auttion truitrgitrins GENESEE EVANGELIST. TITURSDAY, JANUARY 15, 1863 JOHN W. MEARSI THE PRESBYTERIAN RELIGIOUS AND LIT MARY ASSOCIATION. lima body held its Annual meeting on'Ttics day, January 6th. Rev. Dr. Brainerd was ap pointed 'Chairman, and Mr. John Sparhawk, Secretary. The following persons constitute the Execu tive committee,:—Samuel . :T. Bodine, Rev. Al bert Barnes, Rev. T. Brainerd, D.D., Rev. John Jenkins, D.D., John Sparhawk, James Billings, B. D. Stewart, M. W. Baldwin, Wm. Strong. The Annual. Statement was presented and adopted, after which, the Meeting adjourned: PRAYING AND WO/ICING. To pray is to work. Fervent prayers are ef fectual. True praying is the most effectual work that can be done. It is ' to secure the aid of the Almighty. It is to complete the chain of Providence necessary to .intiodnen the fullness of time. The prayers of Jeremiah, of Daniel, and of Nehemiah were moving, causes of the restoration of the Jews; the prayers of Si meon, of Anna, and of them that waited for the consolation of Israel, and looked for redemption injerusalem, were necessary to Christ's advent at that time; the prayers of the hundred and twen ty, in the upper room, led to the glorious effusion of the Spirit on the day of Pentecost. Prayers have been the grand instrumentalities of the progress of Christ's kingdom in the world. The great Reformation was an answer to the prayers of centuries; the existence of this free country is the result of prayer; and the present convul sions rocking it to the centre,—may they not be the answer of those prayers to which the ear of the just God is more especially open,--may not the feeble and despised slaves of the South have set in motion all this fierce and bloody 'agitation by the mere breath of' their cries for deliverance? " For the oppression of the pour, for the sighing of the needy now will I arise, saith the Lord." And there are accepted prayers on register in the secret archives of Providence, which shall exert as marked an influence in shaping the fu ture and in controlling the destiny of nations, as these. There are souls of martyrs crying from beneath the altar : " How long 0 Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth?" The world is under the sway of this powerful in strument of prayer. But praying neither enables nor disposes us to dispense with working, no more than faith can or does exist without works. Truly praying men are sure to bb efficient working men. They have no disposition to rely on prayer alone, un less there is no other resource. The true pray ing man sets no false or fanatical example befere Hs fellow-men. He cannot. He would .cease truly to pray, if be ceased to work. True pray er flows from a ruling desire which presses every available instrument into its service, and which prompts the subject of it to every effort for its accomplishment. The prayer flows out not only in speech to God, but in work in the , world. The praying man recognizes himself as God's instru ment for the accomplishing of the ends he asks. He simply takes care not to confound the instru ment, with the power which employs it. He works prayerfully, that is in constant dependence in God for • strength ; he works earnestly and energetically, for he feels God's strength within him ; he works unselfishly, for the moment self comes in, prayer goes out; he is willing to en dure sacrifices, to bear crosses, to be and do any thing which be sees needful for carrying out the will of God on earth. He is content to do noth ing, only when Providence hedges him up and makes it plainly impossible to work; he is con tent with simple belief, only when human means are plainly superceded. Sometimes indeed he will appear to be doing very little when he might be doing more. George Mueller did very little, apparently, to secur e the necessary funds for his orphan house at Bristol. He prayed inces santly for help; and made special supplication for special times .of need; he prayed far more than he did anything else for this object. He plead the promises. Nay, he undertook his en terprise with the express object, as he tells us, " that God might be magnified by the fact that the orphans under my care are provided with all they need, only by prayer and faith, without any one being asked by me or my fellow-laborers." He seems to think that be actually did nothing but pray for assistance in his work. The truth is, he did seemingly little; yet with so much wisdom and timeliness, that it was equivalent to a great deal. He made no formal applications for aid, but he stated the facts of his proposed institution in his own simple, earnest style, to his own congregation in Bristol, and by means of printed eireulars, to Christians abroad ; he kept up these printed issues; he began his work in the most humble manner, and toiled at it with the most entire self-denial; the care of or phans was an object which: - commended itself to every charitable heart, and was itself an appeal of the strongest kind to public sympathy ; so that Mr. Mueller, instead of simply asking God, as he believes he did, took the best human means besides, of accomplishing his end. The very attitude of making no appeal, but rather of con fiding in the Christian public, may itself be re garded as an appeal. Overcoming a dead weight, though it may require more effort, is not more truly working, than is raising the same weight with less strain and friction by skillful appli ances. The question with the praying man is, how shall I best promote the end I have in view? And while he may be mistaken as to the means, be is sure to use those which appear to him best. Idleness is utterly incompatible with true prayer. Whatever Mr. Mueller may have done in regard to raising funds, he did not act as if he believed God would feed and clothe and train the orphans without using means. Ho gave himself to the work of superintending and directing the insti tution, lie was and is a most industrious worker for their good. Such too is Wiehern in Ham burg. Ilia life is one crowded with every sort of work for the Gospel in the department of the Inner Mission. He is the animating centre of all movements in his country for the evangelization of the masses. His fervor and his faith are great, but they are exhibited in his toils no less than in his prayers. The amount of work'which lie does and which he prompts others to do is indeed ama zing. True prayer energizes the whole man. It exalts almost to superhuman heights of power and of endurance. It brings out secret reserves of power in the man. _Holy and humble zeal for God is but another name for the spirit of prayer, and as surely as 'it finds expression toward God in prayer, so surely will it flow out in earnest la bors towards.man. Praying men; it is true, have sometimes erred in suppesing that the most ef ficient means of acting Oen the wicked world, was to withdraw from it,,and offer their prayers in entire and ,life:lono , seclusion. ...They have re lied upon the silent protest of their withdrawal as more effective than remonstrance and active effort. It was an error Of jtidgement only, in many. That error has been dissipated. The avenues of active effort are wide open'; true prayer is no more monkish than was Paul, whose first prayer was, " Lord what wilt 'thou have me to do ? " and whose whole life was an illustration of the natural and necessary union of praying and working. Editor ITS DIGNITY AND' POWER. IF the statements in our first paper on - this Subject-be true, preaching the wOrd of God is the work of highest dignity and plimise. Mn' never has to do with themes so grand, so mo mentous as when he speaks intelligently, and seriously of` the Creator, and his Claims on the mind and heart of our species. '"The pulpit is the loftiest throne of human intellect. The seat of the Judge, the chair of PhilotiopitY; the plead ,er at the bar, has not such a place in human of &diens, such opportunity to sway reason, such a sphere for influencing the deepest sentiments and life of the soul. It- is liot time alone, nor human society, that limits the work; and the power of the genuine preacher. They run into the invisible life, into the immortal world. They strike at the centre of evil, and vibrate through . the ages of good. They go up to heaven and through the empire of holy mind. They min gle with the ,current of thought, feeling,;oy and song in all the happy kingdom of the Lord. Where Christ is, they are; where He reigns, they „triumph.,, They, are, in, his thoniat . and plan, and never separate from his agency, his spirit, his grand sphere of rule and of operation. Preaching the word therefore is not only 'honor able in the highest view, but equally surdlin its results. The Head of the Church rules;* ab solutely, in the mental and moral worlikas in the material. The law of agency in the former is as certain as in the latter. - Therekin . the preaching of the word, being'appointed of,God, and in the conscious ; plan of. Christ, reaches the mind, moves the will, awakens muscle*, and reforms the life, by laws of influence as inevita ble, where they act freely and directly on the rea lona.ble, religious being, as those of electricity of motion or of light.. The order of sequence in reasoning, the relation between cause and ih effect in agency, in matter, in dynamics, is the elXpres sion of the Divine will.. So is it in the vreOing of religioui truth. The will of God islm it. Truth is the power of God. It presses to.its re sults in the life of souls, as does the law Of grav itation in the life of worlds; but with sUbliiner majesty and power. - Waking can effeettally re sist-it. Coming-from the mind of the Almighty, it goes forth with his Omnipotence to fulfil:his decree. This law is asserted, as in a sense par allel with natural law, in the language of Isaiah (55th ch.) "For as the rain cometh down, and': , the snow from heaven, and returneth not thither, ': but watereththe earth, and maketh it bring forth and bud, that it'may give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater : so shall my word be that go eth forth out of my mouth : it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it." • If, then the earth is watered 'and made fruitful by a changeless law, if we, are never disappointed when Ave look for dawn after the night; if the succession of seasons is not inter rupted, if the harvest ripens to bless .a faith ful husbandry, if light fails not to flood the earth and 'glitter in every open eye; we may entertain unshaken faith, that the earnest preach er shall realize, by a-law higher than any in tla.- ture, results ample, foretold, and determined by the great Governor of all minds. It behoves us I then to exalt this grand agency before men ; to feel its dignity, and glory in our own hearts. It behoves the ministers of God to glory in their work, and bear ever the,conviction that they are with God in the greatest of all purposes and in strumentalities. Speaking of the power of the pulpit; 3. W. Alexander remarks, in his excel lent “ Thoughts on preaching," "I fear none of us apprehend as we ought-to - do the value of the preacher's office. Our young men do not gird themselves for it with the spirit of theie who are on the eve - of a greateenflict; nor do they prepare aslhose who are to lay their hands .;. upon the springs of the mightiest passions, and stir up to their depths the ocean of :human feel : - ings. Where this estimate of the work prevailea, men even of inferior training accomplish intiest such as Surnmerfield:Thhe pulpit win Ictri macs; main the grand means of affecting the mass of men. It is God's own method and he will honor it. The work done by Wesley, and by Whit field, and by Christmas Evans in Wales, could not have been accomplished by any other human agency—the press for hotance. In every age great reformers have been great preachers, and even in the corrupt Roman Church the most, wonderful effects have been produced by preach-'; in." . DEATH OF REV. LYMAN BEECHER, D.D. AT 5 o'clock P.M., of Saturday, January 10th, this venerable servant of God ceased to breathe. For nearly two years previously he may almost be said to have ceased to live, he was so feeble in body and in intellect. He died at his resi dence in Brooklyn at the age of eighty-seven. His son, Henry Ward, announced his death in the Plymouth Church, Sabbath Evening. Coxtstrrrev, having in charge the affairs of German Street Church, Mr. Samuel Work, Chairman, are laboring zealously and not unsue cessfully to save the church from passing iuto other hands. They have issued an appeal which we will endeavor to notice more at length next week. OUR INTERESTING FOREIGN LETTER, on the first page contains a New Year's wish for the readers o f the BANNER OF TUE. COVENANT. •['his is explained from the fact, that the letter, originally written for that excellent paper, is by special arrangement, placed at our disposal and appears in advance in our eolutuns. PREAOHrIiG,--liCt, BY KEY. E. E. ADAMS mnion vtrolittertan and 6,cittott (6raitgriieot. TILT PROCLAMATION. The N. P. Methodist (Conservative) says: WE do not hesitate to say, that we seeded to do precisely what has now been done by the President. Recognizing, in slavery not only the real cause of the revolt, but its strength, its very inspiration, it was necessary to uproot it wherever the rebellion extended. The N. Y. Evangelist: WE believe devoutly that the Measure is wise and just, and that its effect will be to hasten the close of the war. And we counAt a righteous judgment of God, that as slavery "brought t ‘ he war upon us, as it , brought forth the monster Treason, now at the last Slavery and Rebellion should be buried in the same grave. N. Y Obserber ; nothing. Oongregationalist, Boston : Whatever may be the practical results of this Proelarnation, its moral effect is 'incalculable. ft places the nation indisputably upon, the side of justice and of right. It not only declares the freedom of the slave, but, by inviting him to enter the army and navy ofd-the-United States, it recognizes his manhood and his citizenship. The clock has struck the hour of liberty for four, millions of men. Tt will be hard to force back the hand upon its dial. Boston Recorder, (Conservative 9 ginningthehi 7 , of the rebellion, it has been the opinion of thousands of good men, not reputed to be extreme in their views, that God was working in this great and• dreadful' derinno tion' for the overthrow slavery. We have , been of this opinion, and we look upon this act of the President as a link in the chain of provi dential causes which are to work the extinction of the present system of oppression in the South ern States. As a means to this great, and as we believe, heaven-appointed end, we therefore wel come the Proclamation, and say, let our Govern ment do its utmost to sustain and 'carry it out. Christian Advocate : Our friends abroad will now see the great dif ference between the contending parties, and be tween the issues presented for' the war. The North fights for liberty, the South for slavery. The victory of the one is emancipation, the vic tory of the other is the indefinite perpetuation and extension or *slavery on our soil. Had*the measure been adopted earlier it would have been better. • The independent: We unite, with every true and devout man who sees in our national affairs an overruling Divine Providence, in solemn thanksgiving to God that He has raised up '`a man to perform the crowning deed of Moral Duty ! When Mr. Lin coln, by the simple words of his Military Procla mation, decreed the liberty of three millions of men, and pledged the whole power of the United States to maintain it, he silently and unconsciously was lifted 'by Divine overwatching power to the place of God's greatest men. He knew'not himself how greatly he acted. This is the law of the, highest moral achieve;' ments. . . . Could we have a record of the troubled thoughts and exceeding anxieties that for a year have brooded upon Mr. Lincoln, we should see-that this ‘ Great Deed of Emancipation was born of sorrow and anguish of spirit To no other man of this hemispheie, , and to one only of this age—the Czar, has it been permitted such a glorious opportunity. Since nothing is immortal , but moral truth, and Mr. Lincoln has intrusted his name and fame to the keeping ofJustice and Humanity, he will be known to the end of time, among the Great and Good of this world Examiner (Baptist) : Such a step has been taken in the issue of ,the President's edict of emancipation. It said to wrong of ages : " Thus far bast thou gone, but ;thou shalt go no farther 1" It said to one of the families of mankind, for centuries degraded to the level of toiling brutes; "Be free, be Men." It in substance if not in form, the Magna ellarta to them of that highest right--incompati bi4`.with the mildest type of slavery, and so cruelly tkdden under foot by the system of African ser val Die—the right of living in accordance with the will of God. In this act of its chosen Exe cutive, the nation has risen up in the face of the ,world, and shaken from its regal skirts the foul dishonor of human bondage. * * * * " What our Puritan fathers sought for when they crossed the wintry sea; to build upon these Wes tern 'shores a righteous and godly nation; what thensands of pious hearts in each succeeding gen , eration have cried for to the ear of mercy, that he would make this land, as the missionary of re - vealed truth and of Christian civilization, the light and glory of all lands, has now become of possible fulfillment. Only so could it have been effected. Truly, God has wrought a great re demption for Israel. The freskyter,Cincinnati : This act of President Lincoln, if God shall bless` him in conquering the.'Confederales, will embalm his memory in the hearts of the - humane and just, and his name shall be a sweet sayi:r un tilitime is no more. As soon as we read the froelatnaticm of Sept. 22, 1862, we were prepar ed to sustain it, and to rejoice in it as light from on - high. We are full of hope, but our hope is in God." We fully expect the proclamation to be a success- ADDRESS OP THE OONGREGATIONALUNION OE ENGLAND. The committee appointed by the Congregational Union to conduct correspondence in America on slavery, haVe , ismed an address to their fellow. Christians inEngland, to which are attached the names of many leading Independent and Baptist ministers. It sets forth that, as slavery is a flagrant offence against humanity, we are placed under weighty religious obligations to do what we can, by moral means, to bring the crime and curse to an end.Vhe war it is contended, origi nated in the detexpination of the South to main tain and extend sla4ery. " The election of Presi t dent Lincoln, fairlytnterpreted, really involved the gradual and cons4tutional abolition of slavery : the real issue of thk war as now carried on—a war into'which the Free States were led, without expectation, and without preparation, is that this abolition shall be effected." The duties urged upon Christians are prayer for such a disposal-of events as may result ifreedom for the slaves, peace, and prosperity.; Adeavours to fix public attention upon slavery TS the real cause of existing evils, and-to awaken seinpathy in favour of its absolute and immediat6removal ; support of the policy of non-intervention ; unparalleled efforts to mitigate distress; exertions to procure a supply of tree la.bout cotton.; antjealousy lest the peril to which free institutio& are exposedabroad should be made the occatm of arresting the pro gress of constitutional lib4ty at home. DEDIOATION AT REESEVILLE, l ecgpaLoshoeud:ri Idaey_'. . , Dee. TIIF. Dedication of the pretty church at Reese vile, which has been built through , the efforts wasoaßl f ltos tto o ho a u bo, nky r s :apnn g , idnolanaocanrwde occasion brother,:os,in :nitifteedelegationninadnfe ttndehhrennoionofßottnfeervroione.nrst friends ty ,y dTs:ai : i I:end:soda : pa y , gathCring of the people of the neighborhood but EverytlAng went off admirably. ( we )pay it •for the benefit, of e on _ ille, tributors and friends who were not present) is del it pla nn ia ne . v a " villa " of may be ten houses more or less, and a station on the Pennsylvania Central Rail- Eoad in 'Cheste'r County, seventeen miles west it be of this Civ ; but, if' not a' greati . town t is in a magnificent farming region and among a population needing a Church and a Pastor. They now have.a Chnich and a Pastor. The Church, just completed, it quite a gem--built of stone, in old Gothic style, with slate -roof and a fine bell swinging in its tower, neat and tasteful within, pewed and carpeted, with stained glass windows and recessed pulpit, with lamps and stoves, the whole enclosed by a picket fence— and all , for three thousand dollars. It is an achievement most creditable to the good people of the neighborhood and, o the brother to whose 1 perseverance, - sea& and good taste, the church upon the hill sta#,s as a ipermanent monument. The company IN'Prie'sday; was first bountiful ly feasted, and `then Went to the church, which was crowded with the attentive and happy audi ence. A sermon, pithy, suggestive and thought ful, was preached by Dr. Brainerd,--Mr. McLe od's former pastor,—the Rev. Messrs. Robbins, Jenkins, Brown, Butler,. Moore, Drysdale and Scott, assisted in the services. An address by. Mr. McLeod, thanking the friends of the enter prise for their servides, and narrating its history, its hopes and its aiins, wash very happy. The sweet-toned church-going bell, which sa luted with welcome the Philadelphia friends as the ears approaehnd the station, was a present from four , gentleman of , lontreal, belonging, to. Mr. McLeod's former paish, whose names were mentioned in grateful acknowledgement. The Biker alsw state' that the beauty and finish of the ornamental p astering of the edifice were due verYlargiily to he personal attention, taste and liberality 'of. M Praiser an Elder, in old Pine Street. One "point hOwever y, t needed attention— after a.second effort by th - Reeseville Congrega tion, several hundred doll rs were still• needed to complete the payments. it was determined to make an effort and wipe • ; this indebtedness on the spot. The handsomeum of about $700.00 was assumed . by thOnini E ters or subscribed by t the good layien presenic• leaving but a small sum yet, to be received, which the pastor took upon himself to secure atlonce from friends not present. Thus the - churili was dedicated, not encumbered by debt, but-freely and fully to the service of God. . 1 1 The company then patted with glad hearts, the people with their church dedicated and out of debt, and the friends from the city pleased to . have had a share in :.a truly good work. If any one wishes to know what energy and good taste can do with $3OOO in church building, let him go to Reemille, and he will get some good ideas oiCtlierinhjeCt. OPEN OOMMUNIOL .&,HONG THE ENGLISH BAPTISTS. Two cases have recently been in court, in England, involving the qusstion whether the Baptists are to"be regarded in law as holding to close communion Principles, or as having no fixed - views ,on the subject. In each case, the decision hai affirmed , the latter alternative to be the true one, and liberal Baptists can receive and, hold money in ,England without : fear of for The last case was decided in Chancery during December. The following report which we find in the Weekly Review, will be interesting to our readers : "The.suit relates to Cavendish Chapel, Rams gate, and is by information and bill at the relation of a lady named Spencer, who contributed up wards of £3200 towards the chapel, and who as sociates with her certain persons as plaintiffs, holding the views of Particular or Calvinistic Baptists.. The defendants are the minister and some of the trustees, the others being plaintiffs, the Cause of suit being that the defendant, Mr. Etheridge, s minister of the chapel, had admitted to the Communion of the Lord's Supper persons who were not of the class of Baptists represented by the plaintiff&—that is, who had not received the rite of baptism when adult, upon a full con fession of faith, and by total immersion. The plaintiffs' contention was that, by the terms of the deed under which . the chapel was held, no person not holding Particular or Calvinistic Bap tist views or tenets could partake of the Com munion in the chapel, which was not of an open, free, or Mixed coinniunion character, but strictly confined, to Particular Baptists, although all per sons were free io worship there in a general sense. The,plaintiffs' case is nearly identical in principle with that relating to St. IVlary's Bap tist Chapel — Kiiiith which created so much discussion a short (time back. The works of Robert Hall,liord Macaulay's and Offor's "Life of Bunyan Ivimey's and Dr. Wall's works, and other books of a like nature, besides the Confes:- alone of Faith ; were likewise constantly made use of. The.Vice-Claancellor, in giving judgment, said he did not think it necessary to t hear the counsel for the defendant& He, reviewed at great length the historical evidence submitted to the court as to the *edict of strict or open com munion amongst Particular Baptiats, from which it appeared that,' from the earliest period in the history of that denomination, the question whe ther non-Baptist&should be admitted to partake of the Lord's Supper had been a subject .of con troversy, and the practice had been constantly changing from strict to open communion, and from open to strict communion, even in the same congregation. The necessary consequence was that the exclusion from the Lord's table of per sons not baptized in the Baptist form, was not an essential doctrine of Particular Baptists. With regard to the coats, the Master of the. Rolls had taken the indulgent course of giving none to either side, and-if this had been the first, ease on the point, it might have been a question; inasmuch as the case lignally failed, and the par ties knew of the previous decision, he should dis= miss it with costs REV . A. T. Wurrg.—The brick walls of the Nevi churgi in Carson, Nevada Territory, are nearly completed. By the energetic efforts of Mr. White, who is the Stated Supply of the church, and Rev. W. W. Brier, Agept of the PrusbYterian HonM Ilissionary Society, funds nearly enough to complete it, free of debt, have been raided. ', • THE OPENING OF ' THE BOX. THE following familiar and touching descrip tion of one of the brighter incidents of Home Missionary Life, is worthy of perusal, both as showing that our most loyal congregations have the largest room in their hearts-for the interests of Zion, and as reminding our ladies of the great amount of happiness and good they may accom plish by a moderate degree of exertion and out lay. ILLlxa s , Dl o. 18, 1862. To TILE LADIES OF THE CENTRAL PRERBYTEIAN CHURCH, WILMINGTON, DELAWARE: Beloved Sisters in . Christ You have , doubtless ere this expected to bear from us of the joy your munificent present has oc casioned in this far off Missionary home. Butyou will, I know, pardon the delay of two weeks, when I tell you that it was occasioned by the absence of my wife, spending thanksgiving with her friends. We could not do without her to super intend the " opening" of the box and share in our rejoicing. The beautiful pocket book with contents came safe by mail, also the letter with $5.25 enclosed. I cannot tell you whether I was most surprised or pleased when, turning over leaf after leaf, the, " Green-backs" still presented the welcome,face of our worthy President, apparently saying "-Still we come." The: small: change' was a desi deratum in this cOuntiy; as but verylittle has as yet found its way out among us, and the numer ous Postage Stamps always ." in order" We have now instead, receipt for a good instalnient on our annual rent, a good cow in the yard, pro visions for the winter, and some left for such exigencies as unforseen circumstances may re quire after paying four dollars freight, on the This morning our otherwise happy family was made happier by examining the contents-of the box, the only one we have ever received , through four years of Missionary work. Our curiosity has been on tip-toe since it came to hand, wondering what could be in it. The yankee birthright of guessing has been fairly indulged, but each new discovery, as article after article came to light, proved how farAhort of the mark it is possible to come, even after considerable practice, when the subject is one of your Missionary boxes.. "This is just what I have wanted so long," was more than once the reply to the question " What is it ?" and long before the bottom was reached, every want was amply supplied. Little Georgy was forthwith installed in his new suit " Just a fit!' Among its Merits, not the least was the pocket containing additional treasurelin4he shape of belt, gloves and handkerchief. After discussing its merits, it was. carefully folded away anxiously inquiring " how long before Sunday comes" expecting then more fully to test it virtues. Laura's wrapper was a luxury little expected, while the box with the net and other articles for the Missionary's daughter af forded more real satisfaction than a casket of jewels. The bonnet for Mrs.---ie truly beautiful, and the, numerous other articles evidently falling to the share of my wife elicited 'no little admiration and gratitude. The abundance of nice warm under clothing and " lots " of material to make more, dress goods, socks and hose effectually quiet our anxiety about the high prices that now " rule With a rod of iron." ' . As for myself, what shall I 'say? Mrs.— says : "Papa you never had such a rig in your life." Georgy says "Now Papa you are rich, you are rich," bounding about the room with bright, though indefinite anticipations. Laura wishes somebody would come in and catch me with the study coat and eap on, " wouldn't they laugh." The warm over-coat and shawl will de fy the prairie winds when filling country ap pointments and the new suit will " shine " at the meeting of Presbytery or anywhere else. Ladies, we are permitting you to come behind the curtain and hear some of the talk in the sa cred seclusion of the family. Your generous gifts have assured us that you are our friends, and we can believe you will overlook our follies. I would go further into particulars but will not be tedious. Our first surprise is that you have sent us articles of snob intrinsic value; nest that they supply our wants so well,-and then that they so well fit the several members of the family. I have shown you something though faulty, of our more evident emotions, but your giftedo more than supply bodily wants. We feel that we have your sympathy and your prayers. The burden of discouragement is lifted off when we have such assurance that you remember us; and we go forward with higher resolves cultivating the waste places," for the glory of our common Lord. We have already had a season of thanks giving to God for these undeserved mercies, and we shall never I trust, cease to have you in grateful remembrance as the almoners of his bounty. That God may bless you more and more, keep you-in the most Holy faith, and return a hun. dred fold for the bread you thus cast :upon the waters, is our earnest prayer. Your Brother and Sister in Christ. * PHILADELPHIA. RELIGIOUS lixaf.s.—The Cen tral Presbytery of Philadelphia (0. R) met in the Penn Presbyterian Church,Aenth St, below Girard Avenue, on Sabbath evening 11th inst., and installed the Rev. G. W. Musgrave, D.D., LL. D., Pastor of said Church. The Sabbath School of Wharton Street Methodist Church has furnished forty-two volunteers, two of whom, Lieut. G. W. Kenney and Joseph Logan, were killed.---Nearly all the youngmen of the Scotch M. E. Church who took an active part in the Sabbath-school at the commencement of the war, have enlisted .—Rev. C. E. Hill, the former pas tor of Union M. E. Church, Camden, late Chap lain of the Corn Exchange Regiment, from Phila- delphia, has returned home sick and disabled from the exposure incident to severe service. He was said, while in the service, to have been one of the most efficient chaplains in the army. THE ANDERSON TROOP. ALL honor to. the brave and patriotic three hundred of this troop, who, in spite of the pe culiar discouragements of their position, deter mined to act a patriotic, self-denying, and peril ous part, and-join in the-battle of Murfreesboro'. The names of Rosengarten and Ward among the killed, and of Ramsey, Patteson, Kimber and many others, among the wounded, will be cher ished with admiration and gratitude by their fellow-citizens. The friends of the gallant dead and the wounded survivors have our sympathies and prayers. May the latter be restored again to do good service for their country, and to act a man's and a Christian's part in every relation-of life. EMANOIPATION IN MISSOURI. THE effort of the Chief Executive to •secure the Border Slave States to the cause of the widen and freedom, may ydt prove to have been one of the most sagacious measures of the crisis. ,lii the shaineful halting of the stay-at-home majori ties of some Northern States, the , emphatic decision or such States as Missouri and West Virginia for freedom is likely to be of incalculable importance .th the cause. The salvation of the country from a new ca-' reer -of subserviency to the slave-power may yet turn upon their attitude. The position and pros pects of the Entancipation cause in Missouri are as fit subjects of rejoicing and thankfulness as a decisive national victory. The State legislature is largely for emancipation, and has moved with the, utmost proinptitude towards that object. With equal promptness, the House of Representatives, at the suggestion of the IVlissottri delegation, and to the great mortification and surprise of the op position, passed a bill on Tuesday, the 6th, ap propriating ten millions to compensate loyal mas ters for the emancipation of their slaves. There is no reason 'to doubt that the measure'will re ceive the, sanction of the Senate and the Presi; dent, and bp accepted hy Miisckuri, and thus'this great' State, which has played so" promninent a part in the history of the aggressions of the slave power in:our-eogntry will take:her Tilate as one of the most influential and prosperous of the siaterhood . of free States. Our Church Should be preparing already to enter largely upon a field • so appropriate to her labors; to strengthen the surviving centres of her influence there, and-to cast the gospel leaven into the new communities which must pPring UP. in a,• State, so fevered; by nature, and now at-length rid of,the - great'draw-: 1 back to her prosperity. That will be a white day`in our annals when' , we can hail MissOuri as the rising Star of-the` new Constellation of free States, beginning ready' to break 'forth from the dim _nebula of the Border. And no small amount of praise will be due-Mr. Lincoln for this, result, which grows ft:cm his own suggestions, _and which could scarcely have been reached but for the patience, persistence and wisdom which he - has shown, in all his transactions with this delicate section of oar country. . BURIAL OF A ORRISTIAB . SOLDIER. REMARKS OE REV. DR. BRAINERD. ON n` recent Sabbath afternoon, the body of Lieutenant Montgomery, of the, 116th Pennsy vault' Volunteers, was interred at Maepelah ce metery, in this 'city. He - died in tbe Patent Office 'Hospital,: Washington City, December 14, of wounds received at Fredericksburg. ,We are indebted to the Inquirer, for, the following re- "Dr...Brainerd, of whose church he , was formerly a member, officiated. His remarks over the grave of the deceased soldier were very imp pressive. Of the evils of War in general, the Doctor said :—They are legion, and only to be tolerated - now to avoid the worse evils of universal anarchy and international strife and bloodshed likely to. follow the breaking up of a great nation. We a4ffer-Irr. as , . a choice; of great _Mar cannot` last always, and the„majoritypf the :wounded be come better. Xis not .so; 'with the victims of vice amongst us. Hundrids of :our young men Would be safer opposite Fredericksburg, than in Philadelphia. Three hundred thousand of oar fellow mortals in this country ate drnpkards, and of these thirty thousand die annually. , At the graves of such we are silent. What can we saY?, But over the graves of our country's marqrs we can say that the cause ennobles the victim. A. life sold, not lost. " Of thehattle of FredericksbUrg Dr. Brainerd said It, was a fearful time and . disastrous to thousands. Other generations will shudder at its bloody details. It unfolds to us the strength of that treason which we have to combat. It de _ velopes a love of country seldomsurpassed. It has disciplined a great army to appalling dangers, and linked thousands of bleeding hearts more closely to the cause of freedom. It has created in all Christian lands, among true men, a deeper loathing of the treason which has shedth* blood; and a deeper abborrenCe of the Northern semi.. traitors who aid the Rebellion. It will, terano lift from high places,the mean,' the mercenary and the craveri-hearted, and give, prominence in the cabinet and 'field. to men willing to auger and die for their country' " Of Lieutenant Montgomery the Doctor said He was a young man of excellent character and noble impulses. A native of Virginia, with his property and all- his relatives there, he was, 'like. Abdiel, ' faithful among the faithless found.' He preferred his *hole country to the State of Ids birth. On the battle-field he fought bravely, and fell wounded. He was a true:man a citizen and a fiftriot." BUD UN. BUTLER TO. NEW YORK OITY, IT is to the, praise of Gen. Butler that he has been marked as Uspecial object by rebel vindic tiveness and 'rage. We could wish that 'others' of our generals had equally deserved proclama tions from Jeff. Davis. No doubl, the faithful servant of the government