essence palpable or unseen. The things
which men desire, pursue, and believe in, low
and trivial and unworthy as they may be in
themselves, are; to the persons whom they
thus influence, "no vain thing, but their
life,"—the subtle mainspring of thought and
action, hidden.and mysterious; and like that
which it so closely resembles, the principle of
natural vitality, only to be discovered in its
workings.—A Present Heaven.
lumina Nuotrgttrian
AND - ^.•
GENESEE EVANGELIST.
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 19, 1863
JOHN W. NEARS,
A PRESENT HEAVEN.
HE who lives by faith is independent of pre
sent circumstances. He communes with objects
in an entirely distinct sphere. While surround
ing objects, upon which men of the world depend
for happiness, continually fluctuate and disap
point them, he who maintains his faith in spiri
tual realities may be calm, contented, and happy.
To him, spiritual objects are alone real and im
portant. All that sense or mere understanding
perceives, grand and worthy of supreme devotion
as it may appear to the worldly mind, is to him
only vanity of vanities. He surrounds himself
with divine and eternal objects. He communes
with GOli in prayer. He finds endless treasures
of wisdam,,and sources of refreshment in the
word of God. The love of Christ, the friendship
of God, the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, the
covenant of grace well-ordered in all things and
sere, the power of prayer with God, inward
strength and encouragement in time of trial, the
light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the
face of Jesus Christ and transformation into the
same image from glory to glory—these are re
alities to the believer. With a fast hold on
these glorious objects by faith, he is content to
let " earth roll nor feels her idle whirl." Wordly
objects have receded; faith has given the vic
tory over them. Though hunted on the moun
tains, and fleeing with his life in his hind, like
righteous David, he tunes his harp and sings his
psalm of trust, of hope, and of rapture. Though
his soul is among lions; though he lies among
men whose teeth are spears and arrows, and their
tongues a sharp sword, yet his heart is fixed ; he
will sing and give praise ; be will awake early to
utter his overflowing joys. Like Paul and Silas,
in the inner dungeon of a Roman prison, with
their feet fast in the stocks, and with bodies sore
and bloody from shameful scourgings, at mid
night they can sing praises, and bear such testi
mony to the power of sustaining grace, that na
ture itself and the hearts of heathens shall 'be
smitten and tremble, and shall confess the truth.
Faith does not wait for heaven to come in the
future. It is her peculiar function to bring its
main elements into the presenttphere of exist
ence. Faith is the substance of things hoped
for, the evidence of things not seen. Faith, in
deed, is not sight, yet in some respects it is
better than sight. Blessed are they that have
not seen and yet have believed. Faith, indeed,
is inward sight; nay more, it is an inward grasp
ing, a personal apprehension and cleaving to its
great object. Were we but clear of sin, faith
might perform all the functions of sight, and
through its purified and exalted exercises, we
might find ourselves close by the central presence
of the Deity, bathed in his effulgence, folded in
the arms of his love. Although the resurection
of the just, and the future life will make vast
and glorious changes in our circumstances, it is
not so much for these that we long, as for deli
verance from the body of this moral death,
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Doubtless there is a
secret connection between the final overthrow of
the powers of darkness, and the resurrection of
the just. When sin is finally conquered, then
we may look for the glorious manifestation of
the sons of God, for which the whole creation
waits in earnest expectation. Hence, in propor
tion as sin is overcome in any individual soul by
faith, the blessings and the glory of the resur
rection and the heavenly life are enjoyed in that
soul now.
But as heaven is not made lip of inaction, of
mere repose, or even of specific acts of worship
and praise exclusively, but also of great deeds
and of the zealous service of doubly consecrated
natures and exalted powers; so, the heaven re-
:thud by faith on earth, is not one of withdrawal
from earth to contemplative solitude and selfish
seclusion. That which truly overcomes the world
knows how to use it; that which flies from the
world, how does it conquer it? Faith is discri
minating. It sees in every worldly object a
capacity for spiritual use. It sees in man and
in man's works and pursuits, and in nature's
powers and arrangements, the material for the
establishment of God's kingdom on earth. It
rtes in history the gathering up and gradual
organization of these materials. Faith has but
one eye open, if it can discern no spiritual rela
tionships and adaptions in worldly things and
events. It may be a nicer function, but it does,
truly belong to faith, to see these qualities, and
to find in them a field for the spiritual activity
of the renewed man. It is no part of our pre
sent heaven to ignore them—to grow sick of the
world and weary of life—to preach up an indis
criminate cursed° against the world. It must
be a very vague and a very ill-defended paradise
—the product of our fancy rather than that of
faith—which can in no manner tolerate our secu
lar interests or pursuits within its precincts. A!
very artificial and unwholesome place we must
consider it; much in need of daylight and of
airing. We must find our heaven largely in
serving God in the activities of the present life,
or postpone it fritirely to the next world. We
must work humbly, prayerfully, rejoicingly, for
God in our daily pursuits. We must see in them
a sphere for serving God and advancing his king
dom on earth, as truly, though not on as great a
scale, as any archangel finds in managing the
winds or the flaming fire to execute God's will.
And when great struggles break out in the
world, in which we are directly involved and
must bear a part, the fact that they are intensely
interesting and absorbing must not deter us as
servants of God and as men of faith, from per
send participation in some manner in the strug
gle. Such participation need not disturb our
peace or make inroads upon our Paradise. Nay,
su fur as faith discerns the spiritual aspect of the
conflict, she points out to us the positive duty of
joining in it as a necessary means of inward
peace, as furnishing one of those elements of
active service which go to make up the true
heaven of the Christian on earth. The Chris
tian who shrinks back for the sake of maintain
ing his peace when God and duty thus loudly
call, takes the surest means of destroying it, or
of placing it upon a false foundation which can
not endure.
Living by faith ensures a present heaven.
But faith notices the spiritual bearings of world
ly things, as well as guards us against their
merely temporal enticements. We walk by
faith, therefore, and maintain our heavenly
frame, when, in every worldly sphere, to which
duty calls us, we labor heartily with spiritual
aims. The brave soldier who goes from a sense
of duty to the defence of his country, is more
certain to enjoy a present heaven, amid the din
of the battle-field than is the " peace" clergyman
who stays at home and warns his people continu
ally against the secularising tendencies of the
war.
Editor
HAVE WE \ ENDORSED CONGREGATIONAL
ISM?
WE recently noticed the fact that a licentiate
of one of our Presbyteries, Mr. Philabder Ree`,
was ordained in Louisiana as chaplain of one of
the new African Regiments. In, the absence of
a regular Presbyterial organization, Mr. Reed was
ordained by a Council composed of ministers of
four different evangelical denominations. This
was not regular, but all the essentials of a valid
ordination were present, and, under the emer
gency, it was right and proper to proceed in the
manner described—would, in fact, have been
wrong to deny ordinatiA, under a clear call of
providence, to the candidate. Had the case oc
curred under ordinary circumstances, , in New
York or Pennsylvania, the irregularity would
have been gross and unpardonable ; it would
have involved open disrespect of existing church
organizations, and disregard of ecclesiastical
order; and whether regarded as valid or not, it
would have been repudiated by the denominations
generally.
We observe that the organ of one wing of the
Congregationalists is disposed to boast of the
procedure, as an illustration of the admirable work
ing and fitness of the system which it professes
to advocate. Presbyterians, it is intimated, are
ready, when it is convenient, to Rail themselves
of that principle of " Congregationalism," which
provides for assembling a council just when the
occasion arises, and from the materials which are
at hand; thus testifying to its superiority over
their own system. As if men, who, love order,
when compelled, by extraordinary circumstances,
to act irregularly, thereby admit irregularity to
have the advantage of order ! As well might
our Government be riecused of a secret preference
for martial law, because, by extraordinary cir
cumstances, it has been driven to use it. As
well might despots cite the suspension of the
habeas corpus in America, as proof that republics
admit'the superiority of despotism. .
Summary methods are indispensable in such
a time of confusion; the Government uses them
on compulsion merely, and will rejoice when the
necessity for them disappears: Because martial
law is suitable for an emergencyr like the present,
no one dreams of inferring its fitness for times of
peace. Because at a distance of two weeks'
journey from any of our Presbyteries, in a terri
tory devastated by war and inaccessible to civil
ians, a licentiate of our church had to be s oy-
dained after a fashion which the liedependent;is
pleased to regard as Congregational, our church
will be considered by none but the blindest par
tizan as giving any sort of testimony to the great
advantages of Congregationalism., If4hei./nde
_pendent wishes to claim for its lo'Cise methbds
certain accordance with loose and:disorganized
times, we will not object. But for ourselves, we
regard church organizations, like arrange
ments, as designed for operation ,attordinary
y
times, having among their highest .uses the in
culcation of the excellence of order upon ttic
people. When disturbances arise, we fall bac
perforce upon the no-system of Independency
When peace comes, we resume apse Organic
forms which it is one of the greatest blessings of
peace to ensure to us, and which, as we are
trained in them, make us love and seek peace
the more. The Independents are on a war
footing all the time.
THE NEW YORK OBSERVER AND ALBERT
WE have read with no little surprise the com
ments of the New York Observer of Jatruary 22,
and February 5, on the conditions of peace as set
forth in a Thanksgiving sermon recently publish
ed by Rev. Albert-Barnes, of Philadelphia. Wel
are surprised that the Observer should.earthat\
" Mr. Barnes now proposes conditions of peace
that would have made the war impossibleifft,hey
had been proposed by the North twa :YearS ago.
And it is a most encouraging indicationOf a re
turn to Christian reason and union, when such
leaders in 'the anti-slavery movement in the
North propose to settle our national quarrel by
leaving the whole subject of slavery totally'and
exclusively to the States in which it exists. This
zs the proposition of .111 r. Barnes." The italics
are ours.
How the Observer should suppose that this
"proposition" is original with Mr. Barnes, who
it says, c.tis'well known to the whole country and
the world as an extreme anti-slavery man," is to
us unaccountable, in view of the fact equally
" known to the whole country and the world,"
that the same proposition was incorporated into
the Republican Platform framed by the: Chicago
Convention, unanimously resolved by Congress
in 18.61, and has always been the declaration of
the Government from the commencement of the
rebellion to the present hour. The North, in its
civil capacity, has never proposed to interfere
with the institution of slavery within the States.
Such an interference has always been disclaimed
by the party in power. If the Observer intends
to be understood that the object of the North, as
developed by the declarations of tie Republican
leaders, and the official documents and acts of
the Government, has been from the beginning
the overthrow of slavery within the States, ex
cept as a military necessity, it is most strangely
blind to the record.—Congregationalist.
The astonishing mis-use which has been made
of Mr. Barnes' Thanksgiving Sermon by the
factionists of the North, is both contemptible and
dishonorable to them and grossly unjust to him.
Mr. Barnes chooses for the present to remain si
lent on the subject, but those who infer from
this silence that he assents to these monstrous
perversions, are very much mistaken. Because
Mr. Barnes could not see his way clear to endorse
the policy of emancipation under the war power
BARNES
aturtiralt probtfctian and 6rittort 6rangtliot.
when he published his thanksgiving sermon,—a
fact which we in common with his best, friends
here, deeply regretted,—ishe therefore to be num
bered with the pestilential reactionists against
the government, in its fearful and agonizing
struggle with the rebellion ? Is his sermon to
be counted as " the most remarkable index of
the great Northern reaction now going on ?" Is
it to be said that he " is willing to concede al
most every thing"?
Let it be noted then, that Mr. Barnes in this
very sermon, lays it down as the first condition
of peace that the rebellion must be suppressed, the
claimed right of secession must be abandoned and
thi authority of the Union restored. All that he
says about peace in the remainder of his sermon
is based upon this supposition. He furthermore
insists on amendments to the Constitution, by
which the National Governmend - shall be separated
from slavery, the fugitive slave law modified, or
the whole subject of the delivery of fugitives
left to the separate states, •the three-fifths slave
representation abolished, and slavery at length
entirely removed from our land, as an indispensable
condition of peace. While slavery is in process
of removal indeed, it is to be left to the control
of the states; but place that concession in the
light of such a declaration as the following (p 52)
and what comfort`can it give to pro-slavery men?
" Nor will it ever be possible to adjust our free
institutions to the idea .that slavery is to be per
,
petual in our land."
Mr. Barnes' sermon is open to objection, we
admit, but only the wilfully blind can pervertit into
a demonstration against the Government or the
war.—[llo. Am. PRESBYTERIAN.
PREACHING-NO. 7.
BY REV. E. B. ADAMS.
AUTHORITY IN THE PREACHER
ME minister of God may not " lord it over
God's heritage." But, standing before men not
only as the representative of the Divine mercy,
bit also of the divine command, as "an amba,s
s.dor of Christ," he may speak with authority:
h ought so to speak as Christ spade. And,
mire than any other power, the present, preva
le, t conviction that he is sent of God, enables 'a
ni n thus to speak. Duty makes one bold. Let
a Alan take deeply into bis heart the message of
0' id; let him be assured that he possesses and
ters truth as found in Revelation_; that he
t•ars the divine commission ; let him separate
mself from participation in the maxims, and
shions, and secularities of men, and he can
ome before his people with authority. Moses,
escending from the mount where, for forty days
e had seen the ineffable glory, hearing the noise
f the people at the base as they danced about
e golden calf, hurled down the tables of the
w, and brake them in their presence. That
as an act of authority. It signified that they
`ere doomed. He took sides with God. He
f: t the power of holiness and.truth. What in
s view, were men yho sin, compared with the
E ernal God! What the thoughts of men,wben
..d utters his thoughts ! Instead of the ques
" What do these auditors think of me ?" it
What does GOD think of me ?" It was
.is view of God that gave boldness to Elijah,
• hen he said to Ahab—As the Lord God of Is
rael live& before whom I stand, there shall not be
dew nor rain, these years but according to MY
WORD. It was this that enabled Samuel to hold
dominion over the wicked Saul; that made John
the Baptist erect before the sanguinary Herod;
that clothed Paul with majesty and power when
he made his triumphant appeal to King Agrippa
" I know that thou, believest."
Instances are not wanting in modern times of
great power in the pulpit as the result of confi
dence in truth. Among these, the preaching of
Bossuet is remarkable; It was he who thus ad
dressed the despotic Louis XIV:—" While your
majesty looks down from that eminence to which
Providence has raised you; while you behold
your flourishing provinces reaping the harvest of
happiness, and enjoying the'blessings of peace;
while you behold your throne encompassed with
the affections of a loyal people., what have you to
fear ? Where is the enemy that can injure Your
happiness? les, sire, there is an, enemy that
can irdure you—that enemy is purself,—that
enemy is the glory that encircles you. It is no
easy task to submit to the rule that seems to sub
mit to us. Let me entreat you to descend in
spirit from your exalted station, and visit the
tomb of Jesus ; there you may meditate on loftier
themes, than this world, with all its pomp, can
offer. What will it avail you, sire, to have lifted
so high the glory of your country, unless you
direct your mind to works which are of estima
tion in the sight of God, and which are to be
recorded in the book of life ? Consider the ter
rors which are to usher in the last day, when the
Saviour of the world will appear in tremendous
majesty, and send judgment unto victory. Re
flect if the stars are then doomed to fall, if the
glorious canopy of the heavens is to be rolled to
gether as a scroll, how will those works endure
which are constructed by man ? Can you, sire,
affix any real grandeur to what must one day be
blended in the ? Educate then, your mind,
and fill the page o£ your life with other records,
and other annals." When we consider the awe
with which Louis inspired all who approached
him, and the fact that these words were uttered
in the presence of the court, it is not difficult to
believe that. Bossuet was a courageous, an honest
preacher. And we might expect to find the
ground of his courage in sentiments like the fol
lowing : " Truth is a Queen who may be said to
inhabit her own excellence; who reigns invested
with her own native splendor, and who is en
throned in her own grandeur, and upon her own
felicity. Relying upon herself, on her celestial
origin, on her infallible anthority, she speaks and
demands belief, she publishes her edicts, and de-
Mands submission; she holds out to our assent
the sublime and incomprehensible union of the
most blessed Trinity, she proclaims a God-man,
and shows him to us extended on a cross, expir
ing in ignominy and pain, and calls upon human
reason to bow down before this tremendous mys
tery." "It was the destiny of truth to erect her I
throne in opposition to the kings of the earth.
She called not for their assistance when she laid
the foundation of her own establishment—but,
when the edifice rose from its foundation, and
lifted high its impregnable towers, ,she then
adopted the great for her children ; not that she
stood in need of their concurrence, but in order
to cast an additional lustre on their authority anti
to dignify their power."
There are not wanting in the history of the.
American pulpit, instances of sublime authority
in the presence of earthly greatness. In the
reign of George IL, King of England, Rev.
Samuel .Davics, A. M., visited London. Hi s
fame had gone lefore him and reached the royal
ear. He was invited to preach in thb King's
chapel, and is said to have accepted the invita
tion. His audience was composed of the royal
household, and abrilliant circle of the nobility.
During the discourse, which was beyond measure
ab t' o
u th t e Ki ng , in his admiration, spoke to
those l hini,
exchanging With them
.senti
ments of approbation and pleasure. Mr. Davies
,
observing it, waif greatly moved at what seemed
irreverence in the sanctuary, and utterly unpar
donable in such a personage. H av i ng looked
sternly in that direction and paused to give a
hint of, the impropriety, he went on in his dis
course, but observing ,a repetition of the offence,
he stopped and exclaimed : " When the lion
roars the beasts of the field tremble, and when
King Jesus speaks the princes of the earth should
k eep s g ence .” In response " the King gave a
significant, but Courteous, bow to the preacher"
and remained in. rapt attention.
Robert Hall Was an authoritative preacher, for
the people had learned that he could sound the
depths of every) subject, and that he rose to the
highest goal of i fhought and power in the pulpit
over a body tortired and crushed with constant
agony.
Chalmers spote with authority from the ma
jesty an d Busts u 4 edtone of thought and as Dr.
JOhn M. Mos' ,said, from "his blood•earnest
ness.,,, Dr. Adolphe Monad was distinguished
for authority in his public ministrations, and his
humility and profound Scriptural knowledge
were alike consikuous.
Dr. Caesar/Malan, of Geneva, is perhaps the
most •sublime living specirnen of ministerial ma
jesty in the pulp t. To this his erect form, deep
voice, and venerable locks contribute in no slight
degree; but the certainty with which he speaks
of sacred truthsl, the fervor that thrills his own
soul, the awful and winning glory that truth as
sumes in his view, the entireness with which he
has given his being to its advocacy and service,
make the hearers feel that an old prophet speaks
to 'them, or that an Apostle reappears to utter
to this generation the words and thoughts of
God.
GERMS STREET CHURCH.
• • ♦ .
IT may interest Sem of the readers of the
AMERICAN. PRRIBYTERIAN to know what suc
cess has attended; the efforts of the Committee of
German Street giturch to raise fifteen thousand
11 13
dollars to free t t church from debt, and finish
the edifice. A out two hundred circulars,
'
showing the condition of the property, have been
distributed amoni those of our denomination _in
1
the city who were thought to be able to contri
butel to this eff rt, and thus far, five thousand
dollars have been übdcribed by fifteen individuals,
mostly members Pine Street Church. Besides
having the cir4ar sent to them, many have
been called upon or written 'to on the subject,
but all has failed thus far to awaken sufficient
interest to inclucelmany of our wealthy Christian
people to make 'a small contribution to this
worthy object. \
It is not fromany doubt as to the propriety of
the effort to sake the German Church from
being broken upjor in the mind of every Chris
tian man the doubt would be removed by the
commendatien efftearly all our city pastors in
regard to - it. They say, in the circular, that
" it is the only church - of our denothination in a
population of sixty thousand ; that it has had a
career of usefulness for thirty years, as hundreds
of converts can Witness; that the congregation
was encouraged to build by nearly all the pastors
and churches of the city, and that the congregation,
though not always wise in their plans, have made
most martyr efforts to finish their church, and
ought not to be left heart-broken by disappoint
ment" After such a commendation by our city
pastors, the man or woman professing Christian
ity is not to be envied who would speak dispara
gingly of the effort. And yet, the whole enter
prise may be permitted to fail, and this church
forever stopped l i n . its career of usefulness, be
cause, sufficient ipterest is not felt in it by , a
larger number of; our Christian people. There
may be those wh - fy still have the -matter under
consideration,'and it is for the purpose of hasten
ing a conclusion in such cases that the Com
mittee make this - ittiement. *
A FUNERAL IN A SNOW STORY.
THE third day, of February, 1863,.is not so
far back.that people fail to remember it as a pe
culiarly cold, snoviy, stormy day. Yet the dead
must be buried, in all kinds of weather. This
day, at half-past 3 O'clock, a long funeral proces
sion was seen to I enter the " Old Pine Street
1 ,
Presbyterian Church," in Philadelphia, just
when the snow Was filling most thickly. In
this procession were persons from the most re
spectable social circles of the city,—the mer
chant,—retired, al well as active,—the mechanic,
who for the hour had laid aside his tools; and
1
the lady' of educat on and refinement, as well as
those who are " areful and cumbered " with
household duties.
Who is it that has departed
from among the wing, to call such a number
together at such a 4 "the as this, to receive a tri
bute of sorrow airtttesteem ? Was it one of the
,
rich, the gay, theigreat ?" The, procession has
walked about winesquares amid this storm. Let,
us retrace their steps, to the late residence of the
deceased. A small frame house; in Front street,
below Christian, jut divested of the sign of death,
shows that the , la t 4 occupant was rather to," be
found among the prior and suffering." .
Let us return to the church. The funeral
services have begnn. The pastor requests the
Congregation to sing a hymn,—" a favorite of
the deceased." The, concluding lines are,—
" Yet a seas* and you know
Happy entrance will be given
All your sorrows left below,
And earth exchanged for heaven."
The singing is followed by the reading of the
Scriptures, one sentence of which is, chosen
as a text by the pastor : "To die is gain."
A brief biography is given. " Mrs. Martha
Walters, aged 68.4 ears," has been removed
from the communion of the visible church
in Pine street, -to join the large communion of
those who in former years have been called
away from the same place of worship. The pas
tor eulogizes the deceased for ( her many Chris
tian virtues. Not for her superior intelligence,
or wealth, or efficient labors in the church ; but
for her piety, her humility, ber faithfulness,
during her days of health, in her attendance
upon the means of grace; and for her example
and influence upon others, in the church and in
the humbler walks of life, in illustrating the
power
. o6the Gospel, amid adversity and deep
affliction. Upwards of forty years had she sat
at the " table of the Lord ; " and about sixty
two years had she attended upon the means of
grace, with that people,—even from her child
hood. And even in childhood her adversities
began. Yellow Fever deprived her of both
her parents and most of her near relatives. She
became a " child of adoption," by others. At
womanhood she was married, but soon her hus
band met death by violence in a foreign land;
and, with a little daughter, she was left to strug
gle again for a livelihood. The two, for many
years, knew what it was to eke out a living with
the 'needle. But the mother's health failed.
The consumptive's history was hers. And this
stormy day witnessed—
"Al] her sorrows left below,
And earth exchanged for heaven."
It is not surprising that the pastor should now
speak of his loss,—of one who was always so
faithful in her attendance upon his ministry, and
who always so gratefully received his visits at
her humble home. But it is greatly to the bon-
orof the " Old Pine Street Church " that such
an assemblage, upon such a stormy day, should
walk such a distance, to pay their last tribute of
esteem to one of the humblest of their flock;
and that the sincerity of their tribute should be
unmistakeably manifested by their tears, in cor
roboration of the eulogy by their pastor. May
it 'not also be adduced as evidence that in all
the progress which this " old church " has made,
and among the many good deeds for which she
is proverbial, she has not yet forgotten the force
of the apostle's query, " Hath not God chosen
the poor of this world rich in faith, and heirs of
the kingdom which he bath promised to them
that love him ?" A. C.
Manayunk, February 4th, 1863.
LIBERTY FORS ALL.
DOUBTLESS the strongest aspiration of the
great Anglo-Saxon race is for self-govv i rnment.
It works towards the solution of this problem in
its whole history. On this continent, its aspira
tion is fulfilled as in no other portion of the
race or of the human family. The prowess, the
enterprise, the intelligence, the religious fervor
of this part of the race have achieved what
others dream of and sigh for in vain. Yet here
a most extraordinary anomaly prevails In our
theory, the blessings of liberty are justly regard
ed as designed for all races, The Declaration of
Independence is worded in the most absolute
manner. All men are created free and equaL
Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness are the
inalienable right.of all. These truths are de
clared to be self-evident. Exceptions are not
even hinted at. For what credence could men
expect to gain to declarations thus and thus con
ditioned, as self-evident ? Or bow could they
venture, without divine authority, to announce
exceptions to absolute truth ? Would not their
work have at once been rejected as absurd, if it
had claimed that a certain small portion of the
African race on this continent must be regarded
as not subject to its operation ? But they were
not thus absurd. They meant all they said.
The theory of the American political system is
just and true; yet under the protection of that
free system, there has grown up and flourished
a system utterly at war with its principles, and
absolutely denying these inalienable and self
evident rights to a portion of another race, thrown
providentially among us. What an extraordinary
spectacle ! Slavery nestling among the robes of
the genius of liberty, claiming and receiving her
protection.! Stripes and chains for innocent men,
under the folds of the banner of freedom ! And
the free masters of the slave, demanding ever
more that one of the chief uses of this republic,
founded on the Declaration of self-evident,
equal, inalienable rights to all, shall be to cherish,
insure, and extend the despotic perogatives of
the slave-masters; and behold them desperately
and diabolically attempting the overthrow of the
republic, so soon as it became tolerably certain
that .it could no longer be used to foster their
tyranny.
We regard our present struggle as carrying
out the principles of the Declaration of In
dependence. So the leaders of the rebellion
regard it. They reject that charter of liberty,
unless you allow them to foist their own
limitations into its text. The question now in
solution is, whether indeed all men are to, be re
garded on this continent as created free and equal,
and as possessing the inalienable right to life, lib
erty and the pursuit of happiness? Whether the pro
vidential distinction, of color or race excludes any
from the application of these broad and self-evi
dent principles? Whether this nation, the ad
vance guard of liberty in the world, shall recede
from its earlier position, abandon its advance, build
again the things which it destroyed, by sub
stituting for class distinctions, distinctions of
race : whether it shall perish in an honorable
though fruitless attempt to maintain the doc
trines of the Declaration in full force; or whether
it shall triumphantly vindicate and rescue these
principles from perversion and nullification, give
them new clearness and vividness, advance
them still higher in the sight of the nations and
plant them impregnably upon this.contineat ?
Disgui3e it as we nay, the grand drift of this
war is straight forward in the line of the Decla
ration of Independence. It is a straightening
out of the tortuous deviations of our national
course, as the Vicksburg cut is straightening the
course of the Mississippi. Ever since our fore
fathers at 'the beck of Freedom came to thesp
shores, they have been working out her grand
designs. Plymouth Rock marked a great stride in
advance of the past; the War of Independence
secured another; and now we are summoned, as
the champions of freedom, once more to enter
the lists, and in fierce and terrible conflict to
wrest from proud and passionate oppressors the
concession that LIBERTY IS FOR ALL, and to
write that concession among the world's political
axioms in ineffaceable characters.
Countrymen ! Beware' bow you bedwarf this
conflict by decrying it as a mere fanatical strife
for the benefit of the black race. It is for the
black race, but if for him, then for all races who
may at any period of the world's history be liable
for arbitrary reasons to injustice and oppression.
Our victory will be the victory of man. Its deep
meaning will be unfolding while time lasts.
RevlvAL.—The Evangelist is informed that
a good work of grace is now progressing in the
church in Naples, Ontario County, N. Y. The
pastor of the church has been assisted in his
labors by Rev. 0. Parker, who has since left,
and is now laboring in the Presbyterian Church,
Huron, Wayne County.
[For the American Presbyterian.l
THE ANNUAL OONOERT OF PRAYER.
MR. Enrron—As the annual Concert of Pray
er for Literary institutions is at hand, it may
be well to ask the attention of your readers, t 0...,
one of the principal objects of its appointnaent,
which was to promote the increase of. the Chris
tian ministry. There were other .objects of im
portance, but this was among the chief; for it
was seen as soon as attention was given to the
matter, that the outpouring of the Holy Spirit
on these fountains of influence, would revive and
transform the piety of unprofitable professors
of religion, and would implant a vigorous divine
life in many who were dead in sin. The pre
cious revivals which have followed the observ
ance of thiS day, have started many towards the
ministry as their life-lOng employment; and the
occurrence of similar revivals would produce a
similar happy result
There are among us those who question whe
ther such a result is desirable,
.because they
affirm we have.a ministry sufficient 'for all .our
wants. This statement we firmly believe to be
incorrect and injurious, and feel bound to do all
we can to break its force. Time and-space will
allow but a few brief hints at present.
The ministry is the divinely appointed agency
for bringing the Gospel into contact with men,
and while there are neighborhoods or nations
which need the Gospel, it should be increased.
Nothing but the darkest ignorance can pretend
that the: supply of the Gospel equals the need
for it.
God has reserved to himself the work of pri
marily selecting, calling, and qualifying the mi
nistry. All that human teachers can profitably
do is to furnish subordinate discipline and qual
ifications to such as are called and anointed by
Him. He indicates his will very closely by con
tinuing to call through the instrumentality of
Christian parents, local churches, Sabbath schools,
etc., and by the internal working of his Spirit on
their hearts, quite a number of young men to
seek the ministry. Who will preeume to say he
has erred in this matter ?
Christ gave the command to pray that laborers
should be sent into the world's harvest-field in
view of the perishing multitudes before him;
and he intended' that we should offer that prayer
whenever such multitudes came before us; and
in what region may we not find them?
The Foreign Missionary field assigned us needs,
and will continue to need for years to come, an
increase of laborers.
Our Home Missionary field is wider now, and
is constantly extending, and will furnish employ
ment for all the suitably qualified men we can
send into it for years to come.
We have a few more ministers on our catalogue
than we have churches ; but when we deduct
the aged, the infirm, the secularized, those who
have found that they have mistaken their call
ing, the foreign missionaries, the colporteurs, the
secretaries and agents, the chaplains, those
,en
gaged in education, and others in, general em
ployments, we find that there are. about nine hun
dred ministers, only, to, supply fourteen hundred
churches. We have no greater force.than can
be engaged profitably in keeping what we have
already gained, and have none for making ex
tensive aggressions on Satan's kingdom. The
yearly additions made from our seminaries but
little more than supply the waste made by death,
advancing age, failing health and, other causes.
What we may receive from other denominations
cannot be made' available for our missionary
work.
The progress in training up a ministry must be
very gradual. With - all that our Church is like
ly to do for years to come, there is no danger of
producing an over supply; but there is danger if
More cannot be done than at present is contem
plated or desired by many, that there will be a
diminution of present numbers, and a positive
want. Who does not see the increasing need of
the goppel in our land at present? Who can tell
how great its future wants will be ? -
Chir General Assembly has recommended the
observance of this day of prayer ; and has further
advised that all churches not 'having a stated time
for considering and contributing to the
cause, shall give it a place preceding or succeed
ing this day. Shall not these recommendations
meet with a prompt and hearty response ? They
certainly deserve it whether we regard the source
from which they emanate, or the importance of
the objects to be'attained by them.
Gen. Secretary for Education.
Presbyterian. Rooms, New York Peb.l4th, 1863.
THE DAY OF PRAYER FOR COLLEGES and
Institution of learning will be observed on
Thursday of this week, by Union meetings in the
morning, at 1O o'clock, in the Clinton street
Church; and in the afternoon at 4 o'clock, in
Green Hill Church. It is recommended that each
church further observe the appointment by hol
ding a separate service in the evening.
Tin UNION PRAYER MEETING will not be
held next week.
REV JOHN MCDOWELL, D.D., pastor of the
Spring Garden Presbyterian church, a venera
ble and familiar personage among the ministers in
this city, died on Friday, the lath inst., in the
83rd year of his age.
i(o4:t:fliArfk-.„ - f1t . ‘,1:,0 . .:, :
THE late visit of Rev. Dr. Bouton, of Concord,
Pastor and spiritual father of Rev. E. E. Adams,
to this city, on his, errand of mercy as agent of
the Christian Commission in Washington, will
be remembered with gratification` by all who
had the pleasure of meeting with and hearing
him. His discourse in N. Broad Street. Church
on the " Door opened in Heaven;" was tender,
spiritual and persuasive in a high degree, and
remains as a sweet savor with the people who
heard it.
AMONG the •several received at the Column=-
nion in the Mercer "Street Church, ,
N. Y., on
Sabbath before last, was a deaf mute. Ile" be
came a member on profession of his faith, and
after an intelligent understanding and approval
of the confession and articles, as the pastor
stated.
•
TEEE extended, scholarly and very genial no
tice of Professor Robinson contained in the in
dependent of February sth, is one deserving the
thanks of all interested in preserving suitable
memorials of our American Christian Scholars.
We shall try to find , room for it inla future num
ber.'
THORNTON A. M=B
APPOINTMENT KEPT UNDER DIFFICULTIES. -
Dr. Tuttle, of Wabash College, Crawfordsville,
Ind., in a letter to the Evangelist, gives an in
stance of the indomitable energy of one of our
Western pastors in fulfilling an appointment
which deserves to be circulated. He says :
" We had a visit from the Rev. Mr. Noyes, of
La Porte, on the third Sabbath of this month.
By some,mistake in the time he missed the cars
at Lafayette, Saturday morning,- but proved that
his New England pluck had not been effemina
ted by his Illinois training, by walking the
twenty-eight miles through the snow, and facing
a heavy wind ! There is a -case of professional
sensitiveness in the matter of keeping appoint
ments worth publishing. His sermon on Sabbath
afternoon to our young men was worth to us all
it had cost him. 'lf any man will do His
will,' eta,., was his text, and the discours was a
ripe ate' powerful discussion of the effect which
the heart exerts upon the mind in its religious
reasonings."
REv. J. B. .BITTINGEn.—The Lutheran of
this city thus speaks of the recent pastor of the
Euclid Street Church, Cleveland, now laid aside
by sickness.
" The Rev. J. B. Bittinger, one of the most
brilliant and scholarly men who have gone forth
from Peniesylvania College, and who made him
self widely known as an eloquent preacher and
finished writer, is now at Hanover, Pa., in feeble
health. Mr. Bittinger though reared in the
Lutheran Church, and, as we believe, sincerely
attached to it, entered the Congregational min
istry. He did it at an era when the current,
almost universal notions prevalent in our Church
in the United States, made it a mere matter of
accident or convenience whether any of our
young men should labor in its ministry. Mr.
Bittinger's accident took him out, as the acci
dent of others who were perhaps very severe
upon him for leaving us, kept them in. We re
cently received a very welcome letter from Mr.
B. and rejoice to find in it evidence that the
vigorous mind is in its old working, and that he
feels a deep interest in the Church of his early
love."
MINISTERS AND CHURCHES. Ordained, Jan.
20th, at Clarkson, . N. Y., by the Presbytery of
Rochester; Rev. Corlis B. Gardner, as an evan
gelist. Sermon by Rev. X. B. Shaw, D.D. ; or
daining prayer by Rev. J. C. Taylor, and charge
by Rev. J. Pierson. The' exercises were all
deeply interesting. Mr. Gardner is supplying
the church at Clarkson.—SAINIUEL B. SHER
RILL was ordained and installed as pastor of the
First Church at Meridian, in Cayuga county, on
the 4th inst. Rev. IL Dunning, of Jordan, con
ducted-the preliminary exercises, and Rev. C.
Hawley, D.D. of Auburn, preached the sermon.
The Moderator of Presbytery, Rev. Henry
Fowler, of Auburn, proposed the constitutional
questions, and offered the Ordaining prayer.
Rev Chester W. Hawley, of Liverpool, a col
lege classmate, gave an appropriate Charge to
the Pastor, and Rev. C. Anderson, of Sennett,
a faithful Charge to the People. --REV. DAN
IEL C. TYLER is about to take charge of the
Church of Hermon is SL Lawrence county.
few Nuldirationo.
ANNOUNCEMENT.
Messrs.R. Carter & Bros. announce that they
will publish about March Ist from advance
sheets received from the author : D'Aubigne's
new volumes entitled, THE HISTORY of the RE
FORMATION TELE TIME of CALVIN, in two
duodecimo volumes. From the proof sheets of
the first volume kindly sent us by the publishers,
we extract thee - following sentences found in the
author's "American Introduction:"
" The author asks himself whether this work
will he received with any interest in America,
or whether the anxieties that now pre-occupy
the minds of the-citizens, are not too absorbing
to leave roam for-sympathy with the story of the
olden times. He, 'however, hopes that the his
tory of the struggles of a heroic republic in-past
ages, may prove some relief to the anxieties of
the present. It is satisfaction for an author to
know that his within will be transmitted to a
distant nation by virtue of an honorable dom
mercial arrangement. This the author has
found in . his dealings with Messrs. Carter d;
Brothers; and he puts• it to the honor of the
American nation, that these editions published
by the' Messrs. Carter, from which alone he de
rives 'some advantage, will be purchased by the
citizens of the United States, and that they will
not countenance the pirated editions that other
booksellers may issue, without his consent."
MESSRS. CARTERS of `New Yor4 have repub
lished two small, but welcome, volumes from the
pens of distinanished Piesbyterian divines of
Great Britain, already well and favorably known
in this country. Rev. Dr. Hamilton, author of
a long Est of _delightful works, headed with
" LIFE in EARNEST," has just added to the list
a series of sketchei:_based on the events of the
forty days after the Resurrection, and entitled :
" A MORNING BESIDE TTIE LAKE OE GALILEE."
Its style is clear and sweet, it abOunds in delicate
yet homely touches, it breathes a spirit of true
devotion ; if it does not feartle or electrify. it
holds nS just as surely by the charm of ease and
gracefulness Which pervades it; and the pro , 6
of extensive reading , :and culture contained is
in this small volume are surprising, though
is tlikd in due 2 subordination to the main obi ,
of enforcing the lessousof this interesting per
of the , Saviour's life.--The other volume is fr :'•
an author of, a very different stamp—Dr. (31,1 1 - -
rie of the Free thurch Scotland, who gives n'
volume of twelve. sermons entitled," SPEAKP: ,
to the HEART, or SERMONS for the PEOrLt
The Titles are: Neglected warnings ; Fear, the
fruit of the divine forgiveness; The undeeayli=
Power and. Grace of God; The Grace of Fai•:.
(two, sermons ; ) The Grace of Hope; The GI,
of (lharity ; The Good Fight; The Trial
Trinmph of Faith; The True Test; Spirr.l-
Viiima; The Apostolate.. These sermons
diiting,uished for a directness of aim and arp , --
a strength and pithiness of expression a z] i an
energy of thought that hurries the reader to
current,
.without break or pause. They '
and are calculated to have an immediate t , ..
upon the conscience. For sale at the Prey! , :l
roan Book store.
BLACKWOOD for JANUARY has been rei
lisped by L. Scott & New York and is I.:
sale by W. B. Zieber of Co., his city.
REV: MR. ADGREY'S BOOK-" THE IRO
FURNACE; OR, SLAVERY AND SECESSION, " / 1
appeared. We will give a full notice "t''
week.
FEB. 19,
"MERLE D'AITIIIGNE."