122
s>mm ©wsugeM.
THURSDAY, MARCH H 9, 1880,
D. C. HOUGHTON, )
♦ a**«« r KDITOHS^
JOHN W- HEARS, j
ASSOCIATED WITH
ALBERT BARNES, I GEORGE DUFFIELD JR.,
THOMAS BRAINERD, JOHN JENKINS,
HENRY DARLING, ' THOMAS J. SHEPHERD.
The temporary illness of the principal editor is
our apology for the lack of the usual amount and
variety of editorial matter in our last two issues.
This will ako explain the apparent want of prompt
attention to correspondents.
MEST Hilt AND SOUTH BROAD
STREET CHURCHES.
It gives as much pleasure to state that our
churches In the north-western part of the city
ore getting into good working order. Both the
Green Hill and North Broad Street Churches
met last week, and made out unanimous calls at
liberal salaries. Their choice is cordially ap
proved, not only within their congregations, but
throughout our Church in the city.
The Green Hill Church, at a delightfully una
nimous meeting, called the Rev. Frank L. Rob
bins. Mr. Robbjp3 is from the State of New
York. He was educated at Williams’ College
and Auburn Seminary. He has not heretofore
been settled as a pastor, but supplied for a year
end a half the church of Bane Seminary, at Cin
cinnati. He has been preaching at Green Hill
for several weeks to great acceptance. He is
still a young man, bat not an inexperienced one,
having travelled extensively in our own country
and in Europe. The impression he has made
is such as to have produced a universal desire
that he should accept the call at Green Hill.
The call at that point is an important one.
That part of the city is rapidly improving, and
the congregation keeps pace with it. To each
successive pastor the salary offered is larger
than to the preceding one, showing healthful
growth }n substance and in liberality—or rather,
in a generous form of justice.
The North Broad Street Church called the
Rev. E, E. Adams, th*e brother who has been
preaching for them from the inception of the
enterprise. The church will build a house of
worship at once, either on the corner of Broad
and Green, or in that immediate vicinity. The
harmony and zeal of this congregation are truly
delightful. It is difficult to overrate the im
portance of this church. Situated in the very
heart of a district, which is filling up with unex
ampled rapidity, with a population of high re
spectability, of wealth and refinement, it will
take rank with our best churches almost from
the, very beginning. We will be pardoned for
mentioning, among the many noble deeds of
M.W. Baldwin, Esq., that he presents this con
gregation with the lot on which the church is to
be built, after haring supported the enterprise
until it has now been assumed by men amply
able to carry it forward. As the North Broad
Street Church will be placed at a distance of
nearly a mile from any otber church of our de
nomination, they are far enough apart not to
interfere with each other, and at the same time
near enough to be neighbors and fellow-help
ers. As population tends irresistibly north
west, it is of vast importance to meet it with
churches which are, at the same time, attractive
and thoroughly evangelical.
LIBERALITY.'
The New York correspondent of the Christian
Instructor gives the following instance of con
siderate liberality in a young Christian worthy of
imitation. God will prosper and bless those who
forget not to bring their tithes into his storehouse:
“An instance of liberality to the cause of mis
sions on the part of a young .man has just come
under my notice, of which, through a desire to
{revoke others to good works, I shall submit a
rief account. The young man referred to called
on hie Yesterday, to give me some money for mis
-afamiry-purposes: ■ he eamTEis
bread by severe bodily labor, had I formed any
anticipation as to the amount he would give, I
would probably not have guessed a sum higher
than five or six dollars. To my surprise, however,
he laid down as his contribution for the year the
sum of fifty dollars. On my expressing both by
look and word a little astonishment, and even a
fear that he had given more than he could well
afford, he told me that he had not; that if his
health continued good, he could make more; that
he deemed it a privilege to contribute for the
establishment and spread of the cause of Christ;
and that in past days he would soon have trifled
away as much as he was now giving.
“ I deem it proper to mention this incident be
cause there are numbers of young men in our
church, and in all churches, who, if they were dis
posed, could save from folly large sums of money
to the benefit of their own souls and of the souls
of others; and perhaps what has now been re
lated njpy be instrumental in stirring up some to
consider their ways, and ‘to go and do likewise.’
Some who now do nothing, or who fancy they are
not able to give, for the spread of the gospel,
would soon discover, if they were in right earnest
in the matter, that they could give largely. That
grace which opens the heart to Christ always tends
to open the purse; and never has faith or love
had its perfect work until it has reached the
pocket.”
SELF-DEVELOPMENT.
We commend the following valuable and
practical suggestions, by the AT. Y. Evangelist,
to the consideration of the presbyteries of our
denomination. We have the best machinery in
the world for doing good, if we only kept It in
working order, and develope its full force:—
Let the Presbyteries work, and be united
under a common head, such as the General As
sembly, bo that the strong can help the weak,
and but little more will be needed. This is true
self-development; and this we must attain, ere.
our Church can be strong and great. The body
claiming to be superior,—whether it is ecclesi
astical or voluntary,—which ignores, neglects,
hinders, or which does not stimulate Presby
terial activity, does the Church a lasting injury.
Each Presbytery is the centre of action for all
its churches, and is bound to do what it can to
incite tbeni tP zeal and fidelity in the work of
spreading the Gospel. If our body has any
weak point now, it is in its Presbyteries. In
stead of comprehending their powers, and meet
ing to inquire what their churches are doing to
evangelize the world, and how they may be
brought to a higher standard, and remaining
together till all the business is thoroughly done,
they come together with little earnestness for
the work, and often the very first motion pro
posed ia to fix ’a time for adjournment; and
alter doing a little formal business, which oc
cupies a few hours, and perhaps celebrating the
Lord’s Supper, they return to their homes un
pro filed and unprofitable, Their power also is
much diminished by the small attendance of
elders, for where these are absent, the churches
which they represent will of course take but
little interest in what is done. Here is a>great
evil to be remedied.
THOMAS PAINE.—III.
Those who remember, John Pintard, LL.D., will
easily admit that no better authority exists in this
world, both for facts recollected, and integrity of
motive in stating them. He told me himself,
what I now narrate. Whether less or more im
portant, I doubt if it has ever beforebeen printed
or even written. Paine was not overfond of
speaking of it, unless when somewhat soaked
with wine. This Was at a dinner-party, about
1803-4, just after his return to this country.
How he came to be sentenced, or tried, or ac
cused, I pause not, I care not, to tell or remember...
It is a fact that, with a miserable squad of others,
in Paris, France, he and they were all imprisoned
in cells, two in each, ironed, and waiting for the
execution of the order, next day, of decapitation
by the Guillotine. The doors of each cell were,
double in two ways. Two opened into a narrow
space, where were two more; rifade of massive
size, barred with iron, locked, and impracticable'
to all but the official turnkey. It was often the.
case in the day time, that the first pair were thrown
and left open, and toward night shut; and so se
cured till next morning. It was custom for the
jailor to designate over night, those who were to
suffer next morning, by chalking over the door
of each cell; so that its tenants might be all pre
pared for a death-march, at the appointed hour.
That evening the chalking was delayed, for some
reason, beyond the strict time, and then performed
probably in baste. It so happened too that an
official, just before, left their cell, where Paine
was, and shut as he went, the first pair of doors
alone. Soon after the officer came to chalk the
doomed ones, and finding the inner doors only
fasteued, in his" haste, he chalked over them, and
went to others. Soon after came the turnkey and
shut the outer pair. So it was for the night, all
.safe and right, as they thought—and no chalk
on that cell, visible, where Paine was. Next
morning, came the executioner and his auxi
liaries ; entering each cell where chalk was to be
seen, skipping all others, and making quick work
with his official murder, till the heads of all the
victims tumbled from the scaffold intj> the great
basket, beneath the head-detaching machine.
Thus nearly came Paine to the same catastro
phe. Later in the day be found means to engage
some person in. his fiivor, and he escaped. It was'
while imprisoned, waiting his trial or sentence,
that he sketched and wrote most of his Book in
favor of infidelity. When he told this to Pintard,
the latter said to him—with tenderness and dis
tinctness too,
Mr. Paine, what a perilous escape was yours!
How wonderful!. -
Yes, he replied, rather remarkable; a good
chance for me.
Dr. 0 Mr. Paine, it was more than a chance!
Can you see no more in it ?
P. My head was near the basket, sure enough.
Dr. Yes! But think you providence had no
thing to do with it ?
P. Providence!—pshaw! none of your non
sense, Doctor.
Dr. Nonsense! Why Mr. Paine, are you athe
ist as well as deist? I knew you deny revelation,
but must you also deny the God that made you,
when all his works attest his presence? As sure
as God exists, it was providential, and you ought’
so to regard it, and gratefully improve it too, as a
solemn warning! But for the trivial mistake of’
that man with the chalk, you would have gone
with the others; and—where, Mr. Paine ? I say
where would you be now, if you had died then
and gone to jour account? Or, is “death an
eternal sleep?” *
P. Think you, sir, that a philosopher, in medi
tating the events of his life, can donothing with
them—till he recurs to the stories of his nursery
for their solution? I hear your nonsense only
with scorn.
Dr. If you could make sun, moon, and stars,
to be nonsense simply by calling them so, then
indeed you might next attempt to scorn God him
self, who made them, and resolve the highest
philosophy in the universe into nursery stories;,
as affording the only proof in your power that
you are a philosopher. Mr. Paine, this will not
do. . Sir Isaac Newton, Sir William Jones, Frank
-HtiT-tmitonpetuilrespcarepamr'mmioiis oi other’
truly great men, American and European, ancient,
and modern, all concur to teach ns, as themselves
rationally believed, that God is; that he is su-‘
preme in all events; and that he ought to be wor
shiped ! In reference to what you tell me, I can,
only regard you, at best, as no philosopher, if you
choose to argue like atheism, about events; as if
in them the God of our life had no providence;
as if he made worlds and men and things, all with
no design, and only let chance—that truly im
possible nonsense, interfere with his work, mar
it according to no laws, and* kill or cure the life
of his poor creatures here, with no wisdom or suf-'
ferance of his all-sustaining providence and his
all-directive power, goodness, and wisdom!
Thus have I given the main argument as Dr.
Pintard rehearsed it to me; and spoke it first to
Paine. It grieved the spirit of that excellent and
learned man, to hear such nonsense of atheistic
impiety, protruded by such a man as Paine—-
might have been. But, with the talents of an
angel, a man may be a fool, if he judges amiss’-
in the supreme point; judging aright id all else,
but aggravates his folly, as it shows him wrong,
though blest with the best capacities for being
right—as says Dr. Young, in reference to the
death-bed of the young, accomplished, distin
guished, and most wretched Altamont.
The sum of it is this: If a man rejects the
revelatioff of God, he is a fool and a felon. He
has no good motive. Christ tells the. whole of it,
when he says, Light has come into the world;
men Fate it, because their deeds are evil. It is
practically—atheism, or the glorious gospel of
Christ; as it is ultimately and historically, dam
nation, or —-the blessedness eternal of the celestial
palace. There is no medium, no neutrality. What
a godless infidel, what a felo-de-se, was Paine!
and how brutally immoral, profane, debauched,
drunken, and odious to the universe !
“ An infidel, when Well—but what, when sick!
O then—a text would touch him to the quick.”
Blaspheming the name of Christ when in health,
he would often, in dying agonies, invoke his name,
crying for help to Christ. Is this brave, wise,
philosophical, consistent? In fact, it is only
cowardly, perfidious, hypocritical. Most miserable
man! What madness in the hearts of some few
infatuates, that they affect to embalm his memory,
and even to saint his character! One of the saints
of Satan, with a vengeance eternal !
Samuel Hanson Cox.
Brooklyn; New York, March 2Qtb, IS6O.
P. S. Your account of my successor here is a
mistake as to his proper name—not Robins, but
Rev. Charles Seymour Robinson, A. M,, now re
gularly installed, as the fifth in succession, regular
glmmfan ffujsfogtman and Stnttitt dnanplisil,
Pastor of the First Presbyterian Church of Brook
lyn, N. Y. . .. .
Coming there in the prime of his age, called
cordially and unanimously and most honorably, it
is the prayer of his oldest living predecessor, that
the great God of Redemption will crown the
union with his best benediction, to the good of
thousands, and the glory of God, forever!
■ 8. H. C.
ONE HOUR.
Itfes at the close of a beautiful day in Palestine,
when the temple and domes of Jerusalem reflected,
golden light, and the still air of evening gathered
on the city walls, that the pious band of disciples
and their beloved Leader passed out of the gates,
and turned their feet to the Mt. of Olives. They
had just commemorated the holy rites of com
munion in the Last Supper, previous to that
dreadful event which prophecy had foretold, and
before'which even the sun must veil his face.
The shadows of evening were gathering, when
that heroic band, leaving the gates, directed their
course to a quiet retreat, where they might pre
pare for the morrow. The Mt. of Olives, is at
hand, within whose shades the garden of Geth
semane is situated. Here the disciples and their
Master may watch and pray during the long hours
of the night, till the dawning of the morrow
which is to witness their separation. Their Lord
and Saviour had told them all, and bade them
prepare for the event so soon to transpire. But
how little did those chosen ones realize the awful
certainty of that prophecy, and its impending
fulfilment! Gethsemane was that night made
sacred ground. The Saviour there passed the
few hours previous to his betrayal, and hallowed
the place by tears, agonies, and prayers. . The
sentinel stars took their silent watch above the
scene, and the lesser light” smiled with the
same mellow brightness on the earth, beneath, her
rays penetrating the shadows of Gethsemane, and
dimly revealing the outlines of the spot. From
that mountain-retreat their eyes could view Jeru
salem, famous in song and sacred in prophecy,
spread out in clear outlines, beautiful and tran
quil, as if innocent of coming evil. But the
hour of betrayal was at band, and the betrayer
about to receive the price of innocent blood. No
wonder that the heart of Jesus was troubled, and
the struggling soul prayed in agony to the Eather
in heaven. And while a few* of the disciples;
with their Master, have withdrawn from the band
for secret prayer, He retires to hold communion
with his Father. In that intense agony beyond
all human suffering, with the dreadful event about
to follow; through which He must "pass for the
sins of a fallen world, we that he sweat,
as it were, great drops of blood. After returning
to his disciples and finding them fast asleep, what
waves of sorrow were rolling over his soul, and
how the troubled spirit experienced a bitter pang,
when in the noble language of his heart, he ex*
claimed, “ Gould ye not watch with me one hour?”
Those words spoken in. a lonely retreat to a few
Christians, rnoje than eighteen.centuries ago, have
become as immortal as the grandest production of
the human mind, for they are written in the
Book which shall survive all others. They are
printed in hundreds of languages, and will dwell
On human lips till “all worldly shapes shall melt
in gloom,” and the heavens pass away. fc The
words of the wise men of antiquity, the sages and
philosophers of all ages often fall from the memory
of man: Tbegreat thesaurus of the intellectual,
world treasures as worthy of immortality but few of
the many coins which come from her mint; The
man of yesterday but seldom speaks to the man of
to-day. But the words of Jesus never fail; for
they were spoken by God, and relate to eternity.
Those words addressed by the Saviour, in the
garden of Gethsemane, to his disciples on find
ing them neglectful of duty and lost in sleep,
are intended for Christians of all tines who
desert their post in the Church, and cease 'to
watch and pray when the hours of trial ap
proach. Those who labor only.when the sun
shines, or sail only under prosperous breezes,
are poor workmeu and sorry sailors. * '
It is the furnace of affliction which reveals
merit, and the gold .of Christian character..
Hence in the Church of Christ, the men who
have been tried, are the brightest ornaments,
and firmest pillars; brightest because they have
been worn in the Master’s service, and firmest
because they have been proved.
Nor is this interrogative rebuke of Jesus ad
dressed to believers only, who fail to perform
their duty in the hour of trial, and to watch and
be prayerful, it is a perpetual rebuke of great
power, when we consider the occasion which
called it forth, to all who live within the sound
of church bells, but fail to attend the worship
of God, or possess the Bible, but refase to be
enlightened. Oag Hour the Saviour asks of
such men for prayer, while the months jand
years of their lives have been spent in the bond
age of sin. But alas l the great human army
marches on, following their own borders, and
serving their own idols. Let us' pray, then,
for better times, when not one hour only, but
the entire lives of multitudes will be devoted to
the Cross, and. the people know .V that the voice
of is the voice of God.” ‘
“THE LOGIC OF OTTR INSTITUTIONS.”
A good story, all the better for being undoubt
edly true, is told of an interview between a very
distinguished American and the present Pope.
His holiness, designing a special compliment, had
expressed his desire that the American should visit
him, at a fixed hour and in a familiar, way; This
was accordingly doqe. -The Pope met- his visitor
most graciously, and very soon expressed-his great
gratification that Catholics enjoyed such unre
stricted liberty in the United States. Without
waiting to calculate the embarrassment which his
remark would occasion, following hastily the first
impulses of his nature, the American 1 accepted
the compliment to his country, and expressed the
hope that his holiness would reciprocate this pri
vilege of liberty to his own spiritual children,.-by
granting an equal liberty to Protestants in the
Roman States. The embarrassment of the Pope
was’ instant, and the American .discovered the
uneasiness which he had occasioned. Following,:
then, his next impulse to remove this embarrass-:
inent, the American added, “ But we each carry
out the logic of our institutions,” “Yes, yes,”
exclaimed the Pope, lifting and dropping repeat
edly his hands, as if extravagantly gratified by a
happy deliverance, “yes, yes, we carry out the
logic of our institutions—w#carry out the logic
of our institutions!”
And so we do! That is the difference. Pro
testantism carries out its logic in freedom; Roman
ism, its logic in despotism;—the one has made
the United States —the other has; made Rome.
A Beautiful Present.—The city of Hamburg, Ger
many, has -been celebrated for- its beautiful and
stately swans. With-a* noble generosity its autho-’
rities have presented the Board of Commissioners of.
the-Central Park, New York, with-, as many of. them,
as may be desired, and will send an experienced
person to see them delivered and to impart all the
information required fbr their proper care.
A great deal of faiilt has been found with
modern preachers, bothby critics and the million;
but the grand defect of many seems to us to be,
that they are wanting in heart. They are icicles.
They may argue with logical precision, but they
argue 'coldly. . They 1 , {nay convince the under
standing, but they have not sensibility enough to
touch the warm sympathies, and make a vivid
impression upon the feelings of even the devout
soul. Even if they touch this chord accidentally,
it seems not natural 40 them, and they are pre
sently back again to their stiff creeds and dry
dogmas—{coolly untying consequences united m a
priori, bundling up inductions a posteriori, and
hammering away at .cause and effect, original sin,
predestination, beings self existent, and uni
versal scale of beings. / Instead of giving a deep
and commanding interest to their arguments by
applying them to thosefeelings which are common
to all hearts, and will eagerly answer when ap
pealed to, they endeayor to interest the under
standings of men in apposition to their feelings,
and to set up the intellect in contemptuous des
potism over every generous and glowing sympa
thy. Who can wonder, when religious truth is
enforced in this dry, argumentative, phlegmatic
manner,—when the spruce preacher reads his
drowsy lucubration without lifting his nose from
the text, or venturing] to earn the shame of an
enthusiast—that the harangues of the pulpit are
so destitute of living energy; and .fail to alarm the
profligate, or animate the desponding? What
would be the result if an actor at a theatre, instead
of throwing his whole {soul into his, ‘‘counterfeit
presentment "of feeling—his mimicry of “the
billowy ecstasy of .^o”—should. drawl through
his part in the freezing'rnanner of many preach
ers? Would he not hissed from the stage, or
play to empty boxes? - 1
Lord Erskine, who is so greatly celebrated for
the delicacy and tenderness with which he some
times describes scenes of domestic endearment,
and felicity, and the.lofty tone of indignation
with which he lashes and scourges their invaders;
remarks, in the letter introductory to the published
speeches of Fox, tbatj “ intellect alone, however
exalted, without strong feelings—without, even;
irritable sensibility—yrould be only like an im
mense magazine of-powper, if there were no such
element as fire in the .natural world. It is the
heart which is the spring and fountain of . all elo
quence." To be eloquent, a man must himself be
affected. He must be sincere. He must be in
earnest. In his own heart must burn the fire
which he would kindle in the bosoms of others:
“ Si vis me flere, dolendum, eat
Primvm ipH -
says Horace, and ihe maxim will hold til! the
“crack of doom.” There, must be: a certain
honesty and open-hearledhess of manner—an ap
parently entire and thorough conviction of being
in the right—an everlasting pursuit of, and entire
devotion to the subject;; to seeming neglect and
uhcbncern' as “to everyming ‘ feel
ing, passion. Evenilr; discourses of-’a- logical
charcteri where The reasoning approaches almost
to mathematical demonstration, the hearers will
not he impressed, they will scarcely listen with
patience, unless they sire persuaded that the con
clusions to which the speaker would force them,
nre’the deliberate. and solemn convictions of his
own mind. A cold-blooded, phelegmatic preacher
may produce a discourse 1 Irresistible in argument,
elaborately perfect in rhetorical embellishment,
and painfully correct in style, but nothing Can
give it that’electric fire,which; darts through and
through ah audience, kindling each heart into
enthusiasm, sav^ natural feeling expressed with
the fervor of earnest‘sensibility.
The only way to be eloquent in the pulpit, is to
banish every thought of self —to forget every
thing but God and duty. The triumphs of true
eloquence —touching', grand, subliine, awful as
they sometimes have beett—are seen, it has been
well remarked, only when: the orator stands before
you in the simple majesty of truth, and, over
powered with the weight of his convictions, for
gets himself, and forgets javery thing but his mo
mentous sut ieet. think not of who speaks
or how be speaks, bi£t of what is spoken; trans
ported by his pathosiwSur rapt imagination pic
tures new visions oflwappiness; subdued by the
gushes of his’ tenderness, your tears mingle: with
hiS; determined' by the power of his 1 reasoning,
you are prompt to admit, if not prepared to yield
to the'force of his arguments; entering with his 1
Whole heart and soul into the subject of his ad
dress, yon sympathize in those strong emotions
which you see are in his bosom, burning arid
struggling for utterance; and soon find yourself
moving onward With hitn on the same impetuous
and resistless current of feeling and passion. “It
is amazing,” says Goldsmith, “to what heights
eloquence of this kind may reach. This is that
eloquence the 7 ancients represented as lightning,
bearing down every opposer; this the power which
■has turned whole assemblies into astonishment,
admiration, and awe; that is described by the
torrent, the flame, and}-every other instance of
irresistible impetuosity.”
Christian Recorder.
TOO LATE IpL CHURCH. '
We feel inclined to lay a word to that class
of persons who do not attend upon divine ordi
nances at the proper time. It is freely admitted
that there may be, oce|sipns qn which persons
are unavoidably detained beyond the hour of
meeting. When this is the case, we think it is
improper for persons on this account to remain
at home. They should endeavor to be at the
house of God though they may not lie able to be
there in good season, pur remarks are not in
tended to apply to such cases. There are, how
ever, in almost every congregation, some per
sons who are just : as r likely to be too late in
coming to the house of God as to be there in
the proper time, and who think it a matter of
very little consequence whether they are too
late or not. Nay, therf are persons from whose
conduct we might suppose that they made it a
point' to be late. Such an imputation, how
ever, would be very uncharitable, ahd, therefore
we are far from supposjpg that such is the case
in relation to any.of our readers who are in the
habit of attending upon public ordinances.
Their want of punctuality is johei ascribed to
inattention on .their pajkf- ®et thecause, how
ever, be what it may, the conduct of such per
sons, unless it be absolutely unavoidable, is, in
our opinion, exceedingly reprehensible. It is
utterly Inconsistent with that behaviour which
should characterize the worshipping people of
God. It seems to us that those who are habitu
ally late in coming to. the house of God, have
good reason to suspect sthat they have no great
desire for the. ordinances. Persons are not
likely to be too late in; their attendance upon
those meetings , for which they have a great de
sire. They will at least make an effort to be
there in good season. Will not those, then,
who can say with David; “My soul thirsteth for
God, for the living God; when shall I coine and
appear before God ?” be likely to be in His
house before the solemn exercises of the sanctu
ary have commenced ? ~ -
w. c. w.
Think, Christian reader, of the loss which you
thereby occasion to yourself or others. Should
the exercises be delayed on your account there
iB a loss of time. Now suppose.that this time
'is only five minutes, and suppose that there are
a hundred persons present, if you consider the
whole loss, you will find it to amount in the* ag
gregate to more than eight hours. You would
doubtless feel ashamed to keep one'person wait
ing eight hours for youfto make your appear
ance. Ought you, then,’ to think it less shame-,
M to keep one hundred persons waiting five mi
nutes? It may, be well foryou.to think 6f
the subject in. this light. It is worthy the
special attention of ministers, whose presence
is looked for before the exercises for which
congregations have assembled can be com
menced. But suppose that there is no delay,
there must be more or less interruption. If you
were occupying the place of the speaker, you
would be able more fully to appreciate the Im
portance of this consideration,—you would see
tha.t when the assembly is,engaged in the so
lemn exercises of divine worship, nearly, all eyes,
and sometimes not a few faces, are turned to
the person or persons who are making their
MODERN TREACHERS.
way up the aisles of the church. Here is a se
rious interruption, and one, too, which may have
a very unhappy influence on the devotional feel
ings of those who are engaged in the worship
of Almighty God; and all this, too, perhaps, just
for the want of a little attention on your part.
We ask you, reader, is this right ? Is it seemly ?
Is it consistent with the apostolic injunction,
“Let all things be done decently and in order?”
If professing Christians attached to this subject
the importance which it deserves, whole congre
gations would more frequently, when the hour
arrives, be prepared to say, at least by their pre
sence, to the messenger of God when, at the ap
pointed hour, he rises in the pulpit, “We are
all present before God to hear all things that
are commanded thee of God.’’
THE NEWSPAPER.
Rev. Henry Ward Beecher thus speaks of -'the
newspaper, the common people’s Encyclopaedia:
“ In no other way can so much, so varied, so use
ful information be imparted, and under circum
stances so favorable for educating the child’s inind,
as through a judicious, well-conducted newspaper.
To live in a village, was once to be shut np and'
contracted. But now a man may be a hermit,
and yet-a cosmopolite. He may live in the forest,
walking miles to a post-office, having a mail but
once a week, and yet he shall be found as familiar
with the living world as the busiest actor-in it.
For the newspaper is a spy-glass by which he.
brings near, the most distant objects—an ear
trumpet by which he collects and brings within
his hearing all that is said and done all over the
earth—a museum full of living pictures of real life,
drawn, not on canvass, but with printer’s ink on
paper. The effect in liberalizing and enlarging
the mind of the young, of this weekly commerce
with the world will be apparent to auy one who
will ponder it. Once, a liberal education could
only be completed by foreign travel. The sons
i only of the wealthy could indulge in this costly
benefit. But now the poor man’s son can learn
as much at home, as a hundred years ago a gen
tleman could learn by journeying the world over.
For while there are some advantages in going
into the world, it is the poor man’s privilege to
have the world come to see him. The newspaper
is a great collector, a great traveller, and a great
lecturer. It is the common people’s Encyclo
paedia—the lyceum —the college."
FOREIGN ITEMS.
Lord Palmerston and the Sabbath Ques
tion-—As Sir John Trelawney has given notice of
a motion to open the British Museum and . other
national and pictorial exhibitions on Sabbath, a
large and influential deputation of Noblemen, mem
bers of Parliament, clergymen and gentlemen,
waited on the Prime Minister, on Monday was a
week, arid urged him to oppose any such motion
for opening secular institutions on the Sabbath.
Lord Palmerston, with much emphasis, said he
“ wa's sorry to see the motion of Sir John, because
he thought the question had been disposed of by
what bad formerly passed. There could be no
doubt as to the feelings of the Government on
the subject: they eould not agree to the motion,
and would meet it either by a direct negation or
by moving the previous question, as was found
most expedient.” Lord Shaftsbury expressed the
cordial thanks of the deputation for the bold and
manly way in which the noble Premier had ex
pressed himself, adding, “ That is the way to
govern the people of England .” The friends of
the Sabbath will all rejoice to hear of the firmness
of the ministry on this essential point.
English Church Rates.— Sir John Trelaw
ney’s bill for the collection of this obnoxious and
unjust impost was read a second time, in spite of
all efforts of the Church party to prevent it. The
majority for. the second reading was 29 —-the whole
votes were 265 to 286. ■ , .
I’ue Maynooth Grant. —On Tuesday was.a
week, Mr. Spooner, introduced his annual motion,
for the withdrawal of this grant to the Popish
college at Maynooth. The motion, however, was
lost by a majority of fifty-eight. Mr.. Spooner is
not the man to agitate this question. He has
lost the ear of the House, by his prosy dulness
and want of tact.. He is, besides, a bigoted ad
herent of the Established Church, and the uncom
promising defender of all her claims and exactions.
To conduct the assault on this, and other Popish
endowments, aright, the leader of the movement
ought to be free from all connection with any of
the different bodies receiving, educational grants
from, the Consolidation fund; for it is somewhat
incongruous for a man who belongs either to the
Established Church or the Endowed Presbyterians
of Ireland, to object to the 'endowment of .May
nooth. Let their different churches abandon the
grants of national money-they receive, and then
they will be able, with clean hands, to testify
against the sin of endowing Popery. Let the
Irish Presbyterians, take the’ Popish members of
Parliament at their word : Mr, Hehnesey, as their
mouth-piece, declared that if tithes and liegium
Donum were given up,, he would engage, for his
party, that the grant to Maynooth would be given
up also. Why, in the name of our common
Protestant Presbyterian faith, will the Irish Ge
neral Assembly allow themselves, year after year,
to be thus twitted and mocked at? : After the
revival with which God has visited them, there
will and must be a very great increase of Chris
tian liberality among the people, for this is a de
partment of Scriptural duty in which they have
been lamentably and shamefully deficient. Let
them then, in God’s name, and in obedience to
the New Testament ordinance as taught in the
Word, “communicate to those who teach them in
all good things,”, so that they “ who preach the
gospel may live of the gospel.” Unless they do
this, on them will rest the sin and shame: of en
dowing Popery in Ireland. A little self-denial,
and conscientious duty on their part would enable
them to get such endowments, withdrawn; but, if
they refuse to do this, on them will rest the re
sponsibility and guilt of continuing the endow
ment of a system which is the irreconcilable foe
both of God and man. . ,
St. Georges in the East is one of the fashion
able churches in London which has long been no
torious for the Puseyitisli practices of its rector,
the Rev. Bryan King, who, in spite of all. oppo
sition on the part of the hearers, will persist
forcing upon them all the Traetarian innovations.
The people have at last openly rebelled, and for
successive Sabbaths the services have been inter
rupted by the most scandalous uproar and noise.
The police have had to attend, in order to quell
the disturbances which would otherwise have
occurred. The subject has been considered in
the House of Lords. Bishop Wilberi'orce and
others of Traetarian leanings defended Mr. King,
who, they said, has “not gone beyond the strict
letter of the rubric. But is there, we would ask,
no legal mode of restraining a clergyman who
will thus persist in forcing Traetarian innovations
and novelties upon a reclaiming and resisting
congregation ? Is he to be at liberty to give
occasion for disturbance by' his pertinaeio.usly in
sisting on certain ritual” performances of a most
questionable character, while the people have no
recourse but Submission or secession f It is high
time that something was done to put an end to
*sueh scenes, which are a crying scandal to our
national Christianity,
THE BLESSING OF SUNSHINE.
A. north light is cold, searching, and unsenti
mental, and tries both complexion and the heart;
it reveals gray hairs, and the first, faint foot
prints of the bird of ill-omen in the corners of
the eyes with appalling distinctness. The flow
ers of the carpet are duller, for it has not a tint
to lend; except the light of early morning, no
thing is less complimentary than a northern .as
pect...
But a room that the. sun is not permitted to
look into.at all, should be without a door; it is
unfit (hr human occupancy. Even the flowers
will grow pale, and be freightened to death in
it!’ The primary object of a window is nqt for
the sons of men to'look out, but for the son to
look in. . '
Pleasant sunshine not only brightens a jnan s
buttons, bnt his heart; it makes his spirit as
cheerful as the landscape. He cannot live ana
be happy—he cannot be happy without it.
• White is not beauty, any more than ar me
lancholy blue is the “color of virtue,” and yet
the insane dodging of the sun has its ongin m
some such optical delusion. We catch school
girls eating chalk and drinking vinegar to rea
der themselves pale and interesting. Next to
an inky skin, they dread a rich brown cheek,
and a brow that the. sun has pressed as pure a
kiss upon as the melodious lips of Israel could
give. • , , • - .
More windows in the sunny side of our dwell
ing, more living in the open air; less fear of an
unclouded and parasolless sun, and more bold,
free exercise, would kindle a. true, country; milk
maid-glow upon cheeks as chalky as; the cliffs
of Dover, and let a little sunshine into the shady
corners of many 's, heart. 1 Light, daylight, was
not made merely to see by and warm by, but to
grow bright and glad in; and that beam of a
clear, autumn morning has failed to reach its
destination that has not shone, into the spirit,
and burnished the thought, as it has brightened
the eye. „ ,
. BP. Taylor.
Ch. Instructor;
QUEEN VICTORIA. AND THE BIBLE.
It was a noble and .beautiful answer of our
Queen ; —the monarch of a. free people, reigning
more by love than law, because seeking to reign
in the fear of God—it was a noble answer she
gave to an African Prince, who sent, an embassage
with-costly presents, and asked her in return to
tell, him the secret of England’s greatness and
England’s glory; and our beloved Queen sent him,
not the number of her fleet, not the number of
her armies,-not the account of her boundless mer
chandise, not .the details of her inexhaustible
wealth. She did not, like Hezekiah, in an, evil
hour, show the ambassador her diamonds, and her
rich ornaments, but handing him a beautifully
bound copy of the Bible, she said, “Tell the
Prince that this is the secret of England’s'great
ness.”
King Edward Vl.—At the coronation of this
youthful king, which was oxi February 20th, 1547,
he being then only nine years old, when three
swords were brought, as signs of his being king of
three kingdoms, he said, there was one yet want
ing. And when the nobles about hitn asked him
what that was, he answered, “The Bible! That
book,” added he, “is the sword of the Spirit, and
to be preferred before these swords. That in all
right ought to govern us, who use the sword, by
God’s appointment, for the people’s safety. He
who rules without the Bible, is not to be called
God’s minister 1 , or a king. From that alone, we
obtain all power, virtue, grace, salvation, and
whatsoever we have of Divine strength.”
Some interesting anecdotes connected with the
youthful days of this excellent prince, have been
preserved. One day, when engaged with some
companions in amusements suitable for his age,
lie wished to take down something from a shelf
above his reach. ' One of his playfellows offered
him a large book to stand upon; but, perceiving
it to be the Bible, King Edward refused such
assistance with indignation, and reproved the of
fender, adding, “that it was highly improper that
he should trample under his feet that precious
Volume, Which he ought to treasure up in his
head and- heart.”
The Emperor Theodosius wrote out the New
Testament with his own hands; Zuinglius wrote
out the Epistles of St. Paul, and got them by
heart; Cromwell, Earl of Essex, could repeat all
the New Testament.
CHRISTIANITY IN THE FIRST CENTURY; or, the
New Birth of the-Social Life of Man through the rising
of Christianity. By Chr. Hoffmann. Translated from
the German. Edinburgh : T. &T. Clark. '■ Philadel
phia : Smith, English & Co. : ‘
Christianity is represented asa living, ener
gizing, formative principle, adapted to man's‘uni
versal necessities, and elevating him into a parti
cipation of a higher and spiritual" life, and fellow
ship and communion with God. The Subject is
practically illustrated by, the history of Christianity
during the first century. It was promulgated at
a time when all other systems had signally and
manifestly failed; and when there was a common
expectation of some new era.: The essential power
and life of Christianity are manifest in the striking
changes it wrought; in its nevfllife; in its high
aims; in its self-sacrificing zeal; in its power'to
overcome obstacles and transform institutions; and
change the current of thought and manners of the
most enlightened portion of the world; -This re-',
formative power of Christianity is shown to be
spiritual, and divine; and offers as the surest testi
mony to its heavenly origin the durable Mnd ex
cellent fruits which it yields. These lectures are
eloquent, perspicuous, and demonstrable evidences;
of the excellence of our holy religion, asahown by
what it did during the first hundred years after its
introduction. v
ACHAIA; or, Studies of the Cosmogony and Natural
History of the Hebrew Scriptures! By J. W.Janson,
EL. D. F. G. S. Montreal: B. Dawson & Son. : Phi
ladelphia: Smith, English &. Co.
This is a work of-no ordinary merit. . It-exa
mines and discusses the question of geology and;
Genesis with candor, with a thorough acquaint
ance with science, and with a true reverence for the
Scriptures as the inspired word of the Creator.
The author sustains the position, that Genesis
may be, legitimately interpreted; so that the tes
timony of the.rocks and the inspired records of
Moses shall nqt conflict. He defends the more,
common theory, that the six days of creation were
not literal days of twelve or twenty-four hours -
but periods of time of undefined length, called
days, for the want of a term better suited' to ex
press them. The work is written with elegance
of style and diction, as well as logical, precision,
and will interest and instruct the reader, though
he may not acquiesce in the theories advanced and
defended. It ought to relieve that class of minds
who think that science, especially geology, should
be tabooed, lest the foundations of our reliction
be overturned. ; : , , °
THE COMPLAINT; dr Night Thoughts on Life, Death
and Immortality. By Ed ward Young, LL. D* New
York: Robert Carter & Brothers. Philadelphia: Hr
S. & A. Martien. .
This is a new and neat edition of a valuable
standard work. It is a book that lives on through
successive generations, and will always find , sym
pathetic readers till sorrow ceases to be the lot of
humanity. ■
THE LIFE OF DANIEL WILSON, D. b., Bishop of
Calcutta, and Metropolitan of India, l By Josiah Rato
man, M. A, "With Portraits, Maps andlllustrations"
£©iS3* “*!*■ 4R
Ch. Instructor.
This is an octavo volume of 750 pages ’it k
not only a biography>f a good and useful man
bqfa history of a very interesting country. Bishop
Wilson was twenty-ax ,years in India, and this
book which is made up largely from his journal,
abounds m most valuable information of the coun
try, manners and customs. .The extracts from bis
journal embrace a great variety of topics, andjserve
to exhibit h ls thoughts, his labors and hid piety.
' i"*?’ 1 ? ? orography worthy to be published' and
circulated generally. It ought to be equally no:
ceptable to all Christians of whatever denotnmii-
British Workman.
EDITOR’S TABLE.
LETTERS FROM SWITZERLAND. By Samuel In
: meusPrime, Author of “Travels in Europe and the
' East” 12mo. pp. 264. New York: Sheldon & Co.
\SdelpWa: lL.say & ¥akiston.
These letters were originally written for the
jVeto York Observer, by its PRIME editor, some
years since, while making the tour of the Conti
nent They: well deserve the distinction now given
then! by ffiii re issuerin a permanent and durable
form As a traveller Dr. Prime is genial and
pleasant, and is sure to observe and describe the
very objects that will interest the reader. In a
country whose Tstfat&apsnW is unsurpassed, the
traveller finds abundant occasion for the exercise
of his talent at description; and Dr. Prime has
not neglected the opportnnity of, drawing pictures
from nature. The incidents of travel, and the
habits and; customs;of; people to.which'-he m re
duces us afford amhsemenb and instruction.
THE STARS AND; THE ANGELS.: Philadelphia:
William S. & Alfred Maftien, 606 Chestnut Street.
This is a volume of singular merit. , pie author
exhibits a thorough knowledge of the: sciences,
and of the Bible, and shows the harmony between
the real teachings of natural science, and the reve
lations of Scripture. He meets the objections
which infidelity has attempted to gather from
astronomy, geology, &c., to undermine onr faith
in the Bible, and to throw distrust upon the divine
authority of its teachings. He, affirms; also that
man is the .highest type in the oWer of creation,
and in his resurrection his resemblance and rela
tion to angels will appear more obvious. The vo
lume discusses the various phenomena, of human
nature as the results bf fixed laws;" and that even
in miracles we are only ignorant of the laws which
operate to. the of unusual re
sults. The author treats of tjie soul in its sepa
rate and connected relation to; the -body, .of the
nature and character of the resurrection body. In
many respects it isa remarkable book. . With ex
tensive knowledge of science, and a profound re
spect for the Christian religion, the ,author is a
bold speculator, and astonishes as well as instructs
the reader. It is a book that will .attract .atten
tion., ‘
THE PURITANS; or, The Church, Court, and Parlia
ment of England, Dunng the Reigns of Edward VI.
and Queen Elizabeth. By Samuel Hopkins. Ip Three
Volumes. Vol. 11. Bostons. Gould .& Lincoln. .For
Sale by Smith, English & Co., Philadelphia,
The second volume of this excellent work has
coine to hand. It meets fully the high expecta
tions raised by the first volume issued some months
since. It covers ten years, from 1575 to 1585,
of the reign of Queen Elizabeth! lit fs a history
of those times, and of the most stirring events of
those times. The work is Written with manifest
ability, and grave facts and historic events have
an air of naturalness,that is attractive; and while
gliding over the beaten track of the past, every
object and event which we pass seems to have the
freshness of novelty. It is such a history of the
Puritans as enables us to see, in the strifes and
discussions, political and religions, the influences
that tended; to developi and form, the puritan cha
racter, to which we owe in this countiy, our liber
ties and onr religion;' We mu' made to 4 see the
cradle in which the giants were rocked, and the
food on which they Were fed; and eekse to wonder
that' they grew so’large.
The publishers have’put up the’ book in a style
worthy, of themselves and the repuffitioh this work
merits, and will soon acquire. w !!
THJE GENIUS AND, DESIGN ;fF THE-.DOMESTIC;
CONSTITUTION, with its Untransferable Obligations
and Peculiar Advantages. By Christopher Anderson.
NeW York; Robert Carter Sc Brother. For Sale by
W. S. & A. Martien', Philadelphia. V.
This is a republication of an old book containing
prineiples/and'treating of bbiigations and duties,
that lie at the foundation of society; government,
and religion. The Christian family is the position
of influence and-hope; Here order; virtue, and
true-religion, must- be maintained" aid cherished,
in order to the safety'and pefgptuity of the com
monwealth;-with ■; her; feyoredinStitutioi&tof edu
cation and religion.;’ This volume is rich in prac
tical instruction and valuable suggestions. It is
adaptedsto show to parents = their; obligations, and
to aid them in the right discharge . of; the duties
growing out of the relation of family. ■
PASCAL; ora Glimpse of Convent Life
at Port Royal. From the French of M. Victor Cousin,
M. Prosper Fouqnere, M. Yinet, and other sources.
Translated fey H. N. With an introduction by W. H.
Williams, D. D. New York: Robert Carter & Brother.
Philadelphia: W; S. & A. Martien.
This is an exceedingly interesting narrative,
compiled from several authentic Sources, and trans
lated into English by a lady. Pascal and his no
ble and distinguished sister, were Catholics of the
order of the jansenists. They held the evangeli
cal doctrines of justification by faith; but were
in other respects Strict adherents to Borne. In
deed they harried the practice of religious aseeti
cism to an extreme. There is exhibited the sin
cerity and strength of true piety encumbered with
a bondage of Superstition and formalism.
LUTHER 011 GALATIANS. A Commentary on St.
Paul 8 Epistle to the Galatians; - By Martin Luther.
To which is prefixed Tiseher's Life of Luther,
übndged; a short Sketch of" the Life of Zuingle, as
also, a Discourse oh the Glorious Reformation. By
S. 8. Sebmucker, D. : D. - Philadelphia: Smith, Eng
lish & Co. -v '
This, volume, in addition to Martin Luther's
Commentary on the .Epistle to the-Galatians, con
tains a portrait of Luther, a. brief mhmoir of the
great reformer, and a very able discourse on the
subject nf the Reformation;- exhibiting the de
basingjinfiuence and wickedness of Popery. .
THP ATLANTIC MONTHLY for April. Boston:
Tieknor Sc Field. $5.00 per annum.
. - We are in reeei pt of the April number of this
first of American Monthlies. The following is
the table of contents Laws of ißehuty; Found
and Lost; An Experience; About Thieves; The
Pursuit of Knowledge undek Difficulties; The
Portrait; American Magazine; Literature of the
gist Century; Come si Chiama; -Bardic Symbols;
Hunting a Pass; Pleasure Pain; The Professor's
Story; Lost Reliefs; The Mexicans and their
Country; Reviews and Literary Notices.
■■ “ Harper’s Magazine” for April contains a
fine list of articles., The illustrated papers are
three, Artist Life in. the Highlands; Have we
Hot Gold in California, and the Eight at Lexing
ton, The other articles,are Captain Tom, A In
surrection. By Charles Hordhoff. Kate Morris
By T. B. Aldriqh. Little Brother—Part HI-
The Alexandrians.; Ipt’sChristihas Box. D -*
Remarkable Experience. ~The Little Art Student.
An Icy Blame, On Two Children in Black. !>)’
W. M: Thackeray. Oriana Inn: A Disputed
possession. The Lost Steamship; By Fits James
O’Brien. Lovell the Widower; By W. SI. Thack
eray; Chapter 1II, ? In which I Play the Spy-
Illustrations— The Omnibus, The Slonthly l‘ e '
cord of Current Events, and the usual editorial
miscellany, conclude*the letter press of thenum
ber 5 for' its final illustrations
Charley s first .Pantaloons” and; Fashion PW CS
for April.
March 29