rrezpooEntt.
BAPTIST BIBLE.*
BY. H. W. WARNER,
A friend has placed in my hand a
pamphlet copy of John's Gospel, out of
what is called 'the new Baptist Bible.
It is conspicuouily marked " Soldiers'
Edition," as if intended fox making mili
tary. Baptists; not, I hope, to fight for
immersion, but more probably to take
service in the immersionst cause upon a
peace ' establishment. It - seems that
great masses of men in the field, the
majority of them in a state of religious
uninstruction that exposes them to be
come easy dupes of misguidance, are to
be made to read about John, "the im
merser," and, how Jesus "made and im
mersed more disciples than John," till
they shall be brought insensibly to the
conclusion tilt putting into water (and
not simply baptizing with it) is the chief
function of a sinner-saving ministry.
Of course it will be naturally inferred
that there is vital importance in tbe
form and manner of the ceremonial, in
somuch that bafttism by allusion or
sprinkling will have to be regarded as
an idle rite, and they who have nothing
better to rely on must be anabaptized,
that is, baptized again, and with a suffi
ciency of the liquid element to leave mo
sinful hairbreadth of their bodies dry.
"Not my feet only," said misreasoning
Peter, " but also my hands and my
head."
Have our worthy friends, the Baptists,
adopted the Romish and Episcopal con
ceit, that baptism is regeneration ? I
suppose not. I suppose they deem ehe
water a mere symbol, just as we do.
And if so, what possible difference can
it make whether there be much or little
of the element employed, and whether
it be applied to the convert, or the con
vert to it ? In the nature of things, a
few drops, for any truly symbolical pur
pose, must be as good as an ocean.
But they tell us, the question is settled
by authority ; for that baptize, the Gos
pel-term, means dip, plunge, immerse.
Well, if it does, why not retain the word?
What need of a translation? The
plausible answer is, to make the mean.
ing l iflainer. Does not this answer mask
another not so readily avowed ? The
Baptists are a party in the Church—a
pretty zealous party ; and immersion is
their argument of proselytism. Would
it not be a stroke•of policyto proselyte
the Bible itself, and send it forth pro
pounding the argument to everybody,
as if from the very battlements of
hewn ? A " Soldiers' edition" might
then be expected to do something.
I admit that Barri Ca) means immerse.
On the other hand I aver, that like thou
sands of words in every language, it has
one or mote other meanings equally well
estOlished, and in particular, that of
waißing or cleansing by water. No
seli„i3lar will deny this. Whether, there
fo*4,dipping 'or washing, immersion or
affila t ion, be the proper force of the term
in reference to the water sacrament, is a
faii,:-'question for debate. And it has
been: debated for centuries. Learned
men on both sides have tried conclusions
upon - it, without definite result. Not
that there was no preponderance of rea
sonone way or the other, but because
,pettli . ll,;an predilections were too strong
for reason. Nor is the controversy
ended yet. Perhaps it never will be.
And
, just in these circumstances , the,
newArersion Baptists have seen fit to
beg the question, and to carry their snap
judgment into stereotype execution,
making Scripture of it in the very face
of the disputants.
Which seems to me a false step. It
is n
,t- the true way of settling contro
ve 'akin the Ohurch of God. Snap
lir
jud outs seldOm stand the test of re
vie . '= "And in the present case, Baptists
thrithieltes are not agreed as to the ,
pro
priety of,the proceeding, which is under
stood to have been the occasion of a
serious division among them. In my
opinion it is a proceeding which the rest
of Protestant Christendom will not
ditifl,o upon, but will condemn it uni
vehnilly. ' I
Protestant Christians , ought not to
have two competitor versions, of the
BiAle. It is a sad spectacle, and of ill
onion. We could have gone on amica
bly enough with the established word
baptism, for our common rite of Church
initiation, ; a word as thoroughly Eng
lisiii`!and as perfectly comprehended by
all 4, as any other that can be named.
t -
Its "Greek origin is no objection to it.
And it has the special advantage of
being matured and ripe in sacramental
import--an advantage of unspeakable
importance, and to which no substituted
word Ran pretend. Perhaps its equal
adaptatioit `tO the - tise of all may have
beeirthe NOery thing that some could not
abide.
Whether to conceal the precise object
of the new version, or to give the enter
priset a literary aspect, the changes in
troffed, instead of being limited to a
particular subject, cover the whole field
of Bible phraseology ; not in general
altering the sense, bat making havoc
with the style. Ex pede Herculem,
hoivever ; I judge only from the book of
John, where amendment (or the conceit
of it) rambles over everything with a
license that is perfectly marvellous. Had
the writers no settled love for Scripture
language ? No relish for its peculiar
forma of diction ? No msthetic piety ?
They run their little ploughshare into
all ° the green banks of the holy book ;
* Article written shortly before the close of
the late war.
often without intelligible motive, and
almost always without. a motive which
the mischief done does not condemn as
inadequate. The smallest things are
meddled with, and upon the smallest
considerations. Grammatical conformi
ty of English to Greek in the tenses of
verbs, in the insertion or rejection of
articles, in the use of prepositions, and
even in the collocation of words, without
the least allowance for notorious differ
ences in the genius of the two languages,
has been the apparent object of innumer
able tamperings with the standard text.
The result is consequently neither Greek
nor English, but a mongrel intermediate
between them.
If I am wrong in this opinion, a few
examples will Show it.
In John iii. 26, for the phrase, "thou
barest witness," (imperfect tense,) we are
required to read, " thou bast borne wit
ness," (in the perfect,) as grammatically
truer to the original; the writer 'seemingly
taking for granted, first, that the two
languages are alike in their economy of
tenses, and secondly, that tense for tense
is an imperative law of correct transla
tion ; both which assumptions are wide
of the truth. Sense and not technicali
ties is the translator's law. And as for
the affinities of Greek and English gram
mar, they are less in nothing than in
verb-inflections. The Greek perfect in
particular is often well rendered by our
imperfect.
Again, (v. 23,) "ye sent unto John,
and he bear witness to the truth." In'
place of which the new version gives us,
"ye have sent to John, and he has borne
witness," dm A similar painstaking
after tense exactness, and a similar
failure to improve the text. Indeed it
is plainly a change for the worse, Aggra
vated by an affectation of superior accu
racy.
Again it is written, (vi. 5,) that Jesus
a lifted up his eyes and saw a great
company come unto him." .. For .which
the immersionists have substituted this :
" Jesus thereupon lifting ilia his eyes,
and seeing that a great multitude is
coming to him," &c. But here the elder
text is palpably the more correct even in
their own technical point of view; for the
tense of the Greek is first aorist, to
which our imperfect answers well, while
their present does not. The whole pas
sage in their version is a metamorphosis,
but I confine myself just now to one
class of changes.
In verse 32 of this chapter we read:
"Moses gave you not that bread from
heaven." The new-version gentlemen
prefer to say, " Moses has not given you
the bread from heaven." Why ? School
boy accuracy again in the matter of
tenses. And yet, as often happens to
that • sort of accuracy, it is a blunder
on its face. We do not apply the per
fect tense of verbs to persons a thou
sand years dead. Has given implies the
present existence of the giver, however
completely past the donation. Suppose
the Saviour had said, "Moses smote the
rock ;" would it do to substitute " has
smitten'?"
In verse 62 we have this declaration,
" the words that I speak unto you, they
are spirit." The new-versionists say,
"the words which I have spoken," Am.
And here, for a wonder, they are the
violators of the schoolboy rule ; for the
Greek verb is Aala% Did they mistake it?
Again, (xvii. 4,) " I have finished the
work which thou gayest me to do," is
our reading ; whereas the . new version
has it, "I finished"—zequivalent to "'I
did finish"—in fancied obedience to the
supposed law of tenses ; and yet with
out conforming to that law, the tense of
the original verb being, not imperfect
past, but first aorist, a very different
thing. And that the style is murdered
by the innovation every one must feel.
I might go on indefinitely in this line
of trivialities, bat will pass to another.
" Rabbi, he that was with thee be
yond Jordan," are words (iii. 23,) ad
dressed to John the Baptist.• The , new
version inserts an article" beyond the
Jordan ;" probably because the Greek
original does the like ; as if the use of
articles in Greek were a fit rule for our
practice, which it certainly is not We
have two articles, the Greek but one.
And even.as regards the article common
to us, and it, there is no manner of
agreement between its idioms and ours.
Idioms are almost never- alike in any
two languages. They are, therefore, for
the most part intranslatable. The Latin
has no article at all. What would new
version Baptists do with our articles in
a translation from the Vulgate ? The
ancient Greeks prefixed their article
habitually to a variety of words which
our idioms do not allow us to distinguish
in that way. They used it constantly
before proper names. The Paul, the
Barnabas, the Christ, the God, the Jor
dan, are all alike regular in Greek. But
in English it requires a special context,
either in word
,or thought to make any
of them regular.., We may say, the God
who made us, the Paul , who was con
verted , on his way to Damascus, the
Jor,dan river, or, the Jordan, with river
understood. All this is well enough.
But to proper names independently used,
it is false English to prefix the article.
At all events, whether we shall prefix it
or not is a point to be settled , by our
own usages exclusively. "Beyond Jor
dan" is as good English as " beyond the
Jordan," with river understood. So
that the innovation referred to is without
reason, and, of course, as touching sacred
things, against reason.
"I receive not testimony from man,"
said Jesus (John v., 34.) The new
version twists it thus : " I receive the
witness not from man." There is here
a difference of collocation clearly for the
THE AMERICAN PRESBYTERIAN, THURSDAY, MAY 17. 1866.
worse; a difference of word-fancy in
putting "witness" for "testimony" as if
in pure caprice; and a difference of ar
ticle-using, that gives a definitive turn
to the meaning, and so perverts it. I
have a right to ask, what " witness" in
particular ? And as this c a n n ot be
shown, the perversion is manifest.
Again we are told, (vi. 3,) that Jesus
having passed over the sea of Galilee,
" went up into a mountain." Which,
however, the reformers render, wen t up
into the mountain," in servile copy from
the Greek. I wonder they stopped there.
John's words, exactly metaphrasi3d, run
thus : " The Jesus went up into the
mountain." Why not copy both ar
ticles ? As reasonably both as one.
Besides, our the" is always a definite
or definitive article, and never fitly used
without a defining purpose, that is, to in
dicate some object in particular, which
is not the case with the Gre e k ar ti c le.
As, then, there are more mountains than
one beyoUd the sea of Galilee, and
close by it, the definite article in Eng
lish cannot be properly applied till it is
known to which.
A like mistake occurs in verse 4 of
this chapter. " The passover, a feast of
the Jews, was nigh." So runs the
standard text. But the new version
calls it "the feast of the Jews ;" at” if
there was but one. A. blunder, cer
tainly, and, like many others, a Greek
idiom blunder.
Verse 31 gives yet a further instance c
" Our fathers did eat manna in iii
desert," is exchanged for " our fatberd
ate the manna in the desert.". ,, G r oo&
enough Greek, but not good English}
translation.
So, in vii. 24, instead of "judge
righteous judgment," the new Bible
makers hellenize very awkwardly, "judge
the righteous judgment:" •
And in verse 42 of this chapter, for
" Hath not the scripture said that Christ
cometh of the seed of David ?" they
give us " Did not the scripture say"
(our imperfect for second aorist Greek,)
" that the Christ comes of the seed of
David ?"
Again, viii. 12, our Saviour's pro
mise, "He that followeth me shall not
walk in darkness," seems to hav,e.sul
gested to these critics some particui
darkness, and they thrust in a "the" to
point it out; misguided doubtless by
their skill in Greek.
'ln v. 35, however, they depart from
the analogy of the original language,
substituting our indefinite article for the
Greek definite so called. Which is
worthy of note as a virtual acknowledg
ment that the Greek article has not
always a defining office.
But enough also of this class of bau
bles. I proceed to prepositional pecu
liarities.
John v., 25, has the expression, " is
passed from death unto life." The re
formers say, " out of death into life."
I know not why, unless they deem this,
close conformity to 'ex and 'etc in rtlui
original. Which however is contradict'
ed by their own practice in other eases.
Thus, in i. 11, "they say of Christ that
he " came to his own," although 'e.es is
there the Greek preposition; and in many
places they give us from. for 'ex, as in
iii. 31 and vi. 32, for instances. It
seems, therefore, that " out of death into
life" is but a caprice, and an affectation
of variance from the standard text.
Again, in vi. 50, the substitution of
"out of heaven" in place of "from
heaven" is a variance of like character.
And there are numerous other cases of
the sort.
The preposition 'ev ministers also to
their love of singularity. Christ is said
to have baptized with the Holy Ghost.
They write, "in. the Holy Ghost.". •Per
haps they are constrained to this by
their word " immerse," which takes the
place of "baptize." But again our ver
sion runs, (xvii. 17,) "sanctify, them.
through thy truth." The same preposi
tion in the original, and the same dative
case after it. Yet here the reforiners
persist in putting in for And what
is surprising, they drop the pronoun
" thy," which is an authentic \ portion of
the
,passage. So that their version is,
" sanctify them in the truth." Do they
suppose that 'ev never means with or
through? How will they render "
ev Irpocreux xal 2.Tarsia," in Matt.
xvii. 21, "'ev 86,1 w," in Mark xiv. I,."'eti
oic atothian," in Acts xi. 14 ? In short,
they are mistaken. And pity if they
were not; for "sanctification in the
truth," if it mean anything, means sancti
fication in scripture, which is not quite
intelligible.
LETTER FROM EAST TENNESSEE,
Meeting of Kingston Presbytery—A Retro
gressive Member—Holston Presbytery—One
of the "Diajecta Membra" Provided For—
Contrasts in Nine Years— Union Presbytery
—New Colored Presbyter* Gleurch, Or
ganized—Maryville College—Hymn and
Tune Book—Northern Ministers Welcome--
New State Convention.
Meßsvium, E. TENN:, April, 1866. ,
Mn. EDITOR:--Since I wrote to you,-
Kingston, Holston, and Union Presby
teries have held their spring sessions.
Kingston Presbytery met at Cleveland,
Win. B. Brown, Moderator. A craw-fish
motion was made to reinstate the rebel
preachers, which was promptly voted
down. From some cause, few of the
churches were represented. Rev. Thos.
Brown, one of our staunchest loyal men,
who held his 'ground all through the re
bellion, was chosen Commissioner to the
General Assembly. He always speaks
on the side of liberty and truth.
Holston Presbytery met at Jonesboro',
and selected Rev. F. A. McCorkle Mod
erator. Rev. Mr. Griffith, of Rogers-
(To be Concluded.)
ville, Rev. Samuel McCorkle, of Green
ville, Rev. C. Waterbury, of Jonesboro',
and Rev. David F. Palmer, late of New
River Presbytery, were received, and
their names added to our roll. Rev.
Mr. Turbitt, of Timber Ridge, was
invited to sit as corresponding mem
ber. Rev. R. P. Wells was dismissed
to an association in Massachusetts. An
appropriate minute was adopted with
reference to the death of Rev. Samuel
A. Rhea, missionary to Persia. Rev
David Palmer enters upon the work
of Bible distribution, with his head
quarters at Greenville. He is an earnest
Christian man, and claims that his sym
pathies are with our General Assembly.
Several churches were added to those
under the care of Presbytery. The As
sembly's plan of raising Commissioners'
Fund was agreed to, and Rev. Mr Water
bury and Gen. S. Milligan were chosen
delegates. Mr. Milligan is a ruling elder
of the Greenville Church—one of the
Supreme Judges of Tennessee—a most
excellent man, and loyal to the core.
Dr. McCorkle and Mr. Rogers neither
have a charge. Rev. Samuel Me.COrkle
is preaching to two loyal Old School
churches. Mr. Griffith is doing a good
work at Rogersville, and is likely to be
well sustained. Rev. N. Bachman has
been much blessed in his labors in and
around Kingsport. Rev. Mr. Waterbury
has been elected pastor of the Jonesboro'
church, and the Presbytery made ap
pointments with reference to his installa
tion. Considerable attention was given
to the subject of Christian education.
The free conversation on the state of re
ligion was profitable to all. Sabbath
schools and prayer-meetings have gene
rally been revived, and there is a pre
vailing disposition to contribute more
liberally to the support of the Gospel
than in former years.
In
. 1857, scarcely nine years ago,
Holston Presbytery met in Jonesboro',
to see what action should be taken with
reference to the Ross Presbyterianßon
vention to assemble at; itichmond. They
then adopted the following resolutions
Resolved, 1. That slavery is not a per
manent or desirable institution, and is to
be continued no longer than the good of
she master andr slave require it.'
Resolved, 2. That the Gospel is the
remedy for it,, and Christians should
strive for its removal in the spirit of the
Gospel.
Resolved, 3. That during its continu
ance, masters ought to instruct their
slaves so far as the laws of the State
will permit, and aim at their moral and
religious elevation.
In the spirit of these resolutions, I
was sent as a delegate, with instruc
tions to vote against a sectional organi
zation; but the pro-slavery wing carried
the day, and the United Synod was
thrown upon the world. Its disunion
and treasonable record, and its final
amalgamation with the Macon Assembly,
are matters of history. Slavery is gone,
and .the glorious Civil Rights bill secures
freefforii in perpetuity to every American
citizen throughout our wide domain.
Union Presbytery met at Maryville,
and Rev. Wm. Lyle was chosen Mode
rator. There was a good representa
tion of the churches, and the meeting
was spoken of as one of uncommon
interest. Rev. J. Griffes and Elder Jos.
Eckol were elected Commissioners to the
General Assembly. Rev. P. J. H.
Myers, of Dandridge, and Rev. Mr. Le
Vere, 'of the colored church of Knoxville,
were received, and enrolled as members of
Presbytery. Four Sabbath-schools among
the freedmen were, reported. During
the meeting Rev. Mr. Le Vere preached
an effective sermon, and organized a
colored Presbyterian church of twenty
odd members at M.aryville. Resolutions
were passed promising a hearty co-ope
ration with the Assembly's Committee
in the work of Home Missions. Rev.
T. J. Lamar made an interesting report
of his agency in behalf of Maryville
College, and the friends of the institu
tion determined to do what they could
to revive it, and to secure for it a per
manent endowment, so that our young
men need not go so far from home, to
acquire a thorough education. Rev. P.
M. Bartlett, of Massachusetts, is at pre
sent hearing the young men recite, and
in the fall session the trustees and
faculty will be prepared to accommodate
fifty additional students. The library,
scattered by the war, is being gathered
up again, and, as the railroad connecting
us with Knoxville is soon to be built,
the friends of the college believe that a
blight future is before it.
Rev. F. A. Griswold, of Strawberry
Plains,Sund ay-school Missionary, preach
ed for us on Sabbath morning, a most
excellent sermon. Having known this
brother Well during years of faithful ser-
vice in the army, I can confidently com
mend him and his work to all our
churches. Mr. A. Mathes, Presbyterian
Colportenr, was also with us, and brought
a fine lot of oar Committee's publica
tions. The books are beautiful, and ex
cellent as they are beautiful, and he will
find the demand for them constantly in
creasing.
had furnished the Maryville Church
with twenty-five copies of our, Hymn
and Tune Book, and the brethren were
so delighted with the singing that many
of them went home determined to hare
heir churches supply themselves with it.,
The Stated Clerk of Synod reports to
he General Assembly twenty-three min-
isters and forty churches composing the
Synod of Tennessee, which exhibits a
most encouraging advance since May ,
1865. Rev. Mr. Turbitt and Rev. p.
M. Bartlett are each preaching to two
churches, but they have not yet attached
themselves by letter to la-
The brethren who have come to us
from the North, find the churches gene
rally ready to co-operate very heartily
with them. They are faithful workers,
and are building up the kingdom of
Christ in our midst. Occasionally a
disappointed rebel amuses our people by
writing differently to the Christian Ob
server; but that
-paper has long since
lost its welcome among the loyal people
of East Tennessee. It is read some
times, as men read Volney's Ruins, to
see how far truth can be misrepresented,
but as a disturbing element its 'Power is
almost wholly:gone. In the last numbr
I read, Rev. N. Hood—an odd if not a
feeble brother for the last thirty years—
speaks'of his touching persecutions from
ministers, and elders in Union Presby- '
tery,• who took no action in his case
whatever, notwithstanding his confeder-'
ate 'heading. The editor shrewdly
enough withheld the name, fearing, per
haps, the record would be against him.
-The new State movement appears to
be gathering strength. A convention to
take action in the premises is called to
meet at Knoxville the first Thursday of
May. By the time I write you again,
matters may take a definite shape.
Praying that Congress may stand firm
so as to secure the national safety, the
overwhelming majority- of our loyal
people are fixed in their purpose to
keep East Tennessee, at least, from fall
ing under rebel control. Let our Chris
tian friends everywhere think of us
when they come to the Hearer and An
swerer of prayer.
Yours, very truly,
Semi= SAWYER
ALONE; OR, THE SPECIAL PROVI
DENCE OF IMPRESSIONS.*
BY MRS. SARAH F. HERBERT
" Did you know Aunt Huldah was
sick again with her everlasting influenzy
cold, as she calls it ?"
This question was carelessly address
ed bY a caller to Mrs. M., the minister's
wife, on a certain Saturday afternoon.
Now, that same Saturday afternoon
found Mrs. M. almopt overwhelmed with
care and work, being just then with9ut
'i help," and having two young children
on her hands, in addition to all the
household labor; the teething baby
having also very unceremoniously in
truded upon the morning hours, heaping
their tasks upon those of the afternoon.
Under these circumstances, Mrs. M.
was not a little surprised to find herself
beset with a strong impression that she,
ought at once to visit "Aunt Huldah"
(so called by everybody), who 'was an
aged and eccentric member of the church,
living all alone in an old tumble-down
house, orLa solitary road, more than a
mile from the parsonage. She put the
thought decidedly away, at first, feeling
that her obvious duty lay directly before
her in her own house. But the thought
would linger ; and when at last the baby
went to sleep, with every prospect of a
long nap, and the baking was taken from
the oven, the impression returned again
with fresh power.
I could go now, only I must sit up
till midnight in consequence. It seems
as if God were bidding me go ; yet I
have been taught to be guided by judg
ment, and not by impressions." So
thought the perplexed wife as she went
to her husband's study to seek advice.
I think it would be my duty to go,
rather' than to let you, who are already
so overburdened," replied Mr. M. to his
wife's statement of the facts ; " yet Ido
not think the case one which would jus
tify me in leaving my unfinished sermon.
You know Aunt Huldah is always
having her ups and down, and we have
no reason to suppose she is worse than
usual. You. ought to rest while the
baby 'sleeps; I think, decidedly, you
ought not to go."
" I will stay, then," said Mrs. M.,
turning somewhat sadly to leave the
room.
"Nay, my love, I would have you
guided by your own good judgment,"
said Mr. M., calling her back.
"My judgment, this strange impression
aside, tells me not to go to-day ; whence
then, if not from God, comes this irre
pressible feeling that I ought and must ?"
" If you feel so, go by all means,". re
plied Mr. M. "I will have the horse
harnessed in ten 'minutes."
" Eddie will sleep till I get home ;
that is part of my impression," said Mrs.
M., smiling, as she took her seat in the
chaise, with her older little one at her
side.
" Well, go ahead," was the incredu
lous rejoinder, " and if that fractions
baby sleeps two hours, and you find
Aunt Huldah dying with her int:Wei:my
cold,' I will believe in impressions' as
long as I live."
“Has the baby slept ?” was the
mother's first question, on her return,
more than two hours afterward.
"Yes, strange to relate, he has ful
filled his part of the contract," replied
Mr. M. "`How is Aunt Huldah ?"
"I think she is really very sick this
time. I found her up, however ; she
had just crawled out of bed and kindled
a little fire, over which she was shiver
ing this mild day, thinking that she
must, and yet could not, go up those
old, rickety stairs, into that garret, that
isn't safe for a cat to step in, to get
meal to make herself some gruel. I
keep feeling, in spite of myself, that if I
had not gone over she would have fallen
up there, and perhaps died alone. She
* This simple record of facts was suggested
by an article entitled " Special Providences,"
in the Sunday Magazine, by Dr. Guthrie, in
whieh he relates several instances, from his
ours/datum of similarprovideatial impressions.
coughs dreadfully, and is so weak it
took all my -strength to ge her into
bed."
" What does the .doctor say of h er
case this time ?" asked Mr. M.
" She has cried 'Wolf! wolf!' so
many times, when there was no danger,
that he wont come now that there is,"
replied Mrs. M. " What word do you
think he sent her, some days ago, and
hasn't been there since 7"
"0, I know," replied Mr. M. " The
doctor thinks she sends needlessly, and
he says no excuse will ever pacify her,
but to send' her word he is about used
up himself with the € intluenzy cold,' but
will try and get round in a day or two !-
" It is too bad," cried Mrs. M., vehe
mently; "I kaow - her lungs are almost
gone. He 'must be informed how sick
she really is. I have made her as com
fortable as - possible for to-day, and Mrs.
W. has agreed - to go in-every night and
morning to see her, and Mrs. N. every
day, to prepare her food and attend to
her wants, till my help comes, when I
mean to make her my special charge ;
for even now, she is so odd she won't
have - 11, nurse, or even let a neighbor
watch with her a night. With all her
eccentricity, I do believe she is a true
Christian. I read those blessed chap
ters in John to' her, and prayed with her,
and when I got through, she took my
hand in both hers, and said, f God bless
you forever, you dear child, for letting
me hear them words, and the voice of
prayer, once more before I die.' I said,
I can't bear to leave you alone.' She
replied, Not alone deary'; didn't you
read how he said, /will come unto you ?
Never think you left me alone.' So I
left her."
" I am glad yon went," said the min
ister, "and" I will call myself, Monday
morning."
When Monday morning came, it
brought an imperative call for the pastor
to go out of town, for the day, and his
wife was left alone with her children.
About nine o'clock, while in the midst
of her household tasks, she suddenly felt
an almost irresistible impulse to go at
once and see Aunt Huldah. She put
the thought decidedly away, thinking,
" It is impossible kir me to go this time,
for Mr. M. is gone with the horse, so I
could neithertake, nor leave the chil
dren, to say nothing of the work." Still
the thought returned with unaccountable
urgency, and with it thesuggestion to
leave the children with a kb3` d neighbor,
who was always glad thud to oblige.
But pride suggested how strangely such
a course would appear, on a busy Mon
day morning ; the conviction was smoth
ered, and Mrs. M. stayed at home with
a troubled conscience and a heavy
heart.
A few hours went by, and a neighbor
called to say that Aunt Hnldah had
been found dead that forenoon, lying on
the floor, beside her bed. " What time
do they think she died ?" asked Mrs. M ,
with a choking voice.
"Nobody knows, of course," replied
the neighbor, "but she had not been
long dead when she was found, towards
eleven o'clock. Most likely she died
sometime between nine and ten o'clock."
Was there not a special Providence
in those stange, unconquerable impres
sions ? Should they have' been so re
luctantly heeded in the one instance, so
persistently crashed in the other ? If
Mrs. •M. had sought counsel of her
Heavenly Father, instead of her own
judgment, would the aged saint have
died alone ? •
Alone ? Was it not too a Providence
of special mercy, which left these words
of healing for the broken heart of Mrs.
M. " Did you not read how He said, I
will come unto you ? Never think you
left me alone."
THE CONVICTED JITRON.
In the conversion of sinners God often
displays his sovereignty. The most un
likely means are sometimes used to awaken
the soul to a sense of its guilt and danger,
and to lead it to Christ. During the re
cent gracious revival in Newark, a gentle
man about fifty years of age came forward
with his whole household for baptism. His
experience before the church was peculiarly
interesting and affecting. He stated that
he was attending court as a juror, when the
Spirit of God touched the springs f thought,
and aroused his slumbering conscience.
While sitting in the jury-box hour after
hour, trying those charged with crime,
weighing the evidence, and listening to the
appeals of the lawyers, deciding Ln a ver
dict, and hearing the sentence pronounced
by the judge, the solemn scenes of the
judgment came flashing upon his mind.
He thought of the hour when he should
stand before the bar of God—when his
actions would be tried by
, an impartial
Judge, and there would be no possibility of
escape through the defect of the law or the
eloquence and ingenuity of counsel. So
deeply impressed was he with this view of
the judgment to come, that when the court
adjourned, he went home tveeping and in
great distress of mind, and calling his wife
to their chamber, he fell upon his knees,
and cried for mercy. The prayer was
heard, and both himself and companion
were soon rejoicing in the pardoning love
of God. Then followed in succession the
conversion of his daughter, son-in-law, and
niece.
IF a seaman should put about every time
he encounters a head-wind, he certainly
would be a long time in making a voyage.
So he who permits himself to be baffled by
adverse circumstances, will never make
headway in life. A sailor uses every wind
to propel; so should the young man learn
to trim his sails and guide his bark, that
even the adverse gales should fill its belly
ing canvas, and send it forward on its
onward come.