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GENESEE EVANGELIST.—WhoIe No. 799.
For the American Presbyterian.
September 3,1861.
Messrs. Editors:— These lines were •written for a
joyful family reunion in memory of those who have
passed from the "circle” during the sixty years of
its existence. ..
These wore the beloved and honored parents of
the household—four dear gnosj who, before the age
of twenty-Ovo years, had laid aside the sweet attire
of wife and mother on; earth, for angel-robes in hea-
Ten _nnd several who, in infancy or early childhood,
were transplanted, as we believe, into the garden.-of
the Lord:—
out DEPARTED.
Tenderly, think tenderly
Of the gentle and true-hearted;
Joyfully, speak joyfully
Of the hiessea ones aoparied 1
Whore the sunshine of to-doy
Sleeps along the summer air—
"Where*we raise our grateful ley—■
Where we pour our mingled prayer—
Other tones in song have blended,
Other groups in love have met;
And their prayers from hence ascended
Full in blessings on us yet,
Gratefully, think gratefully,
Of the true and fervent-hearted;
Joyfully, sneak joyfully
Of the blessed ones departed.
Though a father’s sturdy arms
Kest in folded slumber now,
Tumult’s rush and war’s alarms
Flush no more his manly brow—
Though long years have sought to smother
Many a treasured look and tone,
.And the sweet face of our mother
Lives but in our hearts alone:
Tenderly, think tenderly
Of the strong and lovingdiearted;
Joyfully, speak joyfully
Of the blessed ones departed.
There he graves where sweetly sleep
Thoy—the beautiful and good,
Leaving in our hearts to keep
Fairest types of womanhood:
Graves by prairie and savanna,
Graves beside our daily way,
Whence 'twas only heavenly manna
Gave us strength to turn and pray.
Lovingly, think lovingly
Of the fond and faithfuMiearted;
Joyfully, speak joyfully
Of the blesEfed ones departed.
Curtained from the day’s broad light,
Infant sleepers, hand in hand,
By their memories brief and bright,
Draw us near the better land.
One fair plant of.love and pride
Slumbers by Cayuga’s side.
There are babeß from love’s embraces
Laid in mossy oradles low;
Voices sweet and darling faces
Vanished from the path we go.
Tenderly, think tenderly .
Of the meek and gentle-hearted;
Joyfully, Speak joylutly
Of our little lambs departed.
Bless we God with song and prayer
That our band, though parted here,
Gathers where the ransomed are —
In a happy, sinless sphere.
Bless we God that all may gather,
Passing over one by one,
In the kingdom of our father,
Fair ana shining as the sun.
Tenderly, think tenderly
. Of the pure and noble-hearted;
Joyfully, speak joyfully
Of the sainted ones departed.
Mosagiel, Pa.
THOUGHTS FOE THE PEAYEB-MEETXHG.
HUMBER, 111.
TIIS CHARGE UPON DELHI.
Daring the terrific rebellion in India, it was
found necessary to enter Delhi. The gattfs
were overhung by a large company of sepoys,
thoroughly. prepared to shoot every soldier
who should approach. There was compara
tively an easy entrance to the city by even
scaling the walls or forcing the gates, but the
sepoys on the walls and over the gates prevented
the possibility of approach. They well knew
that rebellion would soon be at an end if Delhi
fell into tho hands of the English. But Delhi
must be taken, and taken by force. Starvation
of the rebels would also cause the death of
many of their friends in the city; it mast be
taken by storm, and the Colonel in command
addressed his men, and a company offered them
sclves who should rush upon the gates, aud re
ceiving the bullets of the insurgents, should thus
empty their muskets, and by their wounds and
death afford an opportunity to the. follow
ing companies to reach tho walls and attack
them before the sepoys could reload. The com
pany bravely rushed upon the gates. The bul
lets showered around and upon them, and pearly
nil fell; but the attack of the following compa
nies was successful, and Delhi in a very short
time was in the possession of the English. By
this brave act these men saved a great number
of lives and vast sums of money, which wonld
have been lost had the waif not taken , the turn
it did at the fall of Delhi. .
Just so in spirltdal conflicts; the period ar
rives when we must'contemplate a sacrifice in
order to a victory. Nothing less will answer.
"Delhi must be taken." Glorious shall be the
consequence of the victory, bat it .will cost
something. Sonle darling comfoft, project, or
hope must be forever sacrificed. But ohi to
win the proud eminence Of conqueror! this is
worth the sacrifice, if beavsn, J?e obtained for
myself or others. To wear the laurels of a vic
tory gained for heaven, placednponofte'shead
by all the good, and jnst, and honored of Hea
ven, and quietly and joyfully to.,posses ! s it be
yond the assaults of envy l
Reader, have you ever found it lmrd‘tO pray
in your family 7 In the morning yon rise health
bil, and rested, an’d' your family about you.
Hut 3’ou cannot pray with them. It is too. dif
ficult in face of many reasons which you cun
!?ivo why you cannot, but whijih you would ra
-I'ior not stato. The truth is, “Delhi is to be
*'<inaed.” You never will, until bravely, man
fully, you become your owu. paster; until in
your heart you can feel the victory here. Delhi
Bl! <*1 be stormed. ' .
you attend prayer-meetitiff? It Is a ter
r. effort to some to offer, ,pyay<BrJn .public,
the writer tried to commence sovcraltimeSjand
fu »l«d, uutil provoked to think that, feat had
s, I( 'h a mastery over him, he declared he would
I |, ‘ , y if he could B%y but len words of tfcrplufe
11 "1 Amen, The offset w.as made and pride
WiU lulled, but the victory was won and!Christ
Wus honored, and he has praised God over
5 uco for the victory. Delhi teas taken,
- H. S.
BelvUldre, N. J.
RISE AND PROGRESS OF 1 THE TEM
PERANCE REFORMATION in THE
OLD WORLD. - mt"
BY JOHN EDGAR, D. D.
In Belfast, the capital of Ulster, the Temperance
Reformation of the old world, arose. There for a
time, was the heart of the system. *
When, in August, 1829, my first appeal weht
forth, dire necessity demanded .reform’. ‘ In' that
year twenty-seven million five hundred thousand
gallons of proof spirits were consumed ; n th*-
.United Kingdom, twioe ns much nr in 1819.
Poor Ireland’s share of this, cost her about six
millions sterling, three guineas for each family.
Irish villages, having only one bakerb shop, had
from eighteen to thirty spirit shops* the Scotch
■were drinking twice as much as'the Irish; and
London,’ Manchester, Leeds, and other large towns
in England, had spirit shops receiving customers
at the rate of ten or twolye per minute." Distilled
spirit was deemed a necessary of'life, necessary
in medicine, for prevention and cure, necessary
as a common beverage;,absolutely essential to
hospitality; a multitude of drinking fines-and
footings among tradesmen, and foolish .prejudices
and compulsory drinkingfeustoms among all classes
had established an intolerable drunken tyranpy;
even the house of mourning for the dead had
been invaded by the fonl : fiend, and the drunken
ness. of. Irish, wakes and• was proverbial.
Ho besotted had. the community,,become, that .
,to spirituous liquprs were attributed all manner
of excelleuoieß; wherever men or women' met,
at market or social party; at-wake or-'-funeral;
whether for amusement or religion, there, too, was
distilled spirit; at each, house, as the minister
paid his pastoral visits, the matron presented her
bottle, while, as a matter of -course, the house of
God had a regular supply for its spiritual rulers,
and the public house hard' by, its maddening drug
for the people. -Temperance. Societies-first woke
the world to the enormous evil, and all the hideous
consequences of this universal spirit-drinking.
They furnished evidence that the use of distilled
spirits as on ordinary beverage, is a personal, do
mestic and national curse, and they taught that
three-fourths of the helpless -beggary, tour-fifths
of the ctime tiled in courts of justice, and a fear
ful, undefinable amount of the disease and wretch
edness, under which Ireland groaned, were the
natural and necessary fruits of spirit drinking.
The surgeon-general for Ireland testified that in
Dublin, nearly one-fourth of-all deaths in persons
above twenty years of-age,- were caused prema
turely by spirit-drinking; a magistrate of County
Antrim furnished a list of forty-eight persons,
who, in his own recollection-, and within two miles
of his own country residence, had, perished mise
rably' by spirit-drinking; while from a history I
published of. three years of the public bouses on
a mile of .road in county Antrim, and ofseventeen
houses constituting one side of a street in a vil
lage of County IJown, it appeared that not a fa- •
mily of them escaped direful and hideous ruin.
The public mind "Was horribly perverted; pub
lic conscience dead; the drunkard was called by
soft names, and took his place- in honor at many
a sacramental table;- while congregations not un
frequently l&ard unmoved, two or three generd
tions of drunken ministers, reasoning- from their
pulpits, of righteousness, temperance, and judg
ment to,come. . In such a night of ignorance aud
crime, Temperance Societies rose in the old world;
and their origin Was this: In July, 1829, efforts
' were made in Belfast to provent 1 the desecration
of the Sabbath; by-placarding the laws for its ob
servance and appointing officers to enforce them.
Professing little faith in such means, I -was ap
;pqiwtnd’6rwri|e ad address .ou-the subject to the
understanding and, conscience of the public.
While thus engaged-1 was-visited by my friend,
Dr, Penny of America, who having told me of the
great reformation commenced there, I eagerly
seized tlje discovery, and in connection with the
Sabbath question*,published my, first appeal on
behalf of temperance societies on the 14th-qf Au
gust, 1829; Fortunately, I gave copies to two
papers, for th,eedit,or of oneof them,refused to pub
lish my address, and intimated that he thought
•me deranged. Tl)is -appeal - was publicly read by
George Carr for.the-formation of .the New-Ross
I Temperance Society. I was.-not, aware of: the
1 greatness of the undertaking, sod-it was not until
some days after rny first publication, when con
vinced by the flame it had "kindled, of the large-
I ness of the sphere which Providence had opened,
[ that I resolved to devote myself to tho work,
I and emptied out my stock of whisky which stands
I thus for July 81st, in my grocer's account, who,
| with many others, has long since, from conscience,
I renounced the spirit trade; —“One gallon old malt
. whisky, 9s. 6d., jar, 9d.” My first address was
I soon followed by others, all of which were copied
[.into many journals; - and these, and others from
I the same pen, being published as. pamphlets an<jl
sold by poor travelling agents. Within a year from
the commencement of reform, "a hundred' thou
sand small books on temperance were in circula
tion;- and before three years, two hundred -and
thirty thousand from the Belfast press. I have
written about ninety works of various sizes on
temperance, nearly all of which have been fre
quently republished m different parts of tho Bri
tish empire and America, and they are in circula
tion largely-over the world; and besides keeping
the great subject constantly before the public in
various periodicals, I edited the Belfast Tempe
rance Advocate, and for a length of time, the
periodical of the British and Foreigu Temperance
Society. Wherever invited I went; and -in Lon
don. Dublin. Glasgow. Greenock, Manchester,
Bradford. Leeds; York, and very many other
places.' I repeatedly addressed-immense crowds
trom platform and pulpit, aud twelve years of my
life were sedulously given to the cause. ’ Of the pub
lic Interest m the-subject some idea may bo formod
-from-the fact, that of one of -my first-publications,
fifteen • thousand copies were' dbposed of; -of a
series of ten of my tracts, two editions of forty
thousand each have beenjjjrgplated; while of ,my_.
tract i/ertwrer* wiretr puSlmbed by tbePAmerican
Tract Society, one mdivimial ordered three thod
sand fiva hundted copies. [Fifteen hundred copies of
my first letters were the fir.-t temperance ; tracts
circulated-in Scotland, and hy them the sacred
zeal was first kindled in the breast of the father
of temperance in B gland. It ib not too much,
therefore, tq say of Belfast, not o.nly that the first
temperance' trumpet of battle was, blown there,
but tMt there; for years, was the chief armory of
the temperance war. .. 1
The temperance reformation in Ulster, as con
ducted from its'headquarters .in Belfast, was dis
tip"uished for simplicity, sobriety, wisdom, and
above all,- Christian principle., The first six 1
’tiaihes subscribed to the pledge of the Ulster
Temperance Society'were those of six ministers of
th'e Gospel of six denominations. The same mind
which gave temperance societies.to the old world
r. aV c, too, the temperance' pledge. The old Ameri
can pledge was illogical, defective and long; while
that which originated in Belfast, and which
formed tho model,of .all others, is characterized
by comprehensive brevity, simplicity, truth, and
power. Ws resolveto abstain from dis
tilled SPIRIT, AND. PROMOTE TEMPERANCE.
Bafltier of ffreCoveaant.
[Wo let Dr. Edgar tell liis interesting story,
but we prefer the American pledge of total absti
nence from all sorts of -alcoholic stimulants as a
beverage. —Eds. Am. Pres.}
To trust in hutnhn love is often to be pierced
as with thorns; to lean, on human faithfulness is
t 5 feel t.bd broken shaft entering the side; but no
phe trusted in God’s love, and' fbttnd.itgrow
chl(l ‘ noTheart ever towards Hiui,'add
gtajid itself Upon him,[and found Hitn unfaithfttb
and unkind. ' , .
..i U:3tiSri- - - - ■ - ■ "
PHILADELPHIA, THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER
THE. SHOW AHD THE HAIN.
for SAIfeATH-SdlfotiL TEACHERS.
<■ ,‘ForiM the-rain cometh down, and'the snow
irom .heaven,, and returnetli not thither, but
watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth and
trad, thrit , xt “ a J seed to the sower, and
bread t6'the eater; >so shall My word be' that
'®°* »!r k„ ou * mouth:■!if shall not return
unto Me void,, but it shall ■ accomplish that which
I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto
- ly* XO. 11. From these verses
we desire to derive instruction, "and draw such
encouragement as nuty be'beneficial to those en
gaged in -the ’ arduous’ though delightful work of
Xea ®^ ln g i n Sabjbath-schools.
The part which the snow performs in the eco
nomy of nature is a most important one. Its in
fluence for good'is exceedingly great. But it is
chiefly of a preventive and preservative character.
It does not itself directly promote vegetation,
but shields the tender plants, the tiny seeds, and
t r?, 1 . 0 P et J\ n o blade, from the biting frosts, and
chilling bliiSts of winter. Then when spring re
turns, and the sun pours down his warming rays,
and the genial showers 'descend, - earth's fleecy
matjtle disappears, and the fields are, once more
clothed with verdure. How thankful we ought
to be when we sec those soft flakes fall in all their
dazzling whiteness, and recognise the goodness of
God. in sending-this beautiful covering'for the
ground,-, -without which winter’s icy breath would
do so .much.injury; '
Sabbath-School. Teacher, did. you ever think
that y6ur instructions exert a similar influence
oftentimes upon the youth under your care?- You
-are iu earnest in^your work, and you are anxiously
looking for fruit. But, at present you do not
djseern .any. You .feel discouraged: - You ima
gine that you are laboring, in vain and spending
your strength for naught. But no. Your in
structions-are treasured up in your pupil’s memory
and he ean never wholly*forget them.' 'And
although he mayinot -now be decidedly pious and
publicly profess his faith in Christ,.yet your les
sons are very probably restraining him" from open
profligacy and dissipation; they are preserving
him from being-completely destroyed by-the bale
ful influences which surround him; they are pre
senting him from throwing oil all respect for re
ligion, and casting Lehind him the fear of God.,
While this is not all that you desire, yet it is
- veryiioqportant. And; when tho spring-time of
grace comes.; the Sun of righteousness shall
arise with healing in HisSvings; when God shall
pour out His Holy Spirit in plenteous showers;
then will tho seed sown.in his heart, which to all
appearance had been forever’ blasted,; spring up
and. bring forth rich and’ abundant fruit to the
honor and glory of God. > .....
The rain, while its influence is more quiet, does
not,always manifest its.effects at. the place whero,
and at the time when.it falls. ■ Behold yon clear,
crystal, sparkling, spring at which you quench
your thirst, and refresh your way-worn steps with
so much delight—where is its source? Were you
to follow its silent subterranean path, as it flows
along noiselessly and unobserved, you would find
it fed in great measure by the falling rain, which,
penetrating into the ground, thus emerges at some
considerable distance to gladden man and beast with
its cool, reviving waters.- So, Sabbath-School
Teacher, may, and will it be, with your instruc
tions. Years after, perhaps in some distant foreign
clime, some youth who sat and listened toyour teach
ings, will, by the blessing of God upon your former
labotfs,-prove a blessing to himself the country, and
theworid, and illustrate the saying of the Preacher,
“The mouth of a righteous man is a,well of life."
TW xrtly - - %
Again, consider that noble river which flows
along in all-its majesty, gladdening and beautify
ing its path. What a multitude of blessings it
confers; how far they reach; how constantly, how
continuously 'they are bestowed. Its beginning
may be found in the mountain-side, from whence
the falling rain descends to scatter joy and plenty
along-its weary course. In like manner do you,
Sabbath-School Teacher, set an influence in mo
tion'which shall not only be'productive of good a't
its origin, but shall extend to distaht climes and
generations jet-unborn,- and reach as far- as eter
nity Itself. Be encouraged,* then, to pursue your
work of faith and labor of love. Lay strong hold
'of God’s* promises.' Believe His word. Feel
assured*'that you will, sooner’ or later, either in
this world or in the next,'behold the fruit of your
labors, in the conversion of your scholars, and in
the extension of the kingdom of our Lord and
Saviour, Jesus Christ. R. W.
? • Banner of the Covenant. '
AST AND RELIGION.
: This leads us to notice the connection of art
wilh.rcligipn,. or rather religion with. art. The
last'has be’eu placed first, and the first last. The
general effect has hefen to. make ssstheticsbeiiefi
cial to religion, rathe.r than religion beneficial to
aesthetics.’ The example of our Puritan fathers;
‘should not, he imitated. They separated all art
botn from their houisqs of worship and their forms
of devotion, reducing the one to the simplest style,
of the conventicle, as innocent of all Ornament as a
lodge in a garden oC cucumbers, and about aacoiu
fortless; and the other to the fewest possible and
most sharply defined modes of spiritual expres
sion. Nor,, on the other hand, would; we" recom
mend the example of the fathers , of the Latin
Church}iniithe imposing cathedral and gorgeous
rites, in holdredi.vestments,:abd. the light stream
ing through stained windows} in strains of music
from unseen choirs, which seem to come from the
air, and statuary and -painting; We would :not
stimulate to the' displacement of religidn.:that we
may enthrone art. If the Puritan and the Quaker
were at fault.in one‘direction, no less were the adl
vooates :of am? elaborate* sensuous service} and a
church architecture: that in costliness vies with the
palaces of opposite direo
_aio»T Bsubtlea%.-there -ia it corioection. batwaon
thediwgja ekerted-by: each
on-Ate'hiiljßKTmliut .there is a: happy? mean to be
preserved;? in-which: the; spiritual shall pot; be
overborne by the purely aesthetic, and the aesthetic
not- wholly-exeluded.ftdmi'the ihigheE spiritual.
The predominant powsr is id religion. ; jElsihetios
are subordinate. The .reverse of ;ithis,'.impression
has been made; yet the distinction .'is veryiclear.
Religion requires a'God p the aesthetic-seeks after
beau'ty. Tho}dne f ia.consciohsiiof::ni6raL
the-other of ,ideapirnperfection;''the s on§?seeks:.a
•Saviour, the other, a. form; the orte; rejoices; in
.pardon, the other in; expression ; the 'one is im
pelled duty,?thd otherffeeis all the freedom of
.spontaneity; the: one has its seatin the heart, the
other dwells iu the sensibilities and the.imagina
tion. ; It will be,seen how different are tbe-two. ele
ments, how distiuet their natures, how wide apart;
stho sphere,of ilieiroperations;.-.Yet there-is a con
nexion between them; religion giving to art its
subiimest and most beautiful conceptions. f Even
( the; my thology of heathenism, isoifar as St possessed
a religious element, was the inspiration of ancient
art. The works of the old masters, which have
stood the test of all modern time, are largely reli
.giqujt; The sacred ebaraetpr-jof-the, OJjdrapdrNew
/l’estajnenta;, the scenes.and; the events described
and. recorded in Scripture history, have furnished:
an inexhaustible supply of material ,for the imagi
nation* to work,into the for ip of art. ‘ 1 Spiritual ex
cellence is not only the highest kind of excellence,.
butjjivea to art its greatest success. The spiritual
.within, us mustrbe addressed by the spiritual in
art to arouse our deeper nptjare, ; Moral beauty is
the highest kind of beauty. To delineate the
gracea and ornaments of asoul anew created in
theioiage of" Qod,,requires tbejibighest efiort.of
artistic genius. To make'devotiou ;visible on .the
.marble ,*to;ibring. out. from, the canvass
love,-and joy, anfi thornicest touches
of the artist. To erect a suefi
conformity to the JaWs of pfbportionj to decorate
it so as'to be suggestive of religious ideas and pro
motive of the-true'spirit of. devotions; to; make it
a Te Deum, a .psalm, a.,prajse in,itself, requires
®h® ohej.d’ceuvre of art in the.service of religion.
The aesthetic is' not'to overbear, but to give ex
pression to the religions element; to bring it out
in form, so, as to react upon itself, to arouse it,
sustain, strengthen jfc, ..For this purpose,, when
patterns,.of things were showed to Moses, after
which he was to construct the Sanctuary.in, the
desert, the asSthetiij element was not omitted,
And at a subsequent! the temple was
reared on Mount Moriah, the aesthetic element
entered largely into the structure. Still; the dan
ger is that, the imaginative will displace the reli
gious. Thus the devotee jvho enters the Basilica
of St. Peter, is bewildered with art; his scsthtic
nature is’' go overpoweritfgly appealed to"''£kat God,
and,. personal, unworthiness; and. spiritual life in
Christ are lost sight .of; |)eiog,manifest
through form, and and shade, and-music,
and sacred vesfmeiits, and priestly ceremonies—
God *and Gbrist, andthoral piety and "h'eaVcn are
hot perceived; ‘only tjie aesthetic is seep!;' as the
Saviour fails from thgimage'hcld in the band’.Of
Romish ignorance, the_ devotee .woqjjpps an
idol instead of the-Red^meialol''mankind. The
aesthetic then is'hot'td flow over into religion, but
religion is to flow over into the aesthetic, furnish
ing the themes add subjeetß.for imaginative‘illus
tration;., pouring divots conceptions into- art and
invention; the feelings of the beau
tiful'with the desire of the holy.
Presbyterian Quaiterly Review. •
•' 11
REFORMERS' IN ifIERRsSIANCHRRCBh
Tie great hero oOMs period, whose figure, ip
fact,’ fills up tfie wholepf our atitlior’s Canvass', is tfie
Patriarch Nicon, whoin he describes as being toge
ther (although in coarse and homely, proportions)
‘a Russian Lutheran^a,Russian Wolsey.’, He.has
devoted tlie seccmdlajjt iep,tiire ; o( his volume to a
Striking picture' of this ’Russian' Reformer. He
passes by wifhabrifcf’ paragraph—being, we
presume, beyond hij l special field in: these!‘con
cluding lectures—the career and character of Cyril
Lncar, ; a, reformer-;ipj*.;.f£r. higher sense than Hi
con. Many of Hr. Stanley’s readers will be dis
appointed, and"wittispme* j ustice, at tii is. ‘ * A move’- ;
ment so tbe-Easterri Church as ! that
represented by IrtiOfht,tfirst patriareh of Alexandria
andthen ofGonstaptmople, might have.been ex
pected to secure irja^er,share of nptiee-frpm the
historian of the Eastern .Church. Lucaf was the
ardent ‘ stndefit df’ ! Rp'r'opeah Protestantism,’ ’riiicl
‘thdeorrissporident oftMJutoh protestant 1 hriinisters 1 ;
andutheflitiuuifi-
Charles : L-of,fthe ? Cgdex Alexa’ri
drinus, now one'of the chief treasures of the Bri
tish Museum; a. theplogian who, if not properly
styled, a a. believer-ip justifica
tion hj faith, and* ip .fK§ snlPjauthbrity *of. i Holy
Scripture; a Reformer-, withoutbeingan lephoejast,
Strong in * ConVictidnfeyet patient ih ‘hopeyse'elrih'ip
-to win in his own;knguage;:by-.‘geotle*’and 'slow
Remedies,? wbat l he.oould i no,t achieve: otherwise;
.a fervent apostle, a, demoted piartyr.. The Patri
arch Nicon is a boidefe and more, decisive, hut :a
ruder arid coarser' mixture of’simplicity
arid barbaric strength, of magriariiuiify arid' yrit
wilfulness and,'obstinacy;? as: dlffererirris -possible
from,,the; refined,!thpughtfid, apd,- comprehensive:
theolpgian .of AlexapdriaapiJ Qonstahtinople. r : ;
The .refovpis after, which Nicon strove wpipmaiß
:ly praetieal. -'Hu>s,6f|hi , n>3jLlf.witli .'sthEo s(ifekr. :
i'aridtrfia'offiita'Bte riourrige to root out; the various
*. abuses-,of-the Russian hierar6hy,vespeeiaHf. thri ope:
i,crying ; ,evil rinfortunately,jnot.yet extincth-iotem-;
i perance. , ,’JCp this day tjeypemegibm;, w;ith a, mix
ture'of Veneration and hatred tlie.y'eipres
sively call the “ hedgehog hiifid ’’ with which he
;kept-thein dijWn- He distinguished'-himself fcy*
ithe .mostiacliveibemevolench, founding-hospitals
and -almshouses, yisfting, thro .prisons-pieEgopaUy,
’and rendering. prompt justice, to .those, whpm he
judgpd'irih'pcent after examination, lie innova
ted upoh the most time-honoured practices of his
eountrjmeift—-the’ superstitious .veneration 1 for 'sa
cred pictures, the,exclusion of tbe-female sex from
_the, open,enjoyment of public .worship.; _ Heforeed,
after a long struggle, the recognitipn.of.theyalidity
of the baptism ‘of tlie Western Chareh; he im
proved the Church music; he promoted the circu
lation of the-Scriptures in the pUresV'SclAvonic di
alect; he revived preaching, and-ffromhis own lips
was first heard, 'after many centuries, the sound
Of a living practicahscpanon,’. To this rird,ent spirit
| of reform be united-ft ; savage determination of man
i ner,;in comparison .with; which the:.’ rough ’’action’
pf Luther op,oftßnox.js gentleness-itself.;, ‘He
was,’ apcppdiug ,to -the report ,pf-,a. Greek arch
deacon, who travelled at the time in Russia, ‘a
very butcher among’ the clergy. His emissaries
are perpetually going round the city; arid when
they firid any priesteor monk iu a state of intoxi
cation, they carry him to prison, strip him, and
scourge him,, His prisons are full of them, galled
with heavy chains, and logs of wood on their necks
rind legit, or’they sift* flour day and night* in the
bakehouse.’ A ferrtblri storyus told of him in ari
interview with the ohiefs ofa.Kalmuek tribe, who
avowed theniselvps,cannibals,.saying, in reference
to a refractory, clergyman, ‘ I have a map here
who deserves death; I wiU send for him and pre
sent" him’ to you that you may eat him:’ ’ ‘
.. It;msiy he easilydtriagiffedl that’such a reformer
as,this was not likely to ib'p.popular. 3 Enemies
sprang up around likpatb, apd.at length succeed
ed .in driving him into retirement, and„ securing
fiih condemnation! - At first he’ had hot prily slo.od
in high favour with’ the Gza'r Alexis;'th'ff 'sPir of
Miehaol, und the father’ of Peter,; but -a
and even affectionate intimacy, for. many years
united;them. Many of the.nobles, however, hated
hi,oi with an .intensity the Czar’s regard,
rindat length the seeds
frifhls.,.,Nicon resigpejl
"fiis. dignity,. withdrew convent, and was at
iflsydegradei and.imprisQpedrtduririg many yegrs.
JftnaJjy he returned, but briljr to ."die.,. As he; sailed
dpwn the. Volga to .rapet the Czar Theodore, wlio
had recalled him, death overtook him;; apd.hpwas
buried, after his many vicissitudes, Monaste
ry of the Resurrection, or tho New Jerusalem,
Which he had earnestly desired might be' his'last
resting-place. 1
Peter the grea t t, is.,the second; reformer of , the
Russian Chureli; andfto him;jp conjunction with
‘the Modern Russian Stanley accord
ingly “'devotes coheluditfg I 'lecture: He : de
scribes his visit to Engiandyaod his personal ap!-
■pgaranpe, mot with the broad vivacity of,Macaulay
Ip his last voluine, .ftut ;witß .those quiet,and." gra
phic touches of outward feature which distinguish
Tils? style. ‘ Tliy-anctent G&Vs vanish to appear
no more, and” Peter'rainaifal* with us, occupying
henceforward the whole horizon. Gountenance,
and stature, and. ipanner, and; pursuits,. are absqr
lutels tlrift afiyfj in, our sight. We see ;Rie,».p
-i turned look, the long Mack hair falling babh from
his tine forehead, the “-fierce eyes glancing from
| beneath the spyerhangiqg,;fbrpws.—the mouth
clothed with indomitable We craze at his
gigantio height;’ hiS wild fapid movements, the
convulsive twitches of his face and hands'; the
-tremendous, walking,staff, almost a crowbar ;of
ftpn,-which hp swings, to, pndjfrfi; as he walks; .the
huge. Danish wolf-dog. arid its, twp ; little compa
nions, which run behind him.’ " With all his'owh
savage peculiarities,; arid the'* wild’ passions in
which-he freely indulgedi Peteri wriri tfudoubtedly
the great civilizer of Russia. ,JHe had a; dear per
ception of what-his country needed, .and ,fhe.mpst
persevering ambition eie
■vation in', the ' seale r of. iatiohs. f '"Nothing could
! 'tebte ,; Mm' l fiptii‘'ilfe- i Mb 'eridurdd,
“what itO-hliri • riinst- : liriTC ? beeri-ha kelf-d&
niriJl AfdteiSpleAdofebfylParisirlrid'jjhriKdritty and,
f* •: i t* j ,■ , !.r - * v . If • ,
what* is'still more the cleanliness of
Holland,’ that he might’acquire himself those
branches of knowledge and of art that he laboured
to recommend, to his,country men.
The reforms which he carried out' in the. church
were similar 1 to those 'attempted by Nicdu, —re-
forms of the ‘ customs,- institutions add ra
ther than of the doctHncs "and ideas ’ of Russian
Christianity, . Notwithstanding all his , contact
with western forms of religion and of frcc-thiukiug,
he remained himself attached with apparent sin
cerity to the Orthodox Church. He had dined
at.,Lambeth with -Archbishop* Tenison, and also
with Bishop Burnet,, to whose gossip we are in
debted for many Btories of his.visit to England;
he had attended Lutheran sermons in Germany,
and visited the house of Luther in Wittenberg,
where Jte dashed in-pieces the Reformer’s drink
ing..cup,in vexation at .not being allowed* to carry
away the-cnemorial; he bad loaded'-vessels with
works of Dutch theology for the enlightenraentof
his subjects, and come across freethinkers at Am
sterdam ; bat he remained stanch to the faith of his
fathers, anddooked hipon-an adherent of th’e Seven
Councils as wiser, than all modern -speculators in
reiigioD. • Yet he recognised the necessity of many,
advances ig Qhurph- as in State. Ho-increased
schools, regulated the monasteries, and set limits
to their growth. Ilis main constitutional change
was the abolition of the Patriarchate, and the-sub
stitution of a synod of prelates, presided over by
the Epaperpr or,his secretary. -He also innovated,
as Nicon had done, upon many details of ecclesi
astical habit; and his changes in this respect pro
voked more irritation, and* serious and permanent
opposition* than any of his greater changes. -* Rus
sian, Dissent seems to have been called forth chiefs
ly,ifnot entirely, in .this manner. It is the'off
spring, not of desire for change, but of conserva
tive resistance to change. The main body of Dis
senters,'known under the name of Stavovcrs, call
themselves. ‘ Old Believers,’ and claim tmbe the true
Orthodox Church of Russia. ‘They are Protes
tants,’ says Dr, ..Stanley, ‘but against.,all reform.
Tiiey are Nonjurors and Puritans both in one.
They regard the Established -Church as Babylon,
—themselves as the woman who fled into the wil
derness; iNicon as the False Prophet; the Em
peror as the great Dragon; Peter as Antichrist
himself. Their convents lrom the Established
Church are solemnly rcbaptized.’ .
The grounds of ihis Eastern Nonconformity are -
ludicrous in their frivolity, and present our author
with a test which he does not fail to improve.
It.was deemed a m.ortalsin, for example, that.Nicon
should have changed the time-honoured practice
'of blessing with only two fingers. The ‘doctrine
of (he three fingers,' asit was called, was impious
and heretical in the highest degree. The repetition
of the name of Jesus, in two syllables instead of
three, and of the Hallelujah thrice, instead of once,
were damnable errors. Equally to be reprobated
was the correction of the service-books and of the
old. version of the scriptures. In the same mau
meuimany of the innovations of Peter—the intro
duction of Western; pictures .into churches, the
use of tobacco, and even of potatoes—particularly
the alteration of the calendar, were regarded as fa
i tal heresies. The horroT caused by this change was
! extreme. ‘ Was it not the very sign of Antichiist,
!.that f the Emperor should change the times and
i;the.seqeotfs?Cbuld there beanything.so impious
as the. assertion that the world, was created in Ja-
I nuary, wfieu_ the ground was covered with snow,
—not on Sf. Saviour’s day in September, when the
•corn and the fruits were , ripe ?’ Tet there was
something.even worse than this—the attempt to
tty-l-enfm-na thn Wnrfnm Tnr.iiii_CLf_nnmnjr tlm t,na.ivi._
To sbave the beard was.pronounced ‘a sinjvhich
even the blood,of martyrs could not expiate/ 'So
strong was'the opposition on this point, that the
Emperor was compelled to some extent to give
way; and‘among the clergy of the established
Church, np Jess than among the Dissenters, ‘ flow
ing locks and inagnificent,beards ’ are still,the fa
shion. '
' ’ - _ ■» . f
JOYFUL LOVE TO ATT XTNSEEIT SA-
There have been enemies to tlic cause .of Christ,
•wli*o} f by plausible arguments, have attempted to
■prove that love to an:unseen Saviour is impossible;
fp,abs,urd a falfehQod.as.-hardlyito, refutai
tion. Sight is. not ,of itself the foundation or
cause of any affection to be dignified by the name
of love. We do not loye. that which merely
strikes the eye—beauty of configuration or color
ing; we only admire. The only way in which
sight can have any thing to do with the inspira
tion of geuuine, hearbaffeetion is by eatching the
expression of those inner qualifies of the soul that
are' adapted to excite it. And this it docs very
imperfectly.- It was not by sight that you learned
the character •of your friend so as to esteem and
love him for liis excellence:; it was. by conversation
and communion with liiro 3 by correspondence,
and especially by observation of bis. daily life and
hm conduct under peculiarly trying Circumstances.
And' do we not'know our blessed Savionv? - Have
,we not ample' facilities —-in some respects more
abundant.than they had who saw him in the flesh
—for becoming ’acquainted with his excellence?
We'hCye a fuller revelation of hii will iliain they'
had'; and one which seems perfectly adapted to
give us a knowledge ofhislovely character.. It
comes to us well attested, and with an imperative
claim upon our attention, and, belief; ~while, the
great subject ,of- its promise and prophecy, its de
scription and its eulogy; is, Christ desus—the ob
ject of; our love. From -the delineations of the
rapt Isaiah and.the simple stories ofthe- Gospel,
.wq kiiow.hini as hc;walked on ,earth,, as far. as,men
need know; it would, not add a whit to our,useful
information 'see -him, with these bodily eyes.
From'the inspired assurances of th'e JSpisties and
the gorgeous the- Kevelation, we
’ know ;him as he reigns and : shines, above, with
liis,tender heart.still, full-of luiman.sympa tines. -
mi besides this blessed book, wo have .other
sources of knowledge. .Tlie'ivorks of nature—the
'er&tibhs' of'his eveir telling of his wis
dom, Ipower;;andi goodopss"; : *aro'everacquainting
US withijhis glorious excellence,, and exciting 40
hislo.ve..;- Oh! how dull we.are to ; take, the rich
discoveries that nature .makes of jClirist—how
volume of his
knowledge an&praisel !But have- wc mot leal-ried
"souie'tbeng ofdnCi thus, au : d felt 'ourj affection
warmed,and deepened .by-the; gentle and.persua-
earth and.^ky*,the dprcsti and
flowers f The' proper, btndy of external nature
must'enrich the mind %itli precious' knowfedgC of
the ■ Saviour ; and if our* iCvo'lSi'ihus'drawn out
more! pure and glowing, ithat love shall throw a
paw glory -.over,; th,e, : same. scene?, And, reiterate
and doubie, tbei,r instruetive lesspns.| :, , ,4 ,
' Is there qothing in your exppri’encej my brethren,
tbe ; heavfefily Edwards ? “’God’C excellence, 1 his
wisdom, hisUove, seehied]tol appear in
every thing; in the; sun andim.pon.a.niijStars; in
the olouds and blue sky; in ;tjie ; grass,
trees; in the’water aud all nature;
greatly to fix my mind. -' I often used to sit Imd
view the moon for* cbntinua'nCe; ' and' in thC'day
spent mueh,4itne;in . viewing sfhes.cloudsiandjsky,
r iq behold the ?wcet glory, of. God anl,these,things;
an. the mean tiipe singing; forth, with a low voice,
my contemplations qf the Creator and Redbmef.
’As I was walking,' an'd'lookingi up on the skjrCUd
clouds, ' there cauie into* my min’d somweet a-sense
effflie glorious, majesty and grace of 'Ged/-that I
■ know not.how to express, p,I Seemed to see them
, sbqtlyp-a &we®t Wjstoetion; and mee|t
■ ness joined Together; it was a sweet and gentle
i ‘rnajeSty;’ l aiid' : also a* majestic' ;
, sweetness y a- ; high \urid great and'-holy
• ‘gcntlenfess.7 vio* 'T .. 1. ’
, _ Thus ■ Nature, her .thousand-dengue?,
12, 1861
North British Review.
VIOUE.
: T 1:" i ! ♦ '■ V- V 1 . ■ i -■ ■T • ■ ■ *!. ‘
speaks to tlio soul .that waits to hear, and opens
the subject 'of 'tho Saviour’s matchless perfections.
, Have you learned him thus,'my brethren, and
loved.him:'.as.'you;learned? What matter, then,
though we see him motwithourbodily eyes; may
.not. knp.w biai: fully by his word and works,
“ whom, having not seen, we love?”
'***o nc IUTW<
. The absurd notion th&t one cannot love .in in
visible Redeemer; puts out of the- way 1 entirely the
idea of faith... •: Why, faith takes;the place of sight
—yea, more than fills that place—as a means of
knowledge; it is the very substance of things
hoped;for,rand the<evidence, the demonstration of
things, not seen. And this faith immediately
works by love. ! suppose that the most tender
and confidential love is only-inspired by : a sense of
lovep it .must be reciprocal, to be perfect. Now
the thing, distinctive, and preeminent, which faith
reveals concerning Christ, is his love for.us. The
believer is made to see that his Saviour entertains
a strong and quenchless affection for him; that his
humiliation, obedience, agony and-crucifixion, are
all expressions of it; : that it is therefore stronger
than death. This it is that excites the answering
glow in, his breast :,“We love him because he first,
loved u 5..”.. • , ■ . . .' ,
Tic'Who' can say, “Dfy beloved is mine, and I
am his,” has Vwell-spring of pleasure within his
soul,: Whose waters, clear and exhaustless, are the
same as those that flow iilong.sparkling in the river
of life above. What, my brother, is that most
dear, and precious treasure yours? Have you pro
perty in Christ? And not only so, but actuul
possession and tenure? Are you really receiving
from his infinite fulness? Ts it your blessed pri
vilege; not only to have a right in him, but also
to have the present enjoyment of him, to be taken
into his covenant and communion ? Is his swell
ing heart of love yours; and is the answering, ec
static glow enkindled in your breast? Thrice
liappy. man I this must be joy unspeakable and full
of glory. . I’d rather have, an hour’s enjoyment of
this hope, and. love, and rapture, than a lifetime
of earthly and sensual delights, or an age of
merely intellectual and aesthetic pleasure ! This
is the privilege of every humble believer; and
if he now enjoys it not, it is only because he does
not keep himself in the love of his Saviour : that
is it which opens the soul to the experience of
these joys. Where is the mourning disciple, that
I may chide him for bis gloom? What aileth
thee, my brother, that thou art sad? Dost thou
love an unseen Saviour, and possess his love?
AVhy, then, walk in that love and joy; recall your
privileges; count over your treasures; lift up the
hands that hang down, and strengthen the feeble
knees! All. Christ is, is yours, and all he has;
all he has done, and all that he is. doing; all he
has,promised in the Gospel, all he has prepared
in heaven—all are yours. Himself the. richest
and.divinest treasure—in all the plenitude of his
outgnshing love and tenderness-—hirtiself is yours;
yours to keep, guide, protect, strengthen, comfort,
and save you;- idle not ' therefore, but
belie vingpbe not despondent, but glad and joyous.
Rejoice, for your redemption is both sure and
near. Said 'Jesus: “In this rejoice, not that the
spirits are'subjeot unto' you; but rather rejoice,
because your names are- written in heaven.”
If yon truly believed that Christ died for you;
that,you have an interest in his love;, that he is
pledged, for your complete salvation; that he is
able to rescue you from every danger, and bear
you conqueror through—would you not rejoice
and be exceeding glad ? > Your joy would bo, com
plex,-ecstatic, and intense. - There would be the
joy of;returned affection; the joy of fixed, immov
ttfele-eeeiwity; the- joy of triumphant victory; the
joy of rapt expectation ; for it doth not yet appear
what we shall be; the joy unspeakable and full of
glory—yea, glorified, oovered with the vwy glory
of heaven I This is what fills and beatifies the
soul, ,enabling it to take, pleasure cveu in trials
and .persecutions, that the power of Christ may
rest'upon it; to exult even at the approach of the
king of terrors; to rise from the river of death,
shake the -black waters from its glancing plume,
and dart upward to the abode of God ! Religion
a igloomy!-thiug! Bring hither your boasted
worldly delights, accumulate all eaith-born joys,
and see how they will look beside the pleasures of
religion. Tell me now, of which of these cawyou
say,it is a: “joy unspeakable and fall of glory?”
Ah ! the very phrase is a touchstone: you cannot
appropriate it.; it would look strange in any otheT
book^t ban this; you cannot utter it in connection
with any other subject than the love of Christ.
Rev. N. C. Loclrc, D. ».
THE SOLACE
“ God is our refuge and strength, a very pre
sent;help iu trouble.”—xlvi. 1.-
God is whatever his people needs, and whatever
he is, he is to them. Arc they in danger? He
is their refuge. Here they are sate from the
avenger of blood, the justice of'God, and the
threatening of a violated law. Are they weak ?
lie is their strength. lie will strengthen ■ them
for conflict with the foe, strengthen them while iu
the engagement, and bring them off more than
conquerors. Are they in trouble? He is a help,
a very present help, in trouble. • He will help
them to bear trouble. He will help them to im
prove trouble. He will deliver them in six
troubles, and in seven shall,no. evil, touch them.
Christian, in every danger run to thy God. His
arms arc open to receive thcc. His heart is a re
fuge for thee. He will screen thee, lie will
shelter thee. He will defend thee. He will be
thy protection in adversity and-prosperity,,-in fe
and death. In all thy. infirmities, repair., to lnm
for grace. He is the strength of the poor, and
the strength of the needy in his distress. He has
strengthened thousands of poor feeble ones, and
he will strengthen thee. Im all thy troubles go to
him for solace and succor. He will!help thee-
Hear.hisown precious words, addressed to his peo
ple when in deep trouble and distress:—“Fear
thou not, for 1 am with thee; bo not dismayed,
for I am thy God: T will strengthen thee ; yea, I
will.help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the
right hand of my righteousness.” lie is thy shield
in danger,, and thy. very present help iu trouble.
He is always at hand,, always ready to help, al
ways willing to bless thee.
- PABENTAL EAITHFULNESS. :
. Efobably rull:’CUriatiau parents, at. times, feel
deeply anxious for the conversion of. theircliildrep.
But tliey-indeed put forth., any earnest effort
for this momentous concern? Do they conduct
towards their children in such a manner as to con
vince ,them : that they do believe’their soufe are a§
.mueh.ito be cared for as their- bodies? With
many, parents,the -daily duties of life occupy most
of their time. - The evening hour is the only op
.pbftunity for serious thoughts. But the events
and ; the business of the day are to’ be discussed,
the daily-papers ;to,:be:Teadpaed nO;time ! iemainSj;
and perhaps, uo disposition is felt to speak to the
childreu of the necessity ;of securing a title to the
heavenly inheritance, to those mansions which
Ghrist'has gone to prepare for those wlib ldve him!
A title to an earthly estate would not bo thus neg
lected. Are many professedly Christian
parents, uiho.have never, invited their children to
the Savipuiy or s .tdd them of-.tUeir lost condition?
Nothing is ni%<» calculated to make an impression
on a child's initicl* than to hear a dear parent'ear
nestly pray for his conversion. Butliow often do
we hear a father pavtieularize every other object,
from “Greenland’s iey mountains to India’s coral
strand”—the'benignted heathen,'the poor Afri
can,' the islands of the sea, the missiouary and tlie
sailor, uni never mention hisown beloved children,
and-thus draw their, attention to their personal
•need of-religion; . ••
, Si'-G'od has.graoiously promtsed tn faithful-believers,
will pour ouksuiy,;Spirit upon; secd, an’d
VOL VI—NO. 2.—Whole No. 271.
t 1 t 1
Rev. James Smith
my blessingqupon thy ,offspring.” He will not be
slack concerning his .proiuise, and we should be
looking for and expecting an answer to onr pray
ers; for “ without faith it is impossible to please
God.’ Let us not doubt his word, for in due sea
son wc shall rcap, i£tee not..
DB. STOCKTON ON THE WAIL
Off the Sabbath after the Battle of 801 l Ban,
the Rev. Dfc Stockton,'Chaplain of the U. S.
House of [Representatives, preached a sermon on
Rom. xiii. 1, which- is said to have made a deep
impression tipon.a very intelligent audience. It
lias since been published, by request. The sub
jects American Sovereignty; but it concludes
with thefollowing paragraphs-relating to War:—'
What,is the Christian doctrine of .war? May
tbo war, and, prosecute war? Not
all. May it even encourage war? I doubt
this-—as a direct measure. The Church is a peace
institution, -. It should preach peace, and in every
way promote and encourage peace. The Church, so
tp speak, isnot the people’s proper war organ. It
was designed for redeeming, and not destructive
P??! 1 ? 868 - ~P“L,thpy ,hav.e.a. proper war organ.
'■lt'is.the'Siittei' As citizens, they are joint pos
sessors of State power, and responsible for the ex
ercise of it. The State , may declare war, and pro
secute war. But what is its justification ? May
it commence and carry on war at its own pleasure?
Not at all. It is the most solemn performance of
a sacred office; and must be fulfilled in the name
and with the sanction of God. The context illus
trates the whole subject; Let mo read the text
again, in its connection with the subsequent verses:
“ Let every soul be . subject unto the higher
powers; foOWre is no. poiver but of God; the
powdii tha'fmrar,: ordained of God. Whosoever,
therefore, resisteth the power, resisteth the ordi
nance: of God; and they that resist shall receive
to themselves damnation, [or condemnation.] For
rulers are not a terror to good works, but to the
evil. Wilt thou then not be afraid of the power?
Do that which is good, and thou shalt have praise
of the name; for he is the minister of God to thee
for good. But if thou do that which is evil, he
afraid, for be bearetli not the sword in vain; for he
is the minister of God, a revenger to execute wrath
upon him that doetli evil. Wherefore ye must
needs_ be subject, not only for wrath, bat also for
conscience sake. For, for-this cause ye pay tribute
also; for - they are-God’s ministers, attending con
tinually upon this very .thing. Bender, therefore,
to all their dues: tribute to whom tribute is due;
custom to whom custom; fear to whom fear;
honor to whom honor. Owe no man anything,
but to love one another, for he that loveth another
hath fulfilled the law.”
In ordinary cases-—eases concerning a single
criminal, or a few criminals only, war is not neces
sary. Punishment of evil is easily accomplished,
under such circumstances, by ordinary methods.
But in extraordinary cases—casesof extended
treason and all-threatening rebellion—war in some
form becomes a necessity. Yet the nature of the
act remains the same. It is a ministerial punish
ment of evildoers. There is no pleasure in it on
the part of the magistrate, any more than there is
on the part of-God—that is, if the magistrate act
in the true spirit of his office. It is an awful, but
imperative obligation; and derives all its pro?
priety and dignity from this fact. The more
blood on the sword the more tears also; and hap
py is’ the day when its blade may be restored to
its .brightness and returned to its sheath.
What then ? If war is to be thus justified by
Christianity itself, as, for iKeliiue being, an indis
pensable State power and office, how shall it be
conducted? Who shall be chiefly represented in
its management? The worst part of our popula
tion? wicked men? ignorant men? wild, rash,
and. cruel men? men who take pleasure in rapine
and violence? men who fight for the love of fight
ing, and care not what amount of distress they
create? men who laugh at the Bible, and scoff at
God? Are, they to be chiefly remembered and re
spected by, our authorities, and allowed to fill our
camps with profanity, Sabbath-breaking, intempe
rance, and all. manner of iniquity? Surely these
are not the people. They are the rabble. The
great masses of Evangelical Christians, and all
who sympathize: with them in reverence of divine
institutions, they are the people, the strength, and
beauty, and glory of the nation. They are to be
chiefly represented in the management of war, as
in all other connections; the best part of our po
pulation; good men; intelligent men; prudent
men; just men; benevolent men; men who de
plore the necessity of war; men who believe the
Bible and adore and worship God. They are to
be remembered and respected, and such a disci
pline established and enforced in the council, in
the canyt, and in the field, as they can approve
and sustain; such a discipline as will preserve ia
the army the highest moral tone; the majestic
sense of law, and the solemn and immovable might
of a good conscience.
There is no ’Sabbath in war! Who says so?
Has God ever said so? Does the Bible say so?
Do the people say so? Does the Church, or even
the State, duly representing the.people, say so?
Or, is it bn’unauthorized assumption—an arbitra
ry and infidel description ? The Jews regarded
the law of the Sabbath as prohibiting war. In
their later ages,'indeed, they so cohstraoted it as
to admit tfie propriety of a defensive battle. And,
so .far as I have noticed, they always make their
defence good. But an onset was not allowable on
the Sabbath, 'Neither, in niy judgment, does
Christianity allow it. Nor can I hope for success
under such circumstances. -
Oyr IvUebattle was a Sabbath battle. It is said
to have been specially ordered so; to provide a
.spectacle for civilians who could attend on that
day! Can this be true? If so, who can wonder
at the result?
. : Somo. forty regiments werethere. Were there
fofty. chaplains, also, the Christian
ministry of the country? And were there hun
dreds or thousands of soldiers also, representing
the members!)ip of' the churches of the country?
Why,?thenj was: not the sentiment of
the, country; remembered and' respected ? Was
that ousel a woric of necessity ? Not at all. Was
it the work of rticrcy? ' Nut at all. Bather it was
the work of cruelty. The necessity was for rest—
for sleep —for food —for religious instruction and
worship. Had the Sabbath been observed, as it
ought to have been,..in.all probability—that is, so
far as we can 'see and judge—the 'result would
have been different. As it was, there was no de
feat, properly speaking. Never was greater bra
very exhibited, in the history of the world. And
victory was almost assured. But,, then, for wise
purposes doubtless, the innocent were allowed to
suffer for the guilty. Then came the punitive
panic] the judicial disappointment. And the ci
vilians, for whom it is said the battle was ordered,
became the instruments of-overthrow. The “ Na
tro N A LIN TEEM » encer ” —perhaps the most trust
worthy of all ’jout-hals, in an editorial headed
“ The Tstjth of HiStoby;” issued on last Fri
day-—distinctly declares —“The panic began with
some amateur'warriors, was communicated to the
teamsters, anduffected only a portion of the troops,
who bad been wearied by a ten fours’ struggle
without food or refreshment of any kind. The
great body of the army maintained good order.”
" Well would it have been for these civilians, and
for their country also, if, instead of attending this
Sabbath battle, they had been quietly assembled
in the sanctuaries of the city, adoring and worship
ping God, in the beauty of his holiness. And well
would it have been for our army, as for our coun
try, also, if that Sabbath had'been kept as a holy
day, throughout the encampments; if the bodies
of the soldiers had been refreshed by food and
rest, and their spirits refreshed by hymns and
the' thousand conseience-eheerers of
the word of God. ;
Boston. Recorder.