Vol. VII, No. 19.---:-W4ole No. 331. Nottirg. Plato and Christ. METHINKS, 0 Sage, a nobler lore than thine More steadfast comfort gives and holier peace; And I am fed by wisdom more divine Than e'er inspired melodious tongues of Greece On other shores, beneath snore eastern skies, Thy faith was once proclaimed from age to age, Not scaled a treason for the proudly wise, But spread a people's oorninon heritage : In saint and prophet burnt with'keener flame Than e'er illumed thy gracious soul's delight In children's words, in songs of ancient fame` Was Was known, ennobled many a festal rite. And all that Athens breathed of high and true, With soaring thought and :finely moulded speech; In our dear Lord to net and being.grew,. Whose life was more than words.eould ever teach. A heart that beat for every human woe, A choice in holiest purpose pure and strong, A truth, sole morning•ltight of all below; A love triumphant over deadliest wrong. In Him thy God, 0 Plato, dwelt`on earth, An open presence, clear of earthly ill ; The life which•drew from him its heavenly birth In all who seek renews his perfect will. So have we sufferings, so a trust like his, So large repentance, born with many a - throe, So seal unfired to better all that is, And peace of spirit even 'here below. Then be it mine the cross with - him to bear, And leave' the flowery shades,of Academe.; With him go mourning through the infected air Of grief and sin, and drink his bitter stream. So'olearness, meekness,,and unfaltering might, Ungained, though bravely sought, 0 Sage, by thee, Shall be my starry chaplet in the night, , And in the coining dawn ray crown shall be. —Sterling. torttoponintrt. JOURNAL OF ASAAD The "Voluntary Helper" on Alt, Lemon. 1111ANDUN, MT. LEitANON, Nov. 4th 7 1862. .may Dear Mr. Mears Yost will recollect in one =of my previous letters, we mentioned "The Voluntary Help er," and told who he was; it may interest you to learn that now he spends all his time going about as Bible-reader and,eolporteur; and that: he 'receives now a salary of three pounds• sterling a mouth; fforit- an`` Raglish merchant in Glasgow ; thus, in his eloquent and simple language, he preaches Christ by the wayside, and in the hedges and rough passes of the mountain. - , He has justreturn ed from some of his tours, and as I listened to his simple journals, I thought a few con-, dewed extracts might not be ,uninteresting to you. "Sept. 2d. Visited Suk el Garb; spent the evening with twelve persons in earnest con versation ; riled 2 Con, 9 chap., and offered prayer. "Sept. ?if: Went to Shmeifat; found a few serious inquirers, and more interest than ewer before ; spent some hours in searching - the Scriptures. , "Sept, 4th—Bowarah. Spent the evening ith seventeen permits ; read Isaiah 53 early allot' them Nigro Protestants : one or wo had recently declared themselves follow :rs of the Gospel. Called on a sick woman ham I had often 'visited, and read and -rayed with ; she had found her Saviour ; id she was not afraid to die ; begged me ! teach her children the Gospel that they! ght meet her in heaven. Met a priest on he road, he asked me my religion ; I told , in I was a Christian. .Ah, I know you,' aid he ; you are Assad who goes _about scattering English books and corrupting the Church. After some kind words, we sat own on a stone, by, the way and we read any passages from the Testament, and ; alked, till he said if these are the doctrines nd the religion of the • English, surely the truth is, with them, and I wish I could die a a Protestant.' Called at Buhstay, read and prayed with a !slick woman, tried to point her to the great Physician. Visited the Dib's Press; spent the whole day in conversuion with a dozen men at work, and my .aged father, who formerly so bitterly oppressed me, was valiant for the truth. "Sept...22d and 23d. Visited the Garb district, and went to Beirut; sead,the Gee pel to little ; companiesof from four io fifteen, in several shops corners of the streets." "Oat. let. .9. pedlar spent the night at my house., About two years ago he was a bitter opposer, he often spent the, night at our house, and at a Protestant cousin's in Bham dun ; and from being bitter against the GOBv p,el he is now, we trust, really a child of God. and asks for the communion. He goes all about the mountain with his pack of ,goods on his back, and when he sells calico le also reads from his Testament and good books, which he always carries in a little bag in his peek. "A. poor neighbor is very sick; spent much time with him, ,in reading and prayer, and telling hint of Jesus; almost every word he would sigh out,o Lord, have mercy on my,soul ' The priest came to confess him ; be refused to confess; said he had confessed to Christ, and cast his soul on Him ; he died. Four priests came to bury him,; asked and received money, and when they demanded more, I asked them if they knew what our Saviqur said of those who devour widows , houses, and for a pretence make long pray ers. In the evening, after the burial, sixty persons collected, and I read to them. They all wept; said : ' Weep not for your depar ted friend, but weep for your own sins and repent.' The following Sabbath afternoon, Mr. Benton came to this house of mourning, , and nearly all the people of the village col lected, and he gave them a most solemn funeral discourse'; it will not be forgotten. "Again visited Betatha ; conversed long with an enlightened man;he has committed to memory the while of he opechism, ears to declare himself a vill soon I hope. Protestant yet, but Visited the sick woman at Y Bhowarah ; she was enjoying great peace of mind, she said the sting of death was gone and she was now ready to depart. - " Oct. 14th. Went to Zahleh. On the road had much conversation with fellow-tra yellers - they thought the English all, infi dels ; knew nothing of the Bible as it.is. We stopped at, a Khan to rest, and read several passages in Romgris and Timothy,. and they admitted the Bishops;taught them to hate all Protestants, that , they might keep them un der their`yoke, and extort money from.them. • "In the market-place of Zahleh read the Gospel to little companies in several shops ; at one time to about twenty persona,• one of them was very boisterous and. bitter ; said the people of Zahleh were Oleristians, and did not want any one ,to teach them. " One said, at the, Baptism, when ,the priest b/oies in the face of the child it re ceives the holy , Ghost. Said I ‘ Let me ask question and allow that old man to reply ;—pointing to an aged bystandpr who had been listening very attentively. "If one has'the Holy Spirit in - his heart Will he curse, and swear, and lie ? ' 'No,' , said the old man. Well, how many are there of the people and priests of Zahleh, who do-not do those things ?' 'Very few,' ,said , the old man • ' not one,.' said another. At one time, was sitting on a ' , stone by the bridge, talking and reading with four men ; a priest came up ,and asked what we were talk ing about; Sit down and hear,' said. one. ,lie soon perceived it was a dangerous con versation, and was very angry. lie said to me If you don't get out of Zahleh soon, you'll get into trouble. We don't fear you, nor a thousand like you. One time there came, here, an English heretic and his wife. (meaning Mr. Benton and myself) and they were stoned and dragged out of Zahleh; and if you ain't gone quick, you'll get put out ; begone, begone, you English dog.' We took no notice of his threats, and 'he walked off cursing; and a larkncomparty collected-on the,hridgerito who we read and talked for two hours. Spent Sabbath evening with Ab dUllah, the•painter; he used to make pictures and _images for the church ;• says he has made false gods -enough to sink his soul in the.deepest hell, if God should deal with him in justice.' Ile is new tofd. forthe truth r and we look upon him as one of the brightest tro phies of grace in Zahich. He • goes boldly into the. churches, and tells the people to turn to God, and.no longer bow down to the work of his hands. "Monday.—Went, up to. Biskinta ; there is a little .circle of inquirers 'there, and the pedlar before 'alluded to, does great good in this his native place. His name is Lion,"and he is as fearless as his name implies: " Came on to Shuier. The teacher and his wife are •exerting . a good influence; but he wants more instruction; and the people call loudly for a missionary 'to dome and live there, that they may.' learn' how to be good;' 'LW thoy-sayi followthaerospel.' • "Next came to Sheibeiny where [the priest, and his , agedTather and two sons are becoMing more and more fixed in their deter -I:lunation to declare themselves Protestants. They fear the Bishop, and beg us to help them jf the Bishop should get hold' of them. Camback' to Bhamdun ; •conversed with a young man who has been educated - at the Jesuit college of Ain Woraka. -He is riot at rest in his mind, means to get away from, the Maronites, and-apply to leach in, one of the Lebanon schools, and then he cauxead the Bible and understand it as he = thinks it means, and not be bound by the priest's in. , terpretation of it." The above is' but a' small part 'of .what inight'be written from the journal Of thisgood native brother. You:will recollect this`is the man who threatened tokill his wife for read ing the Bible. Now he seems to be impro ving as &he were a member 4)f some, college or ,seminary; he is . being taught of God we, Sabbath was our communion service; pre sent twenty-one natives, three of our number were absent ; two were admitted for the first time, and we have several more we regard as worthy candidates. • The storms of another year have beaten about us, and Satan has tried all his arts to affright 'and' discourage our afflicted hearts ; but as well may he attempt to tear up Old. Lebanon front its foundations, as to Ifetqov us from its summits, 'till, the Lor'd permits. This band of believers are a handful of corn which shall yet shake like Lebanon. L. G. BENTOX. PREACifiNG. THE AUTHORITY AND SUBJECT MATTER. • R . k REV. E. E. ADAMS The Christian ministry. is a divine institution. It derives its existence, its authority anit4ts character froin God Over 'every body of men there must be, iri order to' their harmo nious, efficient action, an authorized, a pre siding mind, a regulator of the coinbined thought and. will. , Hence, for the restraint of remaining depravity in the church, for,the enlightenment of ignorant members ; for the regulating,,, of. individual, zeal; and for the healthful stimulus of all to achievement,— Christ the invisible head ordained men who should consecrate their thoughts and activi ties to the sacred ministry. They are to in struct, comfort, and admonish the chiireh, and proclahi truth to the world ) ; offering spiritual life to men: The commission of the Master . was—": Go ye into all the world and teach All nations."' " When he ascend ed up on high, and received gifts for men, he gave ,some,. apostles, and some prophets; and some evangelists, and some, pastors and teachers, for'theperfecting of the saints ; for the work •of `the Ministry; for the edifying of the'body of ehriii." This order was con tinued by the apostles who ordained over seers,bish9ps, elders, (pastors) in the churches which they gathered - and organized. Paul. said to the, elders it Epliesuei: "Take heed un to yourselves and to all the ,flock over which the. Hell . Ghost hath, made yon,overseers, to feed the church of God." "And all things are of God who hath reconciled us , to himself, and hatlagiven to us the ministry of recon ciliation." When Paul received his com mission Christ said to him from -the midst of a glory above the brightness of the noon day sun, , 44 I have appeared unto thee for this pur posei:to make thee a minister and a witness both of those things which thou bast seen,. au d, of ;those things in the which I ,will oip p ea r, unto thee ; delivering thee from the people and from the Gentiles unto whom PHILADPILPHIA, THU-11' now I send thee to ppen their, eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness uf sins, and inheritance among them vithicli .are sanctified by faith that is in me." The Christian ministry is evidently divine' in its origin, its agency, an its purpose.'lt testifies, it instructs, it> exhibits truth ; it proves and enforces religious duty; it offers promise and consolation; it edifies the church; it speaks to the world—by appoint ment from heaven. While therefore every kind, of right religious,instruction—in the family, in Schools, by the press, and'by per sonal •conversationis important, preaching is chiefly so. Its true position is in - the van. of Christian ' agencies. And, that, it may aecomplish its work, it must occupy its `PiabP and be recognized therein. It is the point of concentration, and diffusion for all. means and agencies in the kingdom of Christ on earth. The, religious press, the Sabbath school, the Bible - class, the prayer-meeting, are all subsidiary to it, And would be , only de serving of condemnation did they detract from,its power, or interfere with its preroga tiire. - Mere human organizationg, howeVer good, may not have pre-eminence of the Di vine. We are, not at liberty to let down the ,sublime purpose of the Christian ministry. It. is the most solemn, most honorable ap pointment of God for man. . Ministers are indeed only human in their natural capacity and state, but in office they are more than men.- They are Messengers of God. Their work, their fitness their authority is Divine. In the utterance Of doctrine and preOept, in the consolations they offer, and warnings they give from the Word, they are in the place of God,-" ambassadors . for Christ," stand ing in the church and before the world ; rep resenting the • Divine Master—pleading for his goternment, setting forth his claims, his dignity and his truth, and offering, r his grace. Theytake the mind of God and hand it over to man. The gospel is the word sent. It must be prOclaimed. To 'preach is to utter the, gospel, to hold forth the Word, to offer God, as sovereign, law-giver, Father ; de mand of men submission, repentance, faith, godliness ; to bring the Divine will into hu man affairs so that men shall fear and bow to it ;. so that they shall ,feel that God is with them ' and that they must worship the Most High as their "Maker, Preserver, Ben ' efaetor, Sovereign,,Savionr, and Judge." "The great object of the preacher," says 7 J. W. Alexander,...,"is, to,make man know and feel that ,he ,dependent, rational, and accothita,ble creature, owing fealty to I his Maker ; that he was made to love, serve, 4 commune with and enjoy him; -that herein is_ life and bliss, and that alienation from God by sin is death and woe.' - And this result, is secured by preaching t the holiness of God, his sovereign right, his law, and his salvation in the Mediator. " Christianity lives being pieiched.. It 1 is 'God's thought and it =is fitted for man's thoughts;;" it becomes man's thought by ut terance. Man has an inward ear for the, thoughts of God, a want to be filled by them -• a destiny to be attained by them. We learn the thoughts of God toward us, and feel a new life toward hint. 'His will and love vitalize ours. Faith comes by hearing, and faith is Christian life;;the life of the, church. Then must there be preaching 7 -the i proclaiming of God—his sovereignty, his taw., his provi dence, his justice, his mercy, his economy of redemption, his '"righteousness.' We preach what has already been preached before. We disclose no new theme; but urge and enforce the old. We "worship.; that is speaking to God.' We preach ; that is speaking of God. Worship may be rendered by the soul, in sol itude ; preaching must be befOre men„ that they may be taught to worship. Says Vinet; "'To speak truly the whole ministry is preach ing. Instead,. of , saying that preaching makes a part of worship, we might say that worship makes a part of preaching. The reason of this is that one cannot preach well without the spirit, of worship. The flock is fed by preachink, therefore also to be a good pastor one must preach well." What we say here does not militate against the desire, often and justly express ed, for deeper devotion, for more full and spiritual worship in the sanctuary. Good praying, and good praising help to secure good preaching ; and deep, warm, spiritual eloquent discourse helps to promote good prayers and praises. It is a great thing to advocate justice, to comprehend and expound ,law ; to`` sit in judgement over legal processes, to proclaim the truths of science, to help the human mind in its study of Nature, to gather, and teach the facts and philosophy of history ; to educate the piing, in orderly complete views of secular truth--,in the discipline .of their feel., ulties for the duties and achievements of the future ; to control trade, to lead armiee, to shine in senates, and to glow In song: But the loftiest office among men is that of the Chlistian: Ministry. It has-the , largest relations,—deals with highest verities. The Christian minister is next toJesus Christ; not as a man, but as a preacher of truth and righteousness. He stands, between Christ and souls, officially, although in spirit Christ next to souls. He is on the outer circle of humanity, to take the words, of God as' they come from the " excellent eery," and herald them r to his species. He is the "orator" of God to man, and the helper of man•wi t io would speak to. God. lie has to deal on the one hand, with weakness and want, with griefs, with unbelief, with fallen reason, with, ;Yirr9ng. affections and base desires, or the., spirit of worship':; on the other hand, ahso lute holiness, supreme potier and wis dom, pure justice, and boundless mercy. While'he leads the worship of others, his chief work is to preach " in the great congre gation.""het not worship fail ; let , it be more sincere, more profound, more full:; let there be more „praise " the service of song," in the...pulpit, in the responses of all hearts, arid lip also, if you will. Let the best form of worship be used, that which shall combine the most elements, and give freest expression to the - spirit; but preaching is to hold the first place in the sanctuary. Protestants are right in this thing. . We are done with all priest,- hood but that of Christ,. The closet is greater than the "Oratory." The minister has a mission to preach, and the'peoPle are to hear. "I:low noble was it to advance the Priest from the , mere celebration. of rites (which had become a species of magic) to science, to thought, to the maid, to conflict." * It is noble indeed to the Preacher and,P speaks, and works.. forth the truth of E office in the chord*: languages by miran, be- temporary. 13ut Mankind on the gre of publishing salvia ordinance for calve Vint . „ rHYS.ICAL CAUSE Ix is now some scholarly physiciluf us, - Of a qu'arterlpfq refeetion, ventUrid t this, subject ,withiall cacy with which it b be handled—that t . , cause of the death of of his heart, inAncod his spirit. That sir 'self prostrate the hod fact 'in` the, higtory of or 'grief, or anger, ste cited, have`been often effect. It has' been tiles that the dice post _ marten?. exa] stances the death Wife' 'of the heart. universal langnage of as being peculi; of the passions, has to ;have been rent its own action. t. _Th fissure..thus:: create d'i dium, and, by itir action tof the heart, who have., died of a been using word and literally - true. If this,then, be . proved' results of - why may' it not tita' case of the,Bedeer sorrow has broken may not that; sorlol sorrow, havetbroken „aPaTt! frc9 the, agony-of his- sP affected his body, th fiised result been sometimes not; or' terror having bat the same kind of b; shohld not the agony on 'the crass'—which to regard, as a renev den—have told :up( 41 -' 941 5 -4 - 9. 4 4 1 -Y -40 0:4t verified by, experient We.nothing More posit only be regarded as conceivable and Anii had literally died of that striking incident which, and the singul it, we remarked in tht ture, puts.positive ; and the precise weight 1 recent inquiry into tl within the human .bo+ helping us more aeon preciate. Let- me within an hour or death_ (it could not ' the skilful knife of the the subject on which it soldier's spear d'id. our Lord,—_ it broadly the side, and frdm the there ilowe,d out blood of both, and' the lir t from the blood :as ` to observation of John, little way off. We ci ling our attention upon belbved Apostle so es! his Gospel. First, then, we hay+ beyond reasonable d( noticed, the copious water, is precisely wh, on the supposition that deemer had been ruptt of inwardtrief,—is noticed in other bast death. When it esct vessels, whether that in the body or without, a,tiltort-titue coagulates, orating slowly from it When ruptare of the the blood which that into the pericardium, it this change ; and, as tl it flows is. large mot ounces't weight of Nut the heart be pierced, exhibit such a stream of water, as the-eye of John upon the cross., This is hai actually witnessed ; existing in which the of the blood escaping ft have been carefully Having satisfied oursel+ from regarding it atfirst supposition, we feel,co as in the highest,degree our Saviour died this. But what shuts us up, that no Other, satisfact be given Of the mato from the Sa,vione,s side. sated L---that when 6,E main "in the vascular s; the human body rarely it does, the coagulatiOn, blood and , water, does many hours after death. —of persons dying fror extreme, debility 7 -the body his beeri found in tion ; but our Saviour's stance Of this kind;od be imagined. that Whit lor "I - Dr. Stroud, in a treatise of the Death of Christ, pub)" t Ancient story tells us m Greek trag,edians (Sophocles, announced 'to him that the pt awarded, in a public literal was-engaged; of a father hinothat, on the same day, been downed as victors I See Di'. Stroud's Treatise. The shut sac or bag by rounded and enclosed. Av -L. K.' orender the Priest for t)r, who thinks, prays; “The office of setting to,be the permanent iv,t of speaking foreign ,ts endowment, was to p`o ''fftce of addressing inties of 'religion and is to be God'S'great the world.q!'t A,l3arnes PITIIE DEATH 0y,.,• , thl~ resiilt; lie tell mtitry's. reading and tggest-r-dealing with 0, reverence and especially, requires imsmediate physical: 'll7ist was the, rupture the ,inaior ageny of if emotion may of it-, . 1 1 death„ii a familiar' tie pisaions.t Jdy, leily br'intenseV'ex-t . 4ewnlo rirciduee'thisli dy,'howei%r,cin liter is been made; by that in such in front actual rup- , organ,, which the mkind has spoken )cted bY the play , mid in such "cases byllko Woleride of 'I 'lssuing from the filled the, pericar-I mre, stopped ,the speaking of these ui heart, .we have .I , re,, often exactly, imes one of the intense ) emotion, realized In` the f common earthly iman hearts, why beyond all' other We knolvf that Of) natal appliances, Gethsemane so 1094 s7Pat • ,suf7 d with what has extreme , surprise' ' hinrian'body in -w. 'Why, then; Saviotir's spirit laVe every , reasOn I that in the Gar-•:1 Atypical frame in , ' to:A*ler , :splits 4o7ever, had o Upon, it could lecture, a thing ble ' that Jesus 'enheart. PA the nature of tmenyregarding of our last Lee into our hands is evidence every ion. of-the blood death has been id fully to ap •ou, then, that our Saviour's :en more), what. )mist does upon' tes, the Roman dead body of deeply pierced inflicted, thus Lter ; so much distinguishable ithe particular ras standing wrong in fix ; to which the summons it in authenticated it what John of blood and kave,happ&n,ed ,rt of our-ge er the preSSnie what has been this form of the -blood ,es place with brood within tory pa,rt. sep- substance. .es place, and attains passes Ing :undergoes le into which' amatain many en it is' full; 3nts 'escaping ted blood and ' as he, gazed the anatomist 'us instances and quality. t 1 tuned heart td rec'orded. these facts,' an ingenious to,rega.rd it te that .Christ id of. death. Inclusion is, illation can Id and water not extrava death to re le, blood of ts, and when' 6ration into place :e instances tontinued or' load of the 'atery not an ha g'. it "should Rued illness. Iysical Cause 547. te greatest of on its being Corr had been in ivhieh' he itsbeing told his tunas had wart is sitr- UARY 8, 1863, did with others,,agony of spirit did ; with him; inducing the same degree of debility, attend ed with all, its ordinary ,Physical results ; „TEM, missionary Ellis proposes,: as our this, which is the only other supposition that readers are aware, , toorect capacious church can be held as accounting to us for what fortbe aqcommodation ofthe crowds Iyho John witnessed; fails in 'this respect,' that, press . tO:liesi the preached word .in Mada- pierce when or how. it. naight; it could only i giSoar, upon s aites made, memorable,b,y the have been-a few trickling: drope of :watery , Istifferings of he 'Christian martyrs it to blood that, the spear of the soldier could have death by'the late heathen and bloody quVen. extracted from the Redeemer's side, Ipae-; lie'sayB Thd Bishop of liilauritius`ideotn much, then, as all other attempted. explana- partied me to - these: spots.while he was here, tions the recorded incidents of, our Re- and-was forcibbi struck:with their -remarks:- deeMer'S death are found to be at fault, and hie appropriateness- tnthe purposefor which inasmuch as'it corresponds 'with and explains it is proposed they sheuld .be oepupie pro-, them all, we rest in the belief that such was iiding v admirabiy for the accommodation of the' bitter agony of theißedeemer's soul is the inhabitants of the principal portions, of he hung iipon.thei cross that--unstrength- the eity.''' ened now by, any angel ,from heaven,: as in HePaus. describes these interesting kcal-- the Oarden, ;when buttfor that strengthening "Arnbbhinots trhite village so alledi e iginAssue tinigkt,lhavy. texiamiligedoki m m ufte -4T, • - orn,mao cordtre retextgrounui the t 9 heart - 91°u T.Pbedeemsr w a s 'b r 4eArand Place ihere the r first reditYrs suffered; in this way the tie that bound ;body and priseectlib - rernains of anhld fortification, and"' spirit together was,dissolved.—Dr. Rama. situated on the sOuthern extremitY'of the' erest.of 'the hill on which''Antananar'ivo' stands:'>tt The foot of 'a Cross - , on which 'the Christians; ~ as:well: as--ordinary malefactors' were-crucified, remains ; and the transverse' piece of w,oorl, to which their hands were 14ailed,,lie r sAa 4 the ground at a little distance; While around:the ff)ot on which. the ,Chris dans" knelt 'thebefore eiebntiOner's spear, bones, blanched bYlq sun and rain, still lie Scattered: TheKitig huilding a house not far from the place; other dwellings are rising in that quarter ; and but-Tor my early application, the site 'for the church would have, been'already.,occupied. The King in formed me, the last tittle I spoke with him on the subject, that he would assist in build ing the, pliurch there, and he spoke in a man ner from which I inferred that he would. attend' rapiniarmana (the place of hurling down Or casting away), the granite precipice, 150 feet Thigh, down Which' eighteen were thrown in the• sedendgreat persecutionf is the secondipew It. is' situated. on the Western side: of the hill, near the centre of the city, almost a mile from Ambohipotsy, not far from. the Palace and the residences of many of the natiVes, The gronnci here is occupied, but the King.has taken measures for its being vacated wheneter we require it, on our pay hag the 'rice of the' existing buildings, etc,. RELIGION AND StIITICS. The - maxini No Union of Church :and. :State;' a maxim fragrant of the swrceted ;odors of our htstory, sound in its- con nentration. of the best principles of our liber ty, has been pervertedinto the Maxim, "No !mixing of rekgion with politics. ll The effect 'has been, too extensivgly, to drive sincere 'religioUs‘‘men out of the sphere' of 'political Activity, and to release politicians from the . sense of religious obligation=•-yes, even to make Chlistia,ns feel thatreligious obligation has little; if any, applicability to political affairs. The Father of our Country, in his Farewell Addresa; warned us against indulging " the siipposition that morality can be, maintained, without religion." Reason and experi ence," said he, ".both forbid us tooxpect that., national, morality can prevail in exclusion 'of religious principle." Few will deny.-the correctness of this.; and its faithful application to most ; of the depart ments of human ; action is quite generally weleomed. It is not ,doubted that serious re-_ ligious convictions, and aScripturalreligio,us faith are the hest safeguards against;_the temptations whiCh assail us in domestic, and' social,. and business life. 'The attentive Study of .the,-Bible, conscientious keeping of the Sabbath, serious observance •of • religioug sacraments, 'all the recognizedbabits and ex-:• ereiges of honest, piety, are admitted to.have„ . the strongest influence in upholding domestie virtue, and social and commercial integrity, To the support of all'these virtues, 'the pub lic teachers of religion are everywhere en coura,ged to apply the most solemn religious sanctions. But we have very generally been warned to ” let politics alone," in a tone and 'manner which not merely forbids the pulpit discussionnf•secular questions-,--but aims to exclude ,alSo alldiscussion of moral principles, and all enforcementeof religious -obligations in application to subjects on which citizens are to take political action. I. Pear• that we have toofir yielded to thiS demand ; and cer tain it is, that this important department, of human action, from which. there has been so much effort to exclude religious • instruction, - is the very departmentin which it is general; ' ly agreed. that there is the greatest want of, sound morality.' • Ungodliness is the comprehensive and radi cal evil of our politics. There is no way,to cure the bribery, and deception, andlraitd, „ and falsehood, which so notoriously abound in political management * and so sorely try the faith, of - honest men in, popular;, govern- ment, but by bringing the fear of God to bear upon men in their political action. • • Morality can no more be Maintained`With out religion, in politics, than in trade,andin society, ana in the family. • ' The national calamity which is upon us has evidently done much already to make as feel - dependence on God, and the necessity of acknowledging and obeying Him. The pub lic mind now seriously,attends to religious admonitions concerning national duties; and dangers and hopes. The serious discussion of moral principles, in, their application to political questions, is now more.common than ever before among,;politicians the'nselves. Devout acknowledgment of God, in orders,, and ,proclamations, by our Generals and our President, is most accepable to soldiers and _citizens The consistent e,xhibition of relig ious character by military and naval' heroes increases their , popularity. There are many; indications of an increasing' disposition in the`popular mind to inquire what God demands of,the nation; and by what course: he nation . can ,sepure His favor and blessing.—Bev. , Dr. Nelson, St-Louis. , , SOLOMON'S MARITIME EXPEDITION. THE journal- of , the naturalist ofx t'f ex-. pedition would-have - been a most'-interesting and useful book to us; and no doubt King. Solomon rea.d it ,eagerly a,nd - fontid in it rich material for his own writings on'animals and plants. . . There is no mention,of plants, and perhaps the skill was not possessed, in that age, of transporting:living plants with safety from E: great distance. Yet donaider ing the 'King's love for botany, there 'can be no doubt that his naturalist hadinstructions to, bring the -seeds- of any plants that' ark.", geared-worthy , of attention,from their use 'or; beauty ;, and' we may , probably; therefore, refer to this reign the introduction of various plants into Palestine, 'which t had not been knoivn there in farther. times. It is-a, curi ous fact, that hard by "the fountains of Sol omon," near Bethlehen; which exhibit fest.traces of an ancient garden, and 'OMIT the intimations of Josephiis.would lead-us to .expect that Solomon had a rural retreat, are still be found a number of plants, self sown from age to F age . which do not exist 1n any. ether part of .the I:l9ly,Lan.d„ Alas is indeed' ecclesiastical tradition thellor- . tus Concliqus, the -"-,Enclo,sed Grardenr which there is an allusion in. the ' `,Song of Songs. o. • SUPPOSE we put, the question., , " Whc spends more in alms and charities, the poor people of the godly or the rich people of-the ungodly ? " We shall find that the small bag of the former, though continually drain ed, gets ever filled anew by seoret influences from above, like the cruse of oil 'of the'Wide* of Sarepta.--ThOluck. ' •' In all labor there profit. , , MEMORIAL . CHURGRES.IN MADAGASCAR. ` a The next' place, Faravohitra (the last village),tia a 'spdt on the crest` of the bill, nearits- northern extremity, inthe midst of a dense population, - including a large number I of ChriStiana, 'and near an ancient burial place, coverecl o with rude` and massive memorials of the depaFted.- Qn -this spot, in the sight of , the witoje city the four nobles, were burnt . alive, and the-bodies of eighteen, thrown from the rock` were also consnmed. When I. visited the plade in company with the' Bishop of Mauritius; we stood and gazed on" the prisons eOilsiance, 4il'i CRAfiraiireFeriliia been confined, on the place where their sen tences were read °Ver to them, and:where, as they sat;together on the ground, bOund with chains and encircled by soldiers, they san b ,, ,, their hymn of , praise to .Christ. •We passed, , up, -the : road along which, surrounded :by in excited Crowd, they raised their voices in prayer that God would reMember. them. We stood' by the side of the spot—the place itself we felt, to be holy ground--on. Which, when fastened to the stake, they sang—. ' There is a blessed land, . Making most happy , Neier (thence) shall rest depart, ' Nor cane of sorrow colve.4 " Our'cOmpanions, most of whom bad been spectators, on that eventful day, and one of the brother of a martyr, pointed out: where the soldiers and the heathen, stood around and cried,.' Where is. Jehovah now 2 Why does Ile i not come and take you away? To which t from the midst of the flames, the mar t,yrs answered, Jehoiali is here ; He is tak ing us to, a better place.' Our ,compazions also showed us to the part of ,the road, a lit tle `distant, on which the relatives and asso ciates`of. the Christians stood, waving their last- adieuS° to their - rejoicing friends, who smiled, and' lifted' up as far as they could their scorched hands, or burning fragments dress,,toreturri the salutation. In perfect accordance with this account is ;the spirit and feelingnutnifested by survivors when recount-, ing their sufferings. I have sometimes sat, as if, enchained to the lips of the venerable widow or 'sister of a martyr, as she has re counted With simple pathos the suffering she lias endured ;'and' have been Overcome -with wonder - and-t admiration at the marvelous powerof "the loye of Christ . shed abroad in their hearts.by the Holy Ghost _given- unto them.' The Christians especially rejoice in the proposal to raise, as a perpetual memori al of , these ,events; a church =consecrated to the worship of the martyr's Ged and Saviour. " . '„Ambalinakanga., The next place on, which the Christians propose to raise a, tera ple for the service of God, is situated un,way between the last two. '• It hfis heen the scene of much hope and disappointment, suffering and.joy. Here the first Christian Church was formed,„ and 'the communion celebrated, in May 1881, when the natives of Madagas car first united witlrthe missionaries Ia com memorating the dying love of Christ. After the persecution broke out in -1836, this house of prayer was turned into a prison, in which, mingled with wretched-criminals, the Chria tians were 'Confined. . This chapel was prison when I was here in 1856.- icing Ra,- dami restored it to its original use, and a most.attentive congregation of 'about eight hundred- people , ocoupy it, every Lord's day. The people have almost as strong an attach ment to this scene of their distress and sor-, row, as the. spots on which ,their companions actually died. 'The 844 admirable ; 'being in the midst of a, large popnlatien, on a sort of rocky,terraee, with buildii%'materials at hand. Here, also, it is proposed to raise - a church. "At - Fiaduana,the spot, where, during the last persecution, in 1857, 'twetity-bne Were stoned- to . death; it is . also' propoSed to erect a small..villagdehurch, as 'sort of appen dage., to Ambohipotsy t fronl which it isoitot far distant Three at knit of these build ings should be of stone, if all cannot be of that, material,; they, should not bp ornament ed or Showy, but plain, solid, lasting fabrics correspohiling in, their style tiiid'character with the purpose for :whichihey are raised,- and capabld of containing "eight "hundred or a'' thousand' personi:each. So• far as can judge, the cost oftlhese , building could"not be less than £10,000." GENESEE EVANGELIST.---Whole No. 868. PEW AENISEES.- We refer not to theconstructionor adorning of the pews in our churches,. although there are many things al out them that,eadly inter fere with the comfort of worshippers. The old high-backs, over •which we used to peep o du' tip-toe,,the wooden low:backs on which You can Scarcely rest your elbow, the broad seats which refuse to allow the kn'eejOint to work naturally, or the narrow seats from which you are:continually sliding towards the centre ofgravitati on, are all:" blemishes" that ought to ,be avoided in every, sanctuary. But these are not the things we have in our mind's eye now. Neither do we allude to those blemishes oftenlCind on the backs or seats of pews, in the shape of knife-cuts or pencil marks, nor to the filthy stains on the pew floors in the drape of tobaOoo*lbilfthot perpetrators of which deserve to be driven from God's house with a stronger whip:of cords than that which was laid on the backs of the money changers of old. We refer now rather, Ito. such blemishes as Are found in the people who occupy these pews.in our churches. . , And when we speak now of anything wrong in our pews, let it be understood as referring to their occu pants. r,Th,e Sleepy Pew.—Some pews in our churches appear to be rented or occupied for the same purpose as you would engage a morn at a hotel, that you might take a sleep and enjoy a rest. Some people ire scarcely in their-pews until they fix fora sleep, and go asleep. Some constitutional infirmities, &c. Stu., but it is strange these infirmities should overcome them only on Sundays. We seriously think if every worshipper realized the presence of God in his temple, and the awful issues that may hang on every service, they would be so filled with trembling as to shut out all possibility of sleep. The misfor tune is, many good people enter upon the services' with a sort of melancholy emptiness of mind and. heart waiting to be acted upon by the influences' f the sanctuary, and thus without any effortor intention, fall asleep. Activity is the true antidote to sleep. In place of coming to church to be acted upon, people shouldcome to act themselves, to keep their thoughts busily employed in self exami natiOn, prayer, praise and meditation, and We feel confident there would be no tempta tion to sleep during service, and thus blemish the pew. ; IL The Silent Pew.—This pew is just behind the other.: Its occupants do not sleep, on if they do, it is with their eyes open. But they are silent. They take no part in the worship of God. They look coldly on, never raise a note of praise to their Creator, and by their expressionless faces disclose the fact that no emotion or thought is every disturbed. or excited. No wonder the pulpit sometimes is dull *hen so 4inany • pews are btask - when to there DO response of eye to eye, soulto soul, or-tear to .tear. We attended Rev. H. W. Beecher's -church one evening last summer. When the hymn- was announced (to which • was affixed an-old familiar tune) the whole congregation arose, and every tongue inthat • congrega.ti'on of theusand appeared to be un loOSed to sing a song of glory. As Mr. Beeclter sat there, with the multitude before, behind, above, around andikeneath him, send ing up their voices like the sound of many waters, we could see the fire= kindling in his soul and shining out of its windows as he gazed around on the throng, which soon ex plained the secret of his power .in uttering thoughts that breathed and words that burned. No pulpit can be dead that faces a congrega tion of living pews. 111. The Critical Pew.—Not every person who, enters God's housefcomes there to wor ship, neither does every person that listens to Its instructions, do, so to be profited. Malty listen only to criticise. Something in the doctrine, language, or manner, of `every sermon displeases them, and forms a prolific theme for their terrible sarcasm. There are some pews in `nearly every church that allow no Sunday to paas without dis covering at least a mote in the pulpit, the choir, or their neighboring pews. Well, all we can say now is, we pity them. Like the orang-outang who thinks the hideousness of - his countenance' belongs "to the brook, in whose clear waters it is reflected, these mise 'rabic people imagine the faults with which they are too familiar belong to their neigh bors, in place of themselves. Ah ! reader, if you belong to this unhappy cla,ss, get rid. of the " blemish" at once; but remember "it goeth out only by fasting and prayer?' IV. • The Worldly Pew.—ln this:pew you always see the height of the fashions pro minently. and painfully displayed. Every article of dress:is carefully arranged to ap pear to the "best advantage. The lack of this pew in the beauty of holiness is sought to be supplied by an excess of the beauties of flowers and flounces; and the money that should be appropriated to pay for the rent,. of the pew,- is applied to pay for its ornaments. But alas ! these ornaments sadly befit the poverty of spirit that lies beneath them, and therefore we number 'them with the blemishes of the pew." From this pew there often come up sounds of whisPerings and. titterings from thoughtless or sacrilegious lips *Mali never heed the injunction—"and let all the earth keep silence before him," but ' , unwilling to listen themselves,,seem determined to prevent others