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TWO DOLLARS AND FIFTY (ENTS.
PER
VOLUME XXXIX., NO. 47.
Ipoctrjr.
STEPHEN OLIN AS A POET.
Dr. William Capers, soon after his return from
England in 182 s, visited Columbia, S. C , and
was the truest of the la f e Robert Bryce. The
Doctor was looking through a file of “ The
Wesleyan Journal,” and called attention to an
anonymous piece of poetry, which, he t>aid,was
from the pen of Stephen Olin ; adding, ‘‘When
in London I met C'ark, Watson, and many
great and good men, but I did not meet a Sec
ond Stephen Olin.” Some readers of the Ad
vocate will be glad to see these verses, which
are copied from the “Journal” of December
3, 1825. C.
BE NOT ANXIOUS FOR YOUR LIFE.
Say, will the Lord refuse to bless.
Men, who to him their prayers address,
While flowers f earth *nd fow!r> of air
Are made the objects of Ins care "i
Theee thoughtless grow, or thankless fly,
Or ia th*- f elds or through the rky ;
Their music hear, their b au'y K * e
To-morrow they snail to be ?
And vet the Lord who reigns above,
lia- made them objects of His iove;
He nerves the wing o*< which hey soir,
His dew drops cheer the glistei ing flower.
’Tis He who w ikes the sparrow’s muse,
And give- th t li y ail its hues;
Sustains in life, and when they die,
Behoids them witu regardful eye.
Piy, faithless man, of nobler birth,
Can many sparrows vi- in worn,
With heirs of bfe--to h aven abed,
For whom the Lord of g ory oied ?
The hand wlueh feeds the bi'(D of heaven,
And clothes the gris* that’s burnt at even,
Mu -h more will all your wants supply,
Heirs of immortal destiny.
The ear that hears the ravens cry.
The strength by which they munt on high,
Wi I ai w.i * heir Vie Uhnstiaa p ay.
Will be sufllcient for his day.
Tlif Holy Ghost, a purer light.
Will make Ills pilgrim pa:hway bright,
A- sunbeams make the lily fair.
And guide the sparrows through the air.
Sr. k tir-t, the world of < ndless joy,
L -t lighteons wo ks your hands e i ploy ;
'then, toil and gri f aid loss and pain,
Will hut enhance your liual gain.
—Asaph.
Contributions.
PASTORAL FIDELITY.
In 1872 and 187:1 I w is a traveling preach
er (as the itinerant is styled), and during
that time endeavored, to the best, of my abil
ity, to follow the foot-pr nts of the Saviour.
In the providenee of God I am no v in the
local ranks, casting a cram no* and then on
the waters, trusting that it will be gathered
up when the final end shall come; and sim
ply mention the fact of my connection with
the itineracy to show my brethren that noth
ing but the purest motive could prompt me
to write this article.
Recently I visited a camp meeting, and
during my stay at the camp ground one of
the brethren spoke to me on ihe subject ol
pastoral visiting, alleging that they had a
preacher who could preach a line doctrinal
sermon, but that one of the brethren in the
Church had been sick several months in
about one mile ot the church, and the pas
tor had been to all his appointments, but
had never visited the sick brother. Since
that time I have visited another work, and
heard similar complaints against the good
brother, the pastor in charge, both he and
the other being able and acceptable preach
ers, so far as their pulpit ministiations ot
the word extends. I hear these same com
plaints from other quarters, and feel moved
by the Spirit to throw out. a note of warning
to our noble brethren ot the ministry, both
itinerant and local.
1 know there is great power in the pulpit,
but the Saviour did not confine his preaching
to the synagogues, to the temple, nor to the
mountains ; but by the wayside, on the sea
shore, and in the family circle. Yea, lie
says it shall not be necessary to go up to Je
rusalem, nor to this or that mountain to wor
ship, but that the acceptable worshiper is he
who worships in spirit and in truth. And in
another place it is said every heart shall be
a fit temple for the indwelling of the Holy
Spirit, and every house a house of prayer.
And on still another occasion He gave a
passport at the very gate of heaven, and
said, “ I was naked and ye clothed me, hun
gry and ye fid me, thirsty and ye gave
me drink, sick and in prison and ye vis
ited me.” And in response to the inquiry,
“ When did we do these things? ’ He said,
“ Inasmuch as ye did it unto one ot the least
of these, my brethren, ye did it unto me;
come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the
kingdom prepared for you at ilie same
time pronouncing the awful curse upon those
who failed to do their duty in this line, “He
part into everlasting fire prepared tor the
Devil and his angels.” Now, are noi our
brethren who neglect this solemn, yet often
delightful duty, running a fearful risk? for
no other sin was charged upon those who
were banished forever from the gates ot
heaven but neglect of this duty.
I will mention a little incident that oc
currei in the early ministry of one ot
our ablest and purest preachers. 1 heard
him relate it in the pulpit in one of the finest
discourses I have ever had the pleasure of
hearing. After services he siid he was ap
proached by tvo little children who asked
him to visit their blind parents ; a steward
suggesting to him that he had belter wait
until after dinner, as they woul 1 not be able
to give him an' thing to eat. But in the true
spirit of his work he remarked, that he was
not hungry, and would go with the children,
which he did. Af er an hour’s sweet con
verse on the Scriptures with the two blind
disciples of the Master, he partook of the
scanty fare, consisting of a f-w b iked ap
pies and a cup of sweet milk, remarking
that it was the sweetest repast he had en
joyed in many days, stating further that a
profounder insight into the eternal truths of
the Gospel he rarely witne-sed, the Spirit
seeming to lend His light and influence—and
while their natural eyes were sightless, the
eye of faith was all ablaze with the glorious
light of heaven.
Now, while these two old people were not
sick in the ordinary acceptation of the term,
still they were poor, and in deep affliction,
and needed the sweet consolation that alone
flows from the word of God. This vi-it
from a servant of the Master awakened in
their minds and hearts the consoling truths
of the Gospel, and no doubt shed a vivid ra
diance on the deep vale of affliction through
which they were passing. Many pleasing
incidents of this character have occurred in
my own short ministry, and I have heard
others related, all illu>trating the same great
truth set forth in the Scriptures. If there is
one truth more prominently brought to view
in the ministry of our Saviour than any oth
er, it is the one I am trying to enforce in this
short article, as he taught it on many impor
tant occasions, both by precept and exam
ple. Now, my dear brethren, a word in
conclusion as to the object of this hasty ar
ticle penned by me in the midst of the hur
ry and bustle of our stirring city. I wish for
Southern Chtisiiaii Atltocalc.
every brother who reads this article to make
this solemn inquiry, Have I done my duty ?
Let us all invoke divine aid, and like our
great and good brother Myers, if need be,
lay down our lives treading in the footsteps
of Jesus. A Pn-GRIM.
A SUGGESTIVE EXTRACT.
The following passage is taken from the
second volume of The History Of The Jew
ish Church, by Dean Stanley:
“Such an epoch of perplexity, of transi
tion. of change, as that which witnessed the
passage from the first age of the Jewish
Church, to the second, has been rarelv ex
perienced. in any age of the Church since.
Yet. there have been times more or leas
sim’lar: the passage from every generation
to the one that succeeds, has difficulties
more or loss corresnonding. In every such
passage, there mav he. or there ought to he,
charac ers more or less like S-mus!, if the
transition is to be safely eff>cted. Of all the
charac'ers in the old dispen-ation, Samuel
basin later times, both by friends and on
ponents, been the most often misrepresented
and misunderstood. Of all in
later times, those who undertake the diffi
cult task of Samuel. are the most likely to
he misunderstood or misrepresented still
They are attacked from bo*h sides : they are
charged with not going far enough, or with
going too far; they are charged with saying
too much or with paying too little ; they are
regarded from either partial point of view,
and not from one which takes in the whole
They cannot he comprehend and at a glance,
like Moses, or Elijah, or Isaiah, an 1 there
fore they a r e thrust aside. The-e have ben
those, who have trod thp same thankless
■ a*h in former times of the Christian Church.
Athanasius, in the moderate counsels of hi
old age, in his atteran's to reconcile the con
tending factions of Christians in the Conn
oil of Alexandria, was for this reason, fitly
regarded by Btail as the Samuel of the
Church of his days In later times, even in
our own, many names spring to our recol
lection, of those who h ave trodden, or (in
different degrees; same known, and somr
uaaknowaa) are treading the same thankless
path iaa the Chuacn of Germany in the
Church of France, in the Church of Russia,
in the Church of England. Wherever they
are, and whosoever they maybe, and how.-o
ever they may be neglected or assailed, or
despised; they, like their great prototype
and likeness, in the Jewish Church, are the
silent healers who hind up the wounds of
their age, in spite of itself; they are the
good physicians who knit together the dislo
cated hones of a dipj.dried time; they ere
the reconcilers who turn the hearts of the
children to the fathers, or of the fathers to
tlae children. They have but I't ie praise and
reward from ttae partisans who ate loud in
indiscriminate censure and applause. But,
like Samuel, they have a far higher reward,
in the Davids who are silently strengthened
and nurtured by them, in Naioth ol Hamah
—in the glories of anew age, which shall he
ushered in peacefully and happily, after they
have been laid in the grave."
This fine extract, we hope, will move some
readers to reflection. And reflection, we
hope, will move them to earnest prayers for
a Samuel, or for many Samuels to arise.
The boldest rhetoric, (unless it should be of
the satiric kind) can scarcely venture to
speak of the “Church in America.” If a
speaker refers to a single branch of the
Church in America, he must do it with great
caution. A thousand alarmed ears are wide
open, and in a thousand minds is instantly
sugg- sted the thought, “ Take care 1 that
man is hinting towards organic union; you
may depend on it!” Let us then use only
the phrases, which may be safely used, with
out offending the generation of the righteous
in our day—the Southern Presbyterian
Church, or the Southern Methodist Church.
What work have these for Samuel to do ?
Much every way. Perhaps no finer field can
be found in Chriiteudom. in this current
year of grace, wherein to earn the blessings
promised to peace makers. It is to be dis
tinctly understood, however, that human
praise, or popularity, is not always found—
perhaps is not usually found, as an element
in that promised reward.
A religious newspaper this morning, fur
nishes this short extract from a notice of the
lamented Durbin :
“ We are glad that he sometimes stood
alone. Some characters need to be set over
against armies to show their breadth. We
rejoice in the sweetness and patience that
kept him at his post in the midst of a host.
The power to stand in small minorities —to
be at need, a minority of one —is also a grace
given.”
That is a noble record. How different
will be the record which truth will write as a
part of the epitaph on many a conspicuous
name 1 “He never found it necessary to
stand alone. He lived, moved, spoke,wrote,
acted, all his life in the same crowd. He
never saw it to be his duty or privilege to
restrain or rebuke his crowd, or to turn their
impulses in any other direction, than the
one in which those vehement impulses natu
rally and spontaneously flowed. He was al
ways on the popular side of every question
which came up in his eventful life. He lived
in a stormy period of history, but he never
said to the angry elements around him,
‘Peace!’ He never saw the moment when
his contemporaries wanted him to speak
thus, and he was unwilling to hurt their
feelings, by doing so prematurely.”
Perhaps we may not want a Samuel, hut
we surely need him. Jay.
RELIGION AT HOME.
During a recent visit to a Rev. Brother,
the writer was much impressed with the air
of true religion that pervaded his lovely
home. Everywhere he seemed to breathe an
atmosphere of piety. It was night when he
reached this home. He had traveled a long
distance, and felt himself in a strange land ;
but when this gcod man had read a chapter
from that dear, familiar Book, and kneeling,
devoutly prayed our common Father to pro
tect and guard us during the defenseless
hours of sleep, he felt on retiring to rest,
that angels guarded his conch.
Prayer in this family circle was not a cold,
formal address to the Deity, but a loving,
gushing committal of our souls and bodies,
to the keeping of our heavenly Father
Heaven seemed very near, and that peace of
God which passeth all understanding, filled
evt-ry heart. This beautiful exercise ot faith
gave such a reality to religion, that the lov
ing arms of our dear Saviour seemed around
and about U3 all. Under the influence ot
this hallowed calm, a sweet slumber stole
upon your correspondent.
When the rising sun proclaimed God’s
gracious extension of his life to another
day, and he rejoined the family circle, again
was the beautiful scene of the previous even
ing enacted ; again did that man of God
lead his household to the throne of grace
and pour out his heart in thanksgiving.
Through an open window near which he
knelt were visible, a number of majestic
pines, whose green summits, always beauti
iul, were now peculiarly so as moistened by
ihe dew they sparkled with additional lus
tre beneath the ascending sun. And so it
was with our hearts, yielding as they always
do to the influence of the early morn, and
are made bright. So, on this occasion—
they were peculiarly so —as the Spirit of
God seemed to shine on them and make
them more lovely.
After family prayers our host, turning to
your correspondent, said with a genuine
PUBLISHED BY J. W. BURKE & COMPANY, FOR THE METHODIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH, SOUTH.
smile of pleasure, that it was a custom in
their house for each to repeat at breakfast
table a verse from the Bible, aud that he ex
pected all to conform. On repairing to the
table, after an earnest blessing, he repeated
a Scripture text. All followed in the order
of their positions, even the youngest child
participating. The effect of this beautiful
custom can readily be imagined. It was
very evident Christ was the central object
of this happy household. Nor is it to be
wondered at that the Christian graces, love,
gentleness, and meekness, should bloom in
so congenial a clime. Would that religion
was more interwoven into the every day life
of each family in this broad land. It is not
alone attendance at church or prayer meet
ing, that constitutes religion. What is want
ed is, Christ a constant guest in our homes.
The happiness of our long home consists in
communion with Him ; and if here on earth
Christ be ever present with us, we have a
glorious foretaste of that more glorious eter
nity. CL
LAMBS IN THE UPPER FOLD.
During these autumnal days, when the
muffled wail of the sere foliage, as it drops
fluttering to the ground, reminds us that “we
all do fade as the leaf,” there will come
thoughts of the past, and not unfrequently
tears of sadness. What p .rent has not con
tributed to the number of “ Lambs of the
upper fold ”? Amid the deepest shades of
sorrow, when the bereaved heart has been
seeking, like Noah’s dove, something upon
which to rest, how often there comes a
voice, seemingly at least, from the departed
love 1 one —“ Come this way, father; this
way.” And thus the ministry of children
even after death, is often blessed in turning
the hearts of the parents to the true source
of rest —to heaven —to God.
There is no less a purpose in the death of a
child than in the removal of an aged person.
The lesson if we could only divine it,would
be as important. But alts! we too often
dismiss the occurrence as an unimportant
affair—of mo practical avail. There are two
reasons for the act, which have impressed
themselves upon tny mind, and from which I
have drawn great comfort:
First, children are lent of God—they come
into the world to take the impress—to be in
carnate of the earthly—then, as living im
ages of the earthly, they are transplanted to
adorn the heavenly mansions. Again, com
ing into the world, they receive the impress
of our image as parents —and in this re
turn to the upper fold. They represent our
image before the Father's face —so that, if
we will not suffer Him to save us, He will
have nevertheless a representative of us.
In the second place, it is a noteworthy
fact, that children who die, always remain in
the memory of the parents as children. Other
children may grow old—oar departed one
never does. Ten, twenty years may go by,
but the child remains in memory a bright,
happy child—as it was; we look upon it as
a child. Certainly next to seeing an angel,
is seeing, with a parent’s heart, such a cher
ished form—and under the providence of
God, such a remembrance is a means of sub
duing and keeping pure the heart. “ Sor
row, subdued, becomes a friend, and sacred
joy is mingled with the tears of holy recol
lection.” The sight thus becomes sweeter
than the song.
I can say to-day from the depths of my
heart, that I thank God that I am represent
ed in the “ upper fold.” I would not be be
reft, for any consideration, of the sweet re
membrance of my departed little ones, as
they now exist in memory.
These thoughts have been awakened by
the death of two of my little friends recently
—little Bessie White, who died in Savan
nah last month of yellow fever, and little
Ei.moiik Pekky, who died such a triumphant
death in this city on the 19th of October.
Their lives, short though they were, were
not without their influence and profit. They
have not lived in vain—the one only font —
the other only five vears old. That there
was a purpose in taking these little buds of
promise I cannot for a moment doubt. The
one so gentle, so sweetly passed away from
the arms of its earthly parent to that of its
heavenly Father, that she is a golden link,
binding the household to heaven. The oth
er, little Elmore, demonstrated the truth,
that the Gospel is within the comprehension
of a child. For if there is a clearer compre
hension of it anywhere I have failed to see
it. He was only five y ears old. He was
sick, at:d as he believed, unto death. He
desired the pastor to pray for him. He asked
his father to pray for him ; and expressions
like these fell from his lips: “God bless
me “ God bless all the people here
“ Let my little sister take care of all my
little play things; my bank and my money
give to God." As life was ebbing away, he
turned to his father and exclaimed—“ I am
going fast.” And folding his little hands as
in prayer, he said slowly as the spirit left
him, “ I will soon be home.” And he was
then in the upper fold.
The worldling may Bcoff, but there is pow
er in such lives as these, however short they
may be. S. S. Sweet.
Selections.
POETRY OF THE BIBLE.
Another characteristic of great poetry is
shared in a remarkable degree by the poetry
of the Bible. It is at once intensely nation
al and universal. As in reading Shakespeare
we are divided between admiration at the
glow of his patriotism, and wonder at his
worldwide sympathies and almost infinite
knowledge of the human heart: as when we
descend wiih Dante into Hell, or climb the
steep of his Purgatory, we seem to have left
all the transitory distinctions of the world
b“hind, and yet at every step are reminded
of I'aly and Florence ; so the Bible general
ly but more especially in its poetry, impress
es us at once with its twofold character of
fidelity to local truth, and adaptation to the
wants of the farthest time and widest cir
cumstances.
When we come to the examination of the
materials which supply the Hebrew bards
with their copious imagery, we shall see how
accurately this verse reflects the natural fea
tures of Palestine and the surrounding coun
tries ; how rich it is in allusions to the Is
raelite's daily life as he watched his sheep on
the lonely bills, tended his vineyard, or
plowed his fields ; and how it is penetrated
by the recollection of the past, which afford
ed images in which to dress present feelings
and future hopes. “ Tbe writers were He
brews of the Hebrews, drawing their inspi
ration from the mountains and rivers of Pal
estine, whichjhey have immortalized in their
poetic figures, and even while uttering the
sublimest and most universal truths, never
forgetting their own nationality in its nar
rowest and intensest form.” Israel, as a peo
ple, have shown a strange capacity lor adapt
MACON, GEORGIA, TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 21, 1876.
ing themselves to foreign life without sur
rendering their own peculiarities of habit
and feeling, and their literature is equally
cosmopolitan and equally faithful to its na
tive East. Where is there any collection of
songs so widely known, so deeply loved, as
the Psalms, those “ hymns read, meditated,
sung, in every hour of the day and night, in
every winding ot the vale of tears?” They
are at home everywhere, and yet, in a mos
touching and beautiful way, they reflect
every slightest feature of the country that
gave them birth, and every phase of the life
from which they sprang. Hebrew poetry,
while it retains its ancient tone, always seems
alive with a fresh and modern spirit. It
never seems to get out of date, like so much
other literature in many ways great aud no
ble. If new worlds could be discovered
with their unworked mines of new ideas, the
coming race would, there cannot he a doubt,
turn to the Psalms and prophets, and to the
gospels, with the same deep love, and the
same sense of perceiving in them an iuex
haustible wealth of moral truth and strength,
which had been felt in turn by Asia, Eu
rope, aud America.
This comprehensive power of Biblical
poetry shows itself in another way. It is the
privilege of poetry to pervade human life
and influence it in every direction. While it
cannot rise to its noblest height unless it
becomes the interpreter of the most exalted
truths, it must not disdain the lowly interests
of common life. It can only achieve its
moral conquests by throwing a glory over
what would else be common place, and trans
fusing with its own light the prose of exis
tence. One of the longest and mostartis'ic
of the Hebrew poetic works, and some of the
shorter lyrics, are full of graceful but faith
ful pictures of homely scenes and humble oc
cupations. (Canticles, Psalms 104 : 120, etc.)
The parables of our Lord seldom travel aay
from this region. The corn fields, the vine
yard, the market-place, the cottage home,
furnish him with his most beautiful and pow
erful symbols of spiritual truth. It is tilts fa
miliarity with their life which helps to make
the Bible so interesting to the poor. Until
literature became cheap, the Scriptures, it
may be truly said, supplied the only food for
the imagination of the working man. They
not only furnished him with the divine con
solations of religion, but, formed his stock of
poetry and romance, and gave him a bright
color to the monotony ot his life. —Bible
Educator.
CREMATION.
One of our missionaries, returning home
from Burmah, came through the country of
Siam, and was present at the burning of a
body, which is thus described :
The king and all his nobility were present
at the ceremony, for it was the burning of
the body of the king's aunt. The king him
self lighted up the pyre, carrying a good
sized candle, lighting it, and putting it under
the golden urn. In this act, he was follow
ed by each member of the royal family, and
of the nobility, who also returned after him
to a large open hall, where he took his sea',
and the nobles gathered about him in their
respective positions, all crouching on all
fours. The king then proceeded to throw
about him in all directions small green limes,
of which a great quantity had been prepared
by inserting a bit of money in each. Of
course there was a great scramble, especial
ly among the lower officers, to get these.
An imposing paper and cloth structure had
been erected over the pyre for the occasion,
and on the opposite side of it from the men
were the women of the royal and noble house
holds. There was no loud wailing, but some
were sobbing, and others showed traces of
tears upon their faces.
The king had been carried to the place of
burning in a heavily-gilded seat, borne on
men’s shoulders, and escorted by soldiers
and native bands, which had been trained by
a European master, and played very well
The odor from the burning wis not very of
fensive, for the Siamese habit, with the no
bility, is to keep the body a number of
months (the higher the rank the longer the
time), and, in this case, scarcely more than
the skin and bones remained to be burnt-
The body, when first dead, is bent into the
posture they take in sitting (upon the heel,)
aud bound tightly around with many yards
of cloth. Hence, when quite dry it can be
put into a moderate-sized urn, say three feet
high by two in diameter.
After the ceremony of burning, fireworks
followed in the evening. The next day the
ashes were gathered into a small urn, taken
in a royal boat, accompanied by three others,
and with mournful music, slowly carried
down the river, below the town, and there
scattered upon the water.
On this occasion there was as much disolay
as is ever made, except for the king himself.
Members of the common nobility are burned
with far less ceremony ; still more common
people, with none at all; and the poorest
classes are not burned, but simply laid in
an inclosure for the vultures to eat. — Mace
donian.
RE-UNION IN HEAVEN.
Heaven is no,t a solitude ; it is a peopled
city—a city in which there are no Btrangers,
no homeless, no poor, where one does not
pass another in the streets without greeting,
where no one is envions of another’s supe
rior minstrelsy, or of another's more brill
iant crown. When God said in the ancient
Eden, “It is not good for man to be alone,”
there was a deeper signification in the words
than could be exhausted or explained by the
family tie. It was the declaration of an es
sential want which the Creator in His high
est wisdom, ha impressed upon the noblest
of his works. That is not life -yon don’t
call that life —where the hermit in some
moorland glade, drags out a solitary exist
ence, or where the captive, in solne cell of
bondage, frets and pines unseen ? That man
does not understand solitude. Life, all
kinds of'life, tend to companionship, and re
joice in it. from the fecund larvat and buz
zing insect cloud up to the kingly lion and
the kinglier man. It is a social state into
which we are to be introduced, as well as a
state of consciousness. Not only, therefore,
does the Saviour pray for his disciples
“ Father, I will that those whom thou hast
given me be with me where I am, that they
behold my glory but those who are in
that heavenly recompense are said to have
come “ to the general assembly and Church
of the first-born written in heaven.” A>,
and better than that, and dearer to some of
üß,“to the spirits ot just men made perfect.”
This question of the recognition of departed
friends in heaven, and special and intimate
re-union with them, Scripture and reason
enable us to infer, with almost absolute cer
tainty. It is implied in the fact that the re
surrection is a resurrection of individuals,
that it is this mortal that shall put on im
mortality. It is implied in the fact that
heaven is a vast and happy society ; and it
is implied in the fact that there is no uncloth
ing of nature that we possess, only the
clothing upon it of the garments of a bright
er and more glorious immortality. Take
comfort, then, those of you in whose history
the dearest charities of life have been sev
ered by the rude hand of death —those whom
you have thought about as lost, are not lost,
except to present sight. Perhaps even now
tnere are angel watchers, screened by a kiud
ly Providence from everything about you
that would give them pain; but if you and
they are alike in Jesus, and remain
faithful to the end, doubt not that you shall
know them again It were strange, don’t
you think, if amid the multitudes of heavenly
hosts, the multitudes of earth's ransomed
ones that ?e are to see in heaven, weshotild
see all but those we most fondly and fer
vently long to see? Strange, if in some of
our walks along the golden streets, we never
happen to light upon them ! Strange if we
did not hear some heaven song, learned on
earth, thri lsd by some clear-ringing voice
that we have often heard before 1 And al
though in heaven, they neither marry nor
are given in marriage, yet dearer than all
others will be the wi'e tothe husband,
and the husband tothe wife, and the friend
to the friend who have toiled and suffered
on earth together. Oh, what heart is not
thrilled by the glorious prospect ? —lter. W.
M Punslion. D. J).
THE FIRST BEATITUDE.
“ 81-seit are Hie po >r in gpi it: for th irs is
tin kiugdom of heaven.”—Matt. 5: 3
A ladder, if it. is to be of any use, must
have its fii.>t round near the ground, or fee
ble climbe-s will never be able to mount.
It woii’d have been a grievouß discourage
ment to struggling f .ith if the first blessing
had been p.'ven to the pure in heart, for to
that excellence the young beginner makes
no claim, while to poverty of spirit he can
reach without going beyond his line. Had
the Saviour sai 1, “ Blessed are the rich in
grare,” very few of us could have derived
consolation therefrom. Our divine Instructor
begins at the beginning, with the very ABC
of experience, and so enables the b ibes in
grace to learn of Him ; had He commence I
with higher attainments, He would have left
the little ones behind. A gigantic step at
the bottom of these sacred stairs would
have effectually prevented many from essay
ing to ascend, but tempted by the lowly step,
whicli bears the inscription, “ Blessed are
the poor in spirit,” thousands are encour
aged to attempt the heavenly way. To be
spiritually poor is the condition of all men ;
to he poor in spirit, or to know our spiritual
poverty, ih an attainment specially granted
to the called and chosen.
The kines among mankind, the happiest,
and most powerful, the most honored, will
one day be seen to be, not the Alexanders,
Otesars, end Napoleons, but the men akin
to Him who washed the disciples’ feet, those
who in quietness lived for God and their fel
low men, unostentatious because conscious
of their failures ; unselfish because self
was held in low esteem ; humble and de
vout because their own spiritual poverty
drove them out of themselves, and led them
to rest alone upon the Lord. The time shall
come when glitter and gew-gaw will go for
what they are worth, and then shall the poor
in spirit be seen to have the kingdom.
The dominion awarded by this beatitude
to the poor in spirit is no common one ; it is
the kingdom of heaven, a heavenly domin
ion, far excelling anything which can be ob
tained this side the stars. An ungodly world
may reckon the poor in spirit contemptible,
but God writes them down among peers and
princes, and His judgment is true, and far
more to be esteemed than the opinions of
men or angels.
“ Poor in spirit!” The words sound as if
they described the owners of nothing, and
yet they describe the inheritors of all things.
Happy poverty ! Millionaires sink into in
significance, the treasures of the Indies evap
orate in smoke, while to the poor in spirit
remains a boundless, endless, faultless king
dom, which renders them blessed in the es
teem of Him who is God over all, blessed
forever. And what must be their blessed
ness when they shall shine forth as the sun
in the kingdom of their Father, and in them
shall be fulfilled the promise of their Master
and Lord, —“ To him that overeometh wi 1 I
grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I
also overcame, and am set down with my
Father in his throne?”— Christian Weekly.
THE GIFT OF THE SPIRIT.
This is emphatically the dispensation of
the Spirit. He is in the world working
among men, and in men, fr their salvation.
No mau is left without His influence. He is
the light which enlighteneth ever man that
cometh into the world. “The manifesta
tion of the Spirit is given to every man to
profit withal.” In this respect we are as high
ly favored as those in the earlier times. We
are apt to exaggerate the blessings of the
past, to dwell upon the faith, the fervor, the
heavenly-mindedness of the early Church,
until we feel that it is useless for us to hope
for as high a degree of spiritual enlighten
ment and attainment as they possessed. It
is true, we do not now have the gifts of heal
ing, of pr iphecy, of working miracles, be
cause we do not need them. But every spir
itual gift that we need is within our reach,
and if vje do not constantly enjoy a con
sciousness of the presence and inspiration
of the Spirit, it is our own fault. There is
inspiration now a-days —not, of course, to
give a Bible, or to foretell future events—
but to love and duty, to self-sacrificing, pa
tient, faithful, holy living. And if, in some
respects, we cannot compare ourselves with
the first Oh.istians, in others we have advan
tages of our own equal to theirs.
But many, very many, fail to understand
this, or to appreciate their privileges under
this latter dispensation. There are theories
of the Spirit, and a terminology used in ser
mons and prayers, sadly at variance with the
teaching ot Scripture. We are apt to think of
the Spirit as some subordinate divine agency,
which is for the most part far away from us,
and only visits us at intervals, in answer to
special entreaty that He may be sent upon
us. We forget that the Spirit is God, who is
omnipresent, whose presence pervades the
whole universe, who is constantly with us
and in us, and also with every other human
being, and that every good thought, emo
tion, desire, and purpose, is by His inspira
tion. We lorget that this blessed Spirit is
always brooding over us, and striving wtth
us, and working in us, and that it is written,
“ Say not in thine heart, who shall ascend
into heaven ? (that is, to bring Christ down
from above); or, who shall descend into the
deep? (that is, to bring Christ again from
the dead). * * * The word is nigh thee,
even in thy mouth, and in thy heart.” Hence,
we pray for Him to come to us as though He
were far away on a journey, and had forgot
ten us. We pray for the influence of the
Spirit, when we already have the Spirit, God
Himself, doing all He can for us and in us. !
We need to change our modes of thinking
aud speaking of the Holy Spirit. We need
to remember that He is ours, nowand al
ways, either consciously, or unconsciously,
and that we have not to call Him from a dis
tance, or do certain things to make ourselves
better to secure Ilis presence and help. He
is “not tar from every one of us,” but always
tear, wooing and entreating, or comforting
and inspiring us. It is in the person of the
Holy Spirit that Christ is perpetually seek
ing us. saving, “ Behold I stand at the door
and knock. If anv man hear my voice and
open the door I will come unto him.” He
is represented as standing all night until His
locks are wet with the dew of morning ask
ing to be admitted to otir hearts.
How erroneous, then, must he the impres
sion, that God must be entreated to send
His Spirit to us, when He is already with
us, entreating us to receive Him ? We seem
to need to remind ourselves again of God's
willingness to bless us, tint He is more wil
ling than we are to be blessed, and that if we
are not enriched with His presence and love,
the hindrances are wholly in ourselves. All
that we have to do in order to be conscious
of the presence aud ministrations of the Ho
ly Spirit is to put away these hindrances wi ll
all the evil of our doing, and open the door
of our heart to receive Ilim.— Methodist.
FORGIVENESS.
<> (lot. furtive the years ami years
Of oildlv pd !e and nones and ft-ars ;
Furtive, and I• I 't. them from tiiv book,
Tli ■ sms on which I mourn to look.
Forgive the lack of service done
For tore, thro’ tile, from li e begun;
Forgive tile vai i derire to be
■Ail eire but that desitvd by thee.
Forgive the love of human praise.
The nr t. false step in c ■ oked wavs.
The vuiee of evil a id Hie me lit.
Tile heart dose shu against die light.
Forgive Ihe love that could endure
No cost to bless the sad and poor;
F rgive, and give ire g ace to see
The life tail down in love for me
Transcript.
INTEGRITY OF CHARACTER.
Young men should be deeply impressed
with the vast importance of cherishing those
principles and of cultivating those habits
which will secure the confidence and the es
teem of the wise and good.
A young man may be unfortunate, he may
he poor and penniless, but if he possesses
unbending integrity, and unwavering pur
pose to do what is honest and just, he will
have friends and patrons, whatever may be
the emb irrassments and exigencies into
which he is thrown. The young man may
thus possess a capital ot which none of the
misfortunes and calamities of life cun de
prive him
We have known men who have suddenly
been reduced from affl lence to penury by
some overwhelming misfortune, which they
could neither foresee nor prevent. Yester
day, they were prosperous; today, every
earthly prospect is blighted, and everything
in their future aspect of life is dark and dis
mal. Their business is gone their prosperi
ty gone, and they feel that all is gone ; hut
they have a rich treasure that nothing can
lake away. They have integrity of charac
ter, and this gives them influence, raises up
friends, furnishes them with pecuniary aid,
with which to commence life once more un
der auspicious circumstances.
We cannot too strongly impress upon our
young men the importance of abstaining
from everything which shocks their moral
sensibilities, wounds their conscience, and
has a tendency to weaken that nice sense of
honor and integrity so indispensable to a
good character. “ Integrity of character !”
Who ever possessed it, that did not derive
untold advantage from it? It is better than
riches, it is of more value than “ diamonds
and all precious stones and yet every man
may post .ss it. The poorest may have it,
and no power on earth can wrest it from
them. Young men, prize integrity of char
acter above all earihly gifts.
“ JESUS, LOVER OF MY SOUL.”
The brothers John and Charles Wesley,
wiih Richard Pilmore, were one evening
holding a twilight meeting on the common,
when they were attteked by a mob, and lied
from its fury for their lives. The first place
of refuge that they found, alter having been
for sometime separated, was a hedge row
near at hand, behind which they hid a few
minutes, protecting themselves from serious
injury by the missiles that fell like hail about
them, by clasping their hands above their
heads as they lay with their face-sin liiedust.
As night drew on, the darkness enabled them
to leave their temporary retreat for a safer
one at some distance. They found their
way at last to a spring-house, where, in com
parative security, they waited for their pur
suers to weary of seeking them. “Here
they struck a light with a flint stor.e,” dus’ed
their soiled and tattered garment*, and afier
quenching their thirst, bathed their hands
and faces in the water that bubbled fiom the
spring and fi >wed away in a sparkling stream
let. Then it was that Charles Wesley was
inspired to write “Jesus, lover of my sou',”
with a bit of lead which he had hammered
into a pencil.
These circumstances beautifully illustrate
the hymn, giving to almost every line areali
ty that makes it peculiarly significant to every
loving Christian heart. They had fl -d be
fore their enemies, and found shelter from
danger. He sang:
“Jesus, lover of my soul,
Let me to Thy bisom fly.”
—Christian Guardian.
“IF I JOIN THE CHURCH MAY I
dance r
“If I join the Church, have you any ob
jeetion to my dancing ?”
Such was the question of Mary W ad
dressed to her pastor as he was speaking to
her about her making a public profession o!
religion. She was about eighteen years of
gt, of high social standing, intelligent, cul
tivated, thoroughly a lady in feeling and
manner, and surrounded by all that makes
life attractive and pleasant.
Having been hopefully converted, after
much thought and prayer she had decided to
unite with the Church, of which Mr. A
was the pastor. But before so doing, she
asked him in the conversation alluded to :
“If 1 jo n the Church, Mr- A , have
you any objection to my dancing? I am
very fond of it, and feel very unwilling to
give it up. What do you think ot it ?”
“ 1 will answer your question by another,”
said her pastor. “ Supp tee there was a large
and fashionable party, or a public ball in
town, and you were invited to it. And sup
pose you had accepted the invitation, and
that going at a rather late hour, as you en
tered the room, you found all engaged in
the dance, and that you saw me, your pas
tor, taking part in it, and leading it, what
would you think ?” ;
A look of surprise, almost astonishment,
passed over her face as she frankly said :
“ I should think it very strange, and great- '
ly inconsistent.”
“ Well,” replied Mr. A-, “if dancing
is right and a good thing, why should not I
enjoy it as well as you ? And if in its influ
ence and tendencies it is wrong and evil,why
should you engage in it, or wish it more
than I ? A minister is but a good man, try
ing to do good to men. And there are not
two standards—one fir him, and another for
the members of his Church; not two rules of
Christian living—one for you and another for
him. If he is to be spiritual, and set a holy
example, and to come out from the world
and be separate, and shun worldly amuse
ments, why are not you ? And if such
amusements are right and proper for you as
a follower of the Saviour, why are they not
tor him? And why should you, or any
member of the Church, wish to be or to do
what you" wouldnot like to see him be or do?”
She thought a moment seriously, and then
said: “It is plain to me now. I will never
dance again." And she never did.— Phila
delphia Presbyterian.
THE GATES OF RIGHTEOUSNESS.
“ Open to me the gates of righteousness ;
I will go into them, and I will praise the
Lord. This is the gate of the Lord, which
Ihe righteous shall enter. — Psalms cxviii:
Iff, 20. This wa3 the language of one whom
the Lord had chastened sorely, hut had not
given over to death. He had called upon
the Lord in distress, and had learned that it
was better to trust in the Lord than to put
confidence in princes. And now, chastened
afflicted, and delivered, he desires the open
ing of “ the gates of righteousness” that he
may go in aud praise the Lord.
There are many gates open before the
sons of men. The gates of pleasure, the
gates of business, the gates of honor, the
gates of wealth, the gates of worldlitiess. the
gates of sin, the gates of death, the gates of
hell, all stand open or ajar, and invite the
footsteps of the wayfaring to enter in.—
Though these portals may seem fair and
beautiful, yet many who enter therein re
turn no more, but go down the path to dark
ness and death. “The gates of righteous
ness” may have ltde of pomp or pretension
about them ; the eye of the ambitious may
overlook them, the thoughts of the gain
seeking and godless may disregard them ;
but the children of the Lord Most High, pray
that “ the gates of righteousness” may be
open before them, and that they may “go
into them and praise the Lord.”
God’s mercy has opened the gates of right
eousness to "us. We who had been lost in
the wilderness of sin and sorrow; we whe
had no right to tread a holy path or enter a
hallowed gate ; yet through the abundance
of divine mercy, the blood of the everlasting
covenant, and the death of Him who pur
chased eiertial redemption for sinful men,
there is opened “anew and living way” by
which we may enter “ the gates of righteous
ness.” Biossed are they whose feet take
hold upon this heavenly path. Blessed are
they, who weary of a life of sin, and sorrow,
mid temptation, and way ward n ss. are
knocking at “ the gates of righteousness”
and seeking to go in “ and praiae the Lord.”
And they who enter there shall find their
ways the ways of pleasantness, their paths full
of peace, and shall reach at last the house
of the Lord, the City of the Great, King, the
home of all the blest. The Common People.
THE CHEERFUL VOICE.
The comfort and happiness of home and
home intercourse depend very much on the
kindly and affectionate training of the voice.
Trouble, and care, and vexation will aud
must, of course, come; but let them not
creep into our voices. Let only our kindly
and happier feelings be voc .1 in our homes.
I.e 1 them be so. if for no other reason, for
the little children’s sake. These sensitive
little beings are exceedingly susceptible to
the tones. They hear so much that we have
forgotten to hear : for as we advance in
years our lives become more interior. We
are abstracted from outward see tea and
sounds. We think we reflect, we begin
gradually fo deal with the past as we have
formerly vividly lived in the present. Our
ears grow dull to external sound ; they are
turned inward, and listen chiefly to the
echoes of past voices.
We catch no more the merry laughter of
children. We hear no more the note of the
morning bird. The brook that used to prat
tie so giyly t,o us, rushes by unheeded ; we
have forgo ten to hear such things. But lit
tle children, remember, sensitively bear
them all Mark how, at every sound, the
young child starts, and turns, and listens!
And thus, with equal sensitiveness, does it
catch the tones of human voices. How
were it possible that the sharp and hasty
word the fretful and complaining tone,
should not startle and pain, even depress the
sensitive little being whose harp of life is so
newly and delicately strung, vibrating even
to the gentle breeze, and ever thrilling sen
sitively to the tones of such voices as sweep
across it ? Let us then be kind and cheerful
spoken in our homes.
MILL HE SUCCEED?
In nine cases out of ten, man’s life will
not be a success if he does not bear burdens
in his c ildhood. If the fondness or the
vanity of father or mother have kept him
from hard work; if another always helped
him out at the end of his row : if instead of
taking his turn at pitching off. he stowed
away all the time—in short, if what was
light always fell to him, and what was heavy
about the same work to someone else ; if he
has been permitted to shirk until shirking
has become a habit, unless a miracle has
been wrought, his life will be a failure, and
the blame will not be half so much his as
that of his weak and foolish parents.
On the other hand, if a boy has been
brought up to do his part, never allowed to
shi k any legitimate responsibility, or to
dodge work, whether or not it made his head
ache, or soiled his hands, until bearing bur
dens has become a matter of pride, the
heavy end of the wood his choice, parents as
they bid him good bye may dismiss their
fear. The elements of success are his, and
at some time and in some way the world will
recognize his capacity.
RESTITUTION.
Yon have defrauded your neighbor. You
have done him an injury, not accidentally,
but on purpose. You have sought your own
profit by inflicting a loss upon him. You
have taken what belongs, not to you, hut to
him. You muSt proceed theu to make resti
tution. Go at once. Go to-day, if you can.
State the facts frankly and honestly. Ac
knowledge your wrong doing, and repair the
harm as fully a3 you can. It will cost you a
struggle to do this. When, however, you
have male up your miud to the struggle, you
will pr< bably find it easier than you expect.
But whatever you do, don’t keep this burden
upon your conscience. It will stand between
you and God. It is an obstacle which you
cannot get over. You may forget that it is
there; but there it is; and you are on one
side, and Almighty God is oa the other.—
Dean ilowson. I
F. M. KENNEDY, I). I>., Editor
J. IV. ISURKE, Assistant Editor
A. G. HAYGOOD, D. D., Editorial Correspondent
WHOLE NUMBER 2022
MISCELLANEA.
The Moslem pilgrimage to Mecca and
Medina was larger this year than ever before.
Six hundred millions of the people of the
world are yet in Pagan and Mohammedan
darkness.
The American Baptist Missionary Union
reports three hundred and fifty mission
churches planted in Europe, with a mem
bership of more than 31,000.
A movement has been commenced to erect
a church at Oxford, England, where .Metho
dism began about a century and a half atro,
under the sanction of Dr. William Arthur
and other influential Wesleyan ministers.
Some one answers the question, “What
have missions done?” by showing that over
500,000 church members are the living re
sult: 130,000 in Africa. 120.000 in Asia,
53,000 in Europe, 22 000 in America, 70 -
000 in Polynesia, and 150,000 in the West
Indies
A Western* -professor of theology says a
sermon is “a rhetorical organism, evolved
by a generic process from a text, and stand
ing in vital and obvious rein. ion to it.” The
students who get instruction in language
so scholarly ought to make inscrutable
preachers.
The Maharajah Dhuleep Singh, of India,
who got his wite from the United Presbyte
rian Mission iu Egypt,, is in the habit of
commemorating his wedding anniversary by
contributing large sums of money to the
mission. He has just, made a donation of
s2x7 000 to the mission.
An Episcopal Bishop, *whose diocese in
cludes Manitoba, speaking of a v sit to that
far-off country, said he was surprised to find
that the Wesleyan Methodists ol Canada had
been in the country for eighteen or twenty
years, and were counting their converts
by the thousand among Indians and half
breeds.
The Missionary Herald reports that about
ten thousand students are in attendance up
on the Moslem University at Cairo. The
subjects of study are the Mohammedan reli
gion, jurisprudence, astronomy, his'ory, med
icine, aud poetry. The students are from
China, lartary, India, Arabia, Morocco,
Central Africa, European aud Asiatic 'Tur
key, and Egypt.
After giving a list of twelve P otestant,
Churches and six schools, under the control
of the city of Rome, the Voce della Veri.ta
comments sadly on these “ painful statistics.”
They very plainly indicate the fact that the
dark days of priestly domination over the
consciences of men belong to the past, and a
tree Gospel and an intelligent laity will mark
the future of Italy.
According to official statistics, 5 tl-ot; bonks
were issued in Russia during the years 1873
and 1871. Of these, (179 were theological,
322 legal, 113 agricultural. 217 historical, 247
geographical and ethnographical, 195 math
ematical. 135 military, 84 scientific, 224
medical, 438 philological, 94 artistic, while
1,851 treated of lighter literature, and 447
were translations of foreign belles lettres.
Ten years ago there was but one Young
Women’s Christian Associa’ion in the Uni
ted States. To day there are forty-seven ;
sixteen of this number are the possessors of
property valued at $1 000,000 Christian
men and women who have money to spend
for the cause, always have the opportunity
to examine the work of these self-denying
laborers, and encourage them by their means
as well as by their prayers.
In a late review of the missionary labors
among the North American Indians, it ap
pears that in the space of two hundred years
the Churches of this country had not ex
pended more than $2 000,000 for the Chris
tianization of that people, resulting in about
13,090 conversions, and in contrast to this
the United States Governm -lit, during the
last fifty years, has expended $300,009,000 in
efforts to destroy the red men of the forest.
The statue of Religious Liberty, which the
Jews of the United States intend to present
to the National Government, has been c mi
pleted. America, in the design, stands with
her right arm extended over a youth who
typifies religion ; her left hand rests upon
the laws of the country. Around her brow
is a circlet of thirteen stars, and at her feet
an eagle holds in his talon3 the serpent of
intolerance. The presentation of the statue
will shortly be made in Washington.
Bishop Becker urges on the Roman Ca lf
olic Cnireh the establishment of a Cath
olic University in this country. He gives a
far from eulogistic account of the present
Catholic schools and seminaries ; practically
concedes that the highest education cannot
be secured at any ot them ; lays out the
plan of a university which, by elevating the
standard of education, would elevate ail the
subordinate institutions ; and estimates that
8500,000 would afford a sufficient founda
tion, As yet no subscribers to the necessary
fund are reported.
Mr. David Pclsifer, in the office of the
Massachusetts Secretary of S ate, has in his
possession a well-preserved, b it very arcient
Hebrew roll, k town to be at least more than
one thousand years old. It contains the four
books of Moses written upon a soft, brown
skin about n'nety feet long and two w de.
The pages of the roll are seven bv twenty
four inches, and contain forty-two lines. The
characters are large and jet black, age hav
ing had no apparent wearing effect upon
them. There are no colored embellish
ments, but the letters are ornamented with
fine line projections.
In the collection of Bibles in the Centen
nial Exhibition is a cony of Cromwell's
Bible, so called because he published an edi
tion of suc-h size that each soldier could car
ry it in his knapsack. A soldier was iound
dead at Naseby in whose knapsa- k a copy
was found ppnetrated by a bull-t. which
reached that verse in Ecclesiastes, “ Remem
ber now thy Creator in the days of thy
youth.” Ttie book is five inches long, two
and a half wide, one and three-quarters
thick, weighs only eight and a half ounces,
and is the property of the American Bible
Society. It belonged to John Milton, and
was printed in 1653 by John Field, printer
to Parliament. There are but three other
copies in the country.
The report of the Waldensian Church
shows that in Italy it has 40 regular congre
gations, 10 missionary stations, besides 50
localities visited more or less frequently by
evangelists. The number of ordained minis
ters is 20, licentiates 10, and of schoolmas
ter evangelists, 14. The Commission of Evan
gelization has also under its charge 53 teach
ers and 5 colporteurs. Tbe regular attend
ants at church amount to 3,850; the occa
sional hearers to 15,000. The number of
communicauts last year was 2,140; mem
bers newly admitted, 125; and catechumens,
389. There are 59 day-schools, with an at
tendance of 2,000 pupils ; and 39 Sabbath
schools, with an attendance of 1,440 pupils.
There is also, at Florence, a Theological
College, established for the training of min
isters and evangelist*