Vol. VII, No. 38.---Whole No. 350.
`11" freq.
Jesus Only.
JESUS only name most precious,
Sweetest music, deepest mine;
Perfect fullness in its meaning,
Rich as clusters from the vme.
Jesus only Sinners' Saviour !
All my hopes are built on Thee,
And I know shat thou wilt surely
Boar me o'er life's troubled sea.
Jesus only Open fountain
Where the leper may be clean;
Wash me in thy healing waters,
Till no spot of sin'be seen.
Jesus only ! Robe of whiteness I
Wrought on Calvary's bleeding tree :
As the earth by snow is mantled,
1)o Thou clothe and cover me.
Jesus only 1 Heavenly . manna 1
Bread of Life S for pilgrim's way,
Satisfy this hungering
Feed my soul from day to day.
Jesus only I Living water
Gushing in unending tide;
Otionoh my thirst at this , pure river,
Lead me ever by its side.
Jesus only! Loving Shepherd I
Dying for his chosen sheep;
With Thy flock, oh, ever guide me,
In thy fold me ever keep.
Jesus only I Powerful conqueror I
Over every form of foe ;
Be my shield, defence, and buckler,
All this checkered journey through.
• •jest's only 1 None but Jesus
Every blessing is in Thee ;
Fill me with thy perfect fulness,
Dwell in me eternally. G.
—Banner of the Covenant. •
acid.
THE LIBERTIES OF GENEVA,
FIRST PAPER.
GENEVA, " the most remote town of the
Allobroges, upon the confines of the Helve
tians,"—as Omar describes it, earlyreceived
the Gospel, and for centuries has been the
centre of varying struggles between the prin
ciples of liberty and despotism. It is known
that Caesar constructed immense works
around the city, and it may be that he or
his successors conferred upon it municipal
rights also. Certain it is, that long before
the time of Calvin, the city had an indepen
dent existence / and struggled manfully to
retain its right of self-government, which
neighboring tyrants strove hard again and
again to wrest from its grasp. In the begin
ning of the sixteenth century the Genevese
claimed to have been free so long that the
memory of man runneth not to the contrary.
History has not a more instructive or inter
esting chapter than the one hitherto almost
utterly unknown, but now brought to light, in
the earlier portion of D'Aubigne's new vol
umes on the Reformation in the time of Cal
vin. These are occupied with a recital of
the persevering, crafty, and well, nigh suc
cessful attempts of the dukes of Savoy, aided
by the Bishops of Geneva, to possess them
selves of the supreme power of 'the city, and
of the steady, and. at last triumphant opposi
tion offered by the patriots to these usurpa
tions, not a few of whom became martyrs to
the cause of liberty rather than yield. Pro-
Yidenee seemed 'in a wonderful manner to
interpose and preserve this little city, as an
asylum, and a centre of operations for the
banished Reformers of France. These in
turn communicated to its free institutions
those elements of stability and order which
are found •in the Gospel alone, and made
Geneva doubly famous and honorable, as the
fountain-head of Christian republicanism in
the world.
" Calvin," says D'Aubigne, "was the
founder of the greatest of Republics. The
pilgrims who left their country in the reign
of James 1., and landing on the barren
shores of New England, founded populous
and mighty colonies, are his sons, his direct
and legitimate .eons . ; and that American
nation which we have seen growing so rap
idly,
,boasts as its father the humble reformer
on the shores of the Leman."
Only barren outlines of the remote history
of Geneva are known. Its territory was
under Roman jurisdiction as early as 122
B. C. The martyrs of Lyons and Vienne,
flying from the relentless cruelty of their
heathen persecutors, found an asylum in
Geneva, for which they gave the highest pos
sible return—,.the knowledge of the Gospel.
This was A. D. '177. So " other refugees,
coming also from Gaul, and also fleeing their
persecutors, were fourteen centuries later to
bring the Reformation." Not until after
two centuries, A.D. 881, do we hear of a
bishop of Geneva : hence it is likely the peo
ple received the Gospel in its purity from
these martyrs. In the 'fourth century, Ge
neva had become a city; and from the ear
liest times the city possessed rights and
liberties which guaranteed the citizens against
the despotism of its feudal lord. In the fifth
century came the irruption of the Burgun
dians, from the banks of the Oder and the
Vistula into the basin of the Rhone ; and a
spirit of independence, issuing from the dis
tant forests of the North, breathed on the
shores of the Iceman lake. King Gondebald,
—uncle of ()iodide, who married Clovis, the
founder of the French monarchy, and con
verted him, to Christianity,;—assembled his
counsellors and " drew up the Burgundian
laws, which defended small and great alike,
and protected the life and honor of man
against injury."
Seven hundred years pass away before
those struggles. commence which have im
parted such peculiar interest to the history
of this city. But through all those ; long
years, the seeds of liberty and municipal
law, planted by Romans and Burgundians,
survived, and waited for the final conflict, in
which, being opportunely reinforced by the
principles of the Reformation, they were to
achieve such an illustrious triumph. The
Bishop of Geneva, by agreement with the
Count or feudal lord, becomes temporal ruler
of the city in 1174. As, however, the Bish
op was elected by the people, and even took
an oath of fidelity to the.pec•ple, this change
would not in itself prove unfavorable to their
liberties ; it was only by constant intrigues
that, ambtious prelates endeavored to gather
the reins of power more completely into their
hands.
But it was the house of Savoy, a neigh
boring but foreign power, that, joining with
the bishops of Geneva, most effectively aided
in the unholy work of crushing the liberties
of this brave little city. They had no color
for their hostile designs. It was a mere
greed of territory, coupled with a natural
dislike of free institutions, which impelled
these filibusters of the middle ages in their
various enterprises against Geneva. Some
times they used force, and sometimes fraud.
Sometimes they appeared as the friends of
the liberties of the city, as against usurping
bishops, sometimes as partisans of the bish
ops, or even seeking the post of executive
officer of the bishop, , vice domini, or vidame,
as he was called, kindly offering thus to
relieve the bishop of the duty of shedding
blood, which it was unlawful for him to do.
In 1418, Pope, Martin V, alarmed at, the at
tachment of the Genevese to the principles
of popular government, took into his, own
hands the appointment of their prime bishop,
thus usurping the highest funetion of their
government, robbing them 'of their freedom,
and opening the way for endless intrigues on
the part of their jealous and grasping neigh
bors, the dukes of Savoy. 'Duke Amadeus
VIII, having abdicated, become hermit, and
been elected. Pope by a council, .created him
self bishop of Geneva in 1434. Although
his election as Pope was set aside, he retain
ed his office as bishop. Under this man and
his successors of 'the same' family, Geneva
grew weaker, while Savoy increased until its
princes were among the 'most powerful in
Europe. " The poor little city was quite
lost in the midst of these wide provinces,
bristling with castles; and its territory was
so small that, as they said, there were more
Savoyards than Genevans who heard the
bells of St. Pierre." The dukes filled the
city with their partisans, and secured rela
tives 'or subjects as occupants of the Epissco
pel chair. They expected soon to seat them.
selves on the throne of the State. It is
surprising what persistent, vigorous, and
disinterested opposition they met from the
patriotic portion of the inhabitants. The
history of the thirteen years, from 1513 to
1526, with its great vicissitudes, is full of
lessons to instruct and encourage all who, in
any age of the world, are engaged in conten
ding for the great principles of human liber
ty and the right of self-government. We
behold, then, the same phenomena that pre
sent themselves in our own age : the same
apparent overthrow and impending ruin of
the righteous cause ; the same disgraceful
reverses; the same divisions, defections, and
astonishing, developments of half-heartedness
and of treason among those who should have
been its friends ; the same surprising 'and
opportune interpositions of Providence, and
at last, after much waiting, the same narrow
but triumphant escape. The inscription upon
every waymark, of liberty's progress in the
world should be. "scarcely saved. Finally;
we se r e illustrated the need of true religion to
give support and permanence to all the ad
vances of liberty in thtworld. It was the
Spirit of the Reformatfbri which leavened
Geneva and invigorated it 'for the lalt des
perate struggles with its confident oppress
ors.
It was in 1513 that a bishop Charles de
Seyssel, too good for the purposes of the
house of Savoy, died so suddenly as to excite
suspicion .of foul play on the part of the
dulrea. The excited people planted cannon
on the ramparts of the city, and called -upon
their representatives to choose them a new
bishop according to the ancient usages.
They did so, and sent a delegation to the
Pope, to secure a ratification of their act.
But Savoy was there before them ; and Leo
X, who cared more for a royal duke than
for a delegation of simple citizens, could not
be expected to withdraw his promise already
made to the former, when these representa
tives of little Geneva sought the ratification
of their own independent acts. Their bish
op-elect was summarily and tudely set aside,
and Jobu of Savoy, a creature of Duke
Charles, was put in his place. In this act
of gross usurpation on the part of the Pope,
D'Aubigne sees the counterpart of the trai
fic in indulgences. As the one act provoked
the Reformation in Wittemberg, the other
paved the way for. the Reformation of Ge
neva. These, he says, are two false steps
for which Rome has paid dearly.
But, as if in order more deeply to disgust
and irritate' the- Genevese with the entire
procedure, the character and antecedents of
the,prelate thus imposed upon them, were
about as bad as any that history has record
ed of any individual. Born out of wedlock,
of a woman who could only guess at his
father from a number of her associates, little,
weak, ill-made, awkward, vile in body, but
still - more so in mind, without regard for
honor, inclined rather to do evil than good,
and suffering under a disease the consequence
of his debauchery,--the greediest, the most
intriguing, the most irregular . priest ,of his
day,—this was the man whom the duke of
Savoy declared to be his choice for the bish
opric of Geneva. There was no bargain the
bastard would net snap at to gain either
money or position : to give up Geneva to the
duke was• an easy matter to him. John of
Savoy, says a manuscript, swore to hand
over the temporal jurisdiction of the city to
the duke, and the Pope swore he would force
the city to consent under pain of incurring
the thunders of the Vatican.
The sturdy patriots of Geneva were few.
The party of the Pope and of the duke car
ried the majority with them, and it was
resolved to accept the Bighop nominated in
Rome. Six of the leaders of the independent
party, when they found themselves beaten,
petitioned the Canton of Friburg for the
right of citizenship, and it was granted.
Thus the foundation was laid for that alliance
'with free Switzerland which afterwards con
tributed so largely to the success of the pa
triot cause. The date of this transaction is
remarkable and interesting to us Americans.
It was the FOURTH OF JULY, 1513. Not
without influence was it among the causes
which exactly two hundred and sixty-three
years later produced the American Declara
tion of Independence, in the City of Bro
therly Love.
•
INDOLENCE is a stream which flows slowly
on, but yet ,undermines the foundations of
every virtue.
PHILADELPHIA, THUItSDAY, MAY 21, 1863.
COVlTOpollitttitt.
FOLLY OF RASHNESS UNDER .DISAP.
POINTHEN T.
When the fortunes of Charles, the last Duke
of Burgundy, after a long season of pros
perity; had begun to decline, he at the same
time began to display ,a want of prudence,
and a rashness of spirit in plunging into dan
ger, that had not been discovered in him be
fore. After his army had been repeatedly
routed, and when his men were broken in
spirit, and greatly reduced in number, he,
instead of prolonging the campaign, and in
dustriously avoiding a meeting with the ene
my till his forces were brought into a better
condition, contrary to the advice of his most
experienced officers, hurried to meet the
Duke of Lorraine, who offered him battle at
the head of a victorious army, and was in
consequence defeated and slain before the
walls of Nancy.
What surprises the reader of this, piece of
history is, that this warlike Duke, as if it
were not a great enough misfortune to have
his power reduced, and to be brought into a
state of comparative weakness, by the tem
porary defeat of his arms, is obstinately bent
on placing himself in circumstances in which
that weakness could do him the greatest
harm, and was likely to be the cause of his
destruction; that at a time when, from the
condition of his affairs, it was plainly advisa
ble to decline a decisive engagement, he
should seek the battle with such 'eager deter
mination, as , if desirous to hasten the misfor
tunes that began to overtake him, and to
bring to as speedy an end as possible his life,
with all the ambitious projecta of his heart.
The explanation of his conduct upon this oc
casion is, that being stung by his late rever
ses, he could not wait' upon the relief that
tinie might bring, and the slow 'operation of
reasonable means for retrieving what he had
lost ; and is impelled. by a painful restless
ness of spirit to attempt it, though with in
adequate force, and with manifest danger of
losing all.
His, however, is not the only instance of
this kind of imprudence. Many similar ex
amples are met with in history. And any
one, who is accustomed to reflect, will, per
haps, recognize here a picture of his own
motives and conduct, in some of the lament
ed passages of his life. It is certain that the
greatest evils and keenest mortifications men,
are made to suffer, are not so much the di
rect result of imprudent actions and unfavor
able events, as of adopting forced and pre
cipitate measures for recovering their pros
perity, when it had become in some degree
impaired. They most frequently rise from
a blind and spurring desire to brush out at
once, by extraordinary means, the painful
impressions already made, or from a rash
and impatient impulse to ascertain, by push
ing experiment •to the utmost, whether all
indeed is lost, and whether there may not be,
as they fondly hope, something good and
fortunate yet remaining at the bottom of their
cup.
Men who are by no means destitute of
wisdom, are . sometimes guilty of placing
themselves a second time in situations that
had already been fruitful of embarrassment
and grief, and of putting themselves again
in the power of people who had but lately
given them keen and abundant evidence,
that they were not worthy of so delicate a
trust. The account to be given of this
matter is, that, their feelings having suffered
a practical shock, the very wound that should
have admonished them to proceed no farther
in so ominous a direction, operated in the
opposite way, and impelled them to push
forward, in order to penetrate the heart of
the transaction,. under the suspicion that
perhaps the harm had risen from want of en
terprise and decision on their parts or from
some misapprehension of the disposition of
the persons concerned, and of the nathre of
the business in' hand, and that if bolder
resolutions were taken, a better aspect might
easily be given to their affairs. This sort of
argument men are ever ready to use when
they find theinselvei involved in unforeseen
diffienities, interpreting every phenomenon,
however unfavorable, in such a manner as to
encourage themselves in the course they
have already entered, and which their pas
sions incline them to pursue. It is, however,
a mode of reasoning that is likely to lead to
erroneous and fatal counsels ; for, notwith
standing the contradictory character often
observed in human affairs, it will commonly
be found that those things whose legitimate
fruits are evil at the beginning, will prOduce
fruit- of the same kind in greater abundance
at the latter end ; and that persons who are
capable of deceiving, and who show -an Un
scrupulous readiness to inflict pain in any.
case, will do the same under all circumstan 7
ces that furnish them with an occasion or a
motive to do so. And this headlong de
sire,—so common to men when things begin
to go against their wishes,—of knowing the
worst, and bringing the matter to some con
clusion, however unhappy; betrays a want of
that equanimity by which a man should be
able to pause in the face of danger, calmly
to weigh his interests, and to preserve what
remains, with as, much diligence and vigor
as if nothing had been lost. It is a poor
remedy for the evils one has already suffer
ed, to plunge into the heart of all the calathi
ties it is possible in his situation to encoun
ter. It is the excess of weakness and pnsil
animity to give up all the grounds of happi
ness, because a part has been taken away,
and loudly to call down upon ourselves an
overpowering and lasting weight of affliction,
from want of fortitude, to bear it during the
limited period, and in the mild and tempered
degrees, in which a benevolent Providence
has been pleased to send it.
The course that wisdom manifestly points
out, when a man's affairs begin to look with
a threatening aspect, is instantly to pause,
retrace his steps, and wait for the assistance
and developments of time. Wonderful are
the opportunities a few days or weeks bring
along with them, and the unexpected sources
of solace and deliverance they open in our
favor. Time is the best created friend of
the distressed, if they will wait upon its sure
and noiseless benefactions. It ever brings
in its hands, to the good and humble, a fund
of adequate relief. It is rich in resources,
and will not fail under any circumstances,
gradually to disclose and confer the means of
escape. The way of safety under the fall - of
weighty and unexpected calamity, is the
same as that of true piety at all times, to
possess the soul in patience, to have faith in
God, to keep with stern adherence the path
of duty, and to nerve the spirit to endure
what is painful in present circumstances, till
reason has regained her authority, and our
new condition grown tolerable with time.
Then if our former happiness is capable of
being recovered, we are in fitting- state of
mind to attempt it by safe and rational means;
if not, our condition is not miserable ; but
may involve, in the end, an infinitely higher
form of welfare, than that of which we have
been deprived. S. P. 11.
ffetectiono.
NATIONALITY AND GRANDEUR OF. THE
HEBREW POETRY.
4,1,4 r
TEE poetry of Paleitine is not epie—there
is no exaltation of the individual ; no vast
Achilles strides over the plain ;'lntt Agamem
non ; no Prometheus, that most epical cha
racter, although in tragic and dramatic poe
try—but the incidents which meet us in the
historicaLnarrative, they are altogether, epi
cal, and the characters have an epic gran
deur which stirs the soul to read. Somebody
said to Joanna Bailey : Do you call Ma
caulay's' lays poetry ?" 'and she said " Yes,
if younall the sound of the trumpet music."
So alsoithe , histories of the , Old Testament,
they too are poetry, saqh poetry as there is
in the trumpet. TheyAtir and they startle
the spirit. Every part of the Old Testament
abounds with them. We read them until
they lose their wondrous magnificence of
tone,. even as the wind becomes a common
wit* and the rush an& the roar of the tem
pest of the waves a Common sound. Are
not the stories of the Iliads, 'and Odysseys,
and' Eneads, tame compared with these ?
How much more. human is their reading—
how much more kindling—while so much
nearer to us. What'. battle-fields are like
those along the passes and heights of Benja
min? Is it possible,to read the story of the
battle of Beth-horon'without feeling the stir
of the times of old_?}'What record might
have been given in the ibook of Jasher, we
know not.; how far that, ancient story might
have simplified our eoneeption,we know not;
but do we remember, when "the men of. Gi
beon sent unto Joihua," and said : " Slack.
not thine hand from thy servants ; come up
to us quickly, and save us, and help us ; for
all the kings Hof the Amorites that thVell in
the mountains are gathered together against
us," that immediate response of the warrior
when. Joshua " came unto• them suddenly,
and went up from Gilgal all night" ? Prompt
captain and commander-in-chief he,, with his
undaunted host. Did you ever realize that
mighty panic, when the shout, the mighty
shout of the army of Joshua, rose to the ear
of the startled Canaanite? As the sun rose
behind him, he climbed the heights at whose
foot the kings lay aP..encamped; and then
was given the word, not to fear, nor to be
disinayed, but to be strong in the Lord, and
of good courage, for the Lord had delivered
their enemies into their hands." The Ca
naanites fled before them, for "the Lord (Es
comfited them," and slew them with a great
slaughter at Gibeon, and chased them along
the way that goeth up to Beth-horon." And
then, as they fled, " the Lord cast down great
stones from heaven upon them "—one of
those fearful tempests of the land burst upon
the disordered army—and "they were more
which died with hail-stones than they whom
the children of Israel slew with the sword."
But then comes the last sublime touch of
that picture. = The day had advanced. On
the summit of Beth-boron stood the strong
commander. Below him stretched the green
vales of Ajalon; behind him, the mountains,
of Gibeon. Over those hills stood high the
sun. The faint figure of the' moon was visi
ble standing over from the sea. Was the
enemy to escape ? No. There He stood,
the hand outstretched:grasping the spear ;
and then He spoke,, and said in, the sight of
Israel: "Sun, stand - thou, still upon Gibeon;
and, thou, Moon, in the valley of Ajalon.
And the sun stood still, and the moon stayed,
until the people had. avenged themselves upon
their enemies."
What stories of battles ! the harp of De
borah, and the hand of Barak. Again the
storm of sleet and hail burst over the Oa
naanites ; and the rains' descended, and the
winds blew, and the flood and the torrents
swept them away. What other hero in un
inspired story reaches the dimenskins of
Gideon, the victor over Zebah and Zalmun
nah ? The shrill blast of those trumpets,
the crash of those pitchers ! How the tra
dition stirs us now. One of the most glow
ing and glorious enchantment's of Hebrew
poetry is its nationality. The surge of
Hebrew song brought on every wave the
thought, " God is with us." This, in all
ages, gave the ecstacy and the passion to
their mighty tones of triumph. And' how,
as they all sang, the thought of the God whO
called 'them and sanctified them, gave the
roll and the rush of melody. It must be
admitted, there have been no other such
national lyrics. " God save the Queen,"
and " Rule Britannia," awaken thrillings
and tinglings of blood and soul ; but they
are poor affairs, compared with the national
songs of Judea; and in both the music is far
finer than the words.—London, _Eclectic.
CONVERSATION OF CHRISTIANS.
Is it not very' painful to listen, from time
to time, to the conversation of many who
call themselves, and,who, perhaps, are, "the
children, of God ?" It is frequently the
merest gossip, it is at times ,not •wanting in
the elements of slander, it is just " all about
nothing ;" ;when the whole thing is over we
are just about as :wise as before ,it began.
In every step we take in life we leave a foot
fall behind us ; it will not be unprofitable to
ask, 'what footprints have we left in our
neighbors' houses ? We hope we shall not
be misunderstood. If we were to attempt
to put a stop to social intercourse, we should
be doing what we believe, is not according to
the mind of God ; we would say to God's
people, Cannot the tone of your visiting be
raised ?
And to turn from our converse in visiting
and company to that of domestic relation
ship; might we not also profitably ask
whether this, too, could not be improved?
What speaking is there in our houses of the
glorious honor of the majesty of God ? Are
there not many professing christians' houses
in which God, and Christ, and all holy
things, are very seldom spoken about ? Are
there not many husbands and wives, many
brothers and sisters, who never interchange
a. word upon the highest, and holiest, and
noblest themes ? Are there not compara
tively few who can say, "We take sweet
counsel together, and walk to the house of
God as friends ?" Have not we, alas ! not
only been, backward in leading to holy con
verse' but d \ o we not feel to our shame that
we have damped it, and often been the
means.of extinguishing it?
And by so doing we have suffered loss
the heat which comes from the friction of
mind with mind, has' never kindled into
flame ; the power of sympathy, which is as
great in spiritual as in temporal things, has -
had no opportunity of gathering, and of put
ting forth its energies; mind has not been
drawn out to mind, and souls have lost that
strengthening and comfort, which, had they ,
gene forth together,,te a common object,
might have been theirs. See what a oneness
exists between the p arents of Children, from
the' very fact, that- the father ind mother
have a common interest, and talk about it:as
well as act for pit. Insensibly they. become
knit into each other:; their own love is
drawn out towards each other, while they
are spending and being spent upon the com
mon object of their affections. They do not
love their Children with this design ; they do
not act together with the view of producing
this result; it comes naturally; and just so,
when those who dwell together, love, the
Lord ; and talk of Him, their hearts burn
within them, ,as they journey on the roadof
life '• and they are joined together by a pecu
liar bond; they feel that their interests for
eternity are one, that they love the one
Saviour, awl are travelling on to a common
home. May the Lord enable us, henceforth,
to sanctify more and more the converse of
home That blessed word will he invested'
with new and more sacred associations; it
will have a fresh halo of light thrown around
it, if Jesus occupy his true place in it, as
the relation above all others; as the ONE
who, with self existing light, walks amid
earth's lesser ',lights, from the grandsire,
whose exhausted flame is glimmering in the
socket, down to the last-born child whose
feeble life is like the taper that has been
just lit. 'The familiar household words of
home will be 'all the more precious, if our
home be Jesus' home, and His be the most
familiar name, He the most.frequent theme ;
for wherever He is admitted, Ile diffuses a
fragrance which perfumes all within its
reach ; whatever He touches He anoints
with an oil which forbids the rust to eat, and.
the heavy wheels of life's daily work to
creak.
Oh, I can easily understand how in a
household where Jesus is a well-known .name,
life's weary, work is made light, and much of
its hard pressure is removed, and much of
what must else have proved ,hitterness,
.is
made .sweet.
If,Jesus .enter into the thoughts and con,
verse of daily life, the servant will not be
afraid' of profaning His holy name by en
couraging a fellow-servant to do that day's
work to Him; and the husband will not for
get to soothe the anxieties, and to bush the
cares, and still the woman's fears, of the one
who looks to him for support and counsel, by
bringing into their conversations that well
known name, the name of Him who is touch
ed with a feeling of our infirmities, and
whose heart is so soft, that it takes the im
pression of every line of our sorrow : and so
responsive, that it echoes every sigh we
breathe : and she will be to him, even as he
has been to her, and, having been counselled
in the name of God, will, by the re-active
law, counsel in the same name again; and,
having been strengthened jn His name, will
in that name repay, by strengthening in re
turn ; and parents will not forget to make,
Jesus the subject of their teachings to their
children, and it may be, that children as
they talk of Him, may, in so doing, unwit
tingly fulfil the great re-active law, and ask
some question which will lead the 'parent'
into some new, and hitherto undreamed of
truth. Thus may Jesus be in our homes on
earth, for thus, assuredly will He be in our
home in heaven.—. Power.
REV. DR. TWEEDIE.
Tins- eminent minister of the Scotch Free
Church has recently been summoned away
by death, being about 60 years old. He
was a prominent actor in the proceedings
which lead to the disruption of the National
Church and has always been .regarded as
one of the ablest and most efficient, supporters
of the Free Church organization. His fune
ral was attended on the 28th of March. The
Weekly Reiriew says
-It was in the year 1832 that Dr. Tweedie
was first called to the pastoral office ' when
he was appointed minister of the Scotch
Church, London-wall:, .Four years later he
was translated to the South Church in Aber
deen. While there, he ministered with much
acceptance to one of the largest congrega
tions in connection with' the Establishment.
During his settlement in Aberdeen, the
charge of North Leith, to which was attach
ed the second largest stipend in the Church,
fell vacant, and it was placed within his , ac'
ceptance. He, however, declined it. At a
subsequent period, the charge of the Tol
booth congregation, .n Edinburgh was ren
dered vacant in consequence of the secession
of the Rev. Mr. Marshall to the Episcopal
Church. Dr. Tweedie's ability as preach
er at once marked him out to the congrega
tion as a fitting successor to that gentleman;
and in 1842 he was presented to the vacancy
by the Town Council, his settlement speedi
ly following. His removal to Edinburgh
had taken place in trying times. The Non
intrusion controversy was at its height ; and
Dr. Tweedie, who had all along been a stre
nuous upholder of the rights of the Christian
people, was not 'slow in taking up his posi
tion. Both at Aberdeen and in Edinburgh
he entered heartily into the struggle ; and
perhaps no greater proof could be given of
the attachment which subsisted between him
and the congregation to whom he ministered,
than the striking fact that, when the day of
trial came, in leaving the Establishment, he
was followed by the whole of his elders and
the great bulk of the Tolbooth congregation,
although his connection with them was of
comparatively recent date.
The Free Church of Scotland, and the
Church of Christ generally lie under an
amount of obligation, the extent of which
which will never be fully known, to Dr.
Tweedie, for his services in the cause of
Missions. His whole heart was in the work,
while his practical mind, courteous and gen
tlemanly demeanour, and ready pen, made
him a model Convener of the Foreign Mit
sion Committee, a position he held for many
years. It was the privilege of the writer of
this notice to be associated with him as a
membsvof the committee, and it may be
stated without fear of contradiction, that his
management of its affairs, involving a vast
amount of correspondence, and the adjust
.
ment of matters requiring most judicious
and delicate handling, was thoroughly and
entirely successful.
, Although his name was not prominent in
public or ecclesiastical matters, Dr. Tweedie
was no ordinary man. As a minister of the
Gospel (and this he ever regarded as his pre
eminent calling, to which all else was to be
subordinated,) he was faithful in the discharge
alike of pulpit and of pastoral duties. His
style of preaching was precise,., condensed,
accurate; evangelical, Scriptural. Full of
well-considered Imatter, it was no less full of
burning desire that the word might not return
void. And so he urged, with an affection
ateness which none can forget who ever heard
;him, the acceptance of CHRIST as the only
and sufficient ground-of a sinner's hope.
The families of his flock were all known`
to him, and. he 'was no stranger in their
houses. Ready to iympathize in their joys
and sorrows, he was the friend and coun
sellor as well as the pastor of his people.
He poisessed a rare and invaluable aptitude
of personal dealing with the young. We re
member well one of his elders, since depart
ed, telling how he introduced his son, who
had returned froth abroad, to Dr. Tweedie.
Entering, with all the intelligence and live
liness which was peculiar to him, into the
young man's history 'and business, he shook
hands with him as if leaving ; and then,
turning again, to the youth, he pressed his
hand warmly, and said—" But seek CHRIST,
seek Christ. The young man's eyes:filled,
and'he' said to his father afterwards, " I can
never forget what happened today, when we
Met Dr. Tweedie." - This trifling incident
was thoroughly characteristic. He was
always, like his Master, " about his Father's
business," and never missed an opportunity
of speaking a word in season.
Among the volumes which he has pub
lished are the following:—" Calvin and Ser
vetus," Seed-Time and Harvest," "The
Early Choice," " The Lamp and the Path,"
and, within the last few months, "The Life
and Work of Earnest Men." These volumes
display extensive reading. History, biogra
phy, and the arts and sciences, have all been
ransacked ; and from the rich treasures there
obtained, Dr. Tweedie has with great skill
deduced lessons;all designed to commend the
gospel scheme. No later than Sabbath the
1 Bth inst., he occupied his own pulpit in the
Free Tolbooth. On that occasion he preach
ed both forenoon and afternoon, with all his
accustomed energy, impressiveness, and
power, On the forenaon. of _that.. day ,he
chose as his text that portion of the Deca
logne 'which refers to the fourth command
ment; and, after briefly noticing the attempts
now making in so many quarters to under
mine the Sabbath, set before his hearers the
warning example of Continental countries,
where, as he had himself seen, the holy day
was devoted either to riotous pleasure, or to
enslavement of the industrial classes. For
his estimable partner and his family,—two
sons and three daughters, all of whom are
grown up,—great sympathy is felt. Both
the sons are at present in India, the elder
being an officer in our Indian army, and the
younger a member of the civil service.
He was buried in close proximity to the
graves of Chalmers, Cunningham and Hugh
Miller.
SKILL IN SOUL-SATING.
A proud, passionate sinner once moved
into the neighborhood of a devoted minister,
and began a career of sin which grieved the
good. and increased the corruption of the
wicked. His avowed purpose to insult any
clergyman who should presume to address
him, kept the minister from calling upon
him at once, but did not prevent him from
prayerfully watching for an opportunity.
This came sooner than he expected. The
blaspheming sinner was struck down by se
vere sieknes.4. "I will see him," said the
minister.
" If you do he will insult you," said the
friend who had informed him of the man's
sickness.
" twill see him, nevertheless, and look to
God for guidance and blessing," replied the
minister.
Accordingly he called, and was shown
into a parlor, where he found the sick man
lying on an old sofa. With great kindness
he asked after his health, and received curt,
almost uncivil replies. Then, without-say
ing one word of his own respecting religion,
he opened his Bible and said :
" If you please I will read to you ?"
Without waiting for a reply, he proceed
ed to 'read the words of Jesus in the fif
teenth chapter of Luke, after which he offer
ed a short, simple prayer, bade the man fare
well, and left.
The next day he called again, read the
fifty-third chapter of Isaiah, prayed and left
as, before. This was repeated several days.
Kindness, appropriate selections, from the
Word of God, prayer, in which the minister
cheerfully classed himself with the sick man
as needing mercy, and secret prayer for God's
blessing, were the only weapons he employ
ed. Now mark the result I
After two weeks the sick man broke down,
grasped the minister's hands, wept, confes
sed himself a sinner, and said he was a Wen
der to himself.
" It is God," replied the minister ; "I
have not spoken a word. God has spoken.
He has done this."
"Yes," said the man, "I see it now. If
you had spoken a single word . of your own to
me when first you came, or for some time
after, I would not have borne it. Weak as
I was, I ihould have tried to turn_you out
of toy house. I was astonished.at your dar
ing to come to me. You took me by sur
prise. I could not be angry when you ask
ed with such kind voice after my health.—
You read me those beautiful words. [knew
they were not your own words, but God's
own words, and I was silent. You shut the
book, and I thOught you would begin to re
proach me and tell me what a sinful wretch
I was, and then would be my time to speak;
but I looked up and saw you' on your knees,
and heard you praying for me, and then,
GENESEE EVANGELik.--Whole No. 887.
without another word, you 'were gone."
It is enough to add that this Anakim
among sinneis was soon after converted, and
after a few weeks of beautiful devotedness
to Jesus, passed through :the gates of the
grave crying victory through the blood of the
Lamb.
That this sinner was pulled out of the
burning brthe skill, as well as the fidelity
of the minister, is placed beyond all doubt
by the testimony
~of the man himself.—
Faithfulness atone would not have succeed
ed, but faithfulness joined to skill did the
work. Let the worker: for souls "study this
fact carefully, as illustrating the philosophy
of soul-saving. Perhaps it may give him
light on the cause of his own lack of suc
cess. He has, it may be, a desire to do
good ; he labors with sinners patiently, he
utters truth in their ears, he depends on the
Spirit. for success, but he has no evidences
of hig r succeis. Why? He lacks skill, tact,
wisdon. ,Ile is not wise to win souls. He needs
to study human nature more closely. Give
him skill in addition to his present qualities,
and he would "slay his thousands" for the
Lord.
Look well to this point, dear fellow-labor
er for Christ, and may the Holy Ghost make
you "wise to win souls."—Zion's Herald.
PASTORAL VISITS.
THE ideas of the visitor, and visited, are
perhaps very different; the former is anxi
ous to do good; it is,- perhaps, entirely in a
ministerial point of view he pays his visit;
but in nine cases out of ten, he can soon see
that this is not the idea of the person on
whom he calls. If there be a sick person in
the house, then, so far as that individual is
concerned, a religious aspect may be put
upon the visit ; but not so far as others are
concerned. Inside the walls of a place of
worship, is, in their idea, the place where
the minister ought to speak religion ; but
not in their houses, and not upon a week
day. If the minister do not go, he is thought
a MIL , that neglects his duty ; and many
worldly people are piqued at not being paid
the compliment of a call. If he do go, they
are perhaps offended at his endeavors to do
good; they have certainly done what in
them lies, to waste his time ; if not to make
him as great a trifler asthemselves. This was
sorely felt by the excellent James Hervey,
who for some years before his death visited
very few of the principal persons in the
neighborhood. Being once asked why he
so seldom went to see the gentlemen, who
yet showed him all possible esteem and
respect, he answered, " I can hardly name
a polite family, where, the conversation ever
turns up the things of God. I hear much
frothy and worldly chit-chat, but not a word
of Christ ; and I am determined not to visit
those companies where there is not room for
my Master as well as for myself." It often
happens, that a minister cannot think what
has happened to untune his mind, to blunt
the fine edge of his spiritual thoughts, and
to bring about such like evils ; it he turned
his attention to this direction, he would
sometimes find out whence and how the evil
came.—Power.
AN ANGLO-INDIAN - VIEW OF On STRIIO-
EFFECT OF THE EMANCIPATION POLICY.
ne Times of India, published in Bombay,
under date of Feb 28th, contains an Editorial
on the rebellion in this country, in which it
is shown that the aim of the South was to
extend and perpetuate Slavery; and that the
North in resisting this purpose, and latterly
in avowing the policy of emancipation, as a
war measure, have justice and right on their
side. In proof of the purpose of the South,
as above described, the, utterances of Drs.
Palmer and Thornwell are quoted. The re
cent measures of our Government are then
enumerated and commented on as follows :
" The acts of the Federal Government
place its position beyond all controversy.
Its hearty assent to the Treaty for the better
suppression of the slave trade ; its recogni
tion of Hayti and Liberia • its abolition of
slavery in the District of Gambia ; its pro.
hibition of it in all the territories, the com
mon national domain outside of limits of ex
isting states ; its offer to compensate loyal
citizens and states for emancipated slaves ;
and last of all, this proclamation declaring
free all the slaves in the rebel states—sure
ly here is a ample proof that both the South
and the North understand that slavery is the
true issue between them. President Lincoln's
late message was interpreted by many, as
indicating a retreat from his former posi
tion. But he has shown himself a man of
fixed purpose, as well as of integrity. The
edict gone forth proclaiming freedom
to more than three millions of slaves,
and
pledging the whole power of the Federal Gov
ernment to execute the decree. We hailit as a
grand act in the interest of humanity. It
matters little to us, that it is done under the
pica of a military necessity. Providence
often brings forces to bear on nations and
Governments, constraining them to do right,
when if left to themselves, they would have
persisted in acts of violence and oppression.
The great issue is now distinctly before the
world, the bloodiest civil war in the annals
of time; originated and carried on expressly
to extend' and perpetuate slavery. This
must be the stand-point from which to view
the struggle in its future progress. If the
North succeeds, slavery ceases to exist. If the
South succeeds, slavery obtains a new base of
existence ; becomes the chief corner-stone
of the new' confederacy ; and forges new and.
more galling manacles, not only for the three
millions now in bondage, but for millionS yet
unborn. It must be conceded, then, that
the Federal Government have at last'a cause
worthy the sacrifice of all the treasure and
blood it may require. They fight, not only
for national honor and national existence,
but for the freedom from cruel bondage of
millions of their fellowmen. We are shock
ed by reports of the fearful slaughter attend
ing this struggle, and some are ready to cry
ant for peace in the interest of humanity.—
Such fail to estimate the interest of humanity
in the other scale of the balance. To die in
a worthy cause, ennobles humanity. To
perpetuate slavery, with its debasing train
of moral evils, degrades the race. Peace is
a boon of immense value ; but it may be pur
chased at too dear a price."
This voice from India, is a new proof, if
proof were needed, of the wisdom of the
President's proclamation as a fit measure to