106 Thursday, march i, isoo. B. C. HOUGHTON, 1 JOHN W-REARS, j ASSOCIATED WITH f A EBERT BARNES, I GEORGE .DOFFIEI.D, Jh. THOMAS BRAINERD, JOHN JENKINS, HENRY BARRING, I THOMAS J. SHEPHERD. lIYIHQ 808 POSTERITY. ’Epm davovToc; yala nc%of/rw mpi. Greek Proverb. Life has a different object and aspect when the main motive in living is considered as drawn from the present or from the futHre; .whether we live for ourselves, or for those who are to come after ns. There is a common saying in our own tongue, expressive of the views and feelings which many have of lifer “What has posterity done for me that I should labor for its good F ” And the same idea substantially is ex pressed in the Greek proverb which we have placed at the head of this article: “ When lam dead, let the earth be mingled with fire;” or, “I do not care if, whlSk I am dead, a grand conflagration .of the .whole world should take place.”* Both these modes of expression indicate sub stantially the same state of mind —a purpose to live for the present and for self, regardless of the bearing of our conduct on the future, and with no feeling of obligation to benefit coming ages. The sentiment has its fulfilment, first, in the case of him who lives solely for sensual indul gences ; secondly, in the case of him who lives only to amass wealth for himself; thirdly, in the case of him who accumulates knowledge, or be comes eminent in literature, science, or sesthetic shiH, only to indulge the tastes which spring from refined culture; and fourthly, in the case of the religionist who withdraws from the world that he may hold solitary communion with God, and who makes the sole business of life a pre paration for heaven. The three former of these are found in the “world,” so termed; the lat ter finds fulfilment of its purpose in the "church,” and each and all, however they may vary in dignity and purity, are based on the same principle, and are illustrative of the sen timent in the Greek proverb. Bach mode of livihg is a departure from the great end of hu man life as man is constituted by his Maker, and each makes life narrow, cold, limited, low, self ish. The whole monastic system—the fourth form to which we have referred—of illustrating the sentiment in the proverb, is as narrow, cold, limited, and selfish as either of the others, and is, equally with them, an illustration of the suc cessful art, and the vast power of the great Tempter, who has endeavored to turn life from its true cdfirse, and to frustrate the purpose of Him who made man. The purpose wholly to withdraw from the world; to cultivate piety in caves, cells, or deserts; to spend the day or the night in mere acts of devotion; ’to count beads or 4o sing praises; to study the biography of sainted men, or even the Bible itself, as the great and sole business of life, is as essentially narrow, cold, and limited, in regard to the troe purpose of living, as the purpose of the sensu alist, the miser, or of the man who devotes him self to the mere indulgence of refined literary tastes. There is another Greek phrase, of higher au thority, indicating a higher purpose of life, and making a distinction between the religion in re lation to which it was uttered and that system of things which prevailed extensively in the land where the proverb to which we have referred had its origin, which we cannot but quote here: ObSet c vap fjptbv karat : —“For none of us liveth to himself.” Tbe action of every one is connected with the welfare of others; life does not terminate in itself; its purpose is not ex hausted in its own nnrtnre and development; it affects all aronnd—it bears on all the future —it enters into that which is nnseen and eternal. There are two ways in which our lives may affect the future for its good—involuntary, and volun tary. The: one is the inevitable remit of the ten dency of things when a valuable discovery is made; when a new thought is suggested; when a new region is explored; when a labor-saving ma chine is invented; when the blow of the axe-man rings in the forest; when a ploughis struck into a virgin soil; when the keel of a Ship is laid de signed to penetrate into far distant seas. The other is, that where there is a distinct purpose to wake life bear on the welfare of man, and to pro mote the progress of the race. The former is the result of immediate divine appointment, carrying out the great purpose of God; the latter is the result of a direct human purpose, making man noble and great; the two combined constitute that great agency under which the world makes pro gress, and under which it is moving on to the great consummation which God has purposed. The former is the piling up of coral reefs by the animaloules of the oeean to make future islands and continents for men, or the hastening down of little rivulets, without number, to make up the volume of the great river/ the other is the action of such men as Paul and Howard laboring de finitely for the welfare of future times. In either case, thfere is an accumulation of va luable influences bearing on the condition of the world from age to age. The present age inherits all the past-; every future age will inherit not only all this, bat all which may be struck out by thought and discovery between the present and that future age that shall tend to promote the progress of human things. He who enters on life at the pre sent time starts where other men left off, and he is, at the beginning of his way,'reapiug the bene fits of all former toils, discoveries, and inventions, livery martyr has died for him; every patriot has bled for him; every traveller who has gone to un known lands has sought knowledge for him; every bold adventurer who has penetrated distant seas, and disclosed the existence of new continents and islands, has braved the dangers of the deep for him; every historian has chronicled passing events to instruct him; every man endowed with eminent genius has struck out new thoughts for his guidance and 'direction, and he now inherits it all. The toils of those who have gone before him have made his condition different from what it would otherwise have been: and he, in turn, if perchance he shall bleed for his country or his religion } if he shall penetrate distant regions, and mike known to men new Bourees of wealth; if he shall strike on some happy invention that will abridge human labor, and facilitate the diffusion * See Cicero I)s Finibus, I» UK 19. of knowledge; if he shall disclose some law of na ture not known before, or shall set an example of eminent virtue, will swell the accumulations of wisdom and knowledge for the race, and shall bless future ages by his having lived. What though the names of those who thus, vo luntarily or involuntarily, contribute to the pro gress of the race are forgotten by mankind. They have accomplished their work, and theft names will be registered, where it is most desirable that they should be, in the book of God’s remem brance. There nothing is forgotten. No name fades from the memory of God. ,We are sad—we cannot help it—in walking through a great library, and in looking over the ponderous tomes, in formi dable rows, and in deep alcoves, that are forgotten by mankind, for we think of the toil expended in producing them, and of the hope which those vo lumes once excited in the bosom of their authors, that they would themselves he; immortal. Such men—such plodding, laborious, care-worn men— j would themselves be sad if they could appear again, and walk along those silent alcoves, and look on . those neglected and forgotten tomes • but .nei ther they nor we should he sad, for what they did has accomplished its end, and the result is seen in the progress of the world, and the general improvement of mankind. Not in the sense that they themselves would be remembered did tbey live for posterity, but-ia a far higher , sense did they thus live—in the feet that what they wrought out with so much care has gone into the accu mulated intellectual and moral treasure of this world, and has mingled itself in a higher concep tion of things far .beyond their own age and: times —as the distant fountains and streams mingle in the great volume that rolls on toward the ocean. A worldly young man entering on life may re-' solve to live for himself—a mean, limited, low, cold, isolated life:—for self in pleasure; for self in the pursuit of gain; for self in the indulgence of literary tastes and associations. A professedly re ligions young man may, secretly, in his low views of religion, resolve to live a life of piety that shall aim only at self-cultivation, and mere spiritual en joyment :—a mode of life, though under a different form, scarcely less mean, limited, • low, cold, iso lated, and selfish, than that of him who seeks for himself pleasure, learning, or gain. But there is a nobler view of life; a higher end of being; a purpose more grand and elevated; a view under which we feel that we are hound to the past gene rations of men in the fact that we have received the results of «dl theft toils, sacrifices and self-de nials as an invaluable inheritance blessing us as we pass along through the world, to be transmitted undiminished and untarnished to coming ages, and under which we feel that we are bound to all coming times in the fact that the results of our living shall pass on to ipect coming generations of men making theft condition more blessed than ours. At a time when so many in our land, under the teachings of the Divine Spirit, and as the fruit of the late Revivals, are forming their purposes of living, it cannot be unimportant to suggest to them, and to all, how narrow, and cold, and selfish is the Greek Proverb which we have placed at the head of this article, and which represents, alas, the views of life practically entertained by so many; how much more noble the sentiments wliieb we have quoted from a Christian Apostle, as expressive of the.essential nature of Christian piety, “No man liveth unto himself.” DAY OF PRAYER FOB COLLEGES, INTERESTING SERVICES. This annual seryice was observed at Dr. Jenkins’ (Calvary) Church, on Thursday morn ing last, February 23d. Prayers were offered by a number of the clergy, and addresses of an interesting character were delivered. Rev. 1. E. Adams referred to the eloquent remark of Pericles in regard to the loss of a number of youth—the flower of Athens—ou j the Samian expedition:. “It was as if Spring: had been stricken out of the year.” He said there are about 25,000 in our colleges and pro fessional schools; 5,000 of them are regarded as pious. If 20,000 are allowed to go forth unconverted, will it not be, morally speaking, as if Spring were stricken from the year ? Rev.T. S. Baldwin, Secretary of the Society for the Promotion of Collegiate Education, be ing called on, remarked, that the golden age of Hebrew poetry synchronizes with the era of the schools of the prophets. David took refuge from the persecution of Sanl, at one time, in these schools. This led him to speak of the importance of having our own institutions of learning under proper religions influence.. Revivals of religion in our colleges, for which we are wont to pray, raise the standard of piety in the colleges, just as they do in the churches, where they take place. During the past year there have been many revivals in different parts of the land, but the colleges have not been vi sited as on many former occasions. A year ago to-day, we were able to report as many as 1,000 students as having been converted during the year. This year we have but imperfect re turns, embracing but thirty-one colleges, and from these we gather that the total number of conversions, in all of our two hundred colleges, has not been over one hundred, as near as we can judge. Some years as many as four hun dred or five hundred conversions are reported, and it is not considered very extraordinary. It is true, as far as heard from, there is an inte resting state of feeling, and fully one-half of the 5,000 students in these thirty-one colleges, are already professors of religion. This is encou raging. One class in one of these colleges, numbering seventeen students, has but two un converted members; another class, numbering thirty-seven, has but five. These pious classes become Christian associations, in the most blessed sense of the term. It most not be for gotten that the proportion of pious persons in many of our colleges is greater than that of most of onr churches. In Yale College, two thirds of all the students are professors of reli gion. Harvard University, the oldest in the land, founded by orthodox men, and for Christ and his church, after one hundred and fifty years of perversion, is gradually being recovered to its original objects; more than half of the pre sent number of students are from the families of Trinitarians, and Professor Huntington, the Pro fessor of Divinity there, has recently come out and taken decided orthodox ground, insomuch that he has felt constrained to resign his posi tion. His resignation has not been accepted, and it is hoped will not be. Yale College has had no less than forty re vivals in its history. Every three or four years it has been blessed with a special revival. Over one hundred yonng men were converted in the last one. At "Princeton, the first revival oc curred in 1?5I, under the presidency of Aaron Burr. He mentions it ima letter to Dr. Davies as the most blessed intelligence he had ever had to communicate. There were sixty students in the institution then, and almost all were affected by it. The next revival occurred five years later, under the presidency of Dr. Finlay. It lasted one year, and one-balf of the students were brought into the church. I have taken from Dr. Sprague’s Annals a list of some eighty or ninety names of great men in the religions and literary history of our coun try, who were converted while in college. Among them were John Robifison; one of the puritan-fa thers, President Edwards and his son-, Gordon Hall and Samuel Newell, two of our country’s first foreign missionaries, Aaron Burr, Sen., Geo. Duffield, Dr. Nevin, President Dwight, Dr. Al exander and others. Rev. Albert Barnes also addressed the meet ing. He said: We have met to-day to pray for colleges and institutions of learning, rather than for factories, or for farms, or for mechanical in stitutions. Many of onr colleges were founded expressly for the purpose of training men for the ministry. There is not a college in the land founded for the purpose of propagating infi delity, »or any that is either sustained or pre sided over by infidels. All are under direct Christian influence, and connected with one or other of our denominations of Christians. .The influence of our colleges, then, upon the church and community at large is -great. Onr main hope for- the ministry is in them; but there are other bearings besides this in which the weight and* importance of theft influence is felt. * - - • The influence of colleges upon those who go into the other professions, is important beyond calculation. Their influence upon the men now students in. them, who are to go to Washing ton,or to Harrisburgh, or Albany, M any of our State Capitals, is certainly, of great impor tance. It is important that the laws of the land should be made to accord with the laws of God, and scarcely less important that those who go into the medical profession should be God-fear ing men, religious men. Princeton has sent forth more men to the highest positions of our land than any other col lege. What an influence has. Princeton, then, exerted upon the formation of onr government 1 Allusion has been made to Aaron Burr. If his son had become a converted man while at college, who can tell what the effect would have been upon the welfare of mankind ? I have heard it said, but am not prepared to youch for the accuracy of the statement, thatin the .course of his college life he became seriously impressed upon the subject of his soul's salvation, that he sought advice, bnt was told to defer the matter for the present, as he was then too anx ious, apparently too much concerned upon the subject. How terrible the thought of turning back at such a time I What a different record would the history of our country show, what a different record in regard to Alexander Hamil ton, if he had then been converted! Instead of now lying at the feet of his honored father, in a rather obscure part of the cemetery at- Princeton, Burr might, in all probability, have been buried by his father’s side, as one of the presidents of that college, had he, at that critical time of his life, while a student, not turned back, but given his heart to God. I once saw him in court pleading a cause. I never saw such a man before, have never seen one since, and never eifpect to see one again! Such a brilliant, powerful eye I such fascinating and attractive talents! There may be no more' Aaron Burrs in our colleges now, bnt there are brilliant men there,—men who are to exert a great influence in the pnlpit of our land and in Washington. If these men are converted, what a great influence will be exerted in favor of piety and religion, and against infidelity and sin I If men could be found to enter our offices of honor and public trust, who are not swayed by ambition, but by the high principles that swayed our puritan fathers and the Covenanters of Scotland, what a different land would ours be in its political influence, as well, as in its mo ral and religions bearing, and if, upon the young men now in onr colleges, God’s Spirit should be freely poured out in answer to the prayers of his day! In the evening a second meeting was held in the Rev. Mr. Barnes’ Church," when addresses were made by the Rev. Dr. Jenkins, Rev. Mr. Meara, and Rev. Mr. Wilder. Prayers were offered for our Medicai Universities, the Girard College, the High and other schools. “ CLEAR AND POSITIVE.” The New York Observer is entirely, mum on the Independent’s new catechism. It may be that it is mentally and silently practising its voice, like the astounded parrot at the strange music of the trumpeters, that it may astonish the more by a dear and positive utterance. It may think that slavery in its varied aspects, is not a question of morals at all, but of geography alone, to be de termined entirely bythe “circumstances” of lati tude and longitude. It may have adopted the standard of practical morals of Nassau street, and repudiated the doctrine'that “all practical immorality, prevailing in any and every part of onr country is to be dealt with even-handedly and impartially.” We know not what it* does think, as it has failed thus far, to verify its promise in giving to an expectant publio some-’ thing “clear and positive” on the subject Of slavery, a question seemingly of more vital and practical importance than the discovery of the • occult and constructive indelicacy of sentiment in a popular novel. The Central Presbyterian, Richmond, Ya., comes, to the relief of the Observer, and answers clearly and positively, and, we will add, satisfac torily, the fifth question, which answer published in the Observer will entitle - the American Board to $25 of the proffered premium. We publish the answer in full in order to correct, as far as we are Concerned, the imputation which the question seems to imply, and which our southern cotempo rary manfully repudiates: “Has a slave woman an absolute .right to her chastity, and is the master who violates that chastity guilty of crime ?” ■' ( To this interrogatory, in both its counts, our answer is an unequivocal affirmative.— She has the right, and any one who violates it is guilty— guilty^not only in the sight of Heaven, but guilty' bythe laws of this commonwealth. The penal statute by which the white and the : free woman’s chastity is protected, gives equal .protection to the chastity of the slave woman; and its violation by the master is not the slightest extenuation of the crime. Such is the law; and we presume it is the same in every slave State of the Union. The right of property in a slave gives no right to the virtue of the slave, any more than it does to the life of the slave. Tho slave too, when he becomes old and deorepid has a‘claim for support which' is recog nised bythe laws in preference to all the creditors and heirs of an estate. ietiatt Mil For the American Presbyterian. LAYING UP TBEASUBJES IN HELL. Messrs. Editors. —The Chinese at Fuhchau entertain very singular sentiments, and have many singular customs relating to the condition of the spirits of the dead in the future world. They be lieve that they make u£e of clothing and of money in much the'same way as when living, and that it is a duty for f the surviving to provide for these wants of 'Sotne'seein to think they can provide .inßadvan|e for their own exigencies after death, by making, while living,. deposits ; of moneyand ofjclothing, according to certain estab lished usages! in the. future world. The debts which a deceased person may have okred to other persons, also deceased, may be paid by surviving relatives or friends Fy sending on remittances in a certain way. The coffers of the gods and god desses may be replenished by those on earth who desire to do so. The spirits of beggars, lepers, and those who have no surviving children or rela tives, receive many contributions of money and of clothing from the people generally. The manner of laying up. treasures of money and of clothing in hell for the use of deceased re latives; andsfbrlone;s own future use, is very expe- and withal very cheap. It consists simply in ’burning paper prepared in different ways, ac cording to thei object, which it is designed to re present, and. which it . is believed to become. Clothingj or the iiiaterial for making clothing, is oC papeßf of' various oolorsj each 7 .piece: beingffifteen inches long and eight or ten wide. These-are done up in parcels, each containitig'ten pieces, and they are supposed to become cloth, kfik| &e., &e., by or after the action of fire, owing to the pote'ncy of a certain, paper and pill which is attached to each parcel. Some times the paper is Actually cut Into shapes repre senting different kinds of apparel. Out of this material theydead-uiay manufacture their clothing at their- leisure, or according to their needs. Money is also'-represented by pieces of paper varying from about two inches, (square, to more than a foot square, -formed into various shapes. On this paper more* or less of tin foil is pasted. Sometimes this foil covers the whole surface, and sometimes only, the’ centre of one side. When this tin foil; is made yellow by a certain wash, it represents gold, but when it is left ip its natural color, it represents silver. Immense “ quantities of -this mock-money are consumed at this city in the course of a year, on the first and fifteenth of each Chinese month, on the anniversaCT of-the birth or' the dea,th of pa rents, and as^!”regular~festival ■ , During the seventh month, between the Ist and 15th days, this mock-money, and this mock material.for clothing tire consumed together, in all or nearly ail the heathen families of ; the place The quantity of each which: each family consumes is not fixed, but differs according to the standing or particular plans of each family in relation to this yearly celebration, or the observance of this kind of festival. 1 . .During 'certain meritorious ceremonies per formed almost universally at Fuhchau, in' less than fifty days after the decease of either head of a family,- (except, perhaps, in the case of the very poorest of the people,) tranks made *of slips of bamboo,, .and filled with mock-money and mock clothing, are burnt for the benefit of the. departed spirit. The number of these trunks sometimes is quite large. Qu'such occasions, friends or rela tions embradw to sOnd remittances or presents taiothcrimiembers of the family, pre-. viously- deeeaseo.'-JSFhey do it by sending in to the family siroila?. trunks filled with mock-money and mock-clothing to be burned at the same time and place with the other tranks. These extra trunks are intrusted to the eare of the person re cently deceased, who is expected, to deliver them to the individuals for whom they are designed, as soon as they arrive in Hades after being burnt. How different are these customs from the course recommended by the Saviour! Instead of aying up treasures in heaven, they endeavor to make remittances which shall he available in the world of. wd! %They actually aim at laying up treasures in hetU Of course this native converts from heathenism have not failed f to discern the vast difference be tween the directions of Jesus to his disciples, and the real practise. of their deluded countrymen. It i#a very,oeiaion thbgi to heat them poin,t out with great boldness and earnestness the sinfulness of the custom? above partially described, while addressing a congregation on the duties and doc trines taught by Christ. I recollect hearing, more than a year aud a-half ago, a young man, a mem ber of the native church in connexion with the mission of the American Board in this city, make some very startling and affecting remarks in a public assembly, while urging his hearers to lay up treasures in heaven, in obedience to the Saviour. He charged them with the sin, not only of neglecting fd store up treasure in' heaven, hut of actually striving to lay up treasure in hell, for the use of themselves or of their friends after death. Said he, in substance, “You not only do not expect or try to enter heaven, but you really expect to go to hell when you die. While living, some of you, doubtless, if you have funds to spare, will try to make.deposits of money and of clothing in hell, ready % your use when you shall have reached'that And. after, you have died, your friends'and i j,elatiqns will take it for grunted that in that wretched abode, ihas : much, as they fill certainly prepare and burn mock-money.- and -mock-clothing for your use there.” • v-- J - Another catechist, now deceased, while a mem ber of-the same church, has been heard to remark • j- ' • ' - ' • that he assisted jjn burning, on a single occasion, six or eight years ago, at a celebrated temple, lo cated outside of the east gate of the city of Fuhchau, a large quantity of paper clothing and paper money. This paper belonged to an aunt, and amounted in bulk, when arranged for burning, to several tons of tranks. This temple is dedicated to the god whom the Chinese believe to preside over-the seventh department or ball of the infernal regions, and he i believed that by burning this paper thus prepared it would be changed into real- or material for clothing, or -into genuine gold and’silver, and would be held in the treasury of this god, on deposit, subject to the use of the owner on her arrival in the future world. •; f.'; , What a viewim Aireefaote give of the lamenta in regard, to, the'condition of the soul after the death of the body! If simply to fasten the affec tions on things earthly and sensual, not laying up treasure in heaven, is unscriptural and sinful, what shall be said; of the practices above described! What language <fan adequately depict the moral degradation of this population! How sad their prospects, who, having no adequate knowledge of the way to heaven, or the manner of laying up their treasures t|iere, actually expect to • go to heir when they are done with earth, and who, either while living endeavor to make preparations to supply their supposed wants in that place of wo, or leave such preparations to be made after their decease by surviving relatives and friends 1 How much do they need the light of the Bible to illuminate their dark minds'! Verily the leaders of this people are blind leaders of the blind. How long shall it be before they shall learn the way'to heaven, and strive to lay up their treasures there! 7 ' Sinim. ' Fuhchau, China, Nov., 1859; HOW ARE THE CHILDREN OF CHRISTIAN HOMES TO BE CONVERTED? In discoursing on this topic, Sabbath before last, (Rev. Dr. Smith, of the Western Presby terian Church of this city, made the following remarks on PROFITABLE READING. The Spirit claims the Word as the chan nel of his power, and will not act where that agency is denied him. There must be knowledge before there can be salvation, and those who do not sow the seed, have no right to look for the harvest. And so should our children be taught to love the Bible, and to read it; not now and then, but with the fre quency of their daily rising and retiring to rest, and with the earnestness of an awakened interest and concern in its revelations. Why may not a child be attracted by this book, as well as by any other? The theory that it must necessarily he distasteful to the young, or even the very young, is as false as it can be. It is not to man Rt any given the Bible commends it self; but to human nature, at any and every stage of its experience. The. child can-appre ciate the Bible as well as the man, can under stand it as well, can love it as well, can imbibe into his moral being the comforting, expanding, elevating, purifying influences that flow out of it, far better—because the channels of approach to his conscience: are not yet hardened and closed. The Bible is the very book to be loved by the child, while yet ingenuous, and curious, and eager to learn, and fond of the wonderful not the less, because it reveals God’s love to his own soul. In connection with this, there should be on the part of the parent, a careful selection of good and profitable literature, for his children. And I speak of this here because it cannot be too often dwelt upon, and because the young are frequently and palpably diverted from profit able trains of thought, by an early familiarity with those that are corrupting to the mind. If all their reading need not be strictly religious, neither should it be decidedly, or even possibly, irreligious. ' ‘ , There is a sad indifference to this matter. There is a guilty unconcern. The literature of our day, prolific as it is in evil, is also rich in the-utterances of sanctified genius; and if your children tnke no pleasure in these utterances, it only shows that they have not been guided aright—that they have been allowed companion ships which have lowered degraded their 'tastes, when they might have been introduced to those which would have given noble expan sion to their minds, and saved their souls for- ' I have no doubt ttfat a single bad book has often turned and fixed forever the destiny of the individual who has been brought into commu nion with it. I could point you to scores of young persons, educated in what are called re ligions families, whose Jives are frittered away upon the most unsubstantial vanities, who think only of dress and fashion and gayety; who have no elevation of mind, no enlarged and true con ceptions of responsibility, no great and lofty purpose for which they are living—who, instead of aiming to be useful, are satisfied with the senseless admiration and flattery of those who are as frivolous as themselves. I can have no hope of an earnest, elevated Christianity in such cases as these. Even if the Holy Spirit should toucb'their hearts, his work would begin at so low a point, and amid such positive dis advantages, that we would expect, in this world, no manly massive of Christian strength. .And so we believe that much of the frivolous, pleasure-seeking Christianity of our day, is owing to the mistaken mental, habits of early life. The word of God has not been read and studied as it should have been, until the mind and heart were made to glow with its lofty themes; the elevating companionship of sanctified talent, in the field of literature has not been sought; and the reading of the young, in by far too many instances, has been such as to create a taste for worldliness and folly. And this is one, and a primary reason, we be lieve, why so many, who have been baptized in their infancy, are not converted to Christ. “ANNALS 03? THE BOOB.” THE DYING CHRISTIAN. It can never be known in this world how many a Christian lives and dies in such obscurity, as scarcely to be known at all ontside their own do mestic circle. I have hut just returned from visiting one who, with her husband and several children, caraetp this country some years ago. It took nearly all they had to get here. The children have all hut one left home —this one, a daughter, now herself a widow, occupies a room above. The wife and mother, has the consumption, and it is urging her rapidly, and with infallible certainty, to the grave. , Of this, she is perfectly and joy ously conscious. They were much more comfort able in their native land, but she -rejoices greatly that she came, because it was the occasion of her being brought more fully into the light and liberty of the Gospel. Their means of support are ex ceedingly limited, but every thing looks neat, and the idea of squalid poverty is not at all suggested by a visit to them. The husband is a man of un usual - seriousness and gravity of deportment, yet there is an affecting simplicity and tenderness in all their intercourse with each other. She needs all his kindness, and returns it with touching affec tion. Her daughter leaves her work daily, and comes down to make her bed, and bestow such other attentions upon her as filial affection may suggest. In speaking of the Mission, she asked with much simplicity if there were any ladies connected with it, and spoke of the pleasure it would give her, if any of them would visit her in her passage to the tomb. I promised to speak to them, and take this occasion to do so. B. The Prisoner for the Gospel in Spain.—Sen tence of Escalante.— We deeply regret to learn from a correspondent that Escalante hits been sentenced to nine years’ penal servitude for circulating the Bible. We hope that this intelligence will stimulate the Christians of this country to more earnest prayer, followed, up by vigorous and untiring effort until this iniquitous sentence is reversed. We must add that measures ought to he taken for the relief of Es calante’s family, who are in a state of great du&tn. tiov.—EnglishPaper. EDITOR’S TASLE. COMMERCE AND ** essay, by Rev. Hollis B j Seamen’s Friend Rev. H. A. Boardman. Pennsyivan Society. 12m0., 25_cents. • -tended W, «. »»il. i» gi«*> ““ look l itht . »oti«.. it tan* *“’ “P'f tlto i.- we have experienced in its pernfial. deed, »it n, OT4 of purer diction, or one more repletewiththo 0 investigation and sound argument.. ©ie w ■ shows conclusively the importance of co^ a means for the diffusion of gospel truth and lightened civilisation, and the .impor tance (when viewed in that light by the C ns a ,) that our commerce should be conducted by a marine, itself enlightened and Christianised. This little book affords, material for the lpfonna tion and serious contemplation, not alone of the Christian, but of the political economist, who would study and understand this prominent fea ture of national welfare; while it also recommends itself to the literary student, who; is regirdless of the utilitarian feature of the question it. discusses, by its clearness and beauty of style, PRACTICAL SERMONS. Designed for vacant congre gations and families. By Albert Barnes. Philade - phia s : Lindsay& Blakiston* ■;*- THE ATONEMENT, in it* Relations to Law and Moral Government. By Albert Barnes. Philadelphia: Lind say & Blakiston. THE WAY OP SALVATION. Illustrated in a series of Discourses. By, Albert Barnes. Philadelphia: Lind say & Blakiston. New and uniform editions of ’these well-known works of Mr. Barnes, have been: just issued by Lindsay & Blakiston of this city. The Practical Sermons were first published in 1841, and have been extensively circulated. They are purely practical, and will be found equally acceptable and appropriate in all evangelical congregations or fa milies. The work on the-Atonement is the latest pub lished work of the distinguished author, and: is destined to take very high rank in this country and in Europe. It has received the maturest thoughts of a ripe and well-developed mind. In its literary character it will attain to the position of a classic, and take rank with Butler’s Analogy as authority on the important doctrine of : the Atonement, it will be a standard for generations to come. Itwill be known and appealed to in Europe and America, ages after the voice of the author shall be silenced in death. The Way of Salvation is also a work of merit and great practical value. It was published in 1855 in England and in this country, and has been extensively circulated in both hemispheres. It contains thirty-six discourses, so arranged as .to develop, illustrate; arid defend the great plan of salvation provided for men, and revealed*-in the Gospel. _ Candid arid thoughtful men who would know the truth and be established in the faith of Christianity, will find no book better adapted' to this purpose. These three volumes go well to gether, and deserve a-place in every Christian man’s library. ' CHRIST IN HISTORY. By Robekt Tukhbuli., i>.T>., author of “ Pulpit Orators of France and Switzer land,” &c. Boston, 1860, Gould & Lincoln. 12010, pip. 450. For sale by Smith, English & Co., Philda. This is a new and revised edition of an impor tant and valuable treatise. It is a work of .philo sophical method, in which thought, taste, culture,- and pure religion are combined. It makes all history, and all forms of religion, to revolve around the Incarnation as the central or taming point, and attempts to show how all the forces of society converge around it, and how all previous history prepares for it, and all subsequent history resulis from it. The subject is developed and illustrated by facts and principles, and made plain and prac tical, while its method is profoundly scientific and philosophical. Christianity is exhibited not merely as an historical reality; but as a divine and supernatural power, originating, explaining, and controlling all other realities, powers arid vital energies, by which the hearts of men and society are transformed and moulded into likeness and symmetery to God and heaven. . The work is di vided conveniently into chapters, of which the following are the topics:—-“Christ in Ancient Re ligion,” “Christ in Ancient Philosophy,” “Christ among the Hebrews,” “The Fulness of Time,” “The Advent,” “The Discipline,” “The Inaugu ration, or John the Baptist,” “The Mythic The ory,” “ The Teaching ofphrist,” “TieMiracles*” “Christ in the Primitive Church,” “Christ in the Middle Ages,” “ Christ in the Refonnation,” “ Christ in Modern Society.” AN ARCTIC BOAT JOURNEY, In the autumn of 1854. By Isaac J. Hayes, Surgeon of the Second GrinneU Expedition. Boston; Taggart & Chase. For sale by Smith, English & Co., Philadelphia. This is another volume of incidents and ob servations of Arctic exploration. Dr. Hayes was one of the party of Dr. Khne in the expe dition of 1854. He was one of the party of eight who separated the second winter from the crew of the Advance, and made ah unsuccess ful effort to reach the regions of civilized life and returned to the brig after four months’ ad venture. This volume is mostly taken np with the details of these four months of hazard of trial, and of endurame. The author is desirous of making one other experiment at exploration in the polar regions. He publishes this book professedly to awaken interest in his plans and purposes. He thinks that the obstacles and hindrances of past experience may be avoided by the knowledge already acquired, and that the advantages of this northern exploration mky be more hopefully attained. The concluding chap ter'is a sanguine and confident description of the utility and the prospective success of .ano ther expedition, which he hopes that the publi cation of this book, may contribute to render practicable by aiding to furnish the needed out fit.- " A TRIP TO CUBA. By Mrs. Julia Ward Howe. Bos ton: Ticknor & Fields. Philadelphia: J.-B. laiunln. cott&Co. There is a flippancy, and a genial and sprightly vem of humor running through this narrative of travel that makes it a very pleasant "arid enter taining book. The incidents of the voyage, the observations upon the country, institutions, habits and customs, are pictured to the life, with a smile of pleasantry bordering often on the ludicrous.- The book is very neatly printed, . T of E me?: RD ph S I S Vf f J™ 3 d ° in r ~'*-nce of me. Philadelphia: ISenry B. Ashmead. This unpretending little pamphlet fe'a collection of Scripture passages, without note or comment suitable to a communion season, and intended to guide the'believer’s meditations on such an oc casion. The object is excellent; and so far as the work goes, it satisfactorily meets a felt want of communicants. EDGAR POE AND HIS CRITICS. Bt Sabah Helen New York : Rudd A Carleton. Philadel phia :;Lindsay & Blakiston. - „ This is a neat little volume, written by an ad mirer; in defence of,Poe againßthia.erlt.;* H j t in L -eaKns amM^ 8 **® “W**™ * “ d SaSpion; of one may well be prond. r ' ON THE BOOK OF REVELATION. By LECTURES O H Rector 0 f Trinity Church, Seri 9: New Tort: Robt. Carter & Bros., Washington, • ' ; toIl . william Ballantyne. 630 Broadway- b y W- S. &A. Mar- TTistorv fe the only interpreter of pro aothenticity of lie Sonp»™ phecy- our faith- confirmed m the ***»■ .hr- —W feTrf «d «!»««“■* »t »beh time is daily as ’ * Z, somites to nolae to the future, and wOU Jd penetrate farther into « con- decipher the nnintalhgtble mystene, of the unrevealed. Cariosity prompts allmen to pry into taewseerets of -Revelation, and henee the com mentaries and interpretations of the Apocalypse hunierpas thanpU otters, and iraug 6V S is the W°r of Trinity church, Washington city, a man of reputation and learn ing. Tie expository lectures that he o g.nal y Spared fbfW P“ b ' Hshris to the world. That they should agree with all others who have "recently written on the sub ject is too much to ask or expect In many re spects he favors the same generaP Aeory of Dr. Cummingj in other respects he differs. In re gard to the millennium and l&owmeisted events, lis tows snbsianee,:these : that the papacy mil he destroyed; the Jews restored and con verted;' tire nations scourged; and the righteous gathered together in a kmgS&n, at the personal coming of' Christ. The &vionr will manifest Himself to His people, and convey to them His will, as distinctly as he did to the Jew ish nation. The souls of the apostles and martyrs and confessbrs-shall enjoy the blessed privilege of being with Christ in his administration of his kingdom previous to the resurrection. After the continuance of this kingdom, for a jjipriod desig nated as a thousand years—daring which Satan shall be bound—Satan, loosed again, shall go out to deceive the nations, and js|all .gather together the enemies of God, who shall do battle against the saints and- shall be consumed. Then shall coriie the resurrection, and the final judgment, and the separation to different t worlds of the righteous and the wicked'. , . THE EDINBURGH REVIEW. No. CCXXV. Jaau ary, 1860. New York : -Leonard ScOtt'& Co. Phila delphia : W. B’i Zieber, No; 106, South'-Third Street The table of contents comprises ten articles, viz.: “Mortality in Trades and Professions; —Rawlin- son’s Herodotus,— Rogers on the Coal Fields of North America and- Great Britian,—Lord Elgin’s Mission to China and japari,—Alison’s'History of Europe,—Acclimatization of Animals, —Progress of Legal Reform,—Souvenirs and .Correspondenc: of Madame Recamier,—British Taxtation,”—anl a brief Sketch of the life of Lord Macaulay, one af the Reviewers of the Edinburgh. THE ATLANTIC MONTHLT for. March ls promptly at hand. Its contents are as follows The French Character;; TliePursuitof Knowledge wider Difficul ties; Implore. Pace; The Progress of the'Electric Telegraph; Love and Self-Lore; To the Muse; Screw- Propulsion ; White Mice ; For Christie’s: Sake; The jfursery Blsumey Stone ;" The; Profeßsor’aSlory; Is the ’ Religious 1 Want ol the Age Metl Seviews and Lit erary Nohces; 'Recent American Publications: r Under the management and -supervision of Tickner.and -Fiehjsy this monthly maintains its literary repnfatiotf|twhHe it gives inweasedFsads faction by tlie omission of those' incidental ni.it ters -which-were objeetionible-to a’ihrgeclaßii of cessive numbers for this year with interest and satisfaction. The Professor- ; is; spragMy and amusing, and; awakens fresh interest- as'be un winds the bobbin, and follows .the student, the young pedagogue, in his career. He breaka the thread this time-in an anxious place, jnst as we expected to be led into an important secret. The Pursuit of Knowledge under Difficulties, promises well -is the Keligtous Want of the Age Met? contains very valuable suggestions, and is worthy of consideration. The Eclectic Magazine, for March, has s fine portrait of Alexander 1., Emperor of Russia, with a beautiful steel engraving, “ Peter the Great, saved by his mother.” The leading article is from the London Review, on the Inspiration of Scrip ture, and another on the Reeent Religions Revivals, is from the same source. Oar Earth Past and Presen ‘i Historic Phenomena of Human Races; The Czar arid the. Skeptic; Phenomena of Paper, Pen and Ink, with a variety of other articles, fit np the number, and afford a volume of valuable and entertaining, reading for all classes. Harper’s Magazine for March is now issued. The following is the list of articles and contrilu toa: Eotge, a poem, by It. H, Stoddard; Life among thriJiggers, by Mr. Charles Hallock; Peep at the Elephant, by Mr. Charles Nordhoff; Lost on the Prairie, a poe m , ly Rose Terry; Coin in America, by Wm. U Prime Disappeared, 11 A Fish Story, by Mr. Edwards;. Part Second of FiU Hugh Ludlow’s Story ofXittle Brother; The Pint Colonists of Florida;" Our Christmas Tree, by Fits ( A Night in a Snowstorm, bj E. Bradley; Lovell, the Widower, by rhaokerty; Tithonius, by Alfred Tennyson- The search feaNorth-westPassage ; NilNisißonum —a Tribute to Hying *nd Mapajftlgy^ffyJlhiicke- THE WATIOITAI CONVEirTlbir , 9 f the friends of Union Prayer Meetings will |e held m Sansom Street church, above Eighth lo e av C ®“^ encin S Tuesday, March 6th, at if, ■ , TJi e delegates are requested to report themselves immediately on their arrival at the s°°™°a f Men’s Christian Association, No. WOg & 1011 Chestnut Street f US ' &r^°th& circular, warrant us ju the belief that this will be one of the most frosting and important meetings of the kind that few ever been held in our country. Resides the pleasnre of meeting in devotional a pW rethren frotn all parly of the land, a great amount of valuable information will be pre eented m the form of prepaid papers, reports, P«? Shes, &c., that we. trust will abundantly repay %sq who may attend the sessions of the conven t on either from qbroad or from our own city. .Then they that feared the Lord, spake often one a r, hearkened and heard it, iii. 16 b °° k ° f remembra P ce was written.”—Mai. is stated that the Empe lions ofdollara an a PP ro Priation of five mU the Snnrt. * ™° roaprovement of the canals in TheVai-n of Marseilles to Bordeaux, deenpnoa - Wl| dened to twenty-six yards, and tL* 0 Blxte ® n and a half feet. When cora ,of Gibraltar, and. which takes ten days^ 8 ’ be acoom Pb B bed by this routed larch 1.
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers