ToL §(*!?(. I KNOW HOT WJSEHv I know not when } but this I knoyy,. That it will surely come to me, ; , < The day which comes to all bMtjw,' ” ' WhichWety child of eartb taiBt's4o i v •’ ' For o’er Ms spirit none hatbfcfei • To heap it in that lastdseadiHJtifc 5 I, 1 know that I shall VatbH &e’iitiin; As I have watchsd’liini-nihtsj' a’day, In gold behiadthe hills'.go- down, Gliding witfo splendor at th,e way i . I shall not see.bipn set again, Yet this 1 shall not know e’en then. Some night, I know, the shades will gather, The dusky shadows damper grow, The silept stars come out together, The last that I shall see below; Some Spring time I shall mark the trees Grow daily greener o'er mjf head, And In the Autumn I shall feel The dead leaves rustle ’neath’my tread— Nor know next Autumn’s winds shall come To strew the dry leaves on my tomb. And there will ha a darkened room, And they will catch my faintest breath, And silence,' and a gathering gloom, Will fait from off the wings of Death; . I shall not hear the muffled tone, The silent whisper, “He is gone.” But when this last great change shall come, Is hidden from ub —and ’tis beßt; If I be ready for my home, It matters not how soon I rest; Death will be but the end of sorrow, Dawn of an endlesß, heavenly morrow. [ibs THE AMERICAS PRESBYTERIAN. ] THE EMIISH MISSIONARY SOCIETIES. London, Sept. 18,1861. Mr bear Brother Mhars: We have been a week in this busy, throb ting heart of great Britain-—nay, of the world. 0 what a throng of living, dying im mortals are rushing daily through these crowded streets and Dusy marts. The past las been a week crowded with scenes and full of interest. We have heard Messrs. Sjmrgeon, Cummings, and Punshon, seen lYestminster Abbey, the Houses of Parlia ment, the National Gallery, and the Crystal Palace, There is much here to see and ad mire, but nothing has stirred deeper interest iii my oWn heart than my visits to these large Missionary Societies, whose one great and blessed object it is to carry the gospel to the heathen. Prominent among these, let me mention six. 1. “The, Church Missionary Society” a very effective organization, and one whose missionaries hold a very prominent position 'Mwwg all-who labor, in foreign, especially in India and Africa, flier annual income is about £lBO,OOO ($650,000.) 2. “ The Wesleyan Missionary Society” is \j no means’ inferior in the number of her agents, or the amount of funds she devotes to this work. Her income the past year reached £140,000 ($700,000.) 3. “The London Missionary Society” rich with the experience and prestige of many rears, nobly holds on its way, with an annual income of about £85,000 ($425,000.) 4. “The Baptist Missionary Society” has a smaller income, only about £30,000 (or 3150,000,) but this, too, is accomplishing a ,-ood work, especially in India. 5. The English Presbyterians have a dis trict missionary organization, with the genial, wbane Dr. Hamilton for their Convener. ! r lliey sympathize warmly with the Free 1 Inirch of Scotland, tint are nobly meeting >«ir own responsibilities, and are about to • nmence a new mission in India. 6. “The Moravian Missionary Society” b organization of a noble band,; ever to be admired for their early, earnest and perse vering efforts to preach Christ to .the perish ing heathen. in these Societies, reaching out their arms i'ith loving hearts to embrace the heathen— expending more than $2,000,000 a year to win them to Christ, have we not .a precious .exhibition of the spirit of the gospel—a re-i deeming element .in this wicked city, which may well gladden the heart of'every disciple "I Jesus ? There are some elements in the administration of these Societies, which, if I mistake not, might furnish useful hints to the managers of some of our kindred organiza tions in America. Let us mention a few of these briefly. 1. The experience of returned missionaries, "nd of pious laymen, who have lived near msion fields abroad , is secured as far as r'lmhle m the home administration. Yester- iay a kind invitation brought me in session "ith the large Committee or the Church Mis ■ onary Society; and after a very courteous Production, I had the pleasure of listening ime three hours to their deliberations- Ground the table were seated some twenty fe or thirty gentlemen- Prominent among s‘m was the venerable Secretary, Rev. ! bary Venn, B. D., whose prompt, active ; «nd did much to expedite business, while •'eiy word and act was tempered with genial navity. He sat at the right of the Chair :| an ) to whom I was introduced as Major Sacral Clarke, on old India offioer, familiar "A the working of missions there from per ■‘jnal observation. Across the table sat .'lajor General Robert Alexander, like Gen. Uarke, of many years’ experience in India, between them sat Lieut. Col. Caldwell, for sierly Governor of the Red River settlement "! America, and bringing the fruits of his from that "quarter of the world. to myself sat the Hon. James Parish, ?thirty-two years* experience in India, and, | Jl j a time, acting Governor of Bombay. .°‘ in Fryst Thomas, Esq., formerly Secre t? 1 ' to the Governor of Madras, Lieut. Col. ■‘"i’ties, Col. Tudor Lavie, ahd soveftfl others «>have long served their queen and coun lybroad, are now giving the benefits of “ • iv rich experience to the cause of missions, * Members of this noble committee. When of to t^ie Secretaries, I found that two ’ jiwn also had enjoyed years of experience i,j c foreign field, , These were Rev. John ‘‘apiuan, long a missionary in the Mysore , '-cuthern India, and Col. Michael Dawes, |! n j? ltl the government service in Northern ss|” ll . a » last official' act there being the kit!” I ®, of the verdict i'n the trial of the late vj » Delhi, Having' retired frond il),. -’ 10 now gives his time and energies to " '“torcsts of this society. Rev. Mr. Knight, too, a third Secretary, has spent Some years' at the mission stations abroad; fend* has the" benefit of the,experience and obser.v&tionthuS Whether all these Missionary ,Societie|gt avail themselves of such experience tp so S-eat an. extent, I have' not ascertained.* ttt of the Wesleyan Society T' may say, we’ had- the pleasure of the acquaintance and, company Of onC of their Secretaries, the Rev. Mr. Boyce, and his accomplished wife and daughter; ; outboard the Persia ;from New ;that they had spent some a* at a^emote,station # -fpirteen mqre,in T Aimtr»Ha;, and, whpn.l subsequently called at f the Mis sion House, he kindly introduced me ( to ano ther Secretary, the Rev. Dr! Hoole, ,who Has enjoyed some dozen years’ experience as a missionary ih India, and still a-third, the Rev- Wm. Arthur, "known add honored «iri ft “The Tonosof T»-e,” was for- some, yeirS -a- missioriaryln the Mysore. Now is not this as it shmild be ? Is not the personal experience of missionaries and others as valuable in the management of our missionary organizations as in other enter prises? And if yon will not consider my question invidious, let me ask, why is it that this Experience is l so generally , disregarded in our American missionary Societies? I am not aware that any of them has a returned missionary, or a pious laymah even, possessed of such experience, oh any of their executive committees. Why is it so? lam aware we have not so many laymen doing service in foreign lands as Great Britain has, hut surely among all those who from (ime.to time repre sent our government and interests at foreign courts, and in the immediate vicinity of some of our missions, there must be some whose knowledge and experience would he valuable. Besides, we have now a very large number of returned missionaries. Of those formerly in the service of the American Board alone, there are not less than eighty or a hundred who have returned and are now living in the United States. What more fitting than that the sound judgment and large experience of, such men as. the Rev. Dr. Allen and others, after serving the Board a quarter of a cen tury in the foreign field, should be rendered directly serviceable in' its home administra tion? Is not the practice of the most suc cessful of these English Societies, in this par ticular, worthy of serious consideration? 2. Another noticeable element in the ad-: ministration of these Societies pertains to the she and changing character of their executive committees . And here, too, let me illustrate by referring to the Church Missionary So-, tiettf. Their executive committe consists of twenty-four laymen, “ and all such clergymen as are members of the society.” As they may become members by paying half a guinea, m .50,) or by collecting 20 guineas from their congregations, these clerical members, are to be reckoned by thousands, each ep titled voioe KHci voteia ;tbe executive committee. Of the twenty-four laymen, six retire and six new ones are elected every year. What a safeguard here against any measure being carried by the personal feel ing or caprice of one Or two ruling minds! A would gladly speak of some other ele ments in the administration of these societies as they have come un.der my observation, but time and space forbid. - The above has been penned by snatches amidst many engage ments, not the least pleasant Of which was ah impromptu lecture last night to the con gregation of the Rev. Thomas Binney in the “ Weigh House Chapel.” We came here total strangers, having met no one in London we ever saw before.' Bui the Lord has raised up' friends for us whose kind interest and prayers we shall value, a few of whom have kindly sent us some £OO to help us on our way. We leave this afternoon for South ampton, and embark to-morrow for India, please God, by the way of Alexandria and the Red Sea. We shall remember our pro vidential visit to this.city with pleasure, but our hearts are longing to be again in our dear; mission, and rejoicing in prospect of reach ing there early in November, and having the cool months before us in which to resume and set forward our work. As ever in the service of the gospel, Yours sincerely, [■FOB THE AMERICAN PRESBYTERIAN.], SCRIPTURAL ILLUSTRATIONS. NUMBER, FIVE. EXODUS. ‘And they [the locusts] shall cover theface of the earth that one cannot be able to see the earth: and they shall eat, etc. 14, And the locusts went up over all the land of Egypt, and rested in all the coasts of Egypt: very grievous were they; * * * the land was darkened;” * * Ex. x. 5, 14, 16. As an illustration of the large quantity, and consequent scourge, of those locusts which were miraculously sent into Egypt at the period above referred to, the following history of great flights of this insect may be interesting. It is recorded that an immense host of locusts ravaged a part of Italy in the year 591, and that they were of a size unu sually large. When at last they fell into the sea, such an unwholesome odor arose from the dead masses, that nearly a million of men and beasts perished from the pesti lence. In 1478 over thirty thousand persons are said to have perished in the Venetian Terri tory, from a famine occasioned by these scourges. A cloud of them invaded Russia in 1650, at three different points, from thence passing oter to Poland and Lithuania,, darkening the air by their numbers. In some places they lay like a black cloth upon the ground, in others they covered the ground to the depth of four feet with their dead bodies. Even trees bent beneath their weight, and the da mage done exceeded all computation. At a later period, in Languedoc, the sun becoming hot, they,took wing, and falling Upon the corfi, devoured /both ‘leaf and eat-; consuming a whole field in three hours. They then attacked vines, pulse, willows, and lastly, hemp, notwithstanding its bitter ness. Vast swarms did great barm in 1747, in Wailachia, Moldavia, Transylvania,' Hun gary and Poland. In August there was a swarm several hundred fathoms in width, — (one at Vienna was three miles in breath,) and was four hours in passing one point, the Red Tower. They totally intercepted the light of the sun, and when they flew low, no objects Could be seen only twenty paces dis ; taut. c ' : >*4 b '«nr ■} ■ £ .<v-' f-- * • T f .. R. G. Wilder. ■ OCTOBER 24, 1861.%, L In the narrative of Captain Little’s de tachment when at Eoonah, Major Moor was witness to an immense .army of locusts sup posed to have come from Arabia, and whibh ravaged' the Mahtattsi eduhtfy. 1 " The edluhin was stated to extehd five hundred niiles; ; |jef- ! reetly eclipsing' the cast hy .any. object,;* and /lofty! 'itombk were rendered quite. invisible, tant not inose; than ;twp hundred yards. '”•> In ther Southern; partaLof .Africa, j|!r...|jar*' ♦ronatates, fhat fap area, of ~msrj.y sand square miles might bf said literally to be covered with them. When they 1 .whin driven into the jeaj 'hyr a northwest wfiid, they formed upon: th% shore, for fiffy miles;' a bank three or four feet high, and when the wind was southeast, the stench was so power ful as to be offensive at the distance of one hundred and fifty mile|. Idevaslilif^hy green thing, not excepting the bitter bush of of the orange and pomegranate. A dreadful famine followed. The poor wandered over the country, deriving a miserable existence from the roots of plants. In consequence, vast numbers perished, and the roads and streets' exhibited the unburied carcasses of the dead! Fathers sold their children, and hiisbands their wives! In 1799, the ground from Mogadore to Tangier, was covered with locusts, and this preceded the plague. The whole region from the Sahara, was ravaged by them; but on the other side of the river Elkos not one of them was to be seen, although there was nothing to prevent their flying over. All the coun try north of El Araiche was full of pulse, fruit and grain, exhibiting a most striking contrast to the desolation of the adjoining district. At length -they were all carried by a violent hurricane into the Western Ocean: the shore was covered by their carcasses as in former instances, and a pestilence .followed upon the horrid stench which they emitted; but, when this ceased, their devastations were followed by a most abundant crop. STUDIES OF CHRIS,TIM LIFE AND GHA- RACTER. JONATHAN EDWARDS, Edwards died at a comparatively early age. He had never very good health to boast of, and his position as a country minister in an obscure colony was not, to say the least of it, exceedingly favorable to the leading of a literary life. And yet, as everybody knows, few have written so largely, so elaborately,’ and so profoundly on the most difficult ques tions in theological science. It is far from being the design of this .paper to review his works. . About their intrinsic worth and the manner in which they are executed, we need a(j.pigesey.t...to aaT.Jiffihipgj.-:; Me' 'are..inaui rmg, character ; and we should overlook one of the most remarkable features in that character if we failed J to notice this notable fact, and did not endeavor to ascertain to what, in his constitution or habits, it was probably due. Here, if we mistake not, many of ns may learn a lesson which we greatly need. In the first place, I suppose we may admit that he was constitutionally methodical. His mind, while it was far from lacking that fa culty of insight or intuitive perception which entitles us to call him a man of genius , was perhaps mainly logical in its cast. What we chiefly admire‘in his writings is the care and patience with which he collects and classifies his facts, and, by the slow yet sure process of induction, proceeds to rear upon them a solid and closely-eompaeted super structure of argument. This! habit of patient and thorough investigation -appeared very early, and may be set down as having origi nated in a natural or constitutional ten dency. '" "'But, even making allowances for, this, he ..would certainly never have achieved so much as he did in after life had it not been for one notable peculiarity in his training. Even when a boy, he began to' study with a pen in Ms hand, not for the purpose of copying off the thoughts of others, but for the purpose of writing down and preserving the thoughts suggested to his ,own mind. This most use ful practice he commenced in several branch es very early, and he steadily pursued it in all his studies through life. His pen appears to have been always in his hand. “From this practice steadily persevered in, he de rived the very great advantage of thinking continually during each period of study ; of thinking accurately; of thinking connected ly; of thinking habitually at all times; of ■banishing from his mind every subject which was not worthy of continued and systematic thought; of pursuing each given subject of thought as far as he was able, at the happy moment when it opened spontaneously on his mind;- of pursuing every such subject after wards, in regular sequence, Starting anew from the point where he had previously left off, when again it opened upon him in some new and interesting light;, of preserving his best thoughts, associations, and images, and then arranging them under their proper heads, ready for subsequent use; of regularly strengthening the faculty of thinking and reasoning, by constant and powerful exercise; and above all, of gradually moulding himself into a thinking being—a being who, instead of regarding thinking and reasoning as la bor, could find no enjoyment hut in intense, systematic,' and certain thought.” How many,might have left their mark upon the world, if they had followed the practice so early adopted and so persistently pursued by Jonathan Edwards. No farmer with any re gard to his own interest, will allow his fields to lie fallow if they please. He knows well that the soil requires to he systematically cultivated if it is to he really profitable; and he has Ms mind too intently set on a plenti ful crop in the harvest, to neglect the means necessary to secure that desirable end. Few of us, however, seem to look with anything like the . same practised eye upon the capa bilities and resources of our minds. They are left to grow wheat or tares—nothing or much—just very much as circumstances may chance to direct; and thus it happens that we stand in utter amazement when we come to contemplate a life like that of Edwards, in which there appears an extraordinary re turn for the outlay which, according to our calculation, ought to have.preceded it. But; it was not merely the divine gift of “ thought ”. that Edwards husbanded, so as to make the most of it. Time also was with Mm atalerit far too preciou||io'Be wasted.' He accustomed himself to at four, or betweeihfoUr and Aye ‘in the||prning; and, in waiter, , apent sever &L qi 'fflpse hours in study which are commonly v|&ed in slum- B,fr„Hot,. that reerea ; ln the evenia® we are told, '£e ' muafiy jalipwed Bumself |Season of re ; laitfiadn in' fhe _ midat of h^patnily; and, h ( Mh’ih the'afeiMir' ; Seaidifll®tode or walk : the-h&Mbof >fctfMhg axe in*Bp||ahd spending half an- hour in preparing wooSjpr household donsumption. •. Met atilh ; wslß,;«l these syste matic, endeavors to get hii®Bd®'elief, we can find that, he .seldom tin securing entire abandonment for his,, mind. Even :when he rode out into 'the , $ ttntry —osten- sibly for recreation—he carrfel his pen and iififc nlbnd with him, fo' tfolhiih '.thought that ppf6Mse‘d to tfeow light upon any importas Fsiibject; and when these could not be used ti the moment, he adopted a kind of artificial Jmemory, with a view to reoollection 'of trains cf thought or illustrations, pinning pieces jrf paper here and there-upon his coat. We cannot but admire, of "course, this thorou-ghgoing effort to turn every moment to .accdpnt; though, perhaps, according to our mddern notions, it would have been better, for ike. health at once of body and spirit; "if Re - had suffered his thoughts on these occafeidfts to range, abroad somewhat, more freely. To all tills it maybe added; jn further ex planation of the point now im hand, that re cognising the intimate connection which sub sists between body and mind, he endeavored to regulate Ms diet so as to get, the greatest possible amount of work ,out„of both.. In eating and drinking he was jisufclly abstemi ous, and constantly watchful, ' He carefully observed the different sorts of "food, and se lected that which, while itl his; bodily vigor, left Ms mmd nijjst sprightly and active ; he most scrupulously and exactly confined.Mmself to the prescribed limits, re garding it as a shame and a sin to waste his time, and Ms mental strength animal in dulgence. -In a word, to sum up the whole in the language used hy his biographer, “ So. exact was his- distribution of hip time, and so perfect the command of his mental powers, that, in addition to his preparation of’ two discourses in each week, his stated f and occa sional lectures, and his custohfiry pastoral duties, he continued regularly his “Notes on the Scriptures;’ his ‘Miscellanies,’ Ms ‘Types of the Messiah,’ and a work ‘he soon after his settlement at Northampton, commenced, entitled, ‘Prophecies of the Messiah in the Old Testament, and their Fulfilment.’ ” It was to have been expected of one who was thus so frugal in the management of his time and strength as to accomplish an unu sual, amount of public duty, that in the more personal work of promoting theiprosperity of his own soul, he would exhibit at least an ecmaUv anxjous and pains-takMjtspiiij;. -And vate papers there are very many maxims and reflections in-wMch this appejura; and just as from the study of his plan of life we can ex plain to ourselves how it was that he was able with Ms weak body to do so much of literary and pastoral" work, so from an examination of his diary and resolutions, we can account, humanly speaking, for his eminence as a Christian. One or two extracts from these will serve to illustrate this point:— “ Resolved —Never to lose one moment of time, hut to improve it in the most profitable way I possibly can. ’ “Resolved— To live with-all my might while I do live. • . “ Resolved —To live so at all times, as I think best in my most devout frames, and when I have the clearest notions of the things of the gospel and another world. “Resolved —To study the Scriptures so steadily, constantly and frequently, as that I may find, and plainly perceive, myself to grow in the knowledge of the same. “Resolved —To ask myselLat the end of every day, week, month andJteaE, wherein I could, possibly in any respectmave done bet ter. 1 ‘ ‘■Resolved—~S ever to give over, nor in the least to slacken my fight with my corruption,' however unsuccessful I may he. ' ' “ Resolved —After afflictions, to inquire what I am the better for them; what good ! have got by them; and what, I might have got by them. “I think it a very good way to examine dreams every morning when I awake; what are the nature, circumstances, principles, and ends of my imaginary actions and passions in them, in order to discern l what are 1 iny prevailing inclinations, etc. “How it comes about I know not, but I have remarked it hitherto, that at those times when I have read the Scriptures most I have evermore been most lively and in the best frame. , “Determined, when I am indisposed to prayer, always to premeditate what to pray jfor, and that it is , 5 better mat the .prayer, should, be of almost any shortness, .than that my mind should be almost continually off from what I say. “I have loved the doctrines of the gospel; they have been to my soul like green pas tures. The way of salvation by Christ has appeared in a general way glorious and ex cellent, most pleasant and • most beautiful. It has often seemed to me that it would in a great measure spoil heaven to receive it in any other way. “There are very few .requests that are proper for an impenitent, man; that are not .also, in some sense, proper for the godly. “Though God has forgiven and forgotten your past sins, yet do not forget them your self; often remember what a wretched bond slave you were in the land, of Egypt. “ One new discovery of the glory of Christ’s face will do more toward scattering clouds of darkness in one minute than examining old experience, by the best riirks that can be given through a whole yifc. These: sentences Edwards was not one who was- right thinking in The thirteen hours- which he spent daily in his study were devoted to other ends besides the preparation of learned books. His thoughts took, to a great extent, a personal and practical turn. And hence we find in his writings quite as of what may help us in holy living as ’ what will give us clear, and sound, and satis factory views of Christian doctrine. In every respect, in short, Edwards’ was pre-eminently a life in e'amest, and as. such it may be com-' mended to the study, not only of those who have talents to employ in the public service of the church, hut of the humblest individual believer. We had intended to have given in this paper a brief sketch of the revivals in which Edwards took a part; and of his important contributions toward the .right management of such movements. But our space in the present is exhausted. In the- meantime, we may conclude with remarking that the kind of service which this great Christian thinker has rendered to the church generally, is ex actly, that which we might have expected. Sitting from day to day in his study with his thoughts concentrated on the Bible—the system of divine truth'which he believed it to reveal—and the relation of the gospel to the world at large, and to the individual soul with which it was brought into contact, he could not but feel impelled to address him self to the solution of the more perplexing spiritual problems, and to. the discovery, if possible," of an inner law of harmony under the outward chaos which-appears in so many places to reign. Accordingly, we have from his pen elaborate treatises on, such subjects as Original Sin, and the Freedom of the Will, —a comprehensive review of the history Of the world in its bearings on the great central Cvent of all time,- the crucifixion, under the title of the “ History of Redemption,” —a searching examination into the nature and phenomena of spiritual religion in his “Re ligious Affections,” —and many sermons and other minor works, in which an effort is made to grapple with all the more pressing difficul ties which trouble thoughtful and earnest minds.— Christian Treasury. CONFERENCE 01 THE AMERICAN QUESTION AT THE EVANGELICAL ALLIANCE. According to promise, we give our readers an. account* of this Conference, but while the. expression of sympathy Will gratify all, we think they will be decidedly disappointed in the tone of the proceedings. Dr. Baird makes one or two erroneous statements (if he is correctly reported,) and we think it humil iating in the citizens of a great nation, to adopt the tone of complaint which seems to have prevailed. , The discussion, according to the London Watchman, was opened by Dr. Baird. With 'a view to render the matter clearly intelligible, be gave a brief sketch of the history of the Union, commencing with the planting of the first settlements in Virginia. and Massachusetts by Cavaliers and Puritans, respectively, and tracing the growth of the colonies down to the period of the War of In dependence, at which time slavery existed in the whole of the thirteen States. He next remarked upon the abandonment of slavery by Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and the New England States, and. then de scribed the struggle which ensued between the North and South for the possession of the new States that were afterwards added, to the tnuuii, ana in the Missouri Compromise. To the abro gation of that compromise by Mr. Douglas, he attributed all the mischief that is now afflicting the country. The question, of sla very, he added, was at the bottom of the pre sent struggle. The North sought to prevent the extension of slavery into new territories, and they made it one of the chief planks of their platform at the last Presidential election. They did not. seek to interfere with slavery in the States where it at present existed, be cause in those States it wab guaranteed by the Constitution, and was therefore inviolate. The election of Mr. Lincoln gave the South a pretext to carry out What they had long contemplated, the overthrow of the Constitu tion and the formation of a Southern Confed eracy. Dr. Baird eulogized the past forbearance and present actiyity of the Washington Cab inet, and, in vindication of its policy in not declaring against slavery, said that, in addi tion to its being contrary to the Constitution, such a step would cut off all hope of regain ing the eleven Southern l Statesithathad se ceded ; would risk the loss of the four fron tier States, whose influence on the South might be brought to bear hereafter; and woqld, moreover lead to the danger of a ser vile war on the part of the slaves. It was for these reasons that the Government re frained from declaring the abolition of slav ery. They did, however,-take one step in that direction, by receiving fugitive slaves within the lines of the United States army, and emancipating those belonging to disloyal citizens. In concluding, Dr. Baird complained that the articles in the Times had done infinite mischief in America, and he also complained of observations made at the Cheever meeting in London, from which it would he inferred that the North was not sincere in its hostility to slavery. \ An address was read by the Rev. Mr. Priest, from New Jersey, who, after com plaining of the coldness manifested by the mojher country towards her daughter at the hour of trouble, proceeded to argue that the question of slavery was at the root of the American war. The Federal Government, however, had no political right to declare the entire abolition of slavery in the different States, which were to a great extent indepen dent of each other '; and if it was contended that it ought to fall back upon the" moral right, the argument would apply to England as much as to the American Government it self, and Great Britain would be bound by force of arms to suppress slavery in the Southern States. He desired no sympathy from Great Britain, in regard to the political aspect of the question, but he confidently asked for her sympathy and her prayers in respect to its moral aspect, as involving the great question of human freedom. Sir Culling Eardley, before resigning the chair to Colonel Walker, said that if it could only he shown that the question of slavery was'identified with the North, in spite of the Times , or any other portions of the periodi cal press, the sympathies of England would be at \ts back. “ 1 Addresses were delivered by the Rev. Carr Glyn, Pastor Fisch, the Hon., Arthur Kin naird, Dr. Squier the Hon. and Rev. Bap tist Noel, Dr. Caird, and the Rev. Norton Brown; the general sentiment of the speak ers being that, so far as the question of sla very, was concerned, the sympathies of the Alliance would be entirely with the North, but that the members should express no opinion on the political bearings of the strug gle. Dr. Brown added that Englishmen were apt to.regard their brethi-en, in the Ngr|h as a little lax in regard to slavery; and would be more sympathising -with them if they , did not so persistently fail back upon the Constitution, but would show themselves prepared at the right time to reconsider any portion of it which was in opposition to the law of God. Dr. Sawtell, of America, deli vered a short speech, which, as it consisted of but about a dozen words, you may as well have entire Give us your earnest pray ers ; learn' to grow your own cotton; and there will soon, be an end to slavery.” In order to bring the discussion to a point, a resolution was submitted by Dr. M. P. Squier, and recommended for adoption by the General Committee, which was after wards unanimously adopted, as follows: “ The' Conference of Christians of all coun tries, assembled at Geneva, testifies to its brethren of the United States, the lively sympathy which it feels for them in the .ter-, rible ,which, desolates their country. The members of this Assembly clesire to pray fervently that these deplorable events may be turned to the advancement of the inter ests of humanity, of liberty, and of the king dom of God. Convinced that the existence of slavery is the cause of the war, the Con ference prays to the Lord to incline the hearts of his children in America to bring about by, wise and Christian measures, the suppression of this institution, which is as contrary to the spirit of the gospel as it is to the peace, progress, and prosperity of that great nation. And since our brethren of the United States have set apart the 26th inst., as a day of solemn humiliation and prayer, the Conference invites Christians of different countries to unite on that day before the throne Of grace to pray with them brethren in regard to their present trial, remembering that if one member suffer all the others suffer with it.”' HOWTOLIVE IN DISREGARD OF MENS’ ; ' ' ■ JUDGMENTS.'"'" ■ The day is coming, very soon, when all the judgments of men, which now give you so unwise a concern, shall he blotted out, as clouds of the morning or turbid dreams of feverish delirium ; and when you will be transfixed by contemplating' the righteous, final, incontrovertible doom of the All-seeing and Almighty Jehovah. In those moments when you feel yourselves in danger of being unduly .moved by human opinion, let your attentive thoughts hurry forward to the time —behold it is at the door—when the trumpet shall sound, the globe shall tremble in the mighty hand of Him that made it, the graves and seas shall render up their dead, the throne shall be set, and the books shall be opened; when the Son of Man shall come in his glory and all the holy angels with him, and shall sit upon the throne of his glory; when all nations shall be gathered before him, and he separated on his right hand and his left; and when, in your presence, in your hearing, and addressing himself to you, he Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the founda tion of the world—or, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels. At that awful juncture, which assuredly awaits you, at what value, think ye, will you hold the decisions of fel low-worms upon, your conduct?' With what degree of complacency will you look hack upon the servile compliances, the shrinkings from duty, the doubtful indulgences, the worldly [conformities, into which you have been tempted by regard for huinan approba tion or censure ? This, this—believe me—is the great commanding motive, which ought to keep you upright, amidst the conflicting voices of popular judgment. Let your souls be absorbed by the just judgment o'f God. Fear God more, and you will fear man less. And, in regard to others, be. instructed by the words of the apostle, and “judge nothing before the time, until the Lord come, who both will bring to light the hidden things of darkness, and will make manifest the coun sels of, the heart: and then shall every man have praise of God.” And 0 ye, who have been the slaves of human opinion, and have done all your works to be seen of men; what shall it profit you to have had the acclamations of the multitude, if, when driven away in utter nakedness and arraigned before the tribunal from which there is no appeal, you feel the eye of God piercing you to the heart, and the frown of God withering your disconsolate spirit! All things earthly are tending towards, that awful consummation. All our days are'preparing materials for the adjudication of “ that day.” And alas t how unprepared are some who read these words, for that appearance before God ! Can it he possible that we remain un concerned, when no voice has yet assured us whether the judge shall place us on the right hand or the left? Yet on one or the other, must you and I speedily stand. The time is short. The days are hastening. The sands are falling. The doom.is impending. “What meanest thou, 0 sleeper? arise; call upon thy God, if so he that God will "think hpOn us, that we perish not.” And lam hound, before I close, to declare, that no strength of human resolution, no philosophical difficulty, no relf-righteous purpose, will avail to pro duce this independent elevation of character. There must be. an operation which shall reach to the inward sources of action, with revolu tionary power. Ye must be born again. Ye must be at peace with God. What is imper atively demanded, is not merely new views, but a new‘nature. In which I find*a mighty argument with which I may urge every rea der, as here I do, to seek true vital piety, and to seek; it without delay. Then—when the Holy Spirit .shall take your heart into his moulding hand—you will be delivered from the mortifying experience of meahindecisiou, truckling to the demands of the world, broken resolutions, and a violated conscience. Chris tian brethren, let it be our daily prayer that we may cease from man, whose breath is in his nostrils, and look to God as the Judge that ever M i Pi<feth,,at thejooi*, “ Therefore, my. beloved brethren,-be ye able, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labor is not in vain in tneLord.”— J. W. Alexan der, I). D. OPEN AIR MISSIONS, ' The efforts of English Christians in behalf of the outcast and abandoned, and in earry ing the gospel to those who will not enter the regular sanctuaries where the truth is PlQ,?Mw,edj >were ;i iieyer more- vigorous and well-directed than af present. Not only in GENESEE EVANGELIST.—WhoIe No. 805. London but in the provinces is this good work progressing. During a period of a year, twelve races and forty fairs were visited, at which 300 addresses were made and 135,205 tracts were given away. Executions are another field of labor. At two of these, thirty members of the London Mission were engaged in evangelistic labors. Ninety-five districts are now being occupied by the Mis sion. Eut these benevolent efforts are not en tirely free from opposition. The correspond ent of the Wesley am, Journal writes that the London Daily Telegraph has attacked, in a leader, this open air preaching. This has been followed up by a malignant letter from a correspondent, who is evidently an ultra High Church “priest,” who thinks his office invaded by the “amateur expounders,” and who, in the Tractarian fashion, while be longing himself to a party who usurps the sole prerogatives of the great High priest hood, tells the open air preachers about the doom of Dathan, Korah and Abiram. In his blind wrath, he questions the need of open air preaching at all “in a Christian country, where every facility is rendered for the wicked and vicious to hear the word of God, and repent of their sins.” Indications of events like these are not to be wondered at. It is a sign that Satan, the “strong man,” is being deposed by One stronger than he. The world can hear sleepy profession, but when zealous men “go out after that which was lost,” as did the Master, the Pharisee and the Sadducee alike vote it “vulgar,” “intrusive,” “fana tical,” and tending to “lead to a breach of the peace.” Most truly do a covetous world without and a somnolent formalism within the church alike put up stumbling-blocks in the very path of the Great Conqueror’s cha riot! Still, it rolls on in spite of all impedi ments. One great result of the revival in London has been to multiply the living witnesses for truth. sGhristiaais, apparently possessed by a dumb spirit, have now their tongues set free, and they speak lovingly, tenderly, faithfully, to the perishing. More than this, youug. Christians recently converted, with burning words, commend to all within their reach Him whom they have newly found as their own and Redeemer. Mueh of this is to be attributed to the out-door preaching.— Exchange. CONGREGATIONALISM AND PRESBYTE RIANISM IN ENGLAND. Feom the English correspondent of the Episcopal Recorder of this city, we extract the following: The statistics given show that Congrega tionalism is retrograding in England. The number of Congregational churches in Eng land is given at 1,600 ; the resignations and removals during the year at 195, or the astounding proportion of nearly Ito 8. This is. not the worst feature; for, on looking ing “ County and District Associations,” 176 are marked vacant, or nearly 1 in every 8. Blending the resignations and removals with the vacancies, it is manifest that 1 ip every 4§- chnrches throughout England were in an unsettled condition in 1860. These figures may well create consterna tion; for they cannot be made compatible with a state of progress. Scottish Presbyterians are determined to do something on a grand scale for the evan gelization of England. Three large congre gations have already been gathered in Lon don itself since the movement began, about a year ago. Only twelve months have elapsed since Dr. Edmond began to preach in Myd dleton Hall, hired for the purpose, and now the spacious building is completely filled with members and adherents. Dr. D. King has been preaching in another part of London, and a beautiful new church is now being erected for the congregation he has drawn together. Glasgow Is sending some of her best minis ters to become the active agents of this Pres byterian movement in London. Dr. Edmond, Dr. King, and Drl Maefarlane cannot but give new character and prestige to Presbyterian ism in this country. Finsbury Ghapel, too, where Dr. A. Fletcher preached for so many years, is ahouiitp receive as his successor the Rev. A. Wallace, of Glasgow. We love to read of the world’s heroic ages —to kindle our souls with the thought of what we might have been and done had our lot been cast in such a time—and to show a noble scorn of all who faltered then. Now the stress is upon us. The times that try men’s souls have come round again here. A more eventful conflict, for greater principles, and grander issues, the long scroll of human story has not recorded. If we have longed to he, heroes, to panoply ourselves and stand up to do, battle .in. a just cause, now is our time. What are we ready to undertake in this holy war for country and liberty and human progress? Shall these pass over us and we he content to have no personal share in them, save that onr eyes were open upon them, and our lungs breathed the air so stirred and vibrant ? Shall we recur to them haply some day with grey hairs on our brow and a group of grand children at our knees, and recite the thrilling events now crowding the diary of life here, and when those eager lips ask us, “ What did you do, grandfather ?” stammer out a lame apology that, “we had too much to attend to, to get away,” or that “we were in too good a place to’ lose,” or that “we were afraid soldiering might have an unfavorable effect upon our business habits*,” or that “we thought perhaps we might be taken sick! ” Could we hear the wondering reproach of those youthful eyes ? Would not the ashen cheek of age blush crimson? — Rev. A. L. Stone. D. D. A Poob boy, struggling manfully to sup port his widowed niothex-, was very late get ting home one night. “My son, why were you so late?” asked the anxious parent. “It was so dark I lost my way,” said the boy. “After-this, I will put a light in the window for you.” During the absence of the son, the. mother died. Her last words were- —“Give my love to. Edward: tell him I have gone to heaven, and will set a light in the window for him.” OUR PART IN AN HEROIC AGE. “A LIGHT IN THE WINDOW.”
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