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2 JVn^ssag: WHAT MISTAKES AkK JMIIK, Altil) HOW COK KKCTED. Ehxay, r< a<l by Rev. F. M. Daniel, before the Sunday-School InKtitnte. at Fairburn, Ga., and requeued by il>o In stitute for publication. To err is human. This adage is of uni versal application. It is applicable to all men. It is trfte of good men as well as bad men. It is found in the execution of every ■work. It is common to physical or secular as well as moral or religious enterprises. No man is infallible. No work which 1 e per forms is perfect. To find mistakes in our Sunday-school work is in keeping with ourselves in every other work in which we engage. Mistakes have been made, and can be pointed out in every work to which we turn our hands. Look where we may, in all the domain of our operations, and we shall see mistakes. Mistakes which we have made in our hon est purposes to do the woik which has been assigned us. The mistakes which we have made in our Sunday-school work are not exceptions to the uniform rule of our lives. Neither do they argue that the work itself is wrong or unseriptural; or that it should he abandon ed. Nor are they evidence of a want of sincerity and honesty of purpose upoti our part to faithfully and scriplurally perform this department of Christian work. If we had made no mistakes we might claim for ourselves something more than human. We should he in great danger of failing into tlie condemnation of the devil—self arro gance. I am not an apologist of Sunday-school work. It needs no deferse. It is its own advocate. It is able to plead its own cause. Its fruitage shows the work divine. What ever unnatural foliage this branch ol church work may wear ; whatever foreign fruit it may produce; whatever poisonous bark it may grow, all is traceable to some extrane ous influence. Neither the foliage, nor the fruit, nor the hark, is native growth. They are foreign products—the outgrowth ot our mistakes. The duty assigned me in lliis paper is— I. To point out our mistakes in Sunday school woik. 11. To suggest some correctives for these mistakes. I. Our mistakes in Sunday-school work. I can promise no more than to mention a few, some of the most glaring mistakes frhicli we lmve made in this branch of Christian work : 1. The locality or position which we have assigned the Sunday-school. 1 use the term position as opposed to relation or connec tion. We have assigned the Sunday-school a place outside of the churches instead of ob serving and maintaining its relation lo and connection with them as a legitimate depart ment of church work. The great majority of our Sunday-schools have no connection whatever with the churches. They are dis tinct institutions, organised, officered and worked independently of the churches. This is one of our most common as well us great est mistakes. Therefore 1 would extend its elaboration. Man’s first duty in the Gospel dispensation is to accept Christ. So soon as the Saviour is offered to any man, it is his duty to accept Him with all the heart. Man's second duty is to profess Christ. The order of these du ties in the apostolic commission is believe and he baptized. Or accept and profess Christ. His third stop in the path of duty is to form an ecclesiastical—a church—rela tion with God’s people. ‘'Then they that gladly received His word were baptized : and the same day there were added unto them—the church—about three thousand souls.” Acts ii: 11. For the balance of life it is man’s duty to serve the Master as a member of llis Church. The Church is God’s only medium for organized Christian effort. "Ye also, us lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ.” 1, Peter, ii: 5. Every brunch of t hr it tin n work grows out of, and should lie connected with, the church. A church and her branches of work may be illustrated by a tree and its branches. Take, an oak tree, the majestic oak and its blanches, which stands hard by the edei homestead. Years ago, hundreds perhaps, an acoru was dropped into the ground just where the tree stands. From this acorn a sprig sprang forth, making its way up through the eat th, when it was greeted, warm eel and refreshed by Hie bright light, the warm, genial rays e>f the sun and refreshing showers of rain. It grew. It was soon a hush. Then ii reached the size of asnpling. After years it has grown to he the grand olel oak it is. There it stands. Sere its lemg symmetrical trunk. Inspect its well propor tioned branches, curved like the rain-bow, each vicing with the rest to do honor to their common parent, its spreading boughs furnish a hemic for the mother bird te> raise her young; and a shelter to thej family from the Ficat of a summer sum. Underneath this tree is the great tap re>ot, that part of the aceirn which lias gone downward and taken holei upon the clay. There are other prom inent roots, leaving the trunk near the top of the soil, extending out in different direc tions into the earth. These are supporters Upou this foundation of roots the oak with its branches stands. From these roots, through the trunk, the brunches are supplied with the strength and fertility of the soil which they put forth in their beautiful foliage. From these i oofs the oak is supplied with life and stability, so that it neither dies uor is blown down by the storm. Grand old tree, long may it stand as a monument of God's power and gooduess to man aud beast. More than eighteen hundred years ago Christ came into the world to ratify by his death the will and agreement made between bint and his Father, God. This w ill or cov enant provided for the inauguration of means for the promulgation of iis hem tits to man unto the end of time. "This Gospel of the Kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.” Matt. xxiv:l4. For the prosecution of this mission ol divine mercy God established His Church upon earth—“ Built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ li msrlf being the chief cornerstone.’’ Epfa. ii: 20. To His Church the Maqjer has entrusted His cause in all its branches. “Verily, I say unto you, whatsoever ye shall bind on eartit shall be bound in Heaven : and whatsoever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in Heaven." Matt, xviiiili). The church was planted or organized in Jerusalem, the city near which Christ was crucified. Hut the mother church has mul tiplied and multiplied until she has grow u to be a forest of churches, each addition be ing an exact copy of the pattern. And wrerever the church has been organized she stands complete in her entirety. Like the oak, she has her foundation upon the apos tles aud prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chiei corner stone. She has her trunk THE CHRISTIAN INDEX AND SOUTH-'VWESTERN BAPTIST July 11. In her scriptural polity. And we find her branches in her departments of Christian work. The preaching of the Gospel' consti tutes one of her branches of Christian work. Discipline is another. Feeding the hungry and clothing the naked is another. Sending the Gospel to the destitute and heathen is another. And the last but not least, I men tion in this connection, is teaching or Sun day-school work. “Daily in the temple, and in every house, they ceased not to teach and preach Jesus Christ.” Acts, v: 42. In the oak we have a variety of branches, hut one trunk. So in Christianity. There are many departments or branches of Christian work, but one medium of operation—the church. As every branch of the tree grows out of, and is connected with tire trunk, so the dif ferent departments of Christian work grow out of, and should be connected with, tire church. These God has joined together and no man should put them asunder. But alas 1 how often has the relation of the Church and her branches of Christian work been disre garded. The Young Men’s Christian Asso ciation would lop off one of her branches— the most prominent, preaching. The Pres bytery or Conference, which would enact laws for the government of God’s people, would take away the branch of discipline. Benevolent and Missionary Societies organ ized and managed outside of the Church prune her of her missionary branch. And as though we would rob the Church of all her glory, we have carried away as by a storm the branch of teaching or Sunday school work; and have given it to an organ ization outside of her pale. How mutilated and disfigured, thou Church of the living God ! Give me the old family shade tree— the majestic oak with all its branches. If you will destroy it# symmetry, its beauty and utility, then take the whole tree —trunk and roots too. The birds will sing no more in its boughs. Nor can my children ever play again beneath its green shade. So give me the church in her entirety. Give me the church witli her firm foundation, and divine polity and extending branches of Christian work. Give me the church as God's medi um of organized Christian work, even if we Mil to have Christian union, or ii we must sacrifice state or national, or the reputation of international, co-operation in prosecuting her heaven-horn mission to the children of men. “I love thy kingdom, F,onl, The house of thine abode, The church our blest Redeemer saved With Ills own precious blood. I love thy church, O God; Her wells before Ihee stand, Dear as the apple of t hine eye, And graven on thy hand. For her my tears shall fall; For her my prayers ascend ; To her my cares and toils be given, Till tolls and cares shall end.” God save us front Hie mistake of divorcing Christian work from the church. 2. An injudicious appointment of officers and teachers: Having assigned the Sunday-school a place outside of the church, it is very natural we should have erred In the appointment of offi cers. Wc could not have done otherwise. A wrong theory will produce wrong prac tice. Ami the practice will continue wrong until the theory is corrected. There are certain qualifications which men and women should have, or at least profess to have, before they are appointed to take charge of the sucred trusts of a Surnhiy sehdol, I will mention two; (1.) Regeneration. Officers and teachers gd' Sunday-school* should he l hristlnns. Sunday-school work consists in teaching the Bible with a purpose to bring those who are taught to accept t’hiist, and the belter in struction of tin se who are ( hristians, in the doctrines and practices of the Christian re ligion. The Sunday-school work is pre-eminently a Christian work. No individual can possi bly he qualified to engage in it who is not himself a Christian. An experimental knowl edge of Christianity is as essential for a Sun day-school teat I t r as a knowledge ol li e Itxt books is necessary (o fn a man to teach the fundamental principles ol a common educa tion, or a knowledge of die higher branches. But while most Sunday-school superintend ent* are prolessors ol religion, we t an (inti men and women, all over Ibis country, who fill oilier efficesam! teach in Sunday-schools, that have neither part nor lot in this mailer; whose hearts, like one Simon** of old, arenot right. They are still in the gall ol bitterness and the bond of iniquity. They should firs! repent them selves before they assume tlie responsibility of teaching others in the way of salvation. ‘‘Unto the wicked God said], what hast thou to do to declare my statutes, or that thou shouldest take my covenant in thy mouth.’’ IV 50 : 16. (2.) A profession of Christ is another qunl iiication ol Sunday •tcliool i ftieers and teach ers. Scriptural baptism is the Divine formula of a profession ol Christ. Since the organization of ihe first church in Jerusalem a profession of Christ, in the great majority of cases, is synonymous with church membership. It it almost a universal rule witli ihe churches to take the vole on church membership before the ordinance of baptism is administered. So that eo soon as a man professes Christ he is a church member. This profession 01 Christ should be made, and church membership secured before an appointment to Sunday school work, or, to any oilier branch ol Chris tian work, is made. \Ye have neither precept nor example in the New Testament authori zing us to appoint men lo Christian work be fore a profession of Christ has been made and church membership secured. All Chris tian work is official. That is, it should be performed by baptized believers. If the church is God’s only medium for organized Christian effort, then Sunday-school work should tie perlormed by church mem bers. If not we have no authority for such work, ami no child of God should engsge in it. And whenever we appoint men and Wo man lo the offices ot, and to teach in, the Sun day-school, who have not professed Christ and are not recognized members ot his Church, though they be ChnVtians, we make no less mistake than the violation of God’s revealed will. It does not follow In m the above, that every professing Christian is confipeient to manage anil teach in Sunday-schools. These are imlispt usable qualifications. Olhers are necessary lo til an individual for official con neoiion with Sunday-school work. 3. Another very common mistake in our Sunday-school work is a failure to make Jhe Bible the subject matter of our instructions. This mistake is not attributable so much to the sylemsor course of instruction marked out by the lessons studied, ns it is Ihe result of a misapprehension of the true aim of our Sunday school lessons. Those who prepare our les sons, doubtless, design them to be helps—sug gestions to the study of the Holy Scriptures. But in a great many of our Sunday-schools this wise purpose of the authors is fearfully perverted. The lessons themselves, that is their questions and comments, are made Ihe text—the subject rnattet lor study. And in stead of examining the lessons to compre hend the portion of Scripture embraced in their discussion, the Bible is consulled, when ever it is referred to at all, in order to uu- derstand the lessons. A verbal knowledge of the lessons is about all the most of our Sun day teachers require of their scholars. To be able to make such a recitation is about the extent of the scholars preparation. In many cases neither teacher nor -cholar ever make this proficiency. How very small a portion of God’s word our teachers teach to their Sunday-school classes! And how very super ficial is the knowledge of our scholars of this very small portion of God’s word which is taught them. —■. 4. The almost restriction of our Sunday school instructions to children is a mistake. I most firmly believe that children should be taught a knowledge of the Scriptures. Pa rents and Christian people can not commence too soon to sow the seeds of truth in the minds/of the young. Rather let my fight hand forget its cunning, and my tongue cleave to the roof of my mouth, than that I should ever write or speak a word in opposition to instructing our children and youth in the trmhs of the Bible. Yet Ido contend that it is a mistake to press the duly which the youog have upon us to the exclusion or neglect of the claim which the adult and the more ma tured have upon our Christian philanthropy. Our efforts in Sunday-school work are made almost exclusively for the children. For in stance: Our Sunday-school lessons are pre pared for the children. Our songs are writ ten for the children. Our Sunday school literature is designed for the children. Our Sunday-school sermons are preached to, or iu behalf of, the childreu. Our Sur.day-rckool conventions and speeches are held, and made for the children. Grown people scarcely feel any interest at all in the Sunday-school Jin ly for the children. The children must go to Sunday-school. They must read their Bibles and study their Sunday-school lessons. But parents arid grown people, forsooth, are ex cused. Is everybody acquainted wiih the Bible but children ? Are parents and grown people Christians, and only the lambs of our households are in danger of being lost? No, verily. Christ goes to the desert to find his due})—grown people. Why then are .they not visited and drawn into the Sunday-school the same as ihe children and youths of the land ? While 1 would not exonerate parenls and grown people from all blame in this matter, yet I do think them deserving severe censure. Neither would I charge Sunday-school teach ers and workers with anv intentional culpa bility. This want of personal interest in pa rents and grown )ieople in the Snnday-ichool is the result of teaching. Or rather the want of teaching. By an erroneous practice the world has been taught to believe the Sunday school is designed alone for children. Parents and grown people fail to realize any conviction of personal responsibility to attend. Therefore, as soon as our hoys and girls approximate man and womanhood they abandon our schools, and discontinue for ever the study of God’s word. To suffer surii is a mistake. The odligalii ii upon parents and children to go to Sunday -school is mutual. Ami the former should set the good example by taking the lead as they do in going to hear the preaching of the Gospel. There are other mistakes which we have made in our Sunday-school work. But the foregoing will suffice. II M y next duty is to suggest correctives for ttie mistakes mentioned. I have enumer ated four mistakes. Each mistake suggests its own corrective: I. The first mistake, in ihe onier men tioned, is the locality of the Sunday-school to the church, I his mistake, it is Wmteoded, consists in making the tant orgaoizatiort from llie church, to cor rect! his, we have hut (o change the relation of the school to Ihe chinch To do this it is only necessary for every Baptist church to resolve to have a Sunday-school; and raise a committee to take charge 01, and have the oversight of, this department of chinch woik. There is no power, neither civil nor ecclesias tical, at hast in this country, to hinder any Baptist church from making this change, and organ zing a Sunday-school of her own 2 An injudicious appointment of t tiicers and teachers is the next mistake mentioned. Having corrected the fust mistake, this will not exis l . A well selected committee of church number*, chosen hy the church for the specific purpose of superinlending this department of chuich woik, will appoint only those members who are best capacitated to take charge of it. Duty to themselves and the church will indicate such appointments. The spirit of laudable emulation will prompt it. J. A failure to make the Bible the silt jicl matter of cur instructions was pointed out as another mistake common to our Sunday school work. This mistake, though as simple in i-telf as either of the other two, is more difficult to correct. The difficulty in cor recting this mistake consists: fl) In its nature or the cause which pro duces it. The origin of this mistake is igno rance—ignorance of the Bible. If our Sun day-school teachers knew the Scriptures they would experience no want of a disposition to teach them to their classes. (2) This difficulty consists in an almost universal indisposition to study the Bible. Christian nun, with all the helps and facili ties which have been furnished for studying the woid of God, may soon acquire no mean stock of Biblical knowledge. But men have scarcely any disposition to study and pray that they may understand the Holy Scrip tures. They enjoy the reading and wtudy of other books, but have no relish for the Bible. Yet this is our only corrective for this mis take. li we would teach our Sunday school scholars more of the Bible We must study and pray moreover God’s blissed Word. There is no royal road here. 4. The last mistake mentioned is the re striction of our Sunday-school work to the children. To correct this mistake we must ever keep the great aim of Bunduy-school work promi nent before us. The salvation of the taught, aud a more thorough knowledge of doctrinal ami practical Christianity should be the mo tives which prompt us in Sunday-school work. But with this end as our aim, who who can set any limit to our field I For all men either need saving, or to be better in formed in the great truths of God’s word. With this view ot our work we shall seek the “dear" parents as well as the "dear” children. We shall not he satisfied with our efforts un til we have secured tne attendance of the "pre cious” adults as well as the "darling” young folks. “TURKIC IS ERST KXtt' GH IN THE GRIVE.” [The essay which we subjoin below, was read by Miss Julia P. McWhorter, at the commencement of LaGrange Female Col lege last summer, upon the event of her graduation at that Institution. To many it will possess a mournful interest, from the fact that in a few brief weeks from the time these words were uttered, she had entered upon that rest of which she had spoken. the sweet spring time of her youth she received the Master’s call from the stern tasks of earth to the fruition above.] With most people there is a craving for rest; even with the young, there are times when the feet are weary and the heart grows faint, but, as they advance in life, the weariness beet mes more frequent and more intense; often there is an earnest, passion ate longing for rest, a fearfully painful temptation to turn from the labor which duty has imposed and recline for a time in the bowers of ease. Then we would turn a deaf ear to the monitor who speaks to us of what we owe ourselves and the world; we would gladly ait in dreamy listlesness and watch the riples of life’s great stream, ob livious of the fact that we iTavean interest in the scene. We would bid Care and her train speed faraway and leave us with noth ing for the heart to sigh for, nor the hands to do. But such are not the promptings of our better teachers. From the realm of Nature, wherever we may look, the lesson is of ac tion, not of rest. Gaze we away to the nightly vault where the band’s of Orion are glittering in splendor, and the Pleiads are shedding their sweet influences, and we read the signs of unceasiog motion. Look we abroad when the day star comes as a bride groom from his chamber, and from speed ing light and rustling breeze, we learn the same fact of unceasing motion. In the swelling bud and expanding leaf, in opening flower and ripening fruit we perceive there is constant action, constant labor. In the animated creation beneath us we discern no undue pining for rest; no efforts to evade the tasks which the Creator has imposed. The bee is early on tbe wing; the lark bathes his pinions in morning air that he may salute the rising sun ; and the iamb and the fawn are cropping the grass while the dew yet sparkles on its blades. 15y all these are we taught the lesson of action, motion,labor. If, however, we consider ourselves and our race, we need not read sermons in stones, nor books in running brooks, in order that we may learn our duty. In whatever direc tion we may turn our eyes, we see there is much to be done. There is much to do that these bodies ot ours may be sustained and rendered comfortable. That the earth may yield of her wealth to fill storehouse and barn, there must be patient and unremitted toil. The furrow must be run, the seed sown, the tender plaut nurtured and the harvest reaped. These things r< quire not the hand alone, but the brain must work, that what i3 done may be done with skill aud judgment. It has been said that he who makes two spi ars of grass grow where only one had previously grown, deserves to be rated as a public benefactor. How far above all the mighty captains whose oc cupation it has been to devaste and destroy, should be enrolled him who converts a bar ren, stony waste into a scene of fruitfulness and beauty. Everyone who does something towards providing food and raiment for the world’s teeming mil ions, performs a noble duty. This is a task in which the great muss of mankind must be employed, and from which they dare not rest. There is no room here for rest. It is a decree of Heaven which we can neittier resist nor evade, that if we would live we must labor. But it is written “ Man shall not live by bread alone.” If we do no more than gain sustenance for our physical frames in what are we better than the brute Creation? God lias endowed us with intelhcts, and it be comes us not to feed for a season and then die leaving no trace behind us, no impress for good to those who are to come after us These intellects must be cultivated and thus supplied with that pabulum whicli that cul tivation requires. The powers of the mind riiilst be prepared to understand and enjoy the beauty and order vs hi h the Creator lias spread hi omul us. There is still a vast un known, whose hidden mysteries must be ex plored and the laws which govern its work ings made known. We cannot believe that God has thrown an un-removable veil over any of llis works; 11. doubtless, designs Ihallhey shall be traced out by mini, and he employed by him tor tbe accomplishment ol his put puses. But ibis is a result that can be brought about only by study and labor; not by idly' reclining on downy Couches and in sweet dreams passing life away did they of the past maku elec tricity and light obedient servants, which have uioie sti uglh than the human arm, more delicacy tl an the human hand. For those who labor in the world ot thought, there is much, vuy much to do; there is a great deal to learti and a great deal to.teach ; every day some new fact may be discovered— every day some new truth may he enforced. If one would rise to the full measure of duty, lie must scorn ease aud live laborious days. “No time to rest,” is ttie motto in the world of mind as much as in the realm of matter. After all, however, this lift: is but a scene of preparation for another life, and whether that oilier shall be a higher, depends upon our efforts here. What a vast field tor labor here opens before us! The millions of eartli are groping their way in darkness; bow shall they be enlightened save by the exertions of those to whom the lump of life has been given. Oh ! there is really no time for rest here. The issues are too fearlully monu-i)tous; the work to be performed is too vast to admit of any delay', or any ces sation of effort. Ye who who would dry the flow of human tears or check the course of human guilt, must not conceive that in in dolence oi self indulgence you can achieve these high aims, and thus push forward tbe moia) and intellectual inarch of the world, until knowledge shall have extended its be nign influences nil over the earth and religion shall usher in the day of millenial glory. ©ur Correspondents. For the Index and Baptist. | IKAYIM, TO 8K BLIM> Does it not seem passing strange that one blessed with sight should wish to be blind ? It is strange, yet it is literally true. There is a family living in S county, Georgia, sev eral members of which are blind, or neatly so. Some of the children were sent to the Institute (or the Blind, at Macon. They learned well, became educated, and obtained good s'tua tions in society, and are now doing well. A younger brother, seeing the advantage of his brother and sister over himself —who apparently must remain in helpless ignorance—actually wept that he wasnotblind as they were. Such was the child’s appreciation of an ed ucation and its advantages. Strange to tell, the boy’s sight failed a short time afterwards, and he is now in the Institute at Macon. This boy is now about twelve years old, is making good progress in his studies, and, it is to be hoped, will eventually make a useful man. The name and all par ticulars could be given if it were proper to do so. Does any one think the child was wrong, sinful or foolish in preferring intellectual to natural sight ? He felt sure that he could not have both, and to be without sight would insure an education. I trust the Lord may, in His own time, grant both blessings to a child of such appreciation. W. M. H. For the Index *nd Haptjst.l “Heaven XeTer Seemed So Bright Before.” Such was the language of a pious h?ar.t almost broken With grief. That “unduly member” had been doing the drudgery of Satan —had been slandering a Christian whose name had ever been above reproAch. For weeks and months had the slanders been spreading, yet tbe innocent accused was in blissful ignorance of it all. At length a friend saw proper to reveal the dreadful se cret. And what a shock it gave! A peal of thunder from a cloudless sky would have been less appalling. Tears, in a copious shower, poured forth. After a few moments of overpowering grief, followed by brief re flection, with deep emotion the stricken one said : “Heaven never seemed so bright and desirable before I” How true ! Heaven is never seen to better advantage than when viewed through the tears of blighting sorrow. No telescope has the power to draw near or magnify the glorious prospect of Heaven that tears have. Did I say “magnify the glorious prospect of Heaven ?" It cannot be magnified. But the disappointments, sor rows and darkness of this sinful world, make so strong a contrast, that Heaven seems greater, nearer, brighter thin before. How many have been made to feel the above truth, though they may not have spoken it, the Allwise alone can tell. Such sorrows and such ri flections serve to ripen the Christian soul for the garner above. As needful are they as the sunshine and rain to the fruits ol the earth to make them serviceable to man. No, Heaven never appears to belter advan tage than when seen through the tears of sorrow. fissions. State Miitsion Work. COMMITTEE. Rev. A. T. Spalding, D.D., President. Rev. D. W. Gwin, D. D. Rev F. M. Daniell. Dr. J. S. Lawton. Index office. Rev. J. H. DeVotie, D.D., Corresponding Secretary. 8. T. Jenkins, Recording Secretary. W. L. Goldsmith. Rev. J, M. Wood. J. H. James, Treasurer. For the Index and Baptist. I LCI'IIICH KICK 4M> GKUBGIA. Early in the year 1812 the first American missionaries, for foreign fields, sailed in two separate compa mes. There was not a Baptist among them. They were all of Presbyterian, or rather Congregational faith. The Baptists had hitherto confined their missionary efforts exclusively to Ameri ca. But when announcement was made that Adoniram Judson, his wife, and Luther Rice, were baptized at Serampore, by Dr. Ward, of the En glish Mission, and had requested to be received and supported as mis stonaiiesby American Baptists, itwent through the country like tlie sound ot a trumpet. The evert swept away alike prejudices and the sp rit of in difference. Many of our best men re garded it as tlie voice of God. Hence, in the year 1814, the organization at Philadelphia of the Triennial Con vention ; the first act of the Board 01 which was the appointment of Messrs. Judson and Rice as foreign missionaries. Ihe Board however determined that while Mr. Judson labored abroad Mr. Rice should remain at home at least for a time, and work in the in'.eiests of missions by traveling through the States, organizing societies and arousing the people. Mr. Rice visi ted Georgia first in the latter pait of the year 1816. He found at least three large missionary societies already in existence —the Savannah, which em braced perhaps all the coast coun ties, and as far interior as the county of Burke—the Hephzibah, which including the county ot Burke, exten ded in the dilection of Hancock—the Poweiton, which included perhaps all ot the Georgia Association and a part ot the Sarepta. The following letter, written by Mr. Rice from Oglethorpe, county to Mr. Thomas Byne of Burke county, after the whole territory of the above specified mis sionary societies had been traversed, may be of inteiest to the Baptists of Georgia: Natcbal Gbove, Oulbthbopk Cos., Ga-, January 9th, 1817. Very Dear Brother. —The Board of the Powelton Mission Society, at their late meeting, appointed brother Mer cer a delegate to the General Mission Convention, which is to meet in Phila delphia the first Wednesday in May ensuing, and voted to send by him a remittance of SSOO to the general fund- He intends to set out the first of March. I am extremely glad that brother Mercer has concluded to at tend the Convention. I wish much that someone from your Society could accompany him. Do try and send brother Jenkins or some other. The budness is of growing importance, and constantly widening in the range of its operations. It is, therefore, and in• deed on eveiy account, desirable that delegates should actually attend the Convention from as many Societies as possible. Ifvour Society cannotsend a delegate, at least appoint brother Mercer your proxy in the case. Yesterday I parted with him, expecting not to see him again till we meet in Philadelphia next April. I think very highly of brother Mercer. He has kindly favored me with his company in a range of meet ings ot ten days—few better preachers —very few better divines—none, al most, better men. I am now about taking leave of Georgia, on my way to Tennessee and Kentucky. Often, no doubt, shall I cast a lingering look behind. Here I have enjoyed much satisfaction—here, too, I have met with rather greater liberality than in any other part of the United States—here I have received more than SI3OO. **** * . * I have just received a letter from our friend vVelsh, by which I learn that the vessel which carried brother Hough and family to India has return ed. Information relative to the mis sionary operations there is of a favour able complexion. * * * Most sincerely and affectionately yours, (Signed) Luther Rice. The above letter clearly shows that Georgia, in the beginning of our For eign Missionary enterprise, was among the foremost in liberality. Tne Se cond Session of the Triennial Conven tion reported, I believe, something over six thousand dollars raised for Foreign Missions. Of this amount Georgia contributed at least fifteen hundred dollars. Shall we now fail to do our duty ? W. H. Davis. Kxtracts from the Minutes #f the Georgia Bap tist Convention. Report of Special Committee on Report 0/ State Elusions. The committee to whom was referred the re port 01 the State Mission Hoard take pleasure in saying that this Convention has every rea son to he gratified at the results which have been already attained. Too much time would be consumed, and it is not necessary to enu merate the initial difficulties that have been encountered, and to some extent overcome, by the persevering diligence and wise foresight of the brethren. We approve of the measures which have been adopted by them in tne pros ecution of their work, including their arrange ments with the Home Mission Board of New York, by which their financial ability iu car rying on their work among the colored people has been greatly increased ; and we recognize and mention with special pleasure the cordial relations that have existed between them and our own Home Mission Hoard, at Marion, Ala bama. Without intending to map out woik for Board that shall be appointed to conduct uiifi part, of our labor during the incoming year, we would respectfully suggest the importance of supplying those who may be destitute with the printed Bible, ami that the Board do what it may be able in this direction. Respectfully submitted, W. H. Davis, Chairman. Report on Mission*. Your Committee on Missions are gratified to be able to report that a year’s experience has demonstrated the wisdom of appointing your fState Mission Board. Through its instrumen tality, many useful brethren iiave been ena bled to devote themselves more fully to the work of the ministry. Many pojmlous commu nities and sections have been supplied with preaching: many Sunday-schools nave been established, and others strengthened, while the occupancy of waste-places at home has encour aged the churches to cast their eyes abroad to nations that have not heard the Gospel of Peace. This Board Is endeavoring to dispense benefits to the colored as well as to the white people of our state. The efficient Corresponding Secreta ry has prosecuted the woik assigned him with a zeal and wisdom that Is worthy of all com mendation Res pec t fully s u bmi t ted, A. B. Campbell, Chairman. Report of the Standing Committee on Sunday* ' & -hoots. Your committee are glad to know that the conviction is growing stronger and stronger that the sundty-sch6ol 1 as its foundation laid upon Bible authority, that its woik must be done upon Bible principles, and that success depends upon the Divine blessing. Our SuiDl’iy-sehool Evangelist, acting upon these senptural ideas, and laboring with disin terest. <1 Zealand enthusiasm, has gone through out the length and breadth of our State, arous ing our churches, instructing our teachers, and stimulating our scholars, till he lias elevated t In* work to a place and position never before known. VW congratulate the Board upon the work done by tile* Evangelist, and bespeak for it ami our brother Boykin the hearty co operation and cordial sympathy of our whole Baptist brotherhood. We especially rejoice that the la bors of our Evangelist have been so highly ap preciated by the colored people, ami have been so signally blessed to their good. Let us all ral ly with renewed energy to this grand founda tion work, and uphold tie bands ami encour age the heart •*f our nHf-denying Evangelist. Let us not relax our efforts till there shall be a prosperous Sunday-school in every church and every neighborhood—a Bible in the hands of every man, woman and child, ami the Gospel preached “to every creature’* in the State of Georgia there b** no lack of funds, no want of sympathy, no cessation of labor, till the voice of prayer and the songs of praise shall be heard every Sabbath day in every town, vil lage and hamlet throughout our grand old com monwealth. We recommend the reappointment of broth er T. C. Boykin as Sunday-school Evangelist, under the support of the State Mission Com mittee. And we commend Kind Words and its lesson papers to the patronage of all the Baptist Sun day-schoo s in the Stab*. (i. A. Nunnally, Chairman. Committee on the State of Religion. Wr are forced to the otaervation, that,among the colored people, there is great need of correct evangelical preaching and .Sunday-school work ami we earnestly invite the attention of the Convention to this subject. Their churches and schools need the benefit, of white training and instruction. We heartily commend the state Mission Board aud its operations, and urge a generous support of It arid its missiona ries - Bovjtix, Chairman. Report of Corresponding .Secretary State Mission Hoard. The follow! g condensed summary shows the woik of out missionaries—equal to eleven years labor of one man : 128 churches and stations supplied ; 1,0f17 sermon* preached ; <johaddresses Hunciay-school and temperance, delivered - 68 Associations visited; 3 (} churches visited** 75 Sabbat h-school organized : I,7ii* scholars added to sabbath-schools: 8 Sftbbatn-school Conven tions attended : 156 baptized, whites- blacks 5 • 1 minister ordained; 4 deacons ordained-7a prayer and other meetings attended: 1,548 re ligious visits to families and prayer: 10 received by letter: 1,723 letters wri.t! .Secreta'y and Sunday-school Evangelist: 4./0 books aud Bibles sold ; 4, >OO pastes tracts and papers distributed • Hi converted iu connection not baptized ; 51,374 raised lor building, etc.; 18 protracted meetings aided in: 28,920 miles traveled; 3 houses of worship built; 3 Woman’s Missiou Societies formed. Amomt received far Stale Xusions. On account of the length of the itemized re pot! of the Treasurer of the State Mission Board he Convention ordered that only an abstract be printed, which is as follows; Received on account of jirxt year for the Mission to June 12, 1878 so 537 on For building of houses of worship 1,376 00 Oj mo |j|j Paid to missionaries, building, etc 7/913 00 ...... , . J. H. James, Treasurer. Audited and Approved: W. |j Goldsmith, 8. T. Jkskins. . These expressions of approbation by the sev eral Committees of the Convention greatly en courage the Board. \Ve earnestly appeal to the friends of State Missions to redouble their efforts, make the second year’s work a far greater success than this beginning. Thirteen Missionaries are now in the Held. Bibles. Testaments and Tracts are greatly needed. Who will help now ? J. H. DkY otie, Cor. Sec. Whex yearly subscribers eannot be obtained, we hope onr friends will send in three and six months' subscribers, but eannot award premiums until the amount of the yearly subsciibtion is paid.