of the newly organized Theological Seminary in Chicago, serving as president until 1892, and as professor of systematic theology until his death.

His early associates in the faculty at Chicago-Drs. Arnold, Pattison, Boise, Smith and Mitchell, had already preceded him. Dr. Northrup was a man of commanding presence, an earnest student, an impressive platform speaker, and had great influence in the class room. His students, scattered widely through the ranks of the denomination in various walks of life, but chiefly in the pastorate, recognize the forceful influence that he exerted upon them as teacher. He belongs to that large class of men who have wrought so grandly for the denominational life in the past century, so many of whom have rested from their labors, among whom may be mentioned Francis Wayland, H. B. Hackett, T. J. Conant, M. B. Anderson, E. G. Robinson, A. C. Kendrick, Ebenezer Dodge and Edward Bright.

THE NEW PLAN FOR SUNDAY SCHOOLS AND YOUNG PEOPLE'S SOCIETIES.

Nearly a year has elapsed since the Home Mission Society decided to discontinue "Chapel Day" in our Sunday schools for an offering for church edifice purposes, and to ask the schools in lieu thereof to make their offering to the Society at the same time as that of the churches. In other words, the plan is to have unity of action in the church, in the Young People's Society and in the Sunday school of every church, in their beneficence. How is this suggestion received, and how does it work?

"The general opinion regarding the plan is good, so far as I have heard it expressed."

"The theory of offerings and unity for the whole church is correct."

Commendations like the foregoing could be multiplied.

As to the working of the plan. Not a year has elapsed since its adoption, and six months of this period has been the time when contributing churches are the fewest of any portion of the year. No fair test, therefore, has been made. Moreover, it takes time for the introduction of a new and better method. But there is a growing tendency in this direction. As one says, however, "there is so little co-ordination of the Young People's Societies and Sunday schools with the churches that it is difficult to secure uniformity. The Y. P. S. C. E. societies are generally very independent of the churches."

Another says: "It will take two or three years before we can tell clearly how the new plan will work."

A district secretary writes that the adoption of the plan is steadily growing in his district.

A pastor writes that the plan works admirably in his church, in which the young people make a missionary offering monthly, and the Sunday school has its missionary fund, and when the church. makes its offering for home, missions both the Young People's Society and the Sunday school also appropriate a portion of their missionary funds to this object. Each, however, keeps a record of its offerings, and makes an annual report thereof.

Furthermore, young people's societies that have been induced to make large

"The plan has been well received."

mission field upon them. A pastor of a strong church in the State of New York

giving all their receipts for mission work

in Africa, but this year they will fall into line with the plan recommended by the Commission on Systematic Beneficence, and give for both home and foreign missions."

GROUPING WEAK CHURCHES

UNDER ONE PASTOR.

It is manifestly impossible for every small church of twenty, thirty, forty or fifty members to support its own pastor in a manner that will secure the services of the right kind of a man for the field. Neither can a missionary society continue indefinitely to make appropriations to such churches for this purpose. yet, often in these churches there are very valuable members that should not be lost to the denomination, while the churches themselves are, as a rule, accomplishing an important work.

And

What, then, should be done in such cases? The grouping of two, three or even four churches in proximity to each other, under one pastor, appears to be the only solution of their salvation and progress. This, indeed, is not always an easy task, where churches have been accustomed to have their own pastor's entire time and service. But it is common in many portions of the United States and of Canada, where there are numerous small, yet prosperous, churches. It is a method widely adopted in the missionary work of the Methodists, and accounts to some extent for their growth in new mission fields.

In the mission fields of the Home Mission Society this method has been adopted to some extent, and we are glad to note that co-operating Western State conventions are pursuing this plan so far as practicable. Thus, Rev. C. W. Brinstad, general missionary for Nebraska, says: "I have been able to locate pastors with sixteen churches, while others will soon be settled. Am giving considerable attention to organizing self-supporting circuits among our weak churches, and placing strong men as pastors. One good

man can build up three or four churches quicker than three or four poor menMuch of this work could be accom. plished in the South Platte country if we only had a district missionary."

We were greatly surprised and saddened to learn of the unexpected death from pneumonia of Rev. John W. Crooks, General Missionary for Colorado, at Monte Vista, January 7th, 1901. Brother Crooks was a most indefatigable and self-sacrificing worker, and as it was only a few days before his death that letters from him reached the Rooms telling of his labors on the field, it seemed almost incredible that he should so soon have passed away. The Home Mission Society and the Colorado Convention are greatly indebted to his faithful and earnest efforts for the rapid progress the work has made on his field during the time he served as General

Missionary; the work in New Mexico also greatly prospered under his direction, Some facts concerning his life will be found in an article by Dr. Rairden in the Missionary Department of the present number.

The sad announcement of the death of Rev. John W. Crooks had hardly reached us when tidings came that his wife was also very sick with pneumonia, and now we learn that she, too, has passed away, leaving five young children in their desolate home. Assuredly they will have the sympathy and prayers of all who read these words. The friends in Colorado, mindful of the self-sacrifice of Brother Crooks and his wife, are taking a deep and helpful interest in their welfare.

A few years ago a friend of the Society made a special contribution for the distribution of the scriptures in destitute portions of the country, which made it possible, for a time, to furnish Bibles and Testaments free of all charges to our missionaries. This fund having been exhausted, missionaries are hereby notified that the plan formerly in operation will now be resumed. Requisitions made through the Home Mission Society, on its blanks, will be honored by the Publication Society; but in the matter of shipping charges and refunding of money received from sales of Bibles and Testaments, the missionary will communicate directly with the Publication Society.

The Pastor in His Relation to God, in the Study and in the Closet.

BY O. A. WILLIAMS, D.D., MINNEAPOLIS, MINN.

In Christian work this is the most vital of all questions. If our relation to God is not right, all else will be wrong. If we are not in sympathy with Him, we cannot be with men, and all service that we shall render them will be perfunctory and slavish. The first care and anxiety of the preacher should, therefore, be about his own inner life. Unless the fountain

is pure, the streams that flow out of it cannot be pure. Unless he lives in close and harmonious union with God, his ministry cannot be marked by spiritual power. There was a long period in the history of the Church when it was considered necessary for the religious teacher, in order to keep pure this inner life, to shut himself up in the cloister. He must withdraw from society, he must not be contaminated by intercourse with ungodly men; he must have nothing to do with the affairs of the world outside. But with the great awakening of the Reformation, it came to be realized that this was a wrong view of the Christian life; that it was contrary to the spirit of Christianity, and that seclusion from the world did not of itself necessarily promote holiness. But in this busy age we are in danger of going to the other extreme, and to judge of the value of Christian life solely by outward activity. The types of Christian character which the churches of today demand are the bustling Marthas, rather than the contemplative Marys. Perhaps this can be accounted for, in part at least, by the spirit of the age in which we live.

A Century of Energy.

During the century now drawing to a close, the world seems to have awakened out of the slumber of the ages. This century will go down into history as the century of energy, of invention, of steam and of electricity, of telegraphs and of telephones. We cannot in these days take time to find our friends and talk to them face to face; but we must send our thoughts to them on the wings of the lightning. Much of our Christian work is marked by the same spirit of intense activity. Judging from the teachings of sociologists and the advocates of the institutional church, we are still very deficient in this Christian activity; but we may well ask the question, What of the inner life? Is this sufficiently nourished and fed to bear all this fruitage without exhaustion? The tree must have roots, if it is to bear fruit to perfection. These roots must have the living waters that flow from the throne of

God. In the study, this inner life of the pastor is to be nourished and strengthened. He cannot afford to neglect this. If he does, he will fail in the outward activities. Some of our most busy pastors have been men of the deepest piety. They have been able to do so much for others, because they have been willing and anxious that God should do so much for them. When the outer activity is the natural outgrowth of the inner life, then there is indeed power. Rivers of water shall flow forth from that life that will prove a blessing and a benediction to the world.

I shall never forget the impression that was made on my mind the first time I heard Mr. Spurgeon preach. It is true that all the surroundings were calculated to inspire a man to his very best. The immense building, thronged with attentive hearers; the congregational singing, in which all joined, that made you think of the song of the harpers, which John described as the voice of many waters; the company of strong men who sat by his side on the platform, like Aaron and Hur, to stay up his hands. Add to this his own natural gifts. He was blessed with a voice that was as clear as the blast of a trumpet, and as tender as the most delicate instrument. But, as you sat in the presence of this man of God, you forgot these surroundings, and you were impressed with the one thought that before you stood a man who had just come down from the mount of communion with God, and whose face was still shining with the light of heaven. While we cannot have Mr. Spurgeon's gifts, we can have the graces which adorned his life. We can put ourselves in harmony and connection with the same source of spiritual power that made his ministry a blessing to the world.

The Pastor's Study.

Let us now look at the pastor in his study. The pastor, if it is a possible thing, should have a study. I realize that with some of our brethren, whose incomes are small and whose homes must be correspondingly small, this is impossible. Their reading, studying and meditating must all be done in the family room. It may be a source of encouragement to them to know that some of the great preachers of the past, who left the impress of their lives on the age in which they lived, did their work under similar circumstances. I remember of reading somewhere that Andrew Fuller thought out and wrote his great works in the family room. But no one will question the advantage of having a study where the pastor can read, think and pray with more profit than he can anywhere else.

A Place of Seclusion.

1. The study is for him the place of seclusion. I do not mean by this that no one but himself is to be admitted into this room; that his wife and children, and members of his church, are never to share with him in the helpful influences that surround him here. But it

is to be to him a sort of sanctuary, a sacred place, to which he can withdraw and be alone. It is evident that in the better class of Jewish homes there was a place for retirement, for meditation and prayer. Daniel had a chamber in his house at Babylon, whither he withdrew to pray. Peter was on the housetop praying, when he saw heaven open, and God called him to the larger work of preaching the gospel to the Gentiles also. There were times when the Son of God withdrew from the multitude, from his followers, and even from the favored three, and spent whole nights alone in prayer. When the final struggle came in the garden, and his soul began to be sorrowful and very heavy, He said, "Tarry ye here while I go yonder to pray." Then taking the three with Him, He said to them also, "Tarry ye here, and watch," while He went a little farther, and fell on His face and prayed. Yes, my brethren, it is well for us sometimes to be alone with our own thoughts, and alone with God.

An Intellectual Workshop.

our sermons.

2. The study is the place of research, of intense application, of the concentration of our thoughts. I do not mean by this that this is the only place where we gather thoughts for In fact, we should look at every thing with homiletic eyes, and listen to everything with homiletic ears. When we do this, the mind will not be barren when we come to the study, but it will be a storeroom of illustrations, of practical thoughts, that can be easily classified, arranged and incorporated into the sermon. But I mean to say that the study is the place where we will make the best use possible of our time in hard, solid mental work. There is much temptation to spend the best hours of the day and the best portion of the week in desultory and aimless reading. We may find plenty of excuses for doing this. We must be well-versed in the living questions of the day, and we must be acquainted with the current literature of the times, and, therefore, the dailies and the weeklies, the magazine and the new storybook, demand a large share of our time. This lighter reading, however, should be done as a matter of recreation rather than of solid work. It is a serious matter to form habits of careless and indifferent methods

of study. I know men of good natural ability whose reading is altogether of the lighter kind, and they find it almost impossible to master questions requiring thought and mental work. Their public efforts give evidences of being unprepared. They are likely to depend for effect. upon an anecdote, an incident or a story. There ought to be always ready at hand a book of real merit, that will require time and thought to read and to assimilate, and that in some way or another can be turned into good account in our work. Better still, if there is some particular line of study to follow that will make us stronger men, and better fitted for our high calling. We should never allow it to become a habit with us to appear in public, in the pulpit, or elsewhere, half prepared. The rule should be, to do our very best every time. We cannot always keep this rule. The preparation for the pulpit and for other public duties must necessarily be hurried some times, because other duties which we cannot neglect demand our time, such as visiting the sick and attending funerals, when there is much sickness in the community. But the pastor will find that the people will understand and appreciate these circumstances, and sympathize with him. They will overlook a lack of preparation at such a time as they will not at others.

A Place of Meditation.

3. The study is a place for meditation. I make a distinction between study and meditation. In study we search after truth; we ascertain whether a proposition is true or false. In meditation we accept certain statements, or propositions as true, and we endeavor to apply them to ourselves, and to make them a part of ourselves. Study may be purely objective. Meditation may be purely subjective. We may study only for others; we may meditate only for ourselves. Our duties require us to be constantly thinking for others, to be providing spiritual food for the different members of the flock. But there is great danger that while we do this for others, we should neglect our own souls, and suffer spiritual dearth. Moreover, we find it difficult amid the innumerable calls of our busy lives to set apart any time for calm, quiet meditation. But the growth and development of the spiritual nature demands it, and the highest interests of those under our care demand it. We ought to take time to read God's Word for our own profit. We ought to take a passage of Scripture, ponder upon it, revolve it in our minds, and ask ourselves what is there

in it for me? We ought often to take some great truth of the gospel, view it on all sides, and its relations to other truths, till it becomes a part of our own inner life. We shall then find that we have something of value to impart to others. It will not be a mental acceptance of truth; it will be, as the fathers used to say, an experimental knowledge of it. We will then be able to appreciate what Paul said, 'We believe, therefore, we speak." Did not the Psalmist have a religious exercise of this sort in mind when he described the godly man as meditating, day and night, in the law of God; when he exhorted us to commune with our own hearts upon our beds, and when he gives us this testimony, "My soul shall be satisfied, as with marrow and fatness, and my mouth shall praise thee with joyful lips when I remember thee upon my bed, and meditate on thee in the night watches."

A Place of Prayer.

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4. The study is the place of prayer and communion with God. It is the preacher's closet. A prayerless ministry will be a fruitless ministry. The preacher may be eloquent, the sermon may give evidence of marked scholarship; but, if it is not saturated with prayer, it is powerless. The risen Lord gave this promise to his disciples, And shall receive power after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you." We are not to forget the attitude of these early disciples while waiting for the enduement of power. They gathered in the upper room, and continued in prayer and supplication. The ministry of some men has been marked with great power. If the secret of it was made known, we should discover that they were men who spent much time with God in the closet. It was after Moses had been for many days in communion with God upon the mount, that his face shone, so that it became necessary to cover it with a veil while he spoke to the people. Payson on his death-bed said, "Prayer is the first thing, second thing, and third thing necessary for the minister." It is said of Luther that he spent three hours daily in prayer, and those mighty words which thrilled the heart of Christendom were the utterances of a soul thus glowing with the flames of devotion. Whitefield spent hours of each day on his knees with God's Word open before him, and it was from the audience chamber of Heaven he went forth to speak those marvelous words of power which stirred the souls of the multitude. The Divine Teacher, who spake as no other man had ever spoken, spent much time in secret prayer.

How we lament the unfruitfulness of our ministry! How we yearn in our inmost souls for this power, not for selfish ends, that we might sway the multitude with our eloquence, and secure their applause, but rather, power for service, power for faithful witnessing, that men and women might feel the keen edge of the truth, and be led to submission and trust in Jesus and His finished work, for their salvation! There is one place where we can go for this power-into our closets. It is to come through the presence and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. "And ye shall receive power after that the Holy Spirit is come upon you." The source of the power is not in us, but in God. We are the instruments through which He works. Hence, the necessity of being in close touch with Him. The quiet and seclusion of the closet will be helpful in bringing our souls into a state of tender and conscious nearness to God.

Our battles, if they end in victory,must be fought in our closets. You remember the experience of Jacob, when he learned that his brother, with the old grudge and hatred in his heart, was coming to meet him with a band of armed men. It was a critical night with Jacob. His heart is deeply anxious for himself and his family. What will he do? He will give himself to prayer. He is left alone. But you remember how the night was spent in wrestling with the man that appeared unto him. His determination is expressed in the words, "I will not let thee go except thou bless me." The victory was won. "Thy name be called no more Jacob, but Israel, for as a prince hast thou power with God and with man, and hast prevailed." On that night Esau's long pent-up wrath was changed into brotherly kindness. Peniel, the name which Jacob gave to this place, is an explanation of how he regarded the incident: "I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved."

Zerah, an Ethiopian, came against Judah with an army of a thousand thousand. King Asa knew how inadequate his army was with this great host. But he conquered that mighty army on his knees. "Lord, it is nothing with thee to help whether with many or with them that have no power. Help us, O Lord our God, for we rest on thee, and in thy name we go against this multitude. O Lord, thou art our God! Let not man prevail against thee." So the Lord smote the Ethiopians before Asa.

When the time came when Jesus as the Saviour of the world must meet the powers of darkness, there was a shrinking from the agony