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BY JAS. P. HARRISON 4 CO. THE HUMAN WILL HY J, A. BATTLE. NO. VI. REGENERATION AND EVANGELICAL FAITH. We have now discovered a striking coincidence between our philosophy of the Will and the teachings of reve lation. Both unite their testimony to the truth that the impulse to volition and action is derived from the seat of theaffections —the sensibility, as psy chologists term it; the heart, as it is de nominated in the Scriptures. It was suggested in the second num ber of this series, that there was a symptom of disorder in the loose nexus binding the intellect and sensibility. This symptom is betrayed not so much in the variety of emotions awakened by a given intellection, as in the false, base and malevolent affections aroused by ideas which ought, legitimately, to to produce the contrary feelings. The human soul is a grand instrument, whose cords are capable of a great variety of musical sounds. But it is sadly out of tune. The keys, though struck by a master hand, awaken un certain, false and dissonant tones, so that what should be sweet and thrilling harmony is jarring and jangling dis cord. The sensibility, then, is the chief seat of evil in man’s soul. No longer under the sway of right reason and a pure conscience, it often flames like raging fire, and destroys in its malig nant fury. The Bible, also, teaches that the heart is the seat of corruption in man. “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked.” Christ, as we have seen, declared that “out of the heart proceeds all evil thoughts, mur ders,” etc. As all goodness consists in love to God and our neighbor, so all wickedness results from the absence of these holy affections. But man, in his natural state, does not love God. “The carnal mind is enmity to-God, for it is not subject to the law of God, neither in deed can be.” From enmity nothing pleasing to God can flow. Therefore, man’s Will, prompted by natural feeling, never commands righ teous and holy actions. Thus man is, by nature, entirely a sinner, because his heart is opposed to God. We have shown, in the cases of Abiaham and Moses, that in matters of duty to God, righteous men are im pelled by a principle superior to the natural dispositions of the soul. This principle, therefore, is supernatural in its origin. It is awakened by Deity. We have said that faith is an inspira tion. By this we do not mean to say that it is an exotic transplanted in the soul—that is, a foreign substance added to the furniture of the soul; but a ca pacity developed by Divine power to do what, of its own unaided nature, it could not do. We have found faith to be a compound of intellection and emotion namely, conviction of cer tain truth and responding affections. One who possesses this faith is regener ated, “born again,” or “born of God.” The Scriptures emphatically assert the necessity of this regeneration, which it, as emphatically ascribes, to Divine Power—the power of the Holy Spirit. Now, in order to regeneration there must be new intellections —convictions of truth of which the soul was before incapable. There must be also new sensibilities awakened —affections hith erto inexperienced and impossible. The Gospel furnishes the truth or knowl edge, which the Holy Spirit fastens in clear conviction on the intellect, and then awakens those emotions which follow appropriately and legitimately. The reception of this truth, and the consequent affections, make up evan gelical faith. Thus evangelical faith is both intel tellectual and emotional. We exhibit its elements as follows : Intellectual —Belief of the Gospel. This includes the conviction of the following prominent truths: Man’s depravity and ruin—God’s hatred of sin, yet love to the race —Christ’s Di vine satisfaction for sin—pardon and salvation to the penitent. Emotion—Love t<* Christ. This involves the following prominent feel ings : Sorrow for sin—trust in the Saviour —desire to glorify Him. Now, it is easy to see that if this faith is once created in the soul by Divine Power, these higher impulses prevail over the lower propensities of the carnal nature, and the Will obey ing the dictate of the dominant emo tion will command actions pleasing to God, and the subject of this faith will do what is right. Thus it is the effect of regeneration, as it is its design, to bring the soul of man into harmony with the mind of of God, and the human will into co operation with the Divine Will. Thus it produces in him loyalty and obedi ence to his Maker and righteous Lord. Thus “God worketh in us both to mil The Christian Index. and to do of His good pleasure.” He does not arbitrarily or violently bend the Will to His behests, compelling it to act against the disposition of the heart, but Ho creates in us right affec tions and holy desires, and thus so works in us that we will and we do of His good pleasure. The question is sometimes asked, which is first in order, regeneration or faith ? Our theory of faith settles the question. Regenera tion is the process; faith is the product. The Spirit is the agent, regeneration the method by which He operates, and faith the result. But while regenera tion psychologiacally precedes faith chronologically they are one and instan taneous. As “God speaks and it is done,” so when He decrees the moment of the new birth, instantly faith is awakened, and the new-born soul breathes the air of liberty. The re generated man is at once anew man, because his heart is changed at once. Saul of Tarsus was at one moment breathing threatening and curses against Christ snd His people, and in the next, was lying on the ground in an agony of remorse, crying, “Lord, what wilt thou have me to do ? ” His mind was then no longer enmity against Jtsus whom he had persecuted, but eager to know what he could do to serve Him. He was a regenerated man, the subject of evangelical faith. In the next number, the theory that the Will is determined by motives will be reviewed. For the Index and Baptist.] A (THIOLS DOC CM EM'. Dear Brother — l have before me a curious and ancient document which may be of some interest to many of your readers. It will explain itself. I will offer a statement, however, which will, perhaps, partially satisfy the curiosity of some. It belongs to the oldest member of my church, a good sister, who has been a Baptist nearly half a century. She tells me that it has been in her family for more than a century ; how long she does not know, having been handed down from generation to generation. She says it came through the Stuart family, of England. Singularly curious, yet, it corresponds verbatim with an instru ment of writing published in The Index about 1848, which claimed to have been exhumed from the ruins of some ancient city. (I forget the city.) It is as follows : “ There lives at this time in Judea a man of singular character, whose name is Jesus Christ. The Phillipians esteem him a prophet, hut his followers adore him as the immediate offspring of the immortal God. He is endowed with such unparalleled virtue as to call back the dead from their graves and to heal every kind of disease with a word or a touch. His person is tall and elegantly shaped, his aspect amia ble and reverend. His hair flows unto these beauteous shades which no united colors can match, falling into graceful curls below his ears, agreeably couch ing on his shoulders and parting on the crown of his head like the head dress of Nazirites. His lorehead smoothe and large, his cheeks without either spot save that of a lovely red. His nose and mouth are formed with exquisite symmetry. His beard is thick and suitable to the hair of his head; reaching a little telow his chin, and parted in the middle like a fork. His eyes are bright, clear and serene. He rebukes with majesty, counsels with mildness, and invites with the most tender and persuasive language. His kind address whether in word of elegant, grave and strictly char acteristic of so exalted a being. No man has seen him laugh, but the whole world beholds him weep frequently, and so persuasive are his tears that the multitude cannot withhold their tears from joining in sympathy with him. He is very modest, termperate and wise, in short whatever this person may turn out in the end he seems at present a man of excellent beauty and divine perfection, even greatly surpass ing the children of men.” No doubt that the above has been modified somewhat, as it was copied passing from family to family. There is no date attached to it, so as to time it is guesswork. J. B. Chevis. Cuthbert, G&, Advertising Agency. —Mr. S. D. Freshman has been admitted to a part nership in the well-known Advertising Agency of E. N. Freshman, Cincinnati, Ohio. The firm style is E. N. Fresh man & Bros. We wish them prosperity. Nichols’ Sacred Quartetts and Anthems is the title of anew collec tion of sacred music adapted for choirs and the home circle. The price is $2.50. The work is published by Chas C. Mellor, Pittsburgh, Pa. It contains forty of the standard works of emi nent composers. It is a valuable and interesting collection. Literature Secular Editorials— Current Notes and News. ATLANTA, GA., THURSDAY, JANUARY 13, 1876. INDEX ANID BAPTIST. Publication Rooms—27 and 29 South-Broad Street BOOR REVIEWS. Leah Ylohdecai. A novel bv Mrs. Belle Ken drick Abbott, of Atlanta, Ga". Sheldon & Cos., New York, publishers. Aside from the literary merit or de merit of this new contribution to our current literature of fiction, this book is entitled to the special consideration of Georgians, because it is the pro duction of a southern pen, the “first fruits,” in book form, of the literary talents of a lady already known to Southern letters by fugitive pieces of merit, in prose and in verse. It is of further interest to our people because the plot, incidents, characters, time and place, attract by reason of their famil iarity, appealing, in a considerable de gree, to pathetic memories still fresh in our hearts. We cannot admit that these materials, permeated as they are by the sad yet sweet reminiscences of the struggle for Southern independence, and, in essence, the most dramatic that can be imagin ed, have been fully placed under con tribution by the author of “Leah Mordecai,” and as they might have been. She has, so to say, with a stylus deftly held for so young an artist, drawn a sketch, whose figures are shadowy images of real, fltsh and blood humanity ; a picture, whose foreground, middleground and perspective lack the fine detail, the simplicity of harmony, in part and in whole, which con stitutes the ideal of every pro duction of true Art ; an ideal which Genius achieves by direct inspi ration, and to which high-rate talent approximates only by dint of careful study, and patient, unwearying labor. Rebecca, the heroine’s step-mother, the bete noir that causes the major part of the mischief done, is a blatant, coarse virago, lacking even the eleihent of subtile tact in her mischief-making. We should like to see her brought, finally, to the bar of justice and pun ished, but she leaves the stage of ac tion without even a parting conge to the audience. Leah’s father is a very common place Jew, who suffers himself to be bamboozled,by his former house-keeper, in a very inexplicable manner, to the disadvantage of nobody save his own daughter, whom he professes to love. Leah, the heroine, at the age of seven, allows herself to be forced by her rude step-mother into telling her father a lie, and, to please her, she continues to tell and act lies, even as a young lady, because she has no strength of charac ter, no moral force to resist the “Father of lies,” and his imp, her step-mother; yet this girl, in a year or two more, displays moral and physical heroism of the rarest kind, for the sake of a man whom she married to escape the mach inations of her step-mother, sacrificing, to do so, with little compunction, her old lover, her father’s love, and her re ligion. Leah’s husband is a silly, snobbish youth, who writes platitudes in a diary, which, curiously, become the incit ing causes that lead Leah into un happy situations, and, finally, ena ble her to show a martyr-like ex altation of character, the very opposite of what the formative period of her life would indicate, and what we would, logically, expect of such as she. All this, moreover, for a man who rewards her sacrifices and her devotion, by de serting her; for he, too, disappears mysteriously from the stage, to return no more, though his poor wife ekes out a scanty subsistence by washing clothes for a Charleston hospital, for a year or two after the “cruel war is over,” and within sight of her father’s palatial mansion. Lizzie Hartwell is the best sketched female character in the book; natural, simple, sensible ; hence, in pleasing con trast to the somewhat sentimentally over-stra ; ned personages around her. Captain Marshall is a manly fellow, and the author, through his and Lizzie’s lips, has occasion to utter some excel lent truths, whicu constrain us to give them our genuine admiration. Tho minor personages are inconsequential. The morale of “Leah Mordecai” is, unquestionably, pure; the diction smooth, and J happily devoid of that sensationalism, in word aud method, which so disagreeably obtrudes itself upon our attention in the larger por tion of society novels of the day. A pure heart, inspiring a cultivated mind, will always give clear evidence of itself in the effusions of a writer ; aud such is the case in the hook before us. The publishers, as usual in books emanating from their press, have done themselves and the work credit, in the manner and style of printing and bind ing. We welcome the book as another ev idence of the restless and successful activity which is beginning to charac terize writers competent to illustrate the literary sphere of our section, and to place and hold it in its legiti mate position in the galaxy of mind. PEOPLE WILL TALK. You may got through the world, but ’twill be very slow ; If you listen to all that iB said as you go; You'll bo worried aud fretted and kept iu a stew, For meddlesome tongues must have something to do, And people will talk. If quiet and modest, you’ll have it presumed That your humble position is only assumed— You’re a wolf iu sheep’s clothing, or else you’re a fool, But don't get excited—keep perfectly tool— For people will talk. Aud then, if you show the least boldness of heart, Or a slight inclination to take your own part, They will call you an upstart, conceited and vain, But keep straight ahead—don’t stop to explain— For people will talk. If threadbare your dress, or old-fashioned your hat, Someone will surely take notice of that. And hint rather strong that you can’t pay your way, But don’t get excited, whatever they say— . For people will talk. If yon dreßs in the fashion don’t think to escape, For they criticise them in a different shape: You’re ahead of your moans, or your tailor's un paid, But mind your own business—there’s naught to be made— For people will talk. Now, the boat way to do is to do as you please ; For your mind, if you have one, will then be at ease. Of conrso yon will meet with all sorts of abuse; But don’t think to stop them—it aix’t any use— For people will talk. GEORGIA NEWS. —The recent unprecedented warm spell of weather has done serious dnm agt to farmers in spoiling their pork supply for the winter. —Mr. John T. Stillwell, son of Rev. J. M. Stillwell, of Stone Moun tain, has taken charge of the Coving ton Male Academy. —The fine residence of Mr. John M. Allen, ten miles south of Covington, was fired by an incendiary and distroy ed on the 27th ult. He was also robbed of $1,960 in currency. —Robt. U. Hardeman, of Macon, is a candidate for the State Treasurer ship. —Twenty-six estimates made by members of the Augusta Exchange, in regard to the cotton crop of 1875-’76, average 4,125,769 bales. The lowest estimate is 4,000,000, and the highest 4,350,000. —Hundreds of negroes are leaving Talbot and Harris counties for Texas and Mississippi. —ln domestic exports Savannah ranks third among the cities of the Union. The exports for November lead those of Philadelphia by more than two million dollars. —The health of Hon. A. H. Steph ens is so bad that he will not be able to occupy his seat in Congress this session. —The union prayer meetings in Augusta are well attended. —The Macon Public Library is pros pering. Hon. Robert Toombs will lecture before it next month, —The negroes in Gwinnett are show ing a disposition to work, and are anxious to hire their services to the farmers. —J. J. Moore, of DeKalb, was re cently drowned in Mountain Creek. —The Jonesboro News says that the Ferguson steam mills were recently sold to Judge Bartew, at public sale,' for $25,000. —Mr. R. B. Smith has been appointed as postmaster at Cassville, which office waß re-established a few weeks ago. —A mass-meeting of citizens of Cherokee Georgia was held at Canton on the sth inst., for the purpose of in augurating some means by which an appropriation could be secured from Congress for the opening of the Etowah river to navigation. —The Cartersville Express says : In conversation with Col. Printup, of Rome, the other day, we learned that ef forts were being made to compromise the Cherokee railroad case something after this manner: The parties to agree for the road to go to sale, the proceeds to be held up by the officer, and then contend for the money. —The Newnan Semi-Weekly Star has suspended. —The Fort Valley Mirror says a negro man brutally assaulted Miss Ellen Abbott, at the residence of Rev. S. E. Bassett, daring the absence of the family. He has been arrested and is now in jail. —The carnival celebration in Atlanta passed off on the 6th inst. with great eclat. —Alluding to the nfegro exodus from various points on the West Point rail road, the Newrfan Herald says : “This exodus of farm labor may put our farmers to temporary inconvenience, but in the end, we believe, this emigra tion will be a blessing in disguise.” —The Borne Chamber of Commerce is going to issue a paper devoted to ithe interests of immigration. —Mr. Stephen D. Jackson, of Mon roe county, was recently killed acci dentally in attempting to stop a run away horse. —The Griffin News urges the consol idation of small counties, and the abo lition or consolidation of small offices, as a matter in State economy in taxes. —The following officers of the Geor gia Medical Society for the year were elected at the recent session at Savan nah : President, Dr. J. C. Habersham; Vice President, Dr. Wm. H. Elliott; Recording Secretary, Dr. Theo. Star buck ; Corresponding Secretary, Dr. Thomas Smith; Librarian, Dr. R. P. Myers. —Several heavy failures have re cently occurred in Atlanta. —ln the last sixty days sixty-four sheep have been killed in three miles of Thos. H. Moore’s house, in Cobb county. A dog law becomes an im perative necessity. —The old Board of Directors of the Augusta and Savannah railroad has been re-elected. —Judge Irwin has been elected from Cobb county to fill the vacancy in the Legislature caused by the resignation of the Hon. W. D. Anderson. —ltems from the Marietta Journal, January 7th: Mrs. Baker, a widow lady, living some five miles west of Acworth, be came frightened last Sunday night week at what she supposed to be an approaching storm, attempted to de scend into the cellar for safety, and fell and broke her neck. Her little daughter gave the alarm and assem bled the neighbors, who found the old lady dead. —On last Monday week, the little daughter of Mr. Ace Fare, of Roswell while trying to climb out of a window of her father’s house, met with instant death by the window sash falling on her neck breaking it. The parents were absent at the time, but when they returned they found their little daugh ter, fastened under the sash, dead. —The Albany News, Jan. 6th, says: “ From all sources we have the most grati fying accounts of the coming oat crop. The acreage sowed down exceeds any former year by, perhaps, two hundred per cent, in this section, and the planters report the finest prospect ever before witnessed at this season of the year." —A fued having existed for some time between Mr. A. G. Kinsey and Mr. Gaston Fowler, the Ellijay Courier, of the stb, relates the sequel in this way: “ They met at Mr. Joseph Newberry’s mill, in Tickatitiy district, this county, when some words passed between them, and Fowler drew a pistol, but wi:s caught by. some gentlemen standing near by. He finally jerked loose from them, saying, “ Stand back, or I will shoot you.” They all stood back and be shot Mr. Kimsey, the ball entering his left shoulder and touching the spinal cord lodged behind the right shoulder blade. Dr. E. W. Wat kins was sent for, and did all in his power for the wounded man, but it is thought im probable that Mr. Kimsey will recover. Fow ler at lost account had not been arrested, nor have we even heard of a warrant being issued for his arrest." —Mr. H. Lewis, living in the neigh borhood of Senoia, was Btahbed and almost instantly killed by a Mr. Smith recently. Ac last accounts the murderer was still at large. $3 A YEAR IN ADVANCE. NEWS OF THE WEEK. DOMESTIC. A petition signed by twenty-three thousand three hundred and sixty Mor mon women, prays Congress to give Utah a State government, and Poland’s anti-poligamy law. —Port Royal, S. C., has been desig nated as the permanent headquarters for the United States war vessels ia the North Atlantic. —Difficulties between the United States and Spain, on account of Cuba, are seriously apprehended. The Department of Agriculture’s estimates indicate a crop of cotton, this season, of not less than 4,050,000 bales, nor more than 4,150,000 bales. —Tho feeling of many of the South ern members in Congress, is adverse to voting for the Centennial appropria tion, until a full and not a partial am nesty bill shall have been passed. —A Jackson, Mississippi, special says the committees have been appointed in the House to investigate the charges against Lieutenant-Governor Davis,and Superintendent of Education Cardozo, with a view to impeachment. —Governor Coke, und Lieutenant-Gov ernor Hubbard, were unanimously re nominated by the Democratic State Convention of Texas. —At Osborne, Missouri, on the Han nibal and St. Joseph railroad, burglars broke into a drug store lately, and stole a bottle of chloroform, with which they drugged the whole town. They went through both hotels, all the stores and many private residences. They se cured thousands of dollars, and escaped- FOREIGN. —Austria is making warlke prepa rations. It is generally believed that Austrian troops will occupy the Turk ish provinces on the Danube. —The King of Italy considers a general war in Europe as quite prob able. —The Turkish government rejects the mediation of foreign powers. —One of the Austrian Archdukes is to be crowned as King ef Hungary, next July. —Another colliery explosion occurred in Staffordshire, England, by which a number of miners were killed and wouuded. CHANGE NOTES. —Grange stores are rapidly increas ing all over the country. Centre Grange, 965, of Indiana con siders the fifth degree an insult to ev ery Patron, and demands its abolition. —Each Grange should keep an ac curate record of the amount of all pur chases made by its members through agents or from firms offering discounts to the Order. The amount saved should be ascertained as nearly as pos sible and entered upon the minutes. —The recent Texas Constitutional Convention includes forty-four Pat rons. —Putting behind the things which are past, and looking forward to the things which are to come, the Patrons of Husbandry enter upon what all in dications point to as a long career of prosperity. —The Pacific Rural Press recom mends that each subordinate Grange have an open and public discussion on some agricultural subject. —All Pomona and subordinate Granges of the Ouachita and Black River Valley, in Louisiana, will meet in council on the subject of transpor tation, on the second Monday of this month, at Monroe. —The following are 'the officers of the Kentucky State Grange, and their salaries: Master, M. D. Davie ; Over seer, W. J. Stone; Lecturer, R. D. Smith ; Treasurer, J. M. Clarke ; Sec retary, J. E. Barnes. The following salaries were agreed upon: Master, $1,000; Treasurer, S3OO j Lecturer, $3 per day and expenses. Per diem of delegates, $3, mileage, three cents. Personal. —We had a pleasant call from Mr. George O. Wallaoe, of tha firm of N. W. Ayer & Son, the popu lar advertising agents of Philadelphia. Mr. W. was en route to Florida. We wish him unlimited pleasure in tha “ Land of Flowers.”