News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1885-03-12
FOR SUNDAY READING.
THOUGHTS AND REFLECTIONS FOR
OUR DAY OF REST.
TalmnRe on Evangelical Christiauity-
Beecher on Coughing In Cburoh-SerpeBt
Worship-Edueationui Value of Work.
ETC., Etc,
EVANGELICAL CHRISTIANITY"

unto him, Give me the little book. Ar
he said unto me, Take it and eat it u
and it shall make thy belly bitter, but
shall be in thy mouth sweet as honey.
DR.. Talmage began his sermon with
description of John on the isle of Pa
mos, and told how in dream all thes
things were revealed to him. What tn
little book was, said the Doctor, do M
profess to know. On this subject CON
mentators are much divided. To M
however, it is suggestive of the creeds {
the churches, which to the scornful an
blaspheming crowd are a sweet morse
but which, when swallowed, are foun
to be bitter and indigestible. Men laug
at creeds, as if they were absurd and III
necessary. Why, we have all our creedf
We cannot do without our creeds. Th
only being who has no creed is the idiot
DIR. Talmage then gave descriptio
of what he called Evangelical Christ
anity." 1t was not thing of shreds an
patches, inharmonious, incongruous, in
consistent. On the contrary, it was
well rounded, homogeneous, consisten
whole-a perfected thing, healthful, 10
seate and full of beauty. 1t was of thi
Christianity he desired to speak. 1t wa
this Christianity he desired to defend
against the jeers and jibes of the scorne
and the blasphemer. It was said of the
Presbyterians that they believed anG
taught that the children of the unregen
crate go to hell at death. If any mar
would find him such Presbyterian
man who so believed and so taught-ne
would give him title to all the property
possessed, with the right to possession
tomorrow. 1t was a libel on Presbyte.
rianism. And so Episcopacy was mis-.
represented when it was said Episcopa-
lians put their faith in mere forms and
symbols; and the Baptists, when it was
said they believed that no one can get to
Heaven unless he was first immersed;
and the Methodists, when it was said OF
them that they could save themselves
and that they needed no Holy Spirit to
help them.
Men laughed at the Trinity. It was
inconceivable. It was absurd. There
were many things besides the Trinity
which men could not understand. It
would be all explained by and by. What
they could not know now they would
know hereafter. Men laughed at the
doctrine of justification by faith; yet it
was this doctrine which, proclaimed by
Luther, gave new life to the nations.
Men laughed in like manner at regener-
alton and at the doctrine OF vicarious
sacrifice; yet there was nothing more in
telligible than one, nothing of more fire.
uuent occurrence than the other.
SERPENT WORSHIP.
Serpent worship, it has long been
known, was a popularity of some of the
Malagasy tribes. The Rev. Mr.. Little,
for several years missionary in NADIA
gascar and who has just published a
book on Madagascar and Its People" 4"
tells the following story ''Not many
years ago, somewhat disgusted with the
practice as it prevailed among the Bet
zileo tribe, he resolved to exhibit the
folly of the same, and if possible to
bring it into contempt. 1t was known
to him that a large serpent was daily
guest at certain house, where he was
addressed by name, and whittier he made
1aily visits from the forest. The good
priest went to the house just as the SER
oent was creeping up to the door.
Seizing a club, he dealt the hideous
creature a deadly blow. The entire
tribe rose against him and he had to flee
for his life. "Many of the Betzileo
Iamilies," he adds, 'have small en-
closures near their dwellings, where they
maintain numbers of these reptiles and
regard them with the utmost rever-
ence."
EDUCATIONAL VALUE OF WORK.
The Rev. DR.. Charles Parkhurst =
Work intensifies our power. 1t acts like
a voice which imperiously commands cur
catered energies and marshals them
into solid phalanx. The difference be-
tween men is not so much disparity of
power as disparity of concentration of
power. Work stops the dissipation of
our powers and congresses them, andso
makes them stronger. Difficulty is one
Of our best friends; it has been called
the raw material of success. Worh tasks
and opinions formed in
school. All Egyptian schooling must be
tested by some Arabian campaign.
Your theories may be very fine but they
are not legal tender till indorsed by ex-
perience. A teacher is best taught by
teaching. Doing is tuition. Action de-
bects all the weak places. Work en-
Iarges our hearts and thoughts by hold
ing us in close contact with the cur
rent of life.
THE FoRMosA MISSION.
Some few months since an interesting
account was given of successful mis-
sion which was being conducted on the
island of Formosa by DIR. Mckay, of
the Canada Presbyterian Church. 1t
was reported that over two thousand
people had cast away their idols and
had come completely under the influ-
ence of the mission. DIR. McKay's re-
ports were of the most encouraging
character. 1t now appears that the
French crusade has proved most disas-
trous to the mission. The premises, in
,luding schools, suitable dwelling for
the missionaries and a substantial
have been completely destroyed
by the Chinese mob, and the converts
have been robbed and beaten.
ROYAL CONVERTS.
One of the most powerful of the native
princes in Central Africa is King Mtesa.
In the Uganda district he is supreme.
He has given the missionaries from first
10 last no little trouble. He was at first
and gave them cordial well
come. Then he announced his deter
nination to abandon Christianity and
and to carry his people back
10 paganism. Latterly he has been
more tolerant, and the mission work has
been carried on at Uganda, where a
church has been built. The latest ac-
count is that his two favorite daughters
have been received into the church at
their own earnest request. The example
will not be without its influence.