God. At Athens the aim was similar; but there is more minute reference to surroundings. At Miletus there was (1) mention of what he had done, (2) warning of danger, (3) instruction how to act. In every instance the speaker started with his hearers just where he found them, acting upon their knowledge and convictions in all he said, the manner of presentation taking shape from the circumstances. Antagonism was nearly always aroused; only in three or four of the many places named does he seem to have escaped wicked opposition. Confirmatory signs attended his efforts. Give examples of miracles performed. The reception of Gentiles into all the blessings of the gospel, without ever being placed under bondage to Judaism, is exemplified in every chapter. The consolidation of the converts received large attention, two journeys, having that chiefly in view, and much time being thus occupied. To this end elders were appointed, and that too, it seems, ere the churches were long in existence.

QUESTIONS.-1. From what church did Paul start on two separate missionary journeys? 2. Who was Paul's companion in the first tour? 3. Who in the second? 4. Name a few of the places visited. 5. Where did Paul restore a young man to life? 6. Narrate what happened at Paphos. 7. And at Lystra. 8. And at Ephesus. 9. Repeat what you remember about Apollos. 10. And about Aquila. A. B.

Intelligence of Churches, etc.

AMONG INDIANS.-While preaching in Northern Texas, I heard that the chief of the Chickasaw Indians was favourable to our people, and wished to see some of their preachers; and so I crossed the Red River and called on him. He received me kindly, and invited me to speak to his people. I gladly accepted his invitation, and commenced preaching the gospel to those children of the forest, and soon had the pleasure of seeing a goodly number of them become obedient to the faith, and put on the Lord Jesus in baptism. I had no difficulty in explaining that duty to them, for they have an Indian rite or custom that closely resembles it. When they receive a proselyte from another tribe, or adopt a white man into their nation, they bathe him freely in water, and call it a birth-being born into the family. And as I explained "Born of the water and of the Spirit," as taught in John iii., they seemed delighted with it, and went cheerfully forward in that duty; and the more so, as I baptized them where there was "much water." One beautiful Sunday morning I buried sixteen of them with Christ in baptism, in the Red River, while a large concourse of natives and whites lined the banks on both sides. On the next Lord's day morning I baptized twelve more; but a rise in the river had roiled its waters and made them muddy; so I took them up to a pure stream and immersed them. As I came out of the water, an old Indian, looking out from the thick brush, exclaimed, "Oka-chu-ka-ma nar hola" ("You good white man; you love pure water"). And they always after that called me "Oka-chu-ka-ma" (a pure water lover). I organized

Observer, Sept. 1, '77.

them into a church, and gave it the name of "Prairie Valley Chickasaw Christian Church," and appointed Bro. Frank B. Overton, the governor, or chief, the elder, and continued my labours among them until I had gathered in about sixty members. The elder, or overseer, seemed to be pleased with his office, and went to work in good earnest, for, as he told me, he had felt for years a deep interest in the moral and spiritual welfare of his people, and had taken great pains to banish “ fire water” from among them. On returning to one of my regular appointments, I learned that the elder had whipped his wife. He owned it very frankly as I spoke to him on the subject, and said, "She wouldn't mind." Indians think just as much of making their wives mind them as they do their children, and whip them if they do not. While talking to him about it, the wife came along, and took most of the blame on herself, “I was mad, and hit him in the face," she said; "then he whipped me, and I deserved it." And they both seemed to feel ashamed of it, as white folks often do after a little family "unpleasantness." The Chickasaws are considerably mixed with white blood, and nearer civilized than many of the land sharks who go there to prey upon them. In preaching the gospel to them, I found no difficulty whatever except in teaching them to forgive their enemies. With them, it was most emphatically, "An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth." Both natives and whites, when I left, urged me to be sure and return.Christian Stand. JOHN ELLIS

CANADA.-Joseph Franklin has held very interesting meetings at Meaford, having spoken some fifteen times to large audiences. Eleven made the good confession, and were baptized, and the church was much edified. During July Bro. Hertzog baptized thirty-five, eleven at Aspringe, four at Guelph, and twenty at Mimora.-Index.

NOTTINGHAM.-Evangelistic services have been held by Bro. T. Thompson for the past two months in connection with the church in Sherwood Street. Open air meetings were well attended during week nights, also on Lord's days our congregations were good. Our brother rendered us very useful service. We parted with him, trusting he may find fields of labour where he may be equally well received, supported, and blest. Six have been added to the church by immersion. R. M.

No. 18.-VOL. XXX.

we

"THIRD EPISTLE OF PETER."-H. P. is thanked. But" The Third Epistle of Peter," published by Winn, Heywood, and Nicholson, is not that which proposed to reprint, which first appeared in the Christian Baptist, as we believe from the pen of A. Campbell. Nearly the whole of that production is, without acknowledgement, transferred into this English plagiarism, to which is added a large amount of inferior matter, with a Commentary" on the Epistle by the "Rev. Hugh Cobben, D.D.," containing very objectionable matter, to say nothing of the name of the pretended commentator being such as to delude people, who do not discern the slight difference in the spelling, to expect the work to be that of a well-known commentator. That thirty editions have been thus printed is to be regretted. could have nothing whatever to do with it.

We

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Observer, Sept. 15, '77.

THE DIVINE REMEDY FOR HEART TROUBLES.

"LET not your heart be troubled; ye believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father's house are many mansions, if it were not so I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you, and if I go and prepare a place for you I will come again, and receive you to myself, that where I am there ye may be also." So says the great Physician, who has a balm for every wound and a cordial for every fear. The words form the opening statement of the last discourse that our Lord delivered before His death. It is one of consolation and comfort. How very unselfish was Jesus. His own Cross is just before Him, Gethsamane's agony is close at hand, the cruel jests, mockings, and Scourgings of wicked men were near to Him, yet He seems for the time being not to be mindful of these things. Forgetful of His own troubles, He is mindful of the troubles of His little band of disciples, and devotes the last hours of His life to the comfort and strengthening of those who had been with Him from the beginning. We must ever remember that Jesus knew all that was before Him. sorrow of Gethsamane and shame of Calvary were ever in view, and often pressed heavily upon Thank Him. We know not what is before us. God for it. We have almost as much reason to thank God for what we do not know as we have for what we do know. Certainly what of troubles and trials to-morrow may bring to us we cannot tell, but we can tell that strength equal to our day awaits us. The trials and

The

bereavements that take us by surprise do not take our God by surprise, and He fits the back for the burden and tempers the wind to the shorn lamb, "And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to His purpose."

But Jesus knew all that was to befall Him, yet He chooses to lay His own suffering aside to cheer His sorrowing ones, whose hearts were troubled. They had come to know that the death of their Master was at hand-"the hour" was now come, the last Passover had been kept.

It had also been brought to their knowledge that Judas would betray Him. "He it is to whom I shall give a sop when I have dipped it. And when He had dipped the sop He gave it to Judas Iscariot, the son of Simon." They had also learned that Peter would deny Him. Addressing Peter, Jesus says, "Verily, verily, I say unto thee, the cock shall not crow till thou hast denied me thrice." Surely these things

were enough to fill their hearts with trouble, and Jesus seeks to assuage their troubles by making known to them the precious truths contained in John xiv., and following chapters.

But heart troubles were not confined to the apostles and immediate disciples of the Lord, they are the common lot of all the followers of Jesus, and, therefore, the words at the heading of this paper are common property, and may be taken by all the Lord's children, in all places and ages, as applicable to them, and how many troubled hearts have been comforted by them eternity alone will reveal. With a view to give a few crumbs of comfort to any who may know something about heart troubles I submit a few thoughts upon this beautiful Scripture.

First, please notice the home view of heaven that is here given, "In my Father's house." The future abode of the righteous is spoken of in Scripture under various figures as a city with a foundation of twelve precious stones, with jasper walls, pearly gates and golden streets. Here it is "My Father's house," which means our Father's house, for Jesus said to Mary, when she was about to embrace Him, "Touch me not, for I am not yet ascended to my Father, but go to my brethren, and say unto them, I ascend unto my Father and your Father, and to my God and your God." He whom Jesus spoke of when He says my Father" is "our Father who art in heaven," so that we may truly say our Father's house. Now I confess to a liking for this home view of heaven. I like to think of heaven as my Father's house; that heaven is our home. At present we are strangers and pilgrims. No home this side heaven does the Christian recognise really and truly as home. It is not bricks and mortar and timber that make a home; nor is it tapestry nor gold and silver. is that which makes heaven that makes home, even upon earth. It is love that makes the home; even though it be a lowly cottage, with furniture poor and scant and crevices through which the wind makes music. Hence we often find home in the rudest dwellings, and the want of it in splendid mansions. But where death can cross the threshold at any moment and take away those who after all make the homewhere some rude hand can take the knots that love is ever tieing and snap them asunder— the home feeling must of course be partial, and we ardently long for a place where those whom we love will never be taken from us, and where we shall always be in the presence of those who love us. Such a place is our Father's house, in which "there are many mansions "—abodesresting places. The two words rest and home go well together; they belong to the same family

It

Even here we enjoy a rest at home that we know not of when we are away from home. Although friends may lavish kindness upon us, and study our comfort in every way, yet we cannot have that kind of rest that is only to be found at home.

:

Home, sweet, sweet home; Be it ever so humble,

There's no place like home.

The

Ah, but how much more true is this of heaven, our home, our Father's house-"There remaineth a rest for the people of God!" When we get home we shall know all the beauty and sweetness of rest, and not till then. Apostle Paul seems to have this home view of heaven before him when he says to the Corinthians For we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, a HOUSE not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. We have a house not made with hands-this is our Father's house, for it is "a building of God." Then again, to the Ephesians, he speaks of the whole family in heaven and earth. It is not an empty desolate house, but a house with a family.

Ah, surely this is cheering and comforting to our troubled hearts: there will be no separation in that family group. There will be no grim monster to cross the threshold of that house, to take away any of its inhabitants.

But Jesus not only makes known to us the precious truth about the many abodes in His Father's house, but He continues, "I go to prepare a place for you." What an entrancing thought! At this very moment He whom all heaven adores is thinking of us, preparing a place for us. He has not forgotten us. Although He has gone into heaven, and is seated at the right hand of God, ages and principalities and power being subject unto Him, He is still interested in us, and watching over us. How comforting this announcement must have been to His troubled disciples! They were sorrowful because He was going from them. He assures them that His absence will be for their good, actively engaged for their welfare, preparing a place for them-not only for them, but for all who love Him and keep His commandments. He died for us: He lives at God's right hand for us and now He is getting the home ready for His bride. What the home will be we know not. All the elements that will constitute the future home of the righteous we cannot tell, but we may rest assured that it will be a fit habitation for immortal beings, a suitable dwelling for the glorified family of God-built up by the energy of His power, enriched by the resources of His wealth, one in every way worthy of Him who is preparing it,

Observer, Sept. 15, 77.

a prepared place for a prepared people. Yes, there is a twofold preparation going on-the house for the tenant and the tenant for the house. When Paul is speaking about the 'building of God," the "house not made with hands," which is to be ours "when the earthly house of this tabernacle is dissolved," he says, "Now he that hath wrought us for the self-same thing is God, who also hath given unto us the earnest of the Spirit." The Lord prepares His people by many ways-by all the storms, disappointments, afflictions, and bereavements of life the work of preparation is carried on. Wonderful and mysterious are the modes of preparation; but they are all necessary to consume the dross and refine the gold. How wonderful were God's dealings with Jonah in the work of preparation. "And the Lord God prepared a gourd, and made it to come up over Jonah, that it might be a shadow over his head to deliver him from his grief, so Jonah was exceeding glad of the gourd." This was one preparation, and we say how good and kind of God so to consider His grief-stricken servant. But we read, "But God prepared a worm when the morning rose the next day, and it smote the gourd that it withered." Again we read, "And it came to pass when the sun did arise that God prepared a vehement east wind, and the sun beat upon the head of Jonah that he fainted, and wished in himself to die, and said it is better for me to die than to live." How strange! Yet it was the same loving hand all the way through. Love raised the shelter and love caused it to wither away and love brought about the "vehement east wind." Jonah could not understand it and wished he were dead. Yet in all this God was preparing him for the lesson He wished him to learn, as recorded in the same chapter. God works thus to-day. He gives us joys and sorrows, sunshine and storm, prosperities and adversities, to prepare us for that house Jesus has gone to prepare. Not only so, but He says, "And if I go and prepare a place for you I will come again and receive you unto myself, that where I am there ye may be also." "I will come again." This is an exceeding great and precious promise, dear, inexpressibly dear, to the Lord's children. The apostles kept this truth very clearly before the first Christians. It was also an important item in the proclamation of the faith, for the Thessalonian Christians "turned to God from idols, to serve the living and true God, and to wait for His Son from heaven, whom He raised from the dead, even Jesus, which delivered us from the wrath to come." Now we must keep this truth in the place where Jesus puts it. His coming again precedes our being with Him.