r)rallt. HARPER de BRO.'S BOOR • .THE EMPEROR NAPOLEON. 11-0017 of Ju lius Caesar. vol 1. 8 vo. , pp. 463. New York: Harper & Bros. We have so frequeo4 spoken of this work on formepzeeAsions, that we need do little more thAd refer to the particular edition before a's. Messrs. Harper were selected bv/che English publishers, them selves vactioned by the imperial• author, to rep/Oduce the work in this country. To-judge by their superfine octavo edi tion, nothing has been omitted in the ' externals that the most fastidious could prescribe. The paper is unusually pure. 'and heavy, the type clear, bold, And handsome, the binding, in bevelled boards, is substantial, and the ornaments . elegant and tasteful. The contents of the volume are worthy of note, not only for the real learning and fruits of investigation which they largely exhibit, but for the insight which they give of the writer's views and char acter. His Julius Cwsar is at once a vindication of the Roman Emperor's policy, and of that of his uncle, Bona parte. And as Brutus is charged with doing the world great injury byremoving Cwsar from it, so the Holy. Alliance of Europe is regarded as having laid the foundation of the convulsions of Euro pean society, in their treatment of the modern Cesar, Napoleon I. His aim, he says in the preface, "is to prove that when Providence raises up such men as Caesar, Charlemagne, and Napo leon, it is to trace out to the peoples the path they ought to follow, and to ac complish in a few years the labor of a few centuries_ Happy the peoples," he cries, " who comprehend and follow them ! Woe to those who misunder stand and combat them ! They do as the Jews did ; they crucify their Mes siah. . . . Every day since 1815 has verified the prophecy of the capture of St. Helena : How many struggles, how much blood, how many years will it not require to realize the good which I in tended to do for mankind I" Destiny is a leading thought with the nephew as with the uncle. "Let us be logical," he says again, " we shall be just." Again : " We must recognize in the long duration of an institution a proof of its goodness." The more venerable and inveterate a wrong, the more likely, ac cording to this philosophy, is it td be accepted and perpetuated to future ages. This, evidently, is meant as a strong word for despotism, for the empire. Again, in the body of the work, he says : " When destiny is driving things toward an aim, there is by a law of fate, a con currence of all forces in the same direc tion." In a word, Cwsar is defended through thick and thin, and is treated in the most approved method of hero-wor ship. • VAMBERY. TraVels in Central Asia. Being the account of a journey from Teheran across the Turkoman desert on.the Eastern shore of the Caspian, to Khiva, Bokhara, and Samarcand.- Performed in the year 1863. By Arminius Vambery, member of the Hungarian' Academy of Pesth. New York; Harper & Brothers. Bvo., pp. 493. The manner in which the distinguished author and traveller performed the task described in this volume, is one of the most extraordinary and daring devices ever employed by curious men to get an inside view of foreign countries. He disguised himself as a Dervish and " wandered about for months and months with only a few rags as his covering, without necessary food, and in , ,constant peril of perishing by a .death of cruelty if not of torture." His main ob ieet was a philological one, to trace out by the practical study of the living lan guages the positive degree of affinity which he regards as existing between the Hungarian and Turko-Tartaric dia lects. The results of his philological observations are not given in this vol ume, which is occupied with. the details of,tkis adventurous . journey through a country where "to hear is regarded as impudence, to ask as a crime, and to take notes as a deadly sin." When will they have newspapers in such a country ? The second part of the volume is de voted to the geography, statistics, poli tics, and social relations of Central Asia. The field is a new one and' fall of inter est to the curious reader. The getting up of the volume, on fine white paper, - type, in roughened cloth with be d edges, is highly creditable to the ishers. 'ls. A Treatis,e on Astronomy by Elias nnis, LL.D., Professor of Natural losopby, and Astronomy in Yale Col ). New York: Harper & Brothers. ~ pp. 338, with plates. .is is an elementary treatise de xi to communicate instruction to ge classes in the first principles " , eientific Astronomy. It is brief, rnd simple. The mathematical ‘ussions are not abstruse. Much `er of general interest is introduced i the physical phenomena of astron .al objects, and very handsomely. aced illustrations accompany the me The name of the distinguished or has for nearly a generation been . 11 ,1,'y before the learned public, and _ sufficient guarantee of the excellence V iot the work. 1:11: R. Autobiography, Corresnondence, 4 „etc., of Lyman Beecher, D.D. Edited by 'Charles Beecher, with illustrations. In 2 1, ?` , .:'; 1 - • Vol.l 1 9 mo pp. 587 ~vo • . 2 44. We have already, in noticing volume '} F - endeavored fairly to characterize this, 1 - ' l3: ‘ •rk, which, however, scarcely needs ire than to be announced in order to • w readers. This volume goes over `,,;;;`:,;amid of uncommon interest, including temperance reform, and the division of the Presbyterian Church. It is deeply interesting from the fresh and animated views it gives of the quaint and yet truly noble character which it portrays. It must communicate a great stimulus, especially to the clergy who read it. A portrait of the venerable doctor, in a sitting posture, embellishes the volume. THA.oKEnAr. Vanity Fair. A Novel with out a Hero. By Wm. M. Thackeray. In three vols., 12m0., pp. 350, 354, 346. New York: Harper & Brothers. This is an elegant edition of one of the classics of English literature. An imperishable portraiture of life _and man ners, seen, it is true, and judged from a partial aspect, yet powerful, profound, and sadly true so far as it goes. Who ever thinks the scriptural doctrine of human character unnecessarily severe, should read the searching analyses of character, and the sweeping judgments upon society •in Vanity Pair. "Ah !" exclaims the writer at the close, " Vani tas vanitatuni! Which of us is happy in this world ? Which of us has his desire? Or, having it, is satisfied ?" It is truly a terrible—an overwhelming picture, not coarse and vulgar, but drawn with a master hand, of the career of the false and unprincipled, amid a circle of hypocritical, base, and greedy associates,, relieved but by an occasional streak of humanity and honor. The publishers have brought out the work in the most substantial, convenient and elegant style, with the author's own significant illustrations, and a handsome engraved portrait. HOOKER'S SCIENCE FOR THE SCHOOL AND FAMILY. Part M.—Mineralogy and Ge ology. By Worthington Hooker, M. D., Professor of the Theory and Practice of Medicine in Yale College. Illustrated by twenty-two hundred engravings. New York: Harper and Bros. 12mo. pp. 360. This is an elementary treatise,. de signed to meet a want which can scarcely be viewed as satisfied by any preceding treatise. Most works on geology take so much for granted that they are not suited to absolute beginners. Professor Hooker begins with the simplest elements of the science, and marks every step o the way with graphic illustrations, so that he who runs may read. No modern notions derogatory to .the authority of Scripture are entertained by the author, in this * noi in any of his preceding scien tific works. He is to be classed rather with Dana, Hitchcock, and Hugh Mil ler, whose works he freely and approv ingly uses. CHAS. SCRIBNER & CO'S. WORKS Three works of high character have 'been issued simultaneously from the press of Messrs. Scribner & Co., in uniform style, which both for contents and exter nals will be regarded as indispensable to every respectable - library. The first is FRODDE. A History of England from the fall of Wolsey to the death of Elizabeth. By James Anthony Fronde, A.M., Late fellow of Exeter College, - Oxford. Vols. I, 11. 12mo. p. 447, 501. New York : C. Scribner & 00. For salekby J. B. Lip pincott & Co. • A. deeply interesting period of English history passes in review int these- and subsequent volumes, covering part of the life of Henry VIII, and the great strug gle between this imperious ruler and the Pope, resulting in the overthrow of Ro maniSm in England. The author writes with a due regard to historic accuracy iond with fidelity to detail, and that aim to re-produce the actual and daily life of the people which is the glory of modern historiography. So far as we have ex amined the work, candor and fairness characterize its statements, and dignity and perspicuity its style. We notice that he takes sides against Anne Boleyn, whom he regards as a most guilty woman. He commends the martyrs among the Catholics, for the heroic tem per they exhibited when sacrificed by Henry, although he condemns their prin ciples and takes the Protestant point of view. These volumes cover the ground to the King's third marriage, with Jane Seymour. FORSIMI—Life of Marcus Tullius Cicero. By _Wm. Forsyth, M. D., Q. C., author of " ifortensius," "Napoleon at St. Helena, and Sir Hudson Lowe." Vols, I, 11. 12mo. pp. 304, 341, with illustrations and an index. New York : C. Scribner & Co. For sale by J. B. Lippincott & Co. Here is a novelty in works upon ancient and classical subjects ; a biography of an old Roman, author of the orations and treatises which have played such an im portant part in the intellectual training of many generations of youth, presented to us in all the freshness and detail of modern i.nquiry—graphically 'realized to us; no more the statesman in the obscure grandeur of the Roman Senate, or Forum, or in the closet of the ancient philos °pi* r ; but a living, breathing, loving man, having a home and a personal character, and a real life aside from the partial aspects in which it has hereto fore been represented and conceived. A fresh, original character is given to the work, by large reference to_ the corres pondence of Cicero, in which his owh inmost views, and the daily incidents of his very varied life are reflected. But the public side of the great orator and. lawyer's life, and his connection with the political revolutions of his day are treated with all needful fullness. His philosophical and purely literary labors, however, do nut seem to meet with equally thorough treatment from our author. Any reader of ordinary culture will find the work quite within his comprehension, and withal of a most attractive character. -It is quite in con trast, in the latter particular, with the only other English work on the subject, —that of Middleton. The externals of these volumes are all that could be wished in substantial beauty and good THE AMERICAN . PRESBYTERIAN THURSDAY, JUNE 8, 1865 taste. Many elegant illustrations ac company the text. THE ILIAD OF HOMER rendered'into English blank verse. By Edward, Earl of Derby. In two volumes. Vol. 1., 430 poxes, vol. 2 457 pages. 12mo. New York : Chas. gcribner & Co. For sale by J. B. Lippin cott & Co., Phila. Were we to confine ourselves in the notice of these volumes to the evidence they give of the literary industry of the author, we could thus fill our allotted space. Earl Derby's high public duties in the British Cabinet require six month's assiduous attention out of the twelve ; no small part of the remaining half of the year is rendered useless for severe labor' by attacks of the gout. He is almost without experience as an author, and yet, after reaching an age when many men of leisure would feel themselves excusable for a life of inac tivity, this busy statesman, in the course of a couple of years, produces a version of Homer surpassing any attempt of the kind yet made in the English language. There is English vigor, manliness, pluck, and scholarship for you! A remarkable unanimity exists among the critics of Lord Derby's Homer. They agree that in the choice of metre--the heroic blank verse—in the poetic merits of the Eng lish, and in fidelity to the original, his work is deserving of all praise, and must take rank as a standard. Many lines, and even whole continuous passages are rendered into good, mellifluous, poetical English, line for line, with a near ap proach to literalness in the translation. From a review of the work in -*Black wood for - April, we quote the closing sentence. An English Iliad, alike satisfactory to the scholar by its accuracy; to the tasteful lover of ancient literature by its wonderful repro duction of Homer's characteristic epithets and pictUresque expressions; and to all readers by its vigor and transparent clearness of style, and by the easy flow of its grand and harmonious verse. Like the preceding vokimes, thesq b are bound in fine cloth, with bevelled edges, and exquisitely printed on the best quality of paper. SERMONS Oached in Boston-on the death of Abraham Lincoln. Together with the Funeral Services in the East• Room of the Executive Mansion at Washington. 379 pages. 16mo. Boston: J. E. Tilton & Co., publishers. For sale by J. B. Lippincott & Co. , Philadelphia. PAMPHLETS AND PERIODICALS. THE PEACEMAKER. A sermon preachN in the Tenth Presbyterian Church, Phil adelphia, on Sunday, April 9, 1865, ap pointed by the. Governor of Pensylvania as a day of thanksiving for the recent victories of the National forces in Vir ginia. By Henry A. Boardman, D.D. Philadelphia : Janes S. Claxton. STUDENT AND "SCHOOLMATE. June, 1865. THE EDINBURGH REYIEW,• Number CCXLVIII. April, 18 6 5.—C ontents : Taine's History of English Literature ; Heraldic Manuals ; The Australian Col onies ; Madame Roland ; Leckey's Influ ence of Rationalism ; The Church and Nlosque of SC Sophia; Memoirs of Du mont de Bostaquet ; Tuscan Sculpture ; Guizot's Meditations on Christianity.; The Law of Patents. New York: L. Scott & Co.; Phila delphia : W. B. Zieber, THE THEOLOGICAL ECLECTIC. Monthly. May and June, 1865.—Contents : Re cent German Discussions on the Atone ment ; Unexhausted Resources of Chris tian Evidence ; Recent _ Researches in Syria and Palestine. Cincinnati : Wm. Scott, Publisher. . LITTELL'S LIVING AGE, No. 1095. May 21th, 1865.—Contents : Wives and Daughters, an every-day Story ; Eng land on the Assassination of the Presi dent ; Reasons for Scepticism about some Modern Science ; Abraham Lincoln -and his Fate; Britannia Weeping with Columbia ; Poetry ; Short Articles. REPORT OF THE SPECIAL COMMTTEE to the General Assembly of 1864, on the Church Erection Fund, and addi tions thereto, by the Trustees of the Fund, as directed by the General As sembly. LEGAL HOLIDAYS.—The Legislature of New ;York has defined what days shall, in that State, be the establiShed legal holidays, and has provided that any obligations falling due on such days shall lie over =until the day following. The., days thus established are : Any day recommended by the President or by the Governor as ar day of fasting or thanksgiving ; the Fourth of July ; Christmas; the New Year's day, ald Washington's birth-day. If any such day falls upon the Sabbath, the day fol lowing is to be recognized as the holi day, We like this enactment, especially for the influence which it will have" in promoting the public observance of such days. We have long thought that in the rural districts especially ; there is too little of that social life which is drawn out by public days and festivals of a proper character. With suitable limita tions, they have a counteracting ten dency against that selfish and stagnant life which is so natural a result of al ways delving at home. THANK-OFFERING FOR FREED OM —A church of colored people in Baltimore, (the Sharp Street Station,) held a missionary meeting on Sabbath, April 30. The pastor, Rev. Mr. Mars, writes to the Advocate and Journal:—" The beautiful church was crowd ed to overflowing at this first regular mission ary anniversary. Five persons were constitut ed members for life, ($100,) and the desire of the people was to aid in sending mission aries to the freedmen of the South. The occasion was one of deepest interest, and is only a beginning of the thank-offerings of the colored people of Maryland for the glorious achievement of liberty to their fellow-men, heretofore held in bondage. GENERAL ASSEMBLY. S ESSIoN 4:3oi' 1865. FRIDAY MAT 26-AFTERNOON. After prayer, the Rev. Dr. Harper dele gate from the United Presbyterian Church, conveyed to the General Assembly the con gratulations of that Church. He referred to the relations between the New School Pres byterians and. the Church he was connected with, and said that the New School denomi nation had always helped his Church in its efforts against :slavery.. He was understood to intimate that as the other branches of the Church had come to their position on slavery, they might do the same in regard to Psalm ody. The stated clerk called attention. to the fact that this was the first delegate to our body frOm the U. P. Church. - A suitable response was made by the moderator. [A delegate from our body sent to the U. P. Assembly - in 1860, was refused, since, which time nothing has been done by us. The U. P. Church have, on second thought, determined to make the offer of correspon dquee themselves. Our Assembly voted to respond by appointing a delegate.] The regular order of business being the consideration of the Church Erection Commit tee report, it was taken up, and speeches were made by Rev. Mr. Jewell, Rev. Mr. Northrop, and Rev. Dr. Pratt, Chairman of the committee. . Rev. Dr. Eldridge protested against the inactivity of the Church Erection Fund. Dr. Fisher was in favor of:a new fund. The $lOO,OOO should be a pdrmanent investment, the interest of which might be used under certain conditions. This was the first time that he haditheard that the interest of this money was to be added to the principal. Rev. Dr. Wood believed in the gratuitous distribution of the interest among the churches. 'He did not believe in the loan sYstem. To remedy this he offered an amendment to the repoii, that the money be applied in donations not exceeding $3OO, to help along needy churches. He believed that if this money had been divided long ago the Assembly would be twice as large as it was at present. If the present fund was not availa ble, he hoped that $50,000 would be imme diately raised. Rev. Mr. Eddy moved that the subjectbe re ferred to a committee of seven, to report Satur day. The motion was carried, and the ()hair subsequently- appointed as the committee, Rev. Dr. Eldridge,Rev. Nessra. Eddy, Bishop, Williams, ood, and Elders Mans field and McMillen. STANDING COMLITTEE'S REPORT ON PTTBLICA- The Cominittee - 011 Publication then made their report Tlio committee reported that during the past year the publications of the church had been more numerous and of greater value than during any other , year. They "announced the receipts during the last year as reaching $50;000, a sum which had advanced from $36,000 theprevious year, and from $23,000 the year before. They also reverted to the importance of having a peri odical devoted to the interests and advance ment of Presbyterianism, and concluded their report with offering for adoption the follow ing resolutions Resolved, That the churches be recom rnendeq to increase their contributions to the publication cause, with view to more ex tended and thorough operations, and with special reference to affording facilities for the gratuitous distribution of tracts and books among the freedmen. Resolved, -That the permanent committees of the Church be directed to consider? and authorized to undertake, the publication of a periodical, in the-support of which they shall unite, in proportion to the space they may require and the funds at their disposal. Resolved, That the Presbyteries be recom mended to appoint unemployed ministers within their own Boards to explore the field and act as colporteurs in circulating the books of the Publication Committee. The committee also recommend that Rev. Messrs. Darling, Adams, and Ten Broock be re-electgd permanent members of the Pub lication Committee for the ensuing three years. The Rev. Mr. Dulles, the secretary of the committee, made some remarks, after which the Rev. Mr. Brownlee spoke at some length on the importance of the Church having in dependent publications of its own. In the West they depend mainly on the_publications of the Methodists and Congregationalists for a large portion of their supply of religious publications, and in many churches they knew no others ; and it was a misjudged economy that prevented the publications of the Presbyterian Church being sown far and wide. He believed that the liberal scattering of publications would bring more money into the treasury than it would cost.. - The Rev. Dr. Hamilton followed in the same strain of remark, and • insisted on the duty of the denomination to support those pe riodicals and newspapers which were laboring in its interest. The Rev. Mr. Sutton said the importance' of the field in the West was not appreciated by them. But the Methodists and Congre gationalists appreciated it, and they were doing much by their publications to turn the people to them. They were determired to possess the land and they had it, The fact was that the people out there hardly knew anything about Presbyterianism; even some of the elders of the churches there were igno rant of it. In order to dispel this, ignorance, it was necessary to have a church literature which should be scattered abroad like the leaves of the forest. Let the pople only un derstand 'what Presbyterianism is, and they will love it, -for it was the republican system, and republicanism was now triumphant. The people out West knew too little about the Presbyterian polity, and the result was that many of them hang very loosely on the stem. The report and resolutions were adopted. The committed appointed last year to con sider the subject of a weekly religious press then made their report. The report recom mends families to subscribe for one or more of the papers published in the interest of the denomination, and that ministers be requested to prevail on parents to provide reading of a suitabled kind for their families. Adjourned. SATURDAY, MAY 27.---!LDRNING. The proceedings were commenced at half past 8 o'clock, with the usual devotional ex ercises. The minutes of the previous session were read and approved. • The committees on the Synodical records of New York and New Jersey, lowa. and Western Reserve presented their reports on the same, which were adopted. THE STATE OF THE COUNTRY The report of the Committee on the State of the Country was read by Dr. Fisher, as follows :-- The Special Committee on the State of the Country would present the following minute for the adoption of the Assembly:— At the commencement of this rebellion, the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church in the United States took its position deci dedly and strongly in support of the Govern ment. Regarding the forcible secession of the Southern aristocracy as treason against a most beneficent Government : as treason ag gravated by the fact that not a single right of the South had been invaded, and as trea- son rendered peculiarly malignant and wicked by the fact that it was committed with .the avowed purpose of sustaining and perpetuat ing the system of slavery—a system in direct opposition to the Gospel and the principles of religious liberty—the Assembly condemned it in the name of God; and pledged to the Government a hearty support in the effort to crush it. Each succeeding Assembly reite rated this action. .Our churches with entire unanimity responded, by word and deed, to these sentiments. Our record as a Church we commit to the calm judgment of posterity, in the full assurance that there is neither a line nor a word the Christian patriotism of the future will desire to erase; not a single sentiment befitting our relation to this great conflict it will find unexpressed. And now, at its triumphant conclusion, this Assembly devoutly recognizes the good hand of God, which has, sustained us as a nation through four years of war unparalleled for its magnitude in all the past, and given: us vic tory in such a manner as to illustrate the power and excellence of our• free institutions, when sustained by a virtuous and intelligent people, and the deep malignity of that spirit of absolutism which has sought to overthrow them. We gratefully recognize this Provi dence in strengthening the patriotism of the people to vindicate the national unity and freedom by the sacrifice of treasure so im mense and blood so noble and precious, and in giving us for aleader one so wise, unself ish, patriotic, and reliant on His divine power and purpose in His own-time to vindicate the right and crush the wrong, in surrounding' him with men of an earnest and steady patri otism, wise in counsel and energetic in action, and in raising up skilful generals and admi rals to lead our brave troops to victory. We rejoice with exceeding joy in that Divine Sovereignty which has given to us, in the midst of war, such naterial prosperity ; which has inspired the benevolence that has poured forth its means to care for the tempo ral and spiritual wants of our noble soldiers, to endow our institutions of learning, and relieve our churches to so great an extent from the incumbrance of debt, and sustain our Christian enterprises for the conversion of men. "Not unto us, 0 God—not unto us, but to Thy name be the glory." Nor would we neglect to thank Him that, in an swer to the prayers of Christians throughout the world, He has delivered us from foreign conflicts that might have imperilled or pro tracted the successful issue of this war. We wonder at, and .admire especially, the Divine wisdom manifested in educating the nation through the successive stages of defeat and victory; through the unparalleled atro cities perpetuated, and the amazing malig nity illustrated by the leaders of the rebel lion, up to the purpose of utterly rooting out and destroying a condition of society so utter ly hostile to the elevation of man and the spirit of the Gospel. While we would hum bly confess and forsake the sins which have deserved tile Piirine chastisement, we thank God that through suffering He hath taught us to abhor the sin, at the same time that He hath laid in the hearts of .the people the foundation of a truly national trust in Him as our only sovereign, and hath prepared us to spread over all the continent the noblest civilization the world has ever known. In the sad event which has clothed the nation •in mourning ; which has stricken down—in a full maturity of his powers, and the height, of his usefulness—one of • the noblest of en, to whom it was given of God to accomplish a work for this nation and the cause of humanity unsurpassed in the grandeur of its character and the magnitude of its issues by that of any of his most illus trious predecessors, we recognize the same wise Providence, which, looking far above our feeble vision, permitted the existence of slavery and the rise of this Rebellion, and which in this last act of baffled and defeated despotism has illustrated its debased and malignant spirit so as to excite the loath ing and abhorrence of the world. In his life he struck the chains from the trembling limbs of millions, vindicated the rights of humanity, and illustrated the glory of a patriotism ,made strong and pure by devout confidence in God; in his death he touched the chord of sympathy deep in the hearts of universal man, and won over to our holy cause every true lover of his race, every soul in which dwells the hope - of freedom. To his bereaved widow andfamily this body would express our sympathy in this great af fliction, common to us all, but resting most heavily on those so nearly allied to hip, assuring them of our prayers, that to them may be granted the consolations of the Com forter, and in them these trials may bring forth the peaceable fruits of righteouness. In Andrew Johnson, so unexpectedly called to the chair of our martyred Chief, the As sembly recognize a man distinguished for a long course of earnest effort to elevate the masses, and for a steady, consistent patriotism that neither the power nor the favor of a treasonable oligarchy has been able success fully to assail or seduce. We desire to pledge to him as our constitutional Chief Magistrate our confidence and support in his efforts to vindicate the majesty of law, maintain the National Government in its just supremacy, and destroy the spirit and counteract the workings of the evil system that created this war; to inspire ajust appreciation of the crime of treason and a true loyalty to the Govern ment in the breasts of the masses of the white population of the South, and extend to the colored citizens of that section the practical enjoyment of those personal and political rights announced in the Declaration of Indepen dence, but denied to them by a despotic aris tocracy. And while this Assembly deem it not their province to counsel our rulers in respect to political measures, we possess both the right, and regard it as our duty, to state distinctly that, in our ' opinion , a nation like ours, whose corner-stone is equal rights, can not permanently prosper, nor be exempt from future convulsions, unless the principles of civil and religious liberty are fairly carried out and fully applied, with only just and healthful limitations, without reference to class or color, to all the people. For his personal safety, guidance, and sup port, we invoke the blessings of God, and we exhort our ministers and churches, since God by this war hath taught us the necessity and impressed upon us more deeply than ever before the duty of prayer for our rulers. to remember the President and his counsellors in their petitions to the Throne of Heavenly Grace. We exhort them to sustain him in the just exercise of his authority, to judge charitably his measures and acts, and, in the exercise of a magnanimous and Christian patriotism, encourage him in the peculiarly difficult circumstances in which he is called to act in our behalf. In the state of this nation consequent on this war, this Assembly recognize not only what God has done, but what He has pre pared the way for us to do, as a Chuich of Christ, in elevating the people. The words of the Laureate of England, written years ago, as if in anticipation of our great struggle, are full of significance : "Let it go or stay, so I wake to the higher aims Of a land that has lost for a little her lust of gold And love of a peace that was lull of wrongs and shames, Horrible, hateful, monstrous, not to be told, And hail once more to the banner of battle unroll'd ! Tho' many a light shall'llarken and many shall weep For those that are crush'd in the clash of jarring claims, Yet God's, just doom shall be wreak'd on a giant liar. And many a darkness into the light shall leap, And shine in the sudden making of splendid names, And noble thought be freer under the sun, And the heart of a people beat with one desire : For the long, long canker of peace is over and done." These burning utterances were prophetic lof our condition as a nation. God's just doom has been wreaked on the hypocrite who held in one hand the Declaration of Independence and in the other the hammer and manacles of the slave auctioneer. And in doing this He has made a noble thought freer under the sun. He has opened half a continent to a free gospel and free schools. He has im posed on us the responsibility of giving this free thought to these emancipated millions. As our Church—republican and apostolic in its order and its doctrines—is, in the main, best fitted to create a free, intelligent, stable Christian manhood in harmony with our civil institutions and the progressive spirit of the nation, so it is for us to enter the field God has opened for our labors : to establish churches and schools, and thus assist the civil authority in bringing order out-of chaos, while we secure for the people the higher influence that saves the sou]. If with a self-sacrifice and an energy proportioned to our resources, and the vast work prepared for us, we ad dress ourselves at once to its performance, we shall make our" Church a light to millions and be crowned as wise and faithful servants of our God. But if we are neglectful of these great interests, we shall be pronounced un faithful servants, and God will use other in struments to effect his glorious purposes Not only is it true that this war has pre pared the way for us to effect great things for the South ; it has also imposed on us respon sibilities for the correction of wrong here at home. The wrong of class legislation in one part of the Union, the bitter fruit of hostil ity to our Government, and the degradation of vast multitudes it has borne, has shown us that a bad principle, however concealed fora time, will work mischief both to the State and Church. The heart of the people has thus begun to beat with a desire to re move all such inconsistencies, wrongs, shams and hypocrisies from our own legislation. If we fight for or ask justice for the African in the South, we must act justly towards him at the North. Neither the law nor the Gospel, when rightly understood, will permit us to exclude from the rights and privileges of freemen those who are citizens like ourselves, many of whom have imperilled their lives in this conflict. It is for us,- as Christian pa triots, to recognize men as men, both in the Church and in the State. And, since in tkis high ecclesiastical court, we have given to the nation and the world a signal illustration of the justice we advocate; since here intelli gence and piety are recognized as the only necessary qualifications in himwho is chosen to represent the ablest iniinSters and the no blest churches in the land;'V,e can consistent ly.exhort the members of our churches to ap sly, to the full extent R f their influence, the e principles in their rejations to the state. • tit not be said that, aim church, we have nothing to do with civil legislation. The day has gone by when an intelligent Christian will affirm the doctrine, that what is wrong in religion is right in politici. God has taught us, in this war, that the Church must conserve the State by instructing the people in the great principles of justice, and inspir ing them to practice the same. ithout the teaching and the inspiration of the Church, the patriotism of this nation would never have nerved itself for the persistent and he roic defence offi•eedom (and this is but another name for justice) which has-crushed the trea son that sought to assassinate the State. We wish all men to know that the members of our churches are bound to be Christians, in politics as well as in religion. God hath made us responsible, according to our numbers and our. intelligence for the welfare and healthful legislation Of the State. To meet this responsibility, our Christian patriots must exert themselves to influence the pri mary 'meetings for the nomination of fit men, to secure the election of good, pure men to office, and when nominated themselves, to re member the duty of assisting their country, and illustrating , both their piety and patriot ix:ft by consenting to serve her. Nor would we fail to express our sympathy for those truly loyal and Christian people at the South, who, at the cost of great personal trial and suffering, have stood firm for the Union ; and also the duty of the Church to care for and sympathize with our wounded soldiers and the widows and orphans whom this war has bereaved. Let our Church, which has heretofore been honored as a leader in all good enterprises, now address herself to the great work to which she is called by her Divine Redeemer, both at the South and the North. Let her seek to illustrate the Gospel in all her rela tions to society, as well as preach it to the multitudes that know not God, and His bless ing will be upon her ; that the heart of the people will beat in sympathy with her ; the State, purged of its impurities and inconsist encies, will gradually rise to her level ; her boundaries shall be enlarged, her churches be multiplied ; the nation, grown wise and strong, shall rejoice in her influence, and myriads of souls ' converted and educated for heaven under the living ministry, shall form the jewelled crown of her glory, when the ransomed of God shall come to Zion, and Jesus, our King, shall make the kingdoms of this world the kingdom of our God. The report was adopted, and 4uthenticated copies odered to be sent to the family of the late Psesident of the United States and the members of the Cabinet, and the ministers were recommended to read it to their congre gations. BILLS AND OVERTURES The Committee on Bills and Overtures re ported, through the Rev. Dr. Spear, a me morial asking for the colored man the right of suffrage, contending that they should at once be included among the loyal persons in the South, and be admitted to a participation in the reconstruction of the States. The memorialists believe that this would the best solution of the problem. The possession of these rights will be for these people the best preparation for their proper use. The memorial was signed By about forty ministers. The Committee reported on the memorial that they understood the Freedmen were re ferred to in the memorial, and that they heartily concurred with the memorialists in the ends sought. To this result the country must come at last, and more will be lost thas gained in the efforts to postpone the questioa of,oiving the ballot to the Freedmen. Rev. J. Copeland rose to object to the memorial. He did not doubt the right of the negro to vote, but uneducated as were the freedmen of the South, he questioned the expediency of extending to them such privilege until they had evinced some ability to exercise it wisely. He. moved to defer the consideration of the report for the pre sent. I • Rev. Dr. Spear defended• the report, and hoped it would be adopted. He considered that it was just what was needed to arouse public sentiment. According to Chief Justice Chase, the President of the United States needed from the . various Christian bodies of the country an expression of views on this subject to aid him in carrying out his purpose in regard to the colored population of the South.- Rev. Dr. Fisher confirmed the statement of the previous speaker in regard to the feel ing of the Government on this question. Rev. Dr. Pratt, of Portsmouth, Ohio, said that if they did not wish to be ground between. the upper and nether millstone, they must ob tain the suffrage of the negro to counteract it. as now in the hands of the Irish Catholic. ( Continued on page 180.)
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