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PUBLISHED WEEKLY BY A COMMITTEE OF MINISTERS FOR THE METHODIST EPIS COPAL CHURCH, SOUTH. RUFUS T. HEFLIN, Editor.
rIl E I G n7T H URS D ATT TuLY 14, 1859.
$1.50 a year, in advance.
VOL. IVNQ. 28.
ORIGINAL. Calvinism watt and As- the most ram-
- -rrrr- j pant. Universalism is nothing tut
For the N. C. Christian Advnrate. ' j Calvinism extended in the objects of
' Calvinism vs. Arniinianism," 1 t lie 'Decries:' the latter contemplate
Bcviowod. Xo. Xf. ! ut Pa)'f ct mankind, the former
" i the whole of human kind, as being
I'iF.v. R. T. Hkfi.tx : I am now unconditionally decreed to he saved,
brought up, full force, to ' Tire j 'A Calvinistic clergy originated Uni
)vrk$ ok Con," as given in No. versalism, and still lived and died a
YliT of the communications of P. T. i Calvinist. Sec Calvinistic Contro
P. These have clainrod tor them a ' versy by Dr. W. Fisk, pp. 87-92,
gr5.,. amount of mvstcrv.' Truly j for these facts.
so. Xhe mvsterv '" of ihtse, I do f I proceed to notice, briefly, P. T.
not intenu ic'Jfftddle with, as I have i lYs NoLX, in the X. C. Piesbyte
ncver been Aw'liated into tfTe'-swre4ri'n of Nw lith, ox.,cThc Decrees
counsels ' of the Divine Being. And I of God: There is not much for me
1 am ready to acknowledge that it
will be a great 'difficulty to recon
cile.' both, 'Divine decree,' as well
as ' Divine in licence and free agen
cy. ' This, no man can do. simply
because no man understands how the
Sinrir f God operates on the human
mind, and tor this reason, also, uo j one pretend mat tins is a norrtoic
man can prove the two inconsistent.' j doctrine: Tiie question is, does lie
Dr. L. X. Puce, as here quoted. A j 'manage' the concerns of man's sal
better ' reason j' however, may be: j vation , by his grace, as lie does the
alleged .):an this. ' Xo man can
prove the existence oi sucu ia
crees ' or 'Divine influence ' as Cal
vinism contends for. and inculcates
in chap. iii. and x. of The Confession
of Faith. of the Presbyterian Church.
That the ' Arminians ' differ in
their views on the ' Divine Decrees,'
i . . L' 1. : r..
is yew true. The 'Doctrinal Tracts'
of the Methodist E. Church, not .
only show the difference, but dem- ;
nn.-trate, from Calvinistic authori- ;
ties, tiiat the Calvinistic views are
certair.lv not the true notion of
the - Decrees of God." which- the
Scriptures teach. The Calvinistic
view is also proved. in these 'Tracts,'
(and therefore they are haled so
much,! to be blasphemous ; and
hence, in the language of Mr. Wes
ley, it may. must be. said, ' Let it
be observed. that this doctrine represent-
our blessed Lord Jesus Christ.
'' 7-7'"i'v. he only hi-ffftu y'
the i'nil-i r.f'H f yrace and truth, as
an hypocrite, a deceiver of the peo
ple? a man void of common sincerity.
For it eannor be denied, that lie ev
ery where speaks, os- if In- wats willing
that all men should be saved. Tiiere
f -re to s,!A'. If was nut willing that
a"' men should - civ.L is !o ropre-
sent him as a mere hypocrite and
dissembler. It cannot be denied that
the "Tacious words which came out
of lils mouth, are full of invilations !
to all sinners. To say, then, that j
be di'l not intend to save all sinners, j
? i.i ri'To-eseiit him as a gross deceiv-
er of t he neoph
loll cannot denv I
tha.t lie vs, ( 'tma
nn'o 'me ie j
..... ,,
I.i!.' irr-tirtf a ad. arc hen'; la.d.
If.
then von sav. he calls those that can- j
not come, those whom lie Knows to , ine creation oi man. t iou linn nave
be unable to come, th.ose wln-m he had a pui'Ose before the 'begin
can make aide to com.but willl not, I ning.'buf the decree, was then utter
, is it iossihle to describe greater ed and framed. A w)7x-' ' is one
insincerity?' (See- Xo. VII. of P. J . '
1.) 'You represent him as mocking j
his helpless creatures, bv ottering j
Avh-it he never intends to irive
You
describe him as saving one thing. ami . puhlivhed determination of some au-nieaninu-
another; as pretending the i thority, whether of au individual or
J.,v which he had not. Ilim in I of a legislative body, and constitutes
,.-. v,- j,n, 'li lex no anile, you make j the rule of action, both as respects
full of deceit, void of common sin- j the subjects of it, and the admiuis
eeritv: then, especially, when draw- , trator of government. loth are
ing nigh, the citv, lie wept over it i bound by its principles. See Mark
and saiii, '0 Jtrnsnleot , Ji rii 'em, xvi. lb., 'Known unto God are all
tiinif tint killed the wjihettf and sfott- ! His works from the beginning,' is a
,.-. if,. t'tut fire ft id !' thee. : how sentence that will hardly prove that.
''..( would I have gathered thy chil- j either the purpose, or decree of God,
dren together and ye won id not.
. . . Tiiis is the bksphemy clear
ly contained in the horrible decree of
predestination. And here I hx my
foot. On this I join issue with eve
ry asserter of it. You represent God
as Avorse than the devil : more false,
more cruel, more unjust. 'But you j for proof, Isa. i. P), 20 : Leviticus,
say you will prove it by Scripture.' j xxvi.. Fzek. xviii. 2J Wl ; Mark
Hold ! What Avill vouprove by Scrip-I xvi. It: Acts iii. PJ ; Rev. ii. 4, 5,
jure That God is worse than the ! It) ; iii. 21, 22 , 2 Pet. i. 5 -1 1.
devil? It cannot be. Whatever that ! .". ' God a pnrpews are nncoii'li
scrii'ture proves, it never can prove ; f hnai: Not adnittcd. They doubt
tins'. Whatever its true meaning j less, are unchangeable, but certain
be, tli is cannot be its true meaning. ly cannot be unconditional' as they
Do you ask, 'What is its true mean- j regard the salvation of man. The
ing, then?' If I say, '1 knoAv not,' authorities in the paragraph 4, fully
you have gained nothing. For there j demonstrate the absurdity and un
are many Scriptures, the true sense : seripturalness of this proposition.
whereof neither you nor I shall know, ! There is evidently an error here, as
till death is sAvalloA'ed up in victory, j to 'God's purposes.' His kuoA ledge
But this I knoAv, better it Avere to j of man's conduct is perfect, and his
sac, it had no sense at all, than to ' 'purposes with regard to the results,
sav it .had such a sense as this. It can- i are perfect : but, yet, His conduct to
not mean, Avhatever it mean besides, j wards man is regulated by the laws
that the God of truth is a liar. Let it ; he has given, as the expressed prin
mean what it Avill.it cannot mean that j ci pies of 1 lis government; and, ac
the judge of all the world is unjust. cording to those laws, his 'purposes'
Xo scripture can mean, that God is ' are formed, and also executed. Xo
not love, or that his mercy is not over i 'uncertainty' can exist here, unless
all his works: that is, whatever it Ave 'suppose God to be ignorant of
prove beside, no Scripture can prove ; his own laws and the mode of their
predestination.'" Doctrinal Tracts, administration. His 'purposes' are
edition of 1814, pp. o7 40. j unchangeably iixed, and will be car-
Thai Arniinianism lias been the ; ried out, according to the conditions
fruitful cause of the 'Theology of
Xcw Fngland ' becoming contami
nated with ' Unitarianism and Uni
versalism,' is altogether erroneous.
X'ew England was Calvinistic alto-
gether, before Arniinianism, through i
Methodism, was introduced; and i they are 'accomplished without rc
more. it was infested with Unitari- 1 gard to conditions to be attended to
anism and LJniversalisin, long before i
Methodism was knoAvn there ; and
where Methodism has had the most
influence, there these heresies scarce
ly exist ,aud they rage mostly where j
to notice here at present : tins sub
ject will be thoroughly investigated
hereafter, therefore, only very briefly
now.
1. No one denies that ' God de
termined to manage the world just as
he does manage it :' nor does any
i seasons by his providence. It he
does, then Ave object to this 'doc
trine ' as being unmitigably ' hor
rible.' If ' God's determination to
save all those whom He does save,'
in the same manner. and on the same
unconditional principles that he
causes his sun to rise, and the tides
to ebb and flow : Ave contei.nl that in
such an instance, the saved are thus
saved, not as free, moral agents, but
passive subjects m his hands, as the
sun rises, or the tides eon and How.
It follows from this, that the eoun
teirpart of this is, the 'foreordination
to everlasting death,' of those not
saA-ed. makes them, also to be pass
ively, or unconditionally damned.
That their damnation flows from the
' foreordination of God. as that has
J.i-t'dtii ' determined' that they shall
not bo ' redeemed by Christ, effectu
ally called, justilied, adopted, sancti
tied. or saved.' Chap. iii. and x.
Confc.-sion of Faith of the Presbyte
rian Church.
2. It is 'not denied that God has
decrees of fome .soy.' The decrees of
God concerning the salvation or dam
nation of men, as set forth in the Bi
ble, and believed and taught by Ar
minians. are given in such state
ments as follows : ' lie that believ
cth and is baptized, shall be saved ;
and he that belleveth not, shall be
damned.' Mark. xvi. 10. See also
Acts, xiii. 38-41.'
o. 'God's i-kckkes are ktekxat,. '
This nan be so, but, it cannot be
proved. The 'decrees of God.' in
ncii.
n. am
1 iii. seem to have
heen
detenniiied' upon
th- hi-tjinnlifj:
this is especially so with regard to
tlnnir.
decree' is quite another. A
'purpose must exist, in the very na
tnre of things, prior (in point of or
!er) to a 'decree.' A 'decree' is the
is 'eternal. 'J' I'oni the beginning
cannot moan from 'eternity,' unless
eternity' had a 'iciiinino:
4. '(ma s (hrre are.
on client o-
T
tile.' AdiitiHeil . But, as these con
cern man's salvation, &c, tneir op
eration is strictly conditional. See
oi his own revealed laws, and mode
of their application. See the texts
above.
(. ' God s pin-pones are eternal '.' This
in a certain sense nun- be admitted :
'i iii i i
but not, if by this is meant, that
by man. This is proved by our Sa-
viour's oavh Avoids, Matt, xxiii. 37 ;
Luke, xin. .'4 ; Isa. v. 1-y.
1. The icnd' of 'God's purposes,'
is a double one. 1. His 'glory,'
( as that is set forth in His Word and
Providence, and secured to Him in
i the wise aijd equitable administra
tion of these. 2. The manifestation
of his goodness to mankind, through
the gospel of His Son Jesus Christ ;
! according to which man is saA-ed with
' eternal glory by Christ Jesus. This
'end' secured, God is glorified ; and
so is man also, being saved through
' the economy of his mercy, as set
forth in the Scriptures of Truth.
8. The question regarding 'the
I extent of God's purposes,'" may be ea
i silv answered upon Arminian prin
! ciples. Sucfi as depend exclusively
I upon his own action, are uncondi
i tionally accomplished. Such as re
I gard the concurrence of intelligent
j beings, are differently consummated
as the different agencies and cireum
: stances give these things their pecu
; liar moral character, either good or
! evil, according to that saying of St.
j Paul, Bom. ii. 1-1G.
! Yours atFeclionateh',
PETER DOUJ3.
I Ajuiiioertoii, y. '.. Juno 3. 18o9.
j For the N. C. Christian Advocate,
j StiHincss in the 3ff. E. Churcn,
i I have more than once intimated
that the temporal economy of our
j church had a tendency to make our
j people stingy ; but before I discuss
; this point, I wish to make myself
' understood. I do not assert that our
i church, as a whole, is open to this
; charge. In Eastern North Carolina,
' there is, in many places a commen-
dable degree of liberality. Butlbe
, lieve this liberality has been brought
about devrife the practical influence
of our economy, rather than by it.
To illustrate what I am driving at,
just let mo say, that there is a cer
tain church I Avot of, which does not
require either piety or morality as a
test of membership, yet it avi'U not
deject to these qualities, and a mem
ber may be pious in spite of the prac
tical influence of the church to which
lie belongs. Just so, a member of
the M. E. Church, may be liberal,
although the practical Avorking of
her temporal machinery has never
been such as to develope this feeling;
and this I Avill now proceed to show.
1. Tftc salary alio tew I -was ria'icu
midir smalt. I need not go back to
the time Avhen this salary, (save the
mark !) was less than $100.00. Our
fathers were very zealous to guard
the purity of the church, but in do
ing so, they had no right to disre
gard the plain teachings of Christ,
lie laid it doAvn as an established
maxim that 'the laborer is Avorthy
of his hire.' Xow, if a carpenter,
mason, painter, or any other me
chanic, is Avorthy to receive from
$2.00 to ,$:.()() per day for their la
bor, why should a Methodist preach
er be considered so inferior as to be
Avorfhv of only S100.00 a vear.
Head labor is generally more appre
ciated by the Avorld than hand labor,
and yet head labor and heart labor
combined Avere considered very un
worthy things by our fathers or they
they certainly could not haA'c laid
sucu an embargo upon them. I as-
serf, Avithout the tear of successful !
contradiction. that the temporal econ
omy of our church in this respect, is
contrary to till the teachings of the
Bible on this subject. Have preach
ers any right then to complain, if
people are stingy .?
2. This poor, pitiful salary, Avas
divided into quarterly installments,
and this was called, tarterage.
Here is the secret Pandemonium from
Avhich all those evils connected with
coveteousness, have sprung. Qr,R
teuaok! That's the word. Well,
our fathers, (I mean lay fathers,)
very soon learned that this magic
Avoid included one Avhoie dollar di
vided into four quarters, and all that
they had to do was, to pay a quarter
every three mouths. The church
has not yet recovered, from these
primitive views, and this very readi
ly acounts for the fact, that men of
equal wealth in our church are less
liberal than those of the Episcopal
and Presbyterian.
o. This quarterage, one hundred
dollar system led the people to be
lieve that it Avould be awful indeed
if the preachers were not forever
kept Ioav down in the A-ale of poverty.
If the sun of prosperity were per
mitted to shine upon them they
Avould ' spread themselves as a green
Bay tree,' and this would ruin every
thing. They soon learned to asso
ciate preachers and poverty together,
and Ave all know that early associa
tions are often very lasting, and ex
tend from generation to generation.
As evidence that the children haArc
imbibed, in some degree, the views
of the fathers on this subject, 1 need
only refer to the fact, that men ot
Avealth sometimes leave our church,
and join the Episcopal or Presbyte
rian. While members of cur church
they thought it doing great things
to pay $10 a year to the preacher, but
after being brought in contact with
those Avho have been taught differ
ently from their youth up, they pay
the Episcopal or Presbyterian min
ister $50 just as cheerfully as they
were Avont to pay their $10 quarter
age. This view' of the subject is sus
ceptible of still stronger proof. In
what portion of North Carolina did
Methodism first get a foothold?
Was it not in the middle counties,
and those just East of the mountains?
Noav compare this section of our Con
ference with the East, and what do
we see? I will not press this point,
but it is a notorious fact, that in the
East the general rule is to pay the
preacher, and not to pay is the ex
ception. When our agents want
money where do they go to get it ?
Why is it, thai; those portions oftie
State more recently brought under
the influence ot Methodism are more
liberal than those who date their al
legiance back through one or two
generations ? The question is easily
answered. Those who have been
more recently brought into the
church (or rather, under Methodist
influence) are free from that heredi
tary disease knoAvn as quarter dollar
quarterage. Facts are stubborn
things, but they speak for them
selves. In vieAv then, of the facts
already adduced, I think it a sort of
wonder that there are any liberal
men in our church. But even in
despotic governments the benign
principles of Iiepublicanhm Avill
sometimes break forth, so the liberal
teachings of the Bible on thin subject
will sometimes be exhibited despite
the fetters of church legislation, and
regardless of that ' Old Fr.gyism '
Avhich has ahvays been a '(load fly '
in the Ointment of Methodism. We
meet up iioav and then Avith an aged
father in the church, and Avhen he
is approached in behalf of the preach
er or any of the great enterprises of
the day, he draws a long sigh and
begins to tell about the time when
Bro. Bruce, or Bro. Oompton, or
Bro. Keid, used to travel the circuit,
Avhen it was larger than the Baleigh
District is now, and they never had
anything to say about money, and a
heap more people Avere converted
then than iioav. Moreover, they used
to travel on horseback, but hoav
preachers are so proud they have to
travel in buggies, &c. It is some
times the case that the preacher has
his patience sorely tried, for he finds
that one such character haft poisoned
a Avhoie church; but let it not be
forgotten, that this ancient Brother
imbibed his notions from the teach
ings (practical) of the church on this
subject. Let us see. Forty years
ago, it may be, Bro. James Beid
Avas the preacher in charge. His
circuit Avas larger than Baleigh Dis
trict iioav, and contained one or tAvo
thousand members. He Avas entitled
to $100. Old -Fogy Avas a young
man then and he thought one dollar
a large sum for him to pay where
tnere were so many to do so small a
thing. Well, early impressions are
generally lasting, and having been
taught in early life to place a small
estimate upon the services of the
preacher, the lesson is not forgotten
in his edd age. Wh; Avill say that
the church is not more to blame than
our venerable Brother;' And just
here 1 remember acopVAvliich I used
to Avrite after Avhen I Avas a very
A'oung school bo a- : ' As the twig is
bent the tree's inclined.' Just so,
the church bent the tAvig Avrong in
the start, and the tree has been in
clined that Avay ever since. Indivi
dually, Ave are taught to ' train up
a child in the way he should go,'
and ii't ic fathers of the church had
only acted upon this maxim, the
children would have been a very dif
ferent stock. Look at the Boman
Catholic church ! We ueed not shut '
our eyes to the truth that she is mak
ing rapid strides in this country. In
spite of American and Foreign Chris
tian Unions, her progress is still on
ward. Cathedral, and church, and
college, rise tip as if by magic,
throughout the country. Where
does the money come from to, build
these? From the rich ? Not only
the rich but the poor also. But why
refer to this church ? Because, Iioav
eA'er, corrupt and degenerate shemay
be in some things, she has copied the
example of the Bible in this respect,
and taught the duty of giving, and
hence her children giA'e as" a matter
of duty, and not as a matter of con
venience. The Bible makes it a du
ty to give, but how many members
of our church give from considera
tions of this sort? Why is this?
Simply because the teachings of the
Holy Book on this subject have not
been enforced by our church. We
need not try to conceal the fact that
our fathers have given Mr. Wesley
the pre-eminence over the Bible in
this respect. He could enforce the
doctrine of Justification by faith as
avcII as any man, but to the details
essential to a church organization,
he never turned his attention, or at
least he never wrote anything of any
value on the subject. It has been
very unpopular to preach about mon
ey, and with some, popularity is
everything ; consequently, the mem
bers of our church have been left to
form their own opinions about this
duty, and the result with many is
simply this : If they like the preach
er they will give him something (if
they have it to spare,) and if they
don't like him, they just let him
slide.
It Avill be perceived that I haA'e
been speaking of the past of the in-
t fluence of the $100 system. I need
not prolong this article by any allu
sion to the stupendous sum of $150.
Surely the stream of liberality will
uoav gusn iortn, aim iikc uie over-
floAV of the
great
father of waters,
inundate the Avhoie country. I have:
not exhausted the subject, but fear-
ing that 1 may exhaust the pa-
tience of your readers, 1 aviIi noAV
come to lastly, for the present.
And lastly. Just let me say here,
that the church needs money as vell
as the State. Neither can get along
Avithout it. Just in proportion as a
church is liberal, just in that propor
tion Avill it succeed. Numbers are
comparatively nothing. Ten mem
bers of enlarged aucavs are worth
more thun one hundred avIio are good
for nothing except to sing and shout.
Schools, colleges, churches, and par
sonages are essential. Paying the
preacher is essential ; but singing
and shouting alone, Avill do none of
these things. The Methodist church
has the wealth to do all these things,
and if she neglects to do them others
Avill come in and occupy the field.
Dr. Warren, of Edenton could give
$25,000 to the University of the
South, and yet I venture to predict
that both Agents for Trinity College
! do not collect that much for the col
I lege this year. Y et I venture to say,
j there are many members of our
I church equally as wealthy as Dr.
1 Warren; but they retain the lessons
j which they learned in early life with
j too much tenacity to do things on a
; large scale. Members of other
! churches often leaAre large legacies
! when they die, for benevolent pur
poses, but except in the case ot W of
ford, when did a Methodist eA'er
leave anything Avorth speaking of?
They remember the qmtrferaae busi
ness to life's latest hour.
L. W. MARTIN.
For the X. C. Christian Advocate.
'e?SetEioIast I"iiS;s3,Si5lf;," Again.
Since I bad occasion to notice this
chef d'eeuvre of all sermon literature
I have not only read those sermons,
Avhich I had hitherto neglected, but
have re-perused several others. And
I say that it has been Avith increas
ed delight and admiration ! I was,
perhaps loo anxious to say a kind
Avord for this grand and splendid
mam tic of Methodism. Hence, it was
I prepared my really unworthy and
unsatisfactory article, before I had
read the entire volume, and omitted
necessarily, the mention of certain
efforts, quite equal to those partic
ularized. If I were to essay a sec
ond article on this charming and ex
cellent volume, I should have to ex
press my great admiration for seAre-.
ral sermons which have not been
treated with even the cold respect of
a passing glance by any critique I
have yet seen. The respective efforts
of Dr. Lovick, Pierce, llev. S. G.
Stark. Rev. Jno. E. Edwards, and
saeciaU) of Rev. John C. Granberry.
It! .1 1 i
of gratified emotion, endeavor to so
catch the Promethean fire that cor
uscates and gleams in their thoughts,
and permeates their flowing melli
fluous periods, that if he could not
singa pure Altic song in their praise,
he at least, could in grateful anglo
saxon, reflect the true sentiments of
his heart.
The two sermons by Bev. J. C.
Granberry, appear to me to be among
the most admirable in the volume,
perhaps I mignt, Avith entire truth,
give them the hifJwst position in the
scale of excellence. If you will turn to
the writings of Richard Hooker, that
grand old . master, you will find an
eloquent passage on Faith, and after
vou have read it, turn then to pages
180- 81, of this volume, and you Avill
readily perceive that our own richly
gifted brother has set forth, in high
er strains of earnest eloquence its
character, than has been attained in
the stately and elaborate style of
him of whom D 'Israeli, the elder,
said, that he was the ' first vernacu
lar Avritcr whose classical pen har
monizeda numerous prose.' If Hook
er has dug deep into the eternal rock
on which is founded the whole edi
fice of human society, in search of
the materials Avith AA-hich to build up
t he frame of ecclesiastical polity , our
more youthful representative man,
by a sweet and abundant eloquence, ;
has made religion most lovely and
amiable, hanging on the altar of
God, the freshest garlands of fancy
and imagination, and dedicating in
the fervency of his ministrations, the
product ot his clear, deep, pure, ripe
intellect, to the service of Him, whose
most precious gifts they are, even as
pious Abel offered up to the Lord, at
an early hour in primeval times, the
firstlings of his flock.
richly deserve tiie hearty notice or i not leave, Avitnout a tearlul adieu,
the most elegant and eloquent pen ; j to the burial dace of the casket
and if your humble servant were j that once contained its choicest jeA
equal to the task, he should certain- el. But the christian has this un
lv, under the immediate promptings told comfort, that the sainted dead
But, brother Heflin, I must stop,
or I shall catch myself writing either
a set article,or as some might think,
a fulsome panegyric, neither of which
do I propose. My opinion is honest
if erroneous, for I never saAV brother
i G., know 'scarcely anything about
him,
and probably will never meet
him.
But, that he is a jimt rate ser-
monizer, no one will deny, who has
mind enough to comprehend his vig
orous thought?, or cultivated taste
enough to appreciate the singular
I simplicity and scholarly elegance of
' Ins periods.
llor one, rejoice to know that the
vliuiie-is -meeting Avith increasingly
rapid sale. Header, if, like Dean
Swift, when you are reading a book,
it seems fo he alive, or talking to
you, by all means secure this volume.
Iicmember that 'it was Plato who
went to play when he was elected to
the consulship, but the evening be
fore he died, he read. Mind lives
by mind as it has been developed
and preserved ; and man, by this
medium, has sIioavu himself in ac
tion like an angel, in Avoids, like a
God. Take this from him and he is
nothing.
It is Plato too. that savs :
' Books are immortal sons deifying
their sires.' I doubt not that this
splendid volume Avill survive the
mutilations of scores of decades to
come, and will perpetuate the mem
ory of the contributors, long after
their eloquent tongues shall have
been still in death.
By the Avay,your compositor made
me to accuse Dr. Means of being
guilty of -barbaric pltnder.' It
should be barbaric sjilenifar.'
T. B. K.
For the X. C. Christian .Ailvoe;it
liCllei-s from lYorl Bluest Ko,
Bko. Hkflix : It is an old saying,
Avhich Ave of the Western world are
fond of repeating, that ' Wcstw aid
the star of empire takes its way.'---This
may all be very true, but many
of your readers have likewise been
informed that Eastward is the source
of light. I must acknowledge that
I prefer light to empire : and, as an
indirect effect of this, you have the
anomalous fact of my North vt stern
letter, dated from Yankee land.
In h aving Green Castle, there was
the same sadness that always afl'ects
me when parting from those whom
I haA'e learned to love. But added
to this was a nenv source of soitoav.
I left there the grave of one that was
dearer to me than all else on earth.
As I sat for the last time, and gazed
on her grave, with its neatly polish
ed stone, and read again and again
her dying words 'The water is deep
and cold, but Jesus is Avith me.' I
felt, how A-ain in time of trial, is that
philosophy which we form for our
scIa'cs before. The body, says phil
osophy, is but a cold, mouldering
clod, Avhy linger so fondly around
its resting place? The body, says
affection, is the only visible and
tangible part of ihe being around
Avhom our heart's tendrils have
twined themselves ; and as the mai
den fringes the casket, though emp
ty and broken, that once contained
her icAvels, so the loving heart can-
ll 'll . t
are not Jelt behind; but, that where
ver he goes, they as mfnistering spi
rits go with him.
X1AOAKA V.WA.-.
Shall I attempt to describe them.
Tens of thousands have been over
whelmed with awe while beholding
them ; but of these, Iioav feAV have
been able to move' others by their
descriptions. I Avill not attempt it.
And yet it would be unpardonable
to past them by in silence. The
Falls of Niagara have always disap
pointed me. They do not appear so
high, nor consequently so majestic
as imagination or even memory, de
picts them. Why is this? Are they
not one hundred and iit'ty feet high",
good measure, and a thousand yards
wide? All very true; and this last
fact is the secret of our disappoint
ment. The width is too great in
proportion to the height. This is a
principle constantly coming under
our observation. The Capitol at
Washington, having so long a front,
appears Ioav, Avhilean ordinary sized
house, of half its height Avould ap
pear high. A steeple or an obelisk
two hundred feet high appears tow
ering ; a hill of the same height ap
pears insignificant.
Still, no one can visit Niagara,
Avithout feeling that he is bohoiding
, ..e i : .i ...... i- i ii
one cm i no wonders oi uie AVolld, cs-
pccially if he views it as he ought
To have its magnitude impressed on
him most fully, he must view it from
many standpoints: from Table Rock,
on the Canadian side, from the edge
of the American Fall, from the foot
of the stair's case, leading to the
ferry, or eA-en amid the spray, and
almost under the foaming torrent of
the American side, from the foot of
the Biddle Stair case, or still better,
if he is sorc-footcd, from the edge of
r the Avater beloAV, from the toAver of
the Terrapin rocks, which lie in the
edge of the British Fall, and from
the little steamer, the 4 Maid of the
Mist,' which boldly ventures up, ut
; most, under the foaming current.
Let one vieAv Niagara from all these
points, and from as many others ns
he can find, and though his disap
pointment may not entirely wear
away, yet, he will leave the place
Avith thoughts and feelings that will
cling to him his lifetime. Besides
the Falls, there are many other ob
jects of interest, in the immediate
vicinity. The Burning Spring Con
stantly sends off inflamable gas ;
Luudy's Lane, a battle field in the
last Avar with Britain ; the "Whirl
pool, and the Suspension Bridge, on
which railroad trains cross, tAvo hun
dred feet above the boiling water.- -But
let no one attempt to 'do' Niag
ara Falls, without an abundant sup
ply ofsjnire quarters.
SLKEPTN'U CAH3.
Railroad traveling is very differ
ent from what it AA'as two or three
years ago. Then, if one was unfor
tunately compelled to travel during
the night, he was certain to haA'e a
sleepless and fatiguing time. Now,
by paying an extra half dollar, for a
berth in a sleeping cur, he can lodge
almost as comfortably as in his own
bed. I wonder that men have been .
so long exposed to the fatigue of
night travel, Avithout sooner inven
ting some means of relief. Indeed
the sleeping car is not a novelty,
for my first reminiscences of North
Carolina are connected with it. The
first lime I entered that State, many
a dozen years ago, it was in a sleep
ing car, having a roar of berths on,
each sitle, above the seats. That
was the first, and the last I had ever
seen, till alx.ut a year ago. The pres
ent style is no better than that, ex
cept that it Avill accommodate more
sleepers, and can, at will, have its
berths exchanged for seats. It is
fast becoming one of the necessary
institutions of the age.
x.MTEAL sri:.::uv.
The scenery on the Hudson did
not strike me so favorhly as in form
er years. True, the highlands pre
sented as much wildness as any one
can desire, but the towns along the
river are too bare of trees and shrul
bery, and the vegetation is not suffi
ciently luxuriant, to render the scene
ry as beautiful as I formerly esteem
ed it. Near the city, however, it.
changes, and one may not Avish for
more charmingsccnery than is found
on the lower Hudson, and in the
country between it and the Xarra
gansett Bay.
AV KSLKY AN l.'XI V KK-TT V .
I have had the privilege, one
more, of spending several days
around my Alma Mater, arid of wit
nessing the Comineneemcnt exerci
ses ; and I ha-e come with my hopes
for her, and my interest in her,
stronger than ever. The examina
tions showed that the standard of
scholarship is equal I think I may
truthfully say superior to that of
any college with which I am tic
quainted ; and the Orations on Com
mencement day, surprised me by
their maturity of thought, and their
manliness of sentiment. Thirty-six
young men took the degree of A. B.,
of whom all but seven are members
of the christian church, and sixteen,
ministers of the gospel. Dr. Cuni
mings is the right man for Presi
dent, and the Faculty are abb- nuii.
The College already possesses pro
perty amounting to more than Sl't").
(MiO, with an annual income of more
than 820,000 : and the spirit of be
nevolence and enterprise are still
aAvake. At the recent commence
ment it was determined that anoth
er building should be erected, at an
expense of $50,00(1.
1 From tlic Christian Advocate.
For all the Advocntrs, xind oilier
j Southern illrth04lit I'apvrt.
Mit. Ei.itok: My attention has
been called to the . accidental omis
sion of one of the m'-st important
items in the list of the Sunday-school
statistics, which every preacher in
charge is requested to report fullv
at the next session of his Annual
' Conference, as publih'd in your pa
; per a few Aveeks ago. For conve
; nience of reference, I jiive the entire
list again, corrected:
1. The number of schools..
; 2. The number of officers a in
I
; teachers.
i :b The number of -scholars.
! 1. The number of volumes in li
brary. i 5. The number of 'Sunday-school
Visitors ' taken.
0. The amount of nnny collected
! for Sunday-school purposes.
7. The amount of money contril
; uted by Sunday-schools for missions.
8. The number of conversions iii
j Sunday-schools.
0. The number of colored catechu
mens.
Cji.vki.es Tat wit,
Columbia, S. C,
Cor. Sec. of the Sunday-school
Society of the M. E. Church, South.