OKE LORD. Oil FAITH. OKI BAFTISM.”—1PHESIAKS 17:6. j^vs. Rude & Miller. Editors. JANUARY 31, 1873 COLUMBIA, 8. C. initiations. Our author, m wary wise man who undertakes to writ* a book will do, start* oat with on* grand ceotrml idea, the hill orbed moon ot hi* noc turnal researches, (for be ccrtaiuly is in the dark), which abed* bar pale and unsteady light orer all bto book, except ever and aaou dark clouds flit across his intellectual sfcjr to render more uoeertaiu his dark way. That grand central Idea that has placed itself topmost and fore most in his mind ti IVsfrrw, which in his onward march most of aecre- Family Worship, •aid to he, to either case. eioellenUy well dens. The rrwtln of method of pas- torsi senrlcw ate, if sot immediately aa satisfactory, of mors permanent valee than thorn* of the other. A For the Lutheran Vlntor. Family worship is an ordinance which God has frequently blessed to the saving of soul*. In houses where it is conducted with life and feeling, it baa often proved n convert ing ordinance. A few years ago an Englishman visited America and spent some days with a pious friend. He was a mao of talent and accom plishments, bat an infidel. Four years afterward he returned to the same boose a Christian. They won dered at the change, but little so* pec ted when and where it bed origi nated. He told them that he was present at their family worship, an the first evening of his former virit, JOJSCBSR 1. lineally a ^ above is the title of a work itt at from the press of Lippiucott & ( 0 by Rer. Mr/,Gross, a Lutheran ele’Tnian, of Easton, Pennsylvania, and whieh.we purpose to review in the ftoter To ed his brethren to do Christian work toofen something tangible behind him when he diea, or is transferred it of our Lutheran lioosekoUl, m iconnected with oar bi*t«5 for tho la8t <*<*ad« of rears has been ulore pleasing than ihat of a general inquiry after the old paths and a flowing disposition ,o return to and walk in them. In vgr jossp«rtaof the Luthegin Church rhere bas been witnessed » majestic ap-risiug of the people, and a sub- line return to our itch ancestral legacy and patrimonial inheritance, bequeathed to ns by our forefathers, aad banded down and preserved in dn glorious doctrioes of the Kefor nation. The few faithful oues, who j for years beheld with sorrow one in- j novation after another, one depart- ttrswceeeding another, one Lutheran custom or doctriuc after another diopped in order to engraft some thing foreign and exotic, until nearly every distinctive featuie of our Lotheranism was lost, bailed with profound pleasure this sublime reac am on the part of restless spirits; and the hope was fondly entertained that the leaven would continue to vurk its t way, silently but surely, into every part of our Ziou uutil d) should be permeated by its hap py Mae nee. They cherished the tope that the time fas not far dis tant when all should see eye to eye, when American fanaticism would be able to shake hands with Missouri exdusionism, when Si. Louis, and Fort Wayne, Selinsgrove, and Get tysburg, and Salem, and Philadel phia should lose their distinctive tenets .iu one, true Saktn. of peace, aad one Philadelphia of true broth erly love. «Bat alas! tbe time is not yet. The sound of battle still lingers on the they all knelt down to prgy, th? rec ollection of such scenes in his teth er’s house, long years ago, rushed to on his memory so that he did not bear a single word. But the oc currence made him think, sod his thoughtfulness ended in his leaving the howling w ilderness of infidelity, and finding a quiet rest in tbe salva tion wrought out by Jesus Christ. We might enumerate many like in stances. Many servants have been awakened through family worship. Children have often heard them truths, which, when the Spirit brought them to remembrance in after days —perhaps in days of profligacy, sad when ter from their father’s house— sent home tbe prodigal. It is not only of Zion’s solemn assemblies, but of Jacob's humble dwellings—the little fireside sanctuaries—that “the Lord shall count when he writeth up tbe people, This man was born there.” We would ask of every Christian: “lo your house there have been, perhaps, several accountable beings born into the world. Have there been any born again F—Episcopal Hecorder. ^nMtmSS -■ - —— 1 . ... I. Mi i t a« m mi , t , .J or man nn. which every wee* woaiu bring. He woo Id thus keep bis heart la contact with the heart of the people, and know how to preach to them. In matters of prune impor lanes affecting the policy of the ehnrek, his shaping hand would be Ml. lint ordinary religion* virtu*. tum, and the details of coctosiasiical hartwow. he woold transfer to his brethren; and train them to feel that they wore equally responsible Ho In abort a mean thing lie onn not sloop to n mono freed Ike tovndao no smswt hi tho keeping of justly bo presumed not to have ex hausted the science, and n thorough biblical knowledge is, therefore, by no monos under an exclusive, or •A# Reformers. Of the lawn of bet menentica, the sotonce of sacred philology, nothropology. biblical aril idem, etc., they could ham hot vary inadequate knowledge, indeed mere rudimeutal conceptions, fh totter that hrilleih, end (to flesh that prsjttrtk nothing had ofteo, alee! more weight with them tbsu (Ac *|mr%t that gsriel eneik; and hence it meet be coo ceded that, in ooneeqneoce of each a vitiating liberalism, they lacked, to n less or greater extent, the first reqai sites o« a correct iatarpretatiou of the divine oracles. Tbe Haformet* generally were unable to push their efforts in the attempted religious metamorphosis further than to tbe ekrymHs */«(#, where they untiled down in permanent fixation; end Aencr (to tmrions fVefetteal freed* ore ms w naltrrrddr ms ths lusts of ths Essies and Persians “Nothing, l make bold to nay, so clearly demonstrates, at least no ex ceptional tooompetono* of tho one- gosis of Luther, sa tbe dogma of tbe Lord's Supper, as taught to the Book of Concord. « . . Kcstorntiou to its original use and true import could be carried no farther then to evuxubstaiiativn. Here the aotote ship ot this branch of the Urformalioo 'came near etrauding, aad leather cast anchor, while Home apparently triumphed, sud it was a moostroo* Siamese twin like connection he tween the Vatican aad Wittenberg, which tbe tutors only could sever.” How true and bow noble this de itverauco by a Lutheran is, every intelligent Lutheran can jadge. Al though Luther was no biblical schot ar aud was incapable of going beyond tbe “ebrysotto state, 1 * yet our mag uauimous author says he, Lather, “was, though sometimes carried away by passion or warped by prejo dice, not devoid of liberal sent! menu or generous emotions.” The difference between the two divines will appear in the sequel. J. IlAWKtXM. ed contort with the church in order to talk in meeting quite as much as A steamboat captain was food of rtdkmttag the deripturea, aad mak tog tea of religion and its profes sors. He was" a confirmed infidel. He took special delight Jn! uttering bis sentiments in tbe nresenoe of mtototert of the gospel. On oaa of his tripe there was oo board an ex eel lent minister of Christ, who bad ths courage to sit down aad talk frith this skeptic. The special subject of conversation ww ibe impossibility of mirwdea. The minister, after patiently hearing him, said, “Captain, did you ever read the New Testament F “No, I can’t say I ever did. I've read parts of It” “Will you promise me you will read it all through, and then 111 discern any subject on which you have doubts F This was said in a kind, persuasive tone, and the cap tats replied, “I will* Tbe minister then went to fats trank and presented a copy of the New Testament to the captain, who again assured him be would read it all through. Thus they parted. After some vndea no privacy of of live bowel*. Mm aciom. Iatbartml iwcrful influent* a$a He hwyn an i ltev. Dr. John Hall, to an article on the unreasonable things that are sometimes expected of ministers, says: It is unreasonable to expect minis ters to be always at home to reeeire callers and always “running about among their people,” or to expect them to be constantly employed to these ways, and at the same time to bring into their pulpit things new and old iu a state of elaborate prepa ration. Uninspired men require to read, write aud think, if they are to teach continuously any body of peo ple ; and the more teaching and of explanation the people require, or the more simple the topic is to be made, tbe more study is demanded for it An absurd idea prevails among some unthinking persons, that miuisters who speak, as die* ttnguisbed from those who read, do not need or make preparation. The delusion is fostered by the use of our barbarous “extempore”—that is, as commonly used “without fore thought” or preparation. There is very little of such speaking—if it exists—worth listening to; and any speaking that does good to men, must, as a rule, be some time pre pared. Already America is overran with a generation of “orators,” rhet orical “katydids,” that tire ths bear ers, but are never tired; but, if our “orators* become “extempore” also, then “O! for*lodge in tome vast wilderness!” It is unreasonable to expect minis ters to work up their strength to the popular requirement, to procure pro fessional books, and to live as mem bers of the professions are expected, and by tbe common seutimeut re quired to litre, to be hospitable and charitable, aud all this oo the iuoome of a mechanic. Noun* forgives m assay stos as mL Owr sites men luasimstwfato, my are mmm to number Ihas ths ho practise* toward awry scarlet,they shall he obits a* snow.* No am* for give* mm m often aa (tod. II* pardeea areuaeaUy. W# •to eufttteually, aud lie forgive* ewa lineally He adopt i and asta npo* tho Itofo whir fa Ur gave to another, (tod forgiven as ate only nevea **mne, hat net forty (muss seven; as rtMtofi as ww indeed lias and truly When I was to Italy, late year, I went ap to Mount Venation. Thin, you haow, to a fsasou* valeaute mountain, near Naples. At the io«» of tbe aKinatoin to asm opening, called s orator, la the shape *f a huge funnel This crater is nearly half a mile wide, aad twelve er if teen hundred foel deep. From that great opening the mountain nmae "pates poors oat vast strenats of melted rocks, called Uva. These ran down the ahiea ot the mountain like bornmg rivers When they get cold, they remain on the side of the mountain as greet beds of solid rock, lo going op the mountain, you have to ride right over these beds of lava rock. I aevee *aw anything that looked so rough aad bterk sad dreary ns that lava did all around travel on the same boat, sod soon sought oat the captain, whose coon changed. After the warm greeting and salutation, the minister inquired about his reading tbe book. “Ah, sir F said he, “I bad not read ter before 1 felt 1 waa a guilty sinuer, aad that 1 needed just such a friend as Jeans, the Son of God. I wss enabled to cry with tbe publican, Ood be owreiful to me a sinner,’ aad with the blind beggar of Jeri eho, ‘Jesus, thoo Bon of David, have mercy oo me.' And I can now trust to that Jeans, and love Him, whom 1 oaor despised.” Tbe joy of tbit minister of Christ osa better he imagined than de scribed. The captain became a de voted duhrtlaa, and lived long to toll to others “what a dear Sa viour be had found ”—Sailor's Maga item * iA , Fr*ao»c<>, SU.. Ne*J» \ NT' PKAfcTO certainly read tiirr iti sgv of tmaveaas intvllecitiial activity, If ate af nemsrkahle total For tbe Lntlm* VtoiUir The Widow Comforted. some hollow placea to the Mark, ugly looking lava, ta theee a small quantity of soil had gathered; aad from that soil some dear little flowers were springing op, aad growing. They would hgve looked bean Ufa) say where; bat they looked more beautiful there because everyth tog around them wa* so rough aad droa ry. X looked at those flowers with great interest; aad I foil laelwed to say to them, “God Mens yea, ye dear Utile thtogsf for yea seem to be trying all you can to aoftoa down the rougboeee of theee lava rocks, aad to brighten their Idack aero fay your beauty ” You osa hardly thtok how much pleasanter oar path over those Area ry rocks was made by the sight ef those sweat flowers. Aad as t weal oo my journey that day, I thought to myself, “What a leeeoo then* Ut tie flowers teach as 1 Haw many people there are to thte world whose Way to jaet as rough sad as dash aad dreary as that path over the black rtK-ka ! Aad If we aro hied to them, sad show that we feel for COWPXKt, ept. 3fi. i into effect* There lived in a city in Germany a widow, the mother of several small children, whom the death of her husband had plunged Into deep povetty. 8be was not able to carry on his business, and her home would have to be sold to pay her husband 1 * debts. She laid down oo ber bed one night with a troubled heart. Falling asleep, she dreamed that she was at church, and her pastor said, “Fear thou not; for I am thy God. I will strengthen thee, yea, I will uphold thee with the right band of my righteousness.” She awoke very much comforted, but ber troubles awoke also, and ber tears flowed afresh. 8be again fell asleep,dreamed tbe same dream a second time, sod even a third time. Tbe Sunday fol lowing the first sound of tbe church bells found ber in tbe house of God. Tbe liturgical services being closed, the pastor ascended tbe pulpit, sod ns be always did before announcing bis text, addressed tbe congregation in a few opening remarks and quoted from the Prophet Isaiah the verm, “Fear thou not,” etc. Tbe widow felt as if she must cry so nil can bear, It is my vetss. Tbe Lord has chosen it to comfort me to my sttkw tion! From that very hour her trouble* were all removed. Whenever her confidence in the Lord was shaken she took refuge with and derived consolation from her verse. She ob- Gortr 21 o s^is y^n^laM s^s lisXiilly as^l entirely us God. Man make fire MU ^ IhiMiSliSi at mil. o,.mi .jmS* girmif ^ - —- ■— — xjpfiMMBwajp iNwfljF ro ww* Wto IkltoJgvw They any. “t can forgive, bat 1 lillliS' ** ikiifl Uki'Mi tcn** .7 50P* 6 30»® • 7 10P* ion Txain ^J bia as foro^ «■> * *;;:n $>** 1 l©vity, degrades tbe Re- qttotes lo prove bis views t un-Lutheran authorities, 1/ charges upon the Lnth- rines the sin of sectism and Buko Grunts.—A learned Orien tol, having beeo to visit the library of a French convent, writes thus to his friend la Persia, concerning what had passed $ “Father,” said I to tbe librarian, “what are these huge vol ante* which fill the whole side of the library F “These,” said be, “are the interpreters of tbe Scriptures.” “There to a prodigious number of thorn,” replied I; “the Scriptures most have been very dark formerly, and be vary dear at present Do there remain still any doubts! Are there any points oootested F “Are there!” answered he with surprise, “are there! There are almost as many as there are lines.” “You astonish me,” said 1; “what then have all them authors been doing F “Throe author*,” returned he, “never searched the Horiptnree for what ought to be believed, but for what they did believe themselves. They Passionate Christians.—Some meu talk like angels aud pray with fervor, aud meditate iu deep recess es, and speak to God with loving af fection and words of union, and ad here to Him in silent devotion, and when they go abroad are aa passion ate aa ever, peevish aa a frightened fly, vexing themselves with their own reflection; they are cruel to their bargains, unmerciful to their tenants, and proud as a barbarian prince. They are, for all their flae words, impatient of reproof; scornful to their neighbors, lovers of money, supreme in their own thoughts, aud submit to none. All their spiritual fancy is an illusion. They aije still uuder the power of their passions, and their sins role them imperiously, and carry them away infallibly.— Jeremy Taylor. * Right principles will by oo means I suit wrong practices. rh i e> too » k* 8 'ror is with tbe ar ® of which be is a minister— is with the Augsburg Confession, kin IT* ex * 8tence °f which eutitles pi l * le Proud position he occu* jk. ** a “duister of the Gospel in ear J >0re3t a,, d grandest church on --it is against a doctrine, or and constitute the pride mart i ‘ V ° f 0UI Ckondb our ,n o»t lie*, th 3U< * characteris an< * 001 e Protestsnt- ^-docnine* Koi.i i.J t,. - nfs Offi# ber 32, ^ ts£& *?& “ 3 30 l- Tfton dema thus, tell sol that duos (lud. ifotdtea litevte with Gad la a llittll* jl t a. g « |Ln . 4, oHPIWVjr n * 1 tel flWHflBteiggal PHm hini || ym nj.it'ifj |£gi tlrlulla i Imi be • comfort to them, jmrt a* the flower* that spring a|> to the faaitow* tor is iitomKy the overseer of the thsfwh; that ha to to aro that fato who travel over it.*—Ree. Dr. .¥em- w herein ware eootaiued the doctrines which they ought to receive, but as a work which might be made to au tboriaa their own idea*.”— Tonro For the needy ahali not always far noTku 4