The American Presbyterian. (Philadelphia) 1856-1869, November 20, 1862, Image 1

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No. 12.---Thole No. 324
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PIIILAD JAI) IA THU 4A : , NCB ,Att - FR 0 '1862 '
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Vol. V
fottrg.
Press On!
WHY behest thou, deluded heart,
Why waverest longer in the choice ?
Is it so hard to choose the part
Offered by Heaven's entreating voice 1'
Oh, look with clearer eyes agaih
Nor strive to enter in, in vain.
Press on
Remember, 'tie not Caesar's throne,
Nor earthly honor, wealth, nor might,
Whereby Ged's favor shall be shown
• To him who conquers in this fight;
limeelf and an eternity
Of bliss and rest be often thee.
Tress on
'Then break the rotten bonds away,
That hinder you your race to run,
That make you loiter on the way;
When heavenly prizes may be won.
Let no false rest your soul deceive,
'Up I ids a heaven ye must achieve,
Press on
Omnipotence is on your side,
And wisdom watches o'er your heads,
And God himself will be your guide,
So ye but follow where he leads;
How many, guided by his hand,
Have reached ere now their native land!
Press on !
Let not the body dull the soul,
Its weakness, fears, and sloth despise;
Man toils and roams from pole to pole,
To gain some earthly fleeting prize;
The highest good he little cares
To win, or striving soon despairs.
• Press•on
Oh, help each other, hasten on
Behold the goal is nigh at hand;
Soon shall the battle-field be won,
Soon shall your - King before you stand.
To calmest rest he leads you now,
And sets his crown upon your brow.
Press on I
Contoponittente.
OUR FOREItiN LETTER.
ROMAN CATHOLIC INTOLERANCE.
THE monster Roman Catholic meeting in
Dublin called forth the monster Protestant
demonstration in Belfast; and the latter was
followed up by one of those protracted riots
which furnish material for very exciting epi
sodes in the history of the capital of Ulster.
Whether Orangemen. or Papists.be the more
intolerent in principle I do not stop to in
quire ; but I am quite sure the latter are
more intolerant in practice. Romanists may
hold a meeting, and discuss public questions
on any day in the week, none daring to
make them afraid," and yet they will not
permit their Protestant neighbors to assent
ble in a similar manner,' and for a similar
object, without molestation. Taking the law
into their own hand, they seemed determined
to prevent the public expression of all opin
ions that are unpalatable to ultramontane
ecclesiastics in Ireland. Romish retaliation
on the Ulster ,Protestants for assembling in
the Belfast Botanic Gardena, did not end
with the Belfast riots. Priestly censors
afraid of the whole truth concerning Italy
being made known, excited the mob to at
tack the hotel in which Gavazzi lectured in
France. Again in Newry, where the same
distinguished orator was to deliver an address
in a church, the magistrates, at the instiga
tion of the Romanists, interfered, and pre
vented the meeting, ;lest injury should be
done to life or property. In Drogheda, the
Rev. D. M'Afee was forbidden by the ma
gistrates to lecture, for fear of a riot, because
he was one of the speakers at the Belfast
meeting. Later still, when it was announced
that the Rev. Hugh Hanna, the champion of
open air preaching in Belfast," would lecture
in Ballybay on the American war, a most de
termined effort was made to hinder him. If
this sort of mobocracy is tolerated a little
longer by the Irish executive as unlikely
things have happened, as that any man who
will open his mouth against Pope or Popery,
will be tarred and feathered, as the pre r achers
of freedom for the slaves were sometimes treat
ed in the Southern. States of America. Our
Government either despises or is afraid of,.
these Popish efforts to establish an: /raper/um
in imperio. If it despise them, common sense
as well as history might tell it, that it is pos
sible to carry this too far, and give good
ground for interpreting silence as cowardice.
If it be afraid of them it is manifestly inca
pable of holding office in the present state of
parties ; and the sooner a bolder hand takes
the helm, the better will it be for the nation.
They must have read the history of Popery
throughout the world to no good purpose,
who suppose that a temporizing poliey, or a
facile expediency will avail to keep it quiet,
where it does not hold the reins of power. It
is quite time that the English Government
should be made, in some constitutional way, -
to feel' that while Roman !Catholic citizens
have a right to their rights, they have
right to more, and must not get more. Though
the cry of the daughter of the horseleech,
give, give, should never cease, yea, though it
should wax louder and louder, Britain, for
her own p.mce and safety, both at home and
abroad, must withhold, that which is meet,
and not heap the honors of office upon men
who are subjects of a foreign sovereign, and
the adherents of the most despotic system
that ever set its heel on men born to freedom.
I may mention, in passing, that in Hyde
Park and Birkenhead, where Garibaldi meet-•
ings were held, Popish mobs did all they
'could to disturb them. In both places seri
ous riots took place, arid what is very remark
.able—few prisoners were taken.
A MONUMENT TO OIOONNELL.
Justice is doled out with . niggard hand to
great men in their lifetime ; but after they
have died their worth is discovered, and ho
nors are lavished on their name and ashes.
A project lately set a-going in Dublin—l
suppose on the principle " better late than
never "—affords a striking illustration of the
remark now Made. A subscription list has
been opened in the metropolis for the °rec.:
tion of a monument to Daniel O'Connell, and
the Dublin Corporation,,including all shades
of political opinion, has .sanctioned the pro
posal, the Repealer being regarded, even by
those wllo differed from him in religion and
politics, as a man of genius, and'a historic
character of considerable' note. The Cork
Reporter, a liberal Roman Catholic journal,
declares its approval of the monument, as'
testimony to the grand principle of civil and
religious liberty all over the world, which
O'Connell advocated, while it dwells, in a
withering style, on the gigantic shams he set
forth, one after another, to gratify the ap- .
petite for excitement he had created. It is
to be feared that the leaders of the church to
which O'Connell belonged, in 'this country,
either forget or despise the principle on which
he achieved his triumphs and earned his
fame. Civil and religious liberty, interpre
ted by the conduct of the Irish Priesthood,
is neither more nor less than abject slavery
to their, (un) consecrated tyranny. It is both
curious and amusing that the Irish ultramon
tane foxes have been caught in the snare of
the O'Connell monument, and compelled to
set' their seal to a principle which is the
plague of their priestcraft and the destruc
tion of their oppression. 'ln this case, it is
cheering to o mark the force of circumstances
—how men who have been doing battle for
years against all freedom, are dragged on
ward by an invisible power, and constrained
to erect a national testimonial , to a man who
hated their principles on the Continent,when
those principles were unknown in Ireland.
Vieving this in the light of Scripture, we are
reminded of the Apostle's words to the Co
rinthians, " The foolishness of God is wiser
than'men ; and the weakness of God is strong
er than men."
DECREASE OF CRIME.
At the late Quarter Sessions, held in Der
ry, at the time fixed for disposing of the cri
minal business, the presiding Judge, in his
address to the grand jury, said, it, was with
very sincere pleasure he had to announce
that there was not a single ease to come be
fore them at these sessions which was not
altogether a novelty. He had the additional
pleasure of informing the grand jury and the
public that drunkenness seems to have de
creased during the last six months. This is
a state of things encouraging, if not satisfac
tory ; and, while we bless God. for it, we ear
nestly beseech Him to give testimony to the
Word of His grace, that crime may disappear,
and righteousness•be enthroned-in all hearts
and homes.
HOMES FOR THE WORKING &ASSES.
It will readily be remembered that for
several years the Rev. Dr. Begg, of Edin
burgh, has been' calling the attention of the
Free Church Assembly to the question of
homes for the working classes—a question
which, I think, Churches generally have not
considered in proportion to its importance.
" Cleanliness next to Godliness " is the title
'of one of Stowell Brown's popular lectures;
and the motto is suggestive of important
practical truth. For the members of a fam
ily—six or eight in number—to be cooped
up during the hours of rest, day and night,
in one small apartment, cannot be good either
physically or Morally. It tends to blunt the
moral sense, and undermines the defences of
chastity. I hope that the report from the
Census Office of < Scotland, which contains
startling facts and figures, relative to ;the
topic I am writing on at present, will do much
to awaken the interest of Cnristians in' a
wide-spread effort to secure comfortable
homes for the winking classes, not only in
Scotland, but also in. Ireland and England,
and is a matter whose importance cannot be
easily overstated, as the labors of country
pastors, city missionaries; and Bible Women
abundantly testify. The census Report of
Scotland, alluded to, reveals.the, almost in
credible fact that more than one per cent. of
all the families in Scotland were found last
year living in single rooms which had not a
window. Thirty-five per cent of all the fa
milies in Scotland—more than one-third—
were living in one room. These• are but ex
amples which I mention as strong evidences
in favor of a thorough-going • reform in this
long-neglected. department of philanthrophy ;
statesmanship, ,and, religlon. believe one
of, the greatest obstacles to the success of the-
Total Abstinence cause among the poor is,
that the atmosphere of their homes is debili
.
tating, if not poisonous unto death, reaming
the physical system to such a state ,of lassi
tude that a stimulant is absolutely necessary
to fa it for toil. The question of _homes for
the working classes is one of primary impor
tance, both in Church and State in every
country, and one which no Christian, commu
nity can overlook, without incurring the gra
vest responsibitity. If those who are blessed
with an abundance of this world's goods,
do
not manifest a concern for the bodily comfort
and well-being of the poor, the poor will have
very little confidence in the spiritual minis
trations of their wealthy neighbors. The re
ligion of Jana exhorts and requires its, pro
fessors to be faithful in that which is least,
as well as in much.
It is gratifying to note, that the anti-Sab
bath brigade in Scotland has been che.ck
mated for the present, as to the opening of
the Edinburgh Botanic Gardens on the Lord!s
day.
CHRISTIAN UNION.
About the middle tof last monththe Synod
of the Welsh 'Calvinistic Methodists:was held ,
at. Bangor. Deputies from the Irish and
English Presbyterian Churches were present.
It is much to be desired that the difficulties
in the way of union between the Welsh Me
thodists and the English Presbyterians may
soon disappear, and that of the twain shall
soon be made one large and influential Church
ivhiah shall be felt in England.' At a great .=
Bicentenary meeting held in London , a week
orc two ago, union between the 'United Pres-
byterlans and Congregationalists was freely
spoken of Its by no means hopeless. It, is sig
nificant; to hear leading , men on both sides:
talking, of union. If the PresbYterians of r.
Great Britain and Ireland / now divided and.
subdivided so as to weaken them, and take
up much of their time in settling accounfs
with one a,nether, were fused:into one united
Church, it is not unreasonable to suppose'
that they would be, far more powerful for
good in the land,,and would Araw to them
perhaps many from • the Congregational and
Established Churches.
A NEW RETEtti.DOX BOOK.
A report is now freely circulated that Dr.
Colenso, Bishop of Natal, has in the press a'
new theological work which should require'
his presence in. the Court of Arches to answer •
the charge of heresy, if. even-hanaed justice
be administered to the clergy of every , grade.
It. is, hinted, however, that because he wears a ,
mitre and lawn sleeves, his appearance in the
Court of Arches, as the companion of Dr.
Rowland Williams, will be dispensed with.
THE EXHIBITION.
It is authoritatively announced that the ex
hibition will closed on the let of November,
and that the Prince of Wales will distribute
the prizes awarded by the judges to the sue
ce.ssful exhibitors.
THE SUMMER or 1862.
Surely the summer of 1862 is one which
shall long be remembered by many, on ac
count of the golden opportunities they en
joyed of sewing,the good seed, and by many
others'who curie to' London' spiritually poor,
and wretched, and miserable, and blind and
naked, and left it,•having all things because
having Christi Thevarious evangelistic op
erations in the Metropolis are prosecuted as
zealously as ever, and with much success.
While we pray for the success of the Gospel
in the salvation of souls, we must give God
hearty thanks for every evidence of success.
The prayerful must be thankful—always is.
DISTRESS .IN LANCASHIRE.
The Lancashire distress is alarming; and,
as in Ireland, fever, has followedfamine .Yet,
the conduct of .the sufferers, is.highly, praise
worthy. The sale of strong drinks has-al-,
most ceased where the distress prevails. This
fact is an inducement to the generous and
wealthy' public to subscribe because they
be'know the Money given, asCharity, will not
squandered. 011 the cursing and accursed. fire
eater, but spent on real necessaries. Sub
scriptions are being sent forward from differ
ent parts of Ireland to aid the English suffer;
ers ; but it must be a, ,considerable drain on
charity to, meet the wants of 'starving thou ?
sands whose previous life unfits them for any
other kind of labor than factory work. The
disastrous American war has darkened many
a cheerful- English home, and withdrawn the
means of support from many a happy fami
ly ; and the woes of that war will supply a
black chapter to the history of England. 0
that the Prince of peace would make; peace—
and soon ! .
GLADSTONE. ETC.
I am delighted to - learn from an anthentie
source, that the speeches of Mr. Gladstone,
Sir E. B. Lytton, and- Sir John Pakington
on the American question are notso Southern
As the first telegraphic reports led the friends
of the North to believe. Mr. Gladstone dis
tinetly stated that England has no reason to
desire the disruption of the American Union,
and he emphatically expressed his private
opinion that it would be for the interest of
England that the Union should be preserved,
declaring, at the same time, 'his approval of
the neutrality policy pursued by the Palmers
ton administration. Instead of expressing
sympathy with the South, he .made a strong
appeal on behalf of the ,North, referring to
the reception, given in the North, to the
Prince of WaleS when he visited America.
GARIBALDI.
GARIBALDI is recovering: Ile is now at
Spezzia, where his' son also lies.- While he
has accepted the, amnesty, on acconnt_of his
fellow-prisoners, he protests against • it, be
cause he holds he was not guilty of any
crime, and could not therefere be Amnestied.
La ,France says he has'not relinquished' any
'of his projects. Ile is preparing a manifes
to which will contain important and indis
putable revelations which, most likely, will
not be very flattering to Ratazzi. Itis con
jectured -that Napoleon is afraid of united
Italy, and therefore keeps his troops-
Rome to keep Victor tmanttel out. It is a
shame for a nation whose cry once was,
"liberty, fraternity, equality," to, aid in keep
ing another nation in bitterest bondage. As
sure, as God reigns, and in Spite of Frenah
power, the Gospel shall'make Italy free. 0
for the dawn of that day! •
DEAR READER, the season reminds me of
the words of Jeremiah, " The harvest is:past,
the summer is etided, and we, are not saved."
If not saved, the Lord,Jesus - is near, and wil
,,
ling to save. Fly, 0 4,* to his open
arms without delay ! Folded in his hiving
embrace, you will be as happy is you are
safe in this world of sorrows and enemies,
and happy and :safe throughout eternity in
heaven, whence sorrow and foes are alike
excluded. 0 that the Divine Spirit : may
persuade
,and enable- you to. embrace. Jesus
Christ, freely.oftered in the the Gospel. !
TEE FRIENDSHIP OF DAVID AND ATON
' MILAN.
BY REV. W. W. TAYLOR..
AMIDST the throng, that celebrated the
victory of David over Goliath, was 'one; on
whose plastic nature, the merit of the young
hero made the deepest impression, and drew
forth such unqualified and devoted friendship,'
as only lives in truly noble souls; I mean
Jonathan, the oldest son of. Saul, and heir
apparent to the, throne of Israel: ,
Jonathan had already displayed .admira
ble -trai4 of character in the . shape of cOu.;.
rage ' filial obedience, wisdom and piety ;
now he appears in a new aspect, and exhibits
in his disinterested attachment to David, A.
'loftier Spirit, than all other examples of
friendship, profartelor sacred'writing, 'can
show. The attachment seems to have origi
nated iuthe. mind of.the ,Prince, and sprung
from circumstances, that,. without ,the grace
of God, wonld,,,inevitably have, created-the'
same envious and hostile, passions that filled
the heart of the - king,. his father. But
Jonathan tranipled upon the rising 'depravi
ty,
,and allowed David's admirable courage
a 0 faith, to draw forth his unbounded es
-tarn, till his soul became knit with the soul
of David, and he loved hire, is his own'soul.,
Jonathan is the heir of the crown,' but a
youth springkup ifildepath, and it the first
start distartoes 'all his achievements:;
wing also such-universal applause, that a 9 i*-
*than is not even named, in the national
song. By David's matchless qualities, all
Jonathan's prospects were ,obseured and his
sovereignty made uncertain, of which he, was
reminded, by,Saul who sought to enlist' Ids
son in the persecution' of David ;, " For as
long as the son of Jesse liveth - upon the
ground, thou Shalt not be established nor'
thy - kingdom." 'But Jonathan's friendship
presenting a lively contrast to Saurs mali
cious temper, was proof against such potent
lbgic, and he loved him still.
How different his generous temper, also,
from the conduct of most rulers, who, by
sword or rack or dungeon or poison, put out
of the way, yvhosoevr
"impedes their path to
royalty, or . threatens to disturb their securi
ty, or eclipse` theit glory '
When tJ
menced, Jor
David, by
with, him,
stowing a t
vid with his.
When Dr
tart' comni
in - his pr(
gained uni
camp, .bein,
among.all
ed in him ;
yor, his fri
he became
pointed.
Faith 'and
through Goi
of "David's
sion and of
the brillianl
in Ju.dah's
tance, and
to generati
heart, yielk
will, allowed
tred to lodge
ed the Lr
been with
elevation,
Israel," al
be next un,
that the lo
vid's enemi
ately cow
should be
descendants
- Jonathan'
over:the n;
danger, as
unflinching
er's plot agail
vor, and perl
his malice ;' a
just wrath, an!
behalf °fide'
Witness thei
and, covenants,
ing, when Jot
had indeed det(
they kissed on
another!
For that las
Ziph, where p,
and his troops,]
cotamarid, anal
forest, amidst
hiding place o
a foe, but as
hand in Ood. eel
tive. "Fear net, f(
father shall not find.
ing their^ eoveniatk
returned in his !howl
woo& They Met
the elegy composed
fatal field of Gilboto
ship for Jonathan:
fallen in the midst°
than, thon'wast elan
Ilisfresiedl
than ! very pleasan
me ; thy love was w)
of women. How al(
the weapons of mar I
The love of Jona
parallel only in the
lost sinners, and th
people is feebl ,
friendship of these
friend:, - that 'sticket
whose love is stron
many waters'' 'oann
may be the eonditio
ships, by faith and
yourself with the Lo
hy- an everlasting
things and sure, e
;with the Father and
JONAH -AN I
,THET must have g
latitudes and longi
the one toward Tars,
Rome. Their exper
liar in the terrible st
though diverse in ,o
fled from ,duty;
count of ,his fidelity
sued by the storm ;
tempest. ; . ` Jonah wa
geance,:or God ;
preeence of an ange
against heaven,' the
ingly the great :pla'
of the 'Gospel. In
great, fear. .The st
fury ; the ship rot
he,aving seas, and ti
,bulwarks,, threaten
Well might the 4 ,
the wares, for they
Death„ ordina
event of featful imp
S. M.
=ln , the excitement
draws hiSrswordifor
die. To the Christi
heaven and feel tha
is the chariot iii tea
But mole' fregnentl
Came to the bridal
Come to:the mother
For the first time her ,
Come when,the Wessel
That close the Pesiilet
And crowded cities wg
Come in Consumptiou'l
The earthqu.ake,shookl
.
Come when,the heart 1
.
With banquet-song, al
And thou art terrible l 7
Aid all' we know, or d
Of agony, is thine!"
But 'on 'the' seas, in the deep midnight,
with the wings of th black north=wind t flap
ping 'over us —with emories home and
gUilt, and 'the fear o sudden Judgment, and
eternity !.--to die tb and. there
• And yet, all this uld,have no terror were
thersnot " the lake of fire " 1 awful type of
'the soul's ConditiOn when memory, is without
hope, and etnivietiou ( Withoit forgiveness'!
Adams.' ' • •
Piii.ob is a sin Which first slieweth itself in
Children ; yea, 'and it grows up with them
and mix.eth itself with they do but it
lies 'twist hid, most deep in.* man as to his
soul concerns.--Banyan,
Tii pulpit is the loftiest throne of 'man's
intelleet' and 'heart. it is 'the ,- seat of - Ood
among men.
p of,the, two pre
lized his devotion to
a covenant of:love
engagement, by he
lloes, aM:l.':girding Da
. and: bow and girdle.
lted'by Saul to -mill
i axed -himself wisely
hpitorp, so--that:,he
rity the court and
and much set- by,
onathan etill delight-
ii a 1 ced , in worth and:4,
,as unabated, and when
tat the Lord had afi
-41 his fathe'r's thronO,
hi 41tiumphed. When;
. iffed,'he saw tharise
the depths - of ofiprea
posed by Saul ; when
interrupted succession
g.,' gieagte4 0!. glP,di§l
dr,eN fr99 l ,kePgatio4
the throne hiiiiiihre
submission to God's
hl'
,c,,
nor jealousy nor " ha
erein: Yea, he pray-
h. Pavid, as - had
y he contemplated his
ill shalt he over
ope, added, R I shall
;ad when he•foresaw,
t off every one of Da
e earth; he ffectlon
:t his own' children
nd cheiished = by the
p triumphed not'only
fatne,.kut the fear of
distress he stood his
him of his fath
fe, speaking in his fa
e king to lay aside
again_braving his Un
g himaelf to death in
ompamon.
interviews, their vow's
ter meeting and partt
discovered that Saul
onDavbi's death. How
er and wept one with
'erg
an
x 13 ,,
rail
ieiv, in . the. *pods Of
s surrounded, by Saul
n stole" away from his
e deep recess of the
s and trees found'the
end. He 'came not as
gel, to strengthen his
ered the *orried . fugi
the hand of Saul my'
ee," andl after: renew
/re the,Lord, Jonathan
leaving David in the
again, on earth, but
the survivor after the:
1/ balms David's friend-
HOW are . the mighty
the
. battle !` 0 Jona
n thy" high' places:
•e, .nay brother, Jona
hast thou been unto
erful, passing the love
the mighty fallen, and
rished!"
an for David; finds it
ve of Jesus Christ for
riendShipof Jesus and
.liadow2d, forth;by the
o princes..
,Christ is a
closer 'than 'a brother,
than death; and that
pen& ! Whatever
of your earthirfriend
iety you ulay<acquaint
; Jesuaand be at:peace,
venant,. :ordered in all
ering into' fellowship,
ith. the Son.
PAUL AT., SEA.
e over nearlypthe same
des in:their 'Voyages,
and the other toward
nee as somewhat situ-
Ins that overtook them,
.in - andresults. Jonah
1 was a prisoner - on; ac=
' G - 04. Jonah,was pur
' mil was master. of .the
visited with the ien
-1 Was herored by the
The one was sinning
kther working out will
<is) spread the 'triumphs
IVer case there was
ehowle& with terrible
d and labored on the
surges broke over the
death.
litters ery, and Oast out
ere afraid•io
circumstances, is an
f battle,:when the hero
is country, itais , easy to
, who rani take, hold on
od is his friend, death
him tohis coronation.
is death' totbe dreaded.,
amber, death ;
she:feels- ,
irst-born!s breath ; '
e, are broke,
1 its 'stroke';
ghastlyform,
the mountain-storm
eats high And, warm
; dance, and' wine
he knell' the'iall the bier,
own 'or fear;
.• • :I) :f•1
ffittatitino,
POETIC FEELING OF THE ANCIENT
ASCETICISM
Tnxiit was a, season in th growth of the
Ascetic Institute—dating its rise in the 13fe
clam persecution—in the, lapse of -which there
may be traced much of the spirit of Romanee,
and semething, of the spirit of Poetry. A
conception. of romance, if not of poptry, one
might betieSe to` have inspired, even the
crabbed' and dogmatic when he" put
togetherifor popular use, the prodigious - lei
gends concerning the ascetic heroes Si.
Paul the 'Monk, St. Hilarion, and' St. Mal
chus, and others of , the sort.. It is certain;
as' to Palladius, and. the compilers of the
Lausiac Memoirs, that they had , caught' a
feeling of the, sublime,,if not of the beautiful,
in Nature ; and the terms in - Whielt'they
speak ;of the horrors - of the bladeleriii wilder `
• ileas iuggWit 'the is
conception` 'of - whit Is' 'gag' and beautiful;
from the neighborhood of 'which the heroic
anchoret far,
was not quite:absent 'from
their thoughts. These writers, in! their en
comiums of what might, be called—spiritual:
ity run savage„ betray their own conscious
n.ess, and that of their heroes of those deee
rations of the material world upon which
they dared not loOE: ' whatever was fair,
bright, gay, joyoue, 'in creation was contra=
hand in the ascetic philosophy; neVertheless
some of those who signalized their zeal in
denouncing these graces of Nature 'gave evi- :
den.ce obliquely, of the strength of their own .
forbidden feeling towards them.
In many instances the. Christian solitary
was a man of culture, who, in sincerity, had
fled from the abounding corruptions of cities,
with their Christianized paganism-4nd who,
when hehad well nestled hiniSelf in his emir
ern, and had learned a lesson, not extremely:
difficult, in a. warm climate; how to exist:and
be 'content in the 'destitution 'of the' appli
ances of artificial life, and had come to draw
spiritual nutriment, from - every misery, would
return' to his early takei, and would folio*
that of pious meditation Which finds
its, path from the worship of God, the Crea
tor, to the manifestation of the Divine at
tributes-in the creation. No wilderness in
which man may exist is absolutely bladeless
no solitude can be wanting in the elements
of sublimity, if it be skirted by purple and
jagged nicks, which outline themselvessharp
ly againa a cloudless azure by day, and
against the curtain of stars by night.' When
once the genuine relish of natural beauty, has
been engendered, the rule will be—or often
it will be—the fewer the, objects on Which it
feeda, the more intense, the more -"Concen
trated, will be the feeling they excite. • The
shrivelled grass, the thorny shrub, the scanty
rush, will prove, themselves to be fraught
-with ill:poetry ; and then fertile devout
meditation will feast itself upon these crumbs
of the beautiful; even as 'the life-long tenant
of a dungeon learns to satiety the" social.in-
Siihets of humanity in tending a"spider:
,Far more of what, with our Modern tastes,
_we , should admit to be true poetic feeling,
here and, there makes its appearance iiPon
the rugged surface of the ancient, asceticism,
than we can find in the factitious 'versifica
tion of some of thelyeatthurchlwriters of
the same time,'eastern or western. . Such
Spontaneous adornments of the ascetic life,
'if compared with the labored poetry, so
called, of Gregory Na,zianzen or of Ambrose,
Might suggest a comparisonbetween the rich
Mosset, with a hundred hues, that embossed
the. rocks around the hermit's cavern, and
the dazzle and the glare r of the and
jewelry of the basilicas' of the imperial city.
Grotesque more than poetic, are those ro
mances in the composition of which Jerome
(as we have said) beguiled his leisure at
Bethlehem, and abused the credulity Of his
contemporaries. But another style meetsns
when we look into : the correspondence of the
accomplished and spiritually voluptuous Bs
sil,—an ascetic indeed, who, while maintain
ing his repute as a saint,—not, falsely, but
factitiously,---knew how, in his retreat on the
banks of the Iris, to surround himself with
rural enjoyments which might - have been en
vied by the younger Pliny; in.' his villa on
the margin of the lake of Como. ;' •
It does not appear orithe evidence to
that effect is not at ?hand, showing—how far
the Psalms of David,.rich as they are in po
etic .feeling, availed to nourish ,a kindred
,feeling within the monastic communities.
Through the lapse of a thousand years, 'dat
ing back from the time of the revival of lit
erature in Italy,' the Psalter had so been
rolled over the lips of Monks, morning; noon,
and night, in insane repetitions, as must have
deprived these odes of almost, all meaning—
'spiritual or intellectual. , 'Let the modern
.reader , imagine what would be the , effect upon
himself l of - repeating
,the hundred and, fifty
Psalms entire—, round the, year fifty times
or more I -
But the waking hour of the EurOPean E.
uiind came on`; ,our modern consenausness
toward Nature,as'well' as Art; - Sprang ?into
existence;' analong With this rehoiation'of
the Tastes,' as well as' 'of' thaßeason, of , the
western nations, there Cams'.the diffusion,
and the restored, influence, of the:lnspired
writings. 'Thenceferward this mighty infiu
ence; which was at once a Agee and a guid
ance, took its way alongsidelf : the recovered
classical literature ; and the two powers'—
the sacred and the profane - - went, on com
mingling
,their energies in those Various por
tions which have given nationality to the lit- •
erature, distinctively, of Italy, -of , England,
of France, and 'of Germany.---/saac Taylor.
WHEN DOES A SIN BECOME NATIONAL ?-
1. When sin'beeomes , so general among the
people ai to be a 'controlling and oversha
dowing element of society, it may be termed
a national sin, and the whole nation may be
justly punishable for it. Thus avarice, pride,
extravagance, lust of the - flesh and eye, are
national - sins, because they pervade the entire
country. 2. A sin, confined in practice to a
part only of a particular' looality of a nation,
beccineS -h< riational'one,when it is tycquiesced
Et
in by . ruling majority of the whole people,
by refusing to put away the sin when it is in
their power to do so, by moral suasion, or by
law, or by both. 3. A sin assumes a nation
al form when permitted by those who could,
order otherwise, to shape the laws and con
trol the policy of the government which exists
by they consent of the people., . <
THE mays Godof,,are inscrutable.,
'OF BURR .ANDI'IIAMILTON;
T"need not tere relate who Alexander
Hamilton was—a page I may some
other time.* Both men were eminent t politi
cians, and distinguished in eloquence -and
arms. They were alike irtstature, and differ=
ed only a year in their ages ;,.but to the noble
name of statesman Aaron Burr ‘bould never
lay just claim. His great opponent accurate
ly deScribed him, when he wrote that he was
"far more cunning than wise—more dextii-
Os thin able." The history, of these two
leading Men must now be recorded , in blood.
Burr challenged Hamilton, who hid not the
moral courage to decline acceptance, and,on
the tenth day of July, 1804, the parties met
on the " field of honor," at Weehawken.
There they stand : the,seemfda have
,carefilly
measured the ground, and s dehtificaij loaded
their pistol's,' and now wait to 'watch Closely
that the'iliooting is honorably dime, or iecund
artenV.,,'llibw striking is, the:contrast 'be
tweinAlm quiet - ofeurrounding naturesuni
lutes loveliness,- and the sweet Bungs of the,
birds—with the gloomy scene and bloody
work 4n which man is to play so conspicuous
a part !, The" second's, give the fatal signal;
the damning: deedis finished, , and the affair
of itonor is done ! In that horrid instant
One falls ; Writhing in his bloedy agonies, - and
while the other :flies away with everlasting
guilt upon his soul. - Poor< Hamilton, brave
at the 'cannon's mouth in defense'ofhis coun
try, had not the moral courage to resist the
bondage of what-is falsely called the , code of
honor. Twenty , years before he had served
as a second in a duel, and, it is known, had
long regarded the fashion as a remnant of
barbarism. Now, he violates his conscience
as a principal, or rather as a victim, to that
cruel warfare which he abhorred. Dr. Ho
sack. fomid him 'sitting -Ott the groUnd, in the
arms-' of his second. ' "His countenance,'
he says, -" .1 - ,shall never forget. He had at
that instant - just strength enough to, say,
‘ This is a mortal wound,' when he sunk away,
and became to all appearance lifeless." 'The
great statesman and dying man was convey
ed to a friend's house, in the suburbs of New
'fork; The sea-breeze reviving Min while
'Crossing 'the river, he opened his eyes, and
the memories of his home, wife and children - .
aroused his consciousness "Let'her be sent
fori but break the news gently, and, give her
hopes." What a melancholy change, there I
Yesterday only, that dying father was cheer
ful and, happy with life—to-day,
_he writhes
and sinks in, the agonies of death. Now are
heard the sighs of the'widoW, and'the orphan's
lamentations. Our pen - shrinks at this mom
ent from further description. This was an
affair 'of honor—what deeds shall' we then call
wicked and dishonorable !—Methodist:
WHAT A CHRISTIAN SOLDIER CAN DO
There is now in the camp at Readville,' a
youthful, soldier who, when he.entered, deter
mined ,te take.,his religien„with him into, the
army. On the first night of his life in camp,
he was enabled with God's help, to do his
deity. When the time - 4ad. come for rest, and
all the members of the company with which
`he was connected were 'in the barracks; he
found himself in the midst' of those who were
'indulging in the use•of the most profane and
obscene language.' A large proportion of the
men were of this same, character. Be was
ready for his.. night's rest, Before making
preparation, to retire, he took out, his Bible,
and read, a chapter rom it aloud. All pro
fanity ceased and at the close of the tx4yer
the men without further obnoxious language,
went to their rest:
This young man has since,- by his discreet
Christian deporttnent, and winning manners,
exerted a most powerful influence over his as
sociates, so that pow he is relpected by the
whole company. ,He has labored faithfully
with the most, profane, and has succeeded in
inducing some, or them to abandon this habit,
which is so common in the army. One thing
in his efforta to do good is'particularly notice
able; he is' mild~and courteous to all, uses no
harsh, 'reproachful language, but reproves; in
the gentlest manner, and thus gains the confi
dence and respect of all with whom he comes
in monta,ct—an example which might well be
follo3ved by all young Christians.----Cong
DEBITING SOCIETIES
The long winter evenings are at hand, and
the hours should be spent - in some pwsuit or
employment'that shallniake the time so pass
ed useful and profitable. 'ln most of our
villages-and towns' there are literary societies,
formed of young. men who meet together for
mutual improvement ; some miscellaneous ex
ercises are gone through with, poetry and es
says yead, and the proceedings generally
weiridlip with a "studied debate upon some,
fixedqiiestion: Now, the oratorical part of
these 'entertainments is a good feature, but
it too frequently happens .thai the subjects
propounded arafoolish and silly to the last
degree„ Thuviblic are not immediately in
terested in the comparative merits of Marc.
Antony ,and- Andrew Jackson, nor do they
care about discussiiig the query as to whether
women are, entitled to the elective franchise
or,not. , Debate to be useful, must involve
the discussion of some new doctrine, question
or theory, and must elucidataknotty points,
either of science, art or law, in such a man
ner that it shall add to the stock of popular
knowledge. In this way debating societies
'disseminate-useful' instruction and are the
means of substantial goad. Why not then
"discard all trite and hackneyed subjects and.
confine 'the arguments to the consideration of.
Matters relating to social economy, to inven
tion, the adaptation of improvement relating
to the saving of human ;muscle ' • all or any of
these thingaoffer , a great field for profitable
research.—Scientific American. •
How reluctant are we to let ,our disorder
ed nature feel the severity of that discipline
which infinite Love has chosen for us The
very afflictionat which we murmur, the heart
searching oft God's. Spirit and Word which so
sorely tries us, the very duty of which we
perform but the half, would have proved the
choicest blessings, if we had cheerfully taken
them from His gracious hands. , ,
RELIANCE is the essence of faith, Christ is
the object, the Word is the food, and obedi
encels the proof; so that the true faith is a
depending:upon ; Christ for salvation in a way
of obedience as he offered:in the Word.—
Joh*, lifaAon. ,
Its~t
-OWEN'S LAST DAYS.
OWEN'S life had been one of continuous
arid urntearieCeffort. ,He had borne bur
dens of• responsibility that would have crush
ed, scores, of. weaker ,men.. had written
volumes enough, to haystasked. vigorous pens
for a . lifetime ; notv f oluines of superficial
cast ormeagre merit,hut such as throughout
declared the profound thinker, and the giant
grasp of his thought. He ha,d.iitood forth as
a leader of the Puritan 'Party, both. in tri
umph and in defeat,•with all the responsibil
ities appertaining te - his‘ position. Ile ;had
taken up the great questions of his time,
the. .Arminian 'and Bocinian controversies,
civil, and religipus liberty, conformity to the
Establishment, the fundamental principles
of l'uritanisiii itself, and had devoted to
their exposition the fruits of his reflection
and the Atiength of his reasoning. It is no
wonder -that eten. hi massive frame began,
at lastoo yield! under the steady pressure.
Unintermitted toil begin to tell on his iron
constitution. Repeated,strokes of affliction,
robbing him successively of all his children,
as well as of the first-loved of his heart, op
pressed hill). * with a weight of sorrow, even
while no murmur was extorted. There,must
have Been sere SadneBs within—the gna*ing
grief 'which we reeognize in -Burke bending
tearfully over the grave of his only son, and
making his dirge-like confession: "I live in
an 'inverted 'cider:. They that should have
succeeded me, have gone before me."
The excitements a`nd anxieties of more
than thirty years of steady labor invited the
assaults', of complicated disease. (hen was
forced to abandon his pulpit in London, or
to occupy it only at rare intervals. In the
preparation of his last writings for the press,
he availed himself of the aid of amanuenses.
Along 'Pith his prosecution of his elaborate
commentary on the epistle to the Hebrews,
he' wrote' his "Meditations and Discourses
on the Glory of Christ." To Owen it was
what Howe's "Blessedness of the Righteous "
was to,him, or what his " Dying Thoughts "
were to Baxter. He stood upon the Delec
table Mountains, and gazed in exultation on
the"prospect ofthe_Celestial City. We al
mOst seem to see the smile of rapture on his
brow, as we hear him saying, (in his noble
letter to Fleetwood.) l
in immediate prospect
of his departure, "am going to Him whom
my soul loveth, or rather who lath loved me
with an everlasting: love." And when, from
his retreat at Woburn, the country residence
of. Lord Wharton,—to which, amid his grow
ing infirmities, he was kindly invited by that
nobleman, —he directs his tender, touching
fare*ell to his flock at London, we feel that
his words .of 'dignified simplicity . and of
Christian fidelity are truly such as become
the lips of the pastor parting with a flock
whom he longs , to meet in , heaven.
Even yet persecution dogged his steps,
although they were already pressing the brink
of the grave. His work was done, his soul
was at peace, and as death ,drew .near he ex
claimed, with"unaffected' exultation, 4. The
Yong' wished for day is come at last, in which
I shall see that glory in another manner
than nave ever done, or was capable of do
ing, in this world?' Cahn, composed, more
than resigned, the closing scene was one
which befitted the life that, had. preceded.
On. August 24th, 1683, at the age of sixty
seven years, died John Owen, the greatest
of the old Puritan&
On the Sabbath which followed his fun
eral, his colleague, Clarkson, said, from the
pulpit which Owen had occupied, "We have
had 'a light in this candlestick, which did not
only enlighten the room, but gave light to
others, far and near. But it is put out."
So at least it seemed. But we feel that it
shines yet. John Owen is a star of the first
magnitude in the theological firmament. --
Pres. Quarterly Review.
THE REFORMATION AND POPULAR
• LITERATURE-
The impulse which the Reformation gave
to popular, literature in Germany was im
mense. Whilst in the year 1513 only 35
publications had appeared, and 37 in 1517,
the number of books increased with astonish
ing rapidity after the appearance of Luther's
theses.: In 1518 we find 71 different works ;
in 1519, 111; in 1520, 208 ; in 1521, 211 ;
in 1522,'347 ; and in 1523, 498. . . . And
where were all these published ? For the
Most part in 'Wittemberg. And who were
their anthors ? Generally, Luther and his
friends. 111'1522, 130 of the reformer's writ
ings were published ; and in the year follow
ing, 183: 'ln this same year only 20 Roman
Catholicpublications appeared. The litera
ture of Germany thus saw, the light in the
midst :,of, struggles, and contemporaneously
:with, her religion. Already it appeared learn
ed, profound, foil or daring and life, as la,ter
times have seen it. The national spirit
showed itself for the first time, and at the
very noment of its birth received the .baptism
of 'fire from Christian enthusiasm. What
Luther and his friends =composed others•circu
lated. Monks, convinced of the unlawfulness
of monastic obligations,desirous. of exchang
ing, a long life of slothfulness for one of az
,tive exertion, but too. ignorant to proelaim
the word of God, travelled through the jiro
vinces, visiting hamlets and cottages, where
they sold the book's of Luther and his friends.
Germany' soon swanned with these bold col
porteurs. Printers and booksellers eagerly
welcomed every writing in defence of the Re
formation ;" but they rejected the books of
the opposite, party•as generally full of ignor
ance and barbarism. If any one of Allem
ventured to .sell a book in favour of the,Pa
paey, and offered it for sale in the fairs of
Frankfort or elSewhere, merchants, pur
chasere, and men of letters oVerwhelmed him
with ridieule and sarcasm 'lt was in vain
that the emperor and princes had published
, severe edicts against the writings of. the re
, 'formers. As soon, as an inquisitorial visit was
to be paid, the dealers,vvho had received secret
intimation,concealed the books that it was in
tended to proscribe ; the people ever eager for
what, is prohibited, immediately bought them
up, and read them with the greater avidity.
It wee 'not only in Germany that such scenes
Were passing'; Luther's writings were trans
lated into: French, Spanish; English, and
Italian and circulated among these nations.
—Presbyterian Home and Poreign-Record.
LOPPING off the branches of sin, is labor in
vain, and always. to be renewed ; there's no
way but rayinttli l e axe to .the root.
ole No. 861.