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THREE DOLLARS PER ANNUM.
Vol. XXXII.—No. 29.
Conlribalions. ]
To the Bev. Lovlek Pierce, D. D
Reverend and Dear Brother :—You will
pardon the liberty I take in addressing you
thus publicly, as the motive which prompts
this letter is to give whatever emphasis I
may be able, to the advanced position you
occupy upon a question which has perplex
ed, vexed, inflamed and divided the reli- ;
gious world. Ido this with the more zest, !
from the fact, that, without ever having
read your sermon, I have preached a clus
ter ot about five sermons to my congrega
tion, at Union Springs, Ala., within the
past two months, in which the same posi
tion has been taken and a very similar line
of argument has been pursued. Your letter
in the Nashville Christian Advocate of 27th
June, gives rise to my present writing;
for, as yet, I have not had the pleasure of
reading your sermon on the “Unity of the
Faith’’ as the only true bond of union for
the Church.
Your letter comes very opportunely to
strengthen and confirm me in a view of an ;
important matter. The distinction between i
mere ritualistic observances and ordinances ,
is the solution of the whole question, and
gives a relief to the religious mind not un
like that experienced by one, who has been
relieved of a pressure upon the brain, by
having the fracture of the skull lifted.
Without referring to our standards on
the Sacraments, but gathering a common
sense view from the plain historical facts,
as related in the New Testament, I am
quite sure, that you are fully sustained.
Did Christ institute baptism? When?
Where ? It was the most na’ural thing in
the world for his disciples, as they were
recruiting a party in his name, to initiate
them in that way. Their view was to in
augurate a political revolution. That this
idea obtained up to the very last, is wit
nessed ‘by the request of the mother of
Zebedee’s children, as our Saviour was on
his way from Jericho to Jerusalem. Now,
after the resurrection, just before His as
oension, Christ told his apostles to go into
all the world, baptizing them into the
name of the Father and the Son and the
Hfiy Chko s'. By throwing the emphasis'
on the words italioised in the above, the
proper idea is obtained—Christ’s pur
pose is expressed Go back a little. In
John iv., wo read that “whon the Lord
knew that the Pharisees had heard that
Jesus made and baptized more disciples
than John ( though Jesus himself baptized
not, but his disciples,') he left Judea and
went into Galilee ” It was just in keeping
with his inimitable mode of management
not to forbid ti eir way—their mode —of
announoing him ; but by withdrawing from
the soenc into a remote part of the oorutry,
he drew them off after him, and thus ac
complished his purpose of giving a better
direction to the efforts of his friends. To
have undertaken to check his disciples by
explanations would have involved him in a
mere negative work. It were better for
him to “wink at” their ignorance in many
matters, and await his time. But as he
passed through Samaria, it is altogether
natural that he should have his mind fully
absorbed with the essential nature and tb~
pecutiW anu instinctive feature ot his
kingdom ; and the conversation with the
woman at the well was the fruit of it all.
I regret that I have space only to suggest
the outline of the argument here. Take
His utterances at the well and the words of
the commission, and you perceive that bap
tism and “such like’’ fall into the baok
ground, whilst the mind is lifted up to the
essentially spiritual worship of a spiritual
God. Local, national, selfish, ambitious
views perish from the mind, as every name
suggestive of Lteity is called. They know
Him no more “ after the flesh.”
I fear the point I seek to present is not
so palpable as I desire to make it. I mean
to say, that Christ’s disciples had practiced
baptism as the method of recruiting in the
name of the Master, and, as it was brief,
simple, decent, Christ did not interfere
with it; and in giving the final commission,
he recognised it merely incidentally—ob
liquely. Some visible, sensible rallying
point must be had; they had fallen upon
one good enough, and He merely told them
in baptizing, to baptize— not in the name
of Jesus, but in the name of God. Hence
we find the endearing names—the senti
mental, maudlin, rhapsodical strains of
some Christian poets and devotees, obnox
ious to those of a truly spiritual cultus.
•John and Charles Wesley are eminently
free from this.
By a similar rendering of the conduct of
Christ as regards the memorial Supper, we
arrive at the same conclusion, and hold it
as an observance—a rite, but not an ordi
nance. And the Sabbath day falls into
line, and the three hang upon the Church
comfortable and conveniently as garments ;
they do not constitute the skin of the
Church—else were they a part of Christi
anity. But now are they no part of Chris
tianity, even as the clothes I wear are no
part of my person. Get the Church loosen
ed properly in its rites and its members
will grow. Like Hezekiah of old, you have
shivered a piece of brass, the verdigris
from whioh has poisoned the churches, all.
I hope that with the candor characteristic
of those who “know the truth,” all minis
ters will inquire of this matter. To one
at least the prospect opens up most ravish
ingly, and joyfully do I hail what you have
written and spoken. Very truly yours,
Joseph B. Cottrell.
Five Poplars, Ala , July 1, 1869.
Griffin District, Colored M. E. Church,
South.
To the Ministers of the M E. Church, South.
My Dear Brethren in Christ: —l feel
that it is my duty as an Elder of this
church, to let you know how we are getting
on in this District. There are some, who
I trust will be faithful even unto death,
but others are wavering, turning aside to
listen to every new doctrine thatoome3, and
blame one for standing up to the old faith.
I have recently met some of my brethren,
who were formerly ministers of the M. E.
Church, South, but have turned over to
the Northern Church. They begged me
not to stay in the old church, for its object
was to get us all back into slavery ! lam
rather too old now to be taken in by those
who believe the falsehoods of the teaohers
who come down from the North, as wolves
in sheep’s olothing, to turn our raoe against
those who have the right to be our protec
tors—those who worked for us, who prayed
with us, who attended us in sickness with
the solicitude of parents. No, I can never
be persuaded to leave my church, for when
I was on the way to ruin she took me in
her arms, and pointed me to the Lamb of
God that taketh away the sins of the world.
Many a blessing I have felt at the good
old camp ground in Upson, under the sound
of the voice of such preaohers as Rev.
William Arnold, Dr. Pierce, Rev. Wesley
Smith and others, who always treated me
with the consideration of a brother. The
camp ground was burned during the war,
and many changes have taken place, but
never will I forget what they taught me
there, and never will I forget my obligation
to the Church, and my duty as her repre
sentative among the oolored people.
I ask the prayers of you all, brethren,
that I may hold out faithful to the end, in
Hattibeai Cisri
spite of divers temptations, and cross-pull
iDg on every side. lam getting along in
years, and I know that no new friends will
ever think as much of me as my own white
people, and I am sure I can never love any
body else like them ; for they have done all
they could to help me to Heaven. There
fore I do not wish to change, and I am
sorrry to see so much confusion in the army
of Methodists. In the old Church I was
born in the Spirit and baptized, and in that
same Church I intend to live and die.
Some believe I am hired by the white
people to stay with them ; but One migh
tier than they has called me, and in his
name I will try to preach the gospel at all
times and at all places. Let persecution
come, let the days be dark, but give me
the blessed love of Jesu9 to hold me up
and bear me to the mansion my Father has
prepared for me, then in the words of St.
Paul, “neither death nor life, nor angels,
nor 'principalities, nor powers, nor things
present, nor things to come, nor height, nor
depth, nor any other oreature shall be able
to separate me Irom the love of God which
is in Christ Jesus our Lord ”
Sandy Kendall, col. P. E.
Upson co. t Ga.
From the Baltimore Episcopal Methodist.
Camp Meetings.
The time for Camp meetings is at hand
and we are glad to find that more than
usual interest is exhibited concerning them.
After many years of observation and re
flection we are satisfied that these meetings
have been very useful, and we see no reas
on for supposing that they may not be as
useful, or more useful now than before.
We know the objections that are made to
them; and are willing to give them full
force; but the objections to not holding
them seem to us much stronger. That
they are often disfigured with rant and cant
and coarse exhibitions of feelings, very
imperfectly and even doubtfully religious,
is unfortunately true. We have seen rude
and indecent prooeedings, as disgusting to
good taste and civilized manners as those
which brought out Mr. Wesley’s indigna
tion, in his sermon on Knowing Christ af
ter the Flesh. “Loud shouting, horrid un
natural screaming, repeating the same
words twenty or thirty times, jumping two
or three feet high and other things shock
ing not only to religion but to common de
cency.” We have seen all this, and more;
and we have asked ourselves if this was
not as outrageous and offensive to God,
even as the heartless irreverence and lip
worship of impudent dandies and simper
ing belies who mock God by fashionable
and full dress profanity, in a Gothic
uhuroh ; and we have thought not. Bad
as the vulgir indecency was, it might have,
and probably did have some right sense of
God and sin and honest thought of salva
tion in it, but the genteel indeceney of cul
tivated ungodliness, dressed for exhibition
in the awful presence of God, as for an
opera and trailing its superfluous train
along the aisles with no more thought of
the soul and sin and the Saviour, than a
peacock has when it flutters its fine feath
ers in a barn-yard to overpower the plainer
fowls; the inexpressible impertinence of a
youngman reeking with sin. who drooo«»
himself elaborately to go impenitently be
fore Jehovah, and to flare impiously in his
presence, as if to call his attention to the
audacity of his impudent puppyism—what
possible savor of goad can be in that f Yet
nobody has anything to say against the
gross indecency of “the going to Church’’
that pusses before us every Sunday ; when
the fashion of the world goes to cull upon
God. Yet, we would rather see anything
we have ever seen at camp-meeting, that
presented itself as recognition by the soul
of saered things, than to see every Sun
day, the highly decorated living coffins car
rying their dead souls to their weekly fu
neral in God’s pttyiog presence. Yet we
do not wish to excuse the indecorum of
apparent or perhaps sincere devotion. We
have tolerated too much of it, and have
driven away from us thousands of our chil
dren whose edueation and notions of pro
priety proved stronger than their good
sense and religious philosophy. The old
Methodists were so afraid of “quenching
the Spirit,’’ that they refrained from “try
ing the spirits” and permitted a great deal
of folly and imposture too, which they
ought to have suppressed. But these
things, for the most part, have passed away.
Our preashers do not get cross and scold
as some of the old ones used to do, if the
brethren hear the sermon without ejaculat
ing Amens, and content themselves with
listening to a prayer, instead of setting
themselves with deep earnestness of lungs
to pray the leader down. We can remem
ber when a meeting in Light street was
quite as vociferous as one now in any Af
rican meeting house—and we honestly tes
tify after a good many years knowledge of
Methodists, that the noisy worshippers of
that day were not a whit better men than
the quieter brethren are now, and were not
nearly so zealous in good works. We have
no objection to a natural and honest ex
pression of religious feeling. It is as fair
and right as the expression of any other.
Ladies at concerts and operas clap their lit
tle hands and paddle their little feet and
cry “encore” or something as much like it
as their school French permits, and men
at political meetings bawl and soream and
laugh at the poorest jokes as though their
rib muscles would crack under the strain.
We see no reason why the sense of God,
and salvation and the premonitions of eter
nity shall not find sensible utterance, but
if not honest and spontaneous, it is abomi
nation ; when honest and spontaneous it is
the least vulgar, and altogether the de
centest thing in the world There is an
objection to camp-meetings that they are
not necessary now, that there are plenty of
churches, ete. Now all this Gomes of sheer
ignora.ice. In the country, even here in
Maryland, people hear very little preach
ing and that commonly of a small kind.
City people who are surfeited with sermons
of first quality know nothing about our
Sunday condition in the country. A fami
ly of Methodists attends a meeting house
where the preacher preaches once in two
weeks. In the same time a city family, has
six opportunities to hear a sermon. But
the country family must go several miles
over roads not laid down with Nioholson
pavement, but satanically obstructed with
mud holes, ruts, rooks, streams, water
breaks and back-breaks of all varieties
Even when they are at the best, but a part
of the family can get to meeting at once.
Then rains, extreme cold and extreme heat,
and lame horses and broken carriages,
and absent drivers, and a number of other
contingencies prevent; so that the family
hear not half the sermons really delivered ;
and the preacher from siokness and nec
essary absence rarely delivers all. When
heard they are commonly short, and very
often narrow too The preaQher must ride
some miles to preach in the morning and
five or six more to preaeh in the afternoon,
and probably lead a class, or do some other
work besides. The people come miles to
church and have miles to go from it. Al
together it is a poor weary, thin, interrup
ted, unsatisfactory business. Now a camp
meeting puts new religious interest into
the whole community. For a week they
listen to two or three sermons a day; any
one of whioh sermons is worth in matter,
earnestness and the oondition of reeeptivi-
lie ,
ty any three beard in the meeting house.
The mind is kept fixed on religious things.
The prayer-meetings are deeply devotion
al and the farmer and his wife miss the
old familiar prayer of the official neighbor
whose nasal petition they have heard from
a time the memory goeth not back to the
contrary. There is freshness, novelty.
Even the neighbor’s old prayer when he
delivers it is new to many and he prays it
with a fervor that surprises himself. The
singing is delightful to us country folks
who have no choirs to look np new musio
and keep us from running the old tunes
down at heel. Camp-meetings are a grand -
cure for religious dyspepsias. They re
lieve us from the dreadful atony of coun
try religion, starved on a two week’s circuit.
Then again, there are great numbers of
people who go to hear our preaching at
camp-meetings that never would hear it
anywhere else. To be sure many go for
idleness and amusement, as they go to fine
city churches; and many go to see other
people; as in city churches many go to let
others see them; but what of that ? when
the multitude ran together to see the lame
man leaping at the Beautiful Gate of the
Temple, it is likely they ran without any
religions purpose, but Peter got a chance
to preach to them and did them a great
deal of good. Sometimes there is muoh
bad behaviour in the vicinity of camp
meetings ; and so there is in the vicinity
of city churches on Sunday, though roofs
and walls bide it. The camp-meeting does
wicked people no harm. It does not teach
them to drink and swear and break the
Sabbath. If they were not thus employed
there, they would not be very differently
employed somewhere else. There is no
reason why we should abstain from preach
ing against sin, because sinners come about
us. But ought we to hold camp-meetings
near cities ? Weli, we are disposed to sub
mit that to the judgment of city people
who have been in the habit of attending
them for many years, and their verdict
very generally is in favor of these meet
ings. They break up the monotony of the
common Sunday service. They prolong
the impression of the preaching from day
to day, which is commonly extinguished on
Monday in the pantry or counting house.
They make religion a business for a week;
and must do a great deal to counteract the
worldliness which threatens to be the
death of us. Then they bring city relig
ion to the country and mix the better ele
ments of both. Social religion too is pro
moted. Tent life breaks down merely ac
cidental distinctions and makes religion,
not money, the test of nobility. We oon
tess to liking the Christian picnic right
well. We know it may be carried too far;
and so may the more abstract and solemn
view of the usefulness of camp-meeting
Upon the whole, we feel no hesitation
in urging our people to maintain them.
They have done very muoh for us, and for
the country, and for oar own sakes and for
the sake of pure, simple Christianity, we
ought to keep up our feast of Tabernacles.
We ought to go to them prayerfully and
with full purpose to search our hearts be
fore God, and by His help cast out every
unclean thing. We ought to go hopefully
as assured of meeting with that Ba*ioui wno
fails to meet us whenever wo make
an effort to find him While there we
ought to avoid a.l talk about politics and
business. The first is the most useless, as
it is the most exasperating, demoralizing,
exhaustive subjeot we could talk about. It
is getting contemptible, which is a sad
truth for the country, but we c?nnot help
it; but we can seek a city out of sight,
whose builder is God. Let us talk about
the politics of the glorious country to
which we expect to go very soon. Don’t
talk business. We have all got business
on the brain. It oppresses us, stupefies us,
makes us see double and side ways, and
paralyzes our Christian activities. There
are some of us now, whose sonls are as bed
ridden and as useless as the poor man was
who had laid for many years by the pool of
Bethesda. Business has effectively done
for us. We sit doubled up at the Beauti
ful Gate of the Temple, and the people
hear us whining there of a Sunday, but we
arc not as useful as the door post. Except
to frighten others from too much busi
ness, we do not know why God spares some
old members, to the Church. Don’t talk
business at camp-meeting. Talk religion,
talk kindness, talk wisdom, learning, if you
have any, and everybody has some, and
many more than they think. Be pleasant,
be happy, social, fraternal. Listen to the
sermons and make the most of them. If a
big preacher tries to be too big and comes
out small; pray for him and say nothing.
Perhaps the poor man has fled to the
woods and is humbling himself before God
and “trying to die.” If a modest man
preaches you a good sermon tell him so;
it will do him good. But better not talk
much about the preachers. They ought
not to go to camp-meetings to show how
they can preach. They are not pitted
against one another to determine which can
preaeh best. God forbid that emulation of
that kind shall ever influence us ; when it
shall the day of camp-meetings and all
other meetings good for any thing will
have passed away. The best sermon is
the one that most pleases God.
The best preacher is he who does the
most good, or at least who preaches ser
mons most likely to do it. But good is
various, and is not to be estimated by our
senses. “The kingdom of God” is not
much the subjeot of observation. The
preaching is generally very good; better
than we hear any where else, because it is
less pompous, conventional, formal. The
more we can make our preaching like sa
cred stnmp-speaking the better. Eloqu
tion is no longer eloquence. The people
have passed into that stage of intelligence
where the thought is far more than the
manner. We must interest and instruct
the people ; and to do this we mast talk
to them faoe to face. Camp-meetings are
the best schools for preaching that we
know of; and if only for this great purpose
they are well worth preserving.
A Humiliating Confession.
A paper on divoice and infanticide, ad
opted by the Old School Assembly in New
York, reveals the prevalence of unnatural
crime in the Northern States to an extent
that has hardly been conceived of. It has
long been known that the stos against which
the Assembly raised an earnest protest have
existed, and perhaps become widespread,
in New England. But the Assembly has
few ohurohes there. The emphasis there
fore with whioh infanticide is denouaoed—
the urgency with which the twenty-five
hundred Presbyterian ministers in the
North are invited to instruct their people
on the duties of the marriage relation, and
lift their voices against the mnrder, by pa
rents, of their own offspring; and the de
liberation and seriousness with whioh this
action is taken, —after a careful considera
tion of its necessity by the committee on
Bills and Overtures; this action of the
Assembly, in connection with all its circum
stances, is a public confession of the wide*
spread existenoe of these heinous offmees
all over the Northern and Western States
—in the Church, as well as outside of it.
A few years ago this sin was supposed to
be of rare occurrence. Its prevalence is
one of the dark signs of the present age.
The following is the paper adopted:
The Committee on Bills and Overtures,
PUBLISHED BY J. W. BURKE &
Macon, G*
to whom was referred the paper relatil
to divorce and infanticide, beg leave to i
port that they recommend the adoption
the following :
That it is with great pain we are co
strained to admit the increased prevalen
in many parts of our country of unseri
tural views of the marriage relation,
consequence of which the obligations
that relation are disregarded by maDy, at
separations of husbands and wives, and a
vorces for slight and unwarrantable reasor
are becoming more frequent every yeai
Nor can we shut our eyes to the fact th
the horrible crime of infanticide, especiall
in the form of the destruction by paren
of their own offspring, before birth, ai
prevails to an alarming extent. The evil
which these errors and crimes have alreac
brought upon our country, and the wor>
evils which they threaten in the near ft
ture, make it imperative, as we believe, th.
the whole power of the ministry of th
Church of Jesus Christ should be put fort
in maintenance of truth and of virtue i
regard to these things. Many causes hav
operated to produce a corruption oft 2
public morals so deplorable; promineu
among whioh may be mentioned the facili
ty with which divorces may be obtained i
some of the States, constant promulgatio
of false ideas of marriage and its duties
by means of books, lectures, etc., and th
distribution through the mails of impurt
publications ; bat an influence not less pow
erful than aoy of these is the growing de
votion to fashion and luxury of this
and the idea whioh practioally obtains to |
so great an extent that pleasure, instead of
the glory of God and the enjoyment of i
His favor, is tie great object of life. It ;
is therefore the duty of the Church of :
Christ to oppose in every praotical way •
these and all other corrupting agencies and
tendencies, and we especially urge upon all :
ministers of the Gospel the duty of giving
instruction to the people of their respec
tive charges as to the Scriptural doctrine |
concerning the marriage relation. We
warn them against joining in wedlock any
who may have been divorced upon other
than Scriptural grounds. We also enjoin
upon church sessions the exercise of due j
discipline in the case of those members'
who may be guilty of violating the law of
Christ in this particular. This Assembly i
regards the destruction by parents of their
own offspring before birth with abhorrence
as a crime against God and against Nature;
and as the frequency of such murders can
no loDger be oonoealed, we hereby warn
those who are guilty of this crime that ex
cept they repent they cannot inherit eternal
life. We also exhort those who have teen
called to preaoh the Gospel, and all who
love purity and truth, and who would avert
the just judgment of Almighty God from
the nation, that they be no longer silent or ;
tolerant of these things but that they en
deavor by all proper means to stay the ffsod
of impurity and cruelty. We call upon ali
to remember that marriage is honorable,
not only in itself but in its ends. There
fore those who seek to avoid the responsi
bility and oares eonneoted with the bring
ing up of children not only deprive them
selves of one of the greatest blessings of
lite and fly in the face of God’s decree., but
do violence to their own Matures, and will ’
be found out by their sins even in this
world.
fluttrine anb feeriente.
Testimony of a Pastor.
Is it argued by the preaoher, that this
life is too insecure, too unsubstantial to be
pursued as the portion of the soul ? My
reminiscences tell me that the argument is
good. I have seen the fact affirmed most
abundantly demonstrated. I have observed
that death is ever at hand to defeat the
best-laid schemes and blast the mo3t ration- !
al hopes of man. I have seen him again
and again, selecting as his victims the very
ones who we would have sai 1 ought not to
die and could not die. I have seen him
out down with his remorseless scythe the
fairy child, the maiden in the pride of hsr
beauty, the minister of God in the midst 1
of his usefulness, the mother with her lit
tle flock living upon her love, and the
father holding up his dependent household
by bis providence and care. I have seen,
in our epidemio summers, a young mechan
ic, whose energy and probity had opened
for him, as he supposed, a sure avenue to
wealth, and the bride, whom he had brought
in her ruddy girldhood a few months be
fore to his neat little home, both almost at
the same hour prostrated by the fever, torn
from one another, and from all earthly ob
jects by the stupor in which he was
wrapped, and the delirium which had
seized upon her, and reunited only when
death came—in less than two days—and
again almost at the same hour, to bear them
both to the presence of God; and in one
burial a few of us laid them side .by side
in the same grave. That incident and
hundreds of others of the same import,
though less striking in their details, have
taught me, that the man who makes the
world his trust is the grandest madman
who ever built a costly house upon a foun
dation of sand.
Is it argued by the preacher that the
way of the transgressor is hard ? I have
seen this verified, when I have seen the
drunkard, after throwing away talents
which might have made him reputable,
and wrecking the hearts of those who loved
him, going to his early grave; when I have
seen the man of viol nee groaning in re
morse upon his bloody death-bed ; when I
have seen the criminal shuddering in his
cell in t?rror of the gallows to whioh his
crimes had brought him ; and when I have
seen—for I have seen this too—the tenant
of the house of shame elosing her life of
vice in the agonies of despair; when I
have seen these, and a hundred other'
speotaoles implying the same doctrine,
though less marked in form, I have been
satisfied that the wages of sin, from first to
last, is death.
And is it argued by the preaoher that
godliness is profitable unto all things, hav
ing promise of the life that now is, and of
that whioh is to come ? A long procession
of beautiful characters, graced with the
piety of the gospel, and radiant habitually
with the peace which trust in Jesus and
love to God has inspired, rises before me.
And a long series of scenes, in whioh these
characters, after demonstrating the genuine
ness of their faith by their patience in suf
fering, had calmly, joyfully fallen asleep in
the arms of their Saviour, to wakea in his
likeness and in his presence in heaven,
oomes to light on the pages of my memo
ry ; and when I think of them, I am sure
the apostle was right when he oalled Christ
and his salvation God’s “unspeakable gift
when he described the faith of the believer
as a “precious” faith; and when ho pro
fessed himself willing to “oount all things
but loss, for the excellency of the knowl
edge of Christ Jesus his Lord.”
And it is not, T ask you to notice, a
testimony furnished merely by the exer
cises and phenomena whioh attend the ao
tnal moments of death, to whioh I thus re
ier—for I know only too well that such ex
ercises may be speoions and such phenom
ena illnsory; but I hold up that testimony
before you, as founded upon this broad in
' duetion, this absolute foot—that I have
i -‘X \S),
was ' If 1
no pastor. W
do not k-arn that they
been, peculiarly fitted for the
ministry because they were giants. ItnHj
true that a good physical development, a
strong constitution and sound health, are
quite important for the minister; but they
are not yet considered indispensable. It
was not in this sense, that the phrase was
used. Webster was, as it used to be said,
“a man of giant intelleot,” but I suppose
that no one ever thought that that fitted
him to preaoh Christ to the people. Ilia
natural acd acquired mental power was not
a sufficient qualification for so high and
holy a calling. Some men are masters of
oratory and rhetorio ; they have great pow
er over a congregation whenever they
speak, and may be called giants in oratory,
but it is certain that they would not be
“giants in the pulpit.” If the excellence
of the power be of God and not of man,
these desirable qualifications are not all
that is essential to ministerial success.
Perhaps all that was intended by the de
scription at the head of this article, might
be expressed in the shortor phrase, “a
smart young man.”
This term “smart” is a very ambiguous
one ; for what one would call smart an
other would think extremely weak and
puerile, so different are the judgments acd
tastes of mankind. What is desired by
many, is a minister that unites every qual
ification for the ministry in its highest de
cree. He must be a deep and profound
thinker, a close reasoner, an eloquent and
.fluent speaker, a good singer, and remarka
fc>le fa? Bi» anr*ial qu»liti«s With such a
minister, they expeot to see great things
done for God aod his Church.
Now if any church is looking for sueh a
minister and waiting to find him, they may
have to wait a long time, and die without
the sight. Such men are liko “like angels’
visits, few and far between.” All the qual
ifioations above named are of great value to
the minister, but few possess them all in an
eminent degree. Deep thinkers are not al
ways eloquent speakers; fluent speakers
are not always close reasoners, and men of
deep thought are not always social and
easy in conversation. Some are great in
one respect, some in another, and a few if
any, in all These qualifications would
make a pleasing and popular minister, of
whom many would be proud ; but he might
have but few souls as seals of his ministry.
He that combines the most of these qualifi
cations in fair proportions is better prepar
ed for the manifold cares and labors of the
Christian pastor than he who is remarkable
in one re«peot and really deficient in others,
livery minister should know himself, and
lultivate and strive to improve those gifts
and graces in which he is most defioient.
Churches should not seek for a “giant’’ in
all or in any one of the departments of
ministerial labor, but for one whose powers
are evenly balanced and fairly developed.
But there is an element in pulpit great
ness above all that 1 have mentioned, that
is open to all; this is a deep conviction of
the truth which the minister is sent to pro
claim, a clear view of the terrible conse
quences of sin, and an overwhelming sense
of the goodness of God in providing, at
such a cost, a Saviour “mighty to save,”
even “to the uttermost all that come unto
God by him.’’ This will make him elo
quent. This will clothe his words with
power. This will enable him to speak to
the heart and reach the heart. This can
only be enjoyed by the indwelling of the
Holy Spirit in a heart fully consecrated to
God. Such a minister, if not a “giant in the
pulpit,” with an appreciative and co operat
ing church, will be succeesful and useful
minister. The church will prosper, and
seuls be gathered into the garner of God.
Let ministers seek this holy unction from
oB high, and if they do not see the imme
diate results of their labors, let them know,
that this labor in the Lord is not in vain.
Let the church pray, “Lord, increase the
number of sueh men.’’
Preaching Christ in Private.
It is a false idea that to preaoh the gos
pel, we must have a crowd before us. In
the early history of the church, God
blessed His own Word to small assemblies.
Peter preached to Cornelius and his house
hold; Paul to Lydia and her household;
Philip, on the desert way, preached to a
single hearer. Suoh sermons are some
times the most effective. A single soul is
inestimably precious, and a single convert
has sometimes proven himself a host. We
have read of sermons addressed to a mere
handful of persons that have proved the
seed of abundant harvests. A poor plough
man taught the celebrated James Harvey
some useful lessons out of his humble ex
perience ; and who can tell the influence
qf these lessons ? It is marvellous how
much good was accomplished in Scotland
and Geneva by the eminent Robert Haldane.
To traoe the streams of good that have
filled from the fountains of his influence
sgems like romance. *Yet, of him it is
"said, that it was to the conversation of a
pious stonemason, with whom ho once
walked some miles through the woods of
Airthray, that he attributed his first clear
conceptions of the plan of justification.
That stonemason was a preacher. No
metropolitan pulpit could have added dig
nity to his work. He preached the Gos
pel more truly and effect unity than many
who have attempted it in gown and bands.
Perhaps, if he had aspired to do it in the
sacred desk, he would have made a failure.
The grass-grown path through the woods of
Airthray was pulpit enough for him, and,
oontent, yet faithful, in his humble sphere
of influence, his words have already,
thtough his single hearer, gone forth to the
eiAls of the earth.
“The prosperity of the cause of Christ de
pihds largely onr the fidelity of tho private
seems t^^^^^^^^^W^^^=withont
father or mother or beginning of days. He
exists and moves among' us, but no one is
aware of his presence nor oan be con
scious of his visit until he is gone. No
one ever heard him speak, yet almost every
body knows something which he has said,
and is ready to repeat it. He was never
known to be at any particular plaoe, and
yet he seems to be übiquitous. We have
often heard of his being on the streets and
have gone out in all possible haste to get
a glimpso of him, but before wc could reach
the plaeo at whioh he was supposed to be,
he was gone. No one had soon him, but
there were not a few who could tell many
things whioh he said as he passed. Ho
seems to be invested with the wonderful
power of being nowhere and yet every
where at the same timo, and of oommuni
oating his thonghts without the nse of
words, letters or signs.
This monster, invested with these won
derful powers, is a most irresponsible being.
Ho has no regard for law, human or divine.
He seems to be governed by ro prinoydes.
He knows nothing of truth, justioe or be
nevolence. He has no respect for proper
ty or decency. All his oonduet indicates
that he supposes himself responsible neith
er to God nor man—nor tho devil. Asa
consequence of his irresponsibility, he is a
most misohievous being. He perpetrates
all manner of wickedness with perfect im
punity. It is his daily business to do mis
chief, and his hanpiness consists in ma
king miserable. To oarry out his ends
and to gratify his propensities, he scruples
at no means He lies with every breath
and delights to slander the most innocent.
He creeps into families, and meddling in
their private affairs stirs up domestic quar
rels. He enters the church, not to wor
ship, but to foment disputes and orcate di
visions among the saints. He moves in all
grades of society, but he is never seen in
company. He is at ease in the palaces of
kings, and at home in the hats of beggars.
No one olaims an acquaintance with him;
but almost everybody is ready to listen to
what he has said, and too many delight in
repeating his sayings.
The reader’s curiosity may now be ex
cited and he may wish to know the name
of this mysterious oharaoter, which we have
described. But this is also buried in im
penetrable darkness. He is without: name.
Ho seems to possess a plurality of persons
in his nature; and this may aoeount for
his übiquity. In accordance with the plu
rality ot his nature he puts all his reports
into circulation in the indefinite and irre
sponsible form—“ They Say ”
Now, gentle reader, when you hear any
thing floating about the streets in this in
definite and irresponsible form, we warn
you not to believe it, and whatever you do,
never repeat it. These indefinite rumors
bandied about as things which “They Say,”
are the words of the lying, slandering, ir
responsible, unknowing and unknowable
being which we have described. If they
are repeated, they will engender strife,
generate misery, and do much mischief.
We en’reat all who wish to be happy and
to cultivate peace, never believe what rests
on no better authority than—“ They Say.”
If any one oan oontrive any means by
which this invisible and mysterious mon
ster of wickedness oan be apprehended and
brought to justice, and an end put to his
wild and disastrous career, he will forever
be known as a friend to humanity, a bene
factor to his race, and a blessing to the
whole world.”— Rev. J. M. P. Ott.
A dvice of an Actross.
I was seated in the parlor of the hotel at
B , reading, when a lady hastily enter
ed, and addressing me, said: ‘What time
shall you start for the theatre ?’’ Then
glancing at my faoe, added, “Exouse me,
sir; I thought you were one of our oom
pany.’’
It was Miss , a celebrated actress,
who was at the time an inmate of our
house; and I said pleasantly, “I never
went to the theatre!”
“What!” she exclaimed, “have you not
even heard Forrest, the great tragedian ?’’
“No,’’ I replied, “I was taught by my
parents to shun the drama. Some, how
ever, whom I respeot, say that I was wrong
ly educated in this matter, and that if I
should onoe visit the theatre, I should see
my error. You oertainly know all about it,
and I would like to ask your opinion.-
Would you adviee me to attend ?’’
The tragedienne’s oountenance grew pale
and haggard as she answered with an ex
pression whose mournful seriousness haunt
ed me long after, “Sir, if you have never
been to the theatre, I advise 50U never to
go and without another word she left
the room. —..—~~
I have thought since, in connection with
her sad, weary look, of the touohing wail
of English aotor Robson, uttered through
out his last illness, “Oh, my wasted and
unprofitable life !’’ and I have wondered if
the patrons of the stage ever consider that
their amusement is purchased at a terrible
oost of the peace of mind, and pothaps the
eternal happiness of the performers they
applaud; and if the' young, when for the
first time to the playhouse, know
how many famous actors and actressess hare
uttered earnest and heart-broken protests
against the theatre.— American Messenger.
Like the inn of Bethlehem given to
lodge meaner guests, a heart full of pride
has no chamber within whioh Christ may
be bom “in us the hop* of glory ’’
.The magnet which dieir» Savifltir from
t he skins was hot out merit but out tnisetyl
pwrTm.
\ and
Hie. Many
V-, many tears were shed,
he related how, only the
famous Monday, he had been by the bed
side of a dying woman, who had resisted
God’s offer of mcroy, and who felt that she
was too late, and who, amidst her tears,
and in spite of her pain, kept exolaiming,
as life was passing and eternity approaoh
ing. “Oh, what shall Ido? What shall
I do?’’ It is thus Mr. Samme produocs
his effect, and this is why he’s heard gladly
by the Urge masses in the towns and cities
which he visits, warning men, like one of
old, to flee from the wrath to come; often,
it }may be, attracting Attention from those
who would otherwise refare to listen to any
one else. For the outoast and the wander
er in our streets and bye-ways who will not
go to chapel or church, who avoid parsons,
who call all good poople Methodists and
shun them accordingly, he is admirably
qualified. Few men possess a voice of suoh
powers and pathos. You might hear him
wheu be is preaching in the middle of
Chcapstoc. In his appearanoe there is also
something very pleasant and refined—noth
ing, indeed, of tho vulgarity, nothing of
the red face, the thick nick, the hoarse
voice, the heavy form, we have time out of
mind associated with the oostermongers’
humble but useful trade.
Too Good to Be True.
“No! These words are not too good to
be true,” said our minister. “Ye are
Christ’s,” 1 in you, and you in me, “Christ
in you the hope of glory,” and many kin
dred expressions of the Sorjpture so full of
emphasis and incxhaustable meaning are
all true; and you believe them. Your
words seem to express a doubt; I consider
them tho language of surprise ; you do be
lieve them to be true in all the fullness,
and variety, and glory of their meaning—
they under-lie all your hopes of heaven,
and are the fruitful source of consolation
and holy joy to your soul.
Perhaps, it is not always that you are
able to see into the depths of their mean
ing, and when you do, your thoughts are
higher, deeper and better than language
oan utter, aDd the pleasing conviction enters
your mind that there is something above,
and beyond, and better even, than all this
which you are not able to comprehend. It
may be language of surprise in an humble,
believing, loving disciple of Christ, who
“lays hold of the hope set before him in
the Gospel.’’ I oan conceive of a true dis
ciple suddenly dying, and in an instant
with his Lord in glory, exolaiming, “It is
too good to be true,” but reality, and its
possession and enjoyment are not doubt.
It is good—it is true in all its grace and
blessedness and glory, and I know nothing
more profitable and pleasing than for us,
with a lowly and' loving spirit, to live upon
these Divine words and to search into the
very depths of thoir meaning. Perhaps,
I may say, every failure will be a suooess.
You know what St. Paul writes of his pray
er for the church, Eph. iii, 16: “That he
would grant you, according to the riches of
his glory, to be strengthened with might
by His Spirit in the inner man; that
Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith ;
that ye being rooted and grounded in love.;
may bo able to comprehend with all saints
what is breadth, and length, and depth, and
height; and to know the love of Christ,
whioh passeth knowledge.” They are won
derful words, and you may think of them,
and study them, and feel them with a low
ly, loving and delighted heart until you are
in heaven, but even then, and ever, do I
saripose, it will be said: “The love of
Christ passeth knowledge.’’
A Satisfactory Sort of Christian.
—ln his speech on the Irish Church bill,
Mr. Bright said: “The right honorable
member for Bucks argued very muoh in
favor of the Established Churoh, on the
ground that there ought to be some place
into which people could get who would not
readily be admitted anywhere else. (Cheers
and laughter.) The faot is that what the
right honorable gentleman wants is this,
that we should have an Established Churoh
which has no discipline, and that any one
who would live up to what may be oalled
a gentlemanly conformity to it may pass
through the world as a very satisfactory
sort of Christian.” The “Establishment”
is not the only churoh, we fear, whioh con
tains a number of members who pass
through the world as “a satisfactory sort of
Christian ;’’ with just religion enough to
lull the oonsoienoe and make it rest in a
false security; just religion enough to ap
pear to the world “a sort of a Christian.”
Falling Flat on the Promises.— A
negro, who was remarkable for his good
sense, and his knowledge of the essential
truths of Christianity, and especially for
his freedom from all gloomy fears in regard
to his eternal state, was once addressed on
this wise : “You seem to be always comfor
table in the! hope of the gospel. I wish
you would tell me bow you manage R, to
keep so steadily in this Messed frameof
mind.’’ “ Why, Mases,” be replied, “I
just fall fiat on the promises and I ppray
right up ;’’ an answer that would no honor
to the head and heart of a philosopher, and
that oontains in it the true secret of earth
ly happiness.'
four great hindrances to prayrr.
1 Too much outward business unoom
manded by God.
2. Too little subduing of the body.
3. Too little privacy.
4. Too great slothiulness.
—-—'■ ' -r 1 t- ». .into
A Holy ]if£tm^vqj^e j,.\t speaks jhen
he tongue is silent, and is either a constant
k "«tradfloh'tor k’ pei'^ual
f? 1 "* • : ■ >
■PjfßjlMsS. ’ ‘ :u;il !:,
■PjSßjiKflFjr Ins I;11
records rodi nn
as seeds to your soul, and
Pta orop of faith spring up in you. By
thus sowing Scripture in our souls wc
raised other crops—crops of love, joy,
peaee, gentleness, goodness, meekness, tem
poranoe. Rotate these erops and keep up
a perpetual fruitfulness.
Anointing in Scarlet Fever.
Tho Apostle James enjoined that tho
elders should pray over a sick person,
anointing him with oil in the name of the
Lord. This has been corrupted by the
papacy into the sacrament of extreme unc
tion, which is quite a different thing, while
the true idea probably is, that the custom
ary medical appliatffoes of the day should
be used, lest the prayer of t>e elders should
become a matter of tuipersthous incanta
tion. The following statement isgoing tho
rounds, and is probably well wor.h know
ing. And how curiously it recalls the
sanitary practices of ancient times, which
were probably not so far out of the way ns
may have been supposed :
Dr. Budd, of Bristol, has published an
account of his method for preventing the
spread of the scarlet fever, whioh ought
to find a place in every school and dwel
ling-house throughout the country. For
nearly twenty years the Doctor has prac
tised the method, and with entire success.
His experience may therefore be trusted,
and we find that the Registrar General has
published his approval thereof. He sets
forth dearly all tho precautions that should
be taken to prevent the spread of infection,
and shows that if these are attended to,
the disease may be cured in a compara
tively short time, and without harm to the
other inmates of the houso. To counter
act the diffusion of the poison in the dry
sours from the skin, he anoints the whole
body, including the scalp, with olive oil,
twice a day, beginning when the white dry
eruption appears, commonly about the
fourth day.
Thoughts to Bemeinber.
The meanest are mighty with God, the
mightiest mean without Him.
None are so sure to lie in Jesus’ bosom,
as those who lie lowest at Jesus’ feet.
That man gave the athiest a crushing
answer, who told him that the very feathor
with whioh ho penned the words, “There
is no God,’’ retuted the audacious lie.—
Dr. Guthrie.
Business a Means op Grace—ln
stead of business becoming a feeder to cov
etousness under the promptings ot nature,
it must beoome a stimulus to b'nevolrnce
under the promptings of grace. Dr llawes,
in his biography of Norman Smith, a mer
chant in his congregation, says he never
grew in grace more rapidly, or shone bright
er as a Christian, than during the Ism. six
or seven years of his life, when he had the
greatest amount of business on bis hands.
From the time when he devoted all to GoJ,
and resolved to pursue his business ns a
part of his religion, he found no tcndeooy
in his wor.dly engagements to chill his pie
ty or enchain his affrotions to earth. His
business became to him a means of grace,
and helped him forward in the divine life,
just as truly as the reading tho Scriptures
and prayer.
Whither are you Going. —Three
travelers from Frankfort to Lile, tell asleep.
They had entered a wrong catriage, and
were taken away toward Strasburg. They
never discovered their error until they
reached the bank of the great river, where
their tickets were asked for. Their vexa
tion on discovering what their sleep had
cost them, suggested a solemn lesson. I
thought of another journey—of the thou-,
sands who are passing on to eternity last
asleep; of the speed with which they are
hurrying along 5 of another river j of other
sleepers awakening to find that they have
been on the wrong way, and that they must
faoe an eternity undone. “Awake thou
that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and
Christ shall give thee light.”
Religious Newspapers. —ls you have
not done so before, subsorihe to a religious
paper now. The dearest paper is cheap ;
indeed, when we oonsider the influence of
fitty-two suoh in a year, read as they are by
a,ll the family. You will meet in it gems
of thought io prose and poetry, extracts
from the best writings ; encouragement to
do good, and warnings against evil, with
examples of both. And thus you will sus
tain an agenoy, whioh, at present, is indis
pensable to our church’s due suooess.
Those who live good and useful lives,
feel as they grow in years, that they are
gradually attaining an eminecco where they
can took calmly down on the busy anxious
mass of mankind, with wonder that the same
hopes and passions once agitated their own
hearts. With no lingering regrets for the
empty past, only an unutterable longing
for the glorious future, which alone can
satisfy the immortal soul, they wait “the
coming of the Lord.”
Uncertain Riches —General Dear
born, for tweiliry years OolteetM' of the port
of Boston, kept dan record of the successes
and failures around him. At the e,pd of_
that period, of living men, not more than
three or four par cent, ot the pooe prospe
rous aotors in the arena of Itade, h id made
a fortune, or were dotog profitable bu-dness.
At least ninety-six out of a hundred had
failed to reaoh the goal of their ambition
and early promise.
It is said, that the purest diamonds,
are not so much seen of themselves, u by
the light they riflsot. So with the truest
Christians; it is not thensslveswe recog
nise, but Christ reflected in thep !
REMEMBSRING FgRM.kR "M-ascre
There is no keener stin'j to "path' thaii tbs
nUedtfry of’foriier ptea'cVo. “ lia ”