(Simt&pMmt. OUB WASHINGTON LETTER. Strife in the Republican Party—Race for the Presidency. This week has developed to the public what was known to some of the most influential political men for some time, viz :—The fact of a serious rupture in the Republican party. The secret circular signed with the name of Senator Pomeroy, of Kansas, caused to most of the friends of the country, the deepest surprise. With this circular, most, if not all', your readers are familiar; and therefore it is not best here to repeat it; It is written with ‘great force, and brings out in strong terms the objections to President Lincoln and his administration; the absence of any fixed and definite policy; the tendency to fall into the fatal folds af compromise, and sacrifice great prin ciples for expediency. In the judg ment of the writer, the G-overnment under this administration has been a great Army Train, lo3t in the midst of mountains, and compelled to advance, lumbering on its way over ragged chains and through wild gorges, by day and night, without guide or road. No doubt the persons of whom Sena tor Pomeroy has permitted himself to be a representative man, felt that the Lour had come when they must make a demonstration or submit to what they call “the blunders and dangers 4 ’ of another administration of Mr. Lincoln. Certainly nothing could have been more unwise and unfortunate than such amove. We need all the moral force of the country to crush the rebellion and hold in awe the enemies we have in all our cities. No good can possibly come out of it; for the people and the soldiers demand the re-election of Presi dent Lincoln. They have confidence in him as a wise, honest, conscientious man. One in whose hands it is safe to trust power. : Mr. Chase in a high degree is pos sessed'of many of the prime attributes of a great statesman. In gravity of character ho is in harmony with the time. In breadth and acumen of intel lect he will; compare favorably with any of the great financiers of our past history. For industry, prudence and integrity, he is a proverb. With the wisest policy, he has directed the affairs of his department, and has done more to give us success than the wisest and greatest general in the field. . Bat one fatal step will, we fean, tar nish all this glory. For Mr. Chase to have permitted his friends to stab the President in the dark, and make use of his position and power to aid in the organization of a party to prevent the nomination of President Lincoln, will be deemed, by most honest men, un generous. Public' confidence in the purity and disinterestedness of the man will be deeply shaken. Nothing, could have been more un-. fortunate at this juncture; already its influence is seen on the floor of Con gress. The radical Republicans rally ing under the Chase standard—the Conservatives under that of the Presi dent: Such division among the true friends of the country cannot but be disastrous ; alienation will be felt much heyond the Halls of Legislation, in the remotest camp in the army, and by ships in the farthest seas. In the meantime, let us remember for our comfort, that God makes the wrath of man to praise him; and the schemes of ambition and the strifes of parties are but the means to one end. moseby’s guerillas About forty of these bold, bad men, were caught a few days since, and brought into this city. They were snared when wandoring about the country. Moseby ha,d been promoted, and his band took a day for pleasure. In their merry dance oyer farm and valley, these forty were caught; Seve ral of them were citizens of Washington, and had left: the city to join the rebels within the last six months. They went dowp our streets in their strange wild gear, greeting many an old companion, and cajling school friends out of the Btores. They are now safely lodged; in the Old Capital Prison, where the “ mountain camp and the sutler feast” will be a thing of dreams. J. J. M. Washington, Fob. 27th. A WORD FOB THE CHRISTIAN 00M- V . MISSION. ' A New York' Pastor writes : Febru ary 20th, 1864.—1 am delighted to see you pressing the Christian Commission. In a quiet way, I am leading as many as I can to put the Christian before the Sanitary in the contributions to Sol diers’ Relief. Both are worthy ; but .the latter, in these parts, has got too much the start. My parish has given perhaps a thousand dollars to it, and ..only one hundred, or thereabout, to the Christian. I: wish I had an hundred General Howard’s speech at 'lywfr’Anniversary. It is worth all the restjsaid on the occasion. CHAPELS IN THE ARMY. The following is one of the.many let. ters received by the Christian Commis mission, from grateful and earnest Chaplains, who are working with all their might for the Master, among the men of their regiment. The accom panying dedicatory hymn will be recog nized as one of genuine merit. Headquarters sth Regiment Wisconsin Yolnnteers., near Brandy Station, Ya, Feb., 22, 1864. Gr. 11. Stuart Esq, Chairman U. S. C. C. Dear Sir: Your agents horefurnished us a “ fly” to cover, and[a stove to warm the house we builded to the Lord, and on the 17th inst., it was duly and formal ly dedicated to his holy worship. There is a good and encouraging de gree of religious interest in jihe regi ment. We hold divine service at 10J A. M. Sabbath day. Bible clhss at 2 P. M,, and Prayer meeting at 6 P. M. Social religious meeting Tuesday even ing. These meeting are all well attended and heartily engaged, in by the men. W®'have an excellent choir, consisting of twelve or thirteen members, and seven commissioned officers, with our Colo nel himself as jehorister. The other evenings of the jweek are occupied for lycCum, spelling school, choir practice, etc. Once or twice a %eek I go through the regiment, and also out along the picket line with my haversack full of books, tracts, pamphlets, papers, etc, so liberally supplied by the Commission, and give every soldier something, which they'always gladly and thankfully re ceive, and I am persuaded that by God’s blessing, much good is thus being wrought, for other Chaplains are also doing a similar work. 1 I enclose a copy of a hymn, inscribed to the U. S. Christian Commission. With considerations of high esteem, I am, sir, your brother in the faith, hope and labor of the kingdom of our ‘God and of his Christ, ever devotedly, H. A. Reid, Chaplain sth Reg. WisconsinYols. ORIGINAL HYMN. Written for the dedication of the Chapel of the sth Regiment Wisconsin Volunteel-s, by Rev. H, A. Reid, Chap lain of the 'Regiment, and respectfully inscribed to the TJ. S. Christian Com mission, as a slight token of our grati tude for its many kind, liberal and help ful benefices. . Thou God of majesty and power "Who rulest earth and sea and sky, 0, let thy favor crown this hour And lift our waiting souls on high. This temple, poor as we are frail An emblem fit of man’s estate, 0, thou who dwell’st within the vail To thee in Christ, we consecrate. Accept it Lord, and let Thy grace ■ Within these walls he felt and known ; Let souls here meet/Thee, face to face, And feed by faith on Thee alone. And as Thou call'st us forth to fight Our country’s, man’s, and freedom’s foes, Lord, lead us till victorious Right Shall give our war-worn arms repose. O, gjant our righteous cause success, That still our nightly couch may be A day’s march nearer conquered peace, A day’s march nearer home and Thee. And as Thou giv’st us strength to do‘ And hearts to dare, through gain or loss, May we be freedom’s soldiers true, Nor less true soldiers of the Cross. " • — r -♦r*—- PRESBYTERIAN U.NION-I, V PRELIMINARIES TO UNION. The Lord having done.his partin pre paring the way for the union of his peo ple, now expects us to do ours. The first and most indispensable preliminary, is repentance for the eio of division. Let no man pretend that because .God has over ruled the divisions of the church for the prevention of greater evils, therefore these divisions not sinful. We have had far too much of this abominable jesuiticalcasuistry: some have even vin dicated slavery on this principle, as a missionary institution. Sectarianism is .as decidedly sinful as image worship or Sabbath breaking. If one says lam of Paul, and another, I am of Barnes, and another, I of Hodge, and I of McLeod, are ye not carnal? Neither let us at tempt to throw all the blame on others, for every man knows in his: own-soiil that he is not guiltless. Confession of the sip of schism is the first step to union. The next step is a casting out of the carcases of kipgs from before God’s face, that He may dwell among us Ezekiel 43. 8. 9. Heroes and hero worships, sairitß and fathers, and an idolatry of their saings and doings, tercentenaries and eomtnemmdrations and republica tions of their works, with a more: minute editing of their mis-spelling than is be stowed on the text of Hply Scripture;, and biographies of good men and weak men, and and great -men, .and, women, forty times more ivolumni ons than the life of our Savior, have been unsavory in the Lord's nostrils for PHILADELPHIA, THURSDAY, MARCH 3, 1864. a century. As papists collect the rot ten bones of their saints, but never dream of securing the spirit which breathed in them, we have gathered the letter of their works, but the earnest desire for the union of the churches which ani mated Calvin and Henderson and the Westmister divines, we have lost, Epis copalians, Independents and Presbyter ians, in that Assembly held communion together then. If we reverence their memory, why not follow their example? A third preliminary to unjion is to disabuse our minds of the nojtion that union means uniformity either in creed or liturgy. Ho church on earth is com posed of members holding the same identical beliefs. The belief of the child of ten or twelve years of age, re ceived to the Lord’s table, is very dif ferent from that of her pastor. She does not understand one tenth of the N five thousand theological propositions of the confession and catechisms. Her creed, if truly expressed, is ijo larger than her belief. "Why then if members of the same church may comthune and work and wbrship well together with different creeds, should diffe: greater separate brethren of churches ? ' And as to liturgy and woi ship, it is evident that no such thing as uniformi ty was ever contemplated foi the Gos pel church, else we should hav > a second book of Leviticus. On the! contrary provision is expressly madjx by the Apostles for the toleration offiifferences of worship in the primitive church, co’rri pared with which the differences be tween the various sects of Presbyteri ans arid Episcopalians, dwindle into insignificance. The arid tens of thousands of the Hebrew phristians strictly kept the law ofMoßes, attended the feasts of Tabernacles, Pentecost, and the Passover, offered sacrifices, and circumcised their children, with Divine approval, up to the dose of Sacred His tory; and if any of their descendants now choose to do so still, the fourteenth chapter of, the Epistle to the Romans remains for their protection. But as regards the Gentile converts, the Apos tles wrote arid commanded that they observe no such thing: thus expressly making provision for toleration of dif ferent modes of worship* in the church, suited to the mental calibre, .and educa tional development of the worshippers. The grand principle of worshipping in truth admits every variety from 'the songs of the Infant class to the anthems of the Apocalypse. There is a place for both Miriam’s trimbrel. David’s harp, in the choirs of Israel. R. P’ , THE ANNUAL CONCERT OF PRAYER FOR COLLEGES; HELD IN PHILADELPHIA. Agreeably to there commendation of the General Assembly, the churches of the Third and Fourth Presbyteries, in this city, appropriated Thursday of last week as a day of prayer for colleges, and other Institutions of learning. Union meetings were held in. the Third Presbyterian Church at at 11 o’clock, A. M.; Western Church, at 4, P. M. Central Church, Northern Liberties, at 74 P. M. The pastors of each of these churches, respectively, (Rev. Dr. Brain erd, and Rev. Messrs. Willis and Mitch ell,) presided at .the meetings held in. their places of worship, and opened {he services .with hymns, reading of the Scriptures, and with appropriate, .re marks. During the day aid evening, .suitable addresses were made by the Rev. Dr. Goertner, "of Hamilton Col lege; Rev- Thoron Baldwin, Secretary for western colleges, and Rev.. Messrs. Barnes, Robbins and March of this city. 'At all the meetings useful Educational Statistics were presented by the Rev. . Chas. Brown, Secretary of the Philadel phia Education Society, Prayers were offered by the Rev. Messrs. Headley, Dulles, Taylor, Mallery, Miller and others. The attendance throughout was.encouraging, but should have been much larger, especially in the after noon; and the main object of this arti cle is to inform absentees that they missed substantial themes of "useful re flection, by their non-attendance. The remark was uttered by many who were present, that the woi’C highly interesting and profitably. fWe hope that when the amiualseason for prayer, in behalf of colleges, shall again come round, the members of alllour chuches, will’’feel the importanee -of giving seri ous attention to the subjefctjtand that meetings convened to seek;Divine bles sings’*on the Educational institutions of the country, will be- attended'by all who earnestly desire tlat knowledge may 'he sanctified to tie .young, who are soon to take our plaqts in the scenes of active life. , . f 1 In-speaking of the causes < agement at the recent mjeetiu; mention should have been ni choir, in the. Central Churc which, in the evening, addei the interest of the occasion b cellent music. Wo think those choirs worthy of “double honor,” who.in ad dition to their services on the Sabbath, lend thoir assistance in days through the week, when churches are assembled for the purpose of promoting some great public good. B. Philadelphia, March 1, 1864. U. S. CHBISTIAN COMMISSION. DELEGATES FOR THE ARHV. The United States Christian Commission desires publicly to express the most pro found gratitude to God for the blessings he is bestowing upon our brave soldiers in win ter quarters, through the labors of its dele gates, and to thank churches and pastors for their prompt, .cheerful, and generous responses, to the appeal for delegates made a few weeks ago. ' . In meeting this appeal, pastors have sac rificed home comforts for camp hardships; but they have given cheer from home, to many of our sons and brothers in the army, arid-the churches have had to forego the highly prized presence and services of pas tors beloved, but their temporary loss has been an eternal gain to many who have left ‘home, church, pastor, and all to peril their lives in serving the country. Enough has been done to justify more. The places of those returning have all been supplied. The corps of delegates in the Army of the Potomac has been filled up until it now numbers fifty-five. Some have gone also to other armies to meet calls equally urgent. All the old stations have been sustained and replenished, several new ones established, the Spirit of God has been vouchsafed to the old and the new, every one, arid many of our be loved absent ones have been saved for time and eternity. . ences no different This, however, is only a beginning. Other stations should be established. More dele gates are required. The corps of delegates in the various armies should not only be kept up, but greatly increased. Twenty should be added immediately in the Army of the Potomac, and as many more in the Army of the Cumberland, five in East Ten-’ nessee, and twenty on the Mississippi and Arkansas—sixty-five in all. And now is the time to do it.' The armies are at rest, the men are at leisure, God is propitious, the soldiers accessible, leyery thing invites; but in a few weeks the armies will move, battles will come, thousands will fall, the opportunity will be lost, and alas many of our brave men will be beyond all human effort, gone forever. In the former appeal it was not intended to convey the impression that the whole army was in one general state of revival, neither is it now, but that in the great per manent camps, such as Camp Convalescent, Camp Stoneman, and Camp Parole, the power of God was manifested in salvation from day to day, and also at such stations in the army proper os were established and manned by the Christian Commission, and .in some places also under the faithful labor of.chaplains, and above all, that tbe.amy in •waiter quarters was all ripe and ready to hear the gospel, mih every prospect and promise thaC wherever a station should be established a revival would begin. - Over one thousand conversions in Camp Convalescent within a few months, reported by our Washington committee; over three hundred within three months in Camp Stoneman, a work of similar power in Camp Parole, two hundred conversions at Martins burg within two months, reported by Chap lain E. W. Brady. A precious, powerful revival began at a new station reported by Rev. Mr. Davis, of Bridesburg. Another at a station where Rev. Mr. Danforth, followed by Rev. Mr. Cooper, has been at work. Another at Warrenton station, as reported in the letter from E. B. Young, a soldier, just received, published herewith'—these and many other similar facts, abundantly justify the statements made, while the oft repeated and most important calls of the permanent agents in the field, taken with the facts in the case, demand appeal after appeal, and effort upon effort, until, if pos sible, this most wonderful opportunity of the church to benefit and save our brave soldiers, shall be improved, and our great and imperative duty towards them per formed. . The stations established are always if pos sible, so located as to meet the wants of regiments without chaplains. Meanwhile, everything possible is done by the Commis sion to aid and encourage chaplains in their too often hard and discouraging efforts to benefit their men. Bibles, Testaments, books, papers and tracts are freely furnished them for distribution; canvas roofs for chapels, to cover the log walls raised by the soldiers, are loaned to them for the winter, and delegates assist them in special services if possible, whenever invited. The army chaplains, almost without exception, under stand our relations to them and the army, and appreciate the assistance we render them and- the work done at our stations. Evidence of the great and permanent bene fits radiating from the stations of the Com mission, is constantly accumulating: All through the army, and especially in every camp of the Invalid corps, men are found who have been converted and saved in Camp Convalescent and Camp Parole. There are those now going out into all portions of the cavalry from Camp Stoneman to take their stand under the banner of the cross. And only yesterday a distinguished officer, not a member of the church, who was in com mand of a brigade last winter at Stoneman’s Siding, called to thank the Christian Com mission for the permanent and blessed qhange wrought upon his entire command by the revival there under the fcthful labors of its delegates.; _ Pastors and churches df the Lord Jesus Christ, you Tyillnot fail to meet this call of the blessed Master! You will not suffer t encour ;s, special ,do of the l, N. L, much to their ex- this gloribus opportunity to be lost! Tou will not leave our brave men to perish! You will not neglect a single week or even a day 1 Those willing to go, will please apply, with testimonials of standing and adaptation to the work, to the Central Office, No. 11 Bank street, Philadelphia, or to tjie Branch Offices, either 4 Court street, Boston, 30 Bible House, New York, 77 Baltimore street, Baltimore, 71 Wood street, Pittsburg, 51 Vine street, Cincinnati, Lindell House, St. Louis, 91 Washington street, Chicago, or to E. C. Walker, Detroit, or Dr. John D. Hill, Buf falo. The regular term of service six weeks lines. Exceptions made only in special cases. No salary, but all expen ses paid by the Commission. Geo. H. Stuart, Chairman U. S. Christian Commission. W. E. Boardican, Secretary, U. S. C. C. Warrenton, Va., Ist N. J. Cavalry,) February 16,1864. j Geo. H. Stcart, Esq.:— My Dear Sir :—l have much pleasure in writing you these few lines, intimating to you and to our beloved pastor, Rev. Dr. Wylie, the great change which has taken place in our regiment and throughout the first brigade of cavalry, since two of your esteemed ministers belonging to the Chris tian Commission, havesettled amongst us—' the Rev. J. P. Caldwell and Rev. J. G. Rankin. We have prayer-meetings every evening, and rejoice, to say, by God’s bless ing and Rev. J. P. Caldwell and Rev. J. G. Rankin’s very’earnest prayers and exhorta tions, numbers of my brother soldiers have been converted and brought to a knowledge of the glorious gospel—men who, before those true servants of Christ came, were heard constantly to swear, etc. I will take it kind of you, if you will get this inserted in the Banner of the Covenant, so that it will help to cheer others belonging to the Chris tian Commission to go on in their good work. I remain, my dear bit, Yours, respectfully, Ebenezir B. Young, Co. A, Ist New Jersey Cavalry. WORDS OF QUEER PROM TEE ARMY. Brandy Station, Va., Feb., 1864. George H. Stuart, Esq., Chairman of the United . States Christian Cemmissitn. You need not to be informed that there is a wide and open door for the preach ing of the gospel in the army; but it will be interesting to you, and doubtless to many others, to know something of the encouragement given to those who have the •privilege of laboring in the field. I do not know |hat I can express this in any way better than by giving you an account of a meeting held at this place a few days since by the delegates of the Christian Commission, called to r gether by the field agent, John A. Cole, Esq. It might be called a meeting for hearing reports, comparing notes, and devising plans for the still more effec tive prosecution of the work. Mr. Cole was appointed Chairman. Mr. Dan forth opened the meeting with prayer. Reports from the different stations being called for, THE THIRD ARMY CORPS STATION was reported by Mr. Whitney. He stated that a very deep and solemn in terest in religious matters tvas manifest ■in the corps, and that there were many cases of hopeful conversion. Mr. Beggs, from the same station, also reported the manner of conducting Bi ble-classes and prayer-meetings, and the interest the men evinced in themj He spoke of twenty-two hopeful conversions at their station. CBLPEPPER VILLAGE STATION. was reported by P. B. Davis. The sta tion had been opened about three weeks ago by some young men from Princeton. The Episcopal church had been secured for services, and the indications were very hopeful. He said meetings were held every night in the church. He re ported twenty cases of conversion. Mr. Noble, from the same station, said that meetings were daily increasing in numbers and interest. A Confederate lady had - called at the rooms for a : New' Testament, with which she was supplied. FIRST ARTILLERY RESERVE STATION was reported by Mr..Cowan. It -fras opened on December 9th, 1863, and there were held regularly two Bible classes, three meetings for prayer and conversation, and Sabbath preaching. The work was greatly prospered, and many were coming to Christ. He found it well to set young converts to work. He was very busy in attending to the spiritual wants of the men. Mr. Danforth,: from the same station, reported preaching every evening, prayer-meeting daily from 3 to 4 o’clock P. M., spoke of the prayers and testi monies of the men. On the evening previous twenty rose and asked to be re membered in prayer. He reported six teen hopeful conversions, and expressed the belief that the good work was pro gressing. ■. ■ ARTILLERY STATION, NO. 2 Mr. J. B. Davis reported there were five or six hundred men to be reached. Commenced the Saturday previous, one hundred at least present at the daily services. Had a Bible-class at.l P. M. daily. After’which he held an inquiry meeting, preaching, and prayer-meeting every meeting. Mr. Stockwell, from the same station, reported three cases of hopeful conver sion, and ten or twelve inquirers. SECOND CORPS,STATION. Reported by Mr, Ashley, at the sta tion three weeks. Meetings were held every evening, and they were full to overflowing. A large brigade chapel had been opened, and had preaehiiTg in it every night. In forty r egiments only eighteen chaplains. These, he said, were devoted and faithful men. He ex pressed his belief that there were forty hopeful conyersions in three weeks, and the religious interest was very great. Besides daily preaching he had a Bible class every Sabbath afternoon. Forty men in attendance. SECOND CORPS STATION, NO. '2, Report by Mr. Shaw. The station had but just been established; but though, hut a few days, the work was very encouraging. Had been engaged in distributing reading matter, which was well received. Preaching in the chapel in the evening. Well attended, and the signs hopeful. contraband’s station. Reported by Mr. Field. He never had been so much impressed with the devotional power of their singing and prayers as since he commenced to labor among them. They look, upon him as a teacher sent from God. Has every en couragement in the work. The officers co-operate freely with him. BRANDY STATION. This is the headquarters of the Com mission in the Army of the Potomac, and chiefly a business depot. Still there is a weekly social prayer-meeting, preach ing twice on Sabbath, and a good atten dance. The prospects very encourag ing. Additional reports were presented of an equally encouraging character. The question was then asked, “ Is there that degree of religious interest here as to justify the representation that there is a revival of religion in the army'?” To reply to this, as well as to express the mind of the meeting on the work of the Commission, Revs. J. B. Davis, Ful ler, Ashley and Beggs were appointed a committee to prepare a series of reso lutions. In the afternoon session the commit tee reported the following resolutions, which were unanimously adopted: Ist. Resolved, That the state of feel ing among the men of this army is such as could only he produced by the spe cial presence of the Holy Spirit; and we recognize it as an answer to the prayers of the fathers, mothers, wives, pastors, and friends of the soldiers. 2nd Resolved, That the method adopt ed by the United States Christian Com mission for promoting the spiritual wel fare of the soldiers, in the erection of chapel tents, in which the gospel is re gularly and frequently preached under circumstances as homelike as possible, is well adapted to secure the desired end. 3 rd Resolved, That the pleasure which the soldiers • evince at the erection of these tents among them, and the intense interest with which they receive reli gious instruction in sermons, Bible classes, private conversations, and all the methods of instruction adopted by the delegates of the Conimission, render it an unspeakable privilege to be en gaged in the work. 4 tk Resolved, That the manifest pre sence of the Spirit of God among the soldiers in some portions of this army, and the results of the labors already put forth in their behalf, warrant the belief that if the operations of the United States Christian Commission could be greatly extended, the result would be the hopeful conversion of great numbers of men who may soon upon the field of strife lay down their lives in their coun try’s defence. sth Resolved, That in the opinion of those who have participated in this work, a Christian man of suitable qualifica tions, whether minister or layman, can not spend the few weeks during which the army may remain in winter quar ters, more profitably than as a delegate of the United States Christian Commis sion. I may add that over twenty delegates were present at the meeting, and that each meeting, and that each one went to his respective field of labor for his brief term much encouraged. I may, at another time, give you some account of further service in the good wort. In all my visits to the army I have never seen more systematic or effective ■work done than is going on at the present time. Let us continue to labor and pray for the thousands who will offer them selves as a sacrifice upon the altars of our country in the battles of the com ing Summer. That God my save their souls, rescue our beloved land from the power of its enemies, and bring us soon a righteous and honorable peace, is the prayer of a fellow laborer in the good work. A. G. McAuley. LADIES; CHRISTIAN. COMMISSION PAIR AT BUFFALO. The Fair of’ the Ladies Christian Commission, of the city of Buffalo, New York, opened with a thronged attendance and brilliant prospects, on Monday, Feb. 22d, Washington’s Birth-day. Ex-Prc sident Millard Fillmore presided, and made an opening address. An original poem by Anson G. Chester, Esq., was read. The large and densely packed ball was adorned with banners, mottos and transparencies, and enlivened with patriotic airs by the band aiid the pre sence of several military, companies of Buffalo. The whole community is arous ed;: and the .Queen cityiwill contribute to the cause in a- style worthy her name and reputation, -g g Western New Yorker.
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