The American Presbyterian., February 12, 1863, Image 1

Vol. VII, No. 24.---Whole No. 336.
foiettl.
A Story of Gibraltar.
[Correspondence of the American Presbyterian
in .Delaware,]
Mr. Editor and Dear Brother :
in a prayer-meeting a few evenings since, I em
ployed the incident of the sentinel in the gallery, in
the fortress Gibraltar, crying out " The precious
blood of Christ," in illustration of the good' any
Christian may do even incidentally, whose heart
is filled with love to the. Saviour, Subsequently,
the enclosed versification of the incident by an un
known hand, -came into my possession. It is at
your disposal. '
Night brooded on the sea. The galleried Rock,
That through the long, bright day had echoed
back
The tramp of soldiery, and ring of arms,
e r as hushed to silence; from its triple points.
Which springing from the waters, seemed to
reach
E'en to heaven's vault, to where the gentle clash
Of waves upon the beach, showed man his.bound,
No sound disturbed the.stillness, save the tread
Measured and slow, of sentry as he paced
With muffled stop his ever-weafying beat.
The rugged rook slept peacefully beneath
The flood of moonlight, and the placid by
Shone like a mirror.; 'twas a "holy night.'
Before the mouth of one vast gallery strode,
Restlesss and sad, a soldier; he had been
A good 0°140:lion, so:his comrades said,
Generous and cheerful, bold and gentle too, , -
The soul of honor, and, in morals pure
As goes the world. But on the previous morn
He stood with others on the " neutral ground"
And stooping carelessly to pick what seemed
blank page froth the earth, he started back,-.
" Prepare to meet thy Goa ;" was written there,
And echoed in his heart; how could he dare
TO meet his God 7 His conscience brought to
view
His daily sins, and memory, waking up
To !nook his misery, told a faithful tale
Of early errors, counsels thrown away
Reproofs unheeded, prayers, entreaties scorned.
So did God's Spirit work; and eagerly
He sought what he might do, but could not find:
Looking far out upon the " Middle Sea"
Another sentry stood ; he guarded there
The outlet of a gallery. Far beneath
Straight downard as he looked, the waters laved
The stern Rock's root; and far above him
stretched
Only the Rock.. He was alone with God.
The moon fast sinking in the Western sky
Illumined not his beat; - the huge Rock's shade
Spread like a pall below, till 'far away
The slant rays struck the waves, and 'lighted
them
To silvery brightness. Yet amid the gloom
His soul was light; for he had sent his thought
Through centuries of time till in a land
Washed by these very waters he beheld •
The dying Son of God. Low at the Cross
His spirit bowed, and with adoring faith
He praised his Saviour, Rapt in joyous thought
The guard approached unheard, and 'half recalled
By their quick challenge ' he as quickly cried
" The precious blood of Christ!" 'Then smiling
gave
The password for the night. But echoing back
Through the long gallery; his words had fallen
As if from heaven Upon the man who stood
A self-convicted sinner ; and , as soft '
The moonlight flooded rock, and shore, and sea
So did a faith in Jesus swiftly pour
Sweet poaee into his soul, and gave him rest.
Soldier of Christ I What dost thou idling thus
Upon thy post ? How knows the outer world
That thou art his'? Thou host a word for all
Who pass thee in their way; a trifling jest,
A merry song, or sage advice perchance,
Or pleasant converse;
but no word of" Chriit !
Oh, shame 1 ":Stand up, for Jesus 1" • Let him
praise •
Be ever in your heart, nor shun to have
His name upon your lips; lest when he comes
In all his glory, yours be strange to him. F.
Contopoutence,
ESCAPING FROM BA'N'FF',
NUMBER ONE.
Is the escape of a slave from his master a
crime upon which the utmost severito) of legal
penalty ought to be visited ?
A few years ago,•as I was about to enter
my study, I was met, at the gate, by a man
of gentlemanly manners, who respectfully
asked for an interview with me He was of
complexion but little darker than my own,
and his cast of features was not such as to
iollow very plainly that he belonged to a dif
ferent division of the human family : but
when be uncovered his head, the crispy hair
upon it at once indicated that the dark tinge
of his complexion was derived from the min
gling of African blood with that, of his proud
Kentucky ancestry.
He was a minister of the 'Gospel, and
showed me:-credentials of good standing as
such, in the M. E. Church, together with
ample testimonials of his entire trustworthi
ness, from ministers• in , This city of the
Methodist and Old School Presbyterian
Churches.
Ho was the slave of a man living in this
State, who offered, for thorum:a of nine hun
dred dollars, to manumit him( and had given
him "leave of absence " for several months,
to go abroad and solicit that sum.;de
sire was to go to Liberia, andThitve been
told that he succeeded, and is now preadhing
the Gospel in that African "land of - the
free."
Daring my interview with him, was sur
prised to find that he expected to solicit con
tributions from the Methodist churches in
Illinois ; and. I expressed a doubt, whether
he would be permitted to cross the river. He
assured me that he was too well known to
prominent eitizens, to experience any diffi
culty on that score ; and with as manly a
sense of character as I ever saw manifested,
expressed his firm purpose to take no dishono
rable advantage of the confidence placed in him
Pleased with his Christian honor, and per
ceiving that he possessed no mean powers of
moral discrimination, I asked for a faller ex
pression of his opinion, upon the question,
whether it is right for a slave to escape from
slavery by flight.
He replied; " I am not prepared to say
that it is never right. There are cases of
very great oppresszon, from which there is no
other chance of relief. lam not prepared to
say that, in some such cases,it is not right to
flee. But in my circumstances, I have no
idea of doing any such thing. am trusted,
and I mean to act a manly, and honorable
part." He spoke in the deliberatei calm
manner of a man who had thought the sub
ject all over, and who had well-considered
principles and fixed purposes, for the govern
ment of his Conduct. He accepted his con
dition of serviinde as alloted to him in the
ordering of divine Providence ; in that cen
dition, he received with docility the Scriptu
ral instructions to be obedient and faithful to
his master; and he would not harbor the
thought of seeking , to change his condition
by any least sacrifice of truth and honor, or
by any but unquestionably lawful and honest
means. Yet his docile, thoughtful, prayer
ful mind 'could not receive the doctrine that
it is never right for a slave to flee from his
bondage.
I have been authentically informed 'of an
instance occurring more recently in this city,
which illustrates that honest man's allusion
to "eases of very great oppression," from
which he was " not prepared to say " that it
would be wrong to escape by flight.
A woman of pleasing, perSonal appearance,
fled from the cruel scourging, and the far
worse injuries of a drunken master, and took
refuge in the house of a:lady, who pitied her,
and allowed her temporary concealment in
her garret. It could be only temporary. Con
sultation with sympathising neighbors con
vinced the lady that her unhappy refugee
could not escape. There was no lawful way
to rescue her. The most that could be done
was to obtain from the master a promise that
he would receive and treat her kindly ; and
she had to return to him, to be subject, in
his home, to his arbitrary.power, with no se
curity against either his cruelty or his kind
ness, save his promise—the promise of a
drunkard !
Which of the Ten donemandments would
that woman have broken—what principle of
Christian morality would_ she have violated
by making, her escape, if she could have ,done
it ? The law of our country forbade those
neighbors rendering her any assistance to
escape ; but if there bad been no such human
statute, is there any law of God that would
have sustained them ? Would the Golden
rule or the parable of the Good Samaritan,
duly considered, have hindered, them from
exercising their womanly sympathy, in en
couraging and helping their fellow-woman's
escape ?
Some of my friends will say that this is
"an exceptionable case." So it is. Evi
dently my colored clerical brother would say
so. He did,not affirm that flight from servi
tude was always right, or commonly right.
He, simply , could not admit that it was
" never right."
Have not the legislation, and the politics,
and much of the Biblical interpretation of
our country in past years, assumed that it is
never right to flee from slavery—that a
" runaway slave " is always to be regarded
and treated a 4 a criminal ? Have we in this
been in harmony with the Bible, and with
God
If you .please, Mr-Editor, we will pursue
this inquiry farther in other numbers.
-11. A. N.
St. Louis, Jan'y 27th, 1863.
PROFESSOR SAUNDERS' LETTER.
Sinee , Dr. Oliver Wendell Homes, without
a suggestion from any one, gave his impres
sions of my lamented son, Courtland Saun
ders who fell in the last moment of the last
of the Antietam battles, he has suggested
in a letter that some one who knew him
intimately write his biography. He 'was
pleased to remark : " Should his life 'be told
in a simple, loving way, it will find readers
all over the land.'
My son, the author of the New System of
Latin. Paradigms was much engaged in the
last year of his life in preparing two books
for publication—one on which he spent the
greater amount of time, in Latin; the other,
a treatise upon education. '
I propose publishing, in future numbers of
this journal, a few•extracts of his sentiments
and' of his tract for soldiers.
May Zmost respectfully request all intel
ligent Christians, who may read such ex
trang, in case they find important matter in
therii,vto point. them. out to others, and,-espe
cially, to any local editors of their respective
counties, towns, or cities.
1 know the willingness of editors to pub
lish his ideas ; for distant journals containing
articles respecting him , have been received
daily by Mrs, Courtland Baunders—and in
a single day, within the last week, as many
as eight.
Will all such editors- who may see this
article accept the sincere thanks of a bereav
ed family, and will kind Christians co-operate
with us in spreading the pious sentiments of
our gentle, loving member, who, as he im
pelled by a sense of duty, passed for the last
time through the gate ,o his .home, paused
for a moment, and said of the grounds adorn
ed by his exquisite taste, of the house and
the hearts within "I will take one more
look at the dear old place—these are pleasant
things, to leave."
" We once were " four "who now are"
three—a widow and patents. Then " His
candle shined upon my head." Words of
Job which we sometimes quoted and applied
to ourselves, not, we hope without gratitude.
Now that it has pleased God to remove
this light which still:throws back soft and con
soling A)eams from' afar, may we speak of its
brightness to families upon whose head His
candle still, shines ; and, especially to such as,
like ourselves, sit in comparative darkness ;
having it may be a well grounded l i tope of
deliverance, reunion and glory.
•' The last mail brought us from the banks
of the Allegkeny an editorial in the Arm
strong Democrat, from the pen of a stranger.
I will, .1 _trust, be pardoned by the Christian
community, in publishing it, as a very beauti
ful specimen of the kind things, which many
editors have written of the Tract for Soldier's
and its, author. r "We notice by the Phila
delphia press the Courtland Saunders
Tract for Soldiers' has been issued. A
tract bearing the name of the young man,
whose Christian virtues, profound learning,
and heroic conduct as, a:soldier web for him
the ,grateful admiration of all who knew him
whilst living, will attract the attention of
thousands who have known him only by his.
death. 'T'he memory of the great and good
is immortal. In the light of this truth,
CoUrtland Saunders will live so long as vir
tue has a follower, and the rarest talent an
admirer.
it is 'not often such men appear .on the
stage of life. His pure and simple Christian
faith, his, truly wonderful acquirements, his
devotion,to the cause of his country, sealed.
with his life's, blood, all so noble and perfect,
what else is left untold, worthy of respect
and memory.
URSIA x„,l 2
PHILADELPHIA, Tll
y t ,
0 „ „
- u A R,“
186
3.
" When twelve years of age, he had read
all the Scriptures in Greek; a little later
And he was one of the best linguists of the
age.; at twenty, a professor in a school of
higit character, and an author of great pro
mise. His new system of Latin Paradigms
is said to be a work of great ability. Two
years before his death he introduced military
instruction into the school over which he
presided.
"He entered the Corn Exchange Regi
ment as a Captain of a volunteer company
recruited by himself, and fell at the battle of
Antietam. At his death he was but twenty
one years of age." E. D. SAUNDERS.
IS ROMAN CATHOLICISM THE SAME IN
THE NINETEENTH. CENTURY THAT
IT WAS IN THE SIXTEENTH.?
I have just finished the perusal of Mot
ley's History of the rise of the Netherland
Republic. How admirably doeS he delineate
the characters of the actors in that bloody
drama. The agents of _Philip IL move over
the stage the very embodiment of evil.
They tower aloft in wickedness, in cruelty
unsurpassed, lapping up blood like water,
living and moving in lying, hypocrisy and
deception. These devotee,s of the Church of
Borne seem like so many demons just let loose
from the pit of hell. On the other hand you
behold a cruelly oppressed people struggling
for their political and religious liberties. At
their head is William,. Prince of Orange, one
of the noblest men the world ever saw, who,
after brea,sting for years the fury of the Op
pressors, . finally falls by the blow of an
assassin, hired by Philip IL of Spain. All
the horrid atrocities committed in the Nether
lands---such as burning at the stake, hanging,
beheading, quartering, sacking of cities, and
butchering of the inhabitants, confiscation of
estates, and banishing, were done by the ex
press command of Philip 11. of Spain, a most
devoted bigot of the Church of Rome, whose
avowed effort was to destroy and sweep out
of the Netherlands all who were not Roman
Catholics. This same Philip, be it remem
bered, was in league secretly with the King
of France, that he should do the same in his
dominions. They were 'combined in, - what
they called, the holy purpose of destroying
every Protestant (heretic) in the Netherlands
and France.
Now, I repeat the question, is Roman
Catholicism the same in the Ninteenth cen
tury that it was in the Sixteenth. To this
question the reply made by many, and even,
I think; by some Catholics, is no, it is much
modified.
The question is not, does it do the same
-acts now that it did then 1. e. does it now
celebrate Autos da Fe, burn at the stake
persons for their dissent from Rome, torture
them in the Inquisition, confiscate their
estates and banish them—for confessedly
these acts are not done now--but the ques
tion is, is the same spirit there, the disposition
to, commit all the bloody atrocities above re
ferred to, if it had the power ? Would it do
now as the Duke of Alva, the Governor of
the Netherlands' under Philip IL of Spain,
did, as Requescens, his suc essor did, as
Parma did ! Yes, I say eml.
atically, yes
the same . Animus is there; and the same
cruel, bloody scenes would be enacted, ,and
the country swept clean of all who claim to
'be Protestants, who eschewed Roman Catho
licism—if it only had the power.
Now it will be asked, why such an unchari
table viewof Roman Catholicism as this? What
has given occasion for this ? I will tell you.
On the 23d of August last, in a county town,
near-which I reside, a Roman Catholic con
gregation kept the anniversary of the massacre
of St. Bartholomew's Day. This horrid
butchery was commenced on the eve, of St.
Bartholomew's Day, August
,23d, 1572, by
Charles IX., King of France, urged on by
his mother, Catharine of Medici (a bigoted
Papist), and continued three days in Paris
and flew like the deadly sirocco throughou
the nation. To accomplish their ends, ant,
get the unsuspecting Protestants into the
trap laid for them, they were invited to be
present at the marriage of Henry, King of
Navarre, and. Margaret of Valois. Neither
rank nor age was spared. Charles IX. him
self began the massacre. In the capital
there suffered five hundred gentlemen, with
ten thousand persons of inferior station,
while not fewer than seventy thousand indivi
duals fell throughout the entire 'kingdom.
Some say not less than a hundred thousand
How was such an event received by the
nations around'? Motley says the hearts
of Protestant Europe for an instant stood still
with horror. Elizabeth, Queen of England,
put on mourning weeds '
and spurned the
apologies • of the French Envoy with. con
tempt. At Madrid, Philip IL was overjoyed
and more clelt,ghted than with all the good
.
fortune which had ever before happened to
him. Thanksgiving was offered in the
churches, as if they would make' the Lord
God, merciful and gracious, a participant in
such bloody deeds—yeti, an approver, of the
massacre
Pass through the gates .of Rome and enter
thesVatican. Gregory XIII. then, sat on the
Papal throne. Historrsays this Pontiff re
ceived the news of the massacre with "inex
presaible joy,;" he caused the cannon , in the
Castle of St. Angelo to be fired ; commanded
public, rejoicing to celebrate the triumph of
the holy cause,, and then published a jubilee
throughout'Europe " in order," he said "that
the Catholics might rejoice with their head
at the magnificent holocaust o f fered to the
Papacy by the King of France." He re
ceived the head of the murdered Coligni,
which Charles IX. and his mother had cut
off and sent to him as a present, with tran
sports of ferocious joy; and, in testimony of
his gratitude to the King, sent him a magni
ficent, blessed sword, on which was repre
sented an exterminating angel. He went in
procession, with his Cardinals to the church.
The Te Deum was sung, and thanksgivings
offered for the success of a crime which
Thuanus, himself a Roman Catholic, stigma
tizes as " a ferocious cruelty without a par
allel in all antiquity."
Two years after, this monster of a King,
Charles IX., this pious holy Roman' Catholic,
died in the most terrible agonies of body and
mind.
This is the event which Roman Catholics
have the effrontery, in this .Nineteenth cen
tury, and in this Protestant country .to com
memorate; thiS bloody butchery, this deed
without a parallel—done in the .name of re
ligion—of their religion ; and at th.e same
time would have us to beli4ve thit'ahey
not restore the Inquisition; would not , kindle
anew the fires of Smithfield, would hot hang,
quarter, and drown Pr4testants, , Howlanth
like ! and yet it celebrates the massacre of.
St. Bartholomew's Dayl What a, shudder
ran through the minds of the religions_ com
munity of Philadelphia when the.'lnfidels
celebrated the birth-daYOfToni Paine, one
of the most violent a,nd seurrileus revilers of
the Bible and the Christian religion which
the world ever saw. And , did no shiver of
horror pervade Protestant learts, , when the
massacre of St. Bartholomew was,commemo
rated by Roman Catholi4s;
Surely no one will deny, in pew of this
commemoration, that Roman Catholicism is
the same it ever was, and 'that ` nothing but
the want of power rlatrains that, church,
which is steeped in the kbleoilef the. martyrs,
from doing like deeds I eland in rll the,na
tions of the world.sitto4*o l *--
1 4iiii9,r 0
clearly evince the, sta,l4r which „animates
that anti-Christian system, than the hatred
to Protestants (whoin, it = calls heretics)
which pervades it. In7Aat light should R=e
Protestants view Papists, approving is they
do, that, bloody transaction. Roman Catholic
ism is the same in spirit'it'eVer was. C.
r.a
5
LESSOIi , •"' OV WAR.
NkfMBER
GREATNESS AND PIi.OPERFI'I".AIWINGING
FROM DOTNFALL AND MISFORTUNE.
NATIOVB , have frequently been indebted
for their greatness, to-the, disadvantages of
their situation, and' thei t 'poverty of their soil.
The political infinencer and power of Attica
originated in the barren and rdeliy 'character
of the country. The other parts of Greece,
on account of their ,favorable situation and
the: fertility:. of; their soil, offering .a, constant
allurement.to plunderers and- invaders, cell : ,
tinned,.age after age :to change their ,
inhab
itants, and were livable, in. consequence, to
make anysteady pro#ess in wealth and pop
ulation ; whilst AttiCa; from the rugged' and
uninvitingnature of the• country, was permit
ted to remain inidistiirbed,- and to`-grow= in
resources through , successive generationij
Besides, the other tribes that had, for the'
reasons just mentioned; been dispossessed by,
invading bands, were led to betake them
selves for refuge to
,Athens, the capital of
that part •of the country of which we are
speaking, and so beCame part of the nation,
and continued to - swell her Wealth and popu
lation with a'rapid . and-solid increase.
A similar account- is given 'of 'the origin
of.the Republic of Venice. When the Iluns
had destroyed those parts of Italy, that lay
near what is now called the Gulf of Venice,
many of the people • •escaped to the uninhabi
ted rocks and marshea r lying about the neigh
boring sea. " Thus,',',. to use the words, of
Machiavelli, "under the pressure of neces
sity; they left an agrOable and 'fertile coun
try, to occupy one sterile and 'unwholesome.
However,-in consequ9ce-of—a-great number
of, people being drawn' t together -- into a•corn
paratively small space, in a short time they
made those places not only habitable, but
delightful; and having, established amongst
themselves laws and useful regulations, they
enjoyed themselves in security amid. the
devastations of Italy, and soon increased
both in reputation and strength. . . . .
necessity had led them to dwell on sterile
rocks., they were compelled to seek the
means of subsistence elsewhere ; and voyag
ing with their ships to every port on the
ocean, their city became a depository for the
various products of the world, and was itself
filled with men of every. nation.",
In,
In these instances, there is something admi
rable to pontemidate. Here we behold pow
erful forms of national existence, 'originating
in annihilation; the spirit and. Capacity for
extensive conquest, rising from the complete
ness of a former Overthrow, a harvest of
power and wealth, springing froze -.the seed of
treme :weakness and poverty; ‘imperial
)ominion; laying itaSoundations in the depths
of misfortune and obscurity ; influence, and
renown that filled the whole world, taking
their rise in circumstances so straitened and
necessitous, as scarcely to afford rem for
the despairing relics of an extirpated people;
to prolong their existence for a single day.
And what particularlydeserves - our notice is,
that , theconne.ction between these tWo classes
,of ,things is not accidental ; that these great
and favorable results were not produced
merely in despite of the disadvantages' that
preceded them,,or, by_sopie indirect way, in
consequence of them ; 'but that they origina
ted vitally in them, drew from them the rad
ical elementilof their being, their birth, their
growth, their nourishment, their noble and
superb perfectien..,
• There is, in all , ithis, something so remote
from our ; accustomed ways ,of thinking, that,
when it is set before, our eyes, we cannot but
behold it with surprise.; yet these,,insta,nces
are so far t from being singular, that the prin
ciple involVed in them into be discovered in
everything in which human nature is 'Con
cerned. What appeaxs the Of men
to' be a case of ruin; Wherepower, 'happiness',
and fortune, are laid in dust, often proves, in
,thee and =of God, the germ Of a • more. vigor-
Pus•form of life, magnificence and prosperity.
And in this aspect of, divine Providence we
are called upon to adore that supreme wis
dom,.ancl almighty power, that can confound
all human speculation and, dispense with or
counteract all natural instrumentalities; in
which sense and reason teach mastkind to
trust. " I will, destroy the wisdom of the
Wise, and 'will bring to nothing the un
derstanding of the prudent. . . . God hash
chosen the weak things of the world' to con
found the things which are mighty"; and base
things of the world, and things which are
despised, hath ,God..chosen, yea,, and things
which are not, to bring; to nought the things
which are.'
These considerations should teach us a ve
,,
neration, 'men are not wont to feel, for divine
wisdom and omnipotence. They should-make
us, humble,,, and distrustful of ourselves, by
showing,us liOw ignorant we are of thureal
meaning of arty course of events, or any con
dition ,of things we see around us. They
should lead us in lowlinesi - of mind, to ad
dress ourselves to the plain duty of every
day, and to leave our Welfare• in the hands
of Him, who understands all the intricate
and hidden connection of things, upon which
our happiness depends.: ; They should restrain
;us from the folly of despising and trampling
upon the fallen, and the ; poor, since we do not
know whether 'lnfinite wisdom
,may not by,
bringing them down to this low'and: helpless
etate, be preparing them for rising again with
glory and prosperity,' before, which we shall
stand inthnidated 'and ashamed.
It often happens. -that before men experi
ence a happy and permanent elevation, they
were some for ktime out of the sight of men,
in, depression, 'and misfortune. As winter,
with its rigors of frost and snow, enriches
and mellows -the , earth; as night, with its
shadows, gives
,inyigorating, repose to nature,
So the severities arid, gloom of poverty pre
pare the heart, for: greater fruitfulness, when'
the day of action shallkrrive. Inealculable
are the blessings that flow from kprolonged
season of difficulty'; and from the embarrass
ments of an obscure condition; that possesses
nothingto lift up theleart. Such experience
affords .a shelter,,,where the soul - is hidden,
from premature temptation to self-con; deuce,
and pride, till. it has become fortified, by,
time and struggling, against their Influence,
arid
ion inEfleiently strong far' tile% tt,le
artheri+orld:`-'
• And not frond 'obSolurity alone,' do" iiich a
vantages aris'el;;‘but froni appalling change's;
and seeming .ruin - ,itself. - It sometimes oc
curs that stem and' hreatening eyents, that
had-been dreaded r while they were approach
ing,
,as thingSthat involved one's certain de
struction, do, when, atlength theyfall upon '
hiM., only give riew:impillse to his selll, and
OPen'new prospects before "his eyeS. tifg is
like's game of billiards ;, ',where 'the skillful
player does'-not aim the Stroke of uner
ring-cue at the ball `he is ultimately intent
upon dislodging.; - but mith another , ball he
first, strikes, naid-way AO, his mark, the.cush
ioned side of the table, 'hence rebounding it
is made to, strike it, „.the, angle necessary
to his purpose_; and sometimesnymb,gr of
these balls -are‘made SiiaCedsivelytii Put each
other in malign, each displacing, the one be
yondit in a new direction, till 'the lait of 'all
receives the iinpulse, through all these'changes
intended fOi. -itrand rolls - = direct to' its ap
appointed place. s . In this- manner we may
see, in the repeated shock Of misfortune, and
the long unsuccessful contact with the world,
the, hand of God tempering the spirit of men,
adjUsting and guiding tbeir poWers, and
bringirig; - `them . by safd. - approadhes, to the
things himself has appointed for them. He
Suffers them, in Obedience' to 'the impulse of
their untamed .dealres, to' rush on to 'objects
that he has made immovable to' them, that
they, rebounding from the' shock, may be
led, by
,a-happy compulsion„,to seek hence
forward a mark that is pleasing 'to hitn'self
lie permits them to suffer a succession of dis-
IN
appointinents, in seeking the first fond objects
of their choice, that he may reconcile them
to things' of less attraction; but. of greater
intrinsic value ; or that they may grow_con
tent, if Providence wills it so, to be destitute
of all earthly good, having taken God.in
stead, as their infinitely better portion.
Men frequently wander long before they
ascertain their objects, arid' are enabled to
fix upon the business 'of their livess and are
thus painfully made, for a time, to spend
their efforts at random `.and in vain but this
is the work of a thod. and Almighty-Provi
dence letting in by degrees the light of solid
wisdom, moderating .extravagant desire, de
monstrating the hollowness of many things,
that once possessed a dangerous fascination,
turning the mind to things of more lasting
utility, and improving its facilities for reach
ing after them, with greater certainty of
success. It is true, indeed, that long con
tinued adversity, and many . disappointrAtts,
may exhaust the fortitude and , strength of
some minds, and end in the extinction of
hepe, and the overthrow of reason ; but, they
seldom prodlice such effects in men of large
and earnest views of sterling enterprise and
genius. They 'only correct their mistakes,
invigorate their reason, interrupt them in
their low pursuits, and give a wider range,
and: bolder. instinct to their aspirations.
These observations,=in which we have
endeavored to show, what happy results may
flow from hard fortune, obscurity, and appa
rent ruin,—are calculated to remind us that
we are of yesterday know - nothing. They
show iis.how: unwise it:is to desPise a fellow
man' since we cannot'tell from anything we
see, how soon our own condition, or his may
change ; and with what pious awe we should
regard, the Deity, to whom it is so easy to
disappoint all the calculations, and.defeat all
the purposes of man. $. P. 11.,
J . Jeltztiono.
„ .
AR: BEGrG
ON BEADING SERMONS.
Dr: .BEGG- of the Presbytery of Edin
burgh has;recently been making a vigorous at
tack upon the prevailing practice of reading
Sermons ; and has persuaded his. Presbytery
by a vote of 10 to 9 to memorialize:the Gene
ral Assembly that means be taken to teach
theological students to preach without read,.
ing.: We regard the address as sufficiently
interesting and valuable to lay the principal
portion of it before our readers. .'
After a fewintroductory remarks he said : Dr.
Chalmers: could read: a sermon.much better
than he, could, deliver one without reading. „In
no other department of life did men read dis
courses. In the House of Lords—one.of the
Most fastidipus , assemblies* in the werld—in
the House of COmmons reading, said Dr.
Begg, is entirely out of the question. Then,
again, at the bar there is no such thing as
reading ; and on a public platform any man
will immediately discover that the audience
will very effectually-deal with him, should he
attempt to read a speech. There is a stron
ger reason, for reading in every one of these
cases , than there is in the pulpit, because in
almost all the effort is almost entirely an in
tellectual effort. A. man at the bar, for ex
ample, could as fully and as effectually dis
cuss the subject'which he brings before the
mind of a judge from 'a written document as
he could by means of a spoken address, be
cause there is' no attempt, and there should
be none, to influence the, feelings of the
judges, but simply to appeal to their under-
Standings. In the case of the preacher, on
the other hand, the case is quite different, as
he requires . to endea,vpr to influence and con
vince both the 'feelings and convictions of
his hearers. But, while on this point, I
would say even more than this,—l would'say,
if in all these different departments of life
men undergo the heavy', drudgery of prepar
ing addresses to be delivered without read
ing, far more ought ,the,ministere of Christ,
who have a far, higher and nobler , object in
view, to undergo any amount
,of drudgery in
order to bring themselves more into contact
with the Understandings and consciences of
_.,.~
their people. I would, in such a ease as this,
actually use the language of the Apostle, and
say,:--" They do it for a corruptible crown."
No one can have.read the letter which Lord'
Brougham uddreOsed to the father of the late
Lord Macaulay,-=a letter which I think should=
be put into the' hands of every one of our,
students,—without seeing what an
„immense
labor that eminent man underwent, and what,
iMmenselabor he advises the young Macau : -
lay to undergo, for the purpose of becoming
an•effective speaker without being obliged to'
read.
Not only is there no reading of speech
es in 'any other 'public department of human
life except the pulpit, but it is a most remar
kable fact that there is no reading except in
the Protestant pulpit. No such thing exists
in the Catholic Church.. They know human
nature far too well to allow any such thing
to, be introduced intn.their system. As far
as ,cart dispo*er,SoUriFzetice of reading
:,13.0 tote.A.tem„l,4 .t.#:f t-.1 14 4 - t• 4
sermon,s waslost introduced into migia,ncr at,
the 'time when persecutions raged,—at a
time when radii were liable to be. charged
with saying things that rendered them in
the eye of the law amenable to pitnishment.
Thatbeing the oak, thiniSters found it neces
sary for self-defence to write clown all they
uttered in„the pulpit, with,the view,,. of pre
serving the manuscript, and producing ,it in
00744, should they he challenged with having
said what, they,were, conscious they did not.
I cannot, either in the previous history of the
Church or the world, di's'cover' any traces of
the'intniduction of this practice of reading
sermons until'the period of the persecutions.
-.And, while speaking- on this subject, let me
ask, what, at the present moment, do -we find
in regard to the other .Churches.? Take the
Wesleyan Methodist Church, for example,
which has produced: such powerful effects in
England. The reading
,of sermons in that
denominatienis, I believe, a thing quite un
known. Take, also, the Other Dissenters of
Scotland; and - although I believe they have
to seine extent degenerated, yet you will find
that, in the daysof their strength and glory,
the,general rule,w.hich they laid down was,
the rule that a man should preach without
reading. At all events, they trained all their
Students to preach without reading. Then,
again, every young man who enters the Di
vinity Hall of the United Presbyterian
Church' is .Obliged to repeat his sermon with
out reading, ; and in the Reformed Presby
terian Church the same is the case. If a
sermon 'were merely an 'address to ' the un
derstanding, I could understand! that the
reading, of: it ; might be as effectual, as speak-
ingit A sermon, however, is not, addressed
to. the nnderstanding, but to the feelings and
to the - COnscience; and, that being the case,
it seeini to me that, as a general rule, it would
be a more effectual address if it were spoken
than it would-be if it were read ; for in an
extempore delivered speech; the preacher has
the whole advantage of conveying and
quick.ening.lis meaning by means of the in
fluence of the human eye, and he, has alen
the advantage of promoting ingre readily the
contact of mind, with Mind when. lie is look
.
ing towards his people, and his, people's look
is directed towards him. (Applause.) Ano
ther thing to be considered is, that if a ser-
Mon must be 'spoken, to be a good sermon it
must be well Arranged beforehand ; for it is
impossible for a man to commit to memory
what has not, been well arranged and, inde
pendently of this, it, would be found that what
would suit his .own memory would also be of
great advantage to the memory of his people.
(Hear.) I once heard a story to the follow
ing effect. A person was asked' whether he
remembered what the minister had been
preaching. about, when he replied,—".lt:is
not to be thought that I could mind the ser
mon, when the minister could not mind it
himself- " (Laughter.) Now, think there
is philosophy as well as wit in this answer.
I must say. that I believe there is an extern-
Poraneousn'ess of writing as well as an ex
temporaneousness of speaking- 7 -(,hear, hear)
---and if I were asked to 'take my 'choice be
tween a discourse preached . by a man who had
simply a full heart and an earnest utterance
and a man who had simply written to order a
certain number of pages, to read them in the
pulpit in a- slovenly heavy, style, I am not
sure, after all, but that-I would say the ex
temporanebus speaker was better than the
one who read (Hear.) I think a fair state
ment of the question is this:—Assuming that
the sermon is properly prepared—for we are
not entitled. to presume that a man goes into
the pulpit unprepared—the question is, which
process will bring a man nearest to the heart
and understandings of his congregation, and,
the other things being equal, which is most
likely to advanee the object which he has in
view ? I would allow the question to be de
cided on that point. Then again, I hear it
constantly - said by those who advoCate read
ing, "'Our great men read ;" and therefore
it follows, I suppose, that " Our little men
should read." (Laughter.) If all our preach
ers were great men, 1 must confess that I
would feel some more sympathy with them;
but as it_ is, I do not see that our ministers
are excused simply because some of our emi
nent men read. I think, for my own part,
that' some of our great men have a great deal
of responsibility on their shoulders for fur
nishing people with such an argument.
(Laughter.) I have already admitted that
such a man as Dr. Chalmers could read more
effectively than deliver a • sermon:; and
think ; I could name one or two more who read
with great power ; and if you could get a
number of men. like Dr. Chalmers, I would
have some sympathy with the argercient in
favor of reading. But for a young man to
go down. and afflict the 'country people by
reading a dry, dull sermon, and to turn round
and say, " Ido so because Dr. Chalmers reads
his sermons"---(loud laughter)--seems to me
to;be about as gross a misrepresentation and
perversion of argument as a man could use.
(Applause.) .I do not intend to dwell upon
that view of the subject. am glad to find
that there is a growing apprehension of the
real state of this case,; and that the tide,
which was running strong in.' the opposite
direction; is beginning to turn. For exam
ple, I notice that two bishops of the Church
of England,have been speaking, is I think,
remarkable good sense upon. this subject.
Dr. Begg quoted the Bishops of Durham and
London, and, remarked that it would be ex
traordinary if the Church of,England learn
ed a lessen, whiph
,the Free Church refused'
to be taught. He coutinned: = ,
The other day there appeared a letter in
the Times from a sermon-maker, intim4ting
that there was a very large ' sermon Mann
GENESES n,ErfOGELIST. 22 WhoIe No. 874.
factory that.
in London, and the writer him
self 'was at the head of ')*cry considerable
branch of a department of one `of these places.
The writer of.the letter: to whichlrefer states
that he does not believe that. ,otte out ,of a.
hundred of the ministers of the Church of
England, can can compose. a Bermop— at all; but
that,' on the 'contrary, the generality bf them
get their sermons sent down from London,
lithographed, and made . te order. . (A laugh.)
And this is the depth to - Which the _Church of
England has' I (Hear.) A report
Made by Dr, Reid and Mr: Mathieson; some'
.
years ago, in regard to the' 'state -of preach
ing in America, virtually supporta' my views.
Dr.. Reid says; --r" Another veva vthat needs
correction, and that,-I think, is in - ;course of
correction, is the reading 'of sermons. : .. It
is no argument for this method, that good
has been done by it, and that some few. may
give to it great efficiency `lt must rest on
ftsgenerann'eritS`; and, tried on this princ
06l
' no ox S.ifilitiSigi'gkffi
oiler' things 'l3 eirii equal ; 'the read 130dchnt
the spoken speech is the, most -iittereSting
and impressive. They feet this in - :their re
vivals, for then it is mostly laid aside,: and
one may hope that the frequent recurrence of,
the more interesting seasons wills_nperinduce
on the rising , ministry habits of more Spon
taneous utterance.. If there is a feeling
a:133'41106in its faieur, it arises from the im
pression that the read sermon will be marked
with' more correctness' and careful 'study. I
have not been 'unobservant enthis subject,
and I do not think so. who is alivays*
writingis not the best, composer. -.The pas
tor who -tasks himself to write out at length
not less than two sermons a-week,- must find
nearly all his spare time occupied in a mere,
mechanical exercise. He can lave noleisure
to store his mind by good reading, or to digest
his reading by sustained' Meditatien.
cannot wait for his second thonglits; nor give
his- subject, hiriever iniPortant, time to pene
trate, and to make hismind.•and- affections, ,
for the period, part ofitself. He has two ser
mons to write by Sabbath morning ; if he does
not make haste, he will not get them done.
This influence, kept, up, forms a .habit of
loose thinking and, commonplace utterance.
The pastor finds himself committed= to a, spe
cies of manual drudgery, to - which there_is
no end, and the mind" wearies and sleeps 'on
it. What has been wearisome in the compo
sition is not likely to change its character in'
the delivery; and the ,pre,aelier And the
hearer, ; slumber• over it, together. I would
have, the pastor write less,. that he may study
more ; that, he • may • present .to his people
better thouglits, - with . richer utterance and
greater'pe.Wer: The, only other point, to
which 'I •sh'odld like'for a moment to direct
the 'attention of the Presbytery, is the spe
cial bearing of all this. upon The people' of
Scotland'in reference to this Subject ; and I
have no hesitation •in saying that; if you
were to poll, them .fronl Dan to Beersheba,
you would find that an oyerwhelmning ma
jority of them, have a great dislike to reading,
sermons. .Theihave an idta,nr p. i :kinfl of
feeling that, ;the man who readS',a sermon
has not been properly trained to do his work.
They have a' kind of contempt for the man
who. reads 'his sermon: I do not say that
this is - 'a just feeling on the part of the peo
ple; but I say that, if you carefully examine
the opinions of the country folk, you will
find that they s,et no value at all upon a ser
mon unless it be spoken, and. not read. Our
great national poet, Burns understands that
feeling when he says,-=-
Has Robertson again grown weel,
To preach and read?
.
Na, waur than a', criesilka chid
- Tam Samson's dead.---4 Laughter. )
I remember an incident which occurred in my
young day Sin my father's. church. Ile was'
a thoinbghly popular and vigorous preacher
and, had, always a large congregation. On,
Sabbath, being from home, one of the young
men, called by thepeople "paper lads," took
his plaee, and was not well liked by the peo
ple. When my father returned, he received
a poem from one of them, embodying a
strong complaint. It'was somewhat longand
vehement, and I only remember some of the
lines. ?After describing the entrance of then
youth into the pulpit s and the opening exer
cises, the •writer. proceeded,—
•
He slipped'the Bible in the dell - .
Thoct mine wad see,—
Awa siecan smuggled work-,
It's no for me.—(3luch laughter.)
Au& thinking he wad no be. '
Did something in the Bible preeri,
But ah I there were owes monY e'en
On him that glanced,
A.nd called it weak and uneolnean.
:What he advaneed.—(Renew:ed laughter.)
I never liked sermon-readin',
It's hilt a dry and sapless feedin',
Sae tell you chid for to be Mediu'
If he corm '
His sermons dress in ither cleedin'
Than white and black.--(Lond laughter.)
When I was lately in the north of Scotland,
I heard of an incident that occurred not long
ago in connexion with a vacancy near Aber
deen. A number of young, men came to the
church to preach* as candidates, and almost
all of them read, their sermons. A friend of
Mine had a talk with one fif i the shrewd hear
ers, after ' the"first you had officiated.
" Ho* 'did - you like the preacher ?" said he
" Daed, Sir," was the reply " no very weel ;
lie will never be able to say,:like the Apostle
Paul, he has' forgotten the paxchments."
(Loud laughter.) I could mention other, in
stances that, have occurred as illustrations of
the general truth ; bat the fact is undoubted.
It seems to me that Our Church, is getting
into a somewhat precarious position in regard
to this matter, because, if she "lose her peo
ple to, any ConSiderable extent, it will be very
disastrous thing 'for her. I sees; state of
things arising which Iregard:with some ap
prehension ; and I believe that,. unlessc,tur
young ministers study to preach without
reading, the probability is, that,the standing
ministry itself may be; very, strongly shaken
in Scotland.
THE vastneas-and.greatness alone of the
sea would suffi.ce to strike us with astonish
ment, even ifit were an uninhabited infirm
ity. Butdits. infinite vastness:hides an infinite
world ; an innumerable diversity of beasts,
small and great. Its
down
is ,alive and
there is busy life down to the lowest coral
boughs. Its surface carries nian, who' trans
plants, his arts and his passions froin the land
to the, ocean, inCtriding &nil warring, inven
ting and discovering, animates 'the waste: face
of th 6 deep the spectacles 'of earth:—
Tholuek.