The American Presbyterian AND GENESEE EVANGELIST. IBLIGIOUS AND FAMILY KEWSFAPEB, XH TEB HfWRMT OF TBS Constitutional Presbyterian Church, PUBLISHED EVERT THURSDAY, AT THE PRESBYTERIAN HOUSE, 1334 Chestnat Street, (2d Story,) Philadelphia. Rev. JOHN W. HEARS, Editor and Publisher. CONTENTS OP INSIDE PAGES. Second Page—Family— Baby Lilly—Window Bhnds—Bread Upon the Waters —A Noble Working Man of Olden Times—Engaging Servants in England. Third Page—Editor’s Table— Greeley’s American Conflict—Lowell’s Fireside Tra vels—Boker’s Poems of the War. Remarkable success of a Blind Man —Guizot’s Meditations—Large Cities and their Growth—U. S. Christian Commission. Six i a P;gi—Correspondence— Missionary Letter to Harrisburg Presbytery—Mrs. Caro line Jessup, Missionary to Syria—Retrospect of a Long Pastorate—Twenty five Cents Then and Now. Seventh Page— Religious .World Abroad, Monthly Summary. DOOTBIHES FOE THE TIMES. It must be a drowsy clergy that is content to follow traditional modes of handling the truth, aud that neglects to inquire into their fitness to the present age. The changed necessities, the new facilities of the times demand indeed no new truths of the Christian teacher, but they require his awakened attention, his intelligent regard, his candid readi ness to adapt the whole form of his teaching to the character of the age in which he lives. If he would make his pulpit the place of power it ought to be, he will be awake to the living, actual world around him, and will preach di rectly and boldly to that. Was not such the preaching of Paul and the Apostles ? And was it not ef fective because it was addressed to the actual prejudices and wants of the Jewish and heathen world of their day ? And while the inspiration that breathes through it gives it a superhuman adapt ness to all times, does it not, itself, teach us to avoid a slavish adherence to the letter or form, and to he all things to all men, that by all means we may savo some ? In the times of Athanasius, the Christian world needed to have the 'true doctrine of the Trinity taught. “In the time when Anthony began to make the monastic "system popular in Egypt, and Benedict in Italy, what was needed was a ministry so imbued with sound theology that that question, the great question of the age, could be met and settled by the true principles of the Gospel." In the fifteenth: century it was necessary that the vileness of the Romish priesthood and the insolent and blasphemous assumptions of Popes and Anti-popes should he exposed; and the popularity and power of John Huss in the pulpit of Bethlehem chapel, and of Wycliffe among the people of England, justified the wisdom of their course in choosing those themes of pulpit discus sion. So in Luther’s time, it was ne cessary to the very being of the true church upon earth that the doctrine of justification by faith should be made the leading topic of pulpit instruction; and the preacher who, at that time, in sisted on preaching against Arianism, like Athanasius, or against priestly vi ces, like Huss and Wycliffe, or who pnrsued a general course of instruction with his flock, in which all doctrines were treated with equal prominence, would have been out of place, and des titute of influence for good, amid the grand revolutions of the times. Pull of significance to the doctrinal preacher, is the struggle through which our country is passing. It calls loudly for the application of particular doc trines to its wants ; it presents certain most tender and susceptible moods of the public mind to valuable lessons of Scripture truth;" it illustrates with Startling vividness and power the grand and fundamental features of the divine government over the world. The preacher .who dares to let it go without careful study and ample improvement, has laid up,matter for life-long regret, and has proved himself, in some impor tant respects, unworthy and unfit for his great office. He shows that he fails to appreciate, and knows not how to use times that, of all others; render the jfreacher’s position the most exalted, commanding, and enviable in the eyes of all who» covet influence among their fellows. Now is the time for the earnest preacher of the truth to strike; how, in spite of the excitement of the times — D ay, by the judicious use of these very excitements —he can make his blows tell. Now every one feels, thrills, with the thought that — * * * « Life is not an idle ore, Bat iron dag from central gloom And heated hot with burning fears.” ready, under the strokes of the skilful preacher of the Word, to be wrought “ to shape and use/’ We can do little more than hint at the doctrines which the times afford the preaches opportunity, or which they per- Anutitaw i?u'*>linU't;iiin New Series, Vol. I, IVo. 39. emptorily call upon him, to preach with especial prominence. They are such as: The divine authority of civil govern emment; the majesty and sanctity of law; the duty of obedience, reverence, and cordial support on tho part of the, citizen; the hatefulness and crimi nality of unjustifiable rebellion; the duty of maintaining a, positive and un mistakable attitude of loyalty to right ful authority, aud of uncompromising hostility to an offence so enormous as an armed and bloody attempt, on the grandest scale, to overthrow a free and O • t good government, and to replace it by— no one knows what, of anarchy, lawless ness and-crime. We refer not so much to the mischief as to the sin of rebellion; though its evil consequences help us to measure the sin of those who engage in it. It is a moral and religious coneep-" tion of the offence which we would have conveyed by the pulpit. Let it he pre sented as an outrage against the most sacred sentiments of the human mind; against the foundations upon which even the righteous depend; against the divine authority itself, thinly veiled un der human arrangements and institu tions ; as a crime involving the guilt of all other crimes, and tending to destroy all the slowly and painfully acquired blessings of civilization; as an outbreak of the deepest selfishness and most cor rupt instincts of the fallen nature of man. Lot the solemn obligation resting upon rulers and people, to crush and punish such wicked designs, be dnly in sisted upon, and let the immorality of tolerating, conciliating, and compromis ing with it, and the danger of abating the strenuousness of our attitude towards it, he faithfully exposed. Nor do we thus argue because we de sire the aid of the ministry in suppres sing this particular rebellion. We do indeed desire it; but our aim at this time is far more comprehensive. We feel that this is the divinely appointed period for proclaiming these very doc trines; so far as we fail to appreciate and live up to ’them, we lose precious opportunities for cultivating healthful ness and vigbr of moral principle ; nay, the tone of public morals must absolute ly sink in a community where such grave demands for action and sentiment of the right sort are inadequately esti mated and feebly responded to. To allow our people, or the public, to imag ine for a moment that we regard the gross iniquity of rebellion with anything less than the deepest abhorrence; to leave them in the least doubt as to our position towards it; to allow it to he in ferred from our teachings that Christ ians may consistently hold diverse views upon it, is to inflict upon them positive and great injury. We help to dull the quickness of their consciences, and to tarnish with dimness the divinest gem of human nature. When murders multi ply, or when the mob spirit is rife, or the madness of speculation spreads like a contagion through the community, or frauds in high places abound, no true preacher of righteousness allows his people to detect in his doctrine the slightest hesitancy as to the wickedness of such dCvelopements, and the duty of checking them by all the means in our power. That, indeed, is. his time to make a deep impression upon his hear ers, as to the guilt of such courses. Just so with thiß time of rebellion. It is the greatest opportunity the ministry of this or any other country ever had of training theconsciences, and of enlarging the capacities of their hearers for honest wholesome indignation against great wrong, and for stamping upon the public mind impressions of the guilt of unjusti fiable rebellion, that will be indelible for generations. As truly as Luther’s age was one that peculiarly called for the preaching of justification by faith, so is our age providentially appropriate to exhibiting from the pulpit that whole class of doctrines connected with the sacredness of civil government; and just as truly as the ministry of the sixteenth century who refused or neglected to preach justification were derelict, so truly are the ministers of this day, who fail to inculcate the duties of the citizen to the state. We have not yet done, however, with our Doctrines for the Times. Dedication.- —The dedication of a new church, free from debt, in MattOon, 111., took place on the 7th ult. Rev. T: Hill, of Shelby ville, preached the sermon. PHILADELPHIA, THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 1864. We reproduce the fine engraving of this church, which we published more than three years ago, when the determination to build was first taken, and the plan of the edifice adopted. Scarcely any public building in existence has been carried forward during thirty more eventful months of the world’s history. The hopeful prognostics of the early termination of the war, which greet us on every side of its vast theatre, will add a peculiar interest to the dedication services to he held on Sabbath evening next. The location of the building is at the N. E. corner of Broad and Green Streets. Size of the lot, 80 by 185 feet. DimensKns of the church, 75 by 117 feet; tower, 25 feet wide at the base, aud to be 215 feet high when complete ; height of main building, to the eaves, 50 ft., to the ridge, 95 tt. Stylo of architecture, Norman ; material, Trenton brown stone. Interior —floor of basement two feet frbm the ground, ceiling 15 fe&t in the clear; containing Lecture Room, to seat iiOO ; S. S. rooms, to accommodate 500 children, Pastor’s Study, and other small'; apartments, for S. S. library, passage ways, &c. Audience room, 65 by 80 feet; tews circular, seating comfortably 860 adults. One thousand persons could he accommodated on the main floor, besides 150 in the organ loft. Height of the roomj 52 feet, the arched ceiling having a radius of 26 feet. The lights are, fixed ih the ceiling, behind ground glass projecting shades, the jets being 42 in numbs 1 ; the light, while sufficiently strong, is subdued and agreeable to the eye. The aeans of .access and egress.are ample, there being five doorways and five staircased in front, and two entries in the rear. Whole coßt, including lot, $75,000. We take pleasure in announcing the return of Mr. Hammond from his sum mer tour in the Northwest in improved health. He passed through our city last week on his way eastward. Our readers have been made acquainted with his labours and successes in Chicago— where the correspondent of the Indepen dent reports one thousand hopeful conver sions—at St. Paul and Minneapolis, du ring this tour. At Red Wing, Minn.,' and other places not previously men tioned, his labours were equally blessed. Besides the number mentioned in Chi cago, it is believed by good judges that as many as six hundred found the Saviour through these labours. Indeed, Mr. Hammond found it almost impos sible to carry out his intention of resting and recruiting in this visit; his aid was. so earnestly sought that he could not find it in his heart to refuse. On the edge of a wooded lake (L. Minnetonka) 25 miles west of St. Paul, whither he had gone to camp out and fish and hunt, he found a little church whose pastor, Rev. Mr. Sheldon, had long been wait ing for a time of refreshing, and who induced Mr. Hammond to assist -in special services. This he did, returning at night, after preaching, to his bed of boughs in the woods, and resuming his hunting and- fishing through the day. Many souls were hopefully converted at this little place. Soon after, Mr. H.. started in a northwesterly direction and travelled 163 miles through the dense, unbroken pine forests of Northern Min nesota, towards the shores of Lake Superior. In this trip he frequently had no company but Chippewa Indians, and no food but such as he shared at their lodges. On the broad river St. Louis he was upset in a sail boat, and had to swim for his. life. At Superior City he took the steamboat on the lake; but desiring a further experience of the wild life of the woods, he soon left the NORTH BROAD STREET CHURCH. BEY. E. P. HAMMOHD. Grenesee Eyangelist, Wo. 058. TB§teifc ijjP wader and struck through the forests of Northern Wisconsin, and kept on some times with a single guide, sometimes with railroad surveyors, fishing, shoot ing ducks, prairie hens and one deer, nntil he emerged .into civilization again at Green Bay. His whole northwestern tour has lasted two months. Mr. H. has returned, we are happy to say, if no t altogether restored, yet greatly improved in health; with all his natural buoyancy, full of energy and ardor, full of hope and faith in his peculiar work, full of plans for the extension of Christ’s kingdom, which he most firmly believes may be) accomplished at a far more rapid rjite than the moderate one so generally acquiesced in by the church. One of the subjects -which lies espe cially near his heart, is Open-air Preach ing, as a means, of reaching the neglect ful and irreligious masses, especially of our eities. As witnessed by himself abroad, and as practised by Mr. H. to a limited extent in this country, it has commanded itself to his judgment as a most Efficient and valuable evangelizing instrumentality. At our request Mr. Hammjond has consented to furnish for our columns a series of articles, in which he will present the results of his own observation and experience in this branch of effort, the first of which will appear next week. These articles will appropriately follow the series on the evangelical labors of Dr. Chalmers in behalf of the neglected poor of the eities of Scotland, which were completed but a few weeks ago. Our prayer is that the faith of God’s people in his readiness, to pour put his Spirit in un precedented measures may be greatly strengthened, and that they may be encouraged to bolder enterprises for the conversion of a lost world to Christ by these articles. The American Tract Society’s grants of publications, during the last month amounted to $5,678. THE NOON DAT PEAYEE MEETING. We learn that, with the return of population from their summer rambles, the daily prayer meeting in Fulton street is becoming crowded, and what is better, its meetings are becoming the scene of deep spiritual interest.' From day to day awakened persons are pre sent, and prayer is offered especially in their behalf. Quite recently a young man arose and stated that he had there been told that the thing which he need ed was to find Christ, “and that night,” said he “ I found him.”. Why cannot an effort be made to revive the public interest in the daily union prayer meeting in this city ? And what reason is there to suppose that such an effort sincerely and earn estly made, would not, under the Divine blessing, be successful ? We know not how extensively our Christian population need to be in formed that the meeting is still contin ued at the- lecture room of the Young Men’s Christian Association, Chestnut street above Tenth ; but such is the fact, and we believe there is no inten tion on the part of those who have so long and faithfully watched over its interests, that it shall be abandoned. We occasionally—wc wish our engage ments permitted ub to say frequently— drop in, and our observation of the tone and spirit of the meeting, is one which inspires delight in it, and a wish for a wider use' Of its privileges. Perhaps the change of time and feel ing since its establishment, may render some changes in its appertainings advis able.." Perhaps a change of the hour might favor a larger attendance. We doubt not that any suggestions on the subject would! be well received and considered. Why would not the whole matter be a good one for a free discus sion in a monthly meeting of the Young Men’s Christian Association ? We throw out these thoughts with warmer interest, from the remembrance that this prayer meeting has so long stood as the living witness of the real catholicity of the church of our Lord, and as such has exercised so softening an influence upon the bigotries to which strong denominationalism is ever prone. We. would keep up a stone of covenant, and upon its face we would chisel deep er and deeper the heaven-inspired motto —“All ye'are brethren.” CITY EELIGIOUS ITEMS. Another Church out of Debt. —ln the laudable efforts now being made to free all our churches from pecuniary embarrassment, it is gratifying to add the Logan Square Church to the num ber that have succeeded. This has re cently been accomplished by the united liberality of the church itself, and friends in the city. The very pleasant intelli gence was announced to the congrega tion on last Sabbath by the pastor, in a discourse adapted tp the occasion. At a meeting held on "Wednesday evening, September 21st, after religious exer cises, addresses were made by Rev. Charles Brown, the former pastor, and by Rev. John Patton, D. JD., the present pastor, also by Mr. Alexander M. Thompson, and the following resolutions were unanimously passed : Whereas, This congregation has learned that the indebtedness on our house of worship has been entirely can celled, by which we find ourselves re lieved from a burden long felt to be in convenient, therefore Resolved, That we acknowledge’with heartfelt gratitude our obligations to the Great Head of the Church, for this manifestation of kindness towards us, and at the same time express our thanks to all those friends, among ourselves, and in other churches, who have so , cheerfully contributed to place us in this desirable position. Resolved, That being in 'this manner so effectually relieved from the pressure of church debt, we should feel incited to labor more earnestly for the spiritual welfare of our congregation, and should be prompted to a more systematic and increased liberality towards the several enterprises of the denomination to which we are attached. Resolved further, That the above be inserted in the Sessional Records, and in the Minutes of the Board of Trustees, and published in the American Presbyte rian. Signed, Richard Clark, Chairman, A. M. Thompson, Secretary. Philadelphia, September 21, 1864. Services i£ the Wagner Institute are continued with most encouraging results thus far. The congregations are unexpectedly large, reaching, we have TZEIRIMISa. By mail, $2.60 per annum, in advance'. “ “ 300 “ “ after 3 months. By carrier, SO cents additional for delivery CLUBS. Ten or more papers sent by mail to" one church or locality, or in the city to one address By mail, $2.00 per annum. By carriers. 2.50 “ To save trouble, cluo subscriptions must commence at the same date, be paid strictly in advance, in a single remittance, for which one receipt will be returned. Ministers and Ministers’ Widows supplied at club rates. Home missionaries at $1.50 per an.“ Postage.— Five cents quarterly in advance, to be paid by subscribers at the office of de liverv. been informed, as high as 700 to 800 people. At the request of the gentle manly and obliging proprietor, who, though not a communicant, has taken a lively interest in the exercises, from the first, a Sabbath School has been opened in the building, which is in the hands of experienced and faithful instructors. Another Sabbath School has for some time been in successful operation, at the comer of Eleventh Street and Columbia Avenue, which will still be sustained as a separate enterprise. Meanwhile, ne gotiations for the purchase of a large and eligible lot, on Broad Street, near Avenue, are well advanced, and plans for a cbapel —to be in time succeeded by a church—are under con sideration, in which both of these schools, united as one enterprise, will be accommodated. It is hoped that this result will be accomplished by the open ing of the next Spring. The liberality of M. W. Baldwin, Esq., is conspicuous in this, as in all recent movements for church extension in our city. NOBLE SENTIMENTS. We copy the following sound and timely expression of views with the more satisfaction, because it comes from a city contemporary, the Episcopal Re corder. In these times when, more than in any former hour, every symptom of caving in betrays a shattered condition of moral- intrepidity, we exult to see this worthy branch of the Philadelphia religious press, facing the question with a Christian manliness befitting the sol-. ;n n emergency: “We are doing,” says the Recorder, “ a noble praiseworthy deed, in striving against armed rebellion j we would not dream of peace until the just principle that animated ns to begin our resistance in the conflict has been triumphantly vindicated—nay, more, until that which gave life to the rebellion, and which is its corner-stone, is swept away forever. But is it not nobler to suffer than to do? And we must suffer, or we cannot do. We must root out our own eiiwi y against God before we caD .succeed, without regard to the sins of our ene mies, in overcoming their devices. Let each individual examine his own ’ .rt as in the sight of God, and sincerely re pent of his sins; and then, purified him self, let him exercise, boldly and eon tinuedly, his talents in bringing his fellow-men into estimating truly the prevailing sins of the nation. “ If we would succceed in permanent ly crushing this rebellion, we mist make slavery, intemperance, profanity, Sabbath-breaking and dishonesty, thiDgs of the past. “God bless our noble President in this time of fiery trial. May be do nothing in his own strength; but, fearing God, prayerfully, faithfully and earnestly do his duty in that state of life to which it has pleased God to call him.” VINELAND PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS. Dear Sir : I would like to acknow ledge in the Presbyterian, the following sums received for the Church in Vine land : November, 1868 : J. C. Farr, $20.00 ; J. B. Stevenson, $15.00 ; B. D. Stewart, $20.00; W. Whiildin $20.00; Alex. Whilldin, $25.00; John A. Brown, $25.- 00 , G. Work, $lO,OO ; S. Work, $10.00; G. Young, $10.00; A. White, $5.00; Cash, $2.00; Cash, $l.OO ; Cash. $5.00; Cash, $3 00; Cash, $3.00; T. I.'Sheph erd, $5.00 ; Coll, through T. J. Shepherd, $17.50. August, 1864: Coll. Norristown Church, $44,90; Coll. Germantown Church, $23.50; M. W. Baldwin, $20.00; Rev. Mr. Bruen, $2.00. S. Loomis. CLERGYMEN SOLDIERS. Rev. John B. Clark, D. D., pastor of the 2d United Presbyterian Church, Allegheny City, Pa., has gone forth a second'time in command of a regiment, guarding the railroadbetween Philadel phia and Baltimore. Rev. A. H. Bliss, pastor of the Penningtonville Baptist church, Pa., has volunteered in the service of the Union, and has enter ed the ranks as a private. Rev.. W. B. Kenney, (Methodist,) of Wyoming Conference, has raised a company of men for the army, and has been elected captain of the company and gone to the field. APOLOGY. The coming in, at a late hour, of several advertisements, and important, news which our readers will expect to receive promptly, forces us to lay over several articles prepared for the present number. Among them, we regret to say, is another of the brisk letters of “ A. B. C."
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