rile_ American Presbyterian
AND
GENESEE EVANGELIST.
A RELIGIOUS AND FAMILY NEWSPAPER,
IA EU IMAM 07 7011
(institutional Presbyterian Church,
PUBLISHED EVERY THURSDAY,
AT THE PRESBYTERIAN HOUSE,
1334 Chestnut Street, (2d Story,) Philadelphia.
Mee. JOHN W.-MEARS, Editor and Publisher.
OONTENTB OF INSIDE PAGES.
SECOND PAGE-PAM:LE: •
Col. Robert G. Shaw—The Sea—A Dollar and a Quarter.
Suzan. s : Jeems, the Doorkeeper—" John. Does not
Write us very 0 Iten"—T he Prayers of Childhood.—Give
Thanks-1 he Heavenly Home.
TRIRD PAGE-RELIOIDUS WORLD ABROAD:
Great Britain, France, Switzerland, Spain, Portugal,
Austria, Germany, Italy, Papal America, Miseionary.—
The Plans end Wants of the American Tract Society—
:Alinisterial Record.
Burls Psos—Cortassrostmcs:
Open 'Air Meetings, No. IX—Browning's Death of St.
John, second raper. Eorrea's TABL11: Stan ton'a Church
and the Rebellion—Bushnell's Nature and the Super
natural—Christ and His Salvation—Prime's Power of
Prayer—Child's Looking Towards Smiset—A. New
Atmosphere—Jamestm's Sacred and Legendary Art—
Margaret's Secret and its Success—Joseph, the Jew—
Christian Home Life. California; the Mountain Re
gion.
"SRPENTH PAGE-MIEWELLAMODEI:
Mr. Lincoln's .Early Training—ln the Presence of
lleath—Ti ue Heroism—The End•of Our Great Men—
U. S. Christian Commission.
RECENT REVIVAL AGENCIES.
The manifestations of the Holy Spirit
in the earliest history of the church
through miraculous, were scarcely more
various than they are now. When that
-divine Agent comes in extraordinary
measure into the church, the fullness of
His life and energy cannot be limited
by the ordinary channels of communi
,cation, but will break forth in endless
-richness and variety. Even good men
will be surprised, and perhaps perplexed,
that they cannot liken the demonstra
tions to anything in their own previous
experience; while cbld-hearted Chris
tians will be critical and shy, and un
believers will ascribe the phenomena
to " new wine."
The means which the Spirit uses to
bring about, or to promote a Revival,
may be classed among these varied
manifestations. We must not look for
uniformity in Revival Agencies. We
must expect specialty, unless we settle
down into- the idea that the whole
round of resources of the Infinite Spirit
is exhausted; that the regular ordi
nances and work of the church, as at
present ascertained, are the sole chan-
nels of grace to the world ; that these
agencies are sufficiently successful, or
that if wrought up to their highest
point of efficiency, would be sufficient
for the work which the church has to
do. Any one who believes that the
Spirit which dwells in the, church is in
finite ; that the rate at which the church
is doing its work is almost infinitesi
mally slow; and that there are unde
veloped resources in her bosom,
sur
passing in efficiency any she has yet
exhibited, and which may and must be
used before she can subdue the world to
Christ,—will be prepared to expect,
nay will long and wait for some such
-development of new power and efficien
cy, and fresh adaptedness for the work.
We use the word development purpose
ly, for we believe it will be found that
the various means used by the Spirit,
-at different times, for promoting the
growth of the church, are nothing
foreign to her nature, but already exist
- there, unrecognized, or only in the germ,
before He summons them into unwonted
-activity. And there is none of them
rightly used but tends to strengthen the
-existing fabric of ,the church, going
into the accepted list of her agencies,
-and swelling the sum of her influence.
The great agencies employed by the
Spirit in the revivals of 1857—'61 wore
three : daily Meetings in great numbers
, of Christians for prayer, the spontane
-ous activity of private members of the
church, and Christian union. -
The great agency, in this country,
for awakening sinners, seemed to be
united prayer. Prayer-meetings, and
not preaching, were the leading features
of the revivals. Unprecedented throngs
were brought together to participate in
these simple exercises. Who had ever
heard before of two and three thousand
persons flocking together at mid-day, in
the heart of a great city, day after day,
for months, with no object in view but
to hold a prayer-meeting? All over the
country these noon-day prayer-meetings
were held, so that travellers passing
over the whole extent of the land, from
east to west, found a continued succes
sion of daily meetings for prayer. On
every hand the spirit of prayer broke
forth. Unwonted places were used for
these exercises, and marvelous results
flowed from them. Another feature of
the work was the ready and uncon
strained activity of private Christians.
Our clergy indeed preached with a fer
v.oar and a frequency that few had ever
before reached, but they were sustained
by the prayers and efforts of an
awakened body of church members
whose zeal carried them over every
obstacle. -- Never, perhaps, in the his
2.knivitsit.ii,...7 l ,.t . estigittiiin.
New Series, Vol. I, No. 48.
tory of the church, bad the personal
duty of Christ's people to labtr for the
conversion of souls been so deeply felt,
so readily acknowledged, and so widely
performed. So with the catholicity of
spirit which prevailed among all the
branches of Christ's people. Only in
times of danger as at the siege of Derry
and during the assaults of the Stuarts
of England on the Protestant faith,
had the denominations been drawn to
gether in such close sympathy before.
The union movement in 1858 was
spontaneous. It was one of the Holy
Spirit's blessed surprisals of His people.
It was one of His now and chosen means
of carrying on His work-at this particu
lar juncture.
As the work spread into Great Brit.
ain, new features appeared. Gifts which
seemed to exist in this country in a sort
of general diffu.sion among Christian
people, were there vouchsafed, in grea
ter- intensity, to individuals. Men: ap
peared as chosen instruments of con
veying God's truth to the aroused and
interested masses. Lay and clerical
evangelists, conspicuous for zeal, enjoy
ing the special favor of God, and devot
ing themselves exclusively to the work,
contributed to extend and deepen its
sphere and to multiply its fruits. No
such characters appeared in this country
as Richard Weaver, Reginald Radcliff,
B rownlow North and E. P. _Hammond,
whereas in Great Britain the spirit of
the Revival culminated, so to speak, in
these. persons. - Some in America may
congratulate us as, so far, better off than
the British people, but we differ from
them. Had a class of men
.pre.emi
nently endowed for the work been, in
like manner, raised up among us, had
some American Radcliffe or Weaver been
divinely commissioned to speak to the
poor and outcast of our cities at that
time, the result must have been far in
advance of what we actually beheld.
The Infinite Spirit in His sovereign ap
pointment, did not see fit to• bestow
upon us this crowning gift—a personal
embodiment and representative of the
work,—a Leader, whom all might recog
nize, and who might have marshalled
the Christian hosts, to far greater vic
tories even than those which they did
achieve.
Rev. E. P. Hammond 7 a native of this
country, and now an ordained minister
of our church, at that time an unli
censed student of theology in Scotland,
was largely employed by the Holy
Spirit among the instrumentalities of
the Revivals in that country in 1860
and 1861. His ministrations were
blessed with great success, especially in
the city of Glasgow, in February of the.
latter year. He was gladly recognized,
by the best men of the Free Church, as
a chosen instrument of Godr for advanc
ing His work among them. In Mr.
Hainmond, again, a special characteris
tic appears, in which the Spirit flips
t rates the variety of His workings when
He comes in unusual measure to the
church ; we mean the adaptation of the
Gospel message for immediate saving
effeefu_pon the minds of the young. Those
who have acquainted themselves with
the facts in the case, will be inclined to
recognize in Mr. Hammond's evangelical
labors and successes among the young,
an indication of the development of a
new element of power in the pulpit—a
new revival-gift which in these times is
being bestowed upon the church. Per
haps this is the sort of agency which is
to mark the next communication of the
Spirit's influence to His people. We
may see our Sabbath school children,
and the baptised members of our house
holds, in large numbers, brought to
Christ. Many indications coincide in
pointing to this conclusion. The hearts
of the fathers are turning to the chil
dren. The church is earnestly consi
dering her duty to the young of her
flock, and inquiring into the relation of
the Sabbath school to herself. 'Unwon
ted activity pervades .the Sabbath
schools, and teachers ate earliest in
seeking the salvation of their scholars.
Mission schools, are gathering up the
children of the poor and the degraded.
The General Assembly of our church at
Dayton, took no action so marked and
so emphatic as that on the duty of the
church and of the pulpit to the young.
And the great and enduring success of
Mr. Hammond's ministrations among
children, join with these facts to point
out this class of persons, as probably the
sphere in which the Holy Spirit now
PHILADELPHIA, TIMSDAY, DECEMBER 1, 1864.
designs to act most efficaciously, and to
which He will adapt the agencies nest
to be used in promoting by revivals the
spread of the Kingdom of Christ.
L NEW HELP TO INFIDELITY,
From an Unexpectid Quarter.
in these times of the veiled and
accomplished arts of skepticism, we
wished to put into the way of Divine
Revelation the most perplexing embar
rassmenb conceivable, we could think
of no finer stroke for the purposp, than
that of giving, to every denomination a
Bible of its own, 'or what is equivalent,
a translation of its own. *For,in such
a , 3ase, all those words suseePttftileof
different shades of meaning, which have
any bearing upon the denominational pe
culhrities, would be translated into the
most positive terms demanded by le de
nomination making the translation. The
English speaking part of the Christian
church has hitherto secured for-Divine
truth a vast amount of reverence and
respect, by having one written standard
—one Book for common appeal: We
have no conception how much this sin
gle fact has done towards the preserva
tion of - the public faith in the Bible.
Reverse this fact, and perplex the pub
lic mind with a variety of Bibles, con
flicting in statements, and we shall soon
find out. If anything- could be des
tructive of all faith in Divine inspira
tion, this would do the work.
And this is just the work 'which a
portion of the Baptist denomination has
commenced, not purposely indeed, but
none the less really. We say a por
tion, because it is due to the majority of
the denomination, including most of their
wise, learned, and good men, to say that
they have not so totally taken leave of
their senses as to expect denomination
al advantage through a translation
which must always be held in contempt
from the mere fact that it is but the
Bible of a sect, to say nothing of its
character, as a translation.
The history of this bad enterprise, so
far as our recollection. serves , us,
briefly this : Many years ago the Bap
tist Missionary Society asked aid from
the American Missionary Society for
publishing one of their missionary trans
lations—we believe that into the Bur
man. While the Bible Society was
about making the appropriation, the
fact leaked out that this version, unlike
all others, including our English one,
had discarded the .untranslated word
,baptize, with its cognates, and had in
serted in lieu thereof the native words
which signify immerse, immersion, &c.
The Bible Society, being bound by its
constitution to non-denominationalism,
felt constrained to decline giving its aid
for the publication of a Bible which was
essentially denominational, and which
must therefore be repudiated by all the
Pedo-Baptist portion of the churah.
The Baptists thereupon got up a new
National Bible Society of their own,
through which they have since, pushed
their work of translation and publica
tion in foreign languages, and we be
lieve also their home distribution of our
common English' version:
But some of their more intensely sec
tarian men, including the late Dr. Cone
who headed the movement, thought
that while they had their hand in the
work of making Baptist Bibles, they
might as well reform King James' trans
lation into the same shape. The pro
ject was discountenanced by their judi
cious men, and the radical elerne4t went
independently to work, forming a revi
sion society to meet the expense, and
now, after fifteen years of labor, and an
expense of $830,000, they have issued as
an earnest and first fruit of what they
intend, a revised translation cif the
New Testament.
For some reason—perhaps to remove
thepappearance of a " one idea" transla
tion, insignificant changes hav been
made—such as " happy" for " lArsed,"
in the beatitudes, " light-stana" for
"candlestick," "presented" insted of
" put," as "presented the vinegar to his
mouth," " underworld" for "hell," Ste.
&c. But the singleness of purpoe is not
to be concealed. The words baptize and
baptism, as few of our readers need to be
informed are not translations, but an
Anglicising of the words, bap 0..z0 and
baptisma. The revisionists conts i d that
as we translate in full other wor' s,(true
only in part,) we should in con. stency
do the same by this. They fart. er con-
Genesee Evangelist, No. 90'7.
tend that as baptizo means only to plunge
or dip, (not true at all,) English readers,
as well as Karens and Burmans should
.have a version which unequivocally ex
presses the meaning which they have
assumed for it. The following is a spe
cimen of the manner in which they have
carried out the idea.
Matthew iii, 1. In those days came
John, the immerser, preaching in the
wilderness of Judea,
Saying, Repent for the kingdom of
heaven is at hand.
5. Then went out to him Jerusalem
and all Judea, and all the region about
the Jordan,
6. And were immersed by him in the
Jordan, confessing their sins.
7. But - when he saw .many of the
Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his
immersion, he said to them, Brood of
vipers, who hath warned you to lee
from the coming wrath ?
11. I indeed immerse you in water
unto repentance, but he that comes af
ter me is mightier than I, whose sandals
I am not worthy to bear ; he will im
merse you in the Holy Spirit and fire.
This will do for a specimen. We
believe in tfanslations—just so far as
we are in need of them. When Virgil
wrote "Did() et dvx," we do not suppose
he meant the line should be a witness for
the ages to come that poultry was an
article of food in Carthage. But it would
be a silly criticism on Dryden's version,
to complain because he applies to the
queen the untranslated word, " regal,"
instead of rendering it " queenly." It is
just as well understood as it is, and, if
anything, a little better.
So the whole church has hitherto
been content to treat the Greek baptizo.
If we are not mistaken, it has gone un
translated into , every version of the
Bible in all lands, except the recent ver
sions of the Baptists. Its classical
meaning requires only the application
of water in greater or less degree, but
it domes -to the Christian church with
th appropriated and only used mean
ing of a Christian rite. We think no
longer of the rinsing of cups and the
watering of flowers, when we hear the
word baptism. We, think only of the
solemn ordinance 'initiatory into the
ho usehold of Christ. •The case stands
precisely as it does with the word Bible,
an untranslated word, meaning origi
nally only a book, but by appropriation
and universal consent, now known only
as a designation for the Holy Scriptures.
Let the revisionists carry out their prin
ciples; let them reject "Bible" from
their title page and give us " The Holy
Book," and while it will redound to their
consistency, it will help to expose the
ridiculousness of the whole scheme.
Let them carry it out in their deno
minational title. Let us hear no more
the offensive Greek terms, "Baptists,"
" Baptist" churches, &c., but give us in
their place Immersionists, Immersionist
churches, Immersionist Associations,
Immersionist periodicals, and so on to
the end.
This will be alike the.point of consis
tency, and the climax of the absurdity
of the whole movement. This absurdi
ty is already so apparent to the think
ing portion of our Baptist brethren,
that we have no expectation of even a
denominational sanction for the new
f
denominational Bible. For reasons
named at the commencement 01 this
article, the attempt to bring it into any
considerable use would be disastrous if
it could succeed. But we look for only
a ridiculous termination to t 11 this im
mense labor of misdirected zeal • and
unmitigated bigotry.
EQUALIZING THE SALARIES Or MIN-
ISTERS.
While wrong impressions and exag
gerated opinions prevail to a considera
ble extent as to the great salaries of some
of our city clergy, which are often
brought practically down to the level
of a very moderate support by the great,
expenses which accompany them, and
while we are decided unbelievers in any
leveling policy which overlooks natural
distinctions, we are free to say that the
Church may and ought to mediate be
tween extremes now so wide apart in
the salaries of her ministers. We have
lately understood that one of our city
clergy hitherto receiving $2OOO per an
num, is hereafter to receive $3,500, and
deservedly; nor would it be to the de
triment of the people if it wore $4OOO,
or $5OOO. We have - also just heard of a
laborer in New York State, where our
Church is such a power, who receives
$4OO, if he chooses to collect it, and who
has forfeited no small part of that by
his outspoken loyalty. Another in the
North-west receives $6OO, out of which
goes $l2O for house rent. And very
close to this 'city among our ministers,-
there is a case over vhich we have had
the heart-ache more than once,—but we
forbear to give particulars.. It is suffi
cient to say that there are cultivated,
godly, faithful men with their families,
in the ministry of our Church, who" are
being crushed with burdens and stared
in the face by want, while the religious
newspapers are every week chronicling
the noble liberality of congregations
to their pastors; the liberality being for
the most part exercised, in those cases
where though needed, it is,least needed,
while the real sufferers get no relief. ,
Nor do we know of any means by
which they may be generally and
promptly relieved. But we think the
case is one which should turn the atten
tion of the Church to the subject of a
Sustent alien Fund, such as exists in the
Free and United Presbyterian churches
of Scotland. This fund, gathered from
the liberality of the entire Church, is
used to keep the salaries of all the set
tled ministers up to a certain minimum.
Wherever a congregation is not able to
give what is considered a comfortable
support to its pastor, rated *by the
Church at so many hundred pounds a
year, the deficiency is made up from
this fund, and the Church thus guards
the income of every one of her pastors
and guaranties to him a living. To
some undertaking of this sort the
Church-must, we think, sooner or later
come, as a measure of protection to her
faithful men. A step towards it has al
ready been taken in the _Ministerial Re
lief Fund inaugurated by the late Gene
ral Assembly. Let that idea be enlarg
ed to include relief for the active and
efficient in the ministry, who often
need it quite as much as the disabled.
Far that matter, it would seem a dic
tate of common sense to provide relief,
first for the active and useful classes,
and after that for the worn-out and dis
abled.
* *
The subject admits of being consider
ed in various lights, but we think the
preponderance of reasons is decidedly
for a Sustentation Fund. Meanwhile,
we hope that our suffering brethren will
be succoured in incidental ways until
the fund is provided. We know of one
minister, a home missionary in the
North-west on a slim salary, for whom
a bog is in preparation, contributions to
which will be gratefully received at this
office.
THE ROMAN CATHOLICS IN OUR
CONFLICT.
The Ethiopian must change his skin
and the leopard his spots, before the
papacy can be friendly.towards a popu
lar form of government like ()Uri. The
whole genius of the hierarchy is in
utter antagonism to constitutional lib
erty. The Pope's own immediate sub
jectgare controlled by bayonets—foreign
ones at that; and only in kingdoms
sustained by the . same sort of agency
can his spiritual pretensions and his
ecclesiastical arrangements be ,satisfac
torily maintained. When the existence
of a great Republic is menaced, a sure
instinct tells him on which side to be
stow his sympathies. The Pope can
have no- sincere desire for our success
in crushing rebelliom He recognizes
the rebel executive as " most excellent
President." ,He is not by any means
loth to see the rebel plot so far success
ful, as to cripple the power of the na
tion, and forever destroy its prestige as
the great Protestant - Republic of the
world. Our downfall would leave the
world clearer for the - accomplishment
of his purposes. It would be the fail
ure of Protestantism in its culminating
point. Whatever might *be our future
with secession •accomplished, the re
mainder of the American Continent
would be thoroughly Latinized and
Catholicised. That imperial spider who
keeps his den in the Tuileries would
gather it all into the meshes of his
vast net. In Europe and in heathen
.lands, Protestantism would be but a
feeble power.
It is very surprising that better things
should be expected of any of the agents
and minions of the Pope in our own
country. They must follow their spi
ritual head, and the lead of their in
stincts, as members of an, arrogant, ex-
--'r m xt, zit s-
Per annum, in advance:
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Cinbe..—Ten or more papers, sent to one ad
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By Mail, $2 50 per annum. Threarriers,23 per ann
Ministers and Ministers' Widows, $2 in advance, :.
HOMO Missionaries, $l5O in advance.
Fifty cents additional after three months.
Mentittanees by mail are at our risk
Postage.—Five cents quarterly, in advance, said ti l l
subscribers at the office of delivery.
• ADERTISEMENTS.
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cent.; over 100 line., 32 1 ,4 per cent. off.
elusive, soul-deluding church, requixini
implicit faith in men, and unquestioning
obedience to human decrees. How eat:
they help being in antagonism to th
interests of a country and a civil ordei
whose foundation principle is the a%
knowledged right of the people to self
government? To what sentiment, if
natures crushed and debased by priestli
domination, can we appeal in behalf o
an imperilled republic ? And whence bui
from the depths of a protestant faiti
comes the true and steady devotion t?
country which outlasts the first bursti
of enthusiasm, rises above all discow
agement, and in the fourth year of
terrible war, votes in overwhelming ma)
jorities, and in every part of the land
that at any cost our free institutions sh.
be preserved, and the authority of th(
national government shall be sustained 1
The case was well put a few day:
ago.by an anonymous correspondent o I
the Press in this city, who writes fron
Chester, pa., reproving the paper foi
its pro-Catholic leanings. The: Pre&
generously prints his letter entire. H
speaks plainly, but the facts are notorc
ous.
"Now, it is a known fact that the,
whole body of the Catholic voters ir,
this country, with a small upper-cru.si
exception, voted in solemn earnest th
Copperhead ticket. That vote has go
to be enormous and serious. It is a
Brownson has said : If it were not fen
that vote there would be no Peace parts
at the North. Let the American peo
ple take note, as we pass through thii
sifting, fiery trial, that the combine(
Catholic vote of this country was cas
for a party rather than for, the war an(
the utter overthrow of the rebellion,
that they voted in sympathy with thd
British aristocracy, the oppressors o
Ireland, and just as the enemies of thii
country, the traitors at home an(
abroad, desired. While the great bod 3
of the members of this church hav4
treasonably voted, their bishops an
priests have remained silent. In con
trast, look at the various Protestan
sects of the land ! They have bee
zealous and outspoken. The influence
exercised has been patriotic and poweli
ful. Lincoln may appoint ten thousani
Catholic generals; Dan Dougherty
General Sickles, Bishep Purcell, am
others may talk themselves blind ; ii
the face of all this the Catholic vote ii
New York State will be 10E0,000 in ah
and comfort of this horrid rebellion
and 50,000 in Pennsylvania. In Phila
delphia the main difficulty you had t(
contend against was this ferocious vote
In all the mining counties in the interio_
it was this vote which gave to licOlel;
lan his heavy majorities. Even i
Chester county it takes one th, usan
American votes to kill off this fbreigi,
vote. It is this vote which corrupt
the ballot-box with frauds. It is thil
combined element in our politics which
explodes in mobs, and to keep qui&
which the Government was put to muc
care and expenditure in forcing int(
good behavior at the last election."
Nor is the Press content simply witl
printing the letter. It makes some,
show of extenuating the truthful sever
ty of the writer, probably with a view
of saving its own consistency, but closet
its article with a few significant utter
ances which amount almost to a renunj
elation of its former faith in Romanisn;
as a political power in the land. W 4
1
take pleasure in quoting them as a sio
of the times. Romanism, by such ari
unscrupulous and concerted manifest&
tion of disloyalty as was made at th(
last election, is estrang . ng her - old politii.
cal friends and sacrificing her influence',
among the parties. It is a great blunt
der to estrange such a friend as - Colone,
Forney has been to Romanism, but is
was inevitable, in the conditions of thkil
conflict, that such should be the case „
We give the concluding remarks of the
Press:
" The Catholic Church has done won,
ders in its long career. Admitting all
that its devotees claim for it, it hard'
done wonders. Bur IT IS NOT TN/ .
ROOK OF AGES. It may have been thd
bulwark of monarchy in Mexico, ix
Italy, in France, and in Spain, and the. ;
bitter foe of progress in England anc t
Germany, but it cannot survive a strug.
gle with the only free government ii
the world. The protests, not of young
Ireland alone, against the tendency o.
the present managers of the church,
but of the mighty Catholic intellects o:
France, and of the intrepid anti-slavery
Irishmen of America, should at least bi
effective to forwarn those who misman
age and misdirect a great church or
ganization, that their plots and cabala
may be consigned to the same hate(
obscurity in which human slavery h
forever sepulchred."
THE NEXT UNION MEETING of oui
churches will be held in Clinton Stree -
Church, on Tuesday evening,at quarter
before eight.