puricaz Nvtotgtievias GENESEE EVANGELIST. , THURSDAY, DECEMBER 18, 1862 JOHN W. MEARS, TRIUMPHS OF CHRISTIANITY IN OUR' AGE, REVIVALS, successful missionary enterprises, beneficence on a great scale, civil governments brought into beingonoulded and influenced by Christianity, these are some of the great results of t 1343 Gospel in our day. Great as they are, we doubt whether they are the greatest. There is another sphere in which the triumphs of faith, prayer, personal effort, and the principle of Christian love are perhaps oven more remarka ble than in the cases above mentioned. There are in nominally Christian lands, classes of pop ulation which, from the fact that they are sur rounded by Gospel light are perhaps in a worse condition than the heathen. ; They are those masses that hang about the skirts of European civilization, that supply its criminals, that infest the dens and allefys of the great cities, crawling like rats into underground hiding-places, shame less, ignorant of God, except to the extent of blaspheming Him, naked, abject, hopeless of load save by revolutions, shut out-fromnlintniiii iy the profound social abyss which separates them from the chureh-going classes. Of Hamburg in Ger many it is said " there are quarters of the town that are stricken with a moral plague; there are courts containing hundreds of families, where men, poor, an& not over-scrupulous, would be ashamed to shelter; there are blind alleys and regions under ground, where even the poverty is out-done bythe awfulness of moral degradation." . And the description is claimed to be equally true of London or Paris. In 1849, the Bible Society report that in Hamburg "girls of eight -ten and twenty held up to the Colporteur the five new songs printed in this year, crying out with scorn, There is our Bibk. Mothers in the presence of their daughters, declared they would rather go to the dancing booth than read a page Of the Gospel. Masterworkmen said• . their Bible was plate of meat; journey men asked if they had no sausage to give them instead of such stuff. Some put down the Bible as a damnable . book elicit had turned the world mad, others as a book of lies; others as serted that they themselves were the Bible. Some asked if the colporteur kept no good thieves' sto ries, some shouted that they had that day thrust the Bible in the stove. There was everywhere not only denial of the Christian faith, but of the simplest fundamental moral truths that we had believed were written in the heart." And we may complete our picture of the ma terial with which Christianity, in its benign mis sion to every class, has to grapple, by quoting the description given in the volume already quoted, of the first twelve boys received by Im manuel Wichern in his "'Rough House" or Re formatory Institution near Hamburg. " On the. Bth of November the first three boys came; by the end of December there were twelve. They varied' in age from five years up, to eigh teen; their variations in vice were not so great, for they were uniformly bad. Eight of them were illegitimate ;• fear were under the influence of criminal and drunken parents; one lad of twelve was known to the police by ninety-two thefts; one had escaped from prison; one had sinned till he had become imbecile; they were all thor oughly wild; lying and stealing were their second nature. Thy were poor street-wander ers, such as may be seen in London in the•dreary winter nights, crouching in doorways and under bridges;.little heaps of rags with perhaps bright, hungry eyes, that sparkle on you in a kind of .uvage fear. They - used to sleep on piles of stones or on steps; only, said one who slept in empty carts, the stars -awoke me in winter, for they looked down on me so clear and white. There was a shameless, false, little beggar among them, a poor thing deserted by his mother, and who had risen to be the leader of all the street boys in the ueigborhood, and a notorious plague. There was a boy who had been treated like a beast, and naturally lived like a beast; his so called adopted parents had bought him for £l3; the woman was an idiot, the man a coarse drunk ard, and under them he lived till he was eighteen: no wonder be came shy, full of mistrust, naked within and without. A boy of twelve declared positively that he believed in no God, much less u Saviour, no resurrection, no judgment; he had once laid' violent hands on himself, and, when angry, he threatened that he would run himself through with a knife ; frightful fits of passion seized upon him, culminating in,one which last ed twelve hours, and during which four inen could scarely hold him. Before he came he used to be chained at such times. These made up the household of that loving son and mother. Others followed like them notorious pickpock ets, vagabonds who from very vagabondage dould not speak fluently, young housebreakers. They had learned to sleep on the ice, though as fbr other learning they could scarcely count two." As to the girls, it is said that a mother begged for the reception of her danghtersof eleven years, in the Reformatory, who had stolen the very sheet from her grandmother'sdying bed. When received, they were more unmanageable than the boys. " I have never seen," says_ Wiehern, "so downrightly wicked a spirit in the boy, as in the girl." They would clench their fists, and roll their eyes wildly, and gnash their teeth in paroxysms of passion. They were addicted to poetry of the vilest order, improvised ballads, made horrible travesties of' the hymns, were the foremost.in ridicule and profanity. t It is to the great task of reforming, civilizing and saving these lost youth that Christian men and women of our day have addressed them selves. Courts, prisons and penalties have bare ly kept the evil from being utterly intolerable to the better classes of society; sentimental reform ers and humanitarians have contemplated the terrible fact from afar with shuddering, and have produced graphic and moving representations of it; even goad Christian people have turned de spairingly away, and have accustomed themselves to hope for the fetish-worshippers of Ethiopia and of Polynesia rather than for this forlorn debris, of our so-called Christian civilization. But it could not so remain. There have appeared in the Christianity of our day such a degree of prac tical egiency, such an energy of faith and prayer, such a blending of wisdom and love, all directed towards this hitherto dark and insolu bin problem, as to suggest new ideas of the pow er of the Gospel, and completely to vindicate it from suspicion of decay or degeneracy. The evil has been fairly and manfully grappled. The 'sublimest traits of the Christian character have been brought face to face with it. Its vastness is indeed not abated, but its etubboruness is giv ing way. Hope meets our view, irradiating the * " Praying and Working," page 74. Just publish ed by Pi, Carter & Brod. skirts of the cloud that was blank darkness be fore. Since the Act; of the Apostles were published o the world, there have appeared no records of hristian labors more arduous, or of the triumphs of the Gospel more signal or more blessed, than hme detailing the efforts of the last quarter cen bury, for the recovery of the young among these ost masses of our Christian populations. Re inning to Wicherri with his " Rough House" at Horn in sight of Hamburg, we see au humble 'ndividual, unknown, sustained by a few friends in circumstances as humble, but penetrated with a profound sense of the deplorable condition of he godless and abject poor around him, and ith an equally profound confidence in God, and setermination that something might and must be one to alleviate this misery, by specific Christian ffort. Getting possession, of the "Rough House" near Hamburg, a place bearing the name before it came into his hands, he soon succeeded in drawing twelve of those abandOned youths, whose characters we have already described, under the :am roof with himself and his godly mother. And by the power of that "love that came .weetly down-from heaven, and flowed out sacri lcially upon the cross, melting the most rugged earts into repentance," he wrought upon those deformed natures, those depraved, polluted.soul hose seareice.daaa- .• L, ; i I - ironglit o inought purity, brought the image of God back to them, and to hundreds and thou sands of others who have since come directly or indirectly under his care. Without any restraint of enclosures, bolts, or locks, holding them by the attraction of his own genial Christian nature, Wichern governed and moulded these unlovely, wild creatures, until strong ties grew up between them and their new home. They lost their vagabond instincts, their souls melted, and their better natures woke under the hymns and songs he taught . them. Bible narrative, as he presented it in his own vivid, tender way, seized upon imagination and con science, so that they identified themselves with one and another character, as it was brought out and placed before them. They engaged gladly in active employment. When admittance was sought again and again by others Into the already full house,.theresi dents received with enthusiasm the proposal that they themselves should bitild. , :i t - They did it. Commencing in early spring, theycompleted the work in July; and the house which these twelve outcasts joyfully erected, to provide 'room for more, still stands, with not a few additional ones constructed under a similar inspiration and by the same class of work'men. A printing-press was early added to their enlarging enterpriSe, operated entirely by the boys, of which the first issue was a copy of the 23d Psalm. It ia a fa mous press now in Germany, employing many hands, and sendiing out thousands of the File- Editor. gende BlEetter, the monthly bulletin of the Rough House, filled 'with holy, sagacious and blessed messages for Germany and lands remote from _ 'Germany. And they print multitudes of other valuable and pious books and charming pictures, and indeed offer to print anything, 'Without over estimating their capacity as artisans, as their work shows.. - In 1842 the city of Hamburg was destroyed by a four days' conflagration; and in the univer sal confusion and terror, while bands of robbers were plundering the miserable sufferers, these restored outcasts not only remained faithful to the trust reposed in them, but received the ;.pub lie thanks of the Senate 'for their help in putting out the fire. But we cannot particularize. For nearly thirty years the system has been in. opera tion. Youths are constantly being received into the "families," as they are called, who are known to the turnkeys of a dozen prisons; policemen will identify them by the number of committals; parish boards have been glad to get quit of them on any terms ; yet under the steady, calm,. in cessant operation of the free yet, consummately ordered Christian influences of the Establish ment, they gradually lose their evil idiosyncracies and blend with the pure and happy life of the whole. Hundreds of brothers have been trained and distributed over the prisons and reformato ries and city missions of the Continent; offshoots from the parent institution have been planted from north to south of Germany; the vast orga nization,of the Inner Mission (home missions in. every form) has been spread over the country, restoring the decayed forms of Christian social life, and rescuing the outcast, and building up the Church ; almost every town of,importance has its Brother, .busying himself among its lanes and hardened criminals. And all this, and much more that we have not space to tell of, is the growth of ardent, health ful, evangelical Piety. "Jesus Chri4t," says Wichern, "is the founder of the Rough House." And the history of the'enterprise, in.its financial aspects, has been a course .of striking providences and coincidences, which must be viewed as an- - swers to simple, believing prayer. Jesus Christ has owned his servant's labors and confidence himself, freely and unhesitatingly repoibil every season of perplexity. From various-'and unexpected quarters, help has come-just when it was needed. The moving statements in the Fliegende Blautter stirred the hearts 'not only of the rich, but of miners below ground, of washer women, of poor children with their half-farthings, and of poor clergymen who sent him their'silver tea-spoons. The labor of his boys' hands indeed left them but little to wish for; but when money was required for enlargements, they committed their cause to God in prayer, sent forth their statement, and proceeded in, the fullest confidence to the work. And they never found cause to be ashamed of their confidence. But what shall we say more ? For time would fail us not only to speak fully of this example of the triumph of Christian faith, love, and labor' in our day, but to speak also of John Falk and the orphan waifs- of Weimar, of Fliedner, with his "deaconnesses" scattered over both Conti nents; of john Bost, with his institutions for the hopelessly afflicted in La Force, South of Franee; of the Bible Women of London; of Chalmers and his elders among the forsaken poor of Glasgow; —to which we may add, the faith ful agents of the churches and evangelical socie ties of our own country, in their unparalleled efforts to bring the Gospel 'to the million of our citizen soldiers. All these enterprises carry out the modern idea of Christianity, which is to put the living principles of the Gospel in efficient contact with the masses of the nominally Chris tian world, who Will not or cannot come to avail themselves of its blessings. , And we, boldly claim that the great results achieved will bear comparison with those of any other age of .Cliris-= tianity, and will triumphantly Vindicate our re- American ProbOttiiiit And 6 rittort 6rawtiot ligion from the charge of degeneracy made upon it by its foes, and half-credited by its timorous friends. THE RELIGIOUS PAPER IN EVERY FAMILY, THERE is no surer way of obviating the, neces sity, now pressing so closely upon us, of raising the price of our paper, than a general - effort on the part of pastors and subscribers to place it in every family in our congregations. Look over the field ; find out through your elders, or active ladies, which of your families are without a weekly religious paper; urge upon such as are able, not the duty, but rather the advantage to their household of such -a• means of training them in intelligent piety and attachment to their denomination. Meanwhile, you will discover not a few families who would warmly appreciate the advantage, and would speedily show the fruits of their enlarged opportunities for acqui ring knowledge .in possessing the paper, but . . whose circumstances do not allow even the small expenditure necessary in subscribing for it. Often these are the very families which, you would most desire to see supplied. There is some bitOght boy among them. whom the pastor would wish to see. • 1,-.-monibers give evidences of zeal and prom ises of efficiency, in developing which the relig ions paper would be the very agent needed by the_ pastor. To cultivate an intelligent interest in Christ's cause and in our own denomination, there can be. no better adjunct to the pastor's "work than-the religious paper. In the effort to supply all the families of a congregation, we wilt help by presenting every eighth newspaper to the Congregation, or bysend ing it.free to any one whom they may designate. Any: pastor or Church Committee sending us seven prepaid subscriptions will be entitled to 4m additional name free for one year. The paBtor himself will' be entitled to his own copy free for one year if he .send us four new names, with the subscription priee in advance. Our terms for the future are, By mail, $2.50 per annum, ". carrier; $3.00 " " with a reduction of 50 cents on all bills paid in 3 months from the commencement of.the.sub scription year, without expense to us. PASTORAL LETTPR OP THE SYNOD or MIOHIGAN. Tin Synod of Michigan at its recent meeting appointed a Committee, Dr. Duffield chairman, to draft a pastoral letter, which was presented by the Committee and adopted. The letter is long and able, entering fully into the nature of the strug,gle and touching upon the sins of the peo ple without ignoring the signs of encouragement. The President's Emancipation policy is well and forcibly presented in the following extract : Such a military necessity, produced by the re 'hellion, has absolved the government of the Uni ted States from any obligations of compact or constitution in relation to the slaves in the sece ding States. The higher obligation, devolved by the constitution on the Pederal government, for declaring and prosecuting war,' when neces sary for the preservation of the Union or the ex istence of the government, has put the whole subject and complicities".of American slavery as fully within its power when it may be necessary and possible to exert it, as it has any other thing. essential for, the -defence and safety of the coun try, and the extermination of rebellion. . It is indeed true that the rebellion is also an ursurpation-of despotic tyranny, irresistibly ex ercised over many really loyal citizens of the Southern States, who prefer the Federal to the Confederate constitution and c , overnment. But, however we may and ought - to' sympa thize with them, in their helpless and op pressed condition, theqr. several States have as sumed the attitude of rebellion, and they, as cit izens of the same, have failed to rally and unite in opposition, so as to .be known eitherlis ,desi ring the protection of the Federal government, or as being in any condition to secure it. ,Never theless, the President of the United States; in avowing the object and policy of the war against rebellion, has sought, as far as possible, to sym pathize with such sufferers, and pr4serve 'to them the rights they had under.the Federal con stitution, before the secession was proclaimed by the usurping authorities. Thus far, however, in the providence of God, the policy that would 'have reinstated the people. of.the seceding States in the possession-of their ri,,, ,,,, 1?;ts relative to their 'slaves, as recognized in the Federal constitution, has proved a failure. The attempt to prosecute it and - restore the Union as it was, before the re ' hellion, has periled, ,the very existence of the Federal government. has, therefore, under the authority and direction of law, taken a very important and solemn step in his proclamation for the prospective emancipation, on the Ist of January, 1863, of the slaves of all those aiding and abetting the rebellion, in any of the States at that time prosecutina it, and claiming to have seceded. In that proe7lamation, according with the dictates of an , enlightened philanthropy, he has proposed a plan,of gradual compensating abolition, for the acceptance of those willing to adopt it; and also, for the voluntary emigration and colonization of_the emancipated, so as to dis charge, as`far as practicable, the obligations of gae.rdianship towards a dependent and enfeebled ulation, who, by sudden' unqualified. possession of liberty, in their unfitness and inability to sus stain themselves, might be involved in circum stances rather detrimental' and disastrous than desirable; and advantageous. • Solemn and heavy are his responsibilities. He 'needs the support and prayers, of every patriot and Christian, that he may act with - fidelity and rectitude in his of ficial relations. - (For the American Presbyterian.) A NEW WAY TO GET. A PARISH. WE are friendly to all lawful ways of, propa. gating the Gospel; but as it must be, with a view to prOmote peace and good-will, we. can scarcely indorse a method of propagation which we find adopted in a notice published editorially in one of our religious papers.. It is as 'follows : " A REQuEsT.—Will some of our readers give us the name of a good man in or about Oshkosh, Wis., who is desvous of having a United Pres-. byterian church organized there ? We wish it for 'the purpose of putting him in communication with a first class minister of our church, who, for personal reasons, would wish, to locate there, er in some such Western place?' , It would be paying dear for the whistle to in= troduce division and discord into a peaceful neighborhood for the sake of supplying an un employed inin)ster, though of the "first class," with a homo. STOVES.—Subscribers in want of Parlor Stoves are confidently recommended to try SILVER'S GAS CONSUMERS, as a highly economical .and cleanly article. Messrs. .Preston & Mahood, 1712- Market street, have just put 'tip one for us which gives -entire satisfaction. See their AdVertise- EFFICIENCY or 03 oinniert—ra theo f that te n efficientoiotan properly tlbrvaehrseytr: teaches e v,ti liitdee ievidence cioe i 1., iii fri v i ane . e l , y o: .ea l; pros npct yaii t'''. Outs Church has seemed, , - to J ae .- e ffi ciency e thtoa;ll:nr ova , o4y, i ' hav beel:l3ll:reulvesaB.l:'toi°nf But. 'o n - d . • Church is c P f a a r v better because it has suff i e n i: g d e . b Church -history at e°afit,gbrilit many, for it, if, at some times;'it I - been. 8 ' ering out ages have c h h to-day. b nw e ua e mr n db i le t : s ass b : e ai s nn t ds a t ie g na e a s w . So run .on a t th is this, th i a s n only that we wonder to finndtranileitdol.tiii'•,aile.nopoCylla:telliiid, eh judging bare o A f nd th the slow cnt positionh gr n o g w resto ration of numerical, losses, conjoi d with the character and course .4 its E ';. 'al a ,is a proof that ours is a Martyr''Cbur . It a suffering witness for the truth: Its ' ry los 8 but prove . its fidelity to the truth, and ive tlufireat addi tional influence of niatifost aceritytto. its deela rations. They are in ,elone, 'of itsBfficiene I • , \ 4 Y* When the Presbytnian C rota of this coun try was revolutionized4 44 rtd it !nest precious ' 1 r con stitutional guarantees',....) aw .1 o the w i n d s ; b y .... ...........w . ...,4...„„..i.„--a l :1-0 , 088 ho regained faith ful to these gitaranteetuffer .the 147- . . - cr,Orial. - - - astically . ---of all thin 04 An iur body continued to be; as we have already lowa, a witness at, great cost for those cf t eastita oval principles of Presbyterianism to this - dtv But the loVe of justice natural to theialVini phase of charac ter, takes - a wide ranOi lt tee and resists op pression everywhere.* did . e early American Presbyterian Church; '. , _Vad fell to :, the lot of Church of old time. Some our Church, originating in ~ retest against ec elesiastical' injustice ; o . tlk - ;: up the forgotten _ llave tholitt strange that i mantle of the liberty.,,,:ovng_ . sbyterian we should. have beenzso pens ently anti-slavery all through our existence as : linrch . But was it, wonderful that thearnealth , esisted the great wrong of the .excindibg acts mid also be fonrid to be the men of the Pres ' erian Church on whom the mantle 'oo'lBlB re - Truly, we per petuated their spirit; ant we, under God, saved the Presbyterian rune an the seandal of a doubtful attitude , towarl he constitutional eovernment in ,a, time of r , `-Ilion, so so we also Caved it from the lasting di, ce, the. infamy, of contributing its moral Mut. - to,the support of the institution of Antericat very. We main tained unswervinglitbefort world the right ful 2ttitude of the Presbyter.' Church of Amer ica to that great siStem of anized injustice. With such considert i tion towy s good- men in volved in the systr as C ztian charity re quired, our Genera. . -41 sseahr \ ersisted in...testi fying against it. •'e did our i rt as a centre of influence, to keep* publ conscience , from utter callousness and", pervers' ,on the subject. Our leading inind#eloploye i he pen and - the press in exhibiting`le unsex ralness and the t wrOnt of slavery. `,„ And .vs, ffered losses in consequence.. Wgineurrel 'um. We ,were .denounced •as dragging pai i , i 1 questions into the Church. Our'Vetoicilil - 4 divided. Men among us,who had ever fu4, o . ,bibed the stern, strong..antagonisnYhof Cabin' :to wrong, and, whose natures wereidueaptibl: ~; its lofty moral elevation, were, estranged by , , r ,'t they, in their feeble amiability,7Considered i.,` laicism. Good . , men, 'Who were sincerely' pr . ' ,us in resisting , ... i. ecclesiastical tistWation, ad, ,i .0 went out with us 'from the BAindinz, Chu' r. , j ; ,: from the sheer force of. moral . .,Yin' ' patly,— i fili; own persneal ~.,_ , rights having never been to {4_,• t or threatened, ;---drew back when they fog i! it ow far our con victicins of justice:carried ', ll. • I 'They could see no necessity foriCarryiug ouy principle. and denouncing theufar more no , 'alas usurpations of the white matover the bli ~ under the sys tem of Amerie Slavery.. it .. persisted with the sturdiness o :true Calle . • '.. Our prestige , . in the Routh w 'speedily ga l , Our churches : 1 and Presbyterie ' thished i .'at region. They grew but slowly ' some, par - , Jim North, too. A whole Presb ry or:two il e. Middle States slid back agai the Char+ row which they had shared our • °dos. An ' - rt 1857, we were almost literally '„ R by e deliberate se cession of SoutArn mods :t, Ed ' Presbyteries, under the lead 4fedeal pro: , Very men. Through such bases Nye co rued to bear our testimony. An ho eart do that 'those very lossel illustratedinr testimon ade the position of our Church ore dear an ;coverable, and deepened her in ..hence and 1. iciency ? . . All this is es'-dimly waif ;en we remem ber, that our t Mol l y for j justly borne; - tit a ssort) , reckless disree't --f o. oonstitt .... word, was not - A'Olutionary °I martyrdom wary; , ot of the F some reformers, inn a n d brit needlessly - , by tb , . violent . .ter regard of they, ~-:, it s. o f oth' have been many i eeh s porioi ' ° is not the ettirecte f tthev;-- Church. W -cart b r i ng to -, - • wings of thos .w he h a ve for feet,. One w . :g. lee us ex reforMatory a ion was not' And if Rev. *Bo y d can li . ness, the ctthe - in h a s eq.l from the suspi 4 , of injustii . , would otherwi. ,: i n i A y. • We shall lip' :..n.trodaec so) we .do not ' l 'e'fr nibe,r to ha' which was fi.ir:...lied u s V' 'of the Synod ~. Virginia connection wi s ure r,,,, boo . So late as th , . fall o f 185 k :er the Genera. Asiernbly at ;'' y ork hadi+ epted Dr. Boyd's minority repoir, 'sn the Con . ,. tional Powers of the Body with , 7."gard to lave.; ,and had adopted the strong pip of pr. As`. Smith instead, t o theSYn . o * 1 Dr. Boyd came ,-- Virginia, meet ing at Shepard-::wo, 011).1..t Airman of a Com mittee to lesp. .4 t o a ej timpication from Ole' Synod of Miss6.p p i o a thel,Subject , of slavery and `the Ger t e r tA mc ,osed the follow ing remarkable*ction. Ls adopted by the Synod: ' blYb; Inso :l t l :; : ef ' seve ! l'el dosFcaoiio., ta , the judgment ":of the BE COURTEOUS. in the- presentotat e action on the Vart It was evident, B i, memorable meeting era members realizei their reasons for the were about to perp ek had declared the As: . of injustice : up to Or whether it ever would be. Their own vote, added, at one time, by a most questionable ma nceuvre to that of the radical men of the body, failed to procure the passage of the Only measure looking like violence which was before the body. The failure of this notable piece 'of strategy left them confessedly without a reason, at least in the judgment of the Synod of Virginia, for the se cession movement which they persisted in carry ing through. I. • ) , ! ly • i• ,• il a, re i ii% j, 'cc was not un let no character of .u i ~ nal forms; in• a )r 1 ti scriptural. Our s' lions sort which in: .1 pen themselves, alo 15 and their dis te Though there u.. - artyrdoms, such Le ••,fferings of our 0-I,ony from both is n us, to this ef i xp sly because our ;Is ; deafly radical. ti tre- ' cepted as a wit i exonerated us L et# • ich their action • e ' ), • ;1 • stimorty -which ¢:: t r .::en in „i print, and a ): minentmember a.:,'• at time, now in d 3; - .ftr re' eci General Assem indirecall, en tesolved, that, in necessity exists inch, for further iniv synods." afterward; at the that the South a. inadequacy of lance which they it leading Synod Wass of any act d it was doubtful "This reformatory moderation" says Rev. Dr. Patterson, in his sermon before - the Assembly at Pittsburgh, " has driven from us extreme .men on either side; while our brethren on either hand have ,profited numerically by considerable accessions from our ranks." Call it rather con scientiousness, love of justice, and regard for constitutional obligations, out of which our Church had its very origin. We have suffered on the right hand and on the left because we refused to 'push our advoCacy of the just cause to any unjust extreme. And it can only be the . shallow-minded ei the deeply prejudiced who will set down our Church as unsuccessful or in efficient because it has experienced such losses in steadfastly adhering to a righteous and diffi cult line of policy before the world. These suf ferings give force to our testimony "to the Fin cipl.str—a. order, humanity, and libe'rty. They render thetestiiiionysffioient exactly as martyr dom does. Rightly nndeittocid - , -- they-arn - an honor to us, as are thethinned ranks of a veteran regiment to the survivors. They proclaim more loudly the loyalty and good service done to a righteous cause than full ranks, rich accoutre ments, and unsoiled banners, though theAatter are more attractive to the eye and make a more impressive show when put in the form of figures. PROPOSED WEEK OP SPEOIAL PRAYER, JANUARY, 4.41, 1863. FORMER invitations to observe a Week of Spe; vial and United. Praier at the beginning of the year have met with a very extensive and hearty response. From almost every country in every quarter of the globe did much prayer ascend to heaven during that hallowed week on behalf both of the Church and of the World. • The manifest blessings by which these seasons have,been marked render it imperative upon us to repeat them. Christians of every country and name are, therefore, affectionately recommended to set' part the eight days, January 4-11 '(in elusive) of the ensuing year, for simultaneous and earnest supplication with thanksgiving to Hun who has commanded—" Pray without ceas ing. In everything give thanks : for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you" The following topics are suggested as suitable fora prominent place in our exhortations and in tercessions on the successive days, the general adoption of which would give a character of,agree ment to -our services highly acceptable to the Lord (for so' He has taught us), and animating in the consciousness of it to our own hearts. Sunday, January 4.—Sermons on the Dispen sation of the Spirit. , Monday, January s.—Humble Confession of our Manifold Sins : as Individuals, Families, Churches, and Nations. Prayer for the Lord's blessing on the Services of the week. Tuesday, January 6.—The Conversion of the Ungodly : Especially those of our own Families and Congregations—Larger success to all the means employed for the Evangelization of differ ent Classes of the Population, and for check* every form of vice arid immorality. Wednesday, January 7.—lncreased ty and Holiness in the Children of God : Lead jug to their closer union and sympathy with each other, and their more marked separation from the world—a richer baptism of the Holy Spirit on all Ministers and their fellow-labourers in Christian lands, to quicken their love and zeal, and make them "wise to win souls"—a blessing upon all Seminaries of sound learning and religious edu cation—a large-increase of devotedness, selfdenial, and liberality on the part of the people at large: Thursday January S.—The' Conversion of: the Jews—the more extensive and successful Preach ing of the Gospel among the Heathen—the revi val of pure Christianity among the Ancient Churches of The East--the overthrow of every form of anti-Christian error—the comforting and liberation of them who are in bonds for the Gos pel's sake—the prevalence of ,Peace among all Nations—a blessing upon the souls of all Bre thren and Sisters engaged in Missionary labour, among Heathen and other nnevingelized tions. Friday; January 9.—The Word of God : The universal recognition of its Divine inspirationand authority—the power of the Holy Spirit to ac- company its circulation and perusal. - The Lord's Day: The acknowledgment of its sanctity and obligation = a blessing upon all efforts for promoting its better observance at Home and on the Continent. Saturday, January 1 \ o.—Thanksgiving for our numerous. Temporal Blessings and Spiritual Pri vileges—Prayer for Kings and all in authority for all who are sufferingg - from war, or scarcity, or any other affliction—for all Sorts and Conditions of Men. Sunday, January 11.—Sermons : The Church cc praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and 'Watching thereunto with all perseverance." May the Spirit of grace and of supplication be abundantly poured out upon all who respond to this invitation I May their prayers come up with acceptance before God, the Father Almighty, through the Priesthood of •His Blessed Son ! The Lord " will be very gra.cimis unto thee at the voice of thy cry: when He shall hearit, 'He will answer thee," C. E. EAIWLEY, Chairman" JOHN HENDERSON, ARTHUR KINNAIRD, M.P., Vice Chairmenj R. C. L..BEvAN, JOHN FINCH, Treasurers ; T. R. BIRKS, M.A., W.'M. BUNTING, EDWARD STEANE, D.D. 'DAVID KING, L.L.D., Honorary Secretaries ; iriLidAm-CARDALL, M.A., JAMES "Secretaries j HERMANN • SCHMETTAU, Foreign, Secretary ;. BRITISHORGANIZATI ON OF THE EVANGELICAL ALLIANCS, 7 Adam street, Strand, London W. 0., August, 1862. SOUTH-WESTERN CHURCH. THE Rev. Jas. McCaskie, Pastor of the South- Western Church, requests us to acknowledge the following donations towards the payment of, the debt on his church, viz : From the North Broad Street Church, Thomas Potter, $50.00 ; Rev. E. B. Adams, $lO.OO ; S. S. Townsend, $5.00 ; Mr. Terry, $5.00 ; B. D. Stewart, $20.00; Cash from S. T., $5.00; Cash from Mr. 8., $20.00; A. Whildin, $20100; B. Patteson, $5.00; Cash in small sums, $17.00. , Total, $157:.00. From. the Western Church, $25.00 ; Tabor Chapel, $4.50. We will acknowledge the donations from the First Church towards the, same oject next REV. W.•- P. WASTELL has accepted a call to the pastorate of the First . Ohnic.h in.ll - ol ly, Oakland county, Michigan. UT thatult 11, two. CITY CHnucuEs.—The Pastor of one of the city churches which have contributed to the fund for sending the American Presbyterian to the soldiers, informs us that one of the volunteers to whom he had written and sent a paper, wrote back that he had concluded since his enlistment to give his heart to the Saviour; and, if spared to return, would cast in his lot with the people of God in that Church. At Olivet Church, also, a young soldier on sick-leave was received by the Session, hat was ordered off a few days before the Communion Service. Such is the enceurage ment not unfrequently received by those who are laboring and praying .for the conversion of the soldiers. May the work go on and may the fruits be multiplied. AN UNPLEASANT AND FATAL ACCIDENT be fel the workmen on the walls of North Broad- Street Church on Friday the sth. The arch over the pulpit in the rear wall of the building, with the superincumbent 'structure of stone-work, composing the gable end, gave way and a large portion of it fell to the ground. The cause of the accident is stated to be the continued damp weather of the preceding three weeks, in which it was impossible for the mortar to " set," and bind the heavy stone work ftrmly together. One of the workmen was killed instantly; another was-seriously injured, but will probably.recover. The unfortunate man who was killed had a family dependent on him. " The people of North Broad- Street Church, with characteristic liberality and promptness, immediately commenced raising a fund for their relief. • TILE SYNOD OF ALTA CALIFORNIA met, Oct. Ist, in. Howard-Street Church,San Francisco. Rev. E. B. Walsworth was chosen moderator. They united with the General Association (Congregational) of California, in the narra tive of the churches, and in the celebration of the Lord's Supper. Four members of the Synod of the Pacific (0. S.) were present and invited to sit as corresponding members. Reso lutions were adopted on Sabbath Observance; on Foreign Missions,- and favorable to the project of building another missionary ship, "The Evening Star"; on Home Missions, adopting the plan of the Assembly's Committee; on the management, of the Pacific newspaper; looking to a union of both brand:Lei of the Presbyterian Church and of the Congregationali§ts in supporting and con trolling that hitherto excellent journal; on a union of the two assemblies, they Resolved, That we are more 'and more im pressed with the desirableness: of a re-union of the two Presbyterian General Assemblies, and that our delegate, to the Synod of the Pacific be_ instructed to-bear to them this expression of our sentiment. The Narrative complains that the year has been " peculiarly destitute of growth." Of one ehureh, however, lit is reported, " That they not'only pay their pastor promptly, all that they agree, but even more than that, thus.relieving him of all anxiety concerning his temporal' affairs; and their thoughtfulness was still. further apparent in providing - for the-ex penses of his long journey to attend Synod." The ReSolutions- on the State of the Conntry are ably dravoi, and: at once announce slavery to be "in irreconcilable antagonism with freedoin and free institutions." -Their tone is' in a high degree noble, pious, and hopeffil. • The deletrate to the (0. S.) Synod of the Pa cific, Rev. E. B.Walsworth, was cordially, re eeived by that body_ Upon his request for the Synod's co-operation, Rev. Dr. Anderson and Hon. 11. - P. Coon, were elected Trustees,• t ' AD:unite with those elected by the Synod of Alta Califor nia and the Congregational Association, in the direction of the Pacific newsp - aper. In response to Mr. Walsworth's expression of the fraternal regards of our Synod, the following minute, drawn up by Dr: Anderson; was unanimously adopted: ",Synod has with very great pleasure heard the statements of the delegate from the Synod of Alta California, and does most entirely recipro cate its sentiments of fraternal regard, and at the same time expresses an earnest desire for an ec clesiastical union of the two bodies at as ,early a period as may - be. "Synod desires this organic union— "l. liecause the two are alike`Presbyterian in litai&and practice, adopting, e`x the' same Confession of Faith; • and 'the same Form of Church Government. "2. Because the union of the two bedies,would promote the strength_ and efficiency of the Pres byterian branch .of Christ's Church on this' coast. "3. Because the prayer of. Jesus, ' that they all may be one,' would in so far find a fulfilment. "4. Because we know and love the brethren of that Synod, and we are assured that our eccle siastical connection with them would be profitable and pleasant. ' TEE TRANRSGIVING NUMBER of the .Eycni _ gelist appears in'a new dress. We are pleased with .the evidence of prosperity presented by this improvement, and hope it may be continued to our co-laborer through many thanksgivings. By' the way, the Evangelist has followed in , the steps of the Presbyterian of this city, in appro priating Rev. E. E. Adams' beautiful poem— "l move" into the light”—from our columns, without acknowledgment... So has the Christian Herald. AN EXTENSIVE REVIVAL is in..progress in Hamilton,' C. W., ,Which Rev E: P. Ham mbnd, recently ordained by the N. Y. Third (N.S.) Presbytery, is actively and efficiently ,en gaged. Conversions are multiplied daily. Mr, Hammond writes, Nov. 20th i " The work here is iiow making rapid progress. Some hundreds are- hoping in Jesus." He "is occupied, from early morning till midnight in preaching or con versing with anxious inquirers." The pastors of the respective churches-are, pressed beyond measure with the work; some of them speaking and preaching three times daily,‘and all of them occupied in the instruction of the awakened and anxious souls of .their flocks. At the close of the afternoon service in Knox's church, on the third Sabbath of the month, after a sermon from Mr. Hammond, from Heb. xi. 7, on. Noah's faith, an immense congregation being present, four hundred persons or more stood up to be'prayed for. A large number of hoys, as well as girls; from six to twelve years of age, are numbered among the converts. Their talk and prayers in their own meetings are exceedingly affecting. The work is reaching all classes and all ages. Nothing like it has ever before been witnessed in. the Province. The Buffalo Advocate of Dee. 4th says: "The revival in Hamilton, C. W., continues. During the week Rev. Dr. Heapock, of Allis , city, was present, ;and contributed" efficient aid to the good work •both by, preaching and eichartation. ,His labors are mentioned with grateftil coma endaiion , by the citizens of Hamilton,! CHURCH ERECTION AND PUBLICATION IN lONVA.—Zama City, December 2nd, 1862 .—The Synod of lowa, at its last Session, appointed a Committee of Church erection, to receive all ap plications for the Assembly's Fund for Church erection, which may be addressed to Rev. Geo. D. A. llebard, lowa City, who is the Secretary of that Committee : also all applications for the Synodical Church Erection Fund may be sent. to his care. A Depository of Hymn-books and Catechisms, with Almanacs, Sunday School Library and other Publications of the Assembly's Commit tee, is now opened at the Store of J. G. Fink, Clinton Street, lowa City, at Philadelphia prices. SAMUEL STORRS HOWE, Stated Clerk of the Synod, of lowa. • ORDINATION. -At a meeting of the Presby tery of. Chicago in Lake Forest, Illinois, Nov. 18th, 1862, Mr. A.urelian R. Post was ordained as evangelist. The ciercises were as follows : Sermon, Rev. R. W. Patterson, D.D.; the con stitutional questions were put to the candidate by Rev. G. L. Little; ordaining prayel., Rev. Baxter Dickinß,on, P.D.; charge to the candi date, Rev. J. Ambrose Wight. Mr. Post is supplying the Church at Lake Forest, the seat of Lind University.—Christian _Herald. REV. ERASTIIS COLE, a minister wit hout charge, residing at Litchfield, Ohio, and a mem ber of the Presbytery of Elyria, deceased, Octo beilBth. Resolutions of respect to his memory as " a true friend and brother, an able preacher' counsellor, and aid in our fraternal meetings,' were passed by the "Black River minsters' meeting "November 18th. REV. ERSKINE N. WUITE, of the'Reformed Dutch Church of Richmond, Staten Istrind, has accepted an invitation to becoine the pastor of the Presbyterian Churbh at New Rochelle. ?gm Nublicatioto. TUE APPRO.A.CII AF CHRISTMAS is, as usual, hailed with the promise of new and entertaining books.- Carleton, of New York, announces Al drich's Poems, in " blue and gold," with a flue steel portrait;• a new poem by Stoddard, The King's Bell; Marian Grey, by the popular author of "Lena Rivers ; " Shakespeare and Characters, by Hackett, the Comedian; a.-very amusing au tobiography (with:numerous illustrations) enti tled Drifting About, frdtn the pen of Stephen Massett, the illustrious " Jeems Pipes of Pipes vine ; " etc., etc. The best religious book of the season thus far, has been issued by Mesars-. R Carter &Brother; " PRAYING AND WORKING" by Rev. W. F. Stevenson, Dublin.. It is mainly a series of bi ographies of those remarkable Christian laborers in Germany who have illustrated and vindicated so triumphantly the power of the Gospel when embraced and wielded in humble faith and earn est loving labors, to save both the dead masses in our nominally Christian countries and to car ry light and salvation to the end of the heathen world. Here we have Falk, Wiehern and Fried ner in the 'first department, and Gossner and Harms in the seeond,—well chosen representative men. The narratives have more than the inter est of a romance; they bring to view one' of the most importaut if not the very chief aspect of Christian enterprisein our day. They will cheer, encourage and fire the heart' of 'the Christian reader. The book is ably,. sympathisingly and philosophically written, and most have wide cir culation. For sale by Martiens. 12tuo. pp. 410. PARISH PAPERS by Norman Macleod, D.D. These papers are on a great variety of subjects as : Thoughts on Christianity; Thoughts on Final Judgement; on a Fixture Life; Future Punish ment ; Revivals etc. The one on the Progress ,of Missions is full of valuable and highly en couraging statistics. The thoughts are simple and pleasingly expressed, and famish profitable matter for reflection. New York ; R. Carter Brothers • Presbyterian Book Store. • HANNAH MORE, Or JAPE IN HALL and COT TAGE.—Mrs. C. Knight, well : known among the writers for the American Tract Society has just transferred to that organization her Life of Hannah More revised for the purpose. It will `be found full of interest esiiecially to- Christian women; though its portraits of eminent charac ters of that period will commend it to universal attention. 12rno. pp. 2 82 , with portrait and vignette. For sale by H. N.' Thissell, .929 Chestnut street., We have received from Mr.. Thissell : THE FAMILY TESTAMENT and PSALMS with notes, maps and tables; large limo. pp. 810; cloth TO cents, peitage 20 cents. The Tract Society has added to its , list the following valuable and attractive books for the young : - HARRY, the SAILOR Boy;.119 pages, lBmo. STEPS. UP THE LADDER; 11)3 pages, 13mo. GRACE ABBOTT ; 95 -pages,- 18nio. 25 cents each,`or 35 cents gilt. .-, THE. WOODMAN'S • NANNETTE; 110 pages, 18nio. • I'LIE NAUGHTY GIRL 'WON; 185 pages, 18mo. - MY PleyintE ,BotaK; all are illustrated and printed, in clear type and on good paper. THE. STUDENT'S HISTORY Of FRANCE iS one of that, capital series or histories bearing the dis tinguishing tide " , Student's," which now em braces Greece, s by Smith (of " Smith's Antiqui ties ; Rome by Liddell; . Gibbons abridged and revised by Smith; Hume abridged, and France, now before us. By whom the two last have been prepared we know not. The History of France is'clearly and succinctly written from the invasion of Julius Cesar; the sympathies of the writer are with Protestantism and freedom. The volume_ is well gotten up ; the illustrations being valuable' for their truthfulness at least to the times to which they mostly refer; many of them being:copied, from contemporary engravings and from medals. It is accompanied with a very full index. , , Sm. Bvo, pp. 730 New York; Harper & Brothers. - Philadelphia; J. B. Lippincott Co. MAGAZINES, PAMPHLETS, ETC THE LuNBON QUARTERLY REVIEW for Oc tober, just received from L. Scott & Co., Nov YOrlr:.; - through W. B. Zieber, Philadelphia. contains Les Miserables; The Platonic Dia logues; Modern Political Memoirs; Belgium; The Waterloo of Thiers and Victor Hugo; Aids to Faith; China,—the Tamping Rebellion; The Confederab Struggle and Recognition. This is one of the very ablest and most readable of all the reviews,'but its tone towards our country is as bad as the ,worst.' DEC. 18,
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers