IiCAN PRESBYTERIAN AND GEN ESEE EVANGELIST. Anellgious and Family Newspaper, IN TEN INTRREST OF TER Constitutional Presbyterian Church, PUBLISHED EVERY • :RSDAY. AT THE PRESBYTERIAN HOUSE, 13i4 Chestnut Street, (2d story.) Philadelphia. 001 N :robin W. Mears. Editor and Publisher. gmtritan ttoinstErian. THURSDAY, OCTOBER 18, 1866 CONTENTS OF INSIDE PAGES. SgcoNn PAGE—FAMILY CIRCLE : In au Attic—An Ale-House PlotDefeated—Preach jag at a Gaming Table—For the Little Folks : Let ter from Mr. Hammond—Bread and Milk. Tatan PAGE—MISCELLANEOUS : Tho Faith-Talent aMinisterial Qualification—Great and Popular Sermons—Mahomet. San PAGE—CORRESPONDENCE: Erasmus: A Sketch from the Hiltory of the Refor mation in the Netherlands, (Concluded)—A Narra tive of a Work of Grace—The Refugee's Coffin: a Story of Kansas. SEVENTH PACE—RURAL ECONOMY: A Butter and Cheese Disoussion—Thorough Culti vation. Srmsristo: Iron and Steel. A RIGHTEOUS DECISION. In the conflict between good and evil, between virtue and, vice, always carried on Lio keenly in a great city, a decision from o ne of the highest seats of authority, em phatically and conclusively on the side of right and overwhelmingly against an inso lent and powerful wrong, sends a thrill of j o y and a deep sensation of relief through every good citizen's heart. It seems to waft a breath of purer air all at once through the guilt-laden atmosphere of the city. It gives a stimulus to every waver ing purpose of public good. Every friend of good order and peace under the laws feels himself and his family surrounded with new securities. Every God-fearing patriot feels his country more worthy of his love and devotion than before. A powerful monied corporation, to whioh the Legislature of the State was persuaded, against the wish of multitudes of our citi zens, to grant the free use of miles upon miles of our city highways, whose many armed road-track branches, like a hydra, in every direction over our city—emblem of its own unbounded covetousness-; confident in its own strength, and relying upon the support of every class of irreligious ele ments in our city, from the vile Sunday papers to the genteel church-going formal ists; not satisfied with their vast opportuni ties of gain upon six days of the week, made assault upon the venerable statute and common law of our State, protecting the sanctity of the Sabbath. This hinder mace to the prosecution of their, secular employment upon the remaining day of tlie week, they asked the law-making power of the State to remove. They failed most signally. Both branches of the Legislature rejected their request. The Sunday laws of the State were left unrepealed and un modified upon the books, and gained new strength from the failure of their enemies. But this corporation seeming to know of nothing sacred, human or divine, and blind to every consideration but that of gain, determined, if possible, to evade, and if necessary, to override the law which they could not alter; and with a piece of min gled intrigue and effrontery, unworthy of men of honor, and deserving the most un sparing reprobation, they crept into a mail contract with the Government, requiring one or two trips on a Sunday, and under the flimsy pretence of that contract, ran from fifty to a hundred times as many oars on that day as were called for by the Gov ernment. We have before us a copy of the Postmaster General's order, of April 27, 1866, in which the contract with the Union Passenger Railway Company is construed as authorizing only a single service on Sun day, to and from the sub-post-offices named, and directing the Postmaster in this city to conform his arrangements to such a con struction. And it is in evidence.in the late trial that 253 cars were run br this Company between 9 A. M. and 11 P. M. of Sunday, Sept. 16th. This is the power and this is the spirit of the power, which has been all summer rallying the haters of the Sabbath and the vicious and vile of every grade of our city to weekly assaults upon the day; which has been setting an example of insolent and high-handed defiance of the law, and work ing thus to demoralize the less established portion of the community; which has drawn half of the passenger companies of the city to follow its rebellious course ; which has nearly silenced three or four ministers in their pulpits, and robbed hun dreds of worshippers of their rights to-a,. quiet possession of their pews and enjoy ment of the ordinances of God's house on the Sabbath. This is the power which has scoffed at the laws on the Sabbath as obse lete, and has calculated on the enfeebled convictions of qhristians, and the preva lence of infidelity and godlessness among the masses, for impunity in its conscious violation of law. This public defiance of the laws of God and roan, on last Thursday, met a most se vere and stinging rebuke in the righteous sentence of Judge Strong. In his decision, I fritillt - i_,,,.. 111, ;...-.. . New Series, Vol. 111, No. 42. whioh we publish in full, their whole case has been held up to view, and ita utter baseletisness has been exposed in the most complete and masterly manner. Never were defendants worse beaten before, any court of justice; never was specious and insolent wrong more thoroughly itript of its disguises and branded upon its very forehead more clearly as crime ; never was every point and standing-place of ;defence more summarily swept away. As we sat and listened to this grand decision, rising as it proceeded, to still etronger•grOunds of condemnation,and covering the offenders with deeper and deeper dignaee an un speakable sense of theMariitian majesty of our laws, and of the, dignity, Integrity and courage of the Christian judge uttering that righteous and glorious sentence, pos sessed our souls. It was a grand scene; and without doubt, rejoicing angels sped upward from that court-room, proclaiming the news, that in one of those great sorrow stricken, guilt-smitten places on this foot stool, called cities; the beneficent institution of the Christian Sabbath had such a strong refuge and guardian on one of the supreme seats of authority of the State: We trust our readers will not fail to read this decision, one of the most important and honorable to the Supreme bench that has been uttered in a generation. We ask them to read it and the arguments of the counsel, if it is necessary for them to ne glect the editorials of the paper for a month, in order to find the time. They will gain new views of the importance of the Sab bath as a necessary part of the -public de fences against vice and immorality. They .will learn how complete is their protection, under the laws of our State, against inter ference in their right to a quiet enjoyment of the Lord's day. They will see to what fearful results a relaxation of the laws in behalf of this particular sort of worldly employment must lead. They will learn to prize the institutions of the Commonwealth as inwoven into the fundamental law by William Penn, and will be fortified and pre pared against any attempt to outrage those laws which may yet be made in the future. THE OCTOBER ELECTIONS. The great States of Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana and lowa cast their votes on Tues day of last week, in a political struggle as momentous and as exciting as any since the organization of the Government. Nearly all the issues raised in 1860, and fought over in the war, were once more brought to the test. The question whether a Congress which remained true to those issues, or an executive who had forsaken them, and gone over to the defeated rebels, should be sus tained, was the well-understood issue before the people. Could Andrew Johnson, by patronage, by bold assertion, by the aid of a couple of once honored members of the Cabinet, and by a tour around the country in which he studiously appealed to the low est instincts of the mob, succeed in reduc ing the overwhelming radical majority in Congress to a point where the introduction of the rebel element would completely over power it? This was the question, and to secure a popular response to his . liking, ever since the adjournment of Congress, he has tried all a politician's arts upon the people. He has cajoled, he has bul lied, he has bribed; and his corrupt' ad visers have waited, with no small degree of confidence, for the result. In these four great States it has come; and as in Vermont and Maine, it has found the purpose of the North utterly unshaken. The radical Congressmen have been return ed . man for man. A gain of the radical element in the Senate of four members is ascertained. And it is plain that the pe6- ple have too much light, and far too much conscience to be played with, as the toys, and cards of soulless, political gamblers. In vain do the most astute and determined of public men essay to rob the great majority of the North of their deep convictions of the guilt of treason. As well , ask them to rewrite the history of the Revolution, and to put Benedict Arnold on the roll of honor, as to seek a reversal of their judgment con signing Robert E. Lee and Jefferson. Davis to hopeless infamy. It is a shameful un derestimate of the sagacity of the people, which they cannot and will not brook, to think they can be persuaded into a hasty admission of bitter rebels to a leading place in the administration of a government, which they have toiled with might and main, and made every xonoeivable sacrifice to over throw. The people must not be asked to throw away utterly the purchase of billions of money, and of hundreds of thousands of precious lives in such wanton recklessness. The. policy which would put rebels in power and loyal men in jeopardy, which would give the unrepentant South a' better political status in the nation than it had • • • t i II • • VI I t I OCTOBER 18, 1866. before the, war, whiCla would leave the loyal colored population of the South without adequate defences and without a possible chance of gaining the rights of citizenship, has ,been blown, to the winds ; and a policy of righteousness, justice, honor, and nation al safety has been once' more settled as the solemn purpose of the great majority' of the people. As the,canvass has been, to a remarkable degree, one turning upon high moral and Christian principle, so the tone of the speeches and.arguments has been elevated. With great frequency, the authority of the Bible has, been cited, and quotations and illustrations from its pages have been liber ally, and, for the most part, reverentially employed. Men have moved in a higher atmosphere by far, than that of an ordinary political campaign. And we have reason to rejoice in the number of good men to whom the people have assigned some of the most elevated places in their gift. General Geary, the Governor-elect of this State, has been heard to speak emphatically of , the importance and extent of the support which he and his party were receiving from the 'religious people of the State. There is good reason for believing him a man of strictly temperate habits, of high principles, and of hearty respect for religion, if not himself a professing Christian. The best men of the party repose the utmost confidence in his fidelity to its principles. Here, in Philadelphia, we have placed upon the bench as presiding and associate judges, two of the best men in the, commu nity; both of them earnest, active Chris tians, one of them an officer in our own branch of the Church; we refer to Judges Allison and Peirce. And one of the gains in Congressmen, which gives uncommon brilliancy to the victory in this State, se cures the return of honest, burly, Cromwel lian Jourr COVODE to the new Congress; a man of Scotch Presbyterian associations, about one of the least-desired, worst-feared and most intractable men, in the view of knavish politicians, that could be found in the country. We think the appearance of honest John Covode in the legislative halls of the Capital, will send a .quaking into the camp of the Philistines, and will prove fatal to many a scheme or public fraud and wrong. These are facts that give the Christina citizen abundant ground of hope. God will yet guide us out of our difficulties and bring forth judgment unto victory. A MINISTER WHO KNOWS HIS ' CALLING. • Honored is the church or denomination which possesses ministers, of whom such record can be made as Rev. A. T. Norton here makes of our good Dr. Nelson of St. Louis : "Left my home Friday August 24th, at 10 o'clock A. M., for St. Louis.. Called on Dr. Nelson, and found him perfectly calm and cheerful amidst the prevailing pestilence. He has attended more funerals since the first of this month, than for a whole year previ ous—sometimes three in one day. Only last Monday, twoßersons died from cholera in his house. They were not members of his family but strangers, whom he had taken in. When visiting at a dwelling, where the wife and mother had been stricken down by the prevailing pestilence, he found that the fanaily—father and five children—could not with'safety pass the night in their small tenement of two rooms. He took part of them to his own house—all contaminated with cholera as they were—and obtained another place for the other part. But with in a day or two, the whore family, of six per sons, were thrown Upon his hands. Sabbath night, Augusts 19th, they all retired to rest, with the expectation that the afflicted house hold would, the next morning, start for Bond county, 111. But at 3 o'clock of that morn ing, the two elder children of the stranger family were taken down with the prevalent epidemic. At 12 o'clock M. of the same day, they both died. The father nursed his children until daylight, when he too suc cumbed to the disease. He was carried to Dr. Nelson's study, and'nursed there. He is recovering. " Look now at this pastor. In the first place, lie stands at his post, like a man, visiting his sick and burying his dead. When the be loved wife of one of the elders is stricken and expires, he is there to comfort and assist. When the dark shadowcrosses the household of the humblest of his members, he is there, not only . to present the consolations of the Gospel, but to render every needful material assistance. Then, he is not afraid. He brings the suffering, though infected (if there be infection about this disease ; we guess there is, not, except to cowards,) to the last degree, to his own, house, and his own family. And when they are smitten, he nurses them with his own hands. God preserves him and his household through it' all. And this in eideat in the life of this beloved pastor, is not a solitary one.. It .is .but a specimen of the christian heroism which he is constantly exhibiting. • " Perhaps Dr. Nelson may not like the publicity which' I give to this matter. But I beg him to remember that such light ought to sttine." REv. DR. ADAM having, on account of continued ill -health_presented his resignation as pastor of North Broad Street Church, the congregation, honing in his ultimate restora tion,, voted on Monday night last, that it is inexpedient to accept it. Dr. Adams' health, though not, fully restored, is ,believed to be steadily imprOving. OUR ROCHESTER CORRESPONDENT. SYNOD OP ONONDAGA The annual gathering of this Synod. was in the beautiful village of Auburn, in the Second Presbyterian Chnrchi Its session commenced' on Tuesday evening, and closed on ThurSday 'afternoon; "a very pleasant and profitable meeting" The opening sermon. was preached by Rev. Dr. Rall, of Auburn-;,. and Rev. L. H. Reid, of Syra cuse, was elected Moderatos: Beside, the usual routine of business, Uncle John Vassar was heard in reference to the work of the Tract Society among the Freedmen , of Virginia; Rev. W. B. Stew- OA Am. and Foreign'" - Christian Union;' Bev. J. B. Richardson, for the Bible Society; Rev. J. W. Dulles, for Publication Cause; Rev. A. M. Stowe, for Home Missions, with his big map preach- ing too; and Dr. Mills for Education. Drs Condit and Huntington also spoke upon edoc,ation, and Dr. Cox made one of his characteristic and inimitable addresses on Home Missions. Thus all these interests were fully and ably represented. Stirring appeals were made for advance in every direction, with increased liberality and usefulness. These Synods do much to set the wheels of Chris tian enterprise in motion, and to keep con tinually accelerating their momentum. Beside the excellent addresses to which we have already referred, another of great eloquence was made by Rev. N. G. Clark, D.D., the new Secretary of the American Board, pleading especially for men to rein force many missionary stations now in great need. Dr. Clark was listened to with great interest, and we are glad that some of the pastors of Western New York had this opportunity of making his acquaintance. It is rare that he is able to get away from his office duties in Boston. Beside ad dressing the Synod, he also met the stu dents of the theological seminary, and laid before them the pressing wants of the Board; and we trust that some of these consecrated young men were moved seriously, to think of the Foreign Missionary work. The Lord hath need of them in that field. One of' the most interesting exercises of this meeting of the Synod, was the ac count presented-By pastors and others of-the blessed revivals: enjoyed in so many places, especially in Baldwinsville, Auburn, Syra cuse, Amboy, Binghamton, and Oswego. In the last place, one hundred and fifty were added to the Presbyterian Church, of which Rev. Solon Cobb is pastor. His story of the Lord's doings in that place was exceedingly interesting. Five churches received, in all, four hundred and fifty new members. Rev. Dr. Canfield, of Syracuse, by ap pointment of last year, read an able essay on Christian Unity, embracing in its close an earnest appeal for re-union between the two great branches of the Presbyterian Church. He would have them one again as soon as possible. The administration of the Lord's Sup per occurred on Wednesday evening, Rev: Dr. Boardman, late of Cazenovia, and Rev. W. W. Howard, of Aurori, officiating. The meeting of Synod next year is to be in Baldwinsville. A NEW SECRETARY The friends of the Church Erection Enterprise will hear, we are sure, with peculiar' pleasure, that Rev. Dr. Ellinwood, late pastor of the Central Church in this city, has been unanimously appointed Sec retary of the Church Erection Committee; and all will rejoioe that his health has so far been restored that he feels able to ac cept the appointment and enter at once upon the duties of his office. His address is, Presbyterian Rooms, 150 Nassau street, New York. A better appointment could not have been made. Dr. Ellinwood has the confi dence of the churches and pastors to a de gree which few men can command ; and it is also thought by his friends and physi cians that employment of this kind may tend to the complete restoration of his health, and that- a long career of great usefulness yet remainsfor him. HAMILTON COLLEGE This institution. opens prosperously this fall. The Freshmen class has about forty already on the ground. A few more being expected to join its ranks; and the whole number of students is about two hundred. IMPROVEMENTS A little dengregational church in Nor folk, St. Lawrence; county, whose affairs have not been .over-prosperous for some time past, and whose house of worship was somewhat like the people, a little run down, has recently taken a notion to live and thrive after a better sort. A young man has been. preaching to them a few months, Rev. H. F. o.. Nichols, and they Genesee Evangelist, No. 1065. have raised $l7OO to repair their church edifice, and things are beginning to look new again. After a very spirited discussion in the presence of a full assembly, of this important subject, in which, the Rev. Herrick Johnson, and others took part, the following testimony was read and unanimously approved : 1. In the great increase and extensive prevalence of intemperance, we recognize a great danger to our country and reproach to the Christian Church. In Madrid, in the same county, a simi lar change has come over the, Congrega tional church. They have awaked out of their slumbers, raised $lOOO to put their house of worship in order, and so hope to realize a reasonable prosperity again. We know something of both these places, and rejoice that they are giving these signs of renewed life. We are sure they will find a big blessing, both spiritual and temporal, in these efforts to better their condition. 0, how many churches are going to decay, that might be saved by a little of this sort of Christian enterprise. " The gods help those who help them selves." THAT WILL Was ever anything more delicately con ceived than that provision in the will of the late Silas D. Childs, of Utica, giving $5OOO to the Rural Cemetery of that place, to keep things in order, especial& the head stones and graves of the poor? He knew that the rich have friends—their graves would be cared for; but not so the poor. It would seem as though the bones of the man who died with such thought fulness on his mind, must sleep more quietly in their resting-place for having made such provision for those whose por tions in this life were so much less than his own. THE REVIVAL IN WESTFIELD We alluded to this in its season. The results are a large accession to the church, eightly in all, sixty-five by profession, with others yet to come forward. Rev. Dr. Chester, of Buffalo, has supplied the church most of the time for the past two years. The revival commenced in April, and •for six or eight weeks there were meet ings almost daily, with great solemnity and almost constant conversions. Dr. Chester preached on the Sabbath, going out from Buffalo for that purpose, occasionally also on Friday evenings. A few sermons were also preached by others ; and Rev. S. G. Orton, D.D., the veteran Evangelist, al though too feeble to preach, rendered effi cient and invaluable service in attending inquiry-meetings, and visiting from house to house. 'ln like manner tlfratir was aided by the faithful and constant labors of. Rev. L. A. Skinner, whose home is with the church; so that, even without a pastor, the church did not want for pastor al care. The blessed influence of the quickening is still felt, as well on the old members as on the recently gathered in. Dr. Chester has now closed his labors with the church; and they have employed Rev. Mr Van Cleve, a young man, as we learn, to supply them for the present. BUFFALO ACADEMY This flourishing institution for young ladies, over which the Rev. Dr. Chester presides with so much ability and success, opens this fall with 253 scholars, indicating all the prosperity which its most earnest friends could expect or desire. We have a similar account from the Ingham:University, of Le Roy. Students are flocking to its halls, and all looks well for the coming year. GENESEE. ROCHESTER Oct 13 1866 . SYNOD OF WEST PENNSYLVANIA. The Synod closed its session, Tues day, Oct. 9. The ministers, all except two, who are without charges, were present. More than the usual number Of churches were represented by men of the right stamp, intelligent, spiritual minded, and in their inclinations and purposes progressive. Altogether we constituted a body though by geographi cal necessity not large, yet by choice and the grace of God active and effi cient. According to rule, we commenced our sessions the first day with half an hour devotional exercises. The second day the brethren felt that they could not be trammeled even by a standing rule. Such evidently was the " spirit of grace and supplication" that God poured out upon them, that they could not be satis fied with less time than an hour. 0 ! it was good to be there. The presence of Rev. Dr. Mills and Rev. Dr. 4 ll,.ndall added very much to the pleasure and profit we all felt and received in...the ecclesiastical duties and devotional services in which the Synod were engaged.. , TEMPERANCE TERMS Per annum, in advance: By Mail, S 3. By Carrier, $ 50. rents additional, after three months. tflubs.—Ten or more Papers sent to one address. payable strictly in advance and in oneremittance. By Mail. S 2 50 per annum; By Carrier. s3per annunl. Ministers and Ministers' Wid mrs, $2 50 in advance. Home Missionaries, $2 00 in advance. Remittances by mail are at our risk. Postage.—Five cents quarterly, in advance. paid by subscribers at the office of delivery. Advertisements.-12'A cents per line for the first, and 10 cents for the second insertion. One square (ten lines) one month Sd 00 two months 5 50 three months 7 50 six month. 12 00 one year 18 00 The following discount on long advertisements, in serted for three months and upwards. is allowed:— Over 20 lines. 10 per cent, off; over 50 line:, 20 per cent.: over 100 lines. 33,3 per cent. 2. We hail as one of the most encouraging signs of the times the revival of the cause of temperance throughout our land, and espe cially that it is now more directly identified with the Christian Church than ever before. 3. It is the duty of every member of the Church of Christ to set himself actively against the practice of moderate drinking, because it is the nursery of drunkenness. 4. We commend to the consideration of the churches the action of our late General Assembly, which declares that the use of in toxicating drinks as a beverage, however moderately, is contrary to the Word of God. 5. We recommend that this cause be made much more prominent • in all our Sabbath schools. 6. It is ordered that this testimony he sent for publication, to the following papers:— The New York Evangelist, AMERICAN PRES BYTERIAN, and The Christian, Herald, and also that it be read in all the pulpits of our Synod, on the first Sabbath in November or as soon thereafter as may be. [Other items in our next.] 4t.tuo MIT eijIIIIIJES. INSTALLATION.—Rev. Irving L. Be man was installed pastor of Logan Square Church, by the 3d Presb'y, Oct. 11. The Moderator, Rev. H. A. Smith presided and put the Constitutional questions. Rev.. J. G. Butler, P.D., preached the sermon from Acts, v. 20; Dr. March gave the charge to the pas tor, and Rev. P. L. Robbins the charge to the people. The benediction was pronounced by the Pastor. CLEVELAND, OHIO, CHURCHES.—Rev. John Monteith, Jr., has offered his resig nation of the pastorate of the Euclid Avenue Church. The congregation de clines acceding to his request for a dis missal, and in this shape the matter will • come before the Presbytery. Rev. Dr. Goodrich, of the First Church, who has been confined by illness for the past four weeks, is improving, but is not expected to be able to resume his duties for at least six months to come. Rev. J. G. Atterbury, D.D., late of New Albany, Ind., has been engaged as a temporary supply. THE THIRD PRESBYTERY of NEW YORK, at its recent meeting in Irving ton, placed upon its"roll the name of " The Park Church," a new organiza tion located in the northern and rapidly growing extension of the city. It also released Rev. S. B. Bell, D.D.. from the pastorate of the Fiftieth Street Church, and dismissed him to the Presbytery of Lyons. During the session, the Pres bytery, by invitation, took an excursion in carriages among the many places of interest in the vicinity, such as the late residence and the grave of Wishington Irving, and other localities identified with his genius. SYNOD OP SIISQUEHANNA.—This Synod covers the New York State portion of the Susquehanna region. Its annual meeting was held in the village of Nide veh, commencing Sept. 18th, and was presided over by Rev. Charles Gillette. The narrative of the state of religion says:-- "The Sabbath-schools are reported as emi nently . prosperous among us, and those who have been lately added to the Church are mostly from this source. Thus we are great ly encouraged to go forward in this blessed work. The benevolent contributions of our churches are on the increase. The amount contributed during the year is in advance of former years, but it is not what it ought to be in order to meet the demands of our time, and what could easily be collected if all of our churches were rightly impressed with their obligations. The prayer-meetings are well sustained, which is another encouragement for us to wait on God who heareth prayer. "The various revivals repCrted among us, some of which were quite powerful, have proved so far genuine, and permanent in their results, and apparently have been brought about by the Spirit of God, and not by men. Therefore, we may rejoice for these revivals, as the natural result of God's blessings upon the ordinary and appointed means of grace, and such spiritual growth is always the most healthy and pleasant." Two COWER-STONES OF CHURCHES were laid in this city Oct. 14th and 15th. One, an 0. S. Presbyterian, at Twenty-first and Shippen streets, and one, a Moravian, at Franklin and Thompson streets. THE SYNOD OF KENTUCKY, at its meeting last week, voted 99 to 57 against sustaining the General Assembly. PREMIUM FOR NEW SUBSCRIBERS. GROVER & BARER'S SEWING MACHINE. This machine is already so well and favora bly known to the public, that commendation is superfluous. Its merits have long since given it a foremost place among the few machines accounted the BEST ; and the purchaser has the advantage in buying the GROVERtk . , BAKER of achoice of stitches, their machines being of two sorts, designed to form either a chain stitch or a lock-stitch, as parties may prefer. We offer A FIFTY•FIVEE DOLLAR ILLUMINE, Complete, with hemmer, and the choice of stitches as a premium for TWENTY NEW, SUBSCRIBERS, at $3 each, paid in advance. Or in the city, at $3.50 each, paid in advance. A descriptive pamphlet will be sent, on ap plication, to any one desirous of canvassing for the machine.