HIN09, CHARITT. NUMBER 13. UNIT¥>; VOL. *XU. i. i'ne U>nl Jesus Christ is the only H«^d ottteOtiurel-.. ’ ’ » rt ' • 3. The name ChrlVtlan, to the exclusion Of *11 party hr sectarian names. - > » s.-tni* rtnty Hlble, or the Scriptures of the 014 ami Kew'Tnstan^uts, a sulhcient rote ot 4»i*h 4»il propt Ice • 4 OhrlatlJMi character, or vital piety, the •jPjily t^st yf|ty'.lowship or membership. 3up, vox mo Vuusr. yfotiOu » » JMD. 'W 3 tip a&FQB- , « i. MA'P/OX - I ?r*»“> • -I I'll' f.volMil rl I In Hi,; i vdli'ili century of the Jlnis tittir Bnu h shun-'fill practice was in.ro rJnCfvt ftrtM tnc obmvh ar.d used^bv the 'idsWdm* 'td themselves 7?M*> "''-V >*{.'• ',f "*«/ lor ferson •fcplmw^jorilfor. tiimak «®e»> they ottered t«> Mil * indulgence*, which taeftus',ltf began to limit Hie bishops iu remitting the fines, so to* speak which they had im posed on the guilty person. From this time the Pope largely controlled this matter of indulgences, ,$q making each offender contribute largely tn the sup port of himself and his - work; This was given dot M the consent of tue heart, as.a five will offering, but with (be hope of buying deliyi ranee from Sin. 'At first they oluimed to use this tut)dev to sustain the Holy War, but tbih d o not last. Soon the money was I turued into uses tor . a vrry unholy i war. to oueifOnaor another this sin of selling iiidnlgences continued with varying singes of approval and oppo sition, tjll about tue gaily part of the sixteenth .century. At this time Jolril Tetselj.a Domini cian, preached the doctrine with new vigor, Tetzel was a monk and was chosen hy Hie Archbishop of Mentz on account of his uncommon impu dence, to preach this doctrine of indul gences in Germany' This was under Leo X. , VII persons who were rich enough'to pay the required cash, were to lie forgiven of ull sin, past, present ot- fill tire, human and divite, no mat ter. how terrible in its character. At this U»e ignorance and super stition were in the trout., and any itifng’tfri :flt he ptahneihvfffltdrtlm’•peo ple as- real bleSsiiigs. Among this vast number of people', was one who was neither superstitious, ignorant, nor weak, but a well informed and brave roan, by the name ot Martin Lather He was honest and every inch a man. ne was not much known except in the line of bis personal ac quaintance. He heard Tetzel preach the doctrine of indulgences. His very being was ' so stirred at the horrid ideas present ed that lie determined to fight. Then and there lie enlisted as a soldier of Jesus Christ, determined, to fight it to the. bitter end. On the 30th of Sep tember, 1517, Luther raised his indig uatiti, hut warning, voice, against this Sin; He denounced it as extravagant extoftion add plainly showed the deep sinfulness ol the whole thing. Not oulv so, put he boldly charged the Pope himself wsitii being a guilty party - to the dirty and unhallowed work of the remission of sin on the piyunefll of money as the condition— indulgence. Here bdgttn the Reformation in earnest and from this lime forward Luther became a thief character in the religious world. His talent, learn ing, firmness and ^epurage well fitted him to he Hie leader, in so grand a work. At first the debate between these two monks-was not regarded as being flreigfited with disaster to arrfr body, t'iut the opposition wits’' si little top siroug to: allow the movement to die. Luther would upt,,yieh1wtln> point—lie saw before him on one side the Truth, and on the Other Krioi Here the lines of bailee were fub.v and clearly dfawp, Luther en|ialgd' for the war or JMbMe- it was a lifo-iitne warfare and-Lnlihur.iiid not forsake the cause of truth which'lie had espoused. .t'irtu if ji i»e itinj . ,Up tonhis period of life Luther was not much knoNOovwc .believe that he hiiiWeif had liUl’e or no con cepti'iin of jiis own gieat influence and power, (’erfainly the wo rld knew nothing of hi* power till he entered this mighty struggle against spiritual wickedness in high places—against this man-made bondage of the souls of his fellow travelers so the bar of God Thus Luther faced the hate Pope and/II his lieutenants and stoutly de nied his right to forgive sin—to re mit the penalties of divine punish ments allotted to those siuniDg against ,y Hi God* Luther boldly declared that no money could remit penalties of tbis etlkracter^-that Christ—not the Pope —Irnd power to forgive sin —that fits merit—not money—could gain tor us forgiveness--peace with God. M Salvation through Christ wasthbs i&sfcil'eH — it was wrenched from the merits of Jesus OhriSt and assumed b/’intiti on u money basis. " ’"‘A1 great issUe was presented — iit’mstie Which became the founda tlori of the greatest Controversy of the Christian'Era. Had Luther Dot been a bold and aiy unyielding'defender ot the Truth -had he not'entered into tbis controversy, and had no other of Ike ability and courage, have done so, then indeed, might this flood of Error swept on down the centuries, till to-day those who otherwise enjoy a lively hope in Christ; might have been wading in the deep waters of igno rance, superstition and sin under the dictation of the Pope and his miser able lieutenants. Luther s boldness must have been inspired. Often, single-handed and alone, he fought for the Truth against Popes and Kings. When on his way to Worths he was told that the Cardi nals and Bishops would burn his body to ashes, he answered: “Although they should make a Are that should reach from Worms to Wittenburg and that should flame up to Heaveu, in the Lord’s name l would pass through it; I would appear before them; I would gpter between the jaws of this Behe moth; 1 would break his teeth, and Would confess the Lord Jesus Christ.’' Again his friend Spatatiu sent a mes senger to urge him not tp enter Worms. Looking at toe messenger in astonish,meptlji; repffed: “Go tell your master, that, even although there were as many devils at Worms as there are tiles upon the roofs of the houses, I would enter it.’’ Again being told that Duke George would certainly ar rest him, he replied: “It it rain Duke Georges tor nine days together 1 will •go-” Thus boldness linked to a faith un faltering and Irue, in the Lord Jesus Christ, was necessary to the defense of the Truth. What was true in the days of Martin Luther m this respect is true to-day. There is a Conflict be tween Truth and Error, and as much as it is to be deprecated, controversy is a necessity in the maintenance of Truth. We need men full of the Holy Ghost, fuHof humility, courage, an unyield ing purpose to stand by the Truth in all its trials and conflicts With sin. This tendency to shun a battle for the Truth is not worthy of a Christian —it is weak and shows the absence of the bold soldier of the Cross. For the Truth’s sake let us study the Life and Times of Luther more hereafter. MINISTERIAL TlklDJTY. Diffidence should never discourage. It is not necessarily a mental weak ness. It is inom often a constitution al infirmity. Some preachers: are tim id because there has been no opportu nity for preparation. Others are shrinking because they feel the inade quacy of the fullest possible prepara tion. Some are timid .because they feci that the greatest human strength is weakness. ' Others are bold because blind to the magnitude of their work and the majesty of their mission. S ime men move in weakness through their introduction, but march on to conclusion with tread majestic and masterly. A sermon should not bo a cone, very big at the base and quite tiny at the top. .An overly bold man is likely to give it this shape. His ef fort is an anti climax- a Darius Green flying-machine, starting high and end ing low—striking out in boldness and bringing up in bruises and bandages. Ntjver let diffidence discourage you. Many truly great men havffbeeu diffi dent before un audience, and Lave even broken down in public discourse. Franklin was great in diplomacy, but a blunderer on the platform The great Goff was tempted to tell “fibs” odI v when he could thus excuse him self from an unexpected part in a pub lic meeting. On such occasions he was often “sick," had an “excruciating headache,’’ or a “pain” where tansy has so often displayed its palliative propel ties. The eloquent 11 >bert Hall never overcame the shyness that con. fused and out him short in his first sermon. The great Pitt was at times disconcerted with diffidence, and was too timid to lie at ease with children Webster and Clay both testsfv to life i mg embarrassment. With the great and'good Cow per the very thought of standing up as clerk to read parlla mentary notices in the House of Lords’ threw him into ah agony of apprehen sion. If, therefore, any brother min ister, any brother or sister who feels it a duty to speak fur Christ in the fel lowsbip meeting—if any reader of wbat I have above written, fesls em barrassed in speaking for Christ, let him not be deterred from the under takings Christ himself will tit(* Moreover, what you say in weakness, and yet in His strength, will do others more good than it you spoke in bold ness, feeling that you were going to talk glibly and say great things. Be humble, and thus be exalted; be weak, slid thns strong. h. y. r. A GOSPEL SERMON. BT *. EGLANTINE. A VOICE FROM THE PEW “Was it a gospel sermon ?’ que ried my friend, in response to a re mark about the excellent discourse our pastor had given us that morning. “I suppose so,’’ was the reply; “wbat do you call a gospel sermon V “I do not consider any sermon a gos pel sermon,'’ rejoined my friend, “tin: less a person present who had never heard the way of salvation could learn it from that sermon.’’ \ceording to this test, the pastor referred to had, that morning, undoubtedly, given his people a gospel sermon ; for, from be ginning to end, it was a plain exhibi tion of God’s plan of redemption for poor, fallen men. Alter this conversation, it became a custom with some of us to test the ser mons we heard by the rule my lriend had laid down. Not always do the ser mons we hear from Christian ministers bear this test. 1 listened for the first, time to a pop ular divine who had attracted a large audience. He held up the apostle Paul as a model of exalted manhood, of all that was brave, pure, noble, un selfish, honorable, etc. Christ was al so set forth, in much the same way, as a pattern for imitation. Young men especially were exhorted to reach upward toward these high models of noble excellence, and strive at least to touch them. But, of the great atone ment of our Lord Jesus Christ, there was not a word. W’as this a gospel sermon ? Can poor, fallen human na ture attain such a standard of morality without the cleansing blood ? An Unitarian or Universalist might have preached that sermon. A gehtelman— not a professor of re ligion—accompanied a lady who was present at the above conversation to to hear a strange minister. As they walked homeward he asked, “How did you like the sermon ?” “Well, it had not gospel enough in it to suit me,’’ she replied. “I think he mentioned the name of Jesus Christ twice,” was the rejoinder, “and then it seemed a slip of tlio tongue.’’ Was this a gospel sermon ? It could not have been like the preaching of the apostle Paul when he was determined to know nothing but Jesus Christ and him crucified. Some years ago I heard a sermon preached to children. A number of parents and friends were also present who probably did not often hear the Gospel. Here, thought 1, is a fine op portunity to give it to them in its sim plicity and fulness. The sermon was very plain and very interesting. Christ the babe of Bethlehem, was held up in a very pleasing way, as a model for young children, and they were told to love aud imitate film, and always to think of Christ as a child. v Next, Je sus, the boy, was attractively pictured visiting Jerusalem, questioning with the doctors of the law, and receiving their instructions, submissively going home with Joseph and Mary, continu ing subject to them and helping them in their daily toil. This Jesus the boys were told to make their model and always to think of Christ as a bo}V Lastly, Jesus, the young man, was placed as a pattern for imitation by the older scholars. Christ crucified was not reached, and if any of those present were ignorant of the way of salvation, they did not learn it from that discourse. Was it a gospel ser mon ? V Fathers and brethren ox tne minis try, will you permit the pew to suggest that you try for yourselves the test given above and see if your sermohs are all worthy the name of gospel ser mons ? The Gospel in its plainest, most direct and simple form is what the people need; and, when a non pro fessor misses the name of our Aavior from a sermon, does it not seem that this Gospel is also what they wantt Such a sermon will attract larger con gregations than any elaborate and learnca discourse on morality. Subscribe to the Sun. @ur Exchanges. IT WITI mm A WlIKkT C«A ED NTH BROTHK Here is a suggestion for thoughtful people In hi* speech at the recent Wash ington Conference, President McCosh, or Princeton, said :■% remember that when 1 began to preach 1 had about twenty carefully prepared sermons. But some fifteen of them T would not preach ; they were hot fitted to move men and’women, and I burned them, i never learned to preach till l visited among my people; JB* encouraged the young niaii the work before us, but to hinder others from doing the work is a most serious matter : “Lest we should hinder the gospel of Christ. (1 Cor. ix, 12.) Many an acttee and willing helper iu the church is too often an unconscious hinderer of the gospel. Let us each try to fiud out how we may have hindered, that we may do so no more. A vexation arises, and our expression of impa tience hinders others from taking it patiently. Disappointment, ailment, or evon weather depresses us; and our look or tone of depression hinders othersfr m maintaining a cheerful and thankful spirit. We let out a fearing or disoouraged remark, and another's hope or real is wet-blauketed. “Wliai man is there that is fearful, and faint-1 hearted ? let him go and return unto his house, lest his brethren’s heart faint as well as his heart.” (Deut. xx. 8 ; Judges vii, 3.)—Frances R. Haverqal -o That sterling paper, the Sunday School Times, always thoughtful and pointed, speaks wisely in the follow ing : Reading is generally a harmless oc cupation, but leading in itself is of no special benefit to a man. The persons who are the greatest readers are not likelv to be the closest thinkers, nor yet to be the best informed persons. If one reads for a purpose, with a de sire for knowledge in a specified line, fbr an hour a day, he will, as a rule, gate more from his reading than the person who reads miscellaneously in the latest magazine and the newest books, and in literature generally, five times as much as that. If you read, see So it beforehand that you know why you read, in order that you may know afterward what gain you have from your reading. You may do harm unthoqghtedly, bul it is none the less a harm for which the perpetrator is reaponsible.In nofield should the worker be more careful than in the training of youth. The S. 7 imgt says : There is more danger of being dis courteous to an inferior than to a su perior. The master is more likely to offend a servant, than a servant is to offend the master. In proportion to one's inferiority in age, rank, or attain merits, one is likely to be slighted, mis understood, and deprecitated. Most easy of all, then, is it to be discourte ous to a little child. Persons who would not be thought impolite to an adult in any station, will thoughtless ly offend, or even insult, a child. A little boy who was standing innocently by bis mother while she,was entertain ing a visitor, was^pkcd by that visitor whether he went to Sunday-school. Being assured that he did, she added: “And what do you learn in Sunday school—to mind your mother?” The suirit of that question was one which the questioner herself or any oue .of her peers would rightly reseat us un just aud insolent, if applied to any but au inuooent and helpless child. It is an unfjhst and a harmful thing to pre sume that a child is disobedient and rebellious simply because it ia a child. It is pitiable that a child should be allowed to idfer that the moat natural ---— ■■I-.—,.—, , and ration hi way.-for irtebtera to ad. dress it, is in words WhicQ imply that it cannot be supposed to have any right instincts, and right thought?, any right feelings, or to he ready to do right deeds. “ Take heed that ye offend tk»1 one of these little oms”—m any aach way. -On All Diet), as atit-fa, aft equal in the grave. The N. T. Independent in writ" ing of the death of Emperor William 1. says some sensible things. We quote it : Last week the dead Emperor of Ger many, and the oldest sovereign in Eu hhm*. was buried with great pomp and honor tie ruled, when living, over the most powerful l-ation in Europe, and 4wd largely contributed to make it sue . Death,-however, did not for get to knock at bis princely mansion. Old age did not exempt him from, the law of decay. Disease did not spare him. He died just as other men die. Mortality paid no deference to bis im perial honors. His body will rot in the loud) with tbe same tacility and certainty as .that of the humblest pea sam. His soul nas gone to tbe bar of God, there to be judged according to “tlie deeds done in the body." Tbe honors which men^ have in this woild are bid the temporary incidents of a brief existence, and are no criterion of tbe honors which they will have in the next world. They are, after all, simp ly men in the great elements ol their being, and live and' act and die as subjects of the government of God, having no advantage over other men by reason ot their birth or high earth ly station, and needing the great sal valion through Christ as really as the poorest man on the globe. The rich and the poor, the great and the small, the high and the low, are in this re spect, just equal. lMs infinitely bet ter to be a Christian than to be an Emperor. Dr. Young was uot mistak en when he said : “The Christian is the highest type of man.’’ AH men must die—lienee the good and useful go to the grave just as the bad and worthless do—ail must die. Few have been the men of sufficient moral greatuess to interest themselves in the welfare of the brute creation Mr. Henry Bergh, the foremost friend of the brutes died recently. Of him and his work the AT. Y. Independent says : ■ The death of Mrc Henry Bergh, last week in this city, closes the earthly career of one'whose name will long be tememhered and will always be men tioned in terms of respeet and admira tion. The last twenty-two years of his life were chiefly devoted to the single object of rescuing dumb brutes from the cruelty and outrages so often per petrated upon them by men. This was his one dominant idea, and he pursued the noble wort? with a persistent en thusiasm and dauntless courage that made him pre-eminently the friend of the Tbrute creation. He did not labor rin vain. Forty four societies for the prevention of cruelty to auimids, 01 which thirty-three are in the United States, have been organized as the re sult of his efforts. The last crowning act of his life was the establishment ot the Society for the Prevention of Cru elty to Children, which already “ has its duplicate in every state and terri tory m the Union.’’ The marks of re spect paid to his memory at his funer al show that his labors were highly appreciated by his fellow citizensCould brute animals understand his efforts in their behalf, they would be sincere mourners over his death. They have in that death lost the most qjfepilous friend they ever had in this world We do not know where in the whole histo ry of mankind the parallel of Mr. Bergh m this respect can lie found. Pet an imals are usually very tenderly cared for by their owners; but where is the jgaru other than Mr. Bergh, who has made it the business of his life to re form society in respect to the treat ment of animals ? Let his name, be honored. A monument erected to his memory would not be out of place. The impression which lie leaves behind him will long survive him. The world will be the better because he has lived in It. DO CHRISTIANS GO AT ONCE 10 HEAVEN WHEN THEY DIE? We are all interested in theqnestion either on our own account or on ac count of others. Who among us has not had some triend to die in the faith of Christ? And there is an irrepres sible curiosity to know whether they are to sleep ill the grave until the day of judgment or whether they have al ready entered into “the joy of their Lord.” We »hall cite two or three Scriptures to show that the righteous enter imme diately .into rest when they die. (2 Cor. 5:6-8): “Therefore we are always confident, knowing that, whilst we are at home in the body, we are absent from the Lord : (for-we walk by faith, not by sight): We are confident, 1 say, and willing rather to be absent from body, and to be present with the Lord.’ it would require marvellous ingequ ity lu,extort from !he language juiy! Quoted any oUJefnrearimg Ilian Unit ul tii& Christian, “death rs the gate to endless joy." lf‘*tol>e atiseul from the body” does not refer to the article of death, in which we have Iteen taught to.believe that the soul forsakes the bod# to what can it refer ? And mark with what vehemence the Apos tle asserts bis convictions : “We are confident, ! sav,’’ (for he is,reiterating what he bad already sa c),. as if in am ticipalion. of the modern* potion that5 the saints are to sleep nntil the judg1 men!) “and willing rather td be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord.’’ The only “absence from the body’’ of which we have any, inti mation is that which occurs when the sonl takes its flight from its ten ement of clay, in the hour of dissolu tion. And who would not be “willing,” as was the Apostle, “to be absent from the body” in ordej “to be present with the Lord.’’ We can conceive how one might be ever so “willing” to this, who would yet shrink from the grave’s cold embrace of a long oblivion. Bat hear the'ifime Apostle on another occasion (Phiir 1:21) : “For to me to live is Christ, and to tie is gain.... For l am in a strait betwixt two, having a de sire to, depart, and to be with Christ1’;' which is far better.” ! But what is the “gain” of which he speaks ? It is “to be with Christ,’’ as seen in the “desire” afterwards. And this most positively affirms the belief of the Apostle to be that death at once introduces the saint to his Savior And now let as hear the exiled seer of Patnios (Rev. 14:13): [ “And I heard a voice from heaven, say ing unto me, write. Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord from hence forth : yea, saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their labors: and their works do lollow them.” It is required by the laws of language that the “henceforth” in the passage just cited should be dated from the very instant that death takes place. Wc shall quote but one other Scripture (1 Thess. 4: 14): “For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which slesp in Jesus will God bring with him.” But how shall bring them with him unless they are there to bring? Ills bringing them,with him agrees with what Paul told us awhile ago about their being “absent from the body and present with the Lord.” And thus it is demonstrated beyond the peradveniure of a doubt that the righteous enter immediately into their rest when they die. This doctrine is brimful of comfort to the dying saint. It is a joy reserved for the dying pil grim to sing as lie crosses the Jordan of death : “Sweet fields beyond the swelling flood, Stand dressed in living green : So to the Jews old Canaan stood, V, btle Jordan rolled between There everlasting spring abides, And never fading flowers : Death, lixe a narrow sea, divides That heavenly land from ours. ’. —Biblical Recorder. THREE DEL USIGNS. A friend with whom I was conver sing in one of our inquiry meetings' lately said to mo : •• 1 know that I ought to become a Christian ; 1 fully intend to become one But 0! how 1 wish it were over with !’’ I said to her ■ “Mv friend, suppose you came into a dining-room verv hungry, and when you were invited to sit down to a load led table would ^ou say, ‘I leel halt starved, but I wish 1 was well through with this business of eating this din ner?- -The Lord Jesus has spread for you the amplest provisions of His grace and says, ‘ Come, all things are now ready.’ ” Another delusion which rocks thou sands in a perilous slumber is that they will yet havp abundant chances iq se cure heaven. “ I need be in no hun t, lime enough vat.” This is the will-o' the-wisp which is leading multitudes on farther and deeper into the morass of impatience. Not only iu this world will be chances for repentance and se curing heaven, but even beyond the grave God's mercy will give them an other opportunity. This delusion is in the air to a degree never known be fore. The mighty bell which God rings over our heads sounds >ut the signal “Now’ is tjie day of salvation ; but against God’s imperative “Now’’ thou sands close their ears and allow the devil to whisper into them his delusive “To-morrow.” Another delusion is. “ I am trying to do the best I can,” audlthese very words come from those who refuse to do any thing for Christ or let Him do any thing for them. Still another pre text is, “ 1 do not feel, and how can l he saved without leeliug?” If by this ! word “feel’’ he means thinking, he is ! right, for thought is indispensable: but 1 if he means acute distress, he is deny ing Christ point blank, for the Saviour never said that feeling is the essential thing. To accept and obey Christ is vital, but these are acts of the con science and tlm will, and not matters of emotion. Renew your subscription. * ‘ The Christian sun. TEH MS OF i ,c .SH1 Orm jf*r, 1 Six months. §ithy joints. Ja. Be silent, or say something iholtefe than silence. ,t It i9 easier to'snppress the first de sire than to satisfy all that. f'lTfei/i# Frmtkliu. -f ^*1 Ml %■ _ OF ADVERTIUSBt .in lines, first insertion. .#1 00 fWfjnent insertion.50 •three months. 5 00 jimresix months..,..8 00 'fM|ii»re twelve months.15 M Advertisers ehanictmc weekly must make * st