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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,