“SEARCH THE SCRIPTURES.” I.
A. knowledge of the revelation which
God has made of his will to man, is all
that has made us as a nation to differ
from the debased heathen. Also the
reason one Christian excels ano
ther in purity of heart, and in moral
power, is as much due to superior knowl
edge of the Word, as it is to a better
improvement of it. We find in the
Scriptures that God has often and very
strictly commanded men to study his
Word. Under the Old Dispensation
•ample means were provided for securing
the public instruction of the masses;
parents were enjoined to teach the same
truths' diligently to their children; while
rulers and elders were especially en
joined not to let the word depart out of
their mouths, and were charged with
the work of teaching the whole nation.
In the time of Christ, nearly the
whole of the Old Testament was read in
weekly installments every year. The
manner in which Moses and the Proph
ets are quoted in the New Testament,
implies a familiar acquaintance with
them on the part of the people. The
Bible is not so quoted now unless it be
in some parts of New England, or per
haps in Scotland. Indeed the masses
of the people, in the time of Christ, must
have heard their Bible read through
many times oftener than the people of
God are now accustomed to hear it, or
read it. It must have been equal to
fifteen or eighteen chapters a week. This
reading was made more valuable than
it is in our churches and at our house
hold altars, because several chapters
were read consecutively, accompanied
with expositions.
Yet, notwithstanding the Old Testa
ment had been thus read for a long time
in every city, Christ commanded his dis
ciples to search the Scriptures, that they
might obtain knowledge of him. And
his charge to the apostles to have his
precepts that they might keep them, re
quires the same diligent reading of the
New Testament. The apostles also di
rected that their epistles should be read
and circulated in the churches, and
placed great reliance upon knowledge as
a means of growth in Christian graces.
In accordance with these directions,
we find that in the earlier times of the
Christian church, the collection of the'
four Gospels was divided into fifty-two
parts for Sabbathreadingin the churches.
Also selections from the epistles, as far
as they were collected into one book
along with the Gospels, were read in the
same way. This was borrowed from
the custom of the synagogue, after which
the Christian church was modeled. No
doubt this custom of giving attention to
reading, dates back to apostolic times. If
the whole Bible was read through, this
plan would require on the average about
twenty-three chapters each week. The
exposition and the specific instructions
by the pastors did not interfere with
this, but were in addition to it. In the
process of time, owing to the increased
importance attached to the preaching
and the liturgical services, the selections
from the Scriptures were shortened, until
the people heard no more than the short
passages found in ancient prayer-books,
which in this respect were much like
modern prayer-books. And though
these extracts were chosen with care,
and contained the essential truth of sal
vation, yet not being given with their
connection, the people were ignorant of
the Bible as a whole, and had no safe
guard against the false interpretations
that were so prevalent. Where the
Bible is read in course by the masses,
there is always a solid balance-wheel in
the common sense of men, which acts as
a regulator and resists all irregularities
and extravagancies of opinion. The
reason why the church was for so many
ages the victim of religious demagogues,
and at last sunk under a spiritual des
potism, was because the masses' of lay
members were ignorant of the pure
word.
No reformer, during this dark period,
conld sustain himself against the estab
lished church without a reformed church,
and that had no existence until the com
mon people again received the Word of
God. It is remarkable that while the
reformers of the sixteenth century gave
the people the Bible in their own tongue,
and while the newly-discovered art of
printing gave it a greater circulation,
yet they also reinstated the public read
ing of it in the churches. Besides, the
design of their preaching was not so
much to give exhortations, or to discuss
their peculiar doctrines, as to give the
people a knowledge of the whole Word
by familiar and brief expositions. In
this way Calvin preached upon nearly
the whole of the Bible, and his discourses
formed the basis of his commentaries
now published in English in about fifty
volumes.
In England much more than in Ger
many, we find that the reading of the
Bible laid the foundation of the Reform
ation and kept equal pace with its pro
gress. We learn also that the later Re
formation in England, in which the
Puritans played so prominent a part,
was characterized by a diligent reading
pf the Scriptures. We observe also that
this required and fostered a correspond
ing improvement in knowledge of the
Scriptures on the part of the ministers
of the church, there never
has been, since the time of the apostles,
a generation of ministers that, taken as
a whole, were more learned than those
of the Puritan church in the time of the
Cromwellian Revolution.
We are therefore taught, in view of
the foregoing facts of history, that great
importance is to be attached to the com
mand to search the Scriptures. On it
depends the purity and power of the
church, and the learning and eloquence
and faithfulness of its ministers.
Tracing down to the present time that
branch ol the church which has given
the type of the American church, we
find that when our Puritan ancestors
crossed the ocean, they brought with
them their Biblical learning and their
deep experience of the truth. Perhaps
the study of the Bible was increased at
first from the fact that they brought but
few books with them, and that but few
were published in the colonies. Pro
bably there has been no time when the
people demanded and appreciated ser
mons of such a high order in respect to
thorough and extensive knowledge of
doctrine. Hence the sermons of some
of the most popular New England di
vines, living among an unlearned popu
lation, were more like our theological
essays than our sermons, and are now
read only by professional theologians.
The masses of our church members
would not enjoy nor appreciate them.
We see the cause of this in the habits
of the early New Englanders. On the
Sabbath, which was kept strictly, they
attended church and heard two sermons.
Though these services were long they
had no other, no Sabbath-school, no
prayer-meeting. Beyond the Bible and
the hymn-book and catechism, they had
but few books. No secular book was
allowed on the Sabbath. Consequently
many hours were devoted to the Bible.
Besides, for the same reason, it was read
more on the week days. Nearly every
family, whether belonging to the church,
in full communion or not, had family
worship, with the reading of large por
tions of Scripture. Puritan.
TRIP TO THE GULP OP ST. LAWRENCE.
The Steamer Greyhound — God-fear
ing Owners — Halifax —Effect of the
Assassination—Prince Edward’s Is
land—Mackerel and Godfishing —
Shediac — Rev. Mr. Nicholson’s Anec
dotes of Dr. Duncan.
My Dear Brother: —Would you like
to know what has brought us away up
in these cool northern seas ? I will tell
you. E. Snow & Co., have a fine line
of steamers running from Boston to Dal
housie, in Chaleur Bay, near the mouth
of the St. Lawrence river, and they kind
ly invited me with my sister to take this
voyage of 2,300 miles. We gladly ac
cepted, and last Tuesday noon found us
on board the beautiful’ steamer Grey
hound, bound for Halifax and Charlotte
Town, Prince Edward’s Island.
We were soon past the frowning forts
in the harbor, out among the fresh breezes
of the briny deep. Among the agree
able companions With whom we soon
become, acquainted, was a most excel
lent Christian gentleman from Pitts
burgh, Pa., with his wife and invalid
daughter, for whose recovery her physi
cians recommended a sea voyage.
A slight circumstance had determined
him to take this line of steamers. Among
the printed regulations of the Greyhound
he noticed that profanity, the use of in
toxicating drinks, and gambling were
prohibited. This led him to believe that
the owners were God-fearing men, and
at once determined his course. A de
lightful sail of forty hours brought us to
the staid old city of Halifax, which, we
were told, “ was finished” twenty years
ago, not a new house having been built
there during that time. After a few
hours ride about the city, we were easily
led to believe the plausibility of this
statement. Through the kindness of
Rev. Mr. Grant, of the Established Kirk
of Scotland, we gained admission to the
famous old Citadel overlooking the har
bor and the surrounding country for
miles. The scene from this eminence
reminds one not a little of the charming
panorama presented to the Scotch tour
ist while looking down from the ancient
battlements of Sterling C astle. It seemed
no wonder that Longfellow had loved to
write of this Arcadian home of the beau
tiful Evangeline. On the highest part
of the Citadel I saw two men with large
telescopes closely watching every move
ment in the harbor. It was their sole
work to look for the approach of enemies.
It reminded me of Bunyan’s descrip
tion in his “ Holy War,” of the wakeful
care necessary to be exercised at “ Eye
Gate,” in the city of “Man Soul.” How
forcibly those words of Jesus, inLukexxi.
36, came to my mind: “ Watch ye
therefore and pray always.”
In the harbor below us, we saw six
long, sharp, blockade runners. We
learned that while running the blockade
these boats were painted lead color to
correspond as nearly as possible with
the sky and water, to avoid detection.
While engaged in deeds of darkness and
helping forward an unholy rebellion, they,
like their master, sought to transform
themselves into angels of light. But
their work is done, and they are now
skulking about with red pipes, offering
to sell themselves at a low bid.
Until the assassination of our beloved
President, I learned that this city of
thirty thousand, had been largely in
sympathy with the South. But this
culminating act of Southern treason
has opened their eyes, and they now
discover more clearly the character
of the nefarious plot to destroy our Gov
ernment and perpetuate slavery. When
Rev. Mr. Grant told me of the change
the murder of our Chief Magistrate had
occasioned in the minds of thousands in
Nova Scotia, I could but offer the prayer
that the time' might be hastened when,
THE AMERICAN PRESBYTERIAN, THURSDAY. JULY 20, 1865
throughout the world, those in rebellion
against God’s government might learn
the fearful nature of their guilt, as the
great truth is brought home to them,
that they have been accomplices in the
crucifixion of the Son of God. Oh, that
sinners everywhere might learn the won
drous story of the Saviour’s death, and
at the same time hear a “ voice from
heaven” saying to them, individually,
“ Him ye have taken, and with wicked
hands have crucified and slain.
After a sail of thirty hours along the
green coast of Nova Scotia, through the
Straits of Canso and Northumberland,
we arrived just at sunset at Charlotte
town, Prince Edward’s Island—a pretty
place of 9000 inhabitants.
One of the ministers of the place drove
us, the next day, across the truly beauti
ful and charming island to the north
coast, to give us a taste of mackerel and
cod fishing. In a few hours’ time we
caught more fish than we could well
carry. In about an hour I pulled out
eleven great cod fish. One of the fisher
men, whose boat we were on, told us
that he had caught nine barrels of macke
rel with his two hooks in seven hours.!
Then, again, they fish for days and!
catch nothing. They certainly have the
opportunity of cultivating the grace of
patience. But when success attends
their efforts'they work with their might.
As “ fishers of men,” we sought to lay
■to heatt the most important lessons
thus taught us. After preaching twice
on Sabbath to audiences where the Holy
Spirit seemed to be doing its office work
in convincing of sin, we embarked, at 5
o’clock on Monday morning, on board
the Inland City, owned by F. Snow &
Co., Boston. We were pleased to notice
that Captain Wood, like Capt. Nicker
son, on the Grayhound, had the blessing
asked at the table. I never saw that
done before on board a steamboat.
At our first landing place, Shediac,
New Brunswick, the terminus of the
railroad from St. Johns, we took on
board Rev. Thomas Nicholson, of the
Scotch Free Church, Dalhousie, N. 8.,
who amused and interested us with his
conversation and stories. I found him
an earnest, practical Christian, and. a
man who loved the principles for winch
the Nortiijjias been victoriously contend
ing. He gave ns some illustrations of
the peculiar characteristics of his old in
structor, Rev. Dr. Duncan. I had seen
enough of the eccentricities of this good
and great man while attending upon his
teachings in the Free Church Theologi
cal Seminary, Edinburgh, to believe these
stories, which otherwise would have ap
peared, to say the least, extravagant.
He said that one day, when the Doctor
was proceeding along Princess street, Ed
inburgh, with a cane under one arm and
an umbrella under the other, it began to
rain in torrents. As the people around
him spread their umbrellas, he, with his
thoughts all absorbed on some import
ant subject, took his cane -from uttdiUrFis
arm and held it straight up, marching
boldly on amid the pelting rain, while
the people all around held their sides
with laughter.
On another occasion he said that Dr.
Duncan, while on his way to a large
dinner party, stopped for a moment at a
book store, soon was absorbed in a book,
sat down and read for four hours, till he
had finished it. It was only till then
that he thought of the party waiting to
receive their distinguished guest.
The Doctor, he said, was one Sabbath
invited by Rev. Andrew Bonar, the
author of the Life of McCheyne, to
offer the prayer before his sermon. Mr.
Nicholson stated that it was a positive
fact that he prayed for two hours and
forty minutes. Mr. Bonar only had
time to announce the heads of his dis
course, and then let the weary people go
to their homes. Dr. Chalmers, when a
Professor in the Free Church College,
was in the habit, at one time, of having
a beefsteak brought him between his lec
tures for a lunch. Dr. Duncah used
often to call upon him at that hodr for a
chat. One day Dr. Chalmers ckme in a
little late and found Dr. Duncan just
commencing to eat his steak. Dr. Chal
mers, who well knew how absent-mind
ed was his much-loved friend, and the
best way to get him away from his
lunch, for which he had himself a keen
appetite, at once introduced some knotty
subject, which taxed all the Doctor’s
great reasoning powers. He soon be
came so roused and animated in debate,
that he sprang from the table, began to
walk the room, talking all the while
meantime, Dr. Chalmers quietly sat down
and ate his meal.'
Mr. Nicholson told us stories enough
of this kind, about that most learned and
remarkable thinker and linguist, who is
familiar with eleven different languages,
to fill two columns of a paper.
He also gave us a most interesting
account of the way an awakening com
menced among his people, a few years
since. It is an instance of the power of
prayer worth remembering.
All the young people of the village
were going to what they call in'New
Brunswick, a frolic. A deacon, whose
son was to be among the number, was
that night moved to pray as he had
never done before, that God would pour
out his Holy Spirit and turn the frolic
into a prayer meeting. His prayer was
answered in a remarkable manner. A
young woman living at the house where
the people were to meet, was, a little be
fore the time for gathering, suddenly
led to see herself a lost sinner.. So
deep were her convictions of sin and
such was her distress of mind, that her
cries for mercy were heard all’ over the
house. When the young people began
to assemble and learned the cause of
those agonizing prayers they, one by
one, were affected in the same way.
Soon it seemed as if all in the house
were, by the Holy Spirit, convinced of
sin. They asked at once for the deacon
to come and pray for them. A great
awakening soon spread through the
whole town. Nightly meetings were
commenced and continued in that Scotch
Presbyterian Church for six weeks.
Little children were among the number
of those who found the Saviour.
A sufficient amount of time, he said,
had now elapsed to show that it was not
the effect of sympathy or excitement,
but thatj it was wrought by the Holy
Spirit. Not a few good people, he said,
looked upon the work at the time with
suspicion, and with their imprudent and
unkind remarks and insinuations did
much to hinder its progress, but the per
manent and blessed results, as seen on all
sides, had shown them their sad mistake.
Long shall I remember the conver
sation of this sedate yet earnest Scotch
divine.
The sea is getting too rough to write
any more at present. Great waves are
dashing their spray over us.
If I find anything of interest I will
send you another letter.
Yours, in Jesus,
CELEBRATION AT NEWBURG. N. I.
City of Newbubg, N. T., July 5, 1865.
Although this writing is dated the fifth,
it is the fourth of which I shall speak.
I felt it to be a religions duty to cele
brate the day and be happy. The for
mer, I endeavored to carry out, by stand
ing as a spectator of the procession, and
then repairing to Washington’s Head
quarters to hear the oration, and making
one of a great crowd in the evening, to
witness a fine display of fire-works. I
had no great effort'in rejoicing more than
any Fourth of July I had ever witnessed,
for who could think of what God had
done for us, without experiencing a new
outbreak of joy and thanksgiving; for
unexpected as was the rebellion’s rise, as
sudden was its crushing, and as over
powering as the treason at first threat
ened to be, so complete was its extinguish
ment. Nor has the strife been like a
vast conflagration ending in unmitigated
ruin, but rather like the pyrotechnic dis
play, when from the charred sticks there
spring up new stars and flags and flaming
victories!
We mourn that some of the people
were smitten in the deadly assault, but
to mitigate, our grief and anger let it be
remembered that slavery is dead. Hear
the voice of Kentucky politics, that hard
est tied of all political knots, coming
from the lips of her Governor, and ad
dressed to her own people :
“One of the facts accomplished by this
struggle has been the of the
Union of these States—-the Union, one
and inseparable, now and forever, is the
proclaimed judgment of the people. The
rebellion has gone down, and the Union
has gone up! Her stars beam to-night
as brightly from her azure home, as they
do in the heavens above us.
“Another fact. Slavery ho longer ex
ists in this country. It is destroyed as
one of the results of the rebellion just
closed. All these States that have been
in rebellion areMfcrrendering slavery.
They regard it astne issue made between
them and the Federal Government.
They staked slavery upon the Union and
lost. They came up, and, like men, agreed
to pay the forfeit and give it up.”
Other evils exist in the land, but as
Patrick Henry after the Revolution
argued in respect to the surviving tories,
so may we of the remains of Secession.
“We who have laid the old British Lion
on his back, need not be afraid of his
whelps.” Or, rather, with the faith of
David we will sublimely boast, “ The
Lord that delivered me out of the paw
of the lion and out of the paw of the
bear, he will deliver me out of the
hand of this Philistine ;” and whatever
enemies still remain, or may rise up, I
believe that Freedom for all, Union, Fra
ternity, Industry, Labor, Learning and
Godliness will flourish, and uproot every
poisonous plant. Thank God, take cour
age and go forward.
But I am not done with our Fourth
at Newburg. In the afternoon a stirring
regatta came off on the magnificent
river, right under our over-looking win
dows. Steamboats and sloops lay full
of spectators, and sail and row bcjats
hovered round, leaving room for two
rival skippers that looked from our dis
tance like two long legged creatures
moving swiftly over the'top of the water.
.Then, nearer the evening hour, up from
the West came dark rolling clouds*
charged with wind and water, which as
they passed, put out the sun-light of the
waves, and threw up the opposite moun
tain sides a perceptible mist speedily
advancing like a body of skirmishers to
'arrest the approaching enemy. From a
child, I had wished to stand at the
dividing line of a heavy shower, and
now I came nearer that romantic spot
.than ever before; for whilst just beyond
us one could see the water pouring out
like a deluge, at our feet the big drops
were so few, they might almost be coun
ted, and those who wished could enjoy
the security under which they stood,
and feel pleasure at the. sight of the
floods falling on their neighbors’ heads.
I cannot convey a proper idea of the
natural and artificial beauties of this
spot, the fine dwellings and long trained
lawns and trees of Grand street, the first
avenue on the level above the bluffs; the
broad, bright, clear river at its feet; the
romantic reach of West Point below; a
great open bay above, alive with sloops
and barges and steamers, day and night, |
E. P. Hammond.
with the Hudson River railroad track on
the very margin opposite; the beautiful
swell backward for one or two miles, and
then a long barricade of finely rounded
hills! And when the evening sun sends
his searching rays in among the trees
and underbrush opposite, a grand pur
plish hue is revealed, and every object is
painted as if a had been
passed over the rich surface. But to
realize, come and see for yourselves.
Yours, etc.,
CAPTIVITY AMONG THE REBELS.
[The following account of his imprison
ment among the Rebels, is from the pen
of Mr. John W. F. McKinley, one worthy
of his lineage, a grandson of the late Mr.
John McKinley, for many years a Ruling
Elder in the First Reformed Presbyteri
an Church in this city, whose memory
is cherished with honor by all who knew
him.]
Mv Dear Friends lam very happy
to meet once more with you in such a
place, and on such a great day, and oc
casion, as the present one. It is nearly
three years since I left home, friends and
all that was dear to me. I thought it
my duty, and every young man’s at that
time, who was not surrounded with too
many cares, to rush to his poor suffering
country’s help. It was the summer of
1862, after our braves had endured the
hardships of the peninsular campaign
before Richmond, which had thinned
their ranks soinueh, and when men were
greatly needed. Time flew on, and after
many trying days, long marches and
nnmh hard fighting, brought us under the
Coßnand of Gen. Grant. You are all
very well acquainted with his first fight
ing which took place in the Wilderness,
on the sth day of May, 1864. At this
place we met the Rebs about dinner
time, and after many hard struggles
with them, in which we always held our
own, it fell to my lot to get wounded in
the left arm, about four o’clock in the
afternoon of the first day’s fighting. Again
to have this fate still continued, while the
army was making a flank movement from
the Wilderness to Spottsylvania Court
House, I was captured with about 160
more poor wounded boys, by Hampton’s
Legion of the C. S. A. '
We were sent directly to Richmond,
where we were taken to the famoud
Libby Prison. Here the Rebs stripped
us of everything we had in the shape of
woollen and gum blankets, tents, can
teens, and haversacks, also many little
articles, which had been sent to the
brave boys by friends at home. They
also took our money, and were very care
ful to look in every place where they
thought we could hide it. After that,
they gave us a small piece of corn bread,
and locked us up in prison. We re
mained in Richmond one month, when
we were taken down to Andersonville,
'Ga.,,whieh journey took about a week.
We were most shamefully treated while
on our way down South by the guards
and people. We were crowded into
cattle cars, eighty-five to ninety in each.
Many of the boys were taken sick, and
some died on their way down. We
arrived at our place of destination on
the morning of the 15th of June, and I
never felt so down hearted in all my life,
as when looking from the hill we were
on, and seeing so many of our poor boys
inside of the stockade running round
like so many lost sheep. They were at
roll call when we arrived at headquar
ters, and so we had to wait until they
were through. Then we were introduced
to our place of imprisonment.
Dirty, tired, hungry, without shelter
of any kind, I had the good luck to
meet with some of the boys, out of my
own company and regiment, who had
been taken prisoners, but who had not the
pleasure of coming through Richmond,
but came on direct from Petersburg to
Andersonville, and they did not lose
their wardrobe, so we made some shelter
to protect us from the rain, and hot, hot,
sun, by patching up an old blanket with
our shirts and drawers. My dear friends,
perhaps some of you have been prisoners
in some of the Southern prisons, or have
had dear friends confined in them. You
can, therefore, feel for those of us who
have suffered. What I intend saying,
is, about our food while a prisoner, which
was for the space of eleven months and
twenty-one days. We generally got a
half pint of corn meal, (more like chicken
feed than meal,) the cob being ground
up along with the grain, and a half pint
of hog beans with a small piece of bacon,
sometimes nearly rotten, a little salt,
and sometimes none at all, for several
days. Other days we would get a sani
tary cup full of meal, and no beans, with
a small piece of salt meat, or half pint
of molasses. About one-half of the camp
drew raw rations, and the other half
cooked rations. Those that drew cooked
rations fared the worst, for it was hardly
ever cooked enough, and then ,so little
of it. When you would lay down a
piece of pork, there was danger it would
walk off, it was so full of maggots.
So time went on, day after day, the
same old thing. And O! dear friends,
what long, long days they were. No
reading to occupy one’s mind, nothing,
but talking with each other about what
we were going to get our dear mothers
wives or sisters to cook for us when we
were relieved from our prison. After
General Sherman had taken Atlanta, and
was making his flank movement towards
the city of Savannah and South Caro
hna, they were afraid that he or General
Jvupatnck might capture us, so they ran
us off as fast as they could to Charleston
and Florence, South. Carolina, and also
to the city of Savannah, I was among
the number that went to the latter place
where we were treated more like human
beings I must say for the people of
Savannah, that they were very kind to
us, and, fed us very well indeed, and
some of the ladies gave the boys, (mostly
sick boys,) a great many things. We
stayed at Savannah nearly three weeks,
■when we were taken to Millen, where
the treatment was not much better than
at the other places. From Millen, we
went through Savannah down on the
coast road into Florida, and after camp
ing out nearly all the fall, and part of
the winter at several places, viz : Black
shier, Thomasville and Albany, we were
again taken back to our old place at
Andersonville. At which place, we
spent the rest of the winter, from the
26th day of December, and a long, cold,
dreary winter it was, for, owing to the
want of proper food and clothing, I felt
it colder down in the sunny South, as it
is called, than ever Horth in old Penn
sylvania. *
You have all heard of the dead line ;
well, it is a line made of slats nailed on
the tops of short posts about four feet in
height, it runs all round the stockade,
and is about twenty feet from the inside,
If any person went under or over that
line the guards would shoot him, (one
time last summer it was hardly safe for
one even to touch it,) I saw seven or
eight poor men shot, and killed by them.
One day, a Massachusetts boy reached
his hand beyond the line to get a little
water, and the rebel guard shot him
dead, and then took off his hat and
cheered because he had killed a Yank,and
now he would get furlough.
Oh ! what a feeling of hate and revenge
it would create among the boys. I have
often passed, and heard the remarks by the
boys that they only wished they could
get into one more fight to let out their
revenge on those who treated us so
cruelly. Dear friends, the grave-yard
will tell for itself whether we had very
hard or easy times. Only think of it,
nearly fifteen thousand of our poor boys
lying beneath the sand of Georgia, at
Andersonville, besides the other prisons
of the South. I was nearly dead twice
with the scurvy; but, thanks be to God,
it was not his will for me to die away
from home and friends.
W. W. T.
After spending the winter in our old
-quarters, spring opens on us in all its
beauty, • but alas, we were still prison
ers. The first of April when we heard of
the exchange going on at Richmond, and
the Eebs told us we would all get home
soon, we could hardly believe our own
ears, when it was so. Some were sent
by way of Yicksburg, and the rest by
way of Jacksonville. We left Ander
sonville about the 10th of April, and
after marching 60 miles, to Thomasville,
the order was countermanded, and we
had to go back to our old place, the
reason being that our forces at Jackson
ville had not enough to feed us on. So
we waited for some other good opportu
nity to turn up. This took place about
the 19th of the month. This time we
came through. We marched sixty miles,
then took the cars and rode 110 miles,
then we had 20 miles to march again
that was from Baldwin which the rebs
held, to Jacksonville, where our forces
were. My dear friends the last 20 miles
were not marched except by those who
could not stand running. For we ran
like so many wild men when we found
we were free men once more. lam very
happy to think that so many of us came
home again, but am sorry, yes, very
sorry, to think that so many of our poor
companions, are left behind us. But
I feel for those whose friends have died
as only a young man, but an old sol
dier, can feel for those he loves.
Yours truly, A Sufferer,
Co. D., 119th Reg. P. T.
Two or three years ago, a young German
was examined by a Western Presbytery for
licensure. Notwithstanding his imperfect
knowledge of English, his examination was
remarkably satisfactory. A field of labor—
not a vacant pulpit, but a place where the
gospel was needed amon» his countrymen—
offered itself. The Board of Domestic Mis
sions just then was refusing to grant new
commissions and he could not expect more
than one hundred dollars from the people of
his field. But trusting that where the Lord
had work for him he would provide support,
he went fearlessly to work ; and somehow or
other the Lord provided for him, without
manna or ravens, until a commission was
obtained from the Board. His influence
was beginning to be felt, when he was drafted.
Neither he nor his people had means to pro
cure a substitute; so he left his family—his
wife crippled with rheumatism—to take his
place in the ranks as a private.
He was not idle, however, in the army.
In spite of such opposition as might be ex
pected, our private went, whenever he could,
from regiment to regiment, gathering the
German soldiers and preaching the gospel
to them. At the battle of Hatcher’s Run
his brigade had a prominent position,, and
his regiment was in the fore-front. Under
the terrible onset the men gave way, and
when he happened to look around, he found
himself loading and firing alone. Without
retiring, he began to use his gift of exhorta
tion, calling on his German brethren, in
their mother tongue, to return and stand
their ground. The commander of the
brigade had come up, and added his efforts
to rally the men ; They came back, retreated
agam, were again rallied in the same way,
and the ground was held. Our private was
startled by a sword-tap on the shoulder from
the General. Thinking that perhaps some
fault was about to be found with him, he
began to say that he had been trying to do
his duty, when the General interrupted him
with, “Yes, yes, I know; and hereafter you
may consider yourself in command of your
company.” On returning to his quarters,
he received from the Colonel the more
agreable appointment of chaplain.
Here was a chaplaincy well bestowed; not
because it. was a reward of bravery merely,
but because. bestowed on one who was
qualified for it by the faith from which his
courage came. Here, too, is an illustration
of the truth that the Lord will provide for
those who trust him, and that he who is
faithful over a few things will be made ruler
over many.— Presbyterian.
A CHAPLAINCY EARNED.