Os human actions, we may not judge too harshly ; but when we come to the discussion of motives, we should be very charitable. The sophistry of the human intellect is such that we must not suppose that a man always means to do wrong because he does wrong. Much of the wickedness that has been perpe trated on the earth has been done by men of good intentions. Dominic doubtless believed himself to be doing God service when he conceived and instituted the Inquisition; and Philip the Second of Spain, the veriest tyrant that ever lived, who brought misery on a larger number of his race than any other one man ever did, died in the assurance that he had acquitted himself of the task which God had imposed upotf him. The great secret of governing is knowing when and how to say yes and no. Mauy pa rents allow their children to pass beyond their control by saying one of these words and meaning the other, or by uttering it with a hesitation and uncertainty as if undecided whichto say. Indecision is always a weak ness, and it is one which children are very quick to perceive. One must be determined, if he would govern even an intant. Put Yoursflf in llis Place. You may thereby find out what he will be likely to do under given circumstances. There is no rule so safe by which to judge of human motives ; for He hath fashioned our hearts alike. It will also make us charitable in our judgments. We will not —certainly ought not to —censure harshly conduct in others which would be ours in like circumstances. The lessons taught by experience are of lit tle value for future use. We are seldom, if ever, placed in precisely similar circumstances twice in our lives; and unless we were, the lesson we learn at one time would be little worth at another. Experience may teach us general rules; but we must be guided by common sense in applying them, and perhaps in every instance of their application, we have to make some new modification. A New Sect. The Methodist publishes an account of a new sect known as Nazarites, in Hungary, which is said to have become numerous: They profess to derive their confession from the New Testament alone, acknowledg ing the divine origin of the Old Testament, but regarding it only as an explanatory aid for the understanding of the New, or as an edifying discipline ; they hold God to be one in essence, but three in person—Father, Son and Spirit; that He has created all things, and supports, sustains and governs the world ; the. Son has redeemed man from sin by death on the cross; the Holy Spirit sanctifies and illuminates believers ; that man abused his freedom and sinned, and has lost his innocence, holiness and immortality, and become a prey to death, and only those enjoy the merits of Christ’s death who conform to his life and doctrine. Their sacraments are two —bap- tism and the Lord’s supper—adults only be ing baptized, and that by immersion by any male member in good standing, and baptism being essential to salvation. They have no ministers, consider marriage a civil ceremony, recognize no Sabbath —for which they find no injunction in the New Testament, though they worship on it for convenience sake—are sin gularly charitable and moral in their daily lives, refuse to take oaths or to bear arms, and take no part in political affairs. f‘ They consider themselves,” says the journal we follow, “ the exclusive possessors of God’s Word and truth, the only perfect expositors of the Scriptures, and the only true members of Christ’s kingdom ; they regard all others as pursuing the fleeting, perishable things of this world, rejoicing in vanities, and there fore unable, in their present state, to attain eternal salvation.” They are strongest in South Hungary, especially in Szegedin, Tern esvar, Hold mezo, Vasarhely, and some other places, and are chiefly from the lower classes —peasants, tradesmen and mechanics, The features of this sect are such as have appeared in numerous instances in the course of ecclesiastical history,arising from the study of the Scriptures free from traditional glosses —with a tendency to extreme views which a riper study of the gospel corrects. Church Music.— I The Heraldand Presbyter of Cincinnati thinks that singing is the reason why “ the Methodists have become the lead ing denomination of this country,” while “ the Friends, who had an earlier and better plant ing, have dwindled almost into non exist ence.” Tact. —We do not so much need scholastic training in the home missionary as we need tact, common sense, and a consecrated heart. Understand me—-tact, which is the knowledge Os hOXQy What will yon Do for your Lord ? Mr. Spurgeon, in an address at Edinburgh, said : My esteemed brother, who is a very apostle of Christ, Mr. Oncken, of Hamburg, in forming Baptist churches in Germany, lays down, as one of the first questions to be asked of a person applying for membership, “What will you do in the service of Jesus Christ ?” Perhaps the candidate will reply, “ What do you think I can do ?” and the pastor will say, “ Something you must do; you can only become a member of this church by engaging in some Christian service.” 1 would almost carry it so far as to say, “ Unless you are laid aside for illness, you must continue to do something, or be excommunicated ipso facto by your doing nothing.” That might be too extreme a rule; but the spirit of it is right. If it were a generally understood regulation, that one of the conditions of Church-mem bership was service, we might see our churches rising to a far higher degree of zeal for God than they have ever yet attained. We know by experience that the idle part of the church is that in which sin has strongest hold. If a farmer should leave one part of his farm un cultivated, it would be a hot bed for weeds, and the garlic, the nettle, and the thistle would from that centre spread all over his estate. The unworking part of the church, like the mixed multitude that £nme out ol Egypt, /alls a lusting, mischief upon the whole of Israel. In’a human body, if a bone should become dead, it becomes the origin and seat of disease. If any gland in the entire system should cease to produce its proper secretion, it begins at once to do mischief by gathering together, or producing, some foul, prurient matter. Even thus, in the Church, if y r ou are not serving God, you are hindering His cause ; if you are not contributing to the pro gress of the Redeemer’s kingdom, you are a drag upon its wheels. All Christians must take their share of holy labor. Trifling Vexations. There is a mode of punishment sometimes used that is said to be exceedingly severe. The head of the prisoner is secured, and a tank of water is placed a little above it, so arranged that the water shall fall on his head quite steadily, but only a drop at a time. At hrst, the culprit laughs at the simplicity of his keepers, but, without noticing it, they leave him to himself. In a few minutes the steady dropping becomes annoy ing, and the man is grave. A little longer, and he is an gry, then weeps and implores release. If the punishment is continued long, it is almost sure to result in madness, so intolerable does it become. Dr. Mahan once used this fact to illustrate the power of “ domestic trials,” as he called them. But it also illustrates the power of all the trifling vexations and anoyances that occur in our daily life. One, we could perhaps bear with patience, perhaps another; but when half a dozen come, one after another in the course, it may be, of a single morning, it must be a very watchful heart that is not oveicome by them. It has been said of them that they are harder to bear than great trials, and it is true. In bereavement or any great woe, we are usually able to anticipate the trial, and the mind is thus fortified against it These little vexations are the more trying, because they usually surprise us. How sel dom is a father angry, or a mother, in a pet, over a child guilty of some great wrong ! How stfre is one, or both, to reveal a petu lant and angry spirit at some trifling blunder of the same child ! Watch, and Ref. Niggardliness toward “Supplies.” Alluding to the way in which churches with vacant pulpits sometimes get a supply from Sunday to Sunday, a writer in the Evan gelist says : “ There ought not to be, perhaps is not, mean chaffering in such matters; but there is opportunity for it, and opportunity is a great temptation. A man has a plot of ground for which he wants seed. He goes around and collects samples at every store until he has enough. Not very honest, you say. But there are congregations that get on as they think, well, and certainly cheaply upon samples. If a congregation that would give a pastor $3,000 per annum gets speci men preaching at $25 a Sabbath, it clearly saves money, and gets good preaching.” And a writer in the Christian Era says: “ Churches which pay their pastors a salary of SI,OOO or $2,000, (which is at the rate of S2O or S4O per week, or per Sabbath,) often pay other men who preach excellent sermons, —the pro duct of more than six days of hard study, only $5, or $lO, or sls, which is at the rate of only some $250, SSOO, $750 per year. Now, looking at this merely as a business transaction, always to be conducted on Chris tian principles, is it, after all, manly, just, and in accordance with God’s golden rulv, which was made as much for ministers as for other men.” Infant Baptism. —Rev. Edward M. Goul burn says : “ The special blessing of infant baptism is this, that God in it prevents us (in the old sense of the word ‘ prevents’) an ticipates us with His grace, anticipates con* sciousness, anticipates temptation, anticipates sin, so that when the powers of evil throw up their approaches to the soul, they find the Holy Spirit in possession of the fort re s be fore them. And thus, before one who is bap tized in Infancy can be soiled by evil, he is tinctured with good.” He argues that the shape which the baptismal grace takes in all men in general, is good desires—esteem for religious people, the wish to be good and de vout, the desire to shake off bad habits, etc., and these, he says, “ represent the action of the Holy Spirit upon the soul in virtue of bap tism.” He says, by way of exhortation to the impenitent: “Is there any one of you, however worldly and careless, nay, bad and vicious he may be, whose stagnant heart is not from time’to time stirred by an earnest wish that he were better? Well, even that wish is a pure breath from heaven, wafted to you (as it were) across the waters of your baptism.” Is there not in such teaching a broad and stable basis laid for false reliance and fatal delusion ? Communion.— ls it not a little remarkable that we are asked to abandon close commun ion for our own good ? Baptists are the ones to be benefitted by the change. So they say. How kind in our Peaobaptist friends! We wish we could return the favor; indeed, we will, by earnestly entreating them to adopt strict communion. It will be for their good ; indeed, it will. They say this custom hin ders our growth, and prevents our fraterniza tion with Protestant Christianity. Well, we have grown somewhat, even with this mill stone about our neck, especially as compared with those who kindly advise us; and we should much prefer truth to growth—a right use of the ordinances to a multiplicity of communicants. We will venture tho growth, encouraged by the past.— JJiscox. Trust In God. —Thomas Shillitoe, an Eng lish Quaker missionary, who made extensive tours of benevolence in Europe and America, said that he wished to become “ like a cork on the mighty ocean of service ” which his Master should require of him, “ willing to be wafted hither and thither as the Spirit of the Lord should blow upon him.” WHOLE NO. 2513. Praise. Anprels, ye who ne’er can knew Au*ht that sinks our hearts below, Mars our music, chains our tongues, With vour high, immortal powers, With your harps forever strung, Praise your glorious Lord and ours. In this low and grosser air, All our breath exhales in prayer: Wants and woes, and hopes and fears, Still our joyous thanks repress: In your bright, untroubled spheres, Ye have but to serve and bless. Oft, when praises I would bring, Tears will gush forth as l sing: Then, the gratitude I feel, Makes me long for coining days, When with all an angel’s zeal, I shall hymn my Saviour’s praise. Intensely Pedobaptist. We recently asked a prominent Baptist minister, who was formerly a member of the American and Foreign Christian Union , what he thought of that organization. He replied with promptness and candor : “ I think they are more intensely Pedobaptist than the regu larly organized Presbyterian General Assem bly ; and I believe it to be so of Union So cieties generally. The reason is, they feel restrained in the presence of Baptists, and their combativeness is aroused.” Our excellent missionary to the Roman Catholics ol Mexico, has been his own proper field, by an agent of the above named Christian Union! We confess our regret that Baptists ever give their money to build up these so-called Union organizations. Large properties are sometimes bought by these societies, in part by the money of Bap tists, and dedicated —to what? To the whole truth? No. But to only just so much of the truth as Pedobaptists believe ! Let a Bap tist enter one of these places and utt*-r his be lief and joy in the burial of the believer in baptism, and dwell upon the significance of the symbol as a type of the burial and res urrection of Christ, and he would be made to feel that he was out of order. Can it be right for Baptists to invest their Lord’s money in any institution where the Lord’s truth cannot be freely uttered ? We pause for a reply ! Macedonian and Record. Protestant Popery. The Episcopalian thus enlightens the Church Journal (which had questioned the truth of certain statements admitted to the former paper) respecting practices which illustrate, iu a striking manner, the presence, of Roman izing germs in the Church as well as in the prayer-book: There are full length pictures of Saints— seven or eight of them, we think —in the par ish church, of which Rev. Morgan Dix is rec tor. That church is located in Broadway, at the head of Wall street, about half an hour’s easy riding from the office of the Church Weekly. We trust the editor will now go and see for himself. At St. Luke’s, in Hudson street, still nearer the Church Weekly office, a picture of the Virgin Mary is conspicuous within the chan cel, while near by are numerous full-length pictures, representing not Christ, hut various other (mere human) beings. Then, if our contemporary will just cross over to St. Clements, in Amity street, not more than a quarter of a mile distant from St. Luke’s, he will discover, occupying a like prominent place, above the communion table, (or, as he would call it, “ the altar,”) full length likenesses of a man and a woman, one of whom is supposed to be Mary Magdelene and the other Saint Joseph. Pursuing his peregrination a little farther up town, he will come to that other “high” place of public worship—the church of the Annunciation—and there, too, if he is not as blind as a mole, he will see, within the chan cel rails, something even more unprotestunt and unusual than a picture of the Virgin Mary, in the shape of a marble basso relievo (a graven image, as it were) representing a kneeling figure whom the Papists blasphem ously call “the mother of God,” with angels, or an angel, and a dove, supposed to typify the Holy Ghost, saluting her. Household Baptism. In Ur. de Pressense’s recent work, “The Early Days of Christianity,” lie says: "Chris tian baptism is not t« be received, any more than faith, by right of inheritance. This is the great reason why we cannot believe that it was administered in the apostolic age to little children. No positive fact sanctioning the practice can be adduced from the New Testament; the historical proofs alleged are in no way conclusive. There is only one case affording any ground for doubt, and those who attach more importance to the general spirit of the new covenant than to an isolated text, unhesitatingly admit that it is of no force. Five baptized households are mentioned in the New Testament. The family of Cornelius was baptized only after the descent of the Holy Ghost upon all its members. Acts x: 44, 47. The family of the jailer at Phi I lippi had heard the preaching of Paul and Silas: ‘ They spake unto him the word of the Lord, and to all that were in his house.’ Acts xvi: 32. The house then contained no child inca pable of comprehending the gospel. \Y e read in Acts xviii: 8, ‘ Crispus believed on the Lord with all his house.’ St. Paul says (1 Cor. i : 16) that her baptized the family of Stephanas : and in the same epistle (xvi: 15) he mentions that this family was the first fruits of his ministry in Achaia—a statement which implies that all its members were con verted. The single doubtful case is that of the baptism of the family of Lydia, (Acts xvi: 15,) but it loses this character when we connect it with the instances already referred to. It appears to us evident that the family of Lydia was the first-fruits of Macedonia, as the family of Stephanas was of Achaia.” Is it Your Church ? —Can it be that there are churches —so called—of which what John Randolph once said of the Ohio river is true “frozen up during one-half of the year,and dried up during the other half ?" Must it not be true of a church which contributes nothing, or next to nothing, to the spread of the gos pel in the world ? Pulpit Naturalness. Lyman Beecher said to a theological student: “Thoroughly master your subject —seek the aid of the Holy Spirit —and then let nature caper." EpißCoPacy. —ln the last session of the Southern Methodist General Conference, Rev. L. M. Lee, D..D., of Va., said: “It is not true that the Episcopacy is essential to the edification of the Church. Pastors can do their own work.” But of their pastors, Dr. Watkins, of Miss., said : “Thousands of the cultivated sons and daughters of Methodism are driven from her communion and made to constitute the strength of other denomina tions, because we subbornly persist in inflict ing upon them teachers ignorant of books— ignorant of the properties of life—teachers who will not study, or who cannot learn.” The Church. — While Baptist churches are republican as relates to themselves and other men, they are absolute monarchies un der Christ, and it is only by unwavering maintenance of His enactments as they were delivered unto us, that the great end of our existence as churches can be secured. — Can, Sap.
