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30 r>T:n a-NNUM,
Invariably In Advance.
VOLUME XXXVIII. NO. 28.
dumiiihfions.
The Lord’s Prayer.
J’.Y REV. TV. KS'OS.
/. Preliminary.
• Wire there no other proofs of the
Divinity of onr blessed Lord and Saviour,
that one sermon of His—“the sermon on
the Mount” would suffice, in view of ell
the circumstances, to establish it beyond
successful controversy. Brought np in
an obscure village, and without the advan
tages of education; living at a time when
great ignorance obtained in reference to
religious subjects; when the command
ments of God, delivered in terrible majes
ty from Sinai’s qnaking monntain, and
imperishably engraved by the linger of
the Almighty on stony tablets, had be
becorne obscured by tho traditionary loro
of a superstitions people, and (heir spirit
uality lost amid the pomp and grandeur
of a showy ritualism, —when the essentials
of a pure, spiritual religion had been
superseded by the mere forms of de
votion, or were misapprehended and mis
applied,—when the last relics of vital god
liness were hidden away or buried beneath
the accumulated debris of n cumbrous
service—it is easier to believe that He who
uttered tho sentiments of flint, ever mem
orable sermon, was just what He claimed
to be, “the Son of God,” “the Son of
man,” lhan to believe that a more man,
himself unlettered, could have uttered
truths so simple and yet so sublime—
truths which in their deep, spiritual im
port wero unseen by all but Him, or could
have cleared away tho mists of error,
which for ages had been gathering nround
♦he holiest mifoldings of the word of
GoL
I am not, however, now to consider lhat
termon in all tho fullness of its exemplifi
cations and teachings, but that part of it
only wliieh contains the beantifnlly im
pressive, the short, but sublimely com
prehensive prayer taught by onr Lord to
His disciples; and this I propose to do
in several consecutive numbers, to which
the piesent, and perhaps one other, are
only preliminary.
Iu correcting various errors which wero
at that time prevalent, the precious Re
deemer did not overlook those in refer
ence to prayer. Assuming that, as His
disciples, they would pray to tho great
Father of all, ne cautioned them, in the
first place, against tho hyproerisy of tho
Haribes and Pharisees. “And when tliou
prayest, thou shalt not bo ns the hypo
erites arc; for they love to pray standing
in the synagogues, and in the corner of
♦he streets, that they may bo seen of men.
Verily, I say unto you, they have thoir
reward.” Mat. vi, (J.
The words just quoted briDg to our
view the very essence of hypocrisy. “To
be. seen of mm. They cared nothing for
prayer itself, they were very little con
cerned as to how they appeared in tho
estimation of God; but they wero very
much Effected by lhe opinion of those
around them. They wished to be esteem
ed exceedingly pions by their fellow men;
and this, as wo elsewhere learn, for a Bel
li di purpose. They desired to secure the
favorable opinion of others, so as to im.
pose upon tlieir confidence, and to acquire
gain to themselves.
These Pharisees arc not to be confound
ed with the one who went np into the
temple to pray; for he was not a hypo
ciite, but simply righteous in his own
estimation. He was good enough, and
had nothing to ask for: at least he asked
for nothing. He, as he conceived, had
only to thank God, that he was “not as
other men.” Instead of indulging in
rapine and extortion, and other wicked
things, his freedom from them was a part
of his religion. But those hypocrites, of
whom onr Lord was then speaking, “de
voured widows’ houses, and for a pretense
made long prayers.” Under the cloak of
religion, they oppressed the widow and
the orphan, and took advantage of the
inexperience, the ignorance, the necessi
ties of others. They prayed, “standing
in the synagogues, and in the corners of
the streets,” or in somo other conspicuous
place, that they might “bo seen of men;”
and, verily, they had their reward. They
were seen of men; they obtained the re
putation of great piety, and by means of
it, they secured their unrighteous gains;
but, it is implied, that they seenred only
these. The blessedness of reconciliation
with God here in this world, and of eter
nal life in the world to come, is what they
did not seek nor obtain.
“But thou, when thou prayest, enter
into thy closet; and when thou hast shut
thy door, pray to thy Father which is in
secret; and thy Father which sceth in
secret shall reward thee openly.” The
reference, of course, is to private devo
tion; for ho who prays in public, or in the
family, is expected to be seen, or at least
heard, as he is but the agent or month
piece of those present,' and offers the
ptayer in which they are all supposed to
unite. “Closet” is put for any place of
retirement, and shutting (lie door only
emphasises the idea of secresy. The sim
ple meaning is, that wo should seek some
retired spot, and pray in secret. Perhaps,
there is this further thought of not even
the appearance of a desire to be “seen of
men.” The assnranco is that wo shall be
rewarded openly, Wemay not be esteem
ed of men, —we may not obtain the repu
tation of great piety,—we may not re
ceive such a reward ns can be obtained by
takiDg in this way advantage of men; but
our Father who sees our hearts, and knows
the sincerity of our petitions, will reward
us, —will give us what is infinitely better
than any thing that man can give, or than
can be gained by a hypocritical appearance
of great sanctity, and will “reward us
openly,” in the great and final day, if not
before, and in the presence of an assem
bled universe!
Having guarded His disciples against
hypocrisy, aud insisted upon the opposite
virtue, our blessed Lord proceeded to
caution them against useless and vain re
petitions: “Bat when ye pray use not vain
repetitions, as the heathen do; for they
think that ihey shall bo heard for their
much speaking. Be ye not therefore like
unto them; for your Father knoweth what
things ye have need of, before ye ask
Him.”
Why the singular, thou, is here changed
to the plural, ye, we may not be able to
know. Some suppose that no stress is to
fbitkecw Christian jytocaff.
be laid upon such changes; but I am one
who thicks, that they were not made
without a purpose, although we may not
always be able to ascertain what the pur
pose was. We may suppose, in the pre
sent instance, that it was done because,
while there are but few comparatively who
are guilty of the sin of hypocrisy, there
are many who are in the habit of using
vain repetitions; or because, while a few
only need to be guarded against the former
vice, a larger number have occasion to be
warned against the assumption that they
will be heard on account of their “much
speaking,” their oft-repeated and long
prayers. Speculation, however, is use
less. Let us, therefore, attend to what is
manifest.
The heathen, in their invocations, were
accustomed to make frequent repetitions
of the same or similar words, accompany
ing them sometimes with the most violent
gesticulations, and even with lacerations
of tlieir flesh. We have furnished us A
notable instance of this in the conduet of
the prophets of Baal, when Elijah came
in contact with them. There were four
hundred and fifty of them, besides four
hundred prophets of the grove, snstained
too by the wicked Abab, and tho blood
thirsty Jezebel, and their idolatrous court,
against Elijah, the one prophet of the
Lord. The test wm “tho God that an
swered by fire, He was to be the God.”
Those prophets of Baal called upon their
senseless idol “from morning until noon,
saying, O Baal, hear ns;” and their pray
ers doubtless consisted of the eontinued
repetition of tbeso words. “But there was
no voice, nor any that answered;” and, be
coming frantic, they leaped upon the
altar which was made. Elijah “mock
ed them.” “Ciyalond,” said he, “for
he is a God; either he is talking or pur
suing, or ho is in a journey, or peradven
ture, he sleepeth, and must be awakened!
And they cried aloud, and ent themselves
after their manner with knives and lancets,
until the blood gushed out upon them.”
They kept up their senseless jargon, their
“vain repetitions,” their useless self-cut
tings, until “the time of tho ollering of
the evening sacrifice;” bnt “there was
neither voice, nor any to answer, nor any
that regarded.” They seemed to think
that they wonld “be heard for their mnch
speaking.” How simple, and yet how
snblimo was the prayer of Elijah, when
contrasted with their “vain repetitions!”
“Lord God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel,
lot it be known this day that Thou art
God in Israel, and that I am Tby servant,
an3 that I have done all these things at
Thy word. Hear me, O Lord, hear me,
that this people may know that Thou art
the Lord God, and that Thou hast tnrned
their heart back again.” It is almost
needless to say that tho fire came down in
answer to lhat prayer.
How any, with the clear light of the
Sacred Scriptures shining around them,
can imagine tint, they are praying, when
they are saying only a certain number of
Paternosters, or Are Marias, (for I sup
pose this to be what is meant by “ counting
their brads,") can be accounted for only
by the fact that the light, while it shines
around them, is designedly kopt from
shining within them. To say nothing of
the great folly and wickedness of praying
to the virgin Mary, or any other created
beiDg, there aroin those prayers the “ rain
repetitions," which the Saviour Himself so
clearly condemned. Allowing, however,
for the ignorance of the common people,
how shall we account for the conduct of
their teachers who have the Holy Scrip
tures, and for those proselytes who go
from the clear light of Protestant Chris
tianity into the thick darkness of papal
superstition? I know of no way bnt by
supposing that it is the interest of the
priests to hide away from the people the
light of trnth, and that those papal per
verts “have loved darkness rather than
light.”
Before closing this number, I wish
bricily to advert, (as I may not find occa
sion for it elsewhere,) to those frequent
repetitions sometimes heard in Protestant
pulpits and in other places, especially re
petitious of the name or names of the
Almighty, almost amounting to profana
tion, and to those long and tedious pray
ers which are sometimes offered. It would
seem sufficient to say, that we are not*
heard for our much praying—that He to
whom tho prayer is offered, may be pre
sumed to know some things, to know in
deed our wants much better than wo can
express them.
“ Eternity.”
Our pastor is gone to the Commence
ment at Spartanburg, and as we have no
preaching in onr church, I took up Mr.
Wesley’s sermons, and feeling inclined,
read the one on “ Eternity.” As
thought struggled in its grasp of that
boundless duration therein set forth ; and
the heart, touched in its conceptions of
never ending punishment, revolved and re
revolved some means to awaken dead hu
mauity to a sense of its lost and rninons
condition, ero its eternal destiny shall be
come fixed and unalterable, the answer
came solemnly, “All is done that can be
done, at mercy’s call.” Suppose I should
go and take each one by the arm and say,
“ Fly ! fly for your life ! Look not be
hind you ! escape to tho mountain lest you
be consumed 1 Fly ! fly ! for the kingdom
of heaven is at hand, and the honr of His
judgment is come ?” What would be the
result ? Indeed, I have done as muob,
and not made a single convert, bnt won,
instead, the appellatives: “insane,” “en
thusiast,” “lunatic,” “fanatio,” “ non
compos mentis," etc., etc. The devil, who
has been “ working with all signs and
wonders,” has well succeeded in stupe
fying tho senses of the bulk of man
kind, and throwing them into a deep
and profound sleep. Tho fall of some
eminent ministers, has been skillfully
handled by Satan to make void tho Gos
pel of the Son of God; and to throw
into extreme embarrassment, all who
labor earnestly for the salvation of souls.
Whilst good news comes to ns from
heathen lands, and barbarons islands,
a view of tho Christianized world, by
faith, is startling ! True, there is still tho
fair outside show, tho beautiful forms,
and attractive religions ceremonies; but
the devout student of facts, finds on his
nearer approach, the well painted and
decorated edifices to bo “full of andean
ness and dead men’s bones.” Yes, mere
carcasses of a faith no longer enjoyed.
PUBLISHED BY J. W. BURKE & COMPANY, FOR THE METHODIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH, SOUTH.
He is ready to exclaim, “I am left alone;”
but God opens his mind to conceive seven
thousand standing firm in their allegiance
to the King of Kings. And so, among
these Gkristian nations whose day of grace
is well-nigh ended, we find a remnant of
faithful sons and daughters who are seek
ing, as Abraham did, to guide their house
holds after them. This remnant will again
take root downward, and will b9ar frnit
upward, till the whole earth shall be full
of the products of righteousness. There
fore the preaching of the present day,
instead of being aimed so much at bring,
ing in outsiders, should be more especi
ally directed to the preservation and sal
vation of those already in; for the purga
tion, purification, and sanctification of
believers, and the proper training of the
children of the Chnroh. Let these be
oleansed and baptized with the Holy
Ghost, and the conversion of sinners will
be the natural result. Let the Church be
“ mod 6 ‘white ” and given to hor Lord,
and their righteousness shall be rained
down from the skies, and shall spring np
around us as the plants in a highly en
riched and well cultured garden. To this
end, should not the mind of believers be
more frequently directed to tho contem
plation of Christ’s Becond appearing?
What an incentive to holy living is tbe
continual expectation of the Second Ad
vent of the Lord Jesus! We aro much
nearer that day than wore the disciples of
old, and yet their teachers kept them con
tinually stirred up with hopes of His
near approach. Prophecy, and the ful
fillment of prophecy, point alike to onr
day as on the verge of Christ’s second
eoming; let us take heed to ourselves that
that day overtake us not as a thief in the
night. C. M, O.
ll Iloliuess.”
Dear Brother Kennedy: Permit a short
reply, if you please, to the articlo signed
“Charles Hanover,” which I take for
granted is no nom de plume, bnt the proper
signature of a responsible brother. I
acknowledge an aversion to conduct a con
troversy with one who has neither the
manliness nor ingenuousness to show him
self, bnt throws his lance and skulks from
pnlflo view.
The design of tho article which has been
“ oriticised,” was to excite a proper cau
tion in professing tbe great blessing of
sanctification, as I am persuaded that the
cause of Christianity in general, and Meth
odism in particular, has suffered no little
detriment by an injudicious profession.
This higher experience is sometimes pro
fessed when theio exists a moral idiosyn
crasy, weakness, or vice, which puts to
the blush the intelligent, reflecting, and
scrupnlons Christian, and causes the half
hearted, careless and wicked, to mook. I
am fully persuaded that this Bible doc •
trine would have taken the Church long
ago if there had been a corresponding
consistency in deportment and character
on tbe part of those who profess it; and
I say again, obtain it, preach it, live it,
enjoy it, and die in its triumphs, but bo
wary in jour profession of if. Depend
upon it, that less is gained to the cause of
Christ by the profession than by the ex
emplification.
I am surprised to find that Brother
Hanover and I agree so well together.
He says : “ I agree with him that some
who profess this high and holy attainment
wonld serve the cause better by remain
ing silent." Again he says, “I am not
an advocate for an indiscriminate profes
sion of sanctification.” Again, “ I think
with Mr. Wesley that proper caution
should be observed on the part of those
who enjoy this precious experience in
speaking of it.” Our views, then, so far
as the main design of the article is con
cerned, are identical; both avo on the
same side of the question, and I am at a
loss to see the force of his criticisms.
I am sorry that the brother should so
misunderstand me on one point, as is ap
parent from the following : he says, “The
brother evidently mistakes as to the ex
tent of the-work of sanctification in a
believer. He does not seem to compre
hend with those who enjoy this state of
grace, the length and breadth, and height
and depth of it. The discrimination he
makes as to who should not make a pro
fession of it, shows conclusively that he
mistakes the entireness of the work
wrought in a believer.” lam startled at
this statement, and submit, that I was not
defining, describing, or explaining sancti
fication, but only noticing its professors
and professions. The person who pro
fesses, the profession which he makes,
and the thing professed, are all distinct.
Now, I hope my brother Hanover will do
me the justioe to discriminate. I never said
that these persons who mada profession
of this high attainment wero or were not
sanctified. I judge them not. To their
own Master they stand or fall. Somo of
the examples had iu my own mind, were
men of unusual piety, but with someone
of the weaknesses noted, of which they
seemed to be utterly unconscious. It is
not for me to pronounoe them deluded
hypocrites. I do say, however, that it
would have served the cause of Christ far
better if these persons had been more re
tiring.
I am happy in saying that I know a few
well balanced men, aud still a larger nnm
ber of women, who adorn their profession
of sanotifioation. These are lights indeed,
in whom I have rejoiced and do rejoice.
Their profession, sustained by an unusu
ally consistent life, makes them a living
power. At the same time, 1 can show a
much larger number of well proportioned
Christians, whose Christian experience was
ripe, whose communion with God was con
stant, and whose lives were a living com
mentary upon the Gospel, who never made
a profession of this higher state, and who
were not the less useful on this account.
Iu this list, is one of our Bishops, whom
I have known from my early boyhood,
whose devotion to God and His Churoh,
was snstained by a beautiful consistency
amid elevation, and severe trial. Always
retiring and modest in his religions pro
fessions, he carried with him a divine
power which marked him as a consecrated
servant of God.
I will close with saying, that with all
my personal aversion to the use of tobac
co, I cannot, with Bishop Janes and
Brother Hanover, declare that no man is
fully consecrated to God who uses it.
Your*, el'., H. M. Moon.
MACON, GEORGIA, WEDNESDAY, JULY 11, 1875.
Music.
A strong complaint against organs and
choir music in churches has been, that by
reason of them, there has been less sing
ing on the part of the congregation.
There is truth in the complaint; bnt
the evil is not likely to be removed by a
disuse of either in the churches.
And yet, as singing is a part of the Di
vine worship ; and all who possibly can,
should join in it; the question arises, Is
there any mode by which the singing can j
be made general through the congrega- ]
tion, while the instrument and the choir,
are still in use ?
Generally the choir is c imposed of per- j
sons who have voices, naturally above the j
average in excellence, and perhaps also*
who have tastes in and for music above
tbe avenge. These have been in part, at
least, tbe incentives to entering tho choir, ]
or learning to perform npon the iustru ]
meat. Their skill in making music and
their taste for it, have both been inc easetif
and inmroved by their culture in it.<
Thou, that this improved and intensified
taste may be administered to and grati
fied, they sometimes desire that no ono
should join in the music, who, for want
of skill, might introduce discords, as to
time, tone, or something else. Hence,
pieces aro sometimes solected that are
new, or diffianlt of performance, to pre
vent the crowd from participating. Ou
the other hand, tho body of tho congre
gation, anticipating tho views and wishes
of tho loaders in tho mnsiq, feel embar
rassment abont taking any part.
If those be tbe facts, it seems to me tho
best remedy for tho evil resulting, would
be, tbe introduction of vocal musio as an
elemontory branch in all the primary
schools. If all tho children wore taught
vocal music at tho day school, os they are
taught spelling, reading, and writing,
then, all would be better prepared to
feel at church, that they could make
music as well as others. And their cul", 1
tured skill in it, and taste for it, would in
cline them to do so. Such entertaining
instruction.as the study of vocal musio
would famish, would make the school-’
room more attractive to the children.
The knowledge of music thus acquired,
would moreover furnish innocent recrea
tion for subsequent life; when without it,
gratifications would sometimes be sought,
in the highest degree demoralizing.
Oue of the embarrassments attending
the social intercourse of the soxes in
youth, is the want of something with
which to entertain each other; as know! *
edge on the part of both, during those
years, is limited. A knowledge of vocal
musio ou the part of both wonld break
the spell of embarrassment and open t!. (
way to a social intercourse elevating and
refining to both tho parties. In many of
the higher schools for both sexes, some;
attention is already given to vocal music.-
The tendencies and tastes of tho age are
somewhat in that direction? But pr*>g:-e'!
on that line cf travel can bo facilitated, if
the ministry will give tho encouragement
which, from their stand point, they may
readily furnish.
Tho minister has occasion to observe
frequently, that the soul is so softened'
and melted nuder the power of appropri
ate music, as not only to receive roadily
the gospel truth, blended in its strains ;
but also sometimes to be moulded into
conformity to that trnth. Borne teachers
require their pupils to sing the Icssod,
that it may be more deeply impressed
npon tho mind, aud longer remembered.
And so religious truth finds a deeper and
more permanent place in the human heart
when coupled with sacred song. On re
vival occasions, singing is on almost in
dispensable requisite.
No religions body has had more profit
from this source, than the Methodist
Church. If, therefore, in the progress of
the age,our singiug is about to be stopped
or largely restrained because not solli
oiently scientific, we should meet the de
mands of onr new position and learn to*
sing better. After the aid of the Holy
Spirit, and a knowledge of tho Bible,
masic is perhaps the minister’s next most
powerful instrument for good. It should
be put down, therefore, by every young,
minister in his prescribed course of study,
as I think. By familiarity with it, he
conld indicate to the choir not only the
hymn to be need, but also some appropri
ate and familiar air that would encourage
the congregation to join in the singing.
The Sabbath-schools are doing a good
work, in enlarging and intensifying the
tendency toward cal tare in vocal mnbie.
But they would do more, if the pastor in
every charge were better prepared to en
courage and aid them in the good work.
There are farther reasons that should
urge the yonng minister to an acquaint
ance with music.
Thoughts awaken feelings of mirthful,
ness or remorse, of joy or sorrow, accord
ing to their character. And the speaker
takes this fact into tho account, or should
do so, whenever ho addresses him
self to the emotional nature of his hear
ers. But sounds appeal to that nature,
just as ctrlaiuly, and jast as readily, as
thoughts do. Among the lower ani
mals different tones and inflections of
voice are almost their only language in
which to express all thoir wants, their
emotions of joy or scirew, or longing for
companionship. Among human beings,
conventional language is in use to express
the profounder and more complex subtle
ties of thought; bat intonation is chiefly
the language of the emotions, even
among human boiegs. And the speaker
mnst understand it and know how skill
fully to practice it, if he wonld avail him
self of the highest usefulness, in bis high
calling. Every discourse is a song of
somo kind. Without painstaking and
praotice it is likely to he a jumble of
harsh, grating, and perhaps indistinct
sounds. But with these, it may be, a
song of melody, “ trickling down into the
innermost chambers of the sonl,” and
carrying with it the precious truths the
preacher has ottered, it may be, to be a
well of joy there forever.
A. A Robinson.
Manatee, Fla., June, 1875.
Alone with God.— Christian life in our
days is full of activity. It finds pleasure
in planning, giving, and working for the
growth of Christ’s kingdom. This spirit
of consecration gives joy to all Christians
who recognize it, and inspires confident
bop< in the aggressive movements of the
Church. But it conceals also a great
j peril. All Christian power springs from
communion with God, and from the in
| dwelling of Divine grace. One can do
\good to others only as his own heart pul-
I sates with love to Jesus and has a present
I experience of His love. We can impart
| only what we receive. Any stream will
prnn dry nnless fed from tmfailingspricgs.
i Any Christian labor wili be frnitlesn, and
' Christian zeal be like sounding brass, un
i less the sonl waits daily on God and finds
f new strength in prayer and in study of
! the Bible.
Question anil Answer.
• “What gift hast thou for Me,
The Crucified for thee?”
No worthy thing;
j. Nor song, nor praise, nor tears,
From all these many years,
Jesus, my King.
: “In wavs thy feet have sought,
' In all thy hands have wrought,
Whatso for me?”
Ah, in those dreary walks.
Behold the tlowerlcss stalks,
The fruitles tree!
i “Thy heart hath love, at least—
a, I crave thy love.” O Priest,
It were not meet
From bitter wells to slake
Thy thirst. Touch Thou, and m’.ke
Its waters sweet.
“Thy soul—that it may live!”
Is it then mine to give?
O Saviour, cease!
Like to a troubled bea,
My spirit is in me:
Lord, speak in peace.
“Unto thy Friend, the King,
Hast then np suffering,
k No gift to give?”
For all Tliy love, Thy care.
Only one little prayer;
Saviour, forgive!
—By Ina D. Coolbrith,in Overland Monthly.
r Enrtli Full of Tabors.
BY W. 11. VAN TOKEN, D. D.
1 On a monntain, at midnight, our Lord
passed through His coronation for the
work of redemption. Two mortals, long
dead, appear. They aro transfigured into
pngel forms. Oar Lord becomes radiant
as on Ilis throno before tbe advent. His
raiment cannot hide His innate effulgence.
The intense glory blinds and oppresses
the three disciples. They sink overpow
ered by the divine grandenr of their God,
as for a moment Ho withdraws the veil.
fThut night the lone sammit of Tabor was
transfigured into tbo veiy gale of tho gol
den city above.
From that honr he has been continually
-changing guilty men into the holy nature
of His owu divine form. Ho has been
converting the falseness of the heart into
loyalty to His crown. His look changed
tho profanity of a disciple into penitence
and tears. His power irradiates the dark,
lalse heart of enemies into the light and
love of obedient, loving children. He
finds the gloom, of despair under t.he
’ mountain of sin on the conscience. His
smile lights np hope, and th-: soul becomes
radiant with visions of joy and peace.
That same blessed Being kindles tbe
heart wherever the coals of childlike trust
had gone out in the darkness of death.
Thus onr views of truth, often obscured
by a thousand misgivings and infused
fears, are illumined by the Spirit. His un
, tiling work of sanctification never ceases.
Even in temptation, snch as Peter met and
yielded to, still the spiritual life, instead
of fainting under the fearful blow, de
rives new vigor and life. “When tliou
art converted, strengthen thy brethren.”
Instead of dismay and ruin of the
•fvfiritnal being, the Lord -Innsfignres
Peter’s tears into helps and goads. He is
urged forward to higher and holier effort.
The soldier has fallen in grace. But ris
ing, through di vine power, he battles more
heroically and victoriously than ever.
That timid one, trembling at a maid’s
voice, with the valor of an angel of God,
facoß the fury of a maddened crowd, and
charges them with the blood of Jesus.
Nothing less than t he same heavenly pres
ence that illumined Tabor can transfigure
the humble, uncultivated Galilee fisher
man into the champion leader of the glo
rious aim? of martyrs.
That same Almighty Being meets our
unholy temper, that flashes forth often
with the ferocity of a tiger, but charms it
into the meek, forgiving sweetness of tho
dying Stephen’s puyer, “Forgive my
murderers ! ’
Ha irradiates onr mind, and transfigures
all the powers of the soul, and breathes
the atmosphere of Eden through the
spirit. Oar judgment, imagination, de
sires, hopes, fears, all that is immortal,
are subdued and illumined by tbe presence
of Him of Tabor.
Thus will His transforming power pro
ceed, as at Cana, where it changed the
water of earth into the wine of heaven.
Oue dark spot afHr another will become
bright with tho colors of paradise. Oue
cloud of gloom after another will have its
silver lining widened until our earth will
be changed “into the garden of the
Lord,” aud the harsh discords of time be
transmuted into tbe sweet songs and lofty
anthems of tbe shining ones above.
[ Presbyterian.
Serviugtlie Lord from Principle.
As I write these words, there comes to
me a distinct recollection of the weight of
anxiety which they lifted from my heart :
Serving the Lord from principle.
When I started in the strait and narrow
way, I started like Bunyan’s Pilgrim, in
great terror, and in baste. But I was in
dead earnest. I tried to square my life
every day, and even my thoughts, to please
the Master I had set out to serve. There
was one thing which perplexed and dis
tressed mo greatly. I never experienced
the overflowing gladness, and abounding
peace, which so many described. I covet
ed that frame of mind as a sort of witness
that I bad been adopted. I talked with
older Christians; I read and prayed on
the subject, but without success. I conld
do nothing but move steadily on in the
darkness, often repeating, “ Where else
shall we go ? for Thou alone hast the
words of eternal life.”
Some two years after my first starting
as a Christian, I went ono night several
miles to a neighboring village, where a
revival was in progress. There was so
much demonstration of raptnre among
the young converts and older Christians,
that I was thrown into great fear lest I
had missed the way.
Among those who took part in tho ser
vices, was one of the best singers I ever
recollected to have heard. I supposed,
from his selections and manner of singing
them, that he was one of the happy Chris
tians. Toward t.he close of the evening
he arose and said, “ I never felt the en
joyment which a great many describe, and
I never expect to in this life. I started
to serve tbe Lord from principle, simply
because I knew it to be right. It is a
good many years since ; but as I set out
from principle, so from principle have I
kept on ; and I have faith to believe, if I
only hold ont to the close, I shall reach
the better land, for I know in whom I
have put my trust.” Then, turning to
the young cinverts, he added, “Young
friends, I want to (mpress this npon your
minds : How you live is of vastly more
importance than how much you enjoy.
If you fight the Christian’s battle sneoess
fnlly, though yon have little call to rejoice
in tills world, yon will have your share iu
the world to come.”
When the meeting closed, I asked an
acquaintance if he knew lhat man.
“Yes,” was the reply, “I have known
him for years. He is one of the most
consistent Christians I have ever known.
His every day life is a constant invitation
to come to Jesus.”
I thanked God and took courage. And
now, after more than twenty years of trial,
I am heartily glad there is such a thing as
being able to serve the Lord from prin
ciple.—American Messenger.
Training of Children.
The instruction of children cannot com
mence too early. Every mother is capa
ble of teaching her children obedience,
humility, cleanliness, and propriety of be
havior; and it is a delightful circumstance
that the first instruction should thus be
communicated by so tender a teacher. It
is by combining affectionate gentleness in
granting what is right, with judicious
firmness in refusing what is improper,
that the happiness of children is promo
ted, and that good and orderly habits are
established. If children are early trained
to be docile and obedient, the future task
of guiding them aright will be compara
tively easy.
Tho training aud education of children
can, however, be only regarded as a
means to the attainment of an end, for
all acquirements, all learning, are value
less, il they do not make us better in our
several relations of parents, children, hus
bands, wives, and unless they load ns to
tho practice of that divine precept of re
ligion, “Thou shalt do nnto others as
thou wouldst have them do unto thee.”
Supposing that jou have secured for
your children the benefits of education,
and that they have been advanced in the
different branches of instruction, as far
as is neeessary for the pursuits iu life to
which they are destined—something else
is yet required of those to whom an off
spriug has been given—you are still called
upon, as parents, to attend to their reli
gious and moral training ; and to take
care that, after right precepts havo been
imparted, your children may not bo cor
rupted by your own evil example.
If a parent supposes that lais vices can
bo hidden from his children, he is greatly
mistaken; for children are quiek iu thff
perception of what is wrong, and in rea
soning npon it, and imitating it; and if,
with the words, “ Thou shalt not steal,”
in your mouth, yon nevertheless make use
of anything not yonr own, or take undue
advantages of others, you aro practically
destroying the fpros of the precept, and
teaching your children to bo dishonest.
How can it be expected that yonr chil
dren will have a horror of drunkenness, if
they ever eeo you drunk, or drinking is
talked of by you as an object of gratifica
tion ? If you encourage yonr children by
promises, to confess a fault, and after
wards punish them for it, do you not
practically discourage their afterwards
telling you the truth ? Or, if you hold
that nothing is to be said which can in
any wav injare yonr own interests, and
say, “ Remember not to tell so and so,”
oan yon expect that your child will not
lie, whenever it suits his own purpose ?
If you aro violent and intemperate in
your demeanor, overbearing and insolent,
will not your children be infected by your
example ? and are yon not crushing in
the bud the truly estimable and Christian
qualities of gentleness, forbearance, and
charity ?
It has boon said, that “ Drunkenness
expels reason, distempers the body, in
flames the blood, impairs tho memory, is
a witoh to the senses, a devil to the soul,
a thief to the purse, a beggar’s compan
ion, a wife’s woe, and children’s sorrow ;
and that a drunkard is a picture of a
beast, a self-murderer, one who drinks to
the good health of others, and destroys
his own, as well as the happiness of those
whomjhe ought to protect, love, and cher
ish.” You need not be guilty of this
vice, or tho other vices, in a gross degree,
to influence yonr children by your exam
ple; and you must abstain from vice alto
gether, if you wish to train up your chil
dren to the j roper fulfilment of tlieir
duties, so as to secure their welfare here,
and tlieir eternal happiness hereafter.—
George Nicliolls,
The Value of Christianity.
“The value of Christianity has never
been fairly estimated by mere philoso
phers. There is grandeur in its princi
ples, fully perceptible to the humblest
beiug who feels their influence, bnt hid
den from him who knows them only
speculatively. The religion of Christ de
velops the only true principle of ‘associa
tion,’that can exist in mankind. Reviv
ing in eich iadividual principles tending
to harmonious action, it gives all the
elements necessary to form a perfect com
munity. Its action is wholly integral.
Perceiving the errors and follies incident
to the present order of society, philoso
phers have devised various modes as sub
stitutes for it; but in these modes one
great principle has invariably been over
looked. Tbe attempt has always been to
modify the passions aud actions of men
by different methods of combining them
together,—making good qualities of one
to neutralize the bad of another, thus
forming a compact whole. How far su
perior is the gospel plan! It takes.each
individual, purifies him of his faults, be
stows upon him gentleness, charity, and
true motives to act justly, and l>y the as
sociation of such as these, creates an or
der of society perfectly adapted to the
wants of man.”
Men’s laws and systems seek to secure
to mankind their rights, but say but very
little about their duties. The conse
quence is, men often do wrong to gain
their rights. Christ says very little about
our rights, but a great deal about our du
ties And yet, somehow, it comes to pass,
that when all do their duties all seem to
have their rights.
Two great commands arc cited by Christ
as embodying the substance of divine
teaching as cent lined both in tbe law and
in the prophets. And whatever men may
say of the practical bearing of tho require
ment, “Thou shalt love tho Lord thy God
with all thy heart, and with all thy soul,
and with all thy mind,” there can he no
elonbtbut tbe universal observance of the
second commandment, “Tliou shalt love
thy neighbor as thyself,” would revolu
tionize the face and character of all hu
man society, end the reign of cruelty, ha
tred, strife, and misrule, cause the cessa
tion of win, revolutions, convulsions,
rebellions, and disorders, ami bring to the
world that harmony and peace
“Which kings and prophets waited for
And sought hut never found.”
And if the obsorvance of a single pre
cept of tho gospel conld regulate the whole
system of human affairs, ami bring order
ont of lhe moral chaos that submerges all
things here, can we donbt that this pre
cept came from the Creator Himself? And
that the value of Christianity to the world
oven so far as it has now been diffused, is
beyond all human thought or compensa
tion. — St. Louis Presbyterian.
A Kay of Sunshine.
A minister, whom the Master has been
pleased td honor as a comforter of believ
ers, relates the following incident;—“ln
the earlier years of my Christian life, I
was accustomed to vis-t h pn.-r district of
a city in Scotland. One day I stepped
into a hovel, dimly light* <1 unit eeantily
furnished, but. yet d'spla- i. g a studied
neatness and order, i’he only inmate, an
aged woman, bowed rwn with infirm
ities, and almost blind, was seated near
the fire-place. A few moments’ conversa
tion satisfi-id me that she was cue of
Christ’s lowly ones, rich in faith, full of
peace, and r> j doing in hope of the glory
of God. Ater my own soul had been re
freshed with hi r gracious words; I asked,
“Aud ho and > you spend the long day
here?” * there is little difference to me,”
she replied, “between the honrs of night
and day, but they never seem long. There
is One who abides with me, whose love
makes it all light and joy to my sonl.
When I awake, He is still with me, and
the time seems too short to meditate on
His perfections, and to commune with
Him. My neighbors are very kind, nnd,
when they come in to help me, I have the
privilege of telling them what He is to
me, and of persuading them to taste and
see that God is good. There is just ono
hour for which I watch. You see that
window,” she said, pointing to the four
little panes that admitted the dim light
into the apartment in which wo eat. “For
about an honr every day, when it is not
cloudy the enn shines in there. I then
take my large printed Bible and sit down
in the sunlight, where I can see well
enough to read; and a precious hour it is
to me.”
“I thought,” said the minister, when
he related her little story, “of the great
sun, the centre of the solar system, send
ing his light and heat to so many distant
worlds. I thought of all that be shone
upon in this busy world—the fields of
grain, and the golden frits that were ad
vancing in his light; and I felt snre, that
from his going forth from the end of the
heaven, as a bride-groom coming forth
from his chamber, as a strong man to run
a race, in all his circnit nnto the ends of
it, he did no nobler service, and none
more grateful to onr Father in heaven,
who cuuseth His sun to shine on the evil
and on the good, than when, for a short
hour, he sent a few beams into that little
window, to light np tbe sacred page to
the dim eyes of that poor old woman whom
the world knew not.” —“lhe Scripture
Testimony,"
Consecration, s
REV. J. SCARLETT.
God of my being!—live in me!
And fit me for my home above:
That Thou art good, I “taste and see,”
And consecrate my all to Thee,
Thou God of love.
My nature to Thy light is blind—
The saving light through Jesus given,
I cannot by my wisdom, find,
Such qualities of heart and mind,
As live in heaven.
I look In faith to Christ, and live;
Through Him receive sin’s “double cure,”
ne does my fearful heart relieve—
My guilty soul He docs forgive,
And make it pure.
The good in me is but the gift
Of Jlim “who doeth all things well;”
By strength He gives, my soul I lift
Above the downward, driving drift
That leads to hell.
Of choice, the saving way is mine,
Its benefits 1 do receive;
I realize the power Divine,
In Jesus, to “arise and shine" —
I will believe.”
For Christ is formed within my soul,
The hope of endless glory—now!
And he that bids the planets roll,
Does, to His love, my heart control;
To Him I bow.
The world pours pleasure in its cup.
To quench poor man’s immortal thirst;
A well of water springing up,
Is Christ to me—with him 1 sup—
Jesus is First.
I drink from fount of living streams,
And wash me in the purple flood;
And snch are not mere empty dreams,
They come from Him whose blood redeems—
They come from God.
The holy realm of “shining grace,”
I dwell in with supreme delight.
1 hear no bubble phantom chase,
But see God’s glory in the face
Of Christ, my Light.
I will be Thine, my loving Lord!
Till fully I am satisfied;
When by the Spirit, and the Word.
1 shall be perfectly restored,
And glorified.
Northern Christian Advocate,
The Blessed Gate.
I There is a gateway at the entrance of a
narrow passage in London, over which is
written, “No burdens allowed to pass
through.” And there is another gate
through which no burdens will ever pass;
it is the gate of pearl. And there is an
other city into which this gate leads; it is
the city New Jerusalem. London is the
city of man; Jerusalem the city of God.
London is the city of time; Jerusalem the
city of eternity. There is sorrow and sin
in London; there is neither in the holy
city. There is death in London; there is
no death in Jerusalem, the golden. Lon
don is two thonsaDd years old; Jerusalem
is the oity of unnumbered years. London
has four millions of people living within
her precincts; Jerusalem will have a mul
titude that no man can number. London
will go down in the crash of the earth’s
fiery doom; Jerusalem will stand forever
and ever. Which city do you prefer?
Aud after all, mortals do carry their
bnrdens through that London gate. These
hardens may not be visible to the eye;
but nevertheless the sore, sad, stricken
heart bears them, and they are many.
Beneath the weight of these bnrdens men
stoop, and their steps falter. Into that
mighty city, day and night, men and
women bear heavy bnrdens, so crashing
that they would fain fling them at their
feet, but they can not. But no burdens
will pass the gate of the better, the endur
ing city; the burden of evil, the burden
of grief, the burdens of hearts so broken
as never in time to be healed, tbe count
less bnrdens of the world’s long dreary
night—none of these can enter there. All
will be laid down forever at the beautifnl
gate. Into the light of a long, sweet
home, into the breast of a glad, glorions
welcome, into the air of the eternally
blessed, they will pass who cross that
threshold, and are infolded within. O
blessed gate. Toward thy ever-open por
tals we onward press. Holy Bridegroom,
we beseech thee, let ns in!
Roll back on yonr binges, ye jeweled doors,
Till onr souls shall your bcanty know;
Till Heaven bursts through her starry floors,
And strews all her lights below.
Till the glow of a thousand suns comes down,
And the sheen of a silver flood
Shall deck our sad earth like a golden crown,
Till it flames like the hill of God.
[D, T. Taylor.
The Minister’s Wife.
It should bo clearly understood that the
minister's wife is the wife of the minister
and not of the congregation; that she is
the mother of his aud her children, and
not of all the children in the parish who
have poor or thriftless or ignorant parents;
that she has a first and a ceaseless dnty to
perform for those of her own household,
just as others have to theirs, neither more
nor less. If other wives and mothers will
gango tbe inroads that these home and
family relationships, honestly and faith
fully responded to, make upon their own
time, and thought, and physical and
financial resources, they will be able to
estimate tbe extent of like demands npon
tho wife of the minister ; and a conscien
tious balancing of these considerations
will probably lead, as it certainly ought
to lead, to an equitable apportionment of
the care and toil of Christian work among
all the members of a congregation. It is
an ud j list, and even a dishonest evasion of
individual duty and responsibility, to shift
them as an additional, unshared harden,
npon the shoulders of the minister’s wife.
The trne rule is that each must carry his
own load, though not forgetting to help
one another. If this be done, none nfeed
lie laden above bis strength or ability.
But if all throw their burdens upon oue,
no mortal can be expected to stand the
strain. As the minister’s wife may not
shuffle off the burden of her duties and
responsibilities to God, the Church, her
family, the -poor, the sinful, and the
wretched, upon the wife of the layman,
so neither may the wife of the layman
shift her share of the burden and heat of
the day upon tbe wife of tbe minister.
Those who demand so mnch from the
minister’s wife, who expect her to make
up for their own shortcomings or neglect,
and who are dissatisfied uDlees she is the
vigorons and inspiriting mainspring of a
thousand activities where they themselves
are listless or mere dead-weights, should
always bear in mind that ministers as well
as laymen relish the charm and are profit
ed by the enjoyment of home life. The
parsonage has its domestic altar as well as
the house of the merchant or lawyer, and
the ministrations of the wife are as essen-
F. ML KEVYEDY, O. D., Editor
J. W 15 Uit lit!, Assistant Editor
WHOLE NUMBER 1952
tial to comfort and happiness and a ronDd
ed life, in the one cese as in the other. If
the minister’s wife is to be absorbed ex
clusively with outside affairs by being
made to bear burdens alone which she
should only share with other wives, there
will be little time or opportunity left her,
and none of the electricity and freshness,
which are needed to make the home hfn
of the minister that remnant of paradife
on earth that it ought to be. —Christian
Intelligencer.
Miscellanea.
Dr. McCosh estimates that there are in
the world 8,497,815 Presbyterian com
municants, including Reformed.
The Evangelist churches in Jerusalem
have abont 400 members; tho native Pro
testants in Galilee number from 500 to
000; there are 1,400 children in the Pro
testant schools in all Palestine.
Anew religions belief is said to be gain
ing ground in Ohio. Its adherents ore
called Eternalists, They hold that the
soul is immortal’ and occupies a succession
of bodies on earth, both of men and
animals.
Thebe is great significance in the faot
that of the two hundred and fifty minis
ters present at the Central New York Con
ference, the youngest at conversion was
only seven, the oldest twenty, the averago
fifteen.
The Episcopal Church Jotirnal intimates
that amoDg the professed chnrohmen of a
city like New York, the people who kneel
at onr cbancols and commnnieate at our
altars, spond more money on thoir winos
than on their religion.
During the last twenty years the Wes
leyans of England have ereoted 3,923
chapels, at a £2,155,357 (over 810,000,000.)
The General Chapel Committee report
that in 1874 sanotion was given to the
erection of ono hundred and thirty chapels.
In the work of the Home Missions of
the Presbyterian Church during the year
just closed, 93 new organizations wero
effected, 38 mado self-supporting, and
5,538 have professed conversion. The
number of home missionaries employed
was 1,123.
Tiie Baptist Year Book exhibits tha
following statistics of the denomination
in the United States : Associations, 943 ;
ehnrches, 21,511 ; ordained ministers,
13,354; baptisms, 102,490 ; total mem
bership, 1,701,710, the increase in 1874
being 128,170.
Since the reunion of the two Presby-.
terian branches, the Board of Church
Erection has enabled 902 congregations
to complete their houses of worship free
from debt, thus securing church property
worth $4,550,000, and affording churoh ac
commodation to 307,000 worshipers.
Another modern illustration of “tbe
sacrifice of masses” oomes to us from
Germany. At Altotting, a celebrated pil
grimage place, 40,810 masses were ordered
in 1874, and paid for with 20,405 florins.
The average price of a mass was thus ten
pence, and there were over 110 read daily.
O. H. Roberts, of the Methodist Chnroh
South, professor in Pacific Methodist Col
lege, lias been requested to prepare and
publish a Choctaw dictionary. Dr. Brin*
toh, a learned philologist of Philadelphia,
who urges this work, is himself author of
the only grammar of that language.
The total nnmber of Sunday-schools in
the United States is given at 68,208 ;
teachers and officers, 740,979 ; Snnday
school scholars, 5,637,367 ; total Sunday
ssbool membership, embracing teachers,
officers, and scholars, 6,573,346. In Can
ada the number of schools is 4,401 ; teach
ers and officers, 35,745 ; Sunday-school
scholars, 271,381 ; total Sunday-school
membership, 497,126.
The Methodists seem to be attaining
great strength in Australia. The body
has three Conferences, and the peculiari
ties of the system seem to be very popn
lar. Strange enough, the first Methodist
preacher there was a convict. He was
under sentence of death in England for
murder. He was converted, and became
so thoroughly changed that through the
intercession of friends bis sentence was
commuted to banishment.
Dr. Samnel Frideanx Tregellee, tho
eminent classical and Biblical scholar, who
died at the age of 63, had occupied him
self more than thirty years in the prepara
tion of anew edition of the Greek Testa
ment. A considerable portion of his time
was spent abroad in collating tbe ancient
uncial MSS. He bad barely completed
the last chapters of Revelation when he
was struck by paralysis, and the pen lite
rally dropped from his hand.
Travelers from Europe report a marked
change in the old Roman Catholic coun
tries, Protestant preaching now prevailing
in every important place, even in Spain,
last to yield to the spirit of toleration.
The now elements toll npon society and
education, as well as npon religion and
theology. In Rome a Baptist Church is
opened within the walls of the old oity,
and Garibaldi attends to express his great
satisfaction at the progress of free princi
ples and good fellowship.
An undergraduate at Cambridge, who
found among the questions on his exami
nation paper this : “ Why will not a pin
stand on its point ?” elaborately explained
tbe point thus: “1. A pin will not stand
on its bead, mnch less is it possible that
it should stand on its point. 2. A point,
according to Eaclid, is that which has no
parts and no magnitude. A pin cannot
stand on that which bas no parts and no *
magnitude, nnd therefore a pin cannot
stand ou its poiut. 3. It will if you stick
it in.”
Literary Curiosities. —Ths First Pres
byterian church of Cumberland, Mary
land, has jnst completed a $50,000 slono
edifice. It has on it a debt of $12,000.
The trustees had prepared bonds, and had
made np their minds to carry a debt of
SB,OOO. The Church was dedicated Jane
Otb, Sermon by the pastor, Edwin B.
R iffensperger. Dr. George P. Hays, Pre
sident of Washington College, Pa., “ex
horted the congregation to free the
Church from debt.” The people obeyed,
and overshot the mark several hundred
dollars. The bonds are now useless ex
cept as literary curiosities.
The first-frnits of the recent Indian
conference in Washington comes forth in
the submission to the President, by Sec
retary Delano, of the names of five gentle
men, to constitute a commission to treat
with the Indians concerning the Black
Hills. In the selection the wishes of the
Indians have been complied with as far as
possible; and it is known that John S.
Collins, post trader at Fort Laramie,
whom Red Clond suggested; Bishop Hare
of the Episcopal Diocese of Dakota, whom
Spotted Tail wanted; and the Rev. S. D.
Hinman, the Indian missionary, who is
Lone Horn’s choice, aro among the nnm
ber. Hon. Frank W. Palmer, ex-member
of Congress, from lowa, and Bishop
Haven, of the M. E. Church, make up the
list.
Hfavt Postage —The N. Y. Observer
well says: “We again remind all corres
pondents that they are not allowed to send
communications, large or small, at the
postage rates of Publishers’ manuscripts.
We are constantly receiving packages by
mail on which tbo writers have paid a
trifle, and on which we are compelled to
pay fall letter postage before they are de
livered to ns. The law npon this subject
bas been printed, and explained so oiten,
that the imposition of this postage npon
an editor does not prove a favorable in
troduction to a communication. All manu
scripts, and even printed matter, on whioh,
outside or in, a single word is written be
sides the address, is charged fall letter
postage, except when sent to or from n
book pnblisher. Will our correspondents
bear this in mind.”