T
THE FLOWERS COLLECTlOJj
n in
1
. . ...... . . , , . - - .; SFOR
WEEKLY BY A COMMITTEE OF MINISTERS FOR THE MEftfGDI'
. . - - - - ---- ----- of North
" , j - k .at we have
fOPAL CHURCH, SOUTH. F.UFUS T. HEFLIN, Editor.
PUBLISHED
SI 50 a year, in advance.
A "oh TII...jST0.
33,
F? A T iTHTiTr HT- r M lj K.?SiA.i. -.jr-
UST19, 1858.
.ch wo offer tc
- v.f
4 ' "
A
k n
pli Zl 1 1 W I 1 1
a j
. bo had ir -
viiiiumil.
For the X. C t'liri.vti:in Advocate.
A Ileniedy for Church Evils.
Our nrpspr.t. pnnrsp in nnrrL.otinrr tn i
entree the rules of the church is. well ! , n. ?P0D a1tilf su a. sat ,
calculated to spread and VorpMe,a f 'V I So
1 .. 1 , which he wished to write. Jhe pen was
among tt.e mas.es of our people, not J lrcaJ in hU hand but it was evening, i
only ignorance ot tue obligation, but of, aod he was fatil,aed whh work, and pres-1
the existence of these rules. to! down went his eyelids, and h-j was !
The persons referred to, may have j asleep. It seemed to him that he heard a ;
heard them read from the pulpit", or! stir, that the paper began to creak and to
n:av have met with tliein in turning ! crackle, z i knittern and knatteru and he
over ii:e leaves oi tne jisciPime. lat!
what attention will "be paid to rules I
that are never heard of. except in the !
necessary to membership, they carnot, j
to re
ore, :n the estimation of our peo-1 (.
i..c.Si-ai v to aivatiou. 'xlu'v
l::iVe no
ihaD are
time ri)v inel'-.ation fiu works j
r.tieVlv urvelcss. What motive :
to heed and remember? Sure-!
is th;
ly L-
ami i
-nee of our rules is the natural
:. unar.t gvovvtti of our present
)0.:ey
JJut U
LUC illi'i LI1C !
Icing of them are. so far as we have j
;ortu!iitv.
r.ecessarv
to
sa.vatton,
tiita
ose
iio know t
;em not, are i
perishing for the lack of knowledge. i
So ignorance and destruction rise and ;
spread from our present course, as mal-1
aria from stagnant waters. Can we be !
willing to pursue in the verv teeth ofi
our Discipline, apV:i?" ihat'inust. in-1
evitablv, entail death" and woe upon !
imntorful souls ? Brethren for whom !
reflections? That ignorance and vio-!
-ii- i n , ' i sized : and tiie Ink had overflowed the ta- :
cious, perish for the want of that know-; b,e? Qow QVer rrofcssor.s st(J,lv.gown! I
ledge which tne faithful enforcement j and faUon upon the fll)1,r. This wa's a sore '
of the Discipline would have imparted !j mishap for the good man, as ho did not:
V hat comfort can we find in these sad j wi.sh to snoil the colors of his robe bv hav- i
lation of the rules do not produce spirit-! thoroughl' aroused by the aspect of this!
ual death? An Antinomian may get j unfortunate accident, and wrote his boak, j
comfort from tin's source, but a Metho-1 tbc subject of which was, that icltni any '.
cast preacher never. Can we take com- j t1iillJ ''JCS !u expropriate function
fort in the thought that our course of! ?s 'J'""1 " lf can hand thf7 ;
i . j t ! i icorkinn fo'efh'r run produce somethunt j
neglect does not necessarily involve lg-: J , J, ,J. , ,. J
i-o n'-L j. p ,1 i qrcat and sivenitiil, which notkrnn can or- ,
norance and rum : lhat some of the17 , 7 , J
... , , . . connjtf h it voruinq alone. i
members do know and observe the ru.es, j The boJk ,,a(, a creat run . and even tllC -
and all mignt I his is a general ; papsrj the Pen, and the Ink, seemed to
source of comfort among the preachers, ! have laid the lesson to heart, as thereafter, i
and I shall endeavor to remove it. wh'n tho Professor slept late beside hisj-
l o take comiort irom this source, we i
uvust believe that we are not guilty of;
other men's sins, so long as we know I
there are persons in the same circum-;
stances who do not sin ; that we are not
guilty ot the sins Oi cur members who :
violate the rule?, because there ar
others under the same administration j
that observe them. If this be true, I !
rxiav, without guilt, desist from any j
further effort in behalf of all who have
had the means bv which others have 1
i , i..,.,i, ,r ;
If this be true, we may, without guilt, i
1 ' v X' ,
cause numbers have been saved who j
never, by j .uning the church, came un- ;
der its restraints. If tliis be true, we ;
may, without gr.il t, confine ourselves to ;
the bare placing the means cf salvation '.
within the reach of men, without urg-1 were sitting on the hanks that they prccip
ing, cr to use the words of Christ, ; lately pltmged into the watr.
-compelling them" to accept. One! "Ha ! what is that ?" spoke one of the
class of means may be adapted to one ! mwt "putable Kabbits. "Bebo-d, there
class of people, and when these m.ans :ire other creatures who are frightened by
, r r ' , , , ! us as much as we are by our enemies.
nave ocen prcpeny applied and press- j After a our circuMlstan cannot be the
ed, we may be c.ear of the sms of that ; ffi()St desper;itc in the world. And we can,
clas-. But oii.er means are adapted j fancy at least, postpone this water-death
to others, and these must, if they are j a season.
at our command, be applied and press-! The adoption of this proposition has pre
ed, or we are verily guilty of our broth- i served the race of rabbits to this day. And
er's blood. The simple preaching of;
the Gospel, without any church organ- j
ization, will save many 'souls. But the j
great mass of mankind must have, the j
benefit of an efficient church govern
merit, or the preaching of the Gospel '
- , i r !
w 1! he lost upon tnem. j
We, therefore, have no right to any j
comfort in reflecting upon the ruinous
ignorance that grows out of our neglect i
of Discipline from the consideration j
that some do, and all might, know and
' -ui ve the rules. Our present meth-
i.f antilvinff tho me arm of s:ilvation
can develope the vigorous religion of
, r, V i c ii ?
the (rospel in only a small class.
spel in only
Whereas, if church government were
administered, with firm and holy hands,
this vigorous religion"'would he the
wide-spread, universal growth of the
c urch. Under the faithful adminis
tration of our Discipline, the rules of
the church, would be as well known to
the members, as the regulations of a
well-ordered school are to the students.
And I add, we had just as well expect
sound scholarship in a school, where
wise regulations are unknown and un
observed, as to expect sound and vigor
" ou5 piety, where the wise, tTie scriptu
ral rules of our Discipline are unknown
and unobserved.
" My people perish for lack of know
ledge." J. TILLETT.
Ridgewav, Aug. 12th.
rn
For th.c X. C. Christian Advocate.
A Erace of Stories.
FROM THE GERMAN.
How the Professor found a subject
for a Book.
A Professor had upon his writing-table,
as all Professors have, paper, ink and pen.
V Pi-ofrssoi- my dear children, is a man
to whom grown people go to school, as
boys ind girls eo to a S'clfolmastcr-
a maiwho has learned so much that many
a time he do:'.-; not know what to d with I
all things ho has iri!)i.tLudl, and in thatj
way occasionally loses Vorue of them: ai
man who has read a great u any Looks, am' I
who h:is written almost a.s many as he has
road ; wherefore he needs pen., ink and
P:,per.
"vain it i a mi uui.-,
'I should like to know what the Pro-
! Ill . 1 .
,0is"rs w,'a-'3 "' e; ne cuu.u ,
O.
Ink hrJk pllp "icit0 tbe discourse, ho
vou tiur.iinv ot
In re tl
you talK in that lastuou .' it-is tne
k let! or which iuasc tiio book. I Wt
i -. i r 1 - O T . .1
Ida
that whi jh a'w.-.vs -ou V ti- pai
faec nd upoa whicii evt-iy ore turns his
attention."
irc! oth ignorant," the Pen caek-
led, still 'retulaing some of its original goose
for it is plain as the day, th:. '.
i aai the principle personage in this r' :-.t
nn not I that, witlioat wuk-!i Jhe i;tt-...v
cf)u!i n .it bt. forIi)cd -. jy, ,,ou v.-aliy, O ;
ti- r,, .,v th,.,-, v 'U-.,t
b-. aotitul hiots wo should see, if you should
undertake to write.'" i
The pen continued its clatter, still lou- j
d--r and louder, while it roused the Pro-1
lessor. He had, in his sleep, made a great:
hlur with the Pen, o?er the Paper.and had ;
borne with SUcb a haD,i as sPht u,e Vi:a i
aU the Wi,-V UP t'1?re be ba.1, qpproaeh-i
ic too near nie lwtMauu, waicn ntixi t;ap- j
noil tne colors ot uis rope l
inir it marked. But the Professo.- was 1
work, he heard no more such altercations
as had aforetime distracted hire,
II.
A Co:soi.ixg Reflection.
Tbe rabbits were once grievins over the
nr.rious mode of their lives. "Do w !
not Mve." said on, "in p.-met.u:d terror of1
men, dogs, wild-Leasts a?;d wild-birds?
Are we not the prey of all these, just as
often and as much as they choose? And
i n't better once for all to die, than to
,ive in n PTtual anxiety which is a
crtater anguish than death itself;
The words of the speaker found ready j
-should forthwith and unanimously proceed
tQ diwa 'tbc.mselves. There was a pond
n(,ar tle church yard, and thither they has- j
tened with the utUK speed. The noise j
0f their coming and the very appearance j
thereof so frightened a number of frogs who i
thou, in thy severest tribulations, should j
not allow thyself to be tortured by di-qui- i
ft- Look around among thy fellow-men, j
aml thou wilt tnly behold some, with j
ate th'm "change thy
ownf Compare thyseli with these, and be j
comforted,
,
0nr YfllinT Vr..urs are re0Uested to notice !
the German di-tinetion betweenProfessorand i
Schoolmaster, lii-w
''.nde1'1 ..tliere Gurm!,nii
lli.w wretehculv narrow-
a must bo ! Why, in
this glorious couutry.our teachers of a school
of country urchins at a cro.ss-roads may take
the name of Professor, or even a teacher of
v.histlins is a "Trofessor of the Syringmalo-
i 'nArt-" But German ideas, no inatter how
' deep, are not like American notions, "nngh-
L ,i
t . t V . V.
Dr. Tyng on the Prophecies.
The Commencement of Williams
College, Williamstown, Mas3., opened
with a sermon by the Rev. Dr. Tyng,
of New York, on Sunday, 1st inst. A
correspondent of the N. Y. Post says :
Instead of gratifying the audience
by one of his extempore speeches, he
read a long, learned and labored dis
cussion of the prophecies of the Bible,
as to the inauguration of the kingdom
of Christ upon the earth, altogether
novel in its character, and somewhat
remarkable in its views and conclusions.
He held that God's will had never
been dominant in any human govern
ment, but that they were all mere or
ganizations of man's apostacy to God.
God, in his authority, is banished from
the earth He spoke severely of the
way in which Great Britain panders to
Indian superstitions, and America to
slavery.
Dr. Tyng found in the prophecies
the ground of his hope and confidence.
He interpreted them as predicting that
four successive and universal monar
chies were to rule the world, all unsub-
jected to God's will, the kingdoms of
cold, silver, brass and iron. Finally
there would be a fifth universal king-
J0m the real reign of God on earth
J5arivlouian,
the
Persian, the Grecian, and " the Itoman.
TLe fovr were the
All these are passed. This is the i we repeat, l.not onty tne most enect
stae of transition and chaos. Soon, ive in regimen, the most elective in"
and by a mighty and sadden revolution,
anu uv .1 liiigiiiy ixfiu auMULii iuvuiuliuii,
the last, kingdom ,will be ushered in.
The time, he argued, was very near.
... .
Iflrrticns.
Fii)ia the Christian Advocate atid Journal.
Methodism and the Protestant Episcopal
Church.
liisltop Smith Wlii-1: sJioitll w.per
cede tJw "fliers, the .'LfihoJiat Upis-
CO
copal r the Protestant IJnigtr 7
Vhurchfl'reeeaent Lunms or
i i o d i s tniUisre:-resi'iitntio.is of
y
71 i'sleit Did llesicq approve mc
t;
.-..7.
" p .-.th. in his late annual ad -
iii tho Kentucky Protestant Epis. -
r .
copal Convention, said
More than a quarter of a century
ri. aft-T th'-'t surveying Kentucky a3
-ieid of labor in connection with the
higher culture, tho moral improvement,
aim tne spiritual weiiare oi tne gene
ra c; ' s in time to come, I mado a re
mark, fthich I have since never failed
to repeat on all proper oeoas.ous. that
the Methodist and Epis-.'opal brandies
of the Church in Amcr-ca ovglit never
to have been TWO. They a-e. near
enough alike to be one. Eacii. under
very different circumstance?, it is true,
is an offshoot of th sarxs venera
ble, live oak-stock the Church of
England. It iras not intended by Mr. nounce(l the apostolic succession 'a fa
Weslev that his societies should ever be ! bb, ' that is his n!ir-is about it and
other tlian supplementary to tne v. nu-cu yet ti,;s fablc, with its logical
i i ... i r i i
ot England, lranspiantea to tr-s sou es c;ul be the only import
ot lventucuy, tuey s.ann more eveniy uv T? shon Smith could
rupplementary to eacu other stih. As
Mr. Wesley never wjuld leave tue absorbed in ours.
Church of England, though he mourn- phe remark that Wesley never de
ed over its declensions and deplored s;ned that his societies should separate
the evilsof an establishment, much t,e Church of England is one of
less, in Kentucky, could he be found ; tbo30 inccSsantly repeated but irreve
any where, except in the ranks of the ; CIlt sophisms with which the Protestant
clergy of the same Church, here some- Episcopal Church has tired out the
what reformed, and entirely so in all : pa't;eilce 0f American Methodists who
those respects which grieved his pious 'uow anything about the case. This
heart. Here they arc more than ever was Yfcsley's view3 respecting the so
supplementary to each other. 'cieties in England, and perhaps there
There is a tone of liberality in these wa3 a pr0vidcntial design in the fact;
remarks, but it is all on one side a ;l ra;iy be that thus Methodism, so ra
stylc which, by a paradox of poor hu-F);.!v absorbing the population of the
man nature, expresses liberal feelings ; English Church, is vet to supercede the
while it means onljr prejudice and j Establishment,especialiy at the no very
selfishness. The good bis.iop lovca l.hs dl3tant day when ihi.-ltor must fail,
Methodist neighbors, but loves the jo ! .in( wben Methodism must be a much
much that he cannot but mourn that , greater necessity for England than it
they should remain Methodists any Ion-mJs ever yet been. Bat Wesley did
ger, though they differ not essentially in ; not entCrtain this view of American
his opinion from his own people. He j Methodism after our Revolution. On
sees clearly, as most men of his good tlie contrary, he organized American
sense must see, that there is notsufii-: Methodism as a distinct Church. It is
cient reason for the existence of two . absurd to question this fact in view of
such bodies as the Protestant and Me- p,;, acts arui correspondence. No fact
thodist Episcopal Churches in any part ; in i,jstorv ;3 better demonstrated, and it
of this country, but he would have the j js not t0"o muc. t0 saj that it is abso
morc important body annihilated to ; lutev impossiLlo for an honest man to
make way for the smaller one. In no (oubt itj afcer an eiamination of the
part of the nation do we believe there , i,;atory 0f the question. He ordained
exists any necessity for both Churches. ; Thomas Coke as the episcopal head of
There is no public advantage afforded ; the liew American body Thomas
by the Protestant Episcopal Church, ; Coke wbo was already a presbyter,
not even in this city of 2m ew iork, ; anJ tierefovc coud ;je ordained only to
which the Methodist Episcopal Church the next office above thafc of presbyter,
could not as freely afford, were the J namelv the episcopv.oWeslev fellow
former to give way to the latter : but j cJ lh; ptlibric in ord dning'him, by
on tho ether hand, who does not see . iaYu the required number of prcsby
that there are he mst important ad-1 ters to assist at the cereiaonv: he as
vantages of religion, the most needed , si?ne(l a written reason for"the act,
methods of labor, and discriminations j w'hich 8ftOWS that he understood it to
of religious doctrine afforded, by Moth- j be an 0riiaa.tioTi to the episcopate,
odism, which are not, and probably j narnelv, the proof of Lord King that
could not be afforded by the Protestant i pi.esbvters could in the ancient Chnrch
Episcopal Church under its present reg- ! orJai bishops a carious fact to cite
ime ? Which is the most successful ?!5r ho (1id not think he was ordaining
The question is not an invidious one ; ono himself: he called Coke :a super-
it is here simpiy a test one. n men
discriminates best before the popular
mind, the theological opinions that are
most essential to the popular reforma
tion and to vital religion ? Which ha3
the most effective organization ? Meth
odism certainly takes precedence in
these respects. And then, as to the
invidious tact ot numbers, tne prepon- j
ucrcuee is iiiiugc iic. v., ...
side. While Methodism is the popular
religion of this country in a more emi
nent sense tnan any otner v. nuicn, oui . tion of the Churc published, at his
Protestant Episcopal brethren are but0WR pook IIouse Jn London, its Min-
comparitivcly a small ingredient of the ut in wh;ch h leda,ed that .f0now.
religious mass, scarcely perceptible in , , , f Mr. Weslev' it had
-' . .1 tv I-
most places, and perceptible in a few,
chiefly by wealth, or sinvhir facts of
social position, which, Sc-'ipturally con
sidered, are far far froJ being the best
proofs of a true Chui-h.
In fact, in Every cspect Methodism
takes the preccderce. It does so,even
chronologically. Both the Metliodist
Episcopal and the Protestant Episco
pal Churches we:-e originally parts
of the English lational Church in
the American col.nies. The Revolu
tion dissolved their relations to Eng
land, and left th-'m afloat, unorganized
on the current ft the events after the
war.
Both att'inpt to collect their re-
spcctive tragtu-'nts, ana to ootain trom
England soms form of reorganization
as a substitut- for the defunct Anglo
American Chirch. Methodism obtain-
i . i .
... T "- i , i ,
er,ik.K-7r--f" .6"-!
l,"u n"' VT i Tr' , V J strikes us as characteristic of a consum
Weslev witf solemn forms, he being a . i i v
esity, it , mate denominational vanity and arro-
nreshvter the Church of England, i , J , ,
presoyiei 0 "1U ; jrance and when we remember that
ind actio in tbis case according to
i in Chnvnb nlornr nc
gooo. v, j
bv some of the highest an - '
confirm by some of the highest au
&tj i n iianil it
i self. The Methodic ZJ .-pai Church,
I theology, vastly t ie i;ioH effective nu-
: Liicw.i , iuohj c'. ...v. .
;mericai!y. bu. the ol 'i$t in org
; ti,n. Vh . '1- inh:i name of
mon 3ei:s-'-sr.vuld it be called up
orqantzu -
com-
jnon to
g;--c way to a moi rre -ent denormna
tion having th? sam? parentage and the
same general ' feattn s, , Vat a sab.se-
quent birth, and less cfu :'""cnest? The
iP.otestant Episcopal CV.urch, on all
: terms of Christian catholicity, ought to
he merged in the Methodlit Episcopal
i Church. The latter is thd true jffspring
of the English Church jr. this country ;
ti
-aeticallv out of r lace, and had Meth-'
e
tr.vrupr is lint, an . '.Ter-uu ui, aim
; 0(ilSEa retaip.ed the
oil' ritual, (as it
! dee.s retain a part if. ii
; ,.. .irt, -.f ;, , nr .should it
: ,,,,,, U a, ;r'.---y v-.v'rMT ntiver
evpr resume it, (.!. n z.-j.
nart jf the strength of tr.o Protestant
1 Episcopal Church would be gradual-y
; trlmsferred to it. It is not impossible
i . . i t i a.
tint ir. may yet effectively displace the
litter on this continent, and there are
strong probabilities that instead of be
in.' swallowed up by the national
; Church in England, Wesleyan Metho
disni will absorb the latter after that
coming and inevitable event the disso
lution of Church and State in England.
Why, then,should not the good Bish
op of 'Kentucky propose to merge his
own Church in ours, rather than ours
in his? Tne only obious ground of
hesitation must he his notions of eccle
slasticism, but these John Wesley,whom
ho claims as of his opinion on the ques-
t;0, threw to the wind.-. Wesley pro-
sequen-
;art reason
not consent
tj,.l(. own denomination should be
;nten(jcnt' which nuans the same as
bishop, he did not lue the latter title
because of its adventitious associations,
but he liked the thirg, the office ; he
sent over a liturgy by Bishop Coke to
be used forever in tht new Church, and
in this liturgy were ictained the Eng
lish forms for the ordination of, not on-
j deacons and presbyters, but also of
Lithous. thouirh the K:ter were named
jps,
simply 'superintendent.' Wesley him
self did all this, and after the organiza-
formed itselfinto 'an Eriscopal Church;'
and Charles .Wesley, whose high
churchism was always cramping Meth
odism, complained that Coke had done
wrong, Wesley defended the latter as
having done right. He did, we say,
all this, anl did it before the present
Protestant Episcopal Church was or
ganized. Our readers know well that we are
heartily catholic, and care little about
ecclesiasticism of any kind, except to
scout it as the blighting curse of all
Church history. We greet every inti
mation of catholicity V;at appears amid
the prevalent dogged sectarianism ; but
this sort of liberality, that comes from
one of the numerically and morally
feeblest of the sects of the country,
proposing to swallow up, through sheer
UI UpUSlIllI IU BttitliOH UL;
love, the largest and most effective,
lut" gc'1-1 uua I" vpuiaitiuii 13 made Clliei-
v, lf pot only, cn the ground of the
- ' - ' 6
I thovit.o? of the (.''
1 ecclesiastical follv of the " Anostolic
i Succession," it apppirs to us the com-
I pletest exemprifi.-atioi. to li round any
I where' cf Christ's Vvn sarcasm about
straining at a knar and ; sv.all.jvvig a
camel; or at iea?t attem: Jiso ?wa,l -
low one. j'1 - ai'"- - '
' We regret not only 'jTi.KoT'Mmith's
ireinarks, but much
more
ttlL',
occasion
of them. That
ception of e
Methodist E. Ch
occ
was- ine
if.
re-
r'pri ac.Vrrf- .of the
n, into me
Protestant Episcopal l.iinistr
We
would treat all such cases with "cacy
Where the conscience is involved, ar, 'n
imnortant theological opinions, a good"
man not only may, but somet'mes
should, change his Church relations.
It is an example due to ihe supremacy
of truth. We can conceive too of other
strong'feasons for such a painful change;
but they are rare, In the early Meth-
i r, 1 1-. m 1.711 t r" 0:1 vc 'm"''!'
J '- " ' ' '''-" -Un. - .-.'"-"-1"-' -
frequent, and not a few of us proactiers
in England and America yielded to
ithem; but seldom with advantage. As
jlato as thirty years ago, when we en
j tered the ministry, few young men,
especially such as had struggled for an
education, and were inder-ed for it,
could enter our,, ministry without de
spondent misgivings. We know a prea
cher whose whole youth had been a
1 . . 1 . ,j 1 i ,t j.1 .
i time commenced his public
life
in one
of our churches in a dense
d expen
sive city ; his board was paid by the
society in an humble home, and his
salary was one hundred dollars a year.
Before half the first year was gone, a
debt of eighty dollars for his education
came upon him, leaving him twenty
dollars for all hi3 expense of travel,
books, clothing, and charity during the
jyear. He was sui rounded witn good
: Protestant Episcopal brethren, who, as
usual, held out the kindest and most
i tempting offers to him. He could not
i but feel their seductions ; but we know
that he has often since been inexpres
sibly grateful that he finally escaped
' from what he now believes was a temp
tation, which, with all its apparent jus
tifications, would have afilicted his
whole life with painful recollections.
There are sometimes still more urgent
motives appealing to the young preach
er's most affectionate sympathies and
dearest hopes of domestic life. Lotus
not then be too harsh with such cases.
r " nr i . t t
i xiut it can oe amrmea mat such mo
I tives, though once common among us,
are now almost exceptional;
in any instance, the sense of
1 . 1 .
good cause, and :or a generous ;
1 1 re 1 .1
- 1 0 1 . 111 '
is a richer consolation to a noble heart
. 1 . 11. Ti .
than any temporal advantage. It is
i-rr. u "e 11 1
dnhcult for us to recall a single instance
in which such changes have not left an
unfortunate trace on the character of
the preacher. Any man who finds
himself capable of succumbing to the
! ,1l-"Ti.1 Tnrtf ttfrtff tlrt li-..wl t r f-!.i.-iwvt m n -n
i i .1 .i 1 c 1 i
conclude that the elements of true he -
roism, of true greatness, are not in him ;
and no man, no young man especially,
should ever admit that conclusion. Had
the men who have gone to Bishop
Smith, who have turned away from
the Church which saved them and gave
them rank as preachers of the Gospel
a rank which they probably would
never otherwise have obtained, ky rea
son of the requirement of theological
education by other churches had they 1
left tneir oretnren lor any poorer or
less ostensible denomination, their ex-
1 1 1 i
ample would nave been more excusa- j
ble ; had they turned aside to a Church i
of more contrasted theological opinions,
it would have been less suspicious ; had
they even turned to popery, tho pub
lic, regretting their greater error,
would, nevertheless, have charitably
felt that the change might have been
more conscientious ; but the nearly
identical character of the Protestant
Episcopal and Methodist Episcopal
Churches, in all fundamental theology,
allows no such honorable excuse for
these clerical somersets. Self-seeking,
social position, salary, or ease, or some
kindred motive, will inevitably be sus
pected by the most charitable minds,
in most such cases. However legiti
mate these motives may be to clergy
men, when kept in subordination to
higher ones, the public mind will never
allow them, now that cur Church fi
nances are so much improved, to be
sufficient to justify the evil effects
which always attend a revolution like
this m the position of a clergyman
the grief of Christian brethren, the
breaking up of old Christian ties, the
ungrateful disregard of precious mem
ories and obligations to the people who
saved and nurtured the heartless pros
elyte, the scorn of honest but godless
men, who think they see the virtual si
mony of the act. Conscience can sel
dom be pleaded in cases like these,
because it can seldom really act in
them ; never, perhaps, but when delu
ded by a self-sought sophistry. We
say to any man who, after a lair ex
amination of the matter, wishes to de sert
the M. E. Church, Go! the quick
er the better, if you are capable of the
deed ; but for the honor ot our com
mon Christianity, of our common hu
manity even, give, in so extraordinary
a change, some show of heroism ;
don't go where you can slink away
from your toiling and self-sacrificing
brethren into gowned ca3e, and com
petent obscurity and inefficiency ; there
1 are poor and struggling churches
enough, where you can find opinions;
j or forms to meet your consciences ; go
; among them ; go with the self-sacrifice
' that is necessary for your self-respect
: n an act so suspicious ana painim to
I most good men. The Moravians have
; the' Apostolic Succession,' the Free
will Bnntist3 will meet vour scruples
'about immersion and rour Arminian
fsm also ; if you must shock the whole
' circle ot' your public influence by i?uch
j secessions, give at least to Christian
j iijcu the comfort of seeing that" .m
choose for conscience sake
to take tne
lower rather than tho uppermost seats j
in the
Eemarkabie Special Providences.
It is An authentic fact that during I
the terrible massacre in Paris,
in which j
many eminent Christians were cruelly
-------- j V - '
Moulin, was preserveu for further use- i
rr
fulness to the cause or the gospel m a
most remarkable manner. He crept
into a brick oven to conceal himself,
but had little hope of remaining undis
covered in the ferreting .search for
slaughter that was carried on. In the
kind providence of God, a spider im- j
mediately crawled to the opening of the
j uu ' 'u 111:111 a icueuu hiiu wove u cu
.J ' 4. . 1 u
acr ?3 it Ine dust blew upon the airy !
screen and made it dingy ; so that the
place appeared long unfreqwnted.
The enemies of the Christians soon
passed by, and one of them carelessly
remarked, " No one could have been
in that oven for several days !"
What a touching idea does this inci
dent give of our Father's protecting
love for his children !
An anecdote similar in character is
related of Mr. Churchill, a native of
j England, who had taken up his abode
in India, about two miles from V iza
gapatan. Soon aftrr sunset, on one
occasion, while he was sitting in his
dwelling, of which the outer door was
thrown open, meditating with deep sor
row upon the recent loss of his wife,
and the helplessness of his little chil
dren, who were lying asleep near him,
he was suddenly thrilicd with terror to
see a monstrous tiger cross the thres
hold of his house, and enter the room,
with glarinu eyes and a ferocious howl.
But the animal caught sight of his full
sized image reflected in a largcd mir
ror opposite the door, and rushing at it
1 n itn an jiio luiy, uicuiiuur 11 miiu a
....th .,11 r.,.. i...i.: ;t :
rr j thousand fragments, he suddenly turn
suffering I , 1 , P ., ' . J
eu aim neu irom tne spot. j.nusprov-
. mciuiiiii v uiu vjuu iiitsi'YB mu June
I children and their father from the paws
- ., , , , J
Ot a wild beast !
i T .1 -n- 1 . t 1
Less thrilling, but not less rcmarka-
, , A, . ?; , , ,. , . .
! e. 13 tb?f ,n,ClJe,n.t "e-. !f,,e fd"
I 0W! epitapdi, which is copied from a
! tTomb .Uear rt-R&Jal ,ri the of
i i( ., a - T. n ,
ua a native of Montpelier, in r ranee,
1 ,'. , , , rl , '
which country he left on account of tho
Revocation. lie was swallowed up by
the earthquake which occurred in this
place in 1092, but, by the great prov
idence of God was, by a second shock,
flung into the sea, where he continued
swimming till lescucd by a boat, and
lived forty years afterward."
It is said of John Knox, the great
Scottish reformer,who had many friends
and many enemies, that it was his fre
quent custom, while in his own house,
to sit at the head of a table with his
back ta the window. On one evening,
however, he would not take his usual
seat, and gave a positive command that
no one of his family should occupy it.
He took another chair in a different
part of the room, and shortly afterward
a gun was fired, the bullet of which
passed through the favorite window,
grazed the top of his vacant seat, and
shattered the candlestick that stood
upon his table I This 13 not the only
wonderful escape he had from hi ma
licious and determined foes.
In the Bartholomew massacrc,which
we have already mentioned, at the or
der of the King of France, the Admi
ral de Coligny was put to death in h'13
own house. His chaplain, the pious
Merlin, fled from the murderers, who
designed also to take his life, and hid
himself in a loft of hay. After the days
of blood were over, and the Protestants
were suffered to keep their lives and
their religion, a Synod was convened,
of which he was the moderator. In
this assembly, when it was stated that
many who taken refuge in similar re
treats perished from starvation, he was
asked how he contrived to keep him
self alive. He replied giving thanks
to God while he said it that a hen laid
an eg"" every day during his conceal
ment, in a nest so near to him that he
could reach it with his hand.
The celebrated Dr. Calamy, in his
" Life and Times," related that he
knew a sea-captain named Stevens, of
Harwich, England, who was once, by
a wonderful providence, preserved from
together with all his crew
t U1U11 IlllJil,
.1 ;
While on
a homeward passage from
Holland, the vessel sprung a leak, and
the water gained in the hold so rapidly
that, in spite of the pumps, which were
worked with the energy of despair, all
on board soon gave themselves up for
lost. Suddenly, however, and to the
surprise of all, the water ceased to gain
in depth, and the pumps being again
plied, the ship safely reached her har
bor. After her arrival, it was discov-
cred, on examination, that the body of
a fish had become so firmly wedged in
the leak that it could with difficulty bo
taken out whole ! It is of but little
consequence, though it is an established
fact, that the fish was preserved in al
cohol, and kept as a curiosity in the
family of Capt. Stevens.
In view of these striking instances of
Divine Providence, how can we think
of our Father in heaven and not be
touched with the thought of that ten
der love which leads him to take such
Avondcrful can. of his children ? Tru
ly, we may ""a3t all our care upon
him," for he careth for us.'"
The Vantage Ground.
'No pleasure,' say? Bacon, 'ii com
parable to the vantage ground of truth.'
And in this case, as in Gurney'i
maxim on happiness to b found in
kindntS3, the- p!L-acure ut 'ly cjua"' to
the power.
There is rcal,genulne, whole-hearted
pleasure in knowing that you aro right
that God is on your side that
his word has revealed the truth so plain
ly that there is no mistaking the mind
and will of the Spirit. Then a man rises
up to a noble enthusiasm in the defenco
and spread of his faith. He counts it
all joy if he suffers for i and is ready
to die a martyr if a victim is demanded.
There is great poircr, too, in having
this vantage ground to stand upon.
Any man fights better when he has the
best ground. It gives hitn confidence,
and tho prestige of victory. Sure of
being right he presses his argument
home upon his adversary, with a will,
and every blow tells. He is not fight
ing his own battle enlv. He is the
champion of truth ; and men, angels
and God himself are interested specta
tors of the conflict in which he is engag
ed. Compassed with such a cloud of
witnesses, and shielded with theconsci
ousnesss of being right, and wielding
the sword of truth, he has indeed the
vantage ground, and is sure to win the
day. X. Y. Observer.
Luther
A coarse, rugged, plrbian face it
was, with great crag3 of cheek bones
a wild amount of passionate energy and
appetite ! But in hia dark eyes were
floods of tears ; and deepest melan
choly, sweetness, and misery were all
there. Often did there seem to meet
in Luther the very opposite poles in
man's character. He, lor example, of-"
whom Ilichter had said that his words
were half battles, he, when he first be
gun to preach, suffered unheard agony.
" O, Dr. Staupitz, Dr. Staupitz," said
he to the Vicar General of his order,
"I cannot do it ; I shall die in three
months. Indeed, I cannot do it."
Dr. Staupitz, a wise and considerate
man, said upon this, "Well, Sir Mar
tin, if you must die, you must ; but re
member that they need good heads up
yonder, too. So preach, man, preach,
and then live or die as it happens."
So Luther preached and lived, and
he became, indeed one groat whirlwind
of energy, to work without resting in
this world, and also before he died Lo
wrote very many books books in which
speaks the true man for in the midst
of all they denounced and cursed, what
touches of tenderness lay ! Look at tho
Table Talk, for example.
We 6ee in it a little bird, having
alighted at sunset on tho bough of a
pear tree that grew in Luther's garden.
Luther looked upon it, and said, "That
little bird, how it covers it3 wing?; and
will sleep there, so still and fearless,
though over it are the infinite starry
spaces, and the great blue depths ot"
immensity. Yet it fears not it is at
home. The God that made it, too, is
there." The same gentle spirit of lyr
ical admiration is in the other passages
of hia book. Coining homo from Lcip
zic in the autumn season, he breaks
forth into living wonder at the fields of
corn. "How it stand.-- there," he says,
"erect on its beautiful taper stem, and
bending its beautiful golden head with
bread in it the bread of man sent to
him another year." Such thoughts as
these are as little windows through
which we gaze into the interior of the
depths of Martin Luther's soul, and
see, visible across its tempests and
clouds, a whole heaven of light and
love. lift might have painted ho
might have sung could have been
beautiful like Raphael, great like Mi chael
Angelo. Carlyle.
Humility.
They who in reality know much, aro
the most easily satisfied that they know
but little. The last sentence uttered
by the distinguished La Place was,
What we know, is litt'e ; what we are
ignorant of, is immense Sir Isaco
Newton, before his death expressed a
similar sentiment. 'I do not know
what I may appear to the world ; btt
to myself I seem to have been only like
a boy playing on the seashore, and d'
verting myself in now and then finding
a smoother pebblo or a prettier shell
than ordinary, while the vast ocean of
truth lay still undiscovered before men.