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4 HENRY H. TUCKER, Editor. ROBKKT W, riLMCR Anwoclitle. CIIBISTMA'*. For how many centuries this anniversary has been celebrated, we do not know ; the beginning of this custom, like those of many other customs, having been lost in the mi9ty post. It is supposed, by some, to have origi nated in the 4th century. But how long will the custom continue? Undoubtedly until the second coming of our Lord. The whole civilized world recognizes the day; and as civilization advances, Christmas goes with it. Should the whole world become civil ized. Christmas will be the inheritance of the whole human race. We might have used the word tmngelited as well, for wherever the Gospel goes, the day which has been set apart by common consent, as the anniversa ry of the birth of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, will always be remembered and ob served. Nothing can put a stop to this ob servance. So far as we know such an effort has never been made. Hut if it were made, it would be futile. All the potentates of the earth might put their powers together to check the celebration of the day, but they might as well attempt to stop the tides of the ocean fill at once. The tides are the re sult ol a law of nature; so is Christmas. There is something in the laws of human na ture which demands a Christmas, and which will have it. Wherever Christ’s gospel has been preached, a day will be celebrated in honor of Ilis birth. The real day has been lost; it is supposed, by some,to lmvcbeen in April —by others to have been in October. This loss of course was providential. Was it intend* l to show that there is no divine authority for the observance of the day? Perhaps so. But is not the fact that weliave an arbitrary Christmas, also providential ? To celebrate a day may be harmless ; to cel ebrate the day, might have led to superstition. There is nothing around which superstition liangs more readily, than around day. Lucky and unlucky days have been talked about for thousands of yeari>; possibly no onemperstitionhas been more wide-spread; oven to the present time It has not lost Its hold on the minds oi enlightened, and even Christian men. Perhaps it was to prevent this folly, that the knowledge of the exact day of Christ's birth, was blotted out by the providence of God. The Almighty llimscif prepared the grave of Moses, and laid him in it, (a glorious funeral—peerless in gi andeur) but no man knows of the sepulchre to this day. We suppose that thls| was done to prevent the Israelites from paying Idolatrous homage to the place of his burial. It may be, that the same God has buried the day of Christ’s birth in oblivion for a similar reason; to prevent bis followers from regarding the day as better than other days. Iu the history of the world, two days only have been set apait by divine authority, as worthy of pe culiar honor, and only one of these at a time. The first, was the Sabbath of the Lord our God, c immemorativo of the rest after crea tion ; the second is the Lord’s day, substitu ted for the tint, and commemorative of our Lord’s resurrection from the dead. The ob servance of these days 19 an act of obedience. Whatsoever is more than this comcth of evil. We may observe other days, after our own f ishion, and for our own purposes; but they are not s-wreii, and are not to be regarded with reverence and religious awe. They are simply human; the Sabbath is divine; on list day the very air should be solemn. The observance of the Sabbath is commanded; the observance of Christmas we think, is per mitted by the law which regulates Christian life. Hearing in mind that it isu day which we celebrate, and not the day ; that the cus tom is of uo divine authority; aud that the day is not sacred, an i that it is no better than any other day, and that iho Sabbath is the only day that is ho y, there can bo no harm we think in yielding to the impulse of our nature to set apart one day in the year for the commemoration ol t he Lord’s biith. Should it be celebrated with discharges of artillery, or wiih boisterous or outbreaking merriment, with tlreworks, and shows and dances ? To ask this question, is to answer it. A more shocking incongruity can scarce ly be imagined. Suppose then we take the opposite extreme, acd observe the day with most solemn devotion, and with lasting and prayer ; and make it the occasion of burning appeals to the wicked, warniug them, with tears and entreaties, to flee from the wrath to come. This course appears to be as ill advised, as the former was sacriligoous. What thou shall be done? It is always easier to say what should not be done, than i t is to say exactly and iu positive terms what is right. But as the extremes are to be avoided, wo may at least suppose that there is a middle ground which is safe. That the observance of the day should be flavored with the religious clement, is uu questionable. But it should bcjwith religious joy ; the bright side of religion is the only one appropriate to the day. Mourning and lamentation are out of the question ; fasting iscot to be thought of; fearting, if it be done with a grateful and loving heart, is far more in keeping with the spirit of the occasion. There can be no barm in feasts, for our L< rd himself attended them ; and as it is through Him that we receive the blessings of Provi dence, no Ui3 then those of grace, it cannot be wrong, nay it must be right, that we shouldny ythese blessings; andifourhearts are in right condition wc can enjoy them uU t THE CHRISTIAN INDEX AND SOUTH-WESTERN BAPTIST December 26. at once. On what occasion could we enjoy simultaneously and to unusual fulness both temporal and spiritual gifts more appropri ately, than od the natal day of Him, through whom all these blessings come? Any pleas ure which is lawful, and which is of so sub dued a character, as to be compatible with a contemplation, at once serene and joyous, of God’s unspeakable gift, is appropriate to Christmas. Let the feast go on ; but forget not who spread it. Remember that every enjoyable thing on earth is the purchase of the atonement. Call your children around you ; but when you hold the little one in your arms, remember that but for the babe of Bethlehem, you would have no hopes of its salvation. If you have luxury, enjoy it; God gave it to you ; but remember Him who though lie was rich, yet for our sakes became poor, that wc through his poverty might be rich. Invite Him to your board, or carry your dainties to Him iu Ilis lonely cabin, or on His bed of languishing. The least of His disciples represents Him, and charities be stowed on them, lie regards as a personal attention to himself. Tell your children to be happy; but forget not to teach them in such pleasant and gentle way as not to mar their enjoyment, that but for the Savior whose birth they celebrate, their could be no joy either in this world or in the world to come. Do not expect them to partake of your sobriety. They are only children, and their religious feelings must be as childish as all their other feelings are. When Paul was a child, he was like other children, and so are yours. Allow them to be merry, but with very gentle touches tune their hearts to praise. The aged, as well as the young, should en joy the day. The pleasures of the evening of life are not like those of the morning, but they are none the less real. The sbepherds who heard the angelic anthem werej mature men, but their joy was none the less for that, but all the more. Simeon was doubtless ad vanced in years, but the venerable man re joiced in the infant Savior, and Anna the prophetess, the widow of four score years, was happy in the Lord. Let the fathers and the mothers in Israel be glad, let the young men and maidens rejoice; and the little ones who cannot understand the reason of the joy, let them at least know that there is something to be Joyful for ; let the very air around them be balmy with pleasure. As their minds open, let the Gospel come to them on wings of gladness ; so that in due time they will see it, as a thing not to be dreaded and shunned, but to bo embraced and loved, and prized, aud cherished, as God’s most priceless gift. Let there lie joy to the world, for the Lord is come! Let there be appropriate joy to every age, and condition ; let joy take all its shapes that are in harmony with love to God and love to man, and let the song of the angels be the reigning sentiment of every Christian heart. KBEN-FZKR. When the eye of the reader falls on these lines, he will probably have reached the close, or nearly the close, of another year. Thou sands, nay millions of those who began the year with us, have passed into eternity. W ■till are spared. If we are numbered among the unbelievers, we have been saved thus far from perdition; if with the believers, we have the preparation (and schooling ol one more year, for the Heaven and the glory that await us. In either case, we are monuments of mer cy. Having reached one more epoch in our history, which will forever be designated by the figures 1878, is it not fitting, that we too should raise a monument, and call the name of it, EbenEzer, faying, “Hitherto hath the Lord helped us.” At least, we ought to pause," and raise an Ebenezer in the heart. We have come to a turning point, where it is well to look both backward and forward, reflecting on the experiences of the past, and preparing for those of the future, We have needed help. Left to ourselves we can do nothing, and should long since have perished. We have had help, the evidence of which is that we atill live, and still enjoy such comforts and blessings as we have. This help has come from the Lord■ All help comes from Him. He is the author and sue tainerof life; the giver of every good and per fect gift. Second causes are really not causes at all. We call them so, for mere conven ience. There is only one cause of anything and that is the will of God. We shall not stop to inquire into the origin of evil, for that would be profitless and worse than that, for it would lead us away to a foreign issue. There can be no doubt about the origin of good, and that ia the subject of present contemplation. God Almighty brought ua into this world; He brought ua through the perila of infancy, and boyhood and youth, and has been the protec etor and guide of our malurer years. He has preserved us from the terror by night, and from the arrow that Hieth by day, and from the pestilence (hat walketh in darkness, and from the destruction that waateth at noon day. It is in Him that we live, and move, and have our being. Every heart-throb results from the forth putting otdivineenergy, prompt ed by divine mercy. Let that divine power be withdrawn for one instant, and we should fall into nothingness, as quick aa lightning flash. Hitherto, all the way hitherto, and all the time hitherto, hath the Lord helped us. From the first moment of ante-natal existence, down to this our latest breath, the Lord has been our helper and our all. All this help baa been ua desenel We have done nothing to merit it. If we had done our whole duty, without the omission of so much as an iota, we should not have brought our Maker in debt to us. All that we have had, has been given, not earned. He makes us anew present with every pulse beat. Every joy of soul or sense, whether great or small, is His gift. We havedeserved just the opposite of what we hare received. W* have been sinful creatures, and are so now. Not during one single day of our whole lives, have we fully done our duty. Not one hour have we spent without sin. It is not merely what we do, or what we fail to do, that makea us sinners; it is what we are. Oar hearts are rebellious against God's holy law. If we had been destroyed long ago, we should have had no reason to complain. But we still live. The blessings of Provi dence are etill around us; the blessings of grace are within our reach ; eternal life is offered to us, if we will but accept it on its terms, and the terms are set forth in the few and single words, “Believe on th Lord Jasus Christ and thou shalt be saved.” This good ness has been never-failing, and etill contin ues. As we have reached a marked period, one which can never be forgotteD, the cloee of the year, ought we not to cease from the world awhile, and meditate on the past and on its mercies, and seek a pure communion with Him, who is the creator oi our bodies, and the father of our spirits, and the fount of every blessing ? Years are important things. At the end of each one, we seem to pass a mile stone that marks our progress to the tomb. These mile stones are nut many in number, even at the most, and we do not know but that this, is the last one we shall ever pass. Whatever our future may be, the past is resplendent with the goodness of God ; and even if we enjoy no more of Ilis mercy, we have had enough al ready to place us under obligations of infinite gratitude. Whenever we pass an epoch like the present, we ought to make some signal expression of that gratitude; to look back on all that we have received, and all that we haveenjoyed; to recount our mercies, to con fess our nnworthiness, and to acknowledge God as all in all; saying, “Hitherto hath the Lord helped me,” and thus at least, if not in literal terms, to raise up an Ebenezer, ever against every mile-stone on the path ol litre. THE NEW YEAR. What an enormous thing is the history of the world for a year 1 There is the physical history of the earth itself—its geographical, geo logical meteorological and astronomical histo ry. There is the history of animal life as a whole, and of each species and family, and of each individual living thing, from the huge monsters of the Polar Sea, and iwn to the ani malculea which the microscope has not yet been able to discover. There is the history of nations, kingdoms, empires, and republics; the history of wars and of peace. There is the history of innumerable organ’zation*, civil, military, judicial, scientific, literary, social, religious and irreligious. There is the histo ry ol each individual, of the twelve hundred millions that now inhabit the earth, ami also of the millions to be born before the year clo ses. There is the history of every atom ol matter, and the history 100 of every atom, (if such a figure may be used) of not matter, in cluding the world of thought, and the world of •pirit that produces the thought. There is the history of every tear, and of every sigh, and of every groan; and the his'ory of ihe inner sources from which these proceed. There is the history of all sorrow, and oi all joy; and of every word, and of every desire, and ol every work and enterprise. There is a year’s history of the world’s sin; and a year’s history of the world's benevolence, patience, forbear ance, meekness gentleness, goodness, holiness. Now, all this history ol the year just before us, will be written; not one jot or one little of it will be left out. In the mind of God, it is written already. But before us, this stupend ous volume lies a sealed book, not one word or one syllable of whose amazing record is known. A part of this history, each one of us is to make. Without help, we shall make it badly; our chapter, if we are left to ctirselves, will be a frightful record. The first thing then, is to commend ourselves to God. In this respect, the saint is a privileged character. He has already made his peace with God, and has the privilege, sliall we not say the right, to lean on the Divine arm whenever he pleases, with the assurance that he is welcome, and that grace will be supplied according to his net and. The unconverted man is in different condition. Before he can coma lo God with any assurance of welcome, he must put his trust in the blood oi the Lord Jesus, who said “No man cometh to the Father but by me.” We know of no access to God except through Jesus Christ his Son, and hence the first step for an unconverted man to take, is to accept Christ in his heart. With God’s help, we shall be ready to act our pm in the great world’s history. But de pendence on God for help does not imply paseivenees on our part. We mu9t first re solve, and then do. At the threehhold, res olution is all that ia possible. Let us resolve, then, to lead a life of prayer, and of commun ion with God; to make ihe word of God the rule of our life, in email thinge aa well ae in great; to use habitually, and without ceasing, all the means of grace that are accessible to us; and while putting forth every power to do, and to be, what the law of God requires, with as much energy as if there were no God to help, yet to rely on God, as if we had no power to put forth. A soul filled to saturation with these resolves, is ready for the year’s work, or for life-work. Surely a man who has done what we have described, has not done too much, aod it is very certain that he who has done less, has done 100 little. But suppose one to have en tered on the year, thus fully prepared for it, and suppose him to adhere to his holy purposes. What a glorious chapter in the world's histo ry will he have written by the end of the yearl It may be a record that would thrill the bosom of a seraph. It mar produce joy in all heaven, tft may be read by angels to eternal ages. However humble your lot, however obscure your character and person, you have only lo walk O, Christian! in Ihe way which God prescribes for you, and the day will come when greatness and glory will be thrust upon you in such degree, that the glories of earth would pale into nothingness before them, as the shining of the glow-worm before noonday. What will be the most important chapter in the history of the coming year ? Will it be the history of the British Empire ? or of Rus sia or of Prussia? It maybe the history of one of Christ’s little ones, ail unrecognised as one of the great forces of the world, nay un recognised altogether, without health, without wealth, without position, without friends, with out culture, without great mental gifts; but with a great heart, full of love to God, and of faith in his Son Jesus Christ. One thing we know: the heroes of this world will be forgot ten in the world to come, and the lowly who walk with God, will be exalted. The new year is upon us; let us prepare in the light of God’s word for its emergencies, and then full of hope and trust, face the future, and quit us like men. IBRISTMIS FOR THE SORROWING. We have elsewhere spoken of Christmas as a season of joy. But what shall the poor do who enjoy no festivities, and who are but ill supplied with the ordinary comforts of life, or perhaps who are not supplied at all, even with its necessaries? Why talk of joy to the hun gry and shivering and barefoot ? What shall the sick do, lying on beds of pain and anguish, waiting impatiently at night for the morning, and waiting as impatiently by day for the night? Why talk of joy to these afllicted ones? What shall the bereaved do, whose hearts are broken with grief? Why talk of joy, to those whose eyes are wet with weeping over new-made graves ? Perhaps all these children of misfortune and sorrow have more cause for legitimate joy in than anybody else. It is all they have to rejoice in. Take comfort, poor af flicted souls. Let the day remind you of your sympathizing Saviour. He loved the poor ;he healed the sick ; lie was touched with the feeling of our infirmities ; he wept with the bereaved; and the tender loving, gentle, pitying, compassionate, sympathizing feelings which He then had, He still has. Listen, O, child of sorrow ! Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, to-day and forever. What ever He was, that is what He it. If He stood bodily before you, would you not forget that you ever had a pang or a grief, in the joy of His presence ? Though invisible now to mortal eyes, He is with you ns really as He ever was with Mary and Martha and Lazarus 1 Not so satisfyingly you may say. Perhaps not. But remember this: there is peculiar blessing to those who have not seen. Christ said “ Thomas ! because thou hast seen thou hast believed, blessed are they that have not seen and vet have believed”—John xx : 20. You may enjoy less now than those wht> saw the Saviour, but you will be more blessed hereafter. Your good things are not in this world; but there is a good time coming for all them that love God. Yea, every time is good for them, for their very tribulations are sen* o i them for a purpose, and that purpose is to work out for them a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory. Be of good cheer, dear friends! God’s way is the best way ;He will give yon strengtli for your burden ; His grace will not fail you ; His Spirit will not forsake you ; and in His own good time He will wipe all tears from your eyes. In the meantime remember that all this is done for Christ’s sake, and rejoice with us all, rich and poor together that Christ was born, and hav ing tasted our sorrows knows how to feel for them, and ever liveth to intercede [for them that trust in Him. I>B. FILLER. Our highly esteemed and much-loved brother, Rev. Robert W. Fuller, D. D., has been obliged, for the time at least, to abandon his post. His failing health has grown rap idly worse during the last few weeks, and he found that the somewhat rigorous climate of our city, was too severe for him. He has gone to spend a season with a kinsman in Aiken, S. C.,' hoping that under the influence of Ihe climate there, which seems to be peculiarly beneficial to [versons in his condition, he may recuperate. Once before, he experienced great benefit from a temporary sojourn in Aiken, and this encourages us in the hope that he may be benefitted again. Our readers have lost much, but we have lost more; hav ing enjoyed his daily companionship which was both profitable and delightful. We shall not fail, however, to supply our readers with the usual amount of reading matter, and com mending our associate to the prayers of the brethren, and to the good providence of God, let us all hope for his speedy recovery. An Honest Answer to a Surprising Qnestlon. In order to do full justice lo the subject, we copy the following article entire, from the National Baptist, (Philadelphia). The Augusta Chronicle and Sentinel in alluding to the Augusta Institute, says: “Dr. Robert, tbe President, is a Southern er, a South Carolina gentleman of the old school, belonging to one of the most illus trious families of this section of country, and, by his immense culture, is eminently qualified to preside over this important re ligious enterprise. The Southern Baptists, especially, desire that Southern men should instruct the rising ministry of colored youth.” Dr. Robert we regard as an excellent man ; and we rejoice In the success of lbs labors. But the sentence last quoted suggests an enquiry, which we would humbly present : Why do “Southern Bspt : st especially de sire that Southern men should instruct the rising ministry of colored youth?” What objection is urged against brother King, and Corey, and Tupper, and Colby, and Ayer, and Axtell and Phillips? And here in Selma is brother VVoodsmall whose suc cess is marvellous, who in premises bought by the colored people of Alabama, with no help from the North, has gathered one linn dred and thirty-six pupils, and is doing a | work that is unsurpassed tor its usefulness and ior the seli-denial which it involves. We most earnestly ask again, Why do “Southern Baptists, especially, desire South ern men to instruct the rising colored min istry ?” Our brother of the National Baptist asks the same question twice, and in each case puls the word why in italics, thus indicating the greatest possible emphasis, and expresses •‘a most earnest desire” to obtain a full and sat isfactory answer. Such an answer we shall en deavor to give; and in so doiug, we shall avoid all personal allusions, and shall say nothing that would not be applicable, in principle, to any other country as well as to ours, and to any age, a thousand years ago, or a thousand years hence, as well as to this. 1. Every people prefers its own people to strangers—those who are known, to those who are not known. Human nature is here ’exactly what it is everywhere else, neither more nor less, neither better nor worse. We prefer that all our teachers, preachers, and leading men in all depart ments of life, should be from among our selves. Among all peoples, there is occa sionally an exception to this rule. Some times a man of great reputation, like Dr. McCosh, is imported from abroad, and sometimes, also, men of lesser note. These cases are rare; there is generally some special reason for it; and always those who do the importing, prefer to make their se lection for themselves. And our observation is, that even Englishmen who are of our own flesh and blood, language, laws, literature, history and traditions, when imported in ma ture life into any part of the United States, are apt to fail for a time, and, genera'ly, for a good long time, of complete success. It is not because they are not as good as we are, or not as wise, or not as learned, or not as estimable in all respects, but simply because of minor differences in habits of thought, manners, and customs. Viewed in the ab stract, these are small matters it is true, very small; but viewed in the concrete, they are highly important. These insignificant things ought not to interfere with a man's success, but they do; and as this is not an abstract world, it is well, In practical matters, to take things as they are. The Northern people and the Southern people, are virtually two different peoples. Of the same stock, it is true, yet they have developed differently un der different skies ; and this has occurred in the providence of God. Comparison as to merits or demerits is needless, for we cour teously concede precedence to our neighbors, as we always do, in our polite intercourse with each other, and with the world. We simply say, that being like all the rest of the human race, our own people suit us best; and without going further, we think enough has been said already, to satisfy our brother that those objections of ours, which he refers to, are natural and inevitable. He must ex pect us to be more or less than human, if be looks for anything else. 2. It there were a necessity, or even a feeble demand, for teachers trom a distance, there would be some reason for haviug such teachers. But there is no necessity for it; we have pleoty of teachers here. Nor, so far as we know, is there any demand, however feeble, for help even from adjoining Slates. Our own teachers are not OBly sufficient in number, but are abundantly capable, and per fectly acceptable. The editor of Tiib In dex himself, was once engaged for some months, everyday, iu teaching colored min isters, and his instructions weru listened to with great eagerness, by all who could make it convenient to attend. When there are many here, who are able and willing to do the work, if others arc sent iront afar, in quiry is naturally raised for the reason of this strange procedure. No reason is appa rent, and hence the suspicion naturally arises, that there must be some reason which is concealed; and concealment, or the sem blance of it, is sure to beget distrust. 3. When we send missionaries to the heathen, we send those who are slrangeis to those among whom they expect to labor. But we do this from the necessity oi the case. When it pleases God to raise up na tive preachers who are thoroughly qualified for the Work, they are always employed and preferred. Nobody would think of sending a missionary to China to do the work which a native preacher on the spot could do just as well. An appeal for money to susta’n such a missionary, would be made in vaiD. Why should we, ol the S >utb, be made an exception ! Why should a policy be pur sued in our case, which would not be pursued in the case of Hottentots or Bush men? Admitting that we are heatheu, are we worse than other heathen ? But we are not heathen, aod nobody thinks we are. A pure gospil is preached among us by able aod faithful men, and this the world knows. If.tbese men are set aside, aud others put in their place, the world might well exclaim why f why f Men never act without reason. Iu this case it would seem that there must be some occult reason, and if there is anything occult about the transaction, pure -minded men will have nothing to do with it. We could say much more, but wc thick we have said enough. Now let us, in turD, respectfully ask our brother of the National Baptist a question. If you desire to employ a man to labor iu the Lord among the freed men, and we offer you a man who is well known among us, and who has the confi dence aud love of all our people, ol all col ors, whose piety, and ability, and aptness to teach, are unquestioned, and who, being one of us, is free from the disability which natu rally attaches to all strange rs, and who is theref re letter qualified for the work than any stranger on earth could p vssibly be, why would you pass that man by, and send a stranger in bi 9 place? And again we ask, whyt If a man will persbt in sending cals to Newcastle, he must expect the world to ask him why 1 And if the coals he semis, are not as well adapted to the purposes for which coals are used in Newcastle, as the coals which are abundant in the place itself, the question why comes in with in creased emphasis. If we have waxed warm in our argument, and if the logic of the case has led us to say a word which, by any forced construc tion, can be regarded [as uncourteous or uc fraternal, we beg our brother of the National Baptist to believe, that in feeling at least, we have tried to carry out the spirit of the ser mon on the mount; and if in aDy respect we have failed, we beg that a loving charity may deal leniently with our faults. Hostility to the Negro. The following letter which explains itself, is a specimen of innumerable things of the same genus, if not of the same species, which are constantly occuring: To the proprietors of the Index : Inclosed please find two dollars and sixty cents for one new subscriber. I make him a present of it in addition to his wages, for his faithful per formance of duty on the plantation during the year about to close. Yours truly Our “new subscriber” is a negro, whose address we omitted in copying the above letter, and whom we heartily welcome to our circle of readers. It is needless to say, that the amiable benefactor of our colored friend, is of the family of Japhet;but for the benefit of those who do not know, it may be well to add, that Japliet and Cush, in this latitude, are very friendly. There was, indeed, a tempor ary alienation of feeling ; but this lasted only for a very short time, and those disturbers of the peace who brought it about, have almost all departed. Our ancient friendships are renewed, and like some other things that have been broken and thoroughly mended, are stronger now than they were before; and all is quiet between the Savannah and the Chat tihoochee to-day. STATE HUSSION BOARD. To give the gospel to the spiritually desti tute, white and black, by the living voice, to organize Sabbath chcols in neighborhoods whrre they do not exist, and to supply those who have it net with the printed bible ; and incidentally to increase the circulation of The Index, and promote all the interests of Ihe de nomination in Georgia, is the work which the Convention has placed in charge of the State Mission Board. Though commencing without funds, the brethren were unwilling to remain inactive; they made the venture, and appointed twenty three missionaries, whose united labors equal ed the first year, the work of one man for over eleven years. These missionaries preached 1597 sermons, delivered 966 Sabbath-school and temperance addresses, organ'zed 75 Sab bath-schools, and jierformed a great amount of work not here enumerated. The amount of money raised for the sup port of the first year’s work is $6572.40, and for building houses of worship $1376,00. Th'i shows that the Baptists of Georgia gave the enterprize a generous aid. This success wag sufficient to justify the com mittee appointed by the Convention at La Grange, to examine the report of the Board,in siying: “We take pleasure in saying that the Convention hag every reason to De gratified at the results which have already been attained.” Ihe Committee on Minions, also say: “We are gratified to be able to report, that a year’s ex perience has demonstrated the wisdom of ap pointing your Slate Mission Board. Through their instrumentality, many usetul brethren have been enabled to devote themselves more fully to the work of the ministry. Many pop ulous communities, and sections have been supplied with preaching; many Sunday-schools have been established, and others strengthen ed, while the occupancy of waste places at home has encouraged the churches to cast their eyes abroad to nations who have not heard the gospel of peace. ” At the end of the Conventional year, the Board was out of debt. This unqualified approbation of the meas ures and work of the Board will encourage us to venture, and trust for the future. TMi Year twenty three missionaries are un der commission, four of whom are laboring exclusively among the freedmen. Our work is progressing with good success. Much more has been done this year, than the first, up to this time. Over one hundred have been bap tized. All of our missionaries are engaged in distributing bibles, which greatly increases their usefulness. The American Bible socie ty has generoa-ly aided us by furnishing bi bles at so small a price, that more than five thousand bibles, and testaments have already been sold, and donated. If we consider, that probably an average of every sixth person in Georgia is without a bible, not including the freedmen, this work can hardly be overesti mated. Shall this “labor of love’’ so auspiciously commenced continue and increase? A considerable amount must be contributed to carry the present engagements through to the Convention in April. How small an amount is necessary, from etch of you, lovers of Jesus, to make those for whom we labor rejoice. Will you permit your Board to be cramped, and damaged for the lack of a little effort, and sacrifice on your part?, I appeal to you, read er, to make a gift to this cause, as a teainning of your new year’s work for your Lord. J. H. DeVotie, Cor- BeC. S. M B. Our Pulpit.—ln place of our sermon, to day, we give an expository lecture on the twelfth chapter of Ecclesiastlis, delivered orig nally to the students of the University of Georgia, but which will be just as interesting to anybody else; if it were only r.nVed. a sermon it would he one.