Vol. VII, No. 25.---Whole No. 337. fortr4. Peace. A SONNET. Stay! flaming chariot 1 fiery coursers, stay, Soft gleams of setting sunshine,%. that doth east A lustrons line along the dark 'wide waste! Oh I wherefore must ye fade so swift away! ' Wherefore, oh 1 wherefom at the . close ISt'''day Shine out so glorious, when Night's sable pall Will drop around so soon, and cover all ? Beautiful beam I bright trav'ler I stay, oh, stay I And let my spirit on your parting ray Glide from this world of error, doubt, distress— (Oh I I am weary of its emptiness)— To happier worlds, where there is peace for aye, Peace I less abiding here than Noah's dove— When we ahalruever part from those we love ! —Mrs. Southey. Ilappluess. A. SONNET. Traveler of Life I what plant of virtues rare Seekoth thy curious eye? 'Mongst earth's excess, Will none but the exotic, Happiness, Content• thine eager longing ? Fruitless care! It groweth not beneath our clouded skies. But when amongst the groves of Paradise The soft winds wanton, haply they may bear, From thence to earth, some vagrant flower or leaf, Some fluttering petal, exquisite as brief Its od'roue - beauty !--Oh, if to thy share It fall, one blossom on thy path to find Quick I snatch it to thine heart, ere the rough wind Despoil its freshness. It will fade e'en there; Thou can'st not quite exclude this •cold world's nipping air. —Mt's, Suitthey. ttrrtopouitttete ESCAPING FROM SLAVERY. NUMBER TWO. " Tuou shalt not deliver unto his master the servant which is escaped from his mas ter unto thee : he shall dwell with thee, even among you in that place which he shall choose in one of thy gates where it liketh him best." So is it written in the law of Moses, in that municipal code which Jehovah enacted for the government of his chosen people ; and although this theocratio legislation, as such, is not to be regarded as binding upon us, still the laws which God enacted for the only people whose civil government He has con descended directly to adminster, must be worthy of study by human legislators, and by the electors of lauman legislators. It must be that the principles of that divine legisla tion are right, and the spirit of 'it good. It has been maintained that the foregoing statute was applicable only to sieves of fo• reign masters - escaping into the land of "Ara d, and not to slaves of Hebrew masters, and that therefore the principle of it had no application to slaves escaping from American masters, and found'within the national juris diction, If this should be conceded, (a concession which I do not make,) it might still be asked, where is the positive provision for the return to Hebrew masters of their escaping servants? What was the Mosaic statute for the rendi tion of fugitiVe slaves ? By what process was it made available ? By what penalties was it enforced ? Take a concordance, and search under the Words slave," servants," "escaping,"'etc., or read all the books of Moses through ; and tell us how much help any of the ,statutes >and ordinances which God inspired him to deliver, afforded, to a Hebrew master hunting his man-servant or maidservant through the tribes of Israel. The mild system of servitude for which that code provided seems to have depended, for its own security, mainly upon the masters being kind enough and wise enough to treat their servants so that they would not wish to run away from them. We find no stringent pro vision in it for compelling the discontented slaves ,of an unkind or an unwise master to remain under his power, without permitting any,question to be raised as to his abuse of it. Like our own beneficent system of gene ral jurisprudence, in which the presumptions are in favor of the accused, the presumptions of the Mosaic dodo are all in favor of the escaping servant, and against the pursuing master. Outside of the Mosaic statutes, those who regard the escape of slaves from servitude as in all cases wrong, are wont to refer to two instances of " sending back " fugitive slaves —one in the Old Testament, and one in the New. The former is the oast' of Hagar, whose peculiar position in Abraham's family will hardly be taken by our 'Christian advo cates of slavery as an illustration of unob jectionable domestic relations. Hagar was indeed Sarai's bond-woman, but she was also Abraham's wife, according to the loose do mestic system which God,tolerated, hut did not sanction among the patriarchs : and this was not only without objection from Sarai, but even by her deliberate proposal. }lagar's elevation having made het' haughty and insolent—a very natural result-Sa,rai, moved by resentment, and probably alii.by envy, " dealt hardly with her," and Hagar fled into the wilderness. She was, however, soon to need, especially, the shelter of a home, and the protection of a husband. It was better for her to return, and 'submit to Sarai's harshness, or peradventure to avert it by a more becoming behavior. "The angel of the Lord who found her "by the fountain," directed her accordingly. So would any sensible man or woman have done; and Hagar, like a sensible woman, though perhaps a little proud and passionate, obeyed. She returned to • her home, to the service of her mistress, and to the protection of that just man who was, at the same time, her mis tress's husband and her own. The New Testament, instance relied . upon is that of'Onesimus, a convert of Paul, whom Paul sent back to the Christian brother Phil °yawn, whose service he is supposed to have deserted before his conversion, and whentlei had probably otherwise wronged. Paul made Onesimus the bearer of a letter to Philemon, which has been preserved in the sacred canon, which is retriarkable for its affectionate tone towards both of the breth ren, Philemon and Onesimus. It: earnestly commends the latter to the kindness of the former, to be received, "not now as a ser vant, but above a servant, a brother beloved." Veril,y, if the Epistle of Paul to Philemon is the New Testament fugitive slave law, it is an exceedingly mild and lenient one. - There could never have been much excite ment produced, in this country, by, the ren dition of fugitive slaves, if no harsher mea sures had ever been used than were enjoined by Moses, or advised by Paul, or practised in the family of Abraham. H. A. N. TOE RECOGNITION OF GOD NECESSARY. Mr. Bditor IN reading the word of God, it is inter esting to observe the recognition of his hand, his presence, his providence, or his direction. Holy men of God, saw his hand in every thing—they acknowledged it—they felt it. They recognized no chance—met with no accidents—no misfortunes. God was an everywhere present God—his eye seeing all things—his hand sustaining all things—his wisdom, goodness and mercy directing all things. That the Lord reigns,_they thought ought to rejoice the earth. They felt that the destinies of states, kingdoms and worlds were perfectly safe in his hands—all things would eventuate right. In the darkest times they could look up to God, and in his light, see light. They were confident that what ever might appear, there was nothing but light around the throne. With confidence their hearts wolild say " God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble; therefore will not we fear, though the earth be removed, and - though the mountains be oarried into theinidst of the sea: God is in , the midst of her ; she shall not be moved, God will help her, and that right, early. The Lord is my light and my salvation ; whom shall I fear ? the. Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid? " - Such is a little of the language of holy men. When everything seemed to be against them they encouraged themselves in the Lord their God. They did not hope, but they knew that all things worked together for their good. They realized the truth that " God reigns ; " 'and therefore their hearts would at all times rejoice. But how little do we recognize the hand of God—the guidance and direction of God —the universal governmpt of God. Per haps never has the church of Jesus Christ had in her membership so large a proportion of those who, with a trembling faith, can trust Christ for the salvation of their souls, but can trust him, for almost nothing else. From their language, you might well nigh conclude that they believed God had forsa ken the earth. Chance, fortune, misfortune, luck, accident rule. They seem to be dwellers in a chance-world. We sometimes hear good men talk about the affairs of our States, and about nations as though there was' no God—no power above them—no infinitely wise and Almighty helper—no higher law—as though their very hairs Were not numbered—as though it were.as dark in heaven as it_ is here on. earth. Ah, if not in a chance-wOrld, we seem to be in an unbelief world. Unbelief reigns and its fruits are not " love, joy, peace." It plants thorns, where God's promises would plant roses. It obscures their whole horizon with clouds, darkness, storm, danger and death, while faith would sweep them all away 'and exhibit the glorious sun in; all his brightness. It makes sad -hearts, where there should be joyful ones. A child in its ignorance and simplicity might ask them is your God dead?; —" is Jesus dead?" In reading an unknown author recently, I was delighted to ace his recognition of 'God in everything and everywhere ; and 'with your permission I will introduce a few ex tracts. "The spiritual mind tnay range through the wide domain of creation and providence, and recognise ; in all, the machinery which an All-wise and an Almighty God is using for the purpose of unfolding his counsels of redeeming love. True, we may see many traces of the serpent,; many deep and well defined footprints of the enemy of God and man; many things which we cannot explain nor even comprehend; suffering innocence and successful wickedness may furnish an apparent basis for the infidel reasoning of the skeptical mind ; but the true believer can piously repose in the assurance that ' the Judge of all the earth shall do right.' " .Blessed be God for the eonsolation and encouragement flowing out of such reflections as these. We need, them, every hour, while passing through an evil world, in, .which the, enemy has wrought such appalling mis chief, in which the lusts and passions of men produce such bitter fruits, in which the path of the disciple presents roughness which mere nature - could never endure. Faith knows, of a surety, that there is One behind the scenes whom the world sees not nor re gards; and, in the consciousness of this, it can calmly say, 'it is well,' and it shall be well.' " Unbelief will rather look at the enemy's efforts to countervail, than at God's power to accomplish. Itis on the latter that faith fixes its eye. Thus, it obtains victory, and enjoys abiding place. It has to do with God and His ipfalliable, faithfulness. It rests not on the everchanging sands of human affairs and earthly influences, but upon j the immo vable rock of GOd's eternal Word. That is faith's holy,and solid resting place. Come what may, it abides in that sanctuary of strength. i'The unbelieving heart never can take God into its calculations ; and hence, the moment you introduce. God, all its reasonings fall to the ground. Apart from, or independent of Him, unbelievers seem to be very wise ; but only bring Him in, and they are proved to be Perfect folly, "But why should we allow our minds to he, in any wise, influenced by reasonings and calculations which depend, for their apparent truth, upon the total exclusion of God ? To do so is, in principle and, according to its, measure, practical ,plheism. Pharoah's case, we see that he could accurately recount the various contingencies of human affairs, the multiplying of the people, the falling out of war, their joining with the enemy, their escape out of the land. All these cir• cumstances he could, with uncommon sagaci ty, put into the scale ' • but it never once oc curred to him that God could have anything whatever to do in the matter. [Ali how many' among our officers, and others are like him ' Had he only thought of this, it would)have upset his entire reasoning, grid have written folly upon his schemes. "Now it is well to see that it is ever thus PHILADELPHIA, TYIURSDk:!,,:,:YER , VA*Y. 19:;7:1$0: with the reasonings of man's sceptic, mind. God is entirely shut out; yea, the truth and consistency thereof depend upon His being kept out. 'The death-blow to all scepticism and infidelity is the introduction of God into the scene. Till He is seen, they may strut up and down upon the stage, with an ama zing show of wisdom and cleverness ; but the moment the eye catches even the faintest glimpse of that Blessed One, they are stripped of their cloak and disclosed in all theii itaked ness and deformity." So interesting are these quotations that I have been tempted to give you more of them. They touch a radical difficulty. The heart naturally is atheistic—the natural man an atheist in the world ; " and it is one of the 'triumphs of sovereign grace, to effectually eradicate this atheism. Alas, every-day lan guage plainly discloses the fact that even good men do not always realize a present God--an Almighty, everywhere reigning God. Jaiars BoGas. MY FIRST ENCOURAGEMENT. I had just two sermons when I left the Theological Seminary to take charge of a church in a quiet country village. Besides the sermons,. I had many fears, lest in a few weeks, I should exhaust the entire field of theology and come short of subjects for the remainder of my ministry. But I set myself resolutely a ..,work, determined to do the best I could and' magnify my office. The field was a hard one, somewhat " burnt over" and a plentiful crop of weeds had sprung up. "ow a frightful number of old people, whom I felt poorly qualified to instruct. But they -werelindly disposed to the young minis ter, and received my messages in a teachable spirit. There was a flourishing Society of unevangelicals, in the place, who taught the people that, all would go to heaven, willing or unwilling._ This made my work pro spectively more difficult. I was young and felt much more self-reliant than "I do now, and I made made my arrangements for success 'by divine help. The months came and went with wonderful rapidity. I soon found by my diary that I had been preaching over two years and 'a half, and had nothing tangible: to show for it. Not a.soul had been converted. Not a per son added to the, church, and, so far as I could see, the large pile: of very large and handsome sermons, laid in order on my shelf, had made no one'wiser or better.. The congregations had, gradually diminished. The weekly prayer-meeting, held in vate houses; had dwindled away until the minister w,as the only one present from abroad. It was now in the dead of winter, not only in nature but in the parish church. I began to cast about me and ascertain my latitude. My sermons were fine, at least I thought, so, and. Deacon ----said they were " deep." They hst4l gradually increased in length, many beautiful passages of poetry were introduCea ante deliveiar as they were with much force, I thought they ought to do more execution. But the idea tookl)os session of me that I had mistaken my calling, and two years and a half were quite enough to prove it. I was discouraged. Bat I resolved to make a final effort. I fixed upon a member of the congregation, who had been somewhat unusually attentive, and I hoped interested for his soul's salvation; and resolved to visit and talk with him. It was a cold and cheerless morning in Febru ary; when with - a copy of " James' Anxious Inquirer" in hand, I left my study, and with trembling solicitude set out on a new mission. I opened the outer_door of.my house, and to my astonishment, thereinet me the identical person, who had come a mile to ask me what he should do to be saved. I bid him enter, and ,with faltering voice and overflowing heart I tried to direct that soul to Jesus. I prepared my next sermon with new views of preaching, and renewed faith in the power of the Holy Spirit to make the truth effectual. Soon other inquirers flocked to me... The prayer-meetings filled up. The windows of heaven were opened, and I was permitted after a long seed time to rejoice in a plenti ful harvest.of souls. Since.then it has been my priviledge to direct- many, anxious souls to the Lamb of God—but no one is more vividly remembered than my first inquirer. The Master has given many tokens of his favor since then, but nothing has been more grateful than my first encouaagement. SANCTIFICATION. SANCTIFICATION means being made holy. Professor Robinson says of the word rendered sanctify, that "it was not found in, Greek writers, bit often used in the Septuagint." Holiness was something which the heathen Greeks, with all their learning, refinement, and philosophy, knew nothing about, and no heathen •nation knOws anything about it; and every man,untaught• of the Holy Spirit, though he may see and know its effects, is a total stranger to it. Paul informs us that the worshippers of idols, are worshippers of devils or demons, and those foul spirits never taught their worshippers holiness. Satan frever instructed . any man in the way of heart holiness. He may teach Pharaisaic, but'not heart holiness. He teaches heart unholiness and life unholiness ; hence among his follow ers have ever been done those things, which dare , :not even •be named. He teaches them heart unholiness, and perfects them in it. Ah what then must-that world be, where all his disciples are congregated ! ffttertiloso. THE OBJECTS OF FAITH REAL. The Heaven we hope for, and the Hell we dread, are as much realities, though unseen ones, as the Earth we tread on. The king dom of God within us, though it cometh not with observation, exists as surely as the king dom of this world without us. God himself— for the deeper these inquiries go, the surer do they send us back upon that awful ground and substance of all things, visible and in visible--:--is the self-existent source and spring of all Reality, though no man hath seen, or can see Him, at anytime and He is only to be beholden as in a glass darkly . ; in< such of His works as have been, seen clearly from the foundation of the world. SOURCE AND CURE OJ? IPTICISE •.• Bishop Colenso's late attla on the Pen tateuch has brought out the 'following little piece of autobiography, in which the experi : . once of many an educated believer ia more'or less accurately mirrored. It appeared origi nally as a letter in the London Record.": We give the principal part of thedociiment. "Iremember wheal first bgan to read the Bible (and I thought I was shicerely seeking the truth), I was miserable ilecause I could not believe it ; I dared not reject any state ment I found there; but, I covfld not fully be lieve it was true. The Bishii Of Natal just, expresses what I felt ; and the fact that we look exactly the same univ4sity'honora4(iii different years, of course), Mikes rue sympa thize with him peculiarly. 14 own history was just this : I had read an Studied deeply in mathematics ; had mastel eit every fresh subject I entered upon with F, twid i fkligh,s had become accustomed (as , aektp,4l; thematician must do) to iiiv;e4igate and dis cover fundamental differencea between things which seem to the uninitiated one and the same ; had seen my way into the physical astronomy and the higher gaits of Newton's immortal ' Principia,' and been frequently lost in admiration of his genius till St. Mary's clock warned me that midhight was past three hour ago. I had, innt, (is we say), made myself master of dy ,amics, and llbe come gradually more and me 'e„; a believer in. the unlimited capacity of y own mind ! This self-conceited idea was only flattered and fostered by eminent success in'the Sen ate House, and by subsequently 'obtaining a Fellowship at, Trinity, and enjoying . very con siderable popularity as a mathematical led , tardy. , 4/ It would have spared met many an hour of misery in after days had I.,really felt what I so often said, viz., that tht deeper a man went in science, the humblv e ought to be; and the more cautious in pronouncing an in dependent 'opinion on a sulOect he had not investigated, or could not - iihoroughly sift. But, though all this was tr . *, I had yet to learn that this humility in 6' Anal things is never found in a natural ma «I: took orders and-bega ,to preach, and then, like the bishop, amo the Zulus, I found out the grand deficit, n ray theology. I had not the Spirit's teachi x, myself, and ! how could I without it speak " in demonstra tion of the Spirit and of pow `r'? pow r'2 In vain`did I read Chal rs, Paley, But ler, Gaussen;'efe., and deter fined-that, as I had mastered all -the other .11b,jects I had grappled with, so I would the ',Bible, and that I would make myself a belieer. I •found a poor, ignorant old woman in my parish :more more than a match for me in D vine things. I was distressed to find that she was often happy in the evident mercy of the Lord to her, and that she found pr yer answered, and that all this was proved I sincere by her blameless and harmless walk' amongst the neighbors ; whilst I, with all'my science and investigation, was --barren 411iid qtoprofittrble, and. miserable—an unbeliever in heart ,and and yet not daring to avow it, artly from the fear of man, but more from a. certain in ward conviction that all my, sceptical diffi culties would be crushed and leaped over by the experience of the most illiterate Christian. "I was perfectly ashamed to feel in my mind like Voltaire, Volney; or Torn Paine. I could claim no originality in my views and I found they were no comfort, but a constant source of misery to me. " May we: not compare this kind of state to that which God speaks of Jeremiah xlix: ' Thy terribleness hath dedeived thee, and the pride of thine hearty And observe what follows : 'Hear the counsel of the Lord. S urely the lea4tof theflock.sUll draw them out.' "" It may now be asked, how I came ever to view Divine truth differently. I desire to ascribe all praise to him tuwhom power be longeth ; I desire to put my: own mouth• to the dust, and he ashamed, and never open my mouth any more, because of my former unbelief. I cannot descsipe all ~ ,,I passed through, but I desire with humility and gra titude to say, I was made Willing in a day of Christ's power.: Hey sweetlyinelted down my proud heart with his love ; he shut my mouth forever from cavilling at any diffidulties in the written Word ; and one 'of the first things in which the great change aPpea,red was, that whereas before-time preaching had been mis ery, now it became my delight to be able to say, without a host of sceptical or infidel doubts rushing into my mirid: ' Thus saith the ' , Lord.' Oh, lam quite certain no natu: ral man can see the things of God ; and I am equally certain he camiot make himself do so. 'lt was the Lord thkt exalted Moses and Aaron,' said,Samuel ;,aini 'By the grace of God I are. what. I am,' skd St. Paul; , and I so, in a modified and hi mile sense, can truly say. "It used to be a terriblesturnbling-block to me to find se many learn d men, so Many acute men, so many scient" c men, infidels. It is not so now; I see titio God has said, 'Not many wise men aftec4he flesh, not many mighty, not many inible;' I see, as plainly as it is possible fcr me to see, any thing, that 1:10 natural mai. can receive ;the things of the Spirit of GO. Hence I expect to, find men of this stamp of intellect coining out boldly with their avowal e l f unbelief in the Written Word of God. The only anewer. I can give to themJs, ' Gad has in mercy taught me' better ;'''and never do I sing those beautiful words in' the wellf known' hymn- but I feel my eyes filling with tears of gyatitude to the .God of all compassion;:— _ PASTOR. " c Jesus sought me when a stranger Wandering from thel fold of God.' "So it was with me So it must be with any one of them if ever ;hey are to, know the truth in its power, or to receive the love of the truth that they may be saved. "I feel very much for the young of, this generation, remembering the conflicts I passed through in consequence of the errors of men of ability. ' , hope the Lord will gra; ciously impress on many hearts the serious truthof-these words, Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit and The wisdom of this world is foolishness with God.' , , 111 y OWIr way of explaining it to myself and others, when required to do so, is by saying, It is not the mind, but the affections, which receive true religion." Knowledge puffeth up, but charity edifieth.' "Apologizing for occupying much room, I remain, my dear sir, Your obedient servant, A. FORMER FEI,. OF TRIM. COL., Cap Wymeswold Vie., Loughborough, 0ct.15, '62 TIFF, PURITAN CHARACTER. We shall not deny that there were,weak and narrow-minded men among the Puritans, men whose earnestness frose their small na tures into a' wiry intensity, who were as much formalists as Laud, and of a still meaner type. I There were Puritans for whom the beauty of holiness consisted in hair crop ped "close,'round their heads, with small little peaks,":in., looks perpetually demure, in phrases affectedly precise. Who can have forgotten the disdain, so proud, so delicious, with which Lucy Hutchinson relates that the magnificent locks which flowed over *the shoulders of her prince of men,'her adored Wastelej,udiced his religious reputation Wifirt*odly of these days ?" And was tliereieflif.a. .great , ,religibas party to, which did.,notAldiAre a certain. /Amber of ; .hypocri-' 4a 1 4 0 ,a..a- profeasion,,' fair :as # 'l o ,oked: 1 i;11 " ,o',not ttcrapie:of, IjTilig,graa,a)2) l # 1 1, , 4 lombi? ' liadAng,poi 4 t1:0 14011 , 8".-9t ' 6 O -, gion ?" There are stains on the memory of the Puritans ; but they are grains of dust on an imperial garnient. The spirit which ani mated Puritanism, the spirit which throbbed in its heart of hearts, the spirit which made it irresitible in its own time, and lends it still an awful grandeur, was an inspiration of heroism from Almighty God. Both Lord Macaulay and Mr. Carlyle suggested too fordibly the idea, that the Puritan religion : was a mere spasmodic : excitement, a burst of hysterical passion. It was not such. As we see it 'in Cromwell, while he was yet a quiet farmer, 14ore that liquid gleam in his eye, expressive of all tender, true, and pro- found emotions, had kindled! into the light- 1 ning glance of the warrior, it was as placid as it was strong. " The Lord," he wrote to a lady, ""accept me in His Son, and give.me to, walk in the light, as He is in the light! He giveth me to see, light in His light. One beam in a dark place hath exceeding mud refreshment in.it :—blessed be His name for ~ shining upon so dark a heart as mine !" ~ That is religion for a peaceful, sober man, ' wending quietly to the grave;`a beam from' the 'heart of heaven,' falling tenderly among the household charities, among the duties of every day. And was it not the same reli gion, was it not the religion of a healthy, clear-seeing, practical man,' which accompa nied Cromwell, to the field ? Was it ettrava gent, in a Christian hero to believe that God was as near to him as to the Hebrew David? Crom*ell's God was a living presence, utter ing His wrath in the victorious battle charge, smiling His approval in the broad light of returning peace. Religion of this kind is sublime ; but surely, unless with our theories we have Shut out, the Most High from His universe, it is not absurd, it is not extrava-, gant. And can anything be more wise and;.: beautiful, more excellently removed from godliness on the one hand, and morbid intro spection, self-worshipping pietism, or fanati cal frenzy, on the other, than the religion which, pervades Mrs. Hutchinson's memoir .of 'her'inisband?-' Grant that- the Colonel, as she portrays him, is an ideal Puritan, a saint crowned with the halo of glorious-fe minine love : must it not, on any showing, have been a noble party to which either Hutchinson or his wife belonged ? "In the head of all his virtues," writes the high Puritan dame, " I shall set that which was the head and spring of them all, his Christi anity—for this alone is the true royal blood that runs through the whole body of virtue, and every pretender to that glorious family, *ho hath no tincture of it, is an impostor and , a. spurious brat. This is that sacred fountain which baptiseth all the Gentile vir tues, that so immortalize the names of Cicero, Plutarch, Seneca, and all the old philosophers; herein they are regenerated, and take a new name and nature ; digged up in the Wilderness of nature, and dipped in this liiing spring, they are planted and flourish in the paradise of God. By Christi anity I intend that universal habit of grace which is wrought in &soul by the regeriera ting Spirit of God, whereby the whole crea ture is resigned up into the Divine will and love, and all its actions designed to the obedience and glory of its Maker." Such was the Christianity of the Puritans. Ever yin the great Taskmaster's eye. We see them in the manor-house of that old time, a stately, polite, religious people';'not austere, yet not' frivolous. Their theory of life was that man's chief end is not to amuse or to be amused, ; not to create or experience sensa tions, but to glorify God and to enjoy Him for ever.—Peter Bayne, in the Tirreekty Re view. THE' GOSPEL TO BE RECEIVED FIt4CTI- Let us contrast—excepting the case of persons whose peculiar studies have given them a sort of individual,intereit• in such in quiries—our general reception of any purely scientific fact, say the discovery of a new planet, with that which we accord to the es tablishment of a point or principle connected with any great political or social question, or, with any of those subjects of minor yet inti mate interest which bear upon our daily health and comfort, our fortunes, or our affectiong. And let us remember - that it is among •tliese questions, say rather,above, and yet inclusive of them' all, that Christianity places itself. The Gospel is,no.historical monument, to be studied, or left 'alone at pleasure: it does not challenge attention on the score of its curiosi ty or interest, but claims it on the ground of its personal importance to every one of us. It proclaims itself to be "'no vain thing," in the sense in which all earthly knowledge, how excellent and glorious soever, is vanity, but "the life" of those whom it addresses. When it tells us of a God, in whose favor is Life, and makes = known to us the way, to ob tain that favor, there is no moment, either of our present or future existence, through which the facts it reveals do not send a pulsation : it links itself with each grain of the sands of time, with each billow of the ocean of eterni ty; it has to do with all that the heart and soul , of man can conceive and execute, endure A and enjoy, Now and FOREVEIL- !Present WIEEREVER there is mischief to be done, the Devil can always find an emissary to whom the work ..is. congenial. In carrying words which will wound the feelings of others, those who are "without ain," of tongue or life, are never the agents .to "throw the first stone." A GROUND , OF THANKFULNESS. THE NATION'S PROGRESS TOWARDS UNIVER SAL LIBERTY IN 1862. . TWENTY years ago it required all the tal ent, the eloquence, and the influence ofJohn Quincy Adams, to dare to present to Con gress a petition for the abolition of slavery in the District of Columbia, and a law to that effect then would have involved the na tion in a civil war. This year it has been done ; and so quietly and calmly that the nation has :,been. scarcely aware of it:.and yet it is done ; 'it cannot be undone. The Territories—the vast, Territories—of the nation,•hereafter to he great Stateslarger than.ruany, of the kingdoms of the, old world, are free, and, as territories, theY are to be free forever from the tread of the slave:; from 1a.40 - reducing 'men to chattels; from laws which authorize the traffic in thubodies and;souls of : yet whoalmestis aware let?AlitenirgA . giving for it ? Who has reverently paused in the din of arms, and the surgei of war, to thank God for it ? A. blow has been given to the slave trade this year such as has never been struck be fore. ' It was indeedliira,cy by our laws, and by the laws of other'nations; but it was pi racyy on paper only. .In our principal marts of commerce, and under the influence of men most 'prominent for station, and wealth, and enterprise, vessels were freely fitted out for this traffic, and the infamous men engaged in the traffic were allowed to go at large with impunity. It needed an example to show tbat 'anything was meant by our paper laws,,and that we were not dealing falsely with Mankind in proclaiming the traffic to be piracy; and it, needed, and it found, one man who had ,firmness enough to carry out the prineiple, and to show what the nation understood b the term as applied to that species of, en coerce, and at last one guilty man for this crime has suffered the just pen alty , of, the law. A great, movement, such as this nation has never before seen, ha.s been abggested and recommended on the subjectof •emancipation. .Never before has a suggestion. on that subject been made by a Presider% of the - United States ; never be fore , commended Congress • never before -received the sanction of the Representatives of the people : and yet it, was so wise, so „ caltn, so tree trom , any attempt at compul sion • it so such it to the States themselves; it offered such a fair compensation ; it would have such ultimate' influences if acted on, as, in the very form in which it was submitted, to constitute an epoch in the history of our country. It was an epoch in the history of England when a member of Parliament ven tured.to suggest the idea of Emancipation in the British. ; colonies : it was much more when a President of the .United States ventured to use the term and to suggest the idea, as a practieal one. And then this year will be still more remarkable for things not yet re corded ; whose - bearings are not yet seen ; Whose Mfluettee 'on this sithjdct is to go far into future, times : things which, whatever may be the issue of the present conflict., will make new adjustments necessary. Slavery is not what ip was ; it will never be what it, was again. -- The Fugitive Slave Law,is not what: it was ; it can never be what it was again; The slave all along the. Border States is a different, being from what he was ; is more'of a inan ; is less a "chattel " a " thing ; " is of less value as "property" titan hettiias, or ever will be again. The power 'Springing from this source, which °tape, and .so long, controlled • the nation, is bribkert, and; whatever may be• the issue of this struggle, is not to be a controlling power again. Thousands, and tens of thousands, have„tasipd'of freedom who never knew it before, ateve begin to look on to times when the land all be free. Could we now see what' the 'future patriot will see; could we see all the secret influences at work this year for the,good of the nation ; could we , see all those deep and broad streams of liberty and ha,ppin4p&which will flow out to future times to fertilize and bless the land and the world; no language which we can use now would be such as would properly express the praise due to God 'for what may spring out of t,ite events of this year. Our minds are indeed pensive and filled with sadness. Our eyes "pour out tears unto God." But there is light beyond; and those who will live in the fature, may see, even in what gives us eor riw glow, reasons for adoration and praise in a ailan ',uul„ . e more happy; a land without, our conflicts and troubles ; a land where man shall be 'ev'erywhere recognized and treated as a man; a land that :hall be truly free. Barnes Sermon : " The Conditions of Peace." , TI IO WDODBRIDGE TILE BLIND PIIEACLIEL A venerable and interesting character has recently been removed from the ranks of our ministry, in the person of the above-named minister of the Gospel. At his d.eath, he was a resident of Spencertown, Columbia, Co. N. Y., between the Hudson River and the Mas sachusetts State Line, and was connected with Columbia Presbytery. From a lengthy notice in. the . :Evangelist, we select the essential port* : Which will prove interesting, we, doubt sliot, to our readers. Borir'it -Stockbridge, Nov. 24, 1784, a grandion of Edwards, and linked to the.in tellectual and religious world by relationship to thejounger Edwards, to Dwight, and alas 1..;f0 Burr • trained under.he preaching of West; at the proper age he, entered Wil liams College. Losing his, eye-sight toward the close 'of his college term he became a student atlaw in the office Of his brother— having as he tells us, strong literary and aspirations. His religious - change occurred in 1809, and he resolved, against the remonstrances of many friends, to be come a preachei of the Gospel. In Janu ary, 1.810, he went to Andover Seminary, then recently established. Griffin, Stuart, and Woods, where his teachers. Receiving a license to preach, he officiated, with the approval of all, and to the wonder of many, in the pulpits of large churches in Salem, Boston,gartford, and, New York - ,---in the latter city upwards of a year. Returning to Stockbridae for rest and recuperation, he received an 'urgent call from the Congrega tional Society of Green river, town of Aus terlitz ; in the same town, and only four miles distant from his last parish. There, after.having preached about two years, he was regularly installed, in the words of his UENESEE . EVANGELIST bole ','No ; j 3,7.4-, •:, ...:, own memoir, "in the,gongregationaT Nov. 18, 1818,Uncbtemained until called - and, settled in his last*Pastorate, at SpeneertoW4 In 1846 he received, the, degree of D. D. from Williams College. *quild thatit were always as worthily bestowed. At his own repeated request, and after severe sickness, he was, in the Spring of 1851, released from the pastoral relation, receiving from his Presbytery and congregation 'also, the.`most. ample testimonials as to his usefulness and worth, and ,their cordial, esteem. The life of Dr. Woodbridge was a success, not a failure. The friend and promoter: of education, the Academy .in Spencertowr4 established mainly .by his efforts, and other institutions nourished by his care, are menu. , merits of his , wisdom, patience, and. perse verance. The congregations :to which he ministered shared 'at different ' times richly in the Divine favor,'and many were' added to the Lord. His' sermons, it the `vigor' matured' life wee by' general iiiriseitt not only interesting anUprOftialile, - but; for a blind man, extraordinary. It was some times difficult to convince an intelligent stranger, listening to him for the first time, that he was entirely blind. The order and manner of his service was like that of other men—both Scripture and hymns 'being cor rectly uttered, with book in hand, as if read by hirn. Indeed it seemed to be his desire' and effort, yet without the least symptom' of impatience, to ignore his blindness. His habitual salutations were "I am glad to see you ;" " I shall be, happy to see you." His descriptions of external ,see,nery were also natural, Vivid, and faithful 7 as his published writings will show. Those eyes, closed so, long to earthly objects, opened, as 'we triist, on heavenly scenes, through the grace and in the presence of his Saviour, on the morn ing of the Sabbath, December 7th. Resig ned and cheerful' to the last, he made the arrangements for his funeral, spoke of his 'death as 'but a short separation from those he loved on earth, and was gathered to his fathers. A large concourse from far and near attended his funeral, on Thursday, the 11th. The sermon, at his own request, was by Rev. Dr. Sprague ; Rev. Messrs. Leavitt, of Hudson, Powell, 'of Canaan, •and Pennell, of West Stockbridge, taking. part in the ex ercises. Other clerical brethren were in at tendance, both branches of the Presbyte rian; with the Lutheran, Reformed Dutch, and Congregational Churehes .being repre sented. A GOOD ELOt6FTION. WE must begin at the beginning. And that is physical education. Here, fortunately, the current of 'Popular feeling and of °dila tional effort is now setting in the right direc tion. The majority of clergymen have mot the bodily health, the arms and sides, the lungs and organs of speech, to make good speakers. They want also the animal spir its, the physical ccurage, the strong and hearty tone, which can come only from a hearty and healthy body. A good gymnasi um in every college and theological semina ry, with 'systematic and well-directed gym nastic and calisthenic exercises, continued as a part of the course, through the seven years curriculum, would do much to remedy this defect, and to give the next generation of ministers more . ease and grace, as well as power and utterance. With this, ministers and candidates for the ministry should con nect as much as possibie of that living in the open air,--not moping, but real living, walk ing, running, leaping, and laughing in the open air,—that communion with external nature, and that observation of men and things, which, more than anything else, has given the most popular preacher in the Uni ted States his powerful frame and his com manding eloquence.—Bib. Sacra. OUR CREED, THE HEY OF OUR LIFE. The very mutability of human wishes, the vanity to which Alan is subject, is a proof, if but a melancholy one, of the dignity of his nature, and indicates the immeasurable dis tance by which he is removed from the inferior races, which (each one after his kind) love, seek, and are contented with the objects adap ted, to their simple requirements, without versatility or satiety. Instinct is an unerr ing, unvarying guide : to have at one time observed an animal's habits is to know what will at all times make it happy ; but it is more hard to search into and satisfy what an old Divine has called the covetous, restless, in satiable heart of man ; and this because all men, no less than the just one, live by Faith,— have all a spiritual element of existence, have all an ideal standard, be it lowly or lofty, false or true, with reference to which they are guided in choice and act. If we would obtain the key to any man's conduct, we must make ourselves acquainted with his Creed,—we must find out what it is he be lieves in, if we would learn what it is he lives for, and in, and by. Until we have gained the secret of this correspondency, our lives are, as regards each other, writ in cipher. Could we but look at outward things from'one common stand-point, all would be plain and legible, and it is our inability to do this which makes us such riddles and contradictions to each other.; for, even those who most love the world do not love the same world : they who, are serving the same master serve him under such different aspects_that their aims are of tentimes as little intelligible to each other as they are to him who, bent upon a higher ob ject, cares, comparatively speaking, for none of the things on which their desires are set. The ambitious man, the covetous one, the pleasure-seeker,,stare at, each other in won der, perhaps in:pity, while the man who, has placed his aim in every-day conifort and re spectability gazes ,at, all three with an inquir ing cui'bono 2 They who live in the affec tions cannot understand how others should place their happiness in the exertion of the intellect. The purely doniestic character is at a loss to'appreciate the charm. with , which, to differently constituted minds, social or political distinction is invested. Fame -is a shadow, gold is dross ' pleasure a bubble, knowledge vanity and vexation of spirit, to those who do not care about them,; but to the, man to whom any one of these is an object of preference and deliberate choice, who has (whether wisely or unwisely) set it' befor;a him as his happiness and final good, the end to which his life' and energies have become the means; it is as the breath of" his.nostrils, indispensable;.aelement of -existence, in. short, a realAy, be its nature bad or good, its
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