Newspaper Page Text
The Christian Index
TZEEIEj SOTJTH-WESTERU BAPTIST, THIS HEEALDt
of Alabama. of Tennessee.
VOL. 55—NO. 15.
Table of Contents.
Ftebt Page. —Alabama Department: Record of
State Events; A Note from Rev. J. S. Baker,
D.D. ; A Statement of Facts—Rev. Jos. S. Ba
ker ; Whittle and Bliss in Selma—Rev. E. B.
Teague: General Denominational News.
Second Page . —Not the “Board Question”—S.
Boykin; Gainesville is the Place for the Geor
gia Baptist Female Seminary—W. 0. Wilkes ;
To the Brethren Composing the Tallapoosa
Association—H. A. Williams: Dry Rot in the
Church.; Man Subjected to the'Law of Suf
fering—T. C. A.; The Model Prayer-Meeting—
Observer; Concluding Reply to Tertius; A Re
markable Fact—W. N. Chaudoin. Book No
tices. Science and Education.
Third Page —Notes on the Act of Baptism—No.
vn—Rev. 3. H. Kilpatrick.
Fourth Page.— Editorial : Power of Temper
ance; Old Preachers' Board; Sabbath-school
Superintendents; An Impoßter; Inebriate Asy
lums ; Georgia Baptist News ; Noble Little
South Carolina; Pi aver-Meetings; Our Errors
—D. E. Butler. Field Notes and Cabinet Talks
—Enoch. What is Man that Thou art Mindful
of Him—Prof. W. F. Smith; etc.
Fifth Page. Spirit of the Religious Press.
Secular Editorials; Personal; The State Sun
day-school Board; To the Point; The Theater;
Literary Gossip; Georgia News.
Sixth Page.— Should Girls Study Latin—Elma
Winsted; Notes of Travel ; From Montgomery
to Decatur—Nomad. The Sundav-Scliool : Pe
ter’s Defense—Lesson for April 16th.
Seventh Page. Agriculture : Work for the
Month; The Fence Law; Facts Not Generally
Known; etc.
Eighth Page. —Our Correspondents : An Inter
esting Letter from Baltimore—Rev. W. T.
Brantly; “The Dead Line of Fifty;” South
ern Baptist Convention : The Baptist State
Convention of Georgia—J. W. D. Creath; The
Churches and the Convention—W. N. Chau
doin.
INDEX AND BAPTIST.
ALABAMA DEPARTMENT.
Dale county is moving in the matter of
h olding a county fair.
The rust has appeared in oats in Pike coun
ty-
A telegraph line is to be established be
tween Troy and Union Springs.
The Good Templars lodge at Greenville
has been re-organized.
The fair at Mobile begins April 25th.
Helena rolling mill is turning out excellent
cotton ties in large quantities.
The Selma, Rome ifc Dalton road is un
broken. and its trains run through regularly.
*— •
Anew Methodist church is to he built at
Rock Mills, Randolph county.
The Methodist Sunday-school supper at
Tuskegee netted SBS.
Several German families from the vicinity
of Wheeling, W. Va., have recently settled
near Birmingham.
The Agricultural and Mechanical College
at Auburn has now about 125 students, the
University of Alabama at Tuscaloosa about 90.
The Y. M. C. Association of Alabama will
hold its fifth annual session at Huntsville, on
the 27th April next.
It is reported that the iron and rolling stock
of the Tuskegee narrow guage railroad is of
fered for sale.
■ ■
The Selma Times says: “The Fair which
the Grangers propose to hold in that city in
October, is taking like wildfire.”
It is proposed that the Alabama Press As
sociation meet in Montgomery on the 30th of
May, the day before the meeting of the Demo-
Convention.
Kellogg and Spencer, English miners, have
leased, and will operate, the coal mines near
Clement’s Station.
Proceedings have been begun in the Supreme
Court for the impeachment of Probate Judge
Buckley, of Montgomery.
The recent act of the Legislature making
the stealing of a hog, goat, sheep, cow, or
property of the value of twenly-five dollars,
grand larceny, has done a great deal of good in
the coontry.
State mcrey holds its own remarkably well
there having been no decline in price since the
adjournment of the Legislature. This is a
healthy sign, and shows the confidence the
people now have in the credit of the State.
The new revenue laws exempts among other
things, the following: All the property of
literary and scientific institutions, not exempt
ing, however, any of such property when em
ployed in any other than the regular business
of such institutions.
The libraries of ministers of the gospel, and
all libraries other than those of a professional
character, and all religious books kept for sale
by ministers of the gospel and colporteurs.
Rev. J; B. Hartwell, returned Missionary,
from China, will preach (D.V.) at the following
places: Montgomery, Thursday and Friday
nigtits, 13th and 14th ; Mobile, Sunday, lfith ;
Selma, Monday night, 17th ; Eufanla, Wednes
day, 19th; Albany, Ga., Monday night,
24th, Americus, Ga., Tuesday night, 25th ;
Fort Vally, Ga., Wednesday night, 26th;
Macon, Ga., Thursday night, 27th; Columbus,
Ga., Sunday, 30th.
—lt is stated that the Women’s Foreign
Mission Societies of this country contributed
last year $860,000 to foreign missions.
A NOTE FROM RF.V. J. 8. BAKER, D.D.
Dear Index—Since my notice of “Dr.Ren
froe’s second philippic” was written I have
received the Alabama Baptist, of the 23d of
March, from which it appears that Dr. Wink
ler has not only refused to allow us to reply
to the charge preferred against us, or to ex
plain our positions,(which we supposed had
been misconstrued and led to the charges
preferred,) but has endorsed Dr. R.’s char
ges, and added to them one of his own, I
deem it, therefore, a duty due to the public,
and especially to our subscribers in Georgia
and Alabama, to state a few facts which will
prove, conclusively, the falsity of the charge
preferred by Dr. Winkler, viz: That the
warfare in which they are engaged with us
was inaugurated by us. We appeal to an
omniscient God to sustain us, so far as we
testify truly, and no further.
The statements I make, I mnke upon my
individual responsibility. I have not con
ferred with any of our nssociatesin reference
to them, hut have prayerfully inquired into
the will of God, and been made to feel it my
duty—a painful duty it is—to lay my testi
mony, in reference to this matter, before the
world. Having done this I shall retire from
the field of contest, report to our Comman
der-in-Chief, and entrench myself behind the
barricades formed of His many and exceed
ingly precious promises, w liich can never he
overthrown by all the shot and shell from the
batteries of our adversaries over in Alabama,
or elsewhere.
Please admit the above to your columns,
and if you can do so, without crowding out
more important matter, please admit also the
accompanying statement of facts, in reference to
the assaults of the Alabama Baptist on “ The
Index and its correspondents."
Jos. S. Baker.
A STATEMENT OF FACTS
In Retcrtm-f t the Crnsade of the Alabama
Baptist against The Index and its Correspond
ents.
Fact 1. The editors of Ihe Baptist, from an
early period in their editorial career, have
manifested, in a variety of ways, which we will
not now detail, as great a hostility to The
Index as ever the haughty Hainan manifest
ed towards Morderai, the Jew who sat in the
king’s gate and refused to do him reverence;
but as The Index has lived and prospered,
notwithstanding nil their attempts to crush ft,
they recently sought to avail thimselves of the
present Centennial excitement to work its ruin.
They charge and it with jjoldly opposing the Cen
tennial movement. We denied the charge,
and respectfully requested them to retract it or
produce evidence to sustain it.
Fact 2. They not only, by their charge,
placed us in a false petition before their read
ers, hut imputed to us motives derogatory to
our character alike as Cl i ietians and as honest
men! They represented us as attempting to
‘ ‘humbug” the public by a “thin sort of sophis
try ;" will; being influenced by an unholy prin
ciple “which hopes to be famous by giving
opposition to everybody else;” and as acting
like one who “simply blinds his vision for
reasons’ l The italics used evidently amount
to an imputation that we had some concealed
and sinister end in view.
Fact 3. It is a lact that we declined to de
fend curselves against the imputations cast
upon cur .motives, assigning as a reason, that
we were “fully persuaded that when he, (the
associate editor who had impugned our mo
tives,) reviews at the feet of Jesus—after his
Centennial excitement has semewhatsubsided,
if not before—the charges he has preferred
against us, he will regret, sincerely as I do, the
bitter reflcctiens he has cast on his brethren in
Jesus, seeing his Saviour has said, “Inasmuch
as ye did to one of the least of these my
brethren, ye diditto me. (Matt. xxv:4o. See,
too,l Cor. viii: 12.
Fact 4. It is a fact that one of the editors of
Ihe Baptist refused to admit to their columns
an article sent there in reply to their defama
tory charges against us, unless we would con
sent to allow him to reply to it in our columns!
A more unreascnable demand—as we stated an
a private letter to the aforesaid editor —we
never knew one rational man to make of an
other.
Fact 5. It is a fact that cur reply, instead of
being published or returned to us, as we had
requested, was retained several weeks, and sent
to Dr. Renfroe, who wrote to us that he
had read it, and would not consent to its pub
-1 ication, unless we consented to the unreasona
ble demand to which we have already referred.
After cur refusal to submit to his papistical
demand, our manuscript was returned, without
any objection to anything in its spirit or style
to justify their refusal to publish it. We were
very careful, in writing it, to avoid everything
that savored of recrimination, or that could
justly be construed as discourteous. We acted
only on the defensive, repelling the weapons
aimed at us, but hurling none at our assailants;
and thankful do we ieel to God for His re
straining grace, whereby we were preserved
from rendering evil for evil, as we candidly
confess we were strongly tempted to do.
Fact 6. In the Baptist of 23d of March,
there are about four columns filled with false
statements; with mutilated extracts, which
taken detached frt m their contexts, might be
conslrued as teaching what is not taught in
the articles from which they have been de
tached—with inferences drawn from our ar
ticles which no Scriptural rules nor rule in
FRANKLIN PRINTING HOUSE, ATLANTA, GEORGIA, APRIL 13, 1876.
logic, would justify anyone in drawing—and
with many positive assertions that are fully
“as false as false can be.”
As an instance of our assailant’s reckless
ness of truth, and apparent determination to
utterly demolish us, by foul means if he could
not by fair, we refer to the fact, that he as
cribes to us sentiments reported in our issue
ol February 17th as the cogitations of one of
our readers, and that too—note the fact, rea
der—after our expressing the “hope no one
will hold The Inedx responsible for the
opinions expressed or implied in our report
of the difficulties that agitate the mind of our
bewildered reader.” With such positive
evidence of a deliberate falsification of a pub
lic record, who can blame us for questioning the
testimony of our assailant, in any matter in
which it is to his interest to have “the wrong”
believed to be “the right ?”
He has, moreover, represented us as affirm
ing, unqualified, what we had carefully qualified
with a promo— such, for instance, as, “if the re
ports of their proceedings, contained in the
papers, may be relied on.” This is directly
at variance with all the ideas of truth, justice
generosity and gentility that we have derived
from the teachings of our mother and our
mother’s Bible.
Fact 7. It is a fact that the proof introduced
to sustain the charge preferred against us con
sists wholly of the mutilations, misrepresenta
tions, prevarications, etc., to which we have
referred, and is, to say the least, fully as insuf
ficient to sustain the charge as it is to prove that
the warfare which they are waging against us
is conducted with the fear of God before their
eyes, reverence for the truth and the love of
Jesus and their brethren in their hearts. It is
both painful and mortifying to us to be thus
constrained to write.
Fact 8. It is a fact that our assailants, as if
conscious ol the insufficiency of their evidence
to convict us of hostility to the Centennial
movement, have resorted to various expedients
to make up for any deficiency in their testimo
ny by exciting prejudice against us. For in
stance, they refer to views expressed by us in
reference to the trinity, wh ! ch, like our views
of the Centennial movement, have been mis
understood and misrepresented. Now, whether
our views of the trinity be true or lalse, they
can have no more connection with the charge
preferred against ns than they have with the
question, “Who shall be the next President of
the Unit'd States.” W ■ cannot, therefore, see
why reference was made to them, unless it was
to excite prejudice against us.
Again, we are represented as being severe on
your Centennnial (Orators, especially in the South.
This looks like an ellort to excite sectional pre
judices against us in the minds of our South
ern brethren, by inducing the belief, that we
were more favorable to our own brethren at
the North than to our Southern brethren. In
things appertaining to the. Kingdom of Christ,
we know no North no South. We are too
well-known to apprehend any evil from the
efforts to which we allude.
We might refer to other extra efforts made
to;induce their readejs to render a verdict
against us, notwithstanding their ability to fur
nish any stronger evidence of the truth of their
charges than their own unreliable affidavits;
but we forbear. It is a very common thing
for defeated controversialists to asperse the
characters of those which they cannot refute.
Fact 9. The associate editor retracts, he tells
us, his remarks that seem to impugn our mo
tives. That is equivalent to a denial that he
had actually impugned them—he had only
seemed to do so ! Had he honestly confessed
that he had erred in impugning our motives,
it would , have restored our confidence in his
intention to be more cautious and charitable in
the future, but his semi-denial of having im
pugned our motives, added to his unprovoked
and uncharitable persona?jit tack on cur “man
aging editor,” in his late article against us,
prefaced with a sensational display of huge
capitals, (ala secular partizan pajiers,) leads
us to fear for thafuture that there will be as
little of the meek, loving lorbearing spirit of
our Lord and Saviour hereafter as there was
in his recent attacks.
Fact 10. It is a fact that they affirm that we
inaugurated the warfare in which we are en
gaged. Now, mark how a plain unvar
nished tale shall disprove the truth of what
they affirm. They charged us with boldly op
posing the Centennial movement, and based
their charge, it appears, upon our articles in
The Index, in which, as a faithful watchman
on the walls of Zion, we warned our readers of
the evils likely to result frt m an injudicious ad
vocacy of the objects designed to be promoted
by the Centennial Movement. The views ex
pressed in those articles were only a repetition
of views we had expressed in reference to the
“Semi-Centennial Aniversary of the Baptist
General Association of Virginia,” (note that
fact, reader) —published in our proposed Quar
terly, issued in October, 1873, a copy of which
we will send to any one who will send us his
address, with five cents enclosed tp prepay
postage.
With their charge, the editors coupled the in
famous imputations upon our motives to which
we have referred in this record of facts. (See
No. 2.) We deemed it a duty due alike to
our God and our Christian brethren,’as well as
to ourself, to defend our reputation against
the calumninous charges preferred against us,
unless those charges were withdrawn. In the
exeicise of that charity which “thinketh no
evil,” we were led to suppose that the editors
of the Baptist had assailed us through ignor
ance of our sentiments, and of the position we
occupied in the discussion of the Centennial
question, and not through a deliberate purpose
to defame and injure us; we, therefore, in our
reply to their defamatory article, devoted a
large portion of our article to a definition of
the positions we occupied. To these we did
not believe they would or could reasonably ob
ject, and hoped they would conclude they had
misconstrued our articles, and voluntarily
withdrawn their charges. But the charity
which “hopeth all things," is sometimes disap
pointed. It so happened in this case.
Believing that a public discussion of the
truthfulness or falsity of the charges preferred
against us would not be likely to prove either
interesting or profitable to our readers, and
knowing that it would greatly increase the
prostration of our physical powers, and aggra
vate the sufferings we daily endure from the
morbid sensibility of our nervous system, if we
participated in such a discussion, we earnestly
desired to avoid one. We, therefore, in our
private letter, In response to one from Dr, R.,
stated, In substance, that we had no desire to
injure any one, only desired to secure ourselves
against injury, and expiessed the opinion that
the fact, that brethren, as astute as are the edi
tors of the Herald, had failed to see in our edi
torials evidence of hostility to the Centennial
movement, ought to suggest to him the possibili
ty that he had misconstrued our articles, and
we thought he might, without detracting from
his dignity, withdraw his charge, basing the
withdrawal upon the posibility of his having
misconstrued our articles and our assurance that
we were not hostile to the movement, and had
not intentionally done anything to oppose it.
All we asked, mark you, reader, was a with
drawal of his charge. We required no humilia
ting confessions, or professions of regret for the
past, or promise for the future. Upon his
simply withdrawing his charge, we were will
ing to withdraw our article in response to the
de amatory article in the Baptist against us.
We stated that he, and he only, could super
cede the necessity tor the publication of our
article.
The attack up< n us came like a clap of
thunder on a cloudless day. Up to the day of
their attack, we had never failed to command
the Baptist and its editors, on all suitable oc
casions ; and, to show our interest in and ap
proval of the paper, had furnished occasional
eoritroun’eations tor its columns. We would
as soon have suspected the editors of sheep
stealing or highway robbery as ol being capa
ble of publicly charging their unoffending
brethren wijih high crimes am> misdemeanors,
and then refusing to allow thorn to witcr a woo and
in their own defense! Such an act was consid
ered as an act of unparalleled injustice by a
learned Jewish Rabbi of old, who inquired,
“ Doth our law judge any man before it hear
him?” (John vii: 51.) Rut Ihe servant is not
above his Master. The Saviour was falsely
accused by men claiming superior wisdom and
sanctity, unjustly condemned, and subjected to
an ignominious death ; and He forewarns us
that, if faithful to Him, we may expect similar
treatment.
We bow submissive to the Will of God, be
lieving it to be as truly a part of our mission
on earth to suffer His will as to do it; and be
lieving, moreover, that He who raised up
Christ Jesus from the dead, will raise up us
also from the pit of obloquy, into which we
may be oast by envious friends or malignant
foes. We have faith to believe we shall yet
be enabled to adopt the language of an old
English poet, (Wya*t), and say:
‘ ‘He is not dead that sometime had a fall,
The suiine returns that hid was under clowde,
And when fortune hath spit out all her gait,
I trust good luck to me shall be allowed."
The last charge—the charge of having inau
gurated the warfare in which we are engaged
—with which they seek to cap the mighty fab
ric of fiction which they have reared to place
over our murdered reputation, is evidently too
ponderous for their airy structure, and must
most assuredly cause it to topple and fall, to
their great chagrin and the everlasting over
throw of all their schemes and dreams of fu
ture fame to be gathered from their triumph
over us.
Note how Blender is the foundation on which
they base their grave charge of having inau
gurated a warfare against them. It is based
upon the simple fact, we believe, that we have
represented that the Centennial movement has
been so conducted as to affect seriously and in
juriously the cause of Missions.
We will not now enter upon a discussion of
the question whether our representation was
true or false ; but there are a few questions to
which we desire specific answers, and to which
we invite particular attention.
1. Have the editors of the Baptist\>etn con
stituted, Dei gratia , sole advocates and protec
tors of the Centennial movement f If they
have, let them produce their commission, or
letters patent, and we will humbly bow at
their feet, plead guilty, beg pardon for the past
and give all necessary gutrantees to keep the
peace in the future. But if they cannot an
swer the above question affirmatively, we
question—
2. Why is it that other editors have not taken
up arms against us ? Are they less zealous in
the cause of the Centennial than are the editors
of the BapHtl t Or are they faithless watch
men, asleep at their posts ?
3. If the expression of an opinion that the
Centennial movement has operated, and is op
erating, to the prejudice of the cause of Mu-
sions, amounts to a declaration of war against
the Baptist or its editors, why do they not di
rect their artillery against others who have ex
pressed the same opinion, as well as against us?
Our highly esteemed Corresponding Secretary,
of the Foreign Mission Board, Dr. Topper,
has represented “the great Centennial move
ment over the country” as one of the causes that
are operating to curtail collections for mission
ary objects, and which render necessary a re
trenchment in the expenditures of our Foreign
Mission Board i One of our devoted Mission
ary sisters in China, too, referring to the rep
resentation of Dr. TANARUS., which we have reported,
wrote: “The plain English of this is, State
interests and the great Centennial movement
have Foreign Missions by the throat, and they
have to disgorge to the extent of about $lO,-
000.” Have we used stronger language than
that, in reference to the Centennial? No; never.
Why then, we ask, in the name of truth, justice
and mercy, are not they reported, as well as we,
as hostile to the Centennial movement, and the
Baptist seeing they admit and deplore the evils
connected with the Centennial, of which we
have complained, and against which we have
sought to caution our readers ? We repeat the
inquiry, Why have they not ?
Our soul sickens at the rebel sal of facts cal
culated to cast discredit on those whom we have
ever esteemed as highminded, honorable men,
and numbered among the most trusty and best
beloved of our trieuds. They have done us
great injustice, but the rememberance of their
former oft repeated acts of brotherly kindness,
and of the many greater wrongs we have com
mitted against our Ileavenlv Father, le ds us to
repress every feeling that savours of resentment,
u "I
and prompts us fervently to pray that the God
ol all grace, truth, justice and mercy, who was
“in Christ reconciling the world unto himself,”
may freely forgive the tresspass they have com
mitted against us, and reconcile them to the
acknowledgement of the truth, and to a faithful
observance, evermore, of the Ninth Command
ment, the golden rule and the Saviour’s in
junction, recordt and in John XV: 12. This is
the prayer of an old, crippled, dying man.
We assure our brethren it it is offered in sin
cerity now, whatever they may think
of it, and shall be repeated as often as the inju
ries they have inflicted upon us shall arise in
remembrance before us.
It is not our intention to notice any com
ments the editors of the Baptist may make on
lids, our dying testimony. We have dischar
ged a painful duty ; we commit our cause to
that God who knoweth the secrets of every
heart, has bid us “avenge not yourselves,” and
declared “vengence is mine : I will repay.”
Under the shadow of His wing we feel secure.
The weapen that harms us must first break the
wing of God’s protecting power. Henceforth
we shall respond to the clarion of war, and the
confused shouts of those who war against us, by
piping the angels’ song of “Peace on earth :
good will to men.” Jos. S Baker.
For the Index and Baptist.]
WHITTLE AND BLISS IN SELMA.
Selma, Ala., March 81, 1876.
Dear Index. — lV hittle and Bliss are here.
They were heralded by considerabla formali
ties. lam not participating. I have attended
two services. The first was “Bible exercise.”
Ruth was expounded as the “book of redemp
tion.” The interpretation was far-fetched and
fanciful ; the type was confounded with the il
lustration. The doctrine was sound and appa
rently earnest.
Second service was held to-night; singing
and sermon on Cain and Abel.
The exposition was good, but conjectural.
The whole service was a sort of religious dra
ma; with scenery and costume it would have
been very like a real theatrical performance.
Are such exhibitions of the gospel lawful
and expedient ? One is reminded of the “mir
acles and mysteries” once invoked by Roman
ism, and the use of pictures, statuary and cruci
fixes still employed by that church. We may
look out for the day when the scenes of the
crucifixion, dramatized by Longfellow and oth
ers, will be employed to present the gospel in
real theatricals.
I do not, as yet, comprehend the animus of
these evangelists. Mr. Bliss sings with great
pathetic and expressional effect. Whether the
pathos is animal or spiritual I cannot tell;
possibly a commingling of both:
Curiosity is on tip-toe; the lovers of music
are decidedly regaled ; the audience is already
well under the control of the “revivalists.”
There is,’to me, a painful absence of solem
nity and awe. The preacher, Mr. Whittle, ap
pears candid, frank, and honest; the singer
(ervent. His eyes and countenance are very
expressive, varying with every sentiment.
The hymns are well selected, and much tact is
exhibited in the whole service.
I did not like a compliment, and rough
joke, by Mr. Bliss, before the final solo at the
Bible exercise. We were exhorted to come
out and participate in the next, and assured
that a flood of light would soon be thrown on
Scripture, and the way of life. He said he
would say more if his brother was not present.
And, by way of contrast with the exposition of
Mr. Whittle’s discussion, he related the treat
ment of the same subject by an Illinois preach
er, whose first head was, “Our duty to a moth
er-in-law ;” second, “The great improvement
of reaping machines;” third, “The lawfulness
of a widower’s marriage the preacher be
ing a widowerl
Wednesday is to be distinguished by a free
WHOLE NO. 2815.
discussion of several important theological and
practical religious topics, by a conclave of min
isters and others of all denominations that have
been called together. Wonder if Baptists will
be at home there? More anon.
For the Index and Baptist.]
WHITTLE AND BUSS IN SELMA.
Selma, Ala., April 2,1876.*
Dear Index.—A crowded audience atten
ded at the Opera House to-night. Services
were held at another place also. Only gentle
men were at the Opera House. A powerful
sermon on “wages” (the wages of sin, etc.) was
delivered. The singing, especially of the solo
“Ninety and Nine,” was most affecting.
Many stood up at the close of the
services, avowing their contrition for sin and
acceptance of Christ, reminding one of the
scenes in the labors of the Apostles.
How far is this safe? The Apostles knew
better than we ; but is there any ground of ob
jection, so that the church doors ought to be
guarded ? lam in doubt.
April 3,1876.
Mr. Whittle preached most admiiablv and
powerfully this afternoon from Acts ii: 33,45,
with powerful comment on text and parallels,
as testimony of the/act alone of the resurrec
tion, on which alone hangs the whole gospel.
SUMMARY.
1. The apostles simply bore witness to an in
disputable fact. That fact, believed in the
heart is salvation.
2. Men are incredulous largely because
Christians seem ho indifferent to a truth so
amazing and momentous.
3. Yet belief, responsibility, is an individual
matter.
The preacher advanced nothing new, hut
put everything vividly, powerfully. No arts
of oratory; but all was manly, unaffected and
tremendously earnest. The incredulity of men
was animadverted upon as strange, obstinate,
wicked.
You see I “set down naught in malice,” or
in partiality. I gave a criticism before—this
time a commendation. The whole service was
unexceptionable. Such preaching shames us
all, and will swallow us up in the influence of
these laymen, and make Dr. McCosh’s union
scheme triumphant if we do not improve ; not
that we will love our peniiiarilies less, but we
will be constrained to admit that irregular
preaching may be in demonstration of the
Spirit ami of power ala Wesley.
E. B. Teague.
General Denominational Neas,
—The Edingburgh United Presbytery have
agreed to petition Parliament to abolish the
present method of proclaiming banns, and to
substitute public notices at the offices of the va
rious registrars.
—The Business Men’s daily Prayer Meeting,
which has been held for two months in the
Rialto building, Baltimore, has proved to
he so successful that the executive committee
have determined to make it permanent. It
is attended by 200 business men, and lasts ex
actly half an hour each day.
—The colored Methodist Episcopal church
in America has now tour bishop and a mem
bership of 200,000 in the Southern and Wes
tern States.
—The French courts do not recognize the
sanctity of the Sabbath. The Universe lately
advised its readers not to patronize a certain
shop in Paris because it was kept open on
Sundays. The shopkeeper sued the newspa
per, ,and has obtained a judgment for 4,000
francs for damages
—The Papal authorities at Rome have deter
mined, says the Milan Secoio, that the Bcheme
of instruction adopted in the Roman Catho
lic schools of Italy shall be made to conform
the to scheme laid down by the laws of the
State. This arrangement will enable the pu
pils of the Catholic schools, without further
difficulty,to enter the Government Universities
—A Conference of the Roman Catholic bish
ops of Germany is to be held at Fulda, this
month.
—The Orthodox Friends in the city of New
York, are holding meetings for the quickening
of the Church aud the salvation of the uncon
verted.
—The recent discoveries in Africa—the
penetrating of the interior by several distin
guished explorers—have enlarged the field of
missionary operations in Egypt, Abyssinia
and Eastern and Central Africa. The borders of
the great Nyanza lakes are to become the homes
of mission settlements, from which an influ
ence will penetrate in various directions. And
as Egypt has recently extended her jurisdiction
over a large district of the Upper Nile basin,
the way has been opened there to missions in
populous regions where the gospel has never
before reached. With these new opportunities
come new obligations to American Christians.
—ln a recent letter published in the New
York Union Christian Worker, Rev. O. H.
Gulick, missionary in Japan, says:
‘ Pure Buddhism is scarce in China, compar
pared with Japan ; and that the Chinese are in
some respects a superior people. Their litera
ture is much more valuable; they are better
dressed (more decently at least.) As compar
ed with the masses of Spain and Turkey they
are well fed, well clothed and well housed,
and they are more democratic in their
ideas.’’ He speaks highly of the Confucina
system of morals.
)