"The third box contains tithes for the poor.

"I have written there the following texts ;-Deut. xiv. 28, 29. Levit. xix. 9, 10.

"I devote the contents of this box to the service of the poor; to the compensation of losses occasioned by fire; to wood, flannel, and bread, for those who stand in need, &c. &c.'"- pp. 150-155.

Nor was his attention solely occupied by home objects; Missionary Societies attracted his attention.

"No sooner had he learned that there were pious Christians who left their homes to convey to the benighted heathen the promises of the Gospel, than he parted with all his plate, with the exception of one silver spoon,* and contributed the proceeds of the sale to that noble undertaking, as he rightly designated it, only regretting that he was unable to send more."."-p. 156. And he was at one time on the point of relinquishing his cure, to go and preach the Gospel to the Heathen. The establishment of the Bible Society, Oberlin hailed with thankfulness, and became its first foreign correspondent. By his exertions, associations were formed in many parts of France, and he was enabled to supply the demands of his own parish and neighbourhood by the liberality of his English friends. The effect seems to have been most interesting;-a spirit of love and a spirit of prayer sprung up together, and the poor people seem to have pressed forward to take a part in the great cause of universal evangelization;--they perceived their own moral desert to have been made to "rejoice and blossom like the rose," and were desirous that the wilderness that is found in other places should be made to resemble "the garden of the Lord."

"The inhabitants of the different villages,' says Mrs. Rauscher, (Oberlin's youngest daughter,) seem to be actuated by some secret and spontaneous movement. They assemble together in the evening of certain days, when, after reading a few chapters of the Bible, they all kneel down and join in imploring the divine blessing upon the whole village, as well as upon the parish at large, and upon every institution designed to circulate the truths of the Gospel and to bring people nearer to God. They then make a collection, which is deposited in a box kept for the purpose, and reserved there till the time arrives for transmitting it to those Bible and Missionary Societies whose annual reports show that they stand in the greatest need.'-p. 178.

"The collections thus made consisted of voluntary contributions according to the abilities of the donor, and the sums that were sometimes raised are truly astonishing; 290 francs having been at one time remitted to the Paris Bible Society, and on another occasion, the sum of 500, to the London Committee, in furtherance of the same object.

"As all that our venerable patriarch receives and possesses, is only employed for the advancement of the kingdom of his Divine Master, he has again remitted to me 100 francs, desiring me to forward them to the Bible Society at Paris. His Louise, (the name of his faithful housekeeper,) has added to it ten francs for the same purpose, and ten for the Missionary Society at Paris. She has a single field, and this is the amount of the rent. May the Lord put a peculiar blessing upon it!'-p. 304.

* Oberlin bequeathed this silver spoon to the Missionary Institution at Basle.

"Their beneficence was not, however, confined to their immediate vicinity; for the Foundation for Protestant Theological Students at Strasbourg, the Reformed Theological Society at Montauban, and particularly the Protestant Institution for the Education of Poor Children of the Neuhof, near Strasbourg were indebted to Oberlin and his people for much efficient assistance.--p. 305.

We shall conclude this part of our subjectby an extract from a letter of his to some of his parishioners who had presented him with some garlands on the 70th anniversary of his birth.

"If, by my feeble exertions, I have been enabled to be of some utility to you, all the honour belongs to God, who has kindled in my heart the love I bear you, and who has given and preserved my strength till this period to carry forward my heart's desire, which is your good.-p. 180.

"But I have still one wish; a wish that though I am old in years is always fresh in my heart;—a wish that reigns predominant in my thoughts and never forsakes me. It is that my parish might make one solemn feast before God, a general and universal dedication, and one in which all persons without distinction might partake, every one according to his respective ability. That is, a dedication of the heart, in honour and remembrance of, and in faith in Him, who shed his blood for us in Gethsemane, and permitted himself to be smitten, scourged, and spit upon, crowned with thorns, and nailed to the cross, that we might receive the heaven which our sins had forfeited. This is the dedication that I so much desire every soul in my parish might join together to make, even the surrender of himself to Jesus, each one as he is, with all his faults, with all his sins, in order to find in Him, pardon, righteousness, sanctification, and redemption. pp. 181, 182.

Of Oberlin's ministerial labours in the pulpit we have but scanty materials remaining; we are told that it abounded with

"The plainest statement of the doctrine of justification by faith in the merits of our Redeemer, and sanctification by his Spirit, and of the absolute necessity of both the one and the other to meetness for the heavenly inheritance. Oberlin was accustomed to preach very alarmingly on the judgment to come, and the punishment of the wicked; though, at the same time, he held out the fatherly love of God to every returning sinner, who would seek Him through Jesus Christ. These last mentioned doctrines may be said to have constituted the leading features of his ministry."—pp. 232, 233.

His style was

“Simple, energetic, and affectionate, continually speaking to his people under the appellation of 'mes chers amis.' He would frequently introduce biographical anecdotes of persons distinguished for their piety; and the boundless field of nature furnished him with striking illustrations to explain spiritual things. But the Bible itself, la chere Bible,' as he exclaimed with tears of gratitude a short time before his last illness, was the grand source of all his instructions. His sermons were almost always composed with the greatest care; and when unable, for want of time, to write them out at length, he made at least a tolerably full outline. In general he committed them scrupulously to memory, but in the pulpit he did not confine himself to the precise words, and would indeed sometimes change the subject altogether, if he saw that another was apparently better suited to the circumstances of his auditory."-pp. 236, 237.

The following extracts present the mode in which this good man laboured, with more fidelity than any delineation of our own could do.

"As the villages of Oberlin's little district were too far apart to allow of his preaching every week in all of them, he took each of the three churches in rotation, and the peasants made an arrangement to come in turns with a horse every Sunday morning to fetch him, and to take him home to partake of their dinner after the sermon. He made a point, when the little repast was ended, of seeing the children of the house one by one in succession, according to their age, and of talking to them like an affectionate father, in language adapted to their respective capacities, as well as of making a present to each. p. 223, 224. "Oberlin always concluded the Sabbath afternoon's service with catechetical exercise; and as this was intended more particularly for the benefit of the children, he endeavoured to render his afternoon's discourse even more simple than that of the morning had been, and to adapt his language to the age of his younger hearers.-p. 251.

"I never witnessed so delightfully affecting a scene as the church of Waldbach, quite full, apparently, of attentive people. When we were there, on the 1th of June, 1820, it was completely filled with peasants in the costume of the country, and there was not a countenance among them that indicated indifference; the greater part evinced the utmost seriousness and attention. When the revered pastor entered, all stood up; he placed himself before the communion table; it was plain, covered with a white cloth, fringed all round. He first gave out a hymn. When it was sung, he read a prayer from the ritual, during which all knelt, and covered their faces. He then gave out another hymn; after which he went to one part of the church where the children sat, and called over their names, to see if any were absent. Then all knelt down again whilst he prayed; then they sung, and he went into the pulpit and gave out his text, after another prayer; He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied.' Isaiah liii, 11. Not a sound was to be heard. Every countenance expressed attention. When he had finished, he read some verses of a hymn expressive of entire devotedness to God. 6 My dear friends,' said he, ' may these be the feelings of our hearts, and as such let us sing them.' They then sang them de bon cœur. Two children were then brought to be baptized; after which he pronounced the blessing. Whilst the people were going out of church another verse was sung. Those nearest the door went out first, all in order and in silence. p. 252, 254.

66

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"I accompanied the venerable patriarch in some of his pastoral visits. Wherever he went, respect and affection met him, The children hailed his appearance. They immediately produced their Bibles, or Testaments, read to him, or listened to his truly paternal exhortations and admonitions. p. 255. Every Friday Oberlin conducted a service in German, for the benefit of those inhabitants of the vicinity to whom that language was more familiar than French. His congregation on a Sunday consisted, on an average, of six hundred persons, but on a Friday of two hundred; and Oberlin, laying aside all form, seemed on such occasions more like a grandfather surrounded by his children and grandchildren, to whom he was giving suitable admonition and instruction, than the minister of an extensive parish. In order that no time might be lost, he used to make his female hearers knit stockings during the service, not indeed for themselves or their families, but for their poorer neighbours. When he

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had pursued for half an hour the train of his reflections upon the portion of Scripture which he had just been reading, he would often say to them, Well, my children, are you not tired? Have you not had enough? Tell me, my friends.' To which inquiry his parishioners would generally reply, No, papa, go on ;—we should like to hear a little more,' though on some occasions, with characteristic frankness, the answer was, Assez, nous pensons, pour une fois ;' and the good old man would leave off in the midst of his discourse, or wait a little, and presently resume it.”—pp. 257, 258.

Oberlin was in the habit of circulating questions among his parishioners, and requiring answers to each inquiry. These questions are given in his life, and they exhibit the most landable attention to the minutest wants and concerns of the people, but we may regret that they are not of a more deep and searching spiritual cast; roads and trees, and overseers, and cleanliness, occupy several questions, but the great doctrines of justification and atonement, and their effect on the sinner's heart, are not sufficiently prominent. He also wrote circulars* on these questions, and remarks on the answers he received. Oberlin was aware of the importance of pastoral visits, and he not only sought in them to impress upon his people the truth of the Gospel, and to acquire a knowledge of their circumstances, but he also kept a book in which he made memoranda connected with their spiritual state, so as to be enabled to obtain an insight into their various characters. We cannot but think such a plan calculated to be eminently useful; the pastor of a parish ought to aim at being more than the mere recognised clergyman, he should be the parent, the friend, the adviser; and to be all these with effect and utility, he ought to be acquainted with his children, his friends, his clients; nor is any plan to be overlooked, any labour to be avoided, which will facilitate such a knowledge. We are convinced that most of the usefulness of parochial ministrations depends on the pastor permitting himself to be familiarized with his flock, so as to become the depository of their cares, and anxieties, and feelings; nor do we think that Oberlin was less respected in being saluted by the title of Cher Pupa, than if he had imposed the most ceremonious and chilling distance upon his people.

In no part of Oberlin's character have we taken more pleasure than in the exhibition of his amiable and gentle feelings in private life: he early connected himself with a pious and excellent woman, and his family, three sons and four daughters, rewarded his care by exhibiting the tempers and dispositions which it had been his

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The following is an extract from one, alluding to the care parents should take of their children; And the Lord said unto Cain, where is Abel thy brother? And he said, I know not; Am I my brother's keeper ?'-Gen, iv. 9. The Lord said to Cain Where is Abel thy brother? Oh, may these words resound continually in the ears of every parent, Father, where is thy son ?" In what village; in what house; in what company? How is he employed ? It behoves you to be able to answer these inquiries by night and by day; on Sundays and on working days; wherever you are, and whatever you are doing. You are the guardians of your children; aud whether they are employed in work, or in relaxation and amusement, it is your duty to superintend and direct their amusements and pursuits."-p. 277.

anxious desire to implant. Shall we be permitted to say, that it appears to us, that in no respect is the Christian world more deficient than in the application of Christian principles to the education of their children? If it were not so, why do we so frequently see, notwithstanding the cheering and encouraging promises of Scripture, so many of those who possess godliness, mourning over the inefficacy of admonition, and exhortation, and example, and feeling, in the misconduct of their children, the severest punishment that could be inflicted on their own neglect? Aware as we are of the difficulty as well as the responsibility of the task, and that to steer between the opposite errors of indulgence and severity,* demands no little skill, we would suggest, that an eye constantly directed to the gracious Being who gave, a continued waiting upon him in prayer, and a committal of all to "the redeeming angel," is the way to bless, and sanctify, and hallow with success, the care and vigilance of paternal scrutiny.

We are the more inclined to regard this as the grand deficiency, because we think where this constant appeal to the throne of grace has been found, then there has a blessing fallen upon the family, and the children have been the support and joy of their parents. Thus Oberlin writes in an interesting fragment remaining:

"For my dear children, I fear nothing; for I have had such frequent experience of the mercy of God towards myself, and place such full reliance upon his goodness, his wisdom, and his love, as to render it impossible for me to be at all solicitous about them. Besides this, I know that God hears ours prayers; aud ever since the birth of our children, neither their mother nor I have ceased to supplicate Him to make them faithful followers of Jesus Christ, and labourers in his vineyard.”—320, 321.

After an union of sixteen years, commenced in rather an eccentric manner; but, blessed in no small degree, his wife was removed, and

"I knew Oberlin," says Mr. Heisch, "as the playfellow and instructor of bis children when they were young, and as their friend and counsellor when arrived at years of maturity. In the character of instructor, be so well knew how to mingle affection with earnestness, and even with severity when requisite, that his children both loved and respected him; and in that of a friend, there was an endearing tenderness that not only constituted their happiness, but formed also a constant stimulus to their exertions." p. 118.

"Only two days before the period fixed upon for her return to Strasbourgh, Oberlin felt as though a secret voice within, whispered, "Take her for thy partner!" He, however, resisted the call. "It is impossible," said he, almost aloud,-"our dispositions do not agree," "Take her for thy partner!" the voice still continued. He spent a sleepness night, and, in his prayers the next morning, solemnly declared to God, that if he would give him a sign, by the readiness with which Madeleine should accede to the proposition, that the union was in accordance with his will, he would cheerfully submit to it, and consider the voice he had heard as a leading of Providence. After breakfast, the same morning, he found the young lady sitting in a summer-house in the garden. Placing himself beside her, he began the conversation by saying, 'You are about to leave us, my dear friend :-I have had an intimation that you are destined, by the Divine will, to be the partner of my life. If you can resolve upon this step, so important to us both, I expect you will give me your candid opinion about it, before your departure.' Upon this Miss Witter rose from her seat, and, blushing as she approached him, placed one hand before her eyes,