THE AMERICAN PRESBYTERIAN AND GENESEE EVANGELIST. A Religions and Fishily Netespaper, IN THE INTEREST OF THE COnetitational. Presbyterian Church. PtJBLiSHED EVERY Tutrnsn AT 'THE PRESBYTERIAN HOUSE;; 18 840hestaut Street. (2d story,) Philadelphia. We*: John w. Mears, Editor and PubliSher. Bair. B. B. Iltotchkin, Editor of News and i'amily Departments. • , Rev. C. P. Bush, Corresponding EditOr, Hotitesiter, N. Y. gittnitait trogin4ta. THURSDAY, JANUARY: 19; 1865 CONTENTS OF INSIDE PAGES, SECOND PAGE—THE FAMILY ()MOLE: . Where is Louie?—The Young tavartan-4)larY of. Miss RUM Trevylyan—The Last Reading - Never: Mind—Paid in Your Own Coin—The Two Little Neighbors- , The True Ring—Light it(' the Talley. THIRD PAGE : Thanksgiving Sermon, by Rev. J. Glentworth But Pastor of' Walnut street Chitral; Philadelphia. Sven' PAGE — COARESPONVENCE: Open Air P; embers: Reginald Radcliffe—Letter from China — "lratemembrance of Me"—Tho Love of Christ—Home - Mission—German EconomY. SEVENTH PAGE—RELIGIOUS INTELLIGENCE: Baptist -- Congregational Lutheran Reformed. Dutch — Foreig - n—Rems—Literary Items. REVIVAL IN THE PULPIT DEMANDED. In that general quickening of the life of the' Church, the necessity of which we have in various aspects been arguing, the pulpit must share. We say pulpit, because we sefer especially to a single function of the ministry at, this time. The ,greacher, must feel ,the, inadequacy of his,sermons to the exigencies of the ease—must I,ament the fewness of their fruits, the slowness of their operation, the exceedingly small number of those that are reached by them at all., If preaching the word is the great ordained instrumentality for saving the world, if that means must be chiefly relied on for the conquests of Christianity, then it is certain far greater vigor must in some way be imparted to it, for' it is not now accomplishing the work assigned to it in any appreciable degree. The preacher who thinks so, is under a very pitiable and dangerous delusion. The preacher who is content with the ordinary average results of preaching; who thirtks tbatplans and methods which yield but the ordinary fruits are the best that can be pursued ; who fancies that, while the 'world of un repentant sinners is rushing'by his preach ing place without perceptible 'interruption to hell, he has nothing to learn and no thing to change in the mode of presenting' truth, is blind. and presumptuous in 'the . extreme. That is an ignoble contentment' which must be broken up. • It is a contentment which we fear 'is fostered by the prevalent, methods of instruction in our training schools. The student for the ministry is taught to look too exclusivelynpon the matter and form of his preaching, ;rather then. 'ilfiorthifs' actual results, as an end. The`law of the preacher is sought- too much ia 'the speculative contents of his sermon, and too little in itsablect in actual life. -And so preachers more readily content them selves with a mode of discourse 'conform ing to „an approved model; when they ought, rather to be trying it by its effects upon the spiritual status of their healers; and by natural consequence . the hearers come to hear a discourse rather •thtm to • receive ^a message. The prime canon. of preaching - should be; ct manifested adaptedness to the.salvatiott of the ;world Now.:l', That preaching which as . a whole, is not acting broadly,- perceptibly, hopefully upon the race, which is not-fol lowed by results giving premise of the world's redemption within some appreci able peried, no• matter.: how great, how admirable, how' masterly, how popular, how accurately conformed to the approved standard of oratory it may be, Is A FAIL URE ; and the sooner we admit it to be so the better. It might be regarded as bold and some what censorious- in us to assert that a' large part of the preaching of our Vine is of this very* ,sort ; that multitudes •of elaborately prepared discourses, the pro duct of years of culture and study, wrought out of the most delicate •material of the soul at'a -great cost of vital strength, and applauded to.the skies,--naless than dry, andJl, feeble, and vapid utterances from shallow minds and hearts,—are failures as sermons ; or to call for a, great and a, radi cal change in our, prevalent mode of pre seating truth from the pulpit--to demand a revival in the pulpit as an indispensable condition of .the rapid progress- of the gospel. Possibly we might have hesita ted in making such an assertion, and such a demand ; but most opportunely, the fullest confirmation of our • views and encouragement in our object have just appeared in a quarter which will generally be accepted as authoritative. We refer to the 'article on Delivery in Preaching, in the last American Theological Review, - from the pen of 'the accomplished Profes sor of Sacred Rhetoric in Union Theolo gical Seminary, Rev. Dr. Thomas H. Skinner. In full sympathy with the spi l i4 which has animated the present series of articles in our columns, this finished preacher ,and teacher recognises a great deficiency in the prevalentmcides of presenting truth in the pulpit, and earnestly calls for a sweeping reform, if the pulpit is to, remain the leading agency in the conversion of the wotld. • Delivary,lo treated' by the Miter, is no mere external accomplishment, ; but a department covering neatly everything essential to the eharaCter of the preacher g „ , SE:suAl: everything distil:4ms mg him'. from - Nhe mere essayist aid'scientific , . . .. . • ' . , ~.- ; it „. -.' ' " ;.,•.•• '"- ; . ~ ; • ~ ; .. Am .._..,,.. ... . ,:: ~, i i . n .. 'l l l i . , . ' ,,, - . , , , ,-.. : ..;' : ! . :T . T , .., 7,1 - ,,.. t, - '7 7) ~ ~ , ..; •;,. . ;, , v .::: ~,`-,•• • , 5 '•tt ' :.:' :- ''' . . • . , .... t• . . .........L . : . D ' ' ., , , . ! . it ' ] -•' , , ... 4. 'd !..::, ' .1,31 11 •• • I .}.` .' ' , • 1 •. . 7 ) '• ' ' ..'-'"l ' t. . ••1 ..'• .. . 4 + . ... , • ~)., - :: -.; :',.: , '.. ; , ..1 - ... - ir .I).:ir. . - f - 1. 1 . - 1f...1. i - il. : Y• ..'"-; ..:-. (,',- . .. --r . - - .. • New Series, Vol. 11, No,. teacher of morals and theology. The lack of delivery in preaching is regarded as a prevalent and serious deficiency, as a proof of the absence of the Holy Spirit, and as tending to grieve and , quench His influences where they are found. A re vived -preacher alone can have a truly good delivery ; it is, a peculiar and pre- Cieus gift of the Holy Spirit, who uses the Organs and muscles of the body, as, well as the' powers of the mind, in communicating himself to the hearers of the word. rlt is • revival—a quickening of the spiritual na . turealone which converts mere writers • and lectnrtors into preachers. Delivery. makes the preacher ; revival gives deli very. • This, in substance, is the teaching of the article in question. But we will let it speak largely, for itself. We quote first from the .18th section : It seems to _us that one of the chief causes of bad delivery.in preaching, a sufficient cause for it certainly, is the character of the ordinary sermon, so- called, especially its defect 'in-re spect of the, oratorical: element, the business like character. of all true oratory. Delivery in discourse takes its stamp, in part, from• the sort of discourse which 'is given; oratorical delivery requires an oration;' that is to say, a discourse which is an affair, an= earnest, agonistic speech, which has a• single point ulterior to itself, and Which has no other con cern than to carry that point. Preaching is too seldom diseourse like this. 'lt is some times chiefly expository, as•perhaps it should be. But when preaching is not of this form, when it uses what has the name of the sermon, it is frequently, if not generally, as a whole, no oration at all': if has several points instead of one; perhaps indeed no point in particular. It treats several co-ordinate propositions ; it is rather an analysis than a.synthetic speech, like that of a pleader at' the bar; it makes a treatise or an essay': it is without oratorical unity ; of course, it cannot but be defective in oratorical delivery : and if such be the actual character of preaching, as undoubtedly it is to a great extent, this defect is bufits natural and proper concomitant. Nor is there a possibility of the desired change in• the eki#Nation of the, pulpit, while preaching retains this abnornial, character. It surely ought not retain it, as extenSively as it has done: Preaching in ',ideal is a species of oratory; the noblest form of it. In its ordi nary efforts no discourse Should excel it, in singleness of design, or, in strenuous, suasory, synthetic urgency to attain its end. The writer calls for a reform, in the 'construction of our pulpita,"which, its 'now arranged, put the preacher' too• far from the hearers ; and whieh coop him :up, so that such a thing as the " elo squence ' of the 'body , " 'is impracticable:, • 'He then asks : Is it to be' expected that the, reform will 'actually have .Place ?' A bflange the :form of preaching is 'doubtless Aland:' Tite7rSno vating power which, has been changing-4111 things in science, in art, in, the physieal, social, :and civil : hfe of matt, cannot but be felt, indeed has - Manifestly been felt, by the modern pulpit. Already preaching, as to form, is, in several respects;: different from what it has.ever been. insome ,respecfs we think it is better. It is by no means changed as much' as it should be. It ought to Belli advance of the other instruments of change which..,are exerting themselves with such as tonishing,efficiency in• every sphere of human life. There is no object d ofeeper interest - to every true philanthropist, every' one who identifieathe' progress of T hultanity with the ,success, the gospel, than , that preaching should receive a new., and healthful impulse, which:Shall give it the precedence to which it is-entitle&—a just adaptation to humanity, in its present excited and over-active state;•• and a-regulating -power , oven all the changes which, :with such, unparalleled rapidity are, to pass everywhere in the world. But it is as yet Very; far froni having'this %Ire eminence of control. There is an intrierative. demand for further variance ; we might almost say. a revolutiog in the' form of it.' And.is not this 'denial% to bauaet? In that - Future of overwhelildrid interest, which all men 'feel to 'be just before us, which indeed is 'now opening itself upon us, and inspiring us with , wonder, at what ,is surely and swiftly coming, what will preaching be, if accominodated, as 'it' should and must be if it is to play'well , its part—ta 'the - unparalleled circumstances - in :which it will find itself? , Imperfect as our' anticipation of them: must be, we cannot.but 'be sure in general, from signs before us, that they will be circumstances of earnest, intense materialism, of an exceedingly practical, mat 4 ter-ef-fact bearing, such' as have not been dreamt of in all, the past ; causes are already in Operation before .our eyes, which make the anticipation of this almost as reality itself. Surely amidst such circumstances preaching,. if true to its mission, will not italle fium:the• present.or any former period its measures or methods of practice. •There must be in these respects a novelty in it, parallel, or,• when need be, antithetic to the novelty of its unex ampled surroundings. It will still treat " subjects ;", but.it will need to treat them, not as *terminating in themselves, or in the way of analysis or disquisition, but' with re- Terence to issues or specific ends ; to deter mine first, not on either texts or subjects, but 1 on points to be carried, on things to be done ; • and, as in all earnest oratory, to be, in all its propositions, enlargements, utterances, orna ments, but a strenuous means of attaining definite ends : to strive of course to avail itself of the advantages of just delivery, the peerless eloquence of, appropriate action. This, its chief means, it may no longer forego or neglect. Due attention to delivery, and due . provision for it, will be a deeply felt' ne cessity. It will suffer no additional trammels : it will follow out the inviolable piciples of eloguence; . it: will obey nature and the free Spirit 451 God. If it meet the high exigencies of the epoch, it cannot take' the word of corn-' 'mend from tradition, or the prefunctory—eit =pies of these or former times. But will the chan,ge after all have place? Will delivery in the preaching of the all pregnant fnture, , whose dawn is already ad vancing, have its, rightful pre-eminence? -Or,: will the construction:: of the sermon continue to, be. te :all, - ab§orbing concern of preachers, and its "delivery comparativelY as nothing?'We,.cannot confidently ':say. ThennderValnation of deliveiy at the 'present moment, au'd too genera,llyirt foregoing...times ) , in view of its inherent injustice and the,staud 'ing reprobation of it by the reason of 'things PHILADELMA, TITURVPAY,''ETANUAIpr 19, '1865. ,:, THE BR =SE and the verdict of the human mind, begets hesitation as to the probability of a correction of it, under the influence of any possible eir cumstances ; and yet since it has pleased God to institute preaching as the leading instru mentality, the means of means, in applying his efficacious grace, must not the " wicked ness of the wicked " rush on to its climax and its doom if the correction shall not take place? In a practice of preaching so wrong, so utterly ineloquent, in the thing of chief moment; as that now generally prevailing, will the Spirit of God, who can give no sanction to inherent impropriety of any sort, work with that pleni tude of His power which will be neaeisary to write " holiness to the Lord," on such inven tions and aboundings of secular life as 'those 'which we already see in such rapid•prOgress , must become in their culmination?. ; As then, no change is to be expected in God's_ reduCing men to obedience to hii iself, Anist not the change we are speaking 'of in preaCh ing be ,a ; reality : at length, if the triumph-of the gospel on earth is to a And why Should it not be inaugur j attrir once? The very occa.on for it. prestiPiloses• 'a high existini culpabnity in the riiiiiiiattirS bf the word. No tongue can ex.pressilie - evitofi delivering. Christian truths as if thew tare, fic tions. A. 4. far is preachers' are,7, - oh*geable • with this' evil they have canto for theleePest 'humiliation. Next to countingrehtistaiku self a mytli, , bay,identical'witla itAieireet; is so representing his doctrine. WhapaßfidelittYx - ,vliether in itself 'or in its coniquenges t orse .t Think of it as weirtaY,•the Niay.of deli4etY in-preaching is iiiiittoirfnitli% -pkofoundest regret, to.:,the ministry and the church. Whether it is, to ,remain in the coming times or niit; it Should, for, the sake of . the tithes now present, from 'hencefoith cease, or ettase to be excused or tolerated.r. Infinite interests demand that the reform, begin without delay. • We join. with, this beloved father and instructor in the Chureh in calling fora thorough refcirm in this respect. We- Airge,upon• our preachers their- own per sonal need ,of a revival= as preaeherst;' their need ,that the `Holy . Spirit' should: make them distinctively pre,a,ehers, contrast with .contented essayists' and ainbitious scholars' or profoUnd lecturers omtheologyi their need of ;realizing the, grand,imporiance of all that.-patrt bf their Work which, in' one- ord, maysbe called DELIVERY; by which the truth takes a direct, practical;'effectual Shape,,and be comes a mat,ter, of business,between them and the hearer ;, the need of that divine influoice.Whieh, - firstt9uching their hearts with a sense of :tlia,reality and importance of the truthS-thex enunciate, and of th - e pre ciousneSsand Peril of the souls for whom, it is intended, then deminates,thewhole exterior mechanism of the man, suffuses the eye, anitnates the countenance, gives ten- . derness to the tones, and grace to the . gestures, which - pleads, Which threatens, which argues, which is importunate, as if indeed matters of life and death were at stake, and a fav,orable verdict must be had upon the spot. ,) Go forth into the, open field's. .A_baii .don occasionally the formalities and re straints of your pulpit and your church walls and pews, and elabbrately contrived discourses. 'Stand fade to face with your fellow-men, as the political speaker doei, and throw the gospel into the same shape, of an iturnediately important practical affair, to' be settled by the hearer there on the spot, as you argue with him. Seek to win the regard of the gay plea sure-seekers of Fairmount Park, Phila delphia, or Central Park, New York, on a Sabbath day. Or go, in responseto the call of the Christian Commission,' - to thearmy ; and there, in hastily constructed tents or log huts, amid brief respite from, the wild havoc and Carnage of war, to men who know their need of a present, personal Savidur, and who feel that reli gion must be all or nothing to them ; 'Who cannot abide shams, or trifling, or' need less refinement, but who must see a bold, broad platform of truth to plant their feet upon--to such men, amid such' sceiles, attempt to proclaim - the gospel; 'there ` learn the deficiencies 'of your preaching, learn what the expellentteacher of hothi:- letics, means by DELIVERY, learn what degree of revival is needed in the pulpit, `before it will be prepared to perform Commanding Part' in the conquest of the world to Christ. . . THE BRICK PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH, ROCHESTER, NEW YORK. The Second Presbyterian Church of Rochester, as it was then named, was organized in November, 1825. It was called the Brick Church in 1834. Beo. William James was the first pastor, installed July 2d, 1826, and dismissed October 19,1830. Rev. William Wisner, the second pastor, was; installed July 28, 1831, and ~was ,ilismissed October 14, 1 1 835. Rev. Ueorge Beecher the third astor, . was installed 4 tme 28, 1838, and dismissed October i 6,. Bev: James; B. Bhay?,' P. : .1),,, :the _present and: fourth pastor, waa 4 installed., January a,- 1841, and has now entered,npon the twenty- 5 fifth year of; his very, faithful and suc c.e§§fulniini*tr, Y.4L , tiki§ ltace:. .-., , - ... . PFr elL o ,_4ncwaorgaTtized: `With; 25 gemPers., ~Zt,,es x , • tr year it- T had 3'5,; in , six years;,,22o • ' in ten; years, . 690. It h as, been. a Ch o peculiarly_urchblessed: w, w ith; great A4,,powerfill. revivals.' ~,In 1;831,.10,0 virnrn acideci, lby,profession; a l iii 1.8 3 2, 2 0 , B ii' in ' 1 94) 2 l i.Y4 r 114, § 42 - ( 118 1:;. in( , .f B fiP , 7 2 Pia,;.ai 444 • /- 263 ,. 21: 8 ' , 1 #s, Pyesent , IaPT-o, 3 `* P-,is thno.st 11.9. 1 2,P- :: v-1.; Al-Av., t Ir.? 1 4 .1 . : O;'Y t , e„ 1 r ghe congregatipu were first gathered in an ola•oOe . n edifice, which had been , .wd . ~_ . abandoned . ,by .the; .yirst , Church. ln 1826, in the second year of their exist ence, theyc ,the, what then seemed u large and . commod'ions .briek house Of, worship, being seventy-two feet by fifty, with a finishedbasement for Sunday . , ,sehools Und evening meetings. In 1860 this, was torn ..doWn: to give, plate to the ,present large and beautiful church build -in - . g, whpse graceful representation is be , fore us. This eclifice l ,isf 158, ; feet long, by 76 yvide The height of the steeple is 185 feet., andience mote'. is 63 by feet, and will coMfortably. seat 1,250 persons. Two thousand have often, been, paeltedintp it on special oecasiOns, wben aisles and areas are occupied. .;It nidse . ‘admirableiiidience room in every resPect, ,good for . speaking, .good for hearing, and_pleasant, to the eye in...style and: finish. It is 'also peculiarly well arranged for entrance and egress, hav ing doors at 'both ends, and could be eriiptied in a few moments in case p The Sabbath-,school chapel, in,-.the rear, is 44 by 100 feet, and will' seat. seven or eight hundred scholars.. Tce leceure room, - Which is below the Sabbath .schoOl room, is ,44 by 56 . feet, and will seat four hundred persona,. r : We, do not know of a church nn - ore admirably ar ranged, more convenient, or more inviting as a house of worship. C. P. B. OUR AGENT IN ROCHEST.ER. A pastor .oflone of the most flourishing. of our Philadelphia City Churches, who has always manifested a very;great and practical interest in the AMERICAN PREs- BYTERIAN, and who has been the means of greatly - increasing its list :in other places, has given further proof of his re gard for the paper by voltnteering to visit Rochester, and other places in that part. of New york•State, the present week. He will = co-operate with ouv correspond ing,editor in; that city in efforts to extend the list.- We ask for him 'a ,cordial re ception, and a share of that extensive patronage which the numerous member ship of our Church'in. Central and West ern New York ,is competent to bestow without injury to other interests. Christian Herald repo'rts an interesting revival as in pro gress in our church at this place. Daily meetings have been held for a week and with increasing-interest: - The church is greatly revived, and, from fifteen to twenty have at i teui3.o our, inquiry meetings, mostly yout r h. „The pastor writes: "Bro 7 the r Henry Little is most 'ably and, eat nestly dispensing to us the Word."' G-enesee Evangelist, No. 974. YORK. • ' .MACE-MONGERING. - itt it :a ; pity. that any ,countenance should be given to those politicians, who, having failed to. achieve the .notorie,ty, they crave in any other way, seek .it, as a -last resource in• a visit to ,Richmond;: pretending a semi-official; errand in behalf of .peacc. Pity that there should ;be a disposition to assign importance to the movements of such men. Especially is it,a pity, that thorough pro-slavery sym pathizers, whose debasing policy was so utterly scouted, by the loyal people in the last electi,ons, should now be regarded 'as likely instruments of accomplishing an honorablepeace. Pray whence this sudden endowment of " honor" in men so lately regarded as, untrustworty; and what is there in,the passage through our lines, or in intercourse with rebel ic,aders- in• Rich - inspire these then,_ who could, not maintain, the simplest sort of. patriotism in the North, with such a high degree of it as to, render ;them competent to repre-. sent loyal people in dealing with armed and defiant repels ? ,The, people having resolved up,on stern—and decisive, war, Will craven peace-mongers at any, price, who resisted this decision with all their Might, suddenly become of importance to the whole North in negotiations with the traitors ? We rejected them at the pens; we voted bayonets and bullets to rebels ; they voted to , " exhaust all