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PUBLISHED IN THE INTEREST OF METHODISM IX THE STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA-
TtA T.TCICU I , jNT. C, IAY 27, 1868. ISTo. 19.
to hear was to under-
i i x,-; we tin 1 l ha t somehow good
ii! ! t!i" f ill.
I t i'i'-r w'.kM'.' 1 tiriuly troil,
t.wll.ipj with my weight of cart's
1 t!u- srivat world s altar-sUiirs
Tli it .-ljt tluoiinlnlarkiit'ss up to (Jod -
! -ir.'lth lamt- hands of faith, ainl jrroj.
And ;ja;ln r dust anil ohatl'. and call
'!' wir.it 1 feci is Lord of all
.iii5 faintly trust, the larger hope.
Tentitlstnn.
fain'-ly trut." O soul divine
.or . rijo" in ilust where shadows i.-iH;
l.ei r.o -laini'" treiiililinjr hands lie tluue.
Thy 1 tuiu-ris the -Lord of all."
( falter not; thy "wviirht of cares'
hut the test oi' no!der love.
Thoimh sleep "the pcre.it world's a'tar
st:iirs." They lead to life and light above.
Tii m in nr with bruvean l e.irnesi heart .
iiear well thy burden: (iod's dear hand
("lasps thine to sruide thee, and impart
New stveiiiith to tread this darkened
land. '
His searching eye beams on thee now.
To Ilim no darkness -all is light;
If shadows rest on all below,
Look upward, where the scene is bright.
The mist of doubt are fading last.
The glories of that radiant sphere
Where faith and duty smile at last.
Will shine upon thy pathway here.
r.i'i:t not. true heart, "neath cues and
woes
'iha; bow the faithless in the dust,
! thine the holy, deep repose
l it souls who live to toil and trust.
Ko.t lives, and therefore all is well
(lod rules, and therefore all is right
(,od works. His worlds His wisdom tell
(io 1 loves, and there is no more night.
Jhc pulpit,
Faitla Illustrated by Xoali.
BY EGBERT BOYD, D. P.
It is the very nature of sin to spread
like a deadly leprosy. Though in the
lays of Noah the world was but yet in
the very infancy of its being, yet sin
Lad deepened and widened as it rolled
along its dark course, till hatred of
law and truth and goodness had be
come almost universal. The wicked
ness of man had grown to gigantic and
fearful proportions. That guilty race
were deluged in sin before they were
deluged in the waters of the flood.
Had they not been first buried under
the accumulated pollution of their
o-uilt, they would not have been en-
-ulphed in the avenging waters.
In the midst of such an appalling
disregard of God, Noah stands vrp be
fore us a noble spectacle. His simple
and child-like faith, and his unflinch
ing and persevering obedience, are
truly sublime. There is exhibited ho
ly integrity in the midst of universal
corruption; an unwavering adherence
of right, when it was the object of
popluar contempt and scorn; the full
est recognition of God's superior right
to govern and to be obeyed, when all
had sunk into unbelief, and revolted
against His laws. It is only when men
are brought into circumstances that
test and try them thoroughly, that
we know what they are. "We are told
that the man who is tried is blessed,
and the more severe the trial the more
glorious is the triumph of Divine grace
when it brings him off unscathed.
And to every man there comes his tes
ting time his time of trial; and the
worse the state of society around him,
v the more conspicuous becomes the in
tegrity of the man that stands boldly
up for God. Thus Noah stood like a
rock amid the swelling torrent of
abounding sin around him, and not
for a moment was the purity of his
purpose shaken. There he stood, a
true, faithful, unbending witness, for
(rod: his meekness under insult, his
deep piety shining bright in its soli
I ndo, :md his undaunted heroism exci
ting our wai'inest admiration. To
thus stand faithful among the faithless
against something more than a mere
religion of form or ceremony; it re
quires the power of God's mighty
grace rooted in the deepest depths of
our souls, and a firm hold upon God's
truth, which the rudest shocks of time
can never relax.
Noah, in the course of God's provi
dence, was made a public man a rep
resentative man whose foot-steps
were to leave deep prints upon the
sands of time. But for his public
work, he got all his strength and pow
er in secret communion with God. It
is in ihe depth of his devotion that we
are to find nil the source of his fidelity
to the public interests committed to
his eare. If he was :i man of power it
was because he was a man of prayer.
He fought a good light, but it was be
cause he was clad in armor burnished
in the light of heaven. His trust was
in God a trust that was not disap
pointed, for the same waves of desola
tion that brought destruction to the
wicked, only floated him nearer to his
gracious Friend. All external to him
was uproar and confusion, but all
within hiiii v. as I he sweet calm of God's
peace. He found a sate retreat, a ho
ly repose, in the center of all life and
blessedness the favor of the Almigh
ty Love. Although his lot was cast
upon evil times, he found a sweet
calm, a holy pavilion under the shad
ow of the eternal throne. "What
though the whole world was against
him, when he had the testimony from
the lips of .Tehovah: "Thee have I
seen righteous before me in this gen
eration' Noah was a man of strong faith.
lie was warned of God of a coming
ev'l, not likely to take place, so far as
human wisdom could see. For centu
ries the laws of nature had rolled on
ia their undisturbed and placid course.
The seasons had come and gone in
regular succession; rain had fallen on
ly to bless the earth ! The rivers and
brooks had borne their waters safely
to the sea, and that waste world of
waters hail been kept in place by the
fixed decree, "Hitherto shalt thou go
and no farther." Ien began to speak
about the iixed laws of nature, and
then as now, felt as if they were so
fired that God himself could not change
them. It is no new thing for men to
wish to make God the slave of his own
laws, and to argue that things which
God has said shall be done cannot be
done, because they will interefere with
the laws of nature. No doubt there
were some of these very people in
those days, who sought, to show how
impossible it was that a flood could
take place, and laughed to scorn the
warnings of the man of God, as the lea
vings of fanaticism, as they entrench
ed themselves behind what they called
the laws of nature. But Noah firmly
and implicitly believed God. The
Lord had said it, and that was enough
for him. The arguments of the phi
losophers were no more to him than
the chirping of the grasshoppers, when
the voice of eternal wisdom was sound
ing in his ears.
But it appears that Noah's faith in
the first place, operated by fear. "By
faith Noah being warned of God of
things not seen as yet, moved with
fear, prepared an ark to the saving of
his house." Some people think that
if a man has any fears, it is a sure
proof that he has no faith. But this
is a mistake, for faith often intensifies
fear. When the sinnner honestly be
lieves the threatenings of God's law it
drives him to Christ. When a man
believes himself in danger of drown
ing he takes a firm grasp of the rope
that is flung to him. John Bunyan
says: "I was brought into such a dread
and horror of the wrath of God, that
I could not help trusting in Christ; I
felt that if he stood with a drawn
sword in his hand I must even run
right upon its point sooner than en
dure my sins. If fear was to have no
part in man's turning to God, why has
God put so many terrors in the Bible?
Why did one say, in view of the dan
gers of sinners, "Horror hath taken
hold upon me, because of the wicked
that forsake thy laws ?" Why did Paul,
say "Knowing the terrors of the Lord
we pursuade men ?" No doubt the great
power of the gospel is love; but it also
utters its stern voice of terror in the
words, "He that believeth not shall be
damned!"
On this subject Dr. Guthrie says:
"God indeed tells us of hell, but it is
to persuade us to go to heaven; and
as a skillful painter fills the back
ground of his picture with his darker
colors, God puts in the smoke of tor
ment and the black clouds of Sinai to
give brighter prominence to Jesus, the
Cross of Calvary, and His love to the
chief of sinners. His voice of terror
is like the scream of the mother bird
when the hawk is in the sky. She
alarms her brood that they may run
and hide beneath her feathers; and as
I believe that God had left that moth
er dumb unless he had given her wings
to cover her little ones. I am sure
that He, who is very pitiful, and litis
no pleasure in any creature's pain, had
never turned our eyes to the horrible
gulf unless for the voice that cries
"Deliver me from going down to the
pit, for I have found a ransom.' We
had never heard of sin had there been
no Saviour, nor of hell had there been
no heaven. Sufficient for the day is
the evil thereof;' and never had Bible
light flashed before the eyes of the
sleeping felon to awake him from his
happy dream, but that he might see
the smiling form of Mercy, and hear
her, as she says, with pointing finger,
'Behold, I have set before thee an open
door.' " Uaptiat Record.
God Seen in Nature.
We need a clearer insight, a more
spiritual mind, to enable us to see the
Divine One above, around and beneath
us, working in nature and history and
throiujh the activities of men, to realize
His holy purpose. How many men
are filled with wonder at the account
of the creation thousands of years
ago, who see the earth created anew
year after year without a quickened
heart-beat ! Joshua commands the sun
to stand still mid-heavens, and thirty
fenerations have read the storv with
subdued and awe-struck hearts, while
the sun had risen morning after morn
ing, flooding the world with benefi
cence and splendor, without awaken
ing a single surprise. Tt is not the
miraculous and divine that are want
ing, but eve to see and heart to feel
them. We do not complain that men
are so ready to believe the legends,
the marvels and miracles of the olden
time, but that they believe only these
that they are blind to the wonder,
mystery, and awe which fill and en
chant the wrorld to-day, and insensible
of that divine presence which glows in
and glorifies everything that is. We
are children of mystery. We live in a
miraculous world. This life of ours is
a perpetual wonder. Every step we
take is into infinity; every time we
open our eyes we behold a new crea
tion, and every heart-beat marks a new
influx of the divine life to repair the
waste of the system and inspire us
anew for work and joy. The spiritual
is all about us; and we ourselves are
spirits, or nothing.
The last word of science is that the
constant element, the vitality of mat
ter, is force. What science calls force
philosophy cslls cause, and religion
calls God; and that God is potentially
and actively present in every atom of
matter, every bead of dew, in the pen
cils of light that paint the spring land
scapes with inimitable beauty, and the
fragrance that exhales from flowers
and shrub. He who filled Eden with
beauty and Gethsemene with gloom
waves His wand of enchantment over
the reviving earth to-day, and pours
out new wine to refresh every faint
and sorrowing soul. He who walked
in Paradise at the cool of the day, and
gave Isaiah his message, and shed His
glory into the face of the Anointed
One, lends His arm to whoever will
lean upon it for support, pours His
spirit into every heprt that is open to
receive it, and transfigures all who as
cend the mount in supplicating, grate
ful adoration.
"Rock, of Ages Cleft for 31 e."
In the pleasant count' of Devon,
and in one of its sequestered passes
with a few cottages sprinkled over it,
mused and sang Augustus Toplady.
When a lad of sixteen, and on a visit
to Ireland, he had strolled into a barn,
where an illiterate layman was preach
ing; but preaching reconciliation to
God through the death of his Son.
The homely sermon took effect, and
from that moment the gospel wielded
all the powers of his brilliant and ac
tive mind.
Toplady became very learned, and
at thirty-eight he died, more widely
read in fathers and reformers than
most dignitaries can boast when their
heads are hoary. His chief works are
controversial, and, in some respects,
bear the impress of his over ardent
spirit. In the pulpit's milder agency,
nothing flowed but balm. In his tones
there was a commanding solemnity,
and in his words there was such sim
plicity that
stand.
Both at Broad llembury, and after
wards in London, the happiest results
attended his ministry. Many sinners
were converted; and the doctrines
which God blessed to the accomplish
ment of these results, may be learned
from the hymns which Toplady has
bequeathed to the church "Itock of
Ages, cleft for me;" "A debtor to mer
cy alone;" "Whan languor and dis
ease invade;" and, "Deathless princi
ple arise" hymns in which it would
seem as if the finished, work were em
balmed, and the living hope exulting
in every line.
During his last v iiiiiesfjs, Augustus
Toplady seemed to lie in the very ves
tibule of glory. To a friend's inquiry
lie answered, with sparkling eye, "0,
my dear sir, I cannot tell the comforts
I feel m my soul; they are past ex
pression. The consolations of God
are so abundant that he leaves me no
thing to pray for. My prayers are all
converted into praise. I enjoy a hea
ven already in my soul." And within
an hour of dying he called his friends,
and asked if they could give him up;
and when they said they could, tears
of joy ran down his cheeks as he ad
ded : "O, what a blessing that you are
made willing to give me over into the
hands of my dear Redeemer, and part
with me; for no mortal can live after
the glories which God has manifested
to my soul!" And thus died the wri
ter of the beautiful lrymn, "Bock of
Ages, cleft for me." Dewdrop.
are no Better
Otliers."
Than
This is on the lips of thousands, and
in the hearts of a great many more. It
has become fashionable thus to berate
church-members. It polishes the
shaft of ridicule in the "liberal" maga-
and jrives zest to the soner of the
the young who make no pretensions
to religion, are as virtuous as those
who do." But if yon would see what
they would be without the gospel,
read the latter part of the first chapter
of Romans a description which the
ruins of Pompeii and Herculaneum
have verified to the letter, and which
is a transcript of the character of the
most civilized nations now. Set them
beside the young Christian, and see if
there is no difference.
So in regard to humane and benev
olent institutions; many who do not
profess to be christians are liberal with
their money; but in all heathendom
there is not a hospital or an asylum
.for any class deaf, dumb, blind or
deranged. So in every development
of character or life, place the Christian
beside those who have not been influ
enced by the gospel, and there is a
heavenwide difference. A merican 3fe.--senger.
cups, and soothes
drunkard over his
the heart of the sinner when awakened
by the voice of God.
There is some plausibility in the
plea. The indifference of many profess
ors, the inconsist ency of others: the
apostacy of some, the detection of hei
nous sin in some ministers all give
color to the idea that "there is no re
ality in religion." Yet there is a rad
ical difference between the righteous
and wicked; and the time will come
when it will be seen. In the days of
Elijah there were seven thousand true
worshippers of God; but even the
prophet could not see them. While
the virgins, in the parables all slept
there was no manifest difference: but
when the bridegroom came, and they
arose anil trimmed their lamps it was
visible enough.
There are several reasons why this
difference may not always be apparent.
One is; that the gospel has done a
great deal to elevate and purify those
who hear it, but who do not profess to
be Christians. It is not fair to take a
sinner, whose conscience has been
molded, and his moral code formed by
the gospel, and set him by the side of
a professor of religion, and say, "I
don't see any difference." To judge
correctly, you should take a sinner
who has never heard the gospel, and
set him beside the Christian, and see
if there is no difference.
Here are two mothers, one is a pro
fessor of religion, and the other is not;
and you say, "I don't see much differ
ence between them: they are equally
faithful and tender and loving to their
children." But suppose you go to the
Sandwich Islands, before they received
the gospel, and see the mother dig in
the ground of her hut, throw in her
living infant, draw the dirt over it,
trample it down with her feet, and sit
down and smoke her pipe : you can see
the difference between that mother
and the christian mother she is a
mother without the gospel.
You take a man of business and
say, "There is as much integrity and
truthfulness among those who do not
profess religion as among those who
do." But do yon know there is not
the slightest reliance to be plactd in
the honesty or truthfulness of a hea
then ? The Cretans were not the only
nation thitt were "always liars." Not
a heathen nation can be found that
can be trusted. Neither science nor
philosophy has ever corrected this
A. M. V
evil.
So you may say, "I don't see but
Tetler From Bishop Pierce.
Mr. Editor: On my way to the
Bishops' meeting in Louisville, I stop
ped two days at Cartersville, Rome
District, North Georgia Con
ference, and found aDistrict
meeting in progress. The
Presiding Elders, preachers, and
delegates, were on hand in large num
ber, and seemed to be all of one accord,
and filled with the Spirit. God was
present not only in the religious ex
ercises of the occasion, but in the
counsels and intercourse of the breth
ren. The Divine blessing rested like
a cloud upon the assembly of his peo
ple, now radiant with light and
anon descending in showers of grace.
rne sums were intambie. Ji.very man s
consciousness attested, "This is the
house of God and the gate of heaven."
The word of God was in power and
demonstration. The love-feast was a
time of refreshing the Lord's Supper
solemn, sanctifying. The only dis
count upon the meeting was, that the
time allowed was too short, compelling
us to hurried action on man' important
subjects. Nevertheless, the reports
were well digested and well composed,
and their circulation in printed form
(and this was provided for) will carry
light and stimulus to the Church
es. Permit me to say, I was delighted
with the manifestation of the status of
the District. The Presiding Elder is
up to his work-appreciates the responsi
bilities and capacities of his office is
zealous, abundant in labor, inventive
as to plans of operation, does not trav
el in the old ruts, is not afraid of enlarg
ing his field, and possesses the art of
infusing his own activity into others.
The District is alive; future pros
pects enlivening. The institution of
District-meetings was an inspiration.
It is capable of immense usefulness.
In my judgment it is not only a sub
stitute for some things grown obso
lete, but is an expedient "elect,
precious," specially adapted to these
times. May they live and pros
per! Perhaps no District in any of our
Conferences can furnish such a bod' of
local preachers, so ma ny, so good, so
active such intelligence, so much
education, and all in perfect harmony
and co-operation with our itinerancy.
The laity, too. are men of substanco,
position, influence, fully awake to the
wants and obligations of the Church.
This region of Georgia is one of the
strongholds of Methodism, and is
distined to be, perhaps, the strongest.
Population increases, and the climate
and soil are inviting both foreign and
dome stic immigration. May this reg
ion of corn and wheat, grass and clover,
become a garden of the Lord, filled
with the tiees of righteousness, and
watered with the river which makes
glad the city of God.
On my way to Cartersville I met our
mutual friend, the Rev. Dr. A. A. Lips
comb, just retnrned from Europe,
greatly improved in health, his mind
enriched with the observations of trav
el, on society, systems of education,
the types of civilization, and the pros
pects of the Churches, Roman Catholic
and Protestant. It is a treat to hear
him talk. He doe3 talk like a book."
But O ! how the lights and shadows
mingle ! Our meeting was saddened
by tidings of the death of the Rev. Jno.
W. Glenn, of the North Georgia Con
ference. Brother Glenn was a great
and good man; plain, humble, modest;
only a few of us knew his real value.
But he, was wise in counsel, judicious
in administration, fervent in the pulpit,
in personal character a model man ; ripe
in holiness, he has gone to his reward.
Blessed be his memory! I love him
well, and shall miss him much. Verily,
our old men are passing away. But
the light of these setting suns
lingers in the heavens. How mel
low! how inspiring. Xa.hrie Ad ax-ate.
The Bible Against Dancing.
The Rev. Dr. Patton, in an able
article in The Independent, on the sub
ject of dancing, thus sums up his con clusions:
Having carefully examined every
text in the Old and New Testanents in
which the word occurs, we fire led
to the following conclusions:
1. That dancing was a religious act
among idolaters as well as worshippers
of the true God.
2 That it was practiced as the demon
stration of joy for victories and other
mercies.
3. That the dancing was in the day
time. 4. That the women danced by them
selves; that the dancing was mostly
done by them.
5. No instance is recorded in which
promiscuous dancing by the two took
place.
(5. That when the dance was pervert
ed from a religious service to a mere
amusement, it was regarded as dis
reputable, and was preformed by the
"vain fellows."
7. Tho only instances of dancing
for amusements mentioned are of the
worldly families described by Job the
daughler of Herodias, and the "vain
fellows." -Neither of these had any
tendency to promote piety.
S. That the Bible furnishes not the
slightest sanction for promiscuou8
dancing as an amusement, as practiced
at the oresent time.
The dancing professor of religion
must not deceive himself with the
impression that he is justified by the
Word of God. If lie slill holds on to
the practice, let him find hisjustitication
from other sources, and say frankly, 1
love the dance, and am determined to
practice it Bible or no Bible.
Natural Causes of Death.
From the commencement of life to
the moment of death there are mechan
ical and chemical changes constantly
and uninterruptedly going on in our
bodies. For example, we eat and
drink for the express purpose of pro
viding materials for repairing the
waste of matter resulting from the
working of the machinery. A soft,
oily fluid is poured into the joints to
prevent a friction, just as oil is poured
into an axle-box of a car-wheel to pre
vent it from wearing awa3' the metal.
Our bones are all frequently renewed
as well as Dur flesh, from infancy to
nge; but not in a day or an hour. Na
ture acts persistently, but accomplish
es nothing by spasmodic efforts.
As soon as a particle of lime which
was held in solution in food is placed in
the stomach, it is carried to me heart
by appropriate vessels, and from
thence conveyed into an artery to be
distributed to a point where most
needed in some bone. There the lit
tle particle is deposited, and becomes
incorporated with the substance of
the hard structure where it was left.
It becomes vitalized in its new connec
timi. An old particle, or, as it were,
sin old brick is detached from the wall
to give place to a new one. It is car
ried out of the body sis useless matter,
sis its vitality has been expended. So
particles are perpetually changing pla
ces. The new go in and the old go
out. This is vigorous life and health
so long as this vital process is regular
ly performed.
In the L.pse of time the vital artis
ans, such as the liver, spleen, kidneys,
heart, stomach, etc., are weary by
yesirs of incpsssmt toil, and fail to act
with that systematic activity charac
teristic of younger days. By this re
laxing new particles are not sent for
wsud often enough, nor are the effete
ones removed quickly, and conse
quently there is a mechanicsil irregu
larity sind a chemical one also. Thus,
we wear away, and finally die of old
sige. When disease sets in it is a sud
den clog of the wheels, as it were.
The vital action by which life and
consciousness is maintained can not
be suspended, but a moment at far
thest, without the hazard of death.
' When a man is drowned the machine
stops.
The only hope for the pulpit in these
days is inspiration. Culture is neces
sary; polish' is necessary; oratory is
necess.iry; but important and grand
as these graces and powers confessedly
are, they are of little account and can
accomplish little without the quicken
ing that comes from the spirit of God.