6 1Intrican NcepitgirriAn 4irtatat A rauselid. THURSDAY. OCTOBER 29. 1800. JOHN W. MEA.RB. EDITOR AASOCIATIID WITH ALIMIT BARNES GEORGE DUFFIELD Ja. ,TllO/11A013ilkINAD, 1 JOHN JENKINS, HENRY, DARLING, THOMAS J. SHEPHERD. .Ent.olo4B AND POLITICAL EXCITE MENT. THE• SPIRITUAL LIFE IN A PRESIDENTIAL okAdP4IGN. If . Dr. Arnold, of Rugby, somewhere says •. "rhold, with Algernon Sidney, that, there are but two thing , of • vital importance, those which he calls Religion and Politics." This would imply, in the view of these men, a closer connection between the two spheres of activity than is usually sup posed to •exist. In truth, the prevailing opinion is, that a deep interest in one is utterly incompa tible with a deep interest in the other. An ex citing political campaign is expected to be '.as_ trous to the spiritual interests of theme All the operations' of the ehurt be carried oe languidly, i d''l Teaching is expected to be in effectual, prayer meetings to be cold and thinly at tended, sinners will continue to walk the down ward road and drop into perdition in a state of more than usual obduracy. All hopes of a revi val are to be postponed until the tempestuous strife has quite subsided, and a sufficient period allowed for an entire revolution of the mental and emo tional condition. Men must cease feeling any spe cial interest in politics before they can engage effectually in the duties of religion. Such anta gonism is supposed to exist between politics and religion. If this view were strictly correct, there would seem to be little chance for vital piety to flourish in this land of universal suffrage, where an appeal is made to the ballot-box on some issue almost annually in every district. And yet, among no people in the world does spiritual religion flourish as among the free voters of the United States. Convulsed as we are with political excitements, we are, nevertheless, pre-eminently the theatre of revivals of religion. These excitements do not seem either to exhaust our emotional natures or pervert them, at least permanently, from spiritual uses. Whatever may be the immediate effect of a political campaign upon churches and congrega tions, we certainly look in • vain for evidence of permanent injurious effects. Either some power ful counteractive of the supposed evil tendency of political excitement exists, or the supposed evil tendency, is in a great measure, imaginary. We are strongly inclined to the latter view of the ease. We are, not blind to the fact, that there is a vast amount of evil accompanying these struggles. We are well aware that the term politics, as em ployed by the pure-minded Sidney and •the thought ful Arnold, is robbed of nearly its entire meaning and sadly perverted when applied to. partisan strifes, which so often come hi the place of principle, and .la so im .ortant a .art in our elections. We are party "feelings, and devoting one's energies to the attainment of mere party and selfish ends, are destructive of spirituality. We know that there are many incitements to the carnal passions of men at such a time, and that professors of religion too often allow themselves to be carried away into neg lect of church ordinances, and fall into a frame of mind to which spiritual exercises and efforts are utterly distasteful. And when we reflect to what a great extent American politieis are infected with these and other evils—how many corrupt in fluences are at work, particularly upon those having the guidance of the political machinery, our won der well may be, not that their evil influence upon the church and the community is so great, but that it is so small—that it cannot, and does not interfere with the great fact of the unexampled prosperity and efficiency of spiritual religion in this country. The truth is, religion has every thing to Vope from an alive, siirrivg race of men, whose thoughts are kept bright by excitement on some worthy sub ject like the common weal; whereas the stagnant mind, compelled by despotic restraint to a narrow range of subjects, furnishes unpromising matirial for it to work upon. It is inert. It is not in a condition to flash back the quick response to the stirring appeals of truth. Its own highest worldly interests taken out of its hands, it is prepared for a form of religious belief, which, in like manner, relieves it of personal concern for its spiritual wel fare. Hierarchies and forms may be maintained, but true religion cannot gain • foothold or spread rapidly in such a community. The common pos session and exercise of political rights in a free country, form an electric wire of sympathy among the masses. Religions movements, therefore, are easily propagated and easily take the great social , form of revivals. The individual mind is aroused mid wakeful; the emotions, instead of being ex hausted, are rendered mobile and susceptible, and the linked masses seeing eye to eye, as peers in the exercise of precious and inalienable rights, pre sent a grand field for the preacher of righteous ness in this country. Let him not then look forward to an election with timid forebodings. While he may be com pelled to exercise patience for a time, during the height of the contest, and while in some special cages he may be called to witness deplorable in stances of faith made shipwreck, he alould yet feel that these evils are but, incidental, and that in this very stir and animation, inseparable from the exercise of its rights by. a free people, are some of the hidings of.his power and earnest of his suc cess. Politics and religion in their • principle and in some of their effects, after all, are not so very wide apart. Excitement about the one is not essenti ally unfriendly to interest in the other. Let the character of our polities be elevated, as we believe is beginning:to be the fact. Let their objects be understood to be, not partisan but public—not of expediency but of principli—let politics, in fact, become the 'highest earthly concern of men, as Arnold and Sidney regarded, them; let their final object be to prepare the exterior and secular con dition of men for the establishment of the king dom of Christ upon earth, and interest in the one so far from being antagonistic to, will actually in volve interest in, the other. Believing that this aim does exist in many instances, which are des tined greatly to be multiplied, let the preacher behold the stirring spectacle of an American cam paign ,hoPefully, seeking, in every way consistent with his profession, rather to guide than to re -strain it. Let him not preach despondingly or in differently, but with vigour and expeotaney; and one of the texts he might profitably handle is that of the apostle in Galatians iv. 18. kM INAUGURATION. OP A„_ , IIIOI4TUTENT TO The citizens of the old district of Kensington have just given ample proof of their grateful ap preciation of the labors of this faithful servant of God, among them for so many years past. As these labors were, freely , bestowed, upon. all. that needed and that sought.tbem, without distinction of sect or name,' so all classes of persons and de. nominations of Christians united in preparing this testimonial. It is a tastefully ornamented shaft , . of pure Italian marble, resting upon a base of blue marble, and bearing the inscriptions': "Pastor the Ist Presbyterian Congregation in Ken - 1 igton 45 years." " His last charge wa - t faithful to Jesus." "Born, January 24 790, Died, Feb ruary 15,1860". While e front presents a me: dallion likenessof the the spectator— I e :co—turned slightly towards venerable man himself. The likeness . rikingly good, though justice is scarce lY d' o the native gentleness and sweetness that aracterized his features. Beneath the medallion is the inscription, "Erected to , the memory of Rev. George Chandler by his friends.- He was the representative of Christianity in its pdrity." The whole monument is about 18 feet high, and was erected aka cost of $ll,OOO. It is.prorninently situated on the left hand:side of the chu.rch lcit as you enter.' ' • Public services to commemorate the inaugura tion of the monument were held in the church on Thursday afternoon last. A large congregation Was in attendance. After the preliminary exer cises, including singing by the choir, Rev. Mr. Cox announced Rev. Dr. Brainerd as the first speaker of the occasion. Dr. Brainerd said: "I feel embarrassed by the new circumstances in which lam placed. I have never been called on upon an occasion like this, and my mind labors to know what is appropriate. I have no hesitation, my friends, in congratulating you upon the completion of your labors. I have no hesitation in congratulating the intelligent, la. borious, and self-denying committee, the skilful architect, and the large-hearted and the liberal, hearted people, that an object dear to them has been so well accomplished. The monument they determined to rear now stands close by the house in which he preached, whom they sought to honor, in sight of the world, and destined to endaii for ages, so that through it, though dead, the good man still speaks. It is not only a memorial of your liberality, but of the large charity of this community. F rounity. cespeeted'to are not even par- "I have said the occasion is new. Have I failed in observation? Do I betray such failure when I say that here is an object which would be new to every clergyman in our land, and perhaps in the world? Affection often erects monuments for the lost and gone; congregations and denomi nations have thus marked their estimate of distin guished men among them; but has it ever hap pened in our own or in any land, that a monument has been erected by an entire community, by men of all classes and all denominations, and no deno mination to testify their high estimate of one who was simply a minister of God? "I have looked'upon many monuments. In Dublin, that of Wellington; and in the Place Ven dome, the magnificent memento of the deeds of Napoleon. The world is full of monuments erect ed to great geniuses, to conquerors, to statesmen; but where has marble ever before been tasked to preserve the memory of simple godliness? Our brother Chandler's greatness was not that of in tellect, he laid no claims to that; it was not of profound, comprehensive learning: It was that of the plain, affectionate, village pastor; one who studied the word of God earnestly, who preached in plain language to plain men; who went from house to house, from sick chamber to sick cham ber, to the poor and to the rich, challenging no man's admiration, asking no attention, expecting no tribute. Yet for these forty years. -your eyes have been upon him, all unambitious as he was, in earnest only to do his duty to God and to the community. You . have followed him• with that which he never coveted, but of which conquerors might be avaricious, a monument which shall bear his name to remote times, a •monument that says you believe the Christianity that he taught; that says he that honors God in simple fidelity, even on this side of the final award, God will honor. " Many years ago, the people of Philadelphia thought a monument was due to William Penn. Their purpose was carried out, and a monument was erected to the memory of the peace-loving Quaker. It was erected, not as to one who had simply founded this, great empire, but because, following.the spirit of Christianity, he did it by deeds of peace. It was a monument to peace and virtue erected in this district. Kensington has to-day the honor of erecting once more .a monu ment, not to soldiers that have made the world pale as they moved in their track of blood, but, to another good man rendered famous, in like man ner, by deeds of peace. It is pertinent that these monuments should stand side by side. You may take your children to •the monument of William Penn, with no fear that it will suggest fields of slaughter, malice, ambition, a greatness not to be imitated but to be envied. You may lead them to the monument of George Chandler, not as com memorating a great man, .or a mighty man, but a good man, one that endeavored to make the em pire founded by William Penn worthy of the land we possess, and of the God we serve. ' "It is much, very much, that any man could stand the scrutiny of forty years, and that every person of every class and denomination should stand around bis grave and say, 'Well done good and faithful servant.' When such a thing is done, it ennobles us all; it ennobles all our hopes of humanity when one is found who can stand such scrutiny, and be so sheltered by the grace of God that it it is of the bursting heart of the survivors to do something for his memory. "I have spoken of the novelty of these circum stances. I am told that the president and secre tary of this committee are Episenpalians, and I believe members of other denominations or even men not connected with any church are upon it. The Church has come to-day, as in the inception of its enterprise, when it stood around the grave of Stephen and made great lamentations over him. We mourn to-day not as Presbyterians, or Epis copalians, or Methodists, or Baptists, but as Chris tian men. As such we feel that the memory of our brother is the property of every denomination and every heart that loves Christianity. We come to rear this pure marble, a common tribute to purity of character. The ,occasion, indeed, is singular when the world rises up to lay its tri bute on the altar of simple goodness. We rejoice that the good men of Kensington, not' only of our own, but of other denominations, and of Quakers, REV. GEORGE CHANDLA ;t 0 :kt t . 0 -4, -4 . '.:fitit,4l have been so large hearted. Thee absence Of bigotry, and of the bad passions usually.attending sectarian divisions, marks their act as large and noble. In the name of our denomination we thank'you for this public expression of regard to ,our brother... In.loving him. you, love our, Master., We rejoice, that we ,can feel,,the beating of . your loving hearts inthis,cornmon„work. "The live of praise, my friends, is universal. The great God -pays regard to the-estimate in which he is held by his creatures. Be has co manded us to protect-the, nod name /..„Parceigh bor. To he remembered affsetiotately when our eyes are: closed, to ha;‘ , n.Wiig men stand around our ashes in....tararrul remembrance w the orld loves IYießut when praise follows moral ex ieuee this side of the final,award; when , good men rise lip to honer virtue as you have done, their aPploVal becomes a premium for the exer cise of virtue. Your act of to-day'lays its grasP on this tendency of our, nature, and prompts men to noble living. Such applause ought not to be oar first motive or our highest aim; but any wan may covet, what occurred to the Martyred Stephen. It is worthy of the, best 'man to wish to live so that at his death men of all ,parties andsee,te shall throw a stone upon his cairn. "t have known brother- Chandler for four. 'and thirty years well,'and of all men, I 'can say; he was the. - most unambitious'. 'lle shunned :no toriety. He .fled, from the applause of ,his : felkivi men., .But he fled in vein.; :The, world uattrtnot not have:fully appreciated him living, buts asthey stand over t his 'grave they cannot 'refrain" froin huildina his Monument He humbled himself to the _Lowest service, and Christ has discriminated an honorable position for hie grave." , DT. Brainerd concluded his remarks by re newedly congratulating the people that their work was so tastefully, beautifully and adequately done, and by expressing his gratitude to persons of dif ferent denominations who had united in this me morial. It was his earnest prayer that the spirit of the good man might ever abide in this temple as his form on yonder stone, and that the rich blessing of God might rest upon the district: After singing by the choir, Rev. Richard New ton, D. - D., was introduced. "My boyhood," said Dr. N., " was spent in this region. Among my earliest recollections are the name and memory of this revered man. I belonged to a Bible class taught by a lay meMber of 'Rev. Mr. Pattersou's church, Mr. Jos. Naglee. That excellent teacher and his brother Benjamin had their place of busi ness near the Bridge, and in visiting my teacher there, I met , and was introduced to this revered man. From that moment I conceived a high veneration for him, and my impressions have con linued and deepened ever since. "As Mr. %meshes said the different denomina tions receive light from one another. I stand here an example of this truth. lam free to ac knowledge that I received my first religious im pressions from Presbyterians. I drank in the spirit of my Christianity from this teacher. His Bible class was made up of youth of different de nominations. When the Spirit of God came down on this class, he said to us all: 4 Boys, go home to your own church' He sent me home to my church, in ,the exercise of the true spirit of Chris tianity. And Ham glad of this as I ant of every opportunity to-=come out,of the lines• of my_ovn II 1 . 1, ' l. *le with my I'4 o 1h *-- Dr. Newton proceeded to say, g‘ that there were three ideas suggested to his mind by the occasion; one was, the 'profitableness of true. piety, and he asked in what other sphere could'the same stamp of character have made anything like the same impression on the age? The second thought was: Here is a Monument to the fundamentals of piety. This is not reared to a minister of the Presby terian Church; there is nothing denominational about it, it is not designed to perpetuate anything denominational. We go deeper down, nay, we go higher ttp, and leave all this behind. it is a monument to what all who love Jesus have alike, what they hold to in life, cleave to in death and what will abide with them when that monument has crumbled into 'dust. God grant such me morials may be multiplied a hundred fold. God bless the people of Kensingten for raising this. It will tend, to crush the spirit of sectarianism. "Thirdly." it is a feeble representation of the immortality that befongs to the service of God. -We read that the righteous shall be had in ever lasting remembrance. Many passages of Scrip ture assure us that immortality belengs to those who are in. Jesus, while the name and the memory of the wicked shall rot. Don't you suppose there were great authors and geniuses before the flood ? Where are they now? Where are their deeds, their names, their memories? Only those who served God are snatched from oblivion—these whose' names are written in the Lamb's book of life. The same will be true by and by of those who have been great and famous in later times:" Dr. N. concluded by exhorting all to be , firmer in the service, of God and by invoking the,divine blessingupon.the people. - - After taking up a collection to'aid in 'reeeting a balance due on the Montimen t, the :services were closed with prayer by the pastor elect, Rev. Wm. T. Eva, and one of the most remarkable and de lightful services which It'hai ever been our lot to attend was.brought to a close. THE SYNOD OF PENNSYLVANIA We have time now only to say Of the recent meeting at Harrisburgh, that it closed on Monday night after a very delightful session, which was fittingly concluded with a sermon from the "Nes tor of the synod," Rev. Mr. Barnes. The follow ing action was unanimously taken in regard to the AMERICAN PRESBYTERIAN. It will be remembered that at West Chester three years ago, the Synod revoked all former endorsements of religious papers. , The action of the recent meeting was as follows : Resolved that Synod has heard with pleasure of the accession of Rev. John W. Mears, to the Editorial department of the AmEnioAN PRESBY TERIAN. Resolved that Synod has entire confidence in the AMERICAN PRESBYTERIAN as a religious paper, ; advocating the principles and tending to promote the welfare of our denomination, and would cordially recommend it to the patronage of our churches. REV. WM. T. EVA. Rev. Wm. T. Eva, of the Sixth Church, New ark, has accepted the call of the First Church, Kensington, and will enter upon his duties in the course of the coming month. Mr. Eva and the large congregation have our best wishes and pray ers that their relations may be mutually, agreeable and profitable, and that the copious influences of the Holy Spirit may from the commencement be vouchsafed to ilie ministrations of the new pastor. . • \;