Corruptatrarr.
LLD BOOKS, AND WHAT THEY HAVE
TO TELL.
BY REV. E. H. GILLETT, D.D
There are many persons to whom a
taste for old books is something inex
lineable. They can understand well
'ttniOugh the attractions of a Oean, white
page and attractive binding, but time-
Ifftwasted covers and dingy pages seem
'tin them simply unsightly. But if, for
'at, few moments, they could enter into
r.the views and share the feelings of the
.zhistorical student, they would begin to
.-wonder at themselves rather than him.
"The old book is the one he wants. He
irespects it, as we all do some lingering
asurvivor of the Revolutionary war, who
-van tell. the story of what he saw and
• edid. The . time-stained page is a kind
:ef voucher for the identity of the wit
ness. The tone of by-gone centuries is
in its words. The worn covers are like
the moss on some venerable monument.
'They take us back into a dead past
'that springs to life again in their com
I take down from my shelves an anti
equated, vellum-bound 24m0., entitled,
"Defensio Regia pro Carolo I. ad Sere
nbmimum Magnin Brittanim Regent
4Oarolum IL, etc., Ann° olnfooirrax,"
?and find .bound up with it another work,
" Joh an nis Miltoni Angli pro pp-
Ando Anglicano Defensio Contra Clandii
Anonymi alias Salmasii Defensionem
Londini, 1651." I know that
I have here the memorials of that re
markable controversy in which, two cep
rberies ago, the illustrious Milton routed
Ads antagonist Salmasius, and if the old
letter press, clear and distinct, had no
oharm, the venerable aspect of page and
binding carry my thoughts hack to the
very heart of the conflict, and I feel; as
no eloquence of even a Macaulay could
'lntake me feel, the force and earnestnesss
Ai this Latin appeal, in which the
greatest of English poets spread the
merits of the' most remarkable of histOric.
retributions before the court of public.
+opinion throughout Europe.
I turn to another shelf, and take down
a quarto parriphlet of some one hundred
dad , . fifty -pages. It was writtene.'by
Solomon Williams, of Lel:Anon,
Ct., in reply to thetreatise of his colleen,
ebenlder Edwards, in which he'attacked'
the Halfway Covenant. On the title
040 1 rqs4, Robert Bre ck,
.„ . from
the people of Northampton."--- There is
a Chapter full of meaning in that simple
inethiption: Rebert Bieck, pastor
of Springfield, Mass; 'was 'one of the
miiirsterbil l eeighborti of PreSident
wards, by whom his course was con
demned, and who was in sympathy with
the majority of the Northampton con- .
gregation; That majority
‘ persecuted
'lldivardirefter they hid driven.him out,
sod to vindicate themselves, procured
the publication, or exerted themselves
tindisseminate this pamphlet, and they
did it by such organized , effort as t'o
warrant them in styling themselves
." The people of Northampton." This
ig fully confirms the statement of President
Adwards contained is his life, that his
-;enemies at Northampton exerted them
'''lteilves to procure the publication of some
refutation of the views maintained by ,
their pastor, applying in the first in
,
etance to the Rev. Mr Clark, of Salem.
The bitterness of this controversy, which
resulted in the exclusion of the Half
way Covenant from the New England
'Churches, comes strikingly to `view in
\the inscription in that old pamphlet.
On another shelf I find a copy of the
original edition of old pr. Hopkins's
"System of Doctrines," published in
193, and on a fiy-lest'l read, "Eliza
beth West, 1193." In the list of sub;
lioribers' names, prefixed to this edition,
find this same' name of tElizabeth
.4; frest, Newport, R. L" In Professor'
l'ark's Memoir of Hopkins we read, after
:1111 account of the death of his wife, in
August; 1.193, that "as early at least its
1764, Mr. Hi.pkins had met Mies Eliza
beth Weit in the praying circle of the
.01d South Church, Boston." Her
. *lends "persuaded her, after the war,
'le establish a boarding-school at NeW
4 :port. Few masters of the New Divinity
had a more intelligent ' conviction of the
*nth than she. Some of her letters to
Dr. Hart and Dr. West are-worthy of a
theological veteran. . . . On the 14th
September, 1794, she was married to
iiiim," l (Dr l .H.epitins.) At that time she
was afty-fiv,e years of age, and he was
- seventy-three :
,§,he ... died twenty-years
later at,T4A9hS aiiir,no the vo lu me '
before me bas st rayed ' by unknown and
MAraceible ronifis hands\ .
But apart from the) name "on ao fly
leaf, the book has anineere_Kwhioh does
net belong to a copy of ,the2fine new
edition of Hopkins 4_eblished by the
Congregational' Btkird7 The list of sub
scribers' names has-a bistory—a maul
' fold history—to suggest. Upon that
list we find a column beaded " Free
" and in this column are "New
.
port Gardner, " Solinar Nubia," and
~eleven. e.i.o tbers, citiains of Newport, and
lour more, citizens Et Providence. Dr.
Hepkin c ds atitialeVel'y efforts _had no .
t . been lust on the theological sympathies
- 4f the representatives of the African race
mound him.
'MS list of subscribers' names helps
IN to trace out the quarters in which the
44 .N0W Divinity"'*struck root, " Rufus
Anderson, Candidate, Londonderry,"
.4(N. H.,) is the first, name that meets the
eye, and we know his lineage, a Preni-,
*at Wheeloeli's name soon followe.
Joseph Badger, seven years later to
become the pioneer missionary of Ohio,
has a copy of the book; so has Charles
Coffin, soon to leave Newbnryport and
lay the foundations of collegiate and
theological education in Eastern Ten
nessee. Manasseh Cutler, to whom the
early settlement'of Marietta and South
ern Ohio owes so much, has his place
~on the list. Nathanael , Emmons, (Pres
ident) ; Ebenezer Fitch; of Williams
town; Jonathan Fren6h, of Andover;
`Alvan Hyde, of Lee.;
,] Corse,
of Charlestown ; Samuel Sprini r cif New
buryport ; Stephen West, of Stockbridge.
and President Maxey, are 'there, ‘ as
matter of course. Dr. Chapin, of Rocky
Hill, was then a tutor in Yale College ;
Bethuel Dod was== studying theology at
Oraagedale ; Jedidiah Chapman, t 6
Patriarch of Central New York, Was
then settled at the same place-; Samuel
Miller was studying theology at Dover,
Deliware; Moses Waddel, so famous
•
among, the Southern Churches, was also
preparing for the ministry, and each of
these was a subscriber for Dr. Hopkins's
work. Some took special interest in its
circulation. Dr. Bull, the predecessor
of Dr. Beecher at Easthampton, L. 1.,
took two copies ; Walter King, of Nor
wich, Conn., Joseph Alexander, of
South Carolina, who educated many for
the ministry, and his pupil, James
Mcßee, of North Carolina, each took
twelve ; Joseph Bullen, six years later
to start on Hs mission tour to the Indian
tribes of the Southwest, and to be
come the Patriarch' of the. Presbyterian
Churches of Mississippi 'and Louisiana,
took two copies; so did the younger
Edwards, then. at New Haven. Among
other subscribers, whose views. may have
been--shaped largely by the' work, were
Dr. Hill, afterwards of Winchester,•Va.,
Graham, of=-Langton Porter, of Cats
kill, the celebrated James Waddel,
father:in-law of Dr. Alexander, and
Samitel of Torringford, Conn.
Indeed, .a glance at the ilp.bscription
list suggests at once the einnsive and
powerful influence which must, have
suddenly been -given to the Hopliinsian
theology, and the agitating,effects in the
theological world, which were, destined
to follow for the next thirty years, cut.
minating in "The Triangle”,of famous
memory.
Old books surelyliave 'some testimony
to bear which is not apt to be founoi in
new editions. The historical eiplhrer
feels an enthusiasm sometimes in . 'ex
amining them, not altogether unlike that
of one Who oteivates a buried city,, and
reads the inscriptions 'on its ancient
monuments. llifen.n maylouch ti* hats
to sore things more contemptible than
old books. 'True, they are not always'
valuable. There , are works which,
whether new . or old, are, simply worth
less. Time, with its centuries, cannot ele
vate them to anything above curiosities.
Bat if. the hoary head ; is "a crown of
gloryy im some ,instances, the weather
marks of old age.on an old book, may,
well , 'give it sometimes ,a beauty far
beyfind the reach `of the binder's art.
JOHN KNOX, , THE SCOTCH REFORMER.
The ,corraptions ..by which the.dhris
tian religion 'was disfigured before the.
IrefOriiatiOnThitd` - grown to ' a greater
height in Scotland than in any other
nation within the pale of the Western
Church. Superstition and religious im
posture, in their grossest forms, gained
an easy admission among the rade and
ignorant people. By means of these,
the clergy attained to an exorbitant de
gree of opulence and power, which were
accompanied, as they always have been,
with the.corimption of their order and of
the whole system of religion.
The half of ,the wealth of the nation
belonged , to the clergy; and a greater
part of this was in the hands of a few
individuals, who had the command of
the whole body. Avnrice, ambition, and
the love of Bacillar pomp reigned sinong
the inferior orders. Bishops and abbots
rivalled, the first nobility in magnificence
`and preceded them in' honors. They
were privy counsellors and lords of ses
sion as well as of parliament, and had
long engrossed the principal
. offt(lEis
State. The Bishops never, en any oc t
casion, condescended to preach.• The
practice had even become unfashionable
among all the `secular clergy, and was
committed wholly to the mendicant
monks, who employed it for the most
mercenary purposes. The ignorance , of
the clergy respecting religion was as
gross as the dissoluteness of their mor
als. Even bishops Were not ashamed
to confess that they were unacquainted
with the canon of 'their faith, and :had
never read any part of the awed Scrip
tures except 'what they met with in their
missals.
This state of things could not be well
endured by the Scotch. ,`,Though they
were held in ignorance, they were natu
rally shrewd and sagacious, despisers of
idleness and luxury, and filled with an
unconquerable love of liberty,_which has
ever since. been one of their prominent
characteristics.
The works of Martin Luther were
brought into Scotland, and such were the
effects that soon followed, that an act
of Parliament was pat-sed in 1525, pro
libiting,th.t.iruportatiou Of _the Reform
er's writings for Scotland, as the act
alleged, bad always " bene clone of all
sir filth and vice:" Acts of Parliament,
however, could, not exclude the truth.
Hamilton, Wishart, and other noble
spirits, saw the truth and embraced it,
'and because of their fidelity were burned
at tbe stake. .
While Wishart ,was n his last'tour
throtiO:the eountu t prag t bing the'etier
lasting Gospel, a man by the name of
THE AMERICAN PRESBYTERIAN, 'THURSDAY ! JULY 12, 1866
Knox accompanied him. The same
spirit had caught him. The same fire
had begun to burn in his bones. This
man, who afterwards proved to be . the
great John Knox, had been educated for
the nourish Church; but his bold and
penetrating mind could not be held in
the, trammels of mere priestly and scho
lastic authority, and at a very early pe
riod of his life he showed a disposition
to disregard antiquated dogmatism and
to walk freely in the paths of light and
liberty pointed out by the: Word of God.
Some other- influences had helped= to
bring liis mind to the knowledge : of the
truth ;, ,the ,clear , dOctrines, heart
warmtlove, and the heavenly piety of
the martyr
,Wishart were the principal
instrumentalities for c*tpleting his'con
version.
After his conversion, he had employed
himself in differentways. He lived as
a tutor for a while in some gentlemen's
families. He,.preached, also, when any
persons wished to hear his doctrine:
Resolute to walk by the truth and speck
the truth when called to do so, he was
not ambitious of anything more, nor did
he fancy that he:was capable of Or
thing more. In this obscure way he
had reached' the age of forty. Albout
the beginning of April, 1547, he eered
the Castle of St. Andrews partly awn
by respect to those by whom it was
held, and partly induced to seek an asy
him within it from the hostility of the
Popish' clergy, who seemed, already to
have marked him as a dangerous oppo
nent.
One day, in the chapel a certain
preacher,after finishing his exhortations
to the resolute spirits. around him, said
suddenly, that there-:ought' 'to be other
speakers, that all men who had a priest's
heart and gift in them ought now to
speak; which gifts and heart he' kneiv
one of their number, John Knox, by
name, had. Has he not? said the
preacher, appealing to, all the audience
The people answered affirmatively. Poor
Knox was obliged to stand up.' He at
tempte(to reply. He could not say a
word, but burst into a flood of tears and
%
ran out.' He. was in grievous ;trouble
for some dnys. He felt .hat a small
talent he had for this great: work, and
what a great baptism he, neojind =to be
baptized with
Being thus' publicly called to the work,
John Knox proceeded inimediately to
place • the controversy between the Re
formers, and the Papists on its proper
basis. Instead of contending about,
tights and ceremonies and minor errors
and perversions of doctrine, he boldly
stated, and offered to maintain, the pro
position, that the Papal Church of
is cinti-Chrf,st. From that moment the
Reformation may be proper& dated; be
, ,
cause from, that moment, there could be
no compromise. I
In a short time we find Knox sent'off .
,with some galley slaves..; 'as o
the river Loire. • Someofficer Ili.' prieet
ones day presented him an image of the
yirgin - Mother, requiring him to reve l r
ance it, ".Mother I Mother of God I I "
said. Knox. "There is no mother of
God. This is :.a pentad bredd,' a-piece
of wood, I tell you, with paint on it.
She is fitter for swimming, I think, than .
for being worshipped," added Knox, and
immediately-flung the thing into the
river. While confined in the .galleyB
- told his fellow-pria6ners, in this
darkest hour, to be of courage, the cause
they had espoused was the true one. and
would', the whole world could'
not pit it down.: .Reatity'is of God%
making. It is alone strong.
Knox was liberated. froth the galleys.
in 1549; and 'proceeded to 'England,
where he labored dilbgently in the
cause of the Reformation, under the pat
ronage of !dward VI. until 15,54.
In
. SCotland, ,the Reformation was
checked for several years. The clergy
having got -the upper hand, used their
power Witn characteristic vigor. Some
a the most influeroial of the supporters
of evangelical religion were prosecuted
and banished or put to death. The laws
against heresy were renewed, and fres))
enactments added. Some .reformatory
regulailops were , also attempted= by ttie
corrupt Church, in oriler to satisfy the
demands of some: But these were in
efficacious. . The friends of the GOepe l l,
though Castr!lown, were ;not in despair.
A goodly , yet remained, wile
met private for, mntual cdificatioiC
Atolength, , in ibe end of liarirest; in
the year 1555;'jblin' Knox retttrne'di
Scotland.. from place to .place
and made a peNerfnl luvreseion vhere- ,
`ever he went ; IT , KnoX / 61.1 1 bOkkliDIZES Weie
30011 reported' to the 'biatops, and 'lie
was summoned to appear' 'before a con
vention of the• clergy in .Bilinburgh, :
went, but no meeting' was • held. The `
clergy'did not think he would appear
when he was summoned, and iyhen ; he
did appear, , they were sadly disconcerted
and set the trial aside; under the pre
tense of some informality. This 'gate
Knox a great advantage. Knox„ about
this time,.' received an invitation to go to
Geneva and .preaeh, which he accepted
and went. But after a short time he
returned, and rest , lved to devote his life
to the cause of the Reformation in Scat
land.
2tt - the time of Kook's arrival in Edin
burgh, a number Of
isiers of Scotland had been iquemoned
before the court, and they Were to have,
their trial for having taught heresy and
having excited tumults tuboug the peo
ple. Tiair enemies, preporiug a treach
erous scheme to get rid of thew by death,,
had met 'for several day n"t he m
; 13 '7 of . ' the m orning of
Kll ls . l VrOk"
*hen on the morning"a Atiadx l oo,
while the priests were maturiug their
plots, a monk who had probably been
begging about the town, ran into the
monastery, and, breathless and pale with
terror, rushed into the room where the
priests were assembled, anti - exclaimed in
a.loud voice, "John Knox_! John Knox
is come I He is here I He slept last
night in , Edinburgh." If a thunderbolt
had fallen in their midst, the priests
could. not have felt more alarm. They
lose hastilboleft the..halt and the con
vent and dispersed, some one way and
some another, in the greatest confusion
and' disiney.
Soon aftewards, Knox was invited to
preach • l at 'St' 24S.litlietvs; The Arch
bishop, 11sokg of this design, hastily
collected an armed force, and, sent infor-,
oration to Knox that if he appeared- in
'the pulpit 'he would give orders to fire
upon him.
~Thiswas a critical juncture,;'
Knox's friends did not know : bOw to ad-
I yise him. In this perplekity they sent
for Knox himself, to get his judgment on
the case. And the judgment that be
' gave, was one becoming him. He re
minded his friends that he had been
first called to preach the Gospel in
that very town—that he had been
r dragged away from it by the' tyranny
:
of France under the, direction of the
~
BishoPs—that now the opportunity was
presented to him - for which he had
longed, and. prayed, sand hoped. He,
therefore, entreated them not to binder
him, from once more preaching in St.
A ndrews. " As, for me," said Knox,
"or the fear of danger that may come to
me, let no man be , solicitotis, for my .life
IS in the custody of Him wheSe glory- I
seek I desire the hand- and weapon of
no, man to defend me ; I only ,Crave
audience, which, if it be denied here
unto me, 'at' this
, time, I must' seek fat:
titer where I may have it." -
The dauntless courage ok,k.nox enixt.
municated itself to the lords. Like
Wm, they ceased -to!' think of danger
when called to discharge, their :duty.
The next day Knox appeared in the
'pulpit. He hadra:vast audience. The
'Archbishop was among them, and many
of the inferior Clergy, and. many who
were, ordered_ to assassinate him. Bat
the hand of God was with him. The
subject of his disconrse ,was—‘‘ Our Sa
iviottr's'driving out die profane trairtick
ers from the temple of Jerusalem"
,:Prom this passage'he taught the tinti ,
of all Christians to remove the corrap.
Lions of Papacy and purify the Church:
He preached, for three days ,Successively
in the same place, and such effect did it
produce,that the magistracy and the-in
habitants de thetown were brought over
to the` Protestant faith, and itemediately
,stripped the Church of images and, pic
tures, and , detholished the monasteries..
At a meeting'of the Parliament, held
,in ' August, 1560 'die Reformation was
,established in , Scotland. . Mary the
Queen of Scots,took_tpossession of her
,
Kingdom in August, 1861. Soon after
Mary's arrival in a Scotland, She sent for
Knox and held a long'conversation with
hint.accused of raising her
She
.- him
subjects against hex mother and herself,
of writing .a bodk against her just an
.
thority, of heing the cause ofi edition
and bloodshed, and of accompli g hie
lD
purposes- by,magical arts .., W h K9ox
had answeredthese charges, she changed
'the subject - and accused him of leachink
the people to receive a religion different
from that which was allowed by their
Princes; and she asked if this was not
contrary to the' Divine corninatid, that
subjects' ' should , obey ;,their.rulers'
Knox replied that true religion derived
its origin and authority not .from princes,
hat from the" Eternal God.----that prineds.
were often most ignorant of the
_true re
ligion—and that subjects were not bound
to frame their religion according to -the
arbitrary will of their rulers, else the'.
Hebrews would - have been bound to
adopt the religion of ,Pharoah ; Daniel
and his associates that of , Nebuchadnei--
tar, and the primitive Christians that of
the Roman Etnperors. _
" Well, then," said- the Qaeen, "I
perceive that my subjects shall obey yoil.
and not me, and will do what they
please, and not what I command, and
so I must be subject to them, and not
they to me " "-God forbid I". replir.d
Knox, " that ever r I should' take upon
Me Co command any one to ohey me i ,or_
to set , subjects to do whatever pleases
them, but my 'great aim' is that both
Princes and subjects - may obey God."
^' Knox's' coed act tol he Queen has often
been much commented 'upon and re
proved. But we Abiuk. wi!tout just
'cause. : It, was; unfortun..tely, not possi
ble to he politertvith the Queen - of Scot
land, unless One Would prote untrue to
the ,nation . and 'came of Scotland .4-
man- who did not wish to see the land=
of his birthmade a hunting.:field for in
irigning, ambitions men, and the cense
of lion-trampled under foot and made
the victim of falsehoods, and formulas,
and licentiousness; had' no method of
making himself very agreeable. " Bet
ter," said a distinguished writer, "that
women weep, than that bearded men be
-forced to weep." Indeed, it ought not
to be expected that a wan,' sent to row
in the French galleys fur test-hipg tee
tra h, could always be in the mildest
hutior.
John Knox died November 24th,
1572, iu the sixty•seventh year of his
age. He viewe€i the approach of his
dissolution %yob the ntruost ealuiness,
aid was consoled by the GeSpet to a re
deg,ri.e. A few liours before
be breathed bis last being• asked the
cause of .snching so. deeply,. he replied,
4Lbave , formerly, during. my'trail , life,•
Built matey contests' dui' his--
Nt,(l4, of
lion has
at
„,..Preseut. that
roaring lion has assailed me most laid
ously, and put forth all his strength to
devour and make an end of me at once.
Often before, he has placed my sins be
fore my eyes, often tempted me to de
spair, often endeavored to ensnare me by
the allurements of the world, but these
weapons being broken by the sword of
the Spirit, which is the word of God, he
I could not prevail. Now he has attacked
me in another way; he labors to per
suade me that I have merited Heaven
and eternal blessedness by the faithful
discharge of my ministerial duty. But,
blessed be God, who has enabled me to
beat down and quench this fiery dart
by suggesting such passages of Scrip
ture as these What haat thou that thou
haat not received ?" By the grace of
God I am what I am ;"lot I, but the
grace of God in .me.' Being thus van
quished he• left me, wherefore I give
thanks to my God, through Jesus Christ,
who was 'pleaSed to give me the vic
tory.' " "Have you hope?" they asked
him in his last moments, when he could
no longer speak. He lifted his finger_
pointed upwards—and so died.
When he was about to be lowered
into the grave, the Earl of Morton, who
was then Regent, gazing thoughtfully
into the open sepulchre, gave utterance
to what, from his lips, was the highest
enlogium " There;" said he, "lies one
wbo never feared the face of man."
A distinguished writer has thus sum
marily sketched hia . character : "In
this manner," sayi le, "departed this
man of-God—the , light of Scotland—the
comfort of , the Church—the mirror of
godliness==and pattern and example to
all-true ministers in purity of life, sound
ness of , doctrine, and boldness in,reprov
iing.wickedness,—one that cared not for
the-favor Of men . , how great soever they
were." • • • .
" Finish thy work, then go in peace,
Life's a'battle fought and won;
•
,Hear from the throne the -Master's voice
' Welt done! Well Bone !' "
THE Km Eli
It will not appear strange that the ig
norant colorectpeuple of the South are
superstitious, clinging half-unconsciously
to many traditions-of the Obi worship
of their far-off ancestors in Africa, when
we remember that cunning, the strength
of the Weak, hae been their armor so
*many years. Indeed, there' are many
white persons, highly cultivated, and
learned in the' e2r.sOt sciences, wbo have
some pet superstition,` which fetters them
in Its invisible chains. There are those
who will not sit'down thirteen at table,
lest the unlucky thirteenth should die
within the year, the omen itself being
derived-from the fact that there *ere
thirteen at the Last Supper, of whom
one was' a traitor, who afterwards went
and hung' himself. Some are distressed
with apprehensions if a , dog howl,in the
night beneath their window; s and in
our Southern woods, where the timid
hares play in the long grass, many a
lady is`alarmed if a frightened creature ,
run across her' path, lest some misfor
tune brood over her home.
=A belief in the evil eye seems to be'
general among the colored people. An
old auntie told me that her daughter had
been sick a long,time, and never could_
recover. " Dere's no use doing nuffin
for her, honey. - You see, she was looked
on with the Evil ,Eye 1" A, man not
long since gave, himself , up, to the, mili
tary authorities hereoaying.that he bad
shot amen.",investigation it was
found, that he had hint no one. ." Did .
you hit him?" wat auked. "Of course
not," *was' the reply ;."Who 'can hit a
witch ?" " But why give yourself up ?"
":11. am afraid of ,his ;'Evil Eye 1"
In hiring , servants, one has to. be ex
tremely guarded in referring to any
other applicants for the position; as ne
servant will enter a " home" to which
any other has the shadow of a right.
Not long since, in changing my cook, I
said to the dignified old woman who was
officiating in the , culinary department
by the day : " Well, Anut Fanny, I've
hired a woman, and she is coming to
morrow ; did you see her ?" " Certainly,
honey, she saw me first." I once
thought that this peculiarity' was to be
referred-to a high sense of honor, bat I
now know that it is occasioned by a
sense of fear. ,One of, the
,brightest
yellow women I ever saw, refused to go
atgood hiume, because old Uncle Sam,
.who lived there; was a witch.
But since die days when. 'grand old
Paul stood in the midst of.. Mars Hill,
and cried with fearless voice and em
'phati9 gesture, to the' learned and the
lotty of the earth, " Ye men of Athens,
L perceive that in all things ye are
too superstitious," the =world has not
moved forward so very fan - But a few
days ago, a veteran soldier unbuckled
his sword, and slept' Lis last sleep, in the
shadow of the beautiful Highlands, that
.guard the stately Hudson. And there
were found petmle, we charitably sup
pose y that the mere ignorant, whose en
.
riosity tnipellecl then to attend a seance
tat which a young laity, who ought to be
in a lunatic asylum,-told them of the
old man's entrance into the spirit land,
and gave a d. seription, in true milliner
style, of his ree , ption robes.
There is an Evil Eye, whose baleful
glances shoot, like scorchitig fire, over
earth's fairest 'and twat. It IS an eye
that looks into the dark places of the
world and makes the darkness - deepen—.
but it also throws iti — gloom over the
beautiful and the noble. Not a mortal
eye—but the eye that shone in the
, fte.
pent's !head when our mother Biel wig'
Skived , frow-her °because. to Heave.a.-L
-040441.iif -S'atin.' Let us 'Of
t~iat Evil Ey4;.J
ig)litat'o Catrit.
BOORS RECEIVED.
NAPOLEON 111. History 'of Julius Cmsar,
VoL 11. The Wars in Gaul. New York:
Harper & Bros. Svo., pp. 659. For sale
by J. B. Lippincott & Co., Philadelphi a .
SPENCER. A Narrative of Andersonville ;
Drawn from the Evidence elicited_ on the
Trial of Henry Wiz's, the jailor, with the
argument of Col. N. P. Chipman, Judge
Advo'cate. By Ambrose Spencer. New
York : Harper &--Bros. 12m0., pp. 272.
For sale by J. B. Lippincott & Co., Phila.
'TRAFFORD. Phemie Keller. By F. G. Traf
ford. New York: Harper &' Bros. Bvo.,
pp., 142. For, sale by J. B. Lippincott &
Co., PhiladelPhia.
Giudoß.E. Four Years in the Saddle. By
COlonel Haxry Gilmore. New York : Har
pen& 8r0ti.;.. , 12m0., pp. 291. For sale by
J. B. Lippincott & Co., rhiadelphia.
MAGAZINES AND PADOPIIIEWS.
Tas Non= BRECISH REVIEW, June,
1866. American Edition. Republication of
the London, Edinburgh, North British, and
WeStminster Quarterly Reviews.—Contents :
The Roman Element in .Civilization; The
Sea-Fisheries Commission Venetian Rela
zioni ; Rawlinson ' s Ancient Monarchieso of the
East ; Baker's Explorations in Central Africa ;
Colonial Policy in the Government of Colored
Races; Edmond About; Disinfection. New
York : The Leonard Scott Publishing Com
pany. For Sale by W. B. Zieber, Philadel
phia.
THE EVANGELICAL QUARTERLY .Ravin,
July, 1866. Edited by M. L. Stoever, Pro
fessor in Pennsylvania College. Printed at
Gettysburg.
MUSIC.
SUNLIGHT POLKA BRILLIANT. Composed
by Mrs. E. A. Parkhurst, New York: Pub
lished by Horace Waters.
GENERAL SCOTT'S FUNERAL MARCH. By
Mrs. E. A. Parkhurst: New York: Pub
lished by Horace Waters.
LOOKING FORWARD. Words by Frances
L. Beeler. Music by Mrs. KA. Parkhurst.
New York: Published by 'Horace Waters.
FAITH.
The word faith, or belief, is evidently
used, by the inspired writers in the same
sense in which it is commonly used and
and understood among , men in ordinary
eases. ThePneVelgave the least hint that
they had any uncommon " c Vies annexed to
that tetin, nor did they give any directions
how le believe or set faith,. thaugh `they
insist mue.h upon what men Irate believe.
and upon Divine , evicienceef.its truth. It
is also-re.markableithatMe.do not find any
of the first converts inquiriegmluit faith
is, or in mhat manner they mere to believe.
Hence we may reasonably infer that the
apostles used the word faith in its ordinary
sense, which required no explanation, and
that their hearers did in •fact so understand
them, The writer - of the' Epistle to the
Hebrews defines faith in' this manner:—
" Now - faith is the confidence of things
hoped for, the conviction of things not
seen." (Heb. xi. I.) 'Faith here ex
pressed by the two words confidence and
conviction, and its objects are things hoped
for, things not seen. -Thing; hoped for
must be , future -good things revealed and
promised; and confidence in relation to such
things must be a confidence - of persuasion.
founded ori God's faithfulness and power,
that what He hath promised He will un
doubtedly perform-; for .-tt. is explained
thus being persuaded of the promisee:
.a judging Him faithful who bath promised:
ai being fully persuaded that what . God bath
promised He is able also to perform. This.
confidence of faith in Divine promises is
inseparable from hope; for it is the confi
dence of things hoped for, and so is said to
be a believing in hope—nil : of obtaining
the good things promised. Again, faith is
here defined more generally, the convicting:
of things'not seen. Things not seen include
not only things promised; but things testi•
fled; not only good things to be hoped tor.
but evil things to , be dreaded; not merely
things future, but things past and present
All of them, however, so far as they are
the objects of faith, must be things not seen:
for faith is opposed to sight,—it being a
conviction of the truth arid reality of thinz•
made known by revelation, and is grounded
on the authority of that revelation, con , i
dered as the word of God. —Bomar.
WAITING.
Every time -of religious quickening N
marked by an increase 4 willingness on the
part of the impenitent to bear the Gospe ,
from the pulpit not merely but to hear is
in private personal appeal. if we are IN;
mistaken, the present revival is peculiarly:
marked by this feature. We have again
and again heard it testified by Christim:
that in their late` advances toward dire:
appeal with their friends in regard to the
condition of the soul, they have—to their
surprise—been met almost halt-way
them. We have ourselves been cognizac
of frequent remarks made by those who
still out of Christ, indicating not only the:'
`desire to be labored with, but their
prise that Christians do not make more
kind, warm, earnest, direct individual in.;
tation to those who are still in impeniter
It - seems to ne that it would be quite
for. Christian people to assume that th'
friends who are out of the church are tina
ing to be spoken to by them on the enty
of the soul's salvation; and to prue ,
accordingly to direct appeal They c•
hardly go mach astray on such a suer
tion; while it ought much to eneour;
them; ought, indeed, to shame theta
theii duty.
Of all depressing and malignant irr , '
ences in the way of the approach of s ine. , '
to the'croeS, perhaps there are none rr a:'
°ally worse than this: their le.
religion, as developed in the lies
profeesors, is so feeble in its pow , r S”j•
ineffectual in its working a- to hinds
from any practical influence t hrouL:h
upon others; is, in plain wird...,
sistent in its developments as to
devotion to the lips, while I. avint_r the
to flow on as before.
• Christian ! It your imp , nitcct
*le, brother, sister child, 'rend
Waiting in daily expee , arion of n , ir)
by you to b. come a Christian, and in 01,
disappointment that no such appca'
can you readily es'imate the p obAh
influence of snob a posture of m ind Ric".
jA&.lsatarlar I inferences? n y.
ththat . l3l/ob , fritlaitlestql remain uuruco o.
to God P—Congregationfist.