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LONG ISLAND INDIAN PREACHERS.-Dr. S. Irenæus Prime, in the new Brooklyn Magazine, gives an interesting account of three native Indian preachers of remarkable power. One of these, Samson Occum, was the first Indian to make a public appearance as a preacher in Great Britain, where the multitude flocked to see him. On his return he labored with great success among his people on this island, and he also preached in Boston and New York, and many other places, with acceptance and effect. * * * Some of his hymns are preserved in church collections, and are sung without a thought of their origin. A sermon of his, preached to a man on the eve of execu tion, is also preserved, and he who can read it without tears must be made of sterner stuff than ordinary mortals. * * * That these Indians have had eloquent preachers among them is the proof that they might have been a moral power in the land had they cultivated the arts of civilized life, in the midst of which they have perished."-Southern Workman.

THE Northfield Seminary, a school for girls started a few years since by D. L. Moody, will dedicate during the coming autumn Marquand Memorial Hall, which has been provided for by a gift of $66,000 from the Trustees of the Marquand estate.

THE SURE FOUNDATION.

Build firm and sure, O soul,

Upon the Rock that cannot fail!
The storm is raging, and the gale

Shrieks round thee, fierce and wild and high,
The tempest mocks thy anguished cry.
Build firm and sure!

Build deep and strong, O soul !!

Then shall no storm or jar or shock Sway thee from the unswaying Rock, For deeper than earth's mightiest tide Thy sure Foundation shall abide.

Build deep and strong!

Build broad and high, O soul!

Thy temple shall be pure and fair,
And prayer and praise shall echo there.
The songs of faith shall upward rise
Like perfumed airs from Paradise.
Build broad and high!

Build bravely on, O soul !

The Master's eye is on thee still, Noting each triumph of his will, As step by step, and round by round, Thou reachest higher, holier ground. Build bravely on!

MIDDLE LIFE.

BY CLARA B. TROWBRIDGE.

559

-Selected.

Close, my soul, the radiant eastern windows:
Bright they were with beams of early dawn,
But the sun has climbed the middle heaven,
All has lost the freshness of the dawn.

Earth stands waiting in the hush of noonday,
Sends a prayer for strength amid her task;
Teaches us who, like her, bear the burden,
Richer aid in deeper need to ask.;

Open then the portals facing westward;

Let the heaven-sent breezes sweep away All regret for youth and childhood vanished, All thy dread of age and grim decay. When the roses fade and lilies wither,'

Pluck the amaranth's unfading bloom; When the lark's song dies in highest heaven, Know the Dayspring soon shall gild the gloom. - Christian Union.

RICHARD COBDEN, 1865.

A member of the Committee of the Cobden Club recently found among his papers the following poem on Richard Cobden, which he remembered having cut from the columns of a country newspaper the week after Cobden's death:

Pure-hearted Hero of a bloodless fight;

Clean-handed Captain in a painless war;
Soar, spirit, to the realms of Truth and Light,
Where the just are!

If one poor cup of water given shall have
Due recognition in the Day of Dread,
Angels may welcome this one, for he gave
A nation bread!

His bays are sullied by no crimson stain;
His battles cost no life, no land distressed;
The victory that closed the long campaign,

The vanquished bless'd!

No narrow patriot bounded by the strand
Of his own Isle-he led a new advance,
And opened, with the olive-branch in hand,
The ports of France;

Charming base hate of centuries to cease,
And laying upon humble piles of Trade,
Foundation for that teeming reign of Peace,
For which he prayed.

This the sole blot on which detraction darts,
Willing to make his rounded fame decrease—
That in his inmost soul, and heart of hearts,

He worshipp'd Peace.

SUMMARY OF NEWS. FOREIGN INTELLIGENCE.—Advices from Europe are to the 31st ult.

GREAT BRITAIN.-A bill providing for compulsory education in Ireland passed first reading in the House of Commons on the 24th. The Postmaster Generai introduced a bill fixing the rate for telegrams at sixpence.

The relations between the British and Russian Governments continue somewhat unsettled, on account of the question of the Afghan frontier. The Cabinet is said to have decided, at a special session on the 25th, to demand firmly that Russia commence forthwith the work of "delimitating" the frontier in accordance with the understanding under which the British portion of the Boundary Commission have passed some months in the Ameer's dominion. The Globe reported that a proposition partaking of the nature of an ultimatum was telegraphed to St. Petersburg on the 26th, with a request for an answer by the 30th. The same paper said that Earl Granville had on the 16th proposed to Russia that both the Russians and the Afghans should withdraw from the disputed territory and remain out of it during the negotiations then in progress at London; but that Russia made no reply until the 25th, and then refused to agree to the proposal, because a withdrawal of the troops would be a humiliation to Russia. On the 26th, a royal message was sent to the House of Commons, announcing the intention of calling out the reserve forces and such proportion of the reserve militia as may be deemed necessary, for permanent service. Preparations for war are said to be active. Orders have been sent to Birmingham for large numbers of rifles and revolvers, which are to be shipped to Bombay; and the armorers throughout the kingdom have been ordered to return to the Tower of London the rifles they have in stock, for inspection before sending to India. It is said, also, that several war vessels are in preparation for active service.

W. E. Gladstone stated in the House of Commons on the 26th, that the Russians had advanced no nearer to Penjdeh, which is occupied by the Afghans, than Pul-i-Khatum, 80 miles distant. Earl Granville declared in the House of Lords on the 27th, that the Government had no disposition to flinch, while they were availing themselves of every means for a satis factory solution of the difficulty. It was stated in the House of Commons on the 30th, that the reply of Russia to the English note had been received, but the Ministers declined to give any information as to its contents, on the ground that both the matters of fact and the policy under discussion were subjects of strong and sensitive feeling in England, Russia and India. The hope for an amicable adjustment is strengthening among the people.

While much excitement on this subject appears to exist in England, Le Nord, a paper published at Brus. sels which is considered a Russian organ, asserts that the people of Russia regard the matter very coolly, believing that the idea of a war between Russia and England as a result of the Afghan difficulty is absurd. Parliament adjourned on the 31st to the 9th inst. The Queen, accompanied by her youngest daughter,

troops near Dong Dong, in which the French attack had finally been repulsed with severe loss. Reinforce ments afterward reached the troops, but on the 27th, the Chinese attacked the entrenched camp established between Lang-Son and Kilua near the frontier of China, and carried it, compelling the French to retreat beyond Lang-Son, which the Chinese re-captured. Gen, Negrier was badly wounded, and the French loss was very heavy; one Paris journal asserts that it amounted to one-fourth of their effective force. The latest estimates place it at 1500, killed and wounded. The latest accounts reported them as still retreating, the Chinese pursuing. The chief in command in Tonquin, Gen, De l'Isle, telegraphed asking for reinforcements as speedily as possible.

This intelligence caused much excitement in Paris, On the 30th, a violent demonstration against the Ministry was made in the Chamber of Deputies and by a mob outside, which was kept out of the Chamber by a military guard. Prime Minister Ferry presented the Government's request for a credit of $40,000,000 for operations in China, and moved for the appointment of a committee to examine and report upon the credit. This motion was rejected by a vote of 308 to 181, when J. Ferry immediately announced the resignation of the entire Ministry. President Grévy accepted the resignation, and asked Henri Brisson, President of the Chamber of Deputies, to form a new Cabinet. He declined, and the President then asked M. de Freyci. net, who requested twenty-four hours to consider before replying. On the 31st, he was said to be trying to form a Ministry. The Chamber, on that day, voted the first instalment, $10,000, of the grant asked for by Premier Ferry, reserving action on the remainder until a Ministry should be formed. The Senate also adopted the credit.

SPAIN. An outbreak of a disease resembling cholera has occurred at San Felipe de Jativa in the province of Valencia, 15 persons having died in 24 hours.

Earthquake shocks visited Granada and Malaga on the 30th, damaging houses and injuring people.

INDIA. The Council for India has been authorized to raise a credit of £1,500,000 on account of the In. dian Treasury, for war purposes. The Viceroy will give the Ameer of Afghanistan the grant for which he asks, to pay the Afghan troops and allay the discon tent of tribal leaders; and the Ameer promises to place 50,000 troops on the frontier and in forts.

The Viceroy, Lord Dufferin, arrived at Rawilpindi, in the Punjaub, on the 27th, to attend a council with the Ameer. He was given an imposing reception.

DOMESTIC.-The President has nominated the fol lowing Ministers to foreign governments: A. R. Law. ton, of Ga., to Russia; A. M. Kiely, of Va., to Italy; T. J. Jarvis, of N. C., to Brazil; R. Magee, of Ind., to Sweden and Norway; Isaac Bell, Jr., of R. I., to the Netherlands; E. P. C. Lewis, of N. J., to Portugal; R. B Anderson, of Wis., to Denmark; W. R. Roberts, of N. Y., to Chili; C. W. Buck, of Ky., to Peru; R. B. Hub. bard, of Texas, to Japan; G. W. Merrill, of Nevada, to Hawaiian Islauds; also Norman J. Colman, of Mo., as Commissioner of Agriculture.

her yacht for the Continent, her destination being Aixles-Bains, in Savoy, France.

FRANCE. The Senate has adopted both the bill increasing the duties on imports of cereals, and that raising the duties on imported cattle.

Information has been received from the French commander in Tonquin, Gen. Negrier, that on the 22d, 23d and 24th, conflicts had occurred with Chinese

There is a large and increasing demand for this Superior Chocolate, and we would call special atten tion to it as an exceedingly wholesome beverage for the healthy and ailing, children as well as adults.

A sample package will be sent by mail by addressing Smith's Manufacturing Co., 107 Fourth Avenue, New York. 17-261

For Friends' Review. THE GOSPEL AS OLD AS EDEN.

BY THOMAS CLARK

All who aspire to be regarded as belonging to the household of faith must appreciate the singular value of that higher manifestation of the goodness of God revealed to man in the gospel of His Son, proclaiming the full-orbed glory of the new covenant. Nevertheless, since man in the garden first violated divine law and rendered himself obnoxious to the penalty, and since his gracious Caretaker first revealed the purpose which He had foreordained, set apart, or established, before the foundation of the world-which Paul tells us was "a mystery hid in God from the beginning"-to restore man to his primeval condition, each and every manifestation of Himself to the children of men, whether such manifestation be in mercy or in judgment, was designed to further the same purpose, to teach the same lesson-namely-that He delighteth not in the death of him that dieth, but would have all to come to the knowledge of the truth and be saved. Even those outward manifestations in which the heavens declare His glory, which caused the Psalmist to exclaim, "When I consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, the moon and the stars which Thou hast ordained,

what is man that Thou art mindful of him or the son of man that Thou visitest him?" were all parts of the same plan, all links of the same chain, and designed for the furtherance of the same purpose. All were doubtless wisely adapted to man's capacity to receive instruction in the great school of divine wisdom. The wisdom and benevolence of our gracious Caretaker are beautifully displayed all along the line of our history, from Adam to Moses, and from Moses to Christ. This is illustrated in the lives of all who embraced that "faith by which the elders obtained a good report," Heb. xi. 2. And if the apostle was right when he said the promise made to Abraham was the preaching of the gospel, Col. iii. 8, may we not safely infer that the same blessed gospel, or good news, was first proclaimed in the garden of Eden in the promised seed of the woman; and although life and immortality were renewedly brought to light and their glorious effulgence more fully displayed in the personal advent of the Messiah, and though their rays through a long series of years were obscured by the Gentile world because they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, and though the light was nearly extinguished, even among His own people, through the accumulation of their own inventions, superadded to the plain requirings of that law that was simply adapted to a transition, or state of pupilage, and designed not only to

preserve a people who would confess His name in the earth, but to serve as a school-master to lead to Christ; I repeat that notwithstanding this almost universal obscurity of the knowledge of God, if we believe His ways are equal, we must believe that throughout this long and dark period, when prophets and wise men desired to see the things which we see and could only behold them in the future, God did manifest-in His own way-such a knowledge of His will to every accountable being, as would if improved according to the capacity enjoyed secure his acceptance with Him. We think this is in harmony with the whole teaching of the Bible. The declaration that "my Spirit shall not always strive with man," is at least an inferential affirmation that there is a time when it does strive with all men. And can we reasonably doubt that this striving is of the same character and for the like purpose as that promised to the fallen church of Laodicea; namely, that they might open the door of the heart, and thus embrace the mercy offered to every returning prodigal? The invitation extended through the prophet, "Look unto Me, all ye ends of the earth and be ye saved," would be little less than solemn mockery, unless all who were thus invited were abilitated to accept the proffered invitation. Again, why the long-suffering of God that existed in the days of Noah, while the ark was preparing, only that a wicked world might be left without excuse, if they did not repent and thus avert the impending calamity. We think much of the obscurity that is connected with the condition of the Gentile world is readily removed by the remembrance that God never had but one plan for the salvation of sinners, and that appears to date at, or anterior, to that early period when it was said, "Let us make man, ," but was only manifested in all its completeness by the full revelation of His wisdom and mercy in the Gospel of Christ in these last days. We may profitably remember that this divine plan in a limited sense-recognized two co-ordinate, yet by no means co-equal, parties-the sovereign and the subject, the donor and the legatee. The former bequeathed to man a heavenly inheritance, not only as a free gift, but much more as a purchased possession of infinite value, and this is presented to the Christian world in the volume of inspiration, and especially so in I Cor. vi. 20 and first chapter of I Peter, and to such of the Gentile world as live up to their limited privileges, in Rom. ii. 14. It appears, however, clear that none can enjoy this precious bequest except upon complying with the terms upon which it is predicated. Like Enoch we must walk with God, and wrestle like Jacob, manifest the meekness and humility of Moses, the patience of David, exercise the faith of Abraham, the zeal of Peter, the stability and boldness of Paul. We must strive to enter in at the strait gate, also strive for the mastery-run the race set before us; we must believe with the heart and confess with the mouth, according to the measure of light received; and add to faith virtue, to virtue knowledge, not be found barren or unfruitful, not forget

that we were purged from our old sins, give all diligence to make our calling and election sure, with the assurance that if we do these things we shall never fall.

As disobedience and unbelief resulted in paradise lost, even so a faith fruitful in obedience to the divine will, to every known duty, will alone secure paradise regained to any, either in Christian or in heathen lands, no matter how that will may be discovered, whether it be in viewing the heav ens as the work of His fingers, or in the devout reading of Holy Scriptures, or through the visitation of a ray of light from the source of all spiritual light, for whatsoever maketh manifest is light, or even in the silent whispers of the good Spirit that leads into all truth. It is all in condescending mercy that the discovery is made, and all its visi tations and manifestations equally demand our gratitude, whether these are for the purpose of chastisement or reproof, or whether the operations be washing, sanctifying, justifying, or it may be sealing to us the covenant of peace. If the former, it is surely a great mercy to be shown our need, and if the latter, the mercy will not only be felt to be equally great, but wholly unmerited, and will be regarded as the work and operation of that loving Spirit that divides to every man severally as He will. We should, however, never make the fatal mistake of supposing that the Holy Spirit ever takes up its abode in a polluted temple. "If any man defile the temple of God, him will God destroy, for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are." It was to His disciples He promised His abiding presence-while He will visit the sinner, show him his lost condition, alarm him with fears and allure him with hopes, knock at the door of his heart, it is only when in the exercise of his own God-given will he opens the door to His gentle and loving knocks, that He enters and dispels all his fears, soothes all his cares, and spreads a heavenly banquet-even a "feast of fat things" and becomes an abiding guest, a perpetual Comforter.

(To be concluded.)

For Friends' Review.

THE NATURE OF GOD.

The more we contemplate the nature of God, the more we are amazed and overwhelmed in reverential awe. Everything connected with His character is infinitely sublime. If we attempt to grasp the idea of His eternal past self-existence, we at once fail; we become bewildered, and our weak minds faint in painful and utter exhaustion. and the laborious effort is infinitely too mighty for our powers of thought to compass.

If we try to conceive of all future things and events, in the endless duration of eternity, as lying in bright, present view to Him, we soon become lost in awful wonder. If we think of the power of God to create an endless variety of things, animate and inanimate, tiny and vast in size, and all from nothing, we at once find ourselves unable

There is in some minds a difficulty in the expressions which the evangelists and apostles use, for they frequently speak of the events referred to, in the present tense, and as if the people of their own day were the ones to participate therein, while in other places they throw in cautions against looking for the coming of the Lord, for many centuries after their time. Do these declarations contradict each other? Or, is there a consistent system of interpretation, in accordance with which they can all be shown to be in harmony? Now, dear friends, let us look at some of the representative texts of each class. In II Thes. ii. 1-4, Paul: "Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and by our gathering together unto Him, that ye be not soon shaken in mind or be troubled, neither by spirit nor by word nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand. Let no man deceive you by any means, for that day shall not come except there come a falling away first and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition, who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshiped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God showing himself that he is God." "Let no man," says Paul to the Thessalonians, cause you to think the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ is to take place in your day; for the apostasy must first take place and the man of sin be revealed and run his appointed career." This man of sin is generally understood by Protestants to mean the Papacy; and this is, beyond question, correct. Paul's caution, then, covers the whole period of time from his day onward through the long ages of papal rule, bringing us down as late in the gospel age, at least, as 1798, when papal supremacy received its death blow at the hands of the French. Not till this point was passed could any one, according to this instruction of Paul's, look for the coming of the Lord as an event immediately to occur. How then, shall those other declarations be understood, which seem to represent the event as one which was at the very door when Paul wrote? Do they mean that it was to be looked for in that age? If so, then is our beloved Bible involved in a hopeless contradiction; but I think it can be shown that all the trouble with these passages arises from overlooking one simple fact and ignoring one rule of interpretation, which is as beautiful in itself as it is of frequent application in the inspired writings. It is, that in the prophetic language the present and

past tenses are frequently used for the future; and writers sometimes apparently speak of themselves, when they mean persons who are to live far in the future. God, to whom a past and future eternity are one eternal now, "calleth those things that be not as though they were." Rom. iv. 17. And Paul uses this language to explain the promise God made to Abraham, saying, "I have made thee a father of many nations," when as yet he was not even the father of a single child. Goold Brown's Grammar of English Grammars, than which there is probably no better authority in the English language, on page 3.3, thus speaks on this point. "In the language of prophecy we find the past tense very often substituted for the future, especially when the prediction is remarkably clear and specific." Man is a creature of present knowledge only; but it is certain that He who sees the end from the beginning has sometimes revealed to him and by him, things deep in futurity. Thus the sacred seer who is esteemed the most eloquent of the ancient prophets, more than seven hundred years before the events occurred, spoke of the vicarious sufferings of Christ as of things already past, and even then described them in the phraseology of historical facts. "Surely He hath borne our griefs and carried our sorrows, yet we did esteem Him stricken, smitten of God and afflicted. But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement of our peace was upon Him and by His stripes we are healed. -Isa. liii. 4, 5. Multiplied instances of a similar application of past tenses to future events occur in the Bible, especially in the writings of the prophets. The same prophet, Isaiah, uses the present tense "For unto us a for the future: Chapter ix. 6: child is born, unto us a son is given." Yet this language refers to Christ, who was not born till more than seven hundred years afterward. David also says, Ps. xvi. 10; "For thou wilt not leave my soul in hell." Here he seems to speak of himself, yet he does not refer to himself at all, but to Christ, in whom the language was fulfilled more than a thousand years afterward, as explained by Peter in Acts ii. 31.

Exactly so with Christ and His apostles, when they speak of the future second coming of Christ as though immediately to take place. They carry the mind right forward to the last generation, and then speak of the event from that standpoint, as at the very doors. Our Lord in Matt. xxix. announces the signs that should herald His coming. He addresses the generation that should witness them: "When ye shall see all these things." Then He says, "This generation (the one certainly that witnessed the signs) shall not pass till all these things be fulfilled." Paul more frequently perhaps than other New Testament writers, uses this figure of anticipation, if we may so call it. "We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed," he says to the Corinthians, "in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump, for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed."