?BE AIERICAN PRESBYTERIAN AND GENESEE EVANGELIST. *Religious and Family Newspaper, IN THE IN'TEHIST OP THE Constitutional ,Presbyterian Church. PUBLISHED EVERY THURSDAY, AT TEE PRESBYTERIAN HOUSE, 1984 Chestnut Street. (24 dors%) Philadelphia. Aar. Yoko. W. lilteeira. Editor end Publither. • • gmtritait EVtelyttrialt. THURSDAY,. AUGUST 2, 1866 ILLUSTRATIONS 'OF HUMAN NATURE Ih TILE CLRCUIISTANCES OF THE TRIAL AND DEATH OF CHRIST. T. We cannot too carefully observe ikow the good and the bad .qualities. of the human heart, of friend andloe,: of Jew and 'Gen tile, of man and woman, of 'public med and pr i va te citizens, are brought 'to view in the last scenes of the life 'of 'our' SaViour. Though the platform was .narrow, and, but „' • • • few of the actors or 44torio ipiritano' e by themselves, yet, opportunity was given for an extraordinary play, of .humien. passion s and display of, the most ,varied traita;of human character... It would . seem as it all the chief three& 'of life and the ruling impulses, good and bad, of which our na ture is capable, crossed each other in this great event. ± Man, humanity itself, was on trial in the trial of Christ; so that the incidents of the trial andcrucifixion have been unconsciously accepted as types of character and conduct ; are quoted famil iarly as historical precedents, and .have gone into the proverbial language'of Chris tendom. And why should this be surprising ? The , greateit 'of human interests were at stake; the relations of man to his Creator and Judge were being adjusted ,• , sin in the heart and life was meeting its grand antagonist;.infinite love was bending to bless and to save perverse, hardened, guilty sinners. It could not be but that such a process should most thoroughly and searchingly test the inherent qualities of the soul. It must reveal, in a most em phatic manner, what was in man. The doors of the soul are flung wide open at such a summons, and all its secret tenants, all its dark passions and prejudices, all its subtle affinities for good or for evil, 'all its weaknesses, its grovelling selfishness and earthly•mindedness, its haughty indiffer ence to spiritual claims and interests, its narrowness and bigotry, its craven fear and nruelty, its lalindneas. in the midst of Rita, its cunning fraud and open disloyalty, its timidity, its policy, its vacillation, its despair ; all these, as well as its capacities for good, come forth into the broad light of day and write themselves on the pages of history. If' proof were wanted of the historical correctness of the story of Christ's trial and death, the wonderful truth to nature of its various scenes and incidents would go far to confirm it Amid signs not to.be mis taken of something far , above nature, we have the dearest and most instructive il lustrations of what we know to be in us and around us to-day,—a narrative, utterly be yond the powers ; of man to originate, yet in which never was man more;accurately portrayed to . .himself. A grand_fignre, moves gently and 'unresistingly, yeti with. sweetand stately , through the Scene, never ruffied•by the storm of injtistiCeilvin lence and .cruelty raised against 'him; the: crown of thorns canna remove the lieaveri•i ly majesty from ,his brow ; the. mocking' reed and garments, the bloody scourging,, do not abate one jet of his royal beauty. in our eyes. Divinity gleams through.. every defacement attempted by fanatical hatred. Through the darkest scenes of Getheenaane, of the Judgment Hall, and of Calvary, there is a mysterious and awful copdeseen sion of somewhat far above ua to the limits of human life and suffering ; but all around • this Heavenly Sufferer, 'v' men and, women are grouped, whosie, moralindividu ality unfolds the more completely, it would seem, under the contrast of the Divinity with which, for the time, it. is associated. One can scarcely find an opportunity for studying human nature to better adVantage than in the unvarnished story which inspi ration has furnished of the trial and cruci fixion of Jesus of Nazareth. And we urge this as a proof of the truth of the narra rative.' For the Evangelists were simple minded men, without ambition or capacity as literary artists. Their work is .a simple , statement of facts; and the very nature of the facts, in such hands, is the proof of their reality. , We have, in fact, in the combination of individuals, parties and races to accomplish the death of Christ, a type of the fallen condition of humanity as a whole, and of the deadly hostility of our corrupt nature to God in His most gracious and saving at titude. It was the natural man, in Jew and Gentile garb, in Church and State, in the hierarchy and the laity, in the governor and the.governed, in the partially good and the wholly bad, which rejected Christ on His mission of redemption, which clam ored for' His crucifixion, and' for the ,liberation of Barabbas. Those dreadful ''resbo44n New Series, Vol. 111, No. 31. acts were the acts Ak of a few scores 'or hundreds of PeoPle, long ago, and in a far off country ; they were, substantiall3r,. my ants and yours. In them we were. fairly represented by the Jews, and Pilate.. The natural man is everywhere sure-to tryout to the world's Redeemer-: No this man but Barabbas ! As human nattire, is Constitu ted,' the murderous rejection bf eltrist was absolutely certain , Would be so to=day: Men had - been rejeefing all God's inferior agents, and when He, sent fits son they were ready,to fly upon Him,.,exclaiming,: "This. is . the heir,;, come: lotus kill Min.!' ( We are, sometimealled:loff into Lvain and deceitful dreanis'of :the, excellence ufs-Itte. man nature. Nattfratquilities' are praised; and teachers ;delirairity 'ate aerteunde4 ; as bigots. The inherent capacity OrunassiAl ed man to rise in ciiihzatien and in charm ter, is often declared . and still more often taken for granted. But Jest men, as the Jews and 'Gentiles were tested, by present ; ing suffering Saviour, claiming, Divine authority, requiring supreme devotion, and offering a free ,salvation by faith; and •the most amiable and the , most cultivated; as well as the most superstitious and - degraded, will demonstrate the strength' and univer sality of their' depravity by rejecting Him as Jew and Gentile did. Their act, truth fully described as "the grind discovery of human depravity, and in all its eirettin stances the greatest single act of , wickedness that ever was or can be committed," is, in spirit, done over and over again thousands of times, every day, by the impenitent re jecter of Christ. - All the elements of its neprodnetion in its essential featuresoare involved in' the character and 'acts. of the men of this generation. It is part and proof of the degree of man's depravity that it rises most violently against the divine and perfect means of his recovery. PRESBYTERIAN EMIGRATION TO SOUTHERN DELAWARE. P 1111,3 : tir:grill Io y kr:, n4ll AT BRIDGEVILLE Cheering-Anstances of progress and re covery of lost ground 'are occurring in. Lower Delaware. The Presbytery-of Wil mington have always kept a close eye upon the old sites of Presbyterian Churches in their bounds, and have watched and im proved every opportunity offered by the building of railroads and the movements of new settlers, for planting, in new places, the institutions of_ the Gospel. The se cession of 1857, indeed, almost shut them out of the lower part of the Peninsula. But 'keeping good heart, and having still some faithful men in the' region,,•partiou r larly in 'Milford, ihey manned the church there,,estiblished new pria&hing places in the neighborhood, and were chee'red . response from the loyal and intelligent classes of the old residents, and by a, steadily . increasing , y current of .Northern, immigration. : • .'; Two years 'ago, Rev. L. C. Lockwocal called the attention, of the Presbytery to' Bridgeville, the house of the lamented' Goieriior Cannon,' as a promising fiehrof missionary 'effort. It is remarkable that the immigration to' that quarter, coming" , 'mainly; fioin Pennsylvania and New'"fork, is, without any previous concert,—almost exclusively, 1 3 ,tesbytcrian and Reformed Dutch. Some of the' families ,are large; most of them, is maybe :expected from. such antecedents, are intelligent;.there are truly pious Persons, zealous and active niemberi of the church j leading men in the dotninunity are praying and devoted men in the Church, ready for Sabbath school enterprise, and, so far as their . means go, for every measure necessary for the advancement of Christ's kingdom. It is rare, indeed, that a new settlement fur nishes such an admirable nucleus for a Home Missionary enterprise, as that which is gathering in and around Bridgeville. The Mown lies about 106 miles south from Philadelphia, directly on the Dela ware 'railroad, and is reached in a little over five hours from the Prime street de pot. The soil in the immediate vicinity is light, but by no means excessively so. It is .easily tilled, and susceptible of almost any degree of improvement. It is, how ever, especially adapted to trucking and peach-giowing. Farms can still be had at from fifteen to twenty-five dollars an acre, in the neighborhood. Settlers are favored by the railroad company, for the first year, by a reduction of one-third from the regu lar rates on passage and freight. Presbyterian families, who are looking for new' homes, may with the utmost confi dence be referred.to Bridgeville, Delaware, as a settlement where they will be certain to meet' with : those religious influences and . those privileges, rwhidh they would' mipst 'emphatically prefer for themselves and their PHILADELPHIA, THURSDAY; AUGUST 2 . 1866. families ) and where their church associa tiona, from the material already on the ground, are likely to prove of the most happy sort. On last Thursday, the Presbytery of Wilmington, by a committee, installed as -pastor of the new Church of Bridgeville, Rev. Alexander Gulick, late •of Hudson River Presbytery. The 'services were per-, formed in a large and convenient building, once used as a storehouse, and ,recently fitted up, with benches and -lights, for the congregation. This building Aiftkronged by a most interesting audience r including a large' numhef of yoting people, , and many who could not ,gain a.draiitance„ , ,crowded around doors alid'windows.', 4 Admirably performed parinr organ, with._, a choir, added interest . toi. the services, which were hittodueecl by the bitpitiiim of theinfini 6444 of the pastor elect. The moderator of the Presbytery, Rev:JOhn Patton, D.D., presi ded and put the-constitutional questions; Rev. Wm. Aikman preached a sermon on Rom. i. 16, " Ford am not ashamed of the Gospel of Christi" etc., which was a lucid and faithful exhibition of the power of the Gospel to elevate, to bless and to save meri. Rev. John W. Mears gave the charge to the pastor, and Rev. Edward Webb the charge to the people. A spirit of deep tenderness and earnestness characterised the exercises, the very first of the kind ever witnessed by the old residents in that community. The impression made was, doubtless, most prof itable. The associations cOnneete l d with the.enterprise, not only as 11 promising ad= trance of our Church, but rie part of a hope ful Movement going on in that section 'of the State, made the services unusually in teresting. It gives us pleasure to add that Mr. Gulick has already won the confidence and esteem of the communityyand that his min istrations are most fairorably regaided by the , people. A flourishing Sabbath-school is in operation with a good supply of faith ful teachers, which . is aiding greatly in commending the enterprise to the fami lies of the neighporhood. It is contemplated to commence build , ing.a-e-hure.h edifice-in-the fall,- Lots have already been secured; and an effort to raise the necessary funds will soon be made. Friends who are called on for aid, may give with all confidence in the enterprise, as one of the most hopeful and deserving on the list. Persons desiring information, with a view to settlement, are referred to Mr. George Carom, Bridgeville, one of the elders or the Church, and a devoted fiiend of the enterprise, who will cheerfully sorer inquiries. . . • PRESBt r YgL" We'must cordially acknowledge the ser vices. renderefl. 14.-i by the Cincinniti ;byte, in brilhantly advertising onr -patie? its second editorial" column, `last ,week: It is rare,, indeed, that a, service so eminent is „performed unsolicited.. , 'difficult to calculate the money-yalne of an 'advertisement so conspicuously ; posted. 'We must also express our obligations .that it has guarded its readers- against the not uncommon error of confounding the editer's name with Myersi; which he very jnitlY informs them is incorrect—the true name of the - family being Mears. Recent infes . tigations have brought to light some other modifications of the, name, which, if the, editor is curious on the subject, or ; desirous of 'willing his aid further in correcting or guarding against mistakes, we will commu nicate to him. I The general reader needs to be infOrtned that The Presbyter, a paper of the other branch in Cincinnati, has taken these liber-' ties—as we may call them—for the sake of discrediting the phrase " Constitutional Presbyterian Church," which forms part of the regularly published prospectus upon the title-page of this paper. At this late date The .Presbyter has waked up to the fact of existence . there, although it is coeval with' the' history of the paper. The pred ent editor of the AMERICAN PRESBYTERIAN found it in the prospectus, where he has since left it undisturbed. It has seemed to him a truthful designation of the branch of the Church more particularly represented by the AMERICAN PRESBYTERIAN'. We cannot understand this sudden sensitiveness on a phrase which has been floating at our mast. head nine years, or the summons for its removal at this time. We are sorry, indeed, if so good a man as the editor of The Presbyter does not like . it, for it is our deeided intention to keep it there. Ralf. EDwenn`P. HiqiiiOND and lady 'sailed from New York by the Albernia ion SaturdaY, gp'to 'the Holy Land: THE ATLANTIC CABLE LAID. On Friday, the 27th of July, the Great Eastern successfully completed the great enterprise of laying the Atlantic cable, and distinct and satisfactory messages were at once received, as during the whole voyage had been the ease, from the other side. It is remarkable that, as with the cable of 1858, the fait 'news- blOught 'is that of PLACE. In 1858 the'firth in& almost the only 'news deSp'atch announced : piiace be tNyeen England and ,Ohina. In 1866 the • first news carried is of peace between.Atol 7 tria,Fid Prussia. is a. far':more 44PortItnt 4049nly*Penty. vi 9 !ITA*sl,l o 4cOt as ;an omen of lar l greater Eterviee renderect -the sieli cable; • „Remembering Our reidature .rejtiiiinga- eight piers Itgo; we will not be' 'over-sanguine to-day.-• We trait that ere this paragraph reaches' our readers,'&ll confirmation will be given to the hopes which now 'seem so reasonable, of entire success in the great scheme for , pit ting all parts of the civilized world in in stantaneous connection with each other. Certainly, it is not too early for all to ex press acknowledgments to our indefatigable countryman, CYRUS W. FIELD, to whose zeal, perseverance, -good spirits, and un daunted courage, we owe this last and most promising attempt at Atlantic teleg,raphy. OUR LONDON LETTER. LONDON, July, 1866. My Thus SIR:—We are in the'mid ale of '"the dog-days." The heat is very oppressive, not very far short of the pleasant dose of, it I had lastyear in your country. We have had a good deal of rain and genial weather for the last month, and everything bids fair for a good harvest and• an early one. The cattle plague is gradually dying out—the weekly deaths have come down from thousands to hundreds, and we are in hopes of soon seeing the last of it. The last account I saw was only 325. We are slowly but surely recovering, too, from the effects of. the' late commercial crisis, or "'panic," rather. Money gets easier, snd confidence is- gradually re turning in 'commercial- circles, though the hank rate ofinterest still stands at £lO per cent. We 'have had, too, since I wrote, a ministerial crisis, and• that, too, has passed quickly over. Lord Russell and his party are " out ;" Lofd Derby and his party are "in " The feeling is very strong that there was no need of the ministry going out. They were defeated only on a matter of detail in -regard to their Reform bill; and it was thought that, considering the state 'of matte r rs at_home •and abroad, . a minis terial' interregnum 'Ought not to have' been'added to the complications, Without' muehittronger reasobs than the outgoing Cabinet could offer. But now all is ' over. ' What remains of the tithe , de voted to , the sitting= of Parliament Will be -bestowed on'the passing-of necessary ifedaehiee onlyi; then will-come the pro rogation—then'the Derby ministry will be left to prove itself ? ! unless any very great crisis , arfse,lill the t usual time-of the meeting "of- Parliament in February of next year: The:feeling prevalent that the ne4 ministry must have