Newspaper Page Text
2
|)aftr]n
From the Nashrille Christian Advocate.
The Mother’s Reverie.
BY JANK T. H. CRO3B.
For my dear friend, Mrs. Anna Adair Hunt.
The last faint ray of golden light
Is lingering in the tree ;
I sit, and strain my aching sight
To catch one glimpse of thee,
Dear child!
One single glimpse of thee.
In vain I gaze ; beyond my view
Is borne thy gentle form
Far up into the living blue
Above the cloud and storm —
Ah, yes!
Above the cloud and storm.
I list to hear thy pattering feet
Upon the parlor floor;
I know that step so soft and fleet—
’Twill come to me no more;
Alas!
’Twill come to me no more.
Ah, whither roam those pattering feet
Whioh bear my little girl!
They walk along the golden street,
Tney pass the doors of pearl—
The doors
Os amethyst and pearl.
Thy little book lies on the stand,
No voice awakes its song;
But echoes in the music-land
Thy heavenly notes prolong—
Thy notes
Os warbling joy prolong.
Here while I sit, the dews fall thick
And chill, on all around ;
And chill becomes my heart, and sick,
From 1 oking on the ground
Where thou
Art laid, within the ground.
Invisibly around me lies
The glowing realm of bliss ;
Unseal, 0 Lord, my closed eyes,
That I may see but this,
And live
As seeing only this !
Contributions.
Methodist Church Finances.
There is now a strong desire and a fixed
purpose to relieve and meet the demands on
our Church, by engaging the preachers in
secular employments. There is a great dis
position to accommodate them to a school, or
farm, etc. We should be grateful for, and
rejoice in, any manifest disposition to aid
the preachers; but to employ them in secu
lar callings is unscriptural and suicidal.
It has pleased God to spread the knowl
edge of himself and save them that believe,
through the foolishness of preaching. The
world, in its wisdom, would reject this way;
hut as men cannot hear of, believe in, and
call upon God without a preacher, He has
ordained this method! Adopting this method
and recognizing the necessity, God calls
and separates men to the work of preaching
the gospel He commits to them the word
of life, and commissions them as ambassa
dors to reconcile the world unto himself
through Christ. He separates them from
all common secular employments, enjoining,
“ Let the dead bury their dead : but go thou
and preach the kingdom of God.” He has
shown in every dispensation, that those who
minister in holy things must be in a special
manner altogether holy. The Jews recog
nized this when standing, with the ark, at
the foot of the hill of Zion ascribing domin
ion and creation to the Lord Jehovah, they
asked, “ Who shall aseend into the hill of
the Lord? and who shall stand in his holy
place ?’’and all lifted up their voices, an
swering, “ He that hath clean hands, and a
pure heart; who hath not lifted up his soul
unto vanity, nor sworn deceitfully.’’ Shall
a minister of the sanctuary turn aside to
common toils and occupations ? God for
bid !
A true minister feels, “Wo is unto me, if
I preach not the gospel 1” He cannot turn
away from this work voluntarily. Can a
congregation drive such from it, by with
holding a temporal support and be blame
less ? While it is written, “ They that
preach the gospel should live of the gospel’’
—i« let him that is taught in the word com
municate unto him thatteacheth in all good
things,” it is too terrible a responsibility to
assume, in this way.
Properly comprehending and appreciating
the work and mission of the Church —that
she is to make the wilderness blossom as the
rose, the earth to be filled with the knowl
edge of the Lord—that she is to assemble
the outcasts of Israel, and gather all nations
to the ensign set up for them, —and remem
bering, that the world is now in great dark
ness—over two-thirds of the present popu
lation of the globe being Pagans —and that
the ministers of the gospel are as lamp
stands lighted up for the illumination of the
nations—whose light must not be hid under
a bushel—we see no other than an entire
demand upon all the consecrated power and
time of all God’s ministers.
There is a peculiar demand upon the min
isters of our own Church at this time. She
has within her pale as many souls as her
present number of pastors can care for.
For example, there is in the Montgomery
Conference two hundred and fifty members,
and the Sabbath-school children, to every
pastor, engaged by the Conference. The
care of this number of souls is enough for
any one man. If a teacher has full employ
ment with twenty-five or thirty scholars,
what time will our regular pastors have to
devote to serving tables while overseeing
these large flocks ?
Again, our Arminian doctrines must be
preached and disseminated—our Church
must fill her mission in “spreading Scriptu
ral holiness over these lands.’’ We must
hold our position with the other denomina
tions of the land. It is a false charity
which does not claim this, and a cold zeal
which will not labor for more. The de
nomination which controls the masses is the
one which will succeed. The Church with
an intelligent, zealous, consecrated ministry
is the one which will do this. To have
this ministry, time, opportunity, and con
venience for study are indispensable. If I
read the signs of the times correctly, there
is a positive demand everywhere for preach
ers who study to show themselves approved
unto God. Our preachers must study, med
itate, pray, read, write, travel, visit, preach.
What time has a man in a store, a school,
at the plough or the anvil, to do all this?
Finally, the secub r employment of the
pastor will ruin the finances of any work.
The people will not pay for the support of
a preacher engaged in business for his own
pecuniary advancement. If they get a few
sermons on Sabbath—thought up in the
pulpit—stale and stereotyped—they will pay
for it, according to cost of labor. In order
to have a healthy state of finances, our pas
tors must be meu of one work as well as
men of one book.
In conclusion, I will say to my brethren
in the ministry, be faithful —stand firm to
the work. The tide is strong against us —
we shall suffer; but there is a better day, in
my opinion, not far in the distance. The
finances will improve.
Anson West.
Camden, Ala., Nov. 1866.
■ - ■
Division of the Georgia Conference.
As the time for holding the Georgia Con
ference is drawing near, and I being a mem
ber of the Florida Conference, and my work
for several years has been on the line of the
two Conferences, and feeling a personal in*
terest in this matter, and knowing a very
large majority of the membership with
whom I have labored greatly desire that the
Georgia Conference should divide and take
us into the Southern Georgia Conference, I
am sure they will be very much disappoint
ed, if not afflicted, if the division does not
take place.
I can endorse all Brother Ousley says, in
regard to South and Southwestern Georgia,
being a field of useful labor. There is a
great deal of material that could be worked
up by an efficient ministry in this long ne
glected section of country. I will further
state that Southwestern Georgia has com
plained that the Florida Conference has not
served them in the distribution of ministe
rial talent as they think they ought to have
done; and this is one of the many reasons
why they desire a division. I have no ob
jection to the extension of the pastoral term
for which brother Ousley contends, but as
to the “ gum logs ” being too often floated
there, agreeably to his own admission, it
was those or nothing. But perhaps this
was the best the Florida Conference could
do, and as insignificant as these “ gum logs”
may be, I think they have done some good,
and aro entitled to credit. There has not
been any appropriation made from the Mis
sionary treasury of the Florida Conference
for the support of the ministers in South
western Georgia who have served the
Church, and have been compelled to follow
the example of the apostle to the Gentiles,
“ work with their own hands,’’ for the sup
port of themselves and families. Others
that have been floated into that section when
the winds of adversity blew, were wafted off
and made their own arrangements. Re
gardless of all other arguments, I am con
fident that the people in this section can be
more acceptably and profitably served by
the division.
S. R. 'Weaver.
Milledgeville, Nov. 22.
goclritte ititb (fejjmeittt,
HEAVEN.
The Word of God reveals much that is
captivating to the soul respecting the abode
of glory; yet language cannot describe, nor
the mind conceive, the blessed reality; what
heven really is, we must die'to know. All
the beauties of nature, all the riches of cre
ation, form but a faint sketch of the sublime
original. The Holy Spirit reveals far sweet
er views to our minds than those which are
drawn from sublunary scenes.
Heaven is a state of rest. “There the
wicked cease from troubling, and the weary
are at rest.” How delightful is the thought
to the sons and dughters of affliction; to
those whose bodies are chastened with pain,
or whose souls are oppressed with sorrow !
How cheering is the prospect of rest to the
humble Christian pilgrim when wearied by
the way!
Heaven is the abode of ‘peace. There all
is harmony and love ; every heart vibrates
in unison, and swells with pure affection. —
The saints shall dwell with their heavenly
Father, who is the God of peace; with Je
sus their Redeemer, who is the Prince of
peace; and with the Holy Spirit, whose
fruit is peace. The Triune God will cause
their peace to flow as a river fed by a peren
nial spring, whose waters fail not; ever issu
ing, clear as crystal, from the throne of God
and of the Lamb.
Heaven is a state of perfect holiness. —
How ardently does the true believer in Je
sus pant after holiness! Every moment
bespeaks his infirmity ; and often his deep
corruption, inwardly felt and deplored,
causes him to cry out, “0, wretched man
that Ism, who shall deliver me ?’» In
heaven he shall forever be delivered from
the workings of inbred Bin. In heaven he
shall be perfected in holiness. O, how glo
rious will that period be when all the people
of God shall be gathered in, when not a
grain of the precious seed shall be lost, when
SOUTHERN CHRISTIAN ADVOCATE.
every lamb shall be housed from the storm!
Heaven is a state of unalloyed happiness.
No tears bedew the cheeks, no sorrow rends
the hearts of its blissful inhabitants. In
those celestial regions there is no pain,
neither painful separation of kindred souls
All is blooming health and immortal vigor.
There Death shall strike his dart no more,
for death is swallowed up in victory. Sin,
which now imbitters every blessing, cannot
shed its baneful influence over the glorified
spirits surrounding the throne of God. Ev
ery enemy shall be destroyed, and Christ
shall reign for ever and ever.
Heaven is a state of unending Hiss. This
stamps a value which earth’s gilded pleas
ures can never boast. Here all is unsatis
factory, and he who grasps the most graps
only a delusive shadow. Nothing beneath
the favor and love of God in Jesus can give
abiding peace and joy. How endearing,
then, are the words of the Saviour : “These
things have I spoken unto you, that my joy
might remain in you,"and that your joy
might be full.” In heaven all the friends
of Jesus, who have served him in successive
ages, meet in blissful harmony and adoring
praise.
From the interesting vision vouchsafed
to the beloved apostle, we learn that the
blessings of salvation are not confined to any
particular age or nation. The “ multitudes
out of all nations and kindred and people
and tongues stood before the throne and be
fore the Lamb, clothed in white robes, and
having palms in their hands.” The souls of
the heavenly saints, once guilty anffpollut
ed, were pardoned and purified through the
atonement of Jesus. Ilis precious blood,
freely poured out on the cross, is the sole
procuring cause of eternal salvation. All
the redeemed unite in one grand, everlasting
chorus, “Worthy is the Lamb that was slain
to receive power and riches and wisdom and
strength and honor and glory and blessing ”
Before Eating.
“I will not eat until I have told mine er
rand !” So spake Eliezer of Damascus,
Abraham’s steward, when, seeking a bride
for his master’s son, he arrived at the tents
of Laban, browned by the sun, covered with
the dust, weary aud worn by the toils of the
journey. For long days his seat had been
the camel’s back; his only couch was the
dewy ground; his food, in dried corn and
fruits, the barest sustenance of nature. —
Now his journey is happily accomplished.
A smoking board, tempting his senses,
stand invitingly before him; and as this
hungry man turns a greedy eye on the ban
quet, bow many plausible reasons can he
find for prefering the indulgence of bis own
appetite to the discharge of his master’s bu
siness !
Exhausted nature plead for a period for
refreshment and repose, and these would
require but a brief delay. What possible
damage could Isaac’s interest suffer by that?
Nay, the business might prosper better for
it, he himselfjbeing abler to tell his errand,
and Laban, i.lver 1 pledging his guest in cups
of generous wine, moie inclined perhaps to
lend a gracious ear to his proposals. Be
sides, it was hai’dly good breeding to decline
this hospitable offer. What the one grace
fully offered, the other should gracefully
accept Might not his refusal give offence
to Laban ? aud since “he who believeth
shall not make haste,” might not the very pie
ty of the good man regard such hurry as indi
cating a want of faith in Providence. Be
sides, it was contrary to the polished man
ners of the East to plunge at once into the
heart of business. The highest examples
might be pleaded against such indecorous
haste. For did not the aDgels, one being
God himself in human form,who announced
to Abraham the doom of Sodom, partake of
his hospitality, and eat beneath the oak of
Mamre, before entering on the awful busi
ness which brought them from the skies?—
Besides, no rival was then soliciting Rtbe
kah’s hand. Heaven seemed to have grant
ed the good man’s prayer: the maiden had
met him at the well; she had shown him
kindness; she had received his presents,
and everything a happy conclu
sion ; his business seemed one, if ever there
was one, which could not suffer from a brief
delay. Such reasons Eliezer might have
urged for defering his mission to his meal.
Y r etfrom all these, plausible as they ap
peared, this decided, resolute, singularly de
voted servant turned aside hi? ear to say, as
he stood by the untouched banquet, “ I will
not eat until I have told mine errand,” in
volving the happiness of master, the pre
servation of a chosen race, the fulfillment of
God’s gracious purpose and glorious prom
ises ; my business brooks no delay; who
can tell what a day or an hour may bring
forth ?— Dr. Guthrie.
How to Conduct a Bible Glass.
Adult Bible-classes are becoming one of
the most important and hopeful feature in
our Sabbath-school system. If young men
and women can be kept under quickening
Bible instruction, instead of getting loose
from the schools, and losing the good im
pressions made there, we may hope much
from the knowledge and steadfastness of the
next generation of Christians. How shall
these Bible-classes be conducted with life
and interest, is a question that often per
plexes both superintendent and teacher. A
contributor to a foreign Sabbath-school jour
nal give the following answer;
1. The object of a Bible-class is the same
as that of a lecture —namely, instruction
But the method is different. A lecture is
an impartial shower, watering all plants
alike. In a Bible-class, you are like a gar*,
dener with a watering pot, pouring a little
here, and more there, according to the con
dition and the need of each particular plant.
In a lecture, you are like a physician who
lays down general rules for the promotion of
health; but in a Bible-class you prescribe
for the symptoms of each individual. Ac
cordingly, it is the duty of the conductor of
a Bible-class, not merely to talk to the pu
pils, but to make them talk to him. He
must find out their opinions, their difficul
ties, prejudices and errors. He must waken
their minds to a cou-ideration of the topics
before them. To make them think and
speak is his first task.
2. And in order to make them speak he
must know how to ask questions. Os all
modes of teaching, catechetical teaching is
the most difficult, but most admirable. As
one finds himself falling back into the posi
tion of the lecturer, he may consider him
self as falling; as one finds himself more
and more catechetical, he may feel more
and more sure of success.
3. But to ask questions well, one must
ask with ideas in the mind. We must ask
leading questions; not, indeed, questions
which indicate an expected answer, but
questions which lead toward it. The mind
of the scholar must be roused by questions,
beset by difficulties, driven out from one
refuge of lazy ignorance and indifference af
ter another, till it flies straight to its mark.
4. Don’t he afraid. Let the scholar see
that you are not afraid; that you want their
real thoughts, whatever they are. Let
there be perfect freedom in your class, and
a deep conviction that they cannot say any
thing which will disturb you j that you are
familiar with all mistakes, and that you are
ready to welcome any utterance that is
honest.
5. Don't let the conversation he monopo
lized. The great danger of all conferences
and colloquies, of all prayer-meetings and
discussions, is from monopoly. One or two
ready talkers, with plenty of words at their
tongue’s end, are always apt to be on hand,
and very soon the class becomes a mere arena
for the display of their prowess. The lead
er of a Bible-class must steadily impress it
on all those present, that he wishes the co
operation and instruction of all. Speeches
are not the thing, but conversation. Put
down sternly all attempts to monoplize.
6. But he interested yourself. No one is
fit to teach anything, who is not interested
in that thing. The first, second and third
qualification of a teacher is enthusiasm. —
You must have great faith in the latent
meanings of Scripture, in its undeveloped
force, in its richness of application, its sweep
of law, its inspiration, in short, heavenly or
divine. We must believe in the words of
Jesus, as he did himself, wheu he said,
“They are spirit, and they are life.”
7. Feel the need you have of the class to
help you. One who does not expect to get
any new thoughts himself, will not go with
much interest to the meeting. Know, then
that all your commentaries and lexicons will
sometimes stand you in little stead, compar
ed with the light thrown on a text by the
action of two or three co-operating intelli
gences. Be sure that each one of your class
has a special faculty, and can lend you spe
cial help. Call them all to your aid, mar
shal them against the difficulty, and so se
cure the result by a combined attack.
What Think You of the Cross ?
What do you think and feel about the
Cross of Christ? You live in a Christian
laud. You probably attend the worship of
a Christian church. Y®u have perhaps
baptized in the name of Christ. You
proYess and call yourself a Christian. All
this is well. It is more than cau be said of
millions in the world. But all this is no
answer to my question, “ What do you think
and fed about the Cross of Christ ?”
I want to toll you what the greatest
Christian that ever lived thought of the
Cross of Christ. He has written down his
opinion. He has given his judgment in
words that cannot be mistaken. The man
I mean is the Apostle Paul. The place
where you will find his opinion, is in the
letter which the Holy Ghost inspired him
to write to the Galatians. And the words
in which his judgment is set down, are
these, “God forbid that I should glory, save
in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
Now what did Paul mean by saying this?
He meant to declare strongly, that he trust
ed in nothing but Jesus Christ crucified for
the pardon of his sins and the salvation of
his soul. Let others, if they would, look
elsewhere for salvation. Let others, if they
were so disposed, trust in other things for
pardon and peace. For his part, the apostle
was determined to rest on nothing, lean on
nothing, build his hope on nothing, place
confidence in nothing, glory in nothing, ex
cept “the Cross of Jesus Christ.”
Reader, let me talk to you about this sub
ject. Believe me, it is one of the deepest
importance. This is no mere question of
controversy. This is notone of those points
on which men may agree to differ, and feel
that differences will not shut them out of
heaven. A man must be right on this sub
ject, or he is lost forever. Heaven or hell,
happiness or misery, life or death, blessing
or cursing in the last day,—all hinges on
the answer to this question, “What do you
know about the Cross of Christ ?”
Borrowing Trouble. —“ The w*rst
evils,” (says the proverb,) “are those which
never arrive.” By way of practical counsel
to all borrowers of trouble, I would face the
real difficulties and troubles of life, and you
won’t have time for practising the art of
self-tormenting.
The most contented people in the world
are those who are most occupied in allevi
ating with Christian heart and hand, the
sorrows that the flesh is heir to. Visit the
homes of ignorance and poverty and vice,
and in face of the terrible realities you will
there witness, your own petty cares will seem
as nothing.
The anxieties of the fancy will vanish al
together, while you will be far better able
to bear those burdens which, though real,
will seem light to you by comparison.
Jfamilj Rearing.
From the Weekly Record.
Recollections of Bishop Capers.
I am fully alive, Messrs. Editors, to the
danger of venturing on a subject which has
been discussed again and again, or of at
tempting to retouch a picture which has
been drawn by a master hand.
Bishop Capers’ Life has been written,
partly by himself, in his own inimitable style
of simplicity and grace, and partly by one
every way qualified to become first his bi
ographer, and then his successor.
There are many stand-points, however,
from which we may view either a brilliant
or magnificent object, and each one may be
radiant with beauty, or grandeur, or both
combined. In the life of such a man as
Bishop Capers there are many passages of
interest, which are not likely to find their
way into an elaborate biography, and which,
for modesty’s sake, he would not write con
cerning himself. Permit me to invite your
readers to a few such side views of the char
acter of our distinguished subject.
About six months before his death I had
the pleasure of spending an evening in his
company, at the house of his scn-inJaw,
Rev. S. B. Jones, of Anderson, and nearby
the modest and unpretending home of the
good Bishop. We had read of the “nodes
amhrosiance” of another hemisphere, and
the delightful intercourse of the gifted sons
of another land ; but I very much doubt if
they exceeded, or equalled in interest, the
delightful hours we spent in the society of
the Bishop on that occasion. lie was in
his happiest vein—surrounded by his chil
dren (for I felt as much his child as any one
present) —no restraint, or necessity for cau
tion —he the centre and we forming the
circumference of the social circle. All we
had to do, was to listen and suggest occas
ionally anew theme, which he was sure to
take up, and illustrate in his own peculiarly
happy and simple manner There he sat,
like a patriarch, his face beaming with kind
ness and intelligence, whilst his few scat
tering gray locks gave evidence of many
years of toil, suffering, and patient labor.—
Someone referred to the fact that but a
short time before Rev. W. M. Wightman,
D. D., had preached a sermon of great pow
er from the text, “Though we or an angel
from heaven preach unto you any other gos
pel,” etc ,at Richmond, Va., and that the
sermon had been greatly lauded by the city
newspapers. This statement set the memo
ry of our good Bishop to work, and he pro
ceeded to tell us of a sermon which he him
self had preached from the same text in
early life, but under widely different cir
cumstances, and with a very different result
from the one above alluded to. I will give
the substance of his narrative, as nearly as
I can recollect it, in his own words.
“Soon after,” said he, “God had taken
away my first wife [he regarded this as a
judgment upon him for locating] and my
unsuccessful attempt at planting, and I had
rejoined the Conference, I was sent to Wil
mington, N. C At that time the society
there was mainly composed of colored peo
ple, many of whom were free —ours was by
eminence the negro chnrch of the place j
and if I had wanted to borrow five dollars,
there was none to whom I could have gone
with any hope of success, but to some color
ed member of the.church. The small sum
of money I had taken with me was gradually
wasting away, and when the time of my first
quarterly meeting had rolled around I found
myself Ihe owner of one solitary thrip. My
wife [he had married again the late excellent
Mrs. C.] had a loaf of bread, and as we had
resolved on having the presiding Elder to
stay with us in the little parsonage on the
hill, we called a council to determine how
we could most economically dispose of that
thrip. It was agreed that we could buy
more of fish than anything else with- that
small sum, and so I went to the market and
bought a fish, and returned again to meet
the presiding Elder, Brother Daniel Asbury,
who came punctually at the hour appointed.
He had not been long in the house before
he said, with a smile, ‘Well, Billy, I am
glad to see you.’ ‘And so am I glad to see
you, Brother Asbury.’ ‘Well, but Billy, I
am particularly glad to see you.’ ‘And I
am particularly glad to see you, Brother As
bury.’ ‘Well, Billy, I will not keep you
long In suspense, I have some money for
you —here are two hundred dollars, the pro
ceeds of the sale of some cattle you had in
the neighborhood of Georgetown, S. (V You
may rest assured [said the Bishop] Brother
Asbury had a good dinner, and we lived for
many months on that seasonable supply,
sent by the hand of Providence. And now
[said the Bishop] for the story about the
text: It was made my duty preach at a
small log house, built near the Sound by my
predecessor, for the accommodation of the
fishermen who resided near by —this, in ad
dition to the three regular Sabbath services
in the town —my appointment was made
there, on a week day. One day as I waa
preaching to my little congregation of rag
ged, smoked Sounders, I observed that
there was some commotion among them—
they were peeping through the cracks, and
seemed otherwise disconcerted. All this
was occasioned by the driving up of a car
riage, with some ladies from the sea shore
settlement, above where we resided during
the summer months—some ol the W
ton aristocracy. Presently in walked Mrs.
ence of this lady greatly disconcerted the
simple-minded worshippers assembled there.
After the service was over she came forward
and introduced herself, saying, ‘And are
you a son of the late Colonel Capers of South
Carolina ?’ ‘Yes, Madam ’ ‘And why do
you come into this miserable, dirty hole to
nreach ? Why not come up to the settle
ment and preach to us there?’ ‘Well,