Billeder på siden
PDF
ePub

Several remarks were made on this subject by other friends, including our respected pastor, Mr. Gladwell, who, in the course of his instructive address, touched on the advantages of open air preaching, as a means of spreading the knowledge of doctrines. The meeting was, at suitable intervals, enlivened by selections of vocal music.

It was resolved that the next meeting be held in Paisley, on the first Friday in September, 1863. T. J.

[As Messrs. Smithson and Rendell were appointed, along with the president (which escaped us), to draw up the address, we naturally, in reporting that the work had been done, spoke of them as having done it. Had we known the facts of the case, we would have saved our friend the pain of having to put in his claim for the honour which we should gladly have rendered him as his due.-ED.]

AN APPEAL TO THE BENEVOLENT.

ADDRESS OF CONDOLENCE TO THE QUEEN. To the Editor.
To the Editor.

Dear Sir,-In your account of the "Meeting of the General Conference" which is on the whole a very correct one-there occurs a mistake in reference to the "Address of Condolence to the Queen," the preparation of which is attributed to Messrs. Smithson and Rendell. As I feel a deep interest in this matter, I have no doubt that those friends would desire the correction. I take leave to state the facts.

I had the pleasure of proposing that such an address should be sent to her Majesty from the General Conference. On my proposition being adopted, the two ministers you name, together with the president, were made a committee to draw it up. But Mr. Smithson having to return home, requested Mr. Woodman to take his place; and Mr. Rendell being engaged on another committee, and considering that as I had moved the address, I had paid some attention to the subject, asked me to give the committee an outline of what I thought it should be. I therefore sketched the address, which was placed in Mr. Woodman's hands, who, with the president, made some valuable alterations and additions. It was subsequently laid before the Conference, when it was further considered and adopted. Thus it happened that those who you inadvertently say prepared the address had no hand in its production.

I take this opportunity of suggesting that it would be a good rule-which I think all will admit-for the Conference to require the mover of any proposition to be a member of the committee for carrying it out. In this instance it did not occur to me at the time-nor apparently to any one else that I ouhgt to have been on that committee.-Very faithfully yours,

Sept. 11th, 1862.

H. BUTTER.

My dear Sir,-Edward Cartmell was the founder, and for several years the leader, of the Carlisle society of the New Church, which duty, together with that of colporteur, he fulfilled until illness and the infirmities of age prevented him; but even whilst he did so, the society was unable to afford him any material aid, and it was imperative that relief should be had from the "Board of Guardians," a matter of great pain to a worthy and sensitive man. But the loss of his daughter was the loss also of this pittance, for it was by her exertions and domestic aid that he could have a home of his own. The Lord called her hence in youth, leaving the old man quite unable to live alone. He had a married daughter, however, whose husband is a bricklayer, with a family of three children; they have kindly taken their aged father for the remainder of his days, though in winter work is very uncertain, and such an arrangement may prove hard upon them all. A more worthy, well-read, and intelligent New Churchman-and withal a poorer one-than Edward Cartmell you may not easily meet with. As he is not able to do any kind of work, I venture on his behalf to make this appeal, and shall be glad to receive postage stamps or any other form of assistance for him, which any friend, whom the Lord hath blessed with "the will and the way," may kindly forward. He is well known to the Revs. Bayley, Rendell, and Woodman.--I am, sir, faithfully yours,

ROBERT CATCHESIDE.

A SUGGESTION TO DEACONS AND
CHURCHWARDENS.

To the Editor.

Dear Sir,-Early in June the following copy of a circular was issued to the members and congregation of our church. The result has been most

satisfactory. By this new and simple plan the contributions towards the support of public worship have been more than doubled. I ask your insertion of this for the benefit of other churches, feeling assured that they have only to adopt it to be convinced of its successful operation. We find numbers now give a trifle weekly, who, on the old plan could not afford a monthly or quarterly subscription; and those who previously subscribed liberally have doubled their amounts, without apparently feeling the difference.-I am, dear Sir, yours very truly,

THOMAS STEVENSON. "New Christian Church, Hedderlystreet, Nottingham.-At the monthly church meeting, held on Monday evening, June 2nd, when upwards of forty members were present, it was unanimously resolved, that seat rents and the monthly subscription plan should be immediately abolished, and weekly offerings substituted forthwith.'-For the information of members, probationary members, and friends who were unable to attend the meeting, the following explanation is given. Each person will be supplied every quarter with thirteen envelopes (being one for each Sunday in the quarter); each envelope will be numbered according to the membership or other number, as entered in the book. Into this envelope the holder puts a penny, twopence, threepence, fourpence, sixpence, shilling, or any other sum, according to his or her ability. It is then sealed up, and put into the box placed at the door for the purpose, either coming in or going out at morning or evening service, as the case may be. The amount contained in such envelope is afterwards entered in the book opposite to the number attached to the name, the number only appearing on the envelope, so that the greatest privacy is secured. The numbers, with their amounts, will be announced every church meeting, so that any one will have the opportunity of ascertaining whether his or her amount is correctly stated, and if not, the same may be mentioned openly at the meeting, or privately to the Deacons. A few extra envelopes, marked with the letter F, and bearing the same number, will be given to each person, to indicate (for instance) that envelope No. 42 F is the 'free-will offering' of any friend whom No. 42 might occasionally bring to the service. Thus every one will have the means of intro

ducing the plan to others, and all will at least have the opportunity of subscribing towards the ministerial and other expenses attendant on worship, if even only to the extent of the 'widow's mite.' It was also unanimously resolved that the proceeds of the quarterly collections (first Sundays in July, October, January, and April) shall, in future, be devoted to the maintenance of the Sunday-school in connection with the church.' It is not intended to make any other collections whatever, and at the anniversary services the collections would only apply to entire strangers; the members and friends putting their offertory envelope on the plate, it being perfectly optional whether the contents were increased or not on that occasion.-Applications for envelopes may be made to the deacons at the close of each service, or at any other time to Mr. Stevenson, or through the minister, the Rev. William Ray, 14, Esplanade.

"JOHN BAYLEY,

"THOMAS STEVENSON, Deacons." "D. W. HEATH.

P.S.-It has been thought prudent, in consequence of the universal interest manifested by all classes to visit the International Exhibition, and the state of local trade here, to postpone the proposed bazaar until the coming spring, more especially as it is considered that many of the kind friends at a distance, who had promised to aid us, will have a better opportunity of carrying out their intentions during the winter months. We hope to be able to fix upon the exact time early in the coming year.

COLONIAL. CANADA.

The readers of the Repository will be pleased with the fact recorded in the extract below, from a Montreal paper of the 6th of August.

"At four o'clock yesterday afternoon the ceremony took place of laying the corner stone of the New Jerusalem church, corner of Dorchester and Hanover streets, opposite the Primary School, Mc.Gill College. The ceremonies were conducted by Mr. Edwin Gould, licentiate of the New Jerusalem church. In an air-tight glass jar the following documents were enclosed, when the jar was deposited in the cavity:-A sketch of the History of the Society; a copy of the Constitution of the Association of the New Church in Canada, with the Minutes

of its first Meeting; the Montreal Daily Witness of August 5th, 1862; the New Jerusalem Messenger for July 26th, 1862; coins of Britain, Canada, and the United States, of recent dates, &c. Mr. Gould then repeated the Lord's prayer, and read appropriate selections from the Old and New Testaments, the responses being made by the audience. An address was then read, together with the sketch of the history of the New Jerusalem Church, the ceremonies closing with the Lord's prayer and the Benediction."

NOVA SCOTIA.

Mr. Gunton has kindly forwarded a letter he has received from the Rev. A. Mc.Arthur, from which we select for publication such parts as are of general interest.

66

Tatamagouche, Colchester County, Nova Scotia, July 7th, 1862. "Dear Sir and Brother,-Unpleasant circumstances occurring in connection with my labours with the Paisley society induced me to resign my office of minister to the society; I had also been strongly urged by my friends here to return, and resume my labours among them. Here I am, therefore, in Nova Scotia, the only minister of the New Church in the lower provinces of British North America. I have organised a society known as the New Church society of Mill Brook, New Annan, Nova Scotia. My field of labour embraces a circuit of 20 miles. All the receivers' within this circle have been introduced to the heavenly doctrines through my own labours; you may be sure, therefore, that I am very dear to them as a minister, and that they gave me a very hearty welcome on my return. It would appear that, in the Lord's providence, I was directed to the mother country to learn the way of the Lord more perfectly, that I might be better fitted to give instruction to hungry and thirsty souls here.

"The district of country in which my lot is cast is entirely new, most of the farms having been redeemed from the forest within the last twenty years. The greater part of the county is still in the wildness of nature, covered with spruce and pine, waving in their vast magnificence. Bears and mouse abound. The mouse is the elk of this country-an immense animal, larger than an ox. One of these large creatures looked in at the window of one of our people, who has his house in the wilderness, the

My

other day. The bears are so numerous that the children of the Mill Brook, in going to school, have to be guarded by men. Such is the physical aspect of the country here. There has been a succession of failures of crops, and the people are consequently poor, in fact there is scarcely any money in circulation; whatever trade is carried on is done in the way of barter. To procure a few necessaries for me, in setting up house, our people had to pay in spruce deals, which they carried to the merchants. salary is paid in wood, butter, meal, &c. No money: the fact is, I cannot depend on my profession for a living, but have to put my hands to work. To-day I have been out chopping wood-fire wood, so that I am literally eating my bread by the sweat of my brow. But I really enjoy the wild freedom of the back woods, with its rough work, hard fare, and hard labour. The idea of being the first and only minister in this province to publish the glorious truths of the New Dispensation, impresses me with a sense of responsibility, while it fills me with delight. It is a post of trial to be sure, but it is also one of honour. So I hope I shall learn to labour and to wait, with a heart for any fate.

"I have been two sabbaths in the country, and I have already preached in three different settlements. Next sabbath I am advertised to preach in a fourth. There are few churches in the county; we worship in school-houses, which are open to me. There is a general willingness on the part of the people to hear the new doctrines, and good attendance, and great interest and attention at the preachings.

"Perhaps our friends in England, when made aware of what we are attempting, will aid us in carrying on the work. Perhaps they may be willing to recognize me as the missionary of the New Church in this country. We have two lots of Swedenborg's writings amongst us. We would like a few volumes of

'Noble's Appeal,' 'Clowes' Gospels,' 'Bayley's Sermons,' a lot of hymn books and tracts, &c. Will some kind friend send me the 'Intellectual Repository?' As to sending money for these books, it is entirely out of our power: we positively have no money at all amongst us. There is, however, this year the prospect of good crops, and the people will be able, I hope, to redeem their circumstances,

and give material aid in facilitating the descent of the New Jerusalem in this northern land.

"You are at liberty to make such use of this hurriedly-written note as you may see fit.

FOREIGN.

FRANCE AND GERMANY. Acknowledgment of Mesdames Le Boys des Guays, Harlé, and Tafel, for the Gifts presented to them by the Ladies of the New Church in England. The idea so happily conceived by one of our countrywomen, herself an ornament to the church and to her sex, and so warmly taken up by the rest, to present the wives of our three illustrious visitors from France and Germany with some mark of their sisterly esteem for them as fellow-workers with their husbands, by love, in their labours of wisdom, having been successfully carried out, as reported last month; we have now the pleasure of recording the acknowledgments of these ladies to their sisters in England for this tribute of affection. For the sake of some of our readers, we give a translation of the French and German letters. Madame Harlé's, with its accompanying note, are written in English. These letters have been kindly forwarded to us by Mr. Watson, to whom they were addressed.

"Saint-Amand (Cher),

"31 Août, 1862. "Cher Monsieur et Ami,- Je vous adresse ci-inclus une lettre de ma femme aux dames de la Nouvelle Eglise d'Angleterre, en remercîments des dons précieux qu'elles lui ont offerts, et je vous prie de la leur remettre, en leur exprimant de nouveau que les dons faits à ma chère épouse ont produit en moi la plus douce joie que j'aie jamais éprouvée.

"Je saisis vivement cette occasion pour vous exprimer toute ma sympathie, et vous remercier de l'accueil bienveillant que j'ai reçu de vous et de toute votre famille, sur laquelle je prie le Seigneur de répandre ses bénédictions.-Votre ami et frère en Notre Seigneur,

"LE BOYS DES GUAYS." [Translation.] Saint-Amand (Cher), 31st August, 1862. Dear Sir and Friend,-Enclosed is a letter from my wife to the ladies of the New Church in England, thanking

them for the valued gifts they have presented to her; and I beg you to convey it to them, with the renewed assurance that these gifts to my dear wife have produced in me the sweetest joy I have ever felt.

I gladly seize this opportunity to express to you all my sympathy, and to thank you for the kind welcome I received from you and all your family, on which I pray the Lord to shower His blessings.-Your friend and brother in our Lord, LE BOYS DES GUAYS.

Mr. Thos. Watson,
19, Highbury-crescent, London.
"Aux Dames de la Nouvelle Eglise
d'Angleterre.

"Chères Dames et bien-aimées Sœurs en notre Seigneur Jésus Christ,-Permettez-moi de vous exprimer ma profonde reconnaissance pour le don que je reçois de votre bonté envers mon cher mari et envers moi. J'ai été émue en voyant la belle Sainte Bible, et chaque fois que je la lirai, je penserai aux bonnes et aimables sœurs qui me l'ont offerte d'une manière si gracieuse. La très jolie bague m'a fait un plaisir extrême et sera aussi conservée par moi bien précieusement.

"Mon mari m'a raconté l'accueil cordial et sympathique qu'il avait reçu de ses amis de la Nouvelle Eglise en Angleterre; merci, chères sœurs, mon cœur en est profondément touché, car nous ne faisons qu'un.

"Nous priont le Seigneur qu'il répande sur vous, chères amies, ses plus abondantes bénédictions, et qu'il nous accorde le bonheur d'être toutes réunies un jour dans la Jérusalem céleste.

"Veuillez agréer, chères Dames et bonnes Sœurs, l'assurance de ma sincère affection Chrétienne.

"CLOTILDE LE BOYS DES GUAYS."

[Translation.]

To the Ladies of the New Church in England.

Dear Ladies and beloved Sisters in our Lord Jesus Christ,-Permit me to express to you my deep gratitude for the gift bestowed upon me by your kindness towards my dear husband and myself. I was moved on seeing the beautiful copy of the Holy Bible, and every time I read it I shall think of the good and kind sisters who have in so graceful a manner presented it to me. The very elegant ring has given me extreme

pleasure, and it also will be carefully treasured by me. My husband has given me an account of the cordial and sympathetic welcome he received from his friends of the New Church in England. Thanks, dear sisters! my heart is deeply touched by this, for we make but one. We pray the Lord to shed upon you, dear friends, His richest blessings, and to grant us all the felicity of meeting together one day in the heavenly Jerusalem. Please to accept, dear ladies and good sisters, the assurance of my sincere Christian affection.

CLOTILDE LE BOYS DES GUAYS.

"Champlan, par Longjumeau (Seine et Oise), 31st Aug., 1862. "Dear Sir,-I send you, and beg you to transmit to the New Church ladies in England, the thanks of my wife, to which I iteratively join mine, for their kind and beautiful gift, and also to you, sir, and to our other dear friends, for all your kindness to us.-Believe me to be, with brotherly affection, truly yours, "AUG. HARLÉ.

"To Mr. Thos. Watson."

"Please to accept, as a testimony of the two authors' affection, a copy of our French New Testament, which I address to you by this same courier."

"To the Ladies of the New Church in

England.

"Dear Ladies,-With a deep sense of your kindness to my husband and my self, I receive your gift of a fine ring and a beautiful holy Bible. I have been delighted with all that M. Harlé has related to me of the cordial reception he has met with from his New Church friends in England. In the spirit of conjugal union with him, I pray the Lord, our Father and Saviour, to bestow upon you His precious blessings, and to lead us all, by the practice of His divine commandments, to eternal happiness in His heavenly kingdom.-In this common hope, believe me to be, dear ladies, your affectionate "HELENE HARLÉ.

66 Champlan, 31st August, 1862."

From Madame Tafel. "Tübingen, den 9ten Sept., 1862. "Der Englischen Sprache zu wenig mächtig, um mich richtig darin ausdrücken zu können, erlaube ich mir, in der deutschen Muttersprache den Damen der Neuen Kirche in England herzlich zu danken für die Güte und

Freundlichkeit, womit Sie auch der abwesenden Frauen gedachten, und für die schönen, in einem Ring und in einer Englishen Bibel bestehenden Gaben, die Herr Tafel auch für mich als Ueberraschung von der Englischen Reise mit zurückbrachte. Die Gastfreudschaft und vielfachen Beweise von Liebe und Theilnahme, deren mein Mann unter seinen Neukirchlichen Freunden in England sich zu erfreuen hatte, werden gewiss dankbar in seiner Erinnerung fortleben, und haben wohl viel dazu beigetragen, dass er erfrischt und zu neuer Arbeit gestärkt, von dieser schönen Reise wieder heim gehehrt ist. Für all dieses Wohlwollen noch besonders warmen herzlichen Dank und Gruss von

"WILHELMINE TAFEL."
[Translation.]

Not being sufficiently familiar with the English language to express myself in it with correctness, I take the liberty of using my native German to return my heartfelt thanks to the ladies of the New Church in England, for their kind and friendly remembrance of the absent wives of their foreign friends, and for the beautiful but unexpected gifts of a ring and English Bible, which Mr. Tafel presented to me on his return from his English journey. The hospitality and numerous proofs of love and sympathy which my husband received from his New Church friends in England will assuredly continue to live gratefully in his memory; and they have materially contributed to his returning home from his delightful journey refreshed and strengthened for renewed labour. For all this kindnes accept once more my warmest and most cordial thanks and kindest regards. WILHELMINA TAFEL.

[blocks in formation]
« ForrigeFortsæt »