138
fm>srian
riroasDAV, APRIL »«, I*6o.
D. C. HOUGHTON, )
_„ „ „ f- EDITORS.
JOHN W. MEARB, j
ASSOCIATED WITH
' ALBERT BARNES j GEORGE DUFFIELDJa.
THOMAS BBAINERD, JOHN JENKINS,
HENRY DARLING, 1 THOMAS J. SHEPHERD,
GLORIFY GOO.
In oar Scripture readings, our Sabbath Service,
and oar secret fellowship with God, we do at times,
feel as Moses did when he prayed —“ I beseech
thee show me thy glory." And yet indulging
such a feeling and putting forth such an aspi
ration, we are obliged to admit, that even a limited
view of the dominion, and a partial entrance in
to the depths Of Jehovah, would involve us in
perplexity, and fill us with an intolerable sense of
weakness and limitation,* and that the most we can
hope in this direction, is, to have the milder aspects
of his being and the more winning disclosures of
his character and government made to us; while
his power, his justice, apd his holiness must be
beheld through a medium that shall moderate the
otherwise insufferable splendor and magnificence,
blending them with the light of , his benignity,
and causing ns, with joy, and hope, to utter another
prayer-*"Let the beauty of the Lord our God be
upon ns,”
Nor need we regret our feebleness of grasp, our
bounded apprehension, for we are progressive.
That, Which now we cannot fathom, may at last
become an ordinary and familiar theme as we press
into tjie yet unconquered territory of truth, where
thought after thought shall break forth for us, from
the deep, but fascinating mystery. Rather may
we rejoioe, that the better privilege is granted us,
of glorifying God,—that we are set as so many
little orbs in his stupendous system, for the express
purpose of reflecting his light; and that in pro
portion as we realize this divine purpose, that light
shall penetrate our souls; and so in its reflected
and diverging rays,—flashing out from'our central
life, like light from the glowing diamond, and not
thrown off from the merely outward and objective,
like rays from polished steel, —it shall show that
truth and grace are vital and transforming, as well
as diffusive.
It was an honor to Moses that God talked with
him, face to face; and it would be to us an unspeak
able honor, were we endowed with supernatural
vision and made capable of enduring the presence
of ail nature —and all created spirits —of looking
far into the depths of creation and of God 1 But
it is more honorable to serve God. Seraphs glory
not so much in vision as in service. Their lofty
views are secondary to their obedience and their
worship, We admire intellect, but the philanthropy
of Howard, the patriotism of Washington, the in
tegrity of Fabrioius, and the self-sacrifice of Paul,
are immeasurably more winning, and even more
sublime, than the genius of Aaron Burr, or the
mental grasp of a fallen angel.
Love is greater than talent, —more mighty than
genius,—more sure as an agency of happiness;
more like its living, eternal source.
When the Bible speaks of glorifying God, it
does not mean that, by any act or course of life,
we can render the Creator glorious. He is so
independently and supremely, by virtue of his
essential perfections. Nothing can he subtracted
from hi? manifold and boundless riches; no amount
of praise, love, and worship, can add to his being,
or increase its original opulence. We can only
direct the eyes of men toward him and his works;
illustrate his attributes, diffuse a knowledge of his
character and government; thus drawing within
the wide circle of instrumentalities, other souls
oh which his beamß may fall, and from which they
may again be cast to a still wider divergency.
We add not to his glory. We are only the
Spiritual lenses, whose crossing and mingling re
' flections display the varied glories of his justice,
his providence, and his mercy. “To glorify God
and enjoy him forever, is the chief —that is, the
only end of man.” There are other objects, in
termediate and necessary in our present being and
history, hut that is the only end —toward which
all else is directed, and tending. And God has
so constituted man, and his kingdom, that he will
to glorified, both by the wicked, and the holy;
by the latter, with their consent, and prevailing
purpose—by the former through constraint, —
bringing good out of evil.
The question is important to the conscientious
servant of God, whether he shall burden Ms mind
by the perpetual thought, and" unrelieved care of
suoh duty. Whether he be not commanded to
dismiss all other interests that, without distraction
or hinderauce, this one supreme end maybe secured.
Now, this is plainly impossible. Such are our per
sonal and relative obligations as beings of earth,
that our attention must be largely given to the
present and visible. It is a part of our Christianity
rightly to meet these terrestrial demands. Nor is
there necessity of being undevout, and forgetful
of God, in the discharge of these obligations.
Wo are made for action and enterprise. We may
be diligent in our earthly calling, and yet fervent
in spirit, serving the Lord. Paul was; as full of
love, seal, and adoration, when making a tent, as
when discoursing on the resurrection!
We are not to he divorced from our lawful avo
cations, for they are indispensable to our eomfort,
and that of our families; they are sources of
Christian beneficence. But we are to have the
glory of God so habitually in our thoughts, to let
it occupy so much of our attention, and become
so wrought into our purposes and emotions, as to
render it an easy matter, at any moment, to revert
. to it/ and summon up the impression of its lofty
demands.
When an ambassador embarks on the ship that
is to bear him to a distant court, he may be true
to hia mission without, every moment, saying to
himself—'“ I roust remember the interesteof my na
tion. I bate this and that great matter to conduct
to an honorable and satisfactory issue.” He needs
not be shut up to one present and pressing de
mand} to be excluded from the socialities, and to
take no part in the excitements of the voyage; to
learn nothing of nautical technicalities; to feel no
interest in the wide and wondrous sea; to hold
himself forcibly away from the grand and varied
scenery, from the impressions of sublimity and fear,
that would otherwise come upon his heart. And
when his foot presses the shore of that distant
land, he will not feel obliged to hasten past the
mementos of national history, of local celebrity, or
of literary fome that, may stand in his way; nor
will ho be hailed on by tbe demands of his mission
to leave unvisited, during his foreign residence,
the works of art, the monuments of national great
ness, or any of the objects and gatherings, where
by his heart or taste may be improved, his know
ledge increased, or his over-tasked system relieved
from the weight of ordinary engagements. It
would only be essential for him, as a faithful servant
of the government which gave him his office, that
he engage in no employment inconsistent with the
dignity of his mission, that would compromise his
official character and obligations, or render him in
any way unfit for the high duties of his appoint
ment. It would also become him never to be so
absorbed in matters foreign to his vocation, —how-
ever innocent, and even commendable in them
selves, —as to render it difficult for him at any
moment to revert to the special interests, and at
tend to the urgency, which national relations or
changes might bring upon him.
Thus with the mind that would constantly glorify
God. There needs be only a settled, and saered
purpose, a principle of loyalty that spreads itself
over all its plans, recreations, and engagements;
pleased and facile reference of the thoughts and
affections to the divine authority, goodness and
grace; holding itself, amid the multiform claims
of secular life, in readiness at once, and with happy
ardor, to entertain the higher, and holier call- of
Heaven; indeed to bring into the daily sphere of
earthly engagements the .sacredness of a religious
purpose, and a spiritual motive.
The Christian must make the will of God his
law, —find what his duty is, and then, with a whole
heart, pursue it. It is for him, to infuse into every
engagement for himself, his family, and his race,
the spirit of loyal service to his master. To bring
every interest* in life around the high calling of
God, and fasten to that central truth every purpose
and act, not so much by separate volitions, and
resolves, as by a comprehensive and all-pervading
purpose, and consecration.
Thus, as every planet, that whirls and shines in
the heavens, is held by the sun’s attraction, to the
orbit in which it was formed to roll, bo will every
believer, by the felt influence of God in his heart,
move, and glow, and rejoice in his heavenly service.
And, as every field and wood, and river, and sea
of this, our. earthly dwelling-place, teems with
its own peculiar life, and retains its distinctive de
velopment, though ever on the march around the
sun, ever reflecting his splendor, and ever depend
ent on his beams for the forth-putting of its vital
ity ; so in the spiritual laws and harmonies, which
govern us as believers, may all our purposes, de
sires and talents, —while retaining theirindividual
ity, and energizing in accordance with their own
forces, ever yield to the attraction of God, and
move to illustrate his glory! Glorify God, then,
for he is infinitely worthy. He has loved you with
an everlasting love. He is the life of the soul.
From his grace comes our salvation; iu his light
do we live; in his presence and service do we
hope to spend eternity.
REV. MR. GUINNESS.
This evangelist labored with marked success in
this city for several months after Ms first arrival
in this country. We have alluded frequently to
his success; and have, in one article, described
his characteristics as a preacher, as they appeared
to us.
He is a young man of modest mien, devoted to
the work of saving sonls. His manner is easy
and natural, and has remarkable power to interest
and awaken the masses of men who have not been
schooled in the churches or accustomed to hear,
the gospel regularly.
Those who had him in charge, sought not to
obtrude him upon the attention of prominent
churches, but immediately opened a way for the
happy exercise of his useful gifts. There was no
attempt to lionize him; hut, as a good shepherd,
many heard his voice joyfully and followed him
gladly. Five hundred souls are said to be a low
estimate of the conversions under his ministry
while in Philadelphia. Critics from Boston and
elsewhere, who came to hear great sermons, were
usually disappointed; hut simple-hearted men who
were attracted by clear and forcible illustrations
of divine truth and affectionate appeals, rejoiced
in finding Him of whom Moses and the prophets
did write. If he would have consented to settle
as a preacher, a large and splendid church would
have been built for Mm at once, and mostly by
this class of people. Since he has returned from
New York to this city, we learn that he was not
so highly appreciated in New York. That the
most popular churches were open to him at first,
hut they afterwards gave him a cold shoulder.
That the New Yorh Ledger, and kindred prints,
diseussed freely bis talents, character, and called
in question his authority to preach. This opposi
tion to Mr. Guinness has called out from the New
Yorh Observer the following voluntary defence of
Mm:
It !a said that Mr. Guinness is not a regularly
authorized preacher. This is simply a mistake,
though fitted to damage the standing of this ex
cellent minister of the gospel. His ecclesiastical
position is that of the Independent or Congrega
tionalists. He was ordained in July, 1859, mi
nisters of different denominations engaging in the
ceremony. He is charged with being an actor in
the pulpit, and by extravagant gestures and sin
gular manners, seeking to make a sensation. We
have rarely heard a popular preacher who was less
liable to this criticism. So free is he, in fact, from
those artificial manners, those tricks of oratory which
sensation-preachers affect, so simple is his style of
speaking as well as thinking, that the almost uni
versal question is—“ What’s the secret of this
young man’s attractiveness?” If he were eccen
tric, affected, violent,, outre in any way, it would !
be easy to attribute his success in drawing a crowd i
to such a style. But there is none of it about 1
him. He is not even a great preacher. There
are fifty men in this city who uniformly preach
greater sermons than he. Where then lies the
charm? We do not feel bound to specify what
we regard the secret of his power, when we are
simply denying that he is justly censurable for
being an actor. But we are not unwilling frankly
to say that it lies in that undefinablc attribute
which sacred rhetoricians have called unction,
an element of success in the pulpit that the
schools do not teach, that no art can imitate or
create. It brings the hearer and the speaker into
earnest sympathy and communion, makes the
heart of the preacher to Overflow on the audienee
in streams pf tenderness and love, so that they
are melted and subdued, moved and won. It is
a power that implies simplicity and sincerity,
which are the two most striking characteristics of
the preaching of hlr. Guinness. He delivers his
message with the directness of aim, the absence of
all factitious elements of effect,an abnegation of self
and endeavor to exhibit Christ Jesus as the be
ginning and end of his discourse, that render his
sermons as purely the simple gospel as any we
have ever heard. Although occasionally referring
to his own experience, ho does not preach himself, 1
lie preaches Christ. His manner is far from that (
of an orator, and so little is there in his style pe- !
culiar, that we must look elsewhere to find the,
power that attracts and enchains the crowded au-,
ditories that hear him night after night with un-j
abating interest. We have heard some men of ;
learning and taste pronounce his sermons to be'
beiow mediocrity. And they were unable to ac
count for the attention he excites, on any princi
ples that govern the general course of the multi
tude. We hold it to be incredible that a man
who has no art, no tricks of sensation, nothing
but the simple earnestness of the gospel to coim 5
flwjglrgtenatt anil
mend him and his message to the people, should
be an actor. The charge is too absurd to merit
refutation, and we have referred to it solely be
cause we regard the late attacks of the press upon
a young stranger among us, laboring for the good
of his fellow-men, to he most inhospitable, unge
nerous, and censurable. \Other charges equally
unfounded have been made, which it is quite
needless to correct.
We have volunteered these remarks in defence
of Mr. Guinness because he is a stranger in this
country, and because we are not willing that his
usefulness here and elsewhere should suffer by the
misrepresentations to which every man is exposed
so soon as he attracts the attention ot the public.
The popularity of Mr. Guinness was never greater
in New York than at this moment. He enjoys
the entire confidence and best wishes of the most
judicious, conservative and eminent pastors and
laymen in our churches.
ANOTHER EXPLANATION,
The last Independent has the following, which
we give without presuming upon any further
knowledge orntbis head:
As to Mr. Guinness, we cannot hut regret that
at the outset, his usefulness in this city was so
much hindered, by the ill-considered attempts of
the New Yorh Observer to create a sensation in
his behalf. Such new measures, we doubt not,
were extremely unpalatable to Mr. Guinness him
self. He should not be held responsible for the
“ clap-trap ” and “ blowing of trumpets,” by which
his simple-hearted labors for Christ were converted
into a public show.
“SO MANY NEWSPAPERS.”
"I take so many papers now, I never find
time to read half of them.” In reply to this re
mark we desire. to give a few directions which
may be of service to persons somewhat embar
rassed by the number of journals and periodicals
urged upon their notice, with apparently well
founded claims to-their patronage,—more espe
cially as such persons sometimes decline adding
the religions newspaper to their list.
1. There is one rule which is self-evident, yet
whieh needs to be stated and insisted upon; and
that is that nothing should be allowed to usurp
the place of the Bible in our reading. Good
books, works of permanent value, admirable
commentaries on the Scripture, works of real
genius, consecrated to the service of religion,
besides a multitude of journals and periodicals,
daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly, issue from
the press almost as rapid and countless as the
flakes of a snow-storm. There is no little dan
ger that, amid so much that is novel and really
attractive, the claims of the sober and familiar
volume of Holy Writ should be overlooked. In
all onr reading, let us put this book first; if a
reverent regard for this book leaves us no time
for any other reading, so be it. All other read
ing mast be subordinate to this.
2. But the writers of Scripture themselves
were, in many instances, evidently well informed
upon topics of general and public interest.
Moses, Samuel, David, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Da
niel, and Paul were men fully up with the times.
And the practical value of their writings results,
doubtless, in great part, from the intimacy which
they show with the particular circumstances un
der which they were written. Who can doubt,
for example, that if there had been a daiiy pa
per published in Jerusalem during the negotia
tions with Egypt or the siege of Nebuchadnez
zar, Jeremiah would have been a regular reader 1
of its bulletins ? An anxiety to know promptly
!
fellow-men, what good or what evil is befalling
"them, how the course of history is shaping it
self, and the kingdom of God is advancing in
the world, is proof of a healthy, moral tone in
the individual, just as indifference to all these
things is proof of the reverse. Such a healthy
tone characterized the mind of the author of the
History of Redemption, whose anxiety to see
the journals of his day, and to learn their con
tents, is known to all. So far as the newspa-.
per truly reflects the course of events in the
world, it furnishes us with God’s own provi
dential commentary upon the Scriptures. It
is his own key to prophecy. They are called
“fools and blind,” who do not “discern the
signs of the times,” and what aid so efficient to
this discernment as the newspaper?
3. We cannot do without it then. The only
rule here-is, to exercise judgment in our choice
among the various claimants for patronage.
Our Judgment must of course be based upon the
motives which induce us to regard the newspa
per in general with favor. We desire to see
man and his movements in their relations to
great moral principles, to social questions, and
social progress, and to religion. It is man as
onr brother, man as an immortal being, man as
susceptible of regeneration and sanctification,
man as a part of the divine plah, and as con
nected with the progress of Christ’s kingdom in
the world. It is, in a word, human events as
related to the Church, that we desire to contem
plate.
It is not denied that the secular papers will
furnish us substantial aid in all this. Even with
out any special religious aim they spread before
us a mass of information whicjt to the view of the
Christian, readily arranges itself under great prin
ciples and illustrates great truths. The fall of
the Pemberton mills as narrated by these papers,
does more for such a reader than feed an appetite
for novelties or for the horrible. It quickly as
sumes the form,, to his mind, pf a lesson upon
human depravity, and particularly upon the reck
lessness and heartlessness of covetousness. Never
theless the religious paper answers most fully to
the idea of a paper which is indispensable to the
student of Scripture and of human affairs as inter
preting Scripture. It is the express business of
this sort of papers to seize upon, arrange, and ex
pound human events as they hear upon the higher
destiny of man. In dwelling upon the explora
tions and discoveries of Livingstone and Barth, it
is the business of sueh papers to lead the mind to
consider the preparation which is thereby made
for the introduction of the gospel, and- the new
grounds of hope furnished for the regeneration of
Africa. In speaking of the treaties by which
China and Japan are opened to tho world, it is
their business to hold up these events as a real
enlargement of their field of missions. In noting
the great 'political changes taking place among
1 the civilized nations of the world, it is their bust-
I ness to show the bearing of these events, so far as
l it appears, upon the progress of Christ's kingdom
and the decline of the kingdom of darkness. In
fact the reasons for which the Christian heart is
chiefly interested in human things, are exactly
those which influence the management of every
properly conducted newspaper.
4. We must first and chiefly take the religious
paper of our own denomination; the one which
most truthfully reflects the genius and views of
our own denomination. The religious papers of
other denominations, or such as claim to be of no
denomination at all, may be interesting on many
accounts, but it is to be surmised that we have
intelligently chosen our own denomination, and
have good grounds for preferring it, and its mode
operating on the world, 'to all others. Its mode is,
in our view, best calculated to do good, and at
any rate most fully cqmmands our energies. Our
own newspaper is its weekly representative. What
are we doing to carry»jjjt«Okrist’s kingdom? what
success has our mini try ? how do we in all our
chosen methods perform our part in the great
struggle between lioht and darkness? where is
sympathy needed strong to the weak
among ourselves? and how goes on the work of
harmonizing, marshalling, and consolidating our
forces, so that we may co-operate efficiently with
the other branches of Christ’s church, and be, as
a denomination, !! real power in the Christian
world? These questions can he answered j and
the facts communicated promptly and regularly
to the whole denomination only through its own
newspapers. Others are too much concerned
with their own affairs, or endeavor to survey too
great an extent of ground to do it for us. If we
are unwilling to live in ignorance, and to train up
our children in ignorance of what we as a denomi
nation are doing, and of what is our peculiar work
in the world—if we are unwilling to leave to
others, who differ from ns in important respects,
the work of forming our own and our children's
views on topics of general interest —if we are un
willing to be deprived of a share in the esprit du
corps of our denominating ■or-to-debar-our. families
of such participation, t?»n we should take the
paper which truly represents us. Health, com
pactness, vigor, efficiently will then he promoted
amoDg us as a body of Christians. The channel
by which we. are made acquainted with the course
of events and the progress of Christ’s kingdom,
will at the same time bicultivating and training
us and our families in ?those methods of action
and those connections jh which we can labor
most effectually for the Redeemer’s cause in the
world. These are the.principles by which We
may be safely guided injthe choice of a paper. If
we take many papers already, let not that be an
excuse for neglecting the very one of all others we
should take. If we cab take but one, let it he
the religious paper of our own denomination.
REV. R. G. WILDER.
This missionary brother took his leave of the
noon-day prayer-meeting at Sansom Street, on
Monday. He has been among us in Philadel
phia for seven months past, and has made upon
this community a® impression highly favorable
to his own character fis a Christian, and his
qualifications for the missionary work. By Ms
tongne and pen, in public and in private, in
the pulpit, the Sabbath School,' the noon-day
prayer-meeting, and on the lecture boards, he
has labored indefatigably for the cause to which
he has consecrated his powers, and for the field
in which he has labored, and still expects to la
bor. He has oecupiedjfully a score of pulpits,
of different denominations, in this city and ad
jacent places at different times, and has, we be
lieve, allowed no single Sabbath to pass with
out pleading for India. We believe his pre
sence among us has contributed materially to
the growth of the missionary spirit in our
people, and we follow, him and his estimable
lady, whom we should judge to be a true mis
sionary wife, with ohr best wishes and prayers,
that the desire of their hearts to be once more
amid the dusky forms of the Mahrattas, commu
-nicatiug to everlast
ing gospel, may speedily be gratified.
“ANNALS OF THE POOR.”
CLOUDS AND DARKNESS.
The morning of- life is often strangely over
cast. The other day we saw a woman, still
comparatively young, in such evident dejection
as to excite onr sympathy, and we were at con
siderable pains to draw from her something of
her history. It was brief, but pregnant of evil.
She had married when quite young and joyous,
and filled with bright hopes of future happiness;
but her fortune was soon overcast. Her hus
band, at first affectionate and kind, presently
and gradually became indifferent, negligent, idle,
then coarse and brutal* and at last left her en
tirely with small yonne children, still around
her. She does not now know where he is. In
the meantime, with q constitution naturally
frail, she is now never well—often sickand unfit
for active labor, or for her household cares.
She lives in a cellar basement always damp,
and sufficient of it elf tqinduct, ic Ini ess through
out her little family. But there are still two
other causes, tending surely and steadily in the
same direction, they are, the want of suitable
food and suitable clothing. Her means of sup
port is her needle, as she is able to ply it;. —but
it is inadequate, and she has reached the point
of extreme poverty. If-she had what work she
could do at fair wages, and some kind judicious
Christian Jady to encourage and advise her, she
might not only support herself with but little,
if any other assistance, but," gradually it may
be, tho’ we think surely, so led back to comfort,
and hope and cheerfulness, and why not into
the kingdom of God ? ,! ' This we think has been
the case with several yery similar cases already.
If we had two or three more regular laborions
lady visitors, such that are now labor
ing with us, we might well hope for great
things. The time is at hand when we hope to
be able to visit, eyerigmuch more thoroughly
than we have been asre to heretofore, but no
thing can compensate for the want of constant
visiting by ladies, whose Christian sympathies
led them to ifc We submit this consideration
to all the ladies who take an interest in this
mission, in the hope that some two or three may
be found who, constrained by the love of Christ,
will come and help us.
AMERICAN TRACT SOCIETY.
The thirty-fifth anniversary of this Society will
be held in New York at the Reformed Dutch
,Church, Washington Square, (Rev. Dr. Hutton’s,)
on Wednesday, May 9, at 9 o’clock A. M. The
body of the house will be reserved for male Life
Directors and Life Members, and the galleries for
ladies who are Life Members, all of whom both
gentlemen and ladies -will be admitted by tickets,
which can be procured at the Tract House, 150
Nassau Street, until evening, May 8.
A PREVIOUS jSeeTING OS' FRIENDS.
As the business meetings of the Society for
some years have beebfso protracted as to prevent
the due eonsideration of its religious and benevo
lent objects, a previous meeting, for this purpose,
of the friends of the Society will be held this year
on Tuesday Evening, May 8, at 7} o’clock, at
the Church, corner of La Fayette Place and Fourth
street. A statement will be made by one of the
Secretaries, of the benevolent operations of the
year: and addresses may ho expected from Rev.
Dr. Todd of Pittsfield, Mass.; Rev. Dr. H. M.
Scudder, of the Arcot mission in India; and Rev.
Dr. Fuller, of Baltimore; Md.
0. Eastman, Secretary,
April 28 d, 18R0.
LETTER FROM BALTIMORE.
Baltimore,:April 20th, 1860.
Editors American Presbyterian:—Gen
tlemen : The Presbytery of the District of Colum
bia has just adjourned, after a short but harmo
nious and very pleasant session. There being not
a great deal of*business before the Presbytery, it
was the more easily and speedily accomplished.
Rev. j. L. Bartlett, of the Western Church, was
unanimously chosen moderator. A request having
come up, in due form, from one of the churches
supplied by Mr. Wm. B. Ivans, a licentiate of this
Presbytery, for the ordination and installation of
Mr. Evans, and letters of approval and commen
dation having come up also from the other churches
thus supplied, Presbytery, after due consideration,
granted the request, and took all the steps neces
sary to his ordination and installation. Brother
Evans' labors seem to have been greatly blessed
upon the field he has been occupying, and he now
enters upon it permanently with encouraging
prospects of usefulness. A call was also present
ed from the 15th Street Presbyterian Church,
Washington (colored,) for the pastoral services of
Rev. H. Ej. Revels, of Baltimore, wbicH being found
in order, was put into the hands of Mr. Revels,
for.consideratiqn and action thereupon.
The-report of the Missionary Board of Presby
tery, through its excellent chairman, Rev. M.
Noble, presented many encouraging facts in rela
tion to our missionary churches, leading to ■ the
confident expectation that, ere long, most or all of
them will be self-supporting.
The Presbyterial narrative revealed the gratify
ing fact of the entire harmony, peace and general
prosperity of all the churches of Presbytery. While
the accessions to our membership have not been
as large as during the preceding year, there have
been constant and encouraging indications of
the Holy Spirit's presence during the whole year.
The churches under the efficient pastoral care of
Rev. Drs. Smith and Sunderland are renovating
their houses of worship, at an expense of ten and
twenty-five thousand dollars respectively. These
improvements accomplished, the New School
Presbyterian Church in Washington will take no
second rank among the churches of Christ in-that
city. Success to these brethren, aDd to their
energetic churches. The Rev. A. G. Carothers, of
the Assembly’s church, still rests from his labors, in
the hope, shared in and cherished by all his bre
thren in the Presbytery,that, ere long, he maybe
so restored as to be able to resume the important
post he has so long and so successfully filled.
The sessions of Presbytery were perfectly har
monious. In all our counsels for the prosperity
of the churches under our care, we are, by the
grace of God, one, and we ask of all the world and
“the rest of mankind, ‘only to he let alone.”’
In Baltimore, we have Some hopeful indications
of the presence of the Holy Spirit. Two recent
deaths among the young people of our congrega
tion, has made a deep and, it is to be hoped, per
manent impression upon the minds of many of
that interesting class in our midst. Several have
already availed themselves of an invitation to meet
the pastor for personal religious conversation, and
give encouraging evidence of the sincerity of their
interest in the salvation of their souls.
! in my church has’ been very encouraging during
the winter, and has very greatly increased during
the past two weeks by the presence and earnest
exhortations of our good brother Chambers, of
your city. If you will spare him from Philadel
phia for the space of six months, we will promise
here not to use him vp, but to use him in his
Master’s service, to the utmost extent of his ca
pacious ability of body, heart, mind, soul and
strength.
The Lord add to the days of the usefulness of
your American Presbyterian, and make it a faith
ful guardian and herald of the truth upon the
walls of the Church of Christ.
Fraternally and faithfully,
Passes for Preachers.—Many Rail Road
Companies very generously allow favors to mi
nisters in travelling over their lines. In some
instances this kindness is probably pervert
ed or abased, so as to subserve the most se
cular purposes. The following instructions, by
the Superintendent of the East Tennessee and
Georgia Road to the several agents, are in
tended to guard against this:
“Hereafter you will sell tickets to ministers
of the gospel who are actually engaged in
preaching (not trading) for one fare to any sta
tion on this road and return.
“You will write the word ‘return’ on the face
of the ticket, and the name and residence of the
minister on the back.”
Moravian Missions.—We often gike statistics
of Moravian Missions. They are always suggest
ive. The following are the latest we have seen :
“It is stated that the number of Moravian Chris
tians does not exceed 20,000; but their contri
butions the last year for the support of their mis
sionaries, amounted to 8800,000. They have
fourteen missions, as follows: in Greenland, La
brador, North America, the Danish Antilles, St.
Croix, Jamaica, Antigua, St. Kitts, Rarbadoes,
Tobago,’the Mosquitos, Surinam, South Africa,
Thibet, and Australia.—Their missionaries num
ber 312, who reach about 73,000 souls. The last
report shows that the blessing of God continues
to rest on their labors.”
Elder Moses Case’s Golden Wedding.—The
somewhat unusual and exceedingly interesting event
—the celebration of a golden wedding—occurred at
Elder Moses Case’s in Southold, N. Y., on Tuesday,
March 27th. The longevity so common in this
part of the county, and which has been often re
marked, enabl.ed Elder Case’s nearest neighbor, Ben
jamin Goldsmith, Esq.; and his lady, to celebrate
their golden wedding some months since. Their
near neighbors, Deacon Austin Haines and Mrs.
Haines, should their days be continued a little long
er will complete fifty years of their married life a
few months hence. Here then, in a small neighbor
hood of twenty or thirty families, are at least three
couples who have lived together as husband and
wife for half a century.
On Tuesday evening, Mr. and Mrs. Case were vi
sited by a throng of neighbors, who crowded the par
lors to the full. Praise and prayer .befitting the oc
casion were offered by Deacon Ackerly of the Bap
tist church, Edward Iluntting of the Presbyterian
church, arid the Rev. Epher Whitaker. Congratu
latory addresses were made by Elder n. and Rev.
Mr. W. Appropriate Odes were sung, Miss Lydia
Moore Case, the youngest daughter of the Elder, pre
siding at the piano.- Two of.these odes were written
for this particular occasion. We hope it will not
be thought a: breach of confidence if we add that
these fine and tender effusions are from the pen of
the Rev. gentleman referred to above. —Republican
Watchman, Greenport, L. I. . ~. .■)
FROM OUR LONDON CORRESPONDENT.
BRITISH MUSEUM WITH A GUANCB AT THE
When Dr. Livingstone brought a native from
the interior of Africa to the coast, the great vo
lume of novelties and rush of new ideas were too
powerful for his simple mind, and it succumbe
beneath the violent pressure; and any one who
has stood at the entrance of the British Museum,
and watched the visitors as they came out in the
evening, must have noticed the same effect
though less in degree—in the exhausted and
jaded look they all wear.
One day is generally about all the time strangers
can well afford to devote to this institution, and
in it they expect to see everything— from the
Megatherium to the oldest Bible; to peep into all
MSS. of the renowned and celebrated, and see
the autographs of every distinguished man and
woman that has ever lived, not omitting the fossils,
minerals, extensive botanical exhibition, and the
coins of every nation in all ages, nor the various
styles of binding and printing that have prevailed
in the world’s progress; to glance en passant at
all the portraits; look into the Roman Gallery;
Ist, 2nd, and 3d Graeco-Roman Saloons; Lycian
Gallery; Ist and 2nd Elgin Rooms, with their
sculptures and inscriptions, and decorations, from
the pediments of the Parthenon; also the Hellenic
•Room uritli-'tkfe” Ai)SyKaO*‘Cl'&lKllcp* L 1*
three long and narrow apartments running North
and South to a length exceeding three hundred
feet, with an additional room or transept, crossing
from their Southern extremity”—containing Mr.
Layard’s collection from Nineveh, with those of
Messrs. Rassam and Loftus under the direction
of Sir H. C. Rawlinson, K. C. B.; examining the
series of slabs of the periods of Sardanapalus,
Sennacherib, etc.; to explore the Egyptian Galle
ries, containing a series of monuments ascending
to at least 2000 years before the Christian era,
and closing with the Mahommedan invasion of
Egypt, A. D-, 640. Neither would the visitor be
satisfied to omit the Zoological collections deposited
in nine different saloons and galleries, and the
Etruscan vases, Dor the Greek, Etruscan, and.
Roman Bronzes; nor the British and Mediaeval
room containing two collections—the British com
posed of antiquities found in Great Britain and
Ireland, extending from the earliest periods to the.
Norman conquest, and the Mediaeval comprising
all remains of the Middle Ages, both English and
foreign; nor the Ethnographical Room, in which
“are placed both the antiquities and the objects in
modern use belonging to all nations not of Eu
ropean race, arranged in a geographical cycle
which proceeds from East to West, commencing
with China, and terminating with the Eastern
Archipelago.” We say that they expect to see
all this in one day, and the result of this Herculean,
effort is, that they emerge at the close of the day
from this depository of the world, mentally be
numbed, and physically used up.
It is not well for a visitor to London, if he has
the time to spare, to try to compress it into one
day, or to grapple and grasp it, as it were, with
one prodigious effort of the mind. The Museum
demands respectful and patient study, otherwise
it bewilders with its immensity, and sends its
spectators confused and empty away.
The new Reading Room and Libraries attached
to the Museum are probably the most extensive'
in the world. The Times, man article of the 7th
Maw-1857, saysr Jilts, site* in the internal quad
rangle of the Museum, has concealed its progress
from the public eye, although the lofty and capa
cious edifice occupies an area of 48,000 superficial
feet. This site was indeed its proper and only
situation, from the obvious necessity of the new
reading room being adjacent to the vast magazine
of books and manuscripts contained in the various
apartments of the Museum.” The number of
volumes in that year was upwards of 500,000,
and the collection of tracts, pamphlets, and manu
scripts, was far greater.
The. shape is circular, and the dome is 140
feet in diameter, its height being 106 feet. “In
this dimension of diameter it is only inferior to
the Pantheon of Rome by*two feet; St. Peter’s
being only 139; Sta. Maria,* in Florence, 139;
the tomb of Mahomet, Bejapore, 135; St.
112; St. Sophia, Constantinople, 107; and the
Church at Darmstadt, 105.” The reading-room
contains 1,250,000 cubic feet of space; its suburbs,
or surrounding libraries, 750,000. Light colors
and gilding have been preferred in the decoration
of the interior. There are accommodations for
300 readers, and each individual has allotted to
him.a space of four feet three inches long. A
desk and folding shelf for spare hooks are also
provided for each one, and an inkstand is placed
at a convenient point in the space between two.
A foot-rail passes from one end to another, and a
current of warm water can be passed through at
pleasure.
H. Dunning.
Taking- your seat upon the deck of one of the
rather inconvenient but exceedingly swift boats
that ply np and down the Thames, on some day
when the great fog certain is rolled up off the
city, you are thereby enabled to obtain a pano
ramic view of the interesting river front. In
approaching the Tower of London thus from
the riverside, the Keep or White Tower of the
fortress is seen rising conspicuously above the
rest of the pile. Gaining the principalentrance,
which is at the south-west angle of the Tower
the visitors are detained a short time in obtain
ing tickets and in waiting for a warder to guide
them through the various towers. The livery
of these warders attracts considerable attention.
It is peculiar, and Very becoming, and belongs
to the time of Henry Till. •
A description cannot possibly afford' those
who have never visited this gloomy old fabric
any satisfactory idea. It must be seen to be
appreciated. It is almost impossible to ap
proach these hoary walls,—grim witnesses of
rugged times—with indifference. Dark shadows
of the past rest upon it, and the imagination
peoples it with terrors. The blood of thousands
who have bled in the execution-yard seems to
bathe your feet, and the heart sickens at the re
cital of suffering and imprisonment endured
within its dark dungeons. Its history j 8 three
fold as a prison, a palace, and a fortress— and
a detailed account of each would fill volumes
The mists of uncertainty, however, rest upon
much-connected with the Tower, and of many
statements there is no positive evidence. The
warders still continue to designate interesting
localities to the visitors, but the voices which
echo up through eight centuries, and sound so
strangely within its venerable walls with the
evidences of ‘‘Time’s effacing finger” all about
you, admonish one how unreliable these accounts
may be, and at the same time speak so eloquently
to the imagination’of fearfnl events and “feats
of broil and battle.”
: Proba % the places where the visitor will
longest linger and be most interested, will be
TOWER.
TOWER,
the House Armory, Queen Elizabeth’s Armory,
and the Jewel House. The first is a modern
building, built in 1826, ib which are collected
equestrian statues of the kings, clad in ancient
armor of various periods. Some of them are
the actual armors worn by the monarehs them
selves. The first has the name and date of Ed
ward 1., 1252. The second effigy, of Henry
VIII., on horseback, is clothed in what is said
to be the most curious suit of armor in the
world. It is supposed to have bep presented
to him on his marriage to Katherine of Aragon,
by the Emperor Maximilian. Several legends
are engraved upon it, and the figure of St.
George’s encounter with the dragon is on the
breast-plate. The effigy of James 11. , 1685, is
arrayed in his own “halfarmor,’fa style adopted
in the reign of Charles I. In Queen Elizabeth’s
Armory is a fignre of Charles L, 1627, in a com
plete snit of gilt armor, presented to bim by the
City of London; and also, in the same room, a
silvered suit, made for him when a; boy. Here
also may be seen the heading-block and axe nsed
in the decapitation of victims. The marks of
the axe are quite distinct. The military trophies
arranged in this room are most remarkable, and
attract much attention. They consist of can
nons captured at Waterloo, and a collection of
spears and arms, ancient and modern. There
is included within -it ;one specimen of every
The Jewel Housed contains the different
crowns, sceptres, jewels, and regalia, used at the
coronation, baptismal and sacramental plate, &c.
Here also sparkles the celebrated Koh-i-noor, or
mountain of light. A. B. C.
EDITOR’S TABLE;
MARTYRS OF THE MUTINY; or Trials and Tri
umphs of Christians in the Sepoy Rebellion in India.
With an Introduction by Bey. John Jenkins, D. D.
Presbyterian Publication Committee, 1334 Chestnut
Street, Philadelphia.
Our Publication Committee have in this volume
given us matter well worthy of bqing put upon
record. We have here, not good lessons taught
by imaginary personages: and -courts, -but: the ex
ample of actual Confessors and Martyrs for the sake
of Christ. In this our own day—as is truly said
in the introduction by Dr. Jenkins, there is doubt
in many minds whether religion, .especially among
converts from heathenism,- has hot. degenerated
from that high courage which marked the earlyages
of Christianity. The narratives of the “Martyrs
of the Mutiny,” show that even Hindoos have
stood the test of martyrdom. It should be read
for itS testimony to the power of the. gospel, and
for the encouragement which it gives to those who
contributed to foreign missions.
Theßook, in its “getting up,” is most creditable
to the Committee. It is handsomely .printed, on
handsome paper, with four. Interesting wood-cuts
of scenes narrated in the volume. Price 50 cents.
Harper’S New MgnThby Magazine. For
May, 1860. Contents. —Loungings on the
Footprints of the Pioneers. 11. Raleigh and his
City. Ancient Monument in the United States,
No. 1, by E. G. Squier. The Silk-Worm; Miss
Moffct and the Spider. Milton. Rosalind New
comb. How a French Ring once overthrew the
Papacy. The O’Connors of Castle Corner, by
Anthony Trollope. Mary Reynolds, a case of
double consciousness; by Rev. Wm. S. Plumer,
D. D. After .the,.lVn^,'.|gr i jEL-H::Btdddsrd.
Lovel, the Widower, by W. Mi Thackeray. Char
lotte Bronte's Last Sketch., Our Cemeteries.
Monthly Record of Current. Events. Literary
Notices. Editor’s Table. Editor’s Easy Chair.
Our Foreign Bureau, Editor’s Drawer. Master
Charlie’s Prize-Fight. Fashions for May.
•Thh Atbantio Monthiy. Devoted to- Art,
Literature, and Politics. Boston : Tichhor &
Fields. Contents for May, IB6o.—lnstinct; My
own Story. The Playmate. The Maroons' of
Surinam. Circumstance, Urania. Mary Suin
merville, Roba di Roma. Threnodia. General
Mirandas Expedition. The Professor’s Story.
Nathaniel Hawthorne. Reviews and Literary
Notices. Recent American Publications.
NEW PUBLICATIONS'RECEIVED.
Solomon has admonished ns that “of making
many books there is no end.” If this were true
in the days of Solomon; it: basf become astonish
ingly more evident in these: latter . days. The
weekly issues from the press of new books, and
old ones that are as good as new, is astonishing
Hence, hooks that-are full oft sentiment, furnish-’
mg for thought; books that are
usefu l and instructive, as well as hooks that are
useless and pernicious; books oft the imagination,
speculation; books that tend to elevate even men
themselves; hooks also of fancy to be understood
without■; reading, and read without attention or
thought: : all sorts of books -are made, arid the
market is teeming with them, and there is really
no end of making and selling many books.
The temporary absence or sickness of the editor
who receives such as are furnished the American
Presbyterian shows ns the rapid tendency to
accumulate. To examine and notice implies some
httle knowledge of the book; and wb do not avoid
;-~rt° escape the censure of partiality
We hope soon to be able, to clear our table of
its accumulations; this week we are only prepared
to announce the titles of the additional books re
ceived.. .
S & A. R Jfertien arter & BrotherS ' Philadelphia: W.
A Boston A if HOW t 0 Wal{e otl,era Happy.
Sen. y ‘‘ Philadelphia: W. S. AA.
E STORY OF A POCKET BIBLE. A Book for
classes of Readers'. Ten illustrations. Boston;
Henr? Hoyt. For.sale by W. S. &A. Martien, Phils-
THE OLD red HOUSE. By the Author of “Captain
Kassel’s Watchword,” “Ellen Dacre,” etc. Bos
ton: Henry Hoyt Philadelphia: W. S. &A. Mar
tien;
TYLNEY&ALL. By Thomas Hood. Boston: J. E.
Tl, ton & Co. For sale by W. S. «t A. Martien, Phila
delphia. '
WALTER ASHWOOD. A Lore Story. By Paul
Lagvolk. New York : Rndd,& Carleton. For sale
k? Peterson and- Brothers, 306. Chestnut St.,
Philadelphia.
OCCASIONAL SERMONS AND ADDRESSES. By
Samuel -W- Fisher, D. D., President of Hamilton Col
lege. New York: Mason Sc Brothers.
THE MARBLE FAUN; or, the Romance of Monte
Beni. By Nathaniel • Hawthorne. Two Volumes.
Boston: Ticknor & Fields. Philadelphia: J. B. Lip
pincott&Co. ,
QUENCH NOT THE SPIRIT. By Newman Hall,
LL.B. New York: Robert Carter & Bros. Phila
topjaa! WtS. & .A. Martien.
April 26