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VOLUME XXXIX. NO. 4.
faefrj.
Thou and I.
BY PIKE BE CAKY.
Strango, strange for thee and me
Sadly afar;
Thou safe, beyond, above,
I ’ueatli the star;
Thou where flowers deathless spring,
I where tb< y fad ;
Thou in God’s paradise,
I ’mid the shade.
Thou where each gale breathes balm,
I tempest-tossed;
Thou where true joy is found,
I where ’tis lost.
Thou counting ages thine,
I not the morrow;
Thou learning more of bliss,
I more of sorrow.
Thou in eterr al peace,
I ’mid earth’s strife;
Thou where care h ith no name,
I where’t is life.
Thou without need of hope,
I where’t is vain;
Thou with wings dropping light,
I with time’s chain.
Strange, strange for thee and me,
L-rnd, loving ever;
Them by life’s deathless fount,
1 near death’s river;
Th iu winning wisdom’s love,
I strength to trust;
Thou ’mid the seraphim,
I iu the dust.
Contributions.
“Tlio i\lode of Jolm's Baptism
with Water Interpreted by Christ’s
Baptism with the Holy Ghost.”
Reply to Rev S. G Hillyer, in Christian
Index, November and December, 1875.
BY REV. W 0 DUNLAP, NORTH GEORGIA
CONFERENCE.
Some of the retdeis of the Advocate
will remember the publication of a com
pilation of Scripture under this head, ia
the irane of August 18 h, 1875. I had no
idea that any of my pugilistic Baptist
friends would be provoked into a notice of
it, as I certainly had no design to inau
gurate a discussion upon this or any other
subject. But, since the RiV. S. G. Hill—
yer has published two very learned articles
in the Christian Index, in reply, I think it
proper to have a short say ia response,
lest he should misc rastruo my silence.
Ho takes me to task quite rouudly for my
temerity in presuming to quote a few pas
sages of Scripture on the subject of modal
baptism.
Ha says that I think I have demonstra
ted that John’s baptism washy pouring.
Now, I leave it to the reader if he is not
mistaken. That the fact he mentions is
demonstrated, I readily admit; but the
question between him and me at present
is, as to who the demonstrator is. Ha
says f am, but I say the word of God is.
Thera it is, so plain that the wayfaring
man—unless he is a Baptist—though a
fool, need not err therein. I do not say
oue word looking to a demonstration by
any argument of mine. The argument is
all from a “ Thus saith the Lord,” which
I had supposed even brother Hillyer would
not object to. As to my “great ingeni
ousneas,” as he characterizes my putting
these Scriptures together, I am very
much obliged to him for the compliment,
but still I must beg his pardon for not
accepting it. They are so iuseperably
connected in the one lesson they teach,
that the ingeniousness would be, not only
in not so “ putting ” them, but also in so
shading our eyes as not to S3e the truth
they teach. So, brother Hillyer is the
‘' ingenious ” man after all. The brother
has evidently hit the truth, when he says,
“baptism with water” means that the
water is to be applied to the person, and
not the person to the water ; else it would
doubtless have read, “ baptize the water
with yon.” Bat as he is unable to •• de
monstrate,” he resorts to “supposition,”
which is another evidence of his “great
ingeniousness.” Hear him : “ Bat sup
pose, after all, this is a wrong translation,”
t e., the Greek preposition en, transla
ted with. He admits that the King’s trans
lators so reuder it, but in the very same
breath he charges them with down-light
“dishonesty” for so doing. If so, Luther
was dishonest too, and so of all others
who have translated these same passages
np to the nineteenth century. It is a
great pity that Mr. Hillyer wrote those
words. “ Dishonest,” indeed ! Mast a
man see immersion in every word and
syllable of the Bibie, a “ thus saith the
Lord ” to the contrary, notwithstanding,
even at the peril of being charged with
the sin of dishonesty ? So it would ap
pear from Mr. Hillyer’s ipse dixit.
As to what Mr. Hillyer says of the
Transition b lug iufl teaced by their pre
ference for pouring as the mode of bap
tism, I am surprised that a m m of his
reputed learning and historical research
should venture such an assertion in the
face of the fact that their Ohnreh rubric
required them to practice immersion at all
times, except in a case of life and death.
Men do not ordinarily disagree so palpa
bly with the teachings of their Church,
especially men of such renowned piety
and learning as these men were. The
truth is, the correct rendering was so self
evident that they could not translate the
word in that par ieular connection, in any
other way, without being guilty of the
very thing he charges them with. Bat
after all his arguing about the word en
and the charge of dishonesty against the
Translators, he concludes to let me have
the word “ with,” as they gave it to me—
a morsel of comfort for which I ought tc
be duly grateful.
Mr Hillyer falls into the oil Baptist
“ rut ” of confounding the thing, with the
mode or manner of doing that thing.
He forgets, or rather he does not choose
to remember, that there are many way
of doing the same tiling. If I say, “ John
went to town to-day,” I declare that
“ John ” did a curtain thing, and yet I say
nothing about his mode of doing it. So
when the Bible says, “ John baptized the
people,” it affirms an action on tbe part
of John, but does not tell ns how it was
done. When, however, it declares he
baptized with water, even ns Christ shonld
“ baptize with the Holy Ghost;” and in
spiration interpreting its own meaning
assures ns that that was by “ pouring,"
we are no longer indoubt as to how he
did it. I did not say that baptism and
pouring were synonymons terms. Neither
does the Bible say so. Hence. Mr. Hill
yer’s effort to render the words of inspi
ration ridiculous, recoils against himself
with ten-fold force, for he does say, and
contend o , that “ baptize ” and “ dip ” ate
pne and the same word.
f>att(hertt CbrisHatt gUhimtfc,
Now let us try him by the same rule
that he tries ns by. If baptize always
means to dip, let us translate some of the
passages under consideration, and see
what sort of sense it will make :
John said, “I, indeed, dip yon in water,
but ... He shall ciip yom in the
Holy Ghost,” Matt, iii : 11. ‘‘He that
sent me to dip in water, (dip what ?) the
same said unto me, upon whom thou shalt
se the Spirit descending, and remaining
on him, the same is he which dippetb in
the Holy Ghost,” John i :33. “And he
came into all the country about Jordan
preaching the dipping of repentance,”
Luke iii: 3 “And he said unto them,
unto what then were ye dipped And
they said, “Uato John’s dipping." Then
said Paul, “John verily dipped in the dip
ping of repentance,” Acts xix : 3, 4.
There you h ive a simon pure Baptist
translation, and I insist, to nse Mr. Hill
yer’s words, that this test is perfectly fair.
The claim is, that these verses, as given
in the Bible, prove “dipping" to have
been the mode of John’s baptism. Then
“baptizing,” means “dipping,” and
“ baptize" means “ to dip,” and, accord
ing to Mr. Hillyer’s theology, it cannot
mean anything else. If so, the word
when so translated, not only here, but
everywhere in the Bible, ought to make
sense.
John verily “ dipped in the dipping
of repentance,” etc. Wonld such a sen
tertca as that pass criticism in a common
school ; and if not, can we believe the
inspired penman wrote it ?
I have committed tho above solecisms
simply to show to what absurdities ex
clnsive immersionists are driven, in order
to maintain their dogma. Everybody
knowsthatin Baptist parlano, “baptism”
and “ dipping ” are synonymous ; where
as, in Methodist parlance, “baptism” and
“ pouring ” are two distinct words.
Mr. Hillyer closes his first article by
saying that John’s baptism carmot be in
terpreted by the baptism of the Holy
Spirit. Will he be so kind 83 to inform
ns whit, John’s object was in thus calling
such direct attention to his own and
Christ’s baptism ? If he answers that it
was to show his recognition of Christ's
superiority over himself, we reply that
that carries-with it an admission that
Christ’s baptism with the Spirit was greater
than John’s baptism with water. And if
we can only find out how He baptized, we
shall no longer be at a loss to know how
John baptized. Now John’s words im
port this, it seems to me, “Even as I bap
tize yon with water (by Donring) so shall
He—Christ—baptize you (by pouring)
with the Holy Ghost. But Mr. Hillyer
says that baptism when applied to spirit
ual baptism is a figure of speech, i e.,
after all that Christ and the Bible says
about the day of pentecost, aud all of our
hopes that are centered therein, it is noth
ing but a figure of speech—a metaphor—
a mere myth. He forgets that Joel and
Peter litiralize, and therefore make real,
at least, the “baptism of the Holy Ghost;”
for both of them doelate “iu the audience
of all the people” that it was done by
“pouring ” And now, in the conclusion
of this article, I beg to say that in my
next, and last, I shall present the whole
argument in a nut shell, from tho pen of
IVv. Dr. Harrison. I think lam clearly
justifiable in doing so, inasmuch as he
gives my views exactly. Besides, if I
were to give it in my own language, I
should seem (at least to those who have
read his book) to be quoting from him,
without at the same time giving him due
ere lit. At the same time, I think it due
to me to state that I did not borrow these
ideas from him, having used them for
years, an and never having read his book, as
a whole, nutil recently.
Then ami Now—The Two Re
ceptions.
It wrs a cold evening iu December
when I arrived at my first appointment.
The depot is about a quarter of a aide
from the town.
Oh, it was very dark and cheer
less when, with valise iu hand I stepped
from the cars. A few dim lamps cast an
uncertain light around me, but I knew
uo one, and no one spoke to me.
By the guidance of a stranger and the
little negro who carried my valise, I was
conducted to the “tavern” where I war
to lodge for the night. The tavern was
a tottering, dilapidated old building, ut
terly devoid of comfort of any kind. A
small fire of greea sticks was soon kin
died; but it gave out no heat, and very
soon expired; a broken table held a tallow
candle, a couple of broken chairs and at
old bedstead completed the furniture of
the room. There were windows on three
sides, with much of the glass broken, and
the winter wind seemed to laugh at the
vain attempts I made to diffuse a little
warmth from my tire of green wood. As
may be supposed, I passed a sleepless
night, shiv< ring in the cold.
Next morning, having a “plan,” I called
ou the first steward at liis place of fcusi
ness. It was early and he was disengaged
Introducing myself as the newly appoint
el pastor, he replied: “Ah, is Conference
or- r ? I had not heard < f it—where is
brother C. sent this year ? Wa had up
hill work to snpport him last year, and
will not be able to rai.-e as much for jour
support—had expected that a single mac
would have been sent U3. ’ There was no
cordial greeting, no word of encourage
ment or welcome; the dollar and cent
question was the uppermost thought, and
was made the leading subject of- couver
sation. Little did the dear brother know
how his lack of sympathetic interest fioze
what little of pastoral life there was left
iu me.
My next visit was tp another steward;
to him I was introduced. He was en
g.iged when I called, aud after I had wait
ed probably ten minutes, he came forward
with a.eold, stern, but frigidly polite man
ner, and, hardly inviting me to be seated,
said, as about his first sentence: ’ Yon had
bitter tell brother to cal! a meeting of
the stewarls frr this afternoon.”
What wonld I have cot given for a smile
of cordial welcome, a simple word of
cheer, a grip of brotherly affection; but it
did not come, and its absence produced a
chill from which I suppose I never wholly
recovered.
It was a bright, balmy morning, when I
reached my last appointment. Arriving
with my family at the depot, I found two
carriages in waiting. Two of the stewards
PUBLISHED BY J. W. BURKE 4 COMPANY, FOR THE METHODIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH, SOUTH.
MACON, GEORGIA, WEDNESDAY, JANUARY' 26, 1876.
were there to greet ns. Friendliness, af
fection, and pleasure,were written on the
faces of those two dear brothers, before
the first words of welcome were spoken,
and when these came, they were so gen
nine and cordial. I had expected to be
taken to a hotel, until I had gotten my
home ready; but instead of this, we were
taken at once to the parsonage. Two of
the dear sisters met ns at the gate, and
with kindly words of cheer, welcomed us
to the parsonage. Eat°*ing, we were not
a little surprised to find beautifully fur
nished rooms, amply supplied in all the
departments of a comtortable home !
nothing seemed to be overlooked or for
gotten that could minister to our comfort
and enjoyment. An experienced cook—
that usual trouble with house-keepers—
had already been engaged and was at
work ; a bright fire burned upon the
hearth, and a sumptuously prepared
breakfast tempted onr appetites, already
quickened by our long journey, while tl e
larder was abundantly supplied with t);e
needfnl good things thereunto appertain
ing.
If ever a heartfelt prayer went up from
grateful hearts, such prayers ascended
that morning from ours that the richest
blessings of God might rest upon and
abide with these dear people.
Moral — Let onr stewards generally
look at these two pictures drawn from real
life, and take a lesson. Itinerant,
Modern Doubt anil Christian Be
lief.
Mr. Editor : I have set apart a consid
erahle fragment of each of the last eight
days to the eight lectures, which comprise
Ohristlieb’s great work, “ Modern Doubt
md Christian Belief.” Chrietlieb, yon
will recognize as a very prominent, if rot
the most prominent, representative of
G rruan Christianity at the late Evangel
ic tl Alliance at New York. I have just
finished the last chapter of this noble
work, and the thought first in my mind,
after self-grutnlation at what I have
been allowed to enjoy, is a feeling of deep
interest and sympathy for the young men
of the Church, whom I would have to
share with me the enjoyment and benefit
of this useful bork lam a young man
rajself and claim the right to speak of such
and to such. We need just such a book
as this, which takes up the various phases
of modern skepticism, and, in a style Dot
so popular on the one hand as to be ru
perfieial, nor so professional ou the other
hand as to be painfully abstruse, exposes
aud confutes their sophistries aDd brings
into bold and splendid relief tbe strong
points and the beauties of tbe Christian
system of faith and life.
Our author, recognizing in an introduc
tory lecture, the breach between m< dern
Cult ure and Christianity,proceeds at once
to discuss the origin of our idea of God,
d* fining the relation that exists between
reason and revelation, and placing the
theology of Scripture and the Church,
i e , Biblical Theism und the Trinitarian
conception of the Divine nature, in neces
sary antagonism to such modern non-bib-
Leal conceptions of God as Atheism, Ma
terialism, Pantheism, Deism, and Ration
alism. Then comes the modern negation
of miracles—this chapter itself is worth
the price of tha whole book —and then
the anti-miraculous accounts of the Life
of Christ, in which Schenkel, Strauss,
aud Rmun, fall into the hands of our
doughty knight, then a masterly vindica
tion of the Resurrection, and finally a
powerfully written defense of the origines
of Christianity, against the learned Banr
and the Tubingen school. This is a hasty
bntcomprehensive view of the work of this
distinguished German philosopher aud
diviue. Without endorsing all his views
—what man of any individuality will ac
cept without mental reservation or prof' st
any human composition!—we may safely
adopt him as onr guide and companion in
the conflicting issues of the present Chris
tian age. Thoroughly evangelical in his
sentiments—with a mind profoundly edu
cated and stored with the learning of the
schools, and a heart imbued with the
spirit of truth and of Christ—Christlieb
deserves our admiration and is worthy of
onr most thoughtful study aud research.
Let me relieve you and yonr readers
with a sample of the style and thought
and spirit of onr author. Here is one
taken almost at random: “ ‘Give we great
thoughts!’ cried Herder on his death bed.
Yes; in death we all need great thoughts
This at least you will not deny. The
greatest minds, princes in the realm of
thought, grasp after them in thei dying
hour, and cling to them as a supper, amid
a great shipwreck in which the eutm vis
i de world is sinking before their eyes.
But the greatest of all thoughts is God;
the eternal, personal, holy God, who is
love. And in such moments He is the
only great and enduring thought. All
others vanish and dissolve before Him.
Woe be to him who at that crisis lacks
the eternal support of this thought ; who
only grasps it in earnest when he himself
is being grasped by it!"
Once more. Quoting the saying of J
A Bengel, “ the most important contro
versy 8 are those which a man finds in his
own heart,” he proceeds: “Bat these
latter, we add, point ns to the place where
Thomas, the doubter even amongst the
apostles, had to learn his faith. Only in
the wounds of Christ can we learn by faith
the truth which shall make ns free. There
only does unbelief, even to this day, learn
to surrender and hnmbly confess: ‘My
Lord and my God!’ He who will not
seek for the truth there will never find it.
All that we can do for the skeptics of the
present day is to make the way there as
easy for them as may be, in order that the
sign of Jonah, given by our buried and
risen Lord, may be to them a rock of sal
vation and not of offense.”
Bat I desist. See here! the expression
of a kindly interest and sympathy for my
brethren has grown into a loDg newepa
per article. Bat please publish it, Mr.
Editor. Don't think my purpose is to
advertise a book. None. I hate no axe
to grind, bat such axes—may there be
more of them and sharper ones—as the
Master wonld lay at tbe root of the trees
of unbelief and of sin. May the good
Lord bless yon,my dear Doctor Kennedy,
aDd your numerous readers with joy and
peace, uninterrupted either by the vicissi
tudes or by tbe end of mortal life.
Very affectionately, S. A. W.
WHliamston, 8. C.
Letter from Mrs. Branch.
My Dear Friend: The city of Sacramento
was enveloped in a fog when we reached
its depot, and as we passed through only
a small portion of it, I will not attempt to
describe it. For many miles about the
city I noticed the same luxuriance of
vegetation which makes California to dif
fer from any other laud upon ihe earth.
Here we have the rich growth of the tropics
with air so pare and invigorating we can
find no fitting words to tell of it; it must
be breathed to be appreciated.
A few hours later we neared the end of
the Union Pacific Railway. We skirted
the edge of Oaklands, but the fast fall
ing twilight veiled the many handsome
residences we passed. The etis passed
for miles over a track, laid right over the
bay itself. It looked a little dangerous, at
least the children thought so. At Ust we
reached the ferry boat, which was to con
vey us across a portion of the bay of San
Fraucisdo to the city.
What a concourse of human beiDgs
poured out from a few coaches! It seemed
inoredible we could have been travelling
in such a crowd. They rushed upon the
ferry, and here we found the air keen at and
biting so that we were glad to get inside
the warm cabin. Soon there was another
msh, and catching up of bundles and
babies, and after a fearful effort to got
through the crowd our feet touched the
whuif
We were soon on Montgomery street,
and landed safely at a handsome hotel.
The city was like day, so clear and beau
tiful was the gns light, and most of the
buildings to all appearance being built of
white stone, the r< fl ■ t and light was great
and the streets looke.i i.s if there was an
“illumination." Wo all felt like sadorn
when they first reach land, and some of
us walked very strangely; yet we were all
fresh, and felt no more fatigue than wo
did the day we started from Georgia. In
no other climate could we have come out
so victorious over such long constraint.
I have spoken before of that insane rash
to the barber’s, of the head of this ft mily;
now I can tell how that imprudence and
absence was the cause of my reoeivitifr the
first greeting to California. B.o.her
Parsons of the Pacific Methodist called,
aud I received him. It was delightful to
hear his hearty “welcome to California.”
He is a most genial, pleasant man, and
being from Alabama,and a friend to many
of onr dear ones, we felt quite at homo
with him. After the first greetings were
over, he took ns into anew jewelry estab
lishment, which was like a scene of en
chantment. It was not very spacious, but
every wall, and even the ceiling, was a
mirror. It is impossible to describe the
effect of these countless reflections, with
the brilliant lights of the store. It is no
exaggeration to say they were myriads—
bewildering they were truly. The jewels
and precions stones, were handsome, but
the tout ensemble was the happy success of
the proprietor; I never expect to see any
thing of the kind more beautiful.
After a refreshing night’s rest, we were
ready for any enjoyment which offered for
the forenoon as we were to leave at two
o'clock for Santa R ;sa. Brother Parsons
was confined in his office until eleven
o’clock, so we started out with only our
own party, to see a little of the city. Mr
Branch suggested that I might be trou
bled to keep tbe children together, but I
scorned the ridiculous idea, and we march
ed out two by two. We made quite a
respectable crowd as to numbers, with our
young lady friend, who bad accompanied
ns all the way. We admired the Palace
Hotel, which is truly magnificent; but
as I know little of architecture I will go
into no details, but say it was immense,
and built of the same white bton6-looking
material. It was beantifuily ornamented
with frescoes, Corinthian pillars, etc.
But truly I enjoyed the tours through
the markets more than anything else.
Such fruits I never saw aggregated to
gether. Luscious pears, grapes, straw
berries —such as we never see, so large and
fresh looking—snch beautiful butter press
ed into tall cylindrical shapes and as firm
and sweet and clean as heart could desire.
Such quantities of mammoth and perfect
vegetables of all varieties; oh, it made me
long for a home, that I might go to cook
ing. Then the meats ! such rare looking
turkeys, with their hangiug heads all neat
ly tied up in clean paper, such tempting
looking fish, some looking like sardines
just, from the pure brine, and angel and
flounders, and more than I cri possibly
name. It wonld weary you to name them,
and it sets me to longing for them, so 1
will cease. Ido not think there is such
another market in the world.
We passed out, all looking rather hun
gry and subdued I thought, and we walk
ed quietly along through the seething
mass of humanity, and the rushing of
street cars, omnibusses, and vehicles of
all sorts. It was impossible to converse,
so we stepped into one or two stores for
some little things, every now and then
counting to see that we were all together.
We had wandered up and down some lit
tle tini9, when I felt that one of ns was
gone. I turned back and began to count,
I conld make oat but eight—arktd Mr.
B. to help me count. He too looked
serious He counted over twice. I cried
out, 1 yes ttnra is one gone” and nowhere
up i r down in sight was oar slow motion
ed boy Frank. At first it seemed rather
ridiculous, and you mothers who have
never been situated just as I was, will
never kaow the anguish which came steal
ing into my lightened heart as the min
utes wore on into an hour, and he was no
where to be found. Oae scouting party
went to the hotel, another went up the
streets where we hud gono, and one or two
stopped with me where we first lost him.
How little I heeded the hurry ing,bustling
crowd, which kept streaming on. My
thoughts resembled a drowning soul’s le
trospect, only mine reached forward into
the far future of my child. I can never
give them embodiment, but will never
forget them as long as I live. After
awhile Mr. B persuaded me to go back to
the hotel, and let him go look for tho
police. Slowly and drearily I returned,
bitterly lamenting the scorn with which
I hud received the warning abont lost
children. How wise was he, how foolish I.
I am sure the officers of the hotel must
have wondered at my wofnl looks. Just
as I was stepping into my room so dreary
now, and so late the scene of merriment,
Orsy cried out, “there’s Frank!”
Aud there he was, coming into the
as quietly as if nothing had happen
ed. I could not Ecold him, and I dared
notrlet him see all I felt; yet he was sub
dued enough. After I had smiled a little
at him, he said, when someone asked
him if he enquired the way to the hotel,
“Why, I knew the way to the hotel, I
was’nt such a goose as not to know.” Mr.
Brrnoli asked me what future I had map
ped out for him, when lihonght he was lost.
I remembered Bret Harte’s lecture, and
bis pictures of the dens in San Francisco,
and I pictnrcd my boy as lost. It is so
mach easier for a child who has never yet
tasted the sweetness of being good, for its
o*:i sweet sake, to fall into wrong, that I
had little hope of his Christian teachings,
pri serving him safe in the hours of temp
tation, which surely come to the home
la-- wanderers of earth.
Santa Rosa Cal ~ Deo. 31. 1875.
(lace more, upon the L.st night oi the
dyng year,l take up the broken thread of
iaer writing. This dying old year has
a new and fresh life to ns truly,
Gcd grant that it may be more and more
devoted to His service! Etch morning
as l awake, the new life dawns upon me
aff-sh, for my dreams are all of the old.
lam glad it ie so. Lst me not be cut off
at once from such sweet visions. My
waking hours are too busy and practically
employed to savor of dreams, so let me
sleep and dream that I am still “at home.”
T.W- rain is pattering softly, the firo sing
ing dreamily, and the breathing of the
sleeping children alono bears me company.
There are faces upon the walls, pictures
of dear friends, that smile upon me and
will not let me be lonely. Whtt a joy
they are to u>4 I came upon one unex
pectedly a day or two since—it had been
h’.irg ic my absence—and when the sweet
smile greeted mo, I had to hide my tears.
Snob a longing for the “ tried and true ’’
esme over me, I forgot that I was content.
My last letter left us in the city of San
Francisco, so I must retrace a little. After
recovering from my fright about a lost
cVY'.d, I was eager to see more of the
place. We wre to leave at 2 o’clook.and
it was after eleven, so we had to be quick
in our movements. Brother Parsons
came to escort ns, and we were soon on
our way up one of the hills which rise
right in the midst of the city. We were
in a very curious kind of street ear, which
had no horse, nor mule, nor engine draw
iifg it, to all appearance. It seemed to
go up hill full spaed by itself. I sup
pose there was some m ichinery at
the top of the bill, but will not
pretend to explain. [Dummy ? Ed.J
We sat in the observation car, which had
Y*ry small seats on the outside, and really
they seemed inseenre, the wind blow so
hard against ua as we whizzed along. All
at once a lady who sat near us tumbled off
and was soou left far behind. It was no
gentle fall, aud I clung very tightly to the
scat. It seemed so dreadful to leave her
there. The brakeman, seeing my“‘die
“|ft'Bed looks, card: “I giroes she ‘got, off,’
aiid she stepped down hill instead of up,
as she ought.” In a few minutes, as we
stopped at the next crossing, she took her
seat again atid said smiling, “ I dropped
my parcel.” It would be well it weoould
all preserve the same sang froid nnder
circumstauces as trying.
How exhilarating was the air, how blue
and beautiful the sky ! I never breathed
city air like that—never thought I should
like to live in a city until then. It was
charming. The houses were of beautiful
structure, built to resemble freestone,and
they looked so white aiid fresh. Toen the
emerald green shrubbery, so different
from our green, so soft-looking aud fresh.
The rare-looking flowers, of many and
brilliant color. Often we saw upon the
low fiat roofs among the Chinamen’s
quarters, a great array of white clothes
fluttering and struggling within the grip
of many clothes pins. The Chinamen
make nice larindrymen, and make gar
ments look like “ new.” We passed also
one of their Joss houses, where they hold
a kind of worship. They had large round
woclen balls painted in bright colors, with
Chinese figures, suspended in front of
these houses I suppose to mark them an
Joss houses. So set are they in their su
perstitions that I believe all efforts fail
sime'imes to drag them from their idols.
When we reached the highest point in
the street, we loft the cir and proceeded
on foot quite out of the city proper. After
an old fashioned fence climbing, we stood
upon tbe top,of a mound, which gave us
a view,worth all the climbing we took to
reach it. There was the “ golden gate,”
opening out into the Pacific, the busy
sunshine-capped city, encircling like a
coronet tbe land bordered in crescent
shape by the blue waters of tbe bay.
sparkling like so many diamonds in myri
ad forms. It was the blua, sweet sky
above, that gave euih bright coloring to
the waters, Far out toward the ocean
rolled tb - white mists driven by the wind,
and over all mailed tha sunlight, and it
sat upon sea and land “like a glory.”
What is gl- ry but light, and what ia light
but God’s love! Oh! how sweet to walk
therein!
We were silent as we looked. It was
like breaking a charm when we talked of
dcTirent points of interest, and retraced
our wa vto the city. It was rapid (ravel
ing, for the descent was so great we conld
scarcely keep from running.
Among the many buildings with grace
ful spires rising upon the sky. we saw our
new church, —the Southern Methodist
cong-egation has just bought. It was as
attractive to the eye as any I saw.
With tingling cheeks, and feet in which
the blood tingled also, we reached the
hotel; but I did not fed tired at all. In
deed, I felt wonderfully invigorated and
charmed by onr walk. We were sorry to
say good-bye to our pleasant friend. Bro.
Parsons; but our destiny bade ns go still
feather, and we soon bade farewell also to
the white city, that sits like a great sea
gull upon the shqre. The steamer was
soon plowing its way np the Bay,
and cariying us nearer to our jour
ney’s end. Whou we started, the
air was pure and sweet and sun
ny; but as we neared Donohue two
hours later, we had gone into what the
English people call a “ nasty fog.” It is
an inelegant phrase, but I never realized
how expressive it is, until I had realized
how a fog makes a very charming place
look. More than half the time sinoe we
reached Santa Rosa it has been enveloped
in fog; and though it is a beautiful young
city in sunlight, it is not pretty in a slop.
PJ fog.
It was dark when we took tbe oars
again, aud still darker when a half hour
later the conductor announced that we
had reached Santa Rosa. The last gath
ering of satchels and shawls and bundles,
the last counting of children, and we
stepped ont, and finished onr journey of
mote than 3,000 miles!
Oar family filled a hack; and with Bro
Fitzgerald,who gave us a kindly welcome,
we rode up toonr temporary home with a
true Southern Methodist sister. All was
bright and cheery within her pleasant
heme, and it was not many minutes be
fore I found out that her brother was mar
ried to a cousin of one of my best friends.
Every one knows how pleasant it is to find
mutual friends, when we think ourselves
strangers in a strange land. A sweet, little
girl was in the house—niece of our hostess,
and child of this mntual friend. How
pleased I was to take her in my arms and
hear in her innocent prattle, the sweet
Southern accent. We were at home, and
we slept soundly and sweetly, after thank
ing God for all His goodness to the wan
derers. 0. B.
The Milleui\iiiin.
Mr. Editor: I have read your editorial
on the late prediction of Dr. Camming,
and another prophet of his school. As to
that “day and hour,” no interpreter of
unfulfilled prophecy should venture to
designate, as Christ has plainly stated
that neither men nor angels shall know it.
And yet it is remarkable that so many
prophecies of Christ’s second coming
should center in the past and present, de
oade. I myself believe that Christ has
come and suffered, and been crueifi and a
second time. This cmcifixiou took place
in the Church, South, at the downfall of
our nation. This is the “ vesture dipped
in blood," and into which He will soon
return in His Spirit’s mighty power to
claim all nations. lam daily looking for
His secoLd advent—His advent in His
body the Church, aud not in the H ad.
In my conception, Christ in His Head will
not return until He comes at the end of
the millennium to judge the world. "The
greatest events come as noiselessly as the
rising of the sun." Asa thief in tho
night has Christ come, and they have
done nuto Him in His body wh>.t wan
written concerning Him. As ho suffered
and wan crucified iu His Head by the Jews
who recognized not their King iu the
lowly Nazarene ; so iu like manner has He
been put to an open shame and crucified
a second time in His body the Church,
by the wicked Puarisees and Doctors of
the Law, aud Judases of this generation.
He will soon come—how long hence I
know not —in this same despised Body,
the true Church upon earth, and will go
forth to gather together his elect from the
four quarters of the globe ; and then all
his rejectors among these Gentile nations
will wnil on account of Him. For He
comes not this time toTraffct and die, but
to reigu in His elect, aud to destroy His
enemies. “ Unto you it is given to know
the mystei'ies of the kingdom of heaven.”
And these great mysteries are more fre
quently revealed to “ babes ” than to the
wise or learned of earth. C. M. C.
Marion C. 11, S. C., January 12 th, 1876.
Board of Missions—-Secretary’s
Report.
The following is a condensed statement
of the faots contained in the report:
No. of Missions 10
Membership 632
Increase 136
Infants baptized 82
Moneys raised for Pastors $ 933 28
For Presiding Elders 153 42
For Sunday-schools 85 00
For Missions 81 75
Conference Collection 70 00
For Bishops 11 00
For Buildiug 800 00
For other enterprises 25 00
Total $2,159 45
The appropriations made by the Board
to these missions amounted to about
31,200 00 For the amount thus invested
we have the above returns. Surely the
result has justified fully the policy of cul
tivating our own destitute fields!
The following are the assessments for
the ensuing year:
DOMESTIC MISSIONS.
Tallahassee District $450 00
Live Oak |District 300 00
Jacksonville District 450 00
Tampa District 300 00
Total $1,500 00
FOREIGN MISSIONS.
Tallahassee District $249 00
Live Oak District 166 00
Jacksonvfile District 249 00
Tampa District 166 00
Total .'...5830 00
T. W. Tomkies,
See. Board of Missions.
Skepticism Declining.
We have long known that German skep
ticisai was ebbing from that tide which
had so long overflown universities and
churches alike. A writer in a late number
of tbe B.bliolheca Sacra mentions the fol
lowing facts iu proof of this decline:
“1. Tnat iu the German univen-ities
tho rationalistic lecture rooms are now
empty, and the evangelical crowded ;
while fifty or eighty years ago the ration
alistic were crowded, and the evangelical
empty.
“2 That histories of the rise, progress,
and decline of German Rationalism have
been appearing for the last fif'een years,
in the most learned portions of the liter
ature of Germany.
“3 That such toacbcr.-i as Tholuek, Jn
lias Muller, Darner, Twesteu, Ulimau, ‘
Linge. R ithe, and Tischendorf, most of
whom began their professorships with
great unpopularity in their universities
on account of their opposition to ration
alistic views, are now particularly hon
ored on that very account.
* 4 That every prominent German
University, except Heidelberg, is now
nnder predominant evangelical influences,
and that Heidelberg is nearly empty of
theological students.
“5. That the attitude of the general
government at Berlin has destroyed the
force of many of the political causes of
disaffection with the State Church.
“6. That the victory at Sedan and the
achievement of German unity diminish
the chances of demoralization from Euro
pean wars, and by contagion from France.
“7. That in the field of re
search, while rationalism has caused the
discovery of many facts, and the adoption
of anew method, the naturalistic theory
by Paulas,the mythical theory of Strauss,
tne tendency theory by Banr, and the
legendary by Renan, have been so antag
onistic to each other as to be successfully
outgrown both by Christian and by ration
alistic scholarship.”
The door between ns and heaven oannot
be opened if that between ns and onr fel
low men is shnt.
F. M. KENNEDY, D. D., Editor
J. W BURKE. Aaaiala.il Editor.*
A. G. HAYGOOD, D. D., Editorial Correspondent.
The Joy of Incompleteness.
BY J UESEMERES.
If all onr lives were one broad glare
Of sunlight, clear, unclouded;
If all our paih were smooth and fair,
By no soft gloom enshrouded;
If ail life’s flowers were fully blown,
Without the sweet unfolding,
And happiness were rudely thrown
On hands too weak for holding—
Should we not miss the twilight hours,
The gentle haze and sadness?
Should we not long for storms and showers.
To bre k the constant gladness?
If none were sick and none were sad,
What service could we render?
I think if we were always glad,
We scarcely could be tender.
Did our beloved never need
Our patient ministration,
Earth would grow cold and miss indeed
Its sweetest consolation.
If sorrow never claimed our heart,
And every wish were granted,
Patience wonld die, and hope depart—
Life would be disenchanted.
And yet in heaven is no more night,
In heaven is no more sorrow!
Such unimagined new delight
Fresh grace from pain will borrow—
As the poor seed that underground
Seeks its true life above it,
Not knowing what will there be found
When suubeams kiss and love it.
So we in darkness upward grow,
And look aud long for heaven,
But can not picture it below
t ill more of light be given.
—Sunday Magazine.
The Power of Darkness.l
“Auoient Egypt, however, supplies per
haps the best illustration of the connec
tion which subsists between a state of
dat knots and a state of indolenoe. God
said to Moses : ‘ Stretch out thine hand
towards heaven, that tnere may be dark
ness over the land of Egypt, even dark
ness which may be felt. And Moses
stretched forth his hand toward heaven ;
and there was a thick darkness iu all the
land of Egypt three days.’ And how
passed these three days of darkness ?
They neither bonght nor sold ; they
neither married nor buried ; they neither
rocked a cradle nor embalmed a corpse.
No hummer rang ; no merry wheel went
round ; no fire burned at the brick kiln :
no woinau sang ‘ behind the mill;' no
busy trend sounded on the pavement, nor
cheerful dash of an oar upon the water.
An awful silence reigned throughout the
land. As if every house had been in a
moment changed into a tomb, and each
living man into a mummied corpse, that
sat motionless—the king on his weary
throne, the peasant iu tbe field, the weaver
at his loom, the prisoner in his dungeon.
As iu the story of some old romance,
where a bold knight, going in quest of
adventures, sounded his horn at the castle
gate, and, getting no response, enters to
find the king, courtiers, servants, horses,
all turned into stone —they sat, spell
bound, tvheie the darkness seized them.
‘They saw not one another, neither rose
any from his place for three days.’ ”
“ But if wo wonld see spiritual darkness
represented on a scale, in any degree com
mensurate with the multitude of its vic
tims, and with its destructive power, let
us turn to the host of Midian. Tbe me
morable night has come, when animated
by a Divine courage, Gideon leads his
throe hundred to a bold assault. Silently
he plant.-; them around tbe enemy’s lines,
waiting till song and revel died away, and
that mighty host lies buried in stillest
slumbers Then, one trumpet blows loud
and clear, startliug the wary sentinel on
his round. He stops, he listens ; and ere
its last echoes have ceased, the whole air
is torn with battle notes. Out of the
darkness, trumpet replies to trumpet, and
the blast of three hundred, blown loud
and long, wakens the deepest sleeper—
filiing tho car of night with a dreadful
dia, and the hearts of the bravest with
strung') and sadden fear. Ere they can
ask what mean, whence come these
sounds, a sight as strange blazes throngh
the mnrkey night. Three hundred torch
fires pierce the gloom, and advance in
fl lining circle on the panic stricken camp.
•Suddenly extinguished, once more all is
dark. Then—as if the dust of the whirl
wind, or tbe sands of the desert, or the
leaves of the forest, had turned into armed
men, ready to burst on that nncircum
cised host —in front, on their rear, ou
their flank, rings the Hebrew battle cry :
‘ The s word of the Lord and of Gideon I’
For dear life the Midianites draw. Mis
taking friends for foe, they bury their
swords in each other’s bosoms. Wild
with terror, stricken mad with pain, each
man seizes his fellow by the beard, giving
aud receiving mortal wounds. And so,
not by tbe arms of Gideon, so much as
by the hand of darkness, was skill out
witted, and bravery defeated, and that
mighty army routed and slain. Such is
the power of darkness I Yet, what is that
dying hoßt to one lost soul.— Dr. Ihomas
Guthrie.
Ilis Font on the Rock.
Bishop Butler, the author of “The An
alogy, ” at the age of one-aud-twenty, com
menced his career as a philosophical
divine, by a memorable correspondence
with the ripest metaphysician of the age,
Dr. Samuel Clarke, on the a priori evi
dence for the Being of God. He excused
himself for his intrusion on that able
theologian, by telling him, in his fourth
letter, that he resolved “to make the
search after truth the object of his life.”
Such was the commencement of Butler’s
career. And the termination was like to
tbe commencement. Shortly before his
death, while walking in the garden and
conversing with his chaplain on the
things that appertain to the life to come,
Butler stopped short, and after musing
for a moment, he gravely said, “I feel my
foot upon the Rook." And that Rock
was Christ.
When nature was sinking, and the
spirit of the great, good bishop, was well
nigh in the more immediate presence of
Him whom he had loved and served, his
chaplain reminded him of his Savior's
words, “Him that cometh unto me, I will
in no wise cast out;” the dying man was
just able to articulate, “Oh, this is com
fortable 1” and expired.
'i lie Desire of Desires.
The neart of man is wonderful. How
many, how very many desires are there in
these hearts of ours; but is there not,
deep down in onr hearts, one desire that
g-ems stronger than all the rest ? What
is that desire ? Perhaps you cannot tell;
perhaps you are afraid to know what it is.
You are trying to smother that desire, to
1 drive it away; but there it is, and it will
not be suppressed. Oh, reader! that de
sire is more to you than you can think or
say. Let it remain unsatisfied, and you
are lost. Let it be satisfied and yon are
saved; for that desire is the desire for
God’s favor —the desire to be at peace
with Him, to rest in Him. “ O God,”
oried Augustine, “ the heart of man is
made for Thee; and restless it must ever
be until it fiuds its rest in Thee.” It is
this deepest desire the Lord Jesus came
into this world fnlly, perfectly to satisfy.
Simple, childlike trust in Christ, us your
own personal Srviour, is the way, the sure
way to delight yourself in the Lord; and
delighting yourself in Him, yoq will have
all the desire of your heart satisfied.
When you pee loveliness in one near yon,
aud leel that lovely one loves yon, yon
will not be long before yon delight your
self in that one. Do yon fee nothing in
the Lord to love; and do you not feel
tht He loves yon ?
When you look at Christ, who is God
unvtiled to human sight, and trace His
life on earth, beholding Him in the lowli
ness and helplessness of infancy, the no
bleness and unselfishness of boyhood,the
quiet obscurity of Nizareth, where He
toiled in the carpenter’s shop; when you
think of the temptation, self saorifioe, and
earnest labors of His pnblio ministry ;
when without one hnman being perfectly
WHOLE NUMBER 1979
to sympathize with Him, he found it His
meat to do the will of Him that sent Him,
and to finish Hih work; and,.above nil,
when you go with Him to Gethsemane
and Calvary, aud hear Him, for your sake
in bitterest anguish of soul exclaim, “My
God, my God. why hast Thou forsaken
me?’’ can you tnrn away, and your heart
not feel the love of God? “Herein is
love, not that we love God, but that He
loved us, and gave His Son to be a pro
pitiation for our sins” —From “Heart Sat
isfaction” a Tract,
The Many-Sided Wesley.
John Weßley was one of those “ many
sided” men whose genius only reveals
itself gradually, and by successive revela
tions. Some new student of tho life and
character of tbo Founder of Methodism
is ever eomiLg upon him from a fresh
quarter, and discovering qualities which
have remained hidden, or have never ap
peared in so clear a light before. There
are such varied gifts in this “ all the
world’s epitome ” that men of the most
opposite schools have found in him some
thing to admire. It is scarcely surprising
.that he has been eulogized by Dr. Now
man on the one baud, aud Dean Stanley
on the other, and that his churchmanship
has been described as of all hues varying
from Puseyism to lutitudinarianism.
Notwithstanding the large quantity of lit
erature which has been give a to the world
about Wesley of late, Mr. Llewllyn Davis
has commenced a sketch oi his character
and system of church discipline in the
current number of the Contemporary Re
view. We shall probably reler to Mr.
Davis’ sketch at greater length, but we
will be content nmv to say that be seems
surprised not to find in Wesley more of
the “milk of human kindness,” in the
gußhing sense of that terra. He does not
see much of tenderness for the foibles
and fallings of humanity. Wesley’s be
nevolence was a force of sufficient strength
to work out a life of the highest benefi
cence and self-sncrifice, perhaps, which
later generations have known ; and a
wiser student of human nature would not
have expected to find iu the hero of great
deeds the emotionalism of the recluse.
Wesley had many featnr s in his moral
character; but the world has yet to know
ihe man who could develop equally the
endurance, the resolution, tho faculty for
command, which serve to evangelize a
nation, and construct and rule a great
sooiety, with the more womanly and emo
tional side of our humanity. We do not
look to tho Puritan Ironsides of Crom
well for the moral qualities of the ancho
rite; and there was much of the stern
stuff of Puritanism iu Wesley, in spite of
his early high-churchmanship. —London
Methodist.
Service of tlie Master.
Christians acknowledge Christ to be
their Master, and are disposed cheerfully
to obey him; but sometimes they find diffi
culty in knowing what to do. They wonld
work in the Lord’s vineyard, but do not
discover any work ready for their hands.
We suggest twelve paths of usefulness
open to them.
I. They can persuade neglectors of the
sanctuary to attend it.
2 They can themselves be regularly
present at the prayermeeeting3 of the
church.
3 They can be teachers in the Sabbath-
School.
4. They can converse wiili their impen
itent neighbors and friends on the sub-*
ject- of religion, and endeavor to lead
them to Christ..
5. They can drop an encouraging word
in the ear of their pastor.
6. As Chrirtians, they can speak often
one to another of the kingdom.
7. They can “ visit the fatherless and
widows in their afflictions.”
8. They can help forward the good
cause of temperance, and benevolent en
terprises generally.
9. They can aid some worthy young
man who is just commencing business.
10. They can contribute to well furnish
ft large Home Missionary box.
11. They can imitate Christ, and show
in their daily deportment what Christ
wishes them to be. It is the best preaeli
ing in the world.
12. They can subscribe and pay for sev
eral copies of this, or othor religious pa
pers, aud send them to some poor fami
lies who cannot afford to take the papers.
In these twelve ways—uot to mention
others—can they acceptably sorve Him
whose professed friends they are, and be
a blessing in their day and generation.
Man’s Impotence Without God’s
Assistance.
“Without me ye can do nothing.”
John xv: 5.
These are the words of Jesus. Never
man tanght as he did. To enlighten the
minds and win the uearts of men, by un
folding to them in the plainest terms the
plan of salvation, was the object of his
preaching. Whenever error had entered
the mind and heart he sought to eradicate
it by presenting the truth. And wberever
his truth was not rejected it effi oted the
spiritual wrrk that he designed it to ac
complish, thus proving, not only that “in
him was life, and the life was the light of
the world,” but also that “the gospel of
Christ is the power of God unto salvation
to every one that believeth.”
No fact seems to be more clearly estab
lished by the Scriptures than man’s ntte
helplessness aud inability, per se, to effect
his salvation. In spiritual things the na
tural man can not understand, believe,
begin, accomplish, do, or effect anything,
without the assistance of God.
out me ye can do nothing,” is the assur
ance of the Saviour of men. In his na
tural state, man is wholly and entirely
corrupted, and dead to everything good.
So depraved is ho that not a single spark
of spiritual power remains by which he
can prepare himself for tho grace of God.
So completely is he the servant of sin
and the captive of Satan, by whom he is
lad, that he is not even able toco operate
iu anything towards his conversion, even
in the most insignificant part, for “the
carnal mind is enmity against God”—and
where enmity exists there can bo no co
operation—for the carnal mind is not
"subjtct to the law of God, neither in
deed can be.” It will, therefore, ever re
main true, as the Son of God declares,
“without me ye can do uothin.g” The
assertion ol Paul also vindicates tbe same
troth, when he assures us that “it. ie God
which worketh in yon, both to will and to
do of his good pleasure.”
What the Bible is Like.
1. It is like a large, beautiful tree,
which bears sweet fruit for those that are
hungry, aud affords shelter and shade for
pilgrims on their way to the kingdom of
heaven.
2 It is like a cabinet of jewels and pre
cions stones, which are not only to be
looked at and admired, but used and worn.
3. It is like a telescope, which brings
distant objects and far-off things of the
world very near, so that we can see some
thing of their beauty and importance.
4. It is like a treasure house, a store
house of all sorts of valaable aDd useful
things, and which are to be had without
money and withont price.
5. It is like a deep, broad, calm, flowing
river, tbe banks of which are green and
flowery ; where birds sing, and lambs
play, and dear little children are loving
and happy.
My dear, dear children, because I love
yon, I want you to love the Bible. If you
attend to it, it will make you, through
God’s blessing, wise rich and happy, for
ever and ever. It is God’s book. It is
the best book. It is a book for little child
ren. I hope yon will learn it, and learn
to sing, too, that beautiful hymn—
“ Holy Bible, book divine
Precious treasure, thou art mine,”