INFIDELITY A REFUGE FROM DIS
QUIETING- TRUTH,
I.U the recently published life of Theo
dore Parker, wo find him in oue of his
letters making the following admission:
At one - time the Bible rested on me
like a nightmare; I could nol bear it,
nor got rid of it.”
This is a very significant confession.
.Docs it not throw light on the scope of
that .peculiar theology which its author
put forth ? There is nothing strange or
surprising in that repugnance with
which he admits that he .had once re
garded the Bible. Thousands and tens
of thonsinds' might, adopt his. ycry
words. , The carnal mind is 'enmity.
and it revolts' against the
claims, which are necessitated by His'
existence and holiness. It finds the
Bible articulating these claims with
distinctness and authority, and with the
blinded jnstinet of malice endeavors to
silence the “still small voice " in which
they were uttered. Indifference toward
it is thenceforth impossible, The jus
tice of its claims must be poncedod or
denied': One must find peace and a ref
uge in .that submissive faith which casts
itself with trembling hope at tho foot of
the cross, or begin a, life-long conflict
with those truths* which enforce upon
tho soul.tho obligations of a 'sinner in
the sight of God. " _
This la the inevitable alternative.
Here is the point at which the paths of
tho soul’s spiritual destiny diverge.
Tho choice' here made marks the crisis
of the spul’s experience. Let that choice
be the . right one, and the conflict is
forever at an end., . The terrors of Sinai
are lost in the glories of Calvary. “ Mer
cy and truth are met together. 5 ' The
old antipathies of thp soul givo place to
that loWly submission and loving obedi
ence in the exOrciso of which it exclaims,
“ O how love I thy Jaw !” Not a singlo
feature of the divine justice is marred
or ofased. Not a single claim of the
law to a perfect obedionco is abated or
set aside. And yet that which was
unspeakably terrible once, becomes glo
riously, attractive now. Tho soul de
lights in God, and makes his word “the
man of its counsol.” It robukes itself
for Its former enmity. It wonders at
that v hardness of heart which it once
evinced. Henceforth it is in harmony
with God, with his 'works., his provi
dence and his grace.
What a stereotyped experience this
has bCcome in tho history of the church!
Paul" tineo felt toward the Gospel of
Christ all tho aversion of a bittOr and
unrelenting persecutor. Shepard, of
Cardbridge, tells us of the agonies of
conviction through which he had* 1 to pass
before ho could submit to accept “ tho
truth as it is in JeSfis,” and evoryroador
of his “ Parable of the Virgins” feels
that he had himself trod the paths
which he charts out with such clearness
and’ distinctness. Bunyan’s “ Graco
abounding to the chief of, sinners,” re
veals to us his agonizing sense of the
crashing weight of Bible truth,' and
sometimes seems merely to expand, to
a more full expression, the confession
wrung from tho pen of Theodore Parker.
Here iwas tho point where the two
men' Height have stood side by side,
united in common experience and sym
pathies. Buthero also their-paths began
to diverge. The same problem was to
be-solved by both, but: they attempted
it by-diverse methods. Bunyan ac
cepted the. truth that disquieted him,
and sought poaco by tho blood of the
erosß. Theodore Parker revolted at
doctrines which humbled man "and glori
fied, even in tho exercise of redeeming
mercy, the fearful holiness of God. He
too must have peace, but it must be a
peace secured by putting aside what
disquieted him, by essaying to refute
doctrines which denied him repose.
His choice is made, and thenceforth,
fashioning for himself an “ absolute re
ligion” sifted of nearly all that excites
the terror of the sinnor and the rapture
of the,, saint, ho labors to put it. into
reasonable shape, and commend it, by
all his acts, to the aceeptanco of others.
The Bible mußt ho interpreted or re
duced to such a shapo that he. can “ bear
it pr get rid of it.” "~
\ ~How far he was successful it is, not
(dr. us. to say. We know not whether
doubts, and fears intruded to the last
beneath that veil of calm assurance with
which ho propounded his theories. But
there must have been , at some time
jjharp ,if not protracted struggles. Tho
“ nightmare” of that conviction which
every intelligent mind feols in reading
the.law of God and the terms of the
sinner’s Balvation, is not easily thrown
off. The giant Enceladus under burning
-iEtnaseems but a parablo of the agonized
.spirit undor the terrors of Sinai. ; But
when tho purpose to evade tho claims
of duty is fully forced, the skill of man
will contrive methods for executing it,
which often meet with temporary suc
cess. Soon- rush to serrrs of am’ 10 ''.
mont to escape -from thought. Some
bond over tho chess-board to render
themselves oblivious to tho game —so
graphically sketched by Retscli—of
Satan’s playing with man for his soul.
But it is the same impulse also which
urges a man to attempt to undermine
the Gospel system, and render the
terrors of tiro law null and void. In
this attempt, different , methods may be
pursued, hut in nearly all we may trace
the venom of conscious antipathy to tho
claims which God makes upon tho peni
tence and humility of tho soul.
In the case of nearly all tho forms of
modern infidelity wo feci that there is
ground for more than surmise, that—
as the language of Theodore Parker
would seem to intimate in connection
with his own course—the wish has been
father to the thought. An intelligent
mind, averse to the spiritual claims 5 and
duties of the Bibleis impelled toward some
phase of infidelity, and that phase de
pends largely \ipon -the structure and
training of the mind itself, or the cir
cumstances in Which it is placed.' One
may give the profetence tb " the Abso
lute Religion,” Or ho may drift toward
the coarser and more vulgar infidelity
of Tom Paine. Ho may find rest in
the crude TOmahcd by which Rend n
caricatures the noblest'life that was ever
lived on ’ earth; : or he nitty'with Herbert
Spenpor philosophize ’God into tho re
gions of'the “unknowable,” hut all these
diverse paths j however they may cross
one another, tend to the. same goal—•
either to be able to bear tho Bible or to
got rid of it. : ; ■ \y'‘ i:
*THE; BETHESDA HOME,
It is an interesting fact-perhaps 0b
generally known, that there. is in the
neighborhood of? this :, city, Ohostnut
Hill, an institution on. the principle of
Mailer’s Asylum in England, as ex
hibited in- “ The LifqofTrust.” Wo
take a few extracts froma Report kindly
handed us, published in January, 1862:
In 1854, three years after her conver
sion, Annie Clement was appointed to
take charge of a class connected with a
missionary churbh in Eleventh street,
in the southern part of Philadelphia'.
The duties of this work called her to
visit families at their homos, and Bbe
was thus brought in contact with much
destitution and distress, which most
aboundin'ithis section! df the city. Her
means wer.e freely distributed; to lighten
thp miseries |)f the poor, but she labored
and prayedtehieny for (he salvation of
their souls. She found * how much de
ception was practiced upon the
lent; how money, clothing, and; even
fobd were .frequently exchanged for in
toxicating liquors. Many Would rather
beg than Work, and would use tlicir
children as taeans-to rouse the sympa
thies of the humane ; and then squander
What was given for relief, for that which
only rendered their .misery more miser
able, and sunk them deeper in povorty
and degradation. ’The care of childretT
was laid as a burden upon her heart,’
and she felt the necessity of a house
whore they might be separated from
such degrading, influences,.and., trained
to a religious life. -Bettriiig'tbiS burden
continually iii her prayers, she soon felt:
assured'.that, sooner or later, God would,
provide her such a place,; but when, or
where, or how, she could not tell. She
also conceived the idea that a House of
Industry could bo carried on in such a
manner aB greatly to improve the con
dition of those old enough and able to
work; that many young girls, might be
saved from degradation and shame, and
trained to lead industrious and virtuous
lives, if separated from e-fit influences,
cared for anfl: brought into a cheerful
and religious home, whore they could
be taught to work, and their labor, so
systetnatized a.B to insure profitable
.returns for'their industry; that women
with drunken husbands; who sat nura-'
ing their children in rags and dirt, could
be persuaded to leave off their begging,
and comb into such tt house, where they
could learn to earn a living and keep
themselves decent.
At this lime, the Holy Spirit was
preparing hor heart for a iifo of faith,
which should receive temporal, things
from tho hand of God, as directly as
spiritual necessities are supplied. One
text was so strongly and constantly
impressed on her mind that she firmly
believed some time she would' be com
pelled to render a literal obedienco. It
was, “ Sell that ye have, and give alms,”,
and almost, without a struggle her heart
said “Amen 1”
In the autumn of 1859 she took rooms
in the building at the corner of Thir
teenth and Ellsworth streets, and re
solved never „to ask help from any
human being, nor make wants known
'to any save God. The Report says:
“Many mothers with young children
seemed peculiar objects of pity and
sympathy. Some-of these were taken
to the Home,-under the impression that
.there was •an institution for infants
established Lv tho city, to which the
children could bo sent when their mo
thers found places to work out. But,
upon inquiry, this proved to be a
Children's Hospital, unavailable to any
but the sick, and it was ascertained that
there was no provision made for children
under three years of age. The ladies
in charge of tho Home regarded these
circumstances in which they were now
placed . aB indicating the path which
Providence had assigned them, and im
mediately devoted themselves to the
care of young children."
We give an item reminding us of
Mr. Muller's narrative:
“ Jammry 24th. This morning our.
PHILADELPHIA, THURSDAY, JULY 21, 1864.
closets and purses were empty. We
ate our breakfast, not knowing where
dinner was to come from, and a sick
person of delicate appetite must be
provided for. A severe storm was rag
ing, and few persons would like to
venture out ou such a day. At ton
o’clock A. M.. a carriage stopped at the
door, and a delicate female came in.
bringing a large basket of all kinds of
provisions, needed for our dinner, and.
leaving ten dollars. She said she had
been so impressed to bring these things,
this morning that she could not rest;
Her brother-in-law had thought it too’
stormy for the horses to go out, and ;
she had determined to come in the cars,
when he concluded to send the carriage:”*
The Homo was removed about two
years Since to Ohostnut Hill, arid not
long' after a. large and commodious
house, ’originally erected for a race
ground hotel, was offered to the .mana
gers free of rent. Tho offer was accepted.
The institution receives orphans', and?
aged people wflo are dependent. It is
in successful operation,(.under the care
of Miss Clement, a Methodist, Miss
Lawton, a. Presbyterian, and-;MrSi-;
Yttlentine, a Quakeress. The Rfepott
closes with these words: . 1 -.- tB-
“ And thus God raises up m ono place;
and another testimonies of. His power
and, the truth, of His word, that They
who trust in/Him. shall'never b.c coni
founded. Prancke’s MissiOn HOuso iii
Germany, the Orphan Housu of Goorge
Muller in England, the Bethesda Home*
•here in Philadelphia, all witness to. the
power of faith, that those who. believe
not may be left without excuse: 1 God
will vindicate the truth of His word,.
“ And Whatsoever wo ask, we receive
of; him; because, wo.keep his command,:
ments, and do those, things that are
pleasing in jhis sight.” (ljohn iii. 22 s )
LETTER FROM INDIA.
My Dear Brother Mears. :—ln jiiy
last I gave you some account 1 of the
murder of our dear brother Janvier.
Thinking you will be in terested mseeing
how justice is meted out to his cruel
murderer, I send you Commissioner
Lake's summing: up and sentence in the
case, Which has been confirmed by the
higher authorities. : ? .
I send also the translation of a letter!
from the priests, which'they sent to the'
Deputy Commissioner of Amritsur with
a hundred rupees for Mr. Janvier’s chil
dren . The letter does the priests credit,
and - bears distinctly on the wrong
opinion of some officials' that the natives
in general httte the missionaries because
they teach Christianity. ! No doubt
. some do, but the great majority of them
respect a man’s religions convictions,
and respect hini all the rnoro* if r he' fli(j(6*
up to his convictions.
To this cruel murder of Brother Jan
vier must so soon be added that of
’Brother Loewenthal, at PeshaWur, of
which you Will have heard before this
reaches you. There is some ground to
hope his servant shot him accidentally;'
but thus* -far the' circumstances, give
occasion: to Suspect • malice •" prepon so.
These tWo able'and devoted brethren
are/a great loss to our mission work
and* the O. S. Presbyterian Board.'
But neither of these cases can b;e re
garded as ainy evidence of general hos
tility to missionaries or their teachings:
It is possible the recent violent attack*
upon Brothei' Burnell, of the Madura
Mission, may be traced to siieh'hostility.'
but'not so either of these m ni de -' i
You are awttve that our Christian'con-,
verts embrace in their number . one of
our native pin ncos, • viz: His Highness,
the MaharagaDhuleeps Singh: He has
made his home in England for some;
years; but has recently
and left a very pleasant; (impression of
his Christian character.' A spiritual
minded man like the Rev. George Bo wen
speaks of having conversed -with;him
much on the higher spiritualities of our
holy faith, and with great satisfaction
in view of his attainments; in the .divine
life and knowledge. While in Bombay
the Maharaga gave an entertainment to
his native Christian brethren, of which
I enclose a brief notice. - ... ,
.Hast year I.gayo you some account
of the unhappy decision of Sir M. Wells
in the ease of the young convert Hem
Hath Bqso,.forcing, him. back, into, the
power and control of Bis heatlfen iiafhbf.
A similar case has just been decided in
Bombay by Sir Joseph Arnould. The
young convert was of j ust the same' age,
but Sir Joseph Arnould accorded .to
him the. age of discretion, entitling rhim'
to choose ' his own faith: and? : place' -of
residence. This decision is -directly,
opposed to that of Sir; M. Wells? but;
who can doubt that justice and hufoahityy
as well as true piety, afei on the side of;
Sir J. Arnould’s decision •? r
Such are a few of the lights, and
shades of our missionary work in this
dark land. Our work is hard ; oftenare
we quite disheartened. . Government
often fails to adopt measures And use
its influence as we think it should. : We
know that our lives are constantly
exposed to the malice of some daring,
revengeful native; and sometimes our
spirits are oppressed with an apprehen
sion that dear friends far away in our
native laud are feeling less interest am
praying less for our dear mission and
these perishing idolaters for whom wo
labor. But, may God strengthen us
for our work, and help us ever to feel
that it is ours to follow our ?Divine
Leader oven to the cross.
In haste and Christian affection, yours
sincerely, R. G. Wilder.
Kola took, India, May 20, 1864.
THE MURDER OF MR. JANVIER.
(Lahore'Chronicle, May 7.)
The Crown vs. Bhag Singh, son of Hun
!jeet Singh.— The crime with which the
iprieoner stands charged was committed
a,t Anundporo, .a ;to wn in the Hoßhior
;pore district, founded by Gooroo Govind
Singh; the tenth andJ.ast Gooroo of tho
.Sikhs, under whose teaching the Sikhs,
from harmless devotees, became a mar
tial race. As ; he himself said to his fol
lowers:—Hitherto you have been
Sikhs (disciples), henceforth you are to
b'e Singhs (lions).” This connection of
•the town with their .warlike Gooroo has
made Anundporo a place of great fame
among the Sikh's, and it contains .seve
ral Sikh temples to which pilgrimages
are ‘made. The. chief assemblage of
rpeople, however, takes place at the
plooljee festival. It was at the time'
that itfiis festival" was celebrated • in
Stardhj l lB64, that the deceased, Mr.
Janvier, and his brother missionary, the
rEev.!Mr.;ipoxletpn, came.to Anundpore
in orider tq preach the gospel to the
large concourse who were assembled
therp. They selected, however, a re
tired, spot for theirwofk; and it is shown
m evidence, that no altercation took
placd during the. fair between the Mis
sionardcs ancl the people. Indeed, the
.briebner nimsolf admits that he killed
the deceased, not because bo was a
Missionary, bnt because he was a Euro
pean- From the confession of the pris-.
pnor-, and tho ovidence adduced, it ap
pcars’lligt the' fair 1 was oyer, and on the
2ith; of March thSOohcluding ceremony
Bad been .performed,: Whioh consisted in
bringing out in,procession all the flags
pn the different oikh temples and doing
worship to thCmi ’TheMissionaries had
'retired to their tehts,and about 8 P. M.,
Mr. Janvier came outsido to give 60me
orders regarding his march the follow
ing day, when suddenly the prisoner
Bhag Singh appeared, and struck him
two severe blows, one on tho top of the
head and the other just above the right
eye. /Mr. Janvier did not utter a word
-afterwards, and remained insensible
until ho breathed his last the following
morning before day-light. The medical
evidence shows that the injury above
the right eye was of such a nature that
death must haye ensued. The club
used by the prisoner is'about two fee ; t
long, hnd weighs nearly three pounds.
TEhe prisoner admits that became from
a Sikh temple- some four hundred yards
distabtiwith the deliberate intention of
tkillig&a European, ihet only motive
if ie aSsignls' for this act, is, that he was ;
'bpeb-strabk With a 'whip across the faco
by some European Officer for not saint-1
ing him. AlthoSgh this doubtless weigh-,
"cd with him, tho ceremonies in which
he had taken part that day wore calcn
late4 to rouse the spirit of fanaticism;
for the - procesSion of flags’ referred to
| above, serves to remind tho Sikhs of the
| martial triumphs of their last Gooroo.
l and p||his followers; apart from this
"the prisoner Bhag Singh belongs to a
I.Sbct'of Sikh Faqu'eefs known' as Afcal
| lees (Immoßtals) or- FTehungs, who, urns
dor the Sikh rule, enjoyed immunity
from all law and authority, and who
are much addicted to the use of intoxi
cating'drugs. • ’■■■ /
The evidence adduced shows that the
prisoner waß caught by Kurreom Buxsh
as he was running away after the com
mission of this act, of which there .were
tlwo eye-witnesses, Giilab and ‘Dnlloo.
<E-0' had just before thrown his club
away, and. this was found close to the
place yrhorehe wan apprehended. Tho
’evidence addiiced, and fhb.confession oF
‘the’prisoner, clearly establish, his guilt ;
the Court concurring with the assessors,
duds that Bhag Sing has committed tho
Offence of murder, and has thereby com-.
mitjL’od ah offence punishable under Sec
tion; 802 of the Indian Penal Code, and
the’ Court directs that the said Bhag
Sing (subject to -the confirmation of su
perior authority,) shall ho hanged by
tho neck till ho is dead.
Eqward Lake, Gomtnr. and Supdt.
Hoahiarpore, 28d April, 1864.
Idirect the Deputy Commissioner of
Hoshiarppre to give a reward, of fifty
rupees to Iturreem Buxsh, in addition
to tho' t.jvcnty rupees received from the
Police; J fdr capturing the l '-murderer
Bhag Sing: "The evidence, shows that
| jfJKurreem,Buxsh had.not followed him
up so promptly, tho prisoner Bhag Sing
would havo got mixed up in tho crowd,
when it would have been very difficult
to have apprehended him. \
-The Sev. Mr. Woodside, who attended
the,trial of behalf of ,Mrs., Janviei;, and
the Society with whom the deceased
was associated, having expressed a wish
to receive the club with which the fatal
blow- was-struck, his requestyras grant
ed and. the club made oyer to him.' .
f . ... ■ ' Edward Lake.
''Ho3hiai'pore,2Bd ; April, 1864.
. The India paper from which the
above is clipped, adds the following ae
'e'oun.t of the remarkable action of priests
and. heathen functionaries in behalf of
missionary's family:
reference to the above, we may
mention tbat some days ago a paper in
Goorroukhec was handed to' Deputy
Cornmiesioner of Amritsur, by, a depu
tation from the Priests, bfihangs, and
A'kalis, cpnnocted with the Great Tent
pie there, with a contribution of 100 ru
pees, of which the . folio wing is a/trans
lation : / "
“ We, have heard the circumstances of
the death of the heroic Missionary gen- :
tleman who fell by the hand of a reck
less ■ Akali at the venerated town of ;
Anundporo. We are all extremely griev
ed at this inournfui event. The Mis
sionary gentleman was possessed of
affable manners and an excellent dispo
sition. He was killed by the band of
an unworthy person. Being grieved at
this untoward occurrence, we all re
member it with great sorrow. The
gentleman's children, in consequence of
his death, must have been brought into
great distress. Therefore, by way of
assisting the children of the heroic gen
tleman, deceased, we give 100 rupees
out of our own pockets, and with sin
cerity of heart we pray our venerated
Guru, that, besides the punishment the
murderer receives from the Goverment
of the country, he may receive addi
tional punishment, as the reward of his
deeds, from the Tenerated Guru.”—La
hore. Chronicle, May 7.
THOMAS CHALMERS.
Tin: apostle or. cut missions
Fully to appreciate tho Christian de
votion of Dr. Chalmers in tho work
to which he gave the best energies
of his life, w© should remember what
brilliant opportunities he had of dis
tinction and of usefulness in other and
for different spheres of effort, which
good men more affected than he by
worldly considerations would have
found eminently congenial to their
tastes, and certainly useful enough to
satisfy their consciences. But Chalmers
was ambitions'for a far higherdegree of
usefulness than he could Attain by his
power of eloquence alone, mighty though
that was. Ho aspired to immediate
and vast achievements of tho most
practical and personal character. He
aimed to realize the marvellous reforma
tory power of the Gospel, in the lowest
and most needy classes of population.
It was not enough for him to sway
listening thousands with the charm of
his oratory; to hold the nobility, the
magistrates and tho senators of Great
Britain, and the masters of her parlia
mentary eloquence, enchained by his
commanding powers of speech; or even
to melt the opposition of hardened sin
ners by the overpowering tendorness of
his appeals. It was not enough that
tho first critics of the day laid down
their pens, and joined in tho general
applause of his eloquence; that Hr.
Lockhart, of the Quarterly Review said :
“Most unquestionably I have never
beard, either in England or Scotland,
or in ahy country, any preacher wiiose
eloquence is capable of producing an
effect as strong and irresistible as his;”
pr that Lord Jeffrey should say: “It
reminds me more of what one reads of
the effect ot the eloquence of Demosthe
nes, than anything I ever heard;” or
that Wdberforce Should write: “All
the world wild about Pr. Chalmers;”
oi* that Canning, himself among the
most eloquent of British statesmen,
should bo. greatly affected, at times evon
to tears; by Dr. Chalmers’ .discourses,
and declare that he had never been so.
arrested by any oratory; “ The tartan,”
Said this generoas critic, “ beats us all.”
It was not enough that ho won inch
triumphs as : are described in the follow
ing language,; by an American clergy
man, presont at two of his lectures bn
Church Establishments delivered in Lon
don, previous to the disruption. . We'
give the description, that our readers
may bettor appreciate the devotedness
of the eloquent doctor in preferring-the
-work of evangelizing the noglccted
masses of his countrymen to a more
brilliant career. ,
Tho concluding ieeturo was attended
by nine prelates of the Church of. Eng
land. The tide that bad been rising and:
swelling each succeeding day, now burst
all bounds. Carried away by tho im
passioned utterance of the speaker, long
ere the close of some of his finest passa
ges was reached; the-voice of the lecturer
was drowned iriapplause, the audience
l'ising'from their seats, waving their
hats above their heads, and breaking out
into tumultuous approbation. Nothing
could exceed the enthusiasm that pre
vailed in London. • The great city .seem
ed stirred to its very depths. The Doc
tor sat behirid'a small table delivering
his lectures, the hall in front being
densely crowded with one of tho most
brilliant audiences that ever assembled
in Great Britain. It was supposed that
at least five hundred of those present
were peers and members of the House
of Commons. The sitting attitude of
Dr. Chalmers seemed at first irreconci
lable with much energy or effect. Snch
an anticipation was at once dispelled by
the enthusiasm of the speaker, respond
ed to if possible by the still more intense
enthusiasm of the audience. Occasion
ally the effect was eyengreatly increas
ed by the eloquent man springing un
consciously to his feet, and delivering
with overwhelming power the more
magnificent, a movement
which once at least was imitated by the
entire audience, —when the words ‘The
king cannot, the king dare not,’* were
uttered in accents of prophetic vehe
mence, that must still ring in the ears
of .all' who heard them, and were re
sponded to by a whirlwind of enthusi
asm which was probably never exceeded
in the history of eloquence. Nothing
fpree- might make an obnoxious individual
the holdei: of a benefice, but there is no external force
n?i? I< V“ alce him a minister of. the
Church of ScotlamL, The king,by himself; or by his re-
EtSKo’ tlio spectator of our proceedings;
of the poor man's house,
is true m all its parts of the churoh to which I have the
honor to belong. In England, every man's house is his
castle; nothat it is surrounded by walls and battle
ments ; it may be a straw-builfc shed; every wind of hea
ven may whistle around it, every element of heaven
may cnier it, but iua saxci c.vmnm, the kinci dabe nct.”
was more striking, however, amidst all
this excitement, than the childlike hu
mility of the great man himself. All
this flattery seemed to produce no effect
whatever on him; his mind was entire
ly absorbed in his great object; and the
same kind, playful, and truly Christian
spirit, that so endeared him to us all.
was everywhere apparent inf his con
duct.”
“He was evidently more deeply
moved,” Bays Dr. Wayland, in his recent
excellent memoir. “ at learning that his
ministrations had been blessed to the
conversion of a soul, than by the rap
turous applause elicited by the moßt
successful of his public addresses.”
And his opinion of the popularity to be
gained by these methods was stated by
himself in an address to his Sabbath
school laborers in Glasgow, in the fol
lowing powerful language:
“ There is another, and a far-sound
ing popularity, which ib indeed a most"
worthless article, felt by all who have it
most to be far more oppressive than
gratifying; a popularity of stare and
pressure and animal heat, and a whole
tribe of other annoyances which it
brings around the person of its unfortu
nate victim; a popularity which rifles
home of its sweets, and, by elevating
man above his fellows, plaices him in a
region of desolation, where tho intima
cies of human fellowship are unfelt, and
where he stands a conspicuous mark for
the shafts of malice, envy, and detrac
tion ; a popularity which, with its head
among storms and its feefron the treach
erous quicksand, has nothing to lull the
agonies of its tottering existence bat the
hosannas of a drivelliDg generation.”
Ho deliberately and consciously "chose,
“as the dearest object of his earthly
existence—-to use his own language—
the elevation of. the common people,
humanized by Christianity and raised
by the strength of their moral habits to
a higher platform of human, nature ; and
by which they may attain and enjoy
the rank and consideration due to en
lightened and companionable men.”
He felt that he was called, so far as in
him lay, to the noble work of Bending
'the Gospel with all its blessings for
time and eternity to every family
throughout the whole of Scotland.
This would not bo accomplished by
building fine churches. The poor, the
degraded, the vicious, would never enter
those magnificent temples, commonly
called tho houses of God. Tho Gospel
must be carried to them, and wherever
Chalmers went he at once commenced
the performance of this’ duty. Of pas
toral visitation he spoke thus This is
what I call preaching the <s?iiispel to
every creature; and that cannot be
rdono by .setting yourself in the pulpit as-,
a centre of attraction but by going
fortli.and making aggressive movements
upon the community, and by preaching
from houso to house.” “ There will
never,” ho says again, “bo a general
revival, of religion until Christians at
home go forth among the heathen fami
lies around: them, with the.same enthu
siasm' that they expect from missiona
ries who go abroad.”
PRESBYTERIAN ORGANIZATION.
. The London Times gives the follow
ing remarkable v testimony to tho effec
tiveness of Presbyterian organization:
“ The organization of the Kirk is
perfect and potent as the organization
of the Popedom. In every parish there
is the minister, with his little senate of
lay elders and deacons, called tho Kirk
Session, who rule the congregation from
week to week. Every month the Pres
bytery meets—being an assembly of
iho ministers, with a certain proportion
of laymen, from a" cluster of parishes.
Every quarter the Presbyteries of a
county meet in Synods, and every year
there is a General Assombly of the
whole Kirk, which is made up of minis
ters and elders elected by all the Pres
byteries in the kingdom. The system
Of self-government is tho most complete
that can be imagined, and, based as it
is on public Opinion amply expressed in
long discussions and elaborate voting,
it is almost irresistible. In scores of
conclaves, groat and small, doctrines
are "discussed over and over again; from
thousands of pulpits, and in tens of
thousands of little prayer-meetings, the
prevalent opinion is diffused, and in
turn reacts on Assembly, Synod, Pres
bytery, and Kirk Session. It is a
mechanism of prodigious power for the
diffusion of opinion, and for the stamp
ing out of heresy. All the parts of it
act and react upon each other with
peculiar sensitiveness. There is nothing
like it in England. There is nothing
like it anywhere, save in the Catholic
Church; where the organization is
equally potent,'though on different prin
ciples.” ■
-The Hearts, of,believers are like the
needle touched by the loadstone, which
cannot rest until it comes to the point,
whereunto, by the secret virtue of it, it
is directed.. For being once touched by
thedove of, Christ, receiving therein an
impression of secret, ineffable virtu©,
they will ever be in motion and restless
until they come unto him and behold
bis glory.— Owen.
If we Suffer we shall also reign
with him.” The members of the mys
tical .body must be conformed unto their
Head. In Him sufferings went before
glory ; arid so they must in them. The
order in the kingdom of Satan, and the
world is contrary hereunto. First the
good things of this life, and then eternal
misery in the method of that kingdom.
—lbid. 8