Observer, Nov. 1, '75.

shall be the matter of record. A self-accusing or approving conscience shall be the witness in the heavenly court; and the individuals arraigned will aggregate themselves in masses, two companies, by virtue of their moral affinities. God's judgment is not harsh or arbitrary, but simply according to law-the law of our own moral nature, of our own highest good. See inter al., Matt. vi. 17, vii. 1, xxv. 31, 46; 1 Peter ii. 23; 2 Peter ii. 9; 1 Thess. iv. 16., v. 2; 2 Thess. i. 6; 1 John iii. 1-21. These, then, are principles of the doctrine of Christ. Let us then build on this foundation of faith and hope a superstructure of love, and garnish the temple of God with goodly stones, well shapen and tried, and wait for the Master-builder to come to inspect the work and judge the deeds; and, as we know not the day of His coming, let us evermore

WATCH.

PREACHERS WITHOUT PLACES.

IN a communication recently published in the Evangelist, we find the following sentence in Italics :

“Just now there are more preachers without places and places without preachers, than were ever known among us before."

To speak of a preacher without a place to preach, is like speaking of a bird without a place to fly, or of a ship without a place to sail. There may be birds with crippled wings that cannot fly, or birds too old to fly; there may be ships with tattered sails and rotten hulls which cannot venture into the open sea; and so there may be preachers who cannot preach, or who cannot go to the place in which they ought to preach; but as the whole boundless atmosphere is for the birds, and the whole surface of the ocean is for the ships, so the whole world is the place for the preachers.

The talk about preachers without places is the cry of an imbecile. It means that there are preachers who preach only when some church or churches will guarantee them a salary ample for their support. And it means that if this is not done they will abandon preaching, and go to selling sewing machines, or obtain an insurance agency, or find some other employment suited to their capacity. The same writer proceeds in the following strain:

"What will our young men do who have laid out their hard-earned means to prepare themselves for the ministry, when the churches will not employ them? They will turn their backs upon the ministry for ever, and their history will ever prevent their places being filled by others. The writer of this is seriously contemplating another calling in a few short months, when in all probability he will bid farewell to the ministry. It is needless to conceal longer the fact that a heavy per cent. of our ministry will soon be sacrificed unless their services are appropriated by the churches."

We say with a hearty good will concerning all such preachers, let them go; and the sooner the better. Their call to the ministry is not a deep and solemn sense of obligation to God, but a mere choice of professions and consequently they have missed their calling. "He that puts his hand to the plough and looks back is not fit for the kingdom of God."

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Observer, Nov. 1, '75.

But perhaps someone is prepared to ask seriously, what shall a man do who wants to preach but has no place offered him in which he can be supported. We answer, first of all, let him starve to death rather than advertise himself in the newspapers as a seeker for a place. This custom, which is beginning to show itself among us, is degrading to preachers, and no man who has proper self-respect will descend to it.

We answer, in the second place, let no man go around among the churches that are hunting for fine preachers, and preach trial sermons. This also is a degrading practice, and one that should be broken down at once. If a church thinks of securing your services, she can, through a judicious committee, learn far more about you from those who know you than she can by setting you up in her pulpit as a mark to be shot at, while you, in your efforts to dodge the arrows of criticism, make a ninny of yourself and spoil your sermon. Let the abomination of trial sermons be laid in the dust.

We answer, in the third place, let every man who has taken it upon himself to preach, go forth and preach wherever he can find people who will hear him; and where he finds that they hear him with the greater interest, let him preach the more. If he find that by this means he does not receive a support for his family, let him add tent-making like Paul, or something else that he understands, as a means of support, and still preach as much as he can. He can find some place to preach every Lord's day at least, if it only be in some neighbouring school house, or in some shady grove; and he should fix his residence where he will be most accessible to places in which his preaching is acceptable. At times when his means of livelihood will allow it, he should make extended tours through regions in which he can be useful, or hold protracted meetings in communities where he can find an audience. If, through want of better encouragement, he should spend all his life in this way, he will be doing only what thousands of good men have done before him, and will be doing his duty. But if a man labour thus and possess the real elements of usefulness there is no portion of our country in which his labours will not eventually be so appreciated that he can receive a support for his preaching alone.

Above all things, let us shun, as fatal to our souls, all selfish views of gospel work, and remember that to spend and to be spent is at once the duty and the glory of the servants of Christ.

The foregoing editorial, from the Apostolic Times, shows that the Disciples of Christ, in America, can make no better hand than do the denominations generally of the hired preacher-pastor system. Young men go to College, prepare themselves for a profession, and seek a vacant church so soon as possible. Many of them are not sufficiently up to the mark to secure a place in a church willing and able to pay a fine salary, and after knocking about for awhile they turn away to some other calling; and, too often indicate that there was but little anxiety to make known the Gospel, save that which appertains to the professional aspect of the work. The system fails everywhere. Each sect as it comes to depend for its edification and enlargement chiefly upon a stated preacher-pastor fails in most vital points. A few large congregations are kept up, making very few converts, and scarcely at all influencing the masses, who are left without contact even with the truths those sects would gladly disseminate.

Observer, Nov. 1, '75.

The apostolic methods of making known the Gospel can alone save us from confirmed inefficiency. The Disciples in America are not progressing towards those methods, but in the opposite directions. There are no special reasons for concluding that, in this country, if placed in their circumstances, we should prove very superior. They have their departures from Apostolic lines and in many places they are glaringly exhibited. Unless we watch and stand by the truth, zealously determined to resist small departures, we shall wander as widely as they, and not be very likely to stay where they are. We do not think that, either here or there, we are sufficiently alive to doing the Lord's work by His own methods. There is almost constant temptation to promote the prosperity of the cause of God by departure from His ways. But such departure never answers in the end, never has His approval, · and is always an offence. It is ours to watch, pray, labour and wait. Results we have nothing to do with; they should be left entirely with the Lord. Let us be right and do right; if but little prosperity He will make the results praise Him in the end; and will say to those who have thus served Him, Blessed are ye, enter into the joy of your Lord. Ed.

MISSHAPEN CHRISTIANS.

THEODORE PARKER declared of a great revival in Boston, that a score of such excitements would never close a dram-shop or liberate a slave. He saw through jaundiced eyes, and yet he caught the shadow of a truth; What was it? Not that Christians have no religion, but that their religion needs to be better distributed over the character. It does not fit them. There is cloth enough, perhaps, in the garment; but here it draws and pinches, and there it bulges out too far to even touch the

wearer.

We have in mind, for example, one, who, in some things, is a model. He is orthodox. He is generous. He loves prayer and prayer-meetings. But he has a temper like a bomb-shell! We have heard it explode in the parlour and at the dinner-table, to our utter consternation. We remember also a Christian woman, whose good works were carried on night and day at high pressure. There was hardly a ragged boy in the neighbourhood who had not been clothed by her busy fingures. No collection without her generous contribution. But her self-will was simply a nuisance to her husband and her friends. Conceited, squeamish -she seemed to feel that anybody so efficient could afford to be unlovely. What if a machine-shop is a perfect Babel of harsh noises, and a den of ugly Vulcans, all begrimed with oil and dust, provided the establishment turns out good work? She considered herself a sort of spiritual machine-shop.

Now, why do many Christians make this sorry figure of mingled beauty and deformity, like statues finished half by a sculptor and half by a stonemason; or trees, loaded with foliage and fruit on one side, and gnarled and blasted on the other? If we only were creatures of a normal growth and development, doubtless, either good or evil would wholly pervade us. There would be no mixture. A healthy, vigourous

Observer, Nov. 1, '75.

body digests a poison, and sends it with quick pulsations through the arteries to envenom every limb. A diseased, enfeebled circulation leaves it in the stomach, to gangrene and inflame. So too with the mind. Some men have a logical straight-forwardness that darts right on from the premises to its conclusion. Their chain of reasoning flashes, like chain lightning, in an instant through its length. They can hardly imbibe an error without becoming all error. But many a good soul, short-sighted, illogical, and self-contradictory, will hold a truth and a deadly heresy, lying snugly side by side-the most peacefull bed-fellows in the world.

But what is the remedy for all the distortion in Christian lives? "More religion”—many reply. But more religion, merely, will never answer. The fact is that genuine piety, true love to God, may go on increasing, and yet hardly touch these strange self-contradictions. The Baptist Watchman and Reflector declared, just after the great revivals of 1857, that there were, at that time, more dissensions and bickerings in their churches than almost ever before.

The difficulty is the want of a special application and enforcement of religion on the special sin of the church or individual We have gone on the false assumption that religion, once received, would apply itself. We have expected that in its liquid flow, it would diffuse itself through all the channels of the soul; as it would in any warm, generous nature uncursed by depravity.

The good man we mentioned, with the explosive temper, apparently never thought of bringing his religion to bear on that infirmity. The redoubtable sister, with her bustling charities and her ugly will, asked God for everything but the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit. The churches, in the great revival, were more anxious to save souls, than to temper their zeal with love.

Now there are disciples who, it may be with no more sincerity or self-denial than the one-sided Christians we have alluded to, have a rounded and admirable beauty of character. Take them in any state of furtune or misfortune, turn them upside down and over and over with agitations and calamities; and somehow, like a kaleidoscope, they will come up as orderly and beautiful as ever! The reason is plain. They carry their religion around the whole scope of their character, bringing the whole equally under its power. They "grow up into Him in all things which is the Head, even Christ." What cares your neighbour for your closet hours, or your heavenly experiences, provided you meet him in a passion or over-reach him in a bargain? Be strongest at the decisive point. And the decisive point, in practical life, is the point of contact with the world. If you are weaker than your godless neighbour there, no matter how mighty in grace or works you may be elsewhere.

We need more religion in every church and every heart. But if we can learn to make the best use of what religion we already have, the gain will be immeasurable! We want a balanced character, every grace holding every other in counterpoise. We want the circle of virtues complete.

Observer, Nov. 1, 75.

THE BAPTISTS AND BAPTISM AND REMISSION.

THE Baptists, impelled by the force of truth, are discussing among themselves the relation of baptism to the remission of sins. One of the ways in which this is carried on is by letters in the weekly issues of "The Baptist." One on October 8th, almost called for a reply on behalf of brethren known by the designation Disciples of Christ, as their teaching is freely referred to therein. This, however, was not the beginning of the matter, and the next week brought a reply from a well-known Baptist, who is prone to keep closer to the New Testament than many of his brethren. Perhaps it is better to leave, for the present, our Baptist friends, whose increase in the knowledge and favour of God we greatly desire, to enlighten each other, so far as they can and will. Only one word, then, at this time, on the following letters (the reproduction of which we deem likely to advantage our readers), viz., that we see no difference whatever in signification between baptism (preceded by faith and repentance) FOR the remission of sins, and baptism INTO that remission. "FOR" in the one case means in order to, and "INTO," in the other, denotes translation into a sin-remitted state. Just as we

may say that a certain slave underwent a given ceremony for, or in order to, liberty, meaning precisely the same as when saying that the ceremony in question was into freedom-that is out of the state of bondage into that of liberty. We are not, then, careful how our friends translate es in Acts ii. 38, as in either case it intimates motion, or progress toward, terminating in a state of pardon. The reader may conclude that Mr. Norton, though surrendering Matt. iii. 11, maintains his ground as to Acts ii. On our part, however, the text is not surrendered, we hold that John's baptism was in order to repentance, while that instituted by the Saviour follows repentance and is in order to pardon. But on this point we have before written.

THE DISCIPLES AND BAPTISM.

To the Editor of the Baptist.-DEAR SIR,-However unwilling I am to trespass upon your space, I trust you will consider the importance of the subject, as it has now developed itself in this correspondence, excuse enough for my craving an opportunity of answering the letters in last issue. I would desire, however, just to say regarding my original question in the Baptist of September 3, "Who ought to be baptized?" that personally I agree with the reply given by Mr. Dick, in the issue of the 17th, we have no right to refuse baptism to anyone who is born of God." Passing from this, I would crave your indulgence in making a few observations on the very serious difference evidently existing between the Baptists and the Disciples" regarding the way of salvation. I have not consciously used one disrespectful word of the latter. I bear them witness that they have a zeal for God, but it is (I think) without knowledge.

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The discussion has arisen out of Mr. Thomson's challenging my statement that they consider baptism a seal to the believer. As he frankly acknowledges now I was justified in my statement, I need not say more on that score; he further candidly admits that the primary meaning of eus is into, whatever its application and context may in certain cases imply. So far so good. I would now, as briefly as I can, notice the doctrine advanced by him-recognised by the "Disciples," and regret to see homologated in some measure by Mr. Norton. Stated in these words, "Baptism is the completion of the new birth;" baptism "inducts the true subject into Christ; and in the words of Mr. Norton, baptism "has been made by God a part of the way of salvation." These statements are explicit enough. I hesitate not to say they are dangerous in the extreme. That there are passages, which, if interpreted