THE ORIGINAL SUNDAY SCHOOL PAPER OF THE UNIVERSALIST DENOMINATION, IS NOW ISSUED IN FIFTY-TWO NUMBERS, YEARLY, AT THE VERY LOW PRICE OF FIFTY CENTS A YEAR, TO CLUBS OF TEN OR MORE SUBSCRIBERS, IN ONE PACKAGE, WITHOUT NAMES, AND AT Seventy-Five Cents a Year for any Number less than Ten. There has long been a demand by Universalists for such a SUNDAY SCHOOL PAPER, and we trust and believe that our people will second this enterprise by giving it generous patronage. Arrangements have been made for contributions by which the MYRTLE, in its weekly form, will be a necessity in every Sunday School and Family of our Church. By this arrangement our children will have fifty-two papers a year, and at such a low price as to bring it within the means of all. We have been supplying twenty-four papers for 30 cents, but our subscribers will receive twenty-eight additional numbers for the extra twenty cents. Let our schools and the heads of our families arrange to take it. We ask our friends, everywhere, to send to us for specimen numbers, which will be forwarded free to all who send for them. Address, REV. BENTON SMITH, Agent, UNIVERSALIST PUBLISHING HOUSE 37 Cornhill Boston, Mass. THE UNIVERSALIST QUARTERLY. The best talent in our order is engaged in writing for this work and the best articles on Theology and other topics will be found in its pages. This work should be more generally sustained by our Clergymen and Lazmen for the honor as well as the benefit of our Church. THE UNIVERSALIST QUARTERLY, for July,-Those who mourn the lost Christian Examiner, swallowed out of sight in the sea of Old and New stories and nursery rhymes, may console themselves by the fresh utterances of the Universalist Quarterly, which is now in its twenty-ninth voluine without any loss of vigor.-Christian Register The terms are $3 per annum, in advance. UNIVERSALIST PUBLISHING HOUSE, 37 Cornhill. Boston, Mass ANCIENT HISTORY OF UNIVERSALISM. BY REV. HOSEA BALLOU, D.D. WITH NOTES BY REV. A. ST. JOHN CHAMBRE, A.M., AND REV. T. J. SAWYER, D.D. An entirely new edition in handsome type and on fine paper. This work has always been a standard one of our Literature, and should have a place in all our Libraries and in the collection of books in every Universalist home. Our people will welcome this new and fine edition of Dr. Ballon's able work, enriched by the notes of Rev. Mr. Chambré and Rev. Dr. Sawyer. Price $1.50. Send orders to the UNIVERSALIST PUBLISHING HOUSE, 37 Cornhill, Boston, Mass. THE MYRTLE FOR 1872---3. The volume of The Myrtle for 1872-3 has just closed, and bound volumes of it are for sale at the Universalist 'Publishing House. Price, $1.50. Those who have saved the numbers for the year, can have them bound in the fine style of the volume of last year, for 75 cents. SUNDAY SCHOOL LIBRARIES. The attention of Sunday Schools about purchasing books for their libraries, is called to the fresh and fine stock of books for sale by the Universalist Publishing House. All the books have been carefully examined, and we offer no books to Sunday Schools which contain sentiments not in harmony with the faith of Universa lists. Selections have been made from the publications of all booksellers. Should it be more convenient to send for books than to make selections, personally we are confident of giving perfectly satisfactory selections. Steps of the Inner Life..... .Rev. Edward Smiley 81 | Patience Hooper's Temptation. Mary C. Peckham 128 This World.. Wilhelm and Elizabeth. To a Comet.... .Mrs. C. M. Sawyer 85 .Ella F. Mosby 87 .Mrs. Mary E. Nealy 99 The Misfortunes of Rich Young Ladies Ella E. Fitz 100 The Romance of Highrock.. The Lost Lanes Dr. Dean, a Medical Student.. Our New Capital.. ..Jane L. Patterson 102 Sarah G. Duley 118 Seaward... Gleanings from New York. The Harvard Examinations. Maria R. Baker 138 ..Jessie Wentworth 138 145 148 152 152 153 for 1873. The Ladies' Repository for NEW VOLUME---JULY 1st. 157 159 The REPOSITORY is now one of the handsomest monthlies published, and one of the best religious and literary magazines in the country. It has been received with great favor during the past year, and large additions have been made to the number of the subscribers. The publisher will spare no efforts to make the next volume of the Magazine fully equal to the present one. We are sure that our readers will be glad to be informed that the July Number contains a fine engraving of HORACE GREELEY, WITH A SKETCH BY REV. T. J. SAWYER, D.D. MRS. N. T. MUNROE, MRS. CAROLINE M. SAWYER, MRS. S. M. C. PERKINS, MRS. MARY C. PECKHAM, Miss Sprague will furnish Translations. And others of our ablest writers, will also write for its pages. The REPOSITORY is in every way suited to the Family Circle. It is the only work of the kind published in our denomination; and we ask all our friends and patrons to aid us in extending its circulation. It is now the season of the year when families are considering what Magazine they will take. We ask those of our own denomination not to forget their own Magazine. Where ten or more are sent, a copy will be sent free to the person getting up the club. The money must in all cases, accompany the list of names. Payment may be sent by Post-Office Money Orders, Registered Letters, and Drafts upon New York or Boston, at our risk. Any one of these modes is perfectly safe, and Post Masters of all Post Offices where money orders are not sold, will register letters for a small fee. Money mailed in unregistered letters will be at the risk of the sender. Orders to discontinue the magazine must be accompanied by the full amount due, or the magazine will not be stopped. All magazines will be forwarded until an explicit order of a discontinuance is received; and whether taken by the subscriber or not from the place where they are deposited, he will be accountable for the pay until he orders a discontinuance and pays what is due. Specimen copies sent free on application Send for a copy. Address Rev. BENTON SMITH, Agent, Universalist Publishing House, 37 CORNHILL, BOSTON, Mass. TRAVELLING AGENTS. REV. Q. H. SHINN and MR. JOHN C. HEWES are agents to solicit subscriptions for the "Ladies' Repository," "The Quarterly," "The Universalist," and The Myrtle; " to take orders for books, and to make collections, and they are commended to the favor and confidence of the people upon whom they may call. THE LADIES' REPOSITORY. AUGUST, 1873. Steps of the Inner Life. FROM THE GERMAN OF DR. CARL SCHWARZ. "Now then having become righteous through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we also have admission by faith into this grace in which we stand; and we rejoice in the hope of the future glory which God is to bestow. But not only in this, but we glory also in affliction; for we know that affliction brings patience, but patience brings experience, and experience brings hope; but hope will not suffer us to come to shame; for the love of God is poured out into our heart by the Holy Spirit which has been given to us. Romans ▼; 1-5. THE HERE is wealth of thought in this scripture. The Pauline triad, faith, hope and love, breaks forth again in full harmony, as in 1 Corinthians, xiii., lightening sorrow and soothing affliction. The apostle starts out with the faith through which we have become righteous and obtained peace with God. But he does not rest here, but proceeds still further, from faith to hope, from the first manifestations of the divine life in the soul, till through struggle and victory, affliction and tears, it reaches its glorious consummation. And he glories in these afflictions; for he knows that afflictions bring patience, patience exThese perience, and experience hope. constitute the steps of the inner life. This is the chain of blessed experiences, growing ever stronger, holding us to the anchor that has its support in the Eternal Father. This is the preservation and sealing of faith and all the struggles of time. This is the faith that ends in fruition, that looks calmly across the dark chasm into the kingdom of glory, at the twilight borders of * Luther's version. The scripture quotations all confrom the common English version, which we are now standing, as at the foot of a high mountain, looking hopefully upward. But here love reigns supreme, that love which never wanes, which forms the morning and evening radiance of our life, that came from God, and to whom it will return again. Thus would we watch the steps of our inner life, and have our faith confirmed amid the storms of adversity. The path ascends from faith to hope. But this path is not without its dangers; for it leads through broad and rushing rivers, through billows of anguish. Our point of departure is faith. Faith is foremost. Without it we are nothing; we can make no progress, nor have the experiences of the inner life. The outward life, with its changeable pictures, its various, now painful, now joyous, now depressing, now elevating impressions, mirror themselves in our souls again and again, and then pass away like dreams, fleeting and impalpable. Our experiences too often are only outward, not inward. We change with the changing seasons. Our soul is very often only the reflection of the world, our life the echo of circumstances. We do not always feel within us a growing, selfsustaining, imperishable germ of spiritual lite. We must attain this first through faith, which is the truest support of our souls. This gives us a strong heart; and form with Luther's translation. wherever they differ through faith we have taken root in God, found our peace in him, and acquired confi VOL, L.-6 dence and courage to withstand every impediment in life. Surely faith is first and most essential. Unless taken up by a courageous and faithful heart, all afflictions will be of no benefit to us, neither will they make us stronger, nor leave a healthy impression behind. They either touch us lightly, like the spray at our feet, or like the furious storms of ocean, they overcome us and destroy our happiness. In our moments of frivolity they either pass by us, or in our moments of dejection press us down heavily. Instead of making us calm and strong they will either make us defiant or timid. For, through the buffetings of destiny the strong only become stronger, and the weak are broken and cast down like withered branch es. Faith is first and most essential. And it is in perfect harmony with a cheerful courage. It is the faith of which our Lord himself speaks as removing mountains and filling up valleys; it is that true and living faith which is not based on the dead letter nor by-gone events, nor maxims and forms and creeds, but is founded on the living God, the Almighty Maker and Ruler, the everlasting Father. Faith is not the outward reception by the memory and the understanding, but a full and entire submission of the whole man. It is love and trust at the same time, a never-ending and unflinching trust in Him who directs the worlds and guides the souls like the rivulets, who has compassion on us all and forgives our sins, even though they be red as blood; of whom we know that he will not condemn nor let any of us go, though his fatherly love will lead us through dark valleys and severest afflictions. Concerning this faith the apostle is speaking. He calls it the faith, through which we have become righteous and have peace with God, and by which we have admission by faith into this grace. It is the faith which is the never-ending compassion of God revealed through Christ. This faith often becomes strengthened and sealed through affliction. Hence, the apostle says, "We glory in afflictions." Weglory do we understand the full meaning of this? It is as much as if we said,-we praise and thank God therefor; we place a high value upon them, and joyfully testify to the blessed experience which we have gained through them. We know that afflictions have purified us more than anything else, and we would regard them as the most precious treasures of our life, with which we would part on no account. Now we can comprehend our Lord's words, "Blessed are they that mourn, for they shall be comforted;" and "Blessed are they that are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven;" and also the Psalmist, "They that sow in tears shall reap in joy; they go forth and weep, bearing precious seed, and shall return with rejoicing, bringing their sheaves with them." We know that salvation is an entirely different thing from mere prosperity; it is the soul's joy and peace. We know that God has consecrated misfortune, and that he will likewise consecrate us through its dispensations. We know that Christ first turned his thoughts to the unfortunate, the poor in the highest sense of the term, and blessed and comforted all the mourning and sorrowing children of humanity. And why? Because he was seeking the needy, thirsty and receptive souls, whose sorrows were like floods softening the hardened hearts; like the fire, cleansing the precious metal of our being from alloy with which it had become mingled. These afflictions open the eyes and awaken serious thoughts in the giddy and superficial, turning the thoughts inward; they bring the self-righteous and proud into the dust, and destroy that idle vanity which covers the soul like long-accumulated dust; they break the chains which bind us to the earth in slavish captivity, freeing our souls and uniting us to God's everlasting love, and impressing the seal of perfection on our brows. But we may ask, if sorrows do all this for us, should we not daily plead with God to send them? Should we not desire sorrows and misfortunes as the highest good? And how does this accord with the petition, "Deliver us from evil," and also the Psalmist's comforting words, "Thou feedest me in green pastures and leadest me beside the still waters?" Yet, we must |