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The Christian Index. VOL. 57—NO. 27. Table of Content*. First Page. —Alabama Department ; Record of State Events ; “AFavorei City The Law of God ; Spirit of .he Religious Press ; Baptist News and Notes ; The Three Bells—Poetry : Rome Chapel, Italy ; General Denominational News. Second Page. —Our Correspondents : A Favored City ; Richmond Letter; What a Conversion ; Southern Female College ; The North Georgia General Association—N. C. Wilkes; “The Baptism of Jesus”—R T. Hanks. The Sun da -school. Jesus at Nazareth —Lesson IV —July 28, 1878; Sunday-school Convention Friendship Association. Third Page. —Home Influences: The Greater Power—How It Moulds Character—By Bidney Herbert— Inti oduotory : Third Paper. No Time for Hating—Poetry. Fourth Page. —Editorial: Christian Union: “Treasures Upon Earth Opposition to Chiiutianity—lts Results; The Kingdom of Heaven—Rev. H. C. Hornadv. Church Polity —Dr. P. H. Mell. Sectarianism in Transla tion—Rev. Adiel Bherwood. Early Training ; Important Suggestion ; Avoid Sin ; Consoli dation ; National Baptist Meetings ; Ministe rial Support; etc. Fifth Page. —Georgia Baptist News; Georgia Association ; Decatur Baptist Church; etc. Secular Editorials; A Diplomatic Viotory; Im peratively Required; Russian Ruffianism ; The Coming Conflict; Behind Cyprus India; Georgia News; An Outrsgo ; “A Little Farm Well Tilled : A Valuable Work ; It Will Pay; A Valuable Manual : Highly Indorsed ; Geor gia Seminary, Gainesville; etc. Sixth Page.—Notes on the Act of Baptism—No. xxxix—Bv Rev. J. H. Kilpatrick. Seventh Page. —Temperance Department : Our Liquor Bill—To be Paid or Voted Down— The Living issue. Eighth Page. —Florida Department: A Query; Columbia Baptist Union; etc. Marriages. Obituaries. Advertisements. INDEX AND BAPTIST. ALABAMA DEPARTMENT. ■ 4prop proßpecta are excellent. A literary society is to be organized in Troy. Linden haa been made a money order port office. A lodge of Knights of Honor haa been es tablished atEulaw. Work haa begun on the Episcopal church at Scottaboro. The Presbyterian church at Talladega is being repaired. The new Baptist church at Talladega was dedicated on the 13th. New wheat has sold aa low as 50 cents a bushel in Talladega. The teachers of Coosa county will hold a convention July 25th. Walnut Grove, Etowah county, has two Sunday-schools. A series of meetings are being held in the Opelika Baptist church. The oat crop in Etowah county was never better. The foundation for the Baptist church at Scotteboro has been completed. A “union” church lias just been completed at Brown’s, on the Alabama Central Railroad. Anew Episcopal church is being built in Troy. A mutual fire insurance company is to be organized at Cullman. The Masons of Cullman will build anew hall. Rev. F. A. Hewitt is a candidate for the legislature in Blount and Cullman counties. The fruit crop of Butler county is abun dant. Tallapoosa county ships quantities of corumdum, for emery wheels, to Massachusetts. A protracted meeting is in progress with the Cumberland Presbyterian church in Bir mingham. Mrs. House, who died in Chambers county recently, waH 105 years old, and had been a member of the Baptist church for 85 years The net earnings of the Mobile and Girard railroad, for the year ending May 31st, were $22 ,677 in excess of the previous year. A valuable minaial spring has just been discovered in Pike county, near the line ol Coflee county. Col. W. H. Chambers assumes the duties of uis ifflee as Professor in the Agricultural and Mechanical College next January. -■' • The next session of the General Assembly meets on the 12th of November. Its term is limited tofhty days. The rillage of Perote has a municipal law which forbids dancing at any public building within its corporate limits. The law is rigid ly enforced. Prominent agriculturists are introducing the cultivation of Jute in the State. It will be a valuable ac quisition to our natural pro ducts. Tuscaloosa is becoming noted for disorder during public entertainments. This is bad for the Athens of Alabama. Persons talk, whisper and giggle at concerts, and even dis turb worshippers in church by the same un mannerly practice. TITS SOUTH-WESTERN TBAXIPTTKT, o At.aw am a “A FAVORED CITY,” OSCE MORE. Some of our brethren and correspond ents will not accept as satisfactory what we said in our issue of June 20th, in reply to brother “W. T. G,” whose article appeared in The Index of that date. We repeat, the article entitled “A Favored City” in The Index of May 23d, was designed to be complimentary to a great body of good men, whose presence in our city had attract ed the attention of the whole country, but was, of course, nof intended to endorse any practice or principle of theirs. It was a news article, nothing more. We have received another communication from brother “W. T. G.” which we publish, and another from brother E. B. C., Sr , which is on a different line of thought from that of W. T. G. It does not call in question the objects we bad in mind in writing the ar ticle of May 28d. Both of the articles of our correspondents spring from their perception of what they suppose to be a departure from sound Baptist principles on the part of The Index. That these brethren are mistaken is plain to all of our readers, and to all those who know us well. We rather like these criticisms, whether they be with or without a good foundation—they show how earnestly aiive our brethren are to the principles of the Truth. A lively contro versy between brethren does good, unless they lose their temper or are unkindly severe in the use of terms which are intended to cut and sting, rather than to aid in unfolding the principles and motives under discussion. If we can succeed in doing good, by dispen sing the light of the Gospel, and support and maintain the truth of it as it is in Jesus, and by Him committed to his churches, we are willing to be now and then misunderstood by our wide-awake brethren, and we will accept their corrections (as tbey suppose them to be) in the spirit of resignation and fraternal charity. THK St It BATH. There is one weapon which the ene my has employed to destroy Christian ity and to drive it from the world, which nas never been employed but with signal success. It is the attempt to coirupt the Christian Sabbath, to make it a day of iestivity, to cause Christians to feel that its sacred and rigid obligation has ceased to induce them on that day to mingle in the scenes of pleasure or the txciting plans of ambition, to make them feel that they cnay pursue their journeys by land and water, by the steamboat and the railway, regardless of the command of God ; and this has done, and will continue to do, what no ar gument, no sophistry, no imperial pow er has been able to accomplish. 'The “Book of Sports” did more to destroy Christianity than all the ten persecu tions of the Roman Emperors, and the views of the Second Charles and his court about the Lord's day tended more to drive religion from the Brit ish nation than all the fires that were enkindled by Mary. Paris has no Sabbath, and that lact has done more to banish Christianity than all the writings of Voltaire; and Vienna has no Sabbath, and that fact does more to annihilate religion than ever did the skepticism of Frederick. Turn the Sabbath into a day of sports and pastimes, of military reviews, and of pantomimes and theatrical exhibitions, and not an infidel anywhere would care a farthing about the tomes of VoN ney or Voltaire, about the skepticism of sHurne, the sneers of Gibbon, or the scurrility ol Paine. —British Amer ican Presbyterian. BKIVGAM) DOIVo. A pure, holy character exerts its in fluence like warmth. It spreads itself through the community all the more powerfully because so quietly. You preach; men employ their intellects in answering your arguments. You strive to reform; the vicious band • hemselves against you to defeat your plans and operations. But you are simply true and holy, and there is no argument against that. There is no resisting that. It tells on every intel lect. In view of this, might we not exhort one another to be less careful to do than to be ? We may remind one an other that a man may be incessantly, and even usefully, active without be coming better. On the other hand, no man can grow better in himself without improving the quality and quantity of his activity. We are all the while exhorted to shine. How much better it is to strive to be suns! A sun does not have to strive to shine. Because it is a sun it is luminous ;if it were not a sun, it could not be luminous. We may become nervous and iriita ble and unhappy in these incessant exertions to do good for the Lord, but to be still, and quiet, and loving, may make us what the world so much needs now —really holy characters. Look at the benedictions in the ser mon on the Mount. Study them, who FRANKLIN PRINTING HOUSE, ATLANTA GEORGIA, JULY 18, 1878. are the happy, the blessed —those who are giving something and doing some thing? No. There is not a single mention of activity. It is all being something—being •‘meek,” being “pure in heart,” etc. I-et us, then, add to the constant exhortation of do good, the additional important exhortation, be good. For the Index aud Baptist.] THK LAW OF 000 NO. 111. In the days of Christ both Jew and Gen tile held to the traditions of the elders or fathers, so now, with us, we do as our fathers have done. Our fathers labored to lay up food, raiment and treasures, no do we, neg lecting the command to seek first the king dom of God and His righteousness. We can not Berve God and Mammon, nor need we try, for Christ says we cannot. Therefore, or for this cause, I say unto you, take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or drink, or where withal shall we be clothed. For after all these things do the Gentiles seek. And we are yet, to the neglect of His great commands, seek ing after these things, holding to the traditions for which the Saviour in His teachings among the Jews reproved the Scribes and Pharisees. Matt. 15; 3-6. Why do you transgress the commanment of God by your traditions, (opin ions, or laws of their fathers or rulers.) God commanded, saying, honor thy father and thy mother, and he that curseth father or mother, let him die the death. Ex. xxi: 17. But ye say, whosoever shall say to his father or bis mother, it is a gift, (or give me my time, and 1 leave) and honor not his father and mother, the fate he broke, thus ve made the command ment of God of none effect by your traditions. Ye hypocrites! well did E j aias prophecy of you Baying, this people drawelli nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoreth with their lips, but their heart is far from me. But in min they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men. Being asked by one ol tbe scribes, Mark xii: 28, which is the first command of all, Jesus answered him, the first of all the command ments is, Hear, O Israel. The Lord our God is one Lord; and ihou shall love ihe Lord thv God with all thy heart, and with all thy soui, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength—“a full consecratim of ihe whole mun, soul and bo<ly, to God.” And the second is like unto it. T'hou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. Also Lev. xix; 18; Deut. vi: 45 These are not new commands, but tbe Saviour says, “ 1 have given them thy word,” and “ if ye love uie ye will keep my commandments. This spirit predominates in all His word and teachings, also in the Apostles, to keep His commandments. God's commandments, which Christ offen quotes, in the language God used in Horeb. These two last commands, to love God and our neighbor as ourselves, by nature we cannot keep. The natural heart is at en mity with God, it cannot love Him. But when tbe law of God is presented to us—for by the law is the knowledge of sin, Rom. lii; 20 —the line is drawn: God here shown us by his word and spirit, our guilty distance from Him, and we know it is God we have uSended. Thus, the fallow ground of the heart is broken up. The Gospel, the good news of salvation, is the good seed sown, and the warm, genial rays ol the Holy Spirit quickens it into life. Then the fruit appears, and it must be good fruit, for it is born of God; it is not a mixture of goards and figs, of bitter water and sweet, from the same fountain; these are impossibilities. The fruits of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long suflering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meeknees, temperance. Gal. v:22. This is the kingdom of God which Christ preached—set upon our hearts; it is within you, Luke xvii: 21; tbe gospel, the good news of salvation through Christ, prepares tiH for that kingdom, and to accomplish salvation; He gave his life a ransom for us. While upon the Cros“, He cried, it is finished ! All that the cerimonial law had prefigured was finished 1 God in Christ, that same Gi and who made this law, has now fulfilled it and laid it aside. All that the Prophets had foretold of Him from the beginning, was finished 1 God, the imma eulate Saviour, the Lamb of sacrifice, bowed His head and died. There is uo more oflering for sin. He died for the sin of the world, not for the Jew only, God's ancient people, but lor the Gentiles also, to which class we belong. The middle wall of partition waH broken down. Eph. ii. Having abolished, in his flesh upon t lie cross, the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances: for to make of twain Jew and Gentile, one new man, so making peace. Therefore, ye are rto more slrangers and foreigners, (ye Gentiles,) but fellow-citizens with the saints and of the household ol God. And are Imilt upon the foundation of the Apostles and Prophets, Jesus Christ him-elf being the chief corner stone. In whom, ail the building (Jew and Gentile) fitly frauiedgroweth together uuloahoiy temple in the Lord, in Christ , not tn 'he world. In whom yeal>, are huilded together tor a habitation of God, through the Spirit. Eph. tit 14-22. A habitation, a dwelling place ol God, the great G'l, He who rules over all, and wilt be obeyed by at'., who has taught us by his terrible judge ments, and sometimes immediate death and destruction, that He will accept nothing blit implicit obedience; and God in Christ sits as a refiner’s fite and fuller’s soap—who shall be able to stand His refining and cleansing, for He is a discerner of the thoughts of the heart, to Him is known where our treasure is, and it our soul, mind and strength are devoted to Him and these garments too (our bodies must be kept unspotted from the world by perlect obedience to God’s moral law, a fit temple for the indwelliug of God’s Spirit, and not oniy our bodies must be unspotted, peiject, but our hearts too must be tin- [totted, perfect , washed in the blo-dof the sin-atoning Lamb. Then, “ if the righteous scarcely be saved, where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear.” IEitSIB. Millton n, Alabama Rev. Ohables Manly,—Rev. Charles Manly, of Stanton, Va., preached for I)r. Winkler last Sunday morning, an excellent sermon, breathing the inepirut.on of a devoted minister of Christ, full of the spirit of his Master. In the removal ol brother W. from Alabama, we lost the labors ol a good man, but Virginia was enriched, and the prosperi ty of 'he Stanton church bears this testimony. God bless our brother, and long aontinue his useful life among us. M. T. S. Spirit of Ik Religious Press, — The Ventral Baptist forcefully says : “From careful observation we are fully convinced that Baptists really gain nothing, but on the contrary lose, by holding union meetings.” We are convinced to the same effect. Truth always loses more or less in volunta rily combining with error under the false impresaioi that truth, aud the proper inter pretation of the Scriptures, will be benefit ted by such an unnatural union. —Says the Central Baptist: “The Sultan of Turkey to-day lives in no greater fear of intrigues and plots than does the Pope; and is it likely that the men who are ever trying to defeat his plans and thwart his measures, believe that he is the vicegerent of God ? • No one holds to infal libility. Let ns drop it.” Ob, yes, the priests, and their ignorant dupes, hold to the fiction—ihe latter because they do not know any better, and the former because it is their stock in trade in bartering souls for pence. It is simply a question of policy, and ot dollars aud cents, with Leo and his priestly legions. —“A Baptist preacher in my county after taking the bankrupt law, had the good for tune to have one of his rich relatives to die and leave him a very large amount of money, and now he refuses to pay his hall starved creditors a dime. What would you call him?” To this question tire Religious Herald replies: “We hesitate to say.” But the world never hesilfttes to express an opin ion in such cases, neither do the “half starved creditors,” albeit it is never compli mentary to the bankrupt. -Baptist liejleetor. We have no hesitancy in saying that be is a disgrace to the denomination and to the ministry he professes to represent. We would call him (oot to put too tine a point upon it) a dishonest man, or, in blunter parlance, a rascal. —A correspondent makes the following inquiries of the Methodist: “What ought the mechanic whose utmost income does not amount to more than S4OO a year, or the farmer whose utmost income does not amount to SSOO, give to the preach er to make him a salary ol SBOO, both hav ing families equally large to support V What ought these same to give to the nmn who was the year before a circuit preacher with a salary of S7OO or SBOO, but now their pre siding elder at a salary of $1,600 to SI,BOO ?” And the jfftlwdud. vc<y properly replies “that paying your minister is left entirely with your own judgment and conscience.” In an article on the query*“ls Amrrican Womanhood Imperilled," lit c Baptist Outlook says that unrest is the characteristic of the times, and peril to womanhood, to all that ennobles and glorifies humanity, infests the air. It then enters upon a synopsis of the natural differences that distinguish women from men, and alludes to the unscripturalness and error of those who claim that women ought to be allowed to occupy our pulpits. The peril to woman in forgetting her woman hood lies in what she neglects, more than in what she proposes to do. As Spurgeon trenchantly says: “I have heard that a woman who has a mission makes a poor wife and a bad moth er; this is very possible and very lament able. Dirty rooms, slatternly gowns, and children with unwashed faces are swift wit nesses against the sincerity of those who keep other’s vineyards and neglect toeir own. I have no faith in that woman who talks of grace and glory abroad and uses no soap or water at home. Let the buttons be on the shirts, let the children’s socks be mended, let the roast mutton be done to a turn, let the house he as neat as anew pin, and the home be as happy as home can be, serve God by doing common actions in a heavenly spirit, and then, if your daily calling only leaves you creaks and crevices of time, fill these up with holy service, and God will honor you.” The Outlook maintains, and wt side with it on this point, that many of our distin guished literary women would have per formed greater service in the ca .se of hu manity, had th ;y written more on the heart, tablets of their children and less on paper and for the pipers. It closes with a noble and deserved tribute to the women of Amer ica, every word of which we sincerely be lieve and endorse : “The heatt of American womanhood is sound, because it is loyal to Christ and His word. We have among us grand and noble women,who believe in womanhood, and who do not think their glory would be increased by adding manly properties to it. These Women believe in men and in the manly characteristics. They build men up in vir tue, in truth, and in every good word and deed. By education, by effort,.by aspiration, they are fitting thcnißelves to lead the world's thoughts out and up into the untrodden paths of excellence which stretch out beyond them. Such women arc not slow to avail themselves of the advantages placed within their reach, by tbe throwing open t, them of the doors of colleges and higher seminaries of learning. Woman by her heart, mote than her head, by tbe twinings of the tendrils of her love around the rougher and stouter nature of man, is, in America, even now sending the open bud of anew born hope, to tbe outer stem of heroic endeavor, and the blossom shall fill the air with a purer incense than humanity has hitherto breathed. —Rev. C. E. W. Djhbs, a Southern dele gate to the Cleveland Anniversaries, among other things, in a letter to the Western Record er, utters the following paragraph : “One of the novel sights was the Women’s Home Mission Society, in which there was a lady in the chair, and lady secretaries at the desk, while a lady read before a crowded au dience an elaborate report of the board. 1 THE CHRISTIAN HEEALD of Tennessee, was much impressed with the meeting, and left with my prejudices somewhat shaken, but still of the opinion that the ladies of the Foreign Mission Society acted more wisely and scrip turally in respectfully requesting the gentle men to stay away from their meeting.” BAPTIST NEWS AND NOTES. —The Central Church, New York, served so faithfully by liev. J. D. Herr, D.D., has provided for their debt of $37,000. —The German Baptists of America have established a Publication Society at Cleve land, Ohio, and built a substantial brick house three stories high, which was recently dedicated to that purpose. —The California Baptist State Conven tion recently closed a large and enthusiastic annual meeting in the beautiful city of San Jose. Rev. I. S. Kalloch was chosen Pres ident, and was also the preacher of the in troductory sermon by appointment of the previous year. —Besides the church in Paris, there are 6evcn other Baptist churches in France that are aided by our Missionary Union. —The Southern Baptist Theological Sem inary is reported to have more students than any Theological Seminary on the Con tinent. —As the fruits of specially distributing Baptist literature in New York City last year, more than one hundred members are sup posed to have been added to the different churches of our denomination there. —As the result ot the labors of brother Penn in Memphis, one hundred and twenty five members have been added to the Cen tral and First churches ot that city. —ltev. J. M. Phillips, pastor of the First Baptist chtnch, Chattanooga, Tenn., is visit ing his brother, Judge Phillips, at St. Louis —Nearly three thou: and persons have been baptized during the extraordinary re vival in progress among the colored church es in Richmond, Va. —About four hundred persons have pro fessed faith in Christ in the different meet ings held by Dr. Teasdale since he was in Nashville. The Lord has wonderfully bless ed his labors. —A church has been organized by Rev. R. E. Gammon, one of Mr. Spurgeon’s pu pils, at Puerto Plato, Brazil. THE THREE BELLS. This poem refers to the well-known rescue of the crew of an American vessel, sinking In mid ocean, by Capt. Leigh tin, of the English ship Three Bells Unaole to take them oft", in the night and storm, he stayed by them until morning, shouting to them from time to time through Ills trumpet, “Never fear, hold on, I’ll stand by you.” Beneath the low-hung night cloud That raked her splintering mast, The good ship settled slowly, The cruel leak gained fast. Over tbe awful ocean Her signal guns pealed out ; Dear God! was that thy answer, From tke horror round about? \ voice came down the wild wind— “Ho! ship ahoy!” its cry— “ Our stout Three Bells of Glasgow Shall stand till daylight by!” Hour after hour crept slowly, Yet on the heaving swells Tossed up and down the ship-lights— The lights of the Three Bells. And ship to shin made signals ; Man answered back to man ; While oft, to cheer and hearten, The Three Bells nearer ran. And the captain from her taff rail Sent down his hopeful cry: “Take heart! bold on !” he shouted, “The Three Bells shall stand by!” All night across the water The tossing lights shone clear; All night from reeling tuft rail The Three Bells sent her cheer. And when the dreary watches Of storm and darkness passed, Just as the wreck lurched under, All souls were saved at last. Hail on Three Bells, forever, In grateful memory sail! King on Three Bells of rescue, Above the wave and gale ! As thine, in night and tempest, I hear the Master’s cry, And tossing through the darkness, The lights of God draw nigh. —John G Whittier t in Atlantic Monthly* Maonificknt Establishment.—ln the interest of our readers —especially those of our lady readers —we cannot forego to call atten tion again to the splendid advertisement ol Captain Ketly’s Dry Goods Emporium. The advertis -rent is an interesting study ; it shows the extraordinarily low prices at which these goods can now lie bought, and the immense variety and magnitude of Mr. Keely’s stock. He is one of the most energetic, prosperous and wide-awake me* lianta in this country, and has established a business oi which At lanta may well he proud. The salesmen are numerous and aliable, and the stock for pur chasers to choose from is inexhaustible. Call and verify these statements by personal ob servation and examination. Restful Night, Buys free from Torture, Await the rheumatic sufferer who resorts to Hostetter's Stomach Bitters. That this benig nant oordi&l and deparent is a far moro reliable remedy than colchicum and other poison, used to oxpol the rheumatic virus from the blood, is & fact that experience lias satii-factorily demon strated. It also enjoys the advantage of being —unlike them—perfectly safe. With many pet sons a certain pi (.disposition to theumatism exists, which renders them liable to its attacks afttr exposure in wot wertber, to currents of air, ckaugcs.of temperature, or to cold when the body is hot. Such persons should take a wine glass or two of the Bitters as soon as possible after iururiing risk from the above caiteeM as this superb protective effectually nullifies the lnirtfu' influence. For the functional derange ments which accompany rheumatism, such as oolic, spasms in the stomach, palpitation of the heart, imperfect digestion, etc., tie Bitters is also a moot useful remedy. It is only necessary in obstinate cases to use it with persistency. WHOLE NO. 2327. General Denominational News, —Ohio has voted by a large majority against taxing church property. —A Bible has been presented to every workman on the Paris Exposition buildings. —The article in the Episcopal Church Constitution which provides for the repre sentation of the Dioceses in the General Con vention, gives to each diocese not more than four clergymen and four laymen. It places all dioceses on one plane. In the Supreme Council of the Church, Nebraska is just as potent as New York. The practical out come of the whole matter is that the Epis copal Church in this land is governed by a minority of its members. —At the late Episcopal Convention in Bal timore, Md., Assistant Bishop Pinckney made an address, urging a more liberal sups port for the ministers. He said hardly any ot the rural deacons got SI,OOO a year. The Treasurer reported that he had been unable to pay the salaries of the bishops. —The United Brethren exclude all per sons from their denomination who are Odd Fellows, or who join secret societies. —There are 101 inmates in the Methodist Home at Philadelphia—all females, except ten. It requires about SIO,OOO to pay the current expenses of a year, —The Primitive Methodists form the weakest of all the branches of the Methodist Church in this country. They have only two small conferences. —The salary ot the Bishops of the Metho dist Church, South, is $3,000 for the en suing four years. This includes traveling expenses. August 2d will be kept as a general day of fasting and prayer by the Methodist Epis copal Church, South. In the Assembly of the Canada Presby terian Church they had a stirring debate on the subject of Ilymnology. The party fa voring the introduction ot hymns, in addi tion to the old Scottish Version of the Psalms, proved to be in the ascendency, and a com mittee wus appointed to provide a selection of hymns from the four hymn books com monly used in Presbyterian churches, and known as the English Presbyterian Hymn Book, the Scottis) Hymnal, toe United Pres byterian Hymn Rook, and the Hymn Book of the Free Church of Scotland. —Tbe average salary of the ministers of tbe Irish Presbyterian Church last year was $925. In addition to this, a large majority of churches furnish manse and glebe. The entire income of the Church in 1878 was about $66,000 in advance ol any previous year. The American Baptist Home Mission So ciety has at present eight schools in operation for the education of colored teachers and preachers. In these schools there are twenty, four male and eleven female teachers. The Society at its anniversary in Cleveland, Ohio, decided to appoint a Superintendent of the Mission to Freedmen and passed a resolution instructing the Board to co-operate cordially with their Southern brethren in promoting ministers' institutes in the Southern States. —Twenty two new publicatione have been added to th: catalogue of tbe American Bap tist Publication Society during the last twelve months. The receipts ol the Society for the last fiscal year amounted to $304,610.26 —540,551, of which belonged to the Mission Depart rnent. The Society spentls Us mission fund on Sunday-schools and other special benevo lent enterprises. —The three sermons preached last winter by Rev. Dr. W ebber, pastor of the First Presby terian church of Troy, N. Y., published in book form under the title of "Future Punishment," and in which the author very distinctly and emphatically places himelf on record as maintaining the doctrine of probation in the future world for a large portion of the human race, were recently the subject ol animated discussion in the meeting of Ihe Troy Presby tery. This body recorded its utter dissent from such a doctrine—and allowed the matter to rest there. MISSION NOTKS Brother A Frink Ross writes from i:.v~ ton, Arkansas* June 21sl: To-day, as tin; eager crowd stood on t! - banks of our Jordan, 1 led Rev. Martin James into the water and buried him in bap tism. He has preached and practiced eight long years the errors of the Methodist Church but God finally compelled him to join the Church ol Christ, and teach and practice the doctrine of the .New Testament, which will make him a brilliant Baptist star, illumina ting his benighted people with tiue Gospel light. We expect him to lead his congrega tions and many others into our fold. He is their most intelligent and influential preach er and only thirty-two years old, bidding fair to pass his tour scores. As he is altogether without Baptist litera ture, except Ihe Bible, I hope the brethren will supply him as far as they can, begin ning by sending to him The Index, as we have always considered it the greut friend to the Indians, and sufficiently sound to con tain the most wholesome lood. I have been holding some good meetings since I returned from the Seminary. Last Sunday I organized anew church in a Pedo baptist community, but think the prospect good for it to become a Baptist community; as we have caught the shepherd, think the sheep will be easily managed. May God bless our cause, especially among the In dians, is my prayer.