GENESEE, EYAKfiEUST.—WhoIe No. 730. For the American .Presbyterian. GOD’S COMMAND. sv i. o. aivtai. • <;' do forth, my servant, ahdiproclalnl Salvation in your paviourt namej Wherever tin bath rolled its tide, Salvation preach, afar add wide. Salvation! from that rjjffcteous law, Which holds a guilty World in awe, A guilty world In wirath o’orwholms, And to e&raal death condemns. Salvation'! from the guilt of sin, And eih’i corruptive WOrK within Ihe heart of mdn, so full guile, Py thoughts, and,lips, and nets arc vile. Salvation! from the dreadful doom, . That sinks the wretched soulip gloom#- , When wrapt in shrouding shades of death, ; Be pants awajr his dyingbreatlv'- •“ t 1" 4 Salvation! in my blesaed Son, To whom for refuge all may run, . And,-safety there, for ever hide Their Weift sohW iti his dear ride. Salvation 1 which, in Him alone, lilts from the footstool to the Throne, All men the goapel who receive, ■ Repent return, confess, believe. Go! preaoh salvatlom.hastethee.fly! Salvation! O, salvation cry! •’ : ■ Ifer wsf by itay, norreit bight, 1 Wahthe worrdis filled vtffh light. €o#wswmbtt«. . . > * •:r’~v*l T ugbly finished and,plastered vrfth mud on the taSide/ Wfth a few Btnall wittdows. As I said before, ’tis winter now, and the cold wind whistles through the cracks, scattering the snow oyer the floor, causing ’as to shiver, and to draw closer to our nice little Yankee stove,’and to 'pat an additional stiok Of wood into the fire. Gnr furniture is simple jet comfortable, and we would not exchange our mountain home for the finest, palace in your beautiful city, because we . love these poor people, and long to bring them to the Saviour. There Is’Hope In labdrihg for these people; . there is many a jewel bright nnder these rough exteriors. These people, though dark-minded, and sunk in supersti tion, have some good traits. There is very lit tle attest' spirits dftffik. I have never seen a drunkard in the streetsintl4»eountry. A small quantity of Arabia made from distilling raisins here every year, but little is drunk, thongh they are most inveterate smokers,..The. mountain people are very industrious and saving, and when not oppressed hy their superiors ate guite happy and comfortable. Such are the people of Bham dun. There are very few suffering poor here. How since, in imagination, we have conducted you to pur distant home, we will invite you to call on some of the people, and see them in their houses; and as it is the day of my usual weekly prayer-meeting with the women, will yon come with me? We hold.it every afternoon at the house of o*dear sister in ,the other part* of the village. On arriving at her hoase, we find ? bright fire burning in thc c |lt|le, round fire-plhce in the room. There is no chimney; tho Bmoke all stays in the room, or goes out at the open door or the cracks about the window, Sheep skins, with the wool-side up, are spread on the door around the fire, and a little piece of car pet and a cushion for the expected guest, A few mats, jugs and pottery, plates and kettles, make up the household furniture. No table, chair, or quilts, spread on the floor, is the bed of thfc East. lin Mora ls a poor widow; blit Bhfe is rich in faith! ThOUgh it is very hard for her to get her scanty clothing froth year td year, shb aKiMys her little bag ofraisihs to put in ISO febtMiy ? olf the Lord; Here we shall meet from fifteen to twenty fe males, arrayed in their simple cotton garments} and their black veils of their own work. We will an sifcaronnd the smoky fire. One of the nativeslsterswillopen the meetingwithpraycr. ThOnl will read and explain to th em‘a chapter titmi m all ;freely speaK»| feelings and hhpeai l aftef about tire'Mdee with prayer. 'These dear seasons are very profitable to all who attend, and the more encouraging as there is more* Of a' Spiritual movement here thhn anyfrbereelseiri Sytiaamongthe women. Our on the Sabbath is still increasing In numbers and interest, so that in all, I have over forty females in these little meetings. Dear sisters in Philadelphia, do pray for me and pray for these, your poor Lebanon sisters. To-day several of the women were in tears at our meeting, and a solemn feeling seemed to pervade their’whole hearts. Were you to call with ns on every family in Bhamdun, all would give us a most hearty welcome, spread Lor us a clean rug or a nice sheep-skin beside the fire, and bring us a plate of fine raisins of their own making, and some of the richer ones would Offer Us a little bOp of Black coffeej Md a pipe, if We would smoke. We would visit the schoofe and find the children all seated on the grbnhd; Or each' sitting on his own sheep-skin, with their eyes as bright, and their faces ait intelligent aS need be; And if you could only Understand thisgreatmysteryof BabelytheArabielangaage, you would be delighted ■to hear their leSsons. •You would’find the people ■ coming 4b onr house from all directions, and frbm great distancesi’for medicines for the maladies of their* bodies, and thUa givitig us almost constantopporfcnnityto speak to them of Christ, the only Physician fob the soul.. . Be 'assured of Sfriy^armest r lore, and Most heartyiseiWice in this-good work. ; < >' • ' ■ < Ton#hffectiontttesister, -; n t> ! ■ : : - ; ' : LOAtfZA : 'CI-.:BEyTON. ’ - ‘BbemdaD, Mt. iebanon, Feb, SO, 18601 r ’ ‘ , For the American Presbyterian. ABLEAPOB dkITBCB: EXTENSION Messrs. Editorsla the last number of the (American Presbyterian,, church extension: iama.de -for -its. 0 vernation by pur churck courts is feared! But ( great. interests, nevertheless,, are ,afc stake. Mis understandiDgs .exist, and n P small amount ,of ir ritation, that should/lf possible, be removed.. -. Bead a pamphlet of October last, by Bey. Z; A. Mturay, Agent of the A..H.M; Society, for W. N. York. Also an article of November last, in the Now Englander, by Bey. .Dr. Button, of New Haven. • • . , Mr, Murray says in his pamphlet, that separa tion from the Congregationalists in the work of Home Missions, “is to he depreoated asadeadly pestilence- Not one-in .ten of the members of the co-operating denominations desires it;” that of contributions to the A. H. M. Society, for the past year, there was expended upon missionaries of our own. denomination,, some $25,000 more than we furnished; that the church extension movement is fraught with “division,” and consequently with ruin to our , prosperous church. Mr.'Button charges us with betraying, in this codnedtion, the principle of “ co-operative Christianity,” and with unfairness in withholding our funds from the com mon treasury. The aetjon of large ecclesiastical bodies in New England, is also adduced in denun ciation of this conrse as intolerable. How then can so great a breach bo repaired? How can the irritation thence derived, be allayed, so as best to subserve the. cause of Home Missions, to which we are mutually pledged? ’ Is it quite certain, after ail, that separation from the A. H. M. Society, would not he for the interests of all concerned? With all deference to the Committee of Confe rence, appointed by the last General Assembly, who are yet to report; and although it infer a dis solution of partnership with the A. H. M. Society; reasons exist why, in our judgment, we should act independently as a denomination, in the work of Home Missions. " 1. Dissolving partnership, then, with the A. EL M. Society, is no novelty. What does the his tory of that society disclose on this subject? When organized in 1826, it embodied, aside from its present constituency, the Dutch Reformed, Associate, Scotch and Old School Presbyterian. The Dutoh Reformed, in process of time, seceded. So also did the Old School Presbyterians. They chose to act independently in the cause of Home Missions, and have been wonderfully prospered by the adoption of this course. Their own statistics are proof positive of it. Nor by the confession of Mr. Murray himself, was the A. H. M. Society materially affected hy these changes. It went on from strength to 'strength—its missionaries the last year numbering one thousand and fifty-four. Instead, therefore, of deprecating our separation from that society as a deadly pestilence, we marvel that it should have subsisted on the co-operative principle so long, and accomplished such an im portant work for God in its day and generation. 2 By acting independently as a denomination on behalf of Home Missions, we, of coarse, escape the charge oi sectarian bias in the misapplication of-funds. Of all the difficulties which hinder the progress of the church in our age, strife about money matters, is, in our way of thinking, the most un gainly, and the most at war with the true spirit of Qod and of missions. Presbyterians are jealous of Congregationalism, and Congregationalists are jealous of Presbyterians in reference to this sub ject. Call to mind, indeed, the first cause of.con tention in the .primitive church, and hoW very’hu miliating: “ When the number of the disciples was multiplied, there arose a murmuring of the (9rec?‘a?is agaiinst the Hebrews, because their widows were neglected in the daily ministration'," The charge of neglect, made by the‘Grecians, may have been ill-founded; or thb Etbbrews, rktfer PHILADELPHIA, than the Grecians, having sold their estates in order to amass the common fund, obtained a pre ference in the dispensation of it. This, however, is not material. We are reminded by it that fhen a chanty, becomes vast and, complicated in Jts, dispensation, misunderstandings will arise. And as m that case, so in ours, this must be met by; tlte institution of new safeguards in the way of direct .accountability,; . They chose seven men from among themselves to manage that trust. And if we would shun like difficulties in the col > lection and disbursement of funds, we should drop entangling alliances with all other, denominations, and endeavor, by God’s help, to prosecute the Work of Home Missions on our own responsibility, ; 88 those who have a charge to keep.. 3. By acting independently in the cause of Home Missions, we shall: also, it m believed, best seou*eth e collection o/funds. ; ; l regard^ separation from fraught- with division to our branch of the church of Christ, but with starvation to the missionaries themselves. “Not.one in ten of the co-operating denominations Aesires it.” But is he quite sure of this ? How, then, comes our General Assembly to have acted with so, much unanimity in opposi tion to his views ? We-know the affection which exists .for the A. H. M, Society. Nor shall it be found fault-with, temperateiy exercised. Bnt by some it is lauded as an organism in the cause of domestic,.missions, of far greater,moment, than the church of God’s own planting. I know not the experience of Mr. Murray in W. N. York. I can testify for myself,-however,-that as the pastor of some responsible; village chasges in that State, fqr many years, lalways found s strong minority ,op posed'to sending money out of the denomination, to be spent in Home Missions. They felt that if the church owed to herself any'duty, it was to look after that interest. They regarded it not only as qduty, but asfuntransferabfe. ; ; Men of business, who looked for direct in r the disr buraement of funds, sympathized with them in this respect. .And the effect of itwasto sadly restrain our collections. I have reason to know that, the difficulty hereby complained of, was; also widely spread. Not a few churches in our denomination have joined the Old School body, rather than sub- Juit tothe degradation tjf practically ignoring their ownibrganiSm, lathe - furtherance of the cause of God and of missions. And the whole history of domestic missions, 4nour- country, is a farce, if it idoesmot showtbat the way to. raise the greatest amount of funds in this enterprise, is to aot ckno minationalli/.) Even immediate effect of the church extension movement, as instituted by the General Assembly of 1855, has hefen to increase, rather than diminish, this amount' of funds raised for such an object in our churches. 4. By acting independently in the cause of Home Missions,, we retain the confidence, .and an kindofficeswith' our: Congregational; tole Wished? No small proportion of our denomination at the North is of New England origin. , Not a few of our church members were born and nurtured Gon'gregationalists. We are surrounded also by orthodox Congregational churches, meriting con fidence. They sympathize with ns fully in our views of missions, revivals, and necessary reforms. And why sacrifice an immense moral power, by waging a partisan warfere* to,t% Why do it, specially ,at the West, where every form of popular infidelity is rife, and all our strength is needed to resist the common enemy ? The strife springing up between us in: the last few yearn, and even .upon missionary.ground, is a scandal to Christianity, a grief to , and a fertile source of dissensions and bickerings, that ought to be healed. And: a sure remedy for this evil, .and the restoration of confidence aipong brethren,, so extensively; forfeited, |b independent denomina tional agencies in the work of home evangeliza tion. , ~ ; , Vli . .; , 5. And exeept we act independently in the work of Home Missions, how can we, as a deno- our mission? We boast of the trisdom of our church polity, and of its .representative character and aims. We conceive of it as well fitted to draw out the piety, talents and resources of the church, in the furthe rance of spy noble and Christian-like; enterprise. And God has set us ah open door in the cause of Home Missions, to go and work in his vineyard. Why not,, then, usequrowflecolesiaßtirtal organism for this purpose?, That Congregational Churehes should find the need of affiliation in a society out side of themselves, even in “civil corporation,” for the accomplishment of such an end, is not sur prising; .But. for what purpose do our sessions and presbyteries exist, if not to engage in (his work?. -, How can a church, which does not tax its own energies in the support of the gospel, ex pect to prosper? Her very fife and sueem has always been identified with the spirit of missions. He that watereth in this field, shall be Uratered himself. And that labor in this field should ever have been accounted by Presbyterians au “excep tional,” rather than normal obligation devolved upon them, is matter of profound humiliation and grief. “ Tell it not in Gath, publish it not in the streets of Askelon!” What mission have we to accomplish at “such a time as this;” nay, for , what reasons do we exist independently as a Chris tian denomination, if not by our own agency to gather a lost'world home to God? Let none shrink back from having cried up, in connection with this cause, “co-operative Christa? anity.” We did not endorse it. But whether it iWere right or wrong, b..immaterial. What is sound policy at one period, may not be so at ano ther. The great I)r. Owen was .charged by one of h|s cotemporaries with contradicting an opinion he had expressed fourteen years before. His re ply was, “The man who finds no occasion to change his opinions once in fourteen years, shall not have me for a rival.” He expected to five and learn. And when Drs. Biddle, Barnes and others aje called r%idly to account for fike in cqnsistency in reference ,to tie work of Home Missions, it admits of satisfactory defence! Hay God enable our brethren of the next General As sembly, (like the men of Issachar that “had un derstanding of the times, and knew what Israel ought to do,”) to go forward “in faith, nothing wavering.” L. Reiidsburgh, Wis.,April, 1860. . TtisuiiXS, says a modern philosopher,, are like counterfeit money; .we, can’t hinder their" bring 6ff&£d,‘b<& Wm iiofcc6mpeli£d W (aheSthgifi! ' isw;- \ Forth® Ataefittui FrCsbyterian. citTECH, Messrs. Editors paper of last week, you had an article ;|{jon ’ “ Behaviour in Church,” item the /‘Chtiitian Tnstrucstbr.” I have wondered why Pasters do not become in strhctois on this all important matter. Is itpCs- Bible,, they do hot see this waits of maimer ap parent in their congregations? Kind words, from" beloved pastors, will go farther to correct the evils' which the Instructor depletes, than columns of written matter. In early life, I was one of a con gregation, thus appealed cp,- and the impression left upon my mind and hdjbt, has never been ef faced. The pastor spoke pwtibalarly Of the want of solemnity apparent among his people while receiving the benediction,. 1 never afterwards re ceived it, as the glad dismissal from 'tire some pnd; "WffhF 'my '*first Wdfe to receive the benediction. ' Do pot the churches need sermons upon the hearing l of Christianity uponthe man ners of Clod’s people, ioh^^iSisJ^>ksef Our SeOtilar papers eomplain df thoughtless young men and women, Who disturb the lovSrs Of tousie, by whispering, at operas anfftofteerts: It is not only the young uni giddy but Edd’s professed friends, who need to be reminded, that the 'house of God is ho place for conversation. Kemembef, dear Christian reader, “ The EerS iS in His holy tem ple, let all the earth keep silence before Him.” Enter His house, with a quiet; reverent manner. Do not take your seat and,gaze about the house; do not try to see every stringer, who may come, and if you recognise a friend, whisper to your neighbor, that so atoffso is sitting in the third pew 'to the' right;' dp.;,not turn your head when you hear the sexton’s creaking shoes ap proach. It is to be regretted that he does not fffdvide hirhSelf With; ’ligtiMtf:. solos; and moderate that hurried bustling manhe|< of. his, when he leads persons into the house bfi.|g||£ “Let all things be; dbhh decently and List this be preached ttrthe pe6pJe, ; Mtf!ifte preaebed to the sextons, let it be pfeadbed io the pastors, and there will he moire reverehy manners to be found in the house of G'od. Congregations' will assem ble noiselessly, soitobswill tread lightly, and pas tors Will fe&aitt frdm'etudwng thmir note's to join in the Songs of praise. : H. i ; THE SABBATH THE* \fbRKING MAN’S • ■ ■ ng-ftTtTpt 1 * BY CHARLES PHILIP, PARMER. Tito' wOrklhl tofoh to&ffMsbmetimes tempted to repine against the 5 ' arpahgements of Provi dence, but when he walks to the sauetpary to hear the ambassador ofGjd proclaim the tidings of a common saltation, ‘'le feels that the Sab- Bath and its ordinances hpal or pre vehtany bit terness of spirit against tyose who hold the pro perty of the world. : . r . irjlkid great* defence affainst the wiSnny or ’the wealthy, in the competition bhtweehwiohfep'and labor. The Sabbath is the grecthfHiarteh Which secures ithe tcofaforfcand independence of theiworkingrman; and ,it is so, only because it .is § Diviiye instir tution. It would cepe to.,be of any value.to him, were it superseded' by a, mere conventional day of aihiisepieiit. V -.~' Working men, the Sabbath is the gift of God ■to yon. Iltis/errcecf in l as your property nnder its Divine obligation. V jßutif you take it out of this fence, and attempt to hold it as a mere day of amusement, you wfi find that your day of resf in the struggle bSI Ween capital and labor, ■will be soott wrenched f tensyonrigrasp. But even if you cqi Id hold it as a day of amusement, have you ever thought "of . the vast multitudes, by road ah'd river, in tavern and ihop.jn town and coitatty/ who Would have to boll for’ your pleasure, and who would have ho Sabbath? If, however, youcare not, though ; your fl sport *t should; bet death; how long .would yon continue tp hc#S§ as a day of amuse bi'ent for yourselves apdilatnilies? One man has a needy creditof whb Whnts remuneration' in Sabbath-day’s WbrKw|febhht J lhbof cimldbe given conscdentiduslyi teanlditbe withheld ho nestly f, ... ' Another has no pressing creditor, bnt, re fleeting on the sports bribe last Sabbath, there are some father disagreeable' remembrances; some of hi# sons or 1 dapghtetewent on ft rail road excursion with ?bhs doubtful i companions, faroutofthecpgnizanceipfany of theirfriends; .the too, of tbf day were heavy, and fie" considers' that this'Sabbath he had better earn a little money; instead of spending it. Another thinks’ that as (the baker or the toer ehantputsaZi bis mon'ey put to usury; the work ing man shonld: not be twowing away so much .of his time, for r projS.table labor, which is, his mo ney, and so shonld be doing a little Sabbath work. [4 . . ; ’ Another is offered double wages if he will do , aq>iece of work on the; Sabbath. Bnt setting aside -all {these, and a*, thousand other similar ways in which inroads would be made upon the day of atooseinent, it would soon, ; by one of the most infallible and invariable laws that, m spite of all hindeirjuijijjes, govetn tbetrUns actions of men, f preparation. As, with brpken health and de jected spirits, be looks, upon his peglected family,, he may bitterly recall the days when they and be. ■‘went to -the bouoo in. ooulpany ;”. and when he comes to%it df for a death-beid, a Jrfcfg menfeday, and an eternal futurity; be; may ,feel like ; .the poor letter-carrier of Bath, W:ho had; sold his Sabbath to bis employers, and dying exclaimed, “Who is topay nie for my soul?” PASTOEAL WSITATtOBT. That frequent pastbral and social visitations of his-flook, by the minister, give him great power to dothem.goodjis afact thatca nnot have escaped the notice of. .the most careless, observer. l That through megligenee, .or inertness, or distaste' for mingling with the masses. do fall far below the reasonable demands of their people in this mustbe admitted. :: They-fail toi|ain the bold upon the eonfifienee and affections of their People, which a frequent intercourse with them, and, interchange of .seutimente and feelings with them has a tendency to produce. They remain ignorant of their peculiar trials and difficulties, and of the er-tiorieoimiyietrs 7 into Whidh- they have fallen, and consequently there must be in their pulpit .ministration, a ,great want of adaptation to the peculipr spiritual condition of-their bearers. But whilst all'this’ is freely admitted; it is jjist as true that upon no point are' the demands of Clhris tiah people upon theirJpastors' so uhreasonable, so exacting, and so utterly/inipossible; to be complied with, as upon this., Very sensible and pious people expect and demand of off'time anfl attention' ’id .viMtinfg; and fe'el sore towards them if they do not grant it,• which it> is absolutely, impossible for them to grant in finey with the discharge, of . other: and .jmpre.im portant duties. They might know that this is so, if they would only take the trouble to inform them selves as to the number and variety of calls upon a minister’s time. It. is the want of reflection thatimakesithem .complain oflthteirjpastor.:for not .yisjiting .themjmpre- frwpiently, and -not'a.disppsi tiofl to .flnj jfault where. therg„is, no bJame due. 'They really love Kiin, aud it gives them' pleasure fo see bim in thdir houses and around theiir hospitable boards; and when he does not borne of ten, *it ;giyes them: pain.; ) They do; npt remember that tb e to;asc .from; fifty .to one .hundred,-other families who feel just as they do, and have quite as strong eiaims upon his attention as they have. They have a small circle of choice friends whom theyteareyfeit oneebi twice aWefek, and sbmetimds pastor>in that efrele; and if he does not reciprocate the feeling and'comply with the demand, they feci repulsed, and are sometimes ready to turn their backs upon him, inasmuch as they think he has turned his upon them. These thoughts have been suggested by an article-in-one of our exchanges;- from which we take an extract or. two very much to the point: “It is a long time since, you have called to see me,” said a lady to her pastor, the minister of one of the largest of our City Congregations, as ho one day paid her a visit. The minister took from.his pocket a card and a pencil, and; made .some figures rapidly, then turn ing to the lady, said,.pleasantly: , “I want you to tell me how many visits I should be Obliged to'm’ake in a year, if't called upon every family iu toy torigregatioh asbfteh as I have called uponyou,isibceithebeginning of stbisyear.” “I am-sure I .cannot tell,” was tbe reply. ; “Just nine thousand!” said the minister. The writer then goes on to enumerate the variety of duties which the pastor is called to perform in the Way of' preparing sermons and lectures, and attending weddings and funerals, assisting his ministerial brethren, supplying destitute churches, attending upon church courts and councils, school and college examinations, conducting correspond ence, &c : . In addition to all this, if he be' located -in a large city or town, fce says:- “Hisdoors are besieged from morning till night by scores of applicants for his car—some on im portant, many onfrivolous errands.. Every itinerant book vender; every inventor of a nostrum for the body of the soul, for the iridividubl or the community; every beggar, from - the ‘ gentleman in temporary embarrassment;? to the commonest pauper; every; travelling lecturer or showman; every peddler of maps, pictures, sewing machines, patent washtuba, and ‘Yankee notions,’ must see the' minister, and interest frim in their matters. It: requirea a vast amount of grace; and no little ‘grit, r to bear all these interruptions, and to treat their authors with that courtesy which is a Chris tian duty, and virtue, How can a minister from whom so touch intellectual labor is constantly de manded, and whoso time is so unceasingly and -pertinaciously levied: upon, meet the expectations of a,-large congregation, every family of which ex pccts to see him very often, and complains if the expectation is disappointed? “ Now, it’is freely admitted that there are certain visits which every pastor should most faith fully and scrupulously pay to the families of his people. The sick; the afflicted; and those who are anxious about their souls, should claim his peculiar regards. The aged and infirm should not be for gotten. Let him visit these as often as their eases may require. If, in addition to this, be is able to visit every'femily in bis congregation onee within a year, it is as much as ought to be required or expected. j, “ But persons tin whose families there is sick ness, often treat their minister very unreasonably, by taking np-pains to communicate'the fact to him, yet finding fault with his absence. They do not expect their physician to come, without being advised of-'the fact, that-his presence is desired. But theyiSepm to imagine that their pastor knows by intuition, or by special revelation,-the exact in ternaL Btate of every one. of the two or three handrMfamilies which compbsehis chargh. They take no pains to let him know that they specially need lus presence, and then wonder and complain at his-absenee. “ Blit a very common ground of criticism in all our congregations is found in the discrimination which a minister .makes, in the frequency and character of his visits to his people. ‘My minister visits such and siich - familiesia greatdealoftener than* he visits; me,’ is a remark often heard, and sometimes coupled with very, ill-natured surmises as to the reasons for such discriminations. Well, suppose he does. Ho is a man, as well .as a minister, a fact which many forgetj and as a man, he has-just as many social Wants, and jusfcas' many socinL.rights, as any. other man. As a pastor, ho should.make no disiiipetion among his people. But.as a man,, with a social nature and social affinities, he .has the same privileges which other -men have. There will always be, there must al ways* be, some individuals and families with whom hei, is on more intimate terms than-with others. Iprthis respect, he Stands on the same foptidg with other men, and his rights are to be equally admitted and respected. So long as he gives every family their appropriate attention as a pastor; a religious teacher—-so long as he directs each inquirer, sympathizes witfteachsufferer,and discharges the appropriate functions of the pastoral office, among all the families of his people—he is at liberty to seek for that social enjoiment which he needs as a man, wherever he chooses.” CHRIST AND PYTHAGORAS. There is one feature in the character of Christ, that this contrast, as it becomes, brings out most beautifully. It is the simplicity of the aim of his fife. With all the treasures of knowledge, such as Pythagoras was striving after, ready to be expressed; perfectly com-, pc tent to proclaim all about the stars, aid the rocks, Christ complicates his doctrine with no such'scientific instruction. With all the trea sures of wisdom, such is Solon and Montesquieu longed and labored for, about the best civil .organizations for human;. soclety, Christ never conTSuMed what teach with political disquisitions or apophthegms, ‘fie has no con cealed doctrines; he assumes no, peculiar dress' nor manner of speech. He withdraws himself from no class of men; he has a word for all, for his heart is full of tenderness for all. He is a character clear as crystal; transparent as the water from the mountain-side, which he so aptly made the emblem of his truth. A contrast may be drawn between Pytha goras and the founder of Christianity in other respects. The entire originality of the Saviour’s character is a noticeable point. Pythagoras travels for twenty or thirty years. He secures the confidence of the Egyptian priests, and is initiated into their mysteries, and becomes fa miliar, with the, methods by which they keep the multitudes in awe. He visits Phoenicia, and probably other countries of the East, and re turns home with ranch gathered lore, ready to impart what he has learned to disciples, who shall be willing to submit themselves to religious observances that his temperament and reflection have Induced him to borrow. But Jesus of Nazareth springs up among an agricultural, exclusive, and comparatively un lettered people. He is born in the bosom of -an humble family, and soon leariis to bear the burden of a widowed mother’s support. His companions are poor, and no philosophy handed down from preceding generations, expands his mind, or excites his ambition. Amiable, indus triouSj prudentand dignified, he is chiefly known for the regularity of his life, and for the un wonted ripeness of; his judgment. All at once his‘.'friends iand countrymen are startled to hear that he is abroad, teaching the people. They listen to him and concur in the general opinion, that never man spake as this man. Moral truth was made to flash like a sunbeam on the eye of bis listeners. Knotty questions were disentangled by the elucidation of a single principle. Acute scribes attempted to answer him in his speech, but stood monuments of re buked vanity before the people, when he opened his lips and taught which was the great com mandment of the law. And then his sublime enunciations of doctrine! Plodding through the volumes of the masters of human literature in sunny Greece, and then sitting down to the teachings of Jesus Christ, as recorded in the Gospels, is like coming out of Aristotle’s ima gined cave,"and looking uponrihb brofedibeaulx fol, sun-illumined world; One sentence to the woman of Samaria, gives more instruction about the nature of God, and the worship that is ac ceptable to him, than can be derived from'all the writings of Socrates, or Plato, or Cicero. One single sermon delivered on a mountain in the early part of his ministry, in maxims of ex quisite morality, in compactness and complete ness of exhibition of the simple religious duties, is unlike ,any,other.discourse,ever delivered to men. Whence'came , that unborro wed wisdom ? Whence did this bumble Jew obtain that com prehensive knowledge of religious doctrine? With what deep ocean of inexhaustible truth did the human mind off Jesus of Nazareth com municate ? , Where verthe human mind has invented itself a religion, it has gathered around it in profusion these scenic appendages to strike the senses; and none ever knew better how to employ them to effect than the Egyptian priests. There never was a better imitator in all such matters than Pythagoras. At Samos, we are told he withdrew to a cave, and; taught his disciples with a great show of mystery. His precepts were delivered as though they were responses from a divine oracle. With a long, flowing beard, clothed in a white linen robe, with a golden crown upon his head, as some represent, he was never seen to express in his counte nance, joy, or grief, or anger, or any other emo tion. - , ; What a contrast with Christ and his religion! As the springlet gashes from tho rock, clear as the crystal, and meanders on to the sea, ever revealing to the eye its treasures of pebbles and sands, the life of Christ is transparent. To raise a niortal to the skies by making him fit for them, was the end of his ministrations. Oat intOiilhe village,; along to the well-side, through the streets of Jerusalem, into its syna gogues and its temple, he Went, to seek the .'■people, notwaiting to be sought. He hid him self behind no artfully chosen speech; he kept back for no favored few, more distinguished doctrines. He was the man of the people, arising from among them, anxious for their welfare; sending down his consolation, and ad ministering his help to the poor, the sick, the blind, and the lame.' He called upon none to betake themselves to other diet than that to which “they were' accustomed; he triads ho re quisition of garb or speech, to render them pe culiar among the brethren. All that he insisted upon was, that they should show that they were his followers, by being more forgiving, more compassionate, more kind than others. He wedded no prayers, no praise to satirise or sun set, to midday or midnight hours. Bringing orit the principles of religious worship arid morality, as God brings out the flowers over the field,- in that apparent disregard of order which adapts them so much the better to the variety ; loving mind of man,—each truth is a study in itself, each truth is a completed whole, from Whatever point contemplated.: The shepherd under the mountain cliff, meditating, though he may not mirie as deep into the hidden treasures of heavenly wisdom, may find the shining gold on the surface, abundant enough to make him passing rich; and the student, with his micro ; scopic eye, and dillgent comparison of utterance with utterance, though he may trace along the yellow vein, and mark the net-work of other in termingling veins, will only find the same gold, though he will find it more plentifully than his ignorant brother in Christ. Howbeantifni that life of Jesus Christ! The best human representations of.him are what the Parian marble is to human flesh; The words in which men form arid express their concep tions, are too coarse, too rigid, to exhibit the Saviour of men. j-gAs we go back from all the countenances on wffjeh the most skilful painters have exhausted tlieir art, as wanting elements that we feel, rather than know, oughtto be upon the canvass; so we step/aside from every word-picture of the Sa yipnr, as imperfect, as unworthy of the sublime original.We ask anew pf 'Matthpw, and Mark, and Luke,and Jphn, what, the Prophet said, and What the Prophet did; and passively suffer his features to mirror fMdmibl vesbb -theblcte waters. TOL. W—NO. 37.—Whole No. 202. of his doctrines and doings, as meek and melan choly, earnest, dignified, mjasculinely strong. Presbyterian Quarterly Keview. Often do we hear remiss professors strive to choke all forward holiness by commending the golden mean. A cunning discouragement; the devil’s sophistry! , The mean of virtue is between two degrees. It is a mean grace that loves a mean degree of grace; yet this is the staff with which the World beats aifthat would be better than them selves. What ! will you be singular,—walk alone? But were not the apostles singular in their walking, a spectacle to the world ? Did not Christ call for this singularity?' What do ye more than others? You that are God’s peculiar people, will you do no peculiar thing? Ye that are separate from the world, will ye .keep the world’s road? Must the name of a puritan dishearten us in the service of God ? st. Paul,said in his apology, “By that which they call heresy, so worship I the God of my fathers;” and by that which profane ones call Puritanism, which is indeed zealous devotion, so let my heart desire to, serve Jesus Christ. _ln order tbat a 'teacher may bfe : competent to his duties, he should qualify himself, aS well as prepare his lesson. He should endeavor to be well “up" in the subjects which he teaches- He should endeavor to acquire a pretty full knowledge of all which can illustrate and throw light upon them. I would lay it down as an all-important maxim, that the teacher should know much more than he teaches. He should not feel, when with his class, that he is working up to his full power; that another draft upon his mental capital, in the form of an inquiry from an intelligent scholar, would meet an empty exchequer, and must be dis honored, because there are “no effects.” His ship should sail with plenty of sea-room on each side, with greater depth of water than she draws, and with some sails which are reefed; the erew should have somewhat more bread and water than would be consumed on the average passage, and the cap tain should know the lights and the sounding of the coast a little north and south of the destined harbour. As a traveller he should not creep along the narrow; valleys in which he can only just trace his path before him, and his view is confined on either side; but should endeavor to climb the heights from which a wider prospect is visible, and bis past and future route is plainly to be traced. And if he catch a glimpse of the land, which is very far off, now and then, through the mists which surround it, he Will be cheered in his onward way. Do not tell the learner toomuch about a subject, and puzzle him with many things, before he has understood the first principles; do not aim at being wonderfully profound in your first explanation, but reserve your profundity for subsequent'stages. Even extreme accuracy may be dispensed with at first; it is not wise to puzzle the learner with little niceties and refinements, when he is conclusively grasping at anything like an approximate idea of the matter in hand. You will not mislead him by using or permitting an expression which is not quite technically accurate; the mistake will not fix itself .upon his mmd,for he is not giving his at tention to that little point in which the inaccnracy lies: he is not yet able to appreciate nice distinc tions and petty exceptions. The first thing is to give him a rough general idea of the subject; and when he has mastered that, you may proceed to ' enlarge, refine, and dive deep. There are some teachers who cannot hold their peace when oc casion requires, bat seem impelled by their nature to tell all they know upon every subject they touch upon; the consequence is that the learner, being unable to discriminate between the essential and jthe non-essential, is overwhelmed with the mass of leaahing, and instead of having a clear idea of the main points, has au indistinct recollection of many things. Many years ago, a lady was seated, reading, in the verandah of her Burmese house, when sud denly she was'startled by seeing a little wild look ing boy 'standing before her, and asking, with great eagerness, “ Does Jesus Christ live here ?” He appeared about twelve years old. His coarse black hair, matted with dirt, bristled up in every direction, like the quills of a porcupine; and the only covering about his person was a ragged cloth of cotton: ■ -‘‘Does Jesus Christ live here?” he again asked, as he was crouched at the lady’s feet. “ What do you want of Jesus Christ?” inquired the lady. “ I want to see him: I want to confess to him.” “Why,:what have you been doing, .that you want to confess to him?” “Doing!” re pliedthe boy: “what have I been doing ? Why, I tell; lies, I steal, Ido everything that is bad. I am afraid of going to hell, and I want to see Je sus Christ, for I heard say, he can save us from hell. Does he live here? O, tell me where I can find Jesus Christ.” “But, my poor boy,” said the lady, “ Jesus Christ does not save people . from hell if they continue to do wickedly." “But I want to stop,, answered the boy. “I want to stop doing wickedly ; but I can’t stop. I don’t know 1 how to stop. The evil thoughts are in me, and bad deeds come out of evil thoughts. What caul do ?” ‘ Nothing,’ said the lady, “ but come to Christ like the rest o.f us; but you cannot see Jesus Christ now.” Here she was interrupted by a sharp cry of distress from the poor boy. “ But,” she continued, “lam his humble follower and servant, and I can teach all those who wish to escape from hell how to do so.” The joyful look of the wild Karen boy was beyond all description, as' he exclaimed,’-‘‘Tell me! 0 tell me! Only ask your master, the Lord Jesus Christ, to save me, and I will be your servant; your slave for life. Do not be angry. Do not send me away; I want to be saved—saved from hell!” Of the twenty-seven' young men composing the class that graduated a few days since in the Wes tern Theological Seminary, at Allegheny-City, three are to go to Siam—Messrs. D. W. Fisher, N. A. M‘Donald, and Samuel G. M'Farland; one to Northern India —Mr. W. F. Johnston, a brother of one of .the martyrs of the mutiny there in 1857; one to South America:—Mr. W. E. M'Laren; one to the Kickapoo Indians—Mr.» Robert J. Btirtt;' one to Lake Superior—-Mr. Charles P. French; and one to labor among the Germaus—Mr. John Launitz. 'l-. ;• .. NO MIDDLE COURSE IN RELIGION. KNOW MORE THAN YOU TEACH. NEVER TELL TOO MUCH. THE WILD KAREN BOY, The lady, you may believe was not angry, and the next day she took him to the little bamboo school-house} and never was there a scholar in any school or country, more anxious to learn, “ the truth asit is in Jesus.” After some time, he was baptized} and then he went on daily improving iu the knowledge of those things which belong to our salvation. Tears passed away, 'and the gentle lady had gone to that happy home where sin and sorrow are known no more. The wild Karen boy had also changed from boyhood to youth, from youth to strong manhood, and then this'hand of death was laid upon him. But while the strong man lay bowed down with sickness while he tossed wildly to and fro upon his fevered couch. —even then his heart was filled with pre cions memories of Jesus, and his lips uttered fragments of hymns and texts which he had learned in days of health. At last the parting hour arrived, when, with out a sigh or a struggle, his happy spirit passed away, to be forever with that Saviour whom he had sought with such eagerness. S. S. Banner.