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CHRISTIAN VOL. A RELIGIOUS AND FAMILY PAPER, PUBLISHED WEEKLY IN ATLANTA, OA AT $3.00 PER ANNUM, Invariably in Advance. J". ,T. TOON, Proprietor. Not Knowing. I know not what will befall me! God hangs a mist oer my eyes; . And o’er each step of my onward path He makes new— scenes to rise, , And every joy he sends me comes as a sweet and giaa surprise. I see uot a step before me, as I tread the days of the But the past Is’ still in God’s keeping, the future His mercy shall clear, , , . And what looks dark in the distance, may brighten as 1 draw near. For perhaps the dreaded future has less bitterness than 1 think; , , _ . The Lord may sweeten the water before I stoop to drink, , , .... Or, if Marub must be Marah, He will stand beside its brink. It may be there is waiting for the coming of my feet, Some gift of such rare blessedness, some joy so strange ly sweet, That my lips can only tremble with the thanks I cannot speak. Oh, restful, blissful ignorance! ’Tis blessed not to know, keeps me quiet in those arms which will not |et me gO, * U Ana bushes my soul to rest on the bosom which loves me so. So Igo on not knowing! I would not if I might; I would rather walk iu the dark with God, than go alone in the light, , I would ruther walk with Him by faith, than walk alone by sight. My heart shrinks back from trials wjiich the future may disclose, , Yet I neyer had a sorrovf but nfhat the qear Lord f So I send the coining tears hack, with the whispered work, “ He knows.” “I am the Way." I am the Way, the Truth, the Life, The way thatthou should’st go; I am the truth, the sovereign truth. The truth that thou should’st know; I am the life, the blessed life, Without which nme may live; I am the Way, the Truth, the Li e, Which God alone can give. I am the way, the straightest way, The way that upward tends; I am the uncreated life, The life that never ends. I am the truth Infallible, The tiuth thou mu it believe; I am the Way, the Truth, the Life, Thou must tron* God receiye. If in {he vyay thou wilt abi<je, Ttie truth shall on thee shine; And'if that truth ihon’lt steadfast holcfi Ktern .1 life is thine. I am the Way, the Truth, the Life, The life thou woqld’gt attain. Then wqlk that iyay, the (ruth belieye, Jf thou that life would’st gain. —4 {ary Claris. “ Thy Will, not Mine, be Done." My Jesus, as Thou wilt! U may Thy will he mine; Jnto Thy baud of lore ( would my all resign; Through sorrow or through joy, Conduct me as Thine own, And help me still to say My Lord, Thy will be done 1 My Jesus, as Thou wilt! Though seen through many a tear, Let uot my star of hope (Jrow dun or disappear; SincVrnou on eimj. hast wept, 4 * Anu Sorrowed oif alone, . A If I must weep with lhse, My Lord, Thy will be done 1 i)y Jesus, as ?:hou wilt! All shall be for me; Each changing future scene I gladly trust with Thee: Straight to nyy home above | {ravel calmly an, And sing, in life or death, My Lord, Thy will be done! An Inclement Sabbath, This day is a Sabbath of the Lord God, but, in its outward aspect, exceedingly dreary and inclement. Our little church-house stands pn the corner, just over the way ; but no in viting peaj has, on this darjc morning, rung forth from its unpretending steeple ; no feet of wprshippefs have trodden its familiar aisles; no songs of paHe have ascencjed front nielocjiQus hparts aiid voices, congre gated within its sacred precincts, Occasion ally, as I look from my study window, 1 see a solitary pedestrian trudging along the mud dy street, avoiding, by quick turns, or clear ing by sudden bounds, the numberless little pools which obstruct the way. All else, save the ceaseless patter of the steady rain, Is silent. One at my side has just exclaimed, in a weary langor, “ 1 find it 30 tq make a rainy Sabfiath profitable!” And this qifijculty, which perplexes many others ever, while 1 write, 1 cannot better iipproye An fiour of this unpropitioqs day than fiy seek ing to diminish op remove. We sfia|l best begin by inquiring what lessoq Divine Provi dence designs to teach us by an inclement Sabbath? 1. We are thus taught that the perform ance of our religious duties is governed by the same laws or conditions as those which control our ordinary vocations. In other words, we are not to expect that our Heav enly Father will place us in more fayorahle situations, or surround us with rqoi’e propi tious-circumstances, in doing His wqrk, than in the common routine of duty. The LjOrd’s day is HK« those which He has given us for our secular business—subject to the same natural influences which make other days hot or cold, wet or dry. We thus learn, (a), that while lie demands no more than we are ijsiially qble to perform, (b),IJe yet requires that, on His day, we do all we might, under similar conditions, be able to accomplish on any other day. “ The children of this world are wiser in their generation than the children of light.” What men regard as their inter est, in a worldly point of view, is evermore the standard by which, in the spiritual king dom, they are self-condemned. If we fail to do for God what we should eagerly do for ourselves; if we are deterred from His ser vice by obstacles w|iich would pof at all hin der us, were our own secular advantage in volved; how can we hope to be held guiltless when His just requirement is, that we seek Him Jirsi, in Gnjer both of time ans prefer ence ? * - , In view, then, of a Sabbath such as above described, let our meditation be of this char acter. This is the Lord’s day, not mine. He has set it apart, by solemn commandment, tor Himself. He controls the operations of the natural world, aud, though it be His own Holy day. He has seen lit to make it one of rain and storm. He has a purpose in it, the \yhole of which 1 cannot comprehend. But He has not remitted the obligation of its sacred observance. Would Ibe wholly idle qn a week day of this kind? Would 1 not be found engaged in my usual occupation ? Would such a day dampen my ardor in pur suit of worldly good ? And shall Ibe less concerned to honor Him who has laid me under an obligation of perpetual and joyful service ? Shall I not sanctify, in my heart, a day which He has hallowed and made for ever memorable by His resurrection from the dead? Whatever I can do to day to advance His glory, I must and will do. 2. It is useful for usto realize that, though we be denied the privilege of worshipping in the great congregation, God does not confine His visitations to temples made with hands, but that He will be “a little sanctuary”, to those Is3 00 1 YEAR.} who seek His face, irrespective of their sur roundings. Thus He invites us to commun ion with Himself; teaches us the spirituality of His worship ; enables us, by the presence of His searching Spirit, to make discoveries of our own need and of the rich grace of the gospel; opens to us new sources of joy and strength, and feasts our souls with the good things which Christ reveals in the fulness of His indwelling love. “ Isaac went out into the field to meditate at even-tide.” Jesus spent whole nights in communion with His Father. Christianity finds its highest devel opment in a due proportion of the contem plative and practical elements in our charac ters. Let us be careful, in this day of busy outward activity, to maintain a feeling con tact with the sources of true spiritual strength. If God, at any time, by His provi dential interposition, renders the former im practicable, and yet lays a service of some kind upon our hearts, it should be construed into a call to self searching and prayer. S. P. c. West Point, Ga., Feb. 26th, Rev. Joseph R. Hand. The sudden death of this excellent Chris tian and useful minister of Christ, in Ala., which I see announced, seems to demand a few words from the writer, Ris said, “he died at midnight, of heart disease." It is not intended to forestall a more extended notice of him, which will doubtless be forth coming in due *.ime from Ala., a9 most of his ministerial life was spent in that State. Let these lines be regarded as only prefato ry to such notice. My acquaintance with brother Hand com menced forty-two years ago, in Ga. As theological students of Pr. A. Sherwood, we were intimately associated for several months. His educational advantages had been exceedingly limited. Yet he had a great thirst for knowledge, was a hard stu dent, and, best of all, was a praying man. He loved to preach, was an excellent ex horter, and embraced every opportunity to beseech men to be “reconciled to God.” It was not an uncommon thing for him, to walk from five to ten miles into the country of Sabbath mornings, to preach Christ to the people, by whom he was, even then, held in very high esteem. Upon leaving Eatonton he returned to Washington county, where he was brought up, and where he had been baptised qnd li censed, and was engaged for a time in the field of labor formerly occupied by his father. Not long thereafter, he wqs united in mar riage with a highly respectable widow My, Mrs, Coats of Laurens courtly. From Lau rens, he removed to T w iggs county, and lo cated on a farm near Richland church. Here we were thrown together Rgain, he end his wife being members of Richland, and my self pastor. It was my privilege frequently to enjoy the hospitality of his hopse, which he knew so well how to dispense. Nothing delighted him more than to have his minis tering brethren spend anight under his roof. I reoall, with pleasure, several occasions, when, in company with Conner, Mallary, Tharpe, and others, now deceased, I enjoyed this pleasure. He was then in the prime of f'life; had a large frame, and a commanding his voicsLwas musical, though not ivery strong; his zpal was consuming; and, taken altogether, hVwas-a preacher of no "mean ability, acrqngetf ,$s owq *p pointmepts, 30 qs to attelul tLe mosthljr/Con ference at Richland, though hfa- UtD'N pther wise, was occupied in the surrounding neigh borhoods. If there were destitute people in reach of him, he was sure to be the bearer of “ glad tidings” to them. I remember one instance, in which he commenced preaching at a private house; his congregation soon increased, so as to render it necessary to re move to an arbor, erected for the purpose, where the people docked together in multi tudes; the Spirit of pod was po,ured opt a church (Calvary) was constituted, into which he baptized, during ope summer, fifty or six ty converts. so the great revivals, which prevailed in that section about the year 18Q8, he was an active and efficient laborer, His doctrinal views were thoroughly Calvin iatio. He was trained in that sohool by his father, Rev. Henry Hand, who was known in his day as “ a sou of consolation.” 1 think it was about the year 1840 that he removed to Ala., since which we have met but seldom. J. H. Campbell. “WatchnpaQ. What of the Kight ?’ . The word riight sounds solemnly, mourn fully. It presents to the mind darkness, dampness, dreariness. H°*® a th its weipd shadqw imagination conjures up a thousand nameless forms, and peoples the earth with a host of trooping spirits, some heavenly messengers sent on errands of mercy to man, while others come as his tempters and tor menters. But it is not the night which crowds upon the heels of the setting sun that is the subject of enquiry. There is a darker and diearier night than that which casts its gloomy shadows over the landscape, when the sun has h'fiden bis face,'behind tfie west ern hills, {t is thp n >gH fc °f sip, of moral blight, of hops deferred, of heart-sionness. The Sun of Righteousness, which had been shedding its raaiance upon scenes of human folly and heartless perfidy,retires—fleesaway, and leaves the children of this world to grope in the darkness of scepticism, and to 1 ,>se themselves ip the tangled wilderness of their own corruptions. Such nights have cast their shadows, dank and baleful, over the moral world, in the ages past, and the future may not be exempt from similar visitations. Indeed, the present appears to be the twi light of such a night, gloaming in the dis tance, and freighted with numberless ills fur the men of this generation. Some of the professed followers of Jesus, it is true, are rising to the higher, serener and sublimer height qf faith and love: like the eagle, they are soaring above the storm cloud which is pouring destruction upon the earth below ; but alas ! the great multitude are sweeping op with the maddened crowd of world-seekers, bent upon the enjoyment of the present hour, regardless of the roaring breakers towards which they are rushing with headlong speed. Yes, “ the night cometh ” —the night of temptation and sin—the night of faithless perfidy, “when men shall be lovers of themselves more than layers of God ”—-when they shall fie ready, for a con sideration, to forsake one another, to bate and to betray one another —a night of trial, when “ wicked men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving and being de ceived” —when the real followers of Jesus who stand up for His truth, and who stand upon it, shall be despised, persecuted and de stroyed—a night in which the deep shadows of superstition shall go back upon the sun dial of time —when men “shall speak evil of dignities ” —“ when they shall walk after their own lusts, while their mouth speaketh great swelling words of vanity, having men’s persons in admiration because of advantage.” These are the men that “ put sweet for bitter and bitter for sweet-—who call evil good, and good evil,” men who love and serve “ the creature more than the Creator.” They introduce confusion, patting truth for falsehood and falsehood for truth until, “if it were possible, they would deceive even FRANKLIN FRii\.xx„vx HOUSE, ATLANTA, GA., THURSDAY, MARCH 9, 1871. the very eleot.” “ The night cometh when reason shall reel upon her throne, as if struck by a dread paralysis, and the scenes of Tophet shall be reenacted upon a broader scale— when the true disciples “ shall be hated by all nations for His name’s sake ” —the king of the bottomless pit shall be loosed for a little season, that he may go out and fill the world with a carnival of blood, and glut his foul spirit with revenge upon the hapless sons of men, and people his kingdom with lost souls. Such is the night which cast its ominous shadows upon the prophet’s eye, when the inquiry came, “ What of the night, watch man? what of the night?” But “the morn ing cometh.” Through the long, weary, sickly night, Je sus has been sitting upon the throne of the universe, and though Satan has filled the earth with his pestilential influence, and blasted many a moral flower by the siroeco of his infernal breath, he shall be stopped in mid-career, for the days shall be cut short for the sake of the elect—the days of folly, sad ness and sin. “Then that old serpent which is caljed the Devil and Satan, which deceived the nations, shall be cast again into the bot tomless pit;” and the Church, the firide, tfie Lamb’s wife, shall come up out of the wil derness, leaning upon her 7>eloved. Sin and sorrow shall cease, and there shall be nothing to hurt or harm in all the holy mountain of the Lord. “The morning cometh”—the morning of faith, of holiness and peace —the morning replete with human joy —the morning of tri umph for the Church, when her enemieq shqll be trodden down, when they sfiqll be ashes under the sole? of fier feet. “Tfie morning cometh,” wfien the dead shall he raised, when the living shall be quickened, the heavens and the earth shall be made new, transgression shall come to an end, and Jesus shall reign “as long as the sun and the moon endure,” even forever and over. Well, then, may the church pray: “Thy kingdom come: Thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven.” Well may the saints stretch forth their be lieving hands and cry, “ Even so : Come, Lord Jesus.” .4/new/ Amen ! Confidence. A Contrast In a succession of events, persons are not unfrequeatly thrown in yastly different cir cumstances and relations, favoring, according to their nature, growtfi o.r impoverishment of certain virtues, traits of chapter or bodily comforts. Not a great wfiife ago, a man of religions, and, consequently, conscientious scruples, was snatched from the soothing, lulling quietude of a peaceful, happy home, and set down a stranger in a remote metropo li«. Tfie fate wfiiqh controlled fiis movements was inexorable, so fie fiad to abide it as best he could. The most consummate loneliness ever felt, is in a sea of moving, hurrying human beings. This good Christian stranger realized it to be true, especially after having been tossed and crushed along by the multitude for hours, Without recognizing a familiar face or voice. But with none to comfort or console him, yet surrounded by every advantage for spiritual and intellectual progress, he, in a short time, had more reason to valuothe r infirm* feast so Ifk’ishar spread tha# t«P regret the loss of friend? an’4 companionship. ‘Accordingly, fie used the opportu nity a3 a rare privilege. • Churches, Sunday' schools, libraries, lec tures, readings, sight-seeing, were open as free to him as the air of heaven; nay, the very windows of Paradise were thrown wide open to him, through which he had egress to the Father and Son at all times. This last blessing, it seemed, came from fiis fiaving no social intercourse; qnd for tfie lqc.k of it, he sought the communion of those wfio find been too often forgotten in tfie wfiifl of merriment. As to means, he was limited, sometimes fear ing he would become a street wanderer, out of sheer indigence. This, too, was new to him, but beneficial beyond expression. The force of his situation led to the development of the moat staunch Christian character; for it open ed his eyes to see what hitherto had kept conoealcd, as well as brought into active exer cise virtues hitherto almost dormant. By and by his life became a daily, hourly thanks giving. Clogs which had held him to earth previously, he now felt were removed, and that he floated rather thqn walked. Rut these advantages were‘hot always to continue, tfioUgh 1 he would fiavq cheerfully submitted to. privation in tfie body for a pro longed enjoyment of the goad tfiings for the m|nd and spirit. Isis friends deemed it fine fortune that restored him to tfie home he had so abruptly abandoned, He could not agree with them, though he acquiesced in their con gratulations. It is now several months since he withdrew from those scenes which enriched his inner being, and a lament unceasingly rises from his heart, “ O that I were not so weak as to depend upon foreign help! jam poor—per ishing for the waqf of food. What is my body ? it must be kept; but all things should pot go to its comfort, My soul! my soul! Father, help 1" Home, friends and prosperity are unfriend ly to the perfecting of firm reliance upon the mercies of a crucified Satiour. The heart must be subjected to the purifying process of the crucible ere it can qaknowfedge, in child like aimplfoity, the right of the Father to rule in it. AU need not go abroad to effect this, yet it must not he denied, however, whatever the cirouinstances, that a faithful exposition of the Word from the pulpit will remove hin drances. G. S. Memory. Shall I ask what it is ? Is there one who does not understand it? Lives there a being who does not sometimes touch itq deep-hidden springs—wjio does not asa'P live in memo* ry*s happy hours —to whom there oomes never a soft, gentle tapping, nor a wild, mournful rapping at memory's pane? Yet, what is memory 1 It is the faculty by which ideas are retained in the mind—the foot-prints time and times changes leave upon the mind —the likeness of scenes real or ideal, photo graphed on the mind for preservation through the future Whatever has giveu us pain or pleasure, is treasured up, remembered long, and recurred to often, qs \ye pqsg down the liiil of jife. Qo to the old man who bends with age-#- the man of hoary hair and wrinkled brow—* whose eye is dimmed and whose step is tot tering, whilst he strives to keep apace with time. Ask him if memory does not often carry him faraway to the scenes of his youth. See him while he sits musing for hours, ab sent in mind, as we say, and enquire after his thoughts. He wilt tell you he is a child again, in the shady grove, on the green lawn, in the old school yard, with his much-loved associates of the years of yore; tossing the bounding ball, following the rolling toys, studying again the lesson of youth, with the classmates and friends of other many, perchance all of whom have laid themselves to rest beneath the green sward in the city of the dead. See that grand-mamma whose “ window* ” are darkened; watch her as she sits quiet in the “old arm-chair” hard by the hearth stone, where “ they grew in beauty side by ND SOUTH-WESTERN BAPTIST. side,” those, her living ofjjpring, now “ scat tered far and wide, by mount, and Vale, and sea.” She seems oblivious of all around her. Step softly to her side. Startle her not, but whisper quietly a gentle word, Whither wanderjjßFthoughts ? lam look ing back, baclfjmr buck through the years to the “ long ago," when t was as gay and love ly as the gayest andL loveliest among you all —when life was bright and hope gilded the future—to the time wHen the hours had grown brighter—vAliier jewels had been added to our crowns, arta 1 was called, here to find the book and slate of an impatient little brother, and there ;to curl the ringlets of a lovely little sister :-v-when, again, I was watching by the of a beloved pa rent—cooling J th<w|BhSSt*d lips or arranging the heated pillows'. Afes,.she whispers, I love to live this dreara-Jifo again—to recount the times I tenderly tried*.to soothe the last hours of the dear ones, while the relentless hand of death bore themnjjffit- me. '‘The cold, the dead, tl e'ea now they silent Like fluat.Qg cfia, ®'#r memory’s J aoi, 1 And hope sad lore start fondly up to aieet them as of But something whispers ohtcrXich, Be still, thsy are no Who shall deny that, w Rile “ Hope links her to the future, yet that binds her to the past is memory ? * But, then, these have Jived the life of the righteous. They have calmly folded their hands and papenßy await that time when their Fatfier shall say, Cotne up higher, They know they shall receive the joyful words, “ Well done, good audMaithful servant," and even in that far-off better home, when they look down through . the shadowy vale of death, memory, from her bright bower will say, many bright hopes we have cherished. But in that great day when we shall all be gathered together before the judgment throne, will there be no lone heart stirred by memo ry’s breeze ? W ill no sad hearts bow at mem ory’s throne? Will*no shattered hopes— lost through an ill- ‘pent with memory’s tears? Vfill no rejected sinner turn aw?,y to be 3«uj<V prisoned in memory’s remorseful cell? JLjAaWn grant there may be none. But may ,-aye all strive so to live that when we meet in that day, we may gather many gems of virtue from memory’s spot less page, to weave living circlets around our crowns of immortality. Bunnie. WLq is Right-.-*the Missionary or the Anti- Missionary?—No. J, Robert —Walk in, "brother Jonathan, take a seat and rest; you Hsdfc wearied. Jonathan —Yes, lam quite jaded. I have just returned from ono of our general meet ings, where I had much of the nreaohing to do. A good meeting - waa. Christians re joiced, while a deep feeling pervaded the en tire congregation. R.—Why did protract it ? Such a state of feeling indicated the Divine presence, and should have beer- followed up, at least for a season. J.—l know thi/WTutaßbeen in the hands of you Missionaries, have protracted; but we Primitives pursue a differ ent course. sa muqji in If—l know ffeTfljßn this and kindred points, involving about which it is uaeleas for us to dispmfc. as we are so fully “set in our W4ys- ,r Mcßlieve, however, we agree as to the leading doctrines of grace. J.—Yes; so far as Icy}, determine, we stand together upon these dwctTines; and I wish, we could “see eye to eye” aq to those other points which divide qs. Rut I vyill not de spaip yet of yoqr getting*" light” enough to foifig yoq oyer to ns. At any rate, I would lifie to have a long talk with you upon these questions of difference. I think 1 can con vince you of your error. R.—l wish to know the truth, brother Jona than, and am willing to accept light from any quarter. I believe rny views are scriptural; but if they are not, I will thank you or any one else to expose my errors. I will hear you at any time and place which you may appoint, provided it be not too public, i dislike these public discussions. J.—Sodol. They work upsectarian foelingSj engender strife, frustrate their object, destroy tfie sqoredness of the Subject, and bring the cause into disrepute. R.- Which points do you propose discussing, and by vyhat standard 'Vili you try them ? J.—| think all your special efforts for the spread af the gaspei wrong, i pronounce your benevolent societies, Sabb&th schools, Con ventions and your high school and colleges for the education of young ministers un scriptural, and hence wrong. In all this you propose doing God’s work, thus intimating that He needs your help. I hold these things such a departure from the principle? of the Bible, that I advocated in out Association the passage of the }§tfi article which non fellow ships the entire Missionary fraternity. And though some of my people are in favor of ex punging that resolution, I still favor it, and expeot to do so while life lasts. R. —You speak plainly and confidently. I think I understand you. In listening to the “ reason for my hope,” you will nlease try and divest yourself of sectarian feelings qnd prejudices which too. aften ac company and blind the best of men, You are an old man, and influential po sition in You are re garded as its master spXit, and have much to do in moulding the segments of your peo ple. If you esnnot defoii your cause, it is because it is indefensible.' J.—l thank you for the expression of your high estimate of my position and influence, though I question its correctness. While I think that yoqr people not he afraid to trust thejr cause with you, lam too hoarse and fatigued to talk more nopr, Let us, in our next interview, discuss mipisterial educa tion. I shall expeet you to sustain your praotioe by the Bible and sound reason, or surrender it. j. R.—Which, if I do sustain, J shall expect you to endorse, advoeate and practice. | G. R. M. Shall W*£e Coflfeat? In tfie lijdkjj of February 23d, was con cisely presented, “ the misefjTSfind crime re sulting from the use of distilled and ferment ed liquors,” Betore offering any suggestions as to how this deadly plague may be stalpd, it is well to inquire into the present cqpftion of the public mind in regard to this We propose to deal only in facts. 1. A few months ago a business firm in one of our large cities advertised for a young man eighteen years of age, “ who does not get intoxicated.” This fact speaks volumes. And observation in that same city confirms the inference from such aaj.'lMvertisetnent. But few young me* abstain -wholly from liquor. And as a natural many, impelled by the rash impuW. of inexperi ence, youth and the urgency oftevii compan ions, drink to excess and becowijyntoxicated. 2. So common has it past, for young men to use liquoWSttF now a great many, and we might men of middle age use it more or less, and a large proportion of these, occasionally at least, show its effects. 8. Public opinion does not discourage its use. So that a man refrains from beastly intoxication, he is not debarred from refined society. Indeed, to become “ rather wblse for liquor” at a “'supper,” or convivial par ty, is attributed only to “ weakness.” 4. Not a few of these persons, young and old, are members in good standing in the churches. And it is to be feared that, except in cases of gross and habitual drunkenness, it would be extremely difficult to enforce discipline. 5. While, perhaps, retail dealers in liquor are generally regarded as disreputable, the wholesale dealer, even though he be a deacon, or church member, suffers not at all in public estimation by reason of his agency in produ cing the misery and crime resulting from the use of the “liquid fire”—the “distilled damnation.” fl. Very few temperance organizations are in existence; and the influence of the few that do exist is extremely limited. The true friends of temperance, however, need not be discouraged. It is indeed the day of small things, but the movements undertaken Con tain the “seeds of things,” and great results, with patience and faith, will eventually re ward their efforts. 7. Very seldom do pastors make the sub ject a theme of discourse. It is alluded to at times, but no effective efforts are continuous ly made to mould or form public opinion, with a view of checking this tide, or turning this ourrent of death. 8. The same is too true of most of our re ligious and secular periodicals. The latter particularly chronicle the ravages of the plague, but seldom seriously warn a thought less community against it. All must admit this a sad condition of things. And not only sad, but alarming. Shall we be content with it? The plague will not stay itself. And the more the sub ject is considered and examined, the more important and pressing is the inquiry, “ How SHALL THIS PLAQUE BE STAYED?" B. W. I. Passing Thoughts on Practical Themes. A Conversion. It may appear singular to some, that a pro fessing Christian, sustaining, in many re spects, the reputation of an upright and con sistent follower of his Divine Master, should need to be converted. Yet it is sometimes the case, as may be seen from the following in cident : At a camp meeting in Alabama, last fall, Sabbath and Monday were days of peculiar solemnity and power. The influences of the Holy Spirit rested upon every mind and heart, apparently, searching down into the depths ot every soul. Among the persons present was a man, —a husband and a father, —who had long been a member of a Method ist church, but had never taken up his cross iu holding family worship every night arid morning. During all the exeroisca held on Monday, he was under deep and pungent oon viction, and evidently suffered great mental anguisfi. Tfie consciousness of sin in the neglect of duty,-»a duty he had owed to God, to fiis awn soul, and the souls of his household,—pressed heavily on his he&rt. He ;iicrayed aarscsUy and w freely, refusing to take any refresh mem but humbled himself before the Lord by fa ng and self-abase ment. About 9 o’clock that night, the Spirit of God came down in converting power, and some dozen fine looking young men were en abled to rejoice in the pardon of their sins within the space of ten minutes time. Shortly qfterwnrd, the defaulting brother was com sorted too. He called for his wife, to tell her that the Lord had been graciously pleased to pardon his sins and restore him to His favor. “ And cow, Nannie,” said he, “ God has been graciously pleased to convert me again, and 1 am going home, with His help and blessing, to do my duty faithfully. lam going to hold family worship every night and morning as long as I live.” The womanly and motherly heart of the pious wife,always ready for every good word and work, was happy in the joy ful assurance, and they togetfier in the manifestation of P|ivine goodness to them and tfieirs. The day, as we were going ou wuy, we overtook the brother moving (jack to hi? home. He acknowledged his re missness in the past, and solemnly renewed his vows, the Lord being his helper, to be more faithful in the future, and as long as he lived to keep up family worship in his house. We thanked God and took courage, prating that the Lord would grant us many such con versions in all our churches. Amen, and amen ! An Incident at A Buriai*. “Except ye be converted, And become aelit tle children, ye sha.ll not enter into the king dom °f benven.” Mat. xviiii 5 8. These words were very strongly impressed upon my heart the other day. The remains of an affec tionate husband and indulgent father had been borne to the hill of graves adjacent to our little village. We arrived at the place of interment before the vault to contain the pac ket had been completed. Aq we were wait ing on the wpr^m e P>. A little girl of some seven summers, the only deughter of the de ceased, took her position at the foot of the grave. Some half dozen other little girls of about her own age gathered around her, some of them enoircling her with their arms in a sincere, loving embrace. The deep fountains of their pure and gentle sympathies were evidently stirred for the bereaved and, sor-» row-stricken child. The mournful sadness of her face was feelingly rejected in sorrow ful looks upoq theirs, tier sighs caused their bpqqtqs tQ heave with melanoholy emotion, ller flowing tears made the big, unbidden tear brim in their eyes and roll down their cheeks. Her anguished groans, when the body of her beloved father was lowered into the grave and covered up in the dust of the earth, found a hearty response in the sobs of her little playmates. To me, the scene was a most tender and touching one, and my soul breathed out its earnest on the pure, gentle, lov ing heart of guileless and unsuspecting child hood. And I prayed most earnestly that God would give me His Holy Spirit to help me weep with those that weep, as well as to rejoice with those that rejoice. Your Methodist Brother. Honor to whom Honor is Hue. Qur worthy brother, Rev. H. A. Williams, pastor of the Second church, Augusta, Ga., has performed an act that reflects more honor on him than would any honorary degree which it is in the power of any College or Univer sity to confer. He has presented to members of his church, our appeal for funds to aid in circulating pure versions of the word of God among the different nations of the earth, and, to thei? credit he it told, though they are comparatively poor, in debt for their church house, and in want of funds to enable them to build a parsonage, they responded prompt ly and cheerfully to our appeal. Give place, ye doctors of divinity, doctors of learned laws, and popular pastors of opulent, fashion able, aristocratic city churches, to our brother Williams! He is entitled to a higher seat than you. He has responded, without a spe cial personal application, to the call made from God for funds to spread His truth abroad. He has heard the cries for help which are wafted to us by every breeze from Mexico, from Spain and other Spanish-speak ing ifttions, and has hastened and delayed not to aid in affording the needed relief. You, I hope, purpose doing the same ; but you have deferred, and thus allowed him to get before you. Give place, 1 therefore say again—give place to him. He is entitled to the first place, the first honor ; for he is before you— the first to respond, in this instance, to the call of duty. The example of the Second church in Augusta is surely w-orthy of general imitation. What church will be first to follow it? Are there not many churches that will show, at the same time, their love for Christ, their love for souls, and their love of their pastor, by contributing enough to make their pastors life members (S3O) or life directors ($150) of the American Bible Union? Think of this, brethren, and confer with each lither about it, and pray with each other over it. One word more. Allow me to say to you, brethren, the church whose example I have commended to you is poor, and in debt, and yet in its infancy. It needs an interest in our prayers, and it needs pecuniary aid. Let us not withhold these. Let us seek, by con tributing to it pecuniary aid, as ability may be given, to glorify our Saviour, by assisting to verify the declaration He has made, that to him that giveth, it shall be given, “good measure, pressed down,” etc. Give, and give liberally, to aid the Second church in Augusta to pay its debts, and to aid in diffusing throughout the world the light of the glori ous gospel of Christ, and, my word for it— no, Gocl’s word for it,—you will experience, in your own soul, that “ Jt is more blessed to give than to reoeive.” Jos. S. Baker. A Perverse Presbyterian Boy. I was sixteen years old. God had forgiven my sins. My parents were Presbyterians. They told me I had been sprinkled in my in fancy, and that it was baptism. I could not remember the sprinkling, had no knowledge of it, and did not believe in it. I now began to study the Bible, and con tinued it diligently for two years. I wanted to please my parents, by joining the Presby terian church, but I could not. I studied my Bible and cried and prayed very much. My parents’ minister undertook to teach me. He preached seven sermons on the relation of circumcision and sprinkling, to enlighten my self and others on the subject of baptism ! But after all, the New Testament seemed ex pressly to say, “ You must go down into the water: You must be buried in baptism, just as Jesus was." At the end of the two years of Bible searching, 1 was twelve miles from home learning my trade. I fiad left word with a young companion to let me know when the next baptism was to take place at the Baptist church. He did so. He walked twelve miles to inform me. I immediately tied up my clothes in my handkerchief and carried them on foot twelve miles to be baptized. I told my experience. The church recived me, and l was baptized the same afternoon. It was winter. The ice was sogthick it had to be cut away. And it was so cold that when we reached the stream we found it frozen over again, and it fiad to be broken through with sticks. After baptism 1 went home to my parents. They discovered by my wet clothes which 1 hud in my handkerchief, what had taken place. They then said 1 had been in fluenced by the Baptists. I told them it was so, and that by two different ones, and that I would be frank and tell their names. One of them was a man sent from God whose name was John, an intimate friend of Jesus. The other was Jesus himself, whom this first Baptist minister, John, baptized in the river Jordan. 1 walked twelve miles to be baptized ; Jesus, as near as I have been able to learn, walked fifty miles to fie bap tized, viz : from Nazareth of Galifie to Beth abara on the Jordan,—jlfoc. and Rec. The Love of Christ. There is no other solution to the marvel lous mysteries of His incarnation and sacrifi cial death but this—Christ hath loved us. Love originated all, explains all, illus trates all—love is the interpreter of every Divine mystery. There is not a circum stance of our Lord’s history which is not another form of manifestation of love. His incarnation is love stooping; His sym pathy is love weeping; His compassion is love succoring ; His grace is love acting; His teaching is the voice of love; His silence is the repose of love; His patience is the re straint of love; His obedience is the labor of love; His suffering is the travail of love; His cross is the altar of love ; Ilis death is the burnt-offering of love; His resurrection is the triumph of Jove; His ascension into heaven, and His silting down at the right hand of God is the enthronement and the in tercession of love,— Window. — —* —■—-»<*■ Items. Questions to Pastors. —How long is it since you presented the cause of foreign mis sions to your people 7 How long since a col lection was taken in your church to give the bread of life to the perishing heath en 7 On what Sabbath do you propose to preach on missions and give the people an opportunity to contribute? Progress. —ln Brooklyn, N. Y., during the last five years, Baptists have advanced from the fourth to the second rank among its evangelical churches. Walking. —Dr. Holmes says that “walk ing is a perpetual falling, with a perpetual self recovery. It is a most complex, violent, and perilous operation, which we divest of its extreme danger only hy continual practice from a very early period of life.” We need the care of Providence, then, even when we attempt to do so small a matter as to walk. Fashion. —A writer in the Christian Fam ily Companion , German Baptist, (“ Dunk ard,”) mentions a number of young sisters who were told that they “ must either get out of the church or out of the hoops” they were wearing. Adhering to the hoops, which were “small,” they were cut off. This sounds almost as incredible as that the Puri tans of Boston (to quote an exchange) should have “forbidden veils and wigs,restricted the size of sleeve patterns, and required mar riageable young ladies and widows not to look at the full moon because there was a man in it!” Christ Making Figures.— An aged min ister uoted for his liberality said recently, when a contribution was about to be made, “ When I am about to subscribe anything ft>r Christ, I always feel as though I would like to have Him make the figures for me.” Self Denial. —A Boston paper records that “a good old lady in New Jersey, ‘past three-score years and ten,’ loves the cause of foreign missions so much that she has given up her snuff, and sent ten dollars, which she calls ‘snuff money,’ to the American Board.” English Baptists. —ln twenty years, the Baptists have built 142 new chapels, and re built and enlarged ninety nine more, furnish ing an additional accommodation for 81,600, at a cost of £168,000. The Established church has to show, against this total of 241, only 182. • !$3 00 1 YEAR.! Absolute Despotism. The (Roinish) Tablet says, with regard to tho Pope’s tem poral sovereignty; “There is no difference of opinion among Catholics on this subject, for we do not allow any difference on such ques tions. The decrees of the church forbid it. Whoever maintains contrary opinions cannot be a Catholic. This may be arbitrary, and is so. Truth is arbitrary, and this is truth. No Catholio can maintain an opinion opposed to the temporal power of the Pope." Spiritualism. —A Spiritualist writes to a favorite organ of his school that the work Spiritualists have before them is—“To en thuse all humanity with anew religious de votion to ‘all truth, lead where it may and, if the truth be not known, to its discovery ; and if the way to discover it be also unknown, then to the discovery of the way. To the discovery of the discovery of the discovery they devote themselves; and thus will the hierophantic souls sail down the picturesque vistas of protoplasm to the shore of the an agogies.” This is what men offer us in ex change for the verities of Holy Writ; for that “ old Gospel,” which a late Conference of Free Religionists at Springfield, Mass., pronounced “a cumulative aggregation of antecedent hyper religiosities,” but whi“h approves itself as “the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth.” Parental Authority. —Miss Mulock says to parents that the time must come in every family when it is the children’s right to begin to think and act for themselves, and the parents’duty to allow them to do it; when it is the wisest gradually to slacken authority, to sink “I command” into “I wish,” and to grant large freedom of opinion and the expression of it. And yet wo heard a man of ability, not long since, gravely assert that the Scriptures expressly place children under the absolute, repressive au thority of parents until they are twenty-one years of age! Doubtless, his copy of the Bible had one more passage in it than Miss Mulock’s—or ours. A Successful Experiment. —The United Presbyterian church at Baltimore, Md., (Rev. Wm. Bruce pastor,) has just closed the first year of an experiment to abolish all pew rents, and depend entirely upon the weekly contributions on the Sabbath for the means of meeting the current expenses of the church. AH the expenses have been prompt ly met, and a surplus of about two hundred dollars is in the treasury'. Worldly Respbctadility. —The Content-* porary Review , an English Episcopal period ical, allows a clergyman, Rev. J. Baldwin Brown, to say, of the Church of England : “ It is already the most respectable church in the universe. Some think it is dying of re spectability—a respectability of which the State connection is tho source and guarantee. The one objection to it is, that it is gained at the expense of all that is most Christian in Christianity. Feeling—Principle. —A good minister inquired of an intelligent lady kneeling for prayer, “Do you feel your need of reli gion to which she answered in the nega tive. “Why, then” he asked, “are you here?” “ Because,she replied, “ I know that I need it.” That was sensible. She found it, and rejoiced in God. Greenland. —A Moravian missionary, af ter forty years’ work in Greenland, now returning to England, reports: “In all Green land there is but one station in the neighbor hood of which there are heathen. With this exception, all the Greenlanders now profess Christianity.” What shall we do with our favorite hymn—viz., “From Greenland's icy mountains?” Presbyterian Close Communion.— A min ister of the United Presbyterian Church, at Steubenville, Ohio, has been refused a cer tificate of ministerial standing, because, by vote of his session, he allowed a minister of the Old School Church to assist and partake at his communion table. The Sexes. —Mrs. Hale, in her “ Biogra phy of Distinguished Women,” says that man represents “ the material or earthly in human nature,” and woman represents “ the spiritual or heavenly ;” that man’s nature is “ lower,” and woman’s “ higher ;” and that man’s fall in Eden was much more disastrous than woman’s. The Theatre. —The infidel Rousseau says, “ Where would bo the prudent mother who would dare to carry her daughter to this dan gerous school ? and what respectable woman would not think herself dishonored by going there?” Hannah Moore, in her successful career as a play-writer, renounced the theatre as being a sohool of vice. Garrick was care ful not to have those of his own profession at his table. A French society not long ago offered a prize for the best essay in answer to the question, “ Why are most modern dramas founded on the dishonor of woman, and what effect do they have on the feminine public?” Seminaries. —The total number of theo logical seminaries of all denominations in the United States is said to be i>2. Os these, 14 are Roman Catholic, with each from 3 to 15 Professors; and they report nearly 1,200 students, who are preparing for the priest hood and other offices in the Church. A Deaconess.— The Bishop of London has admitted Miss C. Hart to the otfico of “deaconess” in the Church of England, and has appointed her to visit in the district par* ish of St. Gabriel, Pimlico. The ceremony took place at Fulham Palace. Speech and Work. —Rnskin somewhere says: “The moment a man can really do his work, he becomes speechless about it. All words become idle to him.” There must bo a faulty generalization here : for who preaches better than Dr. John A. Broadus, and who has better spoken of it than he, in his “ Pre paration and Delivery of Sermons ?” The Sabbath. —“A religious society in Aberdeeu, Scotland, recently discussed the question, whether reading the almanac on Sunday is consistent with Christian duty ?” Many persons who read this statement with a sense of diversion, would be the better if they might exchange something of their dis regard toward the sanctity of the Lord’s day, for the scrupulousness which strikes them as excessive and ridiculous. Church Laxity. —A supper was given, Feb. Ist, for the benefit of St. David’s (Epis copal) church, Austin, Texas, by ladies of that city. Notice appeared in the papers that there would be a “ hop,” or dance, in connection with it—which came off accord ingly ; the rector, Rev. B. A. Rodgers, act ing as one of the ushers of the audience du ring their arrival. Infidel Blasphemy.— ln the (Unitarian) Examiner, for February, Jesus Christ and John Brown are placed in comparison, and the writer says that “they were equally common men,” but “ in John Brown on his scaffold, eternal God has lifted the standard of human advancement higher than it was lifted in the Christ of Calvary.” It further places the mount of John Brown’s martyr dom “above Calvary,” says Jesus “looked for intervention by miracle which did not come,” and claims that “ he failed conspicu ously ” in courage at the last, “ and as con spicuously John Brown did not fail.” WHOLE NO. 2530.