The American Presbyterian. (Philadelphia) 1856-1869, July 09, 1863, Image 1

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    M Til, Ip. 45.—Whole 10. 367 V
1 ?HE LIBERTIES - f)F GENEVA. ,
SECOND PAPER.
'Genevans, as we have,already stated
m|j elitim, among pthef affinities with our-
SOiteSj the Fourth of , Julj; as an impprtant
epoch in the series of events by which they
obtained their liberties. On that day, in
the year 1513, seveni.l of the prominent citi
zens ; including Berchelier and Ungues,' pe
titioned foi.the right of citizenship inPri
bufg, Switzerland, and. secured it. ‘‘By
% i^rWfV* .says D'Aubigrie in his Reforma
ts $n ike time of Odium, “$e pork of
Geneva yras made fast to the ship that would
tow them into the waters of liberty.”
- The immediate cause of this step was a
gross interference with thro civil and ecclesi
astical rights of the city, in the appointment
of the vile bastard, John of Savoy, prince
bishop of the,city, ,by thesPope. The people;'
of old smitten with the love of liberty, had
just elected their own bishop, a man in
hearty isympathy with their Aspirations; but
theip independent act had been, set aside, and
a miserable corrupt creature-, a tool of the
Sa T°y> who wished to use him in
tne subjugation of .Geneva been thrust
lipoa the pitizeus. . TTnd'er the pressure ex-
upon them by the Pope and the Duke,
the majority voted to receive th'6 new bishop.
The few prominent persons who remained
firm, took the. important step above narra-
... •
•! On, the 81st of August, ,1518; the ,new
prince-bishop entered the city,,-amid the
acclamations of such as are to be found in.
1 great numbers in every age and in every
strife for the elevation and, the liberties of
the race,—‘soulless crqaturbs; sdlfishly aid
blindly attached to 'bwti ftnmediate in
tetfests} servile* ?and 'faWttilnfg towards power
by whomsoever It may be wielded, timorous
and disheartened -friends of. the, good cause,
who lack the, heroic measure, of.,faith which,
would sustain them ,in the
in suffering martyrdom itself. It Wapenpugh,
however, to rouse even ( this class.from their
apathy, toTearnaa they soon afterwards did,
that this’ * Blslop, ” ’ udder recent 1 solbuiii
oath to maintain; the independence of the 1
dity, declared* at his'first interview with: a
seleot, company * off citizens: “Well, gentle* l
men, we have, nexti-to- Savloyardimj^enmaHi
One of. the principal * means wßich-thiai
ippnster of low eunqing employed in
sh.e way for the overthrow <jf the liberties
of the city, was corruption, of, tie youth.,
Hbknew himself well enough to calculate
the result if His plairwls sudcessM. '. Gibqliy,,
diseased, and 1 as ! he wad, hri
threw opeif the doors of l ' his pafaew, ’spread 1 ' 1
bountiful entertaipffi^fapd stroyeitp frame;
his forbidding} sickly countenance to an, as
pect of suavity and , joyonsnpss, . The bait
seemed ,to take*. In the; bishop’s palace’and
throughout the -eity nothing!was to be heard
but musiq and< dancing* and darouhalS., The
youths could nc[tresist; .they?indulged,;with;
all the, impetuosity of thqir age, in bewitch
ing dances, apd degrading disorders.. As,
the prelate wished, . they.began to‘whisper
amid the excitements of* tie. dance : “Fancy
what* it Would he if the dalie establilhed hls‘
court} with its magnificent fetes, at Geneva!”
The jgood- citizens in their alarm, declared
that their youth were not merely Savoyard
md,but cowardized, by the rlinous process.
Their remonstrances availed,rhut little with
the young pleaspre-seefkers. .But, when the;
sons of prominent citizens began to fall un
der the power of these seductions, and were
led to the most criminal measures to meSt
the drain they made -upon their purses, the
people roused from their passive condition.
The infamous unblushing lives* of the Gene
van clergy, with.their dioeesanlat their head,
were too scandalous tpbe tolerated in silence.
As early as the 10th- of October a formal
complaint was made by the syndics, to, tie-.
Episcopal council of. the conduct of the
priests. It was in vain. ' The bishop himself
was too deeply implicated in these criminal
practices, whosekignars were stamped On His
very countenance, to permit an inquiry. But
the idea of refdhn had seized: upon the citi
zens, and sank deeply into their hearts.
In 1816, at the suggestion of the pope, his
brother Julian, styled the Magnificent, and ;
lieutenant-general of the pontifical forces,
took Philiberta of Savoy, sister of the ambi
tious duke, to wife, The pope, at the same
time, made over the temporal sovereignty of
Geneva to the duke. Consternation prevail
ed at Geneva. The pope’s temporal sove
reignty Was discussed and 1 boldly called in*
question, and another step towards, the libe
ration of ppinion was taken. But amid the
confusion aid helplessness,of the friends of
liberty, and tne gratification of the
now sure of his jjrey, help arose* from a most
unexpected qua&bf. > The college Jdf cardi
nals themselves inquired gravely into the
merits of the case. Iriwas declared a dan
gerous precedent to deprive a bis Hop of his
temporal power;—one whioh r might be used
against the pope himself. If tip subjects of
tne bishop were in rebellion against him, his
jurisdiction might he alienated! ( \Tms. whs
not the case in Geneva. The sacred college
refused its consent to the measure hid t|e
hull was recalled; the duke was surprised
and irritated, and Geneva, for the time wa#
safe. r ; ; ■ j
It was not long,, however, .before the baf
fled filibuster returned to the darling scheme
of his life. His pliant tool, the bishop, was
ever at his bidding#. The decision! of the sa
cred college itself had indicated: the course
he now intended to pursue. Geneva must be
stirred up to revolt* by a deliberate iftnd per
severing course of oppression; then,the au
thority could be lawfully transferred from
the bishop to one supposed to be capable of
suppressing the disturbance. Instructions
were given to the bastard to act. accordingly.
Oppression,and faction were functions far
more congenial. John than the merryma
king in which he had been compelled to act
a part. His zeal in carrying out the duke s
plan was extraordinary. ‘No prince ever
made such efforts td' suppress je volt as the
bastardi to foment it.” He fined# imprisoned
and degraded the citizens in,every way. He
laid violent hands on some of the fading
men, and carried matters so; far,, at
length he w»8 ;
fear of the tumult. He consoled himself
with the; thought that the ofrdinalsw
how pronounce the bity in , revolt, and with
draw’ their objection to the assumption of
temporal power by the duke. He was mis
taken, The college declared his arrests to
be illegal, and the tumult of the people con
sequently was not a, revolt, in the sense
intended. Geneva had consequently another
breathing spell; but the .bishop’s hatred
Against the‘opposers of his tyranny was tho- 1
, roughly aroused and embittered.’ *
For a time the old expedient of pleasures
and gayeties swas revived, and with great ;
success* But a shrewd and.not
lons citizen,, an ~enthusiast for liberty, who,
played a prominent part, in the contest yet,, j
to be, described, and even suffered martyr- ’
dom for the cause! Philip Berthelier, entered *
with seeming zesfintb all those gayeties!' and!
made them equally a part of the tactics of
the liberal party. He said, “ I must 1 save
liberty by means of madmen.” The assem- ;
blies of Genevan youth immediately changed I
in character. They became a school of lib
erty. ’ “ The great citizen, as if he had been
invested with some magic charm had entirely
changed the Genevan mind, and holding it
iin his hand; madb it do whatever he pleased.”
D’Aubigne gravely and properly asks:
“Had Berthelier-taken the right course?
Could the independence of Geneva be eßtab
* lished on such a foundation? Certainly not ; t ;
true liberty cannot exist without a moral !
change that comes from God. So long as
young Geneva loved diversion above every
thing, the bishop and the duke might yet lay
hands upon her.” The strength to get clear
of these entanglements, and to achieve a tri
umph for liberty was to come from oh high.
“ The Reformation; was necessary tp
because it was* necessary to morality, lib
erty has never,fheen firmly established except
among the people where the word of God
reigns.” - • ; t
OCR LONDONLETTER.
', LONDON, June 20,18fi3!
The aspect of religion in, England at the
present momen.t suggests to the mind of ( the
true and simple Christian most serious appre
hensions., , Wherever he turns, in .'sects inost
avowedly evangelical'—with a fewexcepiioris
—he finds men to be Christ's peo
ple who tire morS engaged? ih pulling down 1
the stronfg walls of faith to- let in all .the
world, thdniin hhilding them, up to withstand;! j
its dangerous, -onsets;;;, When I have said- ;
thirl hap described in. a figure thatjruns on
all f pups „the almost paramount tendency. of
modern Christianity in England. What !—,
you will say,—will any one, in view of Eng- ;
land's jseUgious religion#! baiis, I
religious wofkaat Momeknddabroad, religi-: •
ous, faith: upheld before the world with stur
dy persistence, say that there is danger
lurking in prosperity, a weevil eating,.where
all looks so green ? Hot only do Iqnswpr,
yes to this, but I gp further,' and acknowledge
a, belief that we are on the eve of a religious
rteyolhtion in England; ’such as we Have riot
seen- since the day's of Henry the Eighth.
The vast intellectual, progress of .this* (Centu
ry, the extension of man’s,knowledge; and
the expansion of man’s power has, had [the
natural result,of,swelling m?irispride.. Every
one feels it individually—people : are feeling,
it , nationally— : it is . filling the bosoms of
Americans, it throbs in English hearts —that
we are grdwing great, that mknkmd is get
ting hearer the divine: and T' doubt mrieh
whether wie at all feel so much-as men Used
to do the force of such sentiments as those
of the nineteenth- Psalm-f or that you- -will
find many now who fully enter into the spirit
of the man who wrote —what is man that
thou art. mindful of Mm or the son of man
that thou visitest him.
CHRISTIANITY IN NEW CLOTHES.
To human nature which sees [ more of
itself and has itself more before it, than the
glory of the unseen, this is,the consequence
of an almost' superhuman success. And so .
in its elevation, the world throws, away its
old clothes as too light or shabby, and dons
looser and more showy garments. These
old-fashioned may have suited our ancestors
who didn’t take so much exercise but we are
men of action, we need room for tho play of
our muscles;'so we will have large slepves to;
our coats, add big r bellied vests, and 1 baggy
breeches, that will hold any body and ;,leave
plenty of room for expansion. Christianity
itself has been infected with the spirit, and to
sonie it does not much matter where the
fashion comes from so long as it gives,free
dom, of motion. Turkish trousers,., Hindu;
Tests, Chinese jackets, naya Creciad cap or
a Cardinal’s hat if you like,—Mahomme'dan
ism# Deism# Buddhism, philosophic specula
tion,or Roman Catholic sentimentality and*
superstition —our "shoddy dress must be
catholic enough to take all in and a good
deal bore. : The pure, honest, fervent child
of Cod, who knows 1 of no clothing but owe
that is fashionable in heaven, the'garment ;of
Christ’s spbtless righteousness, looks with
sadness and fear at the flapping, variegated
vestures, for he remembers that the coat of
many colors brought Joseph into much grief.
PridC invented it, Pride donned it, and Pride
kept it on the backhand after Pride came
the fall. The very same spirit animates the
Heologiabi'of the present day and alas 1 ! the
fict that it is not Confined to them but ,lea
vens td ,a considerable extent the whole mass,
giites the innovators a tremendous power in
enforcing the adoption of their new fashion;
The gospel, pore and simple, ijs too humbling
in all its demands for intellectual beiiigs'ana
if we wear it at all, it must .be stretched' to
contain our pampered minds. The result is
to pull it to rags,, and leave us shivering with
the chill wind blowing through the gaps.— ■
This I feel to be 'the danger. Christians,
anxious to win the whole world are not rigid,
enough in their principles. There has crept into
the . Church great laxity on. many questions.
“ Liberty” has been preached and practiced
—“stand fast” has been set aside and for
gotten. Our Christian fathers have been
called too strict, our doctrines too 'strict, our
demands upon men more strict than the Bible
warrants. “ This verbal interpretation is too
narrow —it is not "the letter but the spirit”
and. of course as the spirit admits of number
less interpretations which the letter does not,
a widfr soope is given to thought and action.
Consequently, letter vanishes and spirit. do-
I’ll ILADKLPI II A, r l'H U LIS DAY, JULY 9,1863.
operates, and mind governs itself. But let
us now never forget,, and let us never yield
the point one iota, spite of scorn and sarcasm
and biting criticism snd witty ridicule, that
Christianity of all dogmatic things is most
dogmatic, most stern and inflexible in the
enforcement of its doctrines, that' it admits
no extensions of its franchises tb those who
do not take and observe its uncompromising
oath of allegiance. ;
EXTENSIVE PREVALENCE OF THESE VIEWS.
I jfear. this laxity is more wide spread than
wedmagine; that certain ideas of Christian,
tolerance and Christian courtesy,, which- are
tixorbiply exaggerated are too generally dif-
TOsed;' ahd that in the desirp’to ekeheise thp
“ wisdom of the serpent” in wirihing, if by*
any means,-the world’to the church, we have
compromised the “ harmlessness' of the dove”
andhare inoculated ourselves with scepticism.
We say of men who trifle, with the-doctrine,
of the atonement, of Christ’s Godhead,
of .man’s depravity, of everlasting punish
ment, “ Oh! they mean well —they are honest
at heart—We must not bp too harsh-r-Christ
inculcates toleration—it is that person’s view
of' the text and it would’Be bigoted and har
row to insist on too plain 1 an interpretation”
etc;---and -so we receive into the GHrisUan
cjmreh and acknowledge as a brother Ohris
tiam a man who virtually rejects all ihgtmiakes
our.faith -peculiar, and call that—Christian
toleration. That I am. not speaking wildly
or without grounds, will appear from a little
incident that occurred to myself a few weeks
ago. I wrote th a friend, the Editor of an
Evangelical Review and proposed to write
for ittan article on this very question'of the
limits of Christian forbearance towards free*
thinking members of the church-. His answer
—he himself is a,well-known.author.,of books
on Christian controversy—was that he, fear
ed' the subject was a diflicult one, to handle
since roahy of those whose views were so free
were conscientious arid honest in their convic
tions! could Scarcely credit so preposter
ous an excuse, but I saw how widely that 1
improper tolerance had spread;-wheri it came
to me thus from an; elder in Israel. ; Will:
any one. deny -that many-of the Pharisees
were not conscientious and honest in their*
opposition to Christ ? Yet .he called them,
“ vipers,’*' and “ children of hell” and hypo-,
crites ! " Ho amount of .tolerance or courtesy
can bverc’dme the 1 proposition, He that be-
Ueveth not'shall be riitmnecfj’arid of all anoma
lies, that of a Christian patting On the back
one who is digging away*at the-foundations’
of his.faith is thefmostAbsurdil ) Admit thatl
a man may doubt eouscientiouslyj.may find
• difficulties in the. Gospel, but do not ,open the
chureh!s . arms tp. Jjake him. .You, gpieve
for hiin,'hut.you must,,if ypu, maintain ypur
trust slint him out, though you weep while
yoU i dW so‘.‘ 1 '• THesq diffipulties-were'fo Jews,
a stumhlingbloek’ arid 1 to the Greeks' foolish
ness; but Paul'* did' nbt erideavonr to make
them ariy the dess* so iri themselves; "sb‘that 1
the Jews-might enteftwithoUt trippiigl or- the'-
Greeks, find, in; them a greater;?rintellectual
importance, r ...The foolish- doctrine, of the
vrpes was thurst at, them . all - presistently,.
dogmatically, unconditiqnally, from first to,
last. Ho one need accept Christianity, but
rib one' Should Be called' Christian who did
not submit to its restrictions. ; We in these
modern times, must be*as sturdy as Paul, if
it alienates' the "whole: world',; :else 'our faith
will altogether die.
I These-thoughts—which’ I throw out in so
hasty and straggling a manner—have been
suggested to me by the recent attempts by
nsbmtiers of the church of England to open,
broader doors to let in hesitating consciences; 1
by the* ebmments of the press on the same
subject; by the very* general licentiousness
of belief which I find, in religious quarters;
by the uncertainty of the sound that comes
from many professedly Christian publicar
tions ;, and by the spirit which any attempt
at correcting these abuses is received.
TWO: BATTLE FIELDS —THE CHURCH O'F ENG-
LAND.
The Church of England is 1 , just now the
chiefi'batfcle field between the- Evangelicals
and Neologians, embracing Jas she does within
herself such largeforcesof both. But I fear
that many other churches;contain those who'
are fundamentally though not avowedly un
sound on the great,test questions, of Christi
anity. I heard the other, day of a most
popular independent preacher of London,
Who *fiad' id private expressed home loose'
viewS to a° friend bf mine. ’ In tbe'es&b
lishment, however, the critical point is bfeing
argued whether the Christian Church Has a
“ strait Igate,”: and; is. to be walled in; dis
tinctly and exclusively from. the world# or
whether, the gate is to be;thrown down..and
the barriers subverted that the ox and .the
ass may wander freely through its pastures,.,
Many good men, apparently with the besifc
intentions, feeling that the Chureh’s.influence
is ; declining Or fancying sd, because it is. no
longer as it used tobe when young aristo
crats; or pedante tbok to preaching, or be
cause Such men as Colenso# Kingsley, Stan
ly, Temple and others ought not:to;be bom-i
polled to sear their consciences by remaining
in a position where they belie their solemn,
oaths continually; are anxious to.loosen the
hands,.so that any conscience may be com
fortable under their elastic pressure. Mr#
Buxton, the other night; in parliament, desir
ed to have the fetters of subscription eased,
thinking that this would f restore to the-
Church many whose broad - doctrines would
not let them through the narrow door. Tooi
many-are agitating in the same direction# and
the result, must be greater latitudinarianism,
in the. Church, worldliness and scepticism
increasing in it, and probably, bye and bye
an exodus of disgusted, true-hearted people
of God to other sects or in a new denomination.
What is peculiarly-pernicious to the truth in
this matter is, that in our day, the seculhr
press exercises so great an influence in reli
gious affairs. Not that if directed by good
men this influence might not .be beneficial
and proper, but when we knew that general
ly those who write most flippantly are .per
sons having neither the form of godliness
nor the power thereof while they speak as if
they were children of' God, we cannot hide
the immense danger which their interference
threatens to a spiritual religion. We must
take -a stand against this intrusion. The
worldling, the philosopher# the man of sci
ence, uniilumined by the, gospel-truth, .can
not judge of right and wrong in church ma(r
‘ters. Of the simply , secular management he
may, but of questions and poihts ofdoctrine;*
of the justice or injustice t of. ecclesiastical
censures; he is not a competent .critic. What:
possible judgment, of any weight pan a, per
son give .in arguments on t|e atonement or
justification by .faith, Who h|s not felt in his
own heart the healing power pf; Christ’s blood
or found himself absolved'believing in
Jbsus ? : ’ The niom4ht the 'Chdrch allows the'
exoterics to dictate its policyjit ceases to'be
.esoteric—“to cotrie out from among them
and be separate.”:. The world judges the
question in a worldly point-.,0f vie.w. The
“ Spectator's, villanously lqose sheet every
way,,with all its ability—speaks for instance,
of Mr, Gladstone’s speech Buxton’s,
motion thus: “He avowed ms opinion that
a'national Church whose only 'principle of
unity’iS/a cominoh faith,
together by a-shhscription to articles of faiths
but he-’didinot evCn pretend: to'deny that the
disaffection existing among s the cultivated;
youth of England, to wards the Church is to
be ascribed to a* difficulty in, accepting the
subscriptions now demanded.” ..Of course he
did not, but mark the difference. Mr. Glad
stone saw iii this disaffection - no reason , for
expanding, the' creed, he only saw in it a;
proof' that Komanism an'df'ihfidelitff had
spread their ' influences. flMe philosophic
worldling of the “ Spectator/’ wtio only cared'
for a cultivated clergy and--considered* it > of'
little consequence what,they' taught, ,so long*
as it was, ingenious, and interesting,'would
like the church .opened to anybody who was
in decent society and had taken honors at a
university. When unbelievers lead a Church's
opinion, that Church is doom'ed as a Ghurch
of Ghnst. ■' ' : h' * 1 ;
THE LEAVER IN’ THE ESTABLISHED CHURCH OF
sootlanP—“ dboD^piibs. 1 ! ' ‘
■ But this looseness of religious opinion,;
this,,broad-churehism is not confined to the
English .establishment. It would appear that
dt has affected the'ministersipf ’the Scottish •
establishment. You Kate probably had some
inkling of the recent articles in The Record
orr -Dr; McLeod's* Good
which has, I believe,* a circulation in -Ame
rica.. And*aa' it isdikely that Good Words,
with its malignant -* and- .lying, notice of the,
ifecmf,,,articles-.jtt ; the.,May<number,, may.
reach many who will have no. opportunity of
reading the articles,'!may gay a few words
regarding the, affair. The epitor of the !iSe
cord' havifag" beeii repehtealy Ttritfen to
regarding the loose Christianity of 'Good
Wards, 'determined on >a ! series' of Articles
which shodld eixpose'its dangcrpusprineiples;
On Sts'regular: corps of. writers there happen
ed, to, b;e a Minister of thp E|gliBh'Bre.sh.yter
rian Church, well known as an able ahd suc
cessful writer, and contender, for the faith.. He
Was selected to,; write the ancles,, and com
mencing’ with'.the -works of as, welL
in as" put "of ; Good Words, he first showed 1
that his views' of ' the atonement were very
clbudy indeed, and then proved, that so far
as these works went, Dr. McLeod stood
beforeithe world as;atileast,an;ineipient' Ehi
versalist and Socinian. Yet he was .edit'ing
a professedly evangelical, magazine to which <
Dr. Guthrie, Alexander,, and Mr. Axnot and
others were contributors S : I have read these
strictures attentively, and cannot say* that .1
would wish any other change in,, them but
that they should : be strengthened'. Dr. Mc-
Lcod, however, wastbo severely 'wounded
not to be in a rage, and penned this foolish
paragraph— :
' “ The articles in the Record are characterised by
such sustained : malevolence,, gross misrepresenta
tion |. low j .vulgarity, —such shocking irreverence, in
the application of Scripture,—-as to deprive them
of the privilege of literary eoUrtesy;-ThPy csin haVe'
no other effect than to degrade their author and
publisher. . ' ' .... < ,
“We think it right to state,' for’the satisfaction
of* our, correspondents and otherswho feel so justly
offended by these articles, thatrthetigh their writer
professes to be an attached member of the Church
of England; and speaksiof it : affectionately as ‘ our
own beloved Church’and ofrits'Creed as ‘ our own!
Thirty-nine Articles, yet, incredible as it may ap
pear td Cvbry Christian gentleman, he does not be
long to the one, nor has he subscribed to the other.
He,is, we,are ashamed to say, the. Presbyterian
minister I ’ofa chapel somewhere in Chelsea;”
1 simply, say that as to toe first part, it is
untrue; aa to;thesecond the explanation is
satisfactory. .. I met the author of these arti
cles the other, evening at dinner, and heard
from his. own lips the account of the whole
matter; . I was then satisfied? that he had
acted conscientiously and honestly as well as
laudably. His revihwß were sent to the edi?
tor of the Record, who altered them, as he
had a.right to do, to suit an Anglican perio
dical. The,editor writes :
. l;< The Reviewer: was furnished t with the books
and correspondence needful forhis task, whilst the
productions. of his pen were not only, altered
and ’modified at our suggestion, but’whole para
graphs strtiek our rewritten with fresh instructions.’
Under . these circumstances we think it due to the
original contributor to statothat tfrrieles thus main-;
pulated belong not tohim, but to’the Record; and*
need- not .expose the- futility ofithe,'attempt* to im
peach; his .consistency, because;’he permitted his.
own work to be thus adapted under our own hands
to the columns of a journal conducted by members
of the Church pfiEngland.’ ’ , , . \
Mr. Alexander, after showing up the edi
tor of G-ocfd ' Wordi, passed to its contribu
tors;, and found,' alas ! too many Who would
nqt hear the tests of truth, : npt only in . their
works, generally, but in the articles they
trihuted to the Magazine Here was the
pinch!. . Covert evil was circulating,in com
pany with and under the guise of good.
Strange views of atonement, conversion,
Christian conduct, heaven; by men whose
names are too notorious; Stanley; K-ingsley;
Drs: Lee and Caird —Neologians and Mode
rates, men of whom 1 have spoken above,
as ridiculing the firm, settled, sturdy faith of
the. Reformation and the early Church as
narrow and bigoted, and vaporing, about this,
wiser, more .intellectual age, with its broader
views. I cannot .refrain, from giving'Mr.
Alexander’s admirable sketch of Tulloch,
who will stand for a specimen of’therii all; !
“ J)‘r. Tulloch is a good representative of Young
Scotland: He is a ‘ lipeial’‘ in phlitics; religion, ana
morals. His faith: in the swift and-sure onward pro
gress of this, wonderful nineteenth century ,never
falters. He talks much of ‘ modern’exegesis;’
‘thercsults-of modern criticism‘the improved
methods of our? time;’ the progress of intellect,’
and ‘ the enlarged and liberal notions of our day;’
‘ the freedom of thought and expression which is a
characteristic of this, enlightened' age the ‘ ad
vancement of societytoese and the like stock
phrases are always flowing or ready to flow from his
pen. On the other hand you can hardly read- a
page of any of his books without meeting with the
word ‘ narrow,! as .applied to the men of the Re
formation period,’ and its- immediately, succeeding
era, or to tJhose-men and parties in our own day Who
hold by and stand, up for, the Reformation theology
'in all its fulness and integrity, : Principal Tulloch
; handles the men of that period in a sort of patroni
; zing way, apologizes for them, criticises' them,
shows you how, when, and where they were wrong,
all Fiy help of his improved critical,methods and
perfection of modern exegesis : and all in a way
that would* be supremely'ridiculous weife it hot that
it is so ,supremely sorrowful. Besides,-the Learned
Principal, thpugh he,s% in the chair from which
,• Hill’s Lectures in Divinity were" delivered;—which
Lectures, republished since his death, have; been;a
standard class-book in all the,.Divinity,,,Halls ~o£
'Scotland, we believe,-.-has a thoropgh dislike, ah,
iutter repugnance';—which finds ! itent' ih 'season, hut 1
of season, —to_ all systems of theology. The Prin-1
eipal likes,an indefinite-theplpgy, :. He would have
a creed in Scripture woMs, lehvihg the internreta
;tion thereof to'every man’s owmmind. Ah' idea*is
never so attractive tohimipuany matter ofdoctrine,'
;as when it looms hazily through a huge .mist. It is
*iio yery pleasant reflection to think of such a 1 miitr
sittingih the_chahvpf Dmmjsf! where .once i sat and;
itaught;Ermaip^.;*]|LhL t where..pncesatan,(hta.ughtnp!
loss famous a divine than holy Samuel KutHerford.;
To think of the'distance between Samuel Ruther
ford, Dr. Hill, and* then Dr. Tulloch I . To such ,a
pass as this have things come,in Scotland; and
Good Words is helping largely to eithiidfand per
petuate such. ‘ theology’ as* is; taught by men of
this stamp!”
Your readers may judge whether Mr.
Alexander deserves the censure or the
thanks of the thousands of Ohriitian famil-'
ies, to whom this monthly missive bore dtS
poison. l I regtef to sed ih the ladt WeeMy
Review a temporizing, article on this subject,
which quite avoids the .whether or
no the views of these writers in-Good Words,
are sound and true. This is: no day for a
religious periodical to speak in a wavering
voice, and especially should its approval be
loudly uttered' when any champion of the
truth has made a successful stroke.'
PRESBYTERIAN UNION.
-My letter is inordinately long already, hut-'
I must say a ,word on my favorite:topic.: *At
a prayer-meeting at Dr. Hamilton’s church,
last night, it was gratefully noticed .that, by
an extraordinary and . seemingly Providen
tial coincidence, .very day pn which
the Assemblies in Scotland were engaged in
fraternal overtures of Union, the General
Assemblies' in the United States were Simi
larly occupied. This is more than’ signifi
cant. It foreshadows the glorious and hap
py future. The great centripetal tendency
of Presbyterianism has a mighty and: myste
rious meaning.,. The vastness of thp, bodies
epnverging, their,.immense land* increasing:
influenpe,, their general concordance, on all
the fundamental points of, faith,, their pecu
liar' concordance and rigid 1 adherence to
Scriptural form' and doctrine, plaices* this
tremendous movement— tremendous in its
extent and- results—-as the most important
and,/beneficial. that could happen; in this-
Christian, world,, pregnant with present hies->
singsjand. with unlimited hopes for the future.'
Let no man lift his hand- to-oppose .a.mpyer
nientf that may jmake; two-thirds of .'evangel-,
ical'iOlifiste'hSßm'drie,' anil hlesseS be.'he that
helps to roll away the , smallest obstacle to
the grand completion, till We all come in the 1
unity of the faith and of the • knowledge of ihe }
Son r -of God, unto a perfect >inan‘ t -unto the •
measure of the stature of >the ‘jmlness;> of
Christ! aBEEPHOS;
A WORD TO NORTHERN f
Working-men ! the tactics of the traitors ’
in our midst'are these; they say to you the
“ Emancipation Proclamation” is going to
ruin the working-men of the'North-, if is go
ing to: fioodi the northern States -with the*-;
slaves of the South, and : so reduce the wage's
of the working-man that he will not be able
to support his family. The very reverse of
this is true. Instead, of the colored people
flying to the north if their freedom, is esta
blished;, ;they will prefer to remain where,
they are, and we shall have an exodus of the
colored people from the north to the south...
The climate is far better Suited to them—
their relations and connxions are there, and;
with the fear of the slave driver and his lash
taken from their eyes, they; will take their
staff in-haind and turn their faces Southward.
The statistical tables of the census fully
corroborate this view. If you, compare the,;
ratio of increase of ;the free colored popula-’.
tion in the northern and southern States, this
becomes very apparent. Take as an example
NeW York Und Virginia. In New York in
1850 there were 49,069 free colored people,
and in,1860 there were 49,005, a decrease of
-64. In Virginia in 1850 there 'were 54;333;> t
and 1860 there Were 58,042 ah: increase of -
nearlyf4ooo. Now how. is - this*',seeing/the
laws of New York are so much more favour
able , to that class than they are in Virginia ?
In Virginia no man can manumit his slaves
except he has them removed, beyond the
limits'of the Statfe, or gets a White man to
give a bond of $lOOO as security'for leach
slave manumitted; that! he will b,e-o'f : good he
heaviotxr -and that he’will notbScomejcharge
able to the? State- Every free colored man
in the ;state must have such; a guardian.; Hfe
cannot purchase or sell property of any-kind,
or. sup in the. courts'in his ow,n na,me. > All
must be done through his guardian,.; It, is •
evidfent .'tHatJhe is to all intents and purposes
the .slave 6f his guardian, who, if a dishonest
man, may, as 1 is sometimes the case, deprive
him : of every thiiig he has acquiredi Ih New ’
York on the other hand colored people labor
under- no disabilities of the kind. What they
possess they can,.call'their- own—the law
gives; /them, all, the-rights; of, freemen save
that of citizenship,,.and if tb ( e,y.have, certain
property qttaljfieatibns they can e ven jexercise
the franchise. Now, if with all, her oppres
sive'laws, Virginia has. added nearly 4000 to
her free colored population during the last
decade, while New York'which deals so fa
vorably with the colored population has ac
tually decreased in number, how would it'be
I .ask if slavery were entirely abolished, and
those severe and unjust laws: annulled
Would it not,lead, Ae colored, population of
the northern .States', to? seek the South as
their place of abode ? The same fact appears
if you take any northern State and’compare ..
it with State. , Even in Mas
sachusetts, where the colored' people' ehj by
,all the rights' of' citizenship, -the incre&se in
the last: decade Was only about 600. And in
Pennsylvania, with all: the faciltieS which the: ,
slaves in the border States possess of cros
sing the ltoe and becoming free men the in
crease was much less than, in Virginia; and
in some of the other slave states the increase.
was much greater than in Virginia. ;
You may depend’upon it the ’affections
and local attachmenta of the colored people
are quite as strong as yours, and who among
you would not prefer to remain in the local
ity in-whibh you wdre born, other things
being equal? Now remove slavery and all
the disabilities under which' the.colored peo
ple of the south labor, and those; who are
there wilLremain, ans those now.in the north
whose hearts are yearning after the sunny,
south will go,there too; So, that instead of
flooding the north and reducing'-the wages of
the white laboring man, they will turn ’their
faces to'wards the meridikn Sun and lea/ve thei
white >mah iff undisputed possession of north- 1
erh soiD nThe insinuating 1 argument there
fore of the traitors in our midst has no
foundation in fact. .But; even ,if it were:
valid,, it should:have no weight with Christi-,
an patriots, when,the life, of their country —
their free institutions—rthe well-being of’
posterity; and , ’the ''ho|)es i of -'the 1 oppressed'
thr(highout A the' world are at stake. Had
such Been* the spirit of oiir self-sacrificing
young meh who have gone out taking their
lives in their hands to grapple with l the mon
ster: in his den, what would have , been the
result ? We would at this, moment have
b ( een, the jslaves of. Jefferson Davis /whose im
perial throne would be established in Wash
ington ; .slavery would be forced on every
Btate of the Union,;- and working-men,
throughout the riotth bd reduced, in' a short'
time, to:the same state of degradation’as the 1
poor whites of the south now are. Yea ; the
slave trade would be -re-established,' fresh l
importations of Africans would be constantly
arriving, thus reducing the value of white
labor and either driving the white laboring
man out of the;country,Qr making, him indeed
and in truth the degraded and ignorant mud-r
sill which he, is now regarted by the southern
chivalry, I should be astonished at the
working man who could either by word or
deed embarrass the government in its en
dieavors to-suppress rebellion, and, with the
liberties’of the codnfry, to preserve the dig
nity of labor, and to assure to the working
man, the kpuorable position, .which he, oecu-;
pies in the, land. It is your duty then, work
ing-man, whenever you are tempted by any
traitor,., treasonable plotter, and
ally of reWellio'rYtp indulge' a carping dis
cohtondedi spirit td say “ g*et thee behindmr
Satan.” l ißememher. the guns of the enemy
cannot Inflictas deep a wound upon your
country or do as much to destroy her free
instituti,Qnp ( and -entail a corse, upon posterity
as you can, by,. simply indulging ,a, carping
complaining spirit towards ,the acts, of your
government., Iff is your, duty not only ; to
refrain every thing of the kind, but, to
frown down the man who attempts to keep
up a fire iff the rear of bur brave defenders,
affd to 1 hrand him with the designation trai
tor ■ Jo> Msl-cbuntry ■ and foe ; to his race; 1 1
- MISSIONARY.
Fromxdke Nerald of July learn that
Rev. Dr. Anderson, Senior Secretary of the
American Board having arrived: safely at
Honolulu February 27; commenced his “ of
ficial explorations”! of the Sandwich Island
Missions March 9th. He met the King and
Queen 'at Lahaina and was favorably impres
sed'With'both; The latter, he says “ cordi
ally recognized the acquaintance we had
formed with him years ago, in Boston, and
weleomedlus to his- dominions. I observed
the jQueen call his attention to the beautiful
ly bound ‘ Memorial Volume’ I, had sent for
him to the palace, which she had brought
with her.” At Hilo he learned from mission
ary Coan- that the large number of natives
admitted by him in the great revival of ’37
and ’38—1700 in one day—“ have held on
their Christians course as well as the rest.”
The present Meeting house’ capable of seat
ing ;1000 persons, has taken -the place of the
great stoneedifice holding three or four thou
sand. The present membership is 4500, the
decrease being only in proportion to the de
crease of population. The Christian people
met Dr!.-A; his wife and daughter with affect
ing cordiality. In reply to the question whe
ther he believes in the existence of piety
among this people ? Dr. A. says “ I give, of
course,'my first impressions as ah observer.
‘By their fruits ye shall know them.’ ‘Do
men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of this
tles?’ , If there be not much real piety
among this people, then am I confounded in
my judgments, of men and society. I never
seemed to myself to be moire really in one of
the Lord’s, vineyards. My wife and I are
constantly say mg to each other' in view of
what we : see of the present, and of what we
have the best means of knowing of the past,
‘ What hath G:odwrought!' ” — —The Nee
torains. In a. former number of, this paper we
published an appeal for aid to the famished;
and impoverished Nestprian population. The
work of, God is still going forward among
theffl:' In the plkih of Oro'omiah more books,
have'beeh sold' inf tke last few' inoiiths than
hive 'beien sold 5 to NeStdriaiis'im as many
years. Dr. '-Perkins wrote' on the 31st. of
March : “ The Lord is constantly adding to
his flock here such as shall be: saved,” In
Madwra Mission', the Catechists of. Dindigul
Station renounced the tenth of their wages,
as they expe.cted to procure it from the vol
untary contributions of their pupils.- A new
church edified has just been erected her.e.
In Pulney'district, great encouragement at
tends the preaching of thd wbrd. Four pef
were recently' admitted. •
China. —A new preaching place ; has been
opened at CRahg-lok, ai city fifteen miles be
low Fuh Chau. Several persons have pro
fessed'their determination to become Chris
tians. - Mr:'Doolittle reports’'several appli
cants! for baptism.at Tientsin, February 10.
A baptized teacher has-been detected to the
grief 'of?; the missionary: in downright false
hood, — -rrr The Ifuprisoned Sioux at Mankato,.
three, hundred and five in number,' haye all
been baptized save' one womarn ,So far they
appear well. The missionaries .express''the,
hope that by meahs of those converted within
the past winter, God designs to diffuse his
Gospel among'the thirty thousand of their
people- stilb at large: The perseverance,
heroic faith. aUd arduous labors of the: mis
sionaries Williamson,. Pond, and Riggs, are
worthy of all praise. s
Syria. —-There is a large Protestant com
munity. recently :estsiblished in Hums, With- 5
out a;: missionary or native : : belper 4 <; The
printing press at Beirut. is being worked to;
its, full capacity, to supply reading matter
GEIISEE IYAJjRBLIST.thyt* fo, 8!M.
;for a a |ffW'fye:ars ( agu cared
nothing for hooks.——Two Christians were
murdered in Damascus of Mos
lems, March 18, when hundreds of the Chris-,
tian population fled in fear of a-repetition,o£
the recent great massacres. One of the'
murderers has been arrested. ‘ The Mount
Lehanonl district; is entirely peaceful .and
safe. Eastern Turkey. —Connected with
this mission: there are twelve churches with
353 members. Thirty-three were added by
profession during the year 1862.■■■ <?
six of the members are females. Thebe are
ithree native pastors, ten licensed preachers,
42 preacliing places, with average congrega-.
lions amounting in all to 1917. . Great agi-,
itatioh is reported imong the Armenian peo-'
iplje ih the district of Sarpoofl' The .feed
ing of the/Biblein the vemacfflar is deman
ded. $568 have been contributed % the'
Protestants during the past year. In Bitlis,
no convert -escapes persecution, and more
books have been spld in the past, year than
during , three previous, years. • At Arabkir,'
$240, have,been contritedbu during the, year,,
sand eight young men who are in the Khar- /
poot theologicaltraining school will, this fall,
complete their course and take charge of im
portant, points as thoroughly prepared helpers.
Central Turkey.- —But 7 male missionaries
are at present on this great field, two of them
being worn down in the hard service. Here
too native: helpers are , about to be-multiplied,
eight young men under the care of Dr.,
Schneider being expected to commence, their
labours in the churches next spring or
earlier. At Aintab $824 have been contri
buted and 57 persons added to the Church
during the year. Average attendance nearly
1000, at Sabbath school 1167. Two mis
sionary societies supporting preachers have
been merged into one. An Episcopal Church
has been formed at Aintab hut it is repre
sented to make little or no impression .on
Armenians or Protestants. The native
members at Marash have a Missionary Soci
ety which occupies five places. Total con
tributions for the year's47s; Oorfa sustains/
its schools and its',pastor or preacher; ’ The’
convicting and: converting work of the Spirit'
has been manifested, especially since the
week of prayer in January. In some cases,/
conviction has been: much more deep and.
pungent than has been often witnessed by
the missionaries in Turkey. At Aleppo, the
“ English Church Moslem Society ” is ope
rating through an excommunicated member
of l the Protestant Church. Killis with 52
adult male members, contributed $l5O, last
year, managing exclusively an out station;
A native pastor will be settled; over Killis
SOOn. ~.
Contributions and legacies; to -the Board,
in May; '581,645'81; total from September
Ist $281,529,06. Calvary Church in this
city coffMhutefl IBOljSOl; ! ffie s ThmT <shurcfi.
Pittsburg $1,007^27.
BRITISH YOUNG MEN’S CHRISTIAN AS
SOCIATION.
A DISAGREEABLE RECORD.
The eleventh annual report of the New
York Voung Men’s Christian Association,
just published, contains their letter to the
Conference of Young Men’s Christian Asso
ciations held in London on the 11th of Sep
tember, 1862—0 n which hangs at tale. It
appears that Rev. Stephen H. Tyng, Jr.,
the accredited delegate from the New York
Association to that Conference; while, ad
dressing the meeting, was called to order
when he referred to the American war. Mr.
Tyng, however, informed the Convention
that if he was unwelcome among Christian
brethren, especially after having been invi
ted to address them, he would take his hat
and say good-bye.* This stroke having its
effect, some delegates insisted that “the
gentleman from America” should be heard.
Mr. Tyng then took from his pocket a copy
of the letter from the Association to the
Conference, and read aloud some extracts
which the Committee on Correspondence had
deemed it imprudent, to be brought into the
proceedings .of a Christian meeting.' The
following are the paragraphs which had been
expurgated:
“ The times that are passing over us, in
the United States, are for the testing of our
faith. Well will it be for our churches if,
pondering the lessons of the hour, they turn
from their trust in an arm of flesh, and make
the Lord their help and their deliverer. Our
cause is that of freedom against slavery,
civilization against barbarism, truth against
falsehood, law against anarchy. The success
or failure of democratic institutions, is not
the main question involved in this war. It
is a war waged by us in the interest of hu
manity, and*—whether or not.our*form of;
government shall he- changed by the convul
sion—among its final issues we hope to see
the spread of a pure Gospel, the disenthrall
ment of am "oppressed race .numbering four
million souls, the final restoration of the
ruling pbirer to the real and rightful majori
ty, each bouhd to each by the threefold
cord of Liber and Fraternity—
Jesus Christ hiinaelf being thei chief corner
stone.” .-■■■ , 7 I : > '
“ The pretence, or supposition, • that our
difficulties have their root in,the;disappoint
ed ambition of a few or many of our political
leaders, is unworthy of'reception by those
who have learned to' God’s overru
ling Providence in the punishment of na
tional as well ;as individual sin;' Nor is any
more weight to (be given to the assumption,
that the lust of empire and .the lust of power
are the two real inspirers of the deadly strife
so suddenly precipitated upon our .nation.
The entire body of Christians here are one in
sentiment and opinion as to the origin, con
ception, and premeditated aim of this gigan
tic crusade, against humanity, ‘ namely: in
slavery, and’the avowed purpose of its im
pious devotees to build upon it as the chief
corner-stone!a: government,'.which they call
tree, and a Church.:which-they : eall Christi
®? n . ’i.’ ®*us confident, ourselves, we await in:
feith and hope the, coming of .that day when
Christians in other lands shall J appreciate
andunderstand our position, and strengthen
our righteous'cause by their hearty sympa
thy and their earnest prayers.”
It was such words -as these—eloquent,
earnest, and considerately-speaking the truth
and lying not—that thelGreat Conference of
Christian Associations 4iat London set into
the Index JUxpurgatorim. i
; i It appears, too, that sinee Mr. Tyng's