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HEWI4Y U. TUCKER. Editor
THE UNSEEN BATTLE-FIELD.
Perhaps the most spirited poem in
any language is that of Tennyson on
the charge at Balaklava. By a mis
take in the orders, a British brigade of
light cavalry, consisting of six hund
red men under command of Earl Car
digan, without any support whatever,
actually charged on the whole Russian
army, whose lines were formeil in a
crescent, making their attack on the
centre, thus exposing themselves to the
most tremendous fire of heavy artille
ry from three sides at once. The Rus
sian batteries were amply supported
by infantry in numbers overwhelming.
But the order was imperative, and the
awful charge was promptly made.
Half a league, half a league,
Half h league onward,
Into the valley <»f death,
Kodetheaix hundred!
Cannon to the right of them,
Cannon to the left of them,
Cannon in front of them,
Volleyed and thundered!
Stormed at wPh shot and shell,
Boldly they rode, and wt 11,
Into the jaws of death,
Into the mouth of hell,
Rode the six hundred!
The tramp of the horses, the clash
ing of sabres, the shouting of the cap
tains, the clangor of trumpets, the
thunder of artillery, the crashing shot
and bursting shell, the fire and smoke
anl blazing sulphur, the terrific shock
when the brigade dashed on the gun
ners, the dismembered and shattered
bodies of men and horses, all, all to
gether constituted the most awful
scene, the most frightful horror, the
most ghastly magnificence of war, and
the most amazing exhibition of human
heroism ever named in the annals of
the world.
Our hearts leap with excitement,
•nd our pulses bound madly, when we
view even in imagination, scenes so
fearful and so grand, and/we feel that
such soul-thrilling events must be but
rare in the history of the human race.
Yet, struggles requiring far more he
roism, and infinitely more important
in their results, are transpiring around
us every day. We hear no noise,there is
no shock of arms, and no sight of blood ;
the quiet events of every-day life occur
as usual; the faces we see wear the
expression of ordinary cares, or of
pleasure, or of pain, or of sorrow, but
not of war-begotten ferocity, and the
world moves smoothly on, according
to its wont. But the unseen forces of
spirit-nature are in conflict. The heart
is the battle-fiejd. The good that is
within us, whether the remains of an
telapsarian virtue or ingrafted grace,
•re at war with inborn depravity, and
with the fierce powers of darkness. The
most dreadful of all wars is the war of
an immortal moral nature with itself;
when its better impulses are met by
passions rebellious against God, in
league with malignant spirits, hateful
and hating, and in hell-born hostility
to both God and man. The guns of
Balaklava are but toys, to the tremen
dous powers of a deathless soul; a few
short years would wear out these carnal
weapons, and they are but dust, while
the moral energies of an immortal be
ing are subject to no wear, and if they
change, must change from strength to
strength forever. The issues decided
on the field of blood are but transitory
things; the issues decided in the hu
man breast are the issues of eternity.
A far more important event than oc
•urred at Marathon or at Hastings,
may have transpired this very day in
the breasts of millions. What we see
of life is but a small thing; what we do
not see is the foundation of eternal joy
or of eternal misery. The unseen world
is the real world; the invisible part of
man is the real man. The earth is
peopled with those who have never
seen each other. We walk about as it
were in darkness, not witnessing the
stupendous events that make the his
tory of souls, which is the only history.
Mere dust has no history; it does noth
ing, feels nothing, knows nothing; vir
tually it »• nothing. The activities of
the universe are its only important el
ements. Physical phenomena we wit
ness, but these are mere expressions;
the real powers and persons that work
out destiny are hidden from us. We
•re blind to transactions of infinite
magnitude; deaf to voices that might
•hake the heavens.
A member of the household meets
us pleasantly at the fireside; we see
nothing unusual; there is no betrayal
of the workings of the spirit within ;
yet, beneath that calm exterior, there
may boa conflict raging between migh
ty antagonisms, the result of which
will end in heaven or in hell. The
grapple of a man with a ferocious wild
beast, when one ox the other must sure
ly die, is but a small matter compared
with the struggle of that same person,
perhaps in the solitude of his chamber,
with himself; his evil self being aided
in the deadly strife by fierce spirits
from another world. Suppose the bat
tle to be over, and that the powers of
evil have triumphed. No sign of the
oombat is seen. The conquered man
appears as he always did. He says
nothing of what has passed, and no
suspicion of anything unusual is
THE CHRISTIAN INDEX AND SOUTH-WESTERN BAPTIST: THURSDAY, JANUARY 13, 1881.
aroused. But an awful event has
taken place. A soul is doomed to the
wrath of God forever. The issue may
appear to have been a very trivial one.
Perhaps it was merely whether some
trifling indulgence in sinful pleasure
should be allowed, or whether some
step of questionable propriety should
be taken. A pure conscience took one
side, a burning passion took the other;
the law of the members and the law of
the mind were in mortal combat. Ro.
8 :23. The very heart was torn asun
der in the dreadful encounter. The
outer man was placid; the inner man
was in torture. It was a great battle
on a great issue; and the issue was
this: Shall unqualified obedience be
rendered to God? The result of the
conflict is an emphatic No! and the
Waterloo of Napoleon is but a trifle to
this Waterloo of the soul. Oh, could
we see these now invisible battles,
and could their results, far-reaching
into eternity, be spread out before us,
with what glowing fervor should we
supplicate the Divine mercy and help
in behalf of the struggling soul, and
how should we fly to its succor!
But let us not imagine because they
are invisible that they are unreal. Tiiey
are taking place every day and every
hour. A great battle may be going on
in a dozen breasts in one family. In
some childish bosom there may be rag
ing a war infinitely greater in its issues
than any that ever engaged the hugest
armies of earth. A rosy boy or a fair
girl may be deciding the great question
of an endless future. A strong man
can do no more; and many strong—
strong in moral power—very Samsons
in virtue, have, either by superior pow
er, or by the subtle arts of moral war
fare, been destroyed. Unaided from on
high no man is equal to the contest;
nothing but divine grace in the heart
can give the victory to the right. But,
in any case, the battle is fought by the
man himself.
How can we help? A kind word,
a little well-timed instruction, a cau
tion, an exhortation, an encourage
ment, an appropiiate expression from
the living oracles, a sympathizing
spirit, a warm heart that shows its
warmth by deeds of love, an earnest
prayer; any or all of these may be all
that is needed. A happy feature, too,
is this, that aid given to another, reacts
on one’s self, and helping him to fight
his battles tends largely to success in
one’s own. Indeed it is a general prin
ciple, that he who is a blessing to oth
ers, brings greater blessing to himself;
while he who lives for himself, lives and
dies a failure.
Have we overstated the dignity and
consequence of these unseen and noise
less battles? Regard the case of the
first Adam. He was not deceived as
our mother was, but delibeiately and
with his eyes open, he committed the
transgression. We cannot conceive of
the tumult which arose in his breast
when contending forces fought for the
mastery. But he yielded, and the race
was lost. It may be said that there
are no such stupendous issues now.
We who suffer such consequences
should be the last to inquire how great
or how small may be the results of dis
obedience to God. It should satisfy
us to know that, in any case, they are
immeasurable. God only, who made
the law, can know the spread of the
consequences of its violation.
But suppose that in such a conflict,
the right has achieved a triumph. Such
cases are not rare. They are not no
ticed on earth. There are no garlands
for the victors. No loud applause nor
sounding honors await them. They
may be, and many of them are, the
obscurest of earth. Some are little
children; some are weak women.
Some may be rich, and learned and
great; some may be poor, and ignorant
and wretched. But whoever they may
be, they are God’s heroes, and whatev
er their place in this world, their rank
is high in heaven. In the closet of
the palace, in the squalid cabin of the
poor, in the counting-room of the mer
chant, or in the domestic circle, there
may be victories won, over which an
gels shout for joy. He that ruleth his
spirit, w’hat a conqueror is he! If the
six hundred had captured the heights
at Balaklava and had turned its guns
upon their fleeing owners, destroying
them all, it would have been by com
parison a poor exploit. Prov. 16 :32.
Alexander, Ctesar, Napoleon and all
the rest of the world’s great captains,
may make but a sorry figure at the
Judgment day. Bnt they who fought
and conquered the great principle of
evil, though it were done silently and
in secret, will stand before an assemb
led universe crowned with glory.
Among them will be the little ones
the little ones of earth, but the great
ones of the skies.
Every one of us is engaged in this
war. Every heart has its own conflicts.
Blessed is lie that overcometh! But
what is it that he is to overcome? Our
wrestling is “not against flesh and
blood but against principalities, against
powers, against the rulers of the dark
ness of this world against spiritual
wickedness in high places.” Eph. 6:12.
Many and great are the promises made
to “him that overcometh” in this invis
ible strife. “The tree of life which is
in the midst of the paradise of God,” is
his. Rev. 2:7. “He shall not be over
come of the second death.” Rev. 2:11.
“The hidden manna and the white
ptone” are his. Rev. 2:17. “Power
over the nations” is his. Rev. 2 :26.
The white “raiment” is his, and “his
name will not be blotted out of the
book of life," and he will be "confessed”
by the Lord of glory “before the Fath
er and before his angels.” Rev. 3 :5.
He will be made “a pillar in the tem
ple of God;” the name of God will be
written upon him ; and the name of
the city of God will be written upon
him, and the new name of Jesus, not
yet revealed, a name of glory and
grandeur incommunicable now to men,
and perhaps to angels, will be written
upon him. Rev. 3 :12. And finally says
Christ, “To him that overcometh will
I grant to sit with me in my throne,
even as I also overcame and am set
down with my Father in his throne.”
Rev. 3:21.
Can we conceive that such transcen
dent promises would be made to any
but to the heroesof a war the fierceness
and awfulness and terror and power of
whose strife is beyond paralled in the
universe? Blessed is he that over
cometh the invisible foe in such sub
lime encounter; blessed is he that tri
umphs on THE UNSEEN BATTLE-FIELD.
A FALSE BALANCE.
The religious papers have been very
denunciatory of Sara Bernhardt, a dis
tinguished French actress now in this
country, for a transgression committed
in her youth, which she does not at
tempt to conceal.,
Marian Evans, recently deceased, a
distinguished English writer, whose
nom de plume was George Eliot, com
mitted the same transgression, yet in
her case the offence is treated tenderly,
and is spoken of more as an irregulari
ty or eccentricity than as a grave of
fence. Now why this difference? Is
it because one is French and the other
English? Or is it because one is an
actress and the other a writer? Or is
it from mere respect of persons? Have
we various standards of morals which
we can apply as our fancy or as our
partiality dictate? Is that which is a
grievous crime in one, a mere venial
offence in another?
The influence of Miss Evans is a
thousand times that of the French ac
tress. Yet the writings of one are
welcomed to our families while the
very sight of the other who speaks a
language jiot understood by many of
our people is regarded as a dreadful
thing. We fail to see the justice of
this. If there is any difference the
case ought to be reversed ; for the writ
er teaches the reader while the actress
merely amuses the spectator.
If we remember aright we fell into
the current in speaking of Miss Bern
hardt, but that was before Miss Evans
died, and since wo have, come to com
pare the two cases we are half sorry
for what we said. We have no apolo
gy to make for the sin of either of the
persons spoken of ;and will never say a
word knowingly to lower the standard
Christian morality, and we protest
against the demoralizing influence of
the stage; but on the other hand, we
protest against making distinctions
where none exist; and we take occas
ion furthermore to say that we have no
sympathy with that merciless ostra
cism amounting to persecution which
follows one for life, in consequence of
a transgression committed long years
ago. Let us take the matter home;
which of us can stand the scrutiny of
all his past record? Let him, who
can, be the first to cast a stone. Shall
we discard the epistles of Paul because
he once breathed out slaughter? Shall
we scout the epistles of Peter because
he once denied his Lord? No; it is
not what people have done, but what
they do.that we should regard ; and not
what they have been, but what they
are that should concern us.
We have been led to make these last
remarks because we have often seen
persons, particularly women, cruelly
visited with social penalty, long alter
the evil has been abandoned and sore
ly repented of. At the risk of losing
the confidence of self-righteous Phari
sees, we speak these kind words in be
half of the erring. Fly to the Savior,
ye who have sinned; doubt not that
his mercy will embrace you, and be
sure that among the true people of
God you will find a genuine sympathy.
Take courage, if you are frowned upon ;
and be happy in this, that whatever
men may say, the penitent will be sure
to enjoy the smile of God. If we have
wandered from our first topic, we have
wandered from a good field into a bet
ter. Let this be our apology.
J. Hyatt Smith, years ago, went out
through his "open door” into the wid
er liberty of loose communion, and not
very long after, was found practically
playing the role of a Catholic priest,
by sprinkling a dying child. C. H.
Malcom became shaky on communion,
and has taken orders in the Episcopal
church. Geo. F. Pentecost became
enamored of open communion, and to
day is pastor-elect of Tompkins ave
nue Congregational church, Brooklyn.
Dr. Behrends separated fropi his breth
ren upon this point, and for years has
been the pastor of a Congregational so
ciety in Providence. This is the ten
dency. These are stepping stones.
Churches must stand kindly, yet very
firmly, by these old landmarks, dealing
kindly but firmly with erring brethren,
thus preserving our churches against
the dangers to which we are to-day ex
posed.— Western Recorder.
THE CENSUS AGAIN.
Our brother of Cincinnati, whose
Journal and Messenger we read every
week with pleasure, notices not at all
favorably, some comments of ours on
the facts of the late census; and while
he speaks of us in most complimentary
terms, (whether ionically or not we
do not know,) he endeavors to make
it appear, that under the influence of
“passion and prejudice,” we have made
“an egregious blunder;” and he also
endeavors, as best he can, to account
for the inferior relative increase of New
England with the South. We do not
believe that the South has a monopoly
of all the passion and prejudice in the
world,and are of the opinion that these
evils are spread pretty evenly over the
surface of the earth. As to the facts
stated by us, our brother admits them,
but declares that they are not remar
kable ; and so far as we are able to learn
frem what he has said, our “egregious
blunder” consists simply in this, that
we havesaid that they are remarkable.
Well, misery leaves company, and we
are happy in the assurance, that al
most every man in the United States,
who knows what the facts are, agrees
with us that they are remarkable. So
very remarkable are they considered as
to excite many a-'peals to Superinten
dent Walker as to their correctness,
and to this day although he has over
and over verified his reports, their ac
curacy is questioned. Now that the
fac.s are stubbornly immovable, great
ingenuity is exercised in accounting
for them ; but no matter how they are
accounted for, the facts remain, and
will make a strong impression on the
public mind, and will damage the the
ories of some, and will change the
opinions of many. Either with or
wit tout argument, we are wi.ling and
more than willing to submit to the ver
dict of the public. The greatest ratio of
loss is in New England, the next great
est in the Middle States. The greatest
ratio of gaia is not in the Western
States, where all the missing New
Englanders are said to have gone, and
where many thousands of Europeans
have gone, and where some thousands
of Southern negroes have gone; with
all this influx the West is not the great
gainer. The greatest gain is at the
South from which thousands have
gone to help these very Western States.
O:ir own population has been depleted
to increase theirs and yet we have
come out in advance. On these facts
anybody may comment as much as he
pleases, and exhaust himself in expla
nations, and then let the case go to the
jury!
We are sorry to say that by an over
sight of our proof-reader an important
error was made by which our Cincin
nati brother was grievously misled.
Our printer placed a figure 9 upside
down, making it appear as a figure 6.
On this exhibit tne Journal and Mes
senger says, “New York loses 3 out of
33 representatives, under the new ap
portionment and Georgia 3 out of 9 ;
the former one eleventh, the latter one
third.” If our figure 9 had been print
ed right side up, it would have appear
ed that while New York loses 3, Geor
gia loses none. The J. and M. unfor
tunately built an argument on our
printer’s erroneous exhibit; but as the
figure was upside down, so also our
brother’s argument is heels-over-head.
We must apologize for giving him this
tumble. But as we have corrected our
mistake we beg that he will correct his
and inform his readers that Georgia is
“right side up,” losing nothing by the
census, while Ohio and Indiana lying
side by side, each lose one. Let the
facts be stated exactly as they are and
then, “Gentlemen of the jury, the case
is with you?”
MISDIRECTED CHARITY.
In our last issue we spoke of the in
tensely cold weather of this most ex
traordinary winter, and of the suffer
ings of the poor in our city in conse
quence. We also spoke highly of a
movement among our citizens to afford
relief. A large amount was raised ;we
contributed a small sum to it; and an
office of distribution was opened, where
provisions and other necessaries were
largely dispensed.
The effect was calamitous. Throngs
of able-bodied negroes beseiged the
office from morning till night; labor
in a great measure ceased, the laborers
having suddenly become mendicants;
and a large part of the charity was
worse than thrown away. We are sur
prised that we did not foresee all this,
and doubtless we should have done so
if we had stopped to reason about the
matter; but our pity was touched, and
we yielded to our benevolent feelings
without stopping to reason. Our eyes
are now open ; and we see that we and
others who took part in the affair, have
done a vast amount of harm, and very
little good. We have placed a premium
on indolence and dishonesty. We
have deprived those who needed labor
ers and were able and willing to pay
them, of the service they required ; we
have induced the poor to believe that
they can be supported without work;
we have encouraged the thriftless and
worthless vagabonds of the country for
miles around to flock to our city, where
they can battenon the bounty of others;
and what is, perhaps, worst of all, we
have discouraged the benevolent from
yielding to their generous impulses;
in short, we have demoralized and in
jured the whole community.
It may be asked, why was not the
distribution made more judiciously?
The plan was to give aid to all who
brought a written recommendation
from any minister of the gospel, white
or black, residing in the city. One
minister, we are informed, gave four
hundred of these certificates! It is
needless to say more. Whether this
minister was a white man or a negro,
we shall not say, but will leave our
readers to guess.
Now, if we who live here could make
such a mistake, is it not just possible
that those who live a thousand miles
away might make similar mistakes on
a larger scale? We think they have
done so, and that they have been doing
it for years. We should be sorry to
stop the tide of anybody’s benevolence,
but we suggest to all that it is not well
to dispense charity unless it is sure
that it will promote the real welfare of
those who are its recipients.
A CHURCH IN A LA WSUIT.
The Supreme Court of Georgia has
just decided a case which concerns the
First African Baptist church of Savan
nah. The plaintiffs claiming to be the
trustees of its property and the dea
cons ‘of the church, and claiming to
represent the great majority of its
members, declare that their worship
was interrupted and in fact broken up
by disorderly and boisterous conduct
on the part of a small minority, and
that the guilty parties were legally
convicted of tneir misdemeanor; that
said parties afterwards illegally and
without authority and contrary to the
wishes of the majority dismissed the
pastor and deposed the deacons, and
by boisterous and indecent behavior
forced the majority to seek another
place of worship; the minority hold
possession of the church edifice, and
deny to the majority any and all rights
in the premises, whereupon the ma
jority filed a bill praying that the min
ority be enjoined from further posses
sion of said property and that a decree
be issued requiring them to surrender
the same with all the accompanying
rights and privileges to the plain
tiffs -
The Court below dismissed the case
on the ground that no sufficient cause
of action was set forth in the bill. The
Supreme Court, has over-ruled this
decision. Those who wish to know
the details of the case will find them
fully set forth in Georgia Reports.
BIBLE REVISION.
Rev. Dr. Philip Schaff, President of
the American Bible Revision Commit
tee, spent last Sunday in Charleston,
and on Sunday night delivered an ad
dress before a large congregation at
the Citadel Square Baptist Church up
on the revision of the English version
of the Bible. We give a summary of
this interesting lecture from last Mon
day’s News and Courier:
The present movement for revising
the English translation of the Bible,
the lecturer said, originated ten years
ago in the Convocation of Canterbury.
It is carried on by two committees, the
one British and the other American,
co-operating with each other on the
same principles, and exchanging, from
time to time, the results of their labors.
The British committee meets monthly
in the Jerusalem Chamber of the Dean
ery of Westminster, London, and the
American committee meets monthly in
the Bible House in New York. Both
committees are composed of eminent
biblical scholars from all denomina
tions using the present authorized ver
sion of the Bible. The revision, there
fore, will be the joint product of all the
Protestant Churches of England and
America, and is intended to supersede
the King James’version if thechurches
adopt it. The object of the revision is
not only to retain the idiom and vocab
ulary of the authorized version, but to
bring it up to the present state of the
English language and of biblical schol
arship. The chief improvements con
templated will be as follows :
First. All absolute terms which have
gone out of use or have changed their
meanings will be replaced by intelligi
ble terms.
Second. The text will be improved
from the oldest and best manuscripts
which have been recently discovered
and compared with the ancient trans
lations and the quotations of the early
fathers.
Third. Actual errors in translation
will be corrected.
Fourth. Inaccuate renderings, which
arise mostly from an imperfect knowl
edge of the Hebrew and Greek Gram
mars at the time the present revision
was made, will be made accurate.
Fifth. Inconsistencies in the render
ing of the same word in various ways
will be rectified, and uniformity of ren
dering will be secured wherever the
sense requires it. These inconsisten
cies extend also to proper names, such
as Timothy and Timotheus, Elijah and
Elias, Isaiah and Isaias, Miriam and
Mary. Where the same person is in
tended the rendering will be made uni
form. Hebrew names will be given in
Hebrew spelling, and Greek names in
Greek spelling.
Sixth. Real differences, which exist
ed in the original Bible and which have I
been obliterated in the present version, i
will be restored.
Seventh. The italics which repre
sent words and phrases not found in
the original will be reduced to the
smallest possible number, so that noth
ing shall appear in the revised Scrip
ture which docs not belong to it. The
business of a translator, the committees
have agreed, is simply to give the best
equivalent in idiomatic English for the
original Greek and Hebrew without
addition, without deduction and with
out change of any kind, so that the
reader may be brought face to face
with the original Word of God.
Eighth. The division of the Bible
into chapters and verses, which was
made many centuries after the apos
tles and is found to be very injudicious,
will be supplemented by arranging
the prose in sections, and printing the
poetry as poetry according to the laws
of Hebrew poetry. One-third of the
Old Testament is poetry. The Book
of Job, psalms, proverbsand prophesies
are all poetical writings, and if proper
ly arranged and printed will show to
much greater advantage, and its beau
ty, symmetry and rhythm will be bet
ter appreciated by the reader.
After ten years’ labor, Dr. Sclfaff
says, the committee have completed
the New Testament. The Old Testa
ment will be completed in two or three
years. The New Testament will be
printed by the University Presses of
Oxford and Cambridge in the month of
February next.
The several heads into which the
lecture was divided, as indicated above,
were all fully elaborated and aptly
illustrated, and the lecture as a whois
was thoroughly interesting and highly
instructive.
During the delivery of the address
the pulpit was occupied by the Rev.
Drs. Vedder, Brackett and Junkin, of
the Presbyterian Church; Dr. Cham
bliss, of the Baptist Church ; the Rev.
M. A. Missildine, pastor of the Con
gregational Church; the Rev. Mr.
Chrietzberg, of the Methodist Church,
and the Rev. David Levy, pastor of
the Hasel street Synagogue. A num
ber of other clergymen were seated in
the body of the church.
The American Bible Revision Com
mittee have authorized the publica
tion of the following circular, and re
quest that all papers interested in the
work will give it publication:
Bible Revision Committee Booms )
Bible House, N. Y., Jan. 3, 1881. j
The American Bible Revision Com
mittee have completed the revision of
the English version of the New Testa
ment, and transmitted the result of
their labors to England. The Univer
sity Presses of Oxford and Cambridge
are expected to issue the revised New
Testament in February 1881. The
Ola Testament will be publshed two or
three years later.
The American revisers have given
their time and labor eight years with
out compensation. The necessary ex
penses have been provided for by vol
untary subscriptions.
Any friend of the great undertaking
who will contribute towards the ex
penses $ 10 or more before the Ist of
February next, will receive a memorial
copy of the first University edition of
the revised New Testament, hand
somely bound and inscribed. The
money must be sent to Mr. Andrew L.
Taylor, treasurer in the Bible House,
New York, or to
Philip Schaff,
President of the Revision Committee.
—Programme of the next General
Meeting of Friendship Association, to
convene with the church at Tazewell
on Friday before the sth Sabbath in
January, 1881: Introductory Sermon :
Elder W. W. Mabry; alternate, Elder
W. B. Stevens. Subjects for discus
lion :
Ist. Giving. Opened by Elder B.
W. Bussey. Discussion to follow.
2d. Ought the churches to have
service every Sabbath? Opened by B.
W. Davis. Discussion to follow.
3d. Essay on the Division of Bap
tists on Missions. Elder W. B. Stevens.
Discussion.
Minutes.— Atlanta, sth; Atlanta,
2d ; Atlanta, Ist; Central church. The
Stone Mountain minutes for the above
churches still remain in this office.
Clerks will please call for them.
THE PARENTS’ AND TEACHERS’
ASSISTANT
IN REARING CHILDREN FOR ETERNAL LIFE,
BY REV. HENRY H. TUCKER, D. D.
FIFTY-FIRST WEEK.
All things work together for good to them
that love God.—Rom. viii:2B.
This is perhaps the most comprehen
sive promise in the Bible. It is enough
to make a Christian always contented
and happy. Everything is doing him
some good. Everything that he sees,
hears, feels and knows, and everything
that he does not see, hear, feel, or know,
all together are working for his good.
There is no such thing as real misfor
tune to one who really loves God. His
apparent misfortunes are only blessings
in disguise. Alas, for those who do
not love God; nothing works good for
them.
QUESTIONS.
What is said of this text? How ought
it to make a Christian always feel?
What is said of everything in the uni
verse? What is said of misfortune?
What of apparent misfortunes? What
of them who do not love God?
756.
How oft when dark mlafortune'i band
Around their victim Mood ;
The teeming ill at thy command,
Hath changed to real good.
Then rage, ye rtortna ; ye billowi rear,
My heart deflea your ahock;
Ye make me cling to God the more—
To God, my ihcltering rock.