THE AIRERICAN PRESBYTERIAN
GENESEE EVAGELIST.
*Religions and Familymicwspaper
IN THE INTEREST OF THE
Constitutional Presbyterian Churet.
PUBLISHED EVERY THURSDAY,
AT THE PRESBYTERIAN HOUSE
1334 Chestnut Street, (2d story) Philadelphia.
Rev. John W. Mears, Editor and Publisher.
Rev. B. B. Hotchitin, Editor of News and
Fan4ly Departments.
Rev. C. P. Bush, Corresponding Editor,
Rochester, N. Y.
gmtritau, Irrolsttrian.
THURSDAY, JUNE 1, 1866
CONTENTS OF INSIDE PAGES.
SECOND PAGE—THE FAMILY CIRCLE: •
Flowers—Tho Old Nan Entertained—Grandma has
only Moved to Heaven—The French Boy—Musn't
Always take People at Their Word—Nearness of
Death—The Family Circle.
For the Little Folks: Familiar Talks with the
Children.
R e ligi ou s Intelligence: Presbyterian—Cm:we/0,
tional—Foreign — Miscellaneous—ltems. ,
THIRD PAGE—GENERAL ASSEMBLY.
SIXTH PAGE—CORRESPONDENCE:
Jottings from a Parish Journal—To My Friend
Andrew—Letters on Reconstruction—Report of the
Permanent Committee on Home Missions, read in
the General Assembly.
Miscellaneous: Dr. Beecher in a Hurry—Oar
Country's New Peril—The Oratorio of " the Messiah"
One Hundred Years Ago—President Lincoln's Pre
sentiment of his Death,
SEVENTH PAGE—RURAL ECONOMY:
Weeds in Gardens—lron Dish-Cloth, Iron Clothes-
Lines—Horses at Pasture—To Hive a Swam of Bees
—Remedy for Scratches.
Ministerial Record, Monthly.
GENERAL ASSEMBLY,
BROOKLYN, SATURDAY, May 27.
The character of the General Assembly
as representing our Churches, has been-fur
ther illustrated by the action unanimously
taken against the admission of disloyal
ministers to our judicatories without ample
proof of repentance and refOrmation. This
action recognizes treason as a crime, as
much so as any in the catalogue, and as
such, disqualifying those guilty of it for
any position in the church, no less than in
the State. The large audience gathered
in the church, in anticipation of a discus
sion on this subject, were disappointed.
The talking talent of the Assembly had
not been developed as yet, and besides, there
was really entire unanimity in the - body,
and the lack of any call for argument or
persuasion to be addressed to any member.
We are all agreed that our church shall
be no resting place for disloyal traitors
flying from the tumbling ruins of "Con
federate" churches, no ark for such birds
of night to find rest for the soles of their
feet. They have made their bed, let them
lie in it. The Minute was adopted with
the most hearty unanimity.
The policy of universal suffrage was also
(recommended by the Assembly,in two, papers
with almost as decisive --anifeity. Two
cr_t.i..--- 7 -wcwalipeeches wereinad•
brethren little known in the church, in
deprecation of immediate• action, but the
final vote, promptly taken, was without a
*ssenting voice. The Assembly which
ecognized so freely the right 'of colored
men to an equal position in'its chief coun
cil, could not consistently hesitate to take a
firm stand for the bestowment upon them
and their race of a lower and les&respon
sible privilege. If, by prompt action, as a
church, on this great question, we can con
tribute to an 'early solution, and• help to
save the country from a long arid painful
agitation, we may not withhold our voice
and influence, and thus repeat one of the
very worst errors of the past.
On Wednesday, on the presentation of
the Report on Home Missions, we had a
sudden development of the 4reat amount
of speaking 'talent, with which the Modera
tor declared the Lord had seen fit to endow
the Assembly. The greatness of the sub
ject, the wide, 'unparalleled, truly marvel
lous'ffeld opened for the church on the
Pacific slope, in the territories, the gold
and silver fields, among the conquered
population of the South, the Freedmen and
the Germans, was indeed worthy of the
broadest and most solemn deliberation.
Much of the speaking turned upon the
great and pressing, and immediate need of
men. Systems of training, modes of preach
ing, the unemployed talent in the church,
underwent thorough review, especially at
the hands of Rev. Joseph Patch, from In
diana, who treated these topics in a most
• -;nal, racy, and instructive manner, as
oe seen from the sketch of his remarks. '
speeches were made. Some dissatis
m was manifested that the freedmen
not made the objects of more specific
ion by the Committee. Messrs.
and Thompson, our colored dele
made
two of the best speeches that
et been heard on the floor; their aim ,
.0 show the importance and feasibility
le efforts for Presbyterianizing their
especially by our own branch of the '
.h. We confess to our fears that the
In of the , Assembly thus far, will be ,
below the demands of this part of
eld. But the action of a Special Com
e on the subject is yet, at the time of
writing, to be heard.
SPECIAL MEETINGS
,ring the evenings, voluntary meetings
,e members have been held, some of
of great interest. The ruling elders
two meetings for consultation and
Jr, which were of a general character
seemed to have done more to create
nourish Christian sympathy, and stim-
atuvritan 7*rtsbpetttiati.
New Series, Vol. 11, No. 22 .
ulate to action the piety of tht brethren, than
to accomplish any definite objeet. As such
they did good and were enjoyed by the
laymen attending them. A meeting in be
half of the American Board Ntras held on
Monday evening, one in behalf of thz Amer
ican and Foreign Christian Union on Wed
nesday evening, addressed by Henry Mar
tyn Scudder, . D.D., pastor-elect of .Howard
St. Church, San Francisco; the Assembly's
Communion was celebrated Thursday eve
ning, and was an occasion of tender inte
rest and refreshing; Friday evening a tem
perance meeting was held and addressed by
Dr. Chickering, at which, unfortunately, a
difference of sentiment as to the moral
bearings of the use of intoxicating liquors
was developed, though we are not sure that
real or great diversities of opinion existed.
On Thursday,. as we have mentioned in
another place, the Assembly accepted the
kind invitation of a Committee of Arrange
ments of Rev. G. S. Robinson's church, in
Brooklyn, of whlph Mr. R. was chairman,
to take an excursion around the city and
down the bay. The trip was one of unal
loyed pleasure. The weather was delight
ful, the water smooth, the brethren- in the
best of spirits, and in that hearty sociable
mood, which only a body of men so thorough
ly agreed, so bent on great objects, and so free
from suspicion of each Alters piety; ortho
doxy,and purity of motive can feel or man
ifest. Happy Assembly ! Far distant be
the day when .small jealousies, rankling en
vy and ecclesiastical ambition'shall separate
thy well-marshalled hosts into rival sections,
break up the genial flow of Christian sym
pathy and rive the delicate but powerful
tie of confidence which now conveys the
electric consciousness of brotherhood from
heart to heart throughout the whole
Church:
THE MODERATOR
There is but one opinion about our pre
siding officer ; he is universally reckoned
among the best we have ever had. He has
distinguished himself, not for a stern and
pompous gravity, but for graceful ease:
courtesy, geniality, promptness in the dis
patch of business and for diffusing a cheer
ful atmosphere over the Assembly, without
ietrae. a.„ 4 ...—.4...-et is responses
to delegates have been uniformly .brief
and happy. His term of office will long
be remembered as one peculiarly combining
the agreeable with the efficient.
CONCLUSION OF PROCEEDINGS
On Friday aft t woon, Dr. Harper, first
representative of the United Presbyterian
Church to our Assembly, was heard with
much interest. The Church Erection
Fund was further debated and • the subject
intrusted to a Special Committee; to report
on Monday morning. A report on the
Religious Weekly Press was adopted.
On Saturday morning, a full - and ably
written document'was brought in by the
Committee on the State of the Country,
Dr. Fisher, Chairman ; also a report rec
ommending the extension of the right of
suffrage to people of color, by the Commit
tee on Bills and Overtures. Both of which
were unanimously Adopted. A report ou
trial and suspension fora contumacy was de
bated. Adjourned. '
MONDAY.—The report of the Special
Committe4 on Church Erection requiring
an examination by legal gentlemen of the
precise limitations of the charter, was adopt
ed. Later in the day, the Permanent Com
mittee was instructed to take immediate
measures for raising a supplementary fund
for gratuitous distribution to needy churches.
The report on trial for contumacy was re
ferred to a committee to report next As
sembly.
The Narrative was read and adopted,
This is a very full paper and shows a' most
gratifying and extraordinary degree of tem
poral and spiritual prosperity during the
year.
On' Monday afternoon, after appopriate
resolutions and addresses, in which both the
New York and Philadelphia doctors Adams
and the Moderator participated, the Assem
bly was solemnly dissolved.
CIIEURCH DEDICATION.—The edifice re
recently erected for the use of our con
gregation in Vineland, N. J., will be
dedicated for its sacred use on Tuesday
next, (6th inst.,) at 111 o'clock, A. M.
Rev. Dr. E. E. Adams will preach the
sermon. The church is a pleasant edi
fice, situated in the midst of an interest
ing comunity, and there is promise that
it will be a point of much importance to
the interests of our denomination in
-Lower New Jersey. Vineland is a new
town on the Cape May Railroad, about
two hours' ride below this city. Friends
attending from Philadelphia can leave
at 9 o'clock, A. M., and return, leaving
Vineland at 6 o'clock, P: M. We are
informed by the pastor, Rev. S. Loomis,
that the people of Vineland will have in
PHILADELPHIA; THURSDAY„ JUNE 1, 1865.
good readiness an entertainment for their
friends froth above—of what quality may
be judged when it is remembered that
we_ are in the midst of the strawberry
season,,
SERMONS AND ADDRESSES ON. THE
_ _ DEATH. OF MR. LINCOLN. -
[The following summary of views ex
pressed in the.pulpit, will be found appro
priate to the day as designated by the
Chief Executive for humiliation and prayer
upon our great national calamity.]
We have received and are continuing to
receive printed copies of sermons and ad
dresses upon the death of Mr. Lincoln,
many of which are deeply impressive and
written with decided ability; all of them
are interesting _as memorials of an event*
unprecedented in our - national history. We
early published from the manuscript the
discourse of Rev. Mr. Fowler, of Auburn
which we then regarded as remarkably
comprehensive, analytical and thorough,
and as exhibiting some of the very highest
qualities demanded by the occasion. After
examing a dozen other productions, we see
no occasion to change our opinion of Mr.
Fowler's diseourse. .
A venerable, lady who bears names linked
imperishably -with the literature, the
theology, and the practical piety of the
land, writes of , this discourse as follows :
" God bless you for the sermon, which I
have just read in the AMERICAN PRESBY
TERIAN. I have been so sad since the
death orour beloied Lineoln, whose memo:
ry lingers_ in my lonely old heart, like,the
perfume• of sweet faded flowers, .and it
really refused to be comforted: EYery'
thing I had read did not come up to, rvinark
of my_ respect and love for our beloved
Father Abraham' . . The tegtll like,
and as I read on, every tendril of i my heart
vibrated in unison with the words, and I
said with satisfaction, Eureka! I have
found it.' -
Among the sermons Since then sent to
our office, we would reckon that of Dr.
Duffield's, of, Detroit, as the most intense,
as revealing a noble soul stirred to its very
de the and • J u dzwiee .ii i ..„o....-ArevtiV"
ing some of the important truths
illustrated by the dreadful . event. Dr.
Duffield lives in a State ' which has tried,
and we believe is yet trying, the - experi
ment of doing without capital punishment.
Speaking of the duty of a good government
to restrain and punish "the horrible malig
nity of human corruption," he says :
Law has lost its 'sacredness. Fanaticism
has been substituted for religion. In the
North, a spuriousrighteous ktiifghteous humanita
rianism, claiming to wiser and more bene'
volent than the God of the Bible, has sym
,
pathized with the perpetrators of evil, in the
indulgence of a mawkish and murderous
charity, so-called, denouncing capital "punish
ment, destroying the sanctions of law, and
undermining the authority of government,
until the idea of liberty has become identical
with that of licentiousness. Property and
life are sacrificed with impunity; and t low
estimate is made of human virtue and per
sonal security. Our officers of justice have
extensively become the patrons and promo
ters of crime ; and the functions of authority
are sought to be discharged by the veriest
traitors to the peace and welfare of society.
In the South, the monster iniquity of slavery,
with all crimes and abominations, interwoven
into codes of law, had blinded the popular
mind; and, besotted the popular conscience,
- until, with fanatical madness,- its advocates
and abettors had claimed ,the sanction of 're
ligion, and believed themselves to be. the
possessors of a purer Christianity, and much
more consistent and devoted asserters of the
inspiration and authority of the sacred Scrip
tures.
After enumerating the astounding crimes
committed by the ,leaders of the rebellion,
he says
During the four years of the rebellion,
facts have accumulated, showing that there
was no deed of desperate, malignant crime,
that could be perpetrated, which found not
its instruments, and was not stimulated by
the promise of reward from men in. high
Once and influence, connected with the sup
porters of the Confederate Government.
And the young men of the South have exten
sively been trained, and incited, to deeds of
enthusiastic desperation, as though it were
glorious and martyr-like to sacrifice them
selves by deeds of infamous daring and crimi
nality. 'The assassination7 . of the President
was but the 'culmination of this system of
diabolical enterprise, steadily, persistently,
and Satanically pursued, notwithstanding
frequent failures. i.ieldom, if ever, have such
developments of corruption been made in
the history .of any people, as have been,
in the - rise and progress of the rebellion, that
has caused the sacrifice of nearly half
_a mil-
lion lives of our brave and noble citizen sot=
diers. Away with all apologists for the
chivalry, and honor, and Christianity of the
Southern conspirators, and their religion, who
have not hesitated, but gloried, in the use of
such methods of revenge for warfare I
Perhaps just this, and nothing short of it,
was needed to bring the
,public mind to a just
and proper estimate of human life, and de
mand the restoration of the death penalty to
the place a God of justice and mercy has as
signed it in the administration of govern
ment.
In conclusion, he says :
How jealous has God beefi for us I He has
overturned every human idol, one after ano
ther, which we have set up among our Gene
rals, and glorified for triumph ; and when
He was prepared to lead us to victory, gave
•
us men of valor, wisdom, humility, and patri-
otic zeal, to exalt their country's honor above
selfish ambitiorrand fame, and give the glory
or our success to whom it ,is due. In the
death of President Lincoln, He has pursued
the same plan of Hisracious providence
toward us. We might have put him in the
place of God; and forgotten whose right hand
bath gotten us the victory. In an instant
He removed him from us, without one op
portunity of uttering a final adieu. We look
to his life for the proofs of his acceptance
with'God, and cherish gratefully his own
story of the consecration of himself to God.
Would that. he had fallen elsewhere than
at the very gate of hell—in the 'theatre, to
which through persuasion, he so reluctantly
went. But, thus a stain. has been put upon
that so falsely called school of virtue. How
awful and severe the rebuke, which God has
administered to the nation, for, - pampering
such demoralizing-places of resort_! The
blood of Abraham • Lincoln can never be
effaced from the stage. God grant that it
may prove the brand of infamy consigning
the theatre, which even'Solon and the old
moral. Greeks abhorred, to the disgrace it
merits, and the - abhcitrpnce of this nation.
In contrast with this flaming utterance of
prophet-like indignation, from a heart as
fresh as if it was bikt one-third of the age
of its venerable possessor, we place the
- 1
feeble and vapid utterances of one who, if
he ever had any heart for 4ffe,ring human
ity, seems to have lost it, as-soon as practi
cal measures.forlimiting the power of the
slave masters of thti South had been adop
ted by the people. 1 We have nothing 'so
l
weak, so lacking in any specific adapte.driess
.
to the load, 'simple ecessities2f the hour,
~
on all the pile of ad resses and sermons on
our table, as the d' course published - for
tr. Rice by some injudicious friends. The
only points onWhich,he seems in any wise
aroused are the " cons&vittigm" of Mr. Lin- .
coin, (" He would, if`he coUld, hive accom
plished what Soineof At'S - have long labored
to accomplish for the country and the slaves
—gradual emancipation and Colonization,")
arid Mr. ,Lincoln s saying with regard to Dr.
MePheeter's case in St. Louis, "The State
must not undertake to run the churches."
Men in these times are quite as well under
stood by what they de not), say as by what
they do.
Both a discourse and aniddress come from
the . true-hearted pastor of he Constitutional
church, Baltimore, Rev. ' . Dunning. The
I
".addrpse" delivered on/ the 19th, dwells
upon the noble traits of the martyr Presi
dent's character. We quote a few senten
ces :
Born 'and - reol.ed utu,slave State, yet his
clear"moral perceptions a •
brought him to that memorable Conclusion
and declaration, "if slavery be not wrong,
nothing is wrong;" a declaration strikingly in
harmony with that of Thomas Jefferson, that
" the Almighty has nu attribute that can take
the side of the skveNlder."
Closely allied wi a his conscientiousness,
and growing out of i , was his unshaken trust
in God. I. shall ne • r forget the solemn and
tearful earnestness *th which he responded
to the Synod of Pen a ylvania when in its ses
sion in Washington, a the autumn of 1863,
he said in answer to an address which had
been made to him, ' Gentlemen, if God-be
ioith us we shall main ain this Government if
not we shall fail;" a d this'was uttered with
that deep solemnity , nd peculiarity of man
ner which produce the conviction that he
solemnity
firmly believed tha, •od was with the nation
and would' bring it rough all its great trials.
The "discourse refers more especially
to the_ ut awf deed i elf : and its' very title
reveals the animu s of the speaker : "The
Nameless Crime''" A few sentences from
this :,
Now, the inter!,
of the crime revel
perpetrator was
the forbearance
He openly profe
known to be, an,
whose protectio
tion he was bas
and abuse for its
though thus kn
was spared and
the misplaced f
against which 1
at which he ail
freedom and lif
ernment, in ti
t: r continued
be.•n forfeited.
ent of both
President. TI
II) enter of him
ca,t show 'the
arid its desert
fact reveals it.
r • malignity and enormity
s itself in "the - fact that its
Iving at the time only on
1 I d leniency of the President.
Fed to be, he was publicly
• nemy of the government
he enjoyed, whose protec
!enough to continue to eloy
ttempte'd destruction ! Yet,
n as a declared enemy, he
i rotected from judgment by
bearance of that government
lifted his assassin hand, and
ed this deadly blow ! His
as a declared enemy of go
. hour of its great struggle
istence and authority, had
He was permitted the enjoy
too great leniency of the
leniency he outraged by the
gat showed it 1 If anything
eons enormity of this crime,
a dciuble damnation, this
not observed, my friends,
providence is here presenting
er to this whole nation? "As
in his heart, so is as." He
's deed, who "in his heart"
And have yc
how God in
a test of char
a man thinket
who approves
rejoices in it,
who does not f
revolt at it, is'
assassin. He
nity, the with
proper stimuld
again to the h
If you hear a
deed, 'never tr
night with hi
nor your chai
safe with him.
Dr. Darlin
is very calm,
which he thi
Mr. Lincoln
thinks, will
must say tha
with a great
cause is neve
den and violf
[ palliates or excuses it ; he
1
d his whole nature abhor and
mself, shall I add herself, an
•
, she only needs the opportu
, awal of restraints by God, the
Lon and - hardihood, to strike
1 rt of our present President.
man palliate or excuse that
,t yourself alone or in a dark
Neither- your reputation,
er, nor your life would be
!.. discourse "Grief and. Duty"
nd very sorrowful for a loss,
s we may feel for a long-time.
services as a pacifier, he
e greatly missed ; and we
he opinion set forth by some
!• al of confidence, that a good
seriously injured by the sad
t removal of its representative
strike us as self-evident.
man, does n
The - cause
,f liberty and Union was not
G - enesee Evangelist, No. 993.
indeed ruined in Holland when William
Prince -of. Orange fell by the assassin's
pistol; but according to Motley, it received
such a check, that the limits of the Union
were never so extended as would have pro
bably been the case, had that wise prince
been spared a few years long% And the
fall of Gustavus Adolphus was, we think,
in the estimate of good judges, an almost
irreparable disaster to Protestantism on the
continent of Europe.
In this case, however, we are inclined to
differ from Dr. Darling; for we regard Mr.
Lincoln as having, in all probability, fully
accomplished his work, while the new and
sterner processes required in settling with
the vanquished le*ders of the rebellion,
and in impressing on our people and on the
world the great lessons of justice sug
gested'by the honr;have been handed over
to more decided , men. We quote two
sentences :
*Among all the men educated under the in
fluence, and in the midst of northern society,
I do not believe that you could - find an indi
vidual who would deliberately, and day by
day plan, and finally execute, so fiendish an act
as that of Mr. Lincoln's assassination. Depra
vity does indeed ripen, even with us, fear
fully, but to attain so gigantic a growth as
this, it must have its roots in a more congenial
soil. The most terrible, and as it seems to
me, wicked event of centuries, nothing but
bug familiarity and close contact- with the
whole'system of oppression, a.; it has- existed
at the south for years, and with
_the spirit
that it, engenders, could ever have made it.
possible.
In Rev. F.- - L. Robbins' sermon we like
the 'following amdno• other discriMinating
remarks upon Mr.. Lincoln's standing in-the
affections and estimate of the pebple:—
.
It is remarkable to 'notcie how personal is
the feeling we have, and how greviously the
late President is mourned, as if indeed. e
re'the real father of all the people. Never
was a man carried to his grave amid such
universal and. profound grief. Why is this
so? . . The people loved him:because
he was a man of blameless life ; of - an eleva
ted, transparent, firm character, and of an
affectionate, benign disposition.
Mr. Lincoln was not highly prominent for
intellectual abilities. He had not the grand
imperial mind of a Webster, nor the subtle,
metaphysical, intense intellect of a Calhoun,
nor the splendid and ready powers and elo
quence of a Fox or a Chatham ;.-Juid yet his
intellectual abilities were adequate to every
occasion : indeed, they were such as seem to
have admirably fitted him for the work which
he has so ably accomplished.
Where others with higher range and more
profound faculties might have failed, doubt
-less would have failed, he has succeeded,
his matchless sagacity, and pru
761fiin—o-ri. sense; and native shrewd-
..ence, an
ness.
His thoughts were - his own ; they were
fresh and original, and were clothed with a
quaintness, a directness, a simplicity of style
peculiar to himself. -
We are thankful to him for preserving
the record of the declaration made by Mr.
Lincoln, " to an eminent clergyman of New
York," upon issuing the Emancipation Proc
lamation : "I did not think the people had
been edUcated up to it, yet I thought it
was 9.2,91 a, and I did it." But, we think a
Protestant preacher had better have omit
ted the wish, (we_ might almost call it
prayer,) for " the eternal repose" of the
"illuminated spirit" of Mr. Lincoln, "above
the skies."
Rev. M. C. Sutphen, of the Spring
Garden (0. S.) Church, among other
points, 'enlarges upon the evidences of the
piety of Mr. Lincoln, though pronouncing
no decisive judgment on this trait, in he
President. Mr. S. puts the best possible
construction on, his unfortynate presence at
the theatre, saying :
While my heart bleeds most at the thought
that he should have received the fatal blow
within the walls of a theatre, yet when I re
member that he was drawn- thither -reluc
tantly, and from his characteristic kindly
desire to mitigate the disappointment of the
crowd collected in promise of the presence of
the absent Lieutenant-General, I find it not
impossible to think of him among the blood
bought throng of martyrs—himself a martyr
in one of the holiest causes that ever de
manded the sacrifice of human life.
Mr. Sutphen asks a number of signifi
cant questions like the following:—
Is it not possible that the overflowing love
of our late President would have made con
cessions to rebels, calculated to imperil the
peace and safety of the nation and to tarnish
the fair fame with which he will now descend
to posterity; ?
Rev. Wm. Sterling , of Williamsport, Pa.,
speaks throughout of the man, the princi
ples at stake, and the spirit of the crime,
after our own heart. We can follow him
paragraph by paragraph, with a hearty
amen I How to make extracts; where we
would like to copy the whole, we scarcely
know. Take the following :
And this is the man that has fallen from
his-highplace by a murderer's hand !.
praying President—a President who daily
held intercourse with heaven—a President
who sought guidance and grace for himself
and blessing on the land at the foot of the
throne ;—a President who loved Jesus, who
was kind and considerate to the poorest and
lowest that came into his presence, or sought
his aid ;—a., President who was so full of
mercy and forgiveness towards his enemies,
so pure a patriot, so worthy of the place to
which God in his providence had elevated
him ;—this is the man that the bullet of the
assassin has reached, an 4 over whose un
timely and violent end the. Nation mourns
to-day I
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The crime which has been committed in
the murder of such a man, occupying such a
position, is one of unparalleled atrocity. I
know nothing that surpasses it, save only the
murder of the Son of God. It is to stand
out before the universe while time shall last
as the blackest deed which man ever com
mitted against his fellow-man.
It is a deep disgrace that such a deed could
be perpetrated in out land. France has had
her Infernal Machine, and her frequent at
tempts at the lives of ker sovereigns, and her
Reign of Terror; and we have felt that these
deeds were to be accounted for by the infi
delity that prevails. But in this land of the
pious Pilgrims, the land_of Washington ;—in
this land of Bibles and of the Sabbath and
the Sanctuary,—this land of Christian civili
zation, it was thought that such an event
could not take place. That such a murder
should blacken the annals of our country fills
us with shame as well as with grief and
horror. But this infamy belongs not to our
whole country, but to the rebellion and its
animating soul,. Slavery ; of whose cruel and
barbarous spirit this act of murder is one of
the natural fruits.
And now, myhearers, how are we to look
upon the leaders in such a work as this? Are
we to regard with indulgent lenity the men
who, tlurough four years 'of bloody war, have
striven to rend in pieces the bond of our
Union, pull down the Temple of Liberty, and
convulse the country in ruin? No, no, No!
Their crime is like that which cast the angels
out of heaven. No words of man can express_
itsenormity. No punishment which man
can inflict is commensurate with the crime.
And superOled to , this, look at the per
jury of men in office at the beginning of the
war, holding places of honor, and trust, and
emolument under the Government ; look at
the robbery, the treason they have committed,
the blood they have, shed on the battle-field,
and the sufferings of our prisoners who fell
into their hands: Can you read the testimony
of these prisoners; can you lock upon these
shattered wrecks, of men with their sunken
eyes, and hard and shriveled and ashy skins,
and wasted forms ; can you behold these
starved and fleshless, - yet living skeletons;
can you hear them tell the pitiful story of
their fearful wrongs and sufferings, and not
feel your blood grow hot like fire in your
veins? Can you read or- hear their tale of
woe, and not feel every nerve in your body
quiver with agony and_
indignation? If you
can, your temperament is cooler than mine.
And shall they authors of these miseries go
unpunished? Forbid it justice I Forbid it,
every right,. and true, and patriotic, and
Christian principle !
Who can withold assent from stitin whole
some sentiments, so nobly and forcibly
•
expressed ?
We present, as worthy of consideration,
the followng suggestion from Rev. Mr. Aik
man's discourse :
I look at it and am not able to say why it
was. Is it suggested that it is for punish
ment—because we have not acknowledged
God? Ido not think it. I belieie that my
country is to-day the most God-fearing na
tion on this earth. Four years of sorrow and
trouble have taught and chastened the na
tional heart so that God is seen everywhere
and His hand is acknowledged in every pass
ing event; men once may have denied His
minute Providence; they see it now. In all
our recent success the victory has not been
ascribed to men or armaments but to God,
so that on the bells of the horses, on the door
posts of the places of amusement, has been
written "Glory to God above." .I.t is said
that this bereavement comes upon us because
we were trusting too much in man. Once
we did, but we , were scourged out of that
years ago, so that we relied on no man, but
as a people were lookint up to God. The
speaker believed that the nation had been
struggling toward the right. No, he could.
find nothing here which could adequately ex
plain this bereavement.
Rev. Oliver Crane, of - Carbondale, Rev.
T. B. McFalls, of Washington, and Rev.
Wm. C. Wisner, D.D., of Lockport, also
delivered earnest and patriotic addresses,
which we would be pleased to notice more
fully. But space forbids us to pursue
further
,the pleasant employment. We
- cannot, however, forbear referring to the
sermon of our friend and recent co-presby
ter, Rev. Isaac Riley, now of Pottsville,
Pa. It strikes us as one of the most fin
ished, able, searching, 'and eloquent of all
we have examined. It bears fewer of the
marks of haste than almost any. There is
a chaste and classic beauty in its language
and structure, while it breaths the lofty
fervor of true patriotism and indignant
hatred of wrong. A single paragraph from
this address will fitly close these selee ;
Lions and remarks :
The traveler who wanders through the
streets of Rome, comes up to the church of St.
Peter, and looks and scarce believes his eyes,
when he recalls all the magnificence which des
cription and expectation had clothed it with ;
for he sees the dome he had conceived p grand
scarce rising above the pediment, which does
not at all impress him with loftiness and
grandeur. But he draws near. He changes
his place. He learns to measure the height.
He enters, and gazes, the dome rises and
swells' more and more magnificent, and his
faith is awakened. But it is only when he
goes upon the oampagna or stands on some
distant hill, and high over all the puny works.
of lesser men sees the grand dome rising lord
of the city, that he gains true views and some
conception of its vastness and sublime beauty,
that he reallyknows what he has seen. Snell'
is our experience. They who have drawn
nearest and looked up most steadily to the
height of the pure grand character of him
who is gone have learned best what he was.
But it is he who looking over the valley of
time from the elevation of years to come, or
from the level plain of a calm judgment
which can be reached only in a distance,—
only he can tell us the greatness of him who
m the loftiness of a pure nobility shall stand
forever side by side with that other grand
and precious name of our history.
A COLORED ELDER of the Ref. Pres:'
Church in Alexandria, was in attendance
as a member of the late General Synod-.