Gospel Herald, 1861-03-02

              GOSPEL HERALD.
Devoted to Ohristianity, Morality, tiie Interests of Sal>b)atli Soliools, Social Improvement, Temperance, Eduoation, and. General Ne-ws.
"BEHOLD,   I   BRING   YOU   GOOD   TIDINGS   OP   GREAT   JOY  ....  ON   EARTH   PEACE,   GOOD   WILL   TOWAED   MSN,"
VOL. 17.
DAYTON, 0., SATURDAY, MARCH 2,1861.
NO. 42.
ORIGINAL POETRY.
IVriUen/ar llie Ootpsl Berald
To My Sister, E. J- W-
BY PHEBE.
I miss thee, sister at early down.
Just at the peep of day; Oh! then I miss thy gentle voice,
Since thou art gone away.
I miss thee at the close of day.
When I lay down to res(^ Then no one knows the lonely thoughts.
That are witliiii my breast.
I miss thee When our board is spread
With comforts of this life; And ohl I hope thy heart is free'd.
From -fforldly care and strife.
And oft when trouble stings this breast;
'Tis then I think of thee; And long to hear thy gentle voice
Bid all my trouble flee.
I miss thee too when pleasure comes
To cheer this   lonely heart; In all my pleasures 1 y. ould know, ,That thou too hath apart.
And when the weary week rolls past. And evenings shades oome on.
Oh! then I long  to hear thy voiije. And great thee welcome bome.
ORIGINALITIES.
Written for ffie Qo^el Herald.
The Churcli   Higher Power than Con¬ ference.
BYT. W. GRAYBILL.
"What the prevailing opinion among our people on this question is, wo know not; but, like all others, we presume that it 18 a mooti^d queation. Confer¬ ence, is a scriptural phrase, found in the 2d chapter of Paul's letter to the Galatians, doubtless having reference to the Oonforcnce held at tho church in Jerusalem., about fourteen years af¬ tor Paul's conversion. The reader, by referring to Acts 15th chap., and 2d chap. G-alatians, may learn the partic¬ ulars ofthe first Council or Conference ofthe Christian Church. Kor Confer- once, we have tho precedent oi the Church, wiien Paul, Barnabas, Peter, James and TiLus formed a part.
We do not claim a positive com¬ mand, ])!-iorily in timo, or infallibility for Conference. Our Conference is created by the Churches Including her preachers, and when tno Church acts as prudent as the primitive Church in selecting hor delegates, wo have the quintessence of all tho Churches con¬ centrated in Conference, and in the multitude of counselors there is Kafoty. In deciding ecclesiastical questions to Assume that tlio Church is higher authority is virtually saying two plus two, equal one, or that ono Sampson is stronger than seven Sampson's. If her power (Church) is curtailed by forminc Conference, as a nuisance she had blotter abandon the practice. Churches may entertain Theological questions diametricallyopposedto'each other, such as would, if not amicably settled impede tho spread of tho Gos¬ pel, how shall such questions be adjus¬ ted but by a Conference of tho Churches; and will it not augment her power to concentrate her forces! Con¬ ference being composed ofthe Church¬ es, she must have the elements of the Church, hence if the Church has a riglit to recieve members, so has the
Conference; ifthe former has the right to exeommunioate so has the latter; if One has tho right to commune, the same right belongs to the other.
We cannot deprive conference, com¬ posed of all the churches of power w hich a single church might claim; we admit that both have their inherent rights, butthey do not eome in juxtaposition with each other—each have a distinct mission in the plan of redemption, but to assemble In annual conference for the purpose of deciding grave questions for an aggregate good; when a single church may ignore all ita decisions with Impunity is redlcu- lous. Por one or two churches in their local capacity, to repudiate the decision of twenty In conference would certainly be an assumption of consid¬ erable courage and discrimination. We disclaim the right of any church boxing conference on one ear, while another church, though materially dif¬ fering with the first, (church), smites her on the other; thus immolating, though full grown, her legitimate ehlkl conferrence. Such a course saviors too much ofthe one man power; there Is an obvious lack of magnaniniity, an unmistakable squint towards insubor¬ dination and Independence, without that spirit of sympathy for the breth¬ ren that the gospel requires. Moreo¬ ver, we claim the right of appeal. Our civil code justifies it; observation and experience sanction it. Panl Bar¬ nabas, and certain othersof the church at Antioch, by way of appeal presen¬ ted their case to the Apostle Elders and Brethren at Jerusalem, but to take an appeal from tho Supremo Court to that of Common pleas or from Confer¬ ence to a church would be something like inverting a jijramld, the apex where the base should be, and this is not priest craft—de]jreciatIon of, or contempt for the churches. In confer¬ ence the churches have a majority over the preachers; consequently our rain Isters cannot rule or lord it over God's heritago. Preachers may bo rather loquacious, but when the vole is taken the churches hVive the power. We are amenable to tho church so long as we arc members; so the chui'ch is rcspon sible to conibrence as long as sho Is a member. Thus I'ar I havo considered some ofthe practical workings of our i modern contcrence, and brethren there i ougliL lo be unanimity, harmony and a general understanding on this sub¬ ject. There Is as much propriety, and a groat deal less harm in building cob- houses and kicking them over than doing business in conference, subject to thevaseillating whims of a single church which may be pleased to re¬ verse Its decisiens. Lot the decisions of conference remain as they are until luvcrsod, expunged, or otherwise by the same body.
 —^»> ¦	
yiritten for '*« Goa}i«' tleridd.
Crumbs from a Christian Pulpit.
Two influences have been, are still, and must ever continue at work in human society. Radicalism and con¬ servatism. They aro both necessary; indeed, primal forces. From their in¬ ter-action comes the world's progress, just as the planets arc made to move on, in thoir reBpectiveorbits,by the com¬ bined action of the centripetal and centrifugal   ibrcos.     The   centripetal
force, acting alono, would soon draw j to the center, all the planets In tho solar system. The centrifugal, alone, would send them off in straight lines through the infinitude of space, like bullets shot from the artillery of Om¬ nipotence. There is order-among the heavenly bodies, and safety for man on the earth, because these torces mod- fy each other, and produce a. result which neither could produce alone.
Radicalism is the centrifugal human force. It is restive, and impatient of restraint. It seeks to go ahead in straight lines, usually regardless oi, cost or consequences, Conservatism Is,the centripetal. It Is timid and bloodless, It -says, ''wait, wait: the world was not made In an hour. You are too fast; becalm; be quiet," The radical, unchecked, would go through the heavens like a comet, scorning re¬ straint, and accomplishing nothing; but the conservative clings to his skirts, and brings him around in a graceful orbit, in which, alone, his In¬ fluence is really servicable. The conr servative, left to himself, would die in his shell. He lives in the paat— mourns over the degenerate present, and sometimes wishes that he, had died before his peace of mind, and the even tenor of his life were destroyed by the introduction of now things. Butthe radical. Is forever di8tu.rbing his dreams, and often compels him to do many things of which he is over after needlessly repenting. And so. the world moves. The sails of a .ship are radical^—the ballast, conservative. Before a moderate, steady breeze, she would undoubtedly run fas.ter without the conservative; but, in attempting to tack, or in a chopped sea, she wouli;! surely capslKe. , And yet these forces, in society, have never understood each other—never been on friendly terms. The ballast is forever crying to tho sails, "reef! reef! Oh, if the ship were given up to me, I would steer straight for port, tie up and live in peace. Navigating the ocean is dan¬ gerous business, and ought to be aup- pi'CSfied. llarbdrs, safe harbors, fire the proper ])laoes for vessels." The sails exclaim: "Oii, If it wore not for tlie sand and the ii'on down there, which we arc obliged to carry for¬ ever and for nothing, wo would make quick time!'
The looomutive is conservaLivo, tho firo and steam arc radical, and tho discreet engineer is tlie overruling jirovidenc.e. which combines the two, and produces a result conducive of human weal. But there aro many men, whose conception ofthe relation and adaptation of means to tho ]iro- gress oi tho race, is about us clear as his would be, who should advise that locomotives bo used without steam, as they would then be perfocLly manage¬ able and incapable of doing harm.— And others, about as wise as ho who should say, "a locomotive is a locomo¬ tive, and Is made to do a certain work. Kevor mind about grading your road, or laying down your track, or putting on tho brakes, or providing an engin¬ eer. Put in your firo, aud let on your steam. It will do its own work. Is'nt ita locomotive? and was'ut il made for a specific purpose ?"
There are Radicals and Conserva¬ tives in science, in politics, and in re¬ ligion.    The mistake  of tho Radicals
is in divorcing or disregarding the past. They say "progress is the order ofthe day. The past has made too many mistiikosto be a reliable guide. We should turn our backs upon it. 'Let the dead past bury Its dead.' Men should know only the'living present!" How familiar are these stereotyped phrases!
The mistake of the Conservative is. in considering the world a ripe cluster, of grapes, that ought to bo jilucked, and packed away before it deteriorates. Or, if be admits the possibility of. progress. It is with many mental'res¬ ervations, and by incomprehensible agencies. These mistakes, each con¬ sidered by itself, would be very det¬ rimental to human Interest, If they did not neutralize each other,     *   *   -i=
The man of; to-day is a child of tho past. Did over worthless mother bear so fine a son? Did ever the sucklings of a wolf possess such, wondrous pow¬ ers ? Every man begins tho world precisely where: Adam 'did, that is, knowing nothing. But he soon be¬ comes what Adam never was, for Ae was a one leaf spi out on the mountain's brow, where thero was neither good soil, w.,rintli r,or moisture. Butthe roan of to-day thrusts his roots In the richest alluvium ofa thousand streams, the gathered and,concentrated fertility of all past ages. But vory many are like tho young man who was too ten¬ derly cared for, by his industrious and virtnous parents, with whose earnings his pomades, his juleps, his cigars, and even the coat on his back were bought, but who with only the manhood which the barber and, the tailor give bim, pours out doleful lamentations, that tbe "old folks" are so far behind the times. *      , '¦'¦     . *       *        i-
Admitting the growth of the soul, the spiritual growth ofthe atfes, and a bettor, a fur better understanding of spiritual truths, as, highly probable, does it follow that, we" have touched bottom, no where in tho spiritual king¬ dom, and that ohl truths areinadequate to our ]nosenl nootls, and therefore not of binding force? By ]iarity of reasoning, iheti, admitting'Ibe ]iruba- biliiy of Inttillft'tuai growth—of new dii-icovcries in science--of now iqipHca- tions uf i)riiiciplos, whicli I do vory gladly, I may deny the arbitrary na¬ ture, and the utiiily ol past discoveries, and aflinn their inadequacy to the I present needs of lIri Intel feet. . Be- i causo new mathematical facts may be ! discovered, tbercfore the multipllcayon \ table is not reliable. Heeauso astron- ! omcrs-are discovering from timo to time, stars never before soon by the in¬ habitants of tho earth, tlieroforo it is not wise to .sail longer by the I^oilh Polar Star, and tho principles of nav¬ igation, by wliich the commerce of the world has boon safely carried on, may bo declared too old-fashioned for furth? er observance. . That twice two are four—that, a part is less than the whole —thata straight line is the shortest distance between any two points, are statements of the olden time, which havo served a valuable pui'ijo.'-o, Id. all tho world's reckonings, but they are not arbitrary, and may be rendered inoperative by future discoveries. Do you believe that; No, not a soul believes it. In tho re¬ gion of the intilectual wc are-con¬ fessedly on the bottom.    Still, we not