~~a~~~~~~~~~~~E.
"QUENCH NOT THE SPIRIT.'
A SOLEMN WARNING
It seems to he a fact observed by
many who have had much to do with
revivals of religion, that numbers at such
times succeed in causing the Holy Spirit
to take its final departure.
God's great object in extending the
period of probation, is that he may make
use of every means to bring the guilty
sinner to repentance and faith in the
Lord Jesus Christ.
But when at last, all proves unavail
ing, " the Lord of that servant will come
at an hour when he looketh not for him,
and at an hour when he is not aware,
and will cut him asunder, and will ap
point him his portion with the unbe
lievers, and that servant, that knew his
Lord's will, and prepared not himself,
neither did according to his will, shall
be beaten with many stripes." Luke
xii. 46, 47.
A striking illustration of this solemn
truth has come under my observation.
With the prayer that it may lead
some one, almost persuaded to be a
Christian, to heed the words " now is the
accepted time, behold now is the day of
salvation," I send it to the readers of
the AMERICAN PRESBYTERIAN.
This account was sent to me at a
time of the outpouring in the West, on
the banks of the Mississippi. Names in
full I have thought it prudent to sup
press:
RED WING, MINN., July 18, 1864
One evening last week you referred to
the sudden deaths which follow closely
upon a revival. My thoughts turned
back instantly to a scene like the one
before us, and so fresh, so vivid was the
picture, that I was lost to the present,
and it required a strong effort to bring
back those thoughts from the past.
• Since that evening I have heard an
objection made to your sermon because
of your allusion to death in connection
with a revival. It has been said that
such preaching causes an excitement.
To those who present such objections, I
would like to tell that which I now write
to you, of the history of one well-known
to the writer of this note.
In a Cemetery of Illinois, lies the
body of Mrs. --, sister of one of our
generals, in General . Grant's army.
-- was of mature years, pos
sessing strong intellectual powers—one
who in early life had enjoyed rare oppor
tunities for mental culture—a lady, who
could count many admirers, ambitious,
perhaps proud of her position.
Often has she said to us, while con
versing upon death and the future state,
"My children shall never look upon the
face of the qad—they shall not learn to
fear death. Death is a door through a
very thin partition. Death ! 'tis no
more than stepping from my library to
my parlor—'tis nothing that we need
fear. Ido not believe in the vicarious
atonement of Christ."
.When her husband was dying, at his
request, she administered to him " chloro
form," that he might pass away without
mental or physical pain. Upon his tomb
stone she had inscribed,
"He died 'as he lived, a Philosopher."
It was during the winter of 1855-56,
that the city of --, 111., was visited by
an evangelist, Rev. Orson Parker. Dur
ing one of his evening exercises, in an
earnest appeal to those out of Christ,
his remarks were similar to those of
yourself the other evening :—" Sudden
deaths follow revivals." Mrs. -- was
sitting back of the writer ; bending her
head forward, said she, "Don't he think
he'll scare somebody !" On Sabbath
morning I looked for Mrs. --, but she
was absent. The " appointments" from
the sacred desk were read, among which
our 'pastor read this notice—" The
funeral services of Mrs. --, (the very
person I have been writing of) will be
held in the church, to-morrow, at two
o'clock."
Too late to utter a warning, I hurried
from the church to the death couch of
that gifted Woman and looked upon her
marble form. From her mother, I re
ceived the remainder of her history.
"On Saturday she was quite well,
was dressed and eat-a plentiful supper,
was exhibiting during the day her usual
vivacity. She had said to a friend, who
had visited her during the day, in a.tri
fling manner, I suppose you will come
to my funeral when you hear of my
death, will you?'
"After supper, she retired to rest. In
a short time she called to her mother,
saying, I feel very strange, will you
get me a. warm bath immediately.?'
Her mother went to prepare the batd,
but hearing.her daughter groan, returneh
to her bedside. She was convulsed.
An intermission of the spasm occurring,
.she cried out, 'Oh ! my mother, I am
dying. My poor children, what will
become of them ? Oh 1 mother pray for
Me. Oh ! I cannot pray.'
." Her mother did pray earnestly, and
pointed her dying daughter to Him
who was slain on Calvary.' At last she
.did cry out in agony, Oh ! Lord have
mercy on my poor soul."
Thus she passed into eternity, in less
than two short hours from the time of
her first alarm ; with not one ray of hope
to light her pathway to the tomb.
How vain her boasting, that she would
be both father and ..inother to her chil
dren—she did not fear death—did not
believe in an " atonement"—was not to
be scared by the words of truth and
earnestness 1
Whe❑ you referred. to deaths follow
ing revivals, and I heard the cry a
false alarm," I felt that the facts above
stated should be made known. Oh !
that God by his spirit may cause this
story to be the means of bringing some
" strong minded woman" to Christ, in
season to be heard by Him who has said,
"QUENCH NOT THE SPIRIT."
If the eye of one yet unreconciled to
God has followed these solemn words, it
is my earnest prayer, that you may heed
its warning.
" Thus saith the Lord," " Now con
sider this, ye that forget God, lest I
tear you in pieces, and there be none to
deliver." Psa. 1. 22.-
" There is a time we know not when,
A point we know not where,
Fixes the destiny of men
For glory or despair..
"To cross that limit is to die,
To die as if by stealth,
It may not dim the beaming eye
Or pale the glow of health."
E. P. H
JOTTINGS - FROM A PARISH JOURNAL,
NO. 2.
MAVN MAE IT LINE UPON LINE."
Dr. Chalmers in his prelections on
" pastoral theology," was wont to intro
duce anecdotes illustrative of parochial
prejudices and cognate topics, and on
one occasion he narrated the following
incident, as proving the tenacity with.
which even the female portion of a con
gregation is apt to contend 'for faith and
manners, and, above all, for the "customs
of the fathers:"—
On entering hisfirst (rural) parish, he
found that the congregation, for time im
memorial, had been accustomed to sing
in public worship only twelve tunes,
known in Scotland as the gude auld
twal," and moreover that the precentor'
read out the psalm, line by - line, lilting
the line, that is, giving it the pitch of the
music to which it was to be sung.
Chalmers was anxious to improve the
praise as an essential part of the wor
ship, and for this purpose he, called a
congregational meeting. At this meet
ing-two resolutions were adopted:
"I. That two new tunes shopld be in
troduced, giving the congregation four
teen, out of which to select.the MUSiC for
divine service.
"1.1. That the precentor should read
two lines, instead of one, in "giving out
the psalm."
On the morning after this meeting was
held, before Chalmers was dressed, an
old lady—a second Janet Geddes—who
charged herself with the duty of keeping
the parish right, and watching with a
scrupulous vigilance the minister and the
elders, called at the manse. On entering
the room, Chalmers found her pacing up
and down the floor, and slapping the one
hand upon the other. She Was solilo
quising thus:—"ls it come to this ? Is
it come to this ? Is it come to this ?"
Chalmers, supposing her to be daft, said,
"Well, Janet, is there any thing wrong
this morning ?" To which, she replied, in
measing her pace and bawling at the top
)f
_her voice, "We are all wrang when
tne kirk goes wrang. There's nae thing
richt when the kirk's wrang."
" What's wrang wi' the kirk, Janet ?"
replied the doctor. "Oh dear me, is
that au ye ken aboot it ? Were ye no
at that meeting last nicht ? They hae
geen up the auld twal, and they hae be
good to the twa lines. They'll no halt
till they gae back to popery. oif John
Knox wad rise frae the grave, what a
stoor he would kick up in the parish of
Kilmany."
" Well, Janet, sit down till we hae
bit crack ower the matter," said Chalmers.
" Oh, Mr. Chalmers, I canna talk; I
canna talk tae ony man that haes•lecl the
parish awa frae the Word o' God. The
Scripture rule is the good rule. When
ye rin awa frae it, there's nae hope, nae
hope BY a." " Come, come," said Chal
mers, " its just the Scripture rule we
want to lippen to. Tell us the Scripture
rule and we will bide by it." " Dear
me, is it come to this, that a poor vessel
o' the sanctuary like Janet MacMurtry,
maim come-here to instruct the minister?
The Scripture forbids your twa lines.
The Word condemns you to your face,
Mr. Chalmers. It says plainly, ye
maun hae it line upon line.' "
Doubtless this old woman believed that
she had the true and correct application
of the passage she quoted ; and that any
innovation upon the established customs
of parochial service, was a violation of
the divine law. If Jatret had lived in
our day and heard the free kirk of Scot
land singing continuously without read
ing either one line or two ; nay, more,
had she heard the music, aided by the
tones of an organ, she would have doubt
less discovered in the modern worship of
the " kirk of John Knox" unequivocal
evidences of the " latter day apostacy."
The great difficulty is how to deal
with such cases of tender conscience.
There is still much in Presbytery of the
straining at a gnat and swallowing a
camel. Prejudice is regarded by some
as principle. The will is mistaken for
the conscience. Bigotry is the barrier
to progress, and the customs of our fa
thers, both in regard to faith and man
ners, are appealed to, as infallible rules
of ecclesiastical action. Many in our
day are ready to " garnish the sepulchres
of the righteous," and yet possess little
of the spirit of those whom they thus
honor.
" I like that man's preaching," said a
good, pious woman in one of the British
provinces, a few years ago. " He-is a
good preacher; few men know the Bible
and the gospel as he does. He has it
all on his finger ends. But it's nae gude
THE AMERICAN PRESBYT.
at a', sae lang as he hands so closely to
the horns of the altar.'" - What do
you mean," replied a friend, ;" by his
holding to the horns of the . altar. 4 " Heh I
man, do you no ken what I mean by the
horns of the altar ? I mean thai he wears
the goon, and prays for the Queen. These
are the horns of the altar and„the horns
of the beast, too ?" 1
To overcome such prejudices and re
tain the power of usefulness among this
type of mind, is not an ea* task, and
yet when there is no doubt that there
underlies all this superficial narrowness
of spirit, a good, sound, sub4antial faith,
nay, a genuine piety, it becOmes a se
rious question whether sacrifices should
not be made to accommodatt such weak
members of the Lord's body. First of
all, pains should be taken to instruct this
class of the congregation. Though their
judgment may not be worth 1: • luch, their
hearts are probably sound. Though their
counsels may not avail with m i ni, yet their
prayers may prevail with God. And
while they may be ;troublespme Chris,
Vans, yet are they often *nest, faith
ful and. consistent examples of the power
of such an amount of faith as God has
seen fitAo bestow.. It is well to bear
and forbear with them. i - •
One of the most astonishing instances
of the length and strength of such "pa
rochial prejudices," is tecorded of an
" old country" congregtftion of Presbyte
rians, in one of the leading' cies' of this
State. It appears that from t days, of
Ebenezer Erskine, the ancestor of the
leaders in, said community had been in
the habit of reading out one line in sing
ing Davy Rouse's Version of the Psalms.
Some of the younger members Of the
congregation, and a few of the progres
sive fathers, being desirous of approaching
(however remotely) the Americanforms
of Sabbath worship, got a meeting of the
congregation called, for the purpose of
proposing some amendments or altera
tions in the forms of the Sabbath service.
A long, loud and enthusiastic discussion
took place, upon the question of reading
one line or two lines 1 The result of the
debate was,a division in the congregation
and a new organization. The two con
gregations were thereafter known as the
One Liners, and the Two. Liners. - -
It has been the boast of the enemi.es
and the sorrow of the friends of Presby
try, that so many divisions have marked
its history, and that the causes of such
divisions have often been so very frivo
lous. In the cases before cited we have
only noticed the weakness of the preju
dice, but in this last instance we are
almost disposed to regard it as wieked
ness. There cannot be a high degree of
spirituality of mind or devotional senti
ment among the people, who, for such
slight causes, would rend and torture a
whole body of Christians, and alienate
the membership of a church one from
another.
The question of union-among the va
rious branches of the Presbyterian family
is being agitated in the country, and it
is a matter worthy of consideration, how
far prejudice may influence its discug
sion. In Scotland there, are many, both
in the Established and Free churches, who
are most desirous to have the two
churches formally incorporated ; but
there are still surviving many of the
venerable fathers, who stood face to face
And fought the battle which ended in the
Disruption of 1843. And it would be a
somewhat difficult task to induce these
veterans to sheath their swords so soon.
So with regard to our own beloved
churches in this land ; there are still
surviving a goodly array of the veterans
of 1837, on both sides. And while
many noble recruits have been enrolled
and have entered the ranks since the
separation, who are free from the preju
dices and the feelings which a long and
hot discussion aroused, and who would
fain see the whole Presbyterian family
in this country rolled into one, yet the
men who fought the battle on both sides
are not likely to embrace each other until
their wounds become cicatrized. Proba
bly feeling and prejudice may have
something to do in raising the difficulties
which are so often started against the
union of the Presbyterian churches in
this country. In Canada, in Nova
Scotia, in Australia, the Free church and
the United Presbyterian church have
united. In the last named Province,
the whole Presbyterian family are now
one, and in the British Provinces the
cry for union among all the Presbyterian
bodies is becoming • louder every year.
Prejudice, sometimes more potent than
principle is one main barrier in the way
of Christian union.
A PUPIL OF CHALMERS.
CHAPLAIN ARMSTRONG'S LETTER.
[The following letter has been nearly a month
in reaching our office.] -
HEADQUARTERS isamY OF THE TENN.,
. STEAMER LILLY, TENN. RIVER,
January 26th, 1865.
DEAR BROTHER MEARS :—You might
well infer from the dating of my letter
(if you could make out the whereabouts)
that an army is a moveable body.. Let
no man boast himself of to-morrow,
especially in the army. Here or there,
for some purpose or for no purpose, he
may expect to, be on the wing, and his
expectations will seldom fail. Nor need
any man in the army ask, nor, of course,
attempt to give, the reasons for moving
or stopping.
Were I, at this moment, anywhere in
the sea of mud that now stretches away
along the left bank of the Tennesee, be
fore me, I should wish myself in East,
port, Miss., and yet I should somewhat,
doubt the correctness of the wishing—
not as to the name Eastport, but as to
RT_AN, THURSDAY, MARCH 9, 1865
the whereabouts of that place—whether
it lies in Mississippi or Alabama
There is little to distinguish it, unless
two or three shells of old buildings, non
descript in form, surrounded by the in
terminable mud, soft and almost bottom
less one day, and hard and almost
iMpassable the next, the inevitable char
acteristic of a Southern winter. This is
spread out over a plain, extending back
from the river at this point two or three
hundred yards, where the surface rises
abruptly into a succession of very high
hills sparsely covered with a variety of
timber, and broken here and there, by deep
ravines, running out towards the river.
A stranger landed here on the plain, and
while his boots are deep in the mud, is
told that he is in Eastport But he won
ders which is the city : the plain where
he now stands doubtful of his founda
tion, or the hills back yonder, where he
would fain - that his feet were planted.
But plains and hills, the Eastport of
to-day is populous and busy.
.Every
where is stir and life, soldiers and citi
zens, (a very few of the latter,) mules
and horses, waggons and --ambulances,
horsemen and footmen, transports and
gunboats, coming and going, passing and
repassing, lading and uniading, these
things and the like, meet the eye' at every
turn.
Yonder on a prominent hill are Gen.
Thomas' headquarters. At the right
and in the rear,Gen. A. J. Smith is, just
establishing his quarters. Yonder -is
Geri McArthur, then Gen. Garrard, and
over there, another Gen. Smith, &c., &c.,
and stretching away, along the hills to
the right and left, far as the eye can
reach, are the tented cities of our soldier
boys. Here they live for the time, and
rest a little, after the terrible fighting
at Franklin, Nashville, and the subse
quent exhaustive marching ; and very
cosily they live just now, for they have
built log cabins and roofed them with
their "dog tents," which ordinarily are
set up •on the ground, low, cold and
cheerless. The huts have chimneys of
mud or sticks, and in a few cases of
stone or brick—a great luxury at this
cold season.'
This is the Eastport of to-day. Not
that of 1860 and years preceding, when
it was the outlet, by a very narrow and
poor stone road, to luka, and the region
round about, but the military Eastport,
which to-day is and to-morrow may be
vanished. I should not like to attempt
to give you an estimate of its present
population, nor to guess what it may be
in one, two, or three weeks. But no man
need wonder if at, that time it should
be less populous than now, with more
graves, and many more carcasses of ani
mals, horses and mules, inevitable way
marks along the track of the army.
HONOR TO THE- MULE
By;the way, "when this cruel war:is
over," and Uncle Samuel comes to num
ber and reward his' friends, after,others,
I propose a monument to the mule—with
out which he could not have prosecuted
the war to a successful close. The mule
is a benefactor, its patience is a marvel,
its industry and hardy, iron endurance,
are beyound all comparison, and its sac
rifice is a, holacaust. Its bones whiten
the soil of every State. , Nay, they are
found beside every army road and by
path. Along all the marches and
counter-marches of a four years' war, it
has laid itself down and died for the
country. It has forded streams, climbed
mountains, threaded valleys, and when
man and beast have failed, it has gone
successfully - over, though it were to lie
down and die at the end. It has served
for draft, for packing (bearing the most
incredible burdens), and for the trooper.
It has been the butt of ridicule and
laughter, of malice and bad temper, (for
I think no class of men in the army so
abound in profanity, wickedness and
'cruelty to the beast, as the muleteers,)
but patient, industrious and uncomplain
ing to the end, it has drawn the govern
ment almost through one of the most
terrible wars that ever cursed the earth.
Honor to the mule.
Going up to the summit of the hill
near Gen. Thomas' headquarters, you
may follow with your eye the windings
of the Tennessee, for a Tong distance ;
and on the flat grounds that skirt it on
either side, you see large cypress forests,
and away above, on the Alabama side,
is Maj. Gen. Wilson's cavalry corps.
As recently organized and refitted, they
are a noble and effective body of soldiers,
numberhig. perhaps 20,000 or 30,000,
more or less, who, with their seven-shoot
ing carbines (Spencer's), will give a good
report of themselves when the opening
campaign shall call them again to horse.
STEAMER LILLY - CHRISTIAN COMMIS
SION-:DEPLORABLE CONDITION OF OUR
SOLDIERS.- -
I am writing from the saloon of a
very neat little steamer the Lilly, and
on the evening of :-a day cold enough for
Michigan, or even New England. This
place has, been the headquarters of Gen.
A. J. Smith, the self styled " Guerilla
Chief," a thorough soldier by the way,
but a jolly man, and brim full of good
nature, who appreciates a good joke, and
I think is supposed to be a judge of good
whisky. To-day, the General has gone
into camp over on the hill and very con
siderately gives room for the quarters of
the Christian Commission, for which, be
sides my duties as Chaplain,l am acting
agent at this point. And very accepta
ble to the army here, just now, is that
agency, though, for the lack of stores,
very little effective. Leaving my com
mand to march over land, to this point,
I embarked on board a steamer, at Nash
ville, on the 14th inst., in. ekrge of a
small shipment of Sanitary ea. hospital
stores and reading matter, bound for
Eastport, via the Cumberland, Ohio, and
Tennessee rivers. I found the army here
in a very destitute condition. At the
battle of Nashville our soldiers lost, or
threw away, their personal effects, and
there was a very great dearth of little
comforts, and in many cases actual desti
tution of the necessaries of a soldiers'
life. It was a pleasure to have some
liberal boxes, prepared and packed by
loving hands at home, for just such cases.
It was a rare pleasure to be permitted to
give these tokens from home, and witness
the satisfaction they gave.
CORN IN THE EAR FOR OUR BRAVE SOL-
DIERS---SOMEBODY TO BLAME
But this does not show the saddest
feature. of the present condition of things
in this army. The men haze no rations.
For several days the Commissary has
been issuing to them raw corn, corn un
ground and often in the ear. This is
one of the most painful things that I
have ever yet witnessed in the army.
The men, the brave Union soldiers, our
own boys, brothers, friends and neighbors,
famishing in this far. land. And this is
all the more aggravating because so need
less. Government is not shortened for
transportation ; these broad rivers are
crowded with transports, in government
employ, and she has overflowing gran
eries, only just, back at her base. Time
enough has elapsed since it was known
that the army was coming here, to have
supplied four such, armies, out of those
same granaries ; time and resources that
have served to bring us acres of forage,
hay and grain for the beasts of burden,
but the men, our soldier boys, are starv
ing, and being sickened by trying to eat
the food of horses. They parch the corn,
and it aggravates the tendency to diar
rhcea, which ,so afflicts our army in
this region. One command I found had
a large coffee mill, and by grinding three
times over, they made a meal which was
better than the whole kernels.
*I saw to-day some moulded, decayed
and •wo,pny pilot bread (!‘ Hard-tack")
thrown out upon the ground, and the
men ran and gathered it up like himgry
swine.
I cannot describe to you my emotions
as I have looked on at these things, dur
ing the last three days. There is blood
red guilt somewhere and I must believe
that if men do not reckon with guilty
officials for such wholesale murder, there
is a God, who, will not_ long delay. Ah
let it not come to the ears of the fathers
and mothers, the sisters and wives at
home, that while debauched officials, were
defying, heaven and disgracing the earth,
with their devilish, bacchanals, their sol
diers, sons, husbands and brothers, are
starving—aye, almost within hailingdis
tance of the overflowing warehouses of
the government—warehouses filled for
this very day of need. Starving in camp,
after the battle is past and the victory
won. I have no language to express my
indignation and grief in view of these
things.
GOOD HUMOR OF THE MEN
And yet, it is amusing and wonderful
to witness the indomitable good nature
and uncomplaining bravery of the then.
Jokes and pleasantry go the rounds, and
complaint is the exception. This morn
ing a man was carrying, in a sack, the
corn issued to himself and his squad.
Passing near where a mule was tied, the
animal whinneyed, calling for a portion.
The soldier paused and looking at the
animal called out, " I say, you brute, be
be still ! This is not fair ; you ought to
be satisfied with nine pounds per, day,
while I get but four."
I heard this afternoon the men near
to Gen. Thomas' headquarters, got ropes,
and half the men tied the other half by
the neck, and sounding the "water call,"
led them over by the headquarters, like
mules, as if to water ; intimating to the
General that these were his animals, that
were being fed on corn. It is said that
the General has started a staff officer
down the river for supplies.
THE WELCOME AGENCY OF THE CHRISTIAN
COMMISSION
The supplies of the Christian Com
mission are all the more timely for this
pressure, especially as no other commis
sion has sent forward anything to this
point. For though our supply is only
"as a drop in , the bucket," yet have these
things brought relief in scores of cases,
and gladdened many hearts. They have
reached every hospital in this command,
and have gone beyond to many more not
under 'hospital care. It does the heart
good to be an almoner at such a time,
and to say, when we receive the thanks
of the grateful soldier: " No thanks tows,
these are your own, prepared by loving
hands at home. Let them remind you
of the sympathies and prayers that are
daily and hourly following you on your
perilous way."
I would that the thousands of yearn
ing souls, who are' praying and working
and have given this form to their prayers
and labors, might be able to witness
these things, at this far away front line
of battle. Their gifts are issued from
the deep hold of a - steamer, (the only
place of storage) where myself and - my
brother (an excellent lay delegate,) have
stood from morning till night, busy with
the distribution.,
it Bully for the Christian Commission,"
said a soldier, as he turned away to-day,
with a small gift. My heart respottds,
in view of what it is doing and has done
for the brave soldier boy ; in view of
what it had done and is doing for the
church at home ; in view of its prospec
tive work God bless the Christian Com
mission, the latest form of christian
benevolence, the most wonderful, most
patriotic, the most purely christian agency
of the war. It is coming to ebe recog
nized in the West as well as in the East.
Blessings are pronounced upon it by the
highest officials as well as by the finin
blest private soldier.
When we came here as agents of-the
Commission, we were welcomed at She
headquarters of the army. On applying
to Gen. A.. J. Smith for quarters, hey -re
plied, " Yes, the Christian Cornmisiinn
has done more for us then we could h'uve
asked or expected. It shall havethetbest
we have." So be gave us a part 'of the
room occupied for his headquarters.
From division, brigade and regimental
surgeons, we received the same 'cordial
treatment and kindly recognition:. 'lts
efficient work on the bloody fields of
Franklin and Nashville are too fresh to
be forgotten. Two weeks ago, when our
division of cavalry (Gen. Eli Long's)
was marching through Nashville, >the
Commission apprised of our coming, met
us by its delegates, and gave to every
man with bare hands (it was a cold, raw
day) a nice pair of mittens. Our column
received that day from 1,500 to 2,000
pairs, thick and_ warm, that made us
think of home and mother.
GOD'S GREAT AGENCY—ITS WORK RUT
BEGUN
This is God's great agency, the most
directly effective, the most economical,
to carry his love to the army ( and to _en
list his people in the war. It is stimula
ting and regulating other agencies, espe
cially the chaplaincy. (I am a chaplain
by the way and desire to say - more upon
this delicate point, ere long.)
Am I mistaken in thinking that the
Commission has but just entered upon its
work, even if the war should close in a
six months ? It has a work to do for the
army, for the conquered traitors, and in
moulding and shaping, in marshalling and
directing the christian patiiotism of the
country.
God bless those noble souls, who, in
your own city and elsewhere through-
out the entire North, have sent forth
their mighty world-embracing sympa
thies through this channel,
THE UNITED PRAYER MEETING AT
MANA.TCJNE.
The last of the series of the United
Prayer-Meetings of our denomination in
Philadelphia, for the season, was held
on Tuesday evening of last week, in the
Minayunk church. There was quite an
attendance of pastors, elders,_ and others
from our city churches.
After a half hour's delightful " socia
ble" at the Manayunk pastor's residence,
the visitors repaired to the church, where
the services were conducted as at the
preceding naeetings--the pastor presiding.
The subject proposed was, CHRIST, as
presented in 2 Cor. v. 14-21. C l od in
I Christ, reconciling the world unto him
self. The constraining love of Christ,
&c., were the themes of the speakers.
And the prayers were characterized by
more than ordinary ardor. The pastor
of the "Old Pine Stret Church," in be
half of the city churches, in his address
assured us that we in Manayunk Church
are regarded with much interest by those
in the central portion of our great city.
He appropriately represented us as on
guard duty upon the outskirts of the
camp ; and although we might frequently
be disturbed by shadows of apprehended
enemies, we should always remember
that close by was the great camp which
was ever ready to protect us—an assu
rance that encourages us much in view
of the various trials through which we are
called to pass in this community.
The services
_closed at nine o'clock,
and soon the friends from the city were
in the cars upon their way home to the
centre of the " great camp." If we in
Manayunk are permitted to decide, we
most emphatically pronounce this to be
the best of the series of United Prayer-
Meetings during this season. The atten
dance of our own people in Manayunk
was good ; the impression of the meeting
was most happy ; and when our people
were informed that there was no proba
bility of 'another such meeting until after
the expiration of a year, they were much
disappointed, and could only be satisfied
somewhat by the assurance of many of
the city friends that they would be out
again to see us during our Fair in April
next. A. C.
MAN/LXIINK, Feb. 27,, 1865
PRAY WITHOUT CEASING.
We are enjoined to pray without ceasing- -
We ought to be in so constant a communi
cation with Him that whenever_ 4. slight
trial comes, whether of faith or patience, or
love, and wherever a little blessing flutters
its white wings softly over our heads, we
shall immediately, naturally, without hesi
totion, lift up our- hearts to G-od. Thus
only can we obtain all things which, God
prepares for us. He bas opened for us' the
fountains of the water , of life. If we.draw
only at intervals, even though they be re
gular, we shall often walk athirst. We
should keep the little rills always trickling
thence into our hearts, that so there shall
be in us a well of water springing up into
everlasting life.—The Friend.
AN UNUSUAL SABBATH PRoonvamv —A
correspondent of The. Congregationalist,
writing from Waterville, Maine, says that,
for some years past, the First Congregational
church in that village has had only an after
noon sermon on the Sabbath. The Sunday
school takes the place of the morning service,
and represents well the congregation. In the
afternoon the preacher occupies the hour, and
a meeting for conference and prayer'closes the
services of the day. The people like the ar
rangement, and so does the minister. The
effect upon the general prosperity of the
church and society has been good, and no
evil result is yet seen. The preacher and the
hearers are, it is believed, more awake to the
means of grace enjoyed, because not over
tasked and wearied by crowding the Sabbath
full of public duties.
C. S. A