EATHER TAYLOR. NE Sunday afternoon, in 1848, five sailors, including myself ONE were the sole occupants of the forecastle of the schooner Osprey, of Boston, which then lay at the long wharf in that city—a locality well known to those who " go down to the sea in ships." The weather was exceedingly unpleasant. The wind was blowing from the north-east, and was keen and cutting, accompanied by a drizzling rain. To pass away the time that hung monotonously upon our hands, we chatted, told stories, growled, argued, and, in fact, did pretty much anything except think it was Sunday. Finally, I perched myself upon the side of my berth, and drawing out a dilapidated pair of trousers, and procuring from a bag, which was suspended near where I sat, a needle and thread, commenced inserting a patch where one was sadly needed. My fellow-sailors with one accord proposed to play eucher, and one of the number took from his berth a pack of cards which, from their greasy and worn appearance, gave unmistakable evidence of having frequently been in use before. When I had partially concluded the "necessary" job that I had undertaken, and my companions had played a "horse," we were aroused by a strange shrill voice at the entrance to the forecastle. [I omit strict nautical phrases, in order to make my story better understood.] Looking up, I saw an aged but pleasant-appearing gentleman, who, perceiving I was aware of his presence, sang out, "Hallo, boys! enjoying yourselves, ain't you?" "Yes, old hoss," ejaculated the dealer: "won't you come down and take a hand?" "6 'Well, boys, seeing that it is very uncomfortable, 1 don't care if I do come down and warm myself," said the stranger, and he descended and seated himself by my side. "Here, old fellow, you take my place. I have had enough of eucher to-day, and (yawning), as I am very sleepy, I guess I'll turn in." This remark, as the reader will readily perceive, was addressed to the new comer, and the latter replied that he never played cards, but he offered to sing, and intimated that he could entertain us in that way. The cards were forthwith "bunched" and deposited upon one corner of the table, and the stranger drew from an inside coat pocket a small black-covered book, which, like the pack of cards, presented evidence of much use. Give it to us strong," said one of the men 66 we ain't much on the reg'lar sing, but I guess we can all join in the chorus." And he did give it to us strong. With a voice full of melody and strong in tone he sang "God moves in a mysterious way, He plants His footsteps in the sea, At the conclusion of each verse he said, "Repeat," and five sailors not only joined in the chorus, but also in the repetition, and with a will, too. The effect was electrical. My dilapidated trousers disappeared into the back of my berth in a jiffy, and needle and thread with them; and when the singing had been concluded my companions made a concerted move to leave the table, upon which a few moments before they had been slamming the cards. But they were interrupted by the old man's pleasant voice, who remarked, in a solemn and impressive manner, that could not be misunderstood, "Let us pray!" He knelt down at one side of the table while we all bowed our heads, and he offered up one of the most impressive prayers that I ever heard. During its delivery one of the men seized the pack of cards and in a quiet manner put them in the stove. 66 The movement was discerned by the stranger, and when he had concluded his exhortation he arose to his feet, and, scanning the countenances of the quintette before him, he said, “Now, boys, if any one of you will say that he wants to play a game of cards with me, I will take a hand." "No," said we all in chorus; we shan't play cards any more." And then we all tried to shake hands with the man, but he couldn't accommodate more than two of us at a time and with tears of joy streaming down our cheeks, we inquired his name. His reply was, "My name? Why, I am pretty well known in Boston. God bless you! They call me Father Taylor." CHILD'S PRAYER. THE last words of a little child, scarcely three years old, the son of a friend, as he went down the river-bank and his tiny feet touched the cold waters, were, "I want my papa." Chilled by the approach of the last enemy, standing on the border-land of the unseen, his humanity craved human aid, and he longed for the support of some seen presence in the final struggle. This pathetic cry of the child only expresses the need of every soul when it faces the invisible. In the fulness of life, when death stands in the background, men but dimly appreciate the worth of a friend that can pilot one through the depths, leaving them as on the dry land. It is only when they hear the deep roar of the waters that they reach out for help. Then comes from the heart the cry: I want my Father." Oh, the desolation of the soul that finds itself orphaned in an hour when earth fades and the faces of the human grow dim, and the realities of eternity take on their colossal proportions and assume definite shape. God pity the fatherless in such an hour, and may He inspire all Christian workers to bring lost men back to their Father's house before it be too late. CHURCH NEWS. THE Liberation Society must look to its laurels. Rival institutions are in the field, which may outvie it in influence. Mr. Carvell Williams may have a better appointment offered him as an officer in the camp of those whom he has been accustomed to speak of as, 66 our friend the enemy." We have already intimated that new Liberation Societies-not of Free Churchmen, but of State Churchmen-were coming into being; and now we have the formal announcement with regard to one of them, that the Ritualistic League for the Disestablishment of the National Church has recently met. under the presidency of the Rev. A. H. Mackonochie, and finally settled its Constitution and arranged its policy and plans. The council consists of twelve clergymen and twelve laymen, the incumbent of St. Albans, Holborn, being chairman. The meeting was unanimous and enthusiastic. More than 1,000 of the clergy have given in their adhesion to the principle as "the only practical method of securing relief from Erastian tyranny and State injustice.” Other bodies, too, are moving. The Free Church of Scotland appears, at last, to be in earnest towards disestablishment. Four of its largest Presbyteries have declared in favour of overtures to the General Assembly; urging that body to take steps for promoting the separation of the Church from the State in Scotland. Meanwhile, we have more definite tidings with regard to the attitude of the Wesleyan Methodists in England. 'I remember the time," said Mr. Allen, an eminent member of the Wesleyan body, when recently presiding at one of the meetings of the Triennial Conference, "I remember the time when there was very little love lost between the Wesleyan Methodists and the members of the Liberation Society. I am glad to say a very different state of things exists now. I have, of course, no right to speak on behalf of the Wesleyan body, but as a private member, and do not wish to compromise that body; but this I do say, that a very marked change has taken place in the public opinion of the Wesleyan body during the last twenty-five years with respect to the principles of the Liberation Society. Before then you would scarcely have found a single Wesleyan minister, and you would have found very few influential Wesleyan laymen, and I don't think you would have found one out of three of the great body of Wesleyans, who would have been favourable to the great principles of this society. But what is the case now? Why, a very large number of Wesleyan ministers, especially amongst the young men, are favourable to your principles, and a large number of influential laymen are thoroughly with you; and the whole of the Wesleyan members of Parliament, though they are only five in number, are, I believe, pledged to the principle of disestablishment and disendowment. I believe, if a poll were taken at the present time of the members of Wesleyan societies in these three kingdoms, you would find at least three out of four thoroughly with you. We cannot too highly estimate the advantage of gaining over a great religious body like the Wesleyan Methodists, numbering some 380,000 among its members in these three kingdoms. I believe that this gain will tell in a very important degree at the next general election in influencing the constituencies." No wonder Mr. Chamberlain, has said, "I hold that the Church of England, as a State Church, is doomed, and tottering to its fall. There is no other question, to my mind, of equal importance, or of more pressing urgency, and whenever the nation shall weary of the inaction to which it has been for too long a time condemned, I do not doubt that the relations between the Church and State will be one of the first questions which will come up for settlement; and this contingency may arise sooner perhaps than many of us expect. The great wave of reaction which swept over England at the last general election may have its reflux, and we who have seen a majority of sixty converted into a minority of fifty may see a change no less great, but in the inverse direction. Five years before the disestablishment of the Irish Church, who was there so bold as to predict its fall?" It is true that some few of our Nonconformist friends are prepared to stand aside while things drift on to the inevitable issue. They advise other Nonconformists to let the Church alone, while her members fight it out among themselves. To this it has been replied: "We do not believe in the let-alone policy. Had the confessors and reformers of every age and clime concurred in the laissez faire system of the unequalled pulpit orator, then, instead of obloquy and ostracism as their contumelious lot, they would have lived in learned and luxurious ease, bathed in the orient splendours of royal courts and aristocratic coteries, and gone down to the grave followed by the mourning coaches of the blue-blood fraternity, and have had their statues and portraits exhibited in the perfumed galleries of the proud and haughty nabobs of Europe. Let her alone, indeed! To do this would be to insult the memories of Cromwell, Bunyan, De Foe, George Fox, the mighty Chatham, Dr. Watts, and Doddridge, and the saintly and devoted Henrys, the Covenanters of Scotland, the Puritan ejected pastors of Black Bartholomew's day, and the fire-enthroned Nonconformist martyrs of Smithfield. Let her alone? Yes! when patriotism ceases to be a virtue, and fealty to truth, reason, and conscience are esteemed as nought but a mere sickly day-dream, and the idle and unsubstantial visions of a pulling fanatic." The interest of the May meetings this year has been well sustained. Unfortunately most of the religious societies have to report a diminished income; but the state of trade throughout the land, and even the world, affords a ready explanation of the reasons for the fact. The subject of the address of the Chairman of the Congregational Union was "The Relations of the Temporal and Spiritual Power in the different Nations of Europe." It is one which will require careful consideration by the people of this country as they rapidly draw near and nearer to the great question of the method by which Disestablishment and Disendowment will best be effected in England and Scotland. To accomplish that work wisely will need all our wisdom. The Rev. A. M. Fairbairn, of Aberdeen, has accepted the office of Principal of Airedale Independent College, Bradford. |