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Many good and strong things were said In be
half of
M ISSIONS
During the Session of the
Southern Baptist Convention.
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We give elsewhere some interesting
facts and figures showing the work done
for the colored people. The figures tell
an interesting story, and the results are
simply incalculable. It is an intersting
scene to look upon either o£ the schools
mentioned.
Rev. J. B. Culpepper, the Methodist
revivalist, in a recent sermon at Augus
ta, Ga., expressed the opinion that “danc
ing causes as ninny people to go to hell
as anything else in the category of evils.**
Without any wish to defend or excuse
dancing, we must characterize this
ion as extreme, since there are worse
evils, and evils more wide spread, and
evils not so much limited to special occa
sions, and evils less restricted to particu
lar stages of life.
The church of England resorts more
and more to evangelistic methods. Re
cently simultaneous meetings were held
in twenty-one out of its twenty-two
churches and mission chapels in Edin
burg, by thirty special “missioners” or
revivalists, of whom twenty-six camo
from England. When revivalism can
thus work its way into a church wheije
system is radically and incurably sacra
mental, there seems abundant room for
the remark of an exchange: “The day
for great revivals has not gone by, it has
just begun.”
A New York religious paper states
that last year, Northern Congregationa
lists gave to foreign Missions at the.rato
of $1.06 per member, and Northern Pres
byterians at the rate of $1.02, while
Nothern Methodists gave only at the rate
of a trifle over 47 cents. This puts the
MethodiSt coutribiftlons in rather an un
flattering light. But what shall we say
of Southern Baptists if they show any
hesitancy or betray any difficulty in se
curing the centennial permanent fund and
enlarging their present operations, since
these things might be done at a lower
rate than the Methodist average?
The “Christian Union,” New York,
renews the statement that Rev. A. T.
Pierson has “expressed himself as con
vinced that he ought to submit to im
mersion, and that neither smile nor
frown shall influence him from the path
of duty.” Should he be immersed and
afterwards called as pastor of Spurgeon’s
church, there are many Pedo Baptists
who will believe that his course has been
determined, consciously or unconscious
ly, by the bias of that pastorate. Any
thing with these narrow souls, anything
no matter how uncharitable, rather than
the supposition that men may be carried
dow n into the water by the force of truth.
Accident threw into our hands not
long since, a work written during the
“Know-Nothing” campaign of 1856, by
the noted W. G. Brownlow, of Tennessee,
with the title: “Americanism contrast
ed with foreignism, Romanism and Bogus
Democracy.” We were struck with a
statement respecting Chas, A. Dana, one
of the Writing Staff of the “N. Y. Tri
bune” at that time and prominent at a
gathering of Republicans that year in
that city: “At a public meeting, on a
former occasion, he toasted Horace Gree
ly, Charles Fourier and Jesus Christ.”
We wonder what Mr. Daua, the distin
guished editor of the “N. Y. Sun” at
present, would say in extenuation of the
youthful indiscretion which led to
“toast” our Lord Jesus Christ, as one of
a trio, with Greely the American Aboli
tionist and Fourier the French Socialist.
Has not time taught him a more jeverent
view of the Redeemer, in whom alone
come together the name that is
highest above us, the Son of God, and
the name that is nearer to us, the Son of
man. He writes vigorously on topics of
theology and ecclesiasticism; but is it
not in a better spirit than the spirit of
the old toast?”
A sermon on the evils of card-playing
delivered recently in Birmingham, Ala.,
moved a merchant of that place to commit
to the flames all the cards in his stock of
goods, to the value of S2OO. We are glad
to note this instance of the effect of the
truth and power of the pulpit, “A good
sermon,” all are prepared to say,echoing
the somewhat shallow sentiment flaunt
ing Itself so often in our religious news
papers, that the best sermon is
the sermon that produces the
desired effect.” Yes, we have said
“somewhat shallow,” and we stand
by the allegation. The sentiment builds,
with no clear consciousness of building,
on the assumption which is clearly false,
that the visible and immediate effects of
sermons are their chief or their
only effects. The sentiment also
denies, with no clear conscious
ness of denying, the proposi
tion which is clearly true, that the ser
mon may produce the desired effect rath
er through good qualities of the hearer
than through its own,'while its own evil
qualities may produce a very large over
plus of uudesirod ami undesirable effects.
A sermon that by ignorance, sophistry
and bitterness makes a score or a half
score of Infidels is not good because it
makes one convert. A sermon
is not good because it reforms
one drunkard, if by extravgance
intolerance, or inconsequence, it con
firms a group of young men hopelessly
in the use of strong drink. Surprising
results may bo wrought by quite faulty
sermons, we know: and the goodness of
the Birmingham sermon depends ulti
mately, not on what followed after it,
but on what it was in itself. But we
hope that many more eyes will open to
the evils of card-playing and the impro
priety of the sale of cards,
fljristian Slnticr.'
FEOM OUR NORTH CHINA MISSION-
CHARACTER SKETCH NUMBER THREE.
TSANG SEE KWOA.
•
About five weeks ago, Tsang See
Kwoa, deacon of the Shang Tswang
church, was called home by the Fa
ther. He was among the first of the
natives in this field to profess faith
in Christ. Although si x t y-e ig h t
years of age and much enfeebled, his
loss is much felt both by foreigners
and by native Christians.
During 1866 Dr. Hartwell, then
located at Tung Chow, opened a
preaching hall here in Hwanghion.
Tsang See Kwoa was then a servant
in a wealthy family at this place.
In this hall he heard something of
the Gospel and became deeply im
pressed. The great “rebel raid took
place the next year; and then every
body fled to his own home, be among
the’ rest. His village was threatened
by the rebels, which caused him to
lead out all his family, including his
brothers and aged mother, and flee
to a mountain near by. There he
had all to kneel down and offer up
prayer to the true God. While they
were in the act of prayer, they saw
a band of rebels, in the distance, at
tack and slay some of their neigh
bors whom they had tried to induce
to go with them; but who had refus
ed, and had taken another mountain
where they were elain. Their own
salvation they attributed to the pow
er of God in answer to their prayers.
Soon after quiet was restored, he
was baptized in the moat near the
South gate of this city amid the jeers
of a multitude of people.
During the first moon of 1868
Tung Chow witnessed a novel eight.
It was Tsang See Kwoa and hie
whole family, including the old mo
ther, then over eighty yeare of age,
and all. walking except her, coming
the city with the inquiry /‘Where
s the worship Hall?” They brought
their own provisions and staid some
a month, and some several months,
while Dr. and Mrs. Hartwell taught
them concerning a Christian’s faith.
Most of them were baptized at that
time, and during that year there
were revivals in both the churches in
Tung Chow. (Dr. Hartwell bap
tized twenty-two and Dr Crawford
fourteen.)
He was leader among his brethren
and among the people of Shang
Tswang He could not read, but had
a retentive memory and became
quite familiar with the main facts and
doctrines of both the Old and New
Teetemente. He was a man of fre
quent and fervent prayer. During a
recent visit to Shang Tswang, my
compaion, who stopped in his home,
told me of hearing him in the next
room rise during the night and pray
for hours 1 I recall his fervency of
prayer during the services which I
attended at his home, and how im
pressed I was, that this man is ac
quainted with God. His zeal knew
no bounds. By day and by night
he was preaching the Gospel to every
body he met. lam told that, while
travelling, when he met a man he
would go out of his way to talk to
him, and that he has been known
more than a few times to talk to me
all night and all day. He has never
received a cash from the foreigner
as a reward for such services. He
did it all purely out of love for Christ
and his fellow men. This is the
kind of “native helpers” that your
North China Mission believes in and
ie seeking to produce. In 1871 he
was ordained deacon of the “North
Street” church in Tung Chow which
was afterward moved to Shang
tswang. They keep up three servi
ces every Sunday and have prayer
meeting every night. They are sep
arate from the world.
Os late years as he has grown old,
many troubles have come upon hitn.
lie has been ever ready to believe
men, and has often been deceived
and wronged. The little pile of
money which he had accumulated
during the years when he was a ser
vant gradually dwindled away until
it became a hard matter to make
ends meet. This, together with his
age, may account for his lack of activ
ity in his later yeare an compared
with what ho had been. When Bro.
League made a visit to Shang tswang
not long since, he said to him, speak
ing of the people of Shang tswang
and those of neighboring villages:
“They all know it. I have told it to
every one of them until I don’t know
. what else to say. Their responsibili-
ATLANTA, GA., THURSDAY. APRIL 6,1893..
ty is upon their own heads.” And
I have no‘doubt that he has told
every lost person in those villages of
his hope in Jesus. When the fruit
did not ripen, he lost heart, and could
not keep up the old energy. He has
never faltered in the least in his faith
in God. To the last he was known
far and wide for his consecration to
God.
His kindness of heart is illustrated
by the fact that, after his wife died,
he married a woman who had been
cast out from two husbands on ac
count of her paralyzed condition. He
felt that he was doing a good deed
to keep and take care of her. He
has suffered much for Christ and has
done much for Christ. He died in
the faith.
I merely give the facts of his life
as I am able to gather them, and
leave them to preach their own ser
mon.
Wm. D. King
Hwang Hien, P. O. Chefoo, China.
THE DOMINION OF THE SAINTS-
BY S. G. HILL YER.
“He that overcometh and keepeth
my works to the end, to him will I
give power over the nations; and he
shall rule them with a rod of iron,—
and as the vessels of a potter shall
they be broken to shivers; even as
I have received of my Father; and
I will give him the morning Star-
Rev. 2: 26-28.
The three promises, already con
sidered, refer to the saint’s personal
relation to Christ, as the subject of
his saving grace. And their fulfil
ment is found in the subjective ex
perience of the saint, both in the
present life and in that which is to
come.
But the promise, now before us,
presents the saint in his relation to
mankind and we shall find its fulfil
ment in objective facts, of singular
importance.
The key winci. will open to us the
the meaning of the above promise,
is the clause: “Even as I have re
ceived of my Father.” The words,
“even as” evidently denote a com
parison. What the Son has received
from the Father is compared, with
what the saint shall receive from the
Son, and is made to illustrate it. To
make this view of the text perfectly
clear, let us transpose this explana
tory clause to the beginning of the
promise, and paraphrase it thus:
“Even as I have received, of my
Father, power over the nations, to
rule them as with an iron rod, and to
break them to pieces as the potter’s
vessels are broken, so my saints who
overcome and keep my works until
the end, shall receive from me like
power over the nations, to rule them
as with a rod of iron, etc.”
This version of the text adheres
strictly to its meaning, and brings it
into harmony with many scriptures-
See Psalms, 2:6-9, 72:8-10,110 1-3*
Also, Dan. 7 : 13, 14. All these
passages foretell that the Messiah
shall have power over the nations.
In the New Testament, we learn
that Jesus said : “All power in Hea
ven and in earth is given unto me.”
This includes, of course, power over
the nations. This is the thing which
Jesus had received from his Father>
and which he promises to give to his
faithful servants. If space allowed,
it would be interesting to cite the
numerous passages in the New Tes
talnent which affirm the Supremacy
of Christ But I hope that it is not
necessary; and that the reader will
call to mind enough of them to con
vince him that the supremacy of
Christ, by the gift of the Father, in
the administration of the affairs of
this world is an established fact.
Upon this fact, the promise of the
text is founded. Being himself poss
essed of all power in Heaven and in
the earth, he has a divine right to
share it with his own faithful people.
And this is precisely the meaning of
the promise,—he will share his power
with his people. True he will ever
be supreme, and they must ever be
subordinate. Still he will give to
them in some way, and to some ex
tent, power over the nations. And
here we find the
DOMINION OF THE SAINTS.
This dominion is not unknown to
prophecy. At the 110 Psalm we
read: “The Lord said unto my Lord,
‘sit thou at my right hand, till I
make thine enemies thy foot-stoc I.’”
This shows that it was, (and is still,)
the divine nurpose*to bring, ultimate-
ly, the whole world to the feet of
Jesus. But by what forces shall this
purpose be accomplished? The next
verse informs us: “The Lord shall
send the rod of thy strength out of
Zion; ” [with this force] “rule thou
in the midst of thino enemies.” Zion
is here used to represent the King
dom of God on earth. If so, “the
rod of thy strength must, by a like
figure, denote the people who dwell
in Zion”, —the cilflfeps of the king
dom. By their instfumentahty, then,
the world must be subdued to Christ.
And this means that they should be
clothed with son’- Measure of power
over the nation
Another vUre is found in
Daniel to the same affect. The pas
sage is too long to Let the
reader turn to Dan. 5 : 13-27, and
note especially, verges 18 and 27,
and he will find that the taunts of
God were expected to be associated
with the Messiah in his Kingdom.
In perfect harmony with the fore
going prophecy, stands the great
“commission : ” “Go, disciple all na
tions, baptizing them * * * and
teaching them to observe all things
whatsoever I have commanded you.”
To fulfill this command the Saviour
knew that they would require some
power over mankind. Accordingly
he instructed them “to abide at Je
rusalem till they should be endoweu I
with power from on High.” Then,
afterwards, in harmony with all the
prophecies that had gone before, and
in harmony with the great commis.
sion, comes the promise of the text
to the church at Thyatira: “Ho that
covercometh, and keepeth my works
to the end,” —i. e. that regulates his
life according to my Vtfc—“to him
will I give power over -he nations.”
It is now time to Consider the
nature of this power. Surely it was
not intended to be political power,
with its standing armies and its
bloody battles. ej would ■ have
fashioned ije olina fur of Christ
'alter the siAxiiltude of ' 1 ytrthly king
doms. But Christ’s Kingdom is not
of this world. It is a spiritual king,
dom. Its domain is over the hearts
—the affections of its subjects-
Therefore, the power which it exerts
over men, is a moral power. And
such is the power which Jesus has
promised to confer upon his saints.
Moral power sways its sceptre
over voluntary agents. It employs
no force coercion to accomplish its
ends; but appeals only to reason, to
conscience, and to self-love. Through
these, it brings the subject to a will
ing obedience to its demands.
Now, keeping the nature of this
moral power in view, we can under,
stand the second clause of the sent
ence. “He shall rule them with a
rod of iron,— ag the vessels of the
potter they shall be broken to
shivers.” The terms employed here,
are borrowed from the messianic
prophecies of the Old Testament.
But we must not take them literally.
For if we do, we shall place the
prophets and the apostles in conflict
with the sermon on the mount, and
with the spiritual nature of Christ’s
Kingdom, as explained by himself.
The terms, then, must be taken figur
atively. Between the effects pro
duced upon men by literal war and
weapons of iron, and the effects pro
duced by the Gospel, there is a
striking analogy ; and upon this re.
semblance, the metaphors are found,
ed. This will appear much more
plainly under the next topic.
History illustrates the views above
set forth. Let us notice the day of
Pentecost. Ou that day the little
church of only 120 poor people, had
met together for their usual service
of prayer and praise. Suddenly they
heard a mighty sound, they saw what
seemed to them, lambent flames float
ing in the air, and settling on their
heads. These outward signs were
but the symbols of what was taking
place within them. They were filled
with the Holy Spirit. At once the
room was too small to hold them-
They felt the presence of a power
that required a wider field of action.
They rushed into the streets. And
then and there, the church became
an aggressive power in the world.
Before the sun went down, three
thousand souls were added to the
little flock. They represented many
sections of the known world. Verily
on that day, Jesus began, even be-.
fore he had made it, to fulfil his
promise to give to his faithful dis
ciples, “power oyer the nations.”
But mark the nature of that power-
They were not armed with carnal
weapons, they shed no blood, they
did no violence; yet they swayed
that vast multitude, as the wind-storm
sways the giants of the forest. As
the people listened to the words of
Peter, they were cut to the heart, as
with a sharp sword,they were pierced
in conscience with a conviction of
guilt, as with an iron spear, and their
self-love was shattered with the fear
of impending ruin, even as a “pot
ter’s vessel is broken” with a “rod of
iron.” Thus we see how appropriate
were the metaphors of the text to
describe their condition.
No wonder they cried out: “Men
and brethren, what shall we do ?’’
And.no wonder,when they heard Pe
ter’s consoling answer, “they gladly
received the word,” and were at once
baptized.
Such was the power over men,
which Jesus gave to his saints at Je
rusalem; and such is the power
which, in his message to the church
at Thyatira, he promises shall be the
common heritage of all “who over
come and keep his works unto the
end.”
(TO BE CONTINUED.)
OUTLINES OF A SERMON BY REV- F.
0. JOHNSON. BRUNSWICK, GA.
W lien Jesus hung upon the cross,
there was the most wonderful sight
that has yet been shown to the eyes
of man. For then he that made the
world was put to death in the world
he had made, by the men he had
made, being by them fastened to the
cross made of wood that comes from
those trees that sprout from the
ground at his command, and with
nails which a wisdom and art given
by him had taught mon to fashion
from metals which he had created.
Now, then, they are taking away life
from him who gives life to all. They
are heaping disgrace upon him who
is the fountain of glory, they are in-
upon him wha is, thq
author of all their pleasu. h. How
hard the treatment ho receives from
the world he came to save. He is
born in a stable, and cradled in a
manger. Among beasts we received
him. We have made gods to our
selves of beasts, and now we would
give the entertainment of a beast to
our God.
He lived a life of poverty and toil,
sleepless nights and laborious days.
Lavishing upon us words of wisdom
and deeds of beneficence, giving us.
health, and life, and light to guide
our life to immortal bliss; we repay
him with curses and scourgings, with
buffetings and spittings in his face, —
we strike him upon the mouth who
calls us to God, and crown him with
thorns who sought to crown us with
glory—we strip him naked, who
would clothe us with righteousness—
we nail to the cross him who would
seat us upon a heavenly throne, —we
cast him under the ground, who
would raise us above the stars to
Paradise—we banish him to the land
of the shadow of death, who would
lead us -‘to those blessed climes wher 0
seraphs gather immortels.”
In Christ crucified the wrath of
God against sin is revealed—the
wrath that darkens the sky and
shakes the earth—the wrath that af
frights our souls and drives us from
God. In Christ crucified the Love
of God to the sinner is revealed—the
love that releaseth us from death, and
opens the way into the holiest of all
—the love that draws us to God.
Oh, wondrous death! Showing
the demerit and doom of the sinner,
as bell revealed could not do it—and
the torments of darkness chained
devils awaking with fear the judge
ments of the great day—and at the
same time ransoming the sinner, and
assuring him of eternal life. Sin’s
penalty and the forgiveness of sin
mixed and displayed in the same
moment and at the same place, and
in one person—one wondrous person
—uniting both divine and human na
ture.
In the cross of Christi see display
ed God’s wrath against sin. I learn
that it is immutable, eternal, umniti
gable, unappeasable, inextinguisha
ble, uncompromising, unpardoning,
all-searching and destroying—that
there is not in all the reach of thought
anything so fearful, so nppaling.
For, behold 1 Ho that hangs there
in agony is God manifest in the
flesh. Holy, harmless, undefiled,
and separate from sinners in nature
—this is the spotless Lamb of God.
Infinitely holy, Ho is head of
whole creation of God—the captain
of Jehovah’s host—king of kings and
lord of lords—the most august per
son in the universe. This is the Son
of the Father in love and truth. But
now, he hath taken flesh from a vir
gin daughter of the seed of Abraham
and assumed the liabilities of Adam
—now with sin imputed to him—See I
the sin-penalty resting upon him, vi
olently assaulting him. See the
sword of Jehovah unsheathed.
Upon him now is not one sin, as
upon Cain the murderer of his broth
er; on two sins, as upon David, the
sin of adultery, and the sin of mur
der, combined with treachery and
hypocrisy—nor js the sins of one
man; biu upon him rests all sins of
all men—all the violations of the ten
commandments—atheism and idola
try, perjury and Sabbath-breaking,
dishonoring of parents and the slay
ing of brothers, adultery and theft,
slander and covetousness, —all rush
simultaneously upon him.
To him, the ten commandments
are clouds charged with lightining
and of murkiest hue, coming from
all the points of compass and with
thunder peals greeting us, they join
above him and blot out heaven, and
discharge their collected wrath, bolt
following bolt; then the terrors of
God rank themselves against him
and the arrow of the almighty within
him—poisoned arrows that drink up
the fountain of life.
Oh, thou unparelled sufferer, thou
Son of God—from whom hell and
earth combined could not rirug one
groan, nor extort one tear, dost thou
now cry out? Hath the sin entered
thy soul? Hast thou felt the stroke
of that dread sword, given with all
the force of the arm Omnipotent?
Could not thy dignity defend thee,
could not that infinite love where
with the eternal Father loved thee
from eternity, save ther from this
hour? Could not the glory which
thou hadst, with the Father before
the w orld was, gild with its i ays oin
imputed to thee, and protect thy
sacred and dear person from the sin
avenging sword of justice? Art not
thou He whom Jehovah begat the
beginning of his way,
Before his works of old,
Thou wast anointed from everlasting,
Feom the beginning or ever theearth was
When there were no depths thou wast brought
forth,
When there Swere no fountains abounding
with water,
Before the mountains were settled,
Before the hills thou wast born-
While as yet he had not made theearth or the
fields.
Nor the least particle of the dust of the world
Wheu He reared heaven’s stately dome, thou
wast there;
When He set a compass o£ the deep’s broad
surface—
When He established the clounds above.
When He made the secret fountains.
That fed the stream of earth-encircling ocean,
When he gave to the sea his decree,
That its restless billows should not pass his
commandments;
When He cast earth’s fountains, dark and
deep.
Then wast thou at His side, as one brought up
with Hi>n<
Aud thou wast daily His delight.
Rejoicing always before Him,
Finale.
THERE SHALL BE SHOWERS OF
BLESSINGS.
Calamities come like storms bless
ings like showers. Ezekiel after
chapters and pages of just denuncia
tion against the people that fell as
tho bursting of an angry cloud s
brings out this assurance as the gen.
tie springtime shower. Rebelious Isra
el often needed scything rebuke and
they often got it. They sometime
were ready to appreciate the gentle’
ness of God’s loving assurances and
when they were, they always receiv.
ed them. We may not find a type of
everything in Israel, but certainly
they were intensely human, and
every phase of human nature that
one will likely meet has its counter
part in this people by whom God
made himself known to the world-
Like the un sanctified Israelites we
have oftener occasion to see tho
wrathful face of our Father than his
smile. And still we do have tho
happy consciousness; of having
pleased Him sometimes as we recog
nize his approving acceptance and
the blessing of his grace upon tho
work of our hands. We may have
gtorms of sorrow but there are show
ers of comfort. There do come cy
clones of temptation but (there also
come showers of grace. May wo
not hope to be near the good time
when it shall please the Heavenly
Father to repeat the fulfillment of
Ezekiels prophecy! There have
been peculiarly favorable circum.
stances lately that should have put
us in readiness to receive showers
of blessings.
Brother Minister,
Working Layman,
Zealous Sister
We are striving to make
Tlio Index
the best of its kind* Help us by securing a
new subscriber.
VOL. 70—NO. 14.
We have had the duty and privil
ige of doing much for the poor dur
ing the severe winter, and we have
thus been drawn very close to our
Master. The intense excitement
about the political condition of the
country sent thousands of earnest
men and women to God in prayer
and enabled them to realize their
dependence.
More than all other things we have
been making an extra effort to carry
out the will of the Master. Our
centennial movement is the greatest
undertaking within the memory of
living men. If the Baptists carry out
as they have projected this great
work “God will open the windows of
heaven and pour them out a blessing
that there will not be room to con
tain it.”
All these duties performed and
sacrifices made do not of course
bring God under obligation to bless
us. We do not expect the “showerg
of blessings” as remuneration. But
according to the well established
laws of grace, the blessings of God
come upon his beople when they are
ready to receive them.
Healthfulness of body, fruitfulness
of harvest and plentifulness of money
are some of the good results to be
expected as blessings from God this
year. And in addition to them all,
the mighty outpouring of the spirit
on the people. This is to be the
year of real revivals. I do not
prophesy, I merely write in faith-
We are now trying as we have never
done to fulfill our mission in the
world and we are thus getting in an
attitude to be blessed. For every
effort we make to save the world
there is a corresponding blessing
upon our unworthy heads.
Let Pastors make humble efforts
in their charges in the blessed assur
ance of the immutable promise of
God to give effacacy to his word.
Let the State Mission Boards lay
wide plans. This is going to be a year
of prosperity. In our -own State
we have been hampered by lack of
means to carry forward the work in
destitute localities as we felt it ought
to be done. God will open the hearts
of his people this year as he has not
done before, and as they rejoice in
the prosperity of their respective
churches they will remember those
struggling to sustain the cause in
destitute localities.
The hearts of many of God’s dear
children have been enlarged- They
are more than double their former
size. When they are filled with
faith and that faith lays hold on the
promise of God we shall be astonish
ed ourselves at the abundant favor of
God to his people.
Not only in the numbers of new
converts but in the growth of piety
may we expect to rejoice. There
are two ways in which the Lord af
fects the growth of his children.
Like the oak in the forest he allows
them to be shaken and twisted by
howling storms, afterward he bathes
them in the flood of golden sun
light, then start out from every pore
new life and beauty. How many
hearts have writhed under afflictions
and temptations not to speak of tho
vexations of the wicked! The Spring'
time of God’s gracious presence is
nigh. Pastors and parents who
have carried the unconverted on
their aching hearts through months
and in some instances years of anx
ious waiting, laid the burden aside
comparatively speaking and became
absorbed in the centennial move
ment. They will find that they
laid their hearts burden not “aside’’
but on the blessed burden bearer
and now when they come for their
former burden they shall find with
joy how gracious a privilege it is to
recognize the Saviour bearing their
burdens.
This year of extra effort will
bring blessings in the development
of the ministry. Some well worn
nervous fellow-laborer sinks down
under exacting engagements possibly
never to-rise again. But the great
army of the Lord’s servants will
gain immeasurably more thnn the
few will lose. Tho Baptiste need
something to do. The Pastor’s need
some great end toward which to
load their people. When there was
bitter conflict over doctrine we were
prosperous. Now that no disturb
ance can be raised with respect to
beliefs, we have been needing some
thing to arrouse us. In a few in
stances there has been a little pettish
gulling W