Newspaper Page Text
$2.50 PER ANXTTM,
Invariably in Advance.
VOLUME XXXVIII. NO. 49.
IWI*.
Tlie Prize Hymn.
Or. Sheldon Jackson, as onr readers know,
oflered a prize of SSO for the best home mi
slouary hymn The following, out of a great
number, was selected as the best. The author’s
name Is not given:
8 lints of God! the dawn Is brightening,
Token of our coming Lord;
O’er the earth the field is whitening;
Louder rings the Master’s word—
“ Pray for reapers
In the harvest of the Lord.”
Feebly now they toil in sadness.
Weeping o’er the waste around,
Slowly gathering grains of gladness,
White their echoing cries resound—
“ Pray that reay ers
In God’s harvest may abound.”
Now, O Lord! fulfill thy pleasure,
Breathe upon thy chosen band,
And, with pentecostal measure,
Send forth reapers o’er our land—
Faithful reapers,
Gathering sheaves for thy right hand.
Ocean calleth unto ocean,
Spirits speed from shore to shore,
Heralding the world’s commotion;
Hear the conflict at onr door—
Mighty conflict—
Satan’s death-cry on our shore!
Broad the shadow of our nation,
Pager millions hither roam;
Lo! they wait for thy sa.vation;
Come. Lord Jesus! quickly come!
By thy Spirit,
Bring thy ransomed people home.
Soon shall end the time of weeping.
Soon the reaping time will come—
Heaven and earth together keeping
God’s eternal Harvest Home;
Saints and angels!
Shout the world’s great Harvest Home.
—Rocky Mountain Presbyterian.
Contributions.
The Lord’s Prayer.
BT BEV. tV. KNOX.
XV. Doxological
“And the power,” —that is, — For Thine
is the power.
In the Greek Now Testament, there are
at least fonr terms which onr Translators
were pleased to render power, —one of
them nearly as eften as the one occurring
in the doxology, though it might be trans
lated in every place, authority, without any
perversion—perhaps to the improvement
—of the sense The other two occur only
occasionally, and might be rendered suc
cessively, dominion, strength. The one
with which we have now to do is properly
translated power in most of the places in
which it is foned, though sometimes ren
dered by other terms, as strength, might,
virtue, miracles, etc. It is the t6rm from
which is obtained the technical or scien
tific term, dynamics.
The Psalm is’ said ‘God hath spoken
once; twice have I htard this, that power
belongeth unto God.” When Abraham
was ‘ ninety years old and nine, and Sarah
was well stricken in years,” God made the
promise to him of a numerous progeny;
and to assure him of the fulfillment of it,
revealed Himself to him ns the Almighty,
“I am the Almighty God.”
Wo cau have bnt a vague idea of power.
We are in the habit of estimating a force
by the resistance it ovetcomes; and we
have very frequently no means of measur
ing the strength of the resistance, except
the evidences of the material senses; and
are liable to make wrong estimates.
We turn our eyes to the vast blue firma
ment above ns; we look at the sun in bis
dazzling brightness, around which re
volve our earth and the other planets of
our system, with their attendant satellites;
wo behold the moon, as she steps forth in
queenly majesty amid the shades of even
ing, illumining with her 6ilvery beams the
gloom of night; we follow the comets in
their eccentric flight, now approaching
the great orb of heat and light, and now
flying ofl to an nnmeasured distance from
him; we view She stars as they twinkle in
the fi.r off space, and we imagine them to
be central suns to other systems, we catch
a view of others still as they are brought
by welt ar j e-ted lenses within tberange of
visioD, —and carry onr thoughts far be
yond the reach of telescopic vision, and
see in our imagination, worlds on worlds
rolling around their parent suns, and
systems uroniid systems wheeling in
Tapid, though harmonious order, until we
crime to the grand center of all, —the
magnificent, the beautiful, the ever endur
ing home of God. How vast the power
which made, which beautifies and up
holds them all! How inconceivable the
might which regulates and controls these
mighty snd unnumbered orbß, so that re
volving with amazing rapidity in their
oibite, no sound is beard, no jar is felt
amid the vast profound! And yet how
vague is onr idea of that power. The
npheaval of a mountain, the convulsive
throe of a volcano, or the tremendous
rush of seme ground slide, strikes the
mind with greater force as manifestations
of power.
We view the river in its widening flow;
bnt its bosom is calm and placid,—and we
appreciate not the force of that volume of
water as it glidis along its nntroubled
channel, until pouring over some frightful
precipice, it founds like distant thunder,
and shakes the ground on which we tread,
and causes us to realize that we stand in
the presence of power!
We breathe the air aronnd, or move
through its yielding atoms, unmindful of
the power which sustains the super-in
cumbent fluid, —but when it comes along
in the whirling tempest, or we feel our
a fives within the mighty cyclone’s grasp,
we realize that there is power there.
We behold the lightning as with broad
and vivid glare it plays upon the crest
of the distant storm clond; but it is the
thunder which gives ns the idea of power;
and yet when we see that lightning as it
leaps from the besom of the blackened
clond, and shivers in a moment the giant
oak, or the stably pine, which for a thou
sand years, it may be, has withstood the
warring el ments, and listen to the dread
ful crash that follows, we have a still more
intense realization of power 1
Aye, truly miy we exclaim with the
inspired bard of Israel, “Power belcngeth
unto God.” But let us be careful not to
deify power; for some seem to speak of
God, as though He were but the creature
of His own attributes. They seem to
thiDk that beciiise He is omnipotent, He
must accomplish all that mire power can
effect. They seem to divest Him of all
volition, —of freedom in the exercise o f
His power, and the other attributes of Hi 6
being, absolutely restricting Him to the
doing of those things which they have
Unttihefu thrisHan
dimly reasoned ont, as congenial with
those attributes,—to the observance of
snch laws as their own feeble judgment
has evolved from the known perfections
of His being; so that their God after all is
bnt the feeble creation of their own ex
ceedingly limited reason, i
There are some things which power,
abstract power, cannot do; —and it is no
deroga* ion from His absolute perfection, to
say that His power is to be construed in
harmony with His other perfections. No
power can make the three angles of a
triangle either mere or less than two right
angles: so also, in a moral sense, it is
utterly impossible for man to be consti
tuted a moral being—l do not say agent,
for I like the other term better, —and yet
to be necessitated in his choice, or to be
irresistibly controlled in all his actions.
It wonld indeed be an absurdity, a posi
tive contradiction in terms; for a neces
sitated choice is no choice, —a forced obedi
ence is no obedience.
It wonld, therefore, be a manifest
fal'acy, to conclude that the Gospel is
not “the pouter'’ as also “the wisdom of
God,” because the world has not been
converted long ago, or because all men
have not been brought to “the knowledge
of the truth as it is in Christ Jesus,”—be
cause the Gospel has had to do with moral
beings— beings who in their very nature
cannot be controled in a moral sense by
arbitrary power, bnt can be swayed only
by moral iLflaencea.
Bnt, despite the cavilings of the infidel,
there are amply sufficient evidences that
the Gospel is “the power of God.” So
seemingly lowly in its origin, so feebly
supported as to hnman instrumentalities,
so mightily opposed by the learned and
the great of earth, to say nothing of the
evil machinations of the grand adversary
of God and man, it could never have bus
tained the shock of eighteen hundred
years, and lived to bless the world with
its truth and grace, if it had not been the
power of God.
“The kingdom of God cometh without
observation.” The harrying winds tell
not of its approach, the darkened skies
and gathering tempest mark not its com
ing, the flashing lightning in its zig zag
coarse, illnmines not its pathway, the
deep tones of the thnnder-drnm of hea
ven, herald not its advanoe; but it comes
npon the sonl, like the soft End silent
dew drop, or gently diffuses itself like the
unseen leaven, assimilating the heart to
its own hallowed likeness; and its power
is unacknowledged, save by those who
yield to its inflaeoces.
The < fleets are visible, tangible, and
serve sometimes to strike the mind of the
unbeliever with astonishment, bnt be fails
to recognize the pow< rat work. Because
no military array is seen, do clashing of
swords is heard, because no booming of
cannon, no ru> r of mutkelry, tell where
the battle is, beoauee no gory pools, no
mangled corpses, no heaps of the sluin,
mark the field of strife, because the ene
mies of the Cross are not beaten down
and destroyed in their first acts of rebel
lion, but are snffered to remain long, that
they may have opportunities for repent
ance, men may conclude that the reign of
the Son of man is without power; bnt
there is power there!
At the bare mention of the infant King,
Herod trembled on his throne. He spake,
and the blind received their sight, the
deaf heard His voice, and the tongne of
the dumb was loosed. He spake, and the
lame leaped for joy, the foul leprosy gave
way, and devils trembled and obeyed.
He spake, and death released its icy grasp,
and the grave gave back its prisoner. At
His simple “I am He,” the gnard who
were sent to apprehend Him, fell as dead
men,—when He hnng in speechless agony
npon the cross, the sun blushed in dark
ness, the earth quaked to her center, the
solid rocks were rent, the temple’s vail
whs snudered, and the prison houses of
the dead were thrown open,—He grappled
alone and single handed with the grim
tyrant, and came forth from his dark
domains a eonqnerer,—He ascended to
heaven, and took His seat as king im
mortal.
Power: “the kings of the earth set
themfelves against the Lord’s anointed,”
—the powers of darkness have marshalled
their numerous hosts, —persecutions, in
the lorm of whipping posts, croel sconrg
iugs, various torturing engines, prisons
and dungeons, the gibbet and the stake,
havo all been laid nnder contribution,
until the land has been made red aiththe
blcod of mutyrs; bnt the Religion of the
cross has lived on amid it all, and in spite
of all.—“ The man of sorrows” has prevail
ed. Oh! yes, it is a kingdom of power/
Look at the marshalled hosts as they ap
pear: a few fiishermen, and tax-gatherers,
and tent makers, against the wily priests
and governors, and kings and emperors,—
the poor and nntitled against therichand
the great,—the simple sword of the Spirit
against the mighty weapons of carnal
warfare, —the story of the incarnation,
crucifixion, and resurrection, against the
learning of the schools, and the metaphy
sical speculations of philosophy; but tbe
result—oh! how different from human
calculations, and how glorions!
But to return from what may seem to
be a digression: Sinoe the power—all
power—belongs to onr Father, how mnch
reason have we to pray to Him, and what
abundant foundation for tho hope that
He will hear and answer the prayer offer
ed to Him through faith in His Son, onr
elder Brother! Were He not in possession
of omnipotence as His right, however
great His power might be supposed to be,
though surpassing far the combined pow
ers of men, and the united strength of the
angelic hosts of heaven, it wonld not meet
the demands made npon it by onr pray
ers. He conld not esnse His name to be
hallowed, —oculd not establish His king
dom here among men, or cansa His “will
to be done in earth as it is in heaven.’’
He oonld not raise np spiritual seed nnto
Himself, where long and entire barren
ness had obtained. He conld not supply
ns with daily broad, or keep onr souls
alive by His spiritual grace. He conld
Dot fergive the sins which nnpardoned
will crush us down to hell. He oonld not
sustain ns in temptation's potent hoar, or
deliver ns fmm the devices of the evil
on”. But Ho is the Almighty, and to Him
we may lift the earnest prayer, with the
blessed assnrmce that “He is able to do
for ns abundantly above all that we can
ask or think.”
PUBLISHED BY J. W. BURKE & COMPANY, FOR tHE METIfODIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH, SOUTH.
MACON, GEORGIA, WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 8, 1875.
Tbe Southern Review.
REV. MR. MILLER, DR. SUMMERS, AND DR.
BLEDSOE.
Mr. Editor: In the October number of
the Southern Review, Dr. Bledsoe
devotes an article to his Critics, iB
which matters are brought forward be
tween himself, the Rev. Mr. Miller, and
Dr. T. 0. Summers, of serious import, and
such as cannot fail to Rrreet the attention
of every one who has at heart the interest
of tbe M. E. Church South. I say the
interest of the Church, for these are
among its leading officials and represents
tive men.
Dr. Bledsoo bitterly complains that
flagrant wrong has been inflicted on him,
by a persistent misrepresentation of his
opinions on tbe subject of infant baptism.
In an article on that rubjsct contained in a
previous number of the Review he states
the true' doctrine to bs that the Scrip
tures do not expressly teach that practice,
bat sanction it impliedly; that it was
practiced in tbe days of the Apostles, and
in the early ages of the Church; and that
snch is the view of our Church standards.
In the face of these statements, Dr. B. in.
forms ns that the Rev. Mr. Miller, has
charged him with denying that there is
any Sariptural authority for the practice
of infant baptism; or that it obtained in
the days of the apostles, or before tbe
time of Tertnllian; or that onr standards
so taught. Here then we find leading
men, in high position, directly at is
sue on points which raise a question of
Christian fairness and integrity. Just at
this juncture we are informed that Dr.
Summers comes forward and pats the en
dorsement of bis weighty name on these
alleged misrepresentations of Rev. Mr.
Miller. Whereupon Dr. B. restates his
views—shows their agreement with those
of onr venerated founders, as well as the
palpable iDjaßtioe doDe him by Mr. Miller;
and, amazed how Dr. Summers, so well in
formed on all such subjects, could have
fallen into snch an error, earnestly appeals
to him for justice. To the appeal, Dr.
Summers fails to respond.
Now, let ns consider the situation. A
discussion arises between Dr. Bledsoe and
the RcV. Mr. Miller on the subject of in
fant baptism, in which the latter misstates
the position of the former; and at this
critical juncture, Dr. Summers endorses
the mhrepresentation; and, although
called on, fails to repair the wioug done.
The misstatement appearing in book form,
goes forth from tbe Nashville Publishing
Hoube, for the edification of the public,
with the imprimatur of Dr. Summers.
Thus, all the weight that Mr. Miller’s
book could acquire by the authority of
Dr. Summers’ name is given. Before the
public, both Methodist and general, Dr.
Bledsoe is msde to appear as under the
ban oi the Methodist Church, and
that too, as ha says, by dint of a palpable
misrepresentation of Its opinions. Now
can ail this be true ? Is it possible that
Mr. Miller, a comparatively jonng and
rising man among ns, could allow himself
to be guilty of resorting to such a plain
dishonesty as to misrepresent the posi
tion of Dr. Bledsoe ? If so, he shows
himself unworthy of his rising reputa
tion, and should be trusted with no leadi r
ship in the Counsels of the Church, but
compelled to tuke a back seat, and answer
for the outrage committed. And can it
be possible that Dr. Summers, so high in
the confidence of the M.E.Church,South,
so trusted,so honored,could willingly lend
himself to the infliction of such a wrong?
It seems impossible of belief, and yet, ac
cording to the showing of Dr. Bledsoe,
he has done so, and by silence, refases
explanation or the proper amemlo. Or
lastly, is it possible that Dr. Bledsoe has
charged these brethren with offenses of
which they are iunocent ? It is not for
me to decide these questions, bnt, ns
these are representative men of our Church
it is impossible for its members t,o be in
different to the effect snch a scandal must,
and does bring on its fair name It is a grief
to every member of the church to witness
snch a state of things. The good name oi
the denomination is at stuke. If our lend
ingmen are capable of breaking the moral
law, by bearing false witness against each
other, what confidence can be placed in
the testimony they bear in any case ?
What the Church wants is truth’, and they
expect it of their official and leading men
in a sense not only the most rigid, but
even the most delicate and scrnpnlous.
Without it, there is no hope of onr foun
dations, and no reliance. Without it. we
can neither believe in ourselves, nor ask
others to believe in ns. All claims to con
fidence are forfeited.
Shall it be said that [ exaggerate the
importance of the subject ? It tonches
character, not only tnat of the persons
themselves, but through them tbe lepu
tation of the Church. Such things as
these are potent among the ebments that
go to make up the tone and spirit which
gives character to the body. Nor can they
be passed by with any hope of being
buried out of sight. These things were
not done in a corner. Thoughtful, sin
cere, intelligent men, lovers cf what is
good and trne, will not close their eyes to
them, and they onght not. It is a high
sense of honor and integrity, the utmost
loyalty to troth in all its aspects, that is
expected and demanded of our leaders
and representative men, whether high or
low, small or great, and this, not merely
for the reputation of the Chnrcb, bnt the
honor of God.
In dosing this communication, which
nothing but a jealous concern for the fair
name of the M. E. Chnrcb, South, could
have prompted me to write, it appears
due to candor and justice to say, that
while I do not assume to decide the ques
tion between these brethren, yet there
seems to be internal evidence of the cor
rectness of Dr. Bledsoe’s position. But,
be this it as may, the Church cannot afford
to allow a state of things so disreputable
to rest without some effort to clear its
skirts; for to be silent is to acquiesce;
and to do this, is to make itself responsi
ble. Thns we shall not only win the rep
utation, bnt justly deserve the character, of
a Chuich loose in its administration, and
careless of the conduct of its re; resenta
tive men. Layman.
Peace does not dwell in ontward things,
bnt within the soul. We may preserve it
in the midst of the bitterest pain, if our
will remain firm and submissive. Peace
in this life springs from acquiescence even
in disagreeable things, not in an exemp
tion from suffering.— Fenelon.
Supernatural Knowledge.
We are indebted to Bishop Doggett for
a copy of his address on this subject, be
fore the Literary Societies of Emory and
Henry Oollege, at its late Commence
ment. The address is eminently charac
terized by the profound thought, keen
analysis,and peerles diction, for which the
Bishop is so justly distinguished. Ws
cannot better convey to our readers an
idea of the merits of the address than by
copying its closing paragraphs, in which
are set forth some of the lessons inculca
ted by the discussion of the Philosophi
cal claim of Supernatural Knowledge:
Tbe foremost of them is the rationality
of Ohristian faith; its perfect conformity,
m every respect, to the laws of the hu
man understanding, and to every real in
dication of the progress of society. There
is no suppression of original convictions,
there is no surrender of a manly inde
pendence, there is no compromise of con
stitutional dignity, in becoming a Ohris
tian believer. On the contrary, an intel
ligent faith is the perfection of reason,
and the coronation of manhood—the
sweet response to its agonizing appeals,
and the joyons eolation of life’s consum
ing problem. To the haughty taunt of
every skeptic one may fearlessly exclaim:
“ Wrong not the Christian ; think not reason
yours;
’Tie rtasou our great Master holds so dear;
’Tis reason’s iujured rights his wrath resents ;
To save lost reason’s life he poured his own;
Believe, and show the reason of a man ;
Believe, and taste the pleasures of a God.”
Another lesson incnlcated by this dis
c ission is the sacred unity of every branch
of legitimate knowledge. All troth, of
every kind, possesses an innate coherence
with itself, whatever diversities may char
acterize its manifestations. The tenden
cy if its incoherent affinities is to form one
harmonious system, in accordance with
the law of relative proportions. There
can therefore be no permanent discord in
its utterances. The relation of sapernat
ural knowledge to every other species of
knowledge, on tbe hypothesis which we
have adopted, is primary and fundamental.
It stands at the front of the illustrious
line; or, better still, in tbe oentre of the
brilliant circle, and constitutes tbe daz
zSiug focus of its illumination. This is
exactly the position which supernatural
truth sustains to truth in general. It im
parts tone aud continuity, strength and
beauty, to all the rest. Amidst the incip
ient and incidental collisions which occur
in the various fields of exploration, this
universal nnity is giving signs of an ulti
mate outburst and c fflirescence. Truth
is the heir of immortality, and no degree
of violence can extinguish its existence.
In this respect it may be said:
“ Truth crush'd to earth will rise sg4n,
The eternal years of God are hers ;
But error, wouuded, writhes in pain,
And dies amid her worshipers.”
An imperative lesson, in this conneo
tion, is the text-book of supernatural
knowledge. I have hitherto forborne to
state what mnst be no longer omitted:
that the Bible is the exclusive source of
supernatural knowledge—the sole foun
tin and repository of its communications
The spontaneous and irrepressible de
mand of human nature for communion
with tbe invisible world has laborious!;
evinced itself by abnormal and spurious
methodsof intercourse with it. The my
thologies of all nations, the oracles of the
Greeks, the augurieß of the Romans, and
the ghostly exhibitions of modern spirit
ualism, are only so many baleful abortions
in attempting to produce the genuine re
spouse. The Bible alone is the living or
acle, and its unambiguous answer solves
the mysteries of life. Its divine authen
ticity and its consistent testimony assign
to it a solitary aud unapproachable pre
rogative iu the sphere of credible revela
tion The Vedas, the Shaster, the Sybil,
the Koran, the Seance, are the phospho
rescence of moral decay, glimmering
through the night of human ignorance
and sorrow. The Bible is the burnished
lump of the eternal sanctuary, filled with
its oil and kindled at its altar, letdown by
an adamaiitiuu chain, into the midst of
earth’s darkened temple, lighting up with
a steady radiance, dome and arches, colo
nades and aisles, recesses and cloisters;
and reflecting its cheering ravs npon the
careworn faces of its bewildered occu
pants.
Tue Bible, tho Bible, is. by eminence,
the boric, in a sense in whicn no o'ber
beck is a book at all. It was is.-med in
h-aven, and bears tbe imprimatur of the
Holy Ghost. ‘lt has God for its author,
salvation for its object, truth without any
mixture of error for its subject,” angels
for its commitsioners. prophets for its
heralds, and aposths for its embassadors.
It resources are a perpetual miracle. It
is the book of humanity, the claseie of
the scholar, the problem of the philoso
pher. the pandect of tbe civilian, the in
spiration of the poet, the model of the
artist, the magazine of the orator, the ar
terial of the soldier, the vade mecum of the
traveler, the song of the captive, the
wealth of the poor, the counselor of
the boon of the peasant, and the
passport of the dying.
Tue Bible is the basis of civilization,
tbe support of government, aDd the bond
of society. Itself a library, it has created
libraries, it has reduced to written form
the jargon of barbarous sounds. It speaks
to-day three hundred languages and dia
lects; and will rfpeak, in every tongne of
this babbling earth, “ the wonderful
works of God.” Its mysterious character
and matchless excellence provoke attacks
from its enemies, without receiving dam
age from them. It may be likened, says
Henry Rogers,to some great ship floating
down a mighty river, like the Amazon or
the Orinoko, the shores of which are in
habited by Savage tribes. From every
creek or inlet sally flotillas of canoes fill
ed with warriors, in all the terrors of war
paint, and with their artillery of bows
and arrows. Meantime the noble vessel
silently moves on, without deigning to
alter its course oi fire a shot. Perhaps,
here and there, a seaman casts a compas
sionate glance from her lofty bulwarks at
the hardihood of those who come to as
sail his grand leviathan.
The lust lesson suggested by this dis
cussion is the illustrious career of the
Christian student. It differs essentially
from that of the mere student of nature.
It is replete with moral grandeur, and
imposing responsibility. He stands on
a higher plane, and is intrusted with a
subiimer mission. He bears God in his
word, and sees him in his works. Voices
fall upon his ears, and visions pass before
his eyes,which transform the earth into a
school of instructive wonders, and life
into a disciplinary pilgrimage for a grand
er lif > to come; where the tree of life will
be also the tree of knowledge, whose am
brosial fruit will yield an endless festival
of delight; and where tbe intellectual and
moral stature of our manhood will ascend
the glowing meridian of its predicted
greatness, and rxputiate in spheres of
cloudless light, through cycles of intermi
nable progresson; says a poet:
“ The sonl of man was made to walk the skies,
Delightful outlet of her prison here ;
There, disencumbered of the ties of joys terres
trial,
She can rove at large; there freely can respire,
Dilate, expand; in full proportion let loose
All her powers.”
Pray and Wait —Pray frequently, and
wait quietly, and the Lord will make yonr
way plain Jesus trains np all bis ser
vants to waiting, and if you are called to
the ministry, he will exercise yonr sonl
bcforehaid with sharp conflicts. Joseph
must be first cast into prison by his mas
ter before he rules the kingdom ; and Da
vid must be “ hunted as a flea” upon the
mountains before he gets the soepter.
How can you tell what others feel unless
yon have felt the same thing yourself ?
Undertake nothing without first seeking
direction from the Lord ; and when any
thing offers that is plausible and inviting,
beg of God to disappoint yon if it be not
according to his mind. Yon cannot safe
ly raly on yonr own judgment, after God
has told yon He th'at trnsteth in his own
hefltt is a fool. This advice relates to all
important changes in life Selected.
Two Christians.
Two-Christians traveled down a road,
Who viewed the world with different eyes;
The one was pleased with earth’s abode,
Tte other longing for the skies.
For one, the heavens were so blue.
They filled his mind with fancies fond;
The other's eyes kept piercing through
Only for that which lies beyond.
For one, enchanting were the trees,
The distance was divinely dim,
The birds that fluttered on the breeze
l|£jied their pretty heads for him.
Tli jliher scarcely saw the flowers.
A” 1 never knew the trees were grand;
He did not count the days and honrs,
TUI he might reach the promised land.
And one a little kind caress
Wonld to a tender rapture move;
He only oped his lips to bless
The God who gave him things to love.
The other journeyed on his way,
Afraid to handle or to touch;
He Only oped his Ups to pray
He might not love a thing too much.
Whkh was the best? Decide who can.
Yet why should we decide ’twixt them?
We may approve the monrnfnl man,
Nor yet the joyful man condemn.
He is a Christian who has found
That earth, as well as heaven, is sweet,
Norus is he who heaven-bound,
Has spurn’d the earth beneath his feet.
—Good Words.
From the New Orleans Christian Advoeat J.
v From Mexico.
Mr. Editor: As you are aware, we open
ed oar new church for public worship on
August 22 Since then we have been
moving on smoothly and pleasantly. Ap
prehensions were entertained by many
that we would have trouble from the at
tacked fanatical hatred. To this time we
have had no trouble whatever, I am happy
to saH The boose itself is so pretty, so
sweet and dean, that it seems to have in
spired awe and respect. Not a stone has
been thrown, not a window-pane broken.
This indicates a strong advanoe move
ment. Oar congregation is a fraction
smaller than in the first few weeks, bnt
the services have increased in interest in
a doable ratio. Of coarse the beauty and
attractiveness of the house—the novelty
of anew place of worship—brought out a
good many from mere cariosity. Time
has done the winnowing, and we have
settled down to onr work with a good,
substantial congregation. The average
attendance at night service is about one
hundred. Considering the vast nnmbers
of psople in the oity, this seems like an
ineig -ificant beginning. Still, with the
exception of one Sunday morning congre
gatii-h, we have the best house in the city.
It m int be remembered also that the work
is really, as yet, in its infancy. Our hopes
strengthen as the prospect brightens. We
have really nothing to discourage, but
ever:thing to urge ns on. It is a work of
There is a wide margin for patience,
watchjfalness, prayer, waiting.
Abfet a week sinoe we organized the
first tiathern Methodist Chnroh in Mexi
ft* introduction o/'!w’vePo
tf stantbm in Mexico the people forming
the congregations considered themselves
members of the Chnroh. They saw no
neoessity for formal membership—for a
formal organization. They have been
slow to see the necessity of snch a course
manifested in the spirit of organization
by foreign missionaries. The fact is,
there was a strong prejudice against it.
But this is gradually giving away. We
began with twenty-five members. The
number has been more than donbled at
subsequent meetings, and additions are
being made all tbe while. Sixty bona fide,
substantial, intelligent members is no bad
two months’ work. At least so we, oc
cupying a position to judge of the difficul
ties, think.
Onr native preachers are aclive, earnest
workers. They study the Discipline close
ly, and appear to be fully imbued with its
spirit. Better than this, they study the
Holy Bible, and their preaching is becom
ing wonderfully spiritual and impressive.
I do not think I ever witnessed a more
decided improvement in manners, style
and spirituality in preachers anywhere
than in these Mexican brethren. I have
a daily conference with them, in an
“upper room,” for Bible reading, prayer,
etc. - in many of these timely “waitings”
before the Lord we all feel the reality of
the divine presence. They have been a
great blessing to my own sonl, and I doubt
not also to my faithful co-laborers.
1 have also organized a Bible class of
young men, now numbering twenty, who
meet at my house each Saturday night.
They are punctual in their attendance,
aud evidently feel a deep interest in the
work. First we read two chapters in the
New Testament, verse abont, and one of
tbe class leads in prayer, always dosing
with the Lord’s Prayer, each member re
peating after him the petition. A “golden
text” is elected, the week previons, for
study aud analysis. Daring the week all
are more or less meditating npon the same
passage. One of the class is also selected
to write a special paper on the subject.
After the reading, the lessons and prayer,
this paper is read by the author, and then
an hoar is spent in the farther analysis
and discussion of the subj ct. I also pre
pare an analysis, which is given in conclu
sion. Yon would be gratified to see the
manifest interest of each one. Yon wonld
be more astonished at the decidedly
original thoughts and knowledge of the
Scriptures given by many. Quite a num
ber of these young men take an active
part in our week-night services. These
are held on Wednesdays and Thursdays.
They read the lessons, lead in prayer, give
exhortations, etc. These week night ser
vices are called cullos hbres, and form a
special characteristic of primitive Mexican
Protestant worship. For the benefit of
all I will say that the literal meaning of
this phrase is “free worship.” Any mem
ber of the congregation is at liberty to
offer a word of exhortation, tell his ex
perience or lead in prayer. Euoh being
brief and spirited, gives variety and in
terest.
You also know that in connection with
the congregation we have three schools:
1. A night school for adnlts. The ses
sions are from seven to nine o’clock, three
nights in the week. The teachers are
members of my Bible class. The school
is weU attended, and is doiDg much good,
not only giving solid instruction for every
day nse, bnt interesting the students in
the Church. which gives snch evidences of
practical charity, who would perhaps have
no thought of Christianity.
2 A day school for boys. Tbe average
attendance is abont thirty. It is filling
np steadily. Tho master is an interesting
yonng Mexican gentlemen, faithful and
earnest in his work. He is a member of
onr church. Possessing a singular capa
city for singing, he is a great help in pub
lic worship.
3. A day school for girls, about equal
in nnmbers to that of the boys. For this
school we were fortunate iu seenring the
services of a cultivated French lady, an
American citizen, who has been teaching
many years in this republic. Among the
girls we have several interesting yonng
ladies preparing for teachers. In each
school a given part of the day is devoted
to vocal music. In tbe reading classes
we use freely and effectively the New Tes
tament. Finding my school-room too
small, I have rented rooms adjoining the
Chnrch. and moved the girls into them.
It increase s the expenses, but iu a great
enterprise like this a few bnudred dollars,
or even thousands, more or less, is really
no consideration.
Our work is growing daily in interest.
We only need the material sympathy of
the Church to advanoe rapidly. With the
money to meet one-half the demands of
the hour we conld soon form a little An
nual Conference, and need the help of a
Bishop each year.
Will the Chnrch come to the rescue of
Mexico? Joel T. Daves.
November, B th, 1875.
Serve the Lord Wholly.
If a man wonld serve God at one time
he must be ready to serve him always. If
he would count himself the Lord’s, he
mnst count as tho Lord’s all that he has;
and all that he does he must do as unto
the Lord. “No man can serve two mas
ters.” He “cannot serve God and mam
mon.” If he wonld be aotively a disciple
of Jesus in the prayer-meeting, he mnst
be actively on the Lord’s side m his daily
business. If he wonld be a faithful and
zeabus Christian in time of revival, he
must be faithful and zealous as a Chris
tian when baying and selling and work
ing, with only the worldly and godless
abont him, or while at home with his
family all the year around. It is not
enough for a Christian to give one-tenth
of his income into the Lord’s treasury.
All that he has belongs to the Lord. He
himself is “bought with a price.” He is
not his own. Whatever he has already
given in charity, as unto the Lord, he
must be ready to give more if it is in his
hands when the Lord oalls again.
There is no half-way form of becoming
the Lord’s. A man oannot be the Lord’s
on Sunday and the devil’s the rest of the
week. He cannot be a disciple of Jesus
in one place, and a lover of the world in
another. He cannot carry on one branch
of his business for the Lord and another
branoh for himself. He belongs fairly on
one side or the other of the line which
separates the friends and the foes of Jesns,
the servants of God and the slaves of sin;
and his possessions are on the same side
with himself. Where his treasure is there
his heart will be also.
“Be ye therefore perfect, even as yonr
Father whioh is in heaven perfect" is the
re junction of Jesns. And this is not a
command to sinlessnesß; it is a call to
wholeness of service. Onr Lord in the
sermon on the mount called on men to not
merely abstain from murder, but to shun
unloving thoughts; to be pure, not alone
in outward act but in inward purpose; to
abhor extravagance of speech, as well as
outspoken profanity; to include enemies
as well as brethren in their ministries of
love; to be whole hearted in God’s service
and in kindly ways toward their fellows;
to be complete, entire, perfect in their
discipleship and in its exhibit, to include
everything in their religions service. To
them who will not be the better for a lit
tle quickening of his faith, and, we may
add, of his movement too. In the second
place, with regard to the men themselves,
there oan, we think, be bat one opinion
as to their sincerity. They are not
money-makers; they are not charlatans.
Decorous, conservative England, which’
reprobated both their work and the man
ner of it, held them in the full blaze of
scrutiny for months, and conld not detect
in them a single motive which was not
pare. Earnest and sincere men are rare
in these days: is it not worth oar while to
give to these a dispassionate, unpreju
di’id-.hearing t,. TMrdty, with regar'i to
their message. They preach no new doo
trine—no dogma of this or that sect;
nothing bnt Christ, and the necessity
among ns of increast and zeal in his service.
Which of ns will controvert that troth ?
If the Christian religion is not the one
hope for our Individual and social life,
what is ?
Aod lastly, with regard to the method
of these men in presenting Christ and bis
teaching. Men of high culture, or ex
ceptional sensitiveness of taste, shrink
from the familiarity of words and ideas
in which a subject they hold as reverent
and sublime beyond expression is set
forth to the crowd. They call it vulgar
and debasing to the truth. Granting that
their opinion is right from their point of
view, what is to be done with tbe crowd ?
They cannot all be men of fine onltnre
or exceptional sensitiveness; they are not
moved to believe or trnst in Jesns through
philosophic arguments or contemplation
of Nature, or logioal conviction, or Bp
peals to their icsthetio senses by classiacl
music, stained glass, or church architec
ture; they are plain, busy people,with or
dinary minds and tastes, yet certainly as
Christ died to save them it is necessary
they should be brought to Him by some
means and persuaded to live cleaner,
higher, more trnthfnl lives. Christianity
i not a matter of grammar for libraries
and drawing-rooms, refined taste, delicate
sensibility. It was not to the cultured
classes that Christ himself preached, but
to the working people, the publicans,
fishermen, tax gatherers, and he used the
words and illustrations which wonld ap
peal to them most forcibly. If Messrs.
Moody and Sankey or any other teachers
■bring Him directly home to men’s con
victions and lead them to amend their
lives for His sake, let ns thank God for
tbe preacher and let his taste and gram
mar take care of themselves.
When Whitefield went np and down
England preaching, the wits and macaroni
and fine ladies in George’s Court called
tbe little man commonplace and coarse.
Bnt many of them,when they heard him,
were driven .by bis fb rje earnestness as
by a scourge to the foot of the cross, and
beoame, like him, faithful servants of
Christ, and wire not ashamed to live
humbly and godly lives in the most cor
rupt court that England over knew. —New
York Tribune.
The Revivalists.
There are very probably as marked dif
ferences in the opinions of the public
concerning tbe work of Messrs. Moody
and Sankey as there are in the classes of
people who go to hear them. Every in
telligent man has made np bis mind abont
this revival movement,and of coarse holds
that he alone looks at it from the trne
point of view. One ranks it a little
higher than a panic or a great trial, or
any other cause which surges up a wave
of popnlar excitement; another, though
not bimself professedly Christian, ac
knowledges the elevating and wholesome
effects of religions aspiration sweeping
through a community, and hopes for the
best from this one. There is jnat as mnch
difference in the views of the members of
Ohristian churches abont it, althongh al
most all have given it their official sanc
tion. Earnest and devont men of certain
denominations discourage aDy excitement
as apt to be short lived and purely emo
tional, even when it dots not give low
views of religions truth; while others just
as earnest aud devont esteem these two
men evangelists as truly as were the apos
tles, and regard the fruits of their labors
as little inferior in the power and mani
festation of God’s Spirit to that of the
day of Pentecost.
There is a common sense view to be
taken of this matter as of every other. In
tbe first place, why should we sneer be
cause a large part of the multitudes crowd
ing into Brooklyn rink are drawn there
only by curiosity ? So they were when
they followed Christ into the streets of
Jerusalem or the wilderness; yet they
went to the healing of their bouls. Or
that a still larger part already profess
Christianity, and believe all that Moody
and Sankey teach ? There is not one of
this perfection, this wholeness, this en
tirety of surrender to God, every servant
of God is summoned now as then. It is
not enough lor a disciple to say, “I can
not be sinless; therefore I have no call to
completeness of service.” His question
to himself should be, “Am I like Ananias,
holding back anything from the Lord
while professing to be his servant?' 1
The world judges the sincerity of
JF. n. HG!V\GDI, D. D., Editor.
J. W RIIRKG A sal man I Editor.
A. G. IIAYGOOD, D. D., Editorial Correspondent.
Christian professions week-days rather
than Sundays, It passes judgment on
avowed disciples of Jesus as they show
themselves in trade, or in toil, or in pol
itics, not as they appear in the prayer
meeting or in the Sunday-school. Its es
timate of the devotion of a man to tbe
Divine Master is based not on his occa
sional subscriptions to religions charities,
but on the manner in which he holds his
entire property, as well as his time and
his every talent—which are sure to be
ready at God’s call if the man is truly
the Lord’s. In times of revival the world
values most the exhortations and prayers
of those Christian men who have before
evidenced Christian discipleship in their
daily business life. After the revival has
passed the world estimates the sincerity
of profession on the part of those who
were active in the time of general reli
gions interest by the manner in whioh
they newly conduct themselves in every
day intercourse with their fellows, and by
the use they newly make of their time,
talents, aDd pioper’v. And the world
judges rightly in all this. It is tbe man
who is mistaken if he wonld accept an
other stanoard for himself. Unless in his
business he is ready to do just what is
right toward his customers and his rivals,
at the risk of business ruin; unless as a
workman he is ready to do every job he
undertakes as though he must give ac
count of that piece of work to the Lord;
unless as a parent he counts bimself as
much a witness for Christ in his words
and manner when things go wrong at
home as when he stands up to take part
in the social prayer-meeting; unless with
his entire income, be it large or small, he
reoognizes it as his duty to spend every
oent as will apparently best promote God’s
glory—there is no true discipleship on his
part. His professions are empty. He has
not yet entered God’s service. Ho and
his treasures are not the Lord’s He
should begin auew with a consecration of
himself and all that he has to the Lord.
Until a man surrenders everything to
the Lord, he is mistaken in supposing
that he is the Lord’s. When he is the
Lord’s, everything that lie has and does
should bear the Lord’s name, and tend to
the Lord’s glory. The injunction is all
inclusive. “ Whatsoever ye do iu word
or deed, do all iu the name of the Lord
Jesns, giving thanks to God and the Fa
ther by Him.” “ Whether therefore ye
eat or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all
to tte glory of God.”
Bishop Enoch George.
BY THE BEY. J. L, GILDER.
Bishop George, little known to the pres
ent generation, was among the most re
markable men that Methodism has pro
duced. When in my boyhood I kDew him,
he was well stricken in years. His ven
erable and patriarchal appearance and
manners deeply impressed me. His frame
was massive. He was tall, broad shoul
dered, full chested, and slightly inclined
to corpulence. His face was broad, his
forehead prominent, his eyes deeply
while his abnndaDt hair, mixed
vyitlx gray, bang carelessly about his neck.
The principal defect in his features was
tha nose,which was large and nuduly de
pressed. There was gravity and solemju
ty in his countenance, without the slight
est tinge of gloom. He appeared as one
conscious of the awful responsibility of
his office as a legate of the skies. His
voioe was deep, clear and melodious, mod
nlated by the topics on which he dwelt;
now melting by its pathos, now aronsing
by its earnestnets, and now attracting at
tention by its pleading cadences.
His mind partook largely of the char
acteristics of bis body, showing strength,
energy and ronndness. Asa preacher be
ranked high. His sermons wirs listened
to with the greatest interest. They were
distiDgaished for naturalness, simplicity,
directness and pathos. He was frequently
spoken of as the weeping prophet. At
times he was intensely emotional, and
wonld exhibit his feeling in his tones and
bis tears.
He excelled in climacteric declamation.
Daring a sermon I heard him preach in
Philadelphia he had been contrasting the
glories of heaven with the sorrows of
earth, and referring to the final deliver
ance and triumph of the Christian, he
suddenly exclaimed, his voice rising with
every sentence, “Brethren! it will be glo
ry, glory above glory, glory beyond glory,
glory exceeding glory, glory transcending
glory.” This, though tantologioal, had
all the effect of a climax by reason of the
increasing volume and inflexion of the
voice. He curried his hoarers with him
in the ascent. Every heart was stirred,
every eye was moistened, and from every
part of the honse conld be heard ejacula
tions of praise and exaltation.
Bishop George began his itinerant min
istry in 1789 under tire direction of Bish
op Asbury, when but twenty-one years of
age. His labors were arduous, his sacri
fices great. In common with his brethren
he was subjected to privation and perse
cution, and while many of them, dis
heartened, retired from the itinerancy, he
eschewed all considerations of ease and
safety. One object alone engaged his at
tention: the extension of Christ’s king
dom; and to this he devoted himself with
a zeal that no waters conld quench.
By his devotion, his consistency, his
prudence and his success, he won the Con
fidence of his brethren, and in IBIG he
was elected to the episcopacy. In this
new relation, he was the same humble,de
vout, self-denying, earnest, and uncsten
tations man as before. He ruled With
simplicity, and exacted nothing of others
that he was unwilling to perform or en
dura himself. His responsibilities and
’abors were increased. The entire sn
perintendency at this time devolved npon
the Bishops, and there being no division
of the work, as now, they traveled over
the whole continent.
Bishop George found the office no sin
ecure. He made this record: “I found
the office of an American superintendent,
or Bishop, is the most arduons and re
sponsible in the Chnrch. He who dis
obsrges the duties of this office will find
no time for loitering or self indulgence. ”
He was eminently a holy man. His de
voutness attracted general observation
Holiness glowed in his countenance, ex
pressed itself in his conversation, and in
fact pervaded his entire spirit and man
ner. Referring to the distinctive doc
trines of Christianity he wrote, “ I have
wondered how rational beings, with the
volume of nature and oracles of God
open before them, cenld objeot to any of
them, especially that of Christian perfect
lion.”
The children where he visited, never
failed to secure recognition and receive
instruction Mrs. Vancleve, wife of tho
Rev. C 8. Vancleve, pastor of tbe Cen
tenary Church, Long Branch, New Jer
sey, retains a distinct remembrance of
the bishop’s being at the honse of her
father, Joshua Bunn, Esq., Pennington,
New Jersey, when she was a very little
girl. Taking her upon his kuee he s iid
words she has never f rgotten: “ Yon
must go to school to get wisdom, learn to
work to get a living, iearn to pray to get
religion, and then you will grow up to be
a fine girl.”
At the close of the General Conference
of 1826. he proceeded South tojsdtend the
Southern Conferences. Three months
had hardly intervened ere he ceased at
once to work and live. A violent attack
of dyseutery suddenly prostrated him.
He seemed from the first apprehensive of
its fatality, but, nothing daunted, he was
tranquil and joyful. To some of the
preachers who were sitting with him he
said: “Brethren, you must exonse me, I
am ton weak to talk to you. All I can sav
is, if I die I am goiug to glory; for this I
have been liviug forty years” Wben all
hope of recovery became extinct, be said
to his physician, “ I shall soon be
ry.” On seeing some cl hfe oretflich en-
WHOLE NUMBER 1973
ter his room, he raised his arms to em
brace them and said: “Brethren, rejoioe
with me; lam going to glory.” Thai he
continued joyful in the Lord, until in the
exuberance of his feelings he clapped his
bands iD ecstaoy and exclaimed, “ Shout
glory to God I the best of all is God is with
ns.” On the 23d day of August, 1828, ho
peacefully fell asleep in Jesus. “ Absent
from the body; present with tbe Lord.”
Thns lived and labored and snffered aud
departed a man who impressed bis char
aeter npon the Chnrch and its institutions
while in her formative state, and whoso
memory is deserving of being resened
from the oblivion to which it has been
consigned. —N Y. Methodist.
Miscellanea.
A new translation of tbe Bible, by Mist
Julia E Smith, of Glastenbury, is to be
published by a Hertford firm. Mias
Smith is said to be the first person who
ever made a complete translation of the
Scripture without aid.
The Free Church Record estimates that
ontside the bounds of Christendom,there
are 4,000 centres of Christian work and
gospel teaching, 2,500 congregations,
173,000 commnnioants, and 1,350,000
nominal Christians.
Thomas Carlyle, who is 80 years of
age, is rapidly failing in health. Fifty
two years since, after for a time teaching
mathematics in Fifeshire, he began his
literary career by writing for Brewster's
Edinburgh Oyolopmdia.
In New York the City Mission employs
30 missionaries, who make 60.000 visits a
year, reaching 20,000 families. They con
duct 100 different services a week, preach
ing the gospel to 100,000 persons. 1,500
ohildren arc gathered into the several
Sunday-schools of the mission.
The deep, unalterable feeling that tralli
has a supreme claim over all things else,
and that nothing can justify not merely
the ntteranoe of falsehood, but silent oon
nivanoe with it—this feeling is engraven
in man’s soul by Him who is the Father
of lighta. If we did not believe in the
unchangeable nature and claims of troth,
we conld not believe in Him.
There is seldom a line of glory written
upon the earth’s face bnt a line of suffer
ing runs parallel with it; and they that
read the lustrous syllables of the one, and
stop not to decipher the spotted and worn
inscription of the other, get tbe lesser
half of the lesson earth has to give.
Bishop Whipple, of Minnesota, in a
letter to President Grant, says that, not
withstanding all the clamors whioh have
been made, the President’s peaoe policy
towards the Indians has been a success,
and that thousands of them are learning
to live as civilized men, and among them
are some as trne Christians as can be
fonnd among tbe whites.
Rev. S H Kellogg, of Allahabad,
affirms that statistics, deduoible from the
recent carefully prepared oensns of the
Indian government, demonstrate “ that
with only five hundred and seventeen
Protestant missionaries to two hundred
million people, with all the inveterate
hatred of fanatical Mohammedanism, and
all the power and prestige of a venerable
Brahminisn against them, the Ohnroh of
, Christ is, as a matter of fact, gaining on
the world to day, at least ae rapidly in
India aa iu the most favored sections of y
America. ”
In southern Russia the result of a re
markable religious awakening is shown in
a now numerous body of earnest Chris
tians known as Stundists or Honrist*—
names derived from their habit of gather
ing for social worship and Bible study in
a Bibel Slunde —a Bible hour, The Gazette
of the Russian Academy of Soiences in
deseribtng them says that this brother
hood “owes its origin not to any leader
who baß gone out of the ranks of the Rus
sian people, but to contact with Protes
tantism.” Their aim is the propagation
of pure evangelical morals, and they find
enjoyment in mntnal Bible study and ex
position.
The Bishop of Ripon, England, has re
fused to allow a Mr. Hoyle of New York
to place the words ‘ liequiescnt in pace ” on
the tombstone of his father, in the church
yard of Marsden. In his reply to the re
quest the Bishop says: “The proposed
inscription is a prayer for the dead ; that
all true Protestants believe that the state
of the departed is fixed the moment after
death; that the souls of the faithful are
in joy and felicity, and do not need onr
prayers; that lost souls cannot be benefit
ed by them, and that the inscription
both misleading and erroneous.” Mr.
Hoyle will sue in the Bishops’ Consistory'
Court for the right to place the inscription
on the tombstone.
Dr. Nathan Bhown, one of the Ameri
can Baptist missionaries in Japan, has
been, so far, successful iu a controversy
with the committee engag< and in irauslating
the Scriptures into the Japanese languagt i
The word chosen by them for the transla
tion of “ baptism ” was one that signifies
“ washing ceremony,” and is a term often
nsed by the Japanese iu r f-rence to their
own temple worship. Dr. Brown, being
dissatisfied with the choice of this term,
prepared a paper on the subject, the read
ing of which convinced tbo committee
that the word did not really express the
significance of baptism. Dr. Brown then
by circular submitted the matter to the
vote of all the missionaries in Japan,
whose verdict has just been rendered. The
Greek is to be transferred to Japanese, as
our fathers transferred it to the English :
so baptisma is to be the Japut ese for
baptism.
Stria has daring the past s*aou suf
fered very greatly from the cholera. At
Antioch, in a population reduced to 8,000
there were from fifty to eighty deaths
daily. At Damascus, business was almost
suspended. The daily average of deaths
was reported at 150, although it was sup
posed that the aotual number was far
larger. Dr. Jessop, writing from Beirut,
speaks of Mount Lebanon as standing
out, thus far, like an island in a sea of
pestilence. At Beirut, the Mohamme
dans were preaching submission to fate ;
but at the same time taking a degree of
sanitary precaution which was unusual
for them. The cholera not having exist
ed in Mohammed’s day, they did not re
gard hie warning against fleeing from the
plague ns biuding upon them, and had de
serted the city iu great numbers. None
of the various missions in Syria are re
ported as having suffered very seriously
irom the rs-y igee of the pestilence; bnt
the work, in tbo schools especially, mast
have been greatly interrupted.
The annual meeting of the committee
of the Methodist Episcopal Ghnrch on
church extension met in Philadelphia on
Thursday, Nov 17th. The Bishops pres
ent were Ames, Simpson, Bowman, Har
ris, Wiley, Merrill, Andrews, and Peok.
Bishop Ames presided. The annual re
port of the Board of Ohnroh extension
states that during the past ten years they
have collected and disbursed 8916,617 67,
of which $691,148.58 has been received
from collections and disbursem nta in do
nations to churches and for the expenses
of administration, and $225 469 09 has
been received as contributions to the loan
fund,’ and has been loaned to various
churches. • Of-the amouut loaned, $49,-
485 03 has been returned, and loaned to
other churohesr In this way 1,647
churches have been assisted, bnt the
Board has been compelled, from lack of
funds, to turn away many needy and de
serving applicants. The present year has
been specially trying in this reepeot, the
receipts having been $lO 772 less during
the past ten months than daring the same
period last year. The receipts during
the year, together with the baiauoe from
last year, amounted to $100,109 65, leav
ing after expenditures amounting to
$92,782 57, a balance of $7,327.28.