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THREE DOLLARS PER AJMHJM.
VOL. XXXIII. NO. 28.
Bible Work.
We copy from tbe r>ltli Annual Report of
the American Bible Society, the following
summary of the work done by Agents within
the States in which the Advocate is the organ
of the M. E. Church, South.— Editor.
Florida and Southern Georgia. —This
extensive field has been cultivated under the
direction of Rev. R. H. Lnckey, of Thomas
ville, Ga.
His report, which we print in full, leaves
little to be said in reference to the field,
save that we must call attention to the chauge
made in September last, when, for reasons
growing out of the great extent and pressing
needs of the work, the larger part of Geor
gia was surrendered to another Agent. The
«mnties in Florida, west of the Apalachicola
iver, are attached to Alabama.
Mr. Luckcy’s diligence in the service will
appeal- from the following statement of his
personal labours. He has travelled ou offi
cial duty 7,508 miles ; visited fifty-six Bible
societies ; organized ton and revived five ;
also attended sixteen anniversaries ; deliv
ered seventy-five Bible sermons and address
es *, and issued 324 letters. Mr. Luckey
writes i
The Ist of April last my district embraced
all the State of Georgia, with Middle, East,
and South Florida.
Rev. W. A. Parka was assistant agent in
Northern Georgia from Ist of March to Ist
of September, 1809. The Ist of September
lie was appointed Agent for Georgia, north
or Savannah and Columbus, leaving in my
district all of Georgia south of a line from
Savannah to Columbus, together with Middle,
Eastern, and Southern Florida.
Bofore the division my field contained
moro than 100,000 square miles. It now
includes a territory extending east and west
300 miles, north nnd south 500 miles, but so
irregular in shape that it does not embraco
more than 00,000 or 70,000 squareJiUes.
A largo part of this country is
thinly ebttJfld,
Mr. Parks while assisting me worked very
diligently find very efficiently. His work in
the mountains of Georgia was very laborious.
The past year should call forth our grati
tude to God. The crop, with the exception
of that in Eastern and Southern Florida,
where tlio caterpillars cut off the cotton
crop, has been a good ono, and the great
Southern staple has commanded a fair price.
The whole country has been unusually
healthy. The church in many places has
been refreshed and revived. Yet we have
not been as active and liberal in the Bible
work as we should have been. A few of the
auxiliaries liavo fully supplied their fields
with the Scriptures. Many others have
supplied theirs in part. Recently a number
of auxiliaries have been making arrange
ments for canvassing and supplying their
fields. The auxiliaries have failed to furnish
me the statistics for my report.
Seven colporteurs have been engaged in
the work of distribution part of the time.
A number of auxiliaries now liave ample
means to supply their fields, but find it very
difficult to employ distributors. In this
country the work of a colporteur is very la
borious and expensive. A colporteur must
have a horse and wagon. But few of those
who can be employed are able to furnish
these. A large number of families, day
schools, and Sunday-schools among the
freedmou have been supplied.
Rev. J. W. Mills, sent out by the Ran
dolph County (Ga.) Bible Society, iu three
weeks sold to the freedmen fifty dollars’
worth of Bibles, aud gave to all the destitute
lie found who were unable or unwilling to
buy. Ho preached for them at night during
■'week days. Many of them waiked five or
six miles to attend these night appoint
ments.
The Sunday-schools nmoiig the whites in
1111 the better settled portions ul the country
have been fully supplied. Still there are
many of the whites end perhaps oue half of
the colored people unsupplied.
There is still nearly one-half of the terri
tory (not of tlio population) in my district,
which has had but little done toward sup
plying the entire destitution. Bible com
mittees have been appointed in many of the
poor counties, but most of them have been
rather inefficient.
From the foregoing review, it will bo seen
that Mr. Luckey is intrusted with weighty
responsibilities, "to which he is faithfully de
voting himself, commanding our sympathies
and prayers for his enlarged success.
The receipts from Florida were $84:5 04.
Books sent, 1,809 volumes.
The corresponding items for Southern
Georgia are necessarily included in tho re
turns for the whole State, given hereafter.
Ueobuia. — This field, under the care of
the Rev. William A. Parks, of Newuan,
comprises all that portion of tho State north
of n line running from Savannah to Col
umbus.
Mr. Barks was assigned to this district on
the Ist of September last, ouly seven months
ago ; but anterior to that period, aud for
about six months, he was laboring in a por
tion of the same field as assistant to Mr.
Luckey. The whole length of the servioe
rendered by Mr. Parks has, therefore, been
a fraction over a year.
His personal labors for the year embrace
the following: Number of Bible societies
visited, seventy ; organized, thirty-one ; re
vived, thirty-three ; anniversaries attended,
twenty-eight ; Bible sermons and addresses
delivered, 122; letters sent, 975 ; docu
ments, 1,075 ; and number of miles travel
led, 10,070.
The statement appended from Mr. Parks
himself will give a correct view of the diffi
culties of tho work, the results thus far
achieved, and the prospects for the future.
He has been in the field scarcely long enough
to make his influence as widely and deeply
felt as it will soou be. His earliest labors,
diligently continued, will secure results, as
rye trust, full of encouragement to our friends
in tho State and to tbe Society at large. Mr.
Parks says:
But little more than a year ago I entered
upon the agency in Georgia, as an assistant,
and on the Ist of September, 1869, as Agent
for Georgia, the field including eighty-four
countios. On undertaking the work I found
nineteen organized societies, five of whicli
were in active operation. We now have
sixty-two auxiliary societies organized, ten of
which are now societies, and thirty-three are
old societies revived, which had beeu extinct
since the beginning of the war. There are
also twenty branch societies aud Bible com
mittees.
Griffin and Bartow County Societies have
explored and wholly supplied their fields;
as also the Augusta Bible Society, which is
not auxiliary.
The following auxiliaries have in part can
vassed and supplied their fields: Atlanta,
Marietta, Dalton, Rome, Griffin, and Henry,
Greene, Gordon, Warren, Elbert, Taliaferro,
Troup, Carroll, Coweta, and Harris Conn ties.
We cannot furnish the statistics from these
societies, as all the canvassing has been done
since their last annual meetings ; but they
will be included in my next annual report.
Besides the many destitute persons and
families supplied by the societies which have
been canvassing, the other societies, all of
which have books in the depositories, havo
supplied many destitute, aud also many Sab
bath-schools.
There are yet twenty-one counties which
have no organized societies. Some of them
are urging a visit from the Agent, that they
may be organized and supplied with the
Holy Scriptures.
The destitution in Georgia is doubtless
greater at this time in proportion to the
population than ever before. lam urging
upon all the societies the importance of can
vassing their fields, that the destitute poor
may be supplied with the word of life.
Many of the auxiliaries, however, are too
weak to do anything in the way of canvass
ing without aid from the Parent Society. All
the county agents aro required to collect
funds to help sustain themselves. At many
points the people are very liberal in propor
tion to their ability, and sometimes poor
orphan children throw in their mite. The
want of money is the only hindrance to the
Bible cause in Georgia.
When we have supplied the destitution in
our own State, we hope to be able to do
something for the Cause generally.
Almost without exception, all the evan
gelical denominations unite in the Bible
cause and co-operate with the American
Bible Society. lam ofttimes greatly cheered
in the work by expressions of sympathy and
fxttittern flrisiian
encouragement, given iu person and by
letter.
This southern country is under many ob
ligations to the American Bjble Society for
its liberality-. -P
Upon the whole, I consider the Bible work
in Georgia encouraging, aud the futuro
brightening.
The receipts from Georgia, including the
southern' district, were §7,065 58, showing a
large increase over the last year. The num
ber of volumes sent to the State was 21,610.
South Carolina. —The Rev. E. A. Bolles,
of Columbia, superintends the operations
of your Society iu this State. The hopeful
tone of his report will lie noted with interest.
He says:
Service Performed. —During the past year,
I visited for official purposes forty-five aux
iliaries, including branches and committees;
attended twelve anniversaries; organized
and revived six auxiliaries nnd committees;
delivered 100 sermons and addresses ; dis
patched 583 official letters and documents;
aud travelled 4,000 miles.
Discouragements. —lt is deeply to be regret
ted that by the continued political agitation
ip this State, together with the heavy taxa
tion, of which the people complain as hard
to be home, the Bible cause has been greatly
hindered.
The liesuppiy.— None of tho auxiliaries
have reported their fields supplied during
tho post year. While none of tho county
organizations have been able to comply fully
with the Jubilee plan, for the want of funds
to employ colporteurs, some of the small
societies within county limits have explored
and supplied their fields, aud these were
already reported. Those who have partially
supplied tneir fields, during tho past and
arevious years, may bo enumerated as fol
uwa: Oconee, Pickens, Greenville, Ander
son, Abbeville, Spartanburg, Reidville,
Limestone Springs, Laurens, Beaufort, Col
umbia, Cheraw, Chesterfield, Chester, Rocky
Creek, Union of Fairfield and Richland,
Fairfield, Ridgeway, York, Lancaster, Hor
ry, Marion, Georgetown, Darlington, Salem,
and Sumter. Os 5,730 families visited, 1,618
were destitute and supplied ; children and
other destitute persons supplied in addition,
770; Sabbath-schools supplied, 177. This
includes reports from several Biblo com
mittees and individuals.
While we have excellent auxiliaries at
other central points in this State doing a
good work, it may be well to notice some
very encouraging facts gathered from the
report of tho Columbia Bible Society. In
some departments of its work, a very grati
fying advance was shown iu the fifty-fourth
aunual report, presented at its anniversary,
April 3, 1870. It says: ‘ ‘Since the war it has
been a distributor mostly, though not entire
ly, of the bounty of others. The tide is at
this moment on the turn, and we may here
after contribute more than we receive. Dur
ing the last year, our income from individual
donations and the sale of books has been
§316 68, which lias been paid over, except a
trilling balance, to the American Bible So
ciety, and is about §79 76 above our receipts
last year. We have obtained from tho So
ciety nt New York the donation of 900 vol
umes, the value of which is §272 03 ; so that
we liavo raised §44 65 more than their cost.
We have distributed, by students of the
Presbyterian Theological Seminary and oth
ers, in Columbia and vicinity, and iu the
counties of Newberry, Lexington, aud
Orangeburg, 531 volumes; besides others
sold at the depository, which would add
another hundred to the amount. What has
the American Bible Society, to which weave now
auxiliary, been doing for us '■ The whole num
ber of volumes donated to this society since
the war is 4,281, tho value, at the Society’s
prices, $1,752 81. The whole number sent
into South Carolina during the same period
is 64,489 volumes, valued at $24,052 13.
During the year eliding March 29, 1870,.
7,1135 volumes have been given to the socie
ties in our State, their value beiug $2,137 85.
The contributions returned have amounted,
we are happy to know, to $2,054 71, which
is $5lO 80 beyond the cost, so that the tide
here, too, is beginning to turn. ”
The Freedmen. —The destitution among
this largo population being great, tho aux
iliaries and other benevolent institutions
have not beeu unmindful of them in the dis
tribution of the Holy Scriptures as fast as
they have learned to read. In the public
schools for the education of colored children
in different counties, so far as known, they
havo had free access to the word of God.
Some colored ministers have rendered good
service in the distribution and sale of the
Scriptures among their peoplo. Many years
must elapse before every individual of this
large and growing population is prepared to
receive God’s word.
The. Ertenl of Territory to be Explored vnd
Supplied. —This territory embraces portions
of the mountain region in the northwest
(mostly whites), aud these are being sup
plied. Among the counties on the seacoast
in tho southeast, including somo of the
islands, there is a large population of freed
rnen who are only partially supplied with
the word of God, as all have not learned to
read.
Bible Golportage. —For the want of a regu
lar system of colportage, which is much
needed on this field, this work was done by
voluntary helpers. Several auxiliaries have
resolved to employ colporteurs to explore
and supply their fields, hoping to be sus
tained by contributions from the churches.
In this way one auxiliary expects to pay the
salary of a colporteur, SSO per mouth, for a
few months, and another at the rate of S4OO
per annum.
The Bible in the Public Schools. —At the first,
meeting of the State board of education of
South Carolina, held in Columbia, March,
1870, composed of the school commissioners
of tlio different counties of the State, the
following resolution was unanimously adop
ted and presented to the Agent of tho Ameri
can Bible Society for South Carolina:
“Resolved, That the school commissioners
of the different counties iu the State be re
quested to require, as far as practicable, the
reading of the Holy Scriptures, without note
or comment, at least once a day in each of
the public schools under their charge.”
Ecclesiastical Bodies. —During tbe past year,
at their annual meetings, the South Carolina
Conference of the Methodist Episcopal
Church, South, and tho Evangelical Luthe
ran Synod of this State, unanimously ad
opted resolutions recommending the Ameri
can Bible Society to the patronage of all
their churches.
Receipts from South Carolina, $2,655 43.
Books sent, 9,020 volumes.
The Money-Test of Piety.
It may sound ungracious to some ears,
but it is none the less true, that the money
test is the best criterion of a man’s religion.
Sometimes, indeed, we may find a man who
is willing to contribute liberally to a cause
for which he is unwilling to make any other
sacrifice. We sometimes —perhaps frequent
ly—find men who seem to think that if they
will only pay handsomely into the treasury
of the church, they need not trouble them
selves about living according to her require
ments. But while we concede that there
are cases like these, wc still contend for the
general rule, that the best payers are the
best Christians. Os course, there are in
every church very good members whose
means are limited, and of whom much could
not bo expected. But if they be earnest
and zealous, they will prove it by their lib
erality, even though they be poor. For it
is the manner, rather than the amount,
which indicates the spirit. Every one who
has any experience in business, knows that
there are men who pay largely, who do not
deserve to be called good paymasters. They
pay only when they cannot help it, and then
with such a show of reluctance that it is
evident they had much rather not do so.
So, there are men who contribute to the
church largely who are not to be classified
as liberal givers. They show too plainly
that other motives than the cause of Christ
urge them to yield of their substance.
Sometimes the officers who have it in charge
to make collections, have to operate on the
baser feelings of their nature in order to
get from them the amounts which their
means warrant them to give.
Now a man who has a genuine zeal for
the welfare and properity of his church,
will need no stimulating to induce him to
give pecuniary aid towards building her up.
If the Lord has blessed him with abun
dance, he is willing of that abundance to
give largely, and instead of seeking to avoid
cftiig on his purse, he is ever looking out to
see where money may be profitably invested
for the Master’s service. If he be poor,
there is still no lagging. The mite that he
is able to contribute, is paid in with prompt
ness aud with pleasure. He does not wait
to be asked, nor expose deacons to the un
pleasant duty of asking for his quota time
and again. He knows that such delinquency
would make them feel a3 unpleasantly as it
would him, aud though pride is not his
ruling motive, he does have too much pride
to wait to be pushed into doing his duty.
The man who gives to his church as large
ly as his means will allow, will, as a general
thing, enjoy his church privileges. He will
feel that it is his church; that he has an inter
est in all that she has and is. He will not
be pulled half-reluctantly iuto her enter
prises, nor feel like a stranger when he en
ters within he walls. His pastor and his
brethren will all be tho dearer to him when
he feels that he and they are all engaged in
one common work, and that he has aided
its furtherance as far as his ability will al
low.—lndex and Baptist.
A Missionary Speeeii.
At the late Missionary Anniversary of tho
Primitive Methodist Church in Exeter Hall,
London, Rev. P. Pugh, President of tho
Conference, made the following speech :
* Seven years ago I stood here before, and
addraesay you for an hour—(laughter)—but
I shfdlhot do that to-night, I promise you.
Seven years ago we had a holy determina
tion to Convert the world, and our determin
ation is not abated one jot yet. “A sower,”
saitli the Master, “went forth to sow, nnd
some of the seed fell by the way-side, and
the fowls «f heaven picked it up and de
voured it j other seeds fell oil stony places,
and th«K was not much depth of earth, and
when tjßfmn rose that sun scorched tho
seed fell among thorns, and tho
thorns?sprang up and choked what fell
there; others fell on good ground and
brought forth fruit thirty, sixty, and a hun
dred fold.” Our Baviour has given us the
key to the parable, “The field is the w orld.”
O, Mr. Chairman, that is the sphere of our
operations. (Applause.) Nothing less than
the world ! We are to be circumscribed by
nothing but nature herself : “Go ye unto all
the world, visit every hamlet, every city,
every country, every nation, every continent,
every island, every zone, nnd preach my
Gospel throughout the world.’ That is the
sphere of our operations. There is much of
this land, Mr. Chairman, that remains to be
cultivated.
What an appalling picture is that sketch
ed l)y the last speaker about our own coun
try. The Chinese empire aloue contains,
according to official report, not less than
400,000,000 of human beings. 400,000,000
of human beings ! Can you conceive the
vast idea? 400,000,000 of human lieings, the
whole of whom are idolaters ! If to this be
added tho Buddhio tribes of Japan, tho
Hindoo, Chinese States, and Hindostan, we
shall have about 550,000,000 peoplo profess
ing the Buddhio fuitli udder its various
modifications. The Brahminieal Hindoos
may he set down at 120,000,000, and the
heathen of'all other States at about 40,000,-
000 ; aud we have then about 700,000,000 of
heathens who, being without God, are with
out hope in the world. Tho Mohammedans,
Magions, and Jews may be set down at
140,000,000, and then we have left for
Christendom about 300,000,000 ; but over a
large part of these there is darkness brood
ing, approaching the utter night, of heath
enism. Wo have thus left for tho pale of
Evangelical Protestantism about 80,000,000
of souls.
Is the land arable, Mr. Chairman ? Can
the world bo cultivated ? Can it he conver
ted ? Mau, in the fullest sense oL that
word, mau lie converted ! Whatever the
his skin, jb&fever his nationality, man, in
the fullß|Bense of that term, may be con
veited&Hbul. (Applause.) There is no
physi«jßbstruction in the way, Mr. Chair
man. The Gospel has won its victories iu
every zone of this globe. The hesitating
deductions of a semi-infidel philosophy have
denied a soul to certaiu sections of onr race
in Africa. If this be correct, recall your
missionaries from Fernando Po. If this be
correct, that mission will be a grand failure.
But Africa, down-trodden, manacled, and
fettered, and bleeding at every pore, has
protested against the brand. (Hear, hear.)
j Jlie has refused to l>e ostracised from the lm
mau family : “Am I uot a man and a broth
er” has been wrung from her by torture,
and has sunk deeply into the hearts of En
glishmen. The eloquent Richard Watson
said in that celebrated sermon of his,
years ago before tbe Wesleyan
Missionary Society: “Tour missionaries
have determined that they have dived into
that mine from which it was said no valua
ble ore and no precious stones could be ex
tracted, and they have brought up the gem
of immortal spirit, flashing with intellect and
blooming with the hues of Christian grace.”
There is no physical obstruction, and I as
sume, Mr. Chairman, there is no moral ob
struction. (Hear, hear,) There is no man
too bad to be reached by the Gospel of our
blessed Redeemer, and the remedial meas
ures of that Gospel can reach the most
deeply fallen. A certain writer said Jesus
Christ delighted to experimentalize on des
perate cases. He came in contact with the
thief in his last hours and saved him ; and
the Magdalene and Saul, sinners of tho
worst description, were saved by the Gospel
of Christ. The rock is not too hard to be
blasted ; the heart is not too icy to be mel
ted. “Is not my word as fire V” saith the
Lord, “and as a hammer to break the rock
in pieces ?”
As surely as the hardest rock will yield to
the repeated blows of the workman, so sure
as the mountain iceberg will liquefy when
brought into the southern waters, and un
der sunny skies, so shall all people fall down
before Him, all nations shall serve Him.
(Applause.) We have seen the Gospel, Mr.
Chairman, in contact with sensualism at
Corinth, and it washed several of those pol
luted souls ; we have seen it in contact with
the skepticism of ancient Greece, with the
bigotry of Judaism, and the superstition of
the heatheu, and that Gospel anciently won
its victories in many places. Has it lost its
potency ?(No.) Is it hot yet the power of
God unto salvation unto every one that be
lieveth ? (Yes.) Has this Gospel lost its
ancient potency ? Is tho human heart less
susceptible of the truth ? What do the
trophies of yonr Missionary Society say on
this point ? What do the thousands, the
tens of thousands, and hundreds of thous
ands of sonls gathered into the folds of
Christ in our circuits say on this point ? Is
not the Gospel as potent now as ever it was?
A living authority has said :
I once lived in a village where spiritual
life, except in one instance, seemed almost
extinct. The village consisted of a saw-mill,
four public-houses, a smithy, a carpenter’s
shop, the doctor’s house, a toll-bar, and
rows of laborers’ cottages. Nobody showed
much knowledge of Christ except the car
penter, Phil Robson, who was better known,
however, as the “Singing Carpenter. I nil
was of a merry heart. “Is any ■ merry t let
him sing psalms.” This did Phil all the
day. He sang like the lark. “It does me
good, sir, to sing,” said Phil to me one day;
“it cheers me, sir, ahd makes life pleasant,
just like this day which is so. bright and
heavenly." And then off started Phil with
one of his songs ;
O happy day, that fixed iny choice
On thee, my Saviour and my God ;
Well may this glowing heart rejoice,
And tell Us raptures all abroad.
“Do you know the chorus,” said Fhil, as
he picked up a piece of wood that ho wan
ted.
“No, Phil, I dou’t.”
“Ah, it’s a good one, its,” replied Phil,
and off he went singiDg,
lfappy day! happy day!
When Jesus washed my sins away;
He taught me how to watch aud pray.
And lfte rejoicing every day.
Happy day! happy day!
When Jesus washed my sins away.
In a few moments Phil came back, and
sat down beside me in the sun. His bronz
ed face, white shirt, and his throat as bare
as a sailor’s, made him look very picturesque,
and not the less so because be sat nnder an
old cedar, whose branches were over-spread
ing his well-made head.
“You see, sir,” said Phil, smiling, “I was
oonverted through singing.”
“Indeed, Phil, how was that ?”
PUBLISHED BY J. W. BURKE & CO., FOR THE If. E. CHURCH, SOUTH
MACQN, GA., FRIDAY, JULY 15, 1870 J
“I’ll tell you, sir. I was always fond of j
siuging. My mother—yonder she is in the?
garden, with my pet lily—say si used to sing*
in my cradle. Anyhow, I remember sing
ing as long as I remember any thing at all
Well, sir, when I was younger I used to go
to the ‘Jolly Farmers,’ and drink and sing
for hours together. Aye many a shilling
have I spent yonder.”
“What did you sing there, Phil ?”
“Well, sir, I was fond of ‘The Wouuded
Soldier,’ ‘Aidd Lang Syne,’ ‘Home, sweet
Home.’ I never would sing a bad song. I
always liked nny thing that touched the
heart a bit.”
“And what about the preacher, Phil ?’
“O, he was called ‘Canaan,’ ” .
“Canaan !”
“Yes, sir, Canaan,” echoed the oaipentßr.
“That wasn’t his real name, you know. His)
proper name was John Wilson, a‘Primitive,’ 1 '
who used to go through the village singing;”
and here Phil sang himself,
O what lias Jesus done for me?
He came from the land of Canaan:
He groaned and died upon the tree,
That I might go to Canaan:
A glorious crown appears in view
Iu that bright land of Canaan ;
A palm of royal victory’too;
Come, let us go to Canaan.
“And has that a chorus Phil ?”
“Yes and a good one:
Canaan, bright Canaan,
The glorious land of Canaan ;
O Canaan is a happy place,
Come, let us go to Canaan.
“Well, sir, os I was saying, I was sitting
in the ale-house one summer night, a-sing
ing and drinking with a lot more, when we
suddenly heard someone outside in the
rord singing too. So we listened, and
couldn’t make it out. Then the voice came
nearer and nearer, and one of them threw
open tho window, when all heard the words:
‘Canaan, bright Canaan.
“ ‘Why,’ said Joe, the miller, ‘it’s Canaan,
no less.’ , »
“So I looked, and there he was. I think I
see him now. A plain man with a coat like
a Quaker’s, and his broad-brimmed hat iu his
hand. When he saw us all at the window
he gave us a lively sort of look. He had a
bit of fun in him, and says he, ‘I am going
to preach on the green, to tell you all ,of
Jesus, nnd pardon and happiness, and heav
en. Come and lieai-the good news.
the Lord !’ And then away he went snip
Come, sinner, turn, and go with me,
For Jesus waits iu Canaan,
With angels bright to welcome thee
To all the joys of Canaan;
Come freely to salvation’s streams,
They sweetly flow in Canaan ;
There everlasting spring abides
Around his throne in Canaan.
“This,” said Phil, “was too much for me.
My heart seemed as though it would break.
Up I got, took the brown jug of ale that I
paid for and emptied it on the highway,
placod the jug on tho doorstep, and started
off after the preacher. I found him under
the oak tree yonder, singing :
Come, sioners, to Jesus, no longer delay;
A free, foil salvation is offered to-day.
“And there I stood all of a tremble. —
When he had gone through two verses of
the hymn he said, Let us pray,’ and down
he went on his knees, aud began to pray for
us all. About, a score of ns wore— for peo
ple bad followed him from the cottages—
beside him, aud most of ns knelt down. I
know I did, for I couldn’t stand. ‘Lord,’
he said, ‘save all these sinners ; save them,
Lord ! save them, Lord !’ Just then it be
gan to rain, when the preacher said,
“ ‘Will any of your good folks lend me.
your kitchen to preach iu !’
“ Nobody answered him. I remember
Btib o’ tbe smithy laughed at him. As for
me, his prayer had made me feel worse than
ever, and I was still all of a tremble, but I
managed to say.
“‘You may preach in my shop pointiug
to this shed of mine.
“ ‘Thank yon, friend,’ said lie, quite live
ly, ‘that will do very well,’ aud he put his
arm through mine, and marched mo off
across the green, singing as he went,
Your friends may desert you aud leave you alone,
The joys of salvation will more than atone;
With God for your portion and heaven your home,
The angels in glory invite you to come.”
“Had that ft chorus too. Phil?” I said,
smiling asl thought of their marching across
the green.
“Yes, of course it had sir. It was this
The Lion of Judah will break every chain,
And give you the victory again and again.
“Well, sir, wo got into the shed, and the
preacher began to preach. His text was,
‘Be ye reconciled to God. ’ What a sermon
it was ! He set before us our sius as though
he knew us all, and then he exclaimed, ‘But
Jesus died for you; died for you, for you,
and for you,’ and then lie pointed at us
with his finger, so that he made us feel as
though each of us had been the cause of all
the Saviour's woe. I stood beside him all
the time listening for my life, So did others;
aye, even Bob o’ tho smithy was broken
hearted; and when he knelt down to pray,
Bob said, ‘O pray for me.’ ‘Praise the
Lord !’ said the preacher. He prayed for
Bol*, and then he snddenly began to pray
for me. Then I prayed for myself, and as I
prayed, O, sir, light, freedom, peace and joy
came to me, and I cried out, ‘Lord, lam
saved !’ and from that hour sir, I havo sung
the sweet songs of Zion.”
“What became of ‘Canaan,’ Phil ?”
“Oil took him into my house, sir, and
my wife made him right welcome. He
stayed with us two days, aud led all, myself,
my wife, my dear old granny, to the Saviour,
and then ho went away.”
“Did you see him again, Pliil ?”
“Only once, sir. He took a fever at Mer
ton, soon after he left us. I went to see
him when he was dying. He knew me, and
said, ‘Good by.’ Ho then pointed to heaven
and whispered,
We shall range the sweet, plains on the bauks of
the river,
And sing of salvation for ever aud ever.
“He died rejoicing in God, sir, and went
yonder,” said Phil, and he pointed where
the setting sun was spreading its golden
light far away up the sky. “Ah, I often
think of his bright smile as he lay dying,
and of his grave in Merton Church-yard.
But he is in heaven, sir, in glory and peace,
in tho heavenly Canaan he loved so well.”
And then good Phil rose from under the old
cedar and went into his cottage; singing,
Victory, victory, when we gain the victory,
O liow'happy we shall be when wc gain the victory.
IDuring the reciting of this anecdote the
cheering was so load and repeated that the
speaker had to request the vast audience
not to break his sentences by their plaudits. ]
Mr. Chairman, we have had many a John
Wilson—hundreds and thousands of John
Wilsons —who have itinerated this Eugland
of ours, going into hamlets and villages,
and they have made Primitive Methodist
hymns ring through onr villages and our
towns; and we have had thousands and tens
of thousands of Phil Robsons converted to
God. (Applause.) These are our credenda.
sir. These are our epistles. The seare the
testimonies of our commission. Talk of an
Apostolic succession ! The Apostles con
verted, and so have we converted. We are
in the succession. (Applause.) “By their
fruit they shall know them.”
[Here the revered gentleman turned and
looked at the clock, but such was tbe influ
ence upon the meeting that he was met with
cries from all parts of the building of “Go
on ! go on !” He then said,] .
What have we got to cultivate the arid
ground we have been reviewing ? The min
istry. There aro those in this day that de
preciate the ministry; but that day will never
come when the platform, aud the press, and
the philosophic lecturer will supercede the
ministry, The pulpit defunct! Never!
(Applause.) Never defunct! Never ! (Re
newed applause.) Her themes will die ?
Never ! (Hear, hear.) Her hymns will bo
sung unto the millennium. Where have
you got anything like the pulpit to reach a
man’s heart ? Where have you got any
thing like the pulpit ? Where are the con
gregations like this that gather around ns .
Let secularism present an appearance like
this. (Applause.) Let it do it. (Hoar,
hear.) Why, Chnst was a minister. He in
stituted the ministry. “I will make yon
fishers of men.” He gave some apostles,
and some prophets, some teachers, some
evangelists, for the work of the ministry;
and not until the last soul is saved shall that
machinery stop. A learned ministry ? Yes,
we will have that if we can get it. We will
have a logical, ami rhetorical,
ministry if we can; but w^^HHHnBH
earnest ministry—
have ministers of ' -Yij,’ i
inters who
its ruin, to
is nut merely a rhehuwß “J
have :u>t the weightj - .,",
who can enter into j - .,",
in wh,-n they “J
laws." “O that 3 f ’■ -V£ s*£*££* A-'’/i*
mine , yes a y.‘_ £ tT-V'’ «aV,“
weep day
• i.mg liter . r myV ’ ’ V--V
• ‘child tin- J \ ,t ; “
love. giv,. ns this “
in the value and
the ruin of the ■.
filieaey of tho provisions* fftCS ",
Ui.-iiti.. r the word . of •/ t'-’/lV'
win. inice was tj
as the grand theme of
Lis vision, and the sutllcien^^^B^^^H
save to the uttermost, he th^^BBBBH
forward over the pulpit aud
the sins of the whole world on my backer
could believe them away.” O! let us have
a faith like that—on unquenchable faith.
We will have no negative theology in Primi
tive Methodism. Our trumpet gives the
proper blast, and no mistake about that.
(Laughter.) We will never hide Christ.
Wo will put him before our legions as we
move to battle and victory. (Hear, hear.)
“Him hath God set forth” —that is the reme
dy—“ Him hath God set forth to be the
propitiation through faith in his blood, to
declare his righteousness.” “To declare
his righteousness,” I say, for the remission
of sins that are past, through the forbear
ance of God; and not only so, Mr. Chair
man, and not only must the ministry be
useful in this work, we mast take every op
portunity of doiug good. A matron lady,
some of you remember, walking in the
streets of this metropolis above half a cen
tury ago, saw a young man standing at the
corner of ono of the streets. The Rev.
Timothy East was going to occupy the
Tabernacle, (not this Tabernacle, but the
old Tabernacle, George Whitofleld’s Taber
nacle). That night this matron lady said
to the young man, “Will you go with me
to chapel ?” and he complied with the re
quest. Tho word that night reached his
fM&r. Who was he V That niglit ho became
a decided Christian, aud afterward sought
the fellowship of that Church and became a
Snnday-school teacher, and offered himself
for the mission field, and died the immortal
John Williams, of Erromanga. Bishop
Asliury. I say he was a Bishop as truly as
he of London. Bishop Asbury was a Bishop,
a Bishop of the right sort. He was travel
ing one day in America; ho was a Bishop
belongiug to tho Methodist Episcopal
Church, and he was traveling ono day in
the wilderness, making his way to Charles
ton, and coming to the bank of a creek he
saw a colored man fishing. The name of
thfc colored man was Punch. Punch was a
bad character, and I suppose Asbury knew
something about it. “Puuob,” says he,
“do you ever pray V” “No, sir.” Asbury
began to talk to him, and Punch began to
feel the influence of religion stealing around
liis heart, and then Asbury sang to his black
solitary auditor in the wilderness these bless
ed hues:
Flnnged in a gulf of dark despair,
Wc wretched sinners lay.
What a vulgar thing for a Bishop to sing !
(Laughter.) But he sang the song, and
sang it in faith; aud I repeat that Asbury
was a Bishop of tho right stamp. He had
not theparapherna.iaof the Episcopal office;
lie had no mitre, throne, crozier, nor lawn
sleeves, neither had ho a seat in Congress,
but he was a Bishop of whom Paul would
not have been ashamed. Hear his own tes
tiffiony : “lam excessively afflicted,” said
he, “but lam ready to spend and bo spent
for Gocl: I am ready to die in the field, in
the woods, in the house,, iu the wilder
ness. I have nothing to leave but a journey
of five thousand miles a year, the cure of a
hundred thousand souls, and the station
ing of four hundred preachers.” This was
the Bishop that sang to Punch, “Plunged
in a gulf of dark despair.” The word had
its effect. Asbnry left him. Punch throw
down his fish-polo, ran home, and, to use
his own language, said, “Me t.ink before I
get home Punch goto hell.” Punch be
gan to preach. The overseer said Punch
shouldn’t preach, but Punch did preach,
aud at last the ovefseer preached too. Then
the South Carolina Methodist Conference
came twenty-five years after, and sent a mis
sionary to the black people. Punch was
then stricken in years. The missionary went
to Punch’s cabin, and ns he approached
Punch stood at the door, and clasping his
hands and lifting his eyes to heaven, he said,
“Now lettest thou tiiy servant depart in
peace, for mine eyes have seen thy salva
tion.” “My child,” said Pnnch, “God
hath sent yon here. lam getting old, and
I shall soon be dead. I have three hundred
souls here that yon must take charge of.”
Here is work privately done. Brethren, let
us buckle on our armor afresh; let us go to
the battle with indomitable courage, for
humanity wants onr help. (Loud aud con
tinued cheering.)
Plain Preaching.
From many years’ observation and expe
rience I am convinced that many good and
true men iu the ministry, of excellent con
versational talents, fail to preach the gos
pel effectively aud interestingly because,
when they attempt to preach, they read, and
read in a reading tone, or put on airs of the
orator, speak in an artificial, declamatory,
and unnatural manner. This is a great mis
take. Preaching the gospel, as to manner,
should always be in the plainest diction pos
sible. lam convinced we should preach to,
and not for, or over, tho hearers. Earnest
men, addressing their fellows to persuade
them, look them directly in the face, and
talk to them in concise, simple, plain, lumin
ous language. And this is the way to
preach Christ and the resurrection. In the
first place, let the preacher get his own
heart warmed up with the theme, and his
mind thoroughly filled with a scriptural,
logical digest of the topic, and then he may
go into his pulpit with or without his man
uscript, and, casting himself upon the Lord
for his blessing, may hope to preach a ser
mon that will not bo dull, or lull bis hear
ers to sleep. When you attempt to preach
the gospel, brother, having carefully looked
over the subject, and adopted a good, logi
cal arrangement, and turned and prayed the
matter over, until your heart and mind are
thoroughly surcharged with the subject,
you may safely ignoi'e your manuscripts,
and cast to the moles and bats all artificial
airs, and tones, and attempts at playing the
orator, and speak in your plainest, simplest,
most concise and conversational manner.
If yon will do this, yon will find that you
have suddenly become effective, interesting,
and even eloquent to your people. It is
amazing that good men can ever become
dull in pleaching the blessed gospel; and
they never would, if they could only be
emancipated from tlie.miserable bondage of
professional airs and tones, and tell the
story of the cross in a plain, simple, natural
and earnest manner. Men always become
interested when they find themselves ad
dressed by one with a full heart and a lu
minous mind, talking earnestly and afleo
tionately to them. Their minds are at once
put into sympathy with the speaker, and
the mind of speaker and'hearer travel on to-
f ether in sympathetic union to the end,
tnt when the preacher speaks with airs and
artificial tones, aud does not seem to be
simple-hearted and earnest in his Master s
work, the hearer naturally takes the place
not of a learner, but of a spectator who is
witnessing an exhibition, and he feels that
he is there not to feel and act, but to look
on the farce and criticise the performance.
All the most efficient, effective preachers
of onr day are men who talk— yes, that is the
word— talk to the people, and they talk in
plain, simple, concise language, and the
people understand and appreciate the talk;
and this is the secret of the great pulpit
power of such men as Prof. Finney, New
man Hall, Henry Ward Beecher, Mr. Spur
geon, Mr. Knapp, Mr. Earle, and many
others, who are found to be sons of thundei
in the pulpit.— Watchman and Reflector.
Christianity is ennobled, not by the digni
ty of men’s persons, but by the strength of
their faith.— St. Gregory.
Mr. roovethat an humble
address be presented to Her Majesty praying
that she would bo graciously pleased to in
vito the President of the United States to
cononr with Her Majesty in appointing com
missioners to revise the authorized version
of the Bible. At tho request of Her Majes
ty’s goverement, who wished to liavo more
time for considering the subject, he had de
ferred his motion, which he should otherwise
have brought forward much earlier in the
session, and now perhaps he should be met
with the objection that in the interval Con
vocation had appointed a committee which
at the end of this month would commence
the revision of the Authorized Version, and
that therefore it was now too late for Her
Majesty’s government to intervene. Un
doubtedly, however, should it seem to Par
liament that the work ought to be takeu up,
whether as a national or, ns he hoped, an
international undertaking and should accord
ingly bo entrusted to a royaF commission
instead of a committee of convocation, that
body would feel the respect due to such a
decision. It would be impostible for what
was iu fact a mere private body, without auy
legitimate claim to act either on behalf of
the church or the nation, to pre-occupy the
gronnd, should it be the opinion of Parlia
ment that the subject ought to he taken up
by the government instead.
Now, there were scholars on the continent
of Europe and others iu tho United States
whose assistance ought to be obtained ; and
for the translutian of the Old Testament it
would be essential to invite tho aid of some
of those Jewish scholars both here and
abroad who were the groatest living masters
of Hebrew learning. In fact it would bo in
the power of Her Majesty’s Government, and
especially if acting in unison with that of
the United States, to call together aCominis
siou which would boa perfect instrument
for tho work, and that the whole world
should feel, with regard to it, the moat abso
lute assurance not only for its impartiality,
but of tho profound and accurate learning
of those by whom it was achieved, so that it
should be indeed the possession forever of
mankind.
Mr. Gladstone. —The subject is not alto
gether anew one to Her Majesty’s Govern
ment, and the Government are certainly
responsible for having discouraged the at
tempt to throw into the hands of the civil
authority, at the present, stage, tho work of
revision, whether the original texts of the
Holy Scripture or of the authorized version.
Adhering entirely to that opinion, I am de
sirous to lose no time in acquainting the
House with tho grounds on which we have
adopted it. I need not say that
much in tbenspueetc GP'HFy bCShorfdilA'fritmn’
with which it is impossible to differ. Tho
fundamental difference between us is this—
It is the opinion of my honorable friend,
and 1 do not iu the least degree, complain
that those who entertain it should argue it in
this H ouse, that this work will be best initia
ted by public and civil authority. Now, we
are of the opposite opinion. (Hear, hear.)
We believe the work will be most safely,
most satisfactorily, most effectually initiated
by those efforts which cannot pretend to
public authority. And why ?If I may pre
sume to say so, this fallacy runs through the
very interesting speech of the honorable
gentleman who seconded the motion. The
honorable gentleman appears to assume—
and I think it is assumed also by my honor
able friend—that it is in onr power, by set
ting to work a certain critical aud sebolar
like machinery, to insure at a single stroke,
as I may say, the attainment of a satisfac
tory result. We do not wish to be bound by
any such proposition. We do not wish to
see a machinery initiated which will produce
a result having ipso facto pretentions to
authority. We believe the wise course is to
allow persons who are willing to engage in
this important field of labor to complete
their work, but wo say that work ought to
be subject to the action of public opinion.
[Hear, hear.] I quite agree with the honor
able gentleman that it is most desirable that
lay judgment should be passed upon the
work, and I, for one, should regard with
jealousy the appointment of any body whicli,
however carefully selected, was to devote
itself to this most delicate and important
task, and was to be entitled afterwards to
say, “There are the results of our labor;
now we expect you to accept them 1” [Hear,
hear!]
But I own I think that, even if we were
more inclined to adopt the general view of
my honorable friend, there would be great
objection to tbe method proposed by him of
an inyitation to the President of the United
States to concur with Her Majesty in ap
pointing commissioners to revise the author
ized version of the Bible, nnd likewise, I
suppose, the text of the New Testament, as
well as of the Old Testament and the Apo
crypha. lam quite sure that the President
of the United Siates, and the accomplished
gentleman, Mr. Fish, who fills the office of
Secretary of State, would receive with the
utmost politeness any representation we
might make ; but I think sentiments of con
siderable surprise would bo excited in the
mind of the President if he were to be
abruptly saluted some morning with a sealed
envelope containing this request. [A laugh.]
Such an invitation would carry him into a
sphere from which I am afraid he is excluded
almost by the very letter, certainly by the
spirit, of the Constitution of the United
States. I think my honorable friend would
be willing to concur with us in reconsider
ing that part of the subject if it only were
at that point we parted company ; but we
part company with on the general principle
I have described. The time may come when
the labors now being initiated, and to which
we all wish success, may reach such a state
of ripeness in their results that these may
be accepted and approved by the publie ;
and then my honorable friend, or possibly
some member of tho government, may be
in a condition to say; “The time has now
come when the civil authority may step in
and may assert that the work has been ac
complished;” but it is at tlie close and not
at tlio commencement of this great opera
tion, if at all, the civil authority should
step in ; and whether it should or not it
would be premature now to decide ; but it is
not premature now to decide that the time
for considering the matter has not arrived,
and we shall act far more wisely and in a
manner far more friendly to the prosecution
of a great and important undertaking if wo
leave it to the free agencies of those powers
i of piety, zeal and learning which I have no
, doubt exist in this country in ample snllieien
| cy for the attainment of the end.
A LrmJß Thread.— Payson once gave no
tice, in Portland, that he would be glad to
see any young person who did not intend to
seek religion. About forty camo. He spout
a very pleasant interview with them, saying
nothing about religion, till just as they
were abont to leave, he closed a few very
plain remarks tlms: “Suppose yon should
see, coming down from heaven, a very fine
thread, so fine as to be almost invisible, and
it should come and gently attach itself to
you. Yon knew, we will suppose, it came
from God. Should yon dare to pnt out
your hand and thrust it away?” He dwelt
for a few moments on the idea, and then
added: “Now such a thread has come from
Clod to you this afternoon. You do not
feel, yon say, any interest in religion. But
by your coming here this afternoon God has
lon you all. It is
can very easily
will not do so I
ill enlarge and
omoß a golden
>r to a God of
stian Work.
the auspices of
littee of the U.
nsic Hall Edin
ocgill presided,
enry Moncrieff,
le meeting on
at tho object of
the salvation of
ike him become
aving of others.
Is he was going
lidered kind of I
hese was “uni
of the Church |
i. He had been
‘hen he heard a
;liat he did not
think more than five per cent, of the mem
bers of their church were roally serving God
in pruotieal works of benevolence. He had
taken time to inquire among his brethren,
and several of them took stock of matters ;
and he found that, while the minister’s re
mark did not apply to his own congregation,
it applied to many other parts of the Church.
Small bodies in tho Church wore working,
but tho large proportion of the members
were doiug nothing but paying their sub
scriptions, listening to the Gospel, and he
hoped behaving themselves becomingly. He
held as a theory, and had observed by expe
rience, that that part of the Church which
was not working was that in whioh all sin
breathed. If they were not serving God,
they were hindering the progress of his
work. If the number of their congrega
tions was Hmall, ho advised them to praise
up their minister. There could be no diffi
culty in discovering some point in which
their pastor excelled everybody else. They
would thus both increase their numbers, and
make their pastor a better preacher. The
the church was not tho pastor’s
only work ; it was the work of all the mem
bers of the church.
The next word to “universality” was
‘ ‘punctuality. ” That was not quite the word
he meant. He meant that the Church must
take advantage of present opportunities,
and must bo determined to discharge its
work. There wero many of their members
that intended to servo God when there were
two Sundays iu the week, or when certain
impossible contingencies occurred. Now
was tho host time for service. He liked
muking their young peoplo take part in the
work of the Chinch. He did not mean that
a young man should be sot to preach before
ho had anything to say ; but there was
always something iu Church work for every
person to do.
His next word was “determination.” Men
who made money did not do so without being
determined to grow rich, and making up
their minds to give up many comforts ; and
tho same rule applied to tho winning of con
verts to Christianity.
Another word was “enthusiasm.” That
word was a noble one. Tho men they wanted
were red-hot men, white-hot men, men that
glowed with heat, men that you could nover
come near but you caught something of tlieir
spirit,. They might depend on it that en
thusiasm was a liberal education for a Chris
tian. He did not say enthusiasm without
the more' knowledge the better.
Another word ho wished to refer to was
* ‘originality. ” Men were constantly racking
their brain's in all parts of the world to find
out* fresh ways of doing things ; aud he did
•-ftot'SPWwhy tlioy should not have solficthiug
fresh in tlieir systems of worship. They
ought to ondenver by some means or another
to make Scotland a dreadful place for the
ungodly to live in. They ought to make it
a most uncomfortable thing to go to Hell;
aud he wished Christians would do so.
Spasmodic Efforts.
Spasmodic efforts are not the ones calcu
lated to accomplish the most iu the end.
In this age of the world, when the body is
carried a milo a minute aud thought trans
mitted with lightning speed, people think
that everything, however hard—and soul
winning is included—must be done in a mo
ment or not at all. They forget that to
evangelise a community, or the world, re
quires something more than paroxysms of
labor. Moral aud civil reforms are not pro
duced in a day. A large practice is not
bnilt up in an hour. Why, then, expect to
produce religious reforms in a day or week?
The sun does not dart into his meridian
splendor. He toils from early mom till
noon. The scholar, the artist, the mechan
ic, do not leap into ominenco. The just
man does not vault into excellence. The
path of all these is as the shining light
which shineth more and more. The reason
why the lives of so many are barren, is that
they trust too much to spasmodic action
and too little to persistent work. They
lack that superior quality colled the power
of opplication. So, my Christian friends, if
you wish to see a work of grace going on
1 this year in your community, and the
church to which you belong revived, you must
settle down to steady work for Jesus. Duty
must prompt you when inclination is want
ing. You promised to serve Christ. You
are under obligation to work for him. You
should have a religious as well as business
sense of honor. You must work in dark
ness, and amidst doubt —bear reproach, en
dure trial. Why need you fear, grasping,
as you profess to do, the hand of the Master?
Nearing the Other Shore.
When, after the weary, voyage that I first
mode across the ocean, sick and loathsome,
I arose one morning and went upon the
deck, holding on, crawling, thinking I was
but a worm, I smelt in the air some strange
smell, and I said to the Captain, “What is
the odor?” “It is the land breeze from off
Ireland.” I smelt the turf, I smelt the
Srass, I smelt the leaves, and all my sickness
eparted from me; my eyes grew bright,
my nausea was gone. The thought of the
nearness of tho land' came to me, and cured
me better than medicine oould oure me.
And when, afar ofl’, I saw the dim line of
land, joy came and gave me health, and,
from that moment, I had neither sickness
nor trouble; I was coming nearer to tho
land. .
oil ! is there not for you, old man, and
for you, wearied mother, a land breeze
blowing ofl‘ from heaven, wafting to you
some of its sweetness? Behold, tho garden
of the Lord is not far away; I know from
the air. Behold the joy of home. Do I
not hear tho children shout? The air is full
of music to onr silent thought. Oh, how
full of music when our journey is almost
done, and we stand upon tbe bound and
precinct of that blessed land I Hold on to
your faith. Believe more firmly. Take
hold by prayer and by faith. Away with
troubles and buffetingsl Be. happy; you
are saved. In a few horns, visions of God
and all the realities of the eternal world
shall be yours, and you shall be saved with
an everlasting salvation.
Leaning on God Alone.
Sir William Hamilton was doubtless the
most learned Scotchman of onr century, the
omnisoient Lord Macaulay not excepted.
He was familiar with every branch of phil
osophy ; he had analysed, with wonderful
power, all religions into their simplest ele
ments. He was an inspiring teacher—one
of the few masters of philosophy and letters;
an admitted leader of liia generation.
But while at liome in the learning of all
ages, and exciting the wonder of his cotom
poraries by the bold sweeps of liis genius,
no less than the vastness of liis attainments,
ho sat as a little child at the feet of Jesus.
He was a sincere believer. His mind rested
on the great truths of the Christian system.
There is an exquisite pathos in the record of
his last hours, that when his spirit was hov
ering on the borders of the unseen world,
just ready to penetrate its RJ*at
he was heard to mnrmnr, “Thy rod and t y
staff, they comfort me I"
A little learning often breeds scepticism.
Profound knowledge leads back to Jesus.
There are promises in Scripture to help
our weakness, but none to overcome our wU
fulness.—Whichcote.
X. H. MYERS, D. D., EDITOR
WHOLE NUMBER 1809.
Webster’s Death-Bed.
In the evening the will, which had been
drawn up by Mr. Curtis, was brought to Mr.
Webster to aigu. He was then iu a sitting
posture, supported iu his bed by pillows.
By this time nearly the whole household
were assembled in his room. He asked if
Mrs. Webster and his son had seen his will,
and if they approved it; both assured him
that they fully assented to it. Then he said,
“Let me sign it now. ” It was placed before
him, and he affixed his signature to it,
strongly and clearly written ; and, as he re
turned the pen to Mr. Curtis, he said, look
ing at him with a peculiar smile. “Thank
God for strength to do a sensible act;” and
then immediately, and with great solemnity,
raising both his hands, he added: “OGod!
I thank thee for all thy merciesl”
He then looked inquiringly around the
room, os if to seo that all were there whom
he wished to address. As he was manifestly
about to say something that ought to be
preserved, Mr. Curtis took notes of his
words. He spoke in a strong, full voice,
that might have been heard over half tho
house, and with his usual modulation and
emphasis, but very slowly and with an occa
sional pause. He said:
“My general wish on earth has been to do
my Maker’s will. I thank him now for all
the mercies that surround me. I thank him
for the means he has given me of doing
some little good ; for my ohildren—these
beloved objects ; for my nature and associa
tions. I thank him that I am to die, if I
am, under so many circumstances of love
and affection. I thank him for all his care.
“No man, who is not a brute, can say that
he is not afraid of death. No man can come
back from that bourn ; no mon can compre
hend the will or the works of God. That
there is a God, all must acknowledge. I see
him in all these wondrons works. Himself,
how wondrous!
“The great mystery is Jesus Christ—the
Gospel. What would be the condition of
any of us if we had not the hope of immor
tality ? What ground is there to rest upon
but the Gospel ? There were scattered hopes
of tho immortality of the soul, running
down, especially among the Jews. The Jews
believed in a spiritual origin of creation.
The Romans never reached it; the Greeks
never reached it. It is a tradition, if that
communication was made to the Jews by
God himself, through Moses and the fathers.
But there is, even to the Jews, no direct as
suronoe of immortality in heaven. *There
is, now and then, a scattered intimation, as
in Job, ‘I know that my Redeemer liveth ;’
but a proper consideration of that doe3 not
refer it to Jesus at all. But there were inti
mations —cropnsonlar—twilight. But—but
, —but, thank God, the Gospel of Jesus Christ
brought life aud immortality to light — rescued
it—brought it to light. There is an admira
ble discourse on tliat subject by Dr. Barrow,
preacher to the Inner Temple. I think it
is his sixth sermon.
“Well, I don’t feel as if I am to fall oft':
I may.”
Ho now paused for a short time : a drowsi
ness appeared to come over him, and his
eyes were closed. In a moment or two he
opened them, and looking eagerly around,
ho asked: “Have I—wife, son. doctor,
friends, are you all here?—have I, on this
occasion, said any thing unworthy of Daniel
Webster?" “No, no, dearsir,” was the res
ponse from all.
Ho then began the words of the Lord’s
Prayer; but, after the first sentence, feeling
faint, he cried out, earnestly, “Hold me up,
I do not wish to pray with a fainting voice.”
He was instantly raised a little by a move
ment of the pillows, and then repeated the
whole of the prayer, in clear and distinct
tones, ending his devotions with these
words: •
“And now unto God, tli«Father, Sou, and
Holy Ghost, be praise forever and forever!
Peace on earth and good will to men — that is
the happiness, the essence—- good will toward
mm.”—George 'l'icknor Curtis , in Life of
Daniel Webster.
Dividing Family Government.
What ought, what can a mother do when
a good, pleasant, careless husband constant
ly thwarts all her efforts to teach or govern
the children, and yet cannot be made to see
or feel what he is doing ?
Let us illustrate and sketch from memory
not imagination:
“Mamma, please give me a piece of pie?”
“No, darling, one piece is enough."
“Half a piece, please, mamma?”
“No, Freddie, no more.”
“Avery little pieoe, mamma dear?”
“No, Freddie, no.”
“Do give the child a little piece. I’ll risk
its hurting him.”
And the mother gave it.
“Mamma, may I go out and play?”
4 ‘lt is very chilly, and you have a cold I
don’t think it is best.”
“Bundle me up warm, mamma, and I
won’t take cold.”
“I fear you will. You must play in doors
to-day.”
“Just a little while, please, mamma?”
“No, Freddie, you must not go out to*
dayi” ™ .
‘ ‘Do let the child go. What a girl you are
making of him. Women never were fitted
to bring up boys. Dress him warm, and let
him run, it will do him good.”
And Freddie went out.
“May I have my blocks in the parlor,
mamma?” , , , ,
“No, Willie, make yonr block house in
the dining room. Miss L. is an invalid, and
I want the parlor very quiet.”
“I will be very quiet”
“You will intend to be, but you cannot
help making some noise, and as Miss L. very
rarely goes anywhere, I fear she will be very
tired at best; so be agood little boyAnd play
in the dining-room this afternoon.”
“I won’t make a bit of noise, nor tire her
one speck." .
“Yon must play in the dining room, Wil
lie, and not say any more about it. ”
“Nonsense, it will do her good to see a
happy little face. It will give her something
besides her own pains and aches to think of.
Let him bring his blocks in tho parlor.
And he brought them in.
“What a torment that bay has got to be.
It’s teaze, teaze, teaze, teaze, from morning
till night. It’s enough to wearout the pa
tience of Job. If you won’t whip him, 1 will.
Aud he whipped him.
Queiy.—Who ought to havo been whip
ped.—Mother at Home,
Pastoral Visiting.
Pastoral visiting maybe done in such a
way as to be absurd. I saw a caricature the
other day in one of onr papers in reference
to it: a Presbyterian minister going-oround
with an elder, reading a chapter, catechis
ing the children, etc. You can put that in
such a way as to make it look supremely
ridiculous; but the thing rightly done is
not ridiculous. No mau of sense would
now go about it in that way. The charm,
tho essence of pastoral visitation, is this—
that a man goes into the bosom of the fam
ily; he talks to them in their own vernacu
lar! Tho children, perhaps, as they looked
up at him in the pulpit on a Sunday, did
not realise very distinctly that he belonged
to the human race at all. The language lie
spoke, even the box in which he stood, is
peculiar to a church; but when the man
goes into the family, it is a kind of pleasant
surprise to the children to see that he is
really a man of flesh, and in many respects
something like their own father. W e can
bring down to the family the tones, and
common, ordinary feeling of humanity, and
they will feel themselves a little nearer to
him than before. He asks them about the
his own eye. There is no studied ceremony
about it; ut he sees the family is not just then
engaged, he will perhaps say in a quiet, se
rious way, “These troubles we cgn best ge
rid of by telling our Father of them. H«d '
we not better pray together V” A simple
prayer is offered, but it has linked m oom
munion the hearts of these people to his
heart. He knows them now. They know
him now. They feel they know him. When
he goes to speak to these people in the pul
pit, it is a conversation to his mends, a
talking to those who trust him. A bond of
sympathy is one of the strongest helps that
you can have toward thoroughly good
preaching —Dr. John HaU.