MILLENARIANISM-ITS TENDENCY, Editor of American Presbyterian : Per mit one of your readers to express his profound sense of the service done to the cause of practical piety, by the essay, completed in your last, from the pen of Kev. W. T. Eva. The satisfaction felt, however, has been greatly modified, by the presumptive argument he has made in favor of the millenarian theory, comprised in numerous Scripture citations, which he has not attempted, in detail, to explain away. But my object in writing, was not to praise the task already performed, or invite a more ex- haustive exposition, but to add my testimony as to the general drift and influence of Millenarian ism, as seen in its advocates in our day. First then, I take pleasure in testifying to the truth of Mr. Eva’s remark, “ that this theory seems to lie directly in the way of all earnest, zealous, continuous effort for the conversion and salva- tion of the world.” I have never known a genu ine Millenarian who was an active revivalist;* tho’ I have known some who had been such , but ceased to be on embracing the Advent doctrine; nay, more, I have never known one who was active in promoting temperance, anti-slavery, or social reform of any kind. Verily, these brethren “ have their conversation in heaven,” in so remark able a degree, that they cannot see or feel their personal responsibility for the prevalence in the world of vice and misery, which are the works of the devil, and which Christ came to destroy. They distrust the truth of God as a means of conversion, and the efficacy of fasting and prayer for procuring a descent of the Spirit; and as a consequence, rush into the cold, “ sensuous” theory that God has no cure for deprdvity but by sweeping judgments like the deluge, and the sub version of the Jewish Church and polity by Ves pasian. They overlook the fact stated by Mr. Eva, “ that the same means by which a single soul is saved, are those by which millions of souls are to be saved.” On this point I beg to remark further, that the first practical illustration I ever received of this doctrine, was the deprecating remark of a Christian brother—who was urged to do some- thing to remove the prevalent intemperance and oppression of the land—“ That Christianity was not designed to reform the world or cure its evils, but to be a witness of the truth, and gather the saints together and keep them, till the Master would come and cure the world by another judg ment.” If this is not a species of unbelief, it surely is an ignoring of the power of the Gospel, as a puller-down of strongholds. But I have seen still effects from the earnest advocacy of the Second Advent doctrine; I have known those who, from a continuous study of Daniel and other Scripture writers con cerning the “kingdoms” of the world “asset up and cast down,” have reached the most de spotic theories, totally at war with the genius of Reformed Christianity and Republican liberty. I have heard such assert that a pure despotism, like the Assyrian, was gold, and most like the Theocracy which is to prevail under the Lord, during the Millennium; and that the base clay of the image of Daniel represents the popular element now being infused into the governments of all civilized nations. Can a theory be true which leads to such results ? Millenarians are accustomed to urge the great importance of watching , that the Lord come not and find us asleep, but waiting his coming. Now, to those that are ready, by faith and a regenerated heart, the time matters nothing. This proves that faith and repentenee, and not the “ coming,” is the special call of the Gospel; for those who are fitted by the first are also fitted for the latter. People who are “ready” and busy, are never concerned about the time. This is finely illus trated by the story, recorded in verse by Whit tier, of the Connecticut Assemblyman, who, in the midst of a dark storm happening (some fifty years ago) on the very day predicted as the end of the world, moved that “ the House proceed to the order of the day,” as he wanted his Master, in any event, to find him busy, and in the line of his duty. Now I take it, that the outgrowth of this sys tem is clearly traceable to the cold and backslid den state of the Church. The Lord’s people have been idle in the vineyard, and this has grown up as tares, to choke the word and make it unfruitful. What should we think, at reading as a conclusion to the biographies of the eminent Whitefield and Wesley, that, having been instru mental in saving thousands and thousands of souls, by preaching faith in Christ, and the duty of immediate repentance, that they turned a short corner, and told their hearers that, after all, the Gospel was not for the restoration of the world, from the debasement of the Pall; and that there was no hope for prevailing wickedness, but in a personal appearing of the Lord and in a general judgment! Ido not know a Second Ad ventist who has the spirit of a Reformer, as every Christian ought to have, or who holds himself per sonally responsible, if necessary, to resist evil unto blood. I confess that my judgment of this “ tree,” is alone by its “fruits." Will not some of our * Our observation does not, on this point, fully ac ■«®rd with that of our correspondent.—Ed. THE AMERICAN PRESBYTERIAN, THURSDAY, MARCH 28, 1867. ministers give us such a doctrinal exposition as ■will furnish a better foundation to stand upon? ..I ■ A Layman. Norristown, March 18,1867. REV. E. P, HAMMOND’S LETTERS FROM PA LESTINE, No. 4. On our way from Tiberias to Nazareth, we pass ed through what many suppose to be the Cana of Galilee, where Jesus performed His first miracle. In a little chapel the monks pointed out to us two of the “six water pots of stone,” in which they affirmed the water was changed to wine. Cana is now, as it doubtless was then, an obscure town. But it was in that quiet place, among some of the relatives of His mother, our Lord first “ manifest ed forth His glory,” (John ii: 11.) He was just about to commence His public ministry. He had called His disciples, and perhaps they were! in some doubt as to the character of their new. Master, and their faith in Him.needed to.be strengthened. The desired result was therefore accomplished, for it is written, “And His disci ples believed on Him.” After a ride of a fow hours, over a fearfully rough road, we reached Nazareth. We found it situated at the west end of a beautiful valley; and surrounded by lofty hills. During our two days’ stay in and about Nazareth, we visited all the places which tradition has connected with the life of our Saviour. We had little faith that any of these traditions were well founded. As there never has been but one fountain that has supplied the whole town with water, we could but think that Jesus must often have drank from that spark ling spring. As often as we visited the fountain, we found crowds of maidens, some of them really attractive in their appearance, with water pots upon their heads. waiting for their turn to fill them. Rev. Mr. Hubert, the missionary, took me into his Protestant school, where I should think were some fifty children. At his request I told them about the children in America, who had learned to love the Saviour, who once lived on that very hill-side. During our stay in Nazareth, I felt a nearness to the Saviour, such as I thought I had never before experienced. It led me to contem plate the humanity of Christ, in a way I had never done before. New chords of sympathy bound my heart to His. And I felt as I had n ever before, thatl could go to Him with-every sorrow and find in Him a sympathizing friend, who had been “tempted in all points like as we are.” How often I wished that we might know more of our Saviour’s history, during His long residence in that quiet valley! MOUNT TABOR. While at Nazareth, we made an excursion to Mount Tabor, situated some seven miles distant. The monks of the new G-reek Convent, located on its summit, have recently constructed a good road all the way to the top. The day was all that could be desired. The eminence can scarcely be called a mountain, for it is only 1400 feet above the plain, and 1900 above the sea; yet the view from its top is quite extensive, owing to its isolated po sition. Though we could not regard it as the “ Mount of Transfiguration,” still our visit was full of interest. There is evidence that a town and fortress covered the oblong area on its summit, in the days of Christ. It would not, therefore, have been a place to which our Lord and His disciples would have retired from the gaze of men. Be sides, in comparing the account given of this event by Matthew and Mark, it appears that Christ, 1 a week before the transfiguration, was near Caesa rea Philippi, and that on; His way from thence, He visited Capernaum. (Luke ix : 51, and Matthew xvii: 24.) But taking Mount Hermon to be “ the holy mount,”- ail the Scripture narrative ! seems natural. We were interested in looking up all those places in our Bibles, in which -Mount Tabor is mentioned. We found it celebrated as one of the wonderful works of God. “ The north and the south thou hast created them—Tabor and Hermon shall rejoice in thy name.” Ps. lxxxix: 12. It appears at one time to have been the scene of idolatrous rites; for Hosea thus records the words of God, “ Hear ye this, 0 priests: and hearken, ye houses of Israel, and give ye ear, 0 house of the king. For judgment is toward you, because ye have been a snare on Mispah and a net spread upon Tabor.” We read the fourth chapter of Judges telling how Barak “went down from mount Tabor, and ten thousand men after him,” and with the “Lord, discomfited Siseraand all his chariots, and all his host.” In the great plain of Esdraelon, which lay spread out at our feet, we could easily imagine the scene. To the south, in full view, lay Endor and Nain. Our glasses made them appear very near to us, and we read the ac count of Saul’s sad visit to the witch of Endor, and of our Saviour’s raising the widow's son at Nain. (1 Samuel xxviii; andLuke'vii.) While we were impressed with the fact that-the great plain before us had been for ages the battle-field where multitudes, since the days of Saul and Ba rak, had been ‘slain, it was far more pleasant to think of Him who gladdened the - heart of that weeping widow by resto'i-ing her son to life again. Somewhere along the sides of the declivity of little Hermon, near where the village of Nain lay, Jesus must have met the mournful proces sion on their way to the burial place. Yery likely His heart was more deeply moved as He drew near and looked upon the face of the young man as it was exposed upon the bier (a common sight in the east.) There it lay, cold and rigid as mar- ble. But the life-giving words, “Young man, I say unto you arise,” causes the blood to tinge those cheeks; and behold; ;h He that was dead sat up and began to speak.”..!>Nq wotiderthat tyhe people of the city ” “ glorified God saying, that God'lmth,.visited His people.” As from Tabor’s eminence I looked down upon the few houses where once stood the “city called Nain,” think ing of this miracle, the thought occurred to me, Why did not the Omniscient and compassionate Saviour come but a little sooner to that distressed mother? Why did He allow those long hours of suffering between the death of her son and the dreaded burial? But the answer which our Lord gave to the disciples concerning the death of Lazarus came to my mind. “lam glad for your sake that I was not there, to the intent ye may be lieve.” As the dark cloud-in, the background is necessary to the richness and beauty of the rain bow, so the, Saviour knew. that.the deeper the spr ■ row of, , that weeping heart the greater .would be its joy. .... “ Trials make th.e promise sweet, Trials give new life to prayer,. . Bring me to the Saviour’s feet, Lay me low and keep me there.” Before leaving Tabor we rode aro.und among its ruins partly for the purpose of. learning the real shape of its top. 1 The accounts and pictures which we had seen of it failed to agree in their representations. > But. a little observation soon taught us the reason for their apparent discrepan cies. Erom the east, it presents the appearance of a truncated cone; from the west, it appears wedge-shaped; and from the north and south it describes the arc. of .a circle. We could not help but learn a lesson of candor and caution from these facts. How often do we hear people with the utmost regard for truth, giving an entirely different account of some mutual acquaintance, or, it may be, of' some preacher of the day. Tabor has been aptly described as “the copsy pyramid, the leafiest hill in the Holy Land.” Thus we found it on the 25th of Nov.' And from it so many places of biblical interest may be seen, that it is one of those places on which travellers .love to linger.' From its top also may’be seen the battle-field where General Kleber and Napoleon Bonaparte, ] with a handful of 3,0-00 defeated with vapt slaugh ter, 30,000 of the Turks. Before leaving, we: visited the Greek Conyent, built where, more than six centuries ago, a Christian church crumbled to ruins. Now pnly five or. six monks,live, where, centuries ago, hundreds made it their home. As we looked down 1 on that beautiful fertile plain, at our feet, we thought of what it might have been, if its ancient jpeople had not so sinned against God, causing tlieland to.be “utterly emptied, and utterly spoiled.” , James Montgomery’s lines rep resent a scep'usadly in contrast with what we saw from Tabor and in fact throughout all Pales tine. “He climbed the mountain, and behold! The land before him lay, ‘ Here Jordan’s bounding waters rolled, There Carmel stretched away. There-Btranger lives the Patriarchs led, There-promised Canaan smiled From, Northern Lebanon out-spread To Araby, the wild. A land Of fountains and of rills, YVith milk and honey fraught; Whose stones were iron, from whose hills Marble and brass were wrought. A land ofcorn.and wine and oil, : Whose trees with fruitage hung, While birds, to soothe the labourers’ toil, Among the branches sung. Valleys stood thick with golden grain, Goats bounded on the rocks;. And white and dark, on slope and plain, Roamed pasturing herds and flocks.” FRAGMENTS FROM THE -JOURNAL QF A MISSIONARY TOUR IN INDIA.-No. 11. Beautiful as is the garden in which we are stopping here in Kagul , it would be easy to draw a dark picture of the idolatry and superstition around us, though probably you hardly need facts to deepen convictions on this point. One item, however, bearing on the character and origin of Hindu idolatry, I will mention. In this very garden, not far from the elegant bungalow we occupy, is a temple, comparatively new. Passing near it, I had the curiosity to look in at the idol. It was the statue of a man, and like the temple, bore evidence of modern make. I asked the gardeners and work-people near me, what god it was, for the most ignorant generally recognize each of their 330,000,000 of gods,by their ■ looks and names. Some of them told me it was Mahadev (great god,) but most of them merely called it dev (god.) Not satisfied with their explanations, I catechised an old and trusted servant of the Bae Saheb , who has been on the premises some, forty years,. and who, though unable to read or write, has his cranium stuffed to overflowing with volumes of historical facts. Prom this old. man, I elicited the fact that the idol. in this temple, is the statue of Raoji Kahudi Saheb, an old Karbhari of the es tate under lysing Rao ; —that he administered the estate with great fidelity, and when he died, some thirty years ago, he left a large sum, of money, which, in hie death-letter (will,) he en joined should be used in building this temple, car ving Mb statue, consecrating and deifying it by sacred brahman rites, and performing daily pooja (worship) before it to the end of time- The thing was done. The name of Raoji Ka l-udi Saheb is remembered only by a few of the oldest peqple,, and when these die will be wholly forgotten—as also the origin of the temple. But this (of massive cut stone) will ending for ages, and the new god enshrined in it will continue-to" be worshipped by succeeding generations in per petuo —unless Christ sends new fire from heaven into the hearts of His church and people, and inspires more earnest efforts to obey His last com mand. We leave TTayuf truly thankful that so much of God’s truth, orally and by the printed page, has found favorable access to so many minds; and hearts, praying God to bless it, and cause it to spring up and bear fruit to ,His praise, and ear nestly. longing to see this post occupied by some man. of God, impelled by love and zeal to find his life-work and joy in efforts to win these idola ters.to Christ. KURNOOE,, NOV. 30. . Here we, are. encamped in the centre of ,a small village of only five hundred souls. .We have found, shelter from' the burning sun in an old unoccupied building, with no article of fur niture, but in spreading our beds and blankets on the .earth floor we only follow the example of the Great Missionary “.who. went about, doing. gocid” and of all’ His, Missionary Apostles. - ; 1 The people of this place are simple and ignorant in regard to everything hut, their; idol-gods and superstitions. There is only one man among them able to read—the' village . ac countant. He may gladly accept a Bible apd read it to all who gather ,to hear him. I have good audiences here, every night, and during the three past days have .visited jsome dozen villages, within a circle of six or eight, miles around us. Only a mile in one direction is the large village of Kongunooli, with a population of over five thousand (5000,) where the village officers and heads of the people received me most courteously and more than two hundred have come and lis- tened, each time I have been there, as long as I had time and strength to address them. Being here in the midst of the people, Mrs.. W. has had special facilities for interviews with, the women, and has found them delighted to listen to her words, some of them seeming to be much interested and impressed by. the strange and new truths of the Gospel. . NEEPANI, DEO. 5, With oneinterveningcampon the wayfrom Kur noor, we find ourselves in this large town pf ten thousand idolaters, and, twenty-five miles from Kolapoor., JReepani, sixty, years ago, was . the capital-of a large independent (principality, en- gaged. in frequent conflicts with neighboring States, and, able to .cope with, the .whole force of the Kolapoor . kingdom. Its turbulent - chief, Shidoji Rod, was reported the best soldier and ablest General in .the Mahratti Empire. In 1808,- the king of .Kolapoor, Shivaji by name, grand father of our king just deceased, led his whole army in person against this notable chief, but was defeated and wounded, and fled back to Kol apoor' with the fragment of his army completely disorganized, leaving : his principal officers, and five thousand men slain on the field of battle. Shidoji, Rpt)> proposed.!© follow -up- his ; advantage and attack Kolapoor,' [but the old Reshwa at Poona interfered,, effected, a reconciliation be; tween Neepani and Kolapoor, and to render it permanent, arranged to have a Kolapoor princess given in marriage to the Neepani chief. This mar riage was celebrated, at Kolapoor with great pomp, June 21st, 18Q9, but no sooner were the public ceremonies-oyer, than the crafty Neepani chief , absconded with his royal bride. the, same night, and .disregarding, all his new family he soon invaded .the kingdom, and again defeated the whole Kolapoor army. But at this point of time, British] interference came in to check both I the contending parties,and prevent any enlarge ment of this Neepani principality. Indeed, for some reason, a-fu.ll third of its,territory was then made, over <to Kolapoor, though subsequently taken, back and engrossed in the British Raj. And such, w.e now find, is the status of this whole ,Neepani principality. Its last chief, died only.a few years since, but all. that remains of him and his principality is his old Fort and Pal ace and two. youthful widows—all else has be come British. The reasons and details of ab sorption may be left to politicians. While ad mitting the wiser rule of the British, all things considered, it is still hard to suppress sympathy for the relics of these old chiefs and ruling fami lies, thus suddenly “wiped out.” The senior widow of this late chief had the courtesy to invite. Mrs. W. to visit her. We found her living in the old palace within the fort out side the native town, and both the fort and pal ace showed evidence of the large resources of the chief who built them; for there had been much regard, to strength and permanence, with no par simonious display of taste and ornament. Our reception produced a eonflict of emotions, alternating between the sad and the ludicrous. When a Hindu king, chief or nobleman invites us to an interview, he always meets us at the en trance of his palace or durbar, sutrounded with a. train of attendants. As we approached the palace of this Bae Sahel) yesterday, we expected only attendants to. receive us, as the lady of course would not appear among men. But we were surprised to find a bright little,boy,of four summers standing to receive us, with all the in signia of native royalty,, and right.. well did. the little fellow do the honors of the occasion, though when he led the way into the durbar room, this young sprig of would-be-royalty had to be car ried in f;he arms— or rather, astride the hip 0 f his attendant. We foundthe explanation of this to be, that the poor widow bad-adopted this child as an heir to inherit the rights, power and pre rogatives of her husband, the late chief, and was training him in all the forms and etiquette of royalty, sacrificing all her private resources to keep up her costly establishment, in the forlorn hope that the British Government would yet re cognize the adoption and restore the principality to her family, with this child as its chief—a hope to be deferred till her heayt is sick and the grave closes over her and the dear child too. While Mrs. W. had her interview with the Bae Saheb, and .women of Jbe. Zeimna, with Bible iii'hahd and tiie sermon on the_ Mount for my text, I had a valuable opportunity iu the durbar to explain to some sixty officials and at tendants the divine principles and teachings of oiir holy faith/ " . My aiidieices each ' day in town fiave been laiger, Sornetitties rising to twb and three hun dred; and’ thoiigh many Brahmbns are always present, they skem ‘ little inclined' to controversy, while the 7 - cotaiiihOn' people nod dsserit and often give; ahdible Expression to 1 their Strong feelings of approval; as they listen to the truth. ‘ We'find' ni6e"s‘chool of one hundred and fifty pupils, i large number of readers, and more biger demand; frii Orir sonptnre and tracts than 1 in' anyplsfbe before yisitfed.'/* */ * ’ Yesterday morning; as I was gbing early to my service iti'town I Met a eSowdof exci ted people' just Outside the gate, and on looking for the cause of their excitement, I observed a poor man in tlieir midst, inno'cent bf all clothing but a rag around" his loins, rolling oyer and over through dirt and filth‘amidst the surging mass of 1 spectators, and 1 gradually hearing ‘ the high road.- In answer to my inquiries, I learned that having suffered' from pains and; ccintOrtions in his limbs, the man two'years ago went to the god iTafoba at Gudh' 'lngluz -for 'help, that He re- mained there ; a whole year constantly worship ping the god, and had'Enally made a vow to Ka loba, that if he would h'ealhita, he would perform Dundwat (penance) by rolling in this way from Neepani, some twenty miles, to\ the god’s shrine at' Gudh Ingluz. The trim God : Had ! healed the ‘poor man, or at leist be fancied himself better, arid now he'was hastening to fulk 'hik vow. 1 Such penance is frequent among the Hindus, but' generally performed by measuring the dis tance' with ‘the length df‘the bidy l —t. e., they fall prostrate on' the feee and' reaching forward with thb hahd make a mart on the ground,'then rising they bring' the feet to' the rhirk and again prostrate the body: Many perform this penance, travelling 1 sometimes hundreds of miles in this way to the! great shrines; especially to,Vithoba at Panderapobr This man chose the Slower and more tedious' process of rolling, eipee'ting thus to make more merit and win.more fa.f6i with the goil. He stopped' at; my .rec[ii'est ‘ and listened, with the crowd, to my words' 1 for seine tide, but no arguments Or entreaties Could diVert'him from his purpose. The whole force of 'their inveterate shperstitionb binds th'ein to the stfi<st'performance of Siich Vows. 1 I never shccieeded;in dissuading froth such- performances except in . A Single In stance. This wks the case of a young girl, whose parents' had induced her td make' a Vow to swing on the.hooks in honor of the ; god’ Khundoba, if he' would prosper their efforts tor find ‘ a husbatl for her. At length the husband was found, tie marriage duly performed,'and neit came prepara tions to fulfil the vow. Thousands gathered to witneSs thfe'act, and the parents brought up the poor girl to the post i.n front Of Khundoba's shrine on the top of a mountain. I came upon ■the scene on one of my preaching tours, and was so moved by the Sight of 'the preparations and of the trembling girl, .that T left fio‘effort untried with the parents and brothers of the girl and the officers of their village; to dissuade frCm the cruel act. For two and • a half hours my best endea vors availed only to cause delay: But then a quarrel arose between two - officiating priests,? each of whom claimed the privilege o'f cutting the poor girl’s hack and inserting' the hook, and the paltry fee for so doing. Aided by this quarrel, I suc ceeded in persuading the parents and brothers of the girl to release her, and she bounded off down the mountain: with, manifest joy at her deliver ance. Knowing the strength of Hindu super stition, I am not without fears that the poor girl may have been made to swing on a subsequent occasion, hut the distance?of scene has prevented my ascertaining. . Tbis place, is-another, most desirable centre for a mission station. . "With its population ,°f ten thousand, and fifty flourishing village? within a dozen 1 miles, it commands a-large and promising fields I-have visited: ;a! 'dozen l of the nearest villages since we reached, here, and every where find eager listeners. , .that they are ready and anxious to embrace the Gospel, for they never heard itrbefore—but they are ready to listen and betaughtj and'as Ghristfd promise fail eth not, a man of true love to souls- iqight win many bright stars hereVorbis crown-qf rejoicing- Pi that some devoted young man. would fix lit* heayt. on Netpani, .and come set up his banner here in the name of our Divide Redeemer. In the love of the Gospel,- yours sincerely, ■ ' " . - ' R. G. WILDBB. P• S.—We have been gratified to find love of knowledge and public spirit: enough, here to in duce-an effort to get ; up a -lilbrary. . They have gathered a few books, and the teachers and other in fluential persons. requested copies of our scriptures and Christian tracts and books' as an - addition to their collection. We are most happy to gratify them and place samples; of ? ojur Christian books where they will become so widely known. It-
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