The American Presbyterian and GENESEE EVANGELIST. BELIGIOTTS and family newspapeb, \ JJI 9THB INJXBJBST OP THE ConstitVtional Presbyterian Church. PUBLISHED EVERY THURSDAY, AT THE pkESBYTERIAN HOUSE, 1334 Chestnut Street, (2d Story,) Philadelphia. Bev. JOHN W. MEABS, Editor and Publisher. INQUIRY AFTER THE MARTYR SPIRIT? OF THE OHUROH OF ENGLAND. We have not been so fortunate as to meet with any discussion of the princi ples on which the late final decision in the “ Essays and Reviews ” cases was based by the judges. It would be inter esting to know how they,or their friends, attempted to prove that a minister of the Church Of England, as such, was under no obligation to hold to the prin ciples of the Reformation on the doc. trines of inspiration, atonement and future punishment. The fact is so, however, and the Government, with the assent of the Bishop of London, has Washed its hands of all responsibility for the opinions of the ministers on those leading topics. The only compe tent authority to administer discipline in that church has decided to allow the dearest instances of rationalism to go unpunished; and every teacher of error in its hounds will hereafter feel Secure in the consciousness of royal pro tection. The position of the govern ment and of the State Church, solemnly assumed before the nation and the world', is therefore favorable to rationalism. True, a number of appointments to high positions in the church, made by the government on the death of Sumner Archbishop of Canterbury, seemed to indicate preference for men of the staunchest orthodoxy. All the authors of a volume of replies to “Essays and Reviews,” we believe, were rewarded with high stations, in the changes that followed that event. But the very re cent nomination of Dean Stanley to the Archbishopric of Dublin, in place of the late lamented Whately, and after that was abandoned, his appointment to the Deanship of of "Westminster, in spite of protests from evangelical men, seems to<show that within a brief period a new policy of appointments, favorable to the rationalists, has been adopted: " Did th ©-decision of the Privy - Council" ’ in favor of the “Essays and Reviews ” writers simply declare it to he the pur pose of the government, as suck, to ab stain from interference in cases of defection . from orthodoxy, would really Ipe a ground of rejoicing among all the real friends of the truth. But it is* the erown as the acknowledged earthly head of the church, that is an nouncing its verdict; it is the church herself, in her highest earthly manifes tation, that is licensing teachers of infi delity to pursue their unholy and destructive calling within her bounds. In a word, it places the church of Eng land very mueh in the position of those State churches in Germany which are under princes of decided rationalist leanings. Those who have studied the course of ecclesiastical history in the German States for some years past,have noticed with pain the unfortunate posi tion of the Evangelical Church, for in stance,in Hesse,where a restless l'ational ist faction, backed by the Arch-duke, are trying to get control of the entire ma chinery of the Church. The German Christians are strong legitimists, believe in the divine right of kings, and abhor the idea of a free church. So they elCave to the establishment, and suffer all the inconveniences and all the dam age to their children that must result from acquiescing in the dominance of rationalist influences in their chnrch. The question arises, what will free England do ? Will she follow the’’ ex ample of the patient Germans? Does the idea of legitimacy have such sway in the minds of true Christian Anglo- Saxons, as to hold them fast to an insti tution so seriously out of order ? Will the venerableness of the establishment atone for its perversion from the precious central truths of the Gospel, and of the Reformation ? Will they consent to have all their religions privileges, all the great influence of the church upon their families lie at the mercy of the the Coleuses, the Maurices, the Wil liamses and others, backed by the en dorsement of the Crown ? Do they wish the melancholy desolations of Ger man rationalism repeated in their parishes? Are they so enamored of their connection with the State ? We fear they are ; we are afraid the evan gelical party will succumb, after a few faint protests. But what an inspiring spectacle they might present I What an opportunity for a truly heroic deed; for a splendid and genuine martyrdom! What a demonstration for the truth they might make—a thousand clergymen — New Series,. Vol. I, No. 13. abandoning their livings, bishops laying aside their robes, arch-bishops turning ’their backs upon their palaceß, and mul titudinous congregations leading to the owls and the bats the consecrated build ings now' open alike to error and to truth; Professors and students resigning their scholarly stations and emoluments, Dr. Pusey leading the procession out of Oxford! Such a tribute to the supreme importance of Scripture truth, and cor rect doctrine, they might give as the world has not seen. It would be like a transforming breath through the whole structure of English society. It would electrify the Evangelical church and confound her enemies throughout Christ endom. lhig they will not do, however becoming it might be to Free England. There is not enough Puritan pluck left in the country, since the colonization of New England made such a drain upon it. The Becord, organ of the Evangeli cal party, cautions against taking too extravagant views of the decision. Yet we are fain to believe that such a leaven is working as will produce the most salutary results. The eyes of all who have the interests Zion at heart ar e opened to see the anomaly of a union of Chureh and State; the price paid and sacrifice made for State support will be seen to be too great; the prestige of an establishment is gone and the necessity of .church autonomy exhibited, as never before, to the world. THE FREE STATE MOVEMENT, It has been a matter of dispute from the commencement of our war, how real and how strong the suppressed Union element at the South might be. Most of the early theories of reconstruction implied the existence of a strong and numerous Union party in that section, which needed only to be animated and strengthened by a few victories of the National arms to bring it into the open attitudedFcountef-revolutionagainst the rebel authorities, and so secure the early re-establishment of the Constitu tion in the revolted States. Mr. Everett, we believe, has always and emphatically asserted his confidence in the existence of a wide-spread Union sentiment, over awed for the time by the superior strength and organization of the rebels. There has been some patient waiting for a demonstration of this feeling as the war has continued. On the other hand, this whole theory has from the' first been denied by many, and the conviction obtains and grows among the people that the revolted South, with the exception of East Tennessee, is so. nearly unanimous in its rebellion, that the exceptions, which really exist, need 1 *n6t enter into the estimate of the fact; It has been felt that we have no alter native but to use the sword, and no dependence on any other sentiment existing in the South but such as grows out of a conviction of the hopelessness of the cause for which they have risked all. And we are inclined to the opinion that the Free State movement, now taking place both in the border and the reconquered States, owes its suddenness and rapidity not to latent Union senti ment just allowed ’utterance, but to conversion from out-and-out secession ism wrought by, the overwhelming proofs of power and omens of victory attending the National cause. Rebels have been convinced and have become true men. Michael Hahn, Free State Governor of Louisiana,, has no claims to favor as we understand it, on the ground of concealed Union sentiment, during the early stages of the rebellion. Up to the . time when Admiral Farragut’s fleet passed the forts on the Mississippi river, Mr. Hahn was an unmitigated rebel. And 1 there is no doubt now that he has utterly abandoned the rebel cause and slavery too, as a sensible man, because he sees their hopelessness. The rebellion has failed and slavery has gone with it, and he shows his wisdom by abandoning them both. ’ The case of the rebel General Gantt is precisely similar. He was a violent rebel in one of the bitterest pro-slavery and rebel States —Arkansas. He gained distinc tion in the rebel service. He had no secret affection for the old Union'.. The logic of his conversion was simple. He appealed to the sword and the decision went against him. He gives up the contest and becomes an ardent advo cate of the opposite side. We do not see any good reason to' question the PTTTT.ATrttT.PHTA, THURSDAY, MARCH 31, 1864. sincerity and thoroughness of suck com versions. In fact we believe they tire of the sort from which the regeneration and reconstruction of the South must grow—-is growing. ' Defeats in a great conflict do not simply overwhelm and crush the suf ferer. The defeats of : the South do not subject them to humiliating terms. Bdt they have opened their eyes to the truth. They are the convincing logic of events —of God’s providence. They help to interpret diffienlt questions, to solve hard problems in social and political economy, to break down inveterate prejudices, to let in the light of the new day on the twilight of false and obsolete opinions, for the maintenance of which their advocates have gone to war. Before defeat we employ all the arts of logic in vain. After defeat they undergo such rapid transformation that we can- scarcely credit our senses in beholding it. Even in the case of Maryland, we have no idea that 'it is an old Union sentimentwhieh is making such over whelming demonstrations for Emanci pation, and which has transformed Baltimore from the bloody and riotous city of April, 1861, to the metropolis of a loyal anti-slavery commonwealth. It is the conviction that the cause for which bridges were burned and the streets reddened with Massachusetts and Pennsylvania blood three years ago, is gone ; it is the handwriting which Union bayonets are inscribing on the walls of the doomed institution, that has turned the tide of sentiment so powerfully towards speedy emancipa tion among the slaveholders in Mary land. . ’Whence comes the extraordinary spec tacle of twelve or fifteen thousand votes in Arkansas—one-fourtli of the whole; number of votes in 1860—for reconstruction on an anti-slavery basis ? Ts it the released Union sentiment of that once bitter and cruel home of bondage? We have not the remotest idea that in this vote we have merely an expression of the latent Union senti ment, in spite of which the State was dragged into revolt' No! It is the peccavi of defeated, despairing rebels beaten out of their old beliefs, as-well as out of their murderous resistance to the nation. They arfe ready to go farther than ever the old Union men thouaht of going, and are now better, more gen uine union men than they were. Such, doubtless, is the case also in Louisiana; and such will continue to he the case. As rebellion is crushed by. main strength the defeated party will abandon both it and its cause. ; Here then is our hope for the future. Men are found’shaking their heads in view of the complicated problem before this generation, in the restoration of the Union. It is feared that the success of our arms may hut land us in more seri rous political difficulties. The calm and profound wisdom of the original framers of the Constitution is felt to he a great want of our time, and signs of such wis dom are supposed not to he visible among the legislators of our day. These fore bodings may be true; but we confess when we see 'the simplicity, rapidity and spontaneity of the movements taking place wherever the prowess of the na tional arms has been sufficiently vindi cated ; when we remember West Vir ginia, Missouri, Maryland, Louisiana and Arkansas,thedoubts and forebodings we might otherwise feel vanish. Wheth er our legislators are as able as those who framed the Constitution or no, we are not anxious to discover Great political problems are solving themselves with little aid from human wisdom. The Southern people, enlightened by the stem teachings of war, .are .adjusting themselves to the new. state of things, and anticipating the wise schemes of Northern statesmen. We need not de pend upon northern emigration for a restored society; we need not. disfran chise or exile a crushed population. We need not wait for a tediously rallying Union sentiment—we have quite a disa agreeable .sufficiency of mere Unionism in Governor Bramlette and the Louis ville Journal, of Kentucky. Late, movements in the conquered' south lead us to look for a new State, rising spon teneously under the mighty hand of God, out of the ashes of an exhausted secession and pro-slavery fury, based -upon a more nearly unanimous consent of the people there, than has ever .yet Genesee Evangelist, No. 93a. been given. After a vote of seventeen thousand,for a Free State in the depleted population of half of Arkansas, we are prepared to hope for a most happy and satisfactory solution of our political difficulties, and can dispense with the help of the half-hearted union men of the South. DR. 00X ON RE-UNION. RE-UNION OF THE TWO BRANCHES OP THE ' PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH OF THE U. S. A. ! It seems a plbmising feature of our times, for Christians—those that are Christians, et nomine et re, to agitate se riously, as well as prayerfully and con socially, the great question of Christian union : not in one only, tout in many places; even in very different and dis tant relations and organizations of ec clesiastical forms and names. What Will come of it, there is One who knows. That the Mibbenium will come, and is approaching, I am sure. There is one Saviour; one God; one' Bible; one Kingdom of Heaven; one Church, regenerate and final; one Hea ven; one pearl of collaudation and de light; one new song in the New Jerusa lem ; and only one class, and one state, and one family of the glorified at last. Jutt as true is it, that God requires us tojmaintain the unity of the faith, and tlje one grand unity of the. Communion of all Saints. ,It is also a grand fact, Which even theological philosophers are found sometimes slow to allow and di gest, as they ought, with others and re lated ones, that here(l.) we are all imper fect, not some of us but all of us; and ih more ways than one: Bs. 19:12—1*4. jer. xvii: 5-10. Prdv. 17: 3. Eccles. 7 : 20, (2.) that without mutual conces sion and devout forbearance, with en largement of comprehension, we indi vidually make only schism, or mischief manifold in some other forms; to the mo ral damage of the cause and the church of (inr blessed Lord and Redeemer, jesus Christ, on the earth: (3.) that true Chris tians are, in substance, all, more agreed than different; more one in desire and influence, than they imagine; and are progressively, under their great Mas ter, all meliorating, assimilating, con centrating; more than bigots perceive, or partisans allow, or apostates and ene mies are at all .willing, either to admit, or believe, or desire, or understand : (4.) that, on wise, right; true, scriptural ; principles, it is not at all a hard thing, as it is ever a desirable one, that our two branches' should become one, in the hand of our own Redeemer: our com mon, our glorious, our only Redeemer! that, though we may probably converge and unite, as I think that ultimately we may, yet we must not be too fast, too superficial, too indefinite, and so too un happy. It must not be precipitated immaturely, or consummated in any 'ffefe’etive or improper way. Our dan ger is imminent and great. Festina bente; make haste slowly ! do it well, or do it not at all! This is my advice; as well as that of many others, with whom I confer; and whose wisdom is in high and just repute of all men. To say this, is perhaps seasonable, at the present time ; especially before the meeting of the next General Assembly. It is, in brief, the proper and the just position, mainly, I think, of us all: while, to think, confer, pray, on such a question, is gravely important; is a solemn duty— now and on both parts ! The Great Head of the chureh in his own mercy-and wisdom, hear and order, and unite, and bless us! . Since I believed and understood, the Holy Scriptures, with hope in the glo rious Gospel of the blessed God, I have appreciated, and loved increasingly, as ever high and decided preference, tiie Presbyterian church of our coun try. Its oreed or system of truth and duty, as Well as its' excellent order, I love, and-have loved, more and more; since I began to learn and know them, wheu.a student of the Law, in Newark, N. J.; in 1811 and '12 —more than one half of a century ago; when I changed, once and forever, with some advantage from legal studies, to the glories of the ology. In all I say, touching these relations, jt is my heart's desire and prayer to God, that I may utter nothing that can pro perly, or probably, do Oil; or widen the breach; or alienate, whom I would rather win and re-unite —in a proper way, at the proper time; if God will - show us all, what is for us, his own Will and wisdom, in these critical mat- ters of his. own unsuffering kingdom ! God give us. all grace, the wisdom that is from above; dreading and agpisaaiaimg* James 3: yes, I commend also, with Eph. 4:S, as our common motto, John 17: 1-26; Eph. 4: 7-16. 1-32, Roin. 14: 1-23.. 15: 5,6, 1-33. I will make haste — slowly, by the help of our God! Samuel Hanson Cox. New York, March 25, 1864. PRESBYTERY OF lOWA OITY. lowa City, March 14th, 1864. The Presbytery of lowa city has just closed its spring session, hereafter to be regarded as the. meeting for its annual business matters. It was held at Ma rengo, thirty miles west of this town, on the M. &M. Railroad. And though the season was unpropitious, the occa sion was one of much interest to the peo ple and the Presbytery. "We received one new member, Rev. Charles W. Tread well, lately of "Watertown Presbytery, now resident at "Wheatland, lowa- We, also, found another minister at Mar rengo, from Niagara Presbytery, in charge of our church, with every ap pearance of, acceptance and prospect of success and usefulness, the hearts of the people being wonderfully united in him, after having been somewhat divided on the leaving of Rev. Wm. M. Kane, now at Downey, in our bounds. The good people gave us open-hearted hospitality,, extemporized plank walks to the church, and gave every attention and accommodation in their power, for which we expressed our gratitude. Some awakenings were . reported in the churches of Centre Point, Lyons, Clinton and lowa city. Arrangements were made for the supply of vacant churches, among which may be classed Cedar Rapids, the pastor of which has been absent several months. During the year, Rev. Isaac W. Atherton, of Cedar Rapids, our stated clerk, has left; as' hinted above. Rev. Samuel Mills, of Wheatland, formerly, has gone to West Liberty; Rev. Moses Robinson, of Steam boat Rock, to Mount Yernon, and Rev. W. M. Kane, to Downey and Scott church. And these are all the ministerial changes of the year, Rev. H. L. Stanley, of Lyons, is now chosen stated clerk. The only elder of the church of . Ma rengo is gone to the war, as a private in the “Gray Beard” or Cromwellian Regiment, the 37th lowa Inf., now sta tioned at Rock Island, to guard the re bel prisoners there. His name,- Alex ander Danskin, is indicative of his Scot, tish descent; and his having seen Bri tish service in Canada, whence he re moved to lowa, his adopted! State, will make him a model soldier, as,those of that regiment have the reputation of being. They enlisted as garrison .men, but would no doubt do battle like veterans as they are, ranging from forty-five to seventy five years old. The church is composed m°stly of good women and true, so that the apostolic exhortation, “Help,those women that labored with me in the gos pel,” is most appropriate, as elsewhere in lowa, whence so many men have gone to the army and navy of the tJnited States.. , The only matter dismissed of general interest, was the case of a worthy pas tor, who has been now nine years in a field, where, the first year, he received only twenty dollars from the' people, but, this year, they have gone to their highest point of giving ; to wit, two hun dred dollars, to* which the committee in New York would only add, for the year, one hundred dollars! A three hundred dollar salary in Iowa! Three hundred dollars, all, and tardily told out, for a year in two churches, where almost no Presbyterianism existed; or as one bro ther said, from personal knowledge, there was not Presbyterian hospitality enough to sleep comfortably over night. But now, Episcopal Methodists, Congre, gationals and 0. S. Presbyterians, and converts from the world, are joining every communion season; and the peo ple, not before accustomed to giving, are learning to support the gospel. The brother | asked a dismission, for want of adequate aid from the New York Committee, being content to live on four hundred dollars but denied that! The case was referred to the Home Mis sionary Committee of Presbytery. When will the eastern churches learn to give and sustain our good beginnings, and not let them die out ? By denying poor churches of needed aid, during this war'that falls heavily on the West, the .Bey. . Secretary and Committee begin just where the old American Home Mis sionary Society left off with us : namely, with hilling out our feeble churches and preventing enlargement of our borders. At this very meeting we reported the extinction of one church, and it was struck from our roll, dying out by ab sorption from the other branch of the church, by death, and at last.by dismis sion by letter. After toiling, as some of us have without one dollar of aid from the old Home Missionary Society or the new Home Missionary Committee of the Assembly, it seems as cruel as the grave, to thus bury alive our feeble churches We weep over these scenes. And, you brethren at the Bast, when your sons and daughters stray out west, and find no church, no Sunday school, no Presbyte rian minister to console them in: death, HOI burying ground of the church of ; TERMS. By mail, $2.00 per annum, in advance. “ *' 260 “ after Smoiuhs. By carrier, 50 cents additional for delivery. CXiXTBS. Ten or more papers sent by mail to one church or locality, or in the city to one address By mail, $1.50 peaannum. By carriers, 2.00 “ * « To save trouble, club subscriptions most commence at the same date, bp paid strictly in advance, in a single remittance, for which one receipt will be returned. Ministers and'Ministers’ Widows suppliedat club rates. Horde missionaries at $l per annum. Postage.—Five cents quarterly In advance, to be paid by subscribers at the office of de livery. their fathers , Vn which to' V». buried,--' 1 you willwveep too, as “Jesus wept.” ; Rev. Abner D. Chapman, of Malcomb, and Elder James G. Irwin, of 'Clinton, we appointed commissioners'to the next General Assembly at Dayton. * Thus endeth this varied account of Pres bytery by one, who has been now, this fifteenth year, conversant with our church in lowa, and signs himself as aforetime - lowan. [Our correspondent has chosen to say some hard things of the Committee of Home Missions, which, as he truly loves the Committee, and is a veteran and faithful laborer, we have concluded to put in print. : It is scarcely necessary for us to say, while so doing, that the committee has onr entire confidence, and that its mistakes, if there are any, are not moro than attend on the work ings of any human instrumentality and far less than occur in many Boards or Committees with such great and delicate responsibilities upon them. We ear nestly hope our churches will continue to give the Committee such effective aijfc that they will be able to reinforce all languishing churches, and save from abandonment every enterprise on our field that has claims upon wise and li beral men for support.— Ed.] MB. EKOOH K. MILLER. Our Rochester correspondent in his letter published March 3d, speaks of the licensure of this gentleman, late in one of the New York regiments in the army of the PotomaC. 1 The account is so in teresting that we reproduce it here. The Presbytery, of Rochester was called, together this week, in a special meeting to license Enoch K. Miller, for the mini stay, : a young man whose ease is one of more than ordinary interest. He was a student in college but his young heart could not remain in those peaceful pursuits, whilst armed rebellion threat ened the life of the nation, and,he be T came a soldier. He was in the battle of. Fredericksburg.; in that long and weary march to Pennsylvania; stricken down by a ball through his breast and lungs in the awful carnage of Gettysburg; after which he lay for.fifteep days upon the field, four days, before his wounds were dressed; and yet, as by ’miracle, he survived, and -gradually regained comfortable health,: so that he has been for sometime engaged in hospital ser- Tic<£ p : , As a private soldier he had maintained his integrity, remembering that hb-was a Christian, and hoping some day .to be a. Christian minister. ~ He had Been foremost in aiding the Chaplain of his regiment, constant; at all its . religious meetings, and earnest i in . doing good whenever and however: the opportunity offered. And, more; recently, in th,e hos pital, he had made himself so .useful ..as to secure the highest respect and confi dence of soldiers and: officers around him. By ■ their desire, and., armed with i their warmest commendations,; he .sought this action of the Presbytery, so as:to qualify him to obtain, a , chaplaincy in,® colored regiment, - The . < Presbytej , y ; : ( fe}t: con strained to grant! his request,- and. by their official act, cordially,, recommended bint'for such an. appointment, in which; it is believed, he; will make hjmself very useful. . , We had the pleasure of an interview with Mr. Miller, in our office a few days ago. He showed us the' fresh scar of the terrible wound through his body, which felled him, while withstanding the rebel advance on- the left Centre, at Gettys burg, and which, barely blissing his heart, kept, him hanging between . life and death for a number of days. Mr. M. was dissuaded :by his. Mends from going into the army from college, as a ' private, but he persisted and his consis tent Christian example had much weight with the men. Five ,of bis fellow-sol diers, in particular, sought counsel and advice of him, as appearing in their view a sincere Christian, on religious matters. The interviews resulted in the hopeful conversion of all five, who for some tiipe were perniitted tojlive and give.proof of the of their change; At? Chancellorsville, the first one fell, 'leav ing behind a . dying „ testimony to his faith in .Jesugg,; Fredericksburg, another fell;-regretting that he bad done so little for Christ, but : depending upon him for 1 salvation; at Gettysburg ;the three others pCrished; and Mr. Miller was laid low with what might well have been his death wound. But a kind Providence had a longer life and higher scenes of usefulness in store for him. He survived, and. now goes forth a vigorous man, to minister to the Spiritual wants of a colored ( regiment, just ordered away from Camp William Penn, near this city.. Let him have our prayers in this interesting relation. :J , • We. hope to hear from Mr. Miller when' he reaches his destination.
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