(3.) This view of baptism calls the attention at once from the mere sign, to the reality. (4.) It is in the direct line of Christian unity, so much longed for by all the good. (5.) It will ultimately reach Immersionists themselves, with very great benefit. (6.) It preserves the symmetry of the two sacraments-a great reality exhibited under a small emblem; and with this it secures the simplicity of all gospel institutions. (7.) In a merely literary point of view, Dr. Dale's work is of immense value in fixing the appropriate uses of the two prepositions in and into, (ev and e). Dr. Winer, of Germany, had prepared the way for this by defending their distinctive values; but, till the day of his death, he did not perceive the application of his own principles to the adjuncts of Baptizo, although it lay directly across his path; and none of his editors or translators has yet caught the idea, up to latest issues. See his N. T. Grammar, 1874. Our Lexicons, as well as our Grammars, have left us in the mist, by confounding these two relations of Baptizo. There are cases enough where the difference is of little importance; but in other instances we have to learn the danger of confounding them, and we may as well begin at Baptism as anywhere else. Once begun we shall find large advantage.

Dr. Dale has, deservedly, the thanks of Christian scholars; he should have, as we hope he has, the patronage of all who are able to pay for the work, or who find an opportunity of commending it to notice. And beside all this he ought to have a substantial donation awarded by all the pedobaptist denominations, for his enterprise, self-denial, zeal and enthusiasm, in successfully carrying through such a work. It is very highly commended by the best scholars of our age.

In the Princeton Review, for January, 1877, is found a very excellent article on the work, setting forth the principles of his exegesis, together with a very interesting amount of detail. Every theological student should obtain this much at least of the argument. Other good articles are found in the same number, but there is no need to get entangled in the meshes of the Sabbath question, as there presented. Although I never had any annoyance from the Baptist controversy, yet knowing what others have endured, I shall lay my head down on my last pillow with more composure for having read the article in the Princeton, and learning the power that is behind it. Δόξα τῷ Θεῷ.

R. HUTCHESON.

SELECTED.

A PASTORAL SKETCH.

BY GEO. F. PENTECOST, D. d.

K. is a Japanese student. He was sent to this country by his government, to be educated for the civil service of Japan.

He was introduced to me by the lady (a member of our church) with whom he was boarding. He told me that he wished to have some conversation with me, and I made an appointment to meet him in my study on the following Tuesday.

At the appointed time he came, and upon my opening the door, in response

to his ring, he greeted me with a low bow, after the manner of his country, and politely took a seat in response to my invitation to that effect.

What is the

After the ordinary introductory words of courtesy, I said to him: "Mr. K., I am glad to see you and am now at your service. nature of your wish? What is the object of this interview?"

He at once, in a somewhat broken dialect and yet with well chosen words, replied:

"Mr. Pentecost, I am, as you may know, with a great many of my young countrymen seeking a Western education, that is, an education after the manner of the European and American peoples. In addition to the studies that we shall pursue in the schools and colleges of your country, we are instructed to learn all we can about your institutions, manners, customs, and especially to make ourselves acquainted with the religion of your country-Christianity. I am, therefore, come to see if you can teach me your religion."

By this he did not at all mean that he wished to become a disciple of Christ; but simply that he wished to study it, as he might political economy or the Constitution of the United States.

I told him I would be most happy to do what I could to help him in this direction.

He thanked me and wanted to know how much I would charge him and when he might come to me for instruction.

I assured him that there would be no charge; but, on the contrary, I should take great pleasure in seeing him one afternoon in each week.

To this arrangement he assented, with thanks. I then asked him what his religion was. He told me that he scarcely could tell; that, though only eighteen years old, he had embraced and given up successively several religions; that so far as Confucius was concerned it was no religion that he offered, but only ethics. He spoke highly of Confucius, and said there were contained in his writings many excellent precepts. I found out, however, that he was a Theist, believing in the existence of one Supreme God-a being to be worshipped, on some accounts to be loved and on some others to be feared; but, upon the whole, his idea of God was confused, as it must always be with those who merely speculate.

He had never read the Bible; had heard a few sermons; but did not know of whom men spake when they talked or preached of Jesus. The first interview was over by this time and he was to come again in a week.

Promptly on the day and hour appointed he came. I took my Bible in hand, knowing scarcely where or how to begin. It was a novel position for me to be face to face with an intelligent and fairly cultivated young man, who yet knew absolutely nothing of the Bible and without the most distant idea of the revelation therein contained. But, with an inward prayer to God for guidance, I began. Without opening the Bible, I told him the story of the creation, including, of course, the creation of man; of his temptation and fall; of his coming to the knowledge of sin; of the awakening in him of conscience; of his effort to hide his nakedness and to hide himself from God; of God's call and the confession; of God's curse upon the serpent and the earth; of his clothing man with coats of skin; of his promise of a Redeemer in the person of the "seed of the woman," and of man's banishment from the Garden.

Then of Cain and Abel and the two altars-one bearing an offering of the fruit of the field, and the other a sacrifice from the flock; the acceptance of the one, the rejection of the other; of Cain's anger and the murder of Abel; the subsequent quest of God for the murderer, and his curse and wandering.

Then the progress of the race till the flood; the wickedness and evil-heartedness of the people; of the flood and the Ark; the preservation of Noah and

his family; of the degeneracy of the race after the flood; of Babel and the dispersion.

Then of the call of Abraham, and his history, including the offering of Isaac; of Jacob and Esau; of Jacob and the twelve patriarchs; of the sale of Joseph into Egypt; his history there; of the famine, and the coming down of Israel and all his family into Egypt; of the subsequent bondage there; of the birth of Moses; his preservation and education; his flight into the wilderness; his wonderful meeting there with I AM, talking to him out of the burning bush; of his deliverance of the children of Israel out of Egypt, dwelling especially on the slaying of the Paschal Lamb; the wandering in the desert; the manna and the smitten rock; the giving of the law; the unbelief of the people; the fiery serpents and the brazen serpent lifted up; of the death of Moses; the crossing of Jordan, under Joshua; the siege and, sack of Jericho, and the subsequent possession of the Promised Land.

Here I rested, having consumed more than an hour in this running rehearsal of events. The story of the Bible never seemed so interesting and so real to me. I seemed to talk with a thrill and glow, as if I had been an eye-witness of these events. All this time my Japanese friend had preserved a perfect silence, listening with respectful and yet most absorbed interest, but never once changing expression, except an occasional gleam of unusual interest in his eyes. I gave him a few chapters out of Genesis, Exodus, and Deuteronomy to read, and then closed our second interview.

At the third interview, pursuing the same method, I took up the subsequent history of the Jews-the story of the Judges; of Samuel, Saul, David, and the Kings; of the Prophets, especially of Elijah and Elisha; of the Captivity; of Daniel and the Hebrew children; of the rebuilding of the Temple; etc., etc.

Then, going back, I took up and rehearsed to him the Jewish ceremonial worship, especially describing the Tabernacle and Temple; the holy priest; the offerings; the altar; the laver; the holiest of all, with the ark of the covenant; the mercy seat; the cherubim and shekinah, enclosed by the veil; the service of the high priest on the day of the atonement.

Then beginning with the first promise of a Saviour, given to Adam in the Garden, and linking it with all the history of the Jews, I traced the Messianic promises rapidly through the Law and the Prophets, down till the close of the prophetic period, especially calling attention to the 53d of Isaiah. This closed our third interview. My heathen only interrupted me when he did not quite understand the significance of some word or event.

At our fourth interview I began with the New Testament, and told him the story of the incarnation; the subsequent life of Jesus; his miracles; his parables, one of which, the parable of the prodigal son, I read; and then of his betrayal, the trial, death, resurrection, and ascension; the promise of his coming again and of the resurrection of the dead; of the final separation of the wicked from the righteous and the everlasting glory of the redeemed. During this, as at the other interviews, my young Japanese friend for the most part sat in silent but absorbed interest; his intelligent face occasionally changing expression as some new point of peculiar interest was presented.

At this point I gave him an abridged copy of Hanna's "Life of Christ," to read in connection with the New Testament. It ought to be borne in mind that all the time, so far as anything to the contrary had developed, his interest in this matter was purely secular and educational.

At the fifth interview he asked me some questions concerning the person and death of Christ as to his divine nature and the meaning of his death. Then he voluntarily expressed his surprise and delight in the story of Christ's life

and the beautiful teaching of the Bible; admitting that there was nothing in any of the religions of the East that was "so grand and pure."

I then read to him again the 53d chapter of Isaiah, calling his attention back to the story of the Paschal Lamb in Egypt; the Jewish sacrifice of atonement; the high priest; the mercy seat in the holiest of all; proceeded to unfold to him as best I could the necessity and significance of the atonement; read to him the story of Christ and Nicodemus; and brought up again the "lifting up of the serpent in the wilderness," linking it, as Christ had done, with his own "lifting up for the sins of the world." In short, "I preached to him Jesus." I saw that he was visibly affected, and waited for him to say what was in his mind and heart.

After a few thoughtful moments of silence, he asked me: "Is God the Father of all people?" "Yes, of all people.'

"Of the Japanese?" "Yes, of Japanese, if they will accept his Son Jesus Christ."

And

"Will he be Father to me?" "Yes, if you will receive his Son." then I read to him the words: "He came unto his own, and his own received him not; but as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the children of God, even to them that believed on his name."-(John 1: 11, 12.) I then told him how, by the grace of God, Christ had tasted death for every man (Heb. 2), and how in the great company of the redeemed whom John saw there were those out of every "kindred and tongue and people and nation" who had been redeemed by his blood.

"Will he be Saviour to Japanese?" "Certainly."

"As well as to American ?" "Of course. He came to take away the sin of the world." (John 1: 29.) "For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life."-(John 3: 16.)

"Will he be a Saviour to me?"

"Certainly."

"When?" "Now! Just as soon as you will receive him."

"Then I take him now to be my Saviour and I take God to be my Father. What must I do?" "Confess him; for with the heart man believeth unto righteousness and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.”—(Rom. 10:10.) And follow him, for "if any man will come after me, let him deny himself, take up his cross daily, and follow me."—(Luke 9: 23.)

We then knelt together-he for the first time to the true God. I offered a brief prayer to God, thanking him for leading this his child "out of darkness into light;" for leading him so simply to accept Jesus his Son and Him for his Father, and prayed that he might be taught the way more perfectly out of his Word and by his Spirit. And then I asked him to pray, which he did in

about these words:

"God, I am a sinner; bút I take Jesus Christ thy Son for my Saviour and you for my Father forever. Help me to worship and serve thee in the right way."

So was his heart given to God. I saw him from time to time, giving him instruction in the Word. He was an apt scholar. Just before the summer vacation he came to me and asked me to buy for him a right kind of Bible," to take with him on his vacation. I happened to have just bought for my own use a copy of a small Bagster's "New Testament and Psalms," in circuit binding, which I gave him.

Three months after this he came into our prayer-meeting, and toward the close he arose in his seat and said that he wanted "to confess Jesus Christ before men. He then went on and told how he had been reared in the religions of the East; how he had many times longed to know the true God;

how from a boy he had been tortured with doubt and fear concerning God and the future; how he had been hardened with sin, and how he never could get rid of it; and then how he had come to " your pastor," and had learned of him "of the Father and of Jesus Christ the Saviour;" how he had received them as his God and Saviour. Thence he went on and poured out one of the most wonderful heart experiences I have ever listened to, quoting the Scriptures freely and aptly, showing that he had been a diligent and Spirit-taught disciple He spoke of the peace and joy that had come to him and of the unceasing delight he had in life since he had found the true God. Then he asked prayers for himself and for his nation, expressing the hope that he might go home to tell his countrymen of Jesus and the true God,

Thus is God working out his purpose that the Gospel be preached among all nations.-The Independent.

EDITORIAL.

THE subject of the interchange of pulpits, so fully discussed at Synod, has occupied considerable space in our columns since that time. We prefer that the two sides, so fully presented in the last and present numbers, should be carefully studied rather than admit any more articles. The article of Mr. Johnston was in our hands before our last issue, but we did not wish to crowd the number with one subject.

-On the 7th of September Rev. Thomas Hart, of Rathfriland, departed this life. The Covenanter (Ireland) says: The event was not unexpected, inasmuch as it was known for some years that he was laboring under disease of the heart. Exceedingly unassuming, humble, modest, and retiring, he was yet a very able minister of the New Testament, a workman not needing to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth." We would add our expression of sympathy with the bereaved to that of the editor of the Covenanter.

-Mrs. Myra McKinney, wife of Mr. Wm. McKinney, the missionary at Camden, Alabama, died at Camden on Saturday, the 6th of October. She had given birth to a child a week before, and was doing so well that her death came unexpectedly to those about her, resulting from congestion of the brain.

She was the only daughter of R. C. and Rachel J. McKee, members of the Pittsburgh congregation. She was married to Mr. William McKinney in 1875, and was a most efficient help-meet for him. She was of an eminently missionary spirit. The Chinese who came' to Allegheny and Pittsburgh, found in her a warm friend. She began the work among them that brought them under the care of the Pittsburgh congregation, going to their places of work, urging them to come to church and Sabbath school, until she had gained their confidence. She had great influence with them, they knew her as a friend, going often to see her, and at the time of her leaving for Camden, they were filled with regret, visiting her to bid her farewell. At the time she was married, when on a visit to Philadelphia, she thought that the same work she